And here we are with Chapter 8 of the Fusion Arc. Things are really heating up and it's only going to get hotter. I hope you are all looking forward to it.

Now let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 08: Men of Destruction and Darkness

Virtual World – Grass Plains

Reiji walked forward on the plains looking left to right. "This is a Virtual World…but everything feels like it's Real Solid Vision."

Reiji looked down at his feet. "I can feel the grass brush against my ankles." Reiji looked at his scarf. "The wind is blowing through my scarf. Everything feels so real. Were they able tor really transport our entire being into a virtual world, or is there more to it?"

Reiji then stopped as a there was door right in the middle of the road. "So, you've decided to finally challenge me." Reiji approached the door and opened it.

Virtual World – Factory

Reiji stepped through the door and he noticed that he was in a metal factory. There were conveyor belts of metal parts and vehicles that were used for war. There were also guns, missiles and body armor for soldiers.

"A military factory." Reiji noticed. "Come out! I know you're there!" Reiji called out.

"Welcome, Reiji Akaba!" Reiji looked up to see the Duel Monster, Machine Sergeant, descend before him. "I am a member of the Big 5, Soichiro Ota!"

"Ota…I've heard of you. Before Kaiba Corporation was turned into a gaming company, you were the president of military affairs." Reiji said.

"Yes, they called me the Demon Warlord of the Factory. It was thanks to my abilities that we were able to profit a lot from our weapons. That's why when the ARC Area Project is complete. I will be the protector of the paradise with my weapons." Ota declared as a Duel Disk materialized on his arm.

"You're naïve. If a paradise is created, then where's the need for weapons?" Reiji pointed out Ota's flaw.

"Hmph, you think that but whenever there is a land rich in resources, people will want to take it for themselves. That's when war happens but my weapons are there to make sure that never happens." Ota said. "We must do whatever it takes to protect the paradise. Just like you did what you had to do back in the Standard Dimension in the Battle Royal."

"You're right…I did do what I had to do back in Standard. But…even though Standard was protected, the Lancers were a disorganized group, full of distrust and doubt." Reiji closed his eyes and fixed his glasses. "But the Lancers were reformed into the Dimension Guardians and as a member I vow to make things right."

"So, you've become weak. This Duel should be easy then. Now, make your deck!" Ota ordered as cards appeared in front of Reiji. Reiji picked his cards and his deck appeared in his Duel Disk. "Now, pick your Deck Master."

"My Deck Master will be DDD Oracle King d'Arc!" Reiji's female Fusion Monster appeared next to him.

"Then let's begin." The floor between Reiji and Ota opened up to reveal a pit of radioactive waste as both Reiji and Ota activated their Duel Disks.

"Duel!" Reiji and Ota declared.

Reiji LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Ota LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"I'll give you the first turn. Make it count." Ota said.

"My turn! Draw!" Reiji drew his card. "I activate the Continuous Magic: Contract with the Hellgate! This card inflicts 1000 points of damage to me during my Standby Phase, but in exchange, I'm able to add one Level 4 or lower DD monster from my deck to my hand!" Reiji added a card to his hand.

"Next, from my hand, I activate the effect of DD Swirl Slime! I can perform a Fusion Summon using this card and DD monsters from my hand as Fusion Material! I fuse DD Swirl Slime with DD Berformet!"

"Arcane swirl that takes in all forms! Engulf the grotesque God, and now become one and give birth to a new king! Fusion Summon! Be born! DDD Flame King Temujin (ATK: 2000, LV: 6)!" Reiji summoned his Fusion Monster.

"I set two cards and end my turn!" Reiji finished his turn.

Reiji LP: 4000, Hand: 2
Ota LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"As expected of Reiji Akaba, the first turn and you already performed a Special Summon from the Extra Deck." Ota complimented. "But even with your skills as a pro, you can't defeat me."

"If you're that confident, then show me." Reiji fixed his glasses.

"Very well. My turn! Draw!" Ota drew his card. "From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Urgent Schedule! If my opponent controls more monsters than me, I'm able to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower and Level 5 or higher Earth Machine-type monster from my deck in Defense Position with their effects negated!"

