And here is Chapter 22 of the Fusion Arc. I hope you guys are excited for the next part. We're actually getting close to the big battles that are coming up.

Now, let's get right to it.

Chapter 22: Light to Purge the Darkness

Yuya vs Cobra

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 2
Field: Insight Paladin (ATK: 2500, LV: 7), Enlightenment Paladin (ATK: 2500, LV: 8), Illusion Paladin (ATK: 2500, RNK: 7, OVU: 2), Continuous Trap: Starlight Force

Cobra LP: 2900, Hand: 6
Field: Primordial Snake God Nehebkau (ATK: 3400, LV: 9), Scale 1 Dimension Snake, Scale 12 Dimension Viper, 1 set card.

"Three Paladins…" Cobra observed. "Research did show me about Enlightenment Paladin, but nothing about those other Paladins."

Yuya raised his hand towards Insight Paladin. "Insight Paladin, use you're powers of wisdom to cleanse this battlefield! Insight Paladin's Monster Effect! By discarding one Magic Card from my hand to the Graveyard, all of my opponent's the effects of all cards face-up on my opponent's field are negated!"

"What?!" Cobra gasped.

Yuya discarded Sky Iris from his hand. "Wisdom Cleansing!" Insight Paladin raised his staff and created a pure magic that negated Cobra's cards, including the Venom Swamp. "And for each card negated, Insight Paladin's Attack Points increase by 200 points until the End Phase!" Blue aura surrounded Insight Paladin as he gained power.

Insight Paladin (ATK: 2500→3700)

"My field…" Cobra got ticked off that his cards were negated.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card: Treasure Cards of the Heavens! Both players draw until they have six cards! But you already have six cards, so I'm the only one who draws." Yuya drew six more cards.

"Battle! Insight Paladin, attack Nehebkau! Wisdom Magic Burst!" Insight Paladin flew in with his staff charging up.

"I won't let you! From my hand, I activate the effect of Venom Rattlesnake! By sending this card to the Graveyard, this card negates Insight Paladin's attack!" A rattlesnake appeared and forced Insight Paladin to stop his attack.

"Too bad, you failed to destroy my monster." Cobra smiled.

"Enlightenment Paladin, attack Nehebkau!" Yuya continued.

"What?! But Enlightenment Paladin is weaker than Nehebkau!" Cobra's eyes widened as Enlightenment Paladin charged with his swords.

"Illusion Paladin! Use your courage to boost our ally's morale! Illusion Paladin's Monster Effect! By using one Overlay Unit, when a Paladin Monster battles, they gain half of Illusion Paladin's Attack Points until the End Phase!" Illusion Paladin clanged his shields together and transferred his power to Enlightenment Paladin.

Illusion Paladin (OVU: 2→1)
Enlightenment Paladin (ATK: 2500→3750)

"Enlightenment Paladin! Valor Sword Strike!" Enlightenment Paladin combined his blades and struck down Nehebkau. And Cobra took damage.

Cobra LP: 2900→2550

"Enlightenment Paladin, channel your valor into your blades and bring us victory! Enlightenment Paladin's Monster Effect! When it destroys a monster in battle, the opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's Attack Points! Valor Energy Beam!" Enlightenment Paladin separated his swords and unleashed a green energy attack towards Cobra.

"Continuous Trap: Venom Endurance! After taking, battle or effect damage, I can activate this card! By sending a Venom monster in my hand to the Graveyard, I can reduce damage from battle or card effect!" Cobra discarded a card and he was able to reduce the damage.

Cobra LP: 2550→850

At this moment, I activate the effect of Venom Lizard from my Graveyard! By banishing this card from the Graveyard, I can gain 500 Life Points for every Venom Card on my field!" Cobra became covered in blue light as he healed. "With four, I recover 2000 Life Points!"

Cobra LP: 850→2850

"Illusion Paladin! Direct Attack Cobra! Courage Shield Bombardment!" Illusion Paladin charged in with his shield.

"Venom Endurance is still in effect!" Cobra discarded a card to half the damage but Illusion Paladin still struck him hard that he almost fell off the platform.

Cobra LP: 2850→1600

"I set three cards and end my turn!" Yuya set three cards. "At the End Phase, Enlightenment Paladin and Insight Paladin's Attack Points return to normal!"

