The Still Ruins:

In another part of the Western Approach, there was the remains of a small castle of sorts rested between the walls of a large canyon where it ended. The building was old with white stone walls but seemed to be more of a luxury home rather than a military fortress. This building was once built by the Dragon Faction probably as a research outpost for magic which was why it was of particular interest to the Venatori. Corypheus had hoped that there may had been information that may lead them to the last Old God card. Even if not this place was once a magical research outpost for magic that had long been forgotten and so it could still be of use for the Venatori.

As a result, the Venatori has sent once of their main magical experts to the site, a man called Lucanus. He was a senior member although not as high as members like Gordian, Calpernia, Livius or Samson. He was also a highly skilled and trusted member which was why he had been sent to the ruins since out of all the places in the Western Approach, this was the most vulnerable since it was south of the sulphur fields that prevented travel to the north where the other ruins were.

Lucanus walked through the ruins with his force of Venatori soldiers. The place had long been abandoned. The floor which had once been marble was now covered in sand from the desert and wild desert plants like cacti and deathroot were growing. The wooden tables and furniture had long since rotted except for a few chests that seemed to have been sealed with magic so they must have held secrets. They had already found some kind of orb that Lucanus had ordered to be packed to take the Venatori stronghold but they had found some kind of locked door at the back which looked like it may have been the main laboratory.

Lucanus looked at his followers "Smash that door, let's see what's inside."

The Venatori people nodded and they began to summon fiends and zombie type monsters that began banging the door opening until it was force open. Lucanus smirked when he saw what was inside "Jackpot!" he then walked inside to gather what was needed to please his master.

...

At the main camp of the militia, the gang all soon returned to Scout Harding who was now join by Knight Commander Cullen and Grand Mage Fiona who were gathered in the main tent with a table with a map on it.

Fiona looked up when they entered "Ahhh, I see you've returned. Scout Harding informed us that you went to explore some ruins in the south."

"We did." Daylen explained "And we managed to pick up some allies as well." The Gravekeeper Chief entered the tent "This is the Gravekeeper Chief, leader of the Gravekeepers. He has quite an army with him that would be of use against the Venatori."

Cullen smiled "Any help we can get will be a boon to us." He stated "We've got a battle coming up."

"While you were away, my scouts have managed to finish most of their scouting missions and the bridge across the Sulphur fields and across there is an old stronghold that the Venatori have made their main base here."

"It's called Griffin Wing Keep." Cullen explained "It was built here by the Warrior Faction after the war against the Fiend and Zombies along with the larger fortress of Adamant which the Venatori have also probably taken but it's quite a distance away."

"How strong is the Venatori hold there on this Keep?" Cassandra asked

"Very strong." Harding replied "They've got one of their commanders there, a guy called Macrinus, he's overseeing much of the operations here."

Fiona then added "We've already defeated several small groups of Venatori at nearby ruins and established two new camps, one just by a natural oasis which is key for getting fresh water out here and a base north of the sulphur fields where we can plan our attack on Griffin Wing Keep."

"My Gravekeepers can assist with the battle." The Chief offered

"We'll take any help we can get." Fiona replied "Also we assaulting the keep will distract our efforts to build another bridge over the second set of sulphur fields to the ruins of the far north, the Venatori have taken the place over and have sealed the main gates leading through the main entrance and the side entrance is not available right now until that bridge is built."

"There is one more place we can check out though." Harding offered "Now that we've secured the south of the Approach the way to the Still Ruins is now clear."

"The Still Ruins?" Dorian questioned

"Yeah, that's what most people called them since it seems frozen in time." Harding replied "According to legends the place was built by the Dragon Faction as some kind of research laboratory but even before the Great Catastrophe that would lead to the Great War, an experiment went wrong which would lead to its abandoned. No one knows exactly what happened by time seems to move differently. Legends said that bandits once used the place as a hideout but they began aging at different intervals. Some went old within a week while others never aged at all. Whatever the truth is you shouldn't stay long if we go there. Our reports as well as reports from the Venatori squads we destroyed say that Venatori member Lucanus is in the ruins looking for relics and information about the last remaining Old God card."

"If there is important information and relics then we have to recover them before the Venatori take them to the Elder One." Cassandra stated

"Agreed." Dorian stated "But we should send a group with the main army to Griffin Wing Keep. I go with Theorn, Daylen and Zevran to the keep. The rest of you will go to the Still Ruins."

"I agree." Zane stated "But if these legends are true then we stick together, no running off and playing hero, this is not a simple game anymore." He looked at Jaden in particular which he noticed

"Why are you looking at me?" Jaden asked

The others all sighed, Jaden was known to sometimes not take things as seriously as he should, an example was back when they were given the Spirit Keys and he took everything like it was a game not understanding the danger. The fact he often slept in classes also added to this goofball nature that Jaden was often associated with.

"Well, we all know what we're doing, we'll meet up at the Keep once we're done at the Still Ruins." Cassandra stated

...

Everyone had stayed together as they travelled north first towards the first camp. This took them pasted the oasis which was down a small canyon and was used as the fresh water supply for the militia who had left a small force there to guard it from both the Venatori and from potential predators that lurked in the desert. When they reached the camp just before the Sulphur Fields, Dorian along with Daylen, Zevran and Theorn stayed at the camp while Cassandra and Zane led the rest of them east.

Travelling east took them past some old mines that had once been used for mining minerals such as Iron and Drakestone. The militia had already searched them since they would have been perfect supply bases for the Venatori but they found nothing as the mines were all infested with giant spiders which they had taken care off. They soon arrived at the location of the still ruins and looked at it from a distance. They did not look like ruins since the building looked almost brand new, it still had white walls and windows so why were they ruins?

From their lookout post, Cassandra saw that the Venatori were camping outside and they seemed to have cast a magical barrier around the entrance of the ruins. They were in a small number and so Cassandra ordered everyone to just charge. They all quickly ran with Zane and Chazz summoning their powerful Cyber End Dragon and A-Z Dragon Buster Cannon to provide heavy support. Jaden summon Wildheart, Alexis brought out her Cyber Angel Dakini, Cassandra her Grandmaster, Aedan his Templar Commander, Kallian her Arcane Knight Joker and Sereda her Dwarven Stone Golem. Very quickly the Venatori were overrun and Aedan used his Templar to disable the barrier.

"Right, this must be the Still Ruins." Cassandra stated "The fact that the Venatori are here must make this place important."

Jaden looked confused "Are you guys sure that this is the right place?" he asked "I mean this place doesn't look like any ruins at all, it still looks like a normal place."

"No one would live out here Jaden." Chazz grumbled

"Chazz is right." Aedan stated "Besides this place seems off like something unnatural."

"The only way to find out for sure is to see inside." Alexis stated

Zane and Cassandra nodded in agreement "Now we must all stick together in here, we don't know just how powerful the Venatori are here." Everyone agreed and they all went in.

...

In an unknown location, the Elder One Corypheus stood in a large ritual room where a stone table sat in the middle of a runic pattern made with blood. Solona lay on the table, her hands and feet all secured with magical bonds. Corypheus had a crystal in his hand which glowed and a vision of the Venatori member Macrinus appeared. "My lord." He greeted "We have secured our position in the Western Approach, our forces have secured Griffin Wing Keep as our stronghold and Servis had managed to secure the old fort between the old gates and sealed them. However my scouts have reported that the joint forces of the Spellcasters and the Warriors have secured the southern area of the Approach. They worked a lot faster than we expected and have already built a bridge that will bring them to our keep soon. We will fight till the end but we may not be able to hold them off forever though we will try so that the teams can recover their relics and get out of there."

