So before the chapter begins, I'd just like to apologise for the long break between chapters. Life has been rather busy lately and so I've been focussed more on that than my fics. However, just as it is with the others I am writing, I will always continue to support them, no matter if a new chapter is out in a day or a month or even longer. Also, for this chapter, some readers may note that the effects of some cards are actually their anime effects rather than their IRL counterparts. This has been done deliberately to help psuh the duel onwards. In any case, thats enough from me. Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 37 – Stand of The Three
The sound of rotor wings beating incessantly brought Jorann pack to consciousness. Eyes flicking open instantly, he made to stand but his left leg collapsed underneath him, pain shooting up the length of his body and causing him to grunt in anguish. Broken. With a dull, continuous throb coming from his leg, which he could now see was bent diagonally from the knee downward, Jorann forced himself to ignore the pain as best he could while pulling himself up to a nearby rock to lean against. As the sound that he had now identified as another troop transport began to descend, he could see the pilot from before directing it into land, but more importantly, he could see that the one Tanion and the pilot had been on before was still in the area. Does that mean he's still in the area…?
As the transport came into land, Jorann realised that he saw a familiar face standing in the open doorway. Elise, now with her right arm in a sling. Although she was slightly paler than normal, she looked in much better condition than she had been previously. Behind her stood Darrien, who seemed to also be alright despite the bruising to his ribs that he had suffered at Tanion's hands. However, Jorann couldn't help but wonder why they were even here. You should be resting…
"Doc, we've got an injured!" Jorann heard Elise call as the transport landed and the blades began to power down. "Broken leg at the very least!"
"Elise, Darrien, what are you doing here?" Jorann rasped, surprised to find his throat as dry as it was.
"We couldn't sit around and do nothing," Elise told him. "Once we were patched up I had one of the pilots fly us out here along with what medical staff we could bring."
"What about Yugi and Yusei?"
"We're about an hour behind them," Darrien answered. "They should be arriving at Devils Lake as we speak."
"And Tanion?"
"Didn't see him when we flew in," Elise said. "The pilot reckoned he was gone when he woke, and that was around half an hour ago. He directed us here."
"He must have found another way to reach the lake," Jorann surmised. "We have to catch up. The Three are formidable, but Tanion is… he was toying with me."
"That's why we need to stop him," Elise said, offering him a hand. "Come on. Darrien and I can get you to the transport and then the medics can take a look at that leg of yours. I'm sure Jack will be pleased to see that you're alive."
"Jack's here as well?" Jorann asked, slightly surprised.
Darrien nodded slightly. "He wouldn't let us leave without him," he said. "He wants to see Tanion reigned in, just like the rest of us."
"You think The Three can do that?" Elise asked him.
Darrien simply shrugged his shoulders. "He defeated all of us without even trying. We can only wait and see."
"You've been quiet, Yugi."
"I've been thinking."
"About Tanion?"
"About the Gods."
The transport that Yusei and Yugi flew in was now closing in on Devils Lake. They had not heard from Jorann or any of the others since they had departed, and so they could only hope that Tanion had not reached his destination yet. Holding tightly onto the controls of the transport, Yusei glanced over at the bag on the seat next to him. To think that Seto had a miniaturised prototype of that room all ready to go…
"Do you think it'll work?" Yugi asked him, noticing the glance.
"The larger device worked incredibly well against Jorann and I," Yusei answered. "If he has truly been able to calibrate it specifically to Tanion's energy… It's possible. That's all I can say."
"But do you think it'll do its job?"
"There's only one way to find out," Yusei answered, before looking over his shoulder at Yugi, who was looking down at the ground. "Still haven't made up your mind?"
"No," Yugi admitted. "The Gods… I just can't bring myself to use them. I know you have a strong connection with your monsters, Yusei, but if you could feel what I can…"
"Yugi, no one will think less of you if you don't use them," Yusei assured him. "If your fearful of using the Gods, then we all know there must be a good reason for that. You were never one to make such claims for no reason, nor would you not utilise such power unless you felt that the consequences were too great for doing so."
Yugi smiled slightly. "Thank you, Yusei."
"We can defeat Tanion with our own strength," Yusei said. "If you don't think the Gods are worth it, then that's good enough for me."
A sudden gust of wind blew through the transport. Turning to see the source of the blast, Yusei saw a hole in the room open up, and through it stepped Jaden, waving a hand behind him as he did so in order to close the portal.
