Do not be fooled by the silent night. Just because one could not hear anything didn't mean that danger was absent.
Professor Banner quietly tapped on his computer. Yet when a message appeared, it stopped both his fingers and his heart.
-The time is now. There is only one Key Keeper left.
-It will be done.
His finger froze over the send button. The night was quiet, but Professor Banner's mind was not. Instead, he already found his finger on the delete button and typing up a new message to send instead.
-My preparations are almost complete. I need three more days.
-One day.
Professor Banner clasped his hands together. Although he stared at the screen in silence, anyone could hear the storm raging inside the man at that moment. After what appeared to be an eternity when in reality it was eleven seconds, he sighed and sent another email to Chancellor Sheppard. The message simply told his employer that he would not be able to attend school for the next day. If that was not enough, the quiet man sighed at the thought that he would be working more than he would have in his half-day.
Luckily for the night, he would put to rest both mind and body.
Tomorrow, he would work meticulously and alone.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Happy Birthday!" Professor Banner could not process the fact that people were standing outside his door with so many bright and colorful party hats and favors.
"E-Excuse me?" The Slifer Red principal looked over towards Chancellor Sheppard for some answer as to what was happening.
"Why yes! I saw your email this morning. And I was going to let you rest, but then I spotted my footnotes telling me that today was your birthday! There was no way that I'm letting one of my most hardworking teachers stay in bed the whole time! That is why after classes ended, I called the Music Club, and they were more than happy to set this up for you!"
"Happy Birthday, teach! You look good for someone your age! Whatever it is!" Jaden Yuki blew on his party kazoo.
Professor Banner was understandably startled by all of this, Jaden's kazoo skills not withstanding. "Y-You all didn't need to do this." He fixed his collar as he made sure to avoid anyone looking into his room in the very off chance something he had left in the open would expose his identity.
However, his concerns became unfounded as Chanellor Sheppard laughed. "Nonsense! The students love you, and you've done great work without thanks! A birthday party is the least we could do! Now come on, we've even prepared cake!" As soon as he said this, several students grabbed the lanky man's hands and started to "pull" (read as 'kidnap") him away from his own door.
Although the thin man struggled, he found himself not trying hard at all.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"~For he's a jolly good fellow! Who's not the Headmaster of Ra Yellow! Cowardly but a guy that's swell, though!~" Most among the first-year students began to sing. "~That some people might deny! But they're not here tonight! So they lost that right!~ So he's a jolly good fellow! Who's not the Headmaster of Ra Yellow!~" They repeated.
Professor Banner did not need to fake his smile as he heard his student's take on the classic song. A strange but warm feeling came over him when he saw Ms. Fontaine and Ms. Dorothy bring in the birthday cake. It wasn't that grand, but he did notice that it had no candles, but he mentally laughed when he saw the age 43. Everyone else laughed when Ms. Fontaine asked what his secret was to looking so young.
It took a lot more willpower than Professor Banner expected to not say dark alchemy even as a joke.
This also led to Professor Crowler handing his gift early to Professor Banner, skin creme.
"I say, you're skin has been looking dry all this year! No need to thank me!" The Obelisk Headmaster said as he saw the stunned silence in the Slifer Red Headmaster.
The other teachers and staff also gave presents. Nothing too big, but they did put effort into them.
"Oh! Oh! Our turn!" Jaden showed more enthusiasm at that moment than all the time he's been in class the whole year.
"What do you mean, our turn, slacker!?" Chazz scoffed as he folded his arms. "This gift wasn't your idea!"
"We all agreed to share it, Chazz!" Alexis said as she snapped back at the unwilling Slifer Red.
The build-up piqued Professor Banner's curiosity. It got the better of him as he asked, "What is it?"
Wilona stepped forward while Damon, Beauregard, and Brier set up the TV screen in the classroom. "We students don't have a lot of money, Professor. Even if we did, we probably couldn't afford things you like. Instead..."
Everyone took a seat in the classroom as the place went dark. The main screen opened up to show an Obelisk Blue student.
"Professor Banner? He's pretty cool."
The scene changed, and everyone could tell the one behind the camera was different since it looked like it was taken from a higher angle.
"Oh yeah! Our Chemistry teacher! Wait, he teaches Alchemy too? That sounds cool!" The Ra Yellow student declared.
The video went on between students and staff. But later on, Professor Banner started to recognize the people in the video.
"Professor Banner, thank you for welcoming me as Chancellor when Kagemaru stepped down. It helped calm my nerves." Chancellor Sheppard put a hand on his chest. "I will properly repay you someday, but for now, I wish you a happy birthday."
Dorothy appeared next. "You and Pharaoh are always welcome!" She leaned in closer to the camera. "I'll give both you and Pharoah an extra ten percent discount off than the rest of the staff."
Professor Crowler's scene was him trying to look better than he was and posing dramatically. "I must admit, while I think the Slifer Red Dorms are better off repurposed for a shed shack, I must respect you, Professor Banner, for choosing to lead such trouble makers. I may be the best teacher in the school, perhaps in its history, but I tip my hat to you for doing what most of us would rather not."
"But you're not wearing a hat." Jaden's voice came from behind the camera. Perhaps it was for the best the camera suddenly cut off at the moment Crowler's volcanic expression was about to erupt.
"Professor Banner's classes always make me smile. He's one of the few teachers I enjoy going to." Alexis admitted to the camera.
The next scene showed Chazz leaning on a tree. "He's cool."
"Someone already said that, Princeton. Try something else." To those that knew her, they could feel Wilona rolling her eyes behind the camera.
"Grr! Fine!" Whatever coolness Chazz tried to achieve was wasted instead. "I tolerate him the most in the Red Dumps."
"If you don't come up with something better than that, I'm going to make you regret it." Everyone watched Chazz look defiant at the one behind the camera.
"Bite me, wi—RRRKKK!" Everyone saw the abrupt change from Chazz to him sleeping under the same tree snoring obnoxiously.
"You witch!" Chazz screamed in the present while Wilona kept her gaze towards the screen with a small but victorious smile.
However, everyone just laughed at the banter between the two.
The scene changed again.
"I gotta say, Professor Banner," Jaden rubbed the back of his head. "You're like the best teacher ever! I mean, sure, I still don't know the stuff you have on your test, but you make me wanna not sleep in your class!"
"Jaden," Syrus said in the present. "You gotta stop that in the first place."
"Hey, I said I wanna!" The brunette looked taken aback.
The video then showed the three big seniors: Zane, Seika, and Atticus.
"Professor Banner has always been there during our time here in Duel Academy. He is a bit too enthusiastic in sprinkling alchemy in all he teaches, but he's also done it in ways that his classes are never boring." Seika said first.
Zane looked to Atticus. "You alright?"
"I'm fine." The green-haired young man dismissed. "I think I'm getting a headache standing out in the sun too long. But yeah! Professor Banner is one of the best teachers on the island!" After saying that, Atticus held his head. "Huh. I think I might need some cold medicine."
The video moved on. Now it showed Wilona sitting down. "Thank you for being the Chaperone of the music club. I do appreciate it as this club has given me a lot of things that I did not expect it to give."
Then, more members from the Music Club shared their opinions on Professor Banner, followed by other Slifer Students.
"Oh? Are you sure?" Wilona's voice asked Chumley on the screen. "Even if I leave, I will see this in the post-editing. And more will see it at the party."
"Y-Yeah. Please?" He seemed nervous, but he looked like he was going through whatever he was planning anyway. They watched as Wilona put the camera down and left the room.
"So uh. Hey." Chumley began before he sighed. "Okay, I just gotta get this over with. So, back in my first year and even in my second, I felt out of it. When I was down, you didn't tell me to do anything when I expected other teachers to scold me or kick me out as soon as possible. You just said to take your time. And well, I think I've found my groove now. Thank you, Professor Banner. You're almost as good as grill cheese."
The video continued. Yet, Professor Banner could not think straight as he heard all the sincere compliments one after the other.
When he snapped back, it was after the video, and the cheering ended.
"Come on, Professor!" Jaden helped him up. "We gotta take a picture!"
He let himself get pushed to the center of the stage. He didn't even realize there were so many people he... connected... with over the time he's spent in the school.
When did he meet all these people? Why did he help them? They... weren't part of his plans, so why?
Why were there so many of them smiling at him?
"Man, cool video, Wilona!" Jesse complimented as he stood next to Jaden.
Wilona stood opposite to Jaden, on Professor Banner's left side. "Thank you. I worked hard on it."
