Terror

"What is it you ask of me, Lady Anya?" Phillip Vulcan asked as he was fitted with a new Duel Disk and deck.

"Our efforts to use Frelt to end Yurigaya failed. It seems fate is destined to play in the hands of the hero." Anya replied. "We will play the part of the trickster, the cheater. Like Loki, the Norse God of Mischief, we will use fire and cheap tactics. This deck that has been built before you follows the typical style of your cards, but has a dark twist, as you may notice."

Phillip Vulcan drew the top five cards and looked at them. "This deck appears to have an intriguing balance. Burn and mill. Very potent. Very mischievous."

"Indeed it is. Go to this location. He will be there, I assure you." Vulcan smiled evilly as he bowed.

"Yes, Lady Anya."

Mateo was standing in front of the mirror. He was wearing his regular jacket, however he had replaced the navy blue shirt and dark blue jeans with a white shirt with a slightly undone blue tie and a pair of dress pants. He sighed. "I hope this looks good enough."

Mateo walked out of his room, and into the living room, where Yusei, Jack, and Crow stood waiting. He walked out, and they all looked at each other. "Well, how do I look?"

"Good. You really clean up well, Mateo. Ha ha ha!" Crow patted Mateo's head, which messed up his hair, which had been brushed back.

"Ah! Don't do that, now I have to brush it again." Mateo uses his fingers to try to neat his hair again, and Crow chuckles.

"Sorry, man. But hey, you really do look great." Crow replied.

"Yeah. You have fun tonight." Jack said, and Yusei offered an encouraging nod. Mateo smiled, and looked down. "You should probably go. You'll need to pick her up, I imagine."

"Yeah. Thanks guys." Mateo headed out the door, and sat down on his Duel Runner. He revved the engine.

Luna brushed her hair. She looked down at the dress she was wearing. It was pink, as it follows her typical color choice, but it wasn't too long or too short. The right length to have a lovely evening but also ride a Duel Runner when Mateo arrived to pick her up. Not frilly, not lacy. Perfect. There was a knock on the door, and Akiza's voice came from within. "Luna? How's it coming?"

"Just a sec!" Luna finished brushing her hair, and she walked over to the door and opened it. Akiza looked impressed, and Leo looked at her in shock.

"Whoa! You are actually dressed nice for once!"

"Leo!" Akiza scolded. "You look great, Luna."

"Thanks." A buzzing sound comes from the intercom next to the door. Luna pressed the speaker button. "Mateo?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be right down." Luna released her finger from the speaker button and she turns back to Leo and Akiza. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Leo shouted as Akiza nodded with a smile. Luna smiled, and then she left.

A waiter brings Mateo and Luna to the table, and places two menus in front of them. Mateo and Luna sit, and they open the menu as the waiter walks away. "This restaurant is nice. How do you know about it?"

"My parents used to take us here, me and Leo. Well, at least, they did before they left the city." Luna answered. "I remember they had the best cheesecake in the city. You know, if you like cheesecake."

"Never tried it."

"Really?" Luna looked shocked.

"Well, I did kinda live in the slums for most of my life." Mateo explained. "It's not that surprising, is it?"

"No, I suppose not." Luna replied. "But by the end of the night, you'll have tried it. Deal?"

Mateo smiled. "Deal."

Mateo looked out of the window as he saw a very familiar man standing outside, watching him. "Is that Phillip Vulcan?"

Luna looked out the window and saw him, and saw how he was glaring at Mateo. "Well, that's creepy."

Vulcan took a few steps back as he drew a card from his deck and played it. The monster appeared, but only its feet were visible. A white light exploded at the window, and it disintegrated. The light and the monster faded away as Vulcan stepped into the restaurant, as the other guests watched in horror. "Mateo Yurigaya. I challenge you to a duel."

Vulcan held up his duel disk, still staring at Mateo, as Mateo glanced down to it, then back to Vulcan, and then to Luna. "He means business."

"No kidding. Did you bring your Duel Disk and deck?"

"Yeah. My Duel Disk is on my Duel Runner."