"Your sacrifice will be remembers my loyal servant." Corypheus replied "What of Lucanus?"

Macrinus sighed "The last we heard from him was that he had arrived at the Still Ruins but since then nothing." He replied "He may have run into trouble, those ruins have claimed many souls."

"He better not have failed!" Corypheus yelled and he ended the call. It was then that his new ally Camula entered "Have you managed to get your spies out."

"Yes indeed." Camula smiled and her eyes glowed and became a projector which showed Lucanus entering the Still ruins "My minions have shown that he entered the ruins but never returned, as far as I know there is only one way in and out so he hasn't deserted. But I also caught something else. The footage fast forward a bit and soon showed Solona's friends entering the ruins.

Corypheus laughed "So that's their plan, they seek to steal the relics from me." He sneered "Well we'll see about that. Keep your minions on them and if they find anything, keep the information. We'll just copy it from them and when the time is right, we'll send everything at them."

Solona just lay on the table watching with worried eyes "Be careful my friends." She muttered "I have no idea what they're going to do to me but it's not good but I have faith in you."

Corypheus looked at her having heard everything "You shouldn't worry about my friends." He sneered "Because soon enough they will have to fight against something that they won't want to fight. Once Titan and Frenic return, everything will be ready for the ritual. You won't like it but you will have no choice. I can't wait to see the results."

Solona just glared at him but deep down she was scared, she had no idea what the Elder One was planning for her but whatever it was, it was not good.

...

The entire team entered the ruins expecting to see a fight breaking out but instead, what they saw shocked them. The outside of the ruins looked like a well maintained building but inside the rooms were all ruined. What was even creepier was that they saw several groups of Venatori that looked like they were fighting monsters but they had suddenly stopped and were all still like statues. One was in the middle of blasting a jet of fire from a staff while others had swords ready. The monsters they were fighting looked very similar to the Demon monsters that Corypheus had used in his duels.

"Look at this?" Jaden gasped "These Venatori and monsters are all frozen."

"They actually are." Chazz added as he touched one of them.

"This is even creepier than the abandoned Dorm."Alexis added "I have a bad feeling about this."

Aedan looked worried "I wouldn't say that Alexis, in the movies every time someone says that, things get worse."

Cassandra looked around "The power required for such as thing would be immense."

"Which would of course catch the Venatori's interest." Zane added "We should be quick but try not to touch the relic, if we mess with it then it would probably release everyone."

"I fear you may be right." Sereda added.

"Let's all stick together." Kallian agreed.

The team all began looking through the different rooms of the Still Ruins. Mostly they found nothing but small supplies though they did find some new duel cards that could help them in the future which included new Synchro and Warrior monsters. Kallian managed to find a powerful Warrior monster called Colossal Fighter and several equips spells. Jaden also managed to find some new Elemental Hero Monsters called Grandmerge and Sunrise which would be great with his other heroes. Even Zane managed to find some new Cyber Dragons for his deck including a powerful level 10 monster called Cyber Eltanin and a new fusion monster called Cyber Dragon Eternity. Sereda, Aedan and Cassandra all managed to find new spells and traps. Chazz however had the most bizarre find, it was a monster that combined two sets of monsters that Chazz used, a fusion monster called Armed Dragon Catapult Dragon, when Chazz saw its effect, he realized that this card could be a great use though he would have to find a way to combine his cards just right, Chazz thought that maybe he would make two decks when he had the time.

The team eventually entered the back courtyard where they saw even more Venatori frozen in time. They saw one who was dressed differently and figured that this was Lucanus. They quickly searched him and found some kind of manuscript that was written in an ancient language. This may be important so Cassandra took it. It two side rooms, they found even more notes which said that the Venatori had been searching for key fragments to open the final door and also suggested that maybe the manuscript may hold the key to finding the final Old God card. With a little more searching, they found the key fragments and went to the main door.

"So I guess what's behind this door could be what's causing the time messing here." Chazz stated.

"We should see but it may be best to leave it alone." Cassandra suggested.

"Indeed." Aedan agreed "We've seen what it can do to the Venatori, we don't want to get trapped as well."

"Frozen in time, I shudder at that thought." Alexis shivered.

The all then entered the room and saw that it was just a small shrine where a large staff stood in the middle glowing.

"A Mage's staff?" Zane questioned "Is this what was causing the time issues here?"

"It must be powerful which is why the Venatori were after it." Cassandra added "But after seeing what it can do, maybe it is best that we leave it alone."

"Indeed." Aedan agreed "Let's get out of here."

But before they could leave, they all heard screeaching noises and looked up to see a swarm of bats fluttering which then flew at them forcing everyone to wave their arms around.

"Man, I can feel those bites." Chazz hissed

"Get these things off me!" Alexis yelled.

Jaden was swatting away but he walked backwards and soon he tripped and fell backwards into the staff knocking it from the pedestal. There was a loud bang and a flash of light which scared the bats away.

At first everyone seemed happy when the bats left but their eyes turned to horror when they saw what had happened to Jaden.

"Oh, whoops." Jaden muttered

"Great going slacker!" Chazz groaned "Now time will be flowing again and the Venatori will be free."

"Hey, it's not my fault that the bats caused me to trip." Jaden protested

Alexis helped Jaden and then noticed something "Was it just me or did those bats seem awfully familiar."

"They do." Sereda stated "They look like the Vampire Bats that the Shadow Rider Camula used as one of her monsters as well as her creatures to spy on us."

"But Camula's gone." Jaden stated "Her spirit was taken to the Shadow Realm by the Illusion Gate card after Daylen beat her."

"Whatever this was, we've got other problems right now." Cassandra stated "We need to leave now but now that time is flowing correctly again, the Venatori won't make that easy."

...

Cassandra's fears were right as the moment they stepped outside the building they were in, they saw that the Venatori had been freed from the spell and had quickly organised themselves outside.

The leader stepped forward "So I see that you decided to come here." He sneered "Well, you know who I represent but I guess you don't know who I am personally, well allow me to introduce myself. Magical expert and archaeologist Lucanus at your service. When it comes to ancient ruins and magic, I'm the man that the Venatori sends. They've proven to be good to me."

"You're just in this for the knowledge?" Sereda gasped

"Don't you know what the Venatori want?" Aedan hissed

"I do actually." Lucanus answered "The Elder One wants to be a god and remake this world. Well he did promise me power that I could never get the conventional way so I agreed to join him and rise up through the ranks. Once I bring him the manuscript, he will reward me. But since it's no longer in my pocket, I'm guessing you took it. So hand it back or I will be forced to use force!"

"You and what army." Jaden smirked

"His own army Jaden!" Chazz groaned "He literary has an army with him."

"Oh yeah." Jaden replied "Still we're not just going to give you it."

"Well then, I don't really fancy a full battle, after all it could bring these ruins down on us." Lucanus replied "So how about this, a one on one duel between me and one of you."

"Fine by me." Jaden replied "Get your game on."

