Author's Notes: Happy New Year!
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The Emissary of Extinction
Chapter 31
Darkness Falls
"I need to go where strong souls are. In great numbers."
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Xiaolang had already mounted Ebon. "Fight whatever comes. Nothing stops me, you got that? Nothing gets in my way!" Another attack slammed into the ground. "Judai. Where the hell are you?" Xiaolang clenched his fist, looked like he was going at this alone.
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Kenji placed the cloak over his head, his mask having already formed. Around him his allies were doing likewise. "Draygor has not finished whatever he's doing, we must take the fight up to them."
"Good! Let's fight all night!"
Kenji sighed, clearly Sosuke was going to have to be restrained a lot in coming days. "We only need long enough. But since it's the only way to abate you, do as you will." He turned to this other allies. "Draygor's on the lowest levels of this place. We just need to keep them away from there. Them, and anyone else." Suddenly, the boy seemed to levitate, getting higher and higher as his grey aura formed something under him. In a moment the horse that was ridden by the representation of him appeared, silent and still. The Horsemen had mounted his steed. Death was ready to ride. He gave his allies a glance, given the silent order. In short order the rest of the steeds were mounted as well. Death's horse clapped the ground with its hooves. "Wait for it to collapse."
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Ritan had finally finished laughing, fully composed for the rest of the duel. He looked across the arena to find him opponent staring at his own monster with mild interest. After a moment Haou spoke.
"Interesting. The elemental counterpart of this hero is Judai's favourite monster. I also find myself frequently playing this one. What do you think that means, Ritan?"
"That you two are more alike than you would like to admit. Assuming you two are even different at all. I still have no idea who you are. I did not take you for a philosophical one though."
Haou turned him his monster, looking through the remaining cards in his hand. "Before Draygor descended upon my world I was many things."
"Well I don't care about the details, Haou. Mind if we continue?"
He grasped one. "I set one card. Turn end."
"Good. Draw!" He grinned. "My Reaper." He revealed a card in his hand. "I activate Blazing Rebirth! Arise again! Magma Golem!" Again the creature from styx itself rose up, still ready for the offence despite its current opponent. (ATK/1800)
"You've tried this monster already. Do you want to be burned again?"
"I'll be doing the burning here. Trap Card Activate. Hate Vein! I must tribute a Demonic Warlord I control, then I can special summon another Demonic Warlord from my hand. The summoned monster gains it's attack points. So I'll kill off my Golem." The golem sank, into a puddle of its own existence. Something was already rising from it. "Arise! Demonic Warlord Malicious Reaper."
From the puddle rose Ritan's most fearful monster. His ace. His executioner. The reaper lit the ground beneath its feet, its scythe held in its right hand. (ATK/3000. Hate Vein Effect. ATK/4800) Many had been reduced to messes by the appearance of this monster. Even professional duellists had lost sense before this particular monster. Everyone this monster had been set against had found themselves at least a little afraid of this monster.
Haou was different. "So this is your ace, I assume?"
"It's ended many battles for me. And no one has ever managed to kill it. I guess that makes it my ace."
"I see. Then I shall enjoy being the first to kill it."
"Good luck with that. But first. Malicious Reaper! Kill his Hero! "
Hell's executioner raised his scythe. Its target was chosen, and now it was time. It vanished, appearing before the dark angelic heroine. It slashed, it's scythe cleaving into inferno wing's waist. She screamed, even before the worst came. The scythe ignited inside her, making the area around the wound glow. The fire spread, and in seconds her entire body was ignited.
She exploded, the fire flooding all over Haou.
He didn't even flinch. (Haou LP/1300) "Not enough. Trap card open. Hero Signal. I can special summon an Elemental hero from my hand or deck, if it's level 4 or lower. I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman." Yet again Haou had made a move that Judai would have. He had summoned the Elemental Hero the same way Judai would have, in the exact same position. (Defence position. ATK/800 DEF/1200) For the exact same purpose. "Bubbleman effect activate. When it's normal or special summoned, and I control no other cards, I can draw two cards." He picked up two cards. "I am not impressed."
