Editor's note: I messed up on the life points at the end of the duel. This is a quick fix. Sorry if it confuses anyone. Yugi was supposed to have 1000 life points tacked on due to Magic Formula's effect, but I somehow or another forgot to. My mistake. Thanks, and sorry for the confusion.

Hi everybody! (/Hears everyone reply "Hi Doctor Illidan!"\) Strange… So, life for me is so much fun. The project I'm working on at work has finally begun to take off, with me taking a major step forward I think by drawing up designs of what was in my mind for it. I think that surprised the guy in charge of the project, who was very thankful for my work and worked with me to refine the pages a bit. I sent out my changes Friday, so we'll see how that goes. Moving along to my personal life, I've come to realize I hate birthdays and holidays. There is a good reason before anyone says that's cruel. Reason being is I feel pulled in five directions. There is my dad's side of the family first off, then my mom's side, my mate's family has two directions, and then what I really feel like doing with my mate. Luckily, my mate's family doesn't pull too much, but it's there too. Really, only one side of her family pulls, thankfully. Still, I feel so spread out when a holiday or birthday comes up. Mine and my grandmother's (mother's side) birthday is the same day, next Saturday (the 9th for those who can't figure out the day), which is great, but not at the same time. My step mom wants to go out and eat that day, but it would have to be early, like around noon. Well, my mom is coming in for the weekend also to my grandmother's, so I want to go see them also. But I also want to spend the day with my mate, who wanted to take me out for my birthday. Arg! I want more than anything to keep everybody happy, but at the same time, they drive me nuts! Well, my mate is a given, but all in good fun. Meh, I just wish it was easier for me to do something with all of my family. Oh well…

Writing wise, I didn't get anything done really. I tried, but failed spectacularly. I just didn't get much time to be honest at work to do any writing. For once, I was very dedicated to getting stuff done. That's scary, for me, lol. Most likely, I will have a chapter next week, so no worries. I did start on a one-shot called When You're Gone this past weekend. I'm nearly done with it, but have yet to post. It's an Inuyasha fic, so not everyone may be interested. Also, for anyone who were interested in Another, the sequel to it, entitled Reunion will be coming out soon. I'm thinking sometime this month. I said the 11th, but I may push that back some more until this story is done. We'll see.

And now, time for reviews!

The Rainwalker: Lol, thanks about the small Lord of the Rings joke for Hasselberry. Yep, I have a word processor, the dreaded Word 2007 at work and 2003 at home. Hmm, does your word not underline the misspelled word with a squiggly line? Just curious is all. Lol, Yoda you are? Yep, Gozaburo is hanging on like a pit bull on a T-Bone. Heh, yeah, he just won't give up and let the duel go. He refuses to go down quietly, if at all. Thanks about the countermeasures for the group thus far. Uh, about the errors you found, on the first one, I can't find what you're talking about. There is nothing in there about Seto summoning or playing Creeping Dorm. As for Marie's error, I found the same thing. Not quite sure what you're talking about. LOL! Interesting idea on what happens after the duel. I don't think we'll see it, but you'll never know. And yes, my mate and I had a major sweat drop when reading that comment. No problem about the small joke, hehe. Eh, no real financial problems really. I am thankful for what we have though, nonetheless. Hopefully my mate will get her new job. It's what she wants. About Jaden and Alexis, yeah, they've been together. Illidan commented on it during the beginning, and I think the two talked about it also. Heh, I guess liplock could happen sometime or another. Thanks for the review!

Supreme-Chaos-Angel: Thanks about the update. Yep, both sides are using some powerful cards. Heh, yep, everyone should stop holding back if they were when a Wicked God is on the field. Eh, I'm not sure about the cutting power in half thing since the Seal was played after Dreadroot. I guess it could cut that bonus in half also, but no idea for sure. I just figured that it probably cut what was on the field in half to begin with, but I could be wrong. It wouldn't surprise me, lol. Ah, didn't know about Necromancy. I thought when I looked it up, it took off 400. My mistake on that one. Heh, yeah, Gozaburo has mad amounts of life points still yet, but they're working on cutting them down. Doubtful if Illidan plays that card if it'll really help. It would take a massive amount of cards for that card to really work out. Thanks for the review!