"Hold it Jaden." Zane interrupted "I know you're a good duelist but you still need to learn about taking things seriously. I'll take him on, besides, I've been wanting to test out some new cards I got back at that temple."

"As you wish." Lucanus replied and then he and Zane stepped forward, activated their duel disks, shuffled their decks and then drew their hands.

"Duel!"

Zane: 8000
Lucanus: 8000

"The first move is mine," Zane called out as he drew a sixth card. "I'll start by summoning Cyber Dragon Core in attack mode!" A small black monster with a red circle appeared on Zane's field. (Level 2: 400 ATK, 1500 DEF)

"When this card is Normal summoned I can add a "Cyber" Spell or Trap Card from my deck to my hand so I'm going to add "Cyber Revsystem" from my deck to my hand." Zane showed the card that he added. "And now I'll activate it, this will allow me to summon a Cyber Dragon from my hand. Come out, Cyber Dragon!" A large mechanical dragon appeared on Zane's field. (Level 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"I'll lay a face down and end my turn."

"My turn," sneered Lucanus. "I summon Tour Guide from the Underworld." A lady in a bus driver's outfit walked onto the field. (Level 3: 1000 ATK, 600 DEF)

"When she is normal summoned, I can summon a level 3 Fiend-type monster from my deck, however, their special abilities are negated. And I choose Lilith, Lady of Lament." A red haired monster with dark wings showed off a devious grin. (Level 3: 2000 ATK, 0 DEF)

"Not bad, summoning a monster with 2000 attack points from the deck." Jaden said "Sweet move!"

"Uh Jaden! Who's side are you on here!?" snapped Aedan

"Now Lilith, attack Cyber Dragon Core!" Lilith spun her tail which whacked Zane's Core to smithereens.

Zane: 6500
Lucanus: 8000

"Oh dear me!" Sereda called.

"He's already lost 1500 of his life points," Jaden exclaimed.

"True, but at least Zane's Cyber Dragon is stronger than both of Lucanus' monsters," replied Cassandra.

"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn," declared Lucanus.

Zane was staying cool, calm and collected as he drew his next card. "I activate the Spell card, Cyber Repair Plant. This card activates if Cyber Dragon is in my graveyard."

"But, Cyber Dragon is on your field Zane," Jaden called.

"True, but while Cyber Dragon Core is in my graveyard, its name is treated as "Cyber Dragon." Therefore, it fulfils the condition of Cyber Repair Plant." replied Zane. "Now I can add a LIGHT attribute Machine type monster from my deck to my hand. I'll choose to add Cyber Dinosaur to my hand."

"It won't be there for long though," Lucanus sneered. "I activate my Trap, Crush Card Virus. By sacrificing a monster with 1000 or less attack points like my Tour Guide from The Underworld, I can destroy all your monsters that are on your field and in your hand with 1500 or more attack points."

"Say what!?" Kallian yelped as the virus took away 3 out of the 4 cards in Zane's hand which were Cyber Dinosaur, Cyber Dragon Zwei and Cyber Laser Dragon.

As the smoke billowed from the destruction of Zane's cards, Lucanus spoke again, "Furthermore, you have to destroy 3 monsters in your deck with 1500 or more attack points as well."

Zane looked at his deck and decided to destroy three cards in his deck. Most of the cards he got from the ruins had relatively low attack points and most of the stronger monsters were Fusion monsters. Therefore, they weren't in his main deck. "I choose my two remaining Cyber Dragons and Cyber Dragon Drei." As the smoke cleared, something odd occurred as the Cyber Dragon that was on Zane's field was still there.

"How? My Crush Card Virus should have destroyed that dragon," Lucanus said.

"Normally that would have happened. However, the Cyber Dragon that's on my field was summoned by the effect of Cyber Revsystem, remember?" asked Zane

"So?"

"So, any monster that was summoned by the effect of Cyber Revsystem can't de destroyed by card effects, including your virus."

Zane's friends breathed a sigh of relief but some of them were still worried. "That trap crippled his hand and he lost most of his best monsters in the deck through just 1 card," Alexis stated.

"This is no ordinary deck." replied Cassandra. "Most decks try to take out your opponent's life points. But Lucanus seems more focused on destroying Zane's cards than his life points."

"Cyber Dragon, attack Lilith with Strident Blast!" commanded Zane as his dragon let out a powerful blast, incinerating Lilith.

Zane: 6500
Lucanus: 7900

"I'll end my turn from there," Zane declared.

"My turn," called Lucanus as he drew another card. "I activate the special ability of Ahrima, The Wicked Warden from my hand. By sending him from my hand to my graveyard, I can add my field spell, Lair of Darkness, from my deck to my hand." Lucanus added it to his hand. "Now I'll activate it." The ruins surrounding the gang turn into a dark murky foggy area. "While this card is in effect, every monster on the field turns into DARK attribute. Then I'll place 1 card face down and end my turn."

"I draw," Zane replied as he drew a new card. "Even with this field spell, you're without any monsters on the field. Cyber Dragon, attack him directly! Strident Blast."

"Wait just a moment, I activate my Trap card Rise to Full Height. I target your Cyber Dragon and its defence points are doubled until the end of the turn." Lucanus replied (CD: 1600 – 3200 DEF)

"I don't get it, why would he play a card that increases Zane's defence strength," Chazz asked.

"There's got to be a reason," Sereda said.

"I'll tell you why. Because it allows me to activate my other face down, the Trap card, Full Force Virus!" called Lucanus.

"Another Virus card?" Zane questioned.

"That's right, to activate this one, I have to tribute a DARK attribute monster with 2000 or more defence points."

"But, you don't have any monsters to tribute for it." Alexis called out.

"That's where my Lair of Darkness kicks in. You see, if I would tribute a monster to activate a card effect, once per turn, I can tribute a monster that's on your side of the field as though it's one of my own monsters," giggled Lucanus.

"Say what!?" Jaden cried. Zane's Cyber Dragon disappeared from the field.

"So that explains why you increased my Cyber Dragon's defence points. You needed to do that in order to activate your virus," said Zane

"Correct. As for what this one does, now I can check your hand and any cards that you draw. Until the your 3rd End Phase after this card has activated, if any of them happen to be monsters with equal or less than 1500 defence points, they're automatically destroyed," replied Lucanus

"So first, you got rid of most of my strongest monsters, now you're making me get rid of my weaker monsters too?" Zane asked as he revealed his hand to Lucanus which turned out to be Cyber Valley and Attack Reflector Unit. As Cyber Valley had no defence points, it got destroyed.

"Zane just can't catch a break, his field is wide open and since he's already lost most of his best main deck monsters, all he has left are his smaller ones and they all may get destroyed by this Full Force Virus," Jaden exclaimed.

"And that's not the only bad news," Aedan said. "Now Lucanus will get to see Zane's hand for this turn and his next two turns. So, even if he draws a Spell or Trap card, he can use that knowledge to his advantage."

"I'll place this card facedown and end my turn," said Zane.

