"Ruri!" Yuto shouted the name of his friend, the love of his life, as he saw her worried eyes get blocked by a wall of darkness. He stared at the wall with wide eyes. While seething, he said quietly, "What'd you do…?" He turned to his enemy, raising his voice, rage and venom evident in his tone as he yelled out, "WHAT'D YOU DO?!"

Darkness couldn't help but chuckle from the boy's outburst. "I would worry about your own safety rather than hers. I have merely created a small field for the both of us where we can't be interrupted. Don't fret, no matter what happens your girlfriend will be fine. You, on the other hand…"

Yuto shivered—his anger completely washed away—as the air began to feel cold and dense. It felt like the temperature had dropped at least fifty degrees.

"What the Hell is this place?!" Yuto questioned the masked man.

Darkness' face bore a wide smirk in response, "This? Oh, it's nothing special. You'll learn more about this place as we Duel."

Yuto narrowed his eyes at the cryptic answer. Now, switching gears to another topic, he asked, "Why me? Why did you choose me out of all the people there as your opponent."

"Well, it was either you or the other who kid with the same face as you. And that kid was occupied with his own problems. You, on the other hand, weren't."

Yuto's tight gaze loosened, surprised by the answer. However, the tone in his voice as he spoke made it seem like he wasn't affected at all, "So you were going to Duel Yugo or I no matter what happened. You didn't care about capturing the girls at all."

"No. That's not true."

"What?" Yuto spoke with confusion riddling his face.

"Obviously, my comrades have the girls already taken care of. While I could have tagged with them and assured, my interest in you and that Yugo kid kept itching at me."

First Academia is after people who look like Ruri. Now, this guy is interested in people who look like me. What is the connection? Why is this guy so intrigued with us? Yuto thought to himself with a frustrated look reflecting off of his eyes.

Now there was another piece that just jumbled the entire puzzle up. Before now, none of the Academia soldiers showed any interest in him. They just treated him like any Duelist other than Yuzu, Serena, and Ruri. But now, this guy was giving him special treatment.

Just what was going on here?

Yuto rapidly blinked his eyes multiple times, snapping out of his thoughts. "Now is not the time to dwell on these things. If you want a Duel, then you'll get one! Just don't expect to be the one standing afterwards!"

He threw out his hand, forming a fist as his Duel Disk activated, a long black blade with purple linings appearing as he inserted his Deck and proceeded to draw five Cards.

He did not activate an Action Field because that could provide Darkness with an advantage as well. As of right now, he had to Duel with his own Cards with stakes like these.

"Hmph! I was just about to say the same thing!" Darkness said as he ran through the same procedure as his enemy, ending with five Cards in his hand and an activated Duel Disk, ready for a fight.

"DUEL!" Both Duelists exclaimed in unison.

"I'm sorry to say this but I just can't let you live any longer! When you're on the ground defeated, it will be over for you…permanently. Once this is over, all you will be seeing...is Darkness!" The agent from Academia spoke with malice in his voice.

Yuto froze on his tracks for just a split second. The interval was so short that if one blinked one would miss the hesitance from the boy easily.

He quickly composed himself too late however, as by the time he focused his gaze to his Hand, Darkness had already begun.

"I'll be taking the first move!" The agent from Academia declared with confidence. "My turn! Let's start with the activation of this Magic Card, Hand Destruction! With this, both of us must throw all Cards in our Hand to the Graveyard! Then, we draw from our Deck the same amount of we discarded."

Yuto grunted in response, bringing his Cards together and inserting them into his Graveyard slot. Darkness performed the same action. However, unlike Yuto, who drew five Cards, Darkness only drew four.

The Cards Yuto sent to the Grave consisted of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves, Phantom Knights Dusty Robe, Booby Trap E, and Entermate Drago Remora.

Meanwhile, Darkness discarded Clear Cube, Clear Phantom, Clear Rage Golem, and Attribute Change-Attribute Chameleon.

As Yuto looked at his Cards, he eyed his opponent, who bore a smile of content as he viewed his own Hand.

That triumphant smile...what is so much better in that batch of Cards than his last one?

Darkness lifted a single Card and inserted it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. A hologram of a Magic Card named Clear Fusion appeared for the member of the Resistance to see.