"Appear! Machine King Prototype (DEF: 1500, LV: 3)! And Revolver Dragon (DEF: 2200, LV: 7)!" Ota summoned two machine monsters.

"Next, I release these two monsters! Advance Summon! Appear! Mechanical Fox - Uka-no-Mitama-no-Inari (ATK: 2250, LV: 7)!" Ota summoned a mechanical fox.

"Mechanical Fox. If I recall, that card will inflict 300 points of damage to the opponent every time they Normal Summon or Special Summon." Reiji narrowed his eyes.

"I activate my Deck Master Effect, Support Bombardment! By discarding any number of Machine-type monsters in my hand to the Graveyard, I can inflict 500 points of damage! I discard two!" Ota discarded his two cards. Two machine monsters appeared and they fired a blast at Reiji, making him grunt.

Reiji LP: 4000→3000

"I set two cards and end my turn!" Ota finished.

Reiji LP: 3000, Hand: 2
Ota LP: 4000, Hand: 0

Reiji held his stomach. "This pain…" Reiji glared at Ota. "My turn! Draw!"

"Now, you will pay the price for your contracts!" Ota pointed at Reiji.

"That's what you think. Oracle King d'Arc's Deck Master Effect. Any damage inflicted to me by Contract cards will replenish my Life Points!" Kin d'Arc granted holy light to Reiji.

Reiji LP: 3000→4000

"How annoying." Ota glared.

"And I'm not backing down! I activate Contract with the Hellgate's effect to add the Tuner Monster DD Night Howling to my hand! Using the Scale 2 DD Magical Savant Schrodinger and the Scale 8 DD Magical Savant Dirac, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Reiji set his scale.

"With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 3 to 7! Grand power that shakes my very soul, arise within me and become a new light that rends the darkness. Pendulum Summon! Come before me, my monsters!" The portal opened and two monsters came out.

"Tuner Monster, DD Night Howling (ATK: 600, LV: 3)! And DDD Supreme King Kaiser (ATK: 2800, LV: 7)!" Reiji summoned his tuner as well as a king with a very sharp sword.

"Idiot! Mechanical Fox's effect inflicts you 300 points of damage every time you summon a monster! Take this!" Ota ordered his monster but it didn't do anything. "What?"

"Unfortunately for you, when Supreme King Kaiser is Pendulum Summoned, the effects of all face-up cards on your field have their effects negated until the end of this turn!" Reiji revealed.

"Damn…" Ota cursed.

"I'm Tuning my Level 7 DDD Supreme King Kaiser with my Level 3 DD Night Howling!" Night Howling turned into three green rings and Supreme King Kaiser flew through them and became seven stars.

"Hurricanes that destroy everything in their path! Take their power and evolve, King of Gales! Synchro Summon! Be born! DDD Gust High King Executive Alexander (ATK: 3000, LV: 10)! Reiji summoned the powered-up version of Alexander.

"I activate Flame King Temujin's effect! If another DD monster is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one DD monster from my Graveyard! Revive! DD Swirl Slime (ATK: 200, LV: 2)!" The slime appeared on the field.

"And Gust High King Executive Alexander's effect! When a DD monster is summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower DD monster on my field! Revive! DD Berformet (ATK: 1400, LV: 4)!" The fiend Berformet appeared.

"I activate DD Berformet's effect! This card allows me to double the Level of one monster on the field. I double Swirl Slime's Level!"

Swirl Slime (LV: 2→4)

"I Overlay my Level 4 DD Berformet and Swirl Slime!" The two monsters turned into purple lights and entered the spacelike portal in front of Reiji.

"In order to subjugate all that resides in this world, now, descend onto the peak of the world! Xyz Summon! Be born! Rank 4! DDD Wave King Caesar (ATK: 2400, RNK: 4, OVU: 2)!" Reiji summoned his Xyz Monster.

"I activate Executive Alexander's effect! When there are two or more DD monsters on my field, it's Attack Points are doubled!" Executive Alexander gained power.

