The midnight hour was long gone when silence had finally settled upon Count Kage's mansion. Left to their devices, Ayumi and Hojo busied themselves with cleaning up after the party guests took their leave. Half-emptied plates and glasses were not out of the ordinary, but for some odd reason there seemed to be a lot of garbage to swipe off or vacuum away. Much to their delight, Borof had the right answer to the overall mess, and that was cutting it into smaller dust with his dragheart weapons which would then be easily swiped away into a garbage bag. Of his large collection, the scythe Go To Hell and the sword Gaiheart seemed to be his favorites, as he wielded them both when attacking the large pile of dust, cigarette butts and wrappings. They were all aware that the master of the house expected everything to be in pristine condition by sunrise, and to fail him would mean serious consequences.
Count Kage carefully led the tipsy Hajime down a short flight of stairs into his basement. Its entrance door wide open, the only light source came from the hallway's bright lights. Their rays could still reach the opulent collection which lay hidden in the cellar's dimness: ancient artifacts made of bronze, silver, gold, copper and clay. Greek ceramics, Roman busts, Egyptian statues, a lifetime's work which better belonged in a historical museum now surrounded them. It was as if they had stepped into a gateway to the past and had landed inside an ancient king's treasure vault.
"Wow, how'd you get your hands on all of this?" asked Hajime, incredulous to the amount of wealth that lay before his eyes.
"I was always the highest bidder when it mattered," answered Count Kage with a cryptic smile and then he began wandering in circles. "You must know, Mister Shirayama, that none of us can take any material possessions with us after death, no matter how hard we try. The pharaohs wanted to be buried with their treasures so they would be wealthy even in the afterlife. The Greeks always placed a coin on or inside a departed's mouth since they believed that the ferryman Charon required a fee to carry souls into the afterlife. All lies that told a deeper truth. It's true that wealth is of no practical use to the dead, but at the same time it is an indicator of one's status in their past life." He stopped and turned to face his guest with an inquisitive glance. "Am I right in my assertion or not?"
"Y-yes, I suppose you are..."
Pleased with his response, the count continued his casual walk and stopped in front of a sarcophagus painted with bright colors which contrasted the once bright gold that faded with time. He caressed it with his gloved hands, his fingers tracing the carved hieroglyphs. Then, all signs of warmth disappeared from his voice as he spoke plainly, "In that case I must ask you here and now, Hajime Shirayama... what do you think you will leave behind when you are dead?"
Despite his almost-drunk state, Hajime immediately tensed up as he realized something was wrong. Trying his best to focus, he saw the host lean over the sarcophagus and shake as his voice began to resemble the growls of a feral animal. Taking careful steps towards him and with his guard up, he asked, "Count Kage, are you alright...?"
Right then and there it happened - the count turned his head, the expensive top hat falling off to reveal his rich black locks. His face had grown sharp around the edges and had been covered by purple fur. His eyes had turned black as the void with two glowing red dots burning inside them. Blood poured out of his fang-filled mouth which still growled like an unholy beast. Hajime froze in his steps, his heart racing faster than ever before, his mind gone to a complete blank as the realization hit him - he was stuck alone with Shishima. A single gloved hand was stretched in his general direction and an invisible wave of energy was fired from it which pushed the petrified human off his feet, through a concrete wall, down a slide into sheer darkness, as if he fell from reality right into a nightmare.
Hajime collapsed on a marble floor. The landing was harsh and he could swear he felt something crack inside his body. Struggling to get up and ignoring the lingering pain, he looked around and saw that he was inside an underground maze which seemed to resemble the Cretan labyrinth. The corridors were all separated by marble walls that were worn by the passage of time. An eerie red light shone from a hole in the ceiling, a bloody sun within that sea of bleak decay. Pulling out his gun, Hajime took measured steps as he pushed ahead. The more he advanced, he began to see peculiar objects decorating the corridors: dried weeds, rusted blades, broken bones, marble statues portraying Shishima as a gorgeous Greek god. As much as he was disgusted by the display of vanity, he could not help but wonder if the monster he would inevitably have to face would be the Minotaur. Throwing Hajime in the spot of Theseus would have been such an obvious game dripping with the exact kind of poetic irony one would have expected of Shishima.
