Dark Flare Arrow
"What's the matter? The mighty Mateo Yurigaya had enough?" Phillip Vulcan snickered. Across the dueling field, Mateo stood, with his hair down in front of his face, covering his left eye, looking down at the ground. "Ha ha ha! Don't forget! Because of the effect of Grimbuul, the Archer of Death, when he destroys a monster in battle, you have to send cards from the top of your deck equal to the level of the monster destroyed times two! Since your Luster Dragon was a level four, you must send the top eight cards from your deck to the graveyard!"
"Fine." Mateo drew the top eight cards, and deposited them into his graveyard. I only have nineteen cards left!
"I end my turn. Prepare your pitiful field for the end, Yurigaya!" Vulcan laughed.
"My turn!" Mateo drew a card from his deck and brushed his hair aside slightly. He looked down at the card he just drew. "I'll summon Delta Flyer in defense mode! Then, I place one card facedown to end my turn!"
"My move, then! I draw!" Vulcan drew a card from his deck, and grinned darkly at the card he just drew. "Excellent! Just the card to help to ensure your downfall! I'll set this card facedown! Next, I command Grimbuul to attack your pitiful Delta Flyer!"
Once again, Grimbuul knocks an arrow into his bow and fires it at Delta Flyer, causing a trail of fire in the air as it obliterated Delta Flyer, shooting a wave of energy through Mateo. "Next, due to Grimbuul's special ability, you must send cards from the top of your deck equal to the level of your monster times two! Since Delta Flyer was level three, you must send the top six cards of your deck!"
"Grrr!" Mateo looked down at his deck and sent the top six cards to the graveyard. At this rate, I won't even be able to stand a chance! With only eleven cards left, how can I expect to defeat Vulcan?
Mateo turned and looked at Luna, and saw her panicked expression. He turned back to face Vulcan. No! I can't afford to think like that! I have to stop him. I have to!
"It's my turn!" Mateo drew the top card of his deck, and looked at it. Super Polymerization won't help me right now, but maybe I can use it as a gamble?
"I set one card facedown, and summon the White Stone of Legend in defense mode!"
"A level one monster, eh? Unfortunately for you, it won't help you. Sure it may spare your deck, but soon enough, you will be out of cards." Vulcan sneered. "It's my turn! I draw! I use my Hinotama spell card, inflicting you with another five hundred points of damage!"
As with before, a large fireball appeared in the sky and smashed down into Mateo as he grunted in pain.
Mateo: 3400 LP-2900 LP
"Grimbuul! Use Nightmare Arrow to destroy the White Stone of Legend!" Grimbuul fired one of its deadly arrows, obliterating the White Stone of Legend. Mateo pulled the top two cards of his deck and placed them in the graveyard, much to Vulcan's delight. "Ha ha ha! I've got you on the ropes, and with less than ten cards, to boot! Looks like it's time to activate my deadly weapon! Go, Dark Flare Arrows!"
"Dark Flare Arrows?"
"That's right! This continuous trap card can only be activated when Grimbuul destroys a monster you control and sends it to the graveyard. It allows me to inflict damage to you equal to half of the combined total of Grimbuul's and White Stone of Legend's attack!" Vulcan raised his hand towards Grimbuul as it notched a few smaller, flaming arrows, and fired them at Mateo, who raised his arm up to protect his face from the flames, which dissipated quickly.
Mateo: 2900 LP-1750 LP
"I end my turn."
"It's my turn! Draw!" Mateo drew the top card of his deck. He looked at it. "I summon Dragonic Synchron to the field in defense mode!"
"Attempting to raise a defense, are you? Well, with only a measly eight cards in your deck, this will prove futile!" Vulcan paused, and then started to laugh. "Well didn't I just come up with the most devious plan ever? A way to eliminate not one, but two Signers of the Crimson Dragon!"
"What?"
"Dear Luna, you chose the wrong side to cheer for."
"Vulcan, this is between you and me. Not her!"
"Oh, but I can make this about her, if you really want to. I mean, after all…" Darkness engulfed Vulcan, and when it subsided, he now looked like Luna, but with purple hair and a devilish expression on her face. "The darkness can take many forms. So let's do this!"
