Gajeel was successful in shutting down his tower, but that meant that Levy was gone. Most of the dark clouds surrounding the city was gone. That meant that there was only one left, but time was running out as the sun was setting. Natsu and is group grabbed Erza's car and Gray's bike as they all drove off to Erik's location.
"The only tower left is the one Erik went too?" Wendy said.
"Yeah, but he needs to hurry. If the sun goes down, that king Hades mentioned will come to our world." Natsu said.
"Do you really think we can trust that guy to get the job done?" Gray said as he was still skeptic about Erik.
"He must have good heart or the dragons wouldn't have chosen him." Lucy said.
"Now isn't the time for doubt. We'll just have to put our faith in him." Erza said. With Erik not fully aware of the danger, they needed to hurry.
…
Erik
Erik was getting a ride to the tower by Ultear and Meldy, but he was facing the same problem as Gajeel. He wanted to save Kinana, but he wasn't sure what he could do.
"Erik, what do you know about this Kinana girl?" Meldy asked.
"Kinana and I were part of this group called the Oracion Seis." Erik said. "She isn't much of a duelist, but I bet her new powers changed all that. If she's really a part of all this, it's my fault."
"What do you mean?" Ultear asked.
"She had feelings for me, but I didn't return them." Erik said. "I thought a girl like her deserved better than a punk like me. If it's really my fault, I've got to be the one to save her." The last tower was located in an amusement park. When they arrived, they pulled over at the entrance.
"This is it. The tower is in there somewhere." Ultear said.
"That means so is she." Meldy said.
"If you two see purple flames, remember to run." Erik said as all of them went inside. The place was completely abandoned, but there were a few snakes around and they acted as Kinana's eyes. While she was in the security of her hiding spot, she was glad that Erik was the one who arrived.
"Abandon carnivals are not right. They're so creepy." Meldy said.
"Just be glad this place isn't rundown." Ultear said as they all kept moving.
"Look!" Meldy said. She pointed to the hall of mirrors and they saw the tower just behind it.
"Kinana must be there!" Erik said as he ran straight towards the place. When he got close enough, he saw the doors to the place open and he thought he saw Kinana inside. "Kinana!" He ran straight inside to go after her.
"Erik, wait!" Ultear said as she and Meldy went after him, but the moment he stepped inside, the doors closed and locked. "Hey!" Ultear said as she banged on the door. Erik tried to get them open, but they wouldn't budge.
"Welcome, Erik. I've been waiting." Kinana said. When Erik turned around, he saw she was right in the mirror.
"Kinana! Is that really you?" Erik asked.
"That's right and from the looks of things, it's down to just you and mean." Kinana said.
"Kinana, I know this isn't you." Erik said.
"It is now." Kinana said. "So if you want to reach the tower, shut it down, and then save the world, you'll have to face me." Erik didn't want to, but it seemed like there was no choice.
"Fine and when I win, I'm bringing you back with me." Erik said as he held up his duel disk.
"Let's duel!" Both of them said and were given 4000LP. With Kinana's power, the snake energy field was starting to form. Ultear and Meldy saw it forming on the outside.
"Move!" Ultear said as she and Meldy ran out of there and were able to get out before the seal was formed.
"It must be starting." Meldy said.
"Let's get to higher ground." Ultear said as the two of them moved away from the flames even though they won't see what happens.
…
Natsu's Group
Natsu and the others arrived at the carnival. Right when they did, the seal was formed and Natsu's and Wendy's marks started glowing.
"It must be starting." Gray said.
"Let's get in there and find them fast." Natsu said. All of them agreed and got moving before it was too late for them to do anything.
…
Erik
"Allow me to go first." Kinana said as she drew her first card. "I summon Gorgonic Servant in attack mode." She summoned a lady with a black snake's body with magenta hair, but unlike other gorgons, this lady was actually attractive. She also only had 100atk points. "Thanks to her special ability, both of us have to wait at least one turn before we can summon any monster we just drew."
"What about the monsters already in our hands?" Erik asked.
"The same applies to them. We have to wait at least one turn before summoning them." Kinana said. "Next, I'm activating the Magic Bare Lands spell card. As long as this spell card remains on the field, neither of us can use any spells. So that means your favorite, Thought Listener, is of no use."
"She knows my dueling style well. That means she knows how to counter all of it." Erik said.
"I place one card facedown and that ends my turn." Kinana said.
"My move!" Erik said as he drew his card. It was Thought Listener. 'Thought Listener, but as long as her spell card is on the field, it's useless. I also can't summon any of my monsters this turn because of that snake lady. My options are limited here.' He thought. "I'll just place two cards facedown and that's all."
"All you can do. Follow me." Kinana said as she and her cards went through the mirrors and Erik followed her. "How ironic. I spent years chasing after you. Now, I want nothing more than to destroy you."
"Kinana, if this is about what happened the last time we saw each other, I'm sorry." Erik said.
"That's an obvious lie. You never apologize." Kinana said.
"I am now and I mean it." Erik said. Erik ended up in an intersection and Kinana continued the duel there.
"There's no point in saying sorry now." Kinana said. "On with the duel. It's my turn now. I'll start by activating my face-down, Endangered Species. I can select one monster type and whichever one I choose, neither of us can summon a monster of that type. I choose the reptile type."
"I see what you're doing. You're trying to make it so my deck is useless, but why are you limiting myself." Erik said.
"I'm trying to show you that you and I are right for each other. I'll have us on equal grounds to do that." Kinana said.
'That proves it. Somewhere inside there is the real Kinana.' Erik thought.
