Chapter 33 – A True Synchro User
Tanion felt the door shut with a soft click. Steadying his breath, he released his grip on the door and turn around to the awaiting. Just stall her. You can do that. Huffing in an attempt to psyche himself up, he walked up the last few steps and found himself on the roof of the building. There was surprisingly little wind at the top, and as he looked down over the battlefield below, he could see that the reinforcements from Eravand were on the cusp of joining the fray. With the soldiers undoubtedly already running on empty, Tanion felt certain that it wouldn't take long for the fighting below to end one way or the other.
"The fight will soon end," a voice came from behind him. "Even the likes of Jack Atlas can't fight forever."
He didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to him. Instead, Irene joined him near the edge of the building, glancing over the battlefield. A quick glance in her direction was all Tanion needed to see that the woman seemed to have aged since they had last met, the small amount of greys in her hair and the slight wrinkle to her skin giving it away.
"You were sent here to stall me, correct?" Irene asked him, to which Tanion nodded. "I thought as much. It seems that your friends will be thoroughly disappointed when they find out that this machine cannot be stopped."
"We will find a way," Tanion said adamantly.
Irene chuckled slightly. "We?" she asked as she began to walk back toward the pillar that rose a good fifteen metres about the rooftop. "You're an outsider, Tanion. Always have been."
"I'm a part of the Coalition," he replied. "I was an outsider before, but they came to me for help, and I agreed to it so long as they protected my family."
"You're no more a part of the Coalition than you are a part of this world," Irene said. "You're a tool that they've used to further their own goals. A soldier. A weapon."
"What's your point, Irene?" Tanion asked.
Irene huffed slightly, almost impressed by his attitude. "My point is that I am giving you an opportunity to walk away from all of this," she said, before pulling something out of her pocket. "You know what this is, don't you?"
"That's… that's exactly like the stone that brought me here," Tanion realised.
"Correct, and it's one that I engineered solely for this eventuation," Irene revealed. "The Coalition brought you here because you agreed to keep your family safe from my organisation. I'm going to offer you a way out. Take this stone and leave. We won't come after you, we won't bother you again. You are free to go back to your own life."
"I…"
Tanion was surprised by how much he wanted to believe it. It sounded perfect, a way for him to escape the horrors that were happening around him. But there was still something he didn't trust about Irene, undoubtedly born from the fact that she was the leader of the Grand Order. But as he thought further, it was more than that. I haven't been in this world for a long time, but the people that I've met… I can't just abandon them. I won't ever forgive myself if I abandon them to a fate that they never deserved. As much as he wanted to return to his family, he had made a promise when he had agreed to come to this world, and he wasn't about to break that promise.
"I came here for a reason, and that reason was to help the Coalition in its fight against the Grand Order," Tanion stated, readying his duel disk. "I will fulfil that duty, for all the people who are trusting me to do so."
Much to his surprise, Irene began to smile. "Good," she whispered, dropping the stone and crushing it beneath her boot. "I was hoping you'd say that."
"What? Why?" Tanion asked warily.
"I haven't forgotten what you did in Eravand," Irene said, readying her duel disk. "I offered you a way out just in case you had lost the will to fight, but I can see that is not the case, and I am so glad that it's not."
I have a bad feeling about this… "We will find a way to stop this, Irene."
The woman licked her lips. "I'd like to see you try."
DUEL!
"I'll start proceedings then, shall I?" Irene said happily. "From my hand, I summon the Tuner monster Elemental Entity of the Aqua! (Lvl:4/ATK:1500/DEF:1500)."
"A Synchro Summon on the first turn then," Tanion whispered to himself as a humanoid figure made of water appeared on her field. And she can use XYZ…
"Then, I can special summon this card from my hand since I control an 'Elemental Entity' monster," Irene continued. "Appear, Elemental Entity of the Wind! (Lvl:3/ATK:1000/DEF:1000)."
