Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation Fusion!

by Autismo555

A masked man, known as the Controller, has plucked the major focal points of Duel Monsters history and gathered up the biggest villains from each timeline to destroy the history of Duel Monsters itself! Now with the help of their friends and allies, Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki, Yusei Fudo and Yuma Tsukumo join forces to prevent the threat from destroying the game they love!

12. The Underworld Mage! (Part I)

Hello again, people. Sorry I had to take this chapter down before, but I found there were numerous errors in my writing the chapter. This all came down to it when one of my dear readers, Sanokal, had this constructive review to say:

Sanokal- "That Bubbleman turn doesn't quite work mate. Bladedge needs two tributes. And is that Contact's anime effect? I could swear that it's always been just two cards."

First off Sanokal, thank you for pointing that error out for me. It just proved to me that I needed time to sit down and write my Duels a but more constructively before I can write them down in my chapter. I really did struggle to keep up with the Duel Writing, but I am now confident that this new and improved chapter can fix all that. In addition, I have also added in and subtracted some scenes which were necessary and unnecessary respectively. I have taken out the "Bubbleman", "Bladedge", and "Blast Held by a Tribute" scenes and added in some freshly polished scenes in its place.

Anyway, I'm still standing by with the real-life stuff...

First off, how about that VRAINS, huh? The anime certainly has some highlights worth mentioning, like the Cyberses, having the main protagonist being the first Yu-Gi-Oh! protagonist to use some cards after the recent release of the Starter Decks and Structure Decks (as far as I know), and non-Dueling in-betweener episodes. That also means that the texts have once again changed, so, I'll run through some of the changes. "Graveyard" have been changed to "GY" (but I'm still calling it the Graveyard for sake of texts and scripts); "piercing battle damage to your opponent" has been cut down to "piercing battle damage" and stops right there; "-Type" texts after the Monster Types no longer exist in this era; "Spell/Trap Cards" have become merely "Spell/Traps"; and Normal Monster Cards have gained the "Normal" Type.

Second, I am going back to college in a couple of months. My vision for a career is a bit shortsighted, but I'll be going into college to get my Associate's Degree. That means I might not have enough time to write my fanfictions on top of my studies (but I promise I'll squeeze a few things in when I'm inspired). Oh, and I've gained a new part-time job that's two days a week with good pay, and once I'm more comfortable with the job, I'll probably extend it to three days a week.

Third, I'm writing my own satire on the political world today. It's not a fan fiction, it's an original fiction I was inspired to make in light of some events I've seen around Facebook, as well as being inspired by the mystery genres with the naming schemes of Dr. Strangelove. (Seriously, you should watch that movie. It's a classic Stanley Kubrick movie with three parts portrayed perfectly by the late Peter Sellers with the classic "Riding the Bomb" moment near the end.)

...and standing by with the old "here's your chapter, please enjoy it to your heart's desire" scenario.

With regards,
Autismo555~

---

Shadow Bandit Hideout - Sahara Desert Valley - Ancient Egypt

Somewhere, hidden in the deeper, lesser explored parts of the Sahara Desert Valleys, there was a round stone.

Behind that stone was the entrance to a cave, leading into the deep, dark depths under the valley, sheltering the Shadow Bandits from every known village or city inside its cold, dank caverns.

Galloping up to that stone on two Egyptian black stallions were two certain Shadow Bandits, returning after a retreat from a Shadow Duel lost.

"There it is! We've found the secret entrance into the valley!" the first Shadow Bandit said.

"Hurry up and open it, or else our hideout will be revealed to the Sacred Guardians!" the second Shadow bandit suggested in an urging tone.

The two Shadow Bandits dismounted their stallions and quickly went up to the stone, each Shadow Bandit taking one side of the stone. The Shadow Bandit on the left side pushed the stone, and the one on the right pulled it, rolling it over to reveal the entranceway into the dark caves, a passageway leading down its depths, fitted on the walls with torches alight to provide at least a bit of illumination to help the Shadow Bandits navigate its caverns.

After entering the cave, leading the horses inside, and closing the stone behind them, the two Shadow Bandits began their descent deep into their underground hideout.

The deeper caves housed each and every outcast that civilizations of Egypt spat out, from black-hearted people like bandits, thieves, and ruffians to exiles forced by decree of the current Pharaoh. It didn't matter whether these sorts of people were men or women, young or old; they were often found by the Shadow Bandits as lonely, suffering lost souls wandering in the desert. If such a person was found by the Shadow Bandits, they would be taken to this cave, spent their years undergoing intense training to become a part of the shady organization, through the practice of swordplay and the art of shadow magic. Once they were worthy to become a part of the Shadow Bandits, they would swear an oath to serve under the leadership of the Shadow Bandit Leader, and from then on, they take the responsibility of leading their own factions across Egypt to raid and plunder any village they seek and rob anyone they come across in their path.

"There! Now we can hide away in the shadows until we have a new leader sitting on the throne!" the second Shadow Bandit said.

"Don't get too overconfident, my friend. That proved to be the downfall for our previous leader," the first Shadow Bandit leader reminded, a piercing headache making him hold his head.

"Are you alright?" the second Shadow Bandit asked, noticing his friend's plight. "You look as if you've forgotten something."

"Yes, I believe we have," the first Shadow Bandit gasped. "I have forgotten everything about our previous leader. I cannot remember who he was, what he looked like, or how long he led us to victory. It's as if he never existed, and yet we remember him as our once-esteemed leader of our band."

The second Shadow Bandit pondered this, then felt a little headache acting up. "Yes, I see what you mean, comrade. There is a strange power that falls over Egypt, and the darkened skies and the red sun may be an omen for bed times to come."

"Then we must hasten our pace! Time is of the essence here."

"Right."

After taking the path down into the deeper part of the mountain, the two Shadow Bandits came upon a large cavern, hollowed out by hundreds of years of erosion and carved and filed by handy tools to make for a suitable living space. To the left of the entrance, there was one section of the cavern that was spacious enough to hold some stables for the Shadow Bandits' menacing black horses, complete with stomping grounds, and some troughs so the horses could eat and drink their fill. To the right, there was a section that was decorated with fine carpets and silks that doubled as a tavern where the Shadow bandits ate their meat and fruit and drank as much soda as they could atop of stone-carved tables, with three gigantic barrels containing said soda propped up against the wall.

The rest of the cavern was just one big training ground for the Shadow Bandits-in-training. The training was relatively slow and routine today, but the Shadow Bandits practiced for hours on end to serve under their leader, even rarely becoming the leader itself! Some of the Shadow Bandits practiced their knife-throwing at the wooden targets or stuffed burlap sacks molded into dummies while other Shadow Bandits practiced their swordplay with their comrades or with a special wooden mechanism that taught them how to attack and defend. There was even a little pocket cavern nearby where the Shadow Bandits with magical skills could practice the dark arts of their own shadow magic through incantations or through their DiaDhanks. Up ahead at the far back was a ziggurat with a stairway leading up to a throne carved out of rock where the Shadow Bandit Leader sat, now vacant and vanished into the Void.

The two returning Shadow Bandits decided that, as two of the higher-ups that followed the forgotten Bandit Leader, they needed to speak atop of the ziggurat and inform their kind of the news. After the cloaked stable boy took their horses, the two Shadow Bandits ran across the cavern. "These are the beginning of dark times that have befallen all of Egypt. Once we break the news that the Shadow Bandits are now leaderless, chaos will soon follow," the second Shadow Bandit monologued.

"Agreed, which is why we must elect a new leader as soon as possible, or the Shadow Bandits will be no more," the first Shadow Bandit concurred.

The two Shadow Bandits ascended up the stairs, attracting the attention of the other Shadow Bandits as they walked up to the throne, turning to face the throng. The first Shadow Bandit spread his arms out and yelled from the top of his lungs. "My kin! I bring you bad tidings in this dark hour! The Shadow Bandits have become leaderless!"

The news alone brought the rabble of ragged robbers into an uproar.

"What!? We are leaderless once more!?"

"Lies! We were led by a fine and mighty leader, weren't we!?"

"We were, but I can't remember who led the Shadow Bandits!"

"We must be placed under some sort of spell!"

"Everyone be silent this instant!" the first Shadow Bandit bellowed his command. A sudden hush fell over the crowd. "It is true, we are leaderless, but we have been placed in a time of turmoil! A time where the once blue sky is now a sky of darkness, where the light from the red sun illuminates the whole of Egypt in its crimson glow, and where the loser of the Shadow Games will be erased from our memories, never to return! If all of Egypt could see that we have no one to lead us to plunder and steal, then they will see it as a weakness and strike back at us with everything they have! That is why we need a leader more now than ever! A leader from our top ranks who is trained hard enough with the sword and the shadows! A leader who can put the Sacred Guardians in their place! A leader who can match up to the magic of the Millennium Items! What say you!?"

"I say you need more than just the title of Leader to lead your band of merry men!" a sinister male voice rang out from the back.

Every hooded head, shaded eyes, and unsheathed scimitars turned to where the voice came from, and from a shadowy corner of the cavern near the entrance, a solitary shadowy figure stood up. The first Shadow Bandit on the ziggurat unsheathed his own sword as well and looked at the figure with such severity. "Who are you, exactly!? How did you sneak in here without the guards knowing you're here, anyway!?"

"You could say I've had much experience sneaking in and out of the shadows so easily," the voice replied; it was like hearing a snake his with a British accent mixed in. "Using my own shadow magic, I was able to casually walk in here at ease while your guards were blissfully unaware. In fact, that reminds me, you really need to train your guards to detect any use of shadow magic at your own front door."

"I demand that you reveal yourself now, intruder!" the second Shadow Bandit shouted.

The figure simply chuckled at this. "As you wish."

In the darkness, the figure wore a red robe with white stripes near the cuffs of his sleeves and near the bottom, concealing his face under a red hood, leaving only his greedy toothed grin exposed. His stomach area was well-toned with muscles, signifying the muscles that he also built into his body. He wore a shendyt on his waist (the ancient Egyptian equivalent of a skirt that everyone wore at the time), and golden shoes on his feet.

About him was a dark and evil air, one that with a glint of his empty violet eyes made most of the Shadow Bandits wary. It was that sort of air that easily made the Shadow Bandits part away to open a path for the red-robed human to the ziggurat. "I admire all the work you've done over the years. Plundering most of Egypt, sending those poor fools to the Shadow Realm, anything to make a general disturbance among the Pharaoh's courts. It's like I was brought back by the shadows to see that my legacy is alive and well."

The red-robed man kept walking until he was completely out of the crowd, only stopping when he reached the foot of the ziggurat. "But now that I get a better look at you all, I can honestly say that you are all the sorriest bunch of bandits I have ever seen. I've seen better plundering and thieving in my day, and the work you've done is child's play compared to what I can do," the man criticized, turning to face the throng. "I guess it's nothing that your new leader can't fix now, can it?"

The two Shadow Bandits on top of the ziggurat took offense to this. "How dare you say such things!" the second Shadow Bandit accused.

"We have trained day and night to achieve our strength for battle and plunder, and you have the gall to come in here and slander in our presence!" the first Shadow Bandit argued.

The mysterious man turned to the Shadow Bandit with a sinister grin. "Slander? Are you implying that this band being my legacy is a lie? Clearly, some of you have little to no knowledge about the events that transpired several years ago, something about a certain bandit king storming the Pharaoh's palace and awakening an ancient evil from the Shadow Realm. For those of you who still haven't figured it out, perhaps it's about time that I show you who I am."

With that, the mysterious man turned to face the crowd and lifted his hood, revealing his face. A face which bore a scar under his right eye under a mess of grey hair. With his cruel violet eyes, the man turned to the massive gathering of Shadow Bandits, staring at them while chuckling through his fiendish toothy smile. Most of the Shadow Bandits gasped and cowered back in fear; they knew who that man was, making him all the more intimidating.

"It cannot be!"

"It's the same Bandit King that nearly plunged all of Egypt into eternal darkness once!"

"I thought he sacrificed his life force to bring back the Dark One!"

"How did he come back from the shadows!?"

The grey-haired Bandit King gave another chuckle at the mass's reaction to his revealed face. "I guess I underestimated the education of the Shadow Bandits. It looks like you have read up on my life story," the Bandit King said with another vile snicker. "Of course, that won't change the fact that I'm stepping up and taking over this group. After all, I'm the one founded this cadre using only myself and a bit of dark magic to make it all happen."

"Now wait a minute!" the first Shadow Bandit atop the ziggurat announced. "Do you honestly believe that you can just walk in here and declare yourself the new leader of the Shadow Bandits!?"

