A/N: Warning: this chapter jumps around a lot. Keep that in mind.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Before the scheduled duel, Paradox watched as the ongoing fight between Keepers and Vendread continued. Yet, he opened a portal before stepping into a room. The room had walls filled to the brim with equations scribbled into them.

He searched and spotted a deck on the desk before walking up to it. There he took out a card from his sleeve, and he placed it on the deck before it vanished into the pile of cards.

"They say that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Oh, I am hoping this plan goes to flames in the best possible way! It wouldn't be any fun otherwise!" The Shadow Rider laughed as he returned back to watch the carnage he created.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Bastion and Chazz fiddled with their Decks and Duel Disks as the clock slowly reached midnight.

Everyone was nervous, but soon, the moment had come. Revendread Slayer walked out of the shadows and appeared on the other side of the field.

"You ready?" Chazz placed his deck into his duel disk as it activated.

"No, but that's not going to stop me." Bastion did the same, but kept his eyes on his opponent.

Revendread Slayer said nothing and summoned his as well. In the back of their minds, the idea of facing a powerful opponent appealed to their pride as duelists. However, the fact it had been forced upon them gave them a bitter aftertaste.

"DUEL!" "HOOOLLLDDDD IT!"

Everyone turned to see Paradox step out from one side of the area.

"What do you want, 2nd?" Slayer spoke with restrained rage and hatred.

Paradox flicked his hair. "Why, I'm trying to help you out, buddy! I know you're not at full strength, and facing the two of them at theirs won't be fair. So, make it an official tag duel. The Keepers have to share a field and life points."

"I despise your tone when it's obvious you have hidden agendas." Slayer scoffed. "But I know what's at stake here. So I will agree."

"Chazz?" Bastion looked to the black-clad duelist.

"Fine! That slacker owes me big time! Besides, it's not like this changes much."

With that set in the way, the duel began once more.

Revendread Slayer: 8000 LP

Bastion/Chazz: 8000 LP

"I'll take the first turn!" Bastion declared as he drew his card. "I summon Banisher of Light in defense mode!"

As Bastion shouted this, a man in bright robes appeared in the night.

Banisher of Light [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fairy/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 3/ATK: 100/DEF: 2000]

"As long as this card remains on the field, all cards are banished instead of sent to the graveyard!" The Ra Yellow declared as his monster started to glow with an otherworldly aura.

"I see," Atticus put a hand on his chin. "He's sealing Slayer's graveyard. Most of his combos and protections got crippled from that one card."

"It also puts a risk to their cards," Seika folded her arms. "Though, I'm giving Bastion and Chazz the benefit of the doubt that they prepared for losing their graveyards."

Bastion continued his turn. "I set two cards down and end my turn there!"

Turn 2: Slayer. Cards: 5.

Even if his deck's combo potential was crippled, Revendread Slayer drew his card as if it wasn't. There was no sign that he lost his composure. In fact, Chazz and Bastion had a bad feeling that they just forced him to be more aggressive than his last duels!

"I set one monster, set two cards, and end my turn."

Or not.

Turn 3: Chazz. Cards: 5.

The turn was simple, but the confidence in their opponent exuded when doing it was not. Chazz shook his head to stop psyching himself out and drew his card.

"I play Axe Dragonute in attack mode!"

A dragonic warrior wielding an axe appeared on the field. He raised his weapon above his head, spread his wings, and gave off a roar that demanded blood.

Axe Dragonute [Type: Effect Monster\Sub-Type: Dragon\Attribute: DARK\Level: 4\ATK: 2000\DEF: 1200]

Chazz pointed to the opponent's monster. "Axe Dragonute, attack!"

The dragon charged for the set monster before something shot out from beneath and swarmed the dragon.

"Vendread Houndehorde! He used the same opening move to counter my Cyber Dragon." Zane exclaimed.

Vendread Houndhorde [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 3/ ATK: 0/ DEF: 2100]

However, Axe Dragonute fought its way out of being absorbed and flew back to Chazz's side of the field. But as it did, one of the zombie dogs rushed for the dragon. Axe Dragontue cut the beast in half, but the fangs of the creature shot out and skinned Bastion's leg and Chazz's shoulder. The two boys hissed in pain.

Slayer: 8000 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 8000→7900 LP

Slayer's eyes widened before he turned to Paradox. "What did you do!?"

"What are you talking about? I'm helping you, my dear ally." The 2nd Shadow Rider relaxed as he found a tree to lean on. "I mean, how unfair was it that you took on all the pain from your past Shadow Games? Wouldn't it be better if the game was properly played?"

"Tch!" Slayer cursed in silence.

"What? I don't need any coddling!" Chazz cried out. "Especially over a silly scratch! Axe Dragonute's effect activates! After it attacks, it switches to defense mode! Then, I'll end my turn with 2 facedowns!"

Turn 4: Slayer. Cards: 3.

The Shadow Rider wasted no time in drawing his next card. Yet instead of activating, he pointed at his facedown. "I play my trap, Vendread Reorgin! I choose a monster from my opponent's side of the field, tribute it, and summon a token equal to its level! I choose Banisher of the Light!" As Slayer pointed, his trap card shot out absorbed the monster. When it took him to Vendread Slayer's side, a zombified version of Banisher groaned as he came into existence.

(Level 3)

"Darn! He took care of it so easily!" Jesse cried out.

"Not quite, Jesse!" Bastion pressed his Duel Disk. "Go, Quick Summon! This reliable Quick-Play Spell Card allows me a normal summon even when it's not my turn! And I choose Banisher of the Radiance in attack mode!"

A strange and ethereal being spun into the field.

Banisher of The Radiance [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fairy/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 0]

"And his ability is exactly like that of my previous one! All cards are banished instead of sent to the graveyard!" Bastion declared.

"Bastion's putting a lot of resources into keeping this graveyard seal. I hope his deck is more balanced than just ensuring Slayer can't use most of his combos." Zane noted out loud.

"My main phase is not over," Slayer declared as he took a card out of his hand. "I use Vendread Reorgin!"

Everyone, especially Zane, Seika, and Alexis, knew what that card meant. As the car lifted up, the token and Houndehorde were sucked in. The Slayer walked through the card as excess power burned off him like steam from a motor.

Revendread Slayer [Type: Ritual/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/ Level: 6/ATK: 2400/ DEF: 0]

It was amazing how the 3rd Shadow Rider made walking a few steps forward so intimidating.

"Oh no! He used Houndehorde as a tribute! He can banish one facedown!" Alexis shouted.

Slayer threw his arm out. "There is no need for it considering what comes next. I reveal my second set card: Vendread Daybreak!"

Seika's eyes widened as she recalled the card during their tag duel. "It's the Trap Nuke!? He drew it that early!?"

A bright light started to gather behind Vendread Slayer. "All cards on the field except for my ritual monster get destroyed. Or in Banisher's case, all cards get banished after this."

As their opponent gathered energy, Bastion moved his hand outward. "I have no choice! Go, My Body as a Shield! By paying 1500 life points, I can negate your trap card and save all of ours!"

Slayer: 8000 LP

Chazz and Bastion: 7900→ 6400 LP

The two felt like something was ripping out their souls. But a barrier appeared and defended the two and their cards from Slayer's nuke. However, when the barrier died, an orb of power shot out and removed one of Chazz's facedowns.

"How deep are your defenses?" Slayer asked as he lowered his hand down after activating his quick effect. "I move to attack Banisher of Radiance!"

Chazz reacted fast. "I reveal my last card! Go, Shift! This trap card switches the target of my opponent! So instead of Banisher, you attack Axe Dragonute!" As Slayer followed through, Axe Dragonute appeared in place of the light monster. And despite being a dragon, it stood no chance against the battle-tested Slayer. The remains of the dragon got sucked into the banisher. Like all other cards, it was banished instead of sent to the graveyard.

"If you were not at least capable of this, the duel will end far too soon." Slayer started before he re-summoned his duel disk and took another card. "I'll summon Vendread Vermin in defense mode, and I'll end my turn there."

The creature that appeared was one of the smaller vendread beasts. These looked like an assortment of rats and squirrels forced together by the virus.

Vendread Vermin [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 1/ ATK: 0/ DEF: 0]

"I've got a bad feeling about his monsters with zero attack points," Alexis noted out loud. "They've got scary abilities when used for a ritual summon."