"A Level 7…"
"Aqua's monster effect activates!" Irene proclaimed to Tanion's surprise. "Once per turn, I can increase or decrease the level of an 'Elemental Entity' monster on my field by 1. I choose to raise Wind's level to 4!"
"Wait, an XYZ?!" Tanion exclaimed. "But that means –"
"I Overlay my Level 4 Aqua and Level 4 Wind!" Irene proclaimed, clutching her chest in pain as she did so. "XYZ Summon! Appear before us now, Rank 4! Nebulae Elemental Entity! (ATK:2200/DEF:2200)."
"Irene… why would you do that?" Tanion wondered in amazement as the monster appeared on her field. "I can see what has happened to you. XYZ Summoning takes away your life, probably because there's no XYZ Energy in this world. So why would you do this to yourself?"
Irene smirked as more of her hair turned grey, her skin wrinkling slightly more. "Two reasons, and two reasons only," she huffed, breathing heavily from the effort but recovering quickly. "For one, you stole away Yusei and Jorann from me after Seto and I defeated them. The things we could've learned from them… I've had a hatred for you ever since. But, once this machine fires, XYZ Energy will pour through from my home world and I will be rejuvenated, my energy and my life returned."
"Even if that's the case, why would you willingly do this to yourself?" Tanion asked in confusion.
"Because I've never been able to use my full strength in this world, but now, with my hour of victory at hand…" Irene trailed off as she laughed to herself. "I'm going to use every ounce of my strength destroying the person who stole Yusei from me! Nebulae's monster effect activates! When it is XYZ Summoned, I can randomly send one card from your hand to the graveyard!"
"Yusei must have meant more to you than information if what you're saying is true," Tanion protested as he discarded the card furthest on the right in his hand. "You wouldn't get this worked up over me saving him if all you wanted was information."
Irene sighed. "You're too smart for your own good, outsider," she spat. "Yusei was a thorn in my side from the very beginning. Even after we thought we had killed him, it only turned him into a martyr. Expected that one, but he needed to die. Turns out my men are more inept than I thought. But when we learned of Theta and I learned that Yusei was alive… I wanted him to be mine so badly."
"I'm sorry, what?" Tanion coughed in disgust.
"He was always getting in the way, and I was so looking forward to torturing him in every way possible for information… and pleasure," Irene replied. "We filmed Akiza's death for just so an occasion you know. But now, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to watch him see that!"
"You… filmed Akiza's death?" Tanion whispered, his fist balling involuntarily. "That's… I have no words..."
"Good thing I have some then, you thief!" Irene shrieked. "Nebulae's monster effect activates! By discarding one card and detaching one XYZ Material, I can add one 'Rank-Up-Magic' card from my deck to my hand!"
"Rank-Up-Magic," Tanion whispered. "You intend to go into Void?"
Irene grinned. "I set three cards face-down. Turn over!"
Irene – 4000 LP
Tanion – 4000 LP
Deep breaths… now is not the time to lost your temper. She will get what's coming to her soon enough. After taking his own advice, Tanion assessed the situation. He knew that one of the face-downs had to be the Rank-Up-Magic as Irene's hand was empty, and he presumed that it had to be a Quick-Play if she intended on using it on his turn. If I recall correctly, Void destroys a monster on summon, so that has to be what she is going for, meaning I have to try and bait out the effect before I summon a monster. Glancing at his hand, he could see that he had the ability to, but it was going to require some luck. This can work since Void misses timing if it's summon isn't the last thing to happen in the chain… Deck, if you can hear me, I could use a helping hand right about now…
"My turn!" Tanion proclaimed, drawing a card. "Since I control no cards, I can activate the spell card Advent of the Knight, and it's first effect allows me to destroy one card in your Spell and Trap zone, and I choose… the one on the far right!"