"Give me time. I have only just begun."
"Time? You ran out a while ago, you're stealing it now. The dead do not belong among the living."
"Then it's a good thing I'm not dead. I set one card and end my turn."
"Draw. I activate Darkness Resurrection. I must remove a fusion monster that was summoned by Dark Fusion in my Graveyard from play, then a copy of Dark Fusion is returned to my hand along with one of that monster's fusion materials, everything else is removed. I remove Inferno Wing." Inferno Wing's card, along with Burstinatrix were ejected from Haou's graveyard, leaving the king to place them back into his deck box, the place of the banished. "I return Dark Fusion and Elemental Hero Avian to my hand." He picked up his two prizes. "I activate Dark Fusion. I fuse Bubbleman on my field, along with the Avian and Sparkman in my hand." The three Heroes appeared, like the previous Heroes falling into a mass of darkness. "Evil Hero Vengeful Angel!"
From the darkness came a creature born of darkness itself. The first feature of this monster to form was its gigantic wings, each easily large enough to wrap around its own body twice. Its wings were different from its elemental counterpart, which contains a row of long feathers. Each wing of this creature was one long mass of black. Total black that seemed light could not reflect off. To describe this monster's face was impossible, as the monster insisted on covering it with his own hands, its blackened hands. The hands had no features on them, because they were just the same as its wings, black as night itself. The only see-able feature of its face was its hair. Like its wings it's hair was the size of its body, extremely long and very un-kept. It spread out as it went down the body, reaching the length of its wingspan when it reached its feet. Each strand of hair was white as snow. Crimson armour covered this angel from chest to feet, with golden guards on the shoulders, elbows, knees and claw-shaped spikes on the feet, likely for actual claws. On its chest a symbol was carved, of a white star on fire. This angel was silent, but one glance would tell anyone wise that this angel was not to be crossed. (Attack position. ATK/2800 DEF/2800)
Ritan was far from impressed. "Is that all? That won't kill my reaper."
"Vengeful Angel effect activate. Once per turn, I can destroy a card on the field. I choose to Destroy Malicious Reaper." The angel spread its wings, it's feathers glowing with darkness. "Wings of Death."
The angels right hand opened two fingers, and for a second glowing could be seen. It was like staring into the sun. It flapped it's wings, the movement creating a wave of darkness which shot across the field, wrapping around hells' reaper. It enveloped it, before an explosion covered the darkness. Haou had done what none before him had. He had slain the reaper. "So much for your ace."
"Are you sure about that?"
Haou looked again, the smoke was still clearing, he took careful look into the smoke. For a moment he wondered if Ritan really was just insane, but then...he saw something. The smoke cleared faster and faster, and in a moment it's cleared completely.
The Reaper was still standing. Its cloak had been utterly obliterated. Now the monster's chest was completely exposed, along with the rest of its body. Like its hands, the rest of the monster's bones glowed red as well. Anyone with the suspicion that the fire in its chest was the heart of the reaper would have been proven right. The reaper was mostly made entirely of bone, a human-like skeleton, with fire glowing under it. It was like hell itself flowed under this creature's bones. Haou had watched as Judai suspected it was once human, and now believed him. The bones of this creature however were much larger than normal humans, much thicker too. The monster's ribcage, outside of the small hole for the beating heart, would act as effective, burning armor. The helmet had been unharmed, so whatever the Warlord's skull looked like was impossible to know. One thing however was clear, despite the loss of the cloak, the reaper still stood. Ready to fulfil its purpose. It was Death, ascended from Hell itself. Today was not the day death itself would die.
So it would seem. Ritan placed a card from his hand into the graveyard. "When it would die, I can discard a Demonic Warlord to save my Reaper from death."
"So even reapers fear death."
"It is the one absolute in existence. Everything eventually dies. Some things come back, but death will always find them again."
"It has found me once, as it has you. Interesting, how two dead men have met."