The picture of the Card depicted two random Monsters surrounded by transparent crystals swirling around in a vortex formation that was typically associated with Fusion Summoning.

"This Card—Clear Fusion—allows me to conduct a Fusion Summon by banishing Fusion Materials from my Graveyard! I banish Clear Phantom and Clear Rage Golem! Clear souls residing in the darkness! Accept each other's darkness and hatred and spread onward! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!"

"WOAH!" Yuto cried out, stumbling backwards due to shock from sudden shockwaves ensuing from the Monster's Summon. He dug his feet into the ground, trying to stay on his feet as he fought against the shockwaves.

What the Hell?! This man...the shockwaves he is producing...it's...it's stronger than anyone I've ever faced before! Yuto thought to himself, letting a look of caution appear on his face, drops of sweat forming at his temples, daring to roll down and make their presence known.

Slithering Serpent: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

Yuto looked at Darkness' Field again to see a dark green, scaly serpent with bright yellow eyes staring directly at him. To complete the look, the Monster had the usual crystal surrounding it that Clear Monsters usually had.

"I set this Card facedown. That is the end of my turn." Darkness crossed his arms, his body as stiff as stone.

Yuto could immediately read that posture. He was crossing his arms out of expectancy. Darkness expected Yuto to put on a good show for him. He wanted Yuto to put on a good show for him.

He wasn't worried about losing at all. In fact, it seemed like he was worried about winning...in an easy manner, to be precise. This guy was bored. So bored it was as if he saw no meaning in life.

What Darkness said next only proved this point.

"I would advise withdrawing right now. No matter what you do, you cannot win. There is no point in trying to move forward. It is all meaningless in the end. Your own Darkness will catch up to you eventually...to erase the small flickering Light."

"Your wrong! My 'Light' will never die! It will keep shining forward. And even if I die, my friends will keep going on to continue carrying that Light forward!"

Darkness' lips formed a thin line, suddenly reminiscing about something for a moment. He shook his head and responded, "Meaningless. It will all prove fruitless. The history of the human race is one filled with meaningless dreams and expanding Darkness. It is all one huge cycle. Your friends will soon forget your shared 'Light'. Your efforts will eventually prove to be worthless. They will be undone and forgotten, never to see the light of day again. Your foolishness shall be what causes you to lose this Duel."

"That's where your wrong. I don't plan on losing. I will win! My turn, draw!" Yuto glanced at his new Hand, picking up a Card and shifting his gaze over to his Graveyard while placing said Card in his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I activate a Magic Card from my Hand! It's called Phantom Xyz! With it, I can Special Summon two Monsters with the same level from my Graveyard and proceed to conduct an Xyz Summon with them! Come to the Field, Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves and Phantom Knights Dusty Robe!"

The two ghostlike knights appeared to the Field, both located on Yuto's sides while taking a defensive position. Slithering Serpent glared down at the two Monsters, who stared merelt back blankly, seemingly unfazed by the Monster's gaze of death.

Ragged Gloves: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 500 Def

Dusty Robe: Level 3, 800 Atk, 1000 Def

"Here I go." Yuto raised a fist as his Monsters turned into purple orbs, "I overlay both the level 3 Ragged Gloves and Dusty Robe! With these two Monsters I construct the overlay network! Souls of knights who fell on the battlefield. Revive here and now, and become the light that breaks the darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 3! Phantom Knights Break Sword!"

Break Sword: Rank 3, 2000 Atk, 1000 Def

"When Ragged Gloves is used as an overlay unit, the Monster he's attached to gains 1000 Attack until the end of the turn!" Yuto said as a purple aura surrounded his Monster. The large blade-wielding Monster held out its spear, ready for battle.

Break Sword: 2000-3000 Atk

"Battle! Go, Break Sword, attack and destroy his Slithering Serpent!" The purple and black-haired Duelist declared, his Monster galloping forward on command.

Darkness uncrossed his arms and jabbed a finger at his Fusion Monster, "I activate Slithering Serpent's effect! When it battles with a Light or Dark Attribute Monster, I can use its effect to negate the attack and destroy the other Monster!"