"Luna, run!" Mateo called to Luna as the dark Luna raised her hand.
"I can't!" Luna replied. Mateo turns and saw that her feet were stuck in place, as the Dark Seal expanded, and pulled Luna into it. Mateo ran over to her.
"Luna, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."
Mateo turned to the dark Luna. "Don't play the game through disguises, Vulcan!"
"Are you afraid of hurting precious Luna? Is that why you won't duel against her?"
"Mateo." Mateo turned to face Luna. "I won't think bad on you. I know you won't be hurting me, and that's enough."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Mateo sighed, and he turned to Vulcan.
"Do your worst."
"I intend to!" The dark Luna drew a card from her deck. "Grimbuul, attack Dragonic Synchron!"
Grimbuul notched an arrow and fired it at the monster, obliterating it. "By the effect of a Dragonic Synchron, I can special summon one monster from my deck or graveyard when it is destroyed in defense position! And I'm gonna special summon Kaibaman from my graveyard!"
"Kaibaman isn't gonna save you, you fool!" The dark Luna screamed. "Grimbuul forces you to send the top four cards of your deck to your graveyard, and Dark Flare Arrows inflicts you with damage! Because Dragonic Synchron had a thousand attack points, you take fifteen hundred damage in total!"
Grimbuul let loose a wave of flaming arrows, and both Mateo and Luna cried out in pain.
Mateo and Luna: 1750 LP-250 LP
"Now it's your turn!" Vulcan bluntly stated as Mateo sends the top four cards of his deck to the graveyard, leaving behind only four cards. Mateo drew the top one.
"My turn! I'm gonna activate my Monster Reborn spell card, calling back from my graveyard my Delta Flyer!" Mateo called as his monster appeared to the field. "Next, I'm gonna use its special ability to raise Kaibaman's level by one!"
A glow passed from Delta Flyer to Kaibaman, and a delta symbol appeared on his helmet. The dark Luna snickered. "I destroyed Delta Flyer once, and I'll do it again!"
"Oh, no, you won't! See, I stand behind my monsters! That's why I'm gonna tune my level three Delta Flyer to my now level four Kaibaman! Ruler of the Spirit Realm, I beg of your strength in this ordeal to bring forward the light! Illuminate the path of destiny!" Mateo raised his hand as the three level stars flew out of Delta Flyer and created three glowing Synchro Rings around Kaibaman. Kaibaman faded away, leaving only his three level stars and the delta symbol, which morphed into a level star. The four level stars flew into the center and aligned themselves in a straight line, and was pierced by a green light that expanded to the innermost edge of the Synchro Rings. "Synchro Summon!"
In a burst of light, Ancient Fairy Dragon appeared between Mateo's fingers. "Shine, Ancient Fairy Dragon!"
"I see that you've summoned a monster that is stronger than Grimbuul. But no matter." The dark Luna replied. "By sending Dark Flare Arrows to the graveyard, I can prevent Grimbuul from being destroyed, and it also prevents me from taking damage this turn!"
"Fine. I'll end my turn."
"I draw!" The dark Luna drew a card off the top of her deck. "Wa ha ha ha! Looks like I've drawn the one card that can finish you off! I activate my third and final Hinotama! With it, I'll annihilate your life points!"
Mateo and Luna looked up at the fireball that appeared in the sky as Vulcan laughed. Luna continued to watch in horror as the fireball streaked down towards them, as Mateo pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Not quite."
"What?"
"I activate my facedown spell card Super Polymerization! By discarding one card from my hand, I can use monsters on either side of the field as fusion materials for a fusion monster! And I'm choosing the Dragon-type Ancient Fairy Dragon and the Warrior-type Grimbuul, the Archer of Death!" Mateo raised his hand into the air as the two monsters fused together, creating a swirling mass of energy. "To the noble battlefield, mighty Commander of Destiny! O, Valiant One, face your foes and thrive, and Illuminate the path of destiny! Fusion summon! The Mighty Warrior, Dragon Knight – Draco Equiste!"