"Now Lair of Darkness' third effect activates. It can summon as many Torment Tokens to the turn player's field equal to the number of monsters that were tributed this turn. Since 1 monster was tributed on your turn, you get given a Torment Token." A small black ghoul appeared on Zane's field with green eyes. (Level 3: 1000 ATK, 1000 DEF)

"Now my turn begins," Lucanus said. "I summon Fiendish Rhino Warrior in attack mode." A grey rhino appeared on Lucanus' field. (Level 3: 1400 ATK, 900 DEF)

"Now attack his Torment Token." The rhino charged his horn into Zane's token, causing it to vanish into thin air.

"That's it from me this turn."

"Then it's my move then," Zane replied as he drew a new card.

"Just remember, you have to show me every card you draw for your next two turns," Lucanus sneered as Zane showed him the card he drew which was a spell card.

"I'll pass, there's nothing I can do."

"I was expecting more of a challenge from you," Lucanus sniggered as he drew another card. "I activate the Spell Card, Recurring Nightmare. This allows me to add two DARK attribute monsters with 0 defence points from my graveyard back to my hand. I'll choose Ahrima, The Wicked Warden and Lilith, Lady of Lament." Lucanus added the two monsters to his hand. "Then I'll summon Ahrima in attack mode." A purple wolf-like creature appeared on his field. (Level 4: 1700 ATK, 0 DEF)

"Now, Ahrima, attack him directly!" he called as the wolf like creature ran up to Zane but before it could bite him, Zane responded.

"Not so fast, I activate my Trap card, Call of the Haunted, this card allows me to summon a monster from my graveyard. So, come back my Cyber Dragon." Zane brought out his mechanised monster to the field. (Level 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"Alright! Cyber Dragon has more than 1500 defence points so it bypasses the effect of Full Force Virus," Jaden cheered.

"In that case, Ahrima, stop your attack!" Lucanus called. "During my main phase 2, I activate Ahrima's ability, by sacrificing a DARK attribute monster on the field, I can draw another card. Since Lair of Darkness is still out, I'll tribute your Cyber Dragon."

"I won't let him go to waste this time!" responded Zane. "I activate my Trap card, Attack Reflector Unit. Now I can sacrifice my own Cyber Dragon. Since I chained it to your monster's effect, I am the one who gets to tribute it instead of you. Now I can sacrifice my Cyber Dragon to summon from my deck, Cyber Barrier Dragon, in defence mode." A larger mechanised dragon appeared on Zane's field. Its head shone a green force field to protect itself. (Level 6: 800 ATK, 2800 DEF)

"In that case, I'll lay a face down and end my turn."

"I hate it when this guy lays face downs," Kallian said.

"Yeah, Zane's a smart duelist but even he has to be very careful here." Alexis replied.

"My turn!" Zane called out as he drew his card. He remembered to show Lucanus what he drew as this was now the final turn for Full Force Virus. "I activate Pot of Greed, so I draw two more cards." The cards he drew were Cyberload Fusion and Cybernetic Overflow. Neither of them were monsters.

"Now, I'll switch Cyber Barrier Dragon to attack mode." The green force field around Barrier Dragon's head disappeared as it turned to attack mode. "Then, I'll activate the Spell card Riryoku. Now I can cut one monsters attack points in half and then add those attack points to another monster. So I'll cut your Ahrima's attack in half and add them on to my Cyber Barrier Dragon!" Lucanus' monster started to huff as it lost some its strength while Barrier dragon felt its power increasing. (ATWW: 1700 – 850 ATK) (CBD: 800 – 1650 ATK)

"Now his Cyber Barrier Dragon's stronger." Chazz stated.

"Cyber Barrier Dragon attack Ahrima with Sonic Shriek!" Zane called as his barrier dragon shot a green light out of its mouth, eliminating Ahrima.

Zane: 6500
Lucanus: 7100

"I'll place two cards face down and end my turn. Riryoku's effect wears off so now Cyber Barrier Dragon's attack points return to normal." (CBD: 1650 – 800 ATK)

"And since this is your third End Phase after it was activated, my Full Force Virus also wears off." Lucanus spoke. "My turn now, I sacrifice my Fiendish Rhino Warrior to summon Lich Lord, King of the Underworld," Lucanus called out as his rhino vanished and was replaced by a ghoul wearing a red cape and carrying a golden staff. (Level 6: 2400 ATK, 1200 DEF)

"Since Fiendish Rhino Warrior was sent to my graveyard, his effect allows me to send 1 Fiend-type monster from my deck to my graveyard, so I'll send my Stygian Street Patrol to my graveyard. Then, I'll use Street Patrol's special ability from my graveyard. By removing it from my graveyard from play, I can summon a Fiend-type monster from my hand with 2000 or less attack points. So, I choose Lilith, Lady of Lament. (Level 3: 2000 ATK, 0 DEF)

"I activate my Trap card, Cybernetic Overflow!" Zane responded to the summoning of Lilith. "Now, I can remove Cyber Dragon monsters from my graveyard and remove them from play, as long as they have different levels. Then, for each one that gets removed from play, the same number of cards on your side of the field get destroyed. I remove Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Core and Cyber Dragon Vier! So now I can destroy your Lich-Lord, Lilith, and most importantly, your Lair of Darkness." Three bolts of lightning zapped from Zane's trap and headed straight for Lucanus' cards.

"I activate my trap card, Deck Devastation Virus!" Lucanus responded.

"Oh great, another virus," groaned Jaden.

"This trap activates by sacrificing a DARK attribute monster with 2000 or more attack points. I sacrifice my Lich-Lord to activate it." Lucanus' Lich Lord disappeared. "Now for your next three turns, I can check your hand and field and any monsters with 1500 or less attack points are destroyed." Lucanus' new virus wiped out Cyber Barrier Dragon as he has only 800 attack points. Zane's trap card wiped out Lilith and the Lair of Darkness.

"Oh great, so we're back where we were," said Kallian grimly.

"Not quite. This time, with Lair of Darkness gone, Lucanus can no longer use Zane's monsters to tribute for his card effects," replied Cassandra.

"Lich-Lord's special ability activates, since it was tributed by a card effect, I can add him right back to my hand. I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"I'm up then," Zane spoke as he drew a new card. He had to reveal it to Lucanus because of Deck Devastation Virus. It turned out to be a spell card.

"He's been getting a lot of spells and traps in his draws. At least those viruses aren't having as much effect as we thought," Aedan spoke.

"Though luck can't always last. We'll have to see how it goes," Cassandra said.

"I activate the Spell card, Instant Fusion. By paying up 1000 of my own life points, I can summon a level 5 or below Fusion monster straight from my Extra Deck. Now arise, Panzer Dragon!" called Zane as a silver and gold tank with a dragon's head sticking out rolled onto Zane's field. (Level 5: 1000 ATK, 2600 DEF)

Zane: 5500
Lucanus: 7100

"Foolish move, that Panzer Dragon only has 1000 attack points so my virus automatically destroys it," sniggered Lucanus as Zane's tank monster got evaporated by the virus.

"Why would you activate Instant Fusion, Zane. You're only hurting yourself," asked Jaden.

"It was part of my plan. When Panzer Dragon is destroyed, I can destroy 1 card on the field. So say goodbye to your face-down card!" Zane declared as the spirit of Panzer Dragon took aim at Lucanus' face down.

"I'll chain my Trap card, Reckless Greed. This will allow me to draw 2 cards. However, I have to skip my next two draw phases."