"Heh. Maybe the gods are fucking with us. Or maybe it's just an odd coincidence. I don't care to tell you the truth. You're in my way, so I'll remove you like I do all obstacles. "
"Remove me? You couldn't even remove your own son."
"He was not supposed to be an obstacle. Then again, the kid never was good for anything."
"He's raised a group against Draygor where my cowardly shell would not. Many would consider that good."
"I am not 'many'. Are you finished? Because I want to end this."
"No. Spell card activate. Soul Harvest. I must tribute a Fusion monster that was Fusion summoned. Then I can draw 1 card for every materiel I used to fusion summon it. Since it's useless to me now I will sacrifice my Angel." The Angel wrapped it's wings around himself before fading, off to wherever dark angels went. Haou picked up his three prizes. "I set two cards. And because I control no monsters, I can special summon this. I summon Evil Hero Hell Brat." The little devil child was knelled, with its arms crossed, trying to wrap it's small wings around himself. Fighting was not something such a weak hero should be doing, but the times required more unorthodox measures. (Defence position. ATK/300 DEF/600) "Turn end."
Ritan grinned. "I get the feeling he isn't used to being on the defensive." "Draw."
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"Across this world, there are many places where souls are gathered, in great numbers...but where are the greatest numbers? Where is a concentration of strong souls?"
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The ceiling cracked, and the crack was glowing with light.
"Attack!"
Four sets of hind legs cracked where they stood as the mighty stands ascended into the air. The air was their ground as they traversed it. Kenji glowed with his gray aura as they charged. "Nothing gets past here!"
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"Shien! Give me your sword!" Xiaolang felt his hand suddenly laden with the blade, its power ready for command.
Ebon's hooves started clomping at the ground.
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"There."
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In a single second, everything changed on this battlefield. The ground collapsed under the wrath of another blow. From the smoking ground burst four horses. Like someone out of mythology itself, a horsemen of Death, Famine, Pestilence and War burst forth from the depths of the demons keep. A dark grey radiated from their beings, heralding their coming. Their existence contrasted against the bright fires and chaos of the night. Where dragons and beasts ruled the sky and ground. Everything around them was mindless, chaotic, and completely useless. Against such a calm, controlled and unified force there could be no hope for them. Hope, was a very rare thing on this night. One great beacon of hope and power and lost in his regret, in his place a wrathful King with his own agenda. A darkness waited beneath the chaos, it's own plans rapidly forming. With three of the islands authorities already incapacitated, hope was a very rare thing tonight. However, it was not hopeless, and one hope was making its way at this moment.
In the form of a young boy. "Burning Reach!". With a single wide slash, fires emitted from the blade. Xiaolang concentrated, and the fires responded to his commands. In under a second the horsemen were wrapped in a sphere. "That won't last long, Xiaolang.""Don't need long."
Xiaolang rode into the hole, falling into the hole on the back of the steed. He gripped harder at the reins of the steed. "This is the end, Draygor!"
They met the ground, and kept on going.
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The fires dissipated, and War was the first to emerge. "He's dead!"
"Sosuke!"
The horsemen of War moved just in time to duck an oncoming attack, and around him a dozen others were about to launch their own. "He's tried to trap us!" He waved his disk, his card already upon it. Suddenly his horse vanished, leaving him to stand upon the air are the true manifestation of his card appeared. "Draygor will kill that bastard! Let's do the rest!"
Kenji broke free from the flames, now the only one who rode upon a horse. "Show no mercy."
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Ritan looked at his cards. "Punishment Beast and Hell Guardian. Nothing I can end the match with. But at least my Reaper will have his sacrifices." "I set one card. Malicious Reaper, kill the brat!"
The reaper vanished, before appearing right in front of its target. It raised its scythe, before slamming it's base right into the suddenly screaming child. It pushed down, harder and harder until it heard a suddenly crack.
The child exploded. The reaper turned around, slowly walking towards its side of the field. It did not turn around, did not even suspect a response.