"Of course," the Bandit King answered, "or did you already forget I was the one who founded the Shadow Bandits?"

"I haven't forgotten who founded our cadre, and I also haven't forgotten what happened when the real Bandit King sacrificed his life force for the resurrection of the Dark One!" the first Shadow Bandit shouted, making the other Shadow Bandits murmur worriedly amongst themselves. "That's right! The real Bandit King was sent to the Shadow Realm to revive the ancient evil that nearly decimated all of Egypt in its wake! Even with the magic of the shadows, there is no way that the Bandit King can return from the Shadow Realm alive and whole! That would only make you both a charlatan and a fraud!"

The murmurs among the Shadow Bandits grew louder, most of them about how they agreed with the claim from the right-hand man of the former leader's. Venomous eyes, guttural growls, and shimmering steel blades turned on the Bandit King, who couldn't help but smirk at the pathetic display. "You might want to think about your next move. It might end with some of you suffering for eternity in the Shadow Realm."

"Please, we outnumber you in both swords and shadow magic," the first Shadow Bandit said. "What could you possibly possess that would send us to the shadows?"

The Bandit King gave another evil chuckle. "Well, since you asked so nicely," he said as his eyes widened with an insane gleam. "Allow me to show you my power!"

An unnatural wind picked up when the Bandit King hunched over his back, crossing his arms and clenching his fists tightly. Some of the Shadow Bandits cautiously backed away a couple of paces when they saw the wind starting to swirl around the man, but in the end, it didn't really matter. With a psychotic roar, the Bandit King thrust his arms out at their full length as the winds whipped around him furiously, making the surrounding Shadow Bandits flinch, and the horses to bray alarmingly.

"What's going on!?" the first Shadow Bandit demanded to know, covering his face with his arm. "How does he possess this much shadow magic!?"

Then he spotted something rise from the back of the Bandit King, something that made him gasp. "What... What is that thing!?"

The Bandit King chuckled as a shadow loomed over him, the shape of a muscular humanoid with a pair of wings at its abdominal area, and a serpentine body complete with a snake's head.

"That, my oblivious and clueless friend, is the product of my own shadow magic," he answered, gesturing towards the Shadow Bandit foolish enough to talk back to him, "and if that isn't convincing enough for you, then maybe you'd like to feel the brunt of my monster's attacks!"

The shadow took its hands and formed a ball of dark energy between its palms, making the Shadow Bandits either step back and run away for cover. The first Shadow Bandit was unfortunate to know that he was in the direct line of fire, and his fear froze his feet in place.

"No! Stop! Please!" the Shadow Bandit begged the Bandit King, only to make his sadistic grin widen with a low chuckle.

"No stop, please? Don't mind if I do!" the Bandit King taunted, gesturing towards his first victim in millennia. "Now, my most loyal servant, send that fool to the Shadow Realm!"

The shadow creature gathered enough dark energy in his palm, threw one of its hands back that cradled said dark energy, and thrust it out towards the Shadow Bandit where the stream took the form of a helical light. "NOO!" the Shadow Bandit screamed as he was standing directly in the line of the helical stream, unable to escape it in time. "Stop, please don't do this! You've convinced me enough! Please I beg of you! Don't send me to the Shadow Realm! Have mercy on me!"

His last words and his last screams were cut short when the stream collided with him head-on, causing an explosion that blew the second Shadow Bandit away and a chunk of the ziggurat off. The other Shadow Bandits watched with horror when the explosion occurred, and they waited in suspense as the smoke lingered for a moment or two. Then, after the smoke cleared out, the Shadow Bandits all gasped when they saw that a chunk of the ziggurat had been blown off, and where the first Shadow Bandit stood had completely disappeared. The only two things that survived the explosion was the second terrified Shadow Bandit and the stone throne.

The ragged ravagers stood silent with a newfound fear at the sight, and they turned when they heard the Bandit King giggle again. This time, this evil giggle erupted into a psychotic laughter so loud that it sent a series of shivers down the spines of every Shadow Bandit present. "Ah, it's so good to be back in my mortal form. At least now we know who the real leader of the Shadow Bandits are now," the Bandit King said, turning to face the cloaked crowd which fell under the gaze of himself and his shadow creature. "Now then, if any of you wish to join him in his fate, do fee free to speak up. Otherwise, you work for me now, and you will all follow my every command. Do I make myself clear?"

After a moment of hesitation, the second Shadow Bandit reluctantly stood on his feet and unsheathed his sword. He stuck it inside the floor of the ziggurat, bowed his head down, and stuck his left foot out. "Yes, my liege. I will follow your every command until the day I fall to the shadows."

Soon after, the other Shadow Bandits followed suit, unsheathing their own swords, sticking their blades into the ground and bowed while repeating the same vow in a stereo-like cacophony. "Yes, my liege. I will follow your every command until the day I fall to the shadows."

The Bandit King bellowed out another deranged laugh, seeing how he was surrounded by the same people who wanted to end him now bowing to him. "That's more like it! It's good to see that people are still to their king!" he commented as his shadow creature disappeared. He turned around and walked up the stairway of the ziggurat. "Now that we've all established who's leading this group of merry men, my first order of business is to see how exactly you lost your previous leader... if you can even remember your last leader, that is."

After reaching the top of the staircase, climbing around the blown chunk of the ziggurat along the way, the Bandit King reached the throne, turned, and slumped against the backrest, sitting in a position that only a king like himself would sit. He gave himself a moment to relax on his seat before turning a whimsical gaze towards the second Shadow Bandit. "You there. You must have witnessed how your band became leaderless in one day. Would care to tell me how it happened?"

The second Shadow Bandit faltered a bit under the attention of the newly-appointed Shadow Bandit Leader -now the newly-appointed Shadow Bandit King- but he stood up strong with a new resolve masking his fear of him. "It started when my previous leader and my comrade... at least, I think they were my leader and my comrade," he mumbled, feeling his mind wiped of any memory of the two people he followed by the Void. "Anyway, we were taking our base at the valley when we spotted this foreigner who was lost and alone with his friends. He had a strange look about him, from the clothes he wore to his hair sticking out like it was a spike."

The Bandit King's eyes widened intriguingly. "Don't stop now, tell me more. About this 'strange foreigner'. Was he the one responsible for the disappearance of your previous leader?"

"No, actually. That blame is to fall on the shoulders of another strange boy from another foreigner of Egypt," the Shadow Bandit described. "He wore this strange red cloth, and he could make his own creatures come to life in an instant! What's more is that he has the power to combine his creatures together, except he doesn't use the magic of the Millennium Items to accomplish such a feat. I've never seen anything like it before. It's like he has a power that would rival that with the Pharaoh."

"Hmmm. How interesting," the Bandit King said with intrigue. "And where do you suppose they are at this moment?"

"I do not know," the Shadow Bandit answered, "but if I had to guess, I would say they are traveling to the Pharaoh's palace as we speak."

The Bandit King chuckled from his throat, shifting forwards in his seat. "Really? Well, what a coincidence. I was planning on making a return trip there, myself," he said a she turned to the Shadow Bandit by his side. "Gather up your finest troops. At the first light of dawn tomorrow, we're going on a little excursion to the Pharaoh's palace. That'll give you all more than enough time to prepare for battle and a little bit more to brush up on your shadow magic."

"Yes, my liege," the Shadow Bandit bowed, descending down the stairs to give the order.

Meanwhile, the Bandit King simply rested his cheek on his supported fist, another chuckle escaping his throat. "So, it sounds like the games have just begun, and it sounds like the winner of the first round goes to Jaden Yuki," he said, emitting yet another chuckle from his throat. "It's no matter to me now. Jaden still as a desert to cross through with Tristan until they can reach civilization, but even then, he will still have an army of shadows to face. Even he can't take all of my Shadow Bandits down on his own, even with Tristan's help."

A dark, distorted chuckle emitted from the side of the Bandit King's stone throne as another unknown figure appeared from the shadows, his silhouette obscuring his identity. His silhouette was that of a human male with hair sticking out at all ends in spikes, a glowing shape of an eye in the center of his forehead. While his face and upper torso was obscured by the dark shadows his attire was still visible, consisting of a black sleeveless shirt with khaki-colored pants and black shoes. His skin was tanned, and his arms were clasped with golden rings.

"Not to mention that he'll have to juggle two threats at one time," the silhouette spoke with the same distorted voice. "With the Controller's master plan he gave for the both of us, it almost makes our fragile alliance the more bearable."

The Bandit King smirked. "It's true, we've had quite a few differences in the past, but that's all over now," he said. "Now that we've been given a second chance, we'll have to make the most of it by playing along the Controller's little game. And the loser will be Jaden Yuki and his little friends, too."

"Yes," the deep voice agreed. "There is no better feeling in this world than watching a pathetic Duelist suffer under my power."

"And you'll get it in due time, my megalomaniacal friends," the Bandit King assured. "For now, let's let Jaden Yuki and his past-era pal have what little fun he has left, because once we're through with them, then it'll be their last."

The Bandit King and his concealed coworker kicked back and watched as the Shadow Bandits scurried around the cavern, preparing themselves for the biggest raid they were going to participate.

---

Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

"Man, I'm hot."

"Well, I'm hotter."

"I'm tired."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm tireder."

"That's not even a word!"

"It is if you look it up in the dictionary."

These were the many little squabbles exchanged back and forth between Jaden and Tristan as they rode atop of the lone Egyptian black stallion trotting across the desert, the same black stallion that was used as a means of transportation by the Shadow Bandits when they attacked the two teens, left alone by its owner and permanently wiped away from existence. The solidified spirit of Winged Kuriboh served their guide while, true to their bantering, Jaden and Tristan were feeling beat from under the sun. Their faces revealed the weary expression of two heat-stricken travelers, they were beginning to sweat all over, and their bodies were growing sore from the exhaustion. Between the heat and the lack of food, Jaden and Tristan were lucky to even be alive at this point.

"You know, I hate to say this, but I've gotta really hand it to the Controller," Jaden reluctantly admitted breaking the momentary silence. "For a guy dressed up in a cloak who spends his free time in his spaceship, sitting around and watching us from his holographic TVs, he's done a decent job of imitating the heat from our sun with that fake sun."

"No kidding," Tristan agreed with the Slifer Red. "I'm so hot, I can't tell if you were complimenting him or just being sarcastic."

"Me neither. I'm so hot, I feel like I'm melting like a popsicle." Jaden's stomach grumbled, making him wince. "Not to mention hungry for one, too. If I knew I would be stuck out here, I would've packed a snack ahead of time."

"Dude, don't you even mention that you're hungry because now you're gonna make me feel hungry." At this, Tristan's stomach growled along with Jaden's, forming a duet of rumbling belly grumbles that shocked Tristan to the point where he hung his head again, this time out of embarrassment and shame. "Thanks a lot, Jaden, now I'm hungry. I'm so hungry I could really go for a double bacon cheeseburger with some fries and a chocolate shake right now."

"You and me both," Jaden agreed with the starving teenager. "What I wouldn't go through just to get an extra large pizza topped with everything with an ice cold soda to wash it all down."

"I'd even settle for a great big chili dog with extra cheese, bacon bits, and onions."

"Some hard-shelled tacos don't really sound all bad."

"I'd like some soft-shelled tacos myself."

"The Golden Eggwich from Duel Academy."

"A chicken sandwich with extra pickles."

"I'd even take liver and onions."

"I'll even settle for beef and bell peppers."

The mere thoughts of their stomach's desires only made the hunger pangs worse, as their stomachs made a growl audible to be heard from five feet away. Jaden and Tristan jumped back in shock to how loud their bellies demanded food, then their faces fell in embarrassment, sighing in perfect synchronization. "It's hopeless..." the two boys whimpered simultaneously. "WE'RE STARVING! WE NEED SOMETHING TO EAT, NOW!"

Jaden and Tristan comically cried while Winged Kuriboh simply looked at them and sighed pitifully.

"This is bad! We have to eat something soon or we'll never make it out of this desert!" Tristan pointed out in a fit of near-panic.

"Well, there's just gotta be something nearby that we can eat!" Jaden replied as frantic as the pointy-haired teen.

"What about this horse? We can eat him, can't we?" Tristan asked, making the stallion sweat nervously and Jaden gasp.

"What!? No way! This horse is the only mode of transportation we have and he's the only one who can get us out of this desert!"

"Not at the speed you're going! Give me those reins!"

"Hey, what are you doing!?"

