Hey gang! First off, I truly apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I expected to post a chapter two weeks ago, but unfortunately, it didn't pan out. The chapter was ready one day last week, but I completely forgot I had it done, thus it didn't get pushed out. My fault there, so I apologize for that. However, there is good news at the least. The next two chapters following this one are nearly completed, plus they are longer also, so no worries about me not having any chapters. I'm looking to probably wrap this story up in April, at latest. I had hoped to finish this month, but it's looking like it'll be April now, but oh well, it can't be helped. For now, I think I will post once a week, but that's questionable. It may get shoved back to every two weeks, but we'll see. As of right now, I intend to post a chapter next week, no matter what, then another one the following week. We'll see how that goes though.
Life wise, things are just busy. Meh, and irritating. It don't help that my dad is sulking over me not coming out to help him work on his farm. My step mother has tried to explain to him that I have a life of my own, but he doesn't apparently buy that. (/sighs\) Sometimes, I just wonder if he realizes that there is more to life than working yourself to death. You know, like spending time with your family, helping others, etc. That's how my life goes. I'm so spread out that I just have trouble finding time to help him, but I suppose that will change. (/sighs once more\)
Anyways, moving along, time for reviews!
The Duelist of Dawn: Thanks for your review! I really appreciate it when people review. Glad you liked reading through this series of stories. Hopefully, you'll like the ending. True, Yubel has some powerful monsters, but Lucifer seems to be hanging on with his Psychic monsters. Cool that you're about to start a story. Good luck with it! And once more, thank you for your review!
Supreme-Chaos-Angel: Lol, yeah, it was about time. Yes, Lucifer's deck is quite strange, but it'll grow stranger, trust me. Lol, I think all of us are confused about Lucifer's deck. Even I am. Ardee actually wrote this duel, so I had to work with him to figure out what the heck the cards did in it. Still, it looks rather good. True, Lucifer's cards are hard to envision. I found that out when I began putting more description in. They're just hard to see when they aren't real cards. But I could get a bit of an idea, I mean, rifts aren't too hard to conceptualize. Yes, you are correct, there are no actual cards like this in the game, as of right now that I know of. Eh, I'm not honestly sure what Ardee based it off of, lol. Thanks for the review!
Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks. Yes, Lucifer's deck is quite surprising, and seems different from any other deck ever made. Glad you are liking the duel. Thanks for the review!
Genma no Ou: Well, this deck isn't actually one of my designs. This is all Ardee's original concepts, with exceptions here a few exceptions here and there, like Yubel's equip spell. Yes, it is quite a combo of cards that Lucifer has. True, Yubel is hanging on, but barely it seems. Heh, yeah, I kept her true to the anime effects since just letting someone attack her seemed pointless. Glad you liked the chapter. Hopefully you'll enjoy this one also. Thanks for the review!
Thank you, all four of you, for your reviews. I truly appreciated all of them. I am sorry about the long wait between chapters, but things came up and the chapter just didn't get worked on. Sorry about that. I always strive to be consistently updating with my stories, but I have failed a bit in this one. For that, I apologize for it, but I can only promise to continue and try to do better with it.
At any rate, I need to wrap this up. I hope all of you like this chapter, for things will be interesting, I guarantee you that. Thanks for the reviews once more, and without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 48
Staring at the man before her, the demoness saw anger and hatred within his eyes unlike any other time she had seen him. To say the man facing off with her was furious was an understatement.
"You made a serious mistake by defying me, foolish demon." Lucifer coldly remarked with a sneer. "The power I command is so great that even you cannot even hope to comprehend it! Do you think just any man would be able to control a group of beings as powerful as the Fallen Angels without holding some sway over them in terms of power!? I could destroy that entire compound right now with merely a thought. Even the most powerful mages of Egypt, going further back than the day of the former Pharaoh Yami would be hard pressed to defeat my power. I will soon enough prove to you why you should never have faced off with me."