Very foolish. "Trap card open. Evil Vengeance. When an Evil Hero is destroyed by battle, I can draw a card. I can also destroy a card of my choosing. I destroy Malicious Reaper."
The reaper turned around just in time to receive a black blast directly in the face. Haou did not notice Ritan simply discard a card as the smoke of the blast covered him. Like before, the smoke eventually cleared, revealing a not so surprising sight.
Like before, the Reaper still stood. Still strong, still capable of fighting. Unlike before however, there was some clear damage. Every single bone on its body had cracked, the fires underneath making them glow. The river of fire under this monster's bone was trying to break free. There was only one other change, a single, unmissable change. One that even gave the king pause. Its helmet was gone. Obliterated. The head-covering battle garment was no more, now the monster's skull could clearly be seen.
There was no skull. Not one of bone anyway. There was only fire, an inferno emitted from the Reapers body, but this fire was far from natural. The fires held something within them, within the bright fire lay a much darker fire, blackened fire. The fire formed it's own skull. A skull so very close to human, but the mouth was all fangs. The skull bore and expression, how a skull could manage an expression so clear would be something that some would shiver upon. The skull was angry, more so than anything Haou had ever seen. This eyeless skull emitted more hatred and anger than even the king had felt. The executioner felt much hatred, perhaps from the battle, perhaps from something else. No matter what it was, the truth was simple, the Reaper may have been surviving, but it was suffering damage. "It's using its allies to save itself. Why is it even damaged at all?"
Ritan was smiling. "Two attempts in a row! I commend you! But you won't be able to kill this monster, never! Turn end!" "Go on, Haou. Try to kill it one more time. Once more. Just once more."
"Draw." This was...rare for the king. Being pushed into a corner like this. So very rare was he pushed in battle, so very rare could an enemy actually fight back. He'd fought countless battles, in both his lives. The second life contained the easier battles, for the most part. Despite the sheer number of opponents he'd broken, he'd so rarely found himself pushed back. This was one of those very few times. There was one thing however, that almost made the king laugh at his current predicament.
This was far from the furthest he'd been pushed. "I set two cards. Turn end."
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Ebon ran faster and faster, it's hooves kicking up dust as it moved. "Come on, Ebon!" He was close, he could feel it. His target was near, his enemy was near. He was going to end this tonight, no matter what. "DRAYGOR!"
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"I have found my new location. This place is lost. It is time for me and my horsemen to go."
The darkness began to shift, calling up all of its power.
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"Carnal Glory!" The Horsemen of War swung its blade, a dozen monsters fell with heavy cuts spelling their ends. A dozen explosions later found their masters felled by similar injuries. Sosuke was home! He took aim at another dozen students, and found them taken.
"Endless Plague!" The Horsewoman of Pestilence waved out a hand, a single second was all it took for another dozen monsters to found themselves covered in a nameless infection. Their screams were quickly silenced by it, with a quick death their only mercy. Yuuka waved a hand through her hair, she would always be vain, no matter what title she was endowed with.
"Yukka!" She turned just in time to see two duellists facing her, each activating their duel disks. They were not possessed. Asuka and Fubuki had picked a target
Sosuke had noticed. "Hey! No fair! Where're my fighters?"
"Turn around!" Sosuke found himself confronted with Johan and Kenzan.
Sosuke raised a blank disk. "Hallelujah!"
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Jinn watched as another set of duellists fell before his judgement. This was a rather dull night, for him anyway.
"How about hitting someone who can hit back?" Manjoume had been the one to confront this Horseman.
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Kenji sighed. Looks like he had to fight this time. He prepared to dismount his horse.
"No point getting off yet." He turned. Jim and O'Brien had been the ones to confront Death.
Kenji blinked once. "Fine." Death was ready for battle. Under the moon his disk glowed, every shadow ever noticeable across the surface. "Shadows?" He looked up. "What?"
Across the battleground, every eye turned skyward. Darkness was gathering in the sky. Wisps of it gathering to form a circle.