Thank you, both of you, for your reviews. I really appreciate both of them. Heh, I know I say that so often, but it's truthful and reality. Reviews are what help me in figuring out if I'm going the right direction or not. And to any who haven't reviewed, I encourage you to do so. I enjoy hearing feedback of any kind, whether good or bad. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to answer, so long as they don't give away the plot.

At any rate, I'm done for now. I hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy!

Duel Stats

Life Points:

Jaden: 1150

Seto: 900

Marie: 6800

Yugi: 6000

Illidan: 3000

Gozaburo: 24300

Monsters on the field:

Jaden: Yubel (0/0)

Seto: Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon (3000 300 * 10 = 6000/2500), Critius, the Legendary Knight (2800/2800)

Marie: Shinato, King of a Higher Plane (3300 + 300 = 3600/3000 + 300 = 3300)

Yugi: Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700), Dark Magician (2500 + 700 = 3200/2100)

Illidan: Silent Magician LV4 (3000/1000) (5 sc) (d)

Gozaburo: Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode (3500 + 500 = 4000/3000)

Spell/Trap on the field:

Jaden: None

Seto: FD x 2

Marie: Silver Bow and Arrow (s)

Yugi: FD, Magic Formula (s)

Illidan: FD x 2

Gozaburo: Tuner Calling (s), The Seal of Orichalcos (fs), FD

Number of cards in hand:

Jaden: 1

Seto: 0

Marie: 2

Yugi: 0

Illidan: 6

Gozaburo: 1

Number of monsters on the field:

Jaden: 1

Seto: 2

Marie: 1

Yugi: 2

Illidan: 1

Gozaburo: 1

Number of face down spell/trap:

Jaden: 0

Seto: 2

Marie: 1

Yugi: 1

Illidan: 2

Gozaburo: 1

Turns since Seto activated Card of Demise: 2

Chapter 54

Drawing a card deliberately slowly, Illidan eyed the new card for a few long moments before cracking a smile. "I think it's time to clear your field. I activate the spell Level Up! Thanks to this card, I can send Silent Magician LV4 to my Graveyard and evolve him to Silent Magician LV8 (3500/1000)!"

Glowing brightly, the white mage suddenly stood up and began growing in height. The glow slowly diminished, revealing an older, more mature version of the white robed mage. His child like looks were gone, but the same kind look he had held remained.

"And now, I activate the spell Cost Removal! For this card to take effect, I have to ditch a card from my hand."

Selecting a card, the brown haired duelist placed it into his Graveyard Slot, which quickly sucked the card down. Returning his attention to the robed duelist, Illidan calmly said "Now the effect of Cost Removal comes into play. For this turn alone, I don't have to pay any life points for any spell, trap, or monster effect that requires a cost. Next, I activate the spell Future Fusion."

Pulling his deck out, the brown haired duelist sifted through it for a moment before selecting two cards. Shuffling his deck and returning it to it's slot, he continued on, saying "Whenever Future Fusion is activated, I'm allowed to send Fusion Material monsters to my Graveyard, and in two of my Standby Phases, I can special summon the Fusion Type monster that was created by the monsters I discarded. The two monsters I'm sending to the Graveyard are two Cyber Dragons (2100/1600). That means in two turns, I get Cyber Twin Dragon."

Watching the back of the brown haired duelist, Zane whispered in his mind "Is he doing what I think he's doing? If he is, this should turn the tables of the duel, once more."

"Is something wrong Zane?" Syrus asked with concern in his eyes.

Glancing down at his brother, the duelist in the black trench coat shook his head, saying "No, everything is fine. I'm just curious to see what Illidan is doing."

"Same here. I think he's up to something big." Jesse commented.

Speaking up, Chazz casually said "Without a doubt. He's always one step ahead of his competition, so it wouldn't surprise me if he mops the floor with that guy."

"But what does Professor Illidan have planned?" Alexis questioned.

Back on the field, Illidan smirked at the robed duelist, saying "I play this, the spell Power Bond!"

"What does that do?" Gozaburo questioned in a fierce tone.

"More than you'll ever know." Zane remarked in his mind. Memories of all his battles where he used the card replayed throughout his mind, till finally he remembered one duel when Illidan and he had battled. "In the end, Illidan proved much more capable of using that card than I ever was."

Smirking at the bewildered look on the face of the robed duelist, Illidan coolly said "Whenever I activate Power Bond, I can fuse together monsters to form a Machine Fusion Type monster."