Feeling a chill of fear rise up her spine from the tone of her opponent, the demoness took an involuntary step backwards, but stopped herself. Steeling her emotions, she smirked, saying "You don't frighten me. At any rate, I move to my End Phase, in which Yubel's effect activates. I must now sacrifice a monster or she is destroyed and sent to my Graveyard. But the catch is, my Samsara Lotus's effect activates at the same time, allowing me to revive it to my field in defense (0/0)."
Reappearing onto the field in a quick flash was the small flower creature.
"Now that she is back, I can sacrifice her to Yubel, thus keeping her on the field."
Glowing with a light orange aura, the flower creature vanished from the field while the demoness on the field coldly smirked.
"I end my turn." (Lucifer = 2700, Yubel = 1600)
Snapping off a card, the robed duelist smirked as the demoness was struck by a blast of dark energy. In a cold tone, Lucifer firmly said "I summon Void Mercenary (1900/200) to the field in attack mode!"
Forming onto the field instantly was a warrior clad in black armor that was so pitch black that it seemed to suck in the very light from around it. A crimson cross covered it's chest and shield ended in triangular tips on all ends was in his left hand. Finally, there appeared a sword at his waist that was obsidian in looks, though it was also obvious that it would not be brittle like the black volcanic glass. The creature rode upon a horse that was just as black, with it's size and shape adding to its intimidation factor.
"Mercenary's effect now activates, which grants him an additional 1000 attack points when I have two or more cards on the field with the name 'Corona' in it (1900 + 1000 = 2900/200)."
Sneering at the creature, Yubel smugly remarked "Bah! Yubel will destroy him with ease!"
"Not quite." Lucifer hissed. "When Void Mercenary is summoned, I can automatically remove one monster on your field from play, at the cost of not attacking."
Eyes widening instantly, the demoness growled within her mind "Remove a monster from play?! But that means I will be unable to summon the Terror Incarnate…"
The horseman's roar immediately broke the demoness out of her thoughts as he raised his sword. The horse instantly began galloping forward, while the demoness on the field cast a glare at the incoming monster. Vines sprang up out of the ground, looping around the horse's legs, threatening to pull it and it's rider down into the darkness, but the rider slashed at them easily before continuing forward with his blade raised. The blade easily carved through the female demon's neck, severing its head from its body, but not before releasing an inhuman screech. The carcass slowly faded into nothingness, as the vines retreated.
Clenching her hands tightly, the demoness firmly snarled "Do you think that is all I have to combat you!? Believe me, you fool, you have far more to contend with!"
"If you can even reach that stage." Lucifer commented. "Right now, I end my turn, meaning Abyss Corona gains another counter. That is all." (Lucifer = 3000, Yubel = 1300)
Drawing a new card, the demoness grunted out in pain and fell to one knee as a blast of black energy slammed into her hard. She was lightly panting, but slowly stood back up with determination on her face.
"I never ended up having to use these cards against anyone, for I thought that the Legendary Demons and Yubel would suffice. But now, you will wish you had instead fallen to them, for these beings will cause you greater pain than she ever could have! I play Painful Choice!"
Pulling her deck out, Yubel searched through it till she found five cards she desired to show. Placing them onto her Duel Disk, card holograms immediately appeared onto the field, giving a view to the robed duelist of what they were.
"I select these five cards: my three Shining Angels, Airknight Parshath, and Ultimate Obedient Fiend. Now choose, if you dare!"
Eying the five cards, Lucifer murmured "Hmm… It seems you want to get at least three Light Fairy Type monsters into your Graveyard. It's not like I can stop you from doing so, so go ahead and keep Ultimate Obedient Fiend, for it is easily the most useless of the lot."
Picking up the five cards, the demoness placed the selected card into her left hand while she placed the other four into her Graveyard Slot. With the cards safely in her Graveyard, Yubel smugly said "Fool! By removing a Dark Fiend Type and three Light Fairy Types from my Graveyard, I can call upon the successor of the Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning… I banish my three Shining Angels and Giant Orc, so arise Sky Scourge Enrise (2400/1500)!"