Executive Alexander (ATK: 3000→6000)

"Battle! Executive Alexander, attack Mecha Fox!" Executive Alexander charged.

"Don't think you've won! I activate my Continuous Trap: Gravity Bind! As long as this card is on the field, Level 4 and higher monsters are not allowed to attack!" Ota countered.

"But Caesar is a Xyz Monster, therefore Gravity Bind doesn't affect him! Go! Wave King Caesar, attack Mecha Fox!" Caesar charged in.

"I have another Trap Card on the field! Holy Barrier – Mirror Force! This destroys all of your monsters!" A barrier formed of Mecha Fox and but before Caesar's attacked reach, one of its Overlay Units disappeared.

Wave King Caesar (OVU: 2→1)

"Heheheh…" Ota laughed. "I can't believe you completely ignored my set cards." Ota continued laughing before he gasped as the three DDD Kings were back on the field. "What?!"

"Before Mirror Force destroyed my monsters, I activated Wave King Caesar's effect." Reiji fixed his glasses. "By using one Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon as many monsters from my Graveyard that were destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase! But for each one that I Special Summoned, I take 1000 points of damage."

"But you have a way around it, don't you?" Ota glared.

"Yes. My Trap Card: DDD Human Resources! By returning my monsters to the deck, I add two cards from my deck to my hand!" Reiji added two cards to his hand.

"And then, I activate my other set card, Trap Card: DDD Swift Strike! When a DDD monster leaves the field by a card effect, I destroy one monster on the opponent's field and they take damage equal to the destroyed monster's Attack Points!" Reiji revealed.

"What?!" Ota gasped and Mecha Fox was destroyed.

Ota LP: 4000→1750

"I end my turn!" Reiji finished his turn.

Reiji LP: 4000, Hand: 2
Ota LP: 1750, Hand: 0

"You bastard! My turn! Draw!" Ota drew his card. "I activate the Magic Card: Treasure Cards from the Heavens! We both draw until we each have six cards in our hands!" Ota drew six cards while Reiji drew four.

"I activate my Deck Master effect! I sent three Machine monsters to the Graveyard to inflict you 1500 points of damage!" Ota unleashed his barrage.

"I activate Magical Savant Dirac's Pendulum Effect! When an effect that would inflict damage is activated, I can Special Summon this monster and I would take no effect damage for the rest of this turn!" Magical Savant Dirac appeared on the field and a barrier protected Reiji.

Magical Savant Dirac (DEF: 1600, LV: 3, PS: 8)

"Damn you and your tricks!" Ota got upset. "I activate the Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! Revive! Revolver Dragon (ATK: 2600, LV: 7)!" A large machine with three guns appeared.

"I activate Revolver Dragon's effect! Three coins will be tossed and if 2 of them are heads, I destroy one monster on your field!" Three coins materialized in the middle of the field and they were tossed in the air and the result was two heads and one tails.

"Your monster is destroyed!" Dirac was destroyed.

"Battle! Revolver Dragon! Direct Attack!" Revolver Dragon aimed its guns at Reiji and fired.

"I activate Schrodinger's Pendulum Effect! I can Special Summon this card from the Pendulum Zone to reduce the battle damage to 0!" Schrodinger appeared on the field.

"Damn it! I set two cards and end my turn!" Ota was losing his patience.

Reiji LP: 4000, Hand: 6
Ota LP: 1750, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Reiji drew his card.

"Reverse Card, Open! Over Limit Restriction! When my opponent has more than six cards in their hands, they must discard their entire hand and then draw two cards! And I follow that with the Continuous Trap: Ghost's Invitation! For every card that is sent to the Graveyard, the owner of those cards takes 300 points of damage!" Ota played his two cards.

Reiji was upset as he had the cards to win this Duel, now he had to get rid of them. Reiji discarded his seven cards. "With seven cards, you take 2100 points of damage!" Reiji grunted as red aura surrounded him.

