Hello, everyone. Here is the next chapter in the story. This is it; the big final battle. Those of you who have seen the anime know what is coming.

Now, I put up an explanation to a Guest's question in the last chapter in an "Author's Notes" midway in the chapter. It concerns why the previous Duel (between Aki and Misty) had a bunch of "?'s" in place of Life Points/hand size/turn count. I am not going to go back and change it further.

Now for the Japanese - English names:

Aki = Akiza
Ruka = Luna
Ushio = Trudge
Mia = Mina
Godwin = Goodwin
Divine = Sayer

Disclaimer: Same as always. Don't own Yugioh! or Android: Netrunner, do own OC and other custom elements in this story.

Onward to the Chapter.

The sound of grinding wheels reaches my ears, from a distance. Curiosity and concern about this new sound join my mixed thoughts. Neo Domino's lights come back on faster than my mind slowly, painstakingly returns to a state of normality. The final emotions of my four clone brothers weigh too heavily on me to just dispel.

My neck aches where the Masque's knife dug into their skin. My heart aches at their final expressions, their frail bodies, their drained minds. It's… I don't know how to say it to myself. I don't want to think about it, but I should think about it. To ignore it would be ignoring what my brothers meant to me. They weren't just clones, like Godwin thought of us. They – we – were like a family.

[High emotional levels detected] [Mental state in disarray] [Administering appropriate sedatives]

I force myself up from the ground as the pain in my limbs changes to dull tingles. I hear someone, probably Aki, get up from nearby. I want to turn back to her for help, but I don't know how to show her I need it. Is this kind of despair what she's felt for so many years? If so, then I don't know how to make it any better. Come to think of it, she probably deserves more happiness than me. Best not to trouble her with my problems.

I'll tell her when the time is right. If she doesn't already know from sensing my psychic powers, that is.

I look towards the D-Wheel sounds as they grow louder and closer. Two D-Wheels come into view, one white and one black. The white one has a familiar circular frame around a single wheel. The black one has two wheels with gold edges, and a large angled fixture on either side of the center frame.

"Hey, guys!" the black D-Wheel rider shouts in a confident tone as the pair race up. "I've brought Jack along!"

I hear Yusei call out, "Ah, Crow!" as the two D-Wheels stop in front of us. I walk over with Yusei to take a closer look at this man. If Yusei knows him, then he might be a help for us. It can also help disregard my own pains for a time.

Both "Crow" and the white-colored D-Wheel rider – Jack Atlas, actually – take off their helmets and get off their rides. "Crow" has tanned skin with several Criminal "Marks" on his face. His spiked orange hair is held by a small headband. He gives a cheeky grin at Yusei before he turns to me and Aki.

"So, you're Aki Izayoi? And, you're the Netrunner?" He only looks at me briefly, but it is enough to see a deeper spark in his eyes. "You both look different than what I've heard."

I bite my tongue before a snarky response slips out of my mouth. It wouldn't do any good to insult this guy, even if his word choice isn't the best. Crow's grin fades as he turns toward the distant City across the water. He doesn't get another word out before the ground shakes again.

Multicolored beams of light stream into the dark sky. Yusei announces, "That light's coming from where the old "Momentum" Reactor was," to us all. I flinch at the term "was": something terrible must have happened to it recently. I don't want to go and check right now, and the light quickly fades.

A roar comes from that spot just before a massive pile of black ooze bursts from underground. The ooze quickly shifts from a shapeless mass into a twisted, skeletal dragon with four wings, a crown of horns, and glowing red eyes. It stands on six gargantuan legs that dig into Satellite's broken ground.

The creature looks at the giant condor geoglyph as Yusei asks out loud, "Is that the King of the Underworld?"

The dragon starts to walk towards the geoglyph. Each step sends up a cloud of dust and debris. My metal eye zooms in on the impacts and enhances the devastation. Nothing those legs strike can survive.

"Yusei!" Crow asks the current King of Riding Duels. "The King would appear if we failed to seal those four towers before sunset, right?"