A violet-shaded black hole appeared on the field, shrinking in size, revealing a being from within it. It had long, almost crescent shaped wings, with the inside halves being black, and the outside halves being white. The being's upper arms were covered in some black leather material, with its forearms being white skinned and bare. The hands were covered in dark black leather gloves. Slowly, the black hole sank low enough to only cover the lower upper body of the being, allowing the skin of the creature's upper body to be revealed and having white skin. Gadget like designs, with circles at the center of them, were tattooed at the tops of the creature's arms, with black lined designs being near its neck on each side. The creature wore dark black leather pants with belt straps wrapped around it's waist and each kneecap. The being's face had a maligning leer, with its thick, dead white hair flowing behind it.
"An intriguing monster…" Lucifer commented. "What does it do?"
In a snarl, the demoness grit out "It will kill you! Once during my turn, I can allow him to remove a face up monster on your side of the field from play. This comes at a cost of his attack, but well worth it, wouldn't you agree?"
Not receiving an answer, the demoness barked out "Eliminate his Void Mercenary!"
The strange white and black creature instantly complied with the request, causing a dark hole in the middle of the creature's chest to begin inhaling everything before it. The creature aimed it towards the horseman, causing the horse and it's rider to begin sliding towards the black and white creature. The horse struggled to keep it's footing, but to no avail. In a flash, the pair were sucked into the abyss, vanishing forever.
"A powerful monster." the robed duelist commented. Smirking slightly, he added "But in the end, it doesn't matter what you play."
Gnashing her teeth, Yubel snarled out "I end my turn." (Lucifer = 3300, Yubel = 1300)
Silently picking up a card, the robed figure watched a blast of black energy slam into the demoness, making her cringe from the pain. Playing the drawn card, he calmly said "I activate the spell Joint Charity. This allows both of us to draw three cards from our deck, but we must discard any monsters we draw, or any in our hand for that matter."
Both duelists picked up three cards, with the demoness tossing out two of the cards she drew, along with one in her hand. Placing the other card into her clawed left hand, she watched the robed duelist reveal he held no monsters in the cards he drew or in his hand.
"I set one card and end my turn, thus activating Abyss Corona's effect, giving it a third Spell Counter. Your end is nigh." (Lucifer = 3600, Yubel = 1000)
Picking up a card, the demoness cried out in agony as another blast of black energy slammed into her, knocking her to one knee once more. Growling deeply, she forced herself up and turned furious eyes towards the robed duelist.
Glancing at her new card, she quickly placed it into an empty Spell/Trap Slot, snarling out "I activate Graceful Charity! This spell allows me to draw three new cards, but I must toss out two cards when I'm done!"
Angrily snapping off three new cards, the demoness eyed them before placing two into her Graveyard Slot and then saying "I remove from play three of my Dark Fiend Type monsters and a single Light Fairy Type monster in order to summon Sky Scourge Norleras (2400/1500)!"
Streams of light and darkness suddenly shot out in all directions from the ground and began blending together in order to form a malicious looking body. The light and darkness vanished, leaving the being's demon like appearance that was bulgy and black, with bandages wrapped around it's upper body and forearms. It had skeleton hands and the head of a skeleton, with two gray zigzag horns sticking through the top of it's head. Two pitch black wings were on the back of the creature, resembling almost gargoyle like wings. It grasped unknown twilight colored energies in each of it's hands.
"It's effect allows me to pay 1000 life points to send all cards on the field and in our hands to the graveyard, and then we each draw one card. Since I do not have the life points, nor wish to take the risk of allowing you to attack me with a monster you draw next turn, I will end this duel conventionally instead. Norleras, Enrise, destroy Lucifer now!"
Both demonic beasts immediately raised their hands and fired out spheres of black energy at the leader of the Fallen Angels.
Sneering, the robed duelist smugly said "You waste your time. I reveal my trap, Torrential Tribute! All monsters on both fields are now destroyed."
The demoness could hardly suppress a gasp of shock as suddenly a wave of water crashed down upon her creatures, smashing both of her demon creatures. Slowly, the water receded, revealing an empty field before the demoness.
"Fine, I have no choice but to special summon my Grinder Golem (3000/300)!" the enflamed demoness snarled.