"You're going to have a hard time topping next year's birthday bash!" Jaden smiled.
That caught Professor Banner's attention: next year?
"Alright, everyone!" A random teacher prepared the camera as everyone got in position. "Say Alchemy!"
"Alchemy!"
Even when he forced himself to smile, Professor Banner wished with all his heart he could have enjoyed today without everything he was about to do in the future.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Late at night, Professor Banner sat alone in the darkness. He lit a candle and used its dim light to look at the picture frame he placed on the desk: everyone in school coming together to appreciate how much he helped them in their lives.
But now was the time to discard the false identity of Professor Banner. Now was the time to take his true identity as Amnael, the First of the Shadow Riders and their true leader. He would become the first true immortal with power beyond any that ever were and ever will be!
...
Instead, the man shoved everything else but the picture frame off the table and screamed as if his soul was on fire.
He collapsed to the ground and beat his hands on the stone floor.
"Why are you doing this!?" The man that was neither Banner nor Amanel shouted to the darkness above him. "Years of fruitless research, and when on the cusp of the discovery of the century, you curse me to die with what I love! I've sacrificed everything to cure myself, and now? NOW!? You give me everything I dreamed about having, and I have to pervert it to live!? You couldn't give me any of this when I wanted it!?"
He sobbed.
For the first time in a long time, he shed tears. He thought they were dry as he steeled himself to commit many atrocities to survive. But he didn't expect time and unexpecting students to warm his heart.
As he hunched over, the sobs died down until you could hear nothing but the shadows flickering from the candlelight.
"... So be it. I have made my choice." Amnael stood up. "Tomorrow, it all ends one way or the other."
Amnael said this with conviction. Professor Banner could not say the same thing.
[Tag Force Heroes and Villains]
Jaden looked at his Spirit Key while he sat below the Slifer Red Dorms, behind the cliff. After the whole debacle with Paradox, he learned his was the last Blessed Spirit Key. But this also meant that the only Shadow Rider left was their leader.
Alexis had to duel her brother. Crowler lost to Camula before he and Jesse beat her. Chazz beat the Dark Scorpions while Bastion saved everyone against Aruru. But Revendred Slayer decimated everyone else, starting with the best of their best, Zane. He was only defeated by Paradox when he slipped a card into Bastion deck during his and Chazz's tag duel. Paradox stepped in, and it took the combined effort of both Keeper and the 8th Shadow Rider to defeat him. However, Paradox pulled a last-ditch to end the duel in a draw before he could lose.
From all of that madness... now it was just Jaden and this last Shadow Rider.
Jaden turned to his right when he heard cooing. "Oh, sorry." He said to Winged Kuriboh. "I'm just thinking. There's only one more Shadow Rider before we save the world. But I'm also the last guy standing between them and the Sacred Beasts. I wonder if he's feeling the pressure too?"
Winged Kuriboh answered in its own way.
"I guess it's hard to imagine a secret leader being all broody."
"That might not be too far off."
Jaden looked to his left and saw Wilona walking up to him.
"Wilona?"
"I saw you walking past my door past curfew. I had to make sure you wouldn't get abducted by pirates again." She joked before she sat down next to the brunette.
"I dunno, it was kinda fun." Jaden noticed Wilona slowly glaring at him. "I'm kidding! I kid!" He quickly shook his hands. He decided to change the subject. "So, I remember you said you met the 1st Shadow Rider. Any tips?"
Wilona looked out to the sea. "I didn't duel him, Yuki. But he did show remorse and helped us from Paradox. I get the feeling he'll duel you fairly."
"You know, speaking of dueling fair, I wanted to duel the 3rd Shadow Rider." Jaden thought back to his small talk with the Revendread Slayer. "He may have been on the wrong side, but I think he might have been in the same level as Mr. Hibiki. And I..."
Wilona knew that Jaden referenced being with the former World Champion before. But she always noticed how happy Jaden would be at first before his smile would suddenly stop.
"What was he like?" She asked as gently as the waves that flowed back and forth that night.
Wilona watched the way Yuki's eyes light up as a child would when asked about their favorite show. "The best! I still think Yugi is the King of Games for a reason, but Mr. Hibiki is the one who inspired me to use Elemental Heroes!" Jaden gushed with more energy than he usually did. "I've always wanted to duel him at his best."
There it was, Wilona noted after Jaden stopped talking: the part where Jaden would stop smiling. "Can I ask what happened to him?"
The usually energetic teen seemed apprehensive for once. Yet, the green-haired girl gave him a look that promised that she would be patient with him in whatever he chose. Feeling a little more comfortable, he opened his mouth. "Well, I kinda pestered him to keep playing Duel Monsters when he wasn't ready. It's why the others said that he left the duel in a heart condition. I," Jaden didn't need to say anymore as Wilona put a hand on his shoulder.
"No one expected it. I don't blame you for that, and I doubt Mr. Hibiki did as well." Wilona imagined that Jaden must have inspired the Champ to return even at his weakened state. If the man was going to go that far for him, then he cared for Jaden.
"I know. I know." The brunette looked back to the sea.
The two only heard the sounds of the waves moving back and forth. It didn't take long before Wilona spoke again. "But it still feels like your fault, huh?"
Jaden looked to Wilona.
"Trust me. I... also blame myself for things I really shouldn't." After the green-haired girl said that, Jaden didn't feel so bad as he used to.
It was nice: the two of them under the star-lit sky. There was no need for money shenanigans or even magic card games. Two friends bonding felt good enough just for tonight.
The moment came as it passed as six lights erupted all around the island.
"Right." Wilona stood up before she offered a hand to Jaden. "Are you ready to save the world?" She said as if something like this was a normal occurrence for them, which it technically was.
"Oh, he's going to get it for sure!" Jaden took her hand.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Odd, the others aren't answering," Wilona said as she put her PDA away.
She, Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley ran after strange signs that led them all the way towards the Abandoned dorms.
"Hey, yeah. I didn't see Jesse and Chazz when I went to their room." Syrus said. "I thought they went ahead."
After hearing that, the Slifer Ace felt more concerned. To him, where was everyone? It wasn't like them to not come in and support what would be the final duel between them and the Shadow Riders. Eventually, he knew he had to go on without them. "Come on!" Jaden ran ahead into the Abandoned Dorms.
"Man, are we sure we should be here? The last time we were here, we almost lost our souls." Chumley said in between gasps.
Eventually, they moved to a new part of the Abandoned Dorms. There, they saw what looked like a lab of some kind with a coffin at the back.
When they opened the coffin, the Slifer Reds were shocked to find Professor Banner mummified and dried up.
"A gruesome sight, is it not?"
Jaden growled with anger that his friends never saw before. "You're going to pay for doing that to Professor Banner! He wasn't even a Key Keeper!"
"As is what is above is so below, and what is below is also what is above."
No one understood him, but they did realize that the final Shadow Rider was starting to sound mentally unstable in a scary manner.
"Wilona, I thought you said the first Rider was a fair guy!?" Syrus gripped his hair.
"You're not alone in that, Truesdale."
"Step forward, Jaden Yuki!" The Shadow Rider summoned his duel disk. "I am Amnael, instigator of the second war, and first among this wave of Shadow Riders. We are the last of the Shadow War. So it is only fair that we do battle for the fate of the Sacred Beasts!"
Amnael? Wilona recalled that name, but from where?
However, Jaden accepted the offer to duel Amnael.
And their duel began.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Deep below the school, Paradox walked up to the stone that held the Sacred Beasts. All parts but one slot among its seal started to pulsate in the rhythm of a heartbeat.
"You can sense it, can't you?" The masked man spoke to something beyond the seal. "For the first time, you are answering someone else's call instead of the reverse. Your true master is making their appearance. Once they get their hands on you, you will reach heights that even your counterparts will envy at the height of theirs."
The entire place shook as the last keyhole started a faint glow. Paradox took it as a sign that the final duel was ending soon.
"Oh. I know. I'm also looking forward to what happens afterward."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Finally, it ends," Amnael. No. Professor Banner gasped as he fell to the ground in defeat after Jaden's victory.
"Professor!" Jaden and the others ran up to the man. Even after lying, kidnapping the other former Key Keepers, and playing on the insecurities of the brunette, they still cared.