"Next I'll reveal my own face-down, the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyberload Fusion. This allows me to shuffle fusion material monsters that are removed from play back into my deck. Then I can fuse them together to make a Machine-type fusion monster. I combine Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dragon Core and Cyber Dragon Vier!" The three monsters Zane removed last turn entered a whirlpool overhead. "Cybernetic dragon of eternity, serve as my protector even if your physical body is destroyed! I Fusion Summon Cyber Eternity Dragon!" Zane chanted as a gigantic cybernetic monster spiralled from the whirlpool onto Zane's field. (Level 10: 2800 ATK, 4000 DEF)

Everyone cheered as Zane's new monster got set to strike. "Cyber Eternity Dragon, attack him directly with Eternal Strident Blaze!" Zane commanded as his fusion monster let out a white blast of lightning which collided with Lucanus, sending him flying.

Zane: 5500
Lucanus: 4300

"There we go!" Kallian cheered.

"Zane drew him into a false sense a security there, a true champion," Cassandra agreed.

"That's it for this turn," Zane spoke.

Lucanus got up and had an angry expression on his face. "You'll pay dearly for this!"

"The only one that will be paying anything is you. After everything your so-called army did to all our friends!" yelled Aedan. "Alistair, Leliana, Thrask, Crowler, Neria and Aristide are all crystalised, all because of you and your army!" In between his words, Aedan struggled to get his words out as he was so sad and angry at what had become of their friends,

"Actually, Alistair was crystalised by Alrik, who wasn't a member of the Venatori," corrected Cassandra.

"But the point is, they were all dragged into this petty agenda your master has had with Solona!" growled Jaden.

Lucanus laughed. "Boy, you have no idea who your little friend really is, do you?"

Cassandra looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Your little friend Solona is more important to the Elder One than just the bearer of Urthemiel, she also holds a great power within her," Lucanus sneered. "Once it is unleashed and she is back to her real self, she won't be your friend for much longer."

Everyone gasped at this revelation. "Great power within her?" whispered Alexis. "Does Daylen know about this?"

"As soon as Zane's through with this scoundrel, we must warn him and Theorn," Sereda replied.

"Either that or he's trying to get under our skin," hissed Chazz.

"Let's get back to our duel," Lucanus said. "It's my turn, but I can't draw a card due to Reckless Greed. However, I can activate the Spell card, Pot of Desires. By removing the top 10 cards of my deck face down, I can draw 2 cards." Lucanus removed 10 cards from his deck and drew twice. "Then, I'll play my own Pot of Greed, so I get to draw 2 more cards." Lucanus drew two cards. "Then I'll use Trade-In, by discarding Darkest Diabolos, Lord of the Lair to my graveyard, I get to draw two new cards. Then I'll activate Dark Hole, this destroys all monsters on the field so say bye-bye to your Eternity Dragon." He sniggered as a black hole emerged under Zane's monster.

But to his surprise, Cyber Eternity Dragon didn't get swallowed. "What!? But how?"

"Because of Panzer Dragon protecting him. You see, Lucanus. If I have a Machine-type Fusion monster in my graveyard such as Panzer Dragon, my Cyber Eternity Dragon can't be destroyed or targeted by card effects," replied Zane.

"In that case, I'll just have to take you out with force!" Lucanus yelled. "I activate Premature Burial. By paying 800 of my own life points, I can bring back a monster from my graveyard, so rise once more, Lilith, Lady of Lament!" he called as his Lilith rose again from his graveyard. (Level 3: 2000 ATK, 0 DEF)

Zane: 5500
Lucanus: 3500

"Now I activate her special ability, by sacrificing herself, I can choose 3 Trap cards in my deck, you are forced to pick one of them at random. The one you choose gets set onto my field. However, the rest of them get shuffled back into my deck. I'll choose Dimension Wall, Metaverse and Trap of Darkness," Lucanus declared as he showed Zane the three Traps before shuffling them in his hand. Then he held them with the back of the cards facing Zane so he didn't know which card was which. "Choose, left, right or middle."

"Alright, I'll choose the one on the left," stated Zane. The left card was set onto Lucanus' field, the other two cards were shuffled back into his deck.

"And now, I activate Darkest Diabolos' special ability from my graveyard. If a DARK attribute monster was tributed, I can revive Darkest Diabolos from my graveyard!" A large black and red dragon flew through the hole in the field and gave a devouring screech. (Level 8: 3000 ATK, 2000 DEF)

"It's stronger than Zane's Eternity Dragon," gazed Alexis.

"Darkest Diabolos, attack Cyber Eternity Dragon. Dark Spiral of Destruction!" Lucanus called out as his dragon let out a black blast that collided with Zane's Eternity Dragon. The resulting attack caused it to disintegrate, showering Zane with fragments of his dragon.

Zane: 5300
Lucanus: 3500

As the shower of fragments ended, Zane composed himself for his next move. "Since you destroyed Eternity Dragon, his special ability allows me to bring back a Cyber Dragon from my graveyard. Arise, Cyber Dragon!" he called as his Cyber Dragon arose from his graveyard. (Level 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"I'll place one card face down and end my turn," Lucanus spoke.

"I draw," Zane declared as he drew his next card. Again, he had to reveal it to Lucanus due to Deck Devastation Virus still in effect. Another Spell card. "I activate the Spell card, Pot of Avarice, I shuffle 5 monsters from my graveyard back to my deck, shuffle them up and draw two cards." Zane took back a Cyber Dragon, Cyber Dinosaur, Cyber Valley, Cyber Laser Dragon and Cyber Dragon Zwei back into his deck and shuffled his cards around. He then drew 2 cards. But upon looking at them, he realised his luck of avoiding the effects of the viruses ran out, because he drew Cyber Dragon Herz and Cyber Dragon Core.

Lucanus laughed hysterically when Zane revealed them to boy. "Say goodbye to both of your monsters!" he chuckled as both of Zane's cards got destroyed.

"If you're done laughing, you would have realised that my turn isn't over," Zane spoke slowly.

Lucanus let out a gasp of surprise. "But you've got nothing in your hand, you may have a monster on the field but you can't do anything with it."

"True, but you remember some cards activate their effects in the graveyard, you should know that as you used monsters' abilities in your graveyard. Guess what, I can do the same. You see when Cyber Dragon Herz is sent to my graveyard, I can add Cyber Dragon Drei from my graveyard back to my hand." Zane replied as he took his Cyber Dragon into his hand. "As you should know, it has more than 1500 attack points so it's unaffected by your virus. Then, I'll normal summon it." A stealthier version of Cyber dragon appeared on the field with yellow markings. (Level 4: 1800 ATK, 800 DEF)

"When this monster is normal summoned, I can switch all Cyber Dragons levels to 5. And Drei's name is treated as Cyber Dragon so its level goes from 4 to 5. (CDD: Level 4 – 5)

"So he's got two level 5 monsters," stated Aedan.

"I overlay my level 5 Cyber Dragon and Cyber Dragon Drei to create the overlay network," Zane called as his two dragons swirled their way into a whirlpool on the ground. A powerful light spiralled upwards. "Cybernetic dragon, combine the strengths of your predecessors to grant the power of a supernova! I XYZ Summon Cyber Dragon Nova!" chanted Zane as a new cybernetic dragon with silver and black scales and a red hot heart descended onto the field. (Rank 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

Everyone in Zane's group cheered as he executed the XYZ Summon. "It must have been one of the cards he got from the Ancient Temple that he told us about," Aedan said to the others.