Instantly, a large, heavy metallic behemoth of a creature with a buzz saw blade for a head and spikes all over its body, chains flinging from it's form, and a clamp like left hand while the right had four sharp claws formed onto the field before the robed duelist in a kneeling position.
"Why is it on my side of the field?" Lucifer questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Darkly chuckling, Yubel replied "Grinder Golem's special ability. You see, when I choose to play it, it is special summoned to your field. As a consolations prize, I get two Grinder Tokens (0/0) on my field, which I place in defense mode."
Forming before the demoness in a flash were two smaller versions of the large metal creature, each in kneeling positions.
"I now sacrifice one to summon Dark Summons God (0/0)!"
One of the two buzz saw headed creatures vanished from the field immediately, being replaced by a strange looking creature that had large red wings with grey in them, a red kilt wrapped around it's waist that stretched to the ground, a mostly dull black looking skin, long arms, a strange head with a pair of horns that stretched up and down, and a pair of thick shoulder pads.
"I activate this creature's special ability, allowing me to sacrifice my Dark Summons God, so be gone and return my three Sacred Beasts: Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (4000/4000); Raviel, Lord of Phantasm (4000/4000); and Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (0/0) in defense mode!"
Slowly, the dull black creature disintegrated, but immediately upon his disappearance, the ground began shaking, lightning flashing brilliantly, and a tower of flames came shooting out of the ground.
The first creature to arise was a large dull yellow creature with massive thin skinned wings, thin arms with large clawed tips on it's hands, red glowing eyes, two large horns and a chin like horn on it's head, a long powerful tail, and sharp claws and fangs. The creature roared loudly, sending out several shockwaves.
Rising up from the ground was a thick purple fog, which seemed to be forming a cloud. Through the cloud came two massive blue wings with thin see-through skin, large blue horns at the top, and powerful sharp talon like claws attached to purple hands came out of the darkness. Slowly, the cloud diminished, and the rest of the creature came into view. It's body consisted of purple and light blue. It had massive chiseled out abs, muscular arms and legs, and finally a strong head with a strange crown like set of horns. The creature let out a massive roar, making the very ground shake.
The final creature soon began to appear from within the tower of flames. Out of the flames came a set of large red wings that had thin skin covering them that appeared to be attached to arms. Slowly, a red snake like body with a grey underbelly appeared from the flames that had many scales. The head of the monster had many spikes, and it had a massive set of sharp teeth. It let out a loud roar, making the ground shake from the power of it.
"All three?" Lucifer asked in a mildly impressed voice. Smirking, he added "Don't forget they can't attack this turn. Not that it matters… If their attacks are a few thousand times stronger, I may feel them."
"You talk too much, has anyone told you that?" Yubel ground out. "I end my turn. There is no hope for you in this duel now." (Lucifer = 3900, Yubel = 700)
Drawing a card deliberately slowly, the robed duelist smirked as a blast of black energy slammed into the demoness, causing her to cry out in pain. Instead of falling to one knee, it took all of her energy to remain standing and sneer.
"IS THAT THE BEST YOU HAVE!?"
Smirking, Lucifer coolly replied "Not at all. First, I activate the effect of Abyss Corona. By removing all three Spell Counters, I can add one spell card from my deck to my hand."
Pulling his deck out, the robed duelist searched through it till he found the card he desired to have. Returning his deck to it's slot, he turned the card towards the demoness and sneered.
"This is the end for you, Yubel. I activate the spell Bonds of the Universe!"
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The trio of knights, along with the duelists within the sphere that the knights were carrying, all saw from their vantage point a single blinding flash spread out in all directions.
"What the-…" Illidan began, only being forced to cover his eyes.
The light was brighter than anything any of the group had ever seen. Marie put an arm on her husband's shoulder, while covering her own eyes at the same time. None of the group could bear to look, while the three knights remained transfixed. The sphere of energy that was moving the group suddenly paused in midair.
"Could it be…" Timaeus murmured. "The last time this kind of power was released… We are possibly the only three beings still alive who witnessed it."
In a snarl, Critius ground out "Lucifer will pay in blood! His charade has gone on for far too long, and if he has indeed chosen to relegate his fate to this dark force, he will pay dearly for it."