"Then," Yusei states, "that must be the King."

"So, we're done for?" Ushio asks in panic. "Is the world done for, trapped in darkness forever?"

"No," Mia Singleton states with a sudden confidence, "it isn't! We're all still here, right? We can still do something to stop that thing."

A loud coo makes me turn to look at Ruka. I stare as "Kuribon", or maybe its Spirit World version, bobs in midair by the girls' head. It's eyes are wide with worry, a worry that Ruka echoes on her own face.

"Kuribon says the King must not reach the geoglyph." Loud splashes reach my ears after she says this: the King must have reached the water between Satellite and Neo Domino.

"Okay, how are we going to stop that from happening?" No one gives him an answer. I certainly have no idea how to stop that creature from getting over there. It's certainly large enough to go across the water. Maybe the water will melt its body back into sludge? It sounds stupid, but it could happen.

[That creature exists by illogical means] [We cannot assume that logical means can defeat it]

'Not helping here!'

Another roar rings through the air, combined with a burst of thunder. I blink to see the Crimson Dragon come down from the skies towards us all. Its jaws are open, its body easily dwarfing all of us. I can't get a word out before the beast swallows us whole. Everything turns white around me as my metal eye glitches out. The pain from before returns twice as strong, and it joins with my brother's voices in my ears.

I can't make out their words, but their emotions are perfectly clear. I'm trapped in a wave of despair, heartbreak, anguish; the same emotions they have all felt for so long. What they took days, weeks to experience, I feel in seconds. It hurts. It hurts!

I open my mouth to scream, and also clap my hands over my ears. I don't hear my own voice, and my brother's demented words ring just as loud inside me. Then, a hand grabs my shoulder and squeezes hard. I look over at Aki as she glares at me. She has the same anger as the Black Rose Witch did when we first Dueled. Somehow, that anger blocks some of my pain. I regain my voice as my screams stop.

I don't know what she's doing, but it's helping. I want to thank her, but my throat is too raw to speak.

Eventually, thankfully, the light clears. The voices fade, but I keep my hands clenched over my ears. I first see the Crimson Dragon is gone. I then see we've changed locations. A quick look around shows Yusei, Jack, Crow and Aki's D-Wheels are here with us. "Monster World" is gone, replaced by a giant stone temple in front of us. It stretches into the clouds, layer after layer climbing up to a torch-lit summit.

My body shivers violently. That's Godwin's temple.

"That's Godwin's temple!" Jack announces what I just realized. "I saw it beneath Godwin's mansion. What's it doing above ground?"

"Look!" Aki announces as she points to the glowing mark now much closer than before. "That condor mark is above the temple!"

The next moment, someone with pale skin, gray hair, and wearing gray clothes steps into view. It's… Rex Godwin? He looks paler than usual, but it's still him.

"Signers!" He calls to us, happier than I ever saw him before. "I must congratulate you on defeating the Dark Signers, on winning your fated battles. However," he finishes while dropping his hands to his side, "you did not seal the doors to the Underworld in time."

"Then," Yusei confirms, "the world—"

"—is doomed, yes." Godwin looks to the approaching King of the Underworld as his words hang on me like crushing weights. He still has that smile, too. Shouldn't he be scared?

"The King will be hear soon," he states out of the blue. He turns back to us as Yusei shouts, "Why is that thing coming here?"

His smile grows a bit wider. "To complete the divine ritual! I have brought you here through the Crimson Dragon's power. My goals will finally be realized!"

Something inside me snaps at his words. I feel I need to speak out, no matter how bad my throat hurts.

"Liar!" I step to the front of the group after I shout this, fists clenched in anger. Godwin looks at me with wide eyes for a second, before he returns to his prior amused look.

"You don't control the Crimson Dragon," I continue as I point a finger at my creator. "The last time you tried, it just vanished. You made me go through hell, deleting all traces of their identities, for nothing! What did you do differently this time?"

