Boss Rush

LII: Accumulated Fortune

The Spiritual Forest Park. Having been the bright spark of some billionaire with too much money and not enough common sense, the park that was closest to the Cubic Area was essentially an empty place with loads of fauna, flora, and no civilians this late at night.

He had no idea why, but the Meteor Stream took Ryuusei to this specific park, near the pavilion where Satonaka Ryuuga had met a horrible death via Black Rose Dragon. There, the sprites greeted him, some even dropping flower petals as they giggled about. It was calm, peaceful and empty despite the lateness of the hour. There was no homeless about, and the area was a place where even the extraordinary was obscured by the trees around. Complete silence, save for the patter of raindrops, and the howl of winds rustling in the trees.

He could open a portal. Escape to the spirit world, maybe. Stay there, amidst sun-crowned trees and forests and stop thinking. Sweet, sweet oblivion, hiding from the troubles of mortality. Living amongst the spirits would be something of a luxury, life distilled to the simplest and most complex of pleasures. Wanting and needing for nothing as a royal, as a monarch in the essential sense.

He was Fudo Ryuusei. They were unmoving.

"I hate this," he whispered.

Marguerite materialised behind him. "Do you now?"

The whites showed all the way around his eyes. "What?" Fury swelled in her tone. "What did you say to me?"

"Calm down." Marguerite patiently whispered. "You're still you, and I don't think you've been given the whole truth. We should talk before things happen that everyone regrets."

"How dare you!" his rage turned incandescent. Literally; fire burst from hands and wreathed forearms. "How dare you!"

Marguerite jumped away as he screamed, and Summer fire engulfed the ground as thunder crashed overhead, causing sprites to leap away tittering into the skies. Gold and green and starlight silver, the fires danced mesmerising and swelling.

"Dammit, the rage," Marguerite whispered as she grabbed her staff. "Mille Fleurs: Fragrance Storm!"

Petals clashed against gold and green, fading into thin air, barely even ashes remaining as a wall of fire cascaded about. Trees lit up like sparklers, crackling merrily despite the drizzle. In fact, the rain itself fizzled in contact with the flames, steam gathering about the fifty-metre radius, suspended in fog.

"Cien Fleur: Closed Plant Gate!" Marguerite placed the next spell in the next volley. Vines barely held out in a net formation against the will o' wisps.

"Destroy it all!" Trees shook and rocks cracked as she spoke. The sound of it rippled through the air. "Burn!" He threw forth his hands, and a wall of fire twenty feet high and as wide as a football field roared toward her.

Fire is tough to defend against. Even if the target wasn't actually set on fire, it could be roasted by super-heating the air. As weapons go, fire was the oldest amongst them all. Marguerite might have been a spirit, but this was the fire of Summer, heat and life and rage as much as Winter was cold and death and sorrow, joy and hazy nights under the summer heat in the midst of bounty and pleasure. It was an elemental force that affected mortal and spirit alike, even the Witch of the Time Flower.

But.

Fire is tricky and fickle. Without focus, it was mere chaos, the random release of stored chemical energy. It is not enough to just have fire; knowledge of when and where and how to use it to best effect was needed for fire to be an effective method. True, a forest fire was a pretty conclusive way of dealing with everything, but it was indiscriminating and a waste when merely trapping the opponent in a circle of fire to burn out their oxygen would suffice.

"Mille Fleur: Wall of Thorns!" Marguerite cast the shield and hunkered down.

The firestorm roared down, washing over like the ocean tide. The shield held the fire back, but it could not stop it entirely, and heat began to burn through. The wave of fire was too massive to overcome, even for her – but she had no need to overcome. It was spread out over such a huge area that all she really had to do was beat back a relatively tiny portion of it, holding out against it like a large stone on a beach. She could not have had the strength to beat it – but holding it away was within her power, and to keep just the air within my shield from becoming an oven was within her ability.

The fire washed over, and she held on. It left her gasping, standing her ground on a small circle of damp earth and grass, but she survived.

