Evil Ryu has decided to take Meldrick's gauntlet by force. The only way he'll take it is by defeating Meldrick in a duel. That is why the two face each other now and the powers from the shadows have surrounded them.

"Let's duel!" They said as they both began.

"I'll make you wish you had given me that gauntlet when you had the chance!" Evil Ryu said as he reached for his first card. "I'll begin my turn by summoning out Terrorize Archfiend to the field!" He begun the duel by summoning out a new fiend. This one had a body without skin and held dark claws, wings, and horns. He also had 1900atk points. "Next, I place two cards facedown and that ends my turn."

"That's it? With all your talk, I thought you would have more a grand beginning." Meldrick said. "I draw!" He drew his first card and was getting ready, but there was something he wanted to know. "Before I do make a move, let me ask you something. Why is it you desire the eight artifacts. Just who are you exactly?"

"I'm not doing this so I can gain a sense of freedom like you." Evil Ryu said. "You don't know what I'm truly capable of. What you see before you is just a small portion of my power. When I have all eight artifacts, true terror will come." Whoever this spirit is, he's making it clear that he is pure evil.

"So you need all the artifacts to restore you to full power. Too bad that won't come to be after this." Meldrick said. "I'll begin my turn by summoning Blazewing Butterfly to the field!" He summoned out his butterfly as it emerged with 1500atk points. "Next, I activate Gemini Spark! By tributing one level four Gemini monster, I can destroy your Terrorize Archfiend!" He released his monster and fired blasts of lightning. Evil Ryu's only monster was caught in it and was destroyed. "It also allows me to draw one card!" He drew a card and had something else in mind. "Next, I play Quick Summon! This allows me to summon again! I'm summoning Gemini Lancer to the field!" He summoned out a new monster as it emerged with 1800atk points. "With your only monster out of the way, Gemini Lancer can attack you directly!" His monster charged right at Evil Ryu and smashed its lance right against Evil Ryu. The pain was real, but he endured it as his life points dropped to 2200.

"Is that really all you got?" Evil Ryu said.

"You want more? Just take a look at yourself." Meldrick said. Evil Ryu looked down and saw parts of his body was beginning to fade away. "Once this duel is over, your mind and body will be lost to the shadows. You'll literally fade out of existence."

"We'll see about that." Evil Ryu claimed.

"For now, I'll just place one card facedown and that ends my turn." Meldrick said.

"My turn!" Evil Ryu said as he drew his next card. "I think I'll start this turn by activating my trap card! I play Fiend Grief! By sending a fiend in my hand to the graveyard, I can resurrect another fiend. So, I'll send my Cloaked Fiend to the graveyard and resurrect Terrorize Archfiend!" He discarded one monster and brought back Terrorize Archfiend. "There's more Terrorize Archfiend's special ability activates when it's special summoned. He can drain away 500atk points from all your monsters!" His monster unleashed its power as its guts opened up and unleashed a swarm of insects. The insects all attacked Meldrick's monster and his Gemini Lancer now only had 1300atk points. "I think it's now time you vanished! Attack his Gemini Lancer with Frightful Fury!" His fiend gathered power as electricity formed around its claws.

"Nice try, but you'll have to do better than that!" Meldrick said. "I activate Gemini Booster! Thanks to this trap, one Gemini monster gains 700atk points and it becomes an effect monster!" His Gemini Lancer gathered power in it with its attack points rising to 2000. "I guess you're Terrorize Archfiend is going back to the graveyard. Looks like it isn't as terrifying as you say."

"I beg to differ." Evil Ryu said as he had something else in mind. His monster's attack was reflected back at it, but it survived even though Evil Ryu's life points dropped to 2100 and more of his body faded away.

"How did your monster survive?" Meldrick questioned.

"Terrorize Archfiend can't be destroyed by a monster whose original attack points are lower than his." Evil Ryu claimed. "Next, I'm activating my second trap card! I play Roar of the Fiends! My trap card activates whenever I take damage from my own attack!"

"You mean you were planning that?!" Meldrick questioned.