So far, the duel started as it usually did. But everyone knew Slayer could evolve his plays after standard early moves. Bastion and Chazz had no way to predict where the duel could go from there. However, everyone knew that the harder the Tag Team pushed, the stronger their opponent pushed back.

Yet, something was in the air that didn't make much sense. And of all people, an unlikely person spotted it first.

"Hey, is it me?" Chumley started before everyone noticed he wasn't looking at the duel. "Or is the gothic weirdo looking elsewhere?"

Those not dueling looked over to the second Shadow Rider. When they did, it was hard not to notice how still the usually chaotic Shadow Rider was.

"What's he up to?" Atticus narrowed his eyes.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Wilona, try as she might, could not pull her arm away from her duel disk. It was as if something was keeping it there. And try as she might, she could not detach it from her arm.

"Wilona, what happened?" Honest cried out.

"Well, the easy way to explain it is magic." Paradox, somehow in two places at once, said. "I mean, it's true I can't force you to duel. But I can activate a duel disk and keep it in place. I can also slip it on a person and make them stuck in a way that they can't move until they win or lose."

Wilona glared over to the masked man and fished for her pockets. When she pulled out her cellphone, Paradox snapped his fingers. Unfortunately for the girl, her phone held no signal whatsoever.

"Don't be such a spoilsport! I'm trying to have a very serious occult children's card game with you!" The Shadow Rider huffed. "And you're being so rude!"

"That's a laugh!" Wilona glared towards the masked freak. "You're the one sacrificing your own teammate to defeat the rest of us!"

Honest looked at his friend in surprise.

"I don't know how it works, but Slayer expends some kind of energy when he duels. It's why he waited after defeating Zane. He needs a recharge time to focus at his best! That's why he doesn't challenge everyone a day after he wins!

Meanwhile, despite trying to stand still, Zane, Seika, and Atticus noticed that Slayer's hands twitched uncontrollably as he held his cards.

Back with Wilona, she yelled, "I bet he's using his power to spare the others from the penalty of the Shadow Games you keep using! Either way, you knew about his recharge time! That's why you forced his hand when he hasn't had time to heal from Rhodes and the President's duel! And that's not the worst part! The truth behind you cursing Yuki is actually—"

"DUEL!" Paradox screeched as a circle of purple fire surrounded the two.

Paradox: 4000 LP

Wilona: 4000 LP

"I draw!" Paradox exclaimed as he made a flourish. "I play the field spell, Malefic World!" As soon as he said this and placed the card in his field zone slot, the entire area shifted. Wilona and Honest saw stars and space... that looked purple? And there was this overwhelming feeling of emptiness surrounding them.

Unfortunately, this was no time for sight-seeing as Paradox went on. "I then special summon this monster by sending one Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard! Come forth, Malefic Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Wilona might not have been as invested in Duel Monsters as the others, but even she recognized the famous Red-Eyes. So when it appeared in front of her with bits and pieces of Paradox's mask all over it like a branded cow, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Malefic Red-Eyes Dragon. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 7/ ATK: 2400/ DEF: 2000]

"I'm not done! I also send Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my extra deck to the graveyard to special summon Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Wilona heard about Red-Eyes, but she knew Blue-Eyes more than the other dragon. Seeing it also lobotomized in Paradox's style felt wrong as it was fearsome.

Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2500]

"How do you have those monsters?" Wilona asked as she saw the two dragons staring her down.

"My dear, you have yet to see the full extent of this deck. I play one card facedown and end my turn." Paradox exclaimed.

Turn 2: Wilona. Cards: 5.

Wilona narrowed her eyes as she looked at her opponent. He was doing his best to ensure that she wouldn't reach the others in time.

She suddenly slapped her forehead. "Daft idiot! Why didn't you just use your phone earlier!? Or even your PDA? Why did you have to run out here and let him ambush you!?"

Paradox snorted across from the field. He remained silent that he definitely would have blocked her attempts to use the machines.

Wilona continued to glare at Paradox before she drew her card. "I activate Landrobe The Rock Vessel's effect! I can target one of my opponent's monsters and flip them in facedown defense mode! I choose your Blue-Eyes!"

Wilona summoned her monster onto the field. When it did, its eyes started to glow and forced the mighty Blue-Eyes to flip over.

Landrobe The Rock Vessel. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Rock/ Attribute: EARTH/Level: 4/ ATK: 800/ DEF: 1000]

But Wilona pulled another card. "I tribute summon Landrobe for Zaborg The Thunder Monarch!"

Zaborg The Thunder Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Thunder/ Attribute:LIGHT/Level: 5/ ATK: 2400/ DEF: 1000]

From the sky, lightning struck and flashed. When it did, Wilona's electrical titan flew to the air to meet with the mighty Red-Eyes.

"Zarborg has a summon ability! I can destroy one monster on the field, and I choose Blue-Eyes!" Wilona pointed to the downed card, and her Monarch struck down the mighty creature.

But the female Slifer wasn't done. "I now play the equip spell, Power of the Guardians! I equip it with Zaborg and attack your enslaved Red-Eyes! PotG gains counters per attack! And for each counter it gains, my monster gains 500 attack and defense points!"

(2400→2900/1000→1500)

The Electrical Titan moved with the same speed as his element. Before Red Eyes could react, Zaborg was in front of the dragon with both hands raised together, gathering a dangerous amount of energy. Zaborg swung both his hands into the sides of Red-Eyes and caused an explosion of electricity.

Paradox: 4000 → 3500 LP.

The masked man remained still as dust clouded the air. "Not bad. You took down both Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes in one turn. Granted, they weren't used to their full potential, but still, it's nothing to sneeze at." The masked rider pointed downward. "Putting that aside, I reveal my trap! Malefic Tune! When a Malefic Monster is destroyed by battle or effect, I can draw two cards!"

Wilona watched her opponent gain more resources, and a bad feeling entered the pit of her stomach. "I end my turn there."

Turn 3. Paradox. Cards: 5.

The Shadow Rider pointed to the sky. "My field spell has an effect! Instead of conducting a normal draw, I'm allowed to add one random Malefic Monster to my hand!" When he did, Wilona felt her bad feeling reach to the back of her spine.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Paradox raised his hand to the sky.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Revendread Slayer: 8000 LP

Bastion/Chazz: 6400 LP

Revendread Slayer snapped his neck towards Paradox, who was standing away from the duel.

"What was that?" He narrowed his eyes.

"What was what?" The blonde Shadow Rider asked 'innocently'.

"I heard dragons and thunder just now." Slayer moved his eyes towards his current opponents. "And it did not come from those two."

Paradox, while leaning on a tree, shrugged his shoulders. "How am I supposed to know what you do and don't sense? For all I know, you could be sensing naughty students doing the deed right now."

Revendread Slayer glared at his supposed ally before turning towards his adversaries. "I believe it's your turn next."

Turn 5: Bastion. Cards: 2.

Bastion drew his card. However, when he did, Vendread Vermin started to move. One of them shot out and latched itself on to Bastion's Deck. The Ra Yellow tried to shoo away the creature, but the vermin stole one card from Bastion's deck.

"Vendread Vermin has an ability. For each turn it's out on the field, it sends the top card of my opponent's deck to the graveyard after they draw a card. Since you have Banisher out, that means your cards get banished." Slayer explained as the stolen card vanished into thin air.

"I was afraid of this," Zane narrowed his eyes. "Slayer was able to turn Bastion's strategy against them. The longer that monster's there, the more their resources will be cut."

"Then allow me to exterminate that monster!" Bastion cried out. "I play my Continous Spell Card, The Sanctum of Parshath!" When Bastion did this, the area around him and Chazz turned into one of a brilliant temple among a sea of clouds. "This card works as The Sanctuary in the Sky! As long as it is up, Fairy-Type monsters gain 300 attack and defense points! Not only that, with this card up, you can no longer target our set cards!"

"You forget I can still target that continuous spell!" Slayer declared as he gathered energy.

"No, I did not! I reveal and activate this trap card in my hand! Different Dimension Shield Generator! If a card I owned is in danger of being banished, I can negate the banishing effect. And when it's successfully negated, I can draw two more cards! Not only that, the card it successfully protected can no longer be banished!"

The other Key Keepers and Chazz felt excited to hear Bastion countering one of Slayer's signature moves and protect the rest of their back row.