Tristan reached over and tried to take the reins from Jaden, instigating in a struggle of who wanted to steer the horse and who should take the backseat. In the midst of the struggle, Jaden accidentally pulled the reins too hard, making the stallion bray and rear back on his hind hooves, nearly knocking the two boys off of his back. With quick reflexes, Jaden held onto the reins and Tristan held onto the horse's flank, and they both held on tight as the horse suddenly cantered off in a fit of panic. The two boys screamed as they were being led aimlessly across a part of the desert, desperately holding onto the horse like they were in the roughest rodeo of their lives while Winged Kuriboh watched the show with shocked eyes.

"Heeyyyy! How do you stop this crazy thing!" Tristan screamed.

"Don't look at me! You're the one who decided to be the backseat driver!" Jaden snipped.

"You were driving as slow as an old lady!"

"At least old ladies don't try to take the steering whe-hee-HEEL!"

"WHAAAA!"

After an accidental sharp turn from the stallion, Jaden and Tristan were flung off and rolled down the side of the nearest sand dune, spraying sandy mist in the air with each roll. When at last they landed at the bottom, they landed with a big WHUMP! that raised a giant dust cloud upon their impact. The stallion reared on its hind hooves and settled at the top of the sand dunes, shuddering its head and snorting from its nostrils. When the dust settled, Jaden and Tristan were lying face-up, groaning as they felt the wind knocked out of them, a painful wince written on their faces.

"Well, that could've been a lot worse," Tristan sarcastically said raspingly.

"Yeah, but at least we're still here, so that counts for something," Jaden said, sitting up where he laid, grunting in pain. They were quickly joined in by the concerned Winged Kuriboh who hovered above the fallen Slifer Red's face and chirped and asked him if he was alright in Kuribanese. "I'm cool, Kuriboh. I've taken bigger falls on my back before, so it's nothing new."

Tristan turned to Jaden, curious about the conversation between him and the Duel Monster. "Hey, how do you know what your Kuriboh is telling you?"

"It's part of a package deal when you have the ability to communicate with the Duel Monster Spirits at a young age," Jaden explained.

Tristan cocked his head sideways. "You can see and hear Duel Monster Spirits?"

"I don't just see 'em or hear 'em, but I can also talk to them," Jaden explained. "As a matter of fact, I am also part-human and part-Duel Monster Spirit merged into one."

Tristan raised an eyebrow while he bore a skeptical look. "Okay, I know I've seen some weird stuff in my life before, but meeting a guy who's both human and a spirit is pretty hard to swallow. How do I know you're not making up that story just to seem cool?"

"You've seen the way I used my 'Clayman' to keep those Shadow Bandits from turning you into Egyptian-style confetti, right?" Jaden asked, to which Tristan said "yeah" and nod his head. "Well, that's just one of the many cool benefits of being fused together with your own Duel Spirit. Not only do I get to Summon any Duel Monster I want in solidified form, but I also have the power to see everything in the world around us."

Tristan looked back to how Jaden had called out his "Elemental HERO Clayman" to protect him from the blade of the Shadow Bandits' swords, a Duel Monster using its stone-hard body to splinter the attacking scimitars into metallic shards. "I kinda get the part where you can Summon those monsters in solidified form, but the last part is still hard to swallow. Did you really use that sightseeing power of yours to see how I was in serious trouble with the Shadow Bandits?"

Jaden nodded. "Yep. My Spirit Partner saw you run a marathon ahead of those creeps from a mile away."

Tristan's stomach growled again, serving him as a painful reminder that his belly needed food. "As long as we're discussing seeing some stuff a mile away, can that Spirit Partner of yours find a place to eat?" he asked with a pained grunt. "I'm not sure for how long I can put off food for much longer."

"You and me both," Jaden agreed as the ethereal spirit of Yubel materialized next to him. "So how about it, Yubel? Can you see if there's some place where he can stop for a bite to eat?"

"Need I remind you that I am your guide across the desert, not a GPS for your nearest convenient fast food restaurant?" Yubel asked curtly. "Besides, even if I could use my gift of foresight, I doubt that we would find a place for you to eat and replenish your strength."

"You're kidding me!" Jaden gasped. "So where are we going to get something to eat when the Pharaoh's palace is about a day away!?"

"A Pharaoh's palace? Is that where we're going?" asked Tristan.

"Yeah. Yubel and I saw this palace across the desert past some kind of valley. With any luck, we should be able to reach the palace in a day or so."

"In a day? We won't even last half a day without any food."

While the two teens discussed their current plight, Winged Kuriboh felt something in the air, something unusual. Suddenly, the vision of the Eye of Anubis flashed through the Fairy's mind, and a melody of strange eeriness echoed through its mind. It was like flute music, a sort of mesmerizing melody that only a little Fairy like him could hear. Jaden couldn't hear it. Tristan couldn't hear it. Not even the ethereal form of Yubel that remained invisible to everyone who couldn't see spirits could hear it. The music soothed the heart of Winged Kuriboh drew him into a blissful trance. His big eyes glazed over and hovered away from the group.

Yubel watched as Winged Kuriboh disappeared over a sand dune with her stoic, dichromatic eyes. She then turned her focus onto her charge and his newly-made friend while their discussion was coming to a close. "That's not entirely true. We still have that horse that the Shadow Bandits left behind after my last Duel. If we can ride him across the desert, then we'll be able to make it to the Pharaoh's palace in about half that time."

"So the sooner we make it to the Pharaoh's palace in half that time, the sooner we have something to eat," Tristan thought aloud.

"And the sooner we get to that palace, the sooner we could find a way out of this era!" Jaden concluded.

"Alright, now this sounds like a plan!" Tristan cheered. "We've got our horse, we've got our destination, now all we need is our guide!"

"I see no objection to that!" Jaden said, turning around. "What do you think, Kuriboh?"

When Jaden noticed that the party was short one fuzzy Fairy-Type, he immediately began to get curious. "Huh? Kuriboh? Where did you go?"

"He was just here a moment ago, wasn't he?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, so where did he run off to?"

"He was headed off across the dunes while you too were busy talking about your early dinner plans," Yubel said, looking towards where Winged Kuriboh hovered away. "I saw him fly off in that direction. From the dazed look in his eyes, I would wager that something has drawn Winged Kuriboh in a trance."

"Are you sure?" Jaden asked. "Do you know what could've put Winged Kuriboh in a trance?"

"I am not sure what he felt, Jaden, but whatever it was, it was strong enough that only a Duel Spirit like Winged Kuriboh could only hear."

"Well, let's find him! Whatever put him in that trance is also putting him in danger!"

Jaden took off running in the direction Yubel mentioned, leaving a baffled Tristan behind for a moment. "Wait a minute, Jaden! What about our horse!?"

"We'll come back for him later! Right now, we have a friend to save!"

"But he'll be out there all alone! What if someone else takes him!?"

Reluctantly, Tristan still followed suit.

-ELSEWHERE-

Somewhere, miles away from where Jaden and Tristan were, there was a couple of girls trudging across the desert, freshly refreshed and restocked with clean oasis water. Akiza walked through the sandy hills of the Sahara Desert with an unconscious Tori propped up on her back. The palm leaf basket dangled from her net, carrying the oasis water inside, spilling only a little water from the basket, but not a whole lot. All while the two girls followed the little bird-of-paradise, leading them somewhere further into the desert where good fortune awaited them.

After a long time hiking through the sands of Egypt, Akiza stopped and noticed the bird-of-paradise flying circles overhead, the tiny avian marking a certain spot where it witnessed a Duel that took place earlier that day. "Looks like our little fortune bird has found something," Akiza monologued to herself. "If my hunch is correct, then this must be the place where the bird wanted us to follow to. I just hope there's something here we can use to get out of this desert quicker."

Akiza quickened her step and climbed over a dune where she observed a sandy area where, to her curiosity, she observed a patter of little indents in the sand patterned like someone or something ran through here not too long ago. She came up on the sight where the indents were gathered around the most and closely observed them. "There's no doubt about it; there must have been a fight here. Judging by the distance between the footprints closer to each other, I'd say this was more than just a fight. There was a Duel that occurred here earlier."

The tiny bird fluttered next to Akiza, and the Psychic Duelist in question looked at the bird. "I bet you've seen who was Dueling here, haven't you?"

The bird nodded a couple of times. "I know you can't exactly talk, but could you show me who was?"

With another nod, the bird-of paradise flittered down to the sand. Looking around, the bird spotted a piece of stick sticking out of the sand, just barely big enough so that it could fit in its beak. The bird hopped over to the stick, broke the smaller tip off the stick, and hopped towards the middle of the sandy battlefield. There, the bird used its stick to create some crudely illustrated drawings of a cloaked man with his face obscured and a face with hair spiking at the back. When the bird was finished drawing the face the of the boy with hair slicking in the back, Akiza squinted her eyes.

"Wait a minute. I know that face," the Psychic Duelist muttered. "I've seen him with Yusei before we were separated."

Akiza turned to the bird. "You've seen the boy you just drew in the sand haven't you? Do you know where he could've gone?"

The bird didn't know; it only flew back just after the boy defeated his opponent in that Duel. However, what caught the bird's eyes was a single pattern of footprints... horse tracks, judging by the number and how close they were to each other... leading away from the battle and towards the desert. The bird-of-paradise hopped towards the trail, cocked its head, and chirped, prompting Akiza to look towards the trail as well.

"I can't really translate what you're chirping, but I definitely know you're saying," she told the bird. "The trail is almost covered, but it's still fresh, which means that the boy can't be too far ahead."

Picking up the pace, Akiza strode along the path, the bird not following not too far behind. She looked back at the unconscious girl on her back, her breathing warming a spot at the nape of her neck. "Just hang on a little longer, Tori. It won't be long before you get the proper medical care," Akiza calmly but excitingly told her. "That also means you're one step closer to getting back home to your friends."

Tori could not respond to what Akiza told her. Instead, she continued to sleep while her savior carried her through the newly-discovered trail of horse tracks leading across the Sahara.

-ELSEWHERE-

There was no initial trail that Winged Kuriboh left behind as Jaden and Tristan tracked down the lost little Fairy. All that the two walking anachronisms saw was sand, sand, and sand, and not one brown, fuzzy Duel Monster Spirit in sight. While a few minutes stretched on like endless hours, the two teens sought after Winged Kuriboh, but they didn't find any trace. Jaden had the option of tapping into Yubel's foreseeing power to see where Winged Kuriboh could've been, but he figured this was something he had to do for himself.

After all, Winged Kuriboh was Jaden's closest friend. He couldn't really leave his winged friend alone out there; it would be like slapping him in the face for getting him out of the toughest spots before.

Tristan wheezed while he pushed himself to keep up with Jaden. He's been running so much today, he felt like he was pushing his cardio to its fullest limit. "Hey, Jaden, are you ever gonna slow down sometime today? I feel like I've done nothing but lose five pounds from all the running I've done today."

"There's no time! I have to find Kuriboh before something happens to him!" Jaden insisted. "If he gets caught, hurt, or worse, then I'll never forgive myself for letting it happen to him!"

With a boost in his speed, Tristan quickly pulled ahead of Jaden and stopped right in front of him, stopping the Slifer Red in his tracks. "Look, Jaden, I understand that you and your Kuriboh must be closer than brothers, but panicking about it isn't gonna help you at all! If you really wanna help your pal, you've gotta keep a clear head on your shoulders! Otherwise, you're leading us on a wild goose chase in the middle of the desert!"

"But I can't just sit around and do nothing! My best friend is somewhere out there, and who knows what could happen to him?"

A movement then caught Tristan's eye as he looked past Jaden's shoulder. "Uh, dude? I hate to steer us off-course, but did you order Duel Monsters on parade?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Jaden turned around to the exact direction where Tristan was staring. There, much to the teens' bewilderment, there was a horde of Egyptian Duel Spirits trekking across the desert, each one with a tired, enchanted daze in their eyes like they were under some sort of spell. The two teens watched as the mass of Duel Spirits were drawn into the same direction, monsters that varied from all manner of beasts to ethereal spirits, ranging from all manner of Beasts to Beast-Warriors, Insects and Fiends, Dragons, Plants, elementals; even humanoid creatures like Spellcasters, Warriors, and Psychics alike.

"Wow, look at all the Duel Monsters. I haven't seen anything like this since Atlantis," Tristan commented in awe.

"No joke. I've seen so many Duel Monster Spirits before in my life, but this definitely takes the cake," Jaden said.

"Where do you think these monsters are going?" Tristan asked. "They're all headed in the same direction we were going."

"And I bet it'll also lead us to Winged Kuriboh," Jaden concluded. "C'mon, let's get going!"

Jaden's feet leapt into a sprint, followed by Tristan who struggled once again to keep up with him.

"Hang on, Jaden! I still think we should've brought that horse along!"

"It's not too far away, Tristan! Just build up a little more leg muscle and we'll catch up to Kuriboh in no time at all!"