Hot air cascaded down with the steam from the drizzle, the screams of spirits echoing in the inferno of Summer. Ryuusei stood in the middle of the burnt-out clearing, untouched. Sweat poured with the effort as he held up a small, tiny star that condensed in the centre of the air above his palm.

"You are not alone," Marguerite stared down the eerie blue-green eyes that seemed to mark possession of the mantles of power. "Winter has her weapons; her words, her mind, her resources. So do you, for you are Summer. You are never alone. You have the son of Signer and Dark Signer, the holder of Red Demon's Dragon. You have the disciple of the Infernity, and with him the Hound of Winter. You have yourself, and your adopted sibling whom you care about. You have your parents, two Signers who escaped the fate bound for them and lived to tell of it. You are Fudo Ryuusei, meteor of the unwavering and unmoving."

Ryuusei stared at her for a long moment, and tossed the star to one side.

It soared into the earth three metres away, and hit the ground with a flash and a howl of heated air, creating a brief column of white flame that, presumably, had been intended to replace her head and neck.

And what are my weapons? he thought. And the answer came instantly: pride. Oh, you hear them say it's a sin; you hear them say it goes before a fall. And that can't be true. The mechanic prides himself on a good fixing; the barista is proud that his coffee is well turned out; the teacher prides himself on his students; the Duelist prides themselves on the cards. We pride ourselves on making a good history of our lives, a good story.

And fear – the fear that he would let others down – and because of fear, he would overcome that fear. He would not disgrace those who have trained him.

And trust, even though he was not quite sure what it was he was trusting. Three things, three weapons... and the trio that had followed many a story.

"Pride, fear and trust," he said aloud. And in front of him the branches of trees streamed fire, as if driven by the wind, and for a moment he was certain, in the rush of light, that the figure of a certain witch in white was melting into the darkened embers. "Oh, yes. And I have fire."

Even if you are the Summer King, even if you are the Night Rose Knight, you are Fudo Ryuusei. You can make it on your own terms.

"I understand now," he whispered, facing up to the stormy skies that rumbled in answer. "Madame... I think I understand now."

The skies were split in answer as the howl of sirens came overhead, and when the firemen were out, the Meteor Stream was already driving off.

Fifteen days. Of evading the questions that came with a park burnt to the ground, of fixing his deck, of finally figuring out the significance of the date. The Stygian Dirge, it was a funeral song on freaking Halloween. Obviously, one of them were meant to die there.

Perhaps not literally, Ryuusei reflected. But it was Halloween, the time when shades exchanged forms and people wore masks showing what they were not.

"Nice costume," Rex snickered.

Ryuusei planted one elbow into his midriff, and Rex's laugh turned into a choke. "Well, I was running low."

"Do I want to know?" Chase looked nervous, even as he was decked out in a passable imitation of Infernity Avenger.

"No," Ryuusei answered, glancing at the imitation sword and discarding it for better taste. His costume by itself was already elaborate enough as it were. "Nice costume, Rex."

Rex snorted, pulling at the black and orange-hemmed collar. "Black and orange. Father's going to have a fit."

"Rex... it's your birthday," Ryuusei sighed. "Happy birthday."

The tall blond's features softened. "Yours is coming. Chase's birthday as well. What's with you?"

"Just thinking about the present," Ryuusei gave a lopsided smirk that felt fake on his face. "And how I haven't really had time to source for yours yet."

Rex rolled his eyes. "That's it? Come on, presents can come late. Chase, what cake is there this year?"

"Carly-san won't tell me," Chase shook his head. "It should be good."

"Mmm," Ryuusei nodded. As it were...

Standing with the rest of Team Conflagration, Koichi and Tsugare standing suspiciously close together, Adrian was still nursing a broken arm as the Team Black Knights walked towards the stage. "Hola!"

"Rodriguez-san," Ryuusei nodded. "I promise you. I will make sure justice is brought."

