In Search of a God

by YamiRuss

Bryan and Matt have searched, wondering how the god cards escaped their protection at Duel Academy. Holding only Uria, Lord of Searing Flames in his possession, Bryan is invited to a competition between the god cards. This is his one chance to return them to their rightful place, even if it means going up against the leader of the Hellfire Club himself.

12. The Shadow Becomes the God

Chapter 12: The Shadow Becomes the God

Bryan couldn't do anything but hold his breath when the entire suit of Spades took the whole citadel hostage. None of the guns pointed directly at him, but there sure were a lot of them. For the first time, he finally realized there were more Numbered guards than there were actual numbers in a playing card suit. Maybe guards had a special numbering system. Or else Bryan misinterpreted the real purpose of the Numbers. Maybe the guards were really lower level Spades, and the Numbers were like officers.

The Ace of Spades definitely seemed to be the commander. He wore mirrored sunglasses and a stern jawline to avoid betraying any sign of emotion. His shoulders were broad as a vending machine, and he wore tight, minimal snow gear much like the Siberian duelist, which only further made him appear tough. He didn't even have to say a word to get all those guns drawn. How subtle would the signal be for them to fire?

"I want all of the god cards right now!" Ren Bacon shouted to the citadel. It was a flawed request because Matt had been taken out of the ruined castle for medical reasons, but no one was eager to point that out to him right then. "Give yours to the closest Spade if you have any desire to walk out of here." Holding their guns steady, each of the Numbers stepped toward the remaining duelists with the expectation of taking the god cards.

Suddenly Lien Yu lashed out. With a single move, he disarmed one of the Spades and disassembled the gun. He followed through by striking the Spade in the stomach. When he doubled over, Lien Yu immediately kicked him in the head and laid him out in the snow. His sights immediately turned on the next guard. His initial attack was to scoop up a nearly perfect snowball and hurl it in the guard's face as a distraction, and then he dashed in and planted his elbow in the guard's belly, quickly following up an upward palm thrust to the chin. Bryan was in awe. It was like watching a Jet Li movie.

Except the part where Jet Li got shot by the Spade who was guarding Eldar. The blood exploded from his ankle directly above the joint. Unable to hold himself up, Lien Yu collapsed in the snow. As fluid as he may have been on solid land, he couldn't move as well once he hit the snow bank, making it easy for the Spades to pin him down and subdue him. Despite his thrashing, he couldn't get his head out of the snow.

"Any other moves?" Ren asked. He put on a cocky grin. Finally, this ridiculous farce would end and all the god cards would be his.

"Sorry, Joker," he taunted. Joker hadn't twitched at all. He remained motionless with his arms folded across his chest. "This is the time for you to decide which side you're on. Will you become my Number Two man, or are you going to stick with the faceless Overlord? Either way, I suppose we should let the big guy know that it's time for a change in leadership. After all, the one in charge should be the one who holds all the god cards, don't you agree?"

Nothing he said could elicit a reaction from Joker. And after watching the kung fu man get taken down by a bullet to the ankle, no one else wanted to move, either. Ingrid Lund wished deeply for her own security force. This was intended to be a small gathering of nothing but the leaders of the Hellfire Club. Who could have predicted the Spades would attempt a coup like this? Eldar Vanko also regretted not being better prepared, but exhausted as he was by the duel, he was content sitting still. He was still reluctant to hand over The Wicked Avatar, however.

Bryan looked at one of the Spades standing nearby. Something compelled him to ask, "Aren't you guys cold?"

"Freezing," answered one of them. He was a guy Matt's height with a surprisingly steady hand considering the thickness of his gloves. Would that affect his aim? Probably best not to ask that kind of question. "Maybe a little action will warm me up."

"Just remember, I'm very easygoing." Bryan pulled out his deck and began searching for his god cards. There was no point giving up his life in order to keep the god cards for himself. Ren Bacon was the last person who should have all of them, but if he was willing to resort to taking hostages, Bryan was willing to let him have them for a little while. As long as he survived, he'd be able to regroup and come back to get them later.

All of a sudden, the Spade stomping on Lien Yu's head began screaming bloody murder when his chest ripped open all the way through his snow gear and he collapsed like a ragdoll. Every gun turned that direction to see what happened, but no target could be found. It appeared as if the Spade had been killed by nothing.

The Spade on the opposite side of the citadel was next—his neck bursting open as if he'd been bitten by a wild animal that tore a huge chunk out of him. One by one, the Spades all began firing at the slightest noise and then shredded into strips of flesh and blood. Bryan was frozen in fear at the sight, wondering what could be happening. Some invisible force was cancelling Ren's coup d'état by killing off his armed soldiers.