"And now, I'm going to use one of my new cards to bring out Bountiful Artemis!" Bastion declared as a sleek and robotic fairy monster appeared on the field. "Like Banisher, he too gets a boost in power!"

Bountiful Artemis. [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fairy/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1700]

(1600→1900/0→300) (1600→1900/1700→2000)

"Now, Artemis! Destroy that Vermin!" Bastion pointed to the mass of rodents loitering in the area next to Slayer. As the fairy dove after the creatures, the Vermin all scurried behind Revendread Slayer.

"When Vermin is targeted for an attack, I can shift the target only to a Vendread Ritual Monster." Slayer summoned another bone sword from his hand.

"What!?" Bastion yelled out.

Slayer ducked under the strike of Bountiful Artemis and, with one flash, cut the fairy in half.

Revendread Slayer: 8000 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 6400→5900 LP

The two Academy students felt pain shoot through their bodies. Yet, they still held firm even from that mistake.

"Are we sure Bastion countered Slayer's deck? Cause it sure doesn't look like it!" Chumley cried out.

"He knows that his deck's strength is crippled. But Slayer adapted too fast and is punching holes in the places Bastion didn't put defenses up." Atticus noted out loud.

"Do not count me out yet," Bastion cried out after the attack. His eyes were laser-focused as the Ra Yellow fought through the pain and stared down Revendread Slayer. "I had far too many nightmares where no matter what strategy I pulled, he always countered them. It appears I was right. But I refuse to back down now! I play another trap card from my hand, Star Ascension! I can activate this trap card from my hand when a light-type monster is banished from the field! My opponent takes effect damage equal to the banished monster's attack! And it summons a token with zero points in its place!"

As Bastion exclaimed this, a light shone from above and struck Slayer where he stood. The Shadow Rider screamed as he felt his body burned and fell on one knee.

Slayer: 8000→ 6100 LP.

Chazz/Bastion: 5900 LP

"About time!" Chazz cried out.

"I'll end my turn with one card set." Bastion declared after a floating diamond token appeared on his field.

Turn 6: Slayer. Cards: 1.

As Slayer reached for his deck. He froze and looked back to Paradox. "What was that?"

Ojama Yellow and Lapauila Mana appeared beside their respective duelist.

"Boss! I feel like there's a second duel going on!" "Something is amiss with the energy surrounding us, Bastion. It feels as if there's another Shadow Game." The two spirits told their partners.

However, this time, everyone noticed Paradox was unusually silent.

"Whatever you're planning, drop it now, jester!" Slayer turned back towards Bastion and Chazz. "I move to attack your Banisher of the Radiance!"

Bastion pointed towards his token. "The token I received from Shield has an effect! I can sacrifice it to negate one attack!" As he claimed this, the little diamond exploded into pieces before forming a bubble to repel Slayer's attack.

As the Shadow Rider slid back to his side of the field. He looked up from his attack. "I end my turn."

Turn 7: Chazz. Cards: 3.

Chazz drew his next card, and as he did, the Ace of North Academy knew he needed to take out Slayer if he wanted a shot a Vermin. This was especially the case as one of the creatures took the top card of his deck.

"AAAH! BOSS!" Ojama Green cried out as the Vendread creature ran into Banisher's stomach.

"AHH! Green!" Both Yellow and Ojama Black cried out.

Chazz was annoyed, but angry. No one was allowed to treat those three stooges like dirt except him! Luckily for him, the card he drew was a card that would help him in this situation He'd have to thank Chancellor Foster later.

"Well, it looks like it's time to bust out one of my new fusion monsters! And what better time to do it than now!?" Chazz lifted a familiar spell card to the sky. "I play Polymerization! I fuse Alexandrite Dragon and Luster Dragon in my hand to summon this ancient king!"

The two dragons flew into the swirl above. However, everyone soon noticed that the energy of the fusion swirl didn't stop. Instead, it looked like it was growing and growing!

Soon, a mighty being as big as the school towered over the battlefield. Even compared to dragons, the scales on the creature looked stronger than mountains, and the spikes could be mistaken for claws. It unfurled its wings that were so long that they blocked the moon. It then let loose a roar that sent shockwaves at its birth.

"Take the field by storm, First of the Dragons!" Chazz clenched his fist.

First of the Dragons [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 9/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2000]

"Whoa!?" Chumley took a step back when he looked up at the creature. "It's huge!"

"Jesse, North Academy had a monster like that?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, it did!" The Crystal Beast duelists raised a fist. "That there is one of the strongest fusion monsters in North Academy! Chazz won him fair and square when Chancellor Foster gave him the cards."

"We should be lucky that Slayer didn't use Revenants as a tribute for his summon," Atticus spoke up. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing much of that monster."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that!" Jesse said in a sing-song tune. "It's not all just looks! And you're all about to see!"

Chazz pointed to Slayer. "Because of Bastion, you no longer have protection for your Ritual Monsters! So that means no more of those annoying destruction preventions! First of the Dragons, show him our true power!"

The Dragon inhaled before unleashing blue flames where the Shadow Rider once stood. Slayer jumped out of the flame but retreated back to where he started the duel.

Slayer: 6100→ 5800 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 5900 LP

"Now, Banisher! Erase those blasted rodents!" Chazz commanded Bastion's monster as it puffed its chest outward. It pulled in all of the Vendread Vermin into its stomach, making sure every monstrosity was lost.

"Not only that, because of Banisher, you can't activate your Ritual Monsters effects when they're sent to the graveyard!" Chazz exclaimed. "How's that for skill? I end my turn!"

Turn 8: Slayer. Cards: 2.

"They're in the lead!" Jesse cried out. "And Slayer's got an empty board!"

"Not quite," Zane raised his voice slightly. "Take a closer look at Slayer. What do you see?"

Everyone but the Senior Obelisks did so. When they did, they all noticed it. Or rather, they saw the distinct lack of someone looking worried when Slayer had a crippling disadvantage.

Zane couldn't help but show his respect to a powerful duelist. "You all should learn from him. It doesn't matter what state the game is in: there's always an opportunity to change the duel."

Slayer drew his third card. When he looked down at it, he paused. He looked back at his two opponents before claiming, "I summon Vendread Revenants in attack mode."

Vendread Revenants [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 4/ ATK: 1800/ DEF: 0]

Everyone felt fear when they saw the mob of amalgamations enter the field. They knew what it meant. They knew how much damage that monster could do when used properly.

However, Slayer didn't bring out another Ritual Summon. "I set one card and end my turn."

Turn 9: Bastion. Cards: 0

Everyone felt cautious when they eyed the monster. Bastion had a bad feeling that Slayer's set card might have something to do with turning the duel back in his favor. But at the same time, if there was a chance to end the duel, it had to be now! They couldn't risk Slayer eventually breaking the seal or Jaden being cursed and losing another key of one of their best duelists!

"I draw!" Bastion yelled before looking at his card. "I play Akashic Record! This spell card allows me to draw two cards and reveal them. If they have been played at any point in the duel, I must banish them! I drew Ancient Rules and the monster, Wingweaver. Since neither of these cards has been played, I add them to my hand." Bastion explained before his eyes narrowed. "But allow me to say what we're thinking: I am going to activate these cards! Ancient Rules allows me to special summon a high-level Normal Monster, and that is exactly what Wingweaver is!"

As Bastion activated the combo, the light in the sky opened up. A divine-looking creature, similar to Alexis' Cyber Angels, appeared in the sky.

Wingweaver [Type: Normal Monster/Sub-Type: Fairy/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 7/ATK: 2750/DEF: 2400]

"And do not forget that Sanctum of Parshath is still in play! Wingweaver is another Fairy-Type! Therefore, she gains a 300 point boost!"

(2750→3050/2400→2700)

"Uh, guys?" Jesse brought a hand up for counting. "Is it me or?"

"Bastion has enough points to wipe out the rest of Slayer's life points." Seika narrowed her eyes. "But it could all be pointless depending on what facedown Slayer has."

Bastion was aware of the lone set card. However, this was the only play he could make with what his deck gave him. Hopefully, this would be enough!

"Banisher, send those Revenants away!" Banisher of the Radiance did so, absorbing all the monsters as he did before.

Slayer: 5800→ 5700 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 5900 LP

"Wingweaver's attack is 3050! First of the Dragon's is 2700! If these two attacks connect, they'll win!" Chumley yelled. "Not to mention, his card didn't activate a while ago! Maybe it's not a battle trap!"