Darkly chuckling, Gozaburo smugly remarked "Then you are a fool. I know for a fact you only have two Machine Fusion Type monsters, and both require two of the monsters you discarded. So much for your grand plan to use Power Bond!"

"My move is not complete." the brown haired duelist replied in a calm tone. Selecting another card from his hand, he turned it towards the robed duelist, saying "I activate another spell, this one being a Quick Play one. Go Cybernetic Fusion Support! With this card, I can pay half my life points, which I don't have to due to Cost Removal, and look in my Graveyard for all the Fusion Material monsters on a Machine Fusion Type monster's text. If they're all in my Graveyard, I can remove them from play and use this card as a substitute for those monsters. Since the monster I want to summon requires three Cyber Dragons (2100/1600), I can do just that."

"Wait, how did the third Cyber Dragon get in your Grave!?" Gozaburo demanded.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan asked "You didn't forget about Cost Removal, did you?"

Brow furrowing, the robed duelist eyes widened while he mumbled "You discarded it then…"

"That's right, Gozaburo. I sent my third Cyber Dragon to the Grave when I activated Cost Removal. And now, I remove all three Cyber Dragons in order to call forth the Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800)!"

Materializing onto the field instantly were three silver machine snake like dragons, with each letting out a mechanical roar. The three soon vanished, causing a blinding white light to fill the field. Slowly, the light receded, revealing a large three headed snake like machine dragon with massive wings on it's back. The three heads connected to a central point where from on back there was one tail. Each head had a bit of a different look, with each having gold mechanical eyes. The three heads immediately let out a loud roar, shaking the very ground the duelists stood on.

"And now that Cyber End Dragon is on the field, the effect of Power Bond kicks in. It automatically doubles the Fusion monster's attack points (4000 * 2 = 8000/2800)!"

"WHAT!?" Gozaburo roared in shock. "That can't be!"

Cracking a smile, Illidan replied "But it be, Gozaburo. Cyber End Dragon, attack his Hyper Psychic Blaster with Super Strident Blaze!"

Releasing a mighty roar, the three headed machine dragon took aim with it's three heads. Each opened their maws, revealing blinding and sizzling white energy. Together, the three heads fired a stream of white blazing energy, which melded together into one single beam and went racing towards the armored warrior. The stream engulfed the warrior instantly, seemingly incinerating it instantly. Not stopping there, the blast raced past the spot where the warrior had stood and slammed into the robed duelist, who screamed out loudly as the blast surrounded himself. A massive explosion ensued, causing dust and debris to go flying into the air.

Bit by bit, the smoke and debris settled, revealing the robed duelist was still standing, but just barely. His robes had wisps of smoke pouring off of them and the robes were tattered from the impact of the blast.

"I'm far from through with you, Gozaburo." Illidan declared in a cold tone. "That was just a small sample of the anger I have for what you did to my family. Now get ready, because it's time for Silent Magician LV8 to direct attack you! Go, Silent Scepter Blast!"

Leaping into the air, the white robed mage turned his scepter towards the robed duelist and began building up energy within his staff. Without warning, the face down card on the robed duelist's field rose up, making the mage stop for a moment.

Casting a death glare at the brown haired duelist, Gozaburo coldly said "You will pay for that, Illidan Stormrage. I activate my face down spell, A Deal with Dark Ruler. This activates when I lose a level eight or above monster is destroyed on my field. I can now special summon this card from my deck, Berserk Dragon (3500 + 500 = 4000/0)."

Rising up onto the field without warning was a dark brown skinned dragon with rough scales covering it's body, sharp clawed hands and feet, spikes sticking out of it's knees and along the top of it's tail, a pair of leathery wings with spikes at the tops of it's wings, a skull like head with many sharp fangs, two horns on the sides of it's head, a long dark purple mane, and red glowing eyes. Fully on the field, the dragon released a sickening roar in an attempt to frighten the white robed mage who was mid-air.

"So, are you still attacking, Illidan?" the robed duelist taunted.

Eyeing the dragon for a moment, the brown haired duelist let out a small sigh before placing the final card in his hand into an empty Spell/Trap Slot. "I won't, but I will activate the spell Mirage of Nightmare. With this card, whenever it's your Standby Phase, I draw till I hold four cards, but during my Standby Phase, I must discard the same number of cards I drew. At that, I end my…"

"Not so fast, Illidan! You forget, your Power Bond's effect is about to take away some life points." Gozaburo smugly declared.