"If we still had our horse with us, we'd catch up to Kuriboh a whole lot faster!"

A short amount of time passed as Jaden and Tristan raced across the sands, following the march of the Egyptian Duel Spirits drawn in by the unknown forces at play. As they ran, they took note of how massive the gathering of the Egyptian Duel Spirits became, as well as the direction they were all heading. It wasn't just the direction those Spirits were all heading towards, it was the direction they were coming from.

And sure enough, when Jaden and Tristan came across a sand dune that led to a gigantic pit resembling a basin, they saw even more Duel Spirits walking, crawling, or hovering down a stone temple settled at the bottom of the bowl. It was a grandiose temple carved entirely out of stone, not made from the regular Egyptian sandstone, but from smooth, solid gold that glistened under the red sunlight. The temple's outer walls were decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphs, and standing guard at the base of the walls and on both sides of the red-stoned doorway were four statues of a black jackal, lying in guard against any intruder that dared to enter, clad in gold.

"Just look at the size of that temple! I bet it's even bigger on the inside!" Tristan gasped, his mouth agape.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is only the top of the temple while the rest in underground," Jaden deduced.

"How do you know that?" Tristan asked.

"I've been inside ancient Egyptian temples before when I traveled the world, and I've seen how these sorts of temples reach deep underground," Jaden explained. "Trust me, that temple is only the entranceway into what lies beneath the ground."

Tristan observed the massive number of unique Egyptian Duel Spirits being drawn into the mouth of the temple's entrance. While he looked around and familiarized himself with the spirits being pulled into the temple, he spotted a certain Duel Spirit amongst the gathering crowd.

"Jaden, look!" he shouted, pointing to a certain flying brown fuzzball with alabaster white wings.

Jaden looked to where Tristan was pointing, squinted to get a better look, and gasped.

"Winged Kuriboh! Boy, am I glad to see he's still in one piece!" Jaden whispered with relief.

"That's great and all, but shouldn't we be stopping him from getting into that temple and get out of here quick?" Tristan asked in the same hushed tone.

"That's what I initially thought at first, too," Jaden explained, "but after seeing all these Duel Spirits being pulled here in all at once? I think there's more to this than meets the eye?"

"You mean we're not actually gonna go in there, are you?"

"I don't think we have any other choice. Come on," Jaden said as he started down the dune.

Tristan groaned. "I still think we should've brought along our horse."

Jaden and Tristan then hiked down the side of the sand basin and approached the temple. Its enormity stretched up to five stories, and the red-stoned doorway reached up halfway, big enough to fit any giant Duel Spirit to enter or exit the temple. In all honesty, the biggest Duel Spirit that Jaden and Tristan saw among the group was a "Manticore of Darkness", and it was only a quarter the size of the doorway itself. When the two entered inside the temple, all hot sunlight reaching into the desert became a cold, dark shade.

"Well, at least it's cooler in here than out there," Tristan commented.

"Not to mention creepier," Jaden said, observing the painted carvings of humans carrying a bigger jackal-headed human on its throne. "It feels like those monsters aren't the only spirits lingering in here."

"Dude, don't even mention that there might be ghosts down here!" Tristan begged, shivering at the thought. "If there's one thing I can't stand besides trick little brats, it's ghosts!"

"Don't you worry about that. I'll have those ghosts taken care of easily," Jaden assured. "It's whatever controlling these Spirits that's the main problem."

"Could you be any more cryptic?"

Following alongside the Duel Spirits inside the temple, Jaden and Tristan spotted a giant statue at the far end of the chamber, depicting the same jackal-headed human that was scratched on the stone walls inside the entranceway. At the base of the statue's feet, a secret passageway into the floor led deep down underground, and every hypnotized Duel Spirit was compelled to take the passageway down into the darkness before the Egyptian lord of the deceased, Anubis.

"A secret passage that leads into the underworld," Tristan remarked, reading up on his Egyptian mythology. "Now that's so creepy, it fits."

Jaden looked, and saw Winged Kuriboh descending into the passageway. "There's Kuriboh!"

The two teens ran as fast as they could as the Fairy disappeared into the underground, leaving them to stand at the edge of the passageway, enticed by a set of stairs leading down with the Duel Spirits, lit dimly by the torches mounted at the side of the walls.

"Well, I guess there's no other way to go except down," the Slifer Red said.

"You go first," Tristan said without hesitation. "I'd rather be behind you in case something goes wrong."

"Suit yourself," Jaden said as he went into the passageway first, closely followed by Tristan. "But don't come crying to me if you see a ghost down here."

"I'm not gonna cry to you!" Tristan pouted. "I'll yelp, but I'm definitely not gonna cry about it!"

Two levels down into the cold, unforgiving darkness of the underground temple led the heroes to their next (and probably and fittingly, their final) destination. The air grew colder with each step down the staircase, and chilling as as the bones and the spirits of the dead that lingered in the catacombs. Jaden and Tristan couldn't help but stare at the hieroglyphs on the walls depicting the disturbing artwork depicting the various means of torture, what happens when their souls were being judged based on their deeds, and how they were either granted passage into an easier afterlife or being the next meal for a hideous creature in the end. It was so bone-chilling, Tristan cold literally feel his bones drop to a brisk temperature.

While the two continued their descent into the underworld, Yubel's ethereal image appeared. "Be careful, Jaden. There is something strange at work in these catacombs."

"Strange? What's could be stranger than following a bunch of Duel Spirits underneath a stone temple?" Jaden asked his Spirit Partner.

"There is a strange music that is somehow attracting these Duel Spirits here. Listen closely."

Jaden closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and listened closely. Soon, above the dazed grunts, growls, and snarls, he heard something in the background. It was faint, muffled, and nearly silent, but it was melodious and dangerously at that. "Hey, I can hear it!"

"What do you hear?" Tristan asked.

"There's some kind of music coming from the bottom of the stairs!"

Tristan stopped and listened closely as well. "Hey, I hear it, too! It sounds like a flute to me."

"That flute must have the power to put every Duel Spirit here, including Kuriboh, in some state of trance."

"You're kidding? Are you saying we're up against the Pied Piper of Egyptian or something?"

"Afraid so. I doubt that this piper would wanna amass a collection of Spirits all to himself."

"So why would anyone want to do that?"

"I don't know, but it can't be good. Come on, we have to change that piper's tune."

"You did not just make that joke?"

It wasn't further down the catacombs did Jaden and Tristan notice the last source of light illuminating their path was the lit torches set into the walls, but even with such light, the scenery only seemed chillier than before. Jaden knew he was on the right track because as he went down the stairs, the music of the Egyptian flute grew louder and stronger. At the same time, however, he was beginning to feel drowsy, lightheaded, and he was starting to see his world go round-and-round. It was starting to get difficult for him to breathe, as it felt like the oxygen was starting to leave his lungs at a quickening pace.

Tristan didn't notice this change initially until he watched Jaden's movements firsthand. "Hey, are you alright, Jaden? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Jaden huffed his answer. "I'm just feeling tired is all."

Jaden took one step down, and his whole body began to wobble and lean forward. Tristan reflexively reached out and caught the Slifer Red before he could fall. "I'd say you're more than just feeling tired. You look like you're about to go into a trance, too."

Jaden took a minute to catch his breath. "The music... it's somehow affecting me too. I guess this is the package deal... of being half-Duel Spirit, too."

With a little strength in his arms, Jaden freed himself from Tristan's hold. "Hey, are you sure you're gonna be alright?"

Jaden looked back to him with a tired, yet determined grin. "Don't worry about it, Tristan, I'll be fine," he said. "Come on, we're almost there."

Tristan sighed. "If you say so."

The trip down the stairs finally came to and end as Jaden and Tristan took the last step down the staircase. Ahead of them was a gateway leading into a massive cavern, formed in the darkness of the underground, the ceiling decorated with unsightly stalagmites. Inside that cavern, there was a bottomless cavern glowing an eerie violet, an existing dimensional doorway between this world and the Realm of Shadows. Across the cavern connected by a stone bridge was another doorway, guarded by two more giant statues of Anubis, piling up with Duel Spirits enchanted by the music.

"There. That's where the music must be coming from," Tristan whispered, pointing at the doorway.

"Alright, let's go," Jaden said with the same hushed tone, "but be careful. This cavern is also a rift between this world and the Shadow Realm. If we fall, we'll fall in the shadows forever."

"Well at least this bridge is wide enough to ensure that we don't fall down there."

Unbeknownst to Tristan, his optimistic attitude almost jinxed it for the both of them. It wasn't until they were halfway across that Jaden was starting to feel the resistance against the mesmerizing music take its toll. Between staying awake as a human and being lulled like a Duel Spirit, Jaden's feet struggled to maintain a straight line, wobbling to and fro in his step. When he was swaying towards the edge of the bridge, his foot caught his other foot, causing him to trip and fall over the edge.

"JADEN!" Tristan horrifyingly screamed before his instincts kicked in.

The pointy-haired teen leapt over the edge and quickly clamped his hand over Jaden's leg as quick as lightning. There, Jaden dangled between open chasm of the cavern and the doorway to the Shadow Realm like a pendulum, and the only thing that was keeping him from falling was the grip at his ankle.

"Hang on, pal, I got ya!" Tristan yelled down to the nearly-unconscious teen, pulling him back with a series of grunts.

Jaden's whole body felt like a rag doll stuffed to its gills to Tristan. Pulling the nearly-unconscious Slifer Red up and over the edge was easy enough work for Tristan, but he knew that trying to keep him awake through all of this that was the hard part. After pulling his waist over the edge, Tristan quickly reached down and hoisted Jaden by the bottom his red blazer, using two hands to pull the Duel Academy graduate up and over.

Finally, with a little added strength, Tristan threw Jaden over the edge and onto the bridge flat on his back. After Jaden was safe and Tristan took a second to catch his breath, the latter put the former's arms over his shoulders and carried him across the bridge. "Man you're heavy! It's like trying to drag Joey out of a Burger World after binging on burgers!" Tristan wheezed. "Now that I think about it, I might as well be jinxing our entire journey like Joey. Don't tell him I said that."

The two finally crossed the bridge to the other side and went through the guarded doorway, stepping into a completely new chamber. The chamber was as big as the Domino City Plaza but with a more eerie Egyptian theme. Torches sitting ablaze in the walls illuminated the chamber in an unsettling light, brightening up the hieroglyphs with illustrations of Anubis on his throne, and the subjects that served under his jackal eyes.

The walls were scribbled with what appeared to be Duel Monsters sealed in stone tablets behind Anubis and attended by a few servants, facing against six sorcerers wielding artifacts which resembled the Millennium Items, and a Pharaoh with an outstretched hand, wearing a Millennium Item shaped like an upside-down pyramid around his neck. Tristan couldn't help but be amazed by how the stories were drawn into the walls of the chamber, especially when he spotted the familiar Millennium Item worn by the etching of the Pharaoh.

"Whoa, look at the size of this place. Calling it huge would only be insulting to how enormous it is," Tristan said to himself softly, his eyes gazing by the sheer number of Duel Spirits lured inside the chamber. "This place is big enough to hold all of these Duel Spirits here like they're trying to build up an army."

It was true; the player of the hypnotic Egyptian flute had every intention of leading an army of Duel Spirits against Egypt, starting with the Pharaoh's courts. Of course, Tristan didn't know that yet because as he looked, he stared towards the very center back of the chamber where sitting between two burning torches, there was a man. A man who wore a dark cloak, the same kind of dark cloak the other Shadow Bandits wore, with bandages covering his arms and hands like a mummy holding the source of the music. The man playing the wind instrument was crouched over, so his hood concealed his face while he played the last few notes before he finished.

Tristan glared at the cloaked man. "And that's gotta be the guy who's trying to lead that army."

The cloaked man set his flute down next to him and looked around the chamber at his massive collection with glee. He raised his head and hands up to the ceiling and cackled.

"At last... I have successfully managed to amass enough shadow creatures here to rule the entire continent!" the man monologued. "Once I unleash them upon every village, not even the Pharaoh and his Sacred Guardians will have the power to stop me!"

"A continental conquest? I'm guessing that fits the category of not good," Tristan said, nudging Jaden. "Hey! Hey Jaden, wake up!"

A tired moan escaped Jaden's throat, and his opened his weary eyes and looked at Tristan. "Oh, hey Tristan, what time is it? Is it time to eat yet?"

"Not even close," Tristan said as Jaden yawned. "Listen, Jaden, we're in serious trouble. We found the guy playing the flute music, but he's assembled himself an army of Duel Spirits."

"An army?" Jaden asked over his yawn. "What for?"