Bastion and Chazz looked at each other once before they nodded. "Wingweaver!" "First of the Dragons!" They both pointed and shouted at the same time. "End this duel!"

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Paradox: 3500 LP

Wilona: 4000 LP

Turn 3: Paradox. Cards: 5.

The Shadow Rider pointed to the sky. "My field spell has an effect! Instead of conducting a normal draw, I'm allowed to add one random Malefic Monster to my hand!" When he did, Wilona felt her bad feeling reach to the back of her spine.

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Paradox raised his hand to the sky. "I first send Stardust Dragon from my extra deck and into the graveyard to special summon Malefic Stardust Dragon!"

Wilona never heard of Stardust Dragon before, but she noticed the original card looked white as Paradox sent it to his graveyard. But the moment passed when one of the most beautiful dragons she ever saw in all of Duel Monsters appeared before her.

It was a shame even Paradox's taint was all over the majestic beast.

Malefic Stardust Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2000]

That moment, Wilona saw something that made her eyes widen: the dragon started to flicker in and out of existence as if it was losing a radio signal or something.

"What's with that dragon?" Honest noted out loud.

"Pay it no mind as I now normal summon my Malefic Parallel Gear!" As he said this, an unassuming machine twirled into the field.

Malefic Parallel Gear [Type: Tuner/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Machine/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 2/ ATK: 0/ DEF: 0]

"Now, it's time to Synchro Summon! I tune my Malefic Parallel Gear and Stardust Dragon!" As the tuner turned into rings and the dragon turned into dark stars, the Malefic World started to quake. Wilona watched in horror as the once beautiful dragon grew and shaped into a dragon of nightmares.

"Behold, girl! You get to see a monster that made even Kings cower in fear! Witness, Malefic Paradox Dragon!" Unlike all dragons before, this one was not marked as if it was a slave. In fact, this dragon looked more like a tyrant, as if it it was the one that made all those other legendary dragons its slaves.

Malefic Paradox Dragon [Type: Synchro/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 10/ ATK: 4000/ DEF: 4000]

Wilona sighed and rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, it's got a powerful ability that will put me at a disadvantaged state or make me flat out lose the duel."

Paradox, for a second, paused as he took in the reaction. He could only laugh after it settled in. "I meant it when I said that this beast brought fear to powerful Kings. Then again, to you, dueling is not and will never be more than a tool for you to use. So that means this will take another approach." His crazed laughing stopped. Paradox moved his mask towards Wilona with the speed of a hunter slowly moving in for the kill. "... For example... how about your mother?"

Wilona stood up straight, her eyes shot up open. "This has nothing to do with her!"

"So harsh!" Paradox laughed as he knew he finally struck a nerve. "You should be thanking me. After all, I was the one who let her call go through the bottom of the ocean, starlight."

Honest saw his friend starting to tremble. "Wilona, stop! He is attempting to goad you!"

"I'm doing more than that, angel-face! I activate Paradox Dragon's effect! I can special summon a Synchro Monster from either graveyard and bring it out to the field! So say hello to the real Stardust Dragon!"

The imprisoned dragon turned to the field once more. Unlike before, it wasn't marked with parts of the Malefic Brand, and it looked akin to a shooting star. However, it still flickered in and out of existence as if it was not meant to be there.

Stardust Dragon [Type: Synchro/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/ Attribute: WIND/Level: 8/ ATK: 2500/ DEF: 2000]

"Paradox Dragon's effect activates! My opponent loses attack points equal to the total of all other Synchro Monsters on my side of the field! Stardust Dragon has 2500 attack points, so how much does Zaborg use?" As soon as he said this, an oppressive wave of energy crashed Zaborg to the ground.

(2900→ 400)

Honest turned to his ally, who still seethed with rage towards Paradox. "Wilona! You must focus!"

"Do so!" Paradox took out another card from his hand. "I play the Equip Spell Card Malefic Aura! I can equip this card to a non-Malefic Synchro Monster, and it is now allowed to attack, ignoring my field spell's restriction!" As he exclaimed this, The aura of white and black started to surround Stardust Dragon. "Even with Power of the Guardian's Ability to gain 500 attack points per battle, I'll still be able to inflict more than 4000 points of damage with both attacks!" Paradox pointed as both Synchro monsters gathered energy towards the downed monster while Wilona had no set cards. "End this duel!"

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Slayer: 5700 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 5900 LP

The two high-level monsters gathered energy. Slayer was still quiet even as both monsters were about to unleash their attacks! When they did, a torrent of primal and divine energy raced their way towards the undead being.

At last, Slayer moved. "I reveal my trap! Vendread Reunion!"

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Paradox: 3500 LP

Wilona: 4000 LP

At the same time, as two otherworldly dragons unleashed their power towards the downed Monarch, Wilona grabbed a card from her hand. "I activate Kuriboh's effect!"

Paradox groaned. "Of course you have a blasted Kuriboh."

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]

Slayer: 5700 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 5900 LP

Revendread Slayer continued on. "I reveal Revendread Executor in my hand to activate this trap card's effect. I can now ritual summon using monsters that add up exactly to Executor's level."

"You don't have any monsters!" Chazz yelled.

"The trap card allows me to summon monsters that have been banished." Everyone else's eyes widened as Slayer pointed out. "I re-summon Vendread Vermin, Revenants, and Houndehorde to Ritual Summon!"

The three groups of monsters appeared in the field before they just as quickly got absorbed into the trap card. Revendread Slayer jumped into the trap card and entered the field as Revendread Executor. Bursting with new energy, the Shadow Rider unleashed a torrent of energy that repelled Wingweaver and First of the Dragon's attacks.

Revendread Executor [Type: Ritual/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/ Level: 8/ATK: 3000/ DEF: 0]

"Shoot! They were so close too!" Jessie cried out.

"That move looks familiar," Alexis thought out loud. "Bringing back all the banished cards in one critical moment?"

"He totally copied me," Seika scoffed. "Still, I gotta give credit. He copied me at the right moment and no sooner. That does explain why he left his monster in attack mode. He wanted to bait them into banishing Revenants in the first place, so he distracted them with a potential win."

"Because I used Vendread Vermin as a tribute for a ritual monster, I'm allowed to draw two cards." Executor claimed as he re-summoned his duel disk and drew two cards. They once more vanished before he continued, "I also used Revenants as a tribute for a Ritual monster. I can banish one special-summoned monster." His eyes glowed a fierce red as he glanced upward. "I choose Wingweaver!" He used his power to entrap the divine fairy before he made a crushing motion with his fist. When he did, the normal monster vanished into nothingness. Afterward, Slayer turned to the two duelists. "Do you wish to replay your attack?"

Bastion gritted his teeth. "I-I end my turn."

Turn 10: Slayer. Cards: 2.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Chumley yelled. "No matter how close we are to beating him, he keeps pulling off these last-minute plays!"

"It is annoying but admirable. Slayer is pulling it off no matter how many times we have him on the ropes." Atticus noted out loud.

"It fits in a way," Zane commented. "He keeps getting back up after everything trying to knock him down. It's truly a shame that fate made him our enemy."

Executor drew his next card after re-summoning his items. "I do believe it's my turn to go on the offensive." When his items vanished, so did Revendread Executor.

Everyone then saw the Shadow Rider smashing Banisher of the Radiance to the ground by grabbing its head. "You have been particularly annoying." He made a crushing motion with his fist.

Slayer: 5700 LP

Bastion/Chazz: 5800→ 4700 LP

Slayer turned towards First of the Dragons. "And I choose to banish that dragon!"

The Shadow Rider shot a concentrated orb of red energy towards First of The Dragons. However, the opposing dragon roared at the blast that eventually broke the attack into pieces.

"First of the Dragons can only be destroyed in battle by a normal monster! Not only that, it's immune to all other monster effects!" Chazz declared.

"It's immune to monster effects and can only be destroyed by normal monsters? I can see what you mean by what you said a while ago, Jesse." Alexis stated.

"I hope it can do more than just survive," Atticus added.

Back in the duel, Slayer returned to his side of the field. "With your banishing cards gone, we can now re-use our graveyards."

Chazz and Bastion knew that while they could use their graveyards again, it meant that Slayer could use his graveyard better than they could. They were running out of time; they needed to defeat Slayer before he could build his resources!

"I'll end my turn there." The Shadow Rider threw his hand out while his tendrils writhed in power.