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"Looks like you're at your limit. Time to finish you off. Draw!" He didn't even glance at his card. "Kill him!"
The reaper raised its scythe, it was time for the end of the duel. The Scythe ignited. It grasped its weapon with both hands. It pulled back its weapon. It was about to vanish.
Haou was ready. "Trap card open. Evil Guard. When you attack directly, I can activate this. Now I can special summon an Evil Hero from my hand. I summon Evil Hero Tyrant."
The Evil version of Neos appeared, it's aura so very like that of its king. It's red, glowing eyes stared out from behind its helmet, the Reaper the only thing it wanted to see. The Tyrant had picked the next creature it sought to oppress. (Attack position. ATK/2500 DEF/2000)
"Means nothing! Kill it!" Malicious Reaper selected its new target, it's burning skull actually managing to look at the Tyrant. It pulled back its blade, it was time to strike.
That's where it all went wrong.
Haou sudden raised his duel disk, sliding a card into the Graveyard. "Reverse card open. Super Fusion."
The sky around them darkened, and a storm suddenly appeared. Behind Haou a dark vortex formed, emitting lightning and wind. The black hole was ready to devour. The Tyrant was the first to go, falling right into the darkness.
The next was the reaper. Ritan could only stand awestruck as his ace was absorbed into the darkness."What?"
Haou stood, ever unaffected by the world's events around him. With a voice as cold as ice, hard as steel, and more sinister than any evil he or Judai had ever faced down. "This is not destruction. You cannot save your Reaper. Super Fusion cannot be negated. You can do nothing. With Super Fusion all monsters are mine to do with as I please. I fuse together Evil Hero Tyrant and Demonic Warlord Malicious Reaper." The fusion was completed, and now descended the fused beast. "Evil Hero Inferno Tyrant."
This Tyrant bore a bit more resemblance to the demon used as it's materiel, more than it resembled the hero. The monster was completely on fire. This Tyrant lived inside an aura of fire, walked in it. It would fight in it. The Tyrant appeared to wear a cape, which was made of the fire it stood inside. The fire was burned fiercely, but most of all in the formation of the cape this monster seemed to be wearing. Even with the fires' brightness and intensity the figure inside could still clearly be seen. Like a shadow against the light. In the inferno stood a creature who seemed to emanate a blue aura that just screamed of a more sinister nature. Its' face, unlike the Tyrant used to create it was exposed. The faces' skin was lined with cracks, like scorched earth. Each line of this tyrants faced glowed a bright blue from under it. Like Malicious Reaper this monster was hiding something under what it showed the world. The skin itself had been burned black, like coal itself. Whatever characteristics the face had were lost to the blackness, and the only things that remained were it's eyes, each glowed a bright blue. Each were far too bright to be looked in by the naked eye. Whatever this monster was feeling was also lost to the fire. Like Abyss Tyrant this monster wore no helmet. Instead a mane of blue fire adorned its' head. The fire only went a small way down its' back, before seeming to flow into the cape to be expelled as the fire its' source stood within.
From the neck downward, the monster was armored. This armor however looked like it was made of glass. The blue glow it emitted, creating the aura that the tyrant stood looked like light that had been shone through glass, but the light was so strong the glass shined with it. The armor itself was void of any decorations, or them themselves were simply lost to the light that shone. Instead the more interest characteristics came from how this glass had been shaped. Upon it's shoulders were two strong shoulder guards, with the inclusion of the cape they appeared similar to a certain king who commanded this monster. On each of these guards a triangle had been formed, each emitting it's own fire which connected to the 'cape' Inferno Tyrant 'wore'. The armor on it's arms was armed with powerful looking gauntlets. The surface of each was smooth featureless outside of its' shape. Each were shaped as fire itself, at the top a wild and untameable blaze become ever calmer down the length of the gauntlet, until there was nothing but a perfect curve at the bottom. The monster's hands were un-armored, and were cracked and burned, each crack glowing like the ones upon its' face. The monsters leg armor was nearly featureless as well, except for the decoration affixed to the belt area which was in the shape of fire spreading out as if they were wings. Unlike the rest of the armor, this decoration burned with the same fire that the tyrant stood in. The other decoration on it's legs were the boots it wore, glass as well. Each had a series of lines decorating it, all glowing the same color as the belt decoration given the appearance the tyrants feet were on fire. Despite the mighty fire that burned from the cape and the carvings across the tyrants body, the glowing armor and burning cracks upon the skin of this hero could point to a very interesting possibility, the tyrants' body actually burned with an even greater intensity. (Attack position. ATK/2500 DEF/2000)
Haou stared down his opponent, his voice forever that emotionless mixture of sinister and sophistication "What was that order you gave to your Reaper? 'Kill him'? That is the order I will give to my tyrant. You die on my turn, Ritan Kentai."