Irene gasped. "Are you… I activate the Quick-Play spell, Rank-Up-Magic Elemental Expanse!" she said angrily, revealing the card Tanion had targeted. "This card allows me to use an 'Elemental Entity' XYZ monster as material to summon an 'Elemental Entity' XYZ monster that's either 1 or 2 Ranks higher! Therefore, using Nebulae Elemental Entity as material, I… I rebuild the Overlay Network! Power of the elements, be consumed by the ever-growing darkness and transform into a new power! Bend reality to your will and rise above all! Rank-Up XYZ Change! Appear before us now, Rank 6! Void Elemental Entity! (ATK:2800/DEF:2800)."
"I knew it," Tanion whispered. "Advent of the Knight's second effect now activates, allowing me to summon a 'Knight' monster from my hand! Appear before us now, Knight Protector! (Lvl:3/ATK:0/DEF:2100). And since your monsters' summon wasn't the last event to happen in the chain, you can't activate it's on summon effect!"
"Stupid fucking wording…" Irene grimaced in pain, Tanion noting that she looked like she had aged 10 years thanks to the last summoning. Her hair was nearing full greyness, and her skin was beginning to whiten from the age. "What are you looking at?"
"You used to look around the same age as my mother, but now you look closer to her mother," Tanion commented. "How can you be okay with doing this to yourself?"
"I already told you, you blithering idiot," Irene spat.
"You've gone crazy over this," Tanion muttered. "I won't allow this to continue any longer. From my hand, I activate the effect of Jester Knight! Since I control only one 'Knight' monster, I can special summon him from my hand! Appear, the Tuner monster, Jester Knight! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:0). And then, I normal summon Soldier of the Knight from my hand! (Lvl:4/ATK:1300/DEF:1300)."
"Synchro versus XYZ… I suppose it is only natural," Irene muttered, coughing slightly.
"I tune my Level 4 Soldier and my Level 3 Protector to my Level 1 Jester!" Tanion proclaimed. "Synchro Summon! Appear before us now, Level 8! Royal Knight! (ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
"I remember you," Irene said venomously to the monster. "You were the main reason they escaped, weren't you?"
"Knight Protector's monster effect activates!" Tanion proclaimed. "Since he was used for the Synchro Summon of a 'Knight' monster, I can add one 'Divine Blade' or 'Knight' card from my deck to my hand, and I choose Divine Blade Runix! I then equip this spell to Royal Knight, raising his ATK to 3000 and making him immune to all other card effects!"
"Don't think this is the end for my XYZ monsters, Tanion!" Irene vowed, knowing what was coming.
"I thought as much, but that doesn't mean I can't try! Royal Knight, attack Void Elemental Entity! Sacred Blade!"
Although he was happy that he had gotten the first damage in, Tanion was fully aware that there was still a long way to go in the duel. Irene's penetrating gaze was still locked on him through the dust, and once it has settled he could see that despite the effects of the XYZ Summons she was still as determined as ever. We just want you to keep her busy until we can join you. Yugi's words echoed in his mind. He knew that all he had to do was to keep her in the duel, stall until they could arrive and stop the machine. I feel as though it's not long now until the machine fires, he thought to himself. They can't be far away. I just have to keep Irene busy until they get here…
"I set one card face-down!" Tanion announced, emptying his hand. "Turn over!"
Irene – 3800 LP
Tanion – 4000 LP
"You think it's gone that easily, Tanion? My turn!" Irene shouted, drawing a card. "I activate the trap card XYZ Reborn, which allows me to revive Void from the graveyard. Arise, Void Elemental Entity! (Rnk:6/ATK:2800/DEF:2800)."
"Revive it all you want; Royal Knight will just destroy it again!" Tanion said defiantly.
"I activate the effect of the Rank-Up-Magic Elemental Expanse in my graveyard!" Irene proclaimed. "By discarding one 'Elemental' spell card, I can return it to my hand. Therefore, I discard the spell card Elemental Call to add it back to my hand!"
"You're planning to Rank-Up again?" Tanion whispered. She's going to kill herself at this rate…
"Of course!" Irene said malevolently. "I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Elemental Expanse, targeting Void! This allows me to summon an 'Elemental Entity' XYZ monster from my Extra Deck that is up to 2 Ranks higher! Oh, great abyss of space, take upon a new strength as you absorb the power of solar systems to fuel your onward march! Rank… Rank-Up XYZ Change! Appear, Rank 8! Galactic Elemental Entity! (ATK:3400/DEF:3400)."