"I figured you would want to know, False Signer Epsilon." I nearly growl at the sneer he sends my way. "You five clones used fake marks that I grafted onto your copied flesh. I had hoped they would replace actual Signer powers, combined with the psychic Samuel Tagami's latent psychic powers. It sees that was not enough, after all."

"You murderer!" I scream at the gray-suited mastermind. "Monster! Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta are dead because of you!"

"They don't matter, anymore. This time, I have the power of a real Signer mark. Look here!"

He lifts up a large jar beside him. It's filled with clear liquid… and a severed human arm. My metal eye zooms and enhances to look closer at the series of red lines on the arm's skin. It's the head of a dragon, without an eye. The head glows a moment later, which makes me clutch my arm in pain. I quickly peek at my false Signer mark to see it wider than ever before. The pupil is dilated with a look I somehow instantly know as fear.

"Is that your real arm?" Jack asks as I hear Yusei, Ruka, and Akiza all moan in pain. "I know your left arm is a metal one! I saw it at the Fortune Cup!"

"Unfortunately, no. This was my brother, Rutger's, arm. He no longer needs it."

"But, why do you have it?" Yusei then demands. "Tell us!"

Godwin laughs, gives that creepy smile again, and then turns around. He raises his hands up as, to my horror, a purple condor mark glows through his clothes. He's a Dark Signer! The most powerful man in Neo Domino works for the Earthbound Gods!

Godwin's shirt bursts into pieces of fabric. His muscles expand rapidly as he faces us again. His sclera turn black as purple lines spread across his bare chest, shoulders and arms. He then rips off his metal arm with one hand before grabbing the severed arm from its jar. My stomach twists as he presses this arm against his left stump. Amazingly, it stays attached.

"I figured the Dragon would resist me," he rants with wild laughter, "but, it is only a matter of time before my Dark Signer powers prevail."

I cry out as needle-like pain stabs into my right arm. My mark shakes against my skin, vibrating in wild anger. It's never done that before.

"Godwin!" Yusei calls out to the madman I once knew. "What are you doing?!"

"I will use these powers, from the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Gods, to complete my plans. Light and Darkness will be mine to control. I will become God, the Ultimate God, in my new world!"

'He wants to remake the world, too?!' I ask myself, amazed that all this is happening. 'He's just like Divine, in the worst ways possible!'

Godwin waves a hand. The ground shakes as violently as before; I place a hand against the concrete beneath me as I almost lose my footing. I hear Ushio call out, "Everyone, get back!" as the shaking continues. I join everyone as they get away from that temple, and its sole occupant. I take one look back to see the temple rises even farther up from the ground. It stretches to the skies like it wants to take them for itself.

That might just happen, actually. Stranger things have happened today.

We make it to one side of a large bridge connecting the temple to Neo Domino City. The buildings have their lights back on, the city its usual active self. Compared to our current situation, and the giant sludge-dragon "King" lumbering towards us, it seems like heaven. I turn back to the rising temple as it stops, several stories taller than before.

"The Divine Ritual shall be conducted here," Godwin explains as he places a hand on the altar. "The Condor Geoglyph shall be the site of the greatest Riding Duel! You Signers shall be sacrificed to the King so that I may gain its powers!"

"You cheater!" Crow shouts at Godwin, "You told us we had to defeat the Dark Signers! Which side are you on?" Godwin doesn't give him an answer, which makes the Marked D-Wheeler give a rough, "tch!" I just wonder what else Godwin told them that I don't know about.

"Well," Yusei presses, "what if you lose?"

"If I lose," Godwin answers with what sounds like not much care, "the King will be destroyed. But, that will never happen."

Yusei shocks me when he says, "I'll take that chance!" and races to his D-Wheel.

"I'm with you, Yusei," Jack says as he races to his D-Wheel. "I will disperse you from this world, Godwin!"

"I'm going, too!" Crow joins, already on his D-Wheel as he slips his helmet on over his face. "I'll become the Legendary Man, to inspire Satellite's children!"