The guy who had only a moment earlier seemed to Bryan like he was just in a bad situation working for a lunatic was the last man standing. As if knowing his fate was nigh, he dropped his gun and uttered, "Mommy." An instant before he was eviscerated, Bryan caught the sound of an animal's roar. Whatever attacked just then was invisible, but very real and very big.

No one moved for three full minutes as everyone tried to figure out what just happened. Eyes alone darted around the citadel with all too afraid of what kind of creature might still be out there. Bryan was suddenly aware that Garry had grabbed his arm for support and possibly protection. Joker still hadn't unfolded his arms. Eldar remained at the mercy of the medics, who had shrieked and taken cover under the table. Ingrid used her half-conscious subordinate as a shield, but she kept her eye on the room. Ren Bacon was completely pale and looked as if he would wet himself. But there was the slightest hint of a smirk on Zeke's face.

Finally, Joker spoke, "Shall we proceed with the tournament as scheduled? You will duel Garry Daher."

Ren was still awestruck at the result of his coup d'état, and Garry was struck by the sheer attempt. Bryan had managed to find some humor, but Garry was still frozen with the fear of death. Even with all the clothing layers and the heavy growth of body hair, he felt colder now than ever. He could have died!

"Come," Joker spoke to him. But Garry was practically paralyzed.

Bryan nudged him. "Hey. You okay?"

"Uh," was the most coherent response Garry could muster in the moment.

Joker asked him, "Do you have your god card?" Garry slowly produced his deck and pulled Raviel from it. Bryan instantly recognized the shimmer of the card, the way gods did only for duelists capable of using them. Joker tapped the edge of the card while Garry held it between his fingers. The shimmer of the card intensified, turning the Lord of Phantasms into a blue beacon in the snow.

But the real effect Garry noticed was the improved circulation in his body. He felt instantly warmer, smarter, and calmer. It was similar to the effect he felt the first time he ever played the card, yet so much more potent. Garry's consonance with Raviel was never more in tune. Suddenly Ren Bacon didn't seem like a challenge, even if he was a cold-hearted upstart.

"Garry…" He turned to see the worried look on Bryan's face. "This guy's bad news."

"I know that."

"I don't think you should go through with this. Seriously, this guy is only going to hurt you. You saw what he did to Gambini. Plus, I mean…" He motioned toward all the dead bodies strewn about.

Garry shook his head. "I already told you and Matt both; I'm in it to win it."

"But he's got Obelisk the Tormentor. Most people generally agree that Ra sits at the top of all the god cards, but there have been so many theses written at Duel Academy that claim Obelisk is the most powerful of all. Plus he's got that Ojama deck that's made to swarm the field for a god card."

"Obviously you don't remember what I did to Matt with my Infernity cards," Garry replied. "Talk about a deck made to swarm. Besides, Obelisk is strong, but he can't get any stronger than Raviel, Lord of Phantasms. Besides, I've run across men like Ren Bacon my entire life. With or without a duel, I've got what it takes to shut him down." He beamed brightly. "Trust me. I'm a lot more capable than I was when Matt and I dueled."

Feeling confident in his ability and like the past two years of league dueling prepared him for this moment, Garry stepped onto the platform of the duel station even before Ren was finished gawking at the sudden depletion of his guards. Taking everyone hostage was his nuclear option. He couldn't expect that to fail. No one else there was armed! How in the world could things turn out this way?

"Mr. Bacon," Joker nudged him. "Please take your position."

Ren could hardly even look at Joker anymore without feeling a deep-seated fear squeezing his heart. He attempted to channel that fear and transform it into anger. Pointing a finger in Joker's face (well, his chest because of the height difference), he grunted, "I don't know how, but you're responsible for this. You were supposed to be helping me take down the Overlord. I was going to make you King of whatever Suit you wanted."

Joker remained silent for a moment. Finally he said, "You have thirty seconds to enter the duel station or you forfeit the duel and your god cards."

In a huff, Ren approached the platform. He looked back at Joker and asked, "Don't you need to inspect and shuffle my deck?"

"You expected to be finished with the tournament already. Your deck never had an opportunity for tampering."

"You are underestimating me tremendously."

"As you continue to do to me."

This was not a dispute Ren would win easily. Joker was bigger and ranked higher in the Hellfire Club, and his identity was unknown. He had all the power between them while Ren knew of no weaknesses. What if something else in the plan backfired? He knew Leo Gambini well as the King of a rival Suit. But what if this kid across from him turned out to be a star player after all? Sure, he was barely out of school, but he did possess a god card, and anyone who underestimated the gods was sure to pay dearly.