His body showed more signs of decay, but he looked to all his students. "Jaden, you have done well. Please, I have little time left. I lied about setting up your victories: you won all your duels fair and square. But I was truthful in searching for the Sacred Beasts for power. I had not realized that over the course of helping all of you, I would change as well. I am truly sorry for everything I have done. And I will reveal that I am the one who sent Atticus and the others to the Shadow Realms in the first place." He reached for the Shadow Charm he used to trap the others and gave it to Jaden. "But I am not the end of this second war. There is someone far more driven than even I. That book will help you face him at his strongest. May that be my redemption at everything I have done."
He slumped into his corner. And he looked over to the desk. "Wilona, if I may bother you all one more time? Please give me that frame over there. I would like it to be the last thing I see."
Wilona did what he asked. She glanced at it briefly before resting the frame on his lap. It was the group picture of his birthday.
"Thank you all for the wonderful party. It was the best birthday I ever had."
He turned to dust with a smile, leaving mixed feelings from those who had known him.
From the shadows, an outside party waited for a ball of light to appear where the Shadow Rider fell. But as the Slifer Reds all left the area, with a sad cat in tow, they realized that Amnael/Professor Banner was no longer of this world.
But perhaps the worst thing the Slifers missed was the smallest thing of the night: a phone call for Wilona.
Missing it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]
Chancellor Sheppard sighed in relief as he put the Spirit Keys away. They had done it: the Keepers had saved the world from the Shadow Riders. Not only that, they had done better than the first group ever did.
Even with the loss of Professor Banner, this called for a celebration!
At least, it would have. But as Chancellor Shepard was about to grab the phone, it rang instead. However, he suddenly felt a shift in the air. A small part of him begged him not to answer this incoming call.
He didn't listen to it. "Hello? How may I help you?"
...
"The... Hospital? Is something... oh..."
...
As the man heard more through the phone, his smile faded. He sat on his desk and put a hand on his head as he looked worried as he did when the Shadow Rider fiasco began.
When the call ended, he breathed with tiredness that only war veterans could understand.
...
"How am I going to tell this to Ms. Konami?"
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Chazz Princeton could not hold it in any longer. He now knows the truth: Alexis Rhodes loves him! But was she too shy to admit her feelings? Why did they drift the part the way that they did? And what could he do to close that gap?
In his despondent episode, Chazz happened to spot Atticus Rhodes surfing along the waves. Then, an idea came to him. After a bit, Chazz approached the man and spilled his woes.
"Sure! You can totally date my sister!" The green-haired man said with a sparkle in his teeth. "But we'll need a plan."
"A plan?" Of all people, President Seika appeared. "Ooo. This sounds like fun. What are you up to?"
"Hey, Chazzy! There ya are! What are ya doing over here?" Jesse walked up to his fellow duelist.
"Okay," Atticus smiled as he saw the extra two people come in. "I just thought of one. But we'll need one more person."
"Zane." Seika was going to drag Zane into this "even" (read as especially) if he didn't want to get involved.
"Alright! So here's the plan. My sister loves dueling, so..."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Many of the others, including those of The Music Club, ran when they found out the Spirit Keys had been stolen. They finally reached the beach where, waiting for them, was...
"Go! Chazz! Chazz! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" Jesse cheered as he raised the pom-poms. Atticus did so as well, and even Seika got into it.
Zane, on the other hand, just stared into the seas, refusing to make eye contact with anyone and wishing with every fiber of his being that he wasn't friends with any one of the people he was close to.
All four of them were wearing special band-like uniforms as they cheered behind Chazz Princeton, who had all 8 Spirit Keys.
"Chazz?!" Alexis stepped forward. "What are you doing!?"
"I'm here to challenge you, Alexis! Our love can no longer be denied!" He yelled out loud.
"What?" Alexis made a face that seemed to capture more emotions than she was capable of explaining. However, she shook her head. "Look, I don't have time for this. Have you seen Wilona?"
Chazz and the crew stopped what they were doing when Alexis asked that question.
"The witch?" Chazz scanned the group but didn't see the Slifer Red Girl. "Why? Where'd she go?"
"We hoped the note was from her." Jaden stepped forward. "We haven't seen her all day. She even left Honest in front of our door." He said as he took out the angel card from his pockets. "But then again, why would she need the Spirit Keys?"
The angel also looked like he did not know where his friend left or why she left him with Jaden.
No one but Seika saw the alarmed look on Chancellor Sheppard's face when Jaden mentioned Wilona needing the Spirit Keys.
However, before the party could begin searching for their friend, the ground started to shake violently. Everyone soon spotted obelisks and strange structures rising from the earth.
"What?! That can't be! It's the Spirit Gate!" Chancellor Sheppard screamed. At the same time, Chazz yelled as all the Spirit Keys flew towards the direction of the rising buildings.
Everyone followed Chazz until the keys all broke free of Chazz's neck and flew off in the distance. (Not before making sure the silly teen smacked into a tree while trying to escape him.)
All the Spirit Keys flew into the obelisks in the distance. But as everyone entered the clearing, they were surprised someone was already there.
"Wilona!" Jaden yelled first as they saw the back of the green-haired girl.
The girl seemingly rubbed her face before she turned around. "D-Does anyone want to tell me what is going on?" No one seemed to notice the puffy look on her face nor the red nose and eyes.
"Unfortunately, we're as lost as you." Bastion said. It was at that moment a strange container started to appear in the center of the obelisks. When it opened up, everyone saw three cards contained in what looked to be a high-tech cardholder.
"Hey," Jaden stepped forward. "Are those the Sacred Beasts?"
"Stand aside!" A voice from the skies made everyone look up to see an elaborate aircraft fly in their direction. Everyone watched as something slid out of the aircraft and descended to the ground with several parachutes. Many could not believe that the item was a giant, spider-like machine that appeared with an old man trapped inside a tube.
"Those cards belong to me!" A mechanical voice said to the crowd of people.
"Wait a moment. I know that man!" Chancellor Sheppard took in the man's features before his eyes widened. "It's Kagemaru! Our superintendent!"
Wilona gawked. "What kind of superintendent gets access to technology like that!?" She pointed to the man in a baffled state.
"Helping Seto Kaiba build this school has its benefits, girl. But I am glad you were able to recognize me, Sheppard. The years have not been kind." The machine walked towards the Sacred Beast cards. "Now, I've come to claim the Sacred Beast cards as my own."
"What!? You can't do that! You gotta duel us for it!" Chazz gripped his fist.
"Amnael's seal has a weakness. The keys do indeed seal the Sacred Beasts, but he told me that they also work like sponges and absorb Dueling Energy. If they absorb more than they are capable of containing, then they can open the Spirit Gate without the need of all keys!"
Sheppard looked horrified. "What!? Why didn't you tell me that when you gave me the keys!?"
"Because I wanted the seals to break! After the first war, I fell in love with the idea of their overwhelming power. But I knew that only a strong duelist would be able to fully unlock the powers of the Sacred Beasts! I spent years cultivating the school to bring out the best of the best duelists that I could control. Then I was able to set up the second war with the help of Amnael and sent the Shadow Riders against you to gather energy to break the seals!"
To say that everyone was shocked to hear such a confession would be... a lie.
Wilona did not feel shocked.
By the gods.
Everyone would soon wish she was shocked.
"I admit, the Shadow Riders I summoned to this war were more unpredictable than I expected, but the end result has stayed the same!" The man in the machine said. "They tested all of you, but only one remained worthy to help unleash the full power of the Sacred Beast cards! And once I've powered up the Sacred Beasts, I will rule the world!"
"Cute story! So why all the tricks?! Too weak to get it yourself?!"
"Alexis, don't make the scary man mad." Syrus stepped back after hearing the blonde girl say that.
"He doesn't look so tough... outside his machine," Chumley said from the side.
Bastion mo—
"Enough! If you want to get to those Sacred Beast Cards, you'll have to go through me!" Zane threw his hand out towards the superintendent.
"Back off!" Chazz went next, staring down his foe with his most impressive glare. "It's my duel, so I'll Chazz you up big time! Let's go!"
"No way! He's mine!" Atticus stepped in even though he held pompoms. "I want payback for him turning me into one of his Shadow Riders!"
Bastion ope—
"NO!" Kagemaru spoke with finality before he turned to a certain brunette. "My opponent will be... Jaden Yuki."
"Excuse me—what?" The Slifer Ace looked confused.
Kagemaru responded to, not just Jaden's, but everyone's shock. "As the sole winner of the war, your soul can strengthen the power of the Sacred Beast Cards."
The obelisk pillars started to gather power, creating a fence of electrical energy and trapping everyone within.