"Wait!" Hermos cautioned. "If he has indeed done the unthinkable and is using that power, then we would do better to revise our position. Not even our power would be able to overcome this…"
"We have to try." Illidan interrupted through grit teeth. "I have no idea what this power is that you think Lucifer has, but giving up is not an option right now. It's now or never, for if he resurrects the Great Leviathan, he will be able to feed it enough power to make it stronger then even Anubis, God of Life and Death ever was!"
"Agreed, plus, I am going nowhere until we find my daughter." Marie chimed in.
Sighing heavily, the green armored knight muttered "Very well, but just know that this will not be easy."
With his words said, the green knight urged the other knights onwards, pulling the sphere between them.
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It took the group barely five minutes to reach the source of the light. The entire area was covered in the darkness of a Shadow Game. Deep within it, the three knights and the group of duelists could see the vague outlines of a tall, standing figure who wore a hood, with a huge, demonic form in front of him, while across from him was a feminine silhouette who had fallen to her knees, with a trio of large forms in front of her. The standing figure raised a finger, and the beast before him reacted by expelling a wave of energy that was barely visible through the darkness.
It seemed to be directed at the middle creature of the feminine duelist, but instead slammed into all three, shattering them all at once. It continued on and hit their mistress, who was blasted off her knees and onto her back. The slow trickle of her life points coming down to zero could be heard by the other duelists. A sense of dread began to fill their minds as the darkness started clearing.
In a cool, calm voice, the seemingly winner of the duel said "Ah, Illidan and Marie. It seems you've brought your little squad of friends with you. Charming."
Ears twitching at the sound of the voice, Illidan mentally murmured "That voice… Where have I heard it before? It sounds familiar, but where from?"
"I was beginning to wonder when and if the two of you and your pathetic group would arrive." the shadowy figure continued while still facing away from the group. "Such bad parents you two are, allowing me to keep their daughter for so long. I should charge you overtime for holding onto the whelp."
Furious at the owner of the voice, Marie angrily roared "GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER, YOU LUNATIC, OR I WILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BEEN BORN!"
"Charming as ever, I see." the figure commented while the creatures on the field slowly vanished, leaving only the feminine duelist behind. With the darkness cleared, it was revealed to be the demoness that had helped in the kidnapping of the child, who was releasing a pain filled moan.
"Arya is comfortable here, even though her crying tantrums have been a tad bit annoying and rather irritating, to say the least. But considering how much you owe me, Illidan, you should be thankful she is even in one piece."
Taking a step forward, Marie prepared to attack the robed figure who was staring at the fallen demoness, only to be stopped by a hand being placed on her shoulder by her husband.
"It can't be…" Illidan mentally mumbled with wide eyes.
A cloud of darkness suddenly appeared within the hands of the robed figure, only to slowly be revealed to be a blanket with a small female child in it, who was wailing loudly.
"You sick, demented freak!" Seto roared. "Return the child now so I can have my Blue-Eyes tear you to pieces!"
"I can't believe that a person like you could be so evil!" Jaden ground out.
"Oh, I can." Illidan coldly remarked while clenching his right hand till his knuckles were white. Each of the group cast a look at the brown haired duelist, seemingly confused.
Lightly chuckling, the voice of the robed figure coolly said "So, you finally caught on. I take it you've recovered from hearing this voice, eh Illidan?"
Seemingly seething with anger while clenching his right hand tightly, Illidan ground out in a tight tone "Yours is a voice I'd give up everything to forget… Gozaburo Kaiba."
All at once, all but the younger duelists, the group tensed upon hearing the words that Illidan had spoken. Each looked the robed figure over, seemingly trying to prove the brown haired duelist's claim.
"Good ear." the cool voice remarked of the robed duelist. Reaching up with a free hand, he pushed the hood of his robes back, revealing gray hair that was short, a mustache, and cold light brown eyes.
"It is him…" Marie mumbled with shock on her face.
"Surprised is not the word that would fit this situation, eh?" Gozaburo taunted. "I suppose all of you are curious how I defied death itself and returned to this world."