As the void reappeared from the Overlay Network, Tanion could see the galaxies now swirling ever so slowly within its humanoid form. Not only had it gained height, now standing far taller than Irene herself, but its stats had also grown with it. However, Tanion's eyes were then diverted as Irene slumped to the ground, clutching at her chest as more years seemed to disappear before his very eyes.
"Irene, stop this!" Tanion pleaded. "What you're doing is idiotic. If we stop you then you won't be revived. Are you seriously going to continue risking that?"
"Not only can you not stop us, but I'm going to use all of my strength to destroy you, thief!" Irene shrieked, echoing her words from earlier. "Galactic's monster effect activates! If it is XYZ Summoned, I gain life equal to half the ATK of one monster on your field, and since you only have Royal Knight…"
"You gain 1500 Life Points," Tanion whispered as Irene's Life Point meter went up to 5300. Now she's going to be even harder to slow down…
"Battle! Galactic Elemental Entity, attack his Royal Knight!" Irene commanded, her voice as strong as ever despite her aging body. "Supernova Shockwave!"
Dammit. "I activate the trap card Knight Bulwark, meaning Royal Knight cannot be destroyed this turn!" Tanion countered.
Irene simply grinned. "But you still take the damage."
Tanion weathered the blow along with Royal Knight, who was left unharmed by the attack. "I'll take whatever you throw at me, Irene," Tanion vowed. "I will fulfil the promise I made to the Resistance."
"We'll see about that," Irene muttered. "Turn over!"
Irene – 5300 LP
Tanion – 3600 LP
"I'll find a way, Irene, I swear it. My turn!" Tanion announced, drawing a card.
"Do you still not get it, after all this time?" Irene asked him, cradling the duel disk slightly on her aged arm. "This machine cannot be destroyed. At this point, even I have no way of shutting it down. In… eight minutes from now, the machine will fire, spewing the Duel Energy we've collected over the past five years into the void between this world and my home, and then the bridge will be formed and this world will be born anew. Do you really think that an outsider like you, who can't even stand up to those I've crushed beneath my boot, has any say in what happens here today? You don't even have anything to fight my Galactic Elemental Entity, do you?"
Tanion glanced at his hand to see Magical Knight Merlin looking back. "I…"
"You see? Give up, outsider!" Irene commanded. "Those who you came here with cannot stop this machine either. You think we would build it in such a way that it can be stopped? The machinery destroyed, the process aborted? The real world isn't a fairy tale, boy. Miracles like that don't happen!"
"They will find a way!" Tanion protested vainly. "The likes of Yusei, Jaden, Yugi… they've been in worse situations than this, and when they get here they will find a way to stop this. And if there isn't, then they'll make one!"
"And what if they don't get here at all?" Irene pondered, glancing at her watch. "Six minutes…"
For that, Tanion had no answer. "I activate Royal Knight's monster effect! I can destroy one monster on your side of the field and inflict half of its ATK to you as damage!"
"Galactic Elemental Entity cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Irene countered. "What now, Tanion? Without your monster's ability, it's ATK points simply aren't high enough to get over my monster, and judging from your reaction to the card in your hand earlier…"
"I… I switch Royal Knight to DEF mode (2000)," Tanion muttered defeatedly. "Turn over."
Irene – 5300 LP
Tanion – 3600 LP
"My turn!" Irene proclaimed, drawing a card. "Tanion! I will show you just how useless this 'fight' of yours truly is! I activate the spell card Will of the Elementals! Since I control an 'Elemental Entity' XYZ monster, I can return one 'Elemental' spell card to my hand and one 'Elemental Entity' monster to the deck from my graveyard! Therefore, I return Elemental Expanse to my hand and Void to my Extra Deck, and then Will's last ability allows me to draw another card!"