"If you refuse," Kagemaru's machine stood near the Sacred Beast cards. "I will sink this island and everyone in it to the bottom of the seafloor!"
"You can't!" Jaden cried out.
"I can," His machine unhooked itself, revealing a duel disk and a mechanical arm that reached for the Sacred Beasts. "With these!"
"Why did we let him take those!? He was talking the whole time!" Brier shouted out loud.
"By all means, if you want to take on a giant spider machine for those cards, you're more than welcome." Sora took out his candy and narrowed his eyes at Kagemaru.
"We will begin the final Shadow Game!" Kagemaru stared down Jaden as the energy around the ring started to gain more ferocity and power.
This was (almost) everyone's cue to start clearing the field between Jaden and Kagemaru. Syrus, knowing Jaden would need help, took Chumley's backpack and threw it at the brunette with the intent to give him a duel disk.
...Yet the bag got intercepted by Wilona.
"Huh? Wilona?" Jaden asked before he and everyone watched the green-haired girl take Yuki's duel disk and put it on herself. "What are you—"
"Back off, Yuki." Her voice was cold and made even the brunette step back in surprise.
Kagemaru scoffed, ignoring the impossible amount of bloodlust and loathing coming off from the teenage girl. "Did you not hear what I just said, girl? I will only duel Jaden Yuki! You weren't even part of the Key Keepers!"
This was all true, but the look in the girl's eyes felt like they sought something else completely. "You." Her voice felt restrained as a dam about to break but oozed with venom that would kill an elephant thrice over. "You're the reason why we went through all that suffering? You're the reason why Rhodes lost her brother, how I almost lost my soul, how I was hypnotized against my will, and let that absolute dastard, Paradox, run wild and torture everyone?!"
Kagemaru would have scoffed if he wasn't trapped in a tube. "Girl, you're making a mistake. I will only duel Jaden Yuki."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not planning to duel you!" She slammed her deck into the duel disk and drew without looking. There were no words strong enough to describe the utter look of hatred that Wilona's sneer held at that moment. However, her actions were as dangerous. She forced the card into the monster zone, and Caius, The Shadow Monarch, appeared with a burst of destructive aura. For some reason, he carried weight as if he was a real being.
"Caius, smash that pile of flesh into the ground!" Everyone could not believe their ears. They also did not believe their eyes as the shadow titan rushed to punch down on the old man.
Kagemaru's machine jumped back with the speed of a spider. Feeling of shock and horror spread quickly on the spectators as they realized that Caius punched the ground the superintendent previously was on as if it was a being of pure mass and not a hologram.
"What?" Kagemaru gasped as he saw the monster staring him down. "How are you doing such a feat without any Shadow Charm?!"
"It's your fault." They saw Wilona as she walked forward, eyes cast downward yet they noticed the spike in energy in the electrical ring of obelisks reacted to her every step. "It's your fault. It's all your fault."
"Wilona, what's wrong!? What are you doing!?" Jaden yelled out to his friend. He didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't like what was happening to Wilona.
Before Jaden could physically run out again, he heard a voice from someone he didn't expect. "Jaden, stop!" Chancellor Sheppard shouted. The usually calm man looked to the girl ahead of him. "Wilona, please calm down!"
"Calm down!? Calm down!?" Wilona turned back, and when she did, everyone noticed there were tears down her face. "That bastard killed my mother!"
Everyone, even Kagemaru, stopped thinking when they heard those words. So many questions filled their heads. Wilona's mom... was dead? And it was Kagemaru's fault? What? How?
It seemed like Sheppard was the only one who knew the situation at hand. "Wilona, please think straight! Your mother died last night during Jaden's duel with... the last Shadow Rider. Kagemaru had nothing to do with it!" Chancellor Sheppard stepped forward. However, the electricity from the cage shot a bolt of thunder to ward the man back.
Jaden's eyes widened as he turned to his friend. Her mom died the night he was dueling Professor Banner? He remembered Wilona when she spoke of her mother and how it made the proud girl vulnerable and weak. But now? Her mom, the very reason she came to school and learned dueling in the first place, was gone?
"Nothing to do with it!?" Wilona's voice carried so many emotions in at that moment, all of it painful and confusing. "If it wasn't for him! If it wasn't for him, I would have been able to be with her in her last moments! It's because of him that I had to forget about her! It's because of him that I wasn't there to help her in any way that I could have! She might still be alive if he didn't exist!" For the first time, Wilona was letting her emotions run wild. But what could she have done? She was in school working hard while her mother got ill. But her mourning/grieving process was interrupted by the absolute worst set of circumstances.
Now? She had a target for her pain and sorrow. And she didn't care that the man now wielded the power to break the world in twine.
"Wilona, you gotta," Jaden tried to reach for his friend. However, like Sheppard, the energies of the obelisk rose and sent a thunderbolt to ward away the Hero Duelist.
Kagemaru's eyes widened when he saw that action. The energies that made up the arena were connected to the Sacred Beasts. Jaden Yuki is the soul strong enough to kickstart the power of the Sacred Beasts, so why were the cards rejecting him but allowing the girl to face him?
But he pushed those thoughts aside for now. "You poor, girl." Kagemaru made his machine stepped forward. "I take the blame for everything but that." He primed the duel disk and put the Sacred Beast cards into the machine. "If you are that suicidal, I will make you reunite with your dear mother."
The girl slowly turned to Kagemaru, her face was still, but the way her cap shadowed her eyes showed disdain with enough weight to shatter a world. Kagemaru hesitated for the briefest of seconds. His mind, even drunk with the power of the Sacred Beasts, wondered if he had gone a bit too far in this.
He ignored that feeling and stepped forward. If only he could have seen the way the giant arena before him suddenly but briefly feel like a iron maiden. "Very well! You will be the warm-up! The Sacred Beasts will feast on your soul before the main course!" Kagemaru prepared the first duel or the first feast of the Sacred Beasts.
The girl took her card out of the duel disk before placing it back in her deck. She walked forward too, seething with every step as her eyes trembled with rage threatening to be unleashed.
"Wait! Wilona, don't!" Jaden tried to run towards his friend, but the thundering wall blasted him back. When he was blasted away, the book he received from Professor Banner flew out then dropped a card nearby him.
Kagemaru: 4000 LP.
Wilona: 4000 LP.
"Let's Duel!" Kagemaru shouted alone. Wilona kept her glare up, and paradoxically, felt like it grew in intensity with each passing moment.
Seeing the girl still, but not realizing the emotions behind her, Kagemaru's machine started to move. "I will take the first turn! I will set three trap cards."
"Uh, did anyone just notice what he said?" Damon, the former jungle boy, asked out loud.
"What?" Syrus looked to his fellow club member.
Bastion folded his arms but kept his eyes on the duel. "Syrus, when you play a facedown, you don't want to say if it's a spell or a trap. But Kagemaru revealed what it is. Why would he do that?"
As if hearing him, Kagemaru answered, "I would do that if I was summoning a Sacred Beast! By sacrificing three trap cards, I can special summon Uria! Lord of Searing Flames!"
The trap cards turned into meteors of flame that flew into the air and crashed near one of the obelisks. They converged together, and a pillar of flame shot out that could be seen miles away from the island. What appeared next was a creature similar to Slifer, The Sky Dragon. However, this being looked like a darker, crueler version of the legendary beast. It then unleashed a roar that obscured the sky and turned the land dark despite it still being the afternoon.
Uria, Lord of Searing Flames [Type: Divine-Beast/ Attribute: DIVINE/Level: 10/ ATK: ?/ DEF: ?]
"Uria can be special summoned by tributing 3 trap cards! Not only that, he gains 1000 attack and defense points for each trap card on the field!"
(ATK: ? →3000/DEF: ? → 3000)
"A 3000 attack monster at the first turn!?" Gloria shouted.
"Like—that's totally not fair!" Grace Tyler agreed with her sister.
"Boss," Chazz heard the sound of Ojama Yellow. "I don't feel so good."
"Can it. Now is not the time." The black-themed duelist saw Jaden picking up something from the ground. "What are you doing?"
"It's this card," Jaden stood up as some of his friends looked at him. "Professor Banner warned me that after him, there was someone worse. I think he meant Kagemaru. He must have given me this card as a chance to stop the Sacred Beasts."
"Wait, so you're telling me that the only chance of beating the Sacred Beasts is that card, and Wilona went to duel them without it!?" Alexis sounded horrified at that thought that her friend was fighting an already impossible battle without any help whatsoever.