"I have a better idea, you return our daughter and I won't have to put you back in the grave." Illidan coldly stated while moving away from his wife and towards the robed figure in smooth strides.
Sneering, the robed figure countered, asking "Why should I do so? Do you honestly think you can defeat me with a pitiful power like you have?"
Not receiving a response, Gozaburo continued on, saying "When you had the power of darkness coursing through your veins, you may have stood a bit of a chance. Your power, along with Marie's fully awakened power, may have been able to defeat me, but you have since given up on that power, and Marie is incapable of controlling her hidden strength, just like in the past."
Watching Illidan inch forward, the robed figure held out his left hand, causing a sphere of black energy to suddenly form within it. "Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't come any closer Illidan, or else your daughter will be nothing more than a smear."
Hiding his eyes beneath the shadow of his bangs, Illidan came to a stop and in a firm voice said "You wanted me here in this forsaken dimension, so here I am. I ask that you in turn give Arya back to Marie. Whatever it is you want with me, do what you want, but release Arya and the others."
"Oh I'll take what I want from you in due time, don't you worry." the robed figure stated.
Raising his eyes to be revealed, the brown haired duelist fiercely yelled "Let her go! You got what you wanted! You have me, so just release Arya to Marie, and send them, along with the others, back to their dimension! What more could you possibly want!?"
"Everything." Gozaburo simply remarked.
About to respond, the brown haired duelist heard a strangled cry of pain. Glancing over, he noted it was the female demon, who was beginning to glow with a dark black aura. Noting where the brown haired duelist's attention was, the robed figure smirked.
"She will soon be gone. You should thank me, Illidan, for she was one of the two who kidnapped your daughter. It was her and Zell that took sweet little Arya from you."
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Illidan saw Jaden rushing to the demoness on the ground. He quickly went to one knee and softly asked "Yubel?"
Seemingly in pain while looking up at the young man, the demoness sadly smiled and whimpered out "Jaden… I'm sorry that I won't be able to protect you…"
"Protect me? From what?" Jaden asked in confusion.
Sadly smiling, Yubel reached out for his hand, which Jaden hesitated to do, but finally gave it to her. Holding his hand, she began revealing images to him.
Looking about in the images, the young duelist saw an elder man standing with a young dark purple haired boy. The two were conversing back and forth, till finally the elder man said "My son, he carries the spirit of the Supreme King. He is but a vessel for Haou, but one day, the universe will need him. Until then, his spirit must be protected. Do you understand, Yubel?"
"I do sir, and I ask that you allow me to become the one who protects him." the young boy responded with fierce determination reflecting in his eyes.
Gasping lightly, Jaden mentally murmured "So, that was Yubel?"
The images flickered for a moment, revealing the young boy in a chamber, strapped down to a table and blindfolded while three people surrounded the table. An elderly witch looking woman calmly said "You have chosen to be the protector of the Supreme King's spirit, thus you shall be equipped with the armor of the dragon. This will be painful, but once we have finished, nothing shall be able to harm you ever again and you shall be able to protect the Supreme King's spirit forever."
"Just get on with it." the young boy firmly replied, only to wince in pain as the three people began operating, causing Jaden to look away.
A moment passed and a door in the back of the chamber opened, revealing a young man dressed in royal clothing. Seeing him, Jaden could hardly suppress a gasp of shock while his eyes widened.
"That's… That's me!"
Once more, the images flickered, revealing the sun setting with the young man and the demoness he had just allowed to hold his hand once more. The two were sitting on a smooth pillar, with the young man looking upset.
"Why, why did you do it?" the young man questions.
Sadly smiling, the demoness quietly replied "I did this so I could protect you. I will always be with you and protect you, no matter what comes."
Sniffling, the young man whimpered out "But it's not fair for you. You were my friend. I will make it up to you. I promise to never forget you and to always keep you by my side."
Hearing the words of the young man, Jaden slid his eyes shut. In his mind, he heard the voice of the demoness quietly say "Jaden, that promise I made you long ago, I have strived to keep to it. Nothing has ever stopped me from trying to protect you, not even when you abandoned me and sent me away."