"Am I supposed to be scared," Lucanus replied mockingly.

"Once I use his abilities, you will be," Zane replied with a smile. "By using 1 overlay unit, Cyber Dragon Nova can bring back a Cyber Dragon back from my graveyard." One ball of energy was eaten by Nova and the red heart shone to bring a Cyber Dragon from Zane's graveyard. (Level 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"Then, I'll use Nova's second ability. By removing the Cyber Dragon on my field from play, Nova gains an extra 2100 attack points for this turn." Zane's cyber dragon disappeared into Nova's mouth as it gained the strength of his companion. (CDN: 2100 – 4200 ATK)

"Say what!?" Lucanus shouted in surpise.

"Now, Cyber Dragon Nova, attack his Diabolos! Explosive Strident Blast!" Zane commanded as his Nova let out a red flame from its mouth with burned Darkest Diabolos to smithereens, resulting in an almighty bang.

Zane: 5300
Lucanus: 2300

As the smoke settled, Lucanus was fuming that his ace monster was taken down so easily. "How can this be? First you use my viruses to your advantage and now you've destroyed my best monster!" he raged.

"He's not the best duelist in our school for nothing," shouted Jaden

"I'm surprised you didn't say you was the best duelist," mocked Kallian.

"Well we only managed a draw in the graduation match and I lost to him at the start of last year so I'm yet to truly be the best," Jaden replied to Kallian

"I end my turn and Cyber Dragon Nova's ability ends so his attack points return to normal," Zane stated. (CDN: 4200 – 2100 ATK)

"Before you end your turn, I activate my Quick-Play Spell card, Fires of Doomsday. This will allow me to summon two Doomsday Tokens to my field in defence mode," Lucanus interjected as two small black monsters with one green eye each appeared on his field. (2 x Level 1: 0 ATK, 0 DEF)

"Now it's my turn, but again, I can't draw a card due to Reckless Greed. I sacrifice one of my Doomsday Tokens to Tribute Summon Lich Lord, King of the Underworld!" Lucanus revelled as his red caped ghoul appeared on his field again. (Level 6: 2400 ATK, 1200 DEF)

"Now Lich Lord, attack his Cyber Dragon Nova!" he called as the ghoul's staff sent a bright light smashing into Nova's armour and destroyed him.

Zane: 5000
Lucanus: 2300

"My turn is finished," Lucanus said.

"It's my turn," Zane spoke as he drew a new card. Once more he had to reveal what the card was but this was the third and final turn that Deck Devastation Virus was in effect. It was a Trap card. "I activate Cyber Dragon Core's special ability from my graveyard. Since you have a monster on the field and I don't, by removing Core from the game, I can bring out Cyber Dragon straight from my deck in defence mode!" A large mechanical monster slithered into a defensive pose on Zane's field. (Level 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"I'll place this card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn, since Reckless Greed's effect has ended, I can now draw." Lucanus spoke as he drew a new card. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity, this allows me to draw 3 cards, but then I have to discard 2 of them." Lucanus drew 3 cards and decided to discard Phantom of Chaos and Duke Shade, The Sinister Shadow Lord. "Then, I'll activate the Spell card, The Beginning of the End. And it'll be the beginning of your crushing defeat, not just in this duel but in your quest for your feeble attempt to save your precious little friend. By removing 5 DARK attribute monsters from my Graveyard from play, I can draw 3 new cards. I remove, Lilith, Ahrima, Tour Guide, Duke Shade and Phantom of Chaos," he cackled as he drew another 3 cards.

"Then I activate the Spell card Monster Gate. I tribute my Lich Lord, then I excavate the top card of my deck and I keep doing that until I get a monster that can be special summoned. That monster will then be summoned to my field. As for the other cards, they'll be sent to my graveyard." Lich Lord disappeared as Lucanus begun looking at the cards at the top of his deck. "First card is Grinning Grave Virus, that's a Trap. Second one is Vanity's Fiend. He's a Monster but he can't be special summoned so he goes to the grave. Third one is Giant Trunade which is a Spell. And ah, the fourth card is Sangen, that's a monster so I summon him to the field." A small pumpkin like monster appeared on the field. (Level 3: 1000 ATK, 600 DEF)

"What the? Why would he sacrifice a strong monster to summon a weaker one?" asked Chazz.

"Do you not remember Chazz, he tributed that Lich Lord for a card effect, so it will come right back to his hand," Alexis said.

"And also, that will allow his Darkest Diabolos to resurrect itself because a DARK attribute monster was tributed for a card effect," Zane said as he knew what happens next. Lucanus' dragon arose again from the dark hole. (Level 8: 3000 ATK, 2000 DEF)

Lucanus' Lich Lord also came back to his hand. "You catch on pretty fast," He said. "Now I'll sacrifice my remaining Doomsday Token to summon Lich Lord once more." The remaining token disappeared and Lucanus' red-capped monster appeared again. (Level 6: 2400 ATK, 1200 DEF)

"Lich Lord, attack his Cyber Dragon!" he called as his monster swung it staff at the mechanical dragon which disintegrated. Darkest Diabolos, attacks you directly!" Lucanus' dragon sent a black fireball towards Zane.

"Not so fast, I activate my trap card, Pinpoint Guard. When you declare a direct attack on me, I can summon a level 4 or below monster from my graveyard. And that monster can't be destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn, so rise once more, Cyber Dragon Drei in defence mode!" Zane called as his yellow and silver dragon monster re-emerged. (Level 4: 1800 ATK, 800 DEF)

"In that case, I'll lay a face down and end my turn." Lucanus spoke.

"It's my turn then," Zane spoke as he drew a new card. "I activate Monster Reborn, this will allow me to revive a monster from my graveyard, so welcome back Cyber Dragon Nova!" Zane spoke as his silver and black monster flew back to his field. (Rank 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"Since Drei's name counts as a Cyber Dragon, I can use Nova's ability to increase its attack points by 2100." Zane spoke as Drei disappeared and Nova's felt its power gain. (CDN: 2100 – 4200 ATK)

"Alright, if he attacks that Sangen, it's game, set and match!" cheered Jaden.

"It would be, if I didn't play this." Lucanus sneered. "I activate my Trap card, Trap of Darkness!"

"Wait, Trap of Darkness?" Cassandra spoke. She remembered the three cards Zane had to choose at random on Lucanus' previous turn. "That must have been the card Zane chose."

"Since I have less than 3000 life points, by paying up 1000 of them, I can remove a Trap card from my graveyard from play and my Trap of Darkness copies all of its effects. So I choose my Crush Card Virus!" Lucanus cackled.

"Not that one!" Aedan yelled.

Zane: 5100
Lucanus: 1300

"Now I tribute my Sangen, so say goodbye to your Cyber Dragon Nova!" Lucanus cackled as the virus infected Cyber Dragon Nova, causing him to disintegrate. "Now you have to destroy 3 monsters in your deck with 1500 or more attack points." Zane chose to destroy Cyber Laser Dragon, Reflect Bounder and Cyber Dragon Zwei. "Since Sangen was sent to my graveyard, I can add a monster of 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand. I choose Witch of the Black Forest."