Slithering Serpent shot forward. To Yuto's surprise, Break Sword's attack went right through the crystal. Then, inside the crystal, Darkness' Monster wrapped itself around Break Sword, squeezing hard on both the steed and the Knight. The Monster shattered into multiple pieces due to getting brutally strangled.

Yuto shot his hand forward, "I activate Break Sword's effect upon destruction! I can Special Summon his Materials as level 4 Monsters!"

Two blue flames lit up where Break Sword was destroyed. In their place, Phantom Knights Dusty Robe and Ragged Gloves reappeared in Defense Position with their levels increased by 1 each.

Dusty Robe: Level 3-4

Ragged Gloves: Level 3-4

"I set two Cards facedown. I end my turn." As he spoke, two set Card materialized in front of Yuto.

"Oh? No Xyz Summon? Are you holding back on me? Let me tell you this...holding back on me is the worst thing you could ever do in life. Of course, that shouldn't matter, as when you sink into Darkness, you will be relieved of all of your regrets and misfortunes...and you will learn to accept them."

Yuto ignored his words. It's true that not Xyz Summoning could have been a sign of holding back, maybe even hesitation. However, he had to do this for the plan he was coming up with.

"It's my turn now, I draw! Battle! Now, Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent, attack his Phantom Knights Ragged Gloves!" Slithering Serpent darted forward, making its way towards the knight.

Yuto immediately revealed his facedown, "I activate the Trap Card Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! I can target a Monster you control! It loses 600 Attack and I can Special Summon this Card as a level 2 Dark Attribute Monster! Appear!"

On Yuto's command, a piece of armor with a blue ghostly yet flamelike appearance eerily appeared to the Field.

Slithering Serpent: 2400-1800 Atk

The owner of the new arrival smiled, "During the turn Lost Vambrace is Summoned, Phantom Knights Monsters cannot be destroyed in battle!"

As Slithering Serpent froze in midair, currently awaiting for its owner to relay the battle, call it off, or find another target to attack.

Before making his call, Darkness smirked, "You said 'cannot be destroyed in battle'. You never said anything about effects! I will not let you Xyz Summon next turn! Slithering Serpent, continue your assault against Ragged Gloves!"

The Clear Monster resumed its charge forward, the Monster inside the crystal peeking its head out and opening its mouth.

"I use Slithering Serpent's effect! I can negate a battle against a Light or Dark Monster and destroy them!" Darkness shouted, prompting his Monster to freeze once again, using its open mouth to spew out a venom-like substance.

Ragged Gloves was drenched in the liquid. The Phantom Knights Monster's figure began to dissolve and distort, leading to a very disarrayed appearance.

Yuto's Monster began to writhe and squirm, stretching out parts of its body in an attempt to ease the pain. But to no avail, the burning pain of being dissolved stayed with the valiant knight.

CRACK!

Yuto watched in horror as his Monster's body began to fracture a few more times, before completely shattering into multiple particles.

"I end my turn." Darkness said emotionlessly, unfazed by the brutal manner in which Dusty Robe was destroyed.

"Kgh! My turn, draw!" Yuto's hand slipped off his Deck, taking the Card with him. He glanced at it and let out a small gasp. He grinned.

Wherever he was, it looked like he was still looking out for him.

Yuto glared at Darkness with an intent to win burning in his eyes. He placed a hand on another one of his Cards.

Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Now, I'll show the combined strength between Sakaki Yuya and I!" He showed the two he grabbed to Darkness, who raised an eyebrow, now interested and invested in the Duel all of a sudden.

"So, it is true…"

"Using the Scale 3 Phantom Knights Deceased Comrade and the Scale 8 Xiangsheng Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto swiped his Hand across the blade of his Duel Disk, dropping his a Card on each edge.

PENDULUM was spelled out across Yuto's Duel Disk as the two Monsters raised, surrounded by a light blue column with a Pendulum swinging in between.

"With this I can simultaneously Special Summon Monsters with levels from 4 to 7! Deceased Comrade's Pendulum effect is that when Pendulum Summoning, one of the Monsters can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard!" Yuto explained.

"What?" Darkness mused, slightly surprised for the first time in this Duel. While he examined the appearance of the Pendulum Scales, the Scale numbers, and the swinging Pendulum, Yuto recited a chant.

"Swing! Pendulum of my Soul! Carve an arc of Hope across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!"