Reiji LP: 4000→1900

Reiji then drew two new cards. "It's not enough. Oracle King d'Arc's Deck Master Effect lets me gain Life Points that I would have taken damage from my Contract cards." Reiji gained some Life Points."

Reiji LP: 1900→2900

Reiji looked at his hand. "I activate Contract with the Hellgate's effect! I add a Level 4 or lower DD monster from my deck to my hand. I add DD Magical Savant Kepler! Now I—"

"That's not happening!" Ota shouted, getting Reiji off guard. "From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of Claw Snatcher!" A claw shot out of Ota's Duel Disk and it grabbed Reiji's card and crushed it.

"What?!" Reiji gasped.

"Claw Snatcher's effect activates when an opponent adds a card to their hand outside the Draw Phase, that card is instantly banished." Ota said.

Reiji looked at his hand. "These monsters can take down Revolver Dragon, but I can't summon them."

"I end my turn." Reiji finished.

Reiji LP: 2900, Hand: 2
Ota LP: 1750, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Ota drew his card. "I activate Revolver Dragon's effect!" The coins were tossed again and luck was on Ota's side, three heads. "Schrodinger is destroyed!" Reiji's last line of defense was destroyed.

"But you can't attack due to your own Gravity Bind!" Reiji pointed out.

"Is that so? From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Magic: Emergency Provisions! By sending any number Magic or Trap Cards from my field to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points for each one! I send both Gravity Bind and Ghost's Invitation!" Both of Ota's cards disappeared and he gained 2000 Life Points.

Ota LP: 1750→3750

"Take this! Revolver Dragon! Direct Attack!" Revolver Dragon aimed its three guns at Reiji and they fired. The blasts struck Reiji hard that he was blown off his feet and crashed on his back.

Reiji LP: 2900→300

"You're very lucky that I don't have anymore cards in my hand. I end my turn." Ota finished.

Reiji grunted as he laid on his back. "Damn…the pain…it's overwhelming…" Reiji struggled to sit up.

"So much for the Genius Duelist, Reiji Akaba." Ota insulted and laughed at Reiji's pain.

Team 3

"Geez, we've been walking for god knows how long and there's still no sign of the pillar." Rin was getting frustrated.

"It is weird that no one has tried to ambush us yet." Gongenzaka looked around the forest they were in.

"Hey! Hurry up and take us on already!" Rin shouted loudly.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Crow covered Rin's mouth, causing her to lick his hand. "Oh, come on!" Crow complained.

"Rin, we shouldn't give away the element of surprise." Gongenzaka scolded.

"What surprise? They already know that we're here! Stop messing around and take us on already!" Rin yelled.

"Rin, calm down!" Crow said.

"Rin, we're all upset about what happened with Yuya and the others. But we have to remain calm." Gongenzaka said.

"I know…I know that. But…" Rin couldn't help but think of all of the times that she shared with Yuya. How they met, how they got along, how they saved the Synchro Dimension, how he saved her from Roget.

"I know how you feel about him." Crow put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, those bastards are gonna get what's coming to them."

"Crow…" Rin looked at her big brother and smiled. She was lucky to have a brother like him, even though he embarrasses her from time to time.

Suddenly, a loud engine caught the group's attention and jumping out of the bushes was a long white D-Wheel with a man with long blonde hair and a mask riding on it.

"A D-Wheel?!" Rin was surprised.

The man then drove towards them so fast that he knocked Crow to the side and knocked him out.

"Crow!" Rin was gonna go to him when the man stopped in front of her. "What do you want?"

"To save the future." The man spoke.

"Huh?" Rin questioned before the man punched her in the stomach, knocking her out. The man then placed Rin on his D-Wheel and zoomed off.

"Rin!" Gongenzaka shouted. He was gonna go after them.

"I'll be you're opponent." A large man that was bigger than Gongenzaka appeared. He then held up the Millennium Scales and light took both him and Gongenzaka away. While the man taking Rin had his D-Wheel glow and they both disappeared.

Professor's Chamber

"No!" Leo growled as he saw what happened to Team 3. "Titan, you should've moved faster! Sanders, who was that man?"