"That's why... That's why you attacked Jesse and the others?" the young duelist asked while staring at the demoness in his mind.
Sadly smiling, Yubel nodded. Clenching his hands, Jaden replied "Yubel, I understand now why you did what you did. You started out with good intentions, but over time, you lost your way. But I promise, I will help you find your way again."
Leaving his mind, the young man sadly smiled at the demoness. She weakly smiled back, murmuring "I'm afraid I can't keep my promise any longer, nor can you. I tried to protect you by destroying Lucifer, but failed. I am truly sorry for breaking my promise."
"It's not over, Yubel." Jaden quietly replied. "I realize how much you wish to protect me, and that I made a promise to you that means so much to me even now. That's why I won't allow you to die here in this place."
Looking at the young duelist with unsure eyes, the demoness began to ask what he planned, only to feel him reach out and placing both hands onto her shoulders. Sadly smiling, he whispered "You protected me throughout the years Yubel, and for that I am grateful. That is why I am going to grant your one wish, which is to always protect the Supreme King. I'm going to merge you in with my spirit, so you can always be with me."
"But what will become of you!?" Yubel protested.
Feigning a smile, Jaden replied "I'm not really sure, but there is only one way to find out."
With his words ending, the young duelist's palms began glowing with black energy, which immediately began swirling around the demoness and the young duelist. The pair were engulfed within the energy, vanishing completely from view.
"Jaden!" Alexis cried out and began to run to the swirling energy, only to be held back by gentle arms around her waist. Looking over her shoulder, she saw it was Zane, who was shaking his head.
"He made his choice, Alexis. We have to respect it."
Feeling tears sliding down her face, the young blonde haired woman whimpered "But I love him."
"I know, and I'm sure this decision wasn't made lightly. Trust him, Alexis." Zane whispered.
Staring at the swirling black energy, the group didn't have long to wait till the swirling slowed and dissipated. Walking out of it with his eyes closed was the young duelist, who had changed a bit. He was slightly taller, with brown hair that appeared to have lengthened also, and his features seemed more chiseled. Opening his eyes slowly, he revealed chocolate orbs. Without warning, the two brown eyes glowed for a moment and changed, with the right one becoming dark orange, almost golden, in color and the left being green. The two eyes glowed for a moment before fading back to their original brown color.
"The Guardian and the Supreme King are now one." Jaden announced, with his voice sounding a bit aged. Turning and pointing an accusing finger at the robed figure, he firmly added "You will pay for what you have done, Gozaburo. The darkness you wish to awaken will not be allowed to awaken. No matter what, I will use all of the power of the Supreme King and Yubel to defeat you!"
"Dream on, kid." Gozaburo grunted. "Even with their combined power, you cannot defeat me."
"We'll just have to find out, won't we!?" Jaden stated.
Before the young duelist could move, he saw the brown haired duelist move before him with his arms spread. "Stay back Jaden. I'll handle this."
Returning his attention to Gozaburo, Illidan added "I see you have no intentions of taking me up on my offer, so I'll have to do the only thing I know to do, which is to challenge you to a duel!"
Releasing a loud laugh full of malice, the robed figure sneered and shifted the weight of the wailing babe in his arms, saying "I have a much better idea. Since the others will no doubt challenge me once I finish with you, I propose we have a five on one duel. I will take on yourself, Illidan, along with Marie, Seto, Yugi, and Jaden. The five of you are the only ones I want to duel. The others mean nothing to me."
"No, you will face me alone." Illidan growled in response.
"Now, now Illidan, you are not one in a position to be disagreeing with me, now are you?" Gozaburo taunted.
Seeing he was holding the sphere of black energy closer to his daughter once more, the brown haired duelist clenched his hands tightly and grunted out "Fine, have it your way, but trust me, you will regret your decision."
"We shall see." Gozaburo remarked while the sphere of energy vanished. A moment passed and a black glow formed around the crying child, causing her to vanish once more.
Seeing the worry and anger washing over the numerous faces, the robed figure sneered, saying "Worry not for little Arya. She is safe. I returned her to her hiding place. Once we finish up, I'll raise her up to be a proper young lady."