"That's right! Not only does it allow me to draw two more cards, but I'll also deal damage to you! You take double the damage I would have taken!" Evil Ryu claimed. His trap unleashed a powerful sound that blasted Meldrick and caused his life points to drop to 3800. That was when Meldrick's own body began to fade. "Well, now it looks like you're beginning to fade."

"Don't get cocky just because you nicked me." Meldrick claimed. "Our little game is far from over."

"I'm well aware of that. That's why I'm placing one card facedown and that ends my turn." Evil Ryu said. 'He's probably getting ready to summon his Izanami soon, but he has to sacrifice a total of three monsters to summon it. For me, I only need to sacrifice one to summon the monster I intend to bring out.' He looked down at his hand at the monster he intends to summon. Once he pulls that out, he'll literally have control over the duel.

...

Tatenashi's Room

Tatenashi was explaining everything to everyone. They now know more about Meldrick. After hearing that story, it left a feeling of dread among them.

"That is so sad..." Charlotte said.

"So Meldrick resents what happened during his childhood and intends to free himself from it." Senshi said. "The only way he believes he can do that is by erasing me." Having a better understanding of Meldrick does give him a better understanding of his motives, but can Senshi use this to his advantage?

"How did you find out about all of this?" Cecilia asked.

"Never underestimate what my family is capable of." Tatenashi claimed.

"Am I actually suppose to feel sorry for him?" Houki questioned. It would seem that she's the only one that didn't feel bad for Meldrick. "I'm suppose to feel bad for him because he has some daddy issues? I don't think so. Look what he did to Hector! Look at all the horrible things he's done! Hector's mind is lost to the shadows and I intend to get him back!" She just marched out of the room after that. Houki doesn't really care how hard Meldrick has had it. She's intended on beating him and saving Hector.

...

The Duel

"It's my turn!" Meldrick said as he drew his card. "I'll begin my turn by playing Ominous Breeze! This spell card resurrects one monster in defense mode and it switches another monster on the field in defense mode. Rise again, Blazewing Butterfly while your Terrorize Archfiend switches to defense mode!" His butterfly returned to the field with 1500def points while Terrorize Archfiend switched to defense mode with it having 1200def points. "However, Blazewing Butterfly won't be staying as I tribute him to summon out Chthonian Emperor Dragon!" He released his butterfly and summon out a dark dragon with it having 2400atk points.

"That would be a powerful monster if it had it's special powers." Evil Ryu said.

"He doesn't need to be as my Gemini Lancer is about to crush your Terrorize Archfiend!" Meldrick claimed. "Thanks to the power of my Gemini Booster, he can also inflict piercing damage! Attack!" His Gemini Lancer charged in to finish off Evil Ryu and his monster.

"I don't think so! Did you honestly think I would fall so easily?" Evil Ryu questioned. "I play Doom Line! Since you're attacking a fiend-type monster; this trap card not only negates your attack, but it can also deal you damage to a total of 800LP." Not only did his trap stop his attack, but he also blasted Meldrick as his life points dropped even more to 3000 and more of his body began to fade away. "Go on. Attack again if you dare because Doom Line can remain active until the end of this turn."

"Not bad, but not good enough either. I end my turn." Meldrick said.

"My turn!" Evil Ryu said as he drew his card. Now the time has come for him to put his real plan into action. "I sacrifice my Terrorize Archfiend so that I can summon out Archfiend Puppeteer!" He released his monster and summoned out a new one. This one was dressed like a red and black jester with it towering over both of them, but it's legs were that of an apparition with its face looking so sinister with how it's eyes and mouth glowed red. The weird thing was that it had 0atk points.

"What's this? It has no attack points." Meldrick said as he found that to be strange.

"Yes, but it does have a powerful ability. The strings of fate are his to control as he is the puppet master of your monster's very essence." Evil Ryu claimed. "I activate his special ability! I can now take control of your Chthonian Emperor Dragon!" Red strings emerged out of the tips of his monster's fingers and and penetrated Meldrick's dragon. The dragon ended up under Evil Ryu's control and switched over to his field.