Seika was quiet compared to the panic everyone else was feeling. That whole time, Wilona only kept glaring at Kagemaru. She didn't even spare a glance at the Slifer clone staring her down. Zane also felt something in the air. Even though the facts were right in front of him, why did he feel afraid... for Kagemaru?
Turn 2: Wilona. Cards: 5.
The Slifer Red girl drew her card, but there was this uncanny stillness as she did so. Instead she turned her glare back at Kagemaru. "I play Pantheism of the Monarchs! I discard one card, and then I can draw two more cards. I now remove Illusion Snatcher from my graveyard to special summon Lucius the Shadow Vassal!"
Lucius The Shadow Vassal [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fiend/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 1/ ATK: 800/ DEF: 1000]
"Now I tribute Lucius to summon the thunder monarch, Zaborg!" As she exclaimed this, the electricity around the area gathered before lightning struck behind the girl. As the light died down, the familiar Monarch rose to his full height.
Zaborg The Thunder Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Thunder/ Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 5/ ATK: 2400/ DEF: 1000]
"When he's summoned to the field, I'm allowed to destroy one monster on the field. I choose Uria." Wilona pointed towards the Sacred Beast.
The thunder monarch gathered energy in its palms before it threw an orb right towards the face of the Sacred Beast. The explosion that followed was akin to a hundred pounds of TNT blowing up in the face of the dark god.
After everyone braced for the explosion, they saw that Wilona had defeated Uria!
"What? That's it!?" Chazz, despite his yell, still felt off for a reason he couldn't explain. "The Witch took down the thing like it was nothing!"
As the dust settled, they could hear Kagemaru laugh. "Kudos to you, girl. Your dueling spirit is at least worthy enough to be absorbed by the Sacred Beasts if this is what you can do on your first turn. I doubt even young Jaden Yuki would replicate the ease with which you did that. However!" He took another card from his hand. "By sending one trap card from my hand to the graveyard, I can activate Uria's special ability!"
A familiar pillar of flame rose from behind the man in the machine. When it settled, Uria appeared once more, and as impossible as it sounds, angrier than before.
"Whenever Uria is destroyed, I can send a trap card to the graveyard and revive him! Not only that, with another trap card in the grave, he gains an extra 1000 points!"
(ATK: 3000 →4000/DEF: 3000 → 4000)
"Great Scott!" "Sacre Bleu!" "Aww this ain't looking good!" Many of those watching felt the same as those who cried out in terror. However, only Jaden saw his friend not reacting to the devastating ability of Uria. He didn't know why, but he felt worried for his friend, and it wasn't because of the duel.
"I set two cards and end my turn." Wilona placed two cards into the duel disk.
Turn 3: Kagemaru. Cards: 1.
"And now, you get to feel the power of a Sacred Beast!" The man laughed through his machine. "Uria, first activate your ability to destroy one of her facedowns!" The Sacred Beast unleashed a fireball that incinerated the middle set card of Wilona. Then the Machine turned his attention to the only other monster on the field. "Now, burn her little monarch to cinder!"
Uria roared as it gathered energy. Zaborg gathered electricity in its hands in an attempt to counterattack. When the red dragon fired a fireball twice the size of the monarch, the Thunder monster threw a bolt of thunder towards the incoming attack.
To the surprise of Kagemaru and everyone else, the attacks seemed to clash against each other. Everyone became more confused when Zaborg motioned his hands forward, and his attack started to push back Uria's.
"What!? How are you doing this?!" Kagemaru looked at the girl. When everyone else did, they noticed the other facedown had been activated.
"That card!" Alexis moved forward to get a better look. "It's Half-Shut! I remember that card! Wilona used it before. She can target one monster, and it doesn't get destroyed by battle this turn, but it loses half its attack points!"
"Wait, if Zaborg's attack has been halved, how is he overpowering Uria?" Chumley looked on with confusion.
Atticus narrowed his eyes. "She didn't use it on Zaborg."
Everyone saw Uria growing weaker as the clash went on. (ATK: 4000 →2000)
The thunder powered through the fireball and exploded into Uria's face once more. Instead of exploding, the Sacred Beast reeled back and crashed into the ground.
Kagemaru found himself looking where Uria fell with a look of disbelief. "What!?"
Kagemaru: 4000 → 3600 LP.
Wilona: 4000 LP.
"That's clever of her!" Professor Crowler got excited. "Not only did she stop the attack, but she also prevented Uria from being destroyed! That means Kagemaru couldn't revive and increase the attack points of Uria!"
"Yes, she's playing well." Seika looked over to the Slifer Ace. "Jaden, be honest. How well could you play against Uria?"
"There's no way I'm losing to that card! But I gotta admit, Wilona's almost making these cards look like chumps." Jaden's face fell. "And even though she's doing great, I don't feel like cheering."
Even Jaden could feel it. No one wanted The Sacred Beasts to win, but the very air around Wilona felt wrong.
Kagemaru narrowed his eyes. "You're starting to annoy me, girl! I end my turn after one set card!" As soon as he said this, Uria's points returned to normal.
(ATK: 2000 →4000)
Turn 4: Wilona. Cards: 2.
One would think that facing cards that can and will destroy the world would make anyone feel even a little nervous. But Wilona drew her card as if she wasn't doing just that.
She gave a quick glance at her card before opening her turn. "I sacrifice Zaborg to bring out Raiza, the Storm Monarch!"
The winds blew with more force than they usually did. Soon, a tornado swallowed up Zaborg before Raiza appeared in an explosion of gales.
Raiza The Storm Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Winged-Beast/ Attribute: WIND/Level: 6/ ATK: 2400/ DEF: 1000]
"When Raiza is summoned, I can return one card on the field to the top of the owner's deck. I choose Uria!" As she claimed this, Raiza raised his hand and unleashed another tornado that swallowed Uria whole.
"A bouncing effect?" Sora repeated before his eyes widened.
"That gets past Uria's reincarnation!" Dimitri, the Copycat duelist, shouted.
"Nice try, I reveal my continuous trap, Unyielding Miasma! I can negate monster effects that target one of the Sacred Beasts once!" Kagemaru exclaimed.
Uria caused the tornado to catch on fire and caused it to explode. It nullified the attempt to send it back to the top of the deck.
Turn 5: Kagemaru. Cards: 1.
Seeing as Wilona made no move after the attempt, Kagemaru drew his next card. "I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards. "Now, I play the field spell, Paradise Lost!"
As he put the field spell in, the area around the field became that of desolate and broken land.
"While I have a Sacred Beast monster on the field, I can draw two more cards!" Kagemaru did so. If he wasn't within a machine, he probably would have smiled at the card he drew. "Ha! I play three spell cards on the field!"
"Uh-oh." Jaden started to sweat.
"Despite your grades, you pick up fast, Jaden!" Kagemaru looked over to the winner of the Shadow War before glancing back at the duel. "I sacrifice these 3 spell cards to bring forth Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder!"
Similar to Uria, the cards turned to ice and flew into the distance before converging. When finished, a being in the likeness of Ra made itself known by unleashing an ear-piercing scream.
Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder [Type: Divine-Beast/ Attribute: DIVINE/Level: 10/ ATK: 4000/ DEF: 4000]
"Boss..." Before Chazz could check on Ojama Yellow, Belowski fainted where he stood.
"Belowski!? What happened? Is your suit malfunctioning?!" Beauregard asked the fallen Obelisk Blue. The tall Ra Yellow then noticed his cards. "Hey! Why are your cards fading!? Huh? My cards are fading too!"
The words made everyone else check their cards if what was happening to the two was happening to them. With everyone nearly gasping in surprise, horror, or both, it only confirmed the worst: their cards were indeed all fading.
"Hey, wait a second. My cards are fine." Jaden said as both Honest and Winged Kuriboh appeared before him.
Honest looked around. "We are unharmed as well. But I fear for the others." Even the likes of Light and Darkness Dragon seemed to be weakening.
"Of course!" Everyone turned back to Kagemaru as Uria and Hamon started to glow. "You see, The Sacred Beasts gain strength by draining energy from Dueling Spirit. But not just by duelists, but cards themselves! Jaden Yuki has proven his spirit to be superior to the rest of you, which is why once I have taken his spirit, I will harness his soul and use the Sacred Beasts to their fullest potential!" As he claimed this, soon leftover energy from Uria and Hamon went into Kagemaru. A light enveloped his tank as his body started to grow. His tube broke and shattered, and it didn't take long for a younger, stronger version of Kagemaru to enter into the duel field and take the duel disk and cards for his own.