Above Yuto, a light blue portal opened below the Pendulum. Rushing out of the portal were two beams of light.

"First, from my Hand, is Entermate Mammosplash! Lastly, returning from the Graveyard, the dragon with wondrous and beautiful dichromatic eyes! Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Mammosplash: Level 4, 1900 Atk, 2300 Def

Odd Eyes: Level 7, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

Yuto raised his Hand to his Scale 8 Pendulum Monster, "Xiangsheng Magician's Pendulum effect: once a turn, I can give a Monster on the Field the same level as he one of another Monster!"

As Yuto spoke, Xiangsheng Magician shot an arrow from her bow. The arrow was blue-tipped. The arrow hit the ground between Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace and Dusty Robe, enveloping them with a light blue light.

"I give Phantom Knights Dusty Robe the same level as Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace, 2!"

Dusty Robe: Level 4-2

Darkness clicked his tongue out of annoyance at the sight. "Two level 2 Monsters. How troublesome…"

"Here we go! I, using the level 2 Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace and Dusty Robe, overlay!" A yellowish-blackish portal opened in front of the Xyz Duelist as his Monsters turned into purple orbs, flying into the portal and converging, immediately imploding on contact.

"Piercing through ten thousand warriors, the cursed spear of rebellion entombed in darkness, descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!"

Cursed Javelin: Rank 2, 1600 Atk, 0 Def

"I activate the effect of Entermate Mammosplash! By using Monsters on my Hand or on my Field as Materials, I can conduct a Fusion Summon! I fuse Mammosplash with Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Dual-colored eyed dragon! Become one with the blizzard behemoth, and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Ferocious dragon with luminous feral eyes! Level 8! Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Beast Eyes: Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2000 Def

"Oh!" Darkness voiced with a grin on his face, "A member of the Resistance who uses both Xyz and Fusion? Along with this new Pendulum method, eh? How times have changed so quickly. So, by using our prestigious method, you admit defeat and that Xyz Duelists are worthless without using the weapons of their enemy?"

"Shut up!" Yuto blurted out with sudden furiosity. "Using the enemy's weapon is a factor that comes with war. It is what every smart tactician must do. They just give up their hatred for the enemy's weapon. It's not the weapon you people call Fusion spreading the hate! It's the people of Academia who use that weapon. They are the ones who are truly spreading all of the hate! If I keep that ideal in my heart, then I see no reason not to use Fusion. The weapon of my enemy can be used as my weapon as well."

Darkness' grin subsided, and it was soon replaced by a thin line formed by his lips, no readable emotion on his face whatsoever.

"An interesting ideology, I'll give you that. Hell, I'd even say it's a damn smart one. It's too bad you will have to be lost to the Darkness soon enough." He said.

"Listen up, because I'm only going to say it once. I'm not giving up, and I'm not going to lose!" Yuto resolved, standing confidently to his full height as he thrusted his hand outward. "I detach an overlay unit from Cursed Javelin in order to use his effect!"

Immediately after he finished, one of the overlay units orbiting Cursed Javelin disappeared, with Cursed Javelin's weapon beginning to glow with a bright purple flame.

"Once per turn, I can target a Monster you control! That Monster's Attack becomes 0 and its effects are also negated. Of course, I choose Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!"

Cursed Javelin pointed the glowing edge of its weapon towards Slithering Serpent. A purple beam of energy was released and sent towards Darkness

Slithering Serpent: 1800-0 Atk

"With your Monster's Attack 0 and your effect negated, I don't have to worry about anything getting in my way! Battle! Finish this, Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent! Hell Dive Burst!" Beast Eyes leaped into the air, opening its jaw to release a stream of fire hurling towards Slithering Serpent.

The blast connected, and an explosion occurred. A large cloud of smoke enveloped here views of both Yuto and Darkness.

The purple and black-haired Duelist squinted his eyes, trying to see through the smoke to see his enemy. "Did I get him?"

The resident of the Xyz Dimension widened his eyes as he saw Slithering Serpent gone, and Darkness laid out on the ground. He let out a smile of relief as he saw Darkness' life points drop.