Enlightenment Paladin (ATK: 3750→2500)
Insight Paladin (ATK: 3700→2500)

"These Paladins will light the darkness!" The three Paladins combined their weapons again and created a bright light.

Professor's Chamber

Leo slammed his fist on his armrest in anger. "Damn it! I did my research; I developed the perfect counter strategy to stop him! Yet why…why can't I defeat him!" Leo growled.

"Because he fights for others instead for himself." Leo growled as he saw Genesis standing by one of the pillars. "When a Duelist fights for the ones he loves, they are able to perform miracles."

"But I'm not fighting for myself! I'm trying to bring back my home! My daughter!" Leo shouted.

"And you believe your daughter would be happy by her father killing her own son?" Genesis asked.

"For the last time, Yuya is not Ray's son!" Leo roared. "There's no way that she would ever get involved with the Devil, Zarc!"

"What a sad pathetic man." Genesis said. "Your daughter sacrificed herself so that she could give the survivors a second chance, to give her son a chance to live. By doing this, you dishonor her."

"No one else matters! Nobody!" Leo activated his Duel Disk and he played Fireball and shot it towards Genesis. Genesis lazily raised her hand and absorbed the Fireball.

"This why Yusho failed, and this is why Eve will fail as well. Until you realize how your actions will impact other people outside the ones you love, you are doomed for failure." Genesis walked away.

"What about you?! What are you trying to achieve?! Why are you helping Yuya?!" Leo ordered.

"Do you know what it means to have a mutual relationship?" Genesis asked. "In a mutualism, all species benefit from their interactions. My paradise has no place for the insane and corrupt. By giving him the tools needed to help him save those who are worthy, my paradise will grow until there is no warfare, no violence, no more people like you. Because I learned my mistakes from trusting people like Yusho and Eve, I know the correct way to get what I want."

"But don't get me wrong. Yuya doesn't have a place in my paradise. I have a comrade who can predict and see the future. And he has shown me how Yuya's life will end. Sure, he can try to change the future, but unfortunately this one he can't." Genesis walked away.

"Wait! How will he die?" Leo asked.

"Love." Genesis answered.

"Death…by love?" Leo for the first time in his life was confused. How can a person die from love. Isn't love supposed to be the greatest power of all. How could love kill someone?

But before he could ponder on the topic more, he saw that the light from the Paladins headed towards Reiji and Sawatari's Duel with Light and Dark and Leo panicked. "No, if the light reaches there!"

Sawatari and Reiji vs Light and Dark

Light LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Field: Masked Demon Beast Death Guardias (ATK: 3300, LV: 8), Continuous Trap: Mask of the Forbidden Seal, Continuous Trap: Mask of Sacrifice Sealing, 1 set card.

Sawatari LP: 1100, Hand: 2
Field: Continuous Magic: Abyss Prop – Wild Wagon.

Dark LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Field: Masked Demon Beast – Masked Hellraiser (ATK: 3200, LV: 8), Continuous Magic: Masked Doll, Continuous Magic: Mask of Burning

Reiji LP: 1100, Hand: 1
Field: Continuous Magic: Forbidden Contract with the Devil King, 1 set card.

Sawatari and Reiji continued to get ticked off while Light and Dark smiled confidently at the situation. "Damn it…I can't believe our options are so limited. But I don't get it, how are they able to beat us so easily. It's like I'm facing a real Pro."

"They shouldn't be this skilled. Even with supply of rare and powerful cards, our moves should be able to counter them. Yet they were able to not only block Pendulum Summon, but they were able to restrict us from releasing our monsters and using them for the other summon methods." Reiji thought.

"We're just lucky that Dark bastard didn't use his Mask of Burning to lower our Life Points. If he did it to Reiji, he would've self-destructed by his Forbidden Contract." Sawatari thought. "Wait…why didn't he do that?"

Reiji looked at the card he drew. "I can use this to draw new cards but if they're not the ones I need…" Reiji thought. "No, I believe in my deck, it will pull through for me."

Reiji was gonna play his card but he hesitated when he saw the smirks coming from Light and Dark. "Unless that's what they expect. They've countered my every move, but if I don't do anything then Reira will…"

The light from the Paladins from Yuya's Duel caught the Duelists attention. "Wh-What's that light?" Sawatari covered his eyes.