"Stop sniveling," he scowled to himself. "The only plan left is to win all the god cards. No one can dispute your superiority then." With that little burst of self-confidence, Ren nervously took up the duel against Garry.

"Shall we begin?" Garry asked innocuously.

Ren snapped back, "Shut up!"

Slightly stunned, Garry said, "Okay. I'll set two cards and use the effect of Dark Grepher (4/1700/1600)." He placed on the field a man with skin as dark as midnight and eyes red like a demon's. Garry dropped a card from his hand to the Graveyard, and Grepher responded as one paranoid of being ambushed. He whipped around to slash through the discarded card, but his strike hit the deck instead, sending the struck card also to the Graveyard. "Your turn."

Looking still startled, Ren drew his first card. Suddenly his nerves settled as he felt a rush of energy sweep through his body. The duel was already decided. "I'll play Smashing Ground and then set one monster." The ground shook as the fist of a giant pounded it from beyond the clouds in the sky. The shattered earth enveloped Dark Grepher and swallowed him into the Graveyard. When the ground reset, a face-down monster defended Ren's avatar. "That ends my turn."

Garry 8000: Ren 8000.

"Good for me," Garry mumbled. "I activate my facedown Infernity Inferno." Flames of steel burst from the ground, filling the air with silvery-gray smoke. To stoke the flames, Garry discarded two of the cards from his hand, but the flames still began to die until he tossed in two cards from his deck, as well. Overall, he discarded four cards to the Graveyard. "I'll set one more card and summon Infernity Mirage (1/0/0)." A small-bodied fiend with blue robes and wild, feathery hair popped onto the field out of nowhere.

"You have no cards in your hand," Ren commented. It was intended to be simple observation, but in his daze, he spoke it loudly enough for Garry to hear.

"That's true. I must have it that way for my Infernity cards to use their effects. Like this: By offering Mirage as a Tribute when my hand is empty, I can summon two of the Infernity monsters in my Graveyard." Ren huffed as he realized Garry had spent time sending cards from his deck to the Graveyard for this purpose, but Garry simply continued his play as if his strategy were nothing to be impressed by. "I'll summon Infernity Beetle (2/1200/0) and Infernity Necromancer (3/0/2000)." Simultaneously, Garry summoned a black bug with oversized mandibles and a skeleton wearing a purple robe to cover his entire body, save its head and its hands. "Did you know that each of these monsters also comes with a no-hand effect?

"First, I'll offer Infernity Beetle as a Tribute to summon two more Infernity Beetles (2/1200/0) from my deck." One beetle disappeared from the field and was immediately replaced by two identical bugs. "Second, Infernity Necromancer can target the Infernity Archfiend (4/1800/1200) in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to the field." The fourth monster to swarm Garry's field was a lanky archfiend with thin armor worn outside his robes. The armor generated a blaze of fire, shielding the air around him from attack. "Not to rub it in, but when Archfiend is Special Summoned, I can more another Infernity monster from my deck to my hand."

Ren knew his face-down Ojama Blue would only protect him from one attack, but at least he would have a few more Ojamas in his hand to help with the slaughter his Life Points were about to suffer. Obelisk was already in his hand and ready to be played. He just needed to swarm the field with Ojamas and get his god to the field.

But Garry did not know what card Ren placed on the field. All he knew was that Ren had been grinning ever since he drew his first card. Poker was clearly not Ren's game, and bluffing was not his strong suit. He was lucky enough to draw Obelisk the Tormentor on his first turn. What Garry needed was a card to help shield him from that eventuality.

"Infernity Beetle is a Tuner-type monster, so I'll have him tune with Infernity Archfiend to summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (6/2300/1400)." His two monsters transformed from physical bodies into moisture particles in the air, slowly freezing into the shape of a long-bodied dragon with a star-shaped face. It was hardly the most powerful monster in the game, but Brionac certainly melded well with Garry's Infernity cards. "Have you seen this card before? What am I saying? Of course you have, a man as well connected as you. Even though Brionac is a dragon, it has a special effect anytime I discard from my hand. I'll drop Infernity Avenger in my hand to return the card on your field to your hand."

The moisture brought to the air by Brionac suddenly crystalized around Ren's face-down Ojama Blue. It was powerless to defend against attack, and the only way for the card even to survive was to take it back up into Ren's hand.

