Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.
Author's Note: I have had a lot of fun writing this fanfic, and I know my readers have enjoyed it too. But I regret to say it's coming to a close. This is the 5th last Chapter of BoTWoT, since I'm taking on a bigger co-project with my friend Silo666. So R&R if you wish, and enjoy, because soon… this fic will be done.
Chapter 8 – The New Vessel, Darkness on the Move
Back at the duel at the streets, things weren't looking good for Kenzan and Jim. Jim (LP: 1900). Held 3 cards in his hand, but had no monsters nor any Magic or Trap Cards on the field. Kenzan (LP: 1800) had 4 cards in his hand, a raptor-like Dinosaur covered in black scales, bone and flames, along with a prehistoric-looking field of ferns and trees (ATK: 2100), as well as 2 set cards.
One Dark Signer (LP: 6600) had 1 card in his hand, a set card and a tall magician in black belted leather with a ram horn-like helmet (ATK: 2800). And the last Dark Signer (LP: 2800) had 2 cards in hand, his dark-looking samurai, and 2 set cards. And it was his turn.
"My turn," the Dark Signers declared. Looking at his card, he seemed greatly pleased, which worried Kenzan. "And with 4 different DARK monsters in my Cemetery, I can release my Knight of the End to Advance Summon Fallen Angel Zerato (ATK: 2800)." The samurai turned onto darkness as it was replaced by a grey-skinned figure with red bat wings coming off its body. It wore scattered red and brown armor, and it held a very large jagged sword.
"Not good-don!" Kenzan said aloud, now very worried.
"Don't worry," Jim said in Engrish, still confident-looking.
"He should," the turn Dark Signer declared. "Zerato's monster effect! I send a DARK monster from my hand to the Cemetery, my Dark Perceus, to destroy all opponents' monsters on the field." The Dark Signer placed the card in his Cemetery, and the blue-skinned figure summoned up some black lightning, which struck the raptor-like dinosaur and exploded it. "And now, I attack your Life Points Kenzan!"
"Not so fast!" Jim yelled in Engrish, turning a card in his hand over that stunned the cloaked duelists and Kenzan. In Japanese he yelled out "From my hand I activate the effect of Dynasuchus. By discarding it, I negate 1 direct attack!" In front of Kenzan appeared a gigantic crocodile skeleton that absorbed the impact of the jagged sword. The blue-skinned warrior leapt away as it shattered.
"And next," Jim continued, "I summon 1 Cenozoic monster from my Extra Deck in Defence Position. Come forth, Cenozoic Fossil Dragon – Skullger (DEF: 0)!" Up from the ground exploded a black dinosaur-like creature with bone-pebbled skin and a skull for a face. The creature took up a crouching stance as Jim and Kenzan smiled.
Growling at his failure, the turn Dark Signer declared "Trap Activate: Sub-Space Matter Transfer Device! Since my Fallen Angel is destroyed during my End Phase if I activate its effect, I will now remove it from play for the rest of the turn." The grey-skinned figure began to glow green while its image grew fuzzy. Soon it disappeared, leaving only the set card on the Dark Signer's field.
"I set 1 card. During my End Phase, Sub-Space Matter Transfer Device returns Zerato to my field." The grey-skinned figure returned to his field in a flash of light, sword at the ready.
"Turn end."
"Then it's my turn," Jim declared. After drawing his card, he looked at it siftly and smiled victoriously. "Magic Card Activate: Time Stream! By paying half my Life Points, I return Skullger to my Extra Deck to summon its next form up! I summon Mesozoic Fossil Dragon Skullgara (ATK: 3000)!" The bone-dimpled dragon disappeared in a flash of light that morphed it slowly into a dinosaur skeleton encasing a dark-coloured, necrotic body.
Dark Signer 1: LP 2800
Jim: LP 950
Dark Signer 2: LP 6600
Kenzan: LP 1800
"What?" the Dark Signer asked. "3000 Attack Points?"
"That's just the beginning," Jim said as he pulled another card. "I play another Time Stream!"
"Another?" the other Dark Signer questioned as Kenzan smiled confidently.
"I turn Skullgara into Paleozoic Fossil Dragon Skullgeoth (ATK: 3500)!" The necrotic tissue disappeared and the skeleton grew larger and spikier.