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Xiaolang burst through the wall, steed-less and holding a burning blade. "Draygor!"
"YOU!" His spirit turned just in time to meet a river of fire. Darkness raged against the blaze of the Six. Xiaolang cut into the heart of the darkest night, roaring all the while. He grasped with both hands, his chest,is body glowing with all the strength he had. Darkness and fire raged against one another in this struggle for power.
The room around them cracked from the sheer force the clash of these powers created. The strength of the Six met the Emissary of Extinction head on. Both forces pushed with all their will, all their strength. Xiaolang's teeth almost cracked from him biting down so hard, he was not giving up, he was not backing down. With a mighty effort, Xiaolang took one step forward, driving the burning blade ever closer to the heart of darkness. "For Judai!" Another. "For Koyo!" Another. "For Ritan's end!" The Blade was getting closer...
"NO!"
The beast roared.
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Kenji loaded his deck, before suddenly stopping as he sensed something. "What?" He looked down at his deck. "Draygor?" The darkness shot off from his deck, his copy of Extinction Armor had left him.
Around the field, all other holders of that card were witnesses to the same thing. The darkness had left, and was shooting down the hole to where it's master was.
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Darkness bled into the room, like a river flowing from every single direction, and became one with the ocean of evil that roared against its foe. The beast's power grew, and in a second the room was drowned in darkness. Xiaolang continued to struggle, pushing with all of his force. In the heart of darkness however, Xiaolang could only hope to last so long.
"Xiaolang, Stop! You can't survive this!" Xiaolang felt it again, the power of death itself...reaching into him. "I won't...I WON'T!" His hand bled, he would not die here, he would not end here! Not like this! This was not about the war, about his allies. This creature had tried to kill him, and he'd be dammed he if let that one pass. On instinct, his left hand reached down, slipping into his deck box. In what might have been the will of fate itself, he found the one card he was looking for. The one card that had always been with him, always been his. It had no spirit of its own, it was just a card, but it was the one card that no matter what, he'd never abandon. He'd fought through his darkest hours, his most vicious battles, his worst memories all with that card on his side. It was his strength, his will. If he could choose any card to represent him, this one would be it.
"OBLIVION!"
Shien's blade was changed, in it's place a blade of Diamond. Blue turned to Gold. Heat became an inferno. With one final roar Xiaolang stabbed into the darkness, reaching right at the center of Draygor's being.
There was only a blinding light.
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Haou suddenly turned his eyes to the distance. "Looks like you son is getting in your way again."
Ritan looked, he could sense it too. "That little prick! He'll ruin everything!"
Then they actually saw it.
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Almost everyone ran as the hole down to the depths of the laboratory suddenly shined. In a heartbeat the light shot out, and a geyser of light and darkness shot out from deep down. The energies spiralled, each trying to overpower the other, to win this age old struggle. The spiral met the darkness forming in the sky and ignited it. Wonder lit the sky as darkness and golden fire lit it up like an inferno. Screams filled the air, was this their end?
The only ones who failed to scream, besides the injured were the defenders of the islands, and the servants of its current threat. The battle was raging fiercely below. The victor could not be known, not until the battle would end.