It was then that everyone heard what sounded like a massive explosion that was nowhere near the duel.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

When Paradox's attack died down, the smoke cleared. When it did, Wilona lowered her hands, and everyone could see the rage in her eyes.

"You attacked Zaborg twice just now. But I used Kuriboh to turn Paradox Dragon's battle damage to 0. Luckily, thanks to Power of the Guardians, I was able to add and remove a counter in both attacks. That means that the only damage calculation that matters is when that Stardust Dragon attacked Zaborg when it had 900 attack points for that battle only." In the back of her mind, she was glad that she found a spare Kuriboh card in her duel packs. Seeing how well Yuki used Winged Kuriboh in his deck made the girl at least add the common card in hers. Good thing she did.

Paradox: 3500 LP

Wilona: 4000 → 2600 LP

"It's always a Kuriboh. Forget ace monsters: people should be watching out for those annoying circles." Paradox shook his head. "Alright, starlight. Your turn."

Turn 4: Wilona. Cards: 2.

"Wilona, please. He's getting under your skin!" Honest tried to tell his friend, but he noticed that she didn't seem to be registering his words at all.

With a dangerous look in her eyes, Wilona drew her card faster than ever before. She glanced only once at it before slamming the card into her duel disk and shouting, "I play the spell card, Soul Exchange!"

"Right: unbalanced old cards," Paradox breathed.

"I tribute both your dragons to summon Erebus The Underworld Monarch!" Wilona's voice barely held back the need to see her enemy beaten and broken before her.

Both of Paradox's monsters left the field as they flew over to converge into a dark portal the size of a monster truck. It didn't take long for a towering black king to enter the battlefield with an imposing aura.

Erebus The Underworld Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/ Level: 8/ATK: 2800/ DEF: 1000]

"Malefic Aura has another effect: when the equipped monster leaves the field, I draw one card." Paradox stated as the Wilona's monster towered the battlefield.

However, the green haired girl was not done. "I activate his summon ability! I choose to send two Monarch Cards from my deck to my grave, and then I can activate his effect to shuffle one card back to your deck! I choose to shuffle a random card from your hand!" Wilona pointed as Erebus did the same. One of Paradox's cards flew back into his deck.

"And with Paradox Dragon and Stardust gone, Zaborg regains his attack points!" (400→2900) The wrathful girl didn't even look at her own monster as it regained strength. "And when he attacks again, he'll gain another 500 points!"

Wilona pointed towards Paradox with every ounce of her seething hate at that moment. "Monarchs, obliterate him!"

(2900→3400/1500→2000) (Potg: 2)

Both Monarchs unleashed a torrent of undead and electrical energy that would wipe out some of the strongest of beings.

The Malefic world flash with light it had not seen in ages. Yet as the attack ended, Paradox stood as if he was never harmed in the first place and instead tapped his foot impatiently.

"W-What? You've got to be bloody, joshing me!" Wilona, snapping out of her blood frenzy, asked.

"You know. I must be lucky. If Erebus sent this card to my hand, the little game would have been over for me. Oh, well," Paradox motioned to the card he already held. "You see, I activated the effect of Malefic Kuriboh!"

A small creature appeared in front of Paradox. One side was pure black, and one side was pure white. It didn't have eyes but instead markings where his eyes should have been. The creature was like a lifeless puppet, and Wilona did not like how something so small and full of life looked so... lobotomized.

"Before the second of Erebus' hit, I activated his ability by discarding him. Malefic Kuriboh allows me to gain life points by banishing a Malefic Monster. I choose Paradox Dragon, so I regain 4000 LP before your attack reconnects."

The spirit of Paradox Dragon appeared behind Paradox before it got absorbed into Malefic Kuriboh. At the same time, a strange aura surrounded Paradox.

"Then the other attack went through after I regained my life points which meant in that one instant, this is what happened to my life points."

Paradox: 3500 →100 → 4100 → 1300 LP.

Wilona: 2600 LP

The green-haired girl gritted her teeth when she saw he had survived the attacks, especially when he was still so jovial about it. "So that's what it's like having a Kuriboh! I'm sure glad I went and gone caught a Kuriboh myself!" Paradox chided. "But I gotta admit there, you had me worried. Well, anyway, Malefic Kuriboh has another effect if I've been hit with a direct attack. I'm allowed to resummon the banished monster, but it can't attack, can't activate its effects, but it will be destroyed by the end of the turn. So come back, Malefic Paradox Dragon!"

Soon, the giant of a dragon returned to the field.

It was at that moment that Wilona looked at her hand. She wasted a lot on that offensive and didn't realize she had nearly nothing for defense. This was not a good sign. "I end my turn."

"Not yet! First, Paradox Dragon gets destroyed and sent to the graveyard because of Malefic Kuriboh's effect." Paradox explained as his monster exploded in a burst of light. "Now, here comes the fun part. When a Malefic monster is destroyed by battle or card effect, even my own, I can pay half my life points to special summon this beast!"

Paradox: 1300 LP - 750 LP

Wilona: 2600 LP

"Everyone, give a warm welcome to Malefic Truth Dragon!" As Paradox declared this, the whole Malefic World started to shake. What appeared behind paradox next made even Paradox Dragon look like a wimp. The Dragon felt like it was the end of all things.

Malefic Truth Dragon. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 12/ATK: 5000/DEF: 5000]

"And now, it's the end of your turn." Paradox emphasized that word as if he knew what was about to happen next.

Turn 5: Paradox. Cards: 1.

"I activate Malefic World to let me randomly get another Malefic Monster to my hand!" Paradox saw what he drew, and he laughed again. "Alright, who am I to pass up this funny inside joke? I'll start off by sending Cyber End Dragon to the graveyard!"

Wilona heard that name but couldn't believe it. Wasn't that Zane's best card?

"Let's give a warm hand to Malefic Cyber End Dragon!" Wilona's eyes weren't deceiving her. It was Cyber End Dragon but perverted by Paradox's markings.

Malefic Cyber End Dragon. [Type: Effect/Sub-type: Machine/Attribute: DARK/Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 2800]

"How did you?" Wilona gapped as she saw the familiar monster. "What have you done to them!?" She demanded as she thought the worst had happened to her friends.

"As of right now? Nothing. But I'm not done with the inside jokes! Do you remember how Jesse is looking for a special dragon?"

Wilona thought back to when Jesse mentioned it sometime after they met. The North Academy student searched for a card related to the Crystal Beasts: a rare creature that was supposed to bring together the others.

Wait.

Did Paradox call it a dragon? Jesse never mentioned it was a dragon flat out to her and the others when he was looking for it.

"You have it?" Wilona almost didn't believe her own voice.

"Well, I will have it." Paradox laughed as Wilona seemed confused at the wording. "I send Rainbow Dragon to the graveyard to summon Malefic Rainbow Dragon!"

Malefic Rainbow Dragon. [Type: Effect/Sub-type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF:0]

Wilona didn't know what to expect, but just like the Stardust Dragon, Rainbow Dragon looked gorgeous... if it didn't have all the markings of Paradox on it.

But this was bad for her. Paradox had two monsters with 4000 attack points and one with 5000! That was more than enough to wipe out her remaining life points even with Zaborg's equip spell!

"It's been fun, girly," Paradox began. "But I have something I need to attend to. But don't worry, I'll be sure to send both your friends and your mother to that part of hell with you soon enough." And with that line, Paradox snapped his fingers.

The three dragons roared before they unleashed a combined attack on the Slifer Red girl. The attacks collided on the stupified teen before the whole world went dark.

Paradox: 750 LP (Winner!)

Wilona: 2600→0 LP

Paradox watched as Malefic World and the Dragons he took vanished without a trace. The Shadow Rider then noticed Wilona's unconscious form started sinking into the shadows until nothing remained of her.

"Huh. Something was off about that girl. Oh well, I hope I haven't missed much with my good pal's duel." Paradox removed his duel disk before disappearing into the darkness.

However, Paradox did not know that someone else was spying on him this time. An interesting thought came to their mind.

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

Slayer: 5700 LP

Bastion/Chazz: 4700 LP

Turn 11: Chazz. Cards: 1

"Paradox, what was that?!" Slayer demanded.

"I was getting bored." Paradox finally spoke after being silent for so long. But the way he moved felt like his mind was elsewhere and recently returned to where he was. "It's not my fault I tried to find fun elsewhere."