"Oh yeah!" Kenzan said. "Time to in this duel-don!"
Dark Signer 1: LP 2800
Jim: LP 475
Dark Signer 2: LP 3000
Kenzan: LP 1800
"Now I activate Fossil Treasure!" Jim said, playing his last card. "I draw 2 cards because I control a Paleozoic Monster." Pulling his cards, he turned to his friend and said, "Sorry Kenzan, but I need to remove Jurassic World."
"Go for it-don!"
"Alright. I activate Fossil Bed! When I control a Paleozoic monster, I remove all monsters from the opponent's graveyard." The various dark monsters from the previous turn's Dark Signer slid out as the field began to change into a large pit with rock walls. "And then, I play Sandstone Bed from my deck! And this card gives my Rock-type monsters 800 ATK (ATK: 4300)!"
"What? 4300 attack points!" the second Dark Signer gasped.
"Skullgeoth, attack Zerato!" The fossil beast swung its tail around to strike the angel, but the Signer had other ideas.
"Trap Activate! Holy Barrier – Mirror Force!"
"Not quite!" Jim yelled as the trap began to short out and reset itself. "With Sandstone Bed in play, when a Rock-type monster attacks, Trap Cards cannot be activated."
"What?"
"And next I activate Skullgeoth's effect. When Skullgeoth attacks, I select the value I battle against. I select Zerato's DEF (DEF: 2300). Next, you receive the difference as damage regardless of battle mode." The tail hit its target but failed to destroy it, so the jaws of the monster closed in on the figure and crushed it in a small explosion. The figure's owner collapsed on one knee from the shock.
Dark Signer 1: LP 800
Jim: LP 475
Dark Signer 2: LP 6600
Kenzan: LP 1800
"I set 1 card and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn," the second Dark Signer declared. "And during my Standby Phase I activate the Instant Magic Cyclone from my hand." The aforementioned card appeared as soon as the figure pulled his card, spawning a twister that struck and shattered Jim's set card.
"And next, Trap Card Open! Destruction Ring! I destroy Skullgeoth, and both Jim and I receive its ATK as damage!" A metal ring with grenades attacked formed over the card and spun like a Frisbee until it wrapped around the fossil's neck. On contact, the pins on the grenades popped and the ring exploded, destroying the creature and sending a shockwave into Jim and the Dark Figure. He stood, but Jim was overcome with pain and collapsed on his face.
Dark Signer 1: LP 800
Jim: LP 0
Dark Signer 2: LP 2300
Kenzan: LP 1800
"Jim!" Kenzan yelled in shock as he watched his friend collapse. Then, turning back to the Dark Signer, he yelled very hostilely, "You'll pay for that-don!"
"I'm afraid you're wrong," the figure said slyly. "With no monsters on your field, I attack you directly with Black Magician of Chaos!" The magician figure spun his staff in his hands before striking it into the ground. It formed an orb of dark blue energy that shot from its tip in Kenzan's direction, who braced himself for the hit angrily. Nobody seemed to notice as Jim waved his hand in Kenzan's direction, but when the shot hit its mark, it created an explosion that obscured the entire side of the field in smoke…
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"That went quite well," the Dark Hell Kaiser said to himself within his own mind as he sat in the abyssal Bootleg. "A few more duels like that, and the Dark Signers who oppose my plans will be no more. And after that, I can once again consume my world."
"No!" he then yelled out loud, his eyes turning back to their own grey. "No…," he repeated in stutter, seemingly in pain. "This… was not part of our deal."
Ah, I see," the voice of Dark Hell Kaiser echoed in his head, chuckling darkly and causing Hell Kaiser himself to become angry. "So… you now choose to defy us. That will not be allowed." With a final dark laugh, dark flames burst out upon Hell Kaiser's body, causing him to howl in agony.
"I…" he spat out defiantly when he had stopped wailing, "will… not… break!" The flames burst off of his body and formed a dark ball above his body, hovering there and pulsating like a ball of pus. Within seconds it transformed into a ghastly demon with long arms, a draconian face and a serpentine body. Laughter sounded in his mind as he panted hard and sweated at having cast out Darkness.
"We will not be disposed of," he heard the dark voice say, "but we will make you a deal. Help us find a new host, a new vessel, and we will release you from our grasp."