Lightly chuckling, Illidan shook his head, saying "You seem to have a short term memory. Let me remind you of the second card I played this turn. It was Cost Removal, which lasts all during my turn. Since it's my End Phase, it still protects me from the effect of Power Bond. So much for wishful thinking, Gozaburo. At that, I end." (Jaden = 1150, Seto = 900, Marie = 6800, Yugi = 6000, Illidan = 3000; Gozaburo = 18200)

Picking up his new card, the robed duelist began to speak, only to be cut off by the brown haired duelist. "Don't forget Gozaburo, since you just entered into your Standby Phase, I get to draw four new cards due to the effect of Mirage of Nightmare."

Watching the brown haired duelist pick up four new cards, Gozaburo shrugged, saying "It does not matter. I activate the spell Pot of Avarice, which allows me to transfer five monsters from my Graveyard to my deck, then shuffle and draw two new cards. The five I'm returning are Hyper Psychic Blaster, Hyper Psychic Blaster/Assault Mode, Void Mercenary, Dark Sphere, and Krebons."

One by one, the named monster cards slid out of the robed duelist's Graveyard Slot. Picking them, he shuffled one of the cards into his Extra Deck, while the other went back to his normal deck. Finishing, he picked up two new cards and eyed both.

"I now play the spell Double Spell. With this, I toss out a spell card from my hand and then I can activate any spell card within any of your Graveyards."

Picking the card to discard, he turned it towards the group, making the demoness before the younger duelist gasp in shock. Seeing the reaction, the robed duelist smirked and said "I send Abyss Corona – The Third Rift to the Grave."

"That was the third card of his three card combo." Yubel mentally called out to Jaden. "Why he's tossing it out so carelessly, I don't know."

"Probably because his first two cards of the combo are already gone. Remember, without the first card, the combo can't be complete. Marie saw to it to destroy Azure Corona, and without it, Twilight Corona was destroyed. I can only assume the same is for Abyss Corona, so it's useless to him."

Eyeing the robed duelist while he placed his card into his Graveyard Slot, the demoness remarked to the young duelist "I still don't like it."

"Now that I discarded my card, I can use any spell in your Graveyards." Gozaburo declared, causing the demoness and the young duelist to return their attention to him. "My choice is not hard. I choose Seto's Card of Demise, meaning I can now draw till I hold five cards in my hand."

Wordlessly, the robed duelist picked up the top four cards on his deck and placed them neatly into his left hand. Selecting one, he turned it towards the group, saying "I activate this spell, Sacrificial Token Summoning. To use it, I must sacrifice a monster on my field, so be gone Berserk Dragon!"

Vanishing from the field with a low growl, the brown skinned dragon vanished, only to be replaced by four tombstones. Seeing the numerous frowns, the robed duelist darkly chuckled at each of his opponents' confusion.

"By playing Sacrificial Token Summoning, I gain Sacrificial Tokens (1000 + 500 = 1500/1000) for each 1000 attack points that the sacrificed monster had. Since Berserk Dragon had 4000 attack points, I gained four tokens. There is a bright side, I suppose, for if I don't use all of these tokens by the end of my turn, they're destroyed. But don't worry, three out of four won't remain here for too long."

Sneering, Gozaburo selected a card from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk, saying "I sacrifice three of my Sacrificial Tokens in order to summon the second of the Wicked Gods. Now rise, The Wicked Eraser (?/?)!"

One by one, three of the tombstones disappeared, only to have a tower of flames erupt from the ground. Out of the sides of the flames, a pair of bronzed leathery wings spread out, along with a long bronze tail. Next to appear were a pair of sharp clawed hands that looked like feet on a bird of prey. At long last, the tower of flames vanished, revealing the main part of the creature's bronzed body. It had wide shoulders with pointed shoulder pads, a single light green gem on it's chest, and an elongated neck that held it's head to it's body. The creature's head itself was long and pointed, with many fangs poking out of it's mouth, and a pair of backwards curved horns. On the top of the creatures head, back flowing bronze metal scales ran down half of it's neck. At last fully on the field, the creature released a horrendous roar, seemingly shaking the entire dimension to it's core.

"Insane…" Jaden mumbled while staring in awe of the creature.