"It can control my monsters?" Meldrick said.

"That's right. As long as my puppeteer has a monster wrapped around its strings, you can't target it with attacks as well." Evil Ryu said. "I have something else in store for you. I equip your dragon with Cursed Hatred!" When he played that spell, the dragon was encased with a dark aura. "My equip spell allows my monster to deal an additional 700 points of damage whenever it destroys a monster. Now, Chthonian Emperor Dragon, attack your former master! Chthonian Blaze!" His new dragon unleashed a torrent of flames that blasted Meldrick's lancer. Meldrick's Lancer was destroyed and his life points dropped even more to 2600. "Thanks to Cursed Hatred, you take even more damage!" Meldrick got blasted again by those dark powers with his life points dropping to 1900 and around half of his body has vanished.

"Using my own monster against me, then blasting me with hatred itself... You truly are a sinister force." Meldrick said. "However, you said so yourself that you are not at full power, so I have nothing to fear."

"Nothing to fear, you say? You'll rethink that when I'm done with you. For now, I'm just going to end my turn." Evil Ryu said.

"My turn!" Meldrick said as he drew his next card, the very card he was hoping for. "Excellent. I play Graceful Charity. This spell card allows me to draw three cards, but I'll have to discard two." He drew three cards and they held what he wanted. "First, I'll discard my Gemini Soldier." He discarded one random card, but the next one was a surprise. "Second, I'll discard Izanami."

"You're discarding Izanami?!" Evil Ryu questioned as he can't believe he would do that. "Why would you discard your best card?"

"Izanami has a powerful ability. Whenever a monster is summoned to your field, it would drain away 2000atk points and destroy that monster, but there's more. There's a reason for discarding it. It's because Izanami has another ability that you don't know about." Meldrick claimed. Evil Ryu didn't like the sound of that. What more can the Deity of Destruction do?

...

Senshi

Senshi had a lot to think about. Meldrick seems to be a torn soul, but he's done so many horrible things. That doesn't justify his actions, but it's hard for him and Ichika not to feel sorry for him.

'Does Houki have the right idea?' Ichika questioned. 'Should we not feel sorry for Meldrick?'

"That's hard to say, Ichika." Senshi claimed. "Peggrin, for example, did some horrible things because he believed his love would be returned to him. Meldrick is doing what he's done because he felt robbed of his childhood, a life because of me. Still, we can't just..." Senshi stopped talking when he saw Ryu's door was opened. "Why is Ryu's room open?" Senshi hurried over and saw that Ryu was gone. "Where's Ryu?" Suddenly, he felt something powerful just above him. He has a bad feeling about this.

...

The Duel

The duel continued on and it soon came to an end. Meldrick pulled off some sort of combo that completely destroyed every monster on Evil Ryu's field with all of his remaining life points dropping to zero. He lost the duel with him dropping to one knee.

"I guess you really aren't all-powerful, or maybe you just aren't as powerful as you think." Meldrick taunted.

"How dare you." Evil Ryu growled as his body began to fade away. "Mark my words, you shall pay for this one day." He threatened before his body was completely consumed by the shadows and vanished with the pendent dropping to the ground.

"Well, to the victor go the spoils." Meldrick said as the shadows cleared away. "I don't care much for the artifacts themselves, but I suppose this could come in handy." He claimed as he took the pendent for himself. That was right when Senshi showed up. "You're late. You missed the show."

"What have you done with Ryu?" Senshi questioned as he's already aware of what has happened up here.

"You should be thanking me. I got rid of that evil spirit for you. He's now lost to the shadows." Meldrick said.

"What?!" Senshi said as he was astonished. "He was still connected to Ryu! That spirit might have been evil, but you also banished an innocent!"

"Are you so concerned about your friends?" Meldrick taunted. "Don't worry. You'll be joining all of them soon enough." He claimed as he made his way off the field. Meldrick has just committed another unforgivable action. Perhaps Houki really does have the right idea. All of this is pure madness and it must stop. No matter what Meldrick has done or why he's done it, it must come to an end. Senshi will make sure of that.