"There's no data on him, sir. It's like he never existed." Sanders said. "I shall collect Crow Hogan and put him with the other prisoners."

"Damn it, I can't complete Revival Zero unless all the pieces are here." Leo cursed as he glared at the man who took Rin. "Who are you?"

Fusion Dimension – Abandoned Dorm

The light died down as Gongenzaka and Titan appeared at the basement of an abandoned dorm on the island.

"This place is perfect for our Duel." Titan said.

"Who are you?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I am Titan, a Dark Duelist and one of the Seven Stars." Titan introduced himself. "I am the protector of this pillar."

"What has your comrade done to Rin?!" Gongenzaka asked.

"That man isn't a comrade. But the fact that you asked about him must mean he's not your comrade either." Titan speculated. "Well, either way, you Dimension Guardians are in the way of the Professor's Plan. I will do my job and eliminate you." Titan pulled out the Millennium Scales.

"What's that?" Gongenzaka asked.

"One of the Millennium Items that I was given after raiding the Ishtar Family Tomb. The Millennium Scales. These scales measure the darkness within a person. And you…there is much darkness in you." Titan showed as the scales continued to weigh back and forth.

"The darkness within me…he must be talking about the Dark Synchro." Gongenzaka thought. "Unlike you, I use the darkness to protect my friends!"

"You're free to use the darkness however you want, but unlike you, I've delved into the deepest darkness and have obtained power the likes you've never seen." Titan said. "Now then, let's begin our battle." Titan activated his Duel Disk.

"I'll end this quick and get back to Crow and Rin." Gongenzaka activated his Duel Disk.

"Duel!" Gongenzaka and Titan declared.

Titan LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Gongenzaka LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"I'll start! Draw!" Titan drew his card. "I summon Inferno Queen Demon (ATK: 900, LV: 4)!" Titan summoned a fiend. "When this card is on the field, all Demon monsters on my field gain 1000 Attack Points!"

Inferno Queen (ATK: 900→1900)

"Next, I activate the Field Magic: Pandemonium!" The field around the two transformed. "Thanks to this card, I do not have to pay Life Points due to my Demons' effects."

"I set one card and end my turn." Titan finished his turn.

Titan LP: 4000, Hand: 3
Gongenzaka LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"I, the man Gongenzaka, won't fall to your Demons! My turn! Draw!" Gongenzaka drew his card hard, creating a shockwave.

"Using the Scale 1 Superheavy Samurai General Hisu-E and the Scale 8 Superheavy General San-5, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Gongenzaka set his scale. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 2 to 8!"

"Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Three monsters came out of the portal. "Superheavy Samurai Glo-V (ATK: 100, LV: 3)! Superheavy Samurai Big Wara-G (ATK: 800, LV: 5)! And the Tuner Monster, Superheavy Samurai Tama-C (ATK: 100, LV: 2)!" Gongenzaka summoned his three monsters.

"Oh, Pendulum…" Titan looked impressed.

"I'm Tuning my Level 3 Glo-V with my Level 2 Tama-C!" Tama-C turned into two green rings and Glo-V jumped through them and became three stars.

"Sword master with dual blades! Appear now and cut down the chains of darkness! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 5! Superheavy Swordmaster Musa-C (DEF: 2300, LV: 5)!" Gongenzaka summoned his dual wielding samurai.

"When Musa-C is Synchro Summoned, I can select one Machine-type monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand! I add Tama-C to my hand!" Gongenzaka added his Tuner back.

"Next, I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster Superheavy Samurai Tsuzu-3 (ATK: 300, LV: 1)!" Gongenzaka summoned a drum like monster.

"I'm Tuning my Level 5 Big Wara-G with my Level 1 Tsuzu-3!" Tsuzu-3 turned into a single green ring and Big Wara-G flew through the ring and became five stars.

"Raise your war cry, divine ogre! Show yourself on this battlefield of raging ice and snow! Synchro Summon! Now depart for the front! Level 6! Superheavy God Ogre Shutendo-G (DEF: 2500, LV: 6)!" Gongenzaka summoned his ogre.