"Shit!" Light cursed.

"If that light reaches us!" Dark sweated.

The light covered the entire Dueling area as well as Reiji and Sawatari. "Too bright…" Reiji put his hand over his eyes to shield them. He opened them for a bit and then he noticed something about the field.

"Huh? Is that gas? But I couldn't smell it before." Reiji noticed that gas was being released throughout the field. "Where is that coming from?" Reiji looked around and he saw that the gas was coming from the post where Reira was tied up.

"Wait, that's not a post…it's a plumbing vent…it's releasing a gas on the field." Reiji thought. "Wait a minute. A gas I can't see normally, odorless, making mistakes. That's it!"

The light finally died down and everything went back to normal. "Oh man, I should really bring sunglasses next time." Sawatari covered his eyes.

"I hope that they kept their eyes shut the whole time." Light sweated. "Even though we inhaled just a little bit of it, our mistakes shouldn't have fooled them."

"If one of them discovered our trick, then we'll lose control of the Duel." Dark sweated. "Though we have to inhale some of the gas in order to keep them fooled. I just hope that it didn't cost us."

"If that's true, then I have one shot at this, hopefully it works." Reiji thought. "When I take effect damage, I can Special Summon DDD Rebel King Leonidas (ATK: 2600, LV: 7, PS: 3)!" Reiji summoned his king in gold armor. "Then, I recover Life Points equal to the damage taken.

Reiji LP: 1100→3100

"Damn, to think he had a card to recover his Life Points." Dark cursed.

"Don't worry, Partner. We still have the upper hand." Light smiled.

"Not for long. I've discovered your trick!" Reiji shouted.

"What?!" Light and Dark gasped.

"Trick?" Sawatari was confused.

"I activate my Trap Card: Contract Revocation! This card has two effects! The first one is to negate a direct attack by destroying one Contract on my field! But I'll activate the second one! At my turn's End Phase, by releasing DDD monster on my field and sending a Contract card to the Graveyard, this card destroys all cards on the field!"

"What?!" Light and Dark exclaimed.

Leonidas slashes at the Forbidden Contract before thrusting his sword into the ground to create massive waves of light the headed in all directions, destroying all the cards on the field.

"This can't be! Our monsters!" Light exclaimed.

One of the waves of light headed towards Reira and it freed him from the pipe. "Reira, plug that pipe!" Reiji shouted.

"O-Okay!" Reira got a big rock and she covered the top of the pipe.

"Shit!" Dark cursed.

"Huh? What's so special about that…whoa…" Sawatari felt his body and mind become clear. "Whoa, I feel…relaxed and calmed."

"I knew it…" Reiji smiled. He then grunted as he fell to his knee.

Reiji LP: 3100→1500

"Reiji, your Life Points!" Sawatari shouted.

"It's a drawback. For every card destroyed, I take 200 points of damage!" Reiji panted. "But at least know we can actually calm ourselves."

"Yeah, I feel really good. What was up with that pipe though?" Sawatari asked.

"It was releasing a gas known as Difluoroethane, DFE." Reiji explained. "It's a colorless and odorless gas that when inhaled can cause agitation and irritability. It was making us rush the Duel and make numerous mistakes. We probably inhaled a lot as soon we came on to the roof."

"So, you guys planned this all along! You cheaters!" Sawatari glared at Light and Dark.

"So, what. What matters is that we defeat you and eliminate you for the Professor!" Light shouted.

"It doesn't change the fact that your field is wide open!" Dark said. "Once Partner draws a monster, he'll wipe you out!"

"Then go ahead and try. But you probably won't get one!" Reiji smiled confidently.

Light LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Sawatari LP: 1100, Hand: 2
Dark LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Reiji LP: 1500, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Light drew his card. "Tch…damn it! I can do nothing with these cards. I end my turn!"

Light LP: 4000, Hand: 2
Sawatari LP: 1100, Hand: 2
Dark LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Reiji LP: 1500, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Sawatari drew his card. "Hey, you know with your Mask cards gone, our Pendulum Zones are now usable."

"Eeek!" Light quivered.

"Using the Scale 1 Abyss Actor – Devil Heel and Scale 8 Abyss Actor – Funky Comedian, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Sawatari set his scale. "With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Levels 2 to 7!"