"It's probably a good idea to take this outside, anyways."

"Right." Mateo stood and faced Vulcan. "Let's take this outside. It won't be quite so cramped."

Vulcan smirked and stepped aside. Mateo started walking towards the window, and Luna followed. Mateo looked to her. "This won't be safe. Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay." Mateo and Luna stepped over to his Duel Runner, and his Duel Disk assembled and prepared itself to be attached to Mateo's Wrist Dealer. With a click, it disconnected from the Piercing Light, and Mateo inserted his Deck into it. He turned and walked over to Vulcan, raising his Duel Disk, with Luna in pursuit. "Stay back."

"Okay." Luna took a couple of steps away from Mateo as Vulcan sneered. Vulcan raised his Duel Disk, and the dark lines that create the Dark Seal started flowing from his feet. It started to wrap around, and Mateo turned and pushed Luna away as the lines completed the circle where she was standing. She looked down at where she was standing, and back up at Mateo, who was also looking down. Then he looked back up to Luna.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Okay, good." Mateo turned back to Vulcan. "We're gonna play this way, are we? Well, alright, then."

"Let's duel!"

Mateo: 4000 LP
Vulcan: 4000 LP

"I'll make the first move!" Vulcan snickered as he looked down at his cards. "I activate the Hinotama spell card! This card will inflict you with 500 points of damage!"

A red fireball appears in the sky and drops down, smashing into Mateo. "Aaaagh!"

Mateo: 4000 LP-3500 LP

"Next, I'll set this monster to the field, and place one card facedown." Vulcan sneered at Mateo. "I end my turn."

"Why are you working for the darkness, Vulcan? I had respect for you, but this?" Mateo asked. "What's to gain in all this?"

"Lady Anya has opened the doors of truth to me!" Vulcan replied. "You are destined to destroy the world. My goal is to end you here and now! And thus, the penalty for losing is death!"

"What?"

"If you lose this duel, you die. End of story."

"Mateo, be careful!" Mateo looked back to Luna and nodded.

"It's my turn! Draw!" Mateo drew a card from his deck. "I summon Alexandrite Dragon! Alexandrite! Attack his set monster!"

"You've flipped my monster face up! Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter!" Vulcan snickered. "This monster allows me to destroy one card on the field! So I destroy your pitiful Alexandrite Dragon!"

"A fair play, but afterwards you have to send three cards off the top of your deck to the grave!" Mateo countered, but Vulcan's snickering turned into deranged laughter.

"Not quite. I activate my facedown trap card, the Lightsworn Punishment!" Vulcan's card activated, and a wave of light shot out and hit Mateo, who grunted. "This continuous trap card forces you to send cards to your graveyard instead of me, so long as it is a Lightsworn card effect!"

"What?" Mateo looked down at his deck, and lifted the top three cards of his deck, looking at them before they were sent to the graveyard. No! He's sent my Maiden with Eyes of Blue to the graveyard!

"This is my new deck. And you don't stand a chance." Vulcan smiled. "I implore you to try, though!"

"Don't worry. I plan on it." Mateo replied. "I set two cards facedown to end my turn!"

"My turn! I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress!" Vulcan's monster appeared to the field in a burst of glowing light. "Next, I activate her special ability! By switching her from face-up attack mode to face-up defense mode, I can destroy one spell or trap card on your side of the field!"

Lyla raised her staff, and a light shot out and obliterated one of Mateo's facedown cards. It then she then crouched down and a blue hue enveloped it. Mateo groaned a little, as he placed the facedown Mirror Force in the graveyard. "Now I set one card facedown and play my Swords of Revealing Light spell card! I end my turn, and Lyla's ability, coupled with my Lightsworn Punishment, will send the top three cards of your deck to the graveyard!"

"Grrr!" Mateo looked down at his deck, and drew the top three cards. There goes three more. Threatening Roar, Castle of Dragon Souls, and Mirage Dragon. At this rate, I'll run out of cards I can use to defend myself! And Phillip Vulcan is known for using a burn deck, and he doesn't seem the kind to deviate much. I have to destroy that Lightsworn Punishment, and quickly.