I silently watch them prepare for this Duel, one with the world at stake. Then, Yusei turns to face me.

"Epsilon!" he calls to me. "Come with us. This matters as much to you as it does to us."

I look at him, then at Godwin, then at the approaching King. It takes me a moment to say my choice: "No. I'm not going."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said, Yusei. First, I don't have a D-Wheel here with me to help. Even if I did, I am not going to fight against that man. I am not a Singer; this isn't my battle."

"I'm not a Signer," Crow counters, "but you don't see me backing down!"

"It's not the same thing for me, honest."

"The only honest thing here is your cowardice!" Jack yells at me before Crow can respond. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! I thought the Netrunner didn't let anything stop him from his goals. Are you saying you lied this whole time?"

"No, that's not—"

"Because that's what I'm seeing here!" Jack doesn't let me get a word in as he continues, and my anger quickly rises. "We all know what you are; you told us yourself. You can't hide the truth from yourself, and think it will all be better. Where is that will a Duelist like you should have, the confidence to face a challenge no matter the cost? If you are a real Duelist, stand up and fight!"

"Shut up!" I explode, my anger bursting out all at once. "Shut up! I get it, okay? I'm not a fighter, I'm not your definition of a Duelist. I'm not even human, you know! But, I know one thing for sure." I jab a finger at Godwin as I shout my anger and fears out at him. "I am afraid of that man!"

Yusei frowns. Crow raises his eyebrows. Jack lets out a short, "What?!"

"Rex Godwin, that Dark Signer over there, was responsible for me. I may hate him for what he did to you, my brothers, and myself, but I would not exist without him. To kill him would be killing a part of me."

Tears spring to my eyes as I remember how many parts of me have died so far in my life. "I'm afraid to destroy any part of me. I had to kill my brother's minds to save them; I had to kill two Collective agents to free them from the Dark Signers. I will not do that again."

I look to the cracked concrete below my feet. My boots are coated in dust and stains from walking so long in Satellite. I look to my shaking hands, my trembling fingers. "I'm afraid that, if I help kill my creator, my life won't have any more meaning. Do any of you know how that feels? To live with the fact you fought your makers, that you wanted them to die?"

No one responds. I look up, boring my eyes into anyone's eyes that I can see. "Do you?"

Their silence gives me all the answers I need to hear. The three D-Wheelers move to their vehicles as I turn towards the crowd of bystanders. They don't say a word as I move among them. Aki and Ruka's sad expressions make me want to comfort them, but I don't. No words I say can help them right now.

[You do not know this for certain] [But, we will not revoke your freedom of speech]

The implant falls silence after that. My attention shifts to the Condor geoglyph as it tilts down to the ground, its edges flickering with purple flames. Yusei, Jack and Crow all rev up their vehicles and peel away from us all. Everyone else shouts encouragement to them, while I just look on.

'Good luck, you three,' I think as the trio race off a raised patch of concrete and onto the geoglyph. That's all I can say for them without bursting into tears again.

"This Duel will take place on the Condor geoglyph." Godwin's voice booms down to us all. "Each of you will have 4000 Life Points apiece; I will have 12,000, three times the usual amount. In addition, no one can attack on their first turn."

"Sounds good to me," Crow states with a grin. "We'll save the world no matter how many Life Points you've got!"

"Riding Duel, initiated!" Godwin states to everyone. "Speed World, set!" The air turns a bit more purple as every Duelist activates the "Speed World" Field Spell.

My guidance implant pops in with the messages [Life Points, hands, and card statistics will be displayed to you as often as possible] and [Audio links to Duelists Disks established]. When I look to the others, every duel Disk, or other tracking software, has been connected. They're all watching and listening, like me. We're all in this together.

"RIDING DUEL, ACCELERATION!"