"The stage is set! Now let the spotlights of the heavens shine down on the dark underworld! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My monsters!" Two monsters came out of the portal.

"From the Extra Deck, Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie (ATK: 1700, LV: 4, PS: 2)!" Sawatari brought back his rookie.

"Next, I activate the Continuous Magic: Abyss Actors' Costume Chest! With this card, I can equip a monster on my field with an Abyss Costume from my deck! I equip Sassy Rookie with the Equip Magic: Hero's Sword!" A gold sword appeared in Sassy Rookie's hand. "This increases Sassy Rookie's Attack Points by 300!"

Sassy Rookie (ATK: 1700→2000)

"Sassy Rookie board the Wild Wagon!" Sassy Rookie jumped on the wagon. "Battle! Sassy Rookie! Direct Attack Light Mask!" Sassy Rookie rode on the Wild Wagon and swung his sword at Light, damaging him.

Light LP: 4000→2000

"I end my turn!" Sawatari finished his turn confidently.

Light LP: 2000, Hand: 2
Sawatari LP: 1100, Hand: 0
Dark LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Reiji LP: 1500, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Dark drew his card. "Okay, this will stop their monsters and give us some breathing room."

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

"My turn! Draw!" Reiji drew his card. "I activate the Magic Card: DD Reassignment! I return all DD Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my deck, shuffle and draw the same number of cards that were added!"

Reiji's Extra Deck opened and he took back DD Magical Savant Copernicus, DD Cerberus, DD Brownie, DDD Ultimate Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse and DDD Rebel King Leonidas and put them back in his deck shuffled and drew five new cards. As he looked at his cards, he smiled.

"Wh-What did he get?" Light sweated.

"Relax, Partner! My Trap Card will take care whatever he has!" Dark looked at his partner. "It's a powerful Trap. Ripple Barrier - Wave Force! Once he declares a Direct Attack, this Trap will return all of his monsters to his deck."

"I activate the Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I revive from my Graveyard DDD Oblivion King Abyss Ragnarok (ATK: 2200, LV: 8, PS: 5)!" Reiji brought back Abyss Ragnarok.

"When Abyss Ragnarok is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one DDD monster from my Graveyard! Revive! DDD Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok (ATK: 3200, LV 10)!" Reiji brought back his Fusion Monster.

"Alright, once he attacks, I'll spring my Trap." Dark smirked.

"Next, I activate the Equip Magic: DD Sword! I equipped it to Caesar Ragnarok!" A giant fiend sword appeared on his hands. "This sword allows one Fiend-type monster to be treated as two releases for an Advance Summon!"

"I release Caesar Ragnarok treated as two and Abyss Ragnarok!" The two fiends soared into the sky. "God of Egypt, resonate with my anger and crush all those that bring distortion to the world! Appear! Giant Divine Soldier of Obelisk (ATK: 4000, LV: 10)!" Reiji showed the God Card.

"No!" Light shrieked.

"Not that card!" Dark panicked.

Obelisk descended down to the field and landed behind of Reiji. "So, this is Reiji's God Card. Obelisk." Sawatari looked at the God.

"This is the end for both of you." Reiji said. "D/D Sword has another effect. The Monster that was Advance Summoned using the monster equipped with the sword as material is allowed to attack twice per turn!"

"Twice?!" Light and Dark sweated.

"Sorry, Sawatari. I know you wanted to show off, but I'm ending this Duel right now!" Reiji said.

"Be my guest." Sawatari was getting tired of this Duel as well.

"Wait, please! Have mercy!" Light begged.

"It's too bad that your Trap Card won't work on Obelisk." Reiji glared at Dark who stepped back.

"Battle! Obelisk! Direct Attack the Masks of Light and Dark! God Hand Crusher!" Obelisk towered over the two Ghouls and reared both of his fists back before smashing down on both Light and Dark, making them scream in pain.

Light LP: 2000→0
Dark LP: 4000→0

Winner: Reiji Akaba and Shingo Sawatari

"You've both lost, now you fall victim to your own trap!" Sawatari gave the thumbs down.

Light and Dark sweated as the roof exploded below them and they both fell down to their deaths.

"Big Brother!" Reira ran to Reiji.