"Over my dead body!" Marie ground out with eyes flaring with anger.
"Calm down Marie."
Looking to see it was her husband who had spoke, the female duelist began to lash back with a fierce remark, but stopped herself. Moving towards her husband, she cast a glare at the robed duelist and growled out "If you have hurt her in any way, you'll wish that you had never met me."
"Not likely, seeing how you, with all your power, can't stop me. You can't even learn how to tap into it at will." Gozaburo smugly remarked.
"Pay no heed to him." Illidan interrupted before his wife could reply. "You're just wasting your time."
Casting a glare at her husband, the female duelist slowly nodded her head. With that, the brown haired duelist calmly said "Let's begin this foolish duel. I look forward to when you no longer exist."
"Before we begin, I guess I could fill you in on a few things that I'm sure are plaguing your minds." the robed figure remarked. "I suppose the top of the list is how I am even alive, am I right?"
Receiving no response, Gozaburo sneered, saying "The last time all of you saw me was on Kaiba Corp Island when I lost my duel to Illidan about eleven years ago. I had originally intended to send Marie to the Shadows for his victory, but in a rash decision, I allowed myself to be taken instead. For that, Marie was spared from the Shadow Realm, while I was sent. There I languished for many years, till without warning, a deal was apparently struck this year to release my soul."
"The foolish man known as Darcia, a servant of the Orichalcos, fed the Shadows 600 souls to release six strong souls from the Shadow Realm so he could use those six souls to help him bring the Orichalcos back from the brink of extinction. The six souls released were known as the Fallen Angels. I was among the six."
"That idiot's goals were so short minded. He planned on us gathering energy and bringing the Orichalcos back to it's original strength, and then to revive the creature he called The Great Leviathan. With those two, we would cleanse the Earth of all evil, or so he said."
Sneering, the robed figure added "He was such a fool. When he brought back the six souls, he didn't know that my soul had increased in strength while within the Shadows. The power that the Millennium Crown once held was nearly all at my disposal. While within the Shadows, I became stronger than any other soul ever has, but even with that power, I could not escape. Once that fool had released me though, it was all over. He signed his own warrant for death by releasing me."
"I must say, he was partially right though. By reenergizing the Orichalcos, life has become much easier, plus The Great Leviathan shall rise once more, but fly under my command."
Smirking, Gozaburo smugly said "I must thank all of you. If not for your help, the Orichalcos wouldn't have been revived. With all of the battles in Dark World that were fought, I was able to gain enough Duel Energy to refuel the Orichalcos. It is now more powerful than ever. So thank you, all of you."
"You can thank us when you're sealed away, forever, with your worthless stone." Illidan grit out while pulling his deck out and shuffling it.
Seeing the other four duelists were doing the same, the robed duelist shrugged, saying "I see you're all business today, Illidan. Very well, I shall take great pleasure in ending your pitiful life."
Watching the robed duelist shuffle his own deck, the brown haired duelist yelled "The rest of you, stay back. Let the five of us handle this. Just be on guard."
Nodding, the five remaining duelists backed away while the other five finished preparing their decks. Spreading out, the five took up stances while the robed duelist did the same.
"This will be fun. I can't wait to torture all five of you." Gozaburo sinisterly remarked.
Holding his left arm out before his body diagonally, Illidan firmly replied "That won't happen. This ends here and now, Gozaburo. I will not allow you to remain in any world, let it be this dimension or our home one!"
"Just try and get rid of me. I think you may find you can't."
Sneering, the robed duelist calmly added "Before we begin, I should inform you of the rules for the duel. First off, I will begin with 20000 life points, while all of you will have 8000. Is that a problem? If so, then tough. Secondly, none of you can attack during your teams first turn. Once I begin my first turn, I may attack. Thirdly, you can defend any of your partners in this duel, for I don't care. Lastly, all of you will die here."
"We'll see." Illidan ground out.
Glancing at the others, the brown haired duelist nodded, signaling them to fire up their Duel Disks. At the same time, the robed duelist did the same. Simultaneously, the six duelists drew their first five cards, with all saying "Duel!"