"So he can lead them against the Pharaoh and take over Egypt."

This managed to wake Jaden up a little. "Wait, he's going to use those Spirits just so he can rule all of Egypt? That's so not cool!"

"Exactly," Tristan concurred. "That's why we gotta get your Kuriboh and get out of here before that creep unleashes those Spirits."

"No way, Tristan," Jaden insisted. "I originally came here to get my Kuriboh back, but now that I know what that guy needs these Spirits for, I've gotta stop him."

"No, Jaden, wait!" Tristan yelled in a hush. "That music took a lot out of you, too! You're in no condition to Duel him, let alone walk!"

"Don't worry about me, Tristan. I've had my strength sapped out of me before, and I still Duel like a pro," Jaden assured.

"Somehow, that doesn't really make me feel any better."

"Trust me, Tristan. If there's one thing that guy is gonna get out of this, it's gonna be a good serving of humble pie when I'm done."

"But if you do that, then he'll be lost to the Void just like that last guy you Dueled," Tristan reminded Jaden. "Remember? You beat that guy hands-down and he went poof! just like that."

How could Jaden not forget that moment? One minute, he defeated his last hostile opponent in a Duel in order to protect Tristan, and in the next, the guy disappeared from existence completely like he never existed at all. After knowing of what happened to his unknown, unnamed opponent, Jaden knew that Dueling someone here in the Void was equivalent to a high-stakes Shadow Game, and this situation left him with very little choice in the matter.

"I know," Jaden acknowledged, "but if I don't get Kuriboh back, who knows what he'll do to him? I can't just sit around here and do nothing. I'm getting my pal back, one way or another."

"Jaden! Wait!"

It was too late; Jaden had already made up his mind.

He was already navigating through the crowd of Duel Spirits while the cloaked man examined them all.

"I see the power in you all. Potentially dangerous in your numbers," the cloaked man evaluated.

Then his eyes hidden behind his hood fell onto a certain hairy brown Fairy, and his intrigue and curiosity peaked for the first time in a long time. He raised a shaky bandaged finger at Winged Kuriboh and pointed it at him. "You... you are much different from all the others..." the cloaked man said with wonder. "I can see that you are a Spirit like the rest, but I sense something... different about you. I sense your power... the power to protect those you serve, even if it means your physical existence is destroyed."

The cloaked man cackled a little. "Perfect. You shall serve me well as my shield in my war against the Pharaoh and his Sacred Guardians."

"He's not going anywhere! Least of all with a creep like you!"

The man distracted himself from Winged Kuriboh and turned to where the voice yelled inside the chamber as well as the other Duel Spirits. All eyes then fell on Jaden, who marched straight through the mass of Duel Spirits, all parting to make way for the enraged and angered Slifer Red.

"Who are you?" the cloaked man demanded. "How dare you interrupt the sanctity of my home and disrupt the preparation of my conquest!"

"Who are you to talk!?" Jaden retorted. "You're the one who kidnapped these Spirits and brought them down here against their will!"

"How dare you flip that insolent tongue at me, boy!? You should be prudent to turn back and return to the world of the light from whence you came!"

"Oh, I'm leaving alright, but not without my friend!"

The cloaked man hesitated. "Your friend?"

"That's right!" Jaden answered. "That Spirit you were just talking to!? That' my best friend, and I'd like to have him back, now!"

The cloaked man hummed curiously and turned his gaze towards Winged Kuriboh. "Your friend?" the man questioned. "Do you really believe that this little winged spirit is your friend?"

"You'd better believe it, pal! You got a problem with that!?"

The cloaked man scoffed. "Hah! Shadow creatures cannot be acquainted with meagre humans. They are simply tools of war, weapons only useful against your enemies. Anything else you perceive them as is merely a vision wrought upon you from the heat of the desert."

"That's not true! Spirits are supposed to be your friends, not your weapons!" Jaden argued. "And another thing, what gives you the right to lure all these Duel Spirits down here and turn them into mindless zombies, anyway!? Even they have feelings of their own, you know!"

"Don't be so naive, boy!" The cloaked man replied, holding his arms out to the chamber of mesmerized monsters. "Every shadow creature you see in this chamber were born from the darkness and the shadows of the heart! They were already savage, mindless beasts to begin with! But your desired creature here... your 'friend'... is quite different. His essence seems so divine and pure, like I am standing beside the gods of Egypt themselves."

"That's because my Winged Kuriboh is no wild beast, pal! He's a good spirit and an ever greater friend, and that's something you'll never understand!"

"No... what you don't understand is how weak these shadow creatures are. They have been locked in battle against the Pharaoh's guardians and failed and have been sealed inside solid stone for too long... unable to be free... unable to tap into their own true power. That is why I have also called them all here to my own chamber. I want to know the secret of unlocking their true potential... learn how to control their wild nature... and use them to usurp the throne of the Pharaoh for what he did to me."

"Oh, yeah!? And what did this Pharaoh do to you that would make you wanna kidnap these Spirits!?"

The cloaked man snarled at the memory. "For separating me from my own shadow creature... so very long ago."

Jaden's angered face switched over to surprise. "Whoa, pause and rewind. You lost you own Duel Spirit against the Pharaoh?"

"Not just the Pharaoh. He and his Sacred Guardians ripped out the creature that lurked in my heart... a beast with such strength and brutality that made some of the Guardians cower in fear... yet, despite it's fierceness and fervor... it was defeated when the Pharaoh himself defeated it all in one single blow!"

The cloaked man's fingers twitched angrily at the memory of the worst day of his life, curling them into a shaking fist. "I was exiled for stealing food from my neighbor and sent him to the shadows when he tried to resist me... and the source of my own power was taken from me because it was too weak... but then, at my most humbling, most humiliating time of my life... I joined an order... one that dared to defy the Pharaoh and put an end to his tyrannical rule!"

"You mean you joined Shadow Bandits for revenge?" Jaden guessed.

The cloaked man shook his head. "No, I could not have the heart to join those savages! I was recruited to a different order... one that was trained intensely in the art of their own shadow magic. I became a master of that magic, but my fellow High Mages feared my power! They exiled me to the deepest caverns they could find in this desert and locked me in here with nothing but my mystical pipe to sustain myself! But that was their biggest mistake, because through this music, I have grown much more powerful than I ever have in years..."

Before he could finish his monologuing, the cloaked man took his hood with both hands, and lifted it up and over his head. His face was like a skull wrapped only in flesh with tired eyes and long, scraggily black hair hanging down to his back in greasy clumps. "...and now I am ready to show them all the full extent of my dark magic. I am Zamar, the former Mage of the Underworld whose music can put every shadow creature under my own beck and call!"

"Yeah!? Well, not for long because once I set these Duel Spirits free from you, your music career will be numbered!" Jaden shouted with determination.

This only led to Zamar scoffing at his bravado. "Ha! Do you really believe you can defeat me, boy? My shadow magic is beyond anything you can imagine in your wildest dreams! Even if you do somehow manage to overcome my magic, you have an army of shadow creatures to contend with! Face it, boy, your foolishness is masked by your bravery, and now you are going to pay dearly for it! And your little friend, too!"

"Hey! You can't drag my Winged Kuriboh into this just because you were the one who lured him in the first place!" Jaden argued.

"I was referring to the other boy hiding at the entrance."

There was a shocked gasp coming from the entrance of the chamber.

"Yes, I know you are there, boy," Zamar said. "You may as well come out now. There is no reason for you to remain hidden in the dark."

Suddenly, Tristan's flabbergasted form leaned from the corner of the entrance and into view. "That's not fair. How did you know I was here?"

"I have lived in the dark long enough to know where an intruder or an assassin is hiding from me," Zamar explained. "Since you and your friend have intruded upon my chamber, you will be lost to the Shadow Realm!"

Jaden growled. "Sorry, pal, but that's not going to happen!"

"Is that so? Please give me exactly three reasons why I should spare you your fates," Zamar challenged.

"You want three reasons? Fine, I'll give you three reasons," Jaden said. "One: instead of sending us to the Shadow Realm for all eternity, we'll be wiped away from existence! Literally! If you'd only crawl out of your little hidey-hole once in a while, you can see that all of Egypt has been pulled into the Void. Two: my Winged Kuriboh is the only Duel Spirit here who can guide me and my friend through the desert and find the nearest civilization who can help us! And three: when I find that someone uses their shadow magic to hypnotize these spirits and use them as an army against humanity, then I'm not going to rest until I bring that someone down."

Zamar did listen to Jaden's three reasons, but couldn't help it when he cackled at his third reason. "Foolish boy! You cannot possibly think that you can defeat me and my army of shadow creatures! For all of your bravery and reasoning, you are still nothing but a child to me! Even if I could return you your precious Winged Kuriboh... to which I will not... you still have my shadow creatures to contend with! Face it, boy, you're outnumbered!"

"Uh, Jaden?" Tristan was about to ask his question when a low growl sounded next to his ear, making him free. He slowly turned around and yelped when he saw a "Super War-Lion" tower over him, growling at him menacingly. Quickly, the teen slipped away from the "Super War-Lion" and navigated through the Duel Spirits until he met with Jaden. "Jaden, I hate to say it, but the piper has a point. If we keep pushing this further, he's gonna sic every Duel Spirit in this place on us. What are we going to do now?"

"Don't worry, Tristan. I've got an idea." Jaden thrust his arm and pointed at his foe. "Okay, Zamar, since you clearly can't be reasoned with, then I challenge you to a Duel!"

"A Duel?" Zamar asked, cackling. "Oh, I see. You're challenging me to a Shadow Game aren't you?"

"You bet I am! Whoever wins gets to walk away from this place with all the Duel Spirits you've captured!"

Zamar's face cracked and eerie, wide smile. "Your foolishness to defeat me has put me in an interesting proposition. Fine then, I accept."

"Only on one condition, thought! You have to return my Winged Kuriboh to me!"

Zamar growled at the conditions, but then scoffed. "Fine, you can have your little friend, back."

With the wave of his bandaged hand, Zamar removed his mind control over Winged Kuriboh. After the little fairy regained consciousness, Winged Kuriboh looked around the room curiously, wondering where he was, wondering how he got there, and wondering about the mass of Duel Spirits gathered in that place. When at last his big, innocent eyes feel onto Jaden and Tristan, Kuriboh began to chirp happily.

"Hey, Kuriboh! You're okay!" Jaden yelled. He opened his arms, and allowed Winged Kuriboh to fly into his hug. "I was so worried about you, pal. I thought you were going to get hurt."

Zamar watched with disgust as Winged Kuriboh snuggled into his friend's hug. "You enjoy your reunion while it lasts, boy. Soon, your Winged Kuriboh will be in my possession once more," the former High Mage thought with venom. "And this time, once I have him under my control, you will soon see how little your philosophy of befriending these shadow creatures is worth."

Winged Kuriboh turned to the man who hypnotized him, pointed his claw at him, and chirped something to Jaden. "Yep, that's him. That's the guy who hypnotized you and lured you here against your will, along with all of these other Duel Spirits here," Jaden told the fuzzy fairy, who looked back at the mage with an angry expression. "So whaddya say, pal? You wanna help me turn this flute-player into the world's first biggest music flop?"

Winged Kuriboh nodded once, hovered out of Jaden's arms, and faced Zamar.

"I'm with ya there, pal," Jaden said, slipping on his Duel Disk. "Now let's throw down!"

Zamar cackled, raising both hands upwards. "Yes... let's..."

An unnatural wind blew threw the chamber, appearing as if it was magic. Dark winds began to twist and twirl around Zamar's feet, growing bigger and growing heavier. Zamar swung his left hand out, and like a highly-trained dog learning its command through body language, the shadows snaked around his robs upwardly and around his arm, obscuring it in a dark smog-like orb. Finally, the shadows retreated, and at Zamar's left hand was his DiaDhank, the wing-like blades unfurled and the golden eye filled with golden light. Jaden responded to his shadow-dwelling opponent by inserting his Dueling Deck inside of his Duel Disk, then activating it with the push of a button. The red light blinked on, the Monster Zone blades jutted out, and the Graveyard was open for business.

"Generating Action Field: Crossover."

Afterwards, the familiar ethereal image of the Field Spell depicting the colorful energy streams crossing over each other appeared above and in the middle of the field between the two Duelists as a feminine voice rang from out of nowhere. Jaden drew his five cards, and Zamar's little stone tablets had been transmogrified into cards, each of them easy to fit in his hand and on the blades of his DiaDhank.

Jaden's glare glowed red and green as he showed off his Duel Disk at Zamar, whose eyes narrowed in observation. The mage swore he saw an invisible presence appearing next to Jaden as a shaped distortion in the air to him, but oh so to clear to Jaden.