"Reira." Reiji knelt down and hugged Reira, relieved that his sister was okay.

"Man…I'm tired." Sawatari panted.

"Sorry, Sawatari, but we don't have time to rest. We still need to stop those dragons from possessing the girls." Reiji said.

"Yeah…still wonder what was up with that light earlier?" Sawatari wondered.

"We'll have to think about it later. Come on, let's get off the roof." Reiji said.

Professor's Chamber

Leo roared in anger as he witnessed Reiji and Sawatari's victory. "Damn it! That's it! I've had it!" Leo grabbed his Duel Disk.

"You want something done right. You have to do it yourself!" Leo put on his Duel Disk and he took the Three Phantasm cards.

Yuya vs Cobra

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 3
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 3

"I won't lose…for my son…Rick…I will see him again." Cobra growled.

"Cobra…" Yuya knew that Cobra was an enemy that he had to defeat to save his friends, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Yuya could understand his resolve to see his son again. Just like he wanted to give his brothers a second chance.

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

"Even though I feel sorry for you, I can't let you win." Yuya stood his ground. "I activate my Continuous Trap: Extra Seal! As long as this card is on the field, both players are forbidden from summoning monsters from the Extra Deck!" This made Cobra upset.

"Damn it…now I can't bring back my Venom Vipers. Even if I did get rid of it, Starlight Force negates the effects of monsters summoned from the Extra Deck." Viper thought.

"Pendulum Summon! Appear! Venom Gardna (DEF: 3000, LV: 8, PS: 3)!" Cobra summoned a snake with very thick armor. "Twice per turn, this monster cannot be destroyed in battle or by card effects! I end my turn!"

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 3
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 3

"My turn! Draw!" Yuya drew his card. "I activate the Magic Card: White Paladin Trinity! When I have three Paladin monsters on my field, I can select one card on the opponent's field and banish it! Since I'm not destroying it, the effect will go through!" The three Paladins combined their weapons again and unleashed a blast that banished Venom Gardna.

"Damn it…" Cobra cursed.

"However, because I activated this card, my Battle Phase is skipped. I end my turn." Yuya finished his turn. "Everyone…" Yuya looked at Atem and Serena as well as the screen showing his tied-up friends. "Just hang on a little longer."

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 3
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 3

"My turn! Draw!" Cobra drew his card. "Yes!" Cobra smiled. "With this, my victory is all but assured!"

"What?" Yuya questioned.

"From my hand, I activate the Ritual Magic: Rise of the Venom! With this card, I must release two high level Venom monsters in order to Ritual Summon a Leve 12 Venom Ritual Monster! From my hand, I release Vennominaga and Vennominon!"

Two large Venom monsters appeared on the field before submerging themselves into the Venom Swamp. "Deadly venom with the power to instantly kill all those who meet is gaze, appear on the field! Ritual Summon! Arise! Level 12! The Basilisk of Poisonous Snakes, Vennominisk (ATK: 5000, LV: 12)!" Cobra summoned a very large snake to the field.

"At this moment, Vennominisk effect activates! Instant Petrification!" Vennominisk looked down at the Paladins and all three of them froze in place.

"What?!" Yuya exclaimed.

"The stare of a Basilisk causes instant death, but looking indirectly will cause petrification! With this, the monsters on your field cannot attack, defend or use Monster Effects! Furthermore, whenever you summon a new monster of a lower Level than Vennominisk, they will share the same fate!" Cobra revealed.

"And since your monsters cannot defend, I can do this move! Battle! Vennominisk! Direct Attack! Death Glare!" Vennominisk moved in to look at Yuya in the eye.

"Counter Trap: Attack Nullification! This negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase!" Yuya quickly played his set card.

"So, that's how it's gonna be. I activate Vennominisk other effect! By sending Venom cards on my hand to the Graveyard, my opponent must discard one card from their hand! I get rid of my Dimension Snake, Dimension Viper and Venom Swamp!" The field cleared up and Yuya was forced to discard his hand.

"I end my turn! And at the End Phase…" Cobra smiled. "Vennominisk's final effect!" Vennominisk quickly rushed in and bite Yuya on his shoulder, making him scream in pain.

"Wh-What the…" Yuya fell to his knee and his vision started to blur.