"With your field clear, Beetle (1200) and Brionac (2300) will attack you directly." The bug buzzed across the field at high speed and pinched Ren's avatar with its strong mandibles. Immediately after, the icy dragon slunk across the field and whipped Ren's Life Points with a frosty tail. "That ends my Battle Phase but not my turn. Before I'm done, my second Beetle will tune with Brionac to summon my previous strongest monster: the Void Ogre Dragon (8/3000/3000)." The long body of the icy dragon built upon itself to form a bipedal dragon with a thicker, black body. Most noticeable were the sword-sized claws on its hands and feet and the blade-like spikes on its knees, elbows, and face. Its wings were thin like a glider, and its ears looked the same. Every major joint in its body sparkled like a red ruby. A mighty roar caused the entire castle to reverberate and a smile to creep across Garry's face. Feeling more confident now that he had his dragon to protect him, he said, "Your turn now."

Garry 8000: Ren 8000 – 1200 – 2300 = 4500.

Ren hadn't expected to face such an opponent. Obviously there was more to Garry than one would assume from looking at his bearded face. "To face a horny dragon and a skeleton wearing a dress," he said pejoratively, "I'll need some backup. I play Ojama Country." Several tiny houses began popping up on the field, but construction suffered when Void Ogre Dragon suddenly went on a rampage. Each time its foot stamped the ground, the buildings of Ojama Country were crushed and the effects negated.

"Void Ogre Dragon negates the effects of Spells and Traps."

"I picked that up," Ren replied snidely.

"Ah, yes," Garry said with a smile. "Sometimes I forget how much experience you have. But you're a big-time actor, aren't you? So much of your life has been on-screen pretending to be someone you aren't. And here you are, pretending to be a powerful duelist."

"If you can't find the shut-up button, I'll be happy to have Ace find it for you."

"I understand your frustration. I'd be a little defensive, too, if I were trying to take over the world using nothing but playing cards."

Ren finally shrieked, "Shut up! Just shut up!"

"I apologize for getting inside your head like that."

Ren sneered, afraid that if he spoke, he would prompt the conversation instead of the duel to continue. But the fact remained that he needed some way to put a decent monster on the field. The Infernity Necromancer was nothing to fear, but he needed a defense against that dragon. "I'll summon Rescue Rabbit (4/300/100)," a chubby rabbit wearing safety goggles, a hard hat, and a radio walkie-talkie. "The perfect rescue buddy when I need more monsters. Rescue Rabbit is a Tribute so I can summon Ojama Yellow (2/0/1000) twice." Two copies of Ojama Yellow, with his ridiculous facial expressions, appeared on the field. And then one Yellow jumped on the other one's shoulders. "And now, these two monsters Overlay so I can summon the Xyz monster Gachi Gachi Gantetsu (2/+900/+2200)." What appeared in the exact spot of the Ojamas was an ogre of a man, with mechanical joints augmenting the power behind his bulging muscles. "That ends my turn."

Garry was surprised. Xyz monsters were still very new. It was no surprise to see one in the hands of someone as connected as famous actor Ren Bacon. Garry still remembered the first time he saw him in a movie: He played a computer nerd who designed a psychotic AI that crippled every government in the world. Actually, that virus built itself a Frankenstein's monster-like body very similar to Gachi Gachi Gantetsu. If only Garry knew its effect…

"I'll use Necromancer's effect to summon Infernity Archfiend (4/1800/1200) from my Graveyard." The lanky demon burst onto the field in another blaze, warming the field. "Now Void Ogre Dragon (3000) will attack Gantetsu (2200)." Loosing a mighty roar, Garry's dragon spewed a stream of black, liquid fire that oozed along the field toward Ren's monster.

Gachi Gachi Gantetsu took a step back and revealed Ojama Yellow underfoot. He pounded his bionic fists through Ojama Yellow and into the ground, opening a large fissure that drained the oozing fire before it could reach its target. "Nice effect, negating destruction is. See, I remove one of the Xyz materials from my monster to activate its effect, and so instead Ojama Yellow is destroyed by your attack. Now, my monster is stronger when it has more Xyz materials attached, but 2000 defense points is still sufficient, wouldn't you say?"

Ren's behavior confused his opponent a lot. He acted so friendly, yet it was already a known fact that he was a psychopath willing to kill everyone to get his way. Garry couldn't allow himself to be deluded by Ren's childish appearance of innocence.

"You enjoy situations like these, don't you? It reminds me of your first movie. Your character was smarmy and aloof, and I think you weren't even onscreen for twenty minutes. It's tough, isn't it, to go from doing something you love one day to waiting tables the next while you wait patiently for another gig?"

"I found my way to the top," Ren shouted back, "and I made a lot more money doing it than just waiting tables. Your mind games won't work on me because now I've got the cards to destroy your dragon. It's called Lightning Vortex." He dropped a card from his hand as the clouds above began to swirl.

Garry chuckled at the thought. Void Ogre Dragon wasn't a god, but it had a similar air of power. No simple card could get rid of it so easily. As the lightning fell, Void Ogre Dragon spewed its black fire into the sky and blotted out every bolt before it could find prey. "Void Ogre Dragon negates the effect of your Spell."