Looking at the creature, Yugi whispered "That is the darkness of Slifer the Sky Dragon…"

"Don't let it intimidate you guys." Illidan called out, earning all of his friends' attention. "It may be big, but that doesn't mean a thing."

Sneering at the brown haired duelist, the robed duelist smugly replied "Oh but it does, Illidan. And in a few moments, you'll learn just how terrifying The Wicked Eraser truly is. In the meantime, Tuner Calling's effect is activating. I can now special summon a Tuner Type monster from my deck to the field, so I pick Krebons (1200 + 500 = 1700/800)."

Reappearing onto the field for it's third appearance in the duel was the blue and yellow armored creature with white and blue gloves on it's hands.

"And then there is the effect of Eraser that I need to explain. For every card on your group's side of the field, Wicked Eraser gains 1000 attack and defense points."

All eyes widened upon the declaration of the robed duelist. In a mere whisper, Illidan quietly said "That means..."

"That means all those spell, trap, and monster cards you stockpiled are about to be used against you!" Gozaburo stated. "Now, let's count how many cards all of you have."

"Jaden, you have one monster, plus two face down cards. Seto has two monsters, plus two face down cards. Then there is Marie, with a single monster, a face down, and a spell card. Yugi there has two monsters, plus a face down and a spell card. And at long last, Illidan, you have two monsters, two face down cards, and two face up spell cards. Altogether, that is twenty cards, meaning Wicked Eraser now gains 20000 attack and defense points, plus 500 more attack points due to the Seal of Orichalcos (0 + 20 * 1000 + 500 = 20500/0 + 20 * 1000 = 20000)."

With a deafening roar, the bronze skinned creature spread out it's wings to their full extent as it's body glowed with a blinding golden glow. The creature's points immediately shot up with incredible speed. Finishing powering up, the large creature released a mighty roar again, causing the clothing of all of the duelists to ripple in the fierce wind.

Evilly sneering, Gozaburo looked from duelist to duelist and mockingly asked "Now then, who should I destroy? I can obliterate any of you at this point with Wicked Eraser in a single shot. Not even you, Illidan, can withstand Eraser's assault."

Eyes finally resting on his step son at long last, the robed duelist coldly said "I have decided to destroy you first, Seto. It was you that destroyed Wicked Dreadroot, so I think it's only fitting that Wicked Eraser obliterate you. The Duel Energy you give shall be much appreciated. It is the only thing you will have ever done right, for me."

"I wouldn't count on getting my soul or my Duel Energy, step father, because I activate my face down trap, Ring of Destruction, and I'll use it on your Eraser!"

Forming on the field instantly was a metal collar with eight red bombs attached to the collar. The collar suddenly began spinning and raced across the field and slipped over the head of the bronze skinned creature. Without warning, the collar tightened around the neck of the creature, making it roar loudly and begin clawing at the collar in an attempt to break free.

"When Ring of Destruction is activated, I choose a monster on the field and attach it to it. That monster is then destroyed and both my opponent and myself are dealt life point damage equal to that monster's attack points. In other words, that ring is about to blow you away and end this insanity, once and for all." Seto remarked.

Smirking, Gozaburo coolly asked "You would sacrifice yourself to save that child, wouldn't you?"

"I would do anything for Arya. If need be, I would give my life to protect her! That is why I'll take you down, so she can once more be reunited with her parents!"

Pointing at his other face down card, Seto added "But I'm not about to die in this place. I chain my spell card, Ring of Defense!"

Appearing onto the field before the duelist in the white trench coat was a thick metal ring with four green shields that had gold trim attached to the sides of the ring. Slowly, the ring began spinning, causing the ring to become a frontal shield for the duelist in the white trench coat.

Releasing a dark chuckle, the robed duelist smugly said "You are very predictable, my step son, and for that, I must thank you. Because of your move, I have found a way to rid myself of you. I activate the spell known as Spell Transference. With this card, I'm allowed to transfer the effect of your card to myself, leaving you with nothing."

Eyes widening, the duelist in the white trench coat watched as the spinning ring before himself vanished, only to reappear before his step father and begin spinning once more. Looking up at the large bronze creature that was being squeezed by the large collar on it's throat, Seto lowered his eyes beneath the shadow of his bangs.

"Seto…" Illidan whispered with a pang of sadness in his voice.