"Why would I agree to anything like that?!" His remark was answered painfully when his body began to burn in dark flames again, causing him to shriek out again.
"Still choose to defy us?"
"Al… alright!" Hell Kaiser roared, causing the flames to stop. Turning to the floating spirit, he snarled out, "A new deal can go in place. I'll help you find a new body if YOU'LL LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Our word is our bond. Now then, we have just such an interesting target in mind. Carly Nagisa."
"You want to possess a reporter?"
"Not her specifically. She holds the dark spirit of a Dark Signer within her, but she cannot control it."
Hell Kaiser's face grew grim and the black veins on his face tightened. "You want to use her power to create a body."
"Exactly."
"You're a fool. But since it's my freedom on the line, versus that of the Dark Signer scum, I'll help you." The dark spirit came down onto Hell Kaiser's body and fused back into it, his eyes returning to their vile red.
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"And now it's all over," the Magician Dark Signer smugly boasted at the smoke before his monster. "Kenzan, you were as weak as your friend. You must… what?" As the smoke lifted, it revealed Kenzan behind a barrier of stone and jagged fossils.
"What's this?" he asked the defiant Kenzan, before figuring out what had happened. Turning to Jim, he yelled out, "You did this!"
"Yes I did," Jim retorted strongly, getting to his feet as he did so. In Japanese he then explained himself. "When you destroyed my set card, you activated its effect. Fossil Barrier!" The trap card appeared on Kenzan's field as Jim motioned towards it. "When Fossil Barrier is destroyed, I select a player to receive no damage for the rest of the turn!"
"Jim… you…" Kenzan stammered, realizing Jim never intended to save himself.
"I know you still have the cards to win. So win!"
"Then I will-saurus!" Kenzan yelled at the Dark Signers.
"If you think you can then make your move," The first Dark Signer calmly said.
"My turn-don!" Kenzan snapped up his draw, and without wasting time played his pull. "Instant Magic: Book of Total Solar Eclipse! I turn all monsters face-down!" The monsters on the field disappeared and were replaced by horizontal cards, before he flipped his set card.
"Trap Activate: Fossil Excavation! To activate it, I discard 1 card from my hand, Super Conductor Tyranno." After he said this, he placed said card within his card slot. "Now I select a Dinosaur-type monster from my Cemetery to Special Summon. Be reborn: Super Conductor Tyranno!" From the ground erupted a blast of green light sparking with electricity of said color.
From that, a huge green dinosaur covered in armor plating took its shape. Coming forth with a huge roar, it was instantly caught in a sandy wind that stripped it of its flesh, thus revealing only its bones and armor. Finally, the ATK gage read its power as 3300.
"Fossil Excavation negates the effects of the monster it summons, but that's fine-saurus. My monster can still take out anything in its way. Trap Activate: Royal Decree! Trap Cards are now not allowed to be activated-don." The stunned Dark Signers had only seconds to take in the shock before Kenzan's monster glowed green again and regained his flesh. Next he played another card.
"Magic Card: Tail Swing! I return up to two set monsters on the field to their owner's hands-don!" The two set monsters on the Dark Signer's field disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the two figures alone with cards they could not use.
"Tyranno, direct attack that guy!" The Dark Signer who owned the Magician had to watch as the creature built up energy in its mouth until it launched it at him. His partner had to watch as he got blasted by the power of the creature. On contact with it he screamed out in excruciating pain before it exploded, knocking his unconscious form back against a stone wall.
Dark Signer 1: LP 800
Jim: LP 0
Dark Signer 2: LP 0
Kenzan: LP 1800
"What have you done to my friend?" the remaining figure snarled.
"Exactly what he did to mine-don! From my hand I activate Dino Blast, which deals you 300 damage for each of my monster's Level!" The dinosaur glowed in green energy until it exploded, the shockwave irradiating the remaining figure and making him collapse where he stood.
Dark Signer 1: LP 0
Jim: LP 0
Dark Signer 2: LP 0
Kenzan: LP 1800
"Kenzan, you did it!" Jim yelled in Engrish as he got to his feet. "You won!"
Turning to his partner, Kenzan grinned and replied, "Thanks to your help-saurus." He then performed Judai's 'gotcha' pose, but was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps behind them.