"Just one of them," Ren corrected him. "I know a little about those duel dragons. Yours can only negate one card, and you chose Lightning Vortex. The card I discarded was Ojamagic, which means I can move three Ojamas straight to my hand. And when I activate Double Summon, you can't negate it."

"Uh oh."

"Right. I'll summon Ojama Red (2/0/1000)." Wearing red bikini briefs and a yellow scarf, a cartoonish imp appeared on the field and began dancing around, gyrating wildly around the field as Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black appeared on the field beside him. Ojama Red's ability summoned every Ojama in Ren's hand, giving him an easy three Tributes. "And now, I'll summon Obelisk the Tormentor (10/4000/4000)."

The three Ojamas just summoned to the field weakened immensely and immediately, their bodies becoming transparent as they clung to one another for strength against the pitch-black backdrop. Spiritually transformed, they drifted into the air over the residue gold flame. Suddenly the backdrop shifted and presented a pair of eyes. It was as if Obelisk's massive form existed on the field all along. The enormous face focused down and shrank to the size of the field. The three Ojamas disappeared in a flash of darkness that gave physical form to the enormous god of darkness.

The permanent scowl on Obelisk's face struck fear into Garry's heart. Perhaps it was more than just a gut reaction or knowing what Obelisk was capable of. Perhaps it was realizing he didn't know all that Obelisk was capable of. It was that fear of the Absolute that comes from the depths of one's inherited instincts.

"This is my favorite part," Ren said as his hysterical laugh began to show. "Obelisk absorbs the power of Ojama Red and Gachi Gachi Gantetsu to wipe your field completely clean. Can your duel dragon face the wrath of an Egyptian God monster?" With a single, bracing step forward, Obelisk swung both arms wide and clapped them together with the force of a storm. The collision snapped like thunder and the resulting shockwave carried hurricane-level winds. Void Ogre Dragon, the Infernitys, and Garry all struggled to resist the intensity, but the attack ultimately proved stronger. Garry was fortunate to have seen the attack happen once before. Had he not taken cover beneath the control panel of the duel platform, Garry may have been blown from the duel the same way as Leo Gambini had been.

Garry was still reeling from Obelisk's attack, but fortunately the duel station waited for his option to counter. "I do have a reply move," he grunted. "Infernity Avenger (+8/0/0) gets Special Summoned from my Graveyard." This fiend was short and suited like a caped cowboy, wielding a pair of pistols.

"Really? That's a high level for a monster with no attack points. Probably not a coincidence it matches the level of the dragon I just destroyed. Well… that Obelisk destroyed." He giggled to himself after that one. "I'll end my turn there."

Things already looked much bleaker with Obelisk on the field. Ren had been lucky enough to draw his god card early. Garry crossed his fingers and hoped that Raviel would be close. He lifted his top card and knew he'd have to hold out a little longer. Fortunately, he had an eight-star tuner on the field.

"I'll reduce Infernity Avenger's (-7) level by one to summon Level Eater (1/600/0) from my Graveyard." A small beetle burrowed its way out of the ground. It would be hidden from view if not for the yellow star on its forewings. "My two monsters will tune into Infernity Doom Dragon (8/3000/2400)," a hideous dragon with pincer-claws on its main arms, two additional arms on its chest, four googly eyes, and a crown-like cranium circling its head. It released a piercing roar that chilled even deeper than the snow. "Infernity Doom Dragon is the perfect monster to face Obelisk. Watch this. Infernity Doom Dragon will destroy Obelisk and deal half his attack points to your Life Points." He set the card in his hand and watched his dragon inhale sharply, breathing in the darkness that poured from Obelisk. Few monsters could internalize that power, but the Infernity dragon transformed it and expelled a powerful cloud of dark energy straight back at Obelisk.

But as big as Obelisk was, the cloud missed! With a single side step, Obelisk avoided the attack unleashed by Infernity Doom Dragon. Ren laughed as he declared, "Obelisk can't be targeted by effects, you moron! It doesn't matter how powerful your dragons are. They will never measure up to Obelisk!"

Garry was stuck. His attempt to destroy Obelisk had failed miserably. And his dragon was left in attack mode with no protection against Obelisk's wrath. He could already feel the Shadow Realm bearing down on him as Obelisk's mighty fist met his body.

"This is going to be more fun than I expected," Ren said. "I'll play Monster Reborn and select a monster that can be targeted: your Void Ogre Dragon (8/3000/3000)." The Shadows parted with the powerful roar of Garry's duel dragon, brought back to the fiend on Ren's side. The wings on its face and back spread widely as its steely claws flashed through the air, and every red jewel turned black with absorbed Shadow energy. "You'll enjoy a direct attack from him, I'm sure."