"When Superheavy God Ogre Shutendo-G is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on the opponent's field! That includes Pandemonium!" Gongenzaka shouted.

"Those creatures of light are useless against the darkness. Counter Trap: Pandemonium Barrier! When Pandemonium is about to be destroyed due to a card effect, I can negate the effect and destroy that card!" Shutendo-G was destroyed.

"But I still have Musa-C! Battle! Musa-C attack Inferno Queen Demon!" Musa-C charged towards Inferno Queen Demon.

"Due to the effect of Pandemonium Barrier, by Demon monsters cannot be destroyed in battle this turn and battle damage is reduced to 0!" Titan protected his monster.

"Damn, my strategy didn't work. I end my turn!" Gongenzaka finished his turn.

Titan LP: 4000, Hand: 3
Gongenzaka LP: 4000, Hand: 1

"My turn! Draw!" Titan drew his card. "I summon Genocide King Demon (ATK: 2000, LV: 4)! This card cannot be summoned unless I have Demon monster on the field. But I have Inferno Queen Demon and with her effect, Genocide King Demon gains 1000 Attack Points!"

Genocide King Demon (ATK: 2000→3000)

"It's stronger than Musa-C." Gongenzaka said.

"Battle! Genocide King Demon, attack Superheavy Samurai Musa-C! Bursting! Internal Organs!" Flies flew out of Genocide King Demon and headed towards Musa-C destroying it.

"And now Inferno Queen Demon! Direct Attack!" Inferno Queen Demon prepared a fire blast attack.

"From my Graveyard, I activate the effect of Superheavy Samurai Glo-V! When I'm attacked directly, by banishing this card from my Graveyard, I draw one card from my deck and if it's a Superheavy Samurai monster, the Attack Points of the attacking monster are reduced to 0!" Gongenzaka countered.

"It's obvious that you'll draw a Superheavy Samurai, but let's see if luck is on my side! Since you're targeting Inferno Queen Demon with an effect, I can chain it with her Monster Effect!" Titan summoned six color balls from the lava.

"This Roulette will randomly stop on a number 1 through 6. If it stops on 2 or 5, your effect is negated, but if it stops on any other, the effect will go through." The fire started going around the roulette before it stopped on 2. "Glo-V's effect is negated and the attack goes through!"

Inferno Queen Demon unleashed her fire blast attack and it struck Gongenzaka square in the chest, making him grunt in pain.

Gongenzaka LP: 4000→1900

"Wh-What is this pain?" Gongenzaka grunted.

"We're both Duelists of the Darkness. So, it's only fitting that we have a Dark Duel!" Titan held up the scales. It let out a light and Gongenzaka felt his insides burning and he screamed.

"This scale shows the darkness consuming you. Sure, you have control over some of it, but this darkness is more foul, more mysterious. Failure to control it will result in your death."

"I'm going…to die…" Gongenzaka winced as he fell to his knee and Titan laughed.

Unknown Location

Rin weakly opened her eyes and she saw the sky was red and black. "Huh? Wasn't the sky blue?" Rin sat up and looked in front of her and her eyes widened.

It was the Four Dimensions, joined together but destroyed. Rin knew instantly it was the Four Dimensions because she saw Leo Corporation from Standard, the Duel Palace from Synchro, the heart shaped tower from Heartland and Academia itself, all of them destroyed.

"Wh-Where am I?" Rin stuttered.

"The United World." Rin turned to see the man that took her standing next to her and he removed his mask. "My name is Paradox, Guardian of the United World."

"The United World…" Rin looked at the city. "So, then, we lost the war. Leo Akaba won."

"The Four Dimensions would have rejoined no matter what." Paradox informed. "When something is broken apart, it's only natural that it's desire would be to return to once it was. The Dimensions themselves, wish to become one again, but they knew it must happen naturally, so they bide their time and wait until the right moment to become one."

"Wait, so no matter what we do, the fusion of the four dimensions will be inevitable?" Rin asked.