Adrian's face softened, before his features hardened. "You try. And live to speak about it."

Ryuusei inclined his head, but did not answer.

Next was Team Revolution, and Takeshi looked bad. At the very least, Alexianna and Kiyomi both were required to support his weight, and it looked like he was on crutches as well. "Team Black Knights. Nice costume, Fudo, Atlas, Princeton."

"They were special," Ryuusei politely answered, his eyes flicking towards the broken goggles that still graced Takeshi's forehead, as well as towards Alexianna. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"

Takeshi's eyebrows rose, but he nodded, and the other members of Team Revolution left with Team Black Knights. The two of them were left alone, standing across each other.

"I'm thinking about that time you went after Shimotsuki," Ryuusei started off. "I don't think the timing was too coincidental, but it was around this time, wasn't it? Halloween."

Takeshi cocked his head. "Really? I didn't notice."

"So now I'm thinking," Ryuusei slowly said. "It's Halloween," he said. "It's the night when everyone looks like something that they aren't. Everything changes, the end of the year is coming, and all that."

"The heralding of winter," Takeshi quietly confirmed. "And the coming of the season of death."

"But for that time, things are... changing," Ryuusei picked. "Harvest season also starts then, and so does the beginning of winter. Roles are reversed, and things change."

"True." Takeshi's expression did not change.

"So..." Ryuusei turned around. "We'll both see where everyone stands. Come on."

Despite the slow words it took a while for both of them to make it, catching up with the teams only as they were about to enter the stage.

"Be careful," Takeshi spoke up before Ryuusei was about to leave the relative shadows and enter the open stadium. "The Aesir help you."

Ryuusei shook his head. "I doubt that. But thanks anyway."

Team Black Knights walked up to face Team Night Sky, who was already waiting for them. Michiru made an appreciative whistle as they got up. "Nice costumes."

Ryuusei glanced down at the dark mail coat. "Thanks."

True to form, Seiran wore scarlet armour, a perfect match of the X-Saber, complete with Sword of Sparkles. Michiru was more daring, instead wearing turquoise sleeveless tank top, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and long white socks, matched with fingerless gloves and a utility belt. Ryuusei was more drawn to Setsuka, with her black and white Gothic Lolita dress bearing purple roses, completed with the frilly Alice band and rose-tipped staff that was Witch of the Black Rose.

"Nice dress."

She inclined her head. "Thank you, Sir Knight. You come as a judge, in black. It is... fitting."

"It seems like so," Ryuusei nodded. His DuelDisk seemed heavy on his arm. "Is it a mask?"

Her expression seemed to slip. "Pardon?"

"The Winter Queen," he quietly confessed. "It's not just you being possessed. It never was. And I will take you down for it."

Her expression grew slightly sour. "You may try. If you can."

Fireworks popped and exploded overhead, some with whistles, some with a peony-like effect that resembled palm trees painted on the very skies itself.

So they stood on the stage, three girls standing against three guys, Rex and Seiran, Chase and Michiru, Ryuusei and Setsuka. He raised his chin, and gave a challenging nod. Setsuka only answered with a grin showing one incisor, sharp and clearly meant to tear through flesh.

The MC's call started the finals, where only one would remain:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the finals of the Stygian Dirge begins now! Let Halloween begin!"

"Yo," Rex nodded as he stood to face Seiran. Whether or not the La Belle Dame Sans Merci was going to live up to her reputation was going to be concerning.

"Good evening," Seiran politely replied, watching the western horizon being painted in purple and orange. "Shall we?"

"Duel!"

Seiran: LP 8000

Rex: LP 8000

"Too bad this is a ground Duel, but I guess it's dangerous to drive wearing this," Rex commented, glancing at the top box. Jack Atlas seemed close to a conniption. "Ladies first."