Darkness: 4000-1000 LP

"No…" Darkness muttered as he got to his knees, scowling at Yuto with a piece of his mask broken off, revealing a red iris with a black pupil. "NO! IMPOSSIBLE! I CANNOT LOSE! I CAN'T!" His eye widened as red veins could be seen appearing at the edges of his eye.

Yuto punched his fist forward with determination, "This will end it! When Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon destroys a Monster in battle, I am allowed to inflict damage to you equal to the Attack of the Beast-Type Monster used for this Fusion Summon!"

"WHAT?!" Darkness gasped, completely at a loss for words.

"Entermate Mammosplash has an Attack of 1900! So, you'll be taking a dose of 1900 points of damage!"

"NO! PLEASE! STOP! SPARE ME!"

"Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, finish this!"

Yuto pointed forward, his dragon obeying orders immediately. The Monster crashed down to the ground, creating a shockwave and a crater that blew Darkness back. He opened his mouth as an image of Mammosplash appeared alongside him. Another burst of fire was spewed out, burning Darkness and prompting a painful ear-screeching scream to escape the man's mouth.

"AUUUUUUUUUUUGH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…!"

As the flames dissipated, the screaming eventually came to a dead halt. When Yuto looked to Darkness' body, he blinked. When light returned to his vision, he saw that Darkness' body was gone.

"What?" Yuto gaped, shocked at the body's sudden disappearance. There wasn't a trace left. Not a pile of ash. No leftover burnt body parts. Nothing. It was as if nothing was there at all.

It then dawned on Yuto how far he went with his opponent. However, before he could dwell on this, the dark sphere around him began to crack, eventually shattering into multiple dark shards that disintegrated while in the air.

Yuto's lips curved into a triumphant smile.

"Yuto!"

His ears perked up. And the next thing he knew, his entire world went white around him.

He looked to the source of the voice…

There, right in front of him, stood his father. Next to him was his mother, and finally his two brothers.

A warm feeling filled his heart. His family...they were here. They were safe. Happy, even.

"Hey, don't tell me you forgot about us!"

Yuto jerked his head up at the voice. The familiar deep, gruff voice of his best friend rang through his voice multiple times as he looked behind his family.

"Shun…"

Tears began to form in his eyes as he saw Shun with a genuine happy smile on his face. There was no sign of the currently war-torn Shun. Only the Shun that had been before.

The one that had been buried away in the ruins of Heartland.

Alongside him was Kaito, Rio, Ryoga, Allen, Sayaka, and finally…

"Ruri…"

The name rolled off his tongue. He had said the name so many times. Yet this time, this was the most special times of them all.

"Guys...you're all...well." Yuto walked forward, reaching his hand out. To his surprise, at that moment, everyone else began to walk as well. He closed his eyes as a bright smile appeared on his face. One that had disappeared long ago…

"I'm...home."

Whoosh!

Yuto let out a gasp as he felt his body pass through something, with no connection to the tight and strong hands of his father, nor the gentle ones of his mother or the small ones of his brothers.

He stumbled as he felt himself pass through many more things with a resounding shock that scared him to death. He dared himself to slowly look up.

And up.

And up.

And up.

Until he saw nothing in front of him. No friends and family.

Nothing.

He looked behind himself...only to see everyone walking forward.

"No." Yuto mumbled as he began to run towards them, trying not to lose sight of them.

No matter how fast he went, he didn't feel like he was getting any closer. In fact, it was as if he was getting farther and farther from his loved ones as he went along.

"NO! PLEASE! STOP! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

He then found himself stuck to the ground. Frozen in place as stiff as a statue.

Darkness began to spread around his surroundings. Quickly and rapidly erasing all traces of the white light that he saw…

And of his loved ones.

"No...This isn't happening! What's going on?!"

Yuto felt the air leave his lungs as he began to wheeze uncontrollably, suddenly out of breath as if someone had punched him hard in the stomach.

He shut his eyes for a good couple of moments as the light was fully removed from his vision...and the Darkness took over.

He shot open his eyes, only to see a cloud of smoke, the sound of a cackling Darkness resounding from right in front of him.

"Hihihihihi...hihihihi...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

The cold laughs was a gut punch to Yuto in every sense of the word. He suddenly lost all ability to comprehend what was happening. He couldn't compose himself. He didn't what was going on anymore!

He didn't know anything anymore!

What was real?!