The mighty monster appeared to the field, and hefted its mighty lance. "Your mighty knight may be strong, but he's incapable of saving you!"
"Is he? Dragon Knight! Use Rebound Wave to redirect the effects of Hinotama!"
"What?" The dark Luna looked up as Dragon Knight caught the fireball with his mighty lance swirling in a circle, and then launched it at the dark Luna, who cried out in pain.
Vulcan/Dark Luna: 4000 LP-3500 LP
"Now your field is wide open for an assault!" Mateo declared, with a determined expression on his face. The dark Luna started to laugh.
"You think you have ME beat? ME? Wa ha ha ha!" The dark Luna crouched, clutching her knees due to how hard she was laughing. "I activate the spell card Chest of Greed! This allows me to draw until I have six cards in my hand! Ha ha ha ha! I set one monster facedown, and end my turn!"
"Alright, it's my turn! I draw!" Mateo drew a card from his deck, but he didn't look at it right away. I have two cards left in my deck. Vulcan seems confident that whatever he has facedown will hold me at bay, so I can only assume it's Marshmallon. It may not be able to inflict damage to me with its effect, but it is still impervious. Let's hope I can pull off a miracle!
Mateo looked at the card he just drew, and he sighed. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards!"
If these two cards aren't the ones I need, then I'm finished! Mateo looked down at his final two cards, and slowly reached over to draw them. He looked to Luna, who looked at him encouragingly. He looked back and draws them, looking at what he drew. "Excellent! Just the cards I needed!"
"Nothing that you have left can save you! You may as well give up!"
"We'll see about that! I activate my continuous spell card, Urgent Retuning! This allows me to call back the White Stone of Legend that sleeps in my graveyard!" Mateo called as his monster appeared to the field in a burst of light. "Next, I activate Call of the Haunted! This allows me to special summon my Ancient Fairy Dragon back to the field!"
"Just what do you think that will accomplish?"
"I'll show you! I tune my level one White Stone of Legend to my level seven Ancient Fairy Dragon! The Earth burns in this terribly beautiful display of power and might! Illuminate the path of destiny!" As with before, the single level star of the White Stone of Legend flew out and circled Ancient Fairy Dragon in a green Synchro Ring. Her seven level stars flew out and aligned themselves in a straight line, as it was pierced by a green light that expanded to the innermost edge of the Ring. Mateo raised his hand into the air as Red Dragon Archfiend appeared between his fingers. "Synchro Summon! My display of strength, Red Dragon Archfiend!"
"A mighty monster, indeed, but it is no match for what I have facedown!"
"Don't be so sure!" Mateo replied. "Red Dragon Archfiend has a special ability that allows me to destroy all defense position monsters you control when it attacks one, before any other effects can be triggered."
"Regardless, you don't have enough attack points! You drew your final two cards, and unless I don't have something to destroy Urgent Retuning, you will be unable to draw a card during your draw phase, resulting in my victory!" The dark Luna cackled.
"You forget that I still have one card in my hand." Mateo replied, as he revealed it. "Here we go, the Stardust Shimmer spell card! By banishing the Delta Flyer and the Bright Star Dragon in my grave, I can recall, once again, the Ancient Fairy Dragon that sleeps in my graveyard!"
"A third time?" The dark Luna demanded as the beautiful dragon appeared to the field again. Mateo smirked.
"Now, as you can see, I have enough attack points to win this! Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack with Crimson Flare!" Red Dragon Archfiend roared and then cloaked its hand in flame, obliterating the facedown Marshmallon. "Dragon Knight – Draco Equiste! Attack Vulcan directly with Destiny Spearhead!"
Dragon Knight – Draco Equiste lurched forward, smashing into the dark Luna with his lance, causing her to scream in pain.
Vulcan/Dark Luna: 3500 LP-300 LP
"Give up! I have the upper hand!"
"See your power, Yurigaya! Do you FEEL IT coursing Through YOU?" The dark Luna asked. "You can't escape your destiny, Yurigaya! You are born to destroy! Once a Duel of Darkness begins, it cannot be negated! I will NEVER yield to you! You must destroy me!"