"Keep talking, clown!" Chazz yelled. "After I'm done with this zombie, I'm coming after you!"

"Ugh, at least wear something that doesn't look like you stole from a hobo. Then I'd at least be able to pretend to take you seriously." Paradox countered.

"Don't make me dropkick you!" Chazz waved his fist at the uninterested Shadow Rider.

"Chazz, focus!" Alexis shouted.

The former Obelisk Blue grunted before drawing his next card. However, when he looks at it, everyone sees Chazz grunting in anger. "I switch First of Dragons to defense mode and end my turn!"

Turn 12: Slayer. Cards: 3.

"Oooh, I'm quaking in my butt cape!" Paradox then looked down. "Hold on, would you call this a butt cape? Or is it a butt cloak?"

"He's taunting you, Chazz. Don't let him get to you." Bastion told his partner. "I'm still curious as to what that last explosion was."

Slayer seemed just as curious but drew his next card. He looked up at First of Dragons, but seeing as he couldn't banish it or destroy it, "I end my turn as well."

Turn 13: Bastion. Cards: 0.

"Looks like First of Dragons is giving them a better defense than I thought," Atticus admitted. "But they're trapped in a stalemate."

The Ace of Ra Yellow drew his next card after hearing that. "I drew Card of Demise! I can now draw until I have 5 cards in my hand at the price of discarding my entire hand by the 5th standby phase when this was activated!" The Ra Yellow did so.

Bastion regained a hand. When the Ra Yellow did, he saw what he drew and smiled. "Good, it's time to show everyone my new fusion. And even I'm excited to show how lucky my pulls have been lately."

"Bastion has a fusion?" Alexis found herself asking out loud.

"It's not a Fusion I'd normally use. But for this specific deck, the potential of it being there was too good to pass up, especially after coming across this rare card!" Bastion took a card out of his hand. "I play Polymerization! I fuse the following monsters in my hand: King's Knight! Queen's Knight! And Jack's Knight!"

When the students of duel Academy heard those monster names, many gasped as they recognized those names.

"No way! You're using those cards!?" Jesse yelled.

Bastion smiled despite starting to sweat. "It's my honor to use a copy of the monster used by the King of Games himself! Come forth, Arcana Knight Joker!"

A powerful and unquestioningly royal warrior made itself known.

Arcana Knight Joker. [Type: Fusion/Effect Monster. Sub-Type: Warrior/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 9/ATK: 3800/DEF: 2500]

"How many packs did you go through to get that!?" Chazz found himself asking.

"Well, let's just say I'll be eating nothing but cup noodles for the rest of the next two school years." Bastion coughed into his hand. "But it'll be worth it to defeat Slayer here and now! I switch First of the Dragons to attack mode!" As the raven-haired teen declared this, Chazz's monster roared as it could sense the upcoming battle.

"You still do not have destruction prevention! That means I can destroy your Executor form right now! Arcana Knight Joker, destroy Executor!" The fusion knight unleashed a battle cry as it brandished his blade and raced for the ritual monster.

"I can still banish Special-Summoned Monsters! I choose to activate it at this moment!" Executor lifted his hand and started to gather energy.

"Arcana Knight Joker has an effect! If he is targeted by an effect such as yours, I can discard a corresponding card to negate it! I discard one monster from my hand to negate the banishing!" The fusion's sword started to glow as he cut the incoming attack in two.

The Fusion and Ritual clashed before Arcana Force Joker overpowered the Shadow Rider and cut him in half.

Revendread Slayer jumped out of the cut form and landed back behind his line.

Slayer: 5700 → 4900 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 4700 LP

"Revendread Executor has an ability when he's destroyed by an opponent's effect or battle! I add one Vendread Card from my deck to my hand!" He declared as he did so.

However, Chazz wasn't done. "First of Dragons, don't let Bastion steal all the spotlight!" Chazz cried out as his dragon unleashed another breath attack on the Shadow Rider. After the fierce blow, Slayer buckled and fell on one of his knees.

Slayer: 4900 → 2200 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 4700 LP

"N-Not," He coughed as he rose back up. "Not bad."

Chazz and Bastion noticed the fatigue of their opponent. There was a bitter taste in both of their pride as duelists. Slayer was indeed a powerful adversary, but he was forced to fight in a weakened state. They would feel bitter about cheating a win over a weakened opponent.

"I end my turn there." Bastion declared.

"Hey! That's the first time someone on our side got to defeat that powerful form!" Chumley noted out loud.

"Excuse me!?" Seika turned sharply toward the senior Slifer Red.

"Sorry, Seika, he has a point. Slayer tributed the form before you could land your finishing blow." Atticus pointed out.

"I am going to remember that." The President was bitter but also glad that the two pulled off what she and Zane could not.

Turn 14: Slayer. Cards: 5.

Despite the great turn, everyone realized that Slayer had six cards in his hands as he drew. If there was a time he was going to make powerful plays, it was without a doubt going to happen within a few seconds.

"I drew Graceful Charity! So I'll take three and discard two cards." Slayer began to do so. "Next, I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Revendread Executor from my graveyard!"

The two teens still felt fear grip their hearts. Despite Bastion's last turn, Slayer had access to his graveyard combos again!

It did not take long for Revendread Executor to return to the field after leaving it.

Revendread Executor [Type: Ritual/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/ Level: 8/ATK: 3000/ DEF: 0]

"Oh, come on! We just got rid of that guy!" Chumley hated this.

"True, but at least he no longer has his banishing abilities. So there's that at least." Zane noted.

"I now activate another Revendread Origin. Unlike before, I use the effect of Ritual Bird. Ritual Bird allows me to use itself for the entire tribute, regardless of level! With that, I now Ritual Summon another Revendread Executor!"

Everyone watched with fascination and horror as a piece of Executor's tendril ripped itself and soon started to take the form of another Revendread Executor.

Revendread Executor [Type: Ritual/Effect Monster/Sub-type: Zombie/ Attribute: DARK/ Level: 8/ATK: 3000/ DEF: 0]

"Oh, no!" Chumley whined. "There's two of him now!" In the meantime, Bastion and Chazz looked on with sweat going down their faces.

"I now activate the spell card, Star Boost! This card increases the Attack Points of one of my monsters by the total level of all monsters my opponent controls that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck multiplied by 100. It lasts until the End Phase." Slayer pointed to both Arcana Knight Joker and First of the Dragons. "You currently have two level-9 fusion monsters. That means I gain 1800 attack points." The Executor on the Keeper's left side claimed.

(3000→4800)

"Not only that, Star Boost allows this monster to attack all monsters on the field!" Slayer declared as his tendrils vibrated with power. "But I'm not done! I activate the Continous Spell, Vendread Nightmare!"

Zane leaned forward. "That's the card he used to increase his monster's attack points after successfully destroying a monster!"

"That doesn't look good!" "That's totally not lichious!" "This ain't lookin' good for Chazzy!" Alexis, Chumley, and Jesse yelled out loud.

"Now, I attack Arcana Knight Joker!" The first Executor yelled as he raced with even greater speed towards the Fusion monster. Just like before, but reversed, Slayer cut the fusion monster in half as it was done to him.

Slayer: 2200 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 4700 → 3700 LP

Revendread Executor pointed to his continuous spell while Bastion and Chazz writhed in pain. "Thanks to Vendread Nightmare, I gain 1000 extra attack points for successfully destroying a monster." (4800→5800)

"I don't like those numbers!" Jesse yelled out.

However, the 3rd Shadow Rider turned his eyes towards The First of the Dragons. "And while your monster can't be destroyed, you left it in attack mode." In a blink of an eye, Executor punched First of the Dragon's face with enough force to create a sonic boom.

Slayer: 2200 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 3700 → 1600 LP

"And let's not forget, my other self has not attacked yet." Vendread Slayer pointed over to his copy as it fired a blast of concentrated energy at the downed dragon.

Slayer: 2200 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 1600 → 1300 LP

Bastion and Chazz screamed again from the impact of the blow. After those series of attacks, they looked battered and beaten.

"Boss!" "Bastion!" The spirits of the two exclaimed.

However, the two freshmen were able to get back up.

"It's going to take more than that to keep us down!" Chazz yelled as he gasped for air.

"I concur. We didn't come all this way to lose now!" Bastion shouted as well.