"So much recovery off a single card…" Tanion whispered, feeling his hope fading fast. "Don't tell me though, another Rank-Up…"
"I will show you my full strength here and now!" Irene cried, activating the Rank-Up-Magic once again. "By using Galactic Elemental Entity as material, I… I rebuild the Overlay Network for the final time! Light from the beginning of time and space, transcend the will of the universe and descend before us to rebuild this world anew! Rank-Up XYZ Change! A…appear, Rank 10! Elemental Entity of Creation! (ATK:4000/DEF:4000)."
The light from the monster appeared before it did. Humanoid like all the other Elemental Entities before it, this one took on the colour of a pure white light, one that was initially too bright for him to even look at. However, he quickly noted the faltering body behind the new arrival to the field, and he could see that Irene was in a bad way.
"I… may have underestimated how much energy that would require," the woman admitted as her white hair began to thin and her body began to sag. "But I'll soon be revived, and it'll all be worth it… Elemental Entity of Creation's monster effect activates! If this monster is XYZ Summoned, you're Life Points are halved and I gain that amount! Equilibrium!"
Tanion cried out in pain as he felt something get ripped from his chest as he Life Points dropped to 1800, something he soon identified as his Duel Energy. Looking over at Irene as her Life Points rose to 7100, he could see that her eyes were perkier than they had been before, but her body had seeming not physically recovered at all despite that. Did that monster just take my Duel Energy from me? What the hell…
"Elemental Entity of Creation cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects, and should you try and destroy it by battle, I can simply banish one 'Elemental Entity' monster from my graveyard," Irene stated. "Not only that, but from my next turn onward, I can summon one 'Elemental Entity' from either my graveyard, deck or Extra Deck once per turn via its effect."
"Why tell me all this?" Tanion asked her.
"So that you know how hopeless this situation is," Irene told him. "The Three aren't coming for you. Even if they've bested Seto and the Twin Commanders, there's nothing that they can do. As for you… you're at my mercy now. I activate another spell card, Elemental Rage! This turn, Elemental Entity of Creation deals piercing damage, but all damage you take is halved."
"But with 4000 ATK, that's still 1000 points of damage," Tanion whispered.
"Exactly," Irene said with a sickening smile. "Battle! Elemental Entity of Creation, attack Royal Knight! Ray of the Beginning and End!"
Tanion cried out in pain as the beam of pure white light burst through Royal Knight will ease and surrounded him, not pushing him back but rather engulfing him in its pain and torment. The next thing he knew he was staring straight up at the sky, his head heavy and his arms by his side, although his right one felt numb. Did I black out? Struggling to one knee, he realised he must have landed on his right arm on the way down. It was the only thing that could explain the pain that was now shooting up from my wrist. Must've done something to it when I fell…
"Your Royal Knight is gone, Tanion," Irene said seriously. "You have 800 Life Points to my 7100. I have Creation, you have nothing. Do you now realise the futility of your situation?"
"Where… where are The Three?" Tanion managed to say. "Have they come?"
"They are not here," Irene stated, before glancing at her watch once more. "And they'll never have the chance to either."
"Argh… Divine Blade Runix's other effect activates," Tanion panted, managing to stand. "When it is sent to the graveyard, I can draw one card from my deck."
Irene huffed once. "Draw all the cards you want, for your fight is now over," she said, glancing at her watch again.
"What do you mean?" Tanion asked nervously.
His answer came barely a moment after, as the pillar behind Irene changed as Duel Energy began to surge through it and then high into the sky and into the void above. Tanion couldn't believe his eyes as he realised what he was witnessing, and his left hand balled into a fist in anger and rage. The machine has fired… The air became thick with Duel Energy, just as it had been during Darrien's expedition. However, this Duel Energy felt different. Not sentient in the same that the Fusion Energy had been, but it almost felt… angry. Tanion could feel it on his fingertips. How can Duel Energy be angry if it isn't sentient?
"Welcome to a new world, Tanion!" Irene proclaimed over the roar of the Energy. "Our plan is finally complete!"