"Ahh. That's much better!" Kagemaru flexed his new body and quickly held his old elaborate wheelchair. Then, with strength beyond anyone expecting, he threw the machine a fair distance into the sky as if it was a baseball. "As soon as I'm done with this girl and her weakened monsters, I'll take your soul, Jaden Yuki!"
Jaden winced before he looked forward. "Are you sure about that?" He blinked and pointed. "Wilona's cards don't seem to be weakening at all."
Kagemaru looked at Wilona's monster. Raiza remained still, but he showed no sign of fatigue or weakness. "I do not understand! How are you able to even stand within the presence of two Sacred Beasts!? They should be draining you and your monsters as a husk right now!"
Wilona said nothing but still stared down Kagemaru as if he was something as vile as a cockroach. The renewed man did not know what was wrong. The girl in front of him was not even a Key Keeper! How could her soul resist the Sacred Beasts!?
"I've let this charade last long enough!" Kagemaru declared. "Hamon, destroy her so-called monarch! Make her bow with your power!"
Hamon started to gather energy, more than Zaborg ever did. Soon, the clouds above the wind monarch cackled before unleashing thunder that could decimate a skyscraper.
The attack connected and engulfed both Wilona and Raiza.
"Haha!" Kagemaru laughed. "It's not over yet! Hamon can deal 1000 points of damage to my opponent after destroying a monster! Go, Hamon! Vengeful Thunder!"
The audience gasped as they heard the effect. However, they soon realized something: or rather, a lack of something.
"What?" Kagemaru looked up to Hamon, who did nothing after the attack. "I said, use Vengeful Thunder!"
"Is that really it?" They heard the voice from where the attack landed. It sounded unimpressed rather than injured and worried.
As the smoke cleared, Wilona was standing the same before the attack while Raiza looked unharmed.
"My attack!?" Kagemaru stepped back in disbelief.
"Remember that trap card that you destroyed with Uria? It has a graveyard effect. That trap card is Tactics of the Monarch. This cannot be activated the turn it is sent to the graveyard. If a Monarch Monster gets attacked, I can banish this card and negate both the battle damage and the destruction of the monarch. The negated damage then gets returned as effect damage to my opponent while ending his battle phase."
"What did you just say!?" The magic-powered superintendent did not believe what he was hearing.
"Alright, let me dumb it down for you: my trap card stopped your attack and is now dealing 1600 points of damage to you instead of me." Everyone could hear the sarcasm behind her voice as she treated the mastermind behind the Shadow Riders like a slow kindergartner. She pointed forward as Raiza unleashed a blast of wind that caused the muscular man to brace himself.
Kagemaru: 3600 → 2000 LP.
Wilona: 4000 LP.
"All things considered? I am quite glad that you became some stupidly buff idiot. I admit beating up an old man would have left a bitter taste in my mouth, even if I was going to go and do it anyway." The green-haired girl said this with hatred bubbling under the surface.
"How!?" Kagemaru gripped his fists. "How am I losing to some random nobody even with the power of the Sacred Beasts!?" He slammed his fists in the ground, which cracked under his strength.
"There. That right there is your problem." Kagemaru looked up to Wilona. Her scowl was still there, but she continued to speak. "The Older Truesdale put it best: there's a difference between using a card and playing it."
Silence spread across the field as everyone remembered the lines that the Truesdale Brothers believed in.
Wilona looked up to the Sacred Beasts. "Sure, they are powerful. No one will deny that, but is that all you're going to do with them? Sic them on whatever opponent suits your fancy? I'm currently imagining Anderson over there being able to use Hamon better than you can."
"Me with Hamon?" The North Academy student looked up to the monster in question. "Well, I ain't exactly averse to the idea if the monster wasn't evil."
"Wilona does have a point," Zane said. "The Sacred Beasts are indeed fearsome cards, but Wilona has adapted quickly and almost made them a non-factor in the duel. No, it's like she's able to abuse their strengths and turn them against Kagemaru."
"See?" The green-haired girl turned back to Kagemaru. "You aren't a duelist. You're just a spoiled brat waving his new toy around as if that made you better than everyone around you." She scoffed. "I pity the Sacred Beasts. All that power and you're making a mockery out of them."
"H-How- H-How DARE YOU!?" Kagemaru trembled before shouting at the top of his lungs. "I am the master of the Sacred Beast! I am the mastermind behind the 2nd Shadow War! And when I take Jaden's soul, I will be the undisputed ruler of the world!"
Although he said this with enough force in his voice to cause the winds to blow, everyone saw something else that captured their attention: Uria and Hamon turned to their "master" and were snarling at him.
Kagemaru watched the two Sacred Beasts stare him down, not unlike how Wilona did. "I am your master! How dare you look down on me!"
"You don't get it. Do you, Kagemaru?"
Everyone turned to the side of the duel as something stepped into the field spell. Or rather, someone: Paradox.
"What are you talking about, Paradox?" Kagamaru narrowed his eyes before a thought occurred to him. "Wait, this has your handiwork written all over it! What are you planning this time, Paradox!?"
The wild Shadow Rider sighed and shook his head. "All I've been doing after I got knocked out of the game is watching. You're free to believe it or not, but I had nothing to do with this."
Kagemaru threw his hand. "I refuse to believe that you had nothing to do with this! You must have done something to me when you offered to take down the 3rd and 8th Shadow Rider! Or maybe, you've done something to her!" Kagemaru pointed to Wilona. However, everyone else took notice of how the second Shadow Rider made a deal with Kagemaru.
"Hey, you were the one who summoned me, Kagemaru. Whatever I did, which I didn't this time, it would implicate you as well." Paradox folded his arms and walked forward. "But you really don't get it, do you? You should have asked the Sacred Beasts to restore your mind, not your body."
"I grow sick of your circle talk! Speak plainly! What do you know!?" Although Kagemaru commanded this, others spotted the sweat falling down the side of his face.
"Alright, then." Paradox turned to Wilona. "Miss? Why were you here?"
The question was simple, but it still caused confusion to everyone, including the girl dueling against the engines of destruction.
"Like I said," Paradox continued. "I was watching. So how is it that you were here long before the pillars rose from the ground and revealed the Sacred Beast cards?"
That little fact made everyone's eyes widen with alarm. Yes! Wilona was here even before the Spirit Gates rose from the ground! How was she already there!?
Wilona seemed to snap out of her bloodlust for that one moment. "I... I felt like I needed to be here."
"So," Paradox trailed off. "Like answering a call?" He motioned to himself, a Shadow Rider, who answered the call of the Sacred Beasts.
The superintendent gasped. "Are you implying that the Sacred Beasts, at this moment, have summoned and turned the girl into the 9th Shadow Rider!?" Kagemaru could not imagine what he was saying. But against all odds, a part of him knew that this madness started to make sense.
"As fun as that would be, no." Paradox's voice held in a laugh. "The Shadow Riders are pawns in freeing the Sacred Beasts. Why would the Sacred Beasts summon another key when they're about to be free? No. It's much simpler than that: they were calling out to their master."
"Master?" Atticus repeated in confusion. However, everyone else started to piece together what Paradox was building up to. Their eyes widened, and some jaws went slack when they all turned to Wilona.
"I'm," Wilona pointed to herself with the energy of a deer in headlights. "Their master?"
"What!? No! I am the master of the Sacred Beasts!" Kagemaru threw his hand again as a mini shockwave appeared from a wave of his hand. "I wield them right now!"
"Wield is not the same as control." Paradox loosened his arms. "Let's do a test then. Ask Hamon to strike me down. Go on. That shouldn't be too hard."
Multiple veins started to appear on Kagemaru's head. "You! You are making a mockery of me! Hamon, strike down that harlequin!"
...
...
"Hamon!?" Kagemaru looked up to the monstrous version of Ra, who did not follow his command. "I order you to strike him down!"
The electrical Sacred Beast only roared at Kagemaru in response to his order.
"For the love of!" Wilona rolled her eyes. "This is wasting everyone's time. Hamon, strike him down already!"
With a word from Wilona, Hamon turned back towards Paradox, gathered energy, and unleashed a bolt of thunder down on the Second Shadow Rider.
Even though the power of Hamon was devastating, it was not the reason why everyone was stunned silent. However, Chancellor Sheppard was the first to speak what everyone else recognized.