"Thank you," Seiran winked as she drew. "I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight [1900/1200] in attack mode!" The furry beast-warrior charged onto the field. "And then, with Boggart Knight's effect, I special summon XX-Saber Fulhelmknight [1300/1000] in defence mode from my hand. Now, I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"My turn!" Rex called. "I'll set two cards and summon Brron, Mad King of Dark World [1800/400]!" With a cackling rasp, the mad monarch appeared, baring its claws. "Brron, attack Fulhelmknight!"

"The effect of Fulhelmknight," Seiran patiently answered. "Once when Fulhelmknight is face-up, I can negate one attack."

Rex twitched as the attacked was blocked and Brron was thrown back. "Turn end."

"Draw!" Seiran called. "I summon XX-Saber Darksoul [100/100] to the field. Then, I'll play the Spell, Saber Hole! Now I get to destroy a grand total of three cards on the field!"

"What!" Rex quickly recovered. "Meet Dark Bribe!"

Seiran grimaced as her card shattered, but she drew anyway. "Good enough... as a favour, I'll special summon from my hand XX-Saber Faultroll [2400/1800]!"

"Holy-" Rex broke off as the large red-armoured warrior appeared, large sword in hand.

"Tuning, level four Boggart Knight to level three Fulhelmknight," Seiran chanted. "For the sake of truth and justice, take up arms! Synchro summon! For our ideals, X-Saber Souza!"

The red-cloaked warrior grinned with the intensity of a slasher serial killer [2500/1600] on the field.

"Activating the effect of Faultroll, I will revive XX-Saber Fulhelmknight," Seiran instructed. "Tuning, level three Darksoul and level three Fulhelmknight. Dance, swords! Become the steel which the battles are won with and begin the age of heroes! Waltz, XX-Saber Hyunlei!"

The chink of clashing metal resounded, the female warrior performing a dance of flashing swords as her opening performance.

"With her appearance, Hyunlei can destroy up to three spells or traps on your field!" Seiran pointed. "Swallow Duo Reverse!"

Rex's card was cut and scattered to the wind not before long.

"And now..." Seiran swiftly indicated to Hyunlei. "Depose that mad king!"

She charged and barely a cackle echoed before it was so many shards.

Rex: LP 8000 → LP 7500

Seiran: LP 8000

"Souza, attack him directly!" Seiran waved, as Souza grinned, hefted his blade, and cut deep.

Rex: LP 7500 → LP 5000

Seiran: LP 8000

"Sorry, but when I take direct damage, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness [2700/2500] can be special summoned!" Rex called as the armoured fiend appeared, along with another near-twin. "And with his appearance comes an Emissary Token [?/? → 2500/2500] who takes on my damage as her power. Well?"

Seiran snapped her fingers in irritation. "Turn end. End phase, Darksoul allows me to search for an X-Saber to add to my hand."

"Draw!" Rex called. "I'll play the Spell, The Cheerful Coffin! Now my counter-attack begins by discarding two cards!"

"Hah," Seiran shook her head. "What's the point..." she trailed off as two shadows, near-mirrors, appeared [2300/1400].

"Yeah, Goldd and Sillva don't get along," Rex agreed. "But they're level five! Overlay, level five Goldd and Sillva! Come, Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon [2600/1700]!"

The dark creature's wings softly brushed the ground, it hovered, baring its claws.

"Then, I'll play Aurora Draw!" Rex called. "I'll draw twice! With that, I use the effect of Adreus to destroy Souza!"

"Souza!" Seiran gaped as her monster was destroyed.

"The token monster and Adreus should be enough to take care of Faultroll and Hyunlei respectively," Rex smirked as the two made short work of the remaining warriors.

"Trap card, Gottoms' Emergency Orders!" Seiran fiercely declared. "I'll revive Darksoul and Fulhelmknight! Fulhelmknight will negate the attack of the token!"

Seiran: LP 7900 → LP 7600

Rex: LP 5000

"Gorz, attack Fulhelmknight!" Rex called. The warrior kneeling was taken by surprise and killed. "Turn end with a set card," Rex sourly replied.