Out of the blue, he tripped and fell down some stairs until he landed into a pool of water. The sudden shift in temperature hurt more than the numerous collisions his body had with the stairs. The cards in his deck glowed with a bright golden aura as Kirazeus Savark's voice echoed in his head:
"Worry not, Hajime. I will protect your deck. Be brave and resume your journey, for you have once conquered evil and I have no doubt you will do so again!"
Relieved that his creature partner still had his back, Hajime looked around and realized he had hit a dead end. Left with no other option, he held his breath and dived underwater, trying to resist the low temperatures. In a matter of moments he discovered that the pool was connected to a tunnel. He swam forward into it, his deck's glow being his only guiding light. Eventually he could no longer hold his breath and desperately flapped his limbs as he came out on the other side into a much smaller pool.
Hajime took deep heavy breaths, gasping desperately for air as water poured out of his ears and nostrils. Most deep dives he had taken in his life had always been oddly relaxing and left him feeling cleansed. But this time he felt cold and dirty, as if he had been rolling in mud. Upon stepping out of the pool, he took quick notice that there were multitudes of spiderwebs hanging from the walls and blocking the path ahead. Did Shishima change his mind and decide to bring out a monstrous version of Arachne rather than the Minotaur? Shaking off the bad feeling, he moved forward, pushing aside the webs which stood in his way. The corridors seemed to be stretching and twisting endlessly, no exit in sight. Time's flow became a mystery to his tired mind as it seemed he had been condemned to wander those passageways for an eternity. It was when he felt his suit beginning to dry that he heard a strange rumbling noise from behind and turned around. Nothing but darkness greeted him. Dismissing it as his imagination, he moved on. But the more he advanced and tore through those annoying spiderwebs, the rumbling grew louder and his ears could distinguish the sound of multiple footsteps approaching him...
Hajime turned around once more and was assaulted by the shrieking face of Shishima who lashed at him with his fanged mouth wide open. He immediately jumped back, narrowly avoiding getting bitten. The monster paused for a moment and he got a better look at what stood before him: a giant centipede covered in purple fur and with Shishima's horned leonine head. The creature spoke no words and merely stared at him with hissed giggles. Wasting no time, Hajime took out his gun and fired lasers at the aberration. Much to his dismay, they had no effect. A single centipede leg slapped the weapon from his hands with such force that it broke once it collided with the marble wall. Alone, disarmed and scared out of his wits, Hajime's only reaction was to run off into the corridor's darkness, the giant arthropod following suit. The chase did not last long, as the floor beneath crumbled and he fell into a pit filled with spiderwebs, landing into a giant web so sticky that he could not break free no matter how hard he struggled. The centipede slowly descended into the pit and carefully landed on the web, saliva drooling out of his mouth. Hajime's life flashed before his very eyes as the monster approached him, eager to savor his flesh. A strict childhood, traumatized preteen years, lonely teenage years and the nightmare which haunted his adulthood in the form of Shishima.
All of a sudden, Hajime's deck glowed brightly once again and out of it emerged a winged dragon made of golden and dark purple crystals with a glowing red eye on his chest and a sword of brilliant light in his hands. Kirazeus Savark's appearance surprised them both. The centipede backed off as the Light creature slashed his face and angrily declared:
"I will not stand idly by and watch my partner die like this!" He then cut a hole in the web and his duelist fell deeper into the pit. "Run, Hajime, I will keep Shishima distracted!"
The landing had been harsher than the previous ones. Hajime crashed on a heavy brick floor with most of his body weight on his right leg which fractured. He bit his lip to prevent the agonizing screams from escaping his mouth and struggled to block out the pain as much as his brain allowed. Trying to focus on something else, he looked around and saw torches hanging from the walls burning with a crimson hellish flame, no different from Shishima's pupils. The walls themselves seemed to be made of gold and were painted with various hieroglyphs. Statues depicting ancient Egyptian gods filled the hallways, among them he could recognize Osiris, Isis, Set, Anubis and Bastet. Just how did he manage to fall from a Greek-styled labyrinth into an Egyptian pyramid? Either that mansion's basement was much deeper than he expected or it was all an illusion. With the knowledge that time was not on his side, he got up and crawled ahead, dragging his limp leg.