"Jaden, be careful with this man. Much like yourself, he has the ability to communicate with the spirits, which puts him at a dangerous advantage," Yubel warned Jaden.

"Don't worry, I'll have this guy knocked down on his feet before he knows what's coming," Jaden said, making it a point to finish this Duel as quick as he could.

"Hmmm... this child seems to have a connection to another spirit as well. A deeper connection," Zamar mentally noted. "How fortuitous. Once I extract that spirit from the boy, then it'll have no choice but to serve me in my Shadow Creature army."

"Are you ready, Zamar!?" Jaden called.

"More ready than you will come to believe!" Zamar answered.

"LET'S DUEL!"
"LET'S DUEL!"

The "Crossover" Field Spell shattered into gold dust, raining down on the two Duelists as their Life Points began with the usual amount of 4000.

Tristan stood back to allow Jaden and his cloaked enemy to Duel. There he stood in front of a throng of observing Duel Spirits, towered and nearly surrounded from behind by the nearby Beasts and Fiends. Tristan tried his best not to pay them any mind when he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled out, "Be careful, Jaden! You barely survived your last Duel with the last Shadow Bandit, so who knows what this guy has up his sleeves!?"

"Tristan's right," Jaden thought. "So far, the only thing I know about this guy Zamar is he can hypnotize Duel Spirits with his flute. If I know my Duelists fairly well, if this guy's Dueling's the same as his hypnotic music career, then I'll have to either work around it or make short work of him, and fast."

Turn 1: Jaden Yuki (4000)

Hand: 5

"Okay, Zamar! Get your game on!" Jaden yelled, drawing his card.

First he took a first glance at his drawn card which was revealed to be the "Elemental HERO Avian". Then he looked down at the cards in his hand and saw it contained "Elemental HERO Sparkman", "De-Fusion", "Hero Signal", "The Warrior Returning Alive", and "Fusion Reserve", all in that specific order. Knowing fully well that the best offense was a good defense, Jaden wanted to play his "Clayman" in Defense Mode, but he had a much better idea.

"I Summon my 'Elemental HERO Avian' in Defense Mode!" Jaden yelled, slapping his card onto his Monster Zone sideways.

The green avian-themed "Elemental HERO" appeared, pumping its arm up into the air before it crouched down on one knee and crossed its arms defensively.

"Next, I place two cards face-down and end my turn!" Jaden said, slapping a couple of cards in his Spell & Trap Zones which materialized on the field. "Let's see what you've got, Spooky!"

Turn 2: High Mage Zamar (4000)

Hand: 5

"Ask, and you shall receive!" Zamar said, a little tablet emerging from the DiaDhank's "eye" which magically transformed into a card.

He took a look at his card, a Spell Card depicting a few "Wandering Mummies" rising from their own coffins in a foggy environment.

"I activate the Spell Card, 'Call of the Mummy'!" Zamar yelled, placing his Continuous Spell Card in his DiaDhank's Spell & Trap Zone which materialized on his field. "Once per turn, as long as I have no other monsters on my field, I can call forth a Zombie monster directly from my hand. And since I already have no other monsters on the field, I can Summon my 'Lich Lord, King of the Underworld' in Attack Mode!"

Emerging from the ground was an orb-tipped staff, made entirely from a twisted branch, held by a black skeletal hand attached to a bony arm. The arm planted itself on the ground and pushed down, and from it came a giant black skeleton with only one red eye glowing in its left socket, with large black angelic wings and wore royal red tattered rags wrapped around its body. It held up the staff up to its side and emitted a low, guttural snarl. (2400/1200)

"2400 Attack Points? That doesn't look good to me," Jaden lamented.

"No it does not, and it will only get much worse for you once I Summon my 'Wandering Mummy' in Attack Mode!" Zamar added, slapping another card onto his DiaDhank.

Another arm emerged popped the ground, this time wrapped in old, dirty rags. Emerging from the ground was a mummy that was wrapped mostly in its rags, its one eye staring into space and its jaw unhinged. (1500/1500)

"Next I activate the magic of 'Ectoplasmer'," Zamar said, placing a Spell & Trap Card on the field depicting a humanoid creature with its life energy exiting its body. "Now, during each of our End Phases, we must sacrifice one monster we control and then we damage our opponent equal to half of the Attack Points of our monster."

"Oh, so that's his strategy!" Tristan realized. "First he'll Summon any Zombie monster from his hand with that 'Call of the Mummy' Spell Card, and then he'll use them to leave Jaden wide open for a direct attack! And thanks to his 'Ectoplasmer' Spell Card, he can sacrifice one of his own monsters so that he can deal even more damage to Jaden's Life Points!"

"That is correct, boy, and watch how I will use them against your friend!" Zamar said, throwing a pointing finger at Jaden's "Avian". "Now, 'Wandering Mummy', ground this feeble flyer!"

The "Wandering Mummy" ran at an impressive pace with the motion like it was staggering. The mummy raised its arm up and swung across "Avian's" chest, slashing it before it shattered into golden dust. Jaden quickly covered his eyes to prevent the dust from blowing into them.

"Thanks a lot, Zamar, because you've activated my Trap! 'Hero Signal'!" Jaden shouted as he flipped his face-down Trap Card up, and from the artwork came a shining light with "H" insignia. "Since you destroyed one of my monsters this turn, I can Special Summon an 'Elemental HERO' directly from my Deck! I hope you're ready to rumble with rubble, because here comes my 'Elemental HERO Clayman'!"

The golem-like Warrior then appeared in a another golden light and struck a pose, pumping its masoned arms into the air. (800/2000)

Zamar only laughed at this. "A monster that weak cannot possibly defeat my own monsters, boy! Not that it would matter anyway because no matter how great your defense are, it will not save you from my 'Lich Lord's' wrath!" he shouted. "Go, my Lord, ground this meager mountain with your Underworld Wave!"

The "Lich Lord" growled an ghostly roar as the orb on its staff glowed bright orange-red and swung its staff, sending a wave of underworldly energy right towards the golem-like Warrior. In the instant that energy wave made direct contact with "Clayman", the hero in question was dissolved entirely by the energy, making Jaden instinctively cover his eyes with his forearm while the dust flew back into his face. The former Slifer Red's field was now completely empty, but he was obviously far from finished.

"You may build up a good defense, boy, but it will not save you!" Zamar exclaimed. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

The face-down card in Zamar's field materialized while the owner of that field threw his hand out. "And with that comes the curse that is 'Ectoplasmer'! Now feel the wrath of my 'Lich Lord's' spirit course through your very soul!"

The highly-powered Zombie shrieked as its entire bony body glowed an eerie ghost white until it completely disappeared and transmogrified into an aura of impure life energy. The life energy shaped like the "Lich Lord" then shot out at Jaden, quickly passing through him and filling him with pure agonizing aches through his body. Despite how tough Jaden was, the attack from the "Lich Lord's" spirit staggered him. (Jaden Yuki: 4000 - 1200 = 2800)

"And if you think that is bad, then it gets worse for you because each time that my 'Lich Lord' is sacrificed by a card effect, I can add it to my hand," Zamar said, pulling the Zombie out from the Graveyard and adding it to his hand.

Jaden's breathing became a bit labored while he was still reeling in from his last attack. As he tried to stand, he felt his entire body buckle down from "Ectoplasmer's" damaging effect, and Tristan stood by as he watched his friend struggle to keep his balance. "Ow, man, that looked like it hurt," Tristan said, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Hey, Jaden, are you okay!? You look like you've taken a beating!"

"I'm fine, Tristan," Jaden said, clenching his teeth at his aching body. "But that attack definitely felt real enough! If I let Zamar use that combo on me again, I'm gonna be in serious trouble!"

"Whatever you're doing, Jaden, you'd better do it fast," Yubel advised, steadily breathing for air. "This Duel is somehow already taking its toll on me."

"So you're feeling it too, Yubel?" Jaden asked her through telepathy.

"Yes. This chamber has some kind of effect on Duel Spirits here." Yubel winced trying to resist the exhaustion. "It's not just the music that's affecting the spirits here either. There is another magic that's at work, one that combines both mysticism and hypnotism that's effective enough to lure in these spirits and place them under hypnotic suggestions."

"Are you saying that the same kind of mysticism this guy's practicing on these spirits is having the same effect on me?"

"That is correct, Jaden. Since we are human and Duel Spirit fused into one, what I feel as a spirit you feel as well."

"Great. Now I've gotta win this Duel or I'm gonna be that creep's puppet... that is if I don't disappear into the Void first."

"What are you waiting for, boy? It is your turn!" Zamar called out from his end of the field. "Or have you come to your senses and have already given up?"

Turn 3: Jaden Yuki (2800)

Hand: 4

"Hey, thanks for reminding me," Jaden said. "Now."

Jaden drew his card, and his eyes widened with inspiration. "Sweetness!" he yelled, picking up another card from his hand, a Spell Card depicting a beaten and battered "Marauding Captain" barely standing with the help of his cracked sword. "I activate, 'The Warrior Returning Alive'! Now I can add one Warrior-Type monster from my Graveyard straight to my hand, like my good pal, 'Clayman'!"

"Ha! It does not matter if you have somehow brought your golem back from the Graveyard!" Zamar scoffed mockingly. "My 'Lich Lord' will penetrate your defense and end you as quickly and painfully as possible!"

Jaden only smiled back at this. "Gee, you really think so?"

Zamar's face fell in curiosity and slight shock. "You may be right about one thing: my 'Elemental HERO Clayman' isn't the best defense against a combo like yours," Jaden concurred reluctantly with his signature grin, "but with the right cards and a little luck, I can change that around. And it all starts with this!"

Jaden twirled his drawn card in his fingers. "Now I activate the Spell, 'Polymerization'! It's Fusion time, so now I can combine my 'Elemental HERO Clayman' with my 'Elemental HERO Sparkman' that's also in my hand!"

The "Elemental HERO Sparkman" appeared in a flash of golden light and ascended in the air with "Clayman" before each of them glowed red and blue. Their physical forms disappeared and the the two colored lights swirled around each other before they formed a brilliant light. "I hope you're ready Zamar because once I combine my 'Clayman's' massive size and my 'Sparkman's' electrical toughness, they can combine together to create the one and only, the 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant'!"

From the light came the silhouette of a Warrior, one of massive stature and muscle tone. The armor it wore on its giant chest, gauntlets and boots was gold with white streaks with an glass case in the chest and gauntlets that crackled with electrical energy. The suit it wore was a purple insulated jumpsuit made entirely of rubber, and its face was mostly protected by a visor with purple glass. The "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant" pounded its fists together, causing lighting to shoot from its hands and then pumped them into the air and bellowed, causing the entire place to flicker with lightning. (2400/1600)

The blinding flashes of lightning made Zamar cover his face with his arms. "No, this isn't possible! How are you able to combine two monsters without the use of the Millennium Items!?"

"Hey, haven't you heard? Where I come from, I don't need shadow magic to fuse my monsters together. That's how the game is played in the 21st century," Jaden said confidently.

"You meddle with monsters and magic in the future?" Zamar asked with disbelief.

"Well, sure we do. In fact, why don't I show you that by activating my 'Thunder Giant's' special ability?" Jaden asked, waving his arm at the massive monster. "See, on the turn I Summon him, he can destroy any monster on the field whose original Attack Points are less than his."

Zamar gasped. "But my 'Wandering Mummy's' is weaker than your 'Thunder Giant'!"

"Yep, and that's gonna leave you open for a direct attack!" Jaden pointed at the lone mummy. "Now, 'Thunder Giant', brighten up this guy's day using your 'Static Blast'!"

The "Thunder Giant" threw its gigantic hands up to collect the electrical energy in the air, the glass domes in the chest and gauntlet armor crackling to life. The gauntlets flickered and sparked with raw electricity as the "Thunder Giant" absorbed more of the static, and when it collected enough energy, it released that lightning towards the "Wandering Mummy", destroying it instantly. Zamar covered his face with his arms to shield the light away.

"You may think you are clever to rid my field, but you will not be rid of me that quickly, boy! I activate the Trap, 'Curse of Anubis'!" Zamar yelled, throwing his hand out as a Trap Card depicting an ark with a jackal-shaped statue of Anubis on top breathing out dark smoke from it. "Now all monsters with special abilities are automatically switched to Defense Mode, but that is not all. All special monsters in Defense Mode have their Defense Points dropped to 0!"

The "Thunder Giant" was then outlined with a dark violet aura surrounding it, forcing it to crouch down with its gigantic arms crossed over each other. (2400/1600)

Zamar only laughed hysterically at his sprung trap. "Now your giant can never attack me! All that effort to clear my field has gone to waste, boy!"