Turning, they saw Jack standing there, an unconscious Rua slung over his shoulder. The tall duelist darkly said to them, "Who are you two?"
"Tyranno Kenzan and Jim Crocodile Cook," Jim replied quickly, then turned his attention to Rua. "What happened to him?"
"He was taken," Judai's voice echoed out from the dark alleyway behind Jack. Stepping out, Judai was seen with Ruca over his shoulder, followed closely by Johan and Yusei. "Along with his sister."
"By who-don?" Kenzan pondered.
"By Darkness," Johan responded, seeming very grave. "He's taken over Hell Kaiser's body."
"Darkness? Hell Kaiser?" Jim and Kenzan were smacked in the face by this news, only for Yusei to continue.
"Those two figures there," Yusei indicated the two figures Kenzan had just beaten, "are his minions. He found Misawa and Amon's and wiped their minds, so he could pose them as Dark Signers."
"What are Dark Signers?" Jim asked.
"It's a long story. 5000 years long in fact…"
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"Who are you, and what do you want?" a startled Carly demanded of a possessed Hell Kaiser. The girl hadn't been doing much of anything since witnessing the destruction she caused. He had come up behind her unnoticed; that is, until he made himself quite clearly known.
"I asked what you want!" She began to weep in fear, and frustration, at her attacker's eerie silence. "Answer me! What do you…" she tried to demand again, but was cut off by a dark surge of energy that painfully transformed her into her Dark Signer counterpart, D-Carly. Hell Kaiser snickered in enjoyment of her pain, then smiled darkly at his target.
"What I want," Hell Kaiser explained slyly, "is to remove pain and suffering from the world. And unfortunately for you, you serve as an instrument for the pain and suffering."
"How so?" D-Carly retaliated hostilely.
"By fulfilling the will of the Earthbound Gods. I cannot allow this to continue. I have already disposed of Kiryu, and with your help I can eliminate more of them."
"I won't let you do that."
"On the contrary," a dark voice beckoned. "Your power shall help me do just that." Hell Kaiser's eyes glowed light blue, paralyzing D-Carly in place. Her dark energy began to manifest physically in her image, until it had all left her. She fell over from the exhaustion, and Hell Kaiser's body began to pulsate with Darkness' energy. In time it returned as the gangly specter from before, which pounced upon the shadow copy of D-Carly. Hell Kaiser watched as both entities were swallowed by the darkness produced.
As D-Carly's energy was absorbed, a card within her deck glowed brightly and appeared before them both. Soon, the card was revealed as her Earthbound God, Aslla Piscu, and the hummingbird-like deity took form before what was now a dark ball of energy composed of both Darkness and D-Carly. Said god tried to unleash its fury upon the orb creature, using much of its power on a direct blast, but said blast had no effect.
Instead, tendrils shot from the dark orb and pierced the god figure in multiple places, stringing it up like a colossal marionette. Soon the orb transformed itself, slowly and grotesquely, into its rival's likeness, and retraced the tendrils into itself. The black hummingbird's eyes glowed light blue, those of the god blood red, and both creatures were the size of the buildings that surrounded them.
Hell Kaiser, whose eyes and hair had returned to normal, noticed the floating Earthbound God card floating in front of him, and made his way towards it. As he tried to, however, the Earthbound God itself lashed out at him, shooting feather-like projectiles that pierced the concrete around him. Darkness' retaliation was to blast the card itself with his dark energy, stunning the God where it stood and allowing Hell Kaiser to get very close. Close enough to hold the card. "Now, Hell Kaiser, destroy that card," Darkness' voice echoed in his head, "And help me save this world."
Obliging for his own sake, Hell Kaiser grasped the card and tore it in two. The God screamed out in pain loud enough to be herd for miles, if anyone were still around in the city, before the Darkness Aslla Piscu wrapped its wings around the true God. Soon, returning to its immaterial state, it swallowed the God in its essence almost instantly. Soon, both entities were nothing more than a ball of dark fog.
"There is but one thing left to do," the voice continued. "Offer the Ccapac Apu card in the same way, and your contract is fulfilled." Obliging once again, he pulled the card from his coat pocket, which he had secretly stored away after destroying it before. Holding it up to the orb, another tendril shot out and pulled the card into its veil of darkness. On the surface of the orb began to appear a water-like black texture, with veins running across it, and the images of people and cards became visible along it.