"You've triggered Nova's third special ability," Zane retaliated. "When its destroyed due to a card effect, I can bring out a Machine-type fusion monster straight from my extra deck, regardless of summoning requirements. So come forth my mighty, Cyber End Dragon!" a gigantic 3-headed cybernetic dragon descended from a thunderstorm overhead. (Level 10: 4000 ATK, 2800 DEF)

"You fool! Don't you realise my virus' effect is still active. Now your Cyber End Dragon will also get destroyed!" Lucanus shouted in glory.

"I don't think so! Cyber Eternity Dragon's special ability activates from my graveyard. By removing this card from play, any fusion monsters on my field can't be destroyed by card effects this turn so your Crush Card Virus can't do it any harm." Zane replied as his monster survived the virus.

"That maybe, but now I can activate the special ability of Chaos Hunter from my hand. Since you special summoned a monster, by sending 1 card from my hand to the graveyard, I can automatically summon him." A red monster appeared onto Lucanus' field. (Level 7: 2500 ATK, 1600 DEF)

"So what, you only have 1300 life points left. You are through, Cyber End Dragon, attack Lich Lord and end this duel! Super Strident Blaze!" Zane called as his mighty dragon sent three waves of light hurling towards Lich-Lord. The result was a cataclysmic explosion as the attack hit.

Everyone in Zane's group cheered as they thought the duel was over. That was until, they heard a fit of laughter coming from the smoke. As it cleared, Lucanus stood there with a wicked smile on his face. "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm still here."

Zane: 5000
Lucanus: 1300

"How come you didn't take any damage?" asked Zane.

"Just before your Dragon's attack hit my Lich-Lord, I activated my Trap Card, Spirit Barrier. Now as long as I have a monster on the field, any damage I would take is reduced to 0."

"Oh man, Zane nearly had him there," Jaden exclaimed.

"Spirit Barrier is a continuous Trap so as long as he has another monster on the field, he won't take any more damage at all," Aedan said.

"Even though Cyber End can inflict piercing damage, it won't matter now," spoke Alexis.

"I end my turn," Zane said.

"My turn," Lucanus spoke as he drew a new card. "I activate the Spell card, Pot of Extravagance! By removing 6 monsters from my extra deck from the game, face-down, I can draw two more cards." As he drew the new cards, a smile appeared on his face. "I activate the Spell card, Ego Boost, now my Diabolos gets an extra 1000 attack points." His dragon ate the spell and felt power from the boost. (DDLotL: 3000 – 4000 ATK)

"Uh oh, it has the same attack points as Zane's Cyber End Dragon!" gasped Sereda

"Diabolos, attack Cyber end Dragon with Dark Spiral of Destruction!" Lucanus commanded.

"Strike back Cyber End Dragon, Super Strident Blaze!" Zane called. Both dragons shot out beams from their mouths. The two attacks collided between the duellists. Eventually, the force of the two monsters' attacks wiped out both of them in a mighty explosion. Zane was left wide open.

"Chaos Hunter, attack him directly with Chaos Whiplash!" Lucanus ordered as his Hunter ran towards Zane and hit him in the face with his whip. He was sent flying towards his friends but landed feet first and stood back up immediately.

Zane: 2500
Lucanus: 1300

Everyone gasped as Zane bore the brunt of the attack. He was taking it as though it was nothing. "This is what I want," he said. "A real challenge."

"Is Zane actually wanting it to be a hard duel?" Jaden asked.

"Well he is due to go to the pro-league next year. No disrespect to you Jaden, but he'll be up against the strongest duelists in the world so I think he's wanting this to be a warm-up for the future," Alexis said.

"That is if he wins this duel," Chazz spoke.

"You really think he's going to lose Chazz?" asked Aedan.

"Well he has no cards in his hand. Unless he can pull something out of the bag, he's a goner."

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Lucanus finished.

"It's my turn, I draw!" Zane declared as he drew a new card.

"After you draw, I activate my Trap card, Eradicator Epidemic Virus!" Lucanus cackled.

"You're joking!" sighed Aedan. "Not another one!"

"How many Virus things can one guy have," questioned Jaden.

"Now by sacrificing a monster with 2500 or more attack points, I can choose Spell or Trap, and then I get look at your hand and any cards you draw. If you have any cards that are the type that I choose, they are instantly destroyed. I'll choose Trap card!" Lucanus spoke as his Chaos Hunter disappeared. Zane revealed his card which happened to be a monster card

"And I know that since you tributed it, your Diabolos can just come right back again so bring it out already!" Zane hissed as Lucanus' Diabolos rose again. (Level 8: 3000 ATK, 2000 DEF)

"As you wish," mocked Lucanus. "Now you can't draw any more trap cards for three turns."

"I'll set this monster face down and end my turn," Zane said.

'The monster he set was Cyber Phoenix. It has 1600 defence points. If I can summon a monster with more than 1600 attack points, I win!' Lucanus thought to himself. He then drew a new card and looked at it. "I reveal my second Reckless Greed so I draw 2 more cards." Lucanus had built up his hand again to three cards. "I summon Dark Crusader in attack mode." A skeleton like monster with half a sword appeared on his field. (Level 4: 1600 ATK, 200 DEF)

"Now Diabolos, attack his face down monster." Diabolos let out another black fireball out and destroyed Zane's face down Cyber Phoenix.

"When Cyber Phoenix is destroyed I can draw a card," Zane spoke. He drew his card which happened to be a Spell card. Lucanus recognised what it was.

"Uh oh, that's Raigeki." Lucanus thought. "That card would wipe out all of my monsters. And since I can't draw for my next two turns, I won't have any comeback against it. But I've got the tool in my hand to protect myself." He regained his composure. "Dark Crusader, attack him directly!" he called as his Crusader slashed at Zane.

Zane: 900
Lucanus: 1300

"He's only got 900 life points left!" cried Jaden.

"Without any traps to stop me and with my Diabolos and Crusader out, you stand no hope," Lucanus giggled. "Whatever monster you next get will be destroyed by one of my monsters and the other will finish the job. Even if you somehow get another powerful monster, it can only attack one of my monsters. So my Spirit Barrier will prevent any battle damage. And just to be sure, I place 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

"I'll never give in. As long as I have 1 life point, I'm still within a shout. I've always been able to pull off narrow victories." Zane spoke.

"But not this time," Lucanus sniggered.

"We'll see during the next turn which is mine!" Zane yelled passionately as he drew his next card. He revealed it to be a monster, though Lucanus didn't recognise it.

"If you're thinking of using that Raigeki, forget it! I activate my Trap, Curse of Darkness. Now each time a Spell card is activated, the turn player takes 1000 points of damage." Lucanus laughed.

"But Zane only has 900 life points," Sereda spoke out.

"That means Zane can't activate Spells or Traps at all!" gasped Kallian

"I guess I'll just have to go with just monsters then. I summon Cyber Dragon Nachster in attack mode." Zane said as a small silver, cybernetic creature appeared on his field. (Level 1: 200 ATK, 200 DEF)

"When this monster is successfully summoned, I can bring back a Machine-type monster from my graveyard as long as it has 2100 attack or defence points. Now come back, Cyber Dragon Nova!" Zane called as his XYZ monster came back onto his field. (Rank 5: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

'Decision time, if I activate my final trap card now, I can destroy his Nova before he gains 2100 attack points. But then he can bring out a Fusion monster.' thought Lucanus.