"I draw!" Seiran called. "I have Faultroll and Darksoul on the field... I summon from my hand the tuner monster, X-Saber Airbellum [1600/200] to the field. Tuning, level three Airbellum to level six Faultroll! Within the deepest darkness, even the sword of justice will spark! Where the scales cannot reach, the sword will! Fight, XX-Saber Gottoms!"

The red-cloaked warrior [3100/2600] appeared, giving a great battle cry.

"I activate the Trap card, Horn of the Phantom Beast!" Seiran called as horns appeared on her warrior's helmet [3100/2600 → 3900/2600]. "And I play the Spell, Pot of Avarice. I'll return Faultroll, Hyunlei, Souza, Fulhelmknight and Airbellum to the deck, and draw two cards."

Seiran tensed as she drew, and Rex swallowed as she smirked. Seiran scowled. "Gottoms, turn his Adreus into mincemeat!"

Gottoms raised his sword and let it fall, and the fiend screamed as it shattered.

Rex: LP 5000 → LP 3700

Seiran: LP 7600

"Thanks to Horn, I draw a card," Seiran glanced at the card. "I set another card, turn end."

"Draw!" Rex bellowed. "I activate the Spell, Card of Demise! I shall draw until I have five cards!"

Seiran stiffened, grimacing. "But it is rather late. Not only are you down to barely half your life points, I have control of the board. I will not make it easy for you."

"Latinum, Exarch of Dark World [1500/2400] is special summoned," Rex declared. "Now, I summon Chain Resonator [100/100]. When my opponent controls a Synchro monster when Chain Resonator is normal summoned, I can special summon from my deck another Resonator tuner monster from my deck, such as Force Resonator [500/500]. Now I activate the Continuous Trap Dark Smog, to discard a card from my hand and banish Darksoul from the graveyard."

Seiran bared her teeth as she pocketed the card. "Then? So you have three tuner monsters. But unless you have something to help them survive, I doubt you can do anything!"

"The discarded Latinum, Exarch of Dark World [1500/2400] is surprisingly useful," Rex answered as the dark fiend arose. "Tuning, level six Latinum to level one Chain Resonator. The star of death that shines at the zenith of the heavens. Descend to the Earth and make judgement upon the living! Synchro summon! The unforgiving, Dark Highlander!"

In a breath, the white-armoured grim reaper [2800/2300] had appeared.

"The effect of Dark Highlander!" Rex called. "Once per turn, by choosing one monster equipped with an equipped card, and destroy all equip cards and inflict four hundred damage to my opponent for each card destroyed."

"What?" Seiran lividly glared.

"But, before that happens, I'll equip Gottoms with Big Bang Shot," Rex called, and Gottoms moaned as his armour suddenly grew tainted. "Your effect, Dark Highlander!"

The grim reaper raised one arm, and the scythe cut swift and true to shatter the arms of the commander [3900/2600 → 3100/2600].

Seiran: LP 7600 → LP 6800

Rex: LP 3700

"And that's not even with the effect of Big Bang Shot," Rex continued. "Because of Gottoms..."

Seiran paled as Gottoms glowed, and vanished from the field. "No..."

"Gottoms is removed from play," Rex finished.

From the booth, Chase stared at the field nervously. "Well, Rex managed to break out his own monster, and get rid of two troublesome monsters, but..."

"Not yet," Ryuusei shook his head. "Dark Highlander is a troublesome presence for a deck that relies on Synchro summons as much as Seiran's deck. With this, Rex has managed to cut off access to the more powerful X-Sabers that Seiran can get to."

Up on the stage, Rex scanned the field, finding nothing truly amiss. "I tribute Force Resonator to grant my Highlander effect immunity for the turn. Dark Highlander, attack Darksoul!"

Seiran: LP 6800 → LP 5300

Rex: LP 3700

"Gorz, Emissary Token," Rex indicated as his two monsters dived. "Attack directly!"