"That is correct, because that is the will of the dimensions themselves. But until then, they need a Guardian to protect them from anyone threatening its destruction. The dimensions choose one Duelist to protect them and eventually the task is passed down until it reached me." Paradox explained.

"But why is the United World like this?" Rin asked. "Why is it destroyed?"

"It was destroyed…because of you and your dragons!" Paradox pointed to Rin.

"What?" Rin was stumped that she was the cause of the United World's Destruction.

"There are eight dragons that are known as the strongest in Duel Monsters. The Four Heavenly Dragons: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon." Paradox explained.

"And then, the Four Nature Dragons: Melodious Flower Dragon, Lyrical Eagle Dragon, Wind Witch – Cyclone Dragon and Moonlight Dancer Dragon. These eight dragons would make sure that the world would stay in an era of peace. But…" Paradox closed his eyes.

"The Four Nature Dragons felt that humanity was gonna destroy the United World. They believed that the planet itself was in danger from humans, so to protect the planet, they destroyed humanity and that is what you see before you." Paradox gestured to the destroyed city.

"No…my dragon would never…" Rin took out her dragon.

"The United World was beautiful." Paradox said. "Here, everyone would be able to enjoy their life however they wish. It was my job to protect this world and the people and I failed."

"That's why I invented time travel and I found a point in time where the dragons were at their weakest. If I can eliminate just one, then the future will have a chance to be saved. Forgive me, Rin Hogan. But the future of millions weighs more than you. Prepare yourself!" Paradox activated his Duel Disk.

"I…I don't believe you! Cyclone Dragon is my friend! I won't let you hurt him!" Rin activated her Duel Disk.

"Duel!" Rin and Paradox declared.

Rin LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Paradox LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"My turn! Draw!" Rin drew her card. "I summon the Tuner Monster, Wind Witch – Glass Bell (ATK: 1500, LV: 4)! Rin summoned her tiny witch.

"Next, when I have a Wind Witch monster on my filed, I can Special Summon Wind Witch – Freeze Bell (ATK: 1200, LV: 3)!" Rin summoned another tiny witch.

"I'm Tuning my Level 3 Freeze Bell with my Level 4 Glass Bell!" Glass Bell turned into four green rings and Freeze Bell flew through them and became three stars.

"With your beautiful wings that change along with the season, strike down the enemies that pollute your territory! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Wind Witch – Cyclone Dragon (ATK: 2500, LV: 7)!" Rin summoned her dragon.

"I set three cards and end my turn!" Rin finished her turn.

Rin LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Paradox LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"Then, it's my turn! Draw!" Paradox drew his card. "I will bring peace back to the United World, just like the first Guardian! From my hand, I activate the Field Magic: Realm of Heaven – Virtue World!" The field transformed and the destroyed United World was restored to its former glory.

"Amazing…" Rin looked at the United World.

"This world must be protected from those that have to do it harm. That is what I and my other predecessors agreed to when we took on the role as the Guardian. With Virtue World, I can add a random Virtue monster from my deck to my hand in exchange for my Draw Phase!" Paradox revealed.

"Next, I banish Clear Wing Synchro Dragon from my Extra Deck! Appear! Virtue Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500, LV: 7)!" Appearing was Clear Wing but its white and green color was much more pure and holy than before.

"Clear Wing?!" Rin's eyes widened. "How do you have that card?!"

"This deck has undergone many evolutions." Paradox showed off his deck. "But the four Heavenly Dragons have always remained a part of the deck! Just as the very first Guardian used them to protect the United World, I will use them to change history and save the future!"

"What's more, the Virtue Series allows me to banish the matching monster from the game, to Special Summon its Virtue Counterpart." Paradox added.

"I can feel its power, I can't let him use it!" Rin thought. "I activate Cyclone Dragon's effect! It can negate the effects of one Level 5 or higher monster on the field! Four Seasons Tornado!" Cyclone Dragon created its four tornadoes and it headed to Clear Wing's direction, but they disappeared. "What?!"