Soon he had the horror of finding a large pit which stretched across the corridor for a few meters. Out of it, a multitude of giant clawed hands covered in purple fur resembling those of Shishima were reaching out, seemingly attempting to grab something. Just above them there was a sturdy metal bar which seemed to be the only way of crossing over safely. In order to grab it, a precise jump had to be made. Hajime leaned against a wall, in disbelief of his current predicament. There was no way in hell he would be able to jump well with that fractured leg of his. Still, he was certain that Kirazeus Savark would not be able to keep the centipede at bay forever. No matter how hopeless, he had to at least try and escape. Fighting the lingering pain with all of his might, he stood on both feet and focused. He bent his knees, he leaned forward and, mustering the entire strength in his legs, he made the fateful jump.
Much to his surprise, the miracle happened and he managed to grab onto the metal bar. Hajime caught his breath and struggled to not let go. A new wave of pain in his leg assaulted him and he bit his lip again so hard that it bled. Once he got used to it, he started moving ahead using the full force of his hands. As he was about halfway, he looked down and noticed that the Shishima hands started trying to reach up in an attempt to grab him. This motivated him to move even faster, avoiding the claws within a hair's distance. With one more precisely timed jump, he dashed forward and managed to land safely on the other side.
Exhausted beyond belief, Hajime fell on all fours and stared at the sandy floor as sweat raced down his entire body. A part of him wished to break down into sobs and unleash those five years of pent-up frustration. But he knew he had to be strong and not give in, for it was his only hope of surviving the nightmare. Looking ahead, he saw another flight of stairs, this time stretching upwards. As much as he loathed the idea of putting more strain on his wounded leg, perhaps his body would be able to brave it after a short break. Those thoughts were immediately disturbed by the sound of a loud crash from far behind. The centipede was catching up!
Knowing he could waste no more time, he forced himself back on his feet and began the long climb. With each hurried step, he felt the leg pain worsen, like a lingering toothache that had been left untreated for months on end. An earthquake suddenly shook the building and bricks started to fall from the walls and ceiling. It was as if the weight of the entire world was on the verge of collapsing on him. Fed up with everything, Hajime screamed on the top of his lungs and charged upward as fast as his feet could take him.
Before he knew it, he arrived at the upper level and the earthquake had ceased. The corridor was longer then the previous one, but he could make out an opened door and a well-lit room at the opposite end. The floor was not paved, as beneath there was only sand. Squinting his eyes, he noticed that there were subtle squirms coming from underneath. Hajime took careful steps ahead, expecting the worst and then... the Shishima centipede jumped out of the sand like a dolphin out of water. Giving a monstrous shriek, it tried devouring him and he narrowly dodged its mouth, the long creature diving back into the sand. No matter what, Hajime would not allow himself to be cornered and thus he sprinted towards the room, the nightmarish insect pursuing him at a short distance. He could feel the stench of rotting corpses emanating from its breath, its growls of hunger rung in his ears like a nightmarish symphony.
As soon as Hajime ran through the door, he found himself inside a pharaoh's tomb. Four torches hung by each wall, lighting the hieroglyphs depicting the ruler's eventful life and the supposed journey his soul made into the afterlife. In its center lay a single sarcophagus, the very same one he had seen in Count Kage's basement. Shishima's face crashed behind and got stuck inside the narrow door. Hajime turned to face the horrid creature and caught his breath, slowly backing away from the exit. The centipede giggled at him and its body turned into purple smoke which passed through as he limped around the sarcophagus for protection. The cloud then took the form of the winged and horned lion demon, his body being the size of a human just like in Hajime's nightmares. Shishima regarded him with a large grin on his face, excitedly saying:
"Congratulations for surviving this far! I never once doubted your power!"
"What the hell do you want from me now?!" a frustrated Hajime shouted back. "The Spawns of Shishima are done for, I won your little 'game'! You promised you would leave humanity alone, so why the hell won't you keep your promise?!"
"While indeed I will leave humanity alone, that doesn't mean I will leave you alone," Shishima smugly explained, relishing in the mortal's anger.
"That's it, I've had enough of you for a fucking lifetime!" Hajime said as he immediately fetched his deck out of his pocket. "I'm not going to let you subject me to the same nightmare again. This time around I'll finish you once and for all!"