"Real…" The word dripped out of Yuto's mouth like running blood. "That...that's what it was…"

"False. Fabricated. Unreal. That is what you just saw. The Darkness in your heart has clouded you, and it has blinded you in your perception of what is reality. We are all bound by what we think is right, just, and true. This is a fact! However, we all are blinded by a rejection of Darkness. A reality without any Darkness at all is merely an illusion. One cannot have Light without Darkness. No matter how much you fear and run from it...Darkness will always be around the corner."

The cloud of smoke cleared, and to Yuto's shock stood Darkness with a Trap Card revealed, his mask repaired, and…

Darkness: 4000 LP

His life points intact.

"Yuto...the Darkness in your heart, I know what it is. You fear being abandoned. Left alone to fend for yourself with none of your loved ones to support you. Trying to reject the possibility of this, you created a false reality free of Darkness. One that blinded you to the truth. A...mirage, if you will."

Yuto widened his eyes, "That Trap Card…"

Darkness smirked, "I activated the Trap Card Clear Mirage. When a Clear Monster I control is destroyed, I can make all damage that would be dealt to me this turn 0."

Yuto's hands fell to his side, "No way…he's...going to defeat me...I…"

Darkness relished the defeated look in the boy's eyes as he took a Card out of his Graveyard slot. "Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent's destruction effect! When this Monster is destroyed, I get permission to Special Summon a Clear Monster from my Hand or Grave except Slithering Serpent itself!"

The eyes on Darkness' mask gleamed as he slammed his chosen Card onto his middle Monster Zone.

"Come forth! Clear Vice Dragon!"

Erupting from the ground came a silver-plated dragon lying inside of a giant crystal. The dragon glared at Yuto, as if it was angry at him for killing its fellow Clear Monster.

Clear Vice Dragon: Level 8, 0 Atk, 0 Def

Yuto's eyebrows raised out of interest. A level 8 Monster? But it has no Attack! Just what is he planning?

"From the Graveyard, I activate the effect of Clear Fusion! By banishing this Card, I can Special Summon a Clear Fusion Monster by returning banished Clear Monsters to my Hand as Fusion Materials! I return Clear Phantom and Clear Rage Golem. Return, Slithering Serpent"

Slithering Serpent bursted out of the Grave, a lust for revenge in its eyes as it stared down Yuto alongside Clear Vice Dragon.

Said boy looked down at the ground, a look of discomfort and sadness driven onto his face.

It wasn't fair! It just wasn't!

Was it too much to ask for one good thing to happen?

Why in the Hell was Academia haunting him in his journey at every turn? Are they just destined to fight?! Is there no other way to avoid it?

...

No.

There isn't.

The only way is to fight.

Win!

"Win. That's all I have to do now. Win."

"Win...at all costs. No matter what the cost. Even if it costs you your soul, you MUST win! Do not hold back AT ALL COSTS!"A voice spoke in Yuto's head, causing him to tense.

Sweat began to pour down Yuto's face as he began to breathe heavily in and out, his heart suddenly beginning to race faster than ever before.

"I…" He struggled to get the words out of his mouth, "...end my turn."

"My turn, draw!

"Not so fast! Once again, I use Cursed Javelin's effect by detaching an overlay unit while targeting Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent!" Yuto interjected hastily with a raspy voice.

Like last time, Slithering Serpent was hit by a beam of purple energy from Cursed Javelin. It went gray, having lost both its effect and all of its Attack.

Slithering Serpent: 2400-0 Atk

Darkness looked up with a small frown at his Monster. However, his frown was immediately swapped with a wide smile stretching from ear to ear when he saw his opponent.

A faint, dark aura began to surround Yuto. It was fluctuating calmly, but there was a distinct feeling of anger hidden within it.

"Hahaha! This is what I was waiting for. It seems things are going to get much more interesting." He spoke as the sound of Yuto's hand slapping his forehead echoed throughout the endless field of darkness. "I'm not surprised though. You do look like him after all."

"Him?" Yuto repeated out of confusion, wincing from the enveloping dark aura. "You mean...that guy from Academia that looks like me."

"You're thinking about Yuri. Unfortunately...that is farthest from the truth."