"I still have some work to do." Kinana said. "Gorgonic Servant, strike him directly." Her monster shot out of the mirror and slammed against Erik with his life points dropping to 3900.
"Racer always said I was good with girls." Erik said.
"I place one face-down and end my turn." Kinana said.
"It's my turn!" Erik said as he drew his next card.
"That's right and because it is, I can activate Gorgonic Temptation." Kinana said and a mist was starting to form.
"What is this?" Erik said. That was when a lady appeared behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Other women formed around the mist and tried clinging to him. He also felt his mind growing foggy.
"You didn't like the kind of girl I was so I thought I find the kind of girl you do like." Kinana said. "With Gorgonic Temptation, you have to decide to discard your entire hand or be dealt 400 points of damage for each card in your hand. Since you have five cards, that's would be 2000 points of damage. Men are all the same. When you're surrounded by beautiful ladies, it's like your minds shut off and you act stupid. So I have no doubt you'll make what I think will be a wise decision." Erik could feel his mind growing cloudy, but he did what he could to ignore the sensations he was feeling.
"No. I activate Venomous Corrupt." Erik said. "As long as there's a reptile on the field, no matter whose side it's on, I can destroy all active spell and traps." All Kinana's spell and traps were destroyed and he got free as the girls faded away.
"How?" Kinana said as she was a little surprised.
"Kinana, you should know I can't be wooed over by a girl so easily." Erik said.
"You're right. My mistake." Kinana said.
"That's right and now that your Magic Bare Lands is gone, I'm free to use Thought Listener." Erik said as he played the card. "Let's see what's in your hand." Her hand's cards were shown in the mirrors. 'Let's see. She has Reload and Gorgon's Mask. Those aren't a problem so the biggest threat is her monster, Gorgonic Princess Slitherina, but that's a level five monster. I have to get rid of her only other monster.' He thought. "I summon Spider Snake in attack mode." A snake with spider features came on the field and had 800atk points. "Take down Gorgonic Servant with Venom Web." The snake mutation shot out a purple web from its mouth and it got around Kinana's monster and destroyed it with her life points dropping to 3300. "I think that will end my turn."
"Let's move deeper into maze." Kinana said as she moved deeper into the maze and Erik followed her.
….
Ultear and Meldy
The two girls were able to get up to higher ground on balconies. They could still see the tower, but there was no sign of Erik or Kinana.
"Where are they?" Meldy said.
"They must be inside the hall of mirrors. I just hope Erik is safe." Ultear said that none of them were aware what was happening inside.
…
Erik
"Kinana, just listen to me. I turned you away because I thought a nice girl like you deserved better than a punk like me." Erik said as he continued to walk through the place.
"You thought I cared about that?" Kinana said. "I don't. I just wanted to be with you, but now that ship has sailed. The only way for that to happen now is for us both to fall in darkness." Erik saw her stop at another turn and they continued the duel.
"Let's just get this over with. You only have one monster that you can't summon." Erik said.
"I have a feeling the next card I draw will change all that." Kinana said as she drew her next card and it was another spell.
"Oh no! Cost Down!" Erik said.
"That's right and I'll activate it now." Kinana said. "So I'll send Reload to the graveyard and lower the level of my monsters by two. That allows me to summon Gorgonic Princess Slitherina." Her monster was another lady with a snake's blue body and had purple snake-designed hair. She also had 1900atk points. "Slitherina, destroy his Spider Snake with Viper Taming!" Her monster's fingers turned to snake that stretched out of the mirror and constricted Erik's monster until it was destroyed. Erik's life points dropped to 2800. "Next, I'm activating Gorgon's Mask and equipping it on my princess." A mask of an actual gorgon was placed on her princess.
"Why do that when she was pretty?" Erik said.
"Thanks to Gorgon's Mask, when she attacks a monster in defense mode, the monster's defense points go down to zero." Kinana said.
"I guess it's my turn!" Erik said as he drew his next card and he liked what he got. "I summon Phantom Snake in attack mode." Phantom Snake was a white snake with a black cape and hood that looked like the head of a cobra with 1800atk points. "With him in attack mode, he can't be destroyed by a monster whose level five or higher and I won't take damage. That ends my turn."
"And now after looking back, we reach the point that brought us here." Kinana said as she and Slitherina moved through the mirrors and Drake followed.
….
Outside
Ultear and Meldy stayed where they were as they waited for Erik to come out.
"Ultear! Meldy!" They looked and saw Natsu and his group were able to find them.
"Natsu! Everyone! From the looks of the sky, you were all successful." Ultear said.
"Yes. Where's Erik?" Erza asked.
"In the hall of mirrors." Meldy said. That was when the doors from the hall and the tower opened up with both of them walking out with their cards.
"Kinana, you've got to snap out of this." Erik said.
"Sorry, Erik, but you've got to fight for the light. I've got to fight the dark." Kinana said.
"I've got to get down there!" Natsu said as he ran down from the balcony.
"Natsu, where are you going?" Meldy said.
"To warn Erik about what's to come." Lucy said as they looked and saw the sun was moments away from going down. Natsu ran through and got to Erik.
"Erik!" Natsu called out and got his attention.
"Natsu? What are you doing here?" Erik asked.
"I've got to warn you about something." Natsu said. "You've got to win this duel fast. If you don't shut that tower down by sunset, we're gonna have a lot more trouble."
"Like that's going to happen." Kinana said. "If you want to get in that tower, you've got to get through me."
'This isn't good. I've got to figure out how to save Kinana fast and from what Natsu is saying, we're all about to be in big trouble.' Erik thought with so much to do and so little time.
To Be Continued…