"Virtue World's other effect. Virtue monsters cannot be targeted by card effects. I activate Virtue Clear Wing's effect! Once per turn, I can select one Synchro Monster on the opponent's field and have its Attack Points reduced in half until the end of this turn! Virtue Mirror! Clear Wing unleashed the power of its wings and it weakened Cyclone Dragon.

Cyclone Dragon (ATK: 2500→1250)

"Battle! Virtue Clear Wing, attack Cyclone Dragon! Heavenly Dive Slasher!" Virtue Clear Wing dived towards Cyclone Dragon and the two clashed.

"Because I used Freeze Bell as Synchro Material, Cyclone Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle!" Rin grunted.

"But you still take damage!" Paradox pointed out and Rin was knocked off of her feet.

Rin LP: 4000→2750

"It's not over yet! I activate my Trap Card: Cyclone Retaliation! When I take damage while Cyclone Dragon is on the field, this card increases Cyclone Dragon's Attack Points by the same amount of damage inflicted!"

Cyclone Dragon (ATK: 1250→2500)

"I set one card and end my turn!" Paradox finished his turn. "At this moment, Virtue Clear Wing's effect ends."

Cyclone Dragon (ATK: 2500→3750)

Rin LP: 2750, Hand: 1
Paradox LP: 4000, Hand: 3

"My turn! Draw!" Rin drew her card. "I summon Wind Witch – Ice Bell (ATK: 1000, LV: 3)!" Rin summoned her tiny witch. "When Ice Bell is summoned, the opponent takes 500 points of damage!" Ice Bell sent a blast at Paradox but he didn't flinch.

Paradox LP: 4000→3500

"Battle! Cyclone Dragon, attack Virtue Clear Wing! Typhoon Boom Dive! Cyclone Dragon charged in.

"I activate the Continuous Trap: Virtue Shield! When a Virtue monster on my field is targeted for an attack, I can pay 500 Life Points to negate its destruction and reduce the Battle Damage to 0!" Paradox gave up some of his Life Points to protect Virtue Clear Wing.

Paradox LP: 3500→3000

"Next, I'm able to draw one card." Paradox drew another card.

"But not effect damage! I activate my set card! The Continuous: Magnitude Spell! I can only activate this card during my Main Phase 2. By releasing a Wind Witch Spellcaster type monster on my field, you take 100 points of damage times the level of a Wind Witch monster on my field! With my Cyclone Dragon being 7, you take 700 points of damage!" Paradox was hit with another gust of wind but he still didn't flinch.

Paradox LP: 3000→2300

"I end my turn." Rin finished her turn.

Rin LP: 2750, Hand: 1
Paradox LP: 2300, Hand: 4

"My turn!" Paradox started. "Instead of drawing a card, I add a random Virtue monster from my deck to my hand!" Paradox added a random card to his hand.

"From my Extra Deck, I banish Starve Venom Fusion Dragon! Appear! Virtue Starve Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 2800, LV: 8)!" Paradox summoned the virtue version of Starve Venom.

"First Clear Wing and now Starve Venom. He really does have all four of those dragons. If those cards were passed down from Duelist to Duelist, then Yuya is the first Guardian he was talking about." Rin thought.

"Hey, is the name of the first Guardian, Yuya Ryuga?" Rin asked.

"No. But the cards did originally belong to him." Paradox revealed. "The first Guardian was the one that Yuya Ryuga passed the dragons onto after he was killed."

"Killed? Who killed Yuya?" Rin asked.

"It doesn't matter what you try to do, Yuya will die no matter what." Paradox said.

"I love Yuya!" Rin shouted. "I don't want him to die! Please, tell me who killed him so I can at least warn him!"

"If you really want to know…then defeat me!" Paradox said.

And that is the end of Chapter 8. What did you all think of this chapter? Let me know in the reviews.

Thanks for reading and I will see you next time.

Preview: Reiji and Gongenzaka are backed against the wall due to their opponents' strategies, but they both believe in the experiences that they've had since Standard to help them stage a comeback. However, Rin becomes desperate to learn who killed Yuya in the future that Cyclone Dragon takes advantage of her.

Next Time: The Cost of Victory