And then it hit him. This Duel Energy was gathered by the Grand Order over the years from imprisoned Synchro Users and others. All their hatred for their condition, all their hatred and loathing for the Grand Order… it stayed with their Duel Energy even after it had been harvested. I can feel it… that basic instinct, that hatred… Tanion steeled himself as he faced Irene. My deck, my cards… I know you can hear me, and I know that you can feel the pain of the thousands of souls that were used to power this machine. Help me use their strength. Help me find a way to push through this and find a path…
Much to Tanion's relief and Irene's shock, a tendril of energy began to peel off from the sky beam and made its way slowly over to Tanion himself. Reaching his right hand up to it, he felt the energy enter his body and rejuvenate him, his body tingling and warming from the sheer amount of Duel Energy that was now flowing through him. Souls of those captured by the Grand Order… if you can hear me, I offer you a new home. Come to me, and help me defeat Irene. Help me defeat the Grand Order. Even though he had doubts that it would work, Tanion knew that now was not the time for doubt. Jorann's word echoed through his mind. Our bond with our monsters is what gives us our strength, and from that strength comes our ability to become one with our cards, for the trust either way to become absolute between us. Tanion allowed himself a slight smile. My cards, please… show me a new path.
"What… what is happening?!" Irene shrieked as more of the Duel Energy began to veer away from the pillar and towards Tanion, now split half and half between the sky and the boy. "How can you be absorbing so much Duel Energy?!"
"I'll show you, Irene, the strength of those you thought you had vanquished," Tanion bellowed as his body began to glow white, his eyes also fading to white. "I will harbour the anguish of all those you've harmed and tortured over the years, and I will turn that back on you here and now. My turn!"
Irene – 7100 LP
Tanion – 800 LP
"From my graveyard, I banish the trap card Castle of the Knights, the one you sent there at the beginning of the duel!" Tanion said confidently after drawing a card. "This allows me to revive Royal Knight from my graveyard with his effects negated. Appear, my faithful servant! (Lvl:8/ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
"How can this be happening?!" Irene screamed, her eyes firmly on the split pillar of light behind her. "Why is it splitting off? What is…"
"I activate the spell card Revival of the Knight, allowing me to summon a 'Knight' monster from my graveyard by taking its ATK as damage," Tanion continued. "I choose to revive the Tuner monster, Jester Knight (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:0) and due to its ATK, I take no damage!"
Irene turned to him then. "You can't absorb all of the Duel Energy I've obtained!" she screeched desperately, even as more of the pillar began to bend toward him. "I don't know how you're doing this, but there's no way you can do this on your own!"
"I'm not!" Tanion bellowed. "This is the will of all those you imprisoned, all those you stole from their families and kept as siphons for this machine. Irene, I can feel their pain in the Duel Energy that now surrounds us. I can hear their haunting screams, I can hear the cries of their families as he stole them away. I do this not for myself, but for the world that you've torn apart in fear! From my hand, I summon Magical Knight Merlin! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:1800). I now tune my Level 1 Merlin to my Level 1 Jester! Synchro Summon! Appear, the Synchro Tuner! High Enchanter of the Knight! (Lvl:2/ATK:600/DEF:600)."
This card… Tanion could feel the energy within him growing stronger, his chest burning hotter and hotter as the Duel Energy that Irene had captured came to him instead of being fired into the void. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the anger that he could feel coming from the Duel Energy that continued to surge into his body. My deck, follow the will of those who have suffered and show me what I need to do. I put my trust in you…
"High Enchanter's monster effect activates, allowing me to add Divine Blade Opin from my deck to my hand! And now…" Tanion trailed off. Please, those that had Synchro Energy. Show me the way… "I tune my Level 8 Royal Knight to my Level 2 High Enchanter!"
"How are you doing this?!" Irene demanded.