"What?! Then you must be talking Yuya or Yugo!" Yuto rebutted, only for Darkness to shake his head, leaving the Xyz Duelist dumbstruck. "No way...so that means...that there's a fifth person who looks like us?!"

"In a way, yes." Darkness replied. "But, the one I'm speaking of is much more...special you, Yuri, and the other two."

For a moment, an odd look seemed to cross Darkness' face when talking about this mysterious person. Even behind the mask, there seemed to be some sort of...familiarity between Darkness and the man he spoke of.

The dark-clothed man shook his head, "Look at me getting carried away with myself. I let myself ramble for too long. Hmph! It seems that you're in so much of a rush that you acted recklessly. And that will cost you! You didn't actually think that Slithering Serpent was the Monster I could use against you, right?"

Yuto grunted, preparing himself for Darkness' oncoming assault as well as adjusting to the oncoming rage and darkness in his own head.

Throwing his hand out forward with a single Card lying in between his fingers, he spoke. "I activate the Magic Card Clear Draw of Destruction! I can destroy a Clear Monster in my Hand or on my Field to the Grave and then draw two Cards because of it! My Slithering Serpent will go rest in the Graveyard."

As his Monster disappeared from the Field, Darkness swiped two Cards from his Deck. He glanced at the Cards and smirked.

"I activate Slithering Serpent's effect! When it is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Clear Monster in my Hand or Grave! Join us, Clear Sad Lizard!"

A clear crystal sprouted to the Field. And inside it was a lizard with a blue tone to its skin.

Sad Lizard: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"I activate the Graveyard effect of Clear Fusion! By banishing this Card from the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Clear Fusion Monster in my Grave by returning two banished Clear Monsters to my Hand! Of course, these two Monsters I'm receiving will be Clear Rage Golem and Clear Phantom. And in return, Clear Darkness: Slithering Serpent will return to the Field!"

Darkness added the two Monsters back to his Hand as his Fusion Monster erupted from the Grave with its original Attack and effect returned.

The member of Academia gazed at Clear Sad Lizard. "It's time to show what I've been hiding from you. I activate the effect of Clear Sad Lizard! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Clear Monster from my Hand. Appear, Clear Rage Golem!"

A rocky-like Monster encased by crystal with glowing yellow eyes rose to the Field.

Rage Golem: Level 4, 1600 Atk, 1800 Def

"Oh, this is going to feel good! I…" He paused for dramatic effect.

And it worked, as Yuto began to shake more and more as the silence drew on.

He grinned.

"I overlay my two level 4 Monsters!"

"What?! An Xyz Summon?!" Yuto's jaw dropped out of shock as he saw Darkness' two Monsters enter a portal that spawned in front of him, imploding on entry

"Two nihilistic souls enter the gateway of Darkness! Now accept that Darkness and converge into a greater being! Xyz Summon!" Darkness shouted as a flash of blue shot upwards from behind him. "Come before us! Rank 4! Clear Darkness: Acrimonious Lion!"

Acrimonious Lion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2100 Def

A golden-furred, black-maned lion with red eyes of hatred inside of a crystal like other Clear Monsters appeared to the Field. The animal was clawing towards Yuto with its sharp, pitch-black nails and growling with sharp teeth showing.

The boy didn't care about this way of intimidation however.

What he was more concerned about was…

"Why? Why can you use Xyz Summoning?!"

"Why can I use Xyz Summoning? Oh please don't act as if those of the Xyz and Standard Dimensions have birthrights to Xyz Summoning. Anyone can use it. As long as they can get their hands on the method. Unfortunately for you, it seems that the weapon of my enemy...can be my weapon too…" Darkness said with a chilling smile.

If this man is capable of utilizing Xyz Summoning...then does that mean…?

"Next!"

"Kgh!" Yuto grunted, snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of Darkness' voice.

"I Summon this Monster to the Field. Its name is Clear Receiver Demon!"

A Monster resembling the Card Honest in design appeared to the Field. With differences being dark-colored wings and the replacement of all light colors with black and obviously the crystal cube that came with being a Clear Monster.

Despite its resemblance, this Card has no affiliation or connection to Honest whatsoever.

Receiver Demon: Level 4, 600 Atk, 0 Def

Darkness grabbed another Card from his Hand, "When Receiver Demon is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a level 4 or lower Clear Monster to join it! So, come assist me, Clear Phantom!"