Eyes filling with tears, Marie shook her head, quietly saying "No, not Seto. Please, don't…"

Staring at his long time rival and friend, the spike haired duelist couldn't help but let a few tears slid down his own cheeks. Memories of all of their past battles ran through his mind, along with the times the two had become close friends.

Looking at the duelist in the white trench coat, Jaden couldn't help but feel his own heart ache. "He deserves better than this fate."

Raising his head at long last, Seto calmly said "Illidan, Marie, Jaden, and Yugi, I want you three to save Arya, no matter what. I know the four of you can do it. If you do, I know I'll return. Just do what you must to save her, no matter what."

Smiling, the duelist in the white trench coat added "We'll see one another again, I know it. For now, farewell."

"How beautiful Seto, but I'm afraid your time has come. Farewell, step son!" Gozaburo declared while laughing manically.

At that moment, the collar around the large bronze creature suddenly exploded, blowing away the creature in a single explosion. The blast traveled across the field and slammed hard into the duelist with the white trench coat, who held his head up high even as the full impact of the blast hit him. Smoke and debris coated the field, hiding everything from the group inside and outside of the barrier.

Little by little, the smoke cleared, revealing a completely empty field of play for all of the duelists. Ignoring this fact, the duelists turned their attention to the one spot on the field where the smoke had yet to clear, which was where the duelist in the white trench coat had been standing last.

At last, the smoke cleared, revealing Seto was still standing, but his eyes seemed glazed over and his body was trembling. He was barely breathing and had his arms crossed out in front of his body, seemingly shielding himself from the blast. Slowly, his arms fell to his sides, but only moments later, he suddenly fell forward and slammed face first into the ground.

"SETO!" the four duelists on the field yelled in unison while each bolted towards their fallen friend.

Dark maniacal laughter filled the air while the four began to check on their friend. Watching the duelists examine the fallen duelist, Gozaburo continued his dark laughter. "Seto, you are truly foolish, and now it is time to pay for it. Sacred Seal, take his soul while the Shadows eat away his Duel Energy!"

The group all at once backed away from the fallen duelist when his body suddenly began to glow with a dark orange aura. In a flash, the aura vanished, only to have the green circle that the group was standing in have a piece of if encircle the unconscious duelist. It glowed brightly for a moment before dying down and seemingly vanishing.

Seeing the process was over, the group moved in again, finding that the body of the fallen duelist was still alive, but barely. His breathing was shallow and his heart rate was barely that of a live person.

"Seto, no…" Marie sobbed out while tears rolled down her cheeks.

Watching his wife sob, Illidan couldn't help but feel his own heart break. "Seto, you gave everything to try and help us save Arya. Your sacrifice won't be in vain, I swear it!"

In a low, feral tone, Jaden turned his eyes towards the robed duelist, which were now green and orange in color, and said "You will pay for this, I swear it…"

Sneering at the group, the robed duelist coolly replied "I don't fear any of you. None of you have the power to stop me."

"Still, I guess I should explain why all of the cards that were on the field are gone. It all has to do with Wicked Eraser's final special ability. When it is destroyed, all cards on the field are instantly destroyed also. Basically, we all start from scratch once more."

Casting a glare at the robed duelist, the four remaining duelists moved back into their original positions, with each glancing over at their fallen friend. Turning their full attention to the robed duelist, each hardened their eyes, seemingly readying themselves for what was to come.

"Your Wicked Eraser may have wiped the field clean, but it helped me out." Yugi coldly spoke up. "When Magic Formula goes to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."

Shrugging, Gozaburo retorted "It matters not to me. For now, I shall lay one face down card and end my turn." (Jaden = 1150, Seto = 0, Marie = 6800, Yugi = 7000, Illidan = 3000; Gozaburo = 18200)

Snapping off his top card, Jaden eyed it for a few long moments before turning it towards the robed duelist, saying "I play Fifth Hope! With this spell, I can take five Elemental Heroes from my Graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck, and once done, I get two new cards."

"The five I'm choosing are Elemental Heroes Avian, Sparkman, Bubbleman, Prisma, and Neos."

One by one, the five chosen monster cards slid out of the young duelist's Graveyard Slot and stacked themselves up on the outside of the Slot. With all five finally accumulated, he picked them up and silently shuffled them into his deck, which he soon returned to it's slot once he was finished. Picking up two more cards, he eyed them before selecting one and showing it to the robed duelist.