"You got my message, it seems," Yugi said.
"Yubel did, actually," Jaden replied. "But we had sensed something was wrong beforehand. Tanion has awoken, I'm guessing."
"We believe he's heading for Devils Lake," Yusei informed him as Jaden took a seat opposite Yugi. "If the disturbances we discovered in the Spirit World are linked to this like we suspect, then we believe he's trying to enter that world."
"This… isn't good," Jaden murmured. "I've taken him there before. He saw the castle that the Knights were inhabiting. If he's trying to head there again…"
"That's why we're here," Yugi said. "We won't let him."
"And the Gods?"
Yugi shook his head slightly. "We'll defeat him with our own strength."
The transport came into land on the island in the middle of the lake, Jaden directing Yusei towards the exact point where the barrier between the worlds was weakest. It was an unassuming location in a field near the centre of the island, but, much to their relief, not only was the barrier untouched according to Jaden, but Tanion was nowhere to be found. Yusei knew that this could've also meant that Devils Lake wasn't his target, but he doubted that they were wrong. Given the warning from Jaden and the fact that Tanion knows of this place thanks to Jorann… this must be it.
After landing the transport, Yusei disembarked along with Jaden and Yugi, duel disks ready in case Tanion was hiding somewhere. After establishing that they were alone, Jaden sat and began to meditate in order to allow Yubel to properly analyse the weakness in the veil between the worlds. Yugi also meditated in the hopes of finding Tanion amongst the Duel Energy of the world, leaving Yusei alone with his thoughts as he looked over the grasslands towards the lake around them. Such a quaint place. To think that a way into the Spirit World exists here… I suppose it makes sense. Glancing down at the bad that lay at his feet, Yusei hoped that Seto's work would yield results. Considering how easily Tanion had supposedly taken down the others, including Jack, he knew that they would need all the help they could get.
Yugi's eyes shot open. "He is coming."
Jaden responded immediately. "Yubel says the barrier is slowly getting weaker," he said, getting to his feet. "He must already be working to weaken the veil."
"Yugi, how much time do we have?" Yusei demanded.
"He's almost upon us," Yugi answered, raising his duel disk warily. "Prepare yourselves."
As if to answer Yugi's words, a speck of white appeared on the horizon, on the edge of the land that joined the end of the lake, the water separating the speck of white from the island. However, as the Three watched on, the speck launched itself into the air once more, and Yusei quickly realised what was happening. How can a Duel Monster jump so far? The speck began to grow as it flew through the air towards them, and eventually they were able to make out the details that they saw. The monster that Yusei knew to be Royal Knight was carrying Tanion on its shoulders, the two of them engulfed in white energy. The Three covered their faces as the monster smashed into the earth, the ground shaking beneath their feet from the impact. As the dust settled, Yusei noticed that the monster was gone, and all that stood before them now was Tanion, cloaked in Duel Energy. He could feel a pressure emanating from the boy's body, pressing against his own as if to try and force them away. Yusei gritted his teeth. How powerful are you, Tanion?
"Yusei, I've got the device," Jaden whispered to him, one hand behind his back and holding a sphere. "Distract him."
"You wish to fight me as well?" Tanion asked them monotonously. "I don't wish to hurt you. Leave me."
"We can't do that, Tanion," Yusei said. "The Spirit World is sacred space. We cannot allow you to enter, and with the power you now possess, we cannot allow that to fall into the wrong hands. In this world, or any other."
"We want to help," Yugi added. "If you'll let us, we can figure out what exactly has happened to you. We can find a solution."
Tanion sighed. "I'll make this as simple as I can," he said, readying his disk. "Leave, or I will deal with you as I have all others who have stood before me."
The sphere clinked against Tanion's boot, causing the man to glance down. As he did, arcs of lightning surged from the device, causing a guttural scream to slip from Tanion's lips as he fell to his knees, cries of agony continuing to burst involuntarily from his mouth. The Duel Energy around him began to flare wildly, as if it was trying to combat against the device itself, and as Yusei glanced at Yugi, he could see that the man was concerned.
"I can feel his Duel Energy," Yugi whispered ominously. "It's… angry."