Obelisk (4000) lunged across the field to plow his mighty fist into Infernity Doom Dragon (3000), but the dragon was able to slink aside and avoid the punch. Obelisk was surefooted, however, and quickly pulled his arm backward into a powerful backhand strike. Infernity Doom was unable to absorb the attack with his two primary arms, but his two extra arms gave him the resilience to jump back safely… except that Obelisk was even faster, lifting his hand off the ground and sweeping Infernity Doom straight from the field and into the sky.

Just as Garry counted his lucky stars for surviving the wrath of Obelisk and the Shadow Realm, he looked up to see Void Ogre Dragon looming overhead. The frightening aura of the blackened dragon overwhelmed the onlookers, and the flash of its powerful claws struck fear and pain directly into Garry's heart. It felt like how Garry always imagined being shredded by Wolverine. Yet fortunately, his body was still intact and, after he collected his bearings and settled his nerves, he was able to sit fairly comfortably.

Garry 8000 – 1000 – 3000 = 4000: Ren 4500.

"Aren't you going to stand?"

Garry shook his head, which Ren could hardly see. "I can't feel my legs."

"You won't be able to feel your ass if you sit in the snow for the rest of the duel."

Then I'll have to make it quick, Garry decided to himself. He crossed his fingers as he drew his next card. It was Infernity Archfiend, and it was a good start. "When I draw this card with nothing else in my hand, I can summon Infernity Archfiend (4/1800/1200) straight to the field." The lanky fiend he played twice before reappeared on the field in an encouraging burst of flames. The fire made Garry feel slightly safer, considering his circumstances. "When Archfiend is summoned, I can move an Infernity card to my hand. And I'll play it right away: Infernity Launcher." A big, black cannon appeared on the field, decorated with fiendish symbols. "More on that later. I can play Reckless Greed." A treasure chest revealed itself in the shifting Shadows. The lid slid back and revealed a shimmering pile of gold with two cards sitting on top of them.

Ren knew exactly what he would be going for if he were in Garry's shoes. More cards meant a better chance of drawing his god card. "I don't think so. Void Ogre Dragon's ability negates the activation of your Trap card." The powerful dragon began to spew the liquid fire that blocked out the effects of Spells and Traps. The fire chased down the treasure chest that offered Garry more cards.

"You think I can't overrule my own dragon? I'll play Infernity Barrier." Infernity Archfiend jumped in front of the treasure chest and activated a sturdy, clear barrier that split the fire and protected Garry's cards. "That's not even the best part. The barrier isn't permanent, but all that power has to go somewhere." Archfiend clenched his body tightly, forcing the power of the Infernity Barrier to expand briefly until the barrier fired at Void Ogre Dragon. The attack smothered the dragon and shattered it internally, collapsing and dissipating its body.

Ren growled, "Lucky play."

Garry crossed his fingers again as he reached for his two new cards. It was time to see how lucky he could be. His first card was Dark Bribe. Helpful, but not a game changer. He lifted his second card slowly….

"I'll set one card and send Infernity Launcher to the Graveyard so I can revive two Infernity monsters." The black cannon fired two successive blasts, planting Infernity Necromancer (3/0/2000) and another Infernity Archfiend (4/1800/1200) on the field. "Remember that when Archfiend is summoned, I can move an Infernity card to my hand. Not to spoil anything, but I'll set another card. Now Necromancer's effect lets me summon Infernity Avenger (1/0/0)," that short fiend with the dual pistols. In such a short amount of time, Garry filled his field with four Infernity monsters. He wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned how well his cards swarmed.

"Now Necromancer, Avenger, and Archfiend become Tributes for me to summon Raviel, Lord of Phantasms (10/4000/4000)."

Everything suddenly stopped. The air fell stale and not a soul moved. Even the snow stopped falling. Just as Ren started to wonder if the duel station had malfunctioned, a light mist blanketed the field. Quiet remained, however. It felt like life ended and the field became a ghost town. One by one, spirits became drawn to the field, moving swiftly in circles around the dark figure that slowly faded in. Large enough to rival even Obelisk, the figure's skin darkened to violet as its exoskeleton hardened and turned indigo. The mist became its wings and the spirits were restless.

"That eerie feeling eating away at you is the Lord of Phantasms."

Ren scoffed. "Who's afraid of that thing?"

"Don't try to hide it. Obelisk the Tormentor scares people because of his overwhelming size and force. But Raviel scares you because you don't know what he's capable of. His body is untouchable by physical means. He may as well be a dream for how easily you can attack him."