"She-She commanded the Sacred Beasts, even though they're not in her deck!"
"N-No! NO! This cannot be! This is impossible!" Kagemaru looked up to Hamon and took a step back.
"I love that word, impossible," Paradox stepped out of the smoke, dusting himself off as if he wasn't struck with the full brunt of 100 gigavolts of energy. "It's always fun to prove it wrong."
Wilona looked back at the duel. "As fun as it is to watch him squirm, I don't have any need of the Sacred Beasts."
"Are you sure?" The girl turned back to Paradox. "Did you forget what the 3rd said? After the Sacred Beasts destroy the world, they would have enough energy to..."
Wilona's eyes widened before she finished Paradox's sentence. "Reach the center of the 12 worlds. There, we could get one wish."
"That's right. It's a fifty/fifty chance, but isn't that better than zero? A fifty percent chance...to see your mother again."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Duel Academy people started to understand the weight of this new situation. That weight threatened to crush not only the world, but everything in existence.
"Wait, Wilona, don't listen to him!" Chancellor Sheppard screamed with horror written in his eyes. However, even with everyone yelling their own warnings, they could tell it was falling on deaf ears with how Wilona's glare intensified in a different way.
Turn 6: Wilona. Cards: 2.
Seeing as how Kagemaru made no other move after attacking with Hamon, Wilona drew her card before she turned to Paradox. "You said that the Sacred Beasts follow me, right?" Her voice held something that was not anger, not confusion, but hope.
A very twisted form of hope that made Wilona ignore the cries of her friends.
How ironic that the one person she would listen to was the one no one ever expected anyone sane to concentrate on. "Not yet. This duel is a test to see who between you and Kagemaru deserve to use their powers." Paradox moved his chin. "But, they might listen to you within certain limits since you are in the lead."
"No, they won't! I am the master of the Sacred Beast cards! Me!" Kagemaru shouted back, but everyone could see he lacked confidence as he did before.
Wilona put the card she drew back to her hand and took out another card. "I play Restoration of the Monarchs! This equip spell allows me to target a monster with 2400 attack points and 1000 defense points from my graveyard and summon it back to the field at the price of negating its effects and that it's in defense position. I choose Zaborg!"
Soon, the electrical Monarch reappeared on the field.
"What are you up to, girl?" Kagemaru asked as he braced himself.
"I'm making sure the best day of your life turns into an eternal nightmare!" She pointed towards Kagemaru's deck. "Final Sacred Beast, hear my voice! I order you to appear near the top of Kagemaru's deck!"
Kagemaru gasped as his deck started to glow in a dark aura. He forced himself away while his deck seemingly rearranged itself. After the event happened, Kagemaru stared at his deck with anxiety as he felt a strong presence at the top card of his deck.
Wilona continued her move. "I activate the card I drew! Card of Sanctity! We both draw until we have six cards in our hands!"
Kagemaru winced as he heard this. Reluctantly, he drew until he had six cards in his hand. And when he saw the last Sacred Beast in his hand, he didn't feel powerful despite feeling the aura of the card. He felt it's presence slowly clawing at him, threatening to swallow him whole if he gave it the chance.
But he had to calm himself down. This was good for him! On his next turn, he would be able to summon the last Sacred Beast and show the girl that he was worthy of being the true master of the Sacred Beasts! In fact, yes! How could he be so worried? The girl practically handed him the keys to victory! Why would she want the final Sacred Beast to be added to his hand!?
Wilona reached for the one card she didn't play before she drew with Card of Sanctity. "I play the spell card, Exchange! We both reveal our hands, and both pick one card from the other to add to ours!"
Kagemaru struggled to breathe as he heard the card just played. All cards flew out of the hands of both duelists. And everyone could see Wilona picking the last Sacred Beast monster to add to her hand. Kagemaru looked at Wilona's hand and saw nothing but Monarch cards and a Monster Reborn.
He begrudgingly took the Monster Reborn before the other cards returned to their respective owners.
Wilona looked at her cards before continuing. "I normal summon Edea, the Heavenly Squire."
The familiar monster appeared on the field.
Edea, The Heavenly Squire. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Warrior/ Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 1/ ATK: 800/ DEF: 1000]
"When she's normal summoned, I can special summon another monster with the same attack and defense points to the field from the deck. I choose Eidos, the Underworld Squire." Soon, Edea's counterpart appeared in the field.
Eidos, the Underworld Squire. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Warrior/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 2/ ATK: 800/ DEF: 1000]
"When Eidos is special or normal summoned, I can tribute summon one more time this turn! However, Restoration of the Monarchs has a secondary effect! The equipped monster is now worth two tributes! So I sacrifice Zaborg to tribute summon Ether, the Heavenly Monarch!"
Even in the dark lands, the light pierced through as Ether appeared into the field.
Ether, the Heavenly Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fairy/ Attribute: Light/Level: 8/ ATK: 2800/ DEF: 1000]
"Now, by sending two monarch cards from my deck to my graveyard, I can activate Ether's effect! I can special summon a monster with the same attack and defense points as a monarch monster from my deck! I choose Anglmar, the Fiendish Monarch."
Not many knew of this Monarch in Wilona's deck, but as he appeared, many couldn't help but notice the demonic presence the new Monarch had.
Anglmar, the Fiendish Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-type: Fiend/ Attribute: DARK/Level: 6/ ATK: 2400/ DEF: 1000]
"Wilona has five monsters on the field!" Bastion gasped after counting the monsters.
Everything was quiet as Wilona stared at the next card in her hand. But everyone knew what was about to happen. "I sacrifice my squires and Raiza to special summon Raviel, the Lord of Phantasms!"
For the first time, the ground behind Wilona started to crack. Those watching had to run away as a powerful light burst from the ground. It was fitting that the last card was a dark version of Obelisk, the Tormentor. The being exuded raw power just as the Egyptian God. It gave off a roar that made the other two before it look like a joke. However, people could tell that this roar was not one of power, but of freedom. As if the Sacred Beast preferred being used by Wilona over Kagemaru.
Raviel, the Lord of Phantasms [Type: Divine-Beast/ Attribute: DIVINE/Level: 10/ ATK: 4000/ DEF: 4000]
"Wilona," Jasmine gulped. "She summoned a Sacred Beast."
The green-haired girl pointed forward. "I activate Raviel's effect! I can tribute Anglmar and Ether to power up his attack points!"
As she claimed this, the Monarch monsters looked at their duelist as if in surprise. However, the moment passed as Raviel towered and grabbed both monsters by their heads and absorbed their power.
(ATK: 4000 →9200)
"Over 9000 attack points!?" Syrus yelled out.
"I now activate a Monarch Spell card from my grave by banishing another Monarch spell! This one is called Suppression of the Monarchs! For this battle phase, my opponent cannot activate cards effects!"
Kagemaru paled as he realized Raviel was staring him down. "I-I am the one who wields the true power of the Sacred Beasts!"
"Alright," Wilona lowered her voice. "You want their power? I'm going to give it to you." She pointed up. "Raviel! Destroy Hamon!"
The monster walked over to the opponent's field. However, his eyes were not on Hamon. Instead, both Hamon and Uriel floated over to Raviel and turned their gaze towards Kagemaru instead.
"No! No! This can't be happening!" As he said this, tears started swell up in his eyes. He looked up to the three monsters, the ones that he had thought he controlled, and he saw how all of them looked exhilarated at what was about to come next.
"You liked to brag everyone was a pawn in your plan, Kagemaru," Paradox began stepping back. "How ironic that you were the biggest pawn of all, and you didn't even realize it."
All three Sacred Beasts launched their powers on the man. The last thing people could hear over the explosion was Kagemaru's soul-scaring screams.
Kagemaru: 2000 → 0 LP.
Wilona: 4000 LP. (Winner!)
"She-She did it!" Chumley yelled. "She defeated the Sacred Beasts without losing a single life point!"
"Wrong, Chumley," Seika interrupted the older Slifer Red as she narrowed her eyes. "Wilona defeated Kagemaru. She didn't even touch the Sacred Beasts. Look up; the Sacred Beasts are still on the field."
It was true. The Sacred Beasts seemed to not only be still around, but it also looked like they were growing stronger! Besides Jaden's cards, everyone else's cards started to turn pure white.
"Wilona?!" Jaden looked out and saw the girl was already walking towards a downed Kagemaru, who was turning back into his old and crippled state.
"Mercy..." He gasped as Wilona towered over him. "Please, spare me."