"I couldn't agree more!" The excited Shishima also made his deck appear in his right hand. "Enough pleasantries, Hajime; the time has come for us to finish our conflict!"
With a single wave from the clawed hand, the sarcophagus was moved aside and two dueling tables arose between them. As five blue rectangular shields appeared by the side of each player, their surroundings changed to those of a vast dark cosmos, red ritualistic circles glowing beneath them and a floating white egg hung above them, the shadow of a dragon surrounding it.
"At the start of the game, I set up Zerom, Origin of Destruction and its four Ceremonies. As such, you get to begin the game with an extra card in your hand," Shishima explained.
"I've never seen such cards before..." remarked a surprised Hajime.
"They will awaken into my newest finisher, the Abyss Dragon who is the pure incarnation of eternal nothingness! I, being born in said Abyss and wielding its power by my side, will share my creature's fate. But don't think you can so easily get rid of it!"
With that warning said, their fateful match began.
"I expand Forbidden Sunrise ~Dawn of Forbidden~ with four seals attached to it." A dark red star the size of a volley ball with four glowing X symbols floating around appeared behind Shishima. "It's a Forbidden Field, not a D2 Field, so don't think you remove it with them! While Forbidden Sunrise is in the battle zone, all of my Darkness Commands, Fire Commands and creatures with 'Forbidden' in their name cost 2 mana less."
"I expand DG Parthenon ~Where Dragons are Created~ and draw a card," Hajime said and a temple resting on marble pillars, the faceless head of a dragon made of purple crystals floating in the middle appeared behind him. "DG Parthenon is also not a D2 Field, but a DG Field! While it's out, we can only play three creatures and three spells per turn, nothing more."
"Keh, that move will be for naught when I don't need more than three of either per turn! Anyway, I cast Slash Charger which allows me to check the top four cards of my deck... and send Hellborof, Supreme Dragon Edge to my graveyard, the rest going to the bottom of my deck."
"Galaxyshield 3, I set Azure Rising General as a face up shield and draw a card."
"Ah yes, those Galaxyshields are your brand new Judgment Emblems, aren't they? Well then, I hope you're ready for the party to truly begin - I cast Monte Scale Sign and revive Hellborof!" A winged and horned purple wolf plushie wielding a bone scythe appeared in the battle zone and howled. "Since I put a card from my graveyard into the battle zone, I link the Ceremony of Resurrection and self mill two. Then since I brought out a Darkness Command, I take a seal off Forbidden Sunrise. Lastly, with Hellborof's own effect, I self mill two more!" A total of five cards landed in Shishima's graveyard: Reload Charger, Tsuruhashi Doji, Gokensai, Oni of "Outrage", Assault, Onifuda Kingdom and Ninjariban, Dragon Edge. "Then with the other effect of Hellborof, I bring out Welcome Hell, Supreme Devil King Palace and revive Ninjariban, Dragon Edge!" A winged demonic palace descended from a hole above and out of it emerged a blue ninja plushie. "Ninjariban brings out Reddull, Dragon Soul Castle which gives speed attacker to Hellborof." A Japanese-styled castle with flaming swords sticking from its edges appeared as well, engulfing the wolf plushie with a red aura. "I attack with Hellborof and Welcome Hell revives Tsuruhashi Doji as well." A small blue oni wielding a pickaxe appeared, causing Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign, Borof, Final Dragon Edge and Jaouga, Oniga Oni to land into his graveyard as well, the middle card being recovered. "Go, Hellborof, double break the Azure Rising General shield and another one!" Heeding his order, the plushie hacked the two shields into pieces with his scythe.
"Shield trigger, I summon Mage of Cursebreaker and set Absolute Shield Knight as a face up shield!" A small robotic humanoid in golden white armor with a circle of light surrounding his waist appeared in the battle zone by Hajime's side. "With Absolute Shield Knight's effect, I check the top two cards of my deck, draw one and set I Am Justice If You Want as a face up shield as well."