Finally, Hell Kaiser's black veins exploded upon his face, revealing them to be more vine-like tendrils. Five said tendrils struck into the ground from the black orb, and a column of darkness rose out of it. From this, a skeletal, 40-foot-tall figure dressed in brown robes with gold and red trim, and a hood over its draconian face, appeared, its eyes lighting up in light blue. Its body was tethered to the orb by its tendrils.
"Now, Darkness," Hell Kaiser addressed the towering figure, "It's time you completed your end of our deal."
"I have already released you from my essence," the low, booming voice of the figure spoke, "therefore completing our deal."
"The one before it still applies!" Hell Kaiser demanded. "I allowed you to use my body to complete your objective, and in return I want the power you promised me!" Hell Kaiser was quite serious-sounding, but Darkness merely chuckled darkly. "What's so funny?!"
"Such greed, such hatred, such selfishness," Darkness listed off, describing Hell Kaiser to a 'T'. "You represent the very forces I wish to eliminate. Therefore, you must join the others you helped send to the World of Darkness." Another vine-like tendril of darkness shot up from the ground, this one wrapping around Hell Kaiser and destroying him. He screamed out in agony as his body disintegrated into shadow, leaving only his duel disc behind.
From his own body, each of Darkness' tendrils snapped off, and transformed into an inanimate wing on his back. Before him appeared a single, floating Duel Monster's card, which he spun around in his skeletal hand. "From my hand I activate the Darkness Field Magic." With that, it disappeared and a choking dark fog began to spread from his dark orb in an ever-increasing spiral until it covered most of the city.
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"No!" Rudger yelled out from within the Dark Signer's room, seemingly in pain.
"My liege," Demak, the second in command asked, "What is wrong?"
"Two of the geoglyphs are not radiating energy," he explained through gritted teeth. "Ccapac Apu and Aslla Piscu have been drained of their power."
"What? How can that be?"
"It would appear that an outside force consumed their powers. Also, it has consumed the essences of Kiryu and Carly."
"But what could this be?" Misty, the remaining figure, spoke up.
"Perhaps it is the entity Hell Kaiser was carrying," Demak suggested.
"Either way," Rudger interrupted, "It must be stopped. Misty, find this creature and take back the power it has stolen."
"Yes sir," she responded, before walking out of the room.
"And as for you, Demak," Rudger continued after Misty left, "I want you to see to it that we get good replacements for Kiryu and Carly."
"And it shall be done." Then Demak bowed to his master and walked out.
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"What's going on?" Yusei questioned, seeing all the dark fog.
"I think I know," Judai started to say, but was cut off by the sounds of moaning. Turning around, the group saw Amon and Misawa slowly begin to disintegrate into particles of shadow at random. Before anyone could react they both had been consumed by Darkness.
"Exactly as I thought," Judai continued. "Darkness has consumed a large amount of energy, and he's no got enough power to consume the city in darkened fog."
"Then how do we stop him?" Jack asked demandingly.
"Last time, I defeated him in a duel," Judai explained. "And I thought that sent him away. But obviously, he either returned or never left. The problem is that he's immaterial."
"Great. You're just as useless as ever."
"That's enough Jack," Yusei said. "Judai, is it possible for one of us to defeat him quickly?"
"I doubt it. His deck can deal with almost anything because it can DO anything."
"Well," Johan interjected. "We have to try. And if we remain strong and work together, we will succeed."
"I agree with Johan-don," Kenzan stated.
"So do I," agreed Jim.
"We must succeed," Yusei said. "This Darkness maybe stronger than the Earthbound Gods."
"Then WE must be stronger!" Jack bellowed.
"Let's do this," Judai said, sealing the deal.
Card of the Week – Darkness
Darkness
Type(s): [Field Magic]
Effect: When you activate this card, destroy all cards in your Magic & Trap Zones. Then, set from your deck [Zero], [Infinity], [Darkness 1], [Darkness 2] and [Darkness 3] randomly in your Magic & Trap Zone. During each End Phase, randomly replace all set cards you control. You cannot check your set cards normally.