[RIDING DUEL OF DARKNESS BEGINS] [Godwin: 12000 LP, 5 cards in Hand] [Yusei/Jack/Crow: 4000 LP, 5 cards in Hand]

"I'm going first, Godwin!" Crow calls out as he draws. He only looks at his card for a moment before he makes his move.

[TURN 1: Crow] [HS: 5-6]

"I Normal Summon Blackwing – Mistral the Silver Shield!" The Summoned creature is a bird with black wings and, like the name said, a silver shield-like helmet covering its face. It flaps in front of Crow's D-Wheel with ease, three silver talons on each of its large feet (DARK, Winged Beast/Tuner, 100 ATK/1800 DEF, LVL 2) [HS (Crow): 6-5].

"With Mistral on the field, I can now Special Summon Blackwing – Bora the Spear from my hand, through its effect."

A sharp cry sounds as a bird-like man appears besides Mistral. This man has dark blue wings and a yellow mane of feathers around its red-feathered head. Its taloned hands grip a massive drill-shaped spear as it flaps in sync with the other Monster (DARK, Winged Beast, 1700 ATK/800 DEF, LVL 4) [HS (Crow): 5-4].

"I'll Set a card and end my turn there." [HS: 4-3]

Jack speeds up to pole position as he calls out, "Now, it's my turn!"

[TURN 2: Jack] [HS: 5-6] [SPC: 0-1 (Crow, Jack, Yusei, Rex)]

"I Normal Summon Mad Archfiend!" This creature has a humanoid body, save for the large skull where its stomach should be, the coat of bone fangs around its face, and the two animal skulls on its shoulders. Its pink hair flaps wildly in the air as it flexes clawed arms for combat. (DARK, Fiend, 1800 ATK/0 DEF, LVL 4) [HS (Jack): 6-5]

"I'll end my turn with a Set card. This is only the beginning, Godwin!" [HS: 5-4]

Yusei then takes pole position. Jack moves back as Yusei says, "I draw!"

[TURN 3: Yusei] [HS: 5-6] [SPC: 1-2 (Crow, Jack, Yusei, Rex)]

"Godwin!" Yusei then announces to the Dark Signer. "This world won't become yours. We won't allow it!"

"Whether you allow it or not does not matter," Godwin answers with a chuckle. "This ritual is the culmination of seventeen year's planning. And, Rutger was a key to starting it all. You see," he continues with a wave of his left hand, "Rutger's own body was a battleground between the Crimson Dragon and the Earthbound Gods. Both Signer and Dark Signer marks were put on him, and he couldn't bare them both. One would consume the other, unless he did something.

"So, Rutger gave me the mark of the Crimson Dragon's head. He told me about the great war between Light and Darkness, a war fought every five thousand years. I saw the darkness consume him, make him its minion. Then, I saw him detonate the Momentum reactor to unleash the God's sealed power."

'What?! Rutger is responsible for Zero Reverse? But, why is Godwin a Dark Signer, too?'

[Do not get distracted] [Godwin is still talking]

I return my focus to Godwin's words as he says, "I then worked to gather the Signers, as Rutger told me to. Rutger knew the Signers would need to fight the Dark Signers, as was their destinies. But, when that was completed, I chose to confront the darkness in my brother myself."

"You Dueled your own brother?" Yusei asks in what I hear as surprise.

"Yes. And, I lost." Godwin's smile does not falter as he says that. "I wanted to lose, so I could take the powers of darkness for myself. I will have the King of the Netherworld lay waste to the world, and then use the Crimson Dragon to remake it into my utopia!"

"He's the same as Divine," I mutter out loud as the other Duelists provide their own comments.

"That's right," Aki adds in. I turn to her as she looks at the geoglyph-track, her eyes glazed over. "He wants ultimate power, no matter who gets in his way." Her head drops as she now looks sad. "Why would either of them do all this?"

I can't answer her, and no one else tries to. I turn back to the Duel as Yusei continues his turn.