Wilona, seeing the man now beg for his life, laughed despondently. "Really? After all that bluster from a while ago?" A moment of silence passed between them. And Kagemaru could feel the rising bloodlust from a while ago. Was she going to take revenge for her mother...?
Wilona scoffed. "I think I've broken you enough." She looked at his duel disk, specifically the cards still on them. "I'll be taking Uria and Hamon now."
As soon as the other two cards reached her hand, Uria and Hamon unleashed proud roars that Kagemaru never could get them to do. The forest around them started to wither and decay, and even some of the other duelists started to feel weak.
"Jaden..." The brunette looked back and saw Alexis and some of the others struggling to stand. The blonde removed her duel disk. "Take it. You gotta...save..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as she fell forward.
"I got ya! And I'm going to get her too." Jaden had to catch her before she fell to the ground. After setting her down carefully, he gritted his teeth before he bolted for the dueling field.
Chancellor Sheppard ran ahead to the girl but stayed some distance away when he caught the attention of the Sacred Beasts. "Wilona! It's over now! Return the cards back to the seal!"
"And what?" The girl, whose eyes now had such an empty look on her face, turned to the Chancellor. "Wait another ten years for this cycle to happen again? You are balding and aging quite fast, Chancellor. How do I know you won't do the same thing this piece of crap did?" She motioned to the weak Kagemaru.
The brunette eventually reached where Chancellor Sheppard was. "Wilona, he's right! You can't use the Sacred Beasts!"
The green-haired girl scoffed. "That's a laugh. I clearly recall you saying you wanted, and I quote, "taking these bad boys out for a spin"?!"
Jaden did recall saying that when he first heard about it. "But not at the expense of the world, Wilona!"
The girl seemed to hesitate for a second. However, Jaden spotted a strange shadowy being climbing up Wilona's shoulder.
"What!?" Honest gasped. "Jaden, it's the being from the dark realms! It's the same being that helped during Paradox's Duel! It's grown since then!"
"Well, what's it doing whispering in Wilona's ear!?" Jaden looked back.
"Will you all shut up!?" The green-haired girl laughed while the creature laughed and vanished behind her head. "What's the bloody point of the world!? All it does is make people suffer! Even the good things get ruined sooner or later! For once in my life, I now have the power to make everyone else suffer instead of being their little servant!" Thunder boomed in the background as Wilona let loose years of frustration bottled up in her.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Jaden Yuki was about to put his foot in his mouth at the worst possible moment. "Wilona, come on! I'm sure your mother wouldn't want this!"
That.
That was the wrong thing to say.
Rage could not describe the feeling that flew across Wilona's face. "My mother is the reason I went to this logic-forsaken school! She is the reason why I put up with idiots and card-obsessed freaks like you, Yuki! And if I have to burn this stupid world to the ground for her, I will!" She raised a hand upward. "Sacred Beasts! Start powering up!"
As soon as she said this, something came flying from the sky. Hamon and Uria acted fast, blasting the incoming projectile and causing an explosion that protected Wilona.
Raviel roared as it raised his claw over Sheppard and Jaden. Honest materialized before stepping in and covered them both in his wings before something teleported the group away from the attack.
When Honest unfurled his wings, Jaden saw the 8th Shadow Rider staring him down.
"You... idiot!" He shouted. "You were supposed to talk her down, not make her angrier! You were doing well until you mentioned her mother!" He stopped himself. "The only way to save the world now is to duel her. I'll help you."
"No. You won't." Paradox appeared nearby before he suddenly waved his hands at all three Sacred Beasts. "Hey, Wilona! The 8th Shadow Rider over here called your mother something inappropriate!"
It was a childish taunt. However, considering how delicate the situation was, a pin needle falling could have also set Wilona off.
"Uria, burn him!" She shouted before the red Sacred Beast unleashed a ball of fire towards the 8th Shadow Rider. Yet, the armored man moved with speed that betrayed his look. Luckily for everyone involved, it seemed like the fireball flew towards its target instead.
The 8th's eyes started to glow behind his mask: one green and one orange. However, behind him, Paradox appeared with his fingers glowing.
The fireball exploded. As the dust settled, the only thing left was a strange tear in existence that seemed to glitch in and out.
"Well, some help he turned out to be." Jaden wasn't usually sarcastic, but he did like the idea of getting help to stop Wilona. Hey, wait a second. Did those guys wait for him to try and talk Wilona down?
However, things continued to escalate, forcing the teen to shelf those thoughts for another day. (If there was going to be another day at this rate...) The earth started to shake. But Jaden and Chancellor Sheppard soon found that the ground beneath them started to lift high into the air.
Jaden and Sheppard saw the sky opening up. If time and space were weakening it meant that the Sacred Beasts were gaining strength faster than they had expected.
However, the floating isle in the air stopped. And Jaden looked at the Sacred Beasts all staring him down.
Chancellor Sheppard knew what was going on. He turned to the only one left who could stop this madness. "Jaden, I know you may not want to hear this, but the only way to stop Wilona now is to duel her."
"Duel Wilona?"
Sheppard turned to the other Slifer Red. "Wilona! Kagemaru was right! For the Sacred Beasts to reach their full power, you would need to win Jaden's soul in a duel!"
Wilona seemed to hesitate for a second. However, she took the Sacred Beast cards and put them in her deck. The Sacred Beasts vanished, but the world around them showed no signs of being healed yet.
Jaden gulped, but knowing what was happening to everyone else, he stepped forward.
"You know, I've always wanted to duel you. But never like this." Jaden found himself saying as he stood across from Wilona.
The girl gave a sad smile and a quiet scoff. "I never wanted to duel you. I always imagined I would lose if I ever did."
Despite the world ending, it was quiet between two unexpected friends.
"But if I had to choose between you and my mother," Wilona's eyes turned cold when she looked at Jaden. The brunette hated seeing his friend like that. "I would always choose my mother."
They both primed their duel disks.
"I'm sorry, Wilona. I can't let you destroy the world for something that might not even be real." In the back of his mind, Jaden thought back to his promise with Wilona all those nights before. Why did the thought of breaking that promise feel worse than letting the world get destroyed?
Wilona sighed before she said some heart-breakingly familiar words, "I know. You really are as heroic as you wish to be... it is such a shame that I am not."
With that, they both held the top of their decks.
"LET'S DUEL!"
[Author Notes]
FINALLY! YOU ALL HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I'VE WANTED TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER! (It's been years and past several failed fics!) I've been wanting to write this Chapter for so long! It's why I've been able to write 12K words in one blasted week!
You thought that it would be the usual tag team of OC and Jaden VS Kagemaru? Those are cool, but I saw something else that inspired me! And you have no idea how great I feel to see that this scene has finally come to play!
Now, we finally get to see the reason for the "Storm" that breaks the cosmos! We get to see why Jaden's promise was the worst mistake he's ever made.
I admit that I was a bit sad that I couldn't write Professor Banner's duel. But I really had nothing to add from my point of view. The best I could do was put more build-up to his betrayal before it happened. And you'll also notice something about Professor Banner in this chapter. Or rather, the lack of a little light in the darkness. Well, I have one idea left for him.
But here is the Duel I've been waiting to write for a long time. This is the end of the first season, and I'm planning some even crazier things during the duel itself. I hope you all enjoyed reading this, because I loved writing every second of this!
Thanks for reading and good luck out there!
[Altered/Made-up Cards]
Uria: Okay, the TCG and Anime are all over the place with this guy. Ultimately, with how I wrote the duels of this series, I had to chance Urai's reincarnation ability to work after it gets destroyed and not activate the turn after. I did that so the Sacred Beast would be more powerful and scarier to face. (Not that it worked against Kagemaru's first opponent...) He apparently also had an anime restriction that showed it couldn't attack if it was there was another monster on the owner's side of the field. That felt like a cop-out for me, so I removed that restriction to make it stupid OP.
(Similarly, I found out in the anime that the Sacred Beasts are Divine attribute like the Egyptian Gods. I thought I'd keep that here because I think there might be potential in writing such a thing in the future.)
Panthesim of the Monarchs: (Future edit.) Yeah, I later found out you have to discard a monarch spell and trap card, not just any card.
Unyielding Miasma: So yeah, I was surprised how many outs Wilona had against Uria and the Sacred Beasts with Caius and Raiza. This card helped prevent her from gaining the advantage.
Tactics of the Monarchs.
Suppression of the Monarchs.