As if to answer Yugi words, a wave of energy burst from Tanion in all directions, pushing the Three backwards as it did so. In the same moment, the arcs of lightning ceased as the sphere itself cracked and fell into pieces. Rising to his feet once again, the cloak of Duel Energy around Tanion grew even larger, and as he opened his eyes, the pupils had been replaced with brilliant white light.
"You all wish to fight me?!" Tanion bellowed in a voice deeper than his own. "Here I am! Duel me! I will show you just how powerless you truly are!"
"Yugi, it's not too late to use the Gods," Yusei said, wary of the presence before them.
"No," Yugi said, stalwart. "We will defeat him together."
Jaden nodded. "Together."
DUEL!
"Show me your strength!" Tanion demanded. "All of you, show me the power you possess!"
"I'll start," Yugi said. "First, I activate the spell card Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Then, I will activate the spell card Polymerisation! From my hand, I fuse my own three Knights together! Jack, Queen and King, become one in order to deliver us from the evil that threatens this land. Become a power that can lead us toward the right path! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 9! Arcana Knight Joker! (ATK:3800/DEF:2500). I then set one card face-down, and with that, I end my turn."
Tanion – 4000 LP
Yugi – 4000 LP
Jaden – 4000 LP
Yusei – 4000 LP
He must have a monster in hand for Joker's effect. "Jaden, you're up," Yusei said, wary of the fact that Tanion was silent.
"Alright, here I go. My turn!" Jaden said, drawing a card as his eyes became green and orange. "Together, Yubel and I will show you our true strength! I activate the spell card Take Over 5, meaning I now send the top 5 cards from my deck to the graveyard. Those cards are Elemental HERO Neos, and the Neo-Spacians Flare Scarab, Glow Moss, Dark Panther and Aqua Dolphin!"
Yusei gasped. Are you going for him, Jaden?
"I then activate another spell card, Convert Contact!" Jaden said, revealing the card. "I send Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird from my hand and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole from my deck to the graveyard in order to draw two cards! I then activate a third spell, O-Oversoul! This allows me to revive a normal Elemental HERO monster from my graveyard. Come to my side, Elemental HERO Neos! (Lvl:7/ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
Yugi smirked. "As masterful as always, Jaden."
"I now shuffle the Elemental HERO Neos on my field along with the 6 Neo-Spacians in my graveyard back into my deck, allowing me to summon my strongest monster!" Jaden proclaimed. "Fusion Summon! Lead us to victory, Level 12! Elemental HERO Divine Neos! (ATK:3000/DEF:2500)."
"Take him, Jaden," Yusei spurred on.
"Divine Neos monster effect activates!" Jaden continued. "By banishing Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin from the game, not only does Divine Neos permanently gain 500 ATK, but until the end of this turn, he also gains Aqua Dolphin's effects! Therefore, by discarding one card, I can look at your hand, and if you control a monster in it with less ATK than Divine Neos, I can destroy it and inflict 500 damage to you! Now reveal your hand, Tanion!"
Their opponent did so wordlessly, and as he did so he revealed four monsters and a spell. However, as Yusei could also see, there was only one Tuner amongst them. And since he is a Synchro user…
"I destroy your Tuner monster, Intellect of the Knight, and inflict 500 points of damage to you!" Jaden said. "Take this, Tanion!"
Tanion did not move as the beam of light from Divine Neos' hand arced out as struck him. Instead, all he did was send the card to the graveyard as his Life Points dropped by 500, still without uttering a single word. Looking over at Jaden, Yusei could tell what he was thinking. Jaden could banish the other Neo-Spacians in order to raise the ATK of Divine Neos, but it would mean he would be without options come his next turn, he thought. He's playing it smart. By leaving 5 Neo-Spacians in the deck, he will have plenty of options available to him on his next turn.
"I set two cards face-down," Jaden said, placing the cards in their slots. "I then end my turn. Your move, Yusei."
Tanion – 3500 LP
Yugi – 4000 LP
Jaden – 4000 LP
Yusei – 4000 LP
"I won't let you two down. My turn!" Yusei promised, drawing a card. I must call upon you once again, my old friend. "I activate the spell card One for One, allowing me to discard a monster in order to special summon a Level 1 monster from my hand or deck. Therefore, I send Bri Synchron to the graveyard in order to special summon the Tuner monster Effect Veiler from my deck! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:0). Then, I send Level Eater from my hand to the graveyard in order to summon another Tuner in Quickdraw Synchron from my hand! Appear, Quickdraw! (Lvl:5/ATK:700/DEF:1400)."