"At the End Phase of my turn, Vennominisk injects the opposing player with a deadly venom. At the end of my third turn, regardless of how many Life Points you have left, you will lose the Duel automatically. In other words, you only have two more turns to defeat me." Cobra declared.

"This isn't good. Either I get taken down by an attack by Vennominisk or I lose automatically on Cobra's next two turns." Yuya thought.

"It's for the best if you choose to lose by Vennominisk's effect." Cobra said. "Since you won't lose Life Points, your friends won't have to suffer! Don't worry, we won't kill them, they'll stay prisoners."

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 0
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 0

Yuya got back on his feet. "I don't want to hurt my friends, but I can't lose this Duel." Yuya put his fingers on his deck. "My turn! Draw!" Yuya drew his card.

"I set one card and end my turn." Yuya finished.

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 0
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 0

"My turn! Draw!" Cobra drew his card. "Vennominisk! Direct Attack!" Vennominisk charged in again.

"I activate my Trap Card: Defense Draw! This reduces Battle Damage to 0 and I draw one card!" Yuya drew another card.

"I won't let you! I send my Venom Endurance to the Graveyard! Discard that card you drew!" Cobra ordered. Yuya sadly sent the card to the Graveyard. "I end my turn. And that makes it the 2nd turn!"

Yuya felt worse as the venom spread over him and he fell forward. "One more turn. One more turn and I can hold my son in my arms again!" Cobra laughed as he felt his victory was assured.

"Damn it…I'm feeling even worse." Yuya thought. "But I can't lose…I have to save everyone and end this war." Yuya got back on his feet.

Yuya LP: 2300, Hand: 0
Cobra LP: 1600, Hand: 1

"My turn! Draw!" Yuya drew his last card and his eyes widened. "This card…"

Fusion Dimension – Airspace (After Yuya and Atem escaped the Doctor's Lab)

Yuya and Atem were riding on Gaia towards the mainland when Yuya felt something in his hand. "Huh?" It was folded piece of paper with a card in it. "How did…Oh…" Yuya remembered that Serena held his hand before he left. He was so focused on escaping he didn't feel it until now.

Yuya unfolded the paper.

"Yuya, if you're reading this, it means that we're both on different battlefields again. Since I don't know what will happen from this point onwards, I wanted to give something that will help you in the upcoming fights. This card has helped me master the highest level of Fusion before I had no more use for it. Since you have evolved Synchro and Xyz, I thought it would only be right if you have evolved Fusion."

"And…as much as I don't want to think it…I have to think of the worse case scenario. This is war. Yuya…I love you and I want to be with you forever. And I know I should tell you in person, but I could tell that you have feelings for Yuzu, Ruri and Rin as well. I just want you to know that no matter who you choose, I just want you to be happy and I will support you no matter what. I hope we can see each other again once this war is over, but if not…I wanted you to have something from me to always remember me by.

"With lots of love, Serena, your possible girlfriend." Yuya gripped the letter tightly and he looked at the card.

"You okay back there?" Atem turned around.

"Yeah…" Yuya quickly wiped his tears before pocketing the letter and putting the card in his deck.

Yuya vs Cobra

Yuya looked at the card and then at Serena, who was looking at him and she smiled weakly. "Serena…"

"Cobra! The counterattack starts now!" Yuya said his phrase after so long.

"Yuya!" Serena smiled.

"From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Moon Contact! This card allows me to release monsters on my field and Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck without using Fusion Magic Card!"

"What?! A Contact Fusion?!" Cobra's eyes widened.

"Insight Paladin! Enlightenment Paladin! Illusion Paladin! Now is the time to combine your powers into one!" The three Paladins broke out of their petrification and soared into the sky towards a full moon.

"Paladin of Wisdom! Paladin of Valor! Paladin of Courage! Combine your might together and create the ultimate sword! Contact Fusion! Appear! Level 12! Supreme Magical Swordsman of Unity! Camelot High Paladin (ATK: 4000, LV: 12, PS: 1)!"

Yuya summoned a Fusion-Pendulum Monster that wore gold and blue armor. He had a sword in one hand, a shield in the other hand and hovering behind him was a magic staff. "United We Stand!" Camelot High Paladin shouted.

"A Fusion Pendulum Monster?!" Cobra's eyes widened.