"I…"
"Or can you handle killing someone?" The dark Luna asked. She cocked her head. "Can the Ancient Fairy Dragon destroy Luna? Both good questions. Why don't we let her decide?"
"What?"
"This Seal… It acts as a break between this world and the Spirit Realm." The dark Luna replied. "They obey their masters, so they will do whatever they are commanded to do."
"Luna?" Mateo turned to her. "Is this true?"
"I think it is."
"If you want to at least try and avert the feeling of killing someone, I'd recommend you ask your dragon to choose which one is the right Luna. It will destroy the one it perceives as wrong." The dark Luna declared. Mateo glanced back at the dark Luna, before returning his gaze to Luna.
"Mateo." She said calmly. "Do it."
"That'll risk both our lives."
"Regardless. Do it." Luna smiled a little. "Whatever happens, I'll forgive you."
"Okay." Mateo turned to his monsters. "Red Dragon Archfiend and Dragon Knight – Draco Equiste, stand aside. Ancient Fairy Dragon, I command you to decide which Luna is the real Luna, the one you are tethered to. Destroy the other one."
Ancient Fairy Dragon flew to the middle of the field and looked between the two Lunas. After a moment of looking, it faces Mateo and Luna, who gasps as the dragon starts to glow vibrantly. Mateo hugs her and puts his body between the dragon and Luna, and they close their eyes. "I'm sorry, Luna."
"It's okay. I forgive you." Luna whispered back. They stood, waiting for the end to come.
"No. No! NO! It's me, you god damn imbecile! Attack her! She's the fake Luna!" Mateo and Luna separate, still holding hands, as Ancient Fairy Dragon obliterates the dark Luna with a blinding light, which knocked Mateo and Luna off their feet. As the light subsided, the dark disguise faded, restoring Vulcan to his original look as he dropped to his knees.
Vulcan: 300 LP-0 LP
The Seal started to undulate as the consequence for losing began to take place. Ancient Fairy Dragon turned to face Mateo and Luna. "I would never harm you, young one. Do not fret. Mateo Yurigaya. You are destined to be something great."
"How can that be, if I can't save these people?"
"Not all battles can be won completely. You cannot save everyone, but you can try. And that is what matters." Ancient Fairy Dragon replied.
"How did you know I was the real one?" Luna asked.
"The power of this Dark Seal blinded me, and caused me to be unsure which one was the true one." The dragon replied. "It was Mateo shielding you that told me which was the true Luna. Darkness has no room for his compassion. You choose well."
"So what happens now?"
"The Seal is about to steal away Phillip Vulcan. Once that happens, my connection to this world will be severed." She replied. Luna stood up, but noticed that Mateo had passed out. "He will be fine physically. You can't let him fall into despair. That is what the dark forces want, and this event will shatter his will. Protect him like he did you."
"I will."
"Good. When he awakes, tell him I said good luck." Luna nodded at Ancient Fairy Dragon's request as she faded, the seal slithering like snakes up Vulcan's body and down his throat. He screamed as he turned completely black, and then disintegrated into black dust. Luna sat down, panting, and looked at the unconscious Mateo.
Luna sat with Yusei, Jack, Shiho, and the other Signers at the kitchen table at Yusei's place. Crow looked at Luna with a perplexed expression on his face. "Wait. What happened?"
"That missing guy, Phillip Vulcan, the quote-unquote undefeated champion of Duel Monsters? He showed up outside the restaurant and challenged Mateo to a duel." Luna explained. "He was deadly good. He used a Dark Synchro monster and wiped out both his deck and his Life Points almost completely."
"How's Mateo doing?" Shiho asked curiously.
"No idea. He won't talk to anyone. As soon as he woke up, he went into his room and we haven't seen him since." Yusei replied sadly. "It seems like the knowledge that he had to kill someone to avoid dying has… Taken his toll on him mentally."
In Mateo's room, he sat on his bed, staring at the wall in complete silence in the dark, listening to what Yusei was saying. "Almost like he's lost the will to live."