"Very well," Executor stood back to his position in his field. "I end my turn there, and with the end of my turn Star Boost's effect fades but not Vendread Nightmare's." (5800→4000)

Turn 15: Chazz. Cards: 2.

Chazz drew his next card. When he did, he saw potential in it. He quickly went through the numbers in his head and took the card out. "I play the Equip Spell: Megamorph! This equip spell doubles the equipped monster's attack points if the owner's life points are lower than our opponent's! And would you look at that, it is!" Chazz pointed it to his dragon. "Rise up, First of Dragons! It's payback time!"

The power of the card allowed the downed dragon to raise his wings and start flying up to the air. Yet, even though it was already a tall being, it grew twice its size.

(2700→ 5400)

"Chazz has enough attack points to finish off Slayer!" Alexis shouted.

"What are you waiting for, Chazzy!? Go for it!" Jesse cheered on.

"Quit calling me Chazzy!" The Chazz screamed back before pointing towards the Executor without an attack boost. "First of the Dragons, attack!"

The fusion dragon roared as it unleashed its breath down on the opposing ritual monster.

However, just like before, Revendred Executor was already moving. "From my graveyard, I active Vendread Sewer Lurker's effect! By banishing it from the graveyard, I can target one spell or trap card and destroy it! Since it's not set, your Sanctum of Parshath can't protect it!"

Something dove into the ground from Executor's graveyard. It swam through land while everyone spotted what looked to be a shark fin heading towards Chazz's Megamorph. A large creature that seemed to be an amalgamation of a crocodile and a shark rose up and ate the equip spell. It then dipped back into the ground and vanishing forever.

But with the spell gone, First of The Dragon's attack fell drastically. (5400→2700)

"No!" Chazz cried out too late as the weaker Executor dodged the attack and uppercut the old dragon. Luckily, despite being attacked multiple times, the dragon still held on.

Slayer: 2200 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 1300→1000 LP

After their new shock of pain, Chazz still kept his focus on his enemy. "Heh. You look like you're getting tired."

Everyone looked back to the Executor. Despite his aura, both ritual monsters were gasping for air. The one with higher attack points looked like he was slouching despite standing straight.

"You're running out of tricks, but I'm not out of it yet!" Chazz declared. "I end my turn with one facedown!"

Turn 16: Slayer. Cards: 0.

As he re-summoned his Duel Disk, the Executor with higher attack points drew his second card. But he quickly put it away, signaling what he was about to do. "I attack your First of Dragons!" He exclaimed before racing towards the fusion monster.

"Chazz, I do hope you have something planned." Bastion calmly noted as he did the math and saw that Executor's 4000 attack points are more than enough to make their life points reach zero.

"Yeah! Yeah! What do you take me for!? I reveal my trap! Rising Energy! I discard one card and give one monster 1500 attack points until the end phase!"

(2700→4200)

This time, First of The Dragons roared and headbutted Executor back into the ground.

The other Executor summoned the Duel Disk. "I remove Revendread Origin from my grave to negate the destruction of that monster!"

"That doesn't stop your life points from dropping!" Bastion clenched his fist.

Slayer: 2200 → 2000 LP

Chazz/Bastion: 1000 LP

The fallen Executor attempted to stand back up, but it looked like he struggled even with a simple task. Through his (many) eyes, he started seeing quadruple.

Yet, he shook his head and focused back on the duel.

"For them," He whispered to himself. "You can't fail yet. And for that boy too. Hold on for a little more."

He cleared his voice and said, "I end my turn."

Turn 17: Bastion. Cards: 0

Even holding the top of his deck made Bastion wince. This duel was going on for far too long. Both sides kept pushing, but neither broke. The problem was one side was close to breaking, and no one knew who it was going to be first.

The Ra Yellow drew his card. However, he raised his brow. Where did this card come from? He didn't remember putting it in. Then again, he did make half the deck while he was still in a dazed and half-awake state.

No one saw Paradox trembling with excitement.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Bastion exclaimed.

Turn 18: Slayer. Cards: 1.

As the turns kept coming, everyone could tell that the duel was reaching its climax. When they spotted Executor still after picking up his latest card, they had feeling that the duel was finally going to reach its end. The Shadow Rider showed everyone the card he drew. "I activate the spell card, Block Defense!"

"Drat! He had one of those cards!?" Bastion yelled as First of Dragons turned back to attack mode against its will.

The stronger Executor summoned another blade from its hand. "This ends now, Keepers! I attack your First of The Dragons!"

Bastion knew this attack would end them both, and leave Jesse alone. The Ra Yellow looked down. A piece of him told him not do it, but, "I have no choice! I reveal my trap card: Project Mercy!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Executor slid to a stop. "What!? How did you get that card!?"

Bastion pushed forward despite the small part of his mind telling him something wasn't right. "I can activate this trap card and destroy all Ritual Monsters! And the owners receive damage equal to the combined total of Ritual Monsters!"

"You idiot!" Executor shouted back. "Project Mercy was a failed attempt in my world to stop the Vendread Virus! I don't know how it is translated as a card here in your world, but it won't work as you intended!"

Bastion finally realized why something was wrong. Why did the enemy know more about the card than him? The Ra Yellow Ace looked back at the card but saw the last words on the text change. It no longer said that it would do effect damage to the owners but to all players.

The trap card started gathering a dangerous amount of energy and unleashed blinding light.

"Hit the deck!" Jesse yelled as the other Key Keepers ran. Bastion and Chazz made a move, but they both winced in pain at the sudden attempt.

Both Executors looked at each other before bolting towards...

Then, the area exploded.

Slayer: 2000 → 0 LP

Bastion/Chazz: 1000 → 0 LP

(Draw!)

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

As the dust settled, two figures rose from the smoke. The two Executor clones, almost completely burnt to a crisp, stood up. Or at least, one of them did. The other fell and turned into dust. The other cracked right down the middle and transformed back into Revendred Slayer.

He fell to his knees as he looked over to where the two Executors stood over. Both Bastion and Chazz were spared from the brunt of the blast. They both seemed fine but tired.

Slayer looked ahead and noticed that during the blast, his amulet had fallen out. He crawled a bit, grunting in pain as his entire body felt like it was going to fail, but reached for the last piece of his world...

Before Paradox crushed it under his heel.

"Ah! Smell all that destruction, Slayer!" The masked man sighed as he did a little twirl. "I've really got to hand it to you: taking out practically all of the Key Keepers? I doubt even I could have done that! Maybe we should have sent you first instead of Nightshroud. But then, you started to show you had a genuine chance at winning this whole thing, and that was boring! So I had to make sure that Keepers had every advantage I allowed them. I made it so you would duel at your weakest and gave them a card that helped them... and me." The Clown went on. "So, if there's anyone to blame for all this, it's you, my serious friend."

"..." No matter how many curses were in his mind, his mouth failed to do anything but gasp for air.

"You know, it's kinda funny. You call yourself Slayer, but you never harmed anything in this world. A shame, really." Paradox said before turning towards his 'ally'. "Well, since the keys ended in a draw, it means that everyone loses. So the keys are easy pickings now." With wave of his hands, the keys from Bastion and Chazz flew up to Paradox's clutches. "You can use magic on them at last. But I'm in a chipper mood right now. So I'll go and de-spell that curse I put on that poor village idiot. ... After I take his key."

It was then that a voice shouted from behind Paradox. "You ain't getting anywhere near J, you two-timing, mutant-porcupined, cardboard-faced, slimy, sticky-fingered, small-handed piece of scum!"

The eloquent insult could only come from a very ticked-off Jesse Anderson.

"I'm going to send you back to whatever hole you crawled out of!" The North Academy student raised his Duel Disk towards Paradox.

Yet, Paradox raised a finger towards him. "Hold that thought. I have to get rid of one of the biggest threats to my plans." As he said this, he turned around. However, he saw that the 3rd Shadow Rider, Chazz, and Bastion were already gone.

Paradox and Jesse looked towards one corner of the area. Of all people, The 8th Shadow Rider set down the 3rd against a tree while Bastion and Chazz were sitting under the same one in peace.

"I'm sorry I could not act sooner. I did not expect Paradox to bug the other's deck." The 8th spoke in a voice that sounded familiar again. But no one could recall where they heard it from or why it was so familiar.

Although the 3rd could not speak, he turned his attention to where he sensed a different duel earlier during his own.