I activate Camelot High Paladin's Monster Effect! By banishing Paladin monsters in my Graveyard, Camelot High Paladin gains 1000 Attack Points for each one banished!" Yuya showed his three Paladins from his Graveyard as Camelot High Paladin gained power.

Camelot High Paladin (ATK: 4000→7000)

"7000 Attack Points!" Cobra exclaimed.

"Battle! Camelot High Paladin, attack Vennominisk! Sword of Excalibur!" Camelot High Paladin threw his sword and shield into the air and grabbed the spear behind him and held it up. The sword and shield fell on the staff and the three weapons combined to form the legendary sword of Excalibur.

Camelot High Paladin then charged towards Vennominisk and swung his sword and beheaded the giant serpent. "From my hand, I activate the effect of Venom Ghost! By sending this card to the Graveyard, this negates battle damage inflicted to me by battle with a Venom monster!" Cobra protected himself from the damage. "I'm still in this Duel!"

"Camelot High Paladin can inherit the effects of the Paladin monsters that were banished! I activate the effect of the inherited Enlightenment Paladin! When a monster is destroyed in battle, the opponent takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's Attack Points!" Yuya shouted.

"Vennominisk's Attack Points were…5000!" Cobra's eyes widened. Camelot High Paladin jumped towards Cobra and raised his sword. "No!" Cobra shouted in horror as Camelot High Paladin brought his sword down and struck down Cobra and he fell backwards.

Cobra LP: 1600→0

Winner: Yuya Ryuga

Yuya panted as the field went back to normal and lift slowly descended to the ground. "It's over…"

Academia – Prison

The ropes tying Jonouchi, Asuka, Rua and Rio were suddenly loosened and fell off from them. "Hey! We're free!" Rua cheered.

"Finally, let's get out of this place." Rio panted. "I'm worried about the Rin. I hope she was able to stop Yuzu."

"Yeah, we can't let what happened to Ruri happen to any of them." Jonouchi agreed.

"But what about Serena?" Asuka asked.

"Oh, true…should we split up?" Jonouchi asked.

"No, we need more people to stop the girls." Rio said. "They're too strong to fight one on one."

"And besides, Yuya is out there and he knows the situation, right? Then he'll take care of Serena." Rua pointed out.

"True…okay, let's get back to the girls." Jonouchi declared.

Academia – Lifting Platform

The platform made it to the ground as Yuya carried both Serena and Atem over his shoulders. "They need a place to rest." Yuya steadied both of them. "My D-Wheel can only carry two people. If only there was…ah!"

Yuya had spotted a 4x4 nearby. "This will work." Yuya carried both Serena and Atem to the 4x4 and placed Atem in the back seat and Serena in the front. "Don't worry, you two. I'll make sure you get your strength back."

Yuya jumped in the driver's seat and grabbed the keys. "It shouldn't be difficult. I've seen my mom drive a car." Yuya inserted the keys and revved up the engine.

Yuya looked at Serena and Atem. "I won't let anything happen to you two. I promise." Yuya reached and held Serena's hand. He then started driving away, leaving the defeated Cobra behind.

Academia – Hallway

Johan and Yuzu stared each other down when Yuzu perked up. "No, she's moving away! Damn you, Yuya!" Yuzu cursed.

"Yuya?" Johan perked up. "If Serena's moving away and Yuya's with her. That's good, I can trust Yuya with her safety. In the meantime,"

"I won't let you hurt Serena! As her father and as her family, me and my Gem Beats will defeat you!" Johan activated his Duel Disk and the spirits of his monsters appeared alongside him.

"We will achieve our goal! And you pathetic humans won't stop us!" Yuzu activated her Duel Disk.

"Duel!" Johan and Yuzu declared.

And that is the end of Chapter 22. What did you all think of this chapter? Let me know in the reviews and I will see you all next time.

Preview: Johan puts everything on the line to protect Serena as he faces three of the Nature Dragons by himself. Meanwhile, Yuya finds a safe place for him, Serena and Atem to rest when he is approached by Genesis once more. Genesis reveals that she has the key to not only stop the Nature Dragons but to bring back Ruri, Rin, Yuto, Yugo and Yuri.

Next Time: Rainbow Dragon vs the Nature Dragons