Shishima crossed his arms in anticipation and passed the turn. Hajime continued:
"I summon I Am Justice If You Want and Absolute Shield Knight as if their costs were paid!" A small blue robotic humanoid sitting in front of a giant golden golem appeared alongside a round robotic knight donning pale golden armor and sitting in the lotus position. "While I Am Justice If You Want is in the battle zone, all of my creatures can't be attacked or blocked. Then I do Absolute Shield Knight's effect again, check my top two cards, draw this one and set Cromwell, Iron Cannon as a face up shield. Now all of my creatures have speed attacker! Galaxyshield 4, I set Lightning Sword Paladin as a face up shield as well. Go, Absolute Shield Knight, attack Hellborof and I activate his effect once more! I'll draw this card and set Paranormal, Task Produce as a face up shield. Now all your creatures constantly get -3000 power!"
Much to Shishima's surprise, Tsuruhashi Doji exploded and Hellborof was also taken down by a prismatic orb thrown by the round knight. Indeed Hajime's early game had gotten stronger since they had last faced off. The question was whether he could keep up with the upcoming control.
"I Am Justice If You Want, triple break his shields!" The robotic duo dashed ahead and tore through three shields as if they were nothing. "Mage of Cursebreaker, take down another shield!"
"Shield trigger, I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom and destroy I Am Justice If You Want!" Shishima declared and watched as Hajime's finisher vanished in a large explosion. "That was the third creature destroyed this turn, so I link the Ceremony of Destruction and with its effect I recover Rousseau Montes / Monte Scale Sign from my graveyard. And now my turn begins anew - I cast Monte Scale Sign to revive Hellborof again! I take off a second seal from Forbidden Sunrise and also self mill two with his effect!" This time the cards which landed in his graveyard were Tigernitro, Explosive Devil, Borof, Final Dragon Edge and Slash Charger. "Now that I have eight cards in my graveyard, I link the Ceremony of Graveyard as well and give -3000 to Mage of Cursebreaker, destroying him! Hellborof brings out a second Reddull which grants him speed attacker! I attack with Hellborof and Welcome Hell revives Gokensai, Oni of "Outrage"!" An oni donning a red and blue samurai armor appeared, a skull necklace around his neck and dragon skulls attached to his arms. "Hellborof, double break the Cromwell and Paranormal shields!"
"Not so fast - I activate Lightning Sword Paladin's effect and discard Emeral Trickster and Jyuu Ni Shin Ki to save those shields!"
"Ninjariban, attack the Paranormal shield and Welcome Hell revives Tigernitro, Explosive Devil!" A yellow tiger plushie holding two dynamites surrounded by flames shaped after tiger heads appeared as well.
"I discard Azure Rising General to save my shield again!"
"Keh, then I end my turn and Tigernitro's Mana Arms 5 makes you keep a card in your hand and discard the rest!" The plushie threw a dynamite in the opponent's direction and it exploded, forcing three cards to fall from his hand into the graveyard. "Dragsolution - I destroy Hellborof, Ninjariban, Tigernitro and Gokensai to flip Welcome Hell into Deathgoros, Supreme Devil Corrupt King!" The winged palace fired beams upon the four creatures, shattering three of them. "I discard Reload Charger to save Gokensai." Then the palace's top cracked open and out of it emerged a Demon Command Dragon wielding a bone scythe which he used to hack the opposing Absolute Shield Knight into pieces.
"I summon Lightning Sword Paladin as if his cost was paid and send Deathgoros to your shield zone."
"Dragon Evade - Deathgoros flips back to Welcome Hell!"
A knight donning golden armor and wielding a sword made of blue lightning appeared and faced the eerie demonic dragon. He bravely charged ahead and used his blade to cut through the creature's weapon, forcing it back into slumber as it retreated into the floating palace.
"I cast Triguard Charger and return a shield to my hand. Galaxyshield 2, I set Jyuu Ni Shin Ki as a face up shield. Now go, Lightning Sword Paladin, break his final shield!" Hajime ordered and his creature rushed headfirst once more, cutting through the opposing shield.
"I must thank you for your foolish action. Since there are six shields left, Onitime has activated. Since I have no shields, Oniend has activated as well!" Shishima gloated with an arrogant smirk. "Now that it's my turn, Onitime, I summon Jaouga, Oniga Oni with 5 mana instead of 10!" A tall red and blue oni with a single horn coming out of his head, skull shoulder pads and a chest armor made of ribs appeared and joined the army of unholy creatures. "Gokensai, double break the Cromwell and Paranormal shields!" Left with no more cards to save them, Hajime had to watch as the creature tore through them, both cards landing in his graveyard rather than his hand due to their Shield Go effect. "Jaouga, attack Lightning Sword Paladin and I revive Borof, Final Dragon Edge!"