The geyser slowed, before its flow stuttered.
It stopped. Like a candle flame before the wind, it was there one second, then gone.
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Ritan walked away from where he stood, trying to get a better view of the now smoking hole. "Don't you dare have killed him."
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The Horsemen walked up to the smoking ground, staring into a pit of damnation itself. It was...un-beliveable. The hole itself was nothing more than a smoking crater. The earth itself smoked, it was burned black. Kenji knelled down. "Looks like...a draw."
"They killed each other? Now that's a real ending to a battle!"
Jinn shook his head. "Idiot. Without Draygor what do we do?"
"Nothing...You are at my...command...and mine...alone."
All stood still, that voice had come from the depths of the crater. The Four Horsemen looked down as finally...their master rose.
It was nothing more than a thin layer of dark mist. "Come to me...my horsemen." The four floated across the air, reaching out to their master. They touched the heart of the creature. They rose, floating up into the night's sky. The large traces of dark power gathered, making themselves one with the gathering of evils. In a moment the four were encased in a giant sphere of darkness. Each of the four raised their hands up, pointing to the sky.
Above them the dark circle formed again. As they rose, the beast looked down, reflecting again on the battle just fought.
"That...cursed...human...I am damaged...but I can...still enact my will...my...duty..." They fell into the darkness above, fading right into it. In seconds the circle closed, like a door to another place. The Horsemen, and Draygor were done.
They had left the island behind.
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Across a vast ocean, across the world itself, sat a man in an office. Principal MacKenzie sat, looking over some papers. He blinked, suddenly the room was a lot darker than normal. "Rain-clouds? But they don't get this heavy." He turned his chair around, walking over to the wall sized window and parted the blinds before him. "What?" Even from the distance his campus was at, he could see the dark circle forming in the sky. He'd heard of strange things happening, and had even seen them. The Truman brigade had walked through the school on a brutal warpath. He'd been one of the last to fall, having defeated a great deal of them but even he had found his limitations. Finding himself and his students brought back had been a wonderful experience indeed, but now..."Have they returned?"
The one door into and out of his office was barged open. "Dad!"
He turned to face his only biological child. "Reggie, we need to get the students inside. Now!"
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The darkness spread across the sky in moments, covering the island in shadow. The people below gazed up, staring into the spreading darkness that consumed their sky. Some fled, sensing danger in the eternal night above them. Others were too shocked to even consider moving, instead simply standing slack-jawed at dark wonder. There were a very select few who declared they knew what was coming, that the wrath of their god was about to be bore upon them all. Wrong though they were, they at least had one thing right. Wrath was coming.
The darkness cracked, right along the center of the circle, before the cracked seemed to open, and in a single instant it started, and finished.
That day, a great tragedy had befallen the world. One that even generations later would not soon forget. For a thousand years many would speak of the evil that befell an island many had once knew as New York City. Legends would speak of the manifestation in the sky. Some would call it the wrath of some god. Others would claim it was a sign of the end of the world. Some would dismiss both these claims, and others like them. No matter what opinion one held, the inescapable truth would always remain.
Darkness had fallen.
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End of Chapter
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Today's Strongest Card
Vindictive Sword
Spell (Equip)
Equip only to a Warrior-Type monster. If the equipped card attacks a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. When the equipped monster is destroyed by battle, you can draw 1 card.
Commentary: Xiaolang
"Turns a monster into a pain in the ass, and gives you a free card if it's beaten. Win-win!"
Author's notes:
A public thanks to my good friend Emihime for mentioning this book on Tumblr, and to everyone else who spread the word. It shot my hits number through the sky on Christmas day (set a record), and it looks like I might have a few more regular readers out of it. If you love this book and want to thank me; spread the word further. I don't do this for gain, I do this to complete what I see as an incomplete series. There's so much that can be done, and just maybe, I will. I want this book to be seen by as many eyes as possible, but I have no advertisement skills, so it's up to you! Promise I'll make it worth your while.
If this book goes well enough, a sequel may follow.