"I Normal Summon Max Warrior! Then, I also Set a card to end my turn." A humanoid with a metal body under green and brown clothes and silver armor appears on Yusei's field before his Set card does. The warrior's armor juts out on its shoulders, one of the large gloves holding a staff-like weapon (EARTH, Warrior, 1800 ATK/800 DEF, LVL 4) [HS: 6-4].

"At last," Godwin says with a laugh, "it is my turn. Now, I can show you my true powers!"

[TURN 4: Rex] [HS: 5-6] [SPC: 2-3 (Crow, Jack, Yusei, Rex)]

"As I control no monsters, and you all do, I can Special Summon Oracle of the Sun from my hand. I then Normal Summon the Tuner Monster Fire Ant Ascator to join him."

The first of Godwin's creatures is a man with dark skin, long black hair, and green eyes. He smiles as he wears a stitched robe, a sun with a face drawn in the center. He clutches a staff with a golden plate on one end adorned with feathers. A feathered headdress adorns his head, the design unknown to me (FIRE, Spellcaster, 1000 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 5).

My guidance implant gives me my answer: ["Oracle of the Sun's" design based off of Aztec, Mayan, and Incan clothing and artifacts. This Monster appears to represent a figure of worship, hence the "Oracle" name]

The second creature Godwin brings out is a large brown-colored insect with six legs and large black eyes. Yellow lines are drawn along its front mandibles. This creature is much easier for me to understand, but I blanch at the word "Tuner Monster" (EARTH, Insect, 700 ATK/1300 DEF, LVL 3) [HS: 6-4].

"I now Tune these two Monsters together!" The Oracle raises his staff as Fire Ant Ascator turns into three green rings. As the rings envelop the Oracle's body, Godwin recites a chant with wild fervor…

"Taiyou nobarishi toki, subete no yami wo terashi dasu. Furisosoge hikari yo! Shinkuro Shoukan! Ideyo, Taiyouryuu Inti!"
(When the Sun rises, it will illuminate all darkness. Pour down, light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Sun Dragon Inti!)

The Synchro tunnel clears to reveal a giant, four-headed red dragon. It looks similar to "Terra-Wing Netrunner Dragon's" in appearance, but each of its heads have two piercing green eyes. Each of its heads are attached to a shining copy of Earth's sun, a copy with a giant face like "Oracle of the Sun's" robe had. The beast roars with four sets of jaws as eight eyes look on its controller's opponents (LIGHT, Dragon/Synchro, 3000 ATK/2800 DEF, LVL 8).

"Sun Dragon Inti…" I jump as Rielle Peddler's voice sounds from my right. I turn to see her standing there, an angry glare turned toward the new dragon. "Based on the Incan God of the Sun and warmth, Inti. Their emperors were said to be direct descendants of that deity. This is a blasted mockery of that "god"."

I look to the other humans here. They are too concentrated on the Duel to see Rielle, or even react to her words. Can only I hear her right now, or is something else keeping her a secret? I swallow my own questions down as I turn my gaze back on the Duel.

"I banish Fire Ant Ascator from my Graveyard to Special Summon Weeping Idol from my hand." A small stone person appears on Godwin's field as a shillouette of the insect Tuner fades away. This new Monster has orange eyes and lines carved into its rock body. It clutches two staffs shaped like the halves of a key, for what purpose I don't understand (DARK, Rock, 0 ATK/500 DEF, LVL 2) [HS: 4-3].

"Next, by paying 1000 Life Points, I Special Summon the Dark Tuner Dark Goddess Witaka from my hand!"

I shudder at this new Monster's arrival; it's a white and black face, with separate gray hands, held inside some kind of frame and blue cloak. The shape of those two things give it a second "face" that could form on the outer edges. The visible face cackles as it floats beside Weeping Idol; Godwin's body glows black for a moment as his Life Points drop (DARK, Fiend/Dark Tuner, 0 ATK/0 DEF, LVL 3) [HS: 3-2] [LP (Rex): 12000-11000].