"Blazar…" Yugi realised.
"Then, I normal summon Tricular from my hand! (Lvl:3/ATK:300/DEF:300). I tune my Level 3 Tricular to my Level 5 Quickdraw! Gathering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer! (Lvl:8/ATK:2600/DEF:2500)," Yusei proclaimed, the Synchro monster appearing on his field. "Since you have nothing on your field, I won't activate his effect, but I am also far from done! I activate the effect of Level Eater in my graveyard, and by lowering Junk Destroyer's Level to 7, I can special summon it! Appear, Level Eater! (Lvl:1/ATK:600/DEF:0). I then tune my Level 1 Level Eater to my Level 1 Effect Veiler! Gathering wishes will call out a new speed's horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The Power of Hope, Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron! (Lvl:2/ATK:200/DEF:1500)."
"Go for it, Yusei!" Jaden encouraged.
"Formula Synchron's effect activates, allowing me to draw a card since it was Synchro Summoned!" Yusei announced as he did so. "I then activate Level Eater's effect once more, allowing me to summon it by lowering Junk Destroyer's Level to 6! Appear again, Level Eater! (Lvl:1/ATK:600/DEF:0). I then activate the effect of Steam Synchron from my hand! Since I special summoned a monster, I can special summon this card from my hand! Appear, the Tuner monster, Steam Synchron! (Lvl:3/ATK:600/DEF:800). Finally, I tune my Level 1 Level Eater to my Level 3 Steam Synchron! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 4! Armory Arm! (ATK:1800/DEF:1200)."
"And now for the dragon," Yugi said.
"I not tune my Level 6 Junk Destroyer and my Level 4 Armory Arm to my Level 2 Formula Synchron!" Yusei declared. "Dragon god of the stars, resonate with my very soul and lend me the strength to forge my own path! Appear before your servant and let your splendour shine forth! Delta Accel Synchro! Descend now! Level 12! Cosmic Blazar Dragon! (Lvl:12/ATK:4000/DEF:4000)."
As the dragon appeared on his field, Yusei glanced over at Tanion, who watched the dragon descend emotionlessly. Blazar Dragon allows me the ability to banish one card from your field during your turn, Yusei thought to himself. I know you'll go for Royal Paladin, and when you do, I will be ready.
"I set one card face-down," Yusei said. "Turn over!"
Tanion – 3500 LP
Yugi – 4000 LP
Jaden – 4000 LP
Yusei – 4000 LP
Tanion glanced at the three monsters. "Is this your best?" he asked them. "Is this all you have to show me?"
"You asked us to show our strength, and now it is your turn," Yusei answered. "If you think we are weak, then prove it!"
Tanion eyed Yusei off. "My turn!" he said, drawing a card. "First, I activate the spell card Advent of the Knight! Since I control no cards, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field and then special summon a 'Knight' monster from my hand! Therefore, I destroy the face-down card on Yugi's field and special summon Magical Knight Merlin from my hand! Appear, Merlin! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:1800). Then, I activate the card I drew at the start of the turn, Ingenuity of the Knight! Since you control more cards than I do, I can draw two cards!"
"He made up for losing Intellect," Jaden noted.
"I then activate the effect of Jester Knight in my hand!" Tanion continued. "Since I control only one 'Knight' monster, I can special summon him. Appear, the Tuner monster, Jester Knight! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:0)."
"There's High Enchanter…" Yugi murmured.
"I then summon Caller of the Knight from my hand! (Lvl:4/ATK:1700/DEF:1400). Since he was summoned, I can summon another Level 4 or lower monster from my hand! Come, the Tuner monster, Legendary Archer of the Knight! (Lvl:4/ATK:1700/DEF:500)."
"He drew two Tuners off of Ingenuity," Yugi realised.
"And that Archer is new," Yusei muttered worriedly. "It's an upgrade to Marksman…"
"Legendary Archer's monster effect activates!" Tanion said. "Once per turn, I can destroy spell and traps on the field up to the number of 'Knight' monsters I control. I control 4 Knights, meaning I can destroy up to 4 spell or traps! Therefore, I destroy the remaining 3 face-downs on your fields!"
"To think he could get rid of them so easily…" Jaden muttered.