"Tortured souls, embrace my offerings to you and further them on their path of righteousness! Enchant their blades with your suffering and grant the strength to fight the darkness!" Tanion bellowed, ignoring the pain in his right wrist as he raised his glowing hand to the sky. "Accel Synchro! Appear before us now, Level 10! Royal Paladin! (ATK:3300/DEF:2500)."
"This… this doesn't change a fucking thing!" Irene cried as the new white plated, gold laced knight appeared on Tanion's field. "My machine has still gone off. The bridge will be made!"
"Royal Paladin's monster effect activates! If it is Synchro Summoned, all your monster's ATK's become 0 and I gain life equal to half of the ATK lost."
Irene stopped. "But that means…"
"Creation loses all of its 4000 ATK and I gain 2000 Life Points!" Tanion proclaimed as his life returned to 2800.
"But that's still not enough to destroy me!" Irene said, regaining her composure. "I will revive Creation with its final effect and destroy you on the next turn. And then, all the Duel Energy you've stolen will be released and the bridge will be made!"
"There isn't going to be a next turn, for this Paladin is the weapon of not just myself, but of the Resistances and of the people you've wronged!" Tanion replied. "I activate Royal Paladin's monster effect! Since its always treated as a 'Knight' monster, I can equip Divine Blade Maglir from my deck to him via his effect! I then use Maglir's effect, returning Royal Knight from my graveyard to the Extra Deck in order for Royal Paladin to gain his ATK!"
"It's still not enough!" Irene shouted desperately.
"I activate the spell card Camaraderie of the Knights!" Tanion announced. "Royal Paladin gains 300 ATK for every 'Knight' card in my graveyard! Since I have Protector, Merlin, Jester, Soldier and High Enchanter in my graveyard, it gains 1500 ATK!"
"No way…" Irene whispered as Royal Paladin grew to 7300 ATK. "This can't be the end!"
"And now, for all the people you've persecuted, I activate my final card!" Tanion cried, allowing the anguish lurking within the Duel Energy he was absorbing to pour forth. "I equip Divine Blade Opin to Royal Paladin, and since you have over 2000 Life Points more than I do, Royal Paladin's ATK is doubled!"
"14… 14600 ATK…" Irene uttered in fear. "I… I…"
"Royal Paladin, attack Irene and end this duel!" Tanion ordered. "Assault of Torment!"
Royal Paladin raised Opin and Maglir high above its head as Duel Energy poured into him from both the pillar and Tanion. Irene made to run as Royal Paladin pulled them down across his body in a diagonal swipe, cutting through Irene's Elemental Entity and sending her flying into the pillar, thumping into it with a sickening crunch before flopping to the ground. The attack continued through the floor however, tearing through the metal as if it were butter. However, once the attack was over and Royal Paladin was gone, Tanion could see that the pillar was still standing.
"Then there's one thing left to do," he muttered to himself.
Walking around the hole in the roof and up to the pillar, he could see that the spire of light was beginning to falter as more of the Duel Energy was being drawn into his body by the base instincts of the Duel Energy than what was left of the pillar of light itself. As he reached the pillar, he could see Irene's mangled old body to his right. She appeared to be alive, but he had no idea how much longer that would be the case. Turning back to the pillar, he knew what he had to do. I must have absorbed a huge amount of Duel Energy already, and yet… I don't feel as if I'm pushing any boundaries. Perhaps this is why I came through from home. Wasn't that the thing with this world? Destiny and whatnot? Tanion allowed himself a slight smile once more. What a weird world.
Placing one hand on the pillar, Tanion grimaced in pain as the Duel Energy immediately reacted to his touch, surging into his body far faster than before. Come to me, tortured souls. Myself, my deck… we will relieve you of your pain. And so, just as Yusei, Jaden and Yugi made it to the rooftop, Tanion became engulfed in the white light of the Duel Energy, and then his world faded into nothing.
Coming Soon - Aftermath
Just a quick note from me about the climax of the chapter. If anyone is confused as to how Tanion is able to do what he did in this chapter, refer back to the end of Chapter 21. Your answer is there. Anyway, I hope to see you all in the next chapter!