Seiran: LP 5300 → LP 100

Rex: LP 3700

"I'll set a card, turn end," Rex did not look pleased.

"End phase, I get to search for an X-Saber, such as Galahad, and add it to hand. I draw!" Seiran declared. "I summon X-Saber Galahad [1800/800] to the field. Now, I play the Field Spell, Saber Vault. All X-Saber monsters gain one hundred times their level in attack power, and lose one hundred times their level in defence power [1800/800 → 2200/400]. With that, I play the Equip Spell, United We Stand [2200/400 → 3000/400] on Galahad. Next, I shall play the Spell, Card of Variation. I activate two more Equip Spells, Mage Power and Shooting Star Bow – Ceal on Galahad."

"Shooting Star Bow?" Chase stiffened. "But... then Galahad's power would decrease..."

"Mage Power increases the attack power of Galahad by two thousand," Seiran tonelessly declared as the knight loomed, swinging its various weapons [3000/400 → 5000/400]. "Shooting Star Bow will decrease the attack power of Galahad by one thousand [5000/400 → 4000/400], but grant it the ability to attack directly."

"A- Attack directly?" Rex mouthed in disbelief.

"Taste the pride of my knights, and remember it," Seiran slowly raised a hand to point. "Go, Galahad! When Galahad is attacking, it gains three hundred attack power during the damage step only. Strike true!"

The string drawn taut, the knight aimed and fired. Rex staggered back as the arrow struck, clutching at his midriff.

Rex: LP 3700 → LP 0

Seiran: LP 100 → LP 0

"Huh?" Rex blinked. "But..."

"This is the price for using Card of Variation," Seiran quietly informed him. "If I have no cards to discard by the end phase, I will take three thousand damage. But, the first duel will have come to a draw."

"W- Why?" Rex shook his head. "This..."

"Because we are proud creatures," Seiran quietly replied. "And it is Halloween. Something will happen."

"Huh?" Rex gaped as she turned and walked off.

"Did you have to tell them?" Michiru crossly folded her arms as she glared at Seiran.

"I did what I had to," Seiran defended. "And it is true. Is it not, Setsuka?"

"Ah," Setsuka did not meet her eye. "Michiru. Your turn."

"I'll do you proud, Setsuka~!" Michiru bounded on stage at the same time as Chase stepped up.

"We have a surprise! Seiran and Rex has managed to tie the first round! It depends on Michiru and Chase to break this deadlock with a clean field!"

"Duel!" both yelled.

Michiru: LP 8000

Chase: LP 8000

"Che," Chase stared at his cards and at the Lara Croft doppelgänger across him. "I got a really bad feeling about this..."

Still smiling, Michiru lifted one hand and blew a kiss. "Draw! How d'you feel about refreshing your hand?"

"If you're saying what I'm saying..." Chase considered. "Whatever."

"Card Destruction," Michiru opened, and all was silent for a few moments as they discarded and drew. "Of course, my deck isn't so easy..."

"Crap," Chase swore creatively when two, three little winged monsters appeared.

"The Fabled Cerburrel [1000/400] will special summon itself when discarded," Michiru negligently indicated the three-headed dog. "And so will Fabled Lurrie [200/400]. Fabled Krus will revive The Fabled Chawa [200/100] which was discarded with her. With that done, I send Fabled Grimro from my hand to the graveyard to search for another Fabled monster, such as Fabled Raven. I summon the tuner monster, Fabled Raven [1300/1000]."

Rex gave a long whistle. "Four monsters already. This Michiru really doesn't mess around, does she?"

"I set two cards, and discard two cards to use the effect of Raven," Michiru answered. "The Fabled Ganashia [1600/1000 → 1800/1000] is special summoned to the field. Tuning, level one Lurrie, level one Chawa to level two Cerburrel. Legends long hidden by the con of man, lead the charge to reveal yourself in light! Synchro Summon! Charge, The Fabled Unicore!"