"I use Goddess Witaka's effect. I target Sun Dragon Inti and make Witaka's Level equal to that. Then, I Tune it with Weeping Idol!" Witaka raises its hands into the sky before it and Inti glow with black auras. (LVL (Dark Goddess Witaka): 3-8). Then, the "Goddess" turns into eight white stars that dig their way into Weeping Idol's body. The Idol shakes for a second before shattering into pieces. From those pieces come six black stars, which in turn are swallowed into a black portal as Godwin recites a second, colder chant…

"Yami ni tsuki michiru toki, ma no sasayaki ga kikoe dasu! Shi e to izanae! Daaku Shinkuro! Ideyo, Tsukikageryuu Kuira!"
(When the Moon is full in the darkness, the whispering of the Devil will be heard! Entice them over to death! Dark Synchro! Show yourself, Moon Dragon Quilla!)

This dragon is similar to Inti, with a few major differences; the blue color, yellow eyes, and the glowing blue full moon its four heads are attached to. Its roar, more melodic than Inti's, sounds oddly pleasant in my ears. But, that's probably a Solid Vision trick (DARK, Dragon/Dark Synchro, 2500 ATK/2000 DEF, LVL 5).

"Tsch. Of course." Suddenly, Gabriel Santiago is beside Rielle, a smirk on his face as he studies this newest dragon. "Mama Quilla wouldn't want her husband to go into battle alone."

"Indeed," Rielle agrees. "As the Moon is opposite to the Sun, so the deities of the Moon and Sun exist against each other."

"I Set two cards," Godwin continues, and end my turn. Now, Moon Dragon Quilla's effect destroys itself." Quilla actually just slips behind a giant cloud, away from the field. With it gone, Inti's light shines unchallenged (HS: 2-0).

"All that effort, and your dragon just goes away?" Crow jokes. "You must have a screw loose. More than we first thought, actually!"

Godwin just grins. "You'll have to see for yourselves."

[ROUND 2] [Yusei, Jack, Crow: 4000 LP, 3 SPC] [Rex: 11000 LP, 3 SPC]

"We'll see right now!" Crow calls out as the riders take a sharp turn on the track. "The first-round peace is over; it's time to fight!"

[TURN 5: Crow] [HS: 3-4] [SPC: 3-4 (Crow, Jack, Yusei, Rex)]

"I play the Speed Spell – Tune Up 123. I target my Mistral and roll a die. Mistral's Level will go up by half the amount of the roll, rounded up." [HS: 4-3]

A large die appears on the track, in front of the Riders. It flies onto the purple surface with a loud clatter. It stops on a "2".

"Alright, a two! Mistral's Level goes up by one. Just what I wanted! I Tune it with my Level 4 Bora the Spear!" Mistral's body glows white as its Level changes from this effect (LVL (Mistral): 2-3). It then turns into three green rings that envelop Bora. Crow recites a chant as the rings fill with green energy…

"Kuroki senpuu yo, tenkuu e kakeagaru tsubasa tonare! Shinkuro Shoukan! Burakkuwing - Aamaado Maasta!"
(Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon! Blackwing – Armor Master!)

The Synchro that emerges is a winged humanoid taller than Crow's D-Wheel. Its body is almost completley covered in black-and-red armor, six armored wings of the same colors stretching from its back. A single red eye stares out from a beak-shaped helmet with angled earpieces, sharpened claws in place of fingers. It flies besides Crow without a word, ready for combat (DARK, Winged Beast, 2500 ATK/1500 DEF, LVL 7).

"Since I control a "Blackwing" Monster, I can Special Summon Blackwing – Elphin the Raven without Tributing." This Monster is a vulture of some kind with gray skin beneath black feathers. It wears a purple robe that covers its chest and back, its two large wings pumping hard to keep it aloft (DARK, Winged Beast, 2200 ATK/1200, LVL 5) [HS: 3-2].