"Please! Obelisk is just as strong but way more powerful than he."

"Obelisk has one clear weakness when facing another monster of equal magnitude," Garry explained ominously. "Ironically, it is also among Obelisk's greatest strengths: his inability to be targeted by effects."

"What?"

Garry smiled. "I'm saying Obelisk is protected against negative effects that target him, but he also can't gain any additional strength from targeting effects. Sure, a card like Gachi Gachi Gantetsu can give him a few extra points, but Obelisk's potential is pitiful next to Raviel's. Watch." Infernity Archfiend's spirit emerged from his body, which collapsed to the ground and faded into the Graveyard. His spirit encircled Raviel and pierced the heart of the Lord of Phantasms (+5800), giving him additional strength.

Suddenly, Obelisk (4000) didn't look as intimidating as his Sacred Beast counterpart.

As if it weren't bad enough to have his opponent using that creepy voice through the entire duel, now he managed to summon a card even stronger than the almighty Obelisk the Tormentor. Ren could hardly believe the situation he was in. Before this tournament, he had considered Obelisk to be invincible. But now he was about to lose Obelisk to a mere knockoff card that was only a shadow of the Egyptian Gods. Not only that, Obelisk had been destroyed by one of those Wicked Gods—the one designed to counter Slifer the Sky Dragon. How had Obelisk sunk so low? As he watched Raviel's claws rend Obelisk limb from limb, Ren felt the pain deep in his gut as if he had finally hit the end of the line.

Garry 3000: Ren 4500 – 1800 = 2700.

But wait! He still had Life Points, and plenty of them to return Obelisk to the field. All monsters were destroyed at some point, right? Even that Void Ogre Dragon had been revived. And what did Ren do when Leo Gambini managed to destroy him? Ren pulled him back out of the Graveyard and finished the duel.

"Quit mocking me!" Ren shouted at his opponent. "This duel isn't done yet. I'll play Tri-Wight to revive three—"

"I chain Dark Bribe." Just as Ren's card produced a robed skeleton that was ready to open the Graveyard, a man wearing opulent silks appeared on his knees beside the skeleton and offered it a gold piece to reconsider. Drawn to the shine of the gold, the skeleton took it and disappeared from the field, leaving behind only a card to put in Ren's hand.

Ren growled roughly. If he couldn't hold out past the next turn, he wouldn't survive the duel. "I'll set a monster." Ojama Blue would come through for him. Garry couldn't draw for the next two turns, and so Ren only had to hold out against Raviel to survive. Blue would be destroyed, but that would also give him two more Ojama cards in his hand.

"I'll chain Infernity Break." Suddenly the tormented spirit of Infernity Archfiend erupted from the ground. But this spirit was incompatible with Raviel, instead drawn to the location of fewest souls—it inhabited Ren's face-down monster. The heat of torment was too great, and so the set monster exploded.

Ren fell back, speechless. Every attempt he made to revive Obelisk was failing right in front of him. His "pathetic" opponent countered him every step of the way. He would lose the duel in the very next turn if not for the cards he discarded earlier. Though with a simian essence in its appearance, the big and stout monster more closely resembled a green-furred troll, equipping hard shell armor and lugging a wooden club. "I play Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest (7/2600/1800)…" Ren said. He looked longingly at the Misfortune card in his hand. Power like that could drop Garry's Life Points tremendously, but not all the way. It was a dead draw. "...because it's the only thing that can cover my Life Points right now."

Garry 3000: Ren 2700 – 1000 = 1700.

"That was remarkably honest," Garry noted. "It feels good to accept reality, doesn't it? Obelisk has fallen. Your cards run low. The Ojamas cannot match my Infernity cards. And now your only protective monster is fallen." Raviel rent Green Baboon with but a single swipe, showing clearly the monster's pale comparison with Obelisk. "This duel is over."

Garry was right, and Ren knew it. Somehow, the man who rose to the pinnacle of the Spades—one of the top five members of the infamous Hellfire Club!—lost to this tournament hopper. A mere kid who made good grades and decided to take a few years traveling the world before joining any professional duel teams. All because his elite soldiers fell to some dark magic.

He was tempted to resign the duel—to give up without drawing. All he'd have to do is place his hand on his deck and he could end the duel while keeping his life. Raviel's spirit would go easy on him. The kid was too weak to wish his opponents dead. Out of the corner of his eye, Ren saw the Ace of Spades standing by the wall. He would be sure to revenge this rotten kid for him. Or would he? Ace would probably betray Ren the second he forfeited to a nothing kid. He'd never avenge his boss after such a thoroughly devastating and cowardly defeat.