"I activate Monster Reborn, allowing me to revive Yubel (0/0)!"

Instantly, the female demon revived onto the field and cast a fierce glare at the robed duelist, who seemed unfazed by her actions.

"That was pointless." Gozaburo commented. "Her effect would be helpful, if I had a monster, but seeing how I don't, it was a useless gesture to restore her to the field."

Undeterred by his opponent's words, Jaden selected the other card he had drawn and slapped it onto his Duel Disk, saying "I'm now going to use Elemental Hero Necroshade's special ability. I put him in the Graveyard quite a while ago, and once per a duel, I can summon an Elemental Hero without a sacrifice, so here comes Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000)!"

Appearing onto the field in a flash of rainbow colored energy was the familiar white muscular warrior with the slicked back horn.

"And with him on the field, I can now send both Yubel and Neos to the Graveyard to call upon their merged form! Get ready to meet Neos Wiseman (3000/3000)!"

Casting a glance at one another, the female demon and the white warrior nodded to one another and launched themselves into the air. In mid-air, the pair reached out to one another and grasped one another's hands. A brilliant white glow enveloped the field immediately, causing everyone to cover their eyes. After nearly a minute, the light died, down, revealing a new creature floating in the place of the two. Slowly, the features of the creature became more and more visible. The bottom half of the creature was mostly white, with exception of from it's knees down, which were dark brown, which mixed in above them and formed spikes off of the creature's hips. From it's lower chest up, the dark brown became the primary color, with the white completely fading and being replaced by some red. In the center of the creature's chest was a large blue circle, with red streaking out from it in small bands, with some on the creature's neck. The creature's arms were a bit larger than normal, with both being brown and some red on the insides of them. Each of the hands of the creature were clawed and curled into tight fists, while a single spike jutted out from the outside of it's wrists, another spike from it's elbows, and finally two on each shoulder. The creature's face was only revealed from it's nose down, showing it had purple skin like the demoness. The remainder of the creature's head had a single red eye like plate, and a pair of leathery wings growing out from the sides of it's head that were at least five feet in length and a set of two spikes on each side of the top part of them. Staring down at the field, the creature remained airborne for a few more moments before lowering itself to the ground before the young duelist.

"So, you merged your Neos and Yubel together? Interesting combination." Gozaburo whimsically remarked.

Not dignifying the comment with a response, Jaden called out "Neos Wiseman, show him your true power of a joint effort! Crush him with Ultimate Nova!"

Taking to the air once more, the white and dark brown creature let out a low growl while light blue energy began forming across it's body.

"It is a sound strategy, Jaden Yuki, but I have something to say about you directly attacking, for I play my face down trap!" Gozaburo declared. "Rise up now, Metal Reflect Slime!"

Forming before the robed duelist instantly was a silver sphere of ooze. It suddenly became active, with several spikes sticking out of it, the bottom of it lengthening into a shaft with a spiked end on it.

"When played, Metal Reflect Slime becomes a monster on my field, in defense position (0 + 500 = 500/3000). Now then, if you want to continue to attack, feel free, but you'll get nowhere."

Remaining quiet for a moment, Jaden finally smirked, saying "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Gozaburo. Neos Wiseman, continue your attack!"

Still in mid-air, the white and dark brown creature let out a low grunt while several light blue energy points of light began forming. Without warning, beams of light blue energy flew from the energy points and slammed into the silver ooze creature. The ooze appeared to be holding it's ground till suddenly a few energy blasts passed through it and struck the robed duelist, making him cry out in pain.

Recovering, Gozaburo snarled out "What happened!? Your monster's attack points and my monster's defense points are equal, so the battle should have resulted in no damage!"

"Normally, you'd be right." Jaden commented while still smirking. "But this time, you're wrong. You see, Neos Wiseman has a special ability. Whenever he attacks a monster, during the end of the Damage Step, my opponent is dealt direct damage equal to the monster's attack points while I gain life points equal to your monster's defense points. In other words, even though I did no Battle Damage, I still dealt you some life point damage while I gained some."

Watching the robed duelist growl lowly, the young duelist selected the last two cards in his hand and placed them into two empty Spell/Trap Slots, saying "I'll throw down two face downs and end my turn." (Jaden = 4150, Seto = 0, Marie = 6800, Yugi = 7000, Illidan = 3000; Gozaburo = 17700)