"Armor Master attacks Sun Dragon Inti! Black Hurricane!" The larger "Blackwing" flies towards the dragon, one taloned hand clenched into a fist. Inti fires a beam of light from two heads, which Armor Master easily dodges. Its fist connects with Inti's central sun, but neither Monster blows apart into pixels.

Godwin actually sounds surprised when he asks, "Your Monster wasn't destroyed?"

"Nope! That's Armor Master's first effect. I also take no Battle Damage, and a Wedge Counter is placed on Inti at the end of the Damage Step." Sure enough, I see a large black wedge dug into Inti's face when Armor Master flies back to Crow's field.

Godwin echoes my unspoken question: "What good will that do?"

"Plenty! I remove the Wedge Counter to reduce Inti's Attack and Defense Points to 0 for the turn!" Inti's center Sun cracks as the Wedge Counter digs its way inside the beast. Inti's four heads cry out in what I imagine as pain when its stats reflect this change (ATK/DEF (Sun Dragon Inti): 3000-0/2800-0).

"Now, Elphin can take Inti out! Your legendary beast is gone!" Elphin beats its wings to propel itself towards the weakened dragon. Inti can't even snap its jaws at Elphin, leaving it free to deal three deep slashes to its Sun. The dragon explodes with a burst of golden light, and Godwin's Life Points take a hit (Rex: 11000-8800, 4-2 SPC).

"Fool!" Godwin cries out before the smoke clears from his field. "It is sacrilege to attack a God. The "Legendary Man" learned that when he lost his left arm."

"What are you saying?" Crow asks. Yusei answers for him when he suddenly shouts, "Wait, you mean you're—?"

Jack adds, "You're him?" before Crow answers his own question: "You're the "Legendary Man" of Satellite?!"

"Correct! You've found me out. Now, you will pay the price! Sun Dragon Inti's second effect activates when it is destroyed. The Monster that destroyed it is obliterated, and its controller takes damage equal to its Attack Points!" (Crow: 4000-1800 LP, 4-2 SPC)

"Now, with Sun Dragon Inti destroyed, its final effect activates. I Special Summon Moon Dragon Quilla in Defense Mode!" Quilla emerges from behind its cloud, its blue glow easier on the eyes than Inti's harsh light (DEF: 2000).

"You see, Crow?" Godwin asks him. "Legends are not invulnerable, or invincible. I learned that the hard way when I started building the Daedalus Bridge. I thought nothing could stop me, that my goals would make everyone happy. I was wrong. People will always want things better for themselves, and no one else. That is the only way to true power!"

"You're just as evil as they are, then!" Crow yells back. "We'll do everything in our power to stop you!"

"You are powerless against me! The Legendary Man was just a human like you, and he could not change his fate. To do that, one must become a God!"

"I won't let you ruin the Legendary Man like that! Satellite's children believe in that man, and the dreams he provides!"

Crow's words sound true in my mind; they are full of hope and care, despite their speaker's rough appearance. He really must be a friend of Yusei if he can be so caring to others.

Godwin just laughs again as he raises his right arm, fist clenched, into the air. My right arm surges with pain. I look at my mark as it blinks, the pupil a tiny pinprick inside the iris. Then, it vanishes.

Ruka and Aki cry out, "Our marks!" at the same time. Something must have happened to them, too. I look at Godwin, the source behind all of our problems. My eyes go wide as I see the full Crimson Dragon, all of the marks combined into a single creature, form on Godwin's bare chest.

Purple light streams from his back at the same time. Darkness and Light are, once again, combined into one body. Once again, the darkness is stronger than the light.

"Hahahahahaha!" Godwin's laugh becomes maniacal as it booms down from the temple's altar. "Ahahahahahaha! You see?! I am now the Ultimate God! Fate is mine to control! Bow before me, the ruler of the new world!"

Alright, that's all for now. The final battle will continue in the next chapter. That will come out when it is ready. Sorry to be blunt (again), but that's how I am going to write this. I want to finish this story before it's too late.

As usual, any reviews/comments/constructive criticism/feedback is appreciated.

Draconos is taking off.