"Maybe, but good thing for me that I've got another trick up my sleeve!" Jaden said with a sly smile.

"You what!?"

"I activate the Spell, 'De-Fusion'!" Jaden declared. "Now I have to say goodbye to my 'Thunder Giant' and give a warm welcome back to my 'Elemental HEROs Sparkman' and 'Clayman'!"

The crouching "Thunder Giant" transformed into a body of light which separated into two different lights, taking the physical forms of "Sparkman" (1600/1400) and "Clayman." (800/2000)

"Oh no! He's separated his one monster back into two again!" Zamar screamed.

"And like they say where I come from, two can be as bad as one!" Jaden said, swinging his hand out at the High Mage. "Go, 'Sparkman'! Attack Zamar directly with Static Shockwave!"

At his owner's command, "Sparkman" leapt high up into the air, pulled back a crackling fist and thrust it outwards where the lightning was shot into Zamar's body, striking him at every possible angle. The unfortunate mage screamed in pain as "Sparkman's" electrical attack shocked him from within his nerves, making him fall to his knees after the attack was just finished. (High Mage Zamar: 4000 - 1600 = 2400)

"And don't think I'm done just yet, Zamar, because I'm sacrificing my 'Sparkman' so that I can use the effect of your 'Ectoplasmer' against you!" Jaden yelled as "Sparkman's" physical form was transmogrified into a figure of white ectoplasmic energy, taking on the ghostly form of the recently Tributed monster. The "Sparkman's" specter then flew across the field directly towards Zamar, pulled back its fist, and drove it into his stomach, making the target scream in agony as he felt that fist literally go right through him. (High Mage Zamar: 2400 - 800 = 1600)

Zamar then collapsed onto the ground, but not before catching him with his hands.

"And that's all for now!" Jaden said. "Let's see you top that."

"What a move! Jaden just took out more than half of his Life Points in one turn! Keep those attacks coming, Jaden!" Tristan cheered, then jumped when an "Aswan Apparition", a "Twin-Headed Behemoth", and a "Manticore of Darkness" all growled at him for cheering their enemy.

Zamar pushed himself up to his feet with a low growl escaping his throat.

"You have skill, I will give you that," Zamar growled, "but now, I shall come back to you with full force!"

Turn 4: High Mage Zamar (1600)

Hand: 2

A tablet emerged from the "eye" of the DiaDhank, converted from its stony shell into a card, and was swiped mid-air by the frustrated mage. Zamar took one look at it and growled.

"What's wrong, Zamar? You didn't get the card you needed?" Jaden inquired playfully.

"That is only a minor inconvenience that I shall overcome by myself," Zamar said with a low growl. "Remember, thanks to my 'Call of the Mummy' Spell Card, I can call forth my 'Lich Lord, King of the Underworld' directly from my hand!"

As Zamar announced his stronger monster, the dark winged skeleton wrapped in red rags emerged from the ground. Like a resurrected rerun, the "King of the Underworld" emitted a growl that was designed to intimidate the opponent, but not Jaden. (2400/1600)

Zamar then pointed at the "Elemental HERO Clayman" on the other side of the field. "Now, 'Lich Lord', destroy that boy's defending monster once again with Underworld Wave!"

Like before, the decaying monarch of the underworld swung its staff, emitting the ember-colored energy wave that was sent with the intent to destroy the golem and leave Jaden wide open for an attack. The wave connected with "Clayman", making it disappear in a fiery explosion as a result. When the fire and the smoke dissipated, only Jaden and his face-down Trap Card were still standing on the field, but devoid of any strong monsters to shield him from the next attack.

"Oh man! Jaden is wide open for a direct attack!" Tristan panicked.

"You are barely hanging by the skin of your own teeth," Zamar said pointedly, placing a card face-down in the Spell & Trap Zone in his DiaDhank. "I place one more card face-down, and end my turn. Now, I hope you are ready to feel the wrath of my 'Ectoplasmer'!"

Just like before, the "Lich Lord" disappeared and its spirit was transformed into a ghastly cloud taking the form of the powerful Zombie. The spirit of the vengeful Zombie pierced through Jaden's torso, making him wince and stagger over by the painful sensation inflicted by the effect of the sinister Spell Card. (Jaden Yuki: 2800 - 1200 = 1600)

"Don't forget, since I have sacrificed my 'Lich Lord' to activate my 'Ectoplasmer' its effect immediately activates, allowing me to return from my Graveyard and it directly back into my hand," Zamar said, plucking his "Lich Lord" from the Graveyard and adding it to his hand. "So what now, boy? What hopes do you have of defeating me now while I am steadily depleting your field and your life energy?"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll think of something," Jaden grumbled, trying to stand up on his feet, one eye closed to the pain flowing through his body.

It was through this kind of suffering that Yubel's ethereal form appeared next to the Slifer Red, in the same kind of state he was in. "Jaden, this pain is becoming too much for me. I don't know if I can take another hit from that 'Ectoplasmer' card again."

"Don't worry, Yubel. I'll have this Duel finished in a jiffy," Jaden reassured.

"You'd have better, for our sake," Yubel said just as she disappeared.

Turn 5: Jaden Yuki (1600)

Hand: 1

"Okay. Here goes somethin'," Jaden said drawing his card.

He looked at his drawn card and was relieved to see it was a card he was able to work with.

"Now here's something I can work with," Jaden said as he held a Spell Card depicting the first person P.O.V. of an unknown Duelist facing off against "Vorse Raider", "Sword Stalker", and "Kaiser Sea Horse" alone while he had "Common Soul", "Neo Space", and "Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab" in his hand in that order. "First things first, I activate the Spell, 'Covert Contact'! Now I can send one 'Neo-Spacian' monster from my hand and one more from my Deck. That allows me to draw two new cards."

A Duel Monsters card jutted out from the middle of Jaden's Deck, to which he plucked up and revealed it to Zamar. "So now I'm sending my 'Neo-Spacian Dark Panther' from my hand and my 'Neo-Spacian Glow Moss' to the Graveyard," Jaden said as he sent both "Neo-Spacians" into the Graveyard. "Now c'mon, Deck, Jaden needs a new pair of shoes."

Jaden drew his two cards and gave them a quick peek, feeling a new wave of confidence flow through his entire body. "It's not much, but at least it'll buy me time so I figure a way for me to take out that Zombonehead before he turns me into one."

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn!" Jaden said, placing his two Spell and Trap Cards on his field, to which they materialized.

"And it will be your last!" Zamar promised almost.

-ELSEWHERE-

"I can't believe how big this desert," Akiza said tiredly. "We must definitely be in the Sahara."

Akiza's body was starting to tire and sore while she followed the prints in the sand. The weight from holding Tori on her back was becoming heavier and harder to support, but she knew she had to press on. Whoever the bird-of-paradise saw, the boy the tiny bird drew in the sand, she had to find him. He was the key out of the predicament that she and Tori were placed in, and if there was any chance of the girls getting out of the desert, she would need to find him.

"And these tracks must go on for miles," Akiza deduced. "I bet by the time we reach the end of these tracks, that boy will be long gone by now."

Just then, the Psychic Duelist heard the whinny of a horse not too far up ahead. She was surprised to see a black stallion galloping towards her without an owner to ride its saddle.

"Or maybe not," Akiza said as the stallion approached her. "Hey, big guy. Are you out here all alone?"

The stallion bobbed his head up and down, giving a snort of approval. "I'm guessing the last person to ride on your back is gone, huh?"

Again, the stallion bobbed his head. "Well, I'm looking for someone who's recently been through here. A boy with hair slicked to the back? You wouldn't happen to see him, would you?"

At the description of his previous rider, the stallion whinnied and kicked up its front hooves. "Whoa, whoa! Easy, boy, easy. You're the one who hitched a ride with you, right?"

Once more the stallion bobbed his head, and when he did, Akiza felt a sense of hope rise in her.

"Thank goodness you're here. Looks like I was on the right trail after all," the crimson clad girl sighed with relief. "Do you think you can take me and my friend to where you saw him last?"

The stallion snorted in response. "Well then, big guy, looks like we're gonna be together for a while," Akiza said as she took Tori off of her back and mounted her at the front, followed with her mounting just behind the younger girl. She held the reins with one hand and clutched her arm around Tori's belly to hold her steady. "Okay then, Black Tuscany, take me to where you last that boy and I promise you some oats and apples in your future."

Akiza nudged the reins to her left, and the stallion she named Black Tuscany turned in that direction and headed back down the same path it just took a little while ago.

-ELSEWHERE-

Turn 6: High Mage Zamar (1600)

Hand: 3

"It is my turn, boy!" Zamar said as a stone tablet ascended out of the DiaDhank's "eye". When it converted into its card form, Zamar's eyes and crooked smile widened in a creepy fashion.

"Exactly the right spell that I needed!" Zamar said with a cackle. "I play my 'Spirit Piper's Ritual'!"

The grounds of the chamber and rumbled as an altar emerged from behind the malevolent mage. The altar was a giant ziggurat composed of many human bones and skulls, and at the top was a cauldron made up of dark-hued curvy bones with skulls added in for sinister fashion. Hovering above the cauldron and its boiling contents of green smoking sludge, there was a giant wind instrument, made from a giant femur bone attached with a smaller femur bone, all hollowed out inside with six holes bore in a row. Near the top of the flute was a smaller skull where the smaller femur poked from the apex of the cranial mass.

"What kind of flute is that?" Tristan asked.

"Not the kind that plays good music, that's what I'm certain of," Jaden answered.

"Now I can Summon my most powerful monster onto the field, but in order to do that, I must sacrifice monsters whose combined Levels equal 8 or higher!" Zamar explained.

"Good luck with that, pal," Jaden said with an overconfident smile. "Your 'Lich Lord' is a Level 6 monster. I betcha you don't have any other monsters in your hand who can fit your Summoning bill."

Zamar chuckle with a closed mouth. "That is true, but this Summoning is quite different."

Jaden was almost afraid to ask. "How come?"

"Because when I Summon my monster, I can also sacrifice my Spells or Traps that I control like they were my own monsters!"

"You're kidding me!?" Jaden gasped, as did Tristan.

"I sacrifice my 'Lich Lord' with my 'Call of the Mummy' and my 'Ectoplasmer' so I can unleash the most terrifying denizen of the Underworld!" Zamar shouted as the image of "Lich Lord, King of the Underworld" appeared alongside the two Continuous Spell Cards. All three cards converted into bodies of light which flew around the altar and straight into the green liquid inside the cauldron. In mere seconds, the liquid began to boil, smoke began to flow from the rim of the cauldron, and the green liquid began to glow crimson red.

"I Summon my most powerful monster that there is!" Zamar shrieked in wicked glee. "Arise, 'Anubian the Spirit Piper'!"

From the cauldron, a dark, decaying arm clad in a golden bracelet shot out and grabbed the pipe hovering above it. Then another arm of the same feature reached for the rim of the cauldron and pushed down on it, allowing the jackal-like ears and face to come into full view.

The jackal-headed humanoid (actually a humanoid high priest zombie wearing a jackal head-shaped hood) rose up from the depths of the coffin, wearing a wide gold necklace that looped around the neck and over the shoulders. A golden belt around the waist with a golden ankh with a violet crystal in the center held together a black and white-edged skirt that draped around the areas below the waistline, making it fall to the ground, covering its sandaled feet. As the "Spirit Piper" rose from the cauldron, said Ritual Monster stood tall behind Zamar, the pipe in hand and ready to serve its master's every command. (2800/2600)

"That monster's too powerful!" Tristan gasped. "Jaden's never gonna make it through this round!"

"Not for long, because I activate 'The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh'!" Jaden yelled, flipping up his Quick-Play Spell Card. "Thanks to it, I can Summon my 'Winged Kuriboh' directly from my Deck!"

In the middle of the field, "Winged Kuriboh" appeared with a narrowed-eye look while he chirped. (300/200)

"Are you crazy, Jaden!? Your Kuriboh can't save when you when you put it in Attack Mode!" Tristan panicked.

"Relax, Tristan, I have this situation well handled," Jaden assured.

"Oh, really, Jaden? Why don't you explain that to me?" Tristan asked sarcastically.

"Sure. With my 'Winged Kuriboh', even if it is destroyed in Attack Mode, I'll take no battle damage," Jaden explained. "Furthermore, if my 'Winged Kuriboh' happens to be destroyed by battle, I'll take no more damage for the rest of the turn."

"Oh, I get it! Even though you might lose your only monster to that 'Spirit Piper', at least you'll be able to survive this round!" Tristan understood.