"I find it ironic, Vulcan, that you, who is a servant of darkness, would use Lightsworns. If only they saw who used them. They'd come alive and eradicate you themselves." Mateo decided. He placed his fingers on the top of his deck and drew the top card. Please, cards… Grant me something to change this all around. "It's my turn!"

Mateo… Please be careful… Luna thought to herself. You trust your cards. Just make sure you trust yourself.

Excellent! Mateo's eyes widened as he saw the card he just drew. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon! The mystic winds will obliterate your Lightsworn Punishment!"

The mystical storm appeared, sweeping the field. Mateo's hair and coat billowed about in the breeze, and when the storm passed, the Lightsworn Punishment was obliterated. "Next, I summon Luster Dragon in attack mode! With that, I end my turn!"

"It's my turn!" Vulcan drew a card. When he looked at it, he started to chuckle, which broke out into hysterical laughter. "Just the card I needed! I activate my facedown trap card, Call of the Haunted! With it, I revive my Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter! Next, I normal summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner! Next comes the fun part. I use my Double Summon spell card! Then, I use it to tribute my Ryko and Lumina!"

Vulcan threw his hand, with the final card in his hand, up into the air, as a wave of darkness emanated from it. "The end has come! I summon my ultimate monster, Dark Tuner – Darkness Arrow!"

"What?" Luna took a step forward as the monster appeared to the field.

"Another Dark Tuner? What's with you guys?" Mateo asked as the dark monster morphed to the field in a burst of dark energy.

"What can I say? Something can be said about the power of darkness and its mighty influence." Vulcan replied. He extended his arms, fingers outstretched, towards his monster. "I'm going to tune my level negative twelve Darkness Arrow to my level four Lightsworn Sorceress!"

The twelve black level stars flew out of Darkness Arrow, and pressed themselves against Lyla, who squealed in pain as they forced their way inside. Four of the level stars flew through the four white level stars of Lyla and they cancelled each other out. The eight remaining level stars flew out and flew in a circle, bolts of black lightning connecting them in the center. The wind picked up, but stronger than before. Mateo's coat and hair billowed even more than they did with Mystical Space Typhoon, and Mateo put his arm up to shield his face from the knife-like gusts.

"When the Shadows are devoured by even darker Shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal a world without light!" The darkness emanating from the center of the swirling black level stars pulsated, and they vanished one by one, in order. A black curtain appeared, and pulled itself open to reveal a pitch black world devoid of light of any kind. Even this world seemed to dim as the darkness flowed into this dimension. A fell laughter flooded the field, as the darkness vanished, leaving behind a pitch black being wielding a bow. It drew an arrow, and revealed it to be coated in dark flame as it notched it to its bow. "Notch your pitch black arrows, Grimbuul, the Archer of Death!"

"Oh, boy." Mateo looked at the being as the darkness faded from around it, revealing black skin, white hair, and pitch black leather clothing. It flared its nostrils as it glared down at Mateo, as if in response to Mateo's comment.

"Grimbuul! Use Darkness Arrow Storm to eradicate Luster Dragon!" Grimbuul raised its bow and aimed for Luster Dragon. It drew its bowstring back, and released it, its purple flame creating a trail from the bow as it obliterated Mateo's monster. A shockwave of energy flowed from the attack through Mateo, and his hair came untucked from behind his left ear and dropped down in front of his eye as he stood with a passive expression, the pain seeming to cause him little effect.

Mateo: 3500 LP-3400 LP

"And the effect of Grimbuul activates! When it destroys a monster in battle, I can send the top cards from your deck to the grave equal to the level of the monster destroyed times two." Vulcan laughed maniacally. "That means you have to send the top eight cards of your deck to the graveyard! Ha ha ha ha!"

Mateo's nose twitched, as if warning Vulcan to stop. He continued to laugh. "What's the matter? Having too much fun, Yurigaya? Cause you're gonna die here. You're gonna die by the hands of Grimbuul! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"