Hooves clipped onto asphalt as the mythical horse creature [2300/1000] galloped next to its mistress. Its eyes gleamed red under the armoured skull, where the single spiked horn was placed in the very centre of its forehead. The armour it wore was light and bronzed and ochre, stark against a pure white coat which was hairy as opposed to anything else. It was a creature of beauty... and a herald of something more.

"W- What on e- earth-" the MC choked. The crowds gasped.

In the booth, Rex nearly dropped his drink all over Calcifer. Ryuusei stood very still.

Seiran's blue eyes were wide. "W- What is that?"

In the stands, various gasps were heard. Kiyomi swallowed. "Legends long hidden by the con of man... lead the charge to reveal yourself in light..."

"W- What?" Alexianna stared.

It was a complete battlefield. Of course, the average person would have seen at least one battlefield in their life through newsreels and movies. Miles and miles, smoke-haunted no-man's-land strung with muddy, rusty barbed wire, and lined with clear lines where the divide between sides would be. A pall of smoke that turned the moon overhead into a shrouded orb, almost smoky quartz.

The movies never covered all the senses. A constant rumble in the sky, thunder born of violence, and there was everywhere the smell of faeces and death. Where the unicorn charged, the stadium began fading, loosely transforming into a land made of dust and mud and loose shale. Covered in hillocks and steep gullies, and the only plants grew barbs, thorns or stingers. Though the land was lit, the sky was as black as Setsuka's conscience, without a single star or speck of light to be seen – and it was an overwhelming sky, the likes of which were never seen in Neo Domino itself.

"The true nature of the stadiums, where the careers and lives of Duelists are made," Setsuka whispered, her eyes glowing blue-green in the relative dimness of night. "Halloween... is where the barriers between worlds are at their weakest. Allhallows' Eve comes, and with them, the time of change... and truth. The material and the spiritual mould tonight, on Halloween night... this very stadium, the centre of battle between Signer, Dark Signer, Duelists... all of them see it."

Beside the panicking Alexianna, Takeshi's left eye flickered as he swallowed. "Those... aren't shale."

Those layers and mounds of shale? They were bones. Millions and millions and millions of bones, some stained with blood, some polished white as stone, some definitely broken, and all of them, human and non-human alike, were certainly once alive.

Negligently, the unicorn tossed its mane and neighed.

Cue the screams.

There was a stampede, as people rushed for the exits and entrances alike, all of them panicking. The rabble of crowds rushing to put themselves as far away from the metaphorical battlefield as far as possible placed many Duelists behind. Overhead, the clouds rumbled. Rain sleeted down, and thunder seemed to shake the ground. The MC was yelling out evacuation instructions, even as he was also stampeding out, away from the grisly sight that was the stadium after what Michiru had done to it. Later, there would be conflicting reports of gas leaks, hallucinogens, the excitement of the crowds, and a new stadium built and this one knocked down and the earth seeded with salt just as a precaution, but it was no matter, for the fight was here, and the fight was now.

Ryuusei whirled out to face Setsuka across the stadium. "What did you do!"

Setsuka's beautiful features were calm, but her eyes shone blue-green with malice as the storm began in earnest. "What value has life when it is so easily kept? Harbinger, longest shadow, darkest dream! This is Halloween, where the ghosts walk amongst the living! This is our battlefield, this is our ring of combat! And the Stygian Dirge will play for those who have lost, for neither can live while the other survives!"

He saw it. Winter's nature was beautiful violence, stark clarity, the most feral needs and animal desires and killer instincts pitted against the season of cold and death. That savagery was never meant for a world of grocery stores and electric blankets and peaceable assembly. Not for mortals in their soft, controlled world. Not for mortals with nothing but each other to care about, to perceive danger from, who had forgotten why they should fear the fangs and claws, the cold and the dark.

He understood.

Winds howled, thunder lashed out, and Ryuusei bounded up as she gave an inviting wink and ran out and up the steps, past the stands, to the highest points where it would all end.

Yes, the end is coming. Please review!