This only made Zamar chuckle a little. "Providing that you do survive this round, of course," he murmured aloud. "I activate 'Anubian's' special ability! Go, Mesmerizing Melody!"

"Mesmerizing Melody?" Jaden gasped.

The "Spirit Piper" held the bony pipe up to its lipless mouth and began to play a familiar tune. It was the same tune that put all of the Duel Monster Spirits in the chamber in a trance, and it was starting to have the same effect on Jaden as well. As the tune played, Jaden tried to block it out like "Winged Kuriboh" was trying to do, covering their ears and shaking their heads and all, but it was no use. "Winged Kuriboh's" strength was no match for the hypnotic music as its eyes became soulless and its body calm and still. With a flap of its white wings, "Winged Kuriboh" flew across the field.

"Hey, what's going on with my 'Kuriboh'!?" Jaden demanded to know, growing more and more tired by the music's charm.

"It's quite simple, my boy. Your 'Kuriboh' is falling under the control of my 'Spirit Piper'!" Zamar explained with an evil chuckle. "Now he belongs to me, and he will stay with me as long as my 'Spirit Piper' remains on the field!"

"That's where you left your weak point open, Zamar," Jaden grunted, unable to keep awake for much longer over the music. "Once I attack your 'Spirit Piper'..."

"Then it will be all for nothing," Zamar interjected. "My 'Spirit Piper' cannot be attacked while it controls a monster you controlled, so the only thing you would be attacking is your own so-called friend."

"No! My 'Winged Kuriboh'!" Jaden yelped.

"Is mine for the taking, and mine to control!" The High Mage of the Underworld laughed in sick triumph while Jaden suffered under the "Spirit Piper's" song and Tristan watched helplessly from the sidelines. "I told you before, boy, your 'Winged Kuriboh' would be mine in the end, and now you shall meet yours by the very monster you sought to rescue! There was no chance of you ever defeating me, boy, even when you had that other shadow creature all along inside you."

Jaden's gaze shot up to his opponent while Tristan's face became puzzled. "A shadow creature inside Jaden?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jaden denied.

"Don't play ignorant with me, boy. I can sense another presence hidden within your mortal shell," Zamar prodded. "You are part-human, but also part-shadow creature as well. I had wondered why a mere human like yourself has fallen into a trance by the magic of my music, and now I know why. You have merged your soul with another shadow creature, have you not? Oh, of course you have. You think I wouldn't have noticed the shape of your shadow creature just before we started our Shadow Game? I have the power to see spirits and hear them. You really didn't expect me to not hear every whisper you shared with each other, did you?"

"Well... kinda," Jaden said. As he tried to stand, his vision became wobbled, his head became light, and his standing was comparable to a dizzy person.

"It's no use, boy. You are already succumbing to my spell already," Zamar said with a chuckle. "Pretty soon, you will fall into a deep trance. You must fall in deeper... deeper... deeper..."

"No, I... I won't let... you... take control... of me..." Jaden slurred his speech.

"You are already falling deep into the dark depths of your mind," he head Zamar's voice ring through his head. "You are drifting away from your mortal thoughts to which you will reveal the shadow creature that resides within you. You will fall into that shadow so deep... no spark of light can reach you... and in the place of your once-mortal shell... the creature that resides in the shadow of your soul will come out... and show me the power that I crave..."

Zamar's words echoed through Jaden's head like a hypnotist. With the hypnotic suggestion merged with the music of the "Spirit Piper", Jaden's mind became malleable like taffy, so easy for the High Mage to stretch out, around, and squish into a creation of his own making. No matter how much he tried to resist, Jaden's willpower melted from the music. His eyes were growing heavy, his mind went all numb, and his whole world became dark. In the waking world, Jaden fell to his side like a marionette cut from its strings, flopping on the ground and leaving a dust cloud upon impact.

"Jaden!" Tristan cried.

"Trying to reach your friend is useless now," Zamar told him. "He is my puppet to command and control all I want. Now, my boy, arise and show me the power of the shadow creature hidden inside you."

At the command, Jaden's body began to stir. With a flicking of his fingers, Jaden automatically pushed himself up by his hands and then got up on his feet. His face was drooped over, and his hair provided a brown and orange veil to obscure his face. His left arm where he attached his Duel Disk was poised upwards, holding the Duel Disk flat. By that action, Zamar and Tristan knew something was wrong, and the change in the air which alerted all of the Duel Monsters Spirits proved it.

"What is this? What is happening?" Zamar wondered, growing fearful.

"Uh, Jaden? Are you feeling okay?" Tristan asked.

"So, Zamar, you wanted to see the power I've kept hidden deep inside me?"

A feminine reverberated off the walls of the chamber. This tone, more harsher and authoritative than Jaden's usual cheery and optimistic tone, made every Duel Monster Spirit cower in fear under the weight of the voice. Even Zamar and Tristan gasped as the voice supposedly came from nowhere, and the way that voice spoke sent a chill down their spines. They didn't know whose voice was that, but they were about to find out the hard way soon.

"Where is that voice coming from?" Tristan wondered fearfully.

"Who are you!? Show yourself!" Zamar demanded.

Both Zamar and Tristan gasped as Jaden raised his head up to face his hypnotic opponent, his eyes once brown now glowing red and green; a color to which filled every essence of every Duel Monster Spirit and human in the chamber with the most devastating fright that he has ever felt. What sealed the deal was that there was an extra eye added to his forehead, a diamond-shaped optical muscle facing vertically just above and between the two eyes with an unnatural yellow color and a red iris. The High Mage of the Underworld and spike-haired teen soon realized that this was not the same Duelist who dared himself to do everything in his power to save his Winged Kuriboh. This was something else; something bad.

"Then why don't I give a taste of what my power can really do?"

The dark chamber felt like it grew darker by the appearance of the new character that joined the fight.

Jaden Yuki was not in control of his body anymore.

Now it was Yubel's turn to take the driver's seat.

TO BE CONTINUED...

---

FEATURED CARDS

JADEN YUKI'S CARDS

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Avian
(WIND/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/1000/1000)
A winged Elemental HERO who wheels through the sky and manipulates the wind. His signature move, Featherbreak, gives villainy a blow from sky-high.

Elemental HERO Clayman
(EARTH/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/800/2000)
An Elemental HERO with a clay body built-to-last. He'll preserve his Elemental HERO colleagues at any cost.

Elemental HERO Sparkman
(LIGHT/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/1600/1400)
An Elemental HERO and a warrior of light who proficiently wields many kinds of armaments. His Static Shockwave cuts off the path of villainy.

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Neo-Spacian Dark Panther
(DARK/Level 3/Beast/Effect/1000/500)
Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the End Phase, while you control this face-up card, this card's name and effects become those of that target.

Neo-Spacian Glow Moss
(LIGHT/Level 3/Plant/Effect/300/900)
When this card attacks or is attacked: Your opponent draws 1 card. Reveal it, and based on its type apply this effect. ● Monster: End the Battle Phase. ● Spell: If this card is attacking, you can change it to a direct attack instead. ● Trap: Change this card to Defense Position.

Winged Kuriboh
(LIGHT/Level 1/Fairy/Effect/300/200)
You take no battle damage from battles involving this card. If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the GY: For the rest of this turn, you take no battle damage.

Yubel (spirit)
(DARK/Level 10/Fiend/Effect/0/0)
Cannot be destroyed by battle. Your opponent takes all battle damage from battles involving this face-up Attack Position card. During your End Phase: Tribute 1 other monster or destroy this card. If this card is destroyed, except by its own effect: Special Summon 1 "Yubel - Terror Incarnate" from you hand, Deck, or GY.

-FUSION MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Thunder Giant
(LIGHT/Level 6/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/2400/1600)
"Elemental HERO Sparkman" + "Elemental HERO Clayman"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can discard 1 card then target 1 face-up monster on the field with original ATK less than the ATK of this card; destroy that target.

-SPELL CARDS-

Convert Contact
Normal Spell
If you control no monsters: Send 1 "Neo-Spacian" monster from your hand and 1 from your Deck to the GY; draw 2 cards

De-Fusion
Quick-Play Spell
Target 1 Fusion Monster on the field; return that target to the Extra Deck, then, if all the Fusion Materials that were used for its Fusion Summon are in your GY, you can Special Summon all of them.

Polymerization
Normal Spell
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra, using monsters from your hand or side of the field as Fusion Materials.

The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh
Quick-Play Spell
Add 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck to your hand, OR Special Summon 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck.

The Warrior Returning Alive
Normal Spell
Target 1 Warrior monster in your GY; add that target to your hand.

-TRAP CARDS-

Hero Signal
Normal Trap
When a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your hand or Deck.

Fusion Reserve
Normal Trap
Reveal 1 Fusion Monster in your Extra Deck, add 1 of the Fusion Materials whose name is specifically listed on that card from your Deck to your hand, then you can add 1 "Polymerization" from your GY to your hand.

HIGH MAGE ZAMAR'S CARDS

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Lich Lord, King of the Underworld
(DARK/Level 6/Zombie/Effect/2400/2000)
If you Tribute Summon this card, the Tributes must be DARK. If this card is Tributed by a card effect and sent to the GY; add this card to your hand.

Wandering Mummy
(EARTH/Level 4/Zombie/Effect/1500/1500)
Once per turn: You can change this card to face-down Defense Position, and if you do, rearrange all face-down Defense Position monsters you control.

-RITUAL MONSTERS-

Anubian, the Spirit Piper
(DARK/Level 8/Zombie/Ritual/Effect/2800/2600)
You can Ritual Summon this card with "Spirit Piper's Ritual". Once per turn, if your opponent controls at least 1 monster: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of it. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect. While you control a monster that is owned by your opponent, they cannot target this card for attacks. If this card is destroyed: Return all monsters you control to their owner's field. This effect can only be activated while this card is face-up on the field. During each of your End Phases, if this card is in the GY because it was destroyed by battle and sent there: You can Tribute 1 Zombie monster you control or banish 1 Zombie monster from your GY; Special Summon this card in face-up Attack Position.

-SPELL CARDS-

Call of the Mummy
Continuous Spell
Once per turn: You can Special Summon 1 Zombie monster from your hand. You must control no monsters to activate and to resolve this effect.

Ectoplasmer
Continuous Spell
Once per turn, during each player's End Phase: The turn player must Tribute 1 face-up monster, and if they do, inflict damage to their opponent equal to half the original ATK of the Tributed monster.

Spirit Piper's Ritual
Ritual Spell
This card is used to Ritual Summon "Anubian, the Spirit Piper". You must Tribute monsters from the field or your hand whose total Levels equal 6 or more. If you control no monsters, you can also Tribute Spells or Traps you control as Normal Monsters (Zombie/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) in addition to your Ritual Summoning. If a monster you control that is owned by your opponent is destroyed by battle by an opponent's monster and sent to their GY: You can banish this card from the GY then target that monster; Special Summon that monster to your field.

-TRAP CARDS-

Curse of Anubis
Normal Trap
Change all Effect Monsters on the field to Defense Position. Until the end of this turn, the original DEF of those monsters becomes 0, also their battle positions cannot be changed.

EGYPTIAN DUEL SPIRITS

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Aswan Apparition
(DARK/Level 3/Fiend/Effect/500/500)
If this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: Target 1 Trap in your Graveyard; return it to the top of your Deck.

Manticore of Darkness
(FIRE/Level 6/Beast-Warrior/Effect/2300/1000)
During the End Phase of the turn this card was sent to the GY: You can send to the GY 1 Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast monster from your hand or your side of the field; Special Summon this card from your GY.

Twin-Headed Behemoth
(WIND/Level 4/Dragon/Effect/1500/1200)
During the End Phase, is in the GY because it was destroyed on the field and sent there this turn: You can Special Summon this card, but its ATK and DEF become 1000. You can only use this effect of "Twin-Headed Behemoth" once per Duel.

-RITUAL MONSTERS-

Super War-Lion
(EARTH/Level 7/Beast/Ritual/2300/2100)
You can Ritual Summon this card with "War-Lion Ritual".

OTHER

Crossover
Field Spell
At the start of this Duel; force this card's activation from your hand or Deck. If each player controls 1 copy of this card, this card gains this effect:
● Cannot be targeted by, or destroyed by card effects. If any player activates a Field Spell Card; that player can place that Field Spell Card underneath this card (min. 1). This card's name becomes the name of the card placed underneath this card, also it gains its effects. (Each player can only have 1 Field Spell Card placed under 1 copy of this card. During either player's turn, if a player activates a new Field Spell Card while a player controls 1 copy of this card with a Field Spell Card placed underneath it; that player must send that card to the GY.)