"You called, milord?" the wolf plushie wearing a dark red robe spoke as he was brought into the duel from the dining room. Taking a better look at the situation, he giggled and added, "Well, well, look who's utterly screwed! This is payback for that humiliation in the alleyway, Hajime!"
"I take a third seal off Forbidden Sunrise and self mill a card with Borof's effect as well." Inferno Sign and Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja landed in Shishima's graveyard. "With Borof's second effect, I recover Inferno Sign and equip him with Diabolos, Prison Dragon Blade." The plushie stretched his gloved arm up and a purple and golden scythe encrusted with sapphires appeared in his grip. "With the effect of Diabolos, I recover Hayabusamaru from my graveyard as well. Jaouga, destroy Lightning Sword Paladin!" The oni stabbed the knight in the chest with his horn, the fallen warrior wincing in pain until an explosion ended his life. "I end my turn and since you have no cards in hand, I link the Ceremony of Hands and gacharange summon... Almighty Zennou!" A creature shaped after a parabolic antenna joined Shishima's army. "And since this was the final Ceremony to link - Zeron Birth!"
The red ritualistic circles beneath them shined brightly as the floating white egg cracked open and a shadowy creature emerged from it. The being grew in size, easily towering over everyone present. The darkness around it dissipated, revealing a pale blue and purple dragon, its body made of nebulae and other cosmic matter, its horned head with sharp fangs and many glowing red eyes. Hajime could not take his eyes off it - it was as if he was staring into the depths of the Abyss. But then he recalled seeing that creature's head in the very same darkness from his nightmares, right by Shishima's side. How could he possibly defeat such a primordial force?
"M-my turn... I c-cast Jyuu Ni Shin Ki as if its c-cost was p-paid..." Hajime quickly checked the top four cards of his deck and a small sense of relief came to him as he picked one of them. "I summon Kirazeus Savark!" The dragon made of golden and purple crystals who was his partner appeared, safe and sound. Sure, there were no opposing shields for him to use the creature's removal effect, but as long as they fought side by side, there was a sliver of hope that they would prevail in the end.
"At the start of my turn, I discard Rousseau Montes and Hellborof to dragsolution Diabolos into Diajigoku, Annihilation Demon Dragon!" Shishima announced and Borof tossed the weapon in the sky, a golden and purple Demon Command Dragon with blue wings appearing to grab and wield it. "I summon Tsuruhashi Doji." Another small blue oni with a pickaxe appeared, sending Tigernitro, Explosive Devil, Reload Charger and Borof, Final Dragon Edge into its owner's graveyard. "I'll recover another Rousseau Montes and attack with Jaouga to revive another Borof! I take off the last seal and shuffle Forbidden Sunrise back into my deck, then I recover Assault, Onifuda Kingdom from my graveyard as well. Now with Borof's effect, I'll self mill and recover another Jaouga, Oniga Oni. Then I equip him with Gaiheart, Galaxy Greatsword which grants him speed attacker! Go, Jaouga, double break his shields!"
Hajime took cover as the oni brutally tore through two of his shields. His opponent's creatures were growing in number at a great pace, despite the supposed lockdown of his DG Parthenon. If he could not pull a comeback then and there, then all would have been lost. He checked the two cards and then his smile of hope reappeared. Taking one into his hand, he revealed the other, saying:
"Thanks for the help, Ben - shield trigger, I cast [Immediate] Wow... my opponent's attack stopped too much...? [Click]. Despite the wacky name, this Team Wave spell is quite useful, as now your creatures which cost 5 or less can't attack until the start of my next turn!"
"Keh, that's just Zeron, Almighty Zennou and Gokensai. There's still more where that came from!"
"After casting this spell, I'll shuffle it and my entire graveyard back into my deck," Hajime continued and then he took another glance at the other card from his shields, knowing it would be the one that would truly matter in the end.