"Next I'll use my Cyber Dragon Nova to build the overlay network!" Zane called.

"Have you lost your mind!? You can't Xyz Summon using another Xyz monster without a Rank up Magic card!" Lucanus yelled.

"That's where you're wrong. You see, I have a monster that can be Xyz Summoned only by using Cyber Dragon Nova to construct the overlay network!" Zane yelled as Nova disappeared into a large whirlpool. An immense force shook the ground as Zane's summoning commenced. "Oh dragon cast in steel, let loose your roar that makes gods quiver atop their thrones! Take this new form, be consumed with the strength nestled in your cold heart! Go, Rank Up Xyz Evolution! Arise, Cyber Dragon Infinity!" Zane chanted as a glistening silver and black dragon flew onto Zane's field. (Rank 6: 2100 ATK, 1600 DEF)

Lucanus laughed hysterically, "You call that your big moment? It only has just as many attack points as your Nova did."

"But you're forgetting two important words, special abilities. Firstly, Cyber Dragon Nova becomes an overlay unit for my Infinity So that means, he currently has 1 overlay unit. Then, I'll activate his true power! Once per turn, I can target one monster you control, and transform it into an overlay unit to my Cyber Dragon Infinity," Zane said as his Infinity flapped its wings and flew towards Diabolos in order to seize him.

"I'll save my dragon!" Lucanus responded. "I activate my Trap card, Darklight. With it, I sacrifice my Dark Crusader to destroy all monsters that were special summoned this turn. So say goodbye to your precious Cyber Dragon Infinity." Lucanus' trap shot a dark stream towards Zane's Infinity.

"No you won't!" growled Zane. "I activate Cyber Dragon Infinity's second ability, by using 1 overlay unit, he can negate the activation of your Trap!" Infinity's tail swung at Lucanus' card and wiped it out.

"No way!" yelled Lucanus.

"Yes way!" shot back Zane as Lucanus' trap flashed red meaning it was negated. "And Cyber Dragon Infinity's first effect still continues so your Diabolos is now mine!" Zane ended as Cyber dragon Infinity crushed Diabolos with its claws and it became a new overlay Unit for himself. "Oh and one more thing, for every overlay unit he has, Cyber Dragon Infinity gains 200 attack points for every overlay unit he has. Since he used 1 and gained another, he has 1 overlay unit so he gains 200 attack points." (CDI: 2100 – 2300 ATK)

"He used Lucanus' desperation to save his dragon against him," Aedan said.

"He should have tributed it with Darklight instead of Crusader because he would have taken just 700 points of damage instead of the rest of his points," Alexis said.

"Well actually, it wouldn't have mattered," Cassandra spoke. "Zane won this duel the moment Cyber Dragon Infinity negated Darklight. Even if he didn't win the duel this turn, Lucanus would have had no comeback because he wouldn't be able to get any more draws due to Reckless Greed so Cyber Dragon Infinity would have defeated him next turn." Cassandra clarified.

"Not like we're complaining," Kalian cheered.

"Make sure you send your master a message would you? Tell him that we are coming for him!" Zane yelled. "Cyber Dragon Infinity, attack him directly and end this duel! Shining Strident Blast!" Zane's Cyber Dragon Infinity let out a silver beam of light from its mouth which hit Lucanus straight in the chest. The force of the blast flew him towards his fellow Venatori members, crushed and defeated.

Zane: 900 (winner)
Lucanus: 0000

"All right!" Jaden cheered "He won."

"It was a hard duel but in the end he won." Cassandra added

Lucanus groaned as he pushed himself up "You'll pay for this!" he growled "You may have beaten me here but you're still no closer to stopping us. I still block your exit and I have many more followers to prevent you from leaving. We'll take that manuscript from you by force if we have to." But then, he felt a burning pain in his chest and then his deck glowed and fivel cards flew out of the deck and flew above him. Lucanus saw that it was his virus cards "Wait, what. What is this?" he gasped in a panic and then the cards turned into golden balls of enemy which were flung at him into his chest. He groaned and gasped when he saw his skin turning grey "Wait, no, please master. Give me another chance, I tried my best!"

Kallian gasped and took Aedan's hand "What's happening to him?"

"I don't know."Aedan replied.

Lucanus screamed in horror and pain and he stood up and everyone could only watch in horror as Lucanus' skin turned grey and then skin began to fall to the ground turning into dust until there was just a screaming skeleton which caused both Kallian and Alexis to screech in horror and cover their eyes. Soon the skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones and the Venatori members saw that the glowing balls began flying towards them and they all fled, all everyone else heard was loud screaming until silence fell.

"What the hell was that?" Chazz gasped

"Punishment from the Elder One." Cassandra answered "Lucanus failed him so the Elder One punished him by killing him."

"He may have been a bad guy but no one deserves a fate like this." Jaden stated looking at the pile of dust and bones that had once been Lucanus.

"Still though, I can't get it out of my head of what he said before about Solona." Alexis stated "Does Daylen known anything about this."

"We have to ask him when we see him." Zane stated "I don't think there's anything else here now so I guess we better go to the other group and check out if they've taken this Griffin Wing Keep."

"And fast if what he said about Solona is true." Aedan stated "Who knows what the Elder One is doing to her."

...

Back at the Elder One's hideout, Corypheus growled in anger "That fool!" he growled having watched the duel using Camula's bats

Solona could only smile "I don't you that my friends will not let you get away with this." She sneered

"Well, we'll see what happens when they have to fight someone they don't want to fight." Corypheus laughed

Then the door opened and Solona saw Titan and Frenic return "Master, we managed to recover the items you requested."

"Good, now finished off the preparations in the ritual chamber" Corypheus ordered and then stroked Solona's face "Soon you will be on my side."

Solona could only gasp at what she heard and she narrowed her eyes "No way, that won't happen, I'll never join you."

Corypheus laughed "Actually, it won't be you joining me, it will be your other self, the person who briefly was in control when you duelled that Warrior leader Meredith."

Solona widened her eyes and then remembered that during her duel against Meredith, she had blanked out and she heard that she had been acting strangely "No, you don't me?"

"That's right!" Corypheus roared "I had Livius and Gordian help you unleash a bit of this alternate version of you that had been buried deep inside you. Once this ritual helps her break through, Solona Amell will be no more and the new you will come out." Solona could stop shaking as Corypheus' laugh echoed through the whole room.

Chapter End:

Notes: Well finally, after nearly a month a new fanfiction chapter has finished. Writing has been slowly down due to my own mental health issues and sometimes not using my computer since I've been out all day and just want to relax playing video games. Once again I have to thank my older brother for this duel, he did a great job using the Virus deck. I truthfully had no idea what decks to use for this duel and the next chapter since the opponents would only appear in these chapters so I didn't what to give them a major archetype like Fabled since I want to save them for future duellists appearing in future stories. So in the end I decided to use some old dark structure decks I got years ago and my brother did an excellent job in adapting one for this chapter, a much better job than I could have done. I have also brought in more elements from the subbed version such as more violent deaths like in the original Yugioh rather than the tonned down version for the western dubbed.