"I couldn't find what he was up to, but something tells me that part wasn't in his plan." The 8th seemed to answer as he stood back up. "Rest. You've done enough."

Paradox sighed. "Oh, great. You two teamed up." He raised his hands and snapped his fingers. When he did, a circle of fire surrounded Paradox and Jesse. "Well, I guess we can have that duel now. After all, it is my turn next after Slayer there."

"Do not duel him!" The 8th suddenly shouted. He started running towards the two of them, but the fires surrounding the two grew and forced the black-armored man back. "You can't face him alone!"

"Don't worry, anyone with a Spirit Key can get through the flaming circle. Oh, wait!" Paradox did a motion as if he was gasping. "I forgot there's only two left, and one of them is bedridden."

Jesse, the usually happy-go-lucky guy, was now seething in range. "I'm gonna make sure you're bedridden for the rest of your life! Let's duel!"

Paradox did so as he brandished his own unique duel disk.

"Duel!" Jesse shouted. But as he did, his key suddenly flared... with dark fire? " GAAARRHHH!?" Jesse shouted as he quickly fell forward.

"What!?" The 8th Shadow Rider cried out before he heard Paradox chuckling.

The 3rd Shadow Rider barely contained himself as he began to say, "Haven't you wondered why the Cursed Spirit Key never activated when all seven dueled? Let's recount them, shall we? Four normal ones, three blessed ones, and one cursed key. Two of the blessed were Seika and Alexis. The normal keys were Crowler, Zane, Bastion, and Chazz, as nothing outside of the duel helped or hindered them. Now, who does that leave?"

The 8th and those now listening were starting to piece things together.

"Wait! Jaden and Jesse dueled against Camula!" Seika yelled. "I thought they had normal Keys!"

"You didn't know because a blessed key and a cursed key paired together nullified each other!" Paradox threw his hands out. "That's right, folks! Jaden has the last Blessed Key, and Jesse has the Cursed Key! Tag Duels are really something, aren't they?"

As he finished that horrifying revelation, Jesse continued to scream in pain as darkness enveloped him.

"And the funniest thing is? That green-haired girl figured it out before any of you! Even you, 8th!" Paradox pointed to his fellow Shadow Rider.

Alexis' eyes widened at the mention of a green-haired girl. "Wilona!? What did you do to her, you monster!?"

"Are you really asking?" They could feel the madman grinning behind his mask. "Well, don't worry about it ooonnneee bit. You're all going to the same place she is very soon." His tone fell into something dangerous as he said that last sentence.

"Or, I could just arrive here, save everyone the trouble and from a knob like you."

No one, especially Paradox, expected Wilona, looking disheveled and dirty, to walk into the clearing with a determined look in her eyes.

"Wilona!?" Alexis cried out as she viewed her friend. "What happened to you!?"

Wilona glared towards a stunned Paradox. "That knob over there is what happened! Sent me into someplace where the residents really could use a tan!"

"I basically sent you to card game hell! How did you get out!?" Paradox finally blurted out.

The green-haired girl looked Paradox straight in the mask, stood tall, and declared, "I climbed out of hell to get my revenge!"

The words hung in the dead of night as silence fell once more on the field.

Wilona blinked before she spotted the 8th Shadow Rider. "Well, okay. That didn't quite work out. Hey, tall, dark, and spiky!" The purple-eyed girl fished her pockets before throwing it over to the Shadow Rider. "Catch!"

The 8th did so. What the Shadow Rider caught looked like some kind of cube with a Millennium symbol on it.

Wilona spoke up. "The First sends his regards. He told me you'd help, will you?" The 8th Shadow Rider stared at her before nodding once. To the others, the unthinkable was happening in front of them: one of the Shadow Riders would work with them willingly?

"The First?" Paradox repeated in what sounded like disbelief. "The First Shadow Rider helped you out of the Shadow Realm? Why would he do that?!"

It was then that both Wilona and the 8th Shadow Rider started walking back towards the ring of flames. As the flames started to glow, Wilona's medallion and the 8th's cube started to glow and open a path for the two.

Wilona hurried towards Jesse while the last of the Shadow Riders raised his hand out. Everyone saw green and orange lights coming from behind the visor of the 8th. But the darkness around Jesse slowed down to the point it no longer seemed to hurt him.

"So, Jesse?" Wilona helped the teen back up. "Need some help?"

"Boy, do I! Although, I gotta admit you two ain't exactly the cavalry I had in mind." The North Academy student looked between her and the Shadow Rider.

"Hey! Hey!" Paradox shouted. "I already said yes to the Key Keeper's challenge! Why should I say yes to two more?!"

"Because, Paradox," Wilona said the name with venom. "You like this." Everyone turned to Wilona in confusion. "You love chaos. You love when things get unpredictable. I know that secretly, you're in love that your plan got tossed up and thrown to the highway. There's no way you're going to pass up chaos like this."

"Hnnnggg," Paradox's groan only revealed that Wilona was right on the mark with her reading him.

"Since Jesse already agreed to a duel, we'll just add ourselves to it." Wilona motioned to the two newcomers. "The three of us will share turns and 4000 Life Points. We'll even share the same field if you want us to. And you can enjoy all the unpredictability of dueling a Key Keeper, another Shadow Rider, and an outsider."

All was silent for a moment as Paradox stood still.

One second passed. One minute went by. Then, Paradox started to laugh in a way that came deep from within.

After he stopped laughing, his body started to contort in a way that didn't seem feasible. "DEAL! Everyone, put up your duel disks!"

Jesse, the 8th Shadow Rider, and Wilona primed their duel disks. The 8th's was an elaborate gold and black one with spikes all over it.

"This is going to be a duel to remember! And it's also going to be a familiar one! A 3 vs 1 4000 Life Points duel? Does that ring any bells, 8th!?" Pure hysteria and bliss came from Paradox's voice while Wilona and Jesse looked to the 8th Shadow Rider in confusion. "3! 2! 1!"

The four duelists screamed. "LET'S DUEL!"

[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]

A/N: Annnndddd done. Sorry again for the blasted cliffhanger. But this arc has a lot of things happening at once, so there's a lot to cover. Luckily, this should be the last part of this "3rd Shadow Rider Arc". Soon, we're reaching the end of the first season! Oooh, I've got something fun planned for that!

Anyway, don't ever try to write two duels at once! Especially when one of them is a tag duel! (What the hell was I thinking writing all of that?! Who the hell writes two duels simultaneously while one of them is a tag duel!? Why do I do this to myself!?)

Made up Cards/ Special Cards/ Weird technicalities

Malefic Cards fun facts: The TCG version of Malefic Cards are surprisingly different and more restrictive than their Anime/Movie counterparts. For the sake of making it easy on myself, I've relied mostly on Anime/Movie effects.

Stardust Dragon/Malefic Aura*: Looking back in the movie, I just found out that I overlooked that with Paradox's field spell, non-Malefic Monsters can't attack! So I reworked a scene so it would work properly.

Vendread Vermin: made with the intention to just give more drawing power to Slayer in this duel.

Different Dimension Shield Generator: This card's purpose is to just stop Slayer from banishing one card.

Star Ascension: Another trap to help Bastion and Chazz out. Even regular Vendread Effects are strangely OP in this type of duel.

Akashic Record: this is an anime-only card. Basically, a Pot of Greed.

Malefic Kuriboh: A Malefic Version of Kuriboh. Why not? Kuriboh has foiled Paradox before, so why not get one on his side? Plus, I needed to give it an ability to allow me to summon Malefic Truth Dragon since Wilona's deck just tribute summons using the opponent's cards. And those don't count as destruction effects.

Malefic Truth Dragon: This card has been altered to have its TCG summoning effect, but its Anime/Movie abilities.

Star Boost. This is interesting because when I was looking for cards, I stumbled on this manga card. It's from the ARC-V Manga. (Don't read it! Or if you do, don't read the end! Why? Well, I find it... uncomfortable.)

Card of Demise: just in case, I gotta repeat that I'm using the anime versions of these kinds of cards.

Alright, folks. That's all for now.

Important Promotion: Do you like Digimon? Do you like the Royal Knights? Maybe the Demon Lords? Well look no further! My pal, The Blue Tigrex, has a story called, The Night Blooms. I'd appreciate it if anyone here could spare some time reading the story. I think he deserves more readers.

Shilling over! (Even though I'm biased and like the story) Thanks for reading!