"I'd rather die," he decided out loud. Maybe his will could draw out Raviel's true wrath even when his opponent controlled the card. A painful death in the Shadow Realm would be preferable to living the life of a coward. He picked up his card and said, "I end my…"

Garry perked up. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch the end of that."

It was because Ren never finished his statement. Could he really have drawn this card at the exact moment he needed it? Was it random luck, or was it divine providence? Obelisk the Tormentor truly was empowering him with victory, even from the Graveyard!

"I'll activate Megamorph!"

"Megamorph?" Garry repeated. "But there's only one target on the field…" Raviel's (+8000) ghostly presence doubled in intensity.

"That's your god card's weakness," Ren taunted. "You see, Raviel may be Lord of Phantasms, but he can still be targeted by effects. Since my Life Points are lower than yours, Megamorph doubles your monster's power."

Garry peered at his opponent curiously. "Why?"

"So that I can follow with Misfortune." The sky and field turned pure white as a man dressed as a magician, in a cape and tuxedo, stepped onto the snowy plane. He took a humble bow, making no further movements, and suddenly Raviel's spiritual energy exploded. The direction of the blast suggested Raviel was struck by some sort of attack, but no one saw any.

Garry 3000 – 4000 = 0: Ren 1700.

Ren's hysterical giggle picked up again as Raviel faded painfully from the field. "This Spell deals half your monster's attack points as damage to you. That's why I doubled your monster's points!" He tilted his head at a sharp angle as if looking to something he couldn't see otherwise. "Oh, sorry. I don't know why I'm explaining it to you. You're dead!"

Well, Garry wasn't dead, but Ren had his fingers crossed. Raviel fell to his knee as the Shadows powering his spirit leaked from his invisible wound. "Get him!" Ren chanted to the dying god. "Get him good!" He hopped down from the duel platform into the snow and walked to the other side of the station. He wanted a good, close-up view when the Shadow Realm took Garry's soul.

Giddy, he explained, "You probably heard some nonsense about how the god cards respond to the will of the duelist. That's just pointless prattle told by weak people. In reality, the god cards are like corks on the cap of the Shadow Realm. The Shadows push constantly to reach into this world, but the membrane between worlds keeps them away with the exception of these few cards. Raviel doesn't care that you've been holding back for my sake. Raviel isn't even a real entity! He's just a conduit to let the Shadow Realm break into this world. Can you guess the only way to contain the Shadows in a world like this one?" Like a lion stalking its prey, the Shadow Realm sought the easiest souls for consumption, and the loser of a duel was easy to overcome. All the energy surged and accumulated in Garry's body. Raviel disappeared and the duel platform lowered to the ground.

Ren continued, "It's excruciating, isn't it? The way the Shadows just pile up like—ugh!" His train of thought was derailed when blood exploded from his nose and he slammed backward into the snow.

"I've had enough!" Bryan growled at him. His face was contorted and his chest heaved with each snarling breath. "First you almost kill a man over a playing card, then you threaten everyone with death unless they give in to your demands. Now you mock a worthy opponent because his god card was stronger than yours?"

The Ace of Spades—that scary man with the mirrored sunglasses and the bulky physique—helped a very frightened Ren to his feet. "Do you have any idea what you're doing making an enemy of me, kid?" His voice quivered as he spoke and tears streamed from his eyes.

"You act like you're tough and powerful, but in reality you're a coward who's unable to protect himself. You are exactly the type of guy I used to pick on in high school. If there were any lockers around here, that's where you'd be sleeping tonight."

In an effort to look tough, Ren pointed his finger sharply at Bryan. "You'd better sleep with one eye open, little boy."

"Go ice your nose," Bryan replied, turning away. He lifted Garry off the platform and placed him on the stretcher used by the medics to transport him to the clinic. Bryan picked up the Infernity deck and tucked it away, making a point to throw Raviel, Lord of Phantasms back at Ren like it was a ninja star. He followed the medics after a brief announcement from Joker declaring another two-hour recess before the final duels.

Ren's glare started at Joker, whom he once considered a valuable ally but now considered a traitor, and then drifted to Bryan, whose ire he had drawn from his flippant attitude toward his opponent. The fact of the matter was: Garry was a much more capable wielder of god cards than Ren was. Under other circumstances, Garry might make a fine addition to the Spades, except for having his soul devoured by the Shadow Realm.

But Bryan was another breed of opponent. He wasn't willing to withhold his frustrations to the playing field, and his talent was already remarkable. Duel Academy students were always good, but this one could be too much to handle. And he definitely couldn't be forgiven for striking the King of Spades!

He whispered to Ace, "Make sure he doesn't come back here."

"Yes, my King."