"And now he's all set up for the Paladin," Yusei noted as the cards were destroyed. "Summon him, Tanion…"
"I now tune my Level 1 Merlin to my Level 1 Jester!" Tanion said. "Synchro Summon! Appear, the Synchro Tuner! High Enchanter of the Knight! (Lvl:2/ATK:600/DEF:600). I then activate High Enchanter's effect, allowing me to add Divine Blade Pinrith to my hand! And then, I Synchro Summon once again! I tune my Level 4 Caller to my Level 4 Legendary Archer! Synchro Summon! Appear, Royal Knight! (Lvl:8/ATK:2500/DEF:2000)."
"Yusei, are you ready?" Yugi asked.
Yusei nodded in acknowledgement, but he was also troubled by Tanion's actions. He had seen Cosmic Blazar Dragon being used against Jorann, and so he knew about the banishing effect. Despite this, the boy continued onward toward Royal Paladin regardless of this. What are you planning, Tanion? What secret do you have?
"I now tune my Level 8 Royal Paladin to my Level 2 High Enchanter!" Tanion proclaimed. "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! Accel Synchro! Appear, Level 10! Royal Paladin! (ATK:3300/DEF:2500)."
"Now, Yusei!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Cosmic Blazar Dragon's monster effect activates!" Yusei said. "I banish Royal Paladin!"
Tanion simply smiled. "Too late, Yusei," he replied. "I activate the Quick-Play spell King's Decree! I return Royal Paladin to my Extra Deck and revive High Enchanter of the Knight (Lvl:2/ATK:600) and Royal Knight (Lvl:8/ATK:2500). Then, I am allowed to summon a monster from my deck or Extra Deck whose Level is the same as the lowest Level of the monsters I just summoned, but its effect are negated and its ATK and DEF become 0!"
Yusei gasped. "Wait, but then…"
"From my Extra Deck, I summon the Level 2 Synchro monster, Protégé of the Knight! (ATK:1100/DEF:200)!" Tanion announced.
"He dodged Blazar's effect…" Jaden whispered.
"Paladin's effect still activates," Tanion informed them. "Upon being summoned, he reduces the ATK of all of the monsters opposing me to 0, and I gain half that amount as Life Points. And since this chain has come to an end, Arcana Knight Joker, Cosmic Blazar Dragon and Elemental HERO Divine Neos lose all of their ATK points!"
"And by gaining half of that as Life Points…" Yugi whispered.
"I now have 9150 Life Points!" Tanion proclaimed.
"Impossible…" Jaden said. "How are we supposed to fight this?"
"You're not," Tanion remarked. "This is the end. I tune my Level 8 Royal Knight and my Level 2 Protégé to my Level 2 High Enchanter! First of the Knights, I call upon you now to rise from your throne and bestow your judgement on this battlefield! Herald in their destruction with your peerless steel and infinite strength! Delta Accel Synchro! Descend, Level 12! Arthur, King of Knights! (ATK:4000/DEF:4000)."
The Three could only watch helplessly as the sky itself seemed to part and a knight the size of a building descended, wearing gleaming white, golden-laced armour over the top of royal garments. The sword it held was covered in jewels, and the crown upon its head matched the armour perfectly. As it landed behind Tanion, who barely reached halfway to the monster's kneepads, its white eyes began to glow with the intensity as the Duel Energy that surrounded the boy.
"I equip Divine Blade Pinrith to Arthur," Tanion continued. "Now, every time you take damage, I gain the same amount. This is how far you are beneath me now, Three. This is why I told you to stay out my way."
"We will come after you, Tanion," Yugi promised. "We can't ignore this."
Tanion sighed. "This… this does not surprise me," he said, before returning his attention to the duel. "Arthur can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each. This is the end for all of you. Arthur, attack Arcana Knight Joker, Cosmic Blazar Dragon and Elemental HERO Divine Neos! Origin Judgement!"
Yusei could only watch as the monster raised its sword from the earth and began to sweep it around in a wide arc, the tip of the blade headed directly for their three monsters. As the attack came, he looked at the other two, who were preparing themselves for the impact of the attack. Looking back to Tanion, he looked directly into his glowing white eyes. I promise you, Tanion. No matter where you go, we will find you, and when we do… we will bring you home.
And then the attack landed, and the world went black.
Coming Soon - Into the Spirit World