"I attack with Diajigoku and with his effect, since I have 12 cards in my graveyard, I give -12000 to your Kirazeus Savark!" Shishima said and watched the two dragons clash their blades, scythe against sword. In the end the Darkness creature won and the other was hacked into pieces. "There goes your 'partner', Hajime. Now go, Diajigoku, break his final shields!"
Hajime clenched his fist, waiting for just one single shield trigger to save him. Thankfully his prayers were answered, as he quickly revealed the card.
"Shield trigger, I summon Mage of Cursebreaker and set Absolute Shield Knight as a face up shield. With the latter's effect, I check the top two cards of my deck, draw one and set Lightning Sword Paladin as a face up shield as well."
"That was my second attack, so I dragsolution Gaiheart into Gaiginga, Passionate Star Dragon!" The copy Borof tossed the sword in the air and out of it emerged a white and blue dragon with a flaming red mane who wielded the blade in his left hand. "When Gaiginga is dragsolutioned, I destroy one of your creatures with power 7000 or less, meaning your Mage of Cursebreaker. Now go, Gaiginga, break his final shields!"
Much to Shishima's surprise, Hajime did not discard any cards and allowed both of his shields to be broken. That was strange, why would he give up so easily on the last of his defenses and means of bringing out creatures for free? Dismissing it as the mortal's brain being tired after playing together for so many hours, he proudly declared:
"I end here, but there is no possible way you can win now, Hajime! Tsuruhashi Doji is a slayer blocker, Almighty Zennou prevents you from attacking with creatures on the turn they are put in the battle zone, Gokensai makes your creatures come into play tapped, and if you are foolish enough to choose Gaiginga, I will gain an extra turn! Don't forget that with Jaouga's and Welcome Hell's effects, I will keep reviving as many creatures as I desire! And even if you somehow manage to bypass all of this, I still have a Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja in my hand, all ready to block your direct attack! Now go on, do your final turn."
"Shishima, just like last time, your arrogance and overconfidence are your downfall!" Hajime declared as he revealed the card he had been holding on to from his shield zone. "I summon Emotional Hardcore, Sacred Dragon! When he's put into the battle zone, I can choose a name and all creatures with that name lose all their effects!" He pointed straight at the largest creature from his opponent's army. "I choose Zeron! Now without any effects, since he has 0 power, he will be destroyed. And since Zeron is leaving the battle zone... it's your loss!"
A horned bipedal dragon dressed in white priestly robes and wielding a sword and shield of golden light appeared and lashed straight at the Abyssal Dragon, cutting its cosmic body in half. Shishima stared in pure disbelief as the very avatar of nothingness had been brought down by a pesky creature on a mere game technicality. Before he could even protest, Zeron and the entirety of their creatures were wiped out by an explosion which engulfed both of them as well.
Hajime opened his eyes and found himself back in Count Kage's basement. Borof lay unconscious in a corner and Shishima had landed on his precious sarcophagus and was struggling to get back on his feet after the powerful impact of his defeat. As expected, the labyrinth and pyramid had been nothing but illusions. However, the pain in Hajime's right leg was still lingering. This, coupled with everything he had endured was enough to send him over the edge. Deciding that the time had come to use his secret weapon, Hajime took out a bag of sacred salt from his pocket and tossed it upon his nemesis. Surprised by the sudden pain, Shishima shrieked and fell off the sarcophagus, coiling in the fetal position with his wings wrapped around his body. But the pain in his skin did not fade away in the slightest. Struggling with his limp leg, Hajime went to him and began shouting the Shinto prayers Sayo had taught him a long time ago, calling upon the gods to cleanse the world of Shishima's evil once and for all. Coupled with the violent tossing of salt, this was enough to not only torture him, but also weaken him and push him near the brink of death. When the bag had been emptied, the angered Hajime grabbed Shishima by his shoulders and dragged him up, punching his face repeatedly. He poured all those years of violent negative emotions into that savage beating, and the release felt so good for his psyche. Eventually he devolved into a madman with bloodshot eyes who was foaming at the mouth and constantly growling, "Die, Shishima!" Once the adrenaline rush was over, he stopped his beatdown and both stared into each other's eyes. Hajime saw nothing but a pathetic monster who was finally getting his comeuppance. Shishima on the other hand saw a broken man who had finally succumbed to his primal instincts. He weakly reached his hand and stopped Hajime's fist from attempting another blow.
"Calm down, you can't kill me."
"What?!"
"All the sacred salt in the world is worth nothing without proper spiritual powers. And you're not a religious man."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Hajime dropped Shishima and collapsed on his knees, a crying mess. Despite his loss and being almost mortally wounded, the latter still burst into mirthful laughter. He would have renounced the throne tenfold if it meant getting to experience that kind of thrill again and again. Trying to use his elbows to get back up, he said:
"Strong... You are very strong, Hajime. I can't keep on playing with you, for you've broken me in many ways. But still, this has been the most satisfying game we've ever had!"
Regaining his composure and wiping off his tears, Hajime looked back at Shishima and replied, "Although I hate to admit it, I also enjoyed the duel. However, this was not for your entertainment! It was for-"
"Yes, yes, I know your true intentions all too well. Still, had things turned out differently for me over a thousand years ago, perhaps we might have been on the same level..."
"Oh no you don't! You can't go on fishing for sympathy at this point!"
"I know, I'm too far gone. To mankind I will probably always be a monster. Still, that doesn't change the level of respect I have for you, Hajime, both for entertaining me and proving to me that your species deserves to have a future."
"I don't give a damn about your respect, you freak! All I want is for you to be brought to justice and suffer the consequences for everything you did!"
Angered by the narrow-minded response, Shishima raised his voice, which took Hajime by surprise, "Your constant pursuit of justice is what's destroying you on the inside! Back in the Twilight Kingdom, I was the same as you when it came to my father. But then I realized that my father would have wanted me to move on and be happy. What about your friend Ken or your grandmother Tsugumi? Do you think they wouldn't have wanted the same for you?"
"Y-you just want to disarm me now that you're at a disadvantage!"
"Open your eyes, you fool, you've already won! I have no more stakes left in the game. Set your grudge aside and think clearly: you still have loved ones waiting for you back home. You should go and be there for them, truly, in both body and spirit. Cease your quest of vengeance. That is the true way for you to have a happy life once again."
Hajime took a good hard look at his bloodied fists and wondered aloud, "What have I become?"
"You've become a monster in order to fight another. But know that we don't always have to be this way," Shishima reasoned, catching his full attention. "Thousands of years ago, I had crossed the line and become a true monster. You don't have to follow in my footsteps. Just step over your pride and admit that after all these years we've both started respecting each other. You can't deny that we've both given each other a new purpose in life."
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Hajime dropped his vigilante attitude and honestly spoke back while staring blankly, "I wonder if my life would've still remained boring and uninteresting if you didn't appear and commit those murders..."
A smirk appeared on Shishima's sharp face. "You're finally understanding the situation!" As he got back on his feet, his purple fur began to slowly grow back and his skin burns also began to heal. "Look, realistically you've achieved your goals: the Spawns of Shishima are no more and I will no longer unleash my wrath upon humanity. Now all that's left for you to do is to clean up my mess and fix any remaining damages."
"Just what guarantee do I have that you won't pull the same crap all over a-" Hajime paused as he felt a sharp prick in his pinkie finger. Looking down, he found it bleeding. "What have you done?"
Shishima also revealed his own bleeding pinkie with a sly smile. "I'm making a blood oath," he said as his red pupils glowed brightly. "I, Shishima, daiyoukai of illusions and nightmares, hereby swear that I will not make any attempts to conquer man's world. On the other hand, Hajime Shirayama must never reveal my true identity to anyone. Additionally, I shall appoint myself as Hajime's guardian demon for as long as he does not break this oath."
Hajime felt a strange wave of energy enter his body through the wound, like a tide crashing against the shore, and then it was all over before he even knew it. With another wave from his hand, Shishima made Hajime's deck float off the dueling table and go straight into its owner's hand, then he opened a portal which led to his bedroom in the Shirayama mansion and said:
"That's all I've got for you tonight. I bid you farewell, enjoy your rest!"
With a single shove from those clawed hands, Hajime found himself collapsed on his bed. He was tired, his body ached in all places, especially his right leg, his expensive clothes were a mess and his mind could no longer process the night's events. Still, he could not help but feel a strange sense of relief as the certainty of a better future had finally settled in his heart. Unable to do anything anymore, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into sleep's sweet embrace.