Clear Phantom: Level 3, 1200 Atk, 800 Def

"Hihihihihi! This is where it gets good!" Darkness said with an amused smirk, unable to hide his excitement for his opponent's reaction to his next move. "You see what I didn't tell you...is that Clear Receiver Demon...is a Tuner!"

"A Tuner?! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! That's the last thing I need right now…" Yuto whispered to himself as the dark aura around him flared for a moment, causing him to take a small hiss of pain.

Darkness raised his hand, "I tune the level 3 Clear Phantom with the level 4 Tuner Monster Clear Receiver Demon! Dark soul that lurks to the shadows! Howl to the devil's chime and offer yourself for a new form of Darkness!" A flash of light rushed past Darkness as he let out, "Synchro Summon! Come! Level 7! Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger!"

A tiger with red stripes, brown fur, and glowing yellow eyes encased in a clear cube appeared.

Lustful Tiger: Level 7, 2600 Atk, 1600 Def

With its companions, it stared down Yuto, their eyes saying "You can't stop us now that we are here, so what are you going to do now?"

Yuto could only have a look of awe as he saw the Field. It was just like Akaba Reiji.

Fusion.

Synchro. And…

Xyz.

"Now you will understand the worthlessness of trying to run away from Darkness! I activate the effect of Acrimonious Lion!" Darkness said with the wave of his hand as an overlay unit was dispatched from his Monster. "Once per turn, by detaching an overlay unit, I can target a Monster you control and change its Attribute to whatever I wish!"

A purple outline appeared around Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, signifying that the dual-colored dragon was Darkness' choice.

"Beast Eyes Pendulum Dragon, I change your Attribute from Earth to Dark."

Beast Eyes: Earth-Dark

Changing Beast Eyes' Attribute? What is he planning to do with that? Yuto narrowed his eyes with caution marking every twitch in his body.

"The best part has yet to come. At this moment, I activate Acrimonious Lion's additional effect! This one needs no overlay unit to function. Now for the effect! Once per turn, I can once again declare an Attribute. This Monster can attack for every Monster on your side of the Field with the declared Attribute. Of course, my desired Attribute is Dark!"

Yuto inaudibly cursed under his breath, "There are two Dark Monsters on my Field. So that means Acrimonious Lion can attack twice!"

"Very perceptive! But that won't help when it doesn't do anything for you in the current situation. Now…" Darkness directed his gaze towards his Synchro Monster, "During the turn Lustful Lion is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all Monsters on the Field with an Attribute I declare! Once again, I choose Dark!"

"What?" Yuto looked down at his Duel Disk, which displayed his Field and Darkness' Field.

It didn't display his opponent's Monster effects, but it still showed Attack, Defense, level, and Attribute. And from his Duel Disk, he could see that every single Monster Darkness possessed was Dark Attribute. So, he would only be nuking his entire Field as well!

Unfortunately for him, Darkness was one step ahead.

"I know what you're thinking. 'My Monsters will also be destroyed'. Again, wrong! The effect of my Monsters state that while faceup on the Field, they are not treated as Dark Monsters! Therefore, only your Monsters are destroyed by this effect!" Darkness thoroughly explained with a confident grin.

Yuto let out a gasp as he witnessed the eyes of Lustful Tiger twinkle for a split second. The feral animal floated into the air, popped its head out of the cube surrounding it, and released ear-piercing shockwaves that destroyed both of Yuto's Monsters easily, much to the boy's dismay.

"With this, you're wide open! Clear Darkness: Acrimonious Lion, attack this fool's life points directly!"

The Xyz Monster popped out of its cube and pounced forward towards Yuto, going on the attack.

However, with the click of a button, a Continuous Trap Card was lying face-up in front of Yuto. "I activate the Continuous Trap Entermate Pinch Helper! When a Monster you control declares a direct attack, I can negate the attack and Special Summon an Entermate Monster with 800 or less Attack from my Deck!"

Acrimonious Lion halted its attack, reeling back to its owner as a light silhouette appeared on Yuto's Field. Soon, the Monster revealed itself to be Entermate Amenboat in Attack Position.

Amenboat: Level 4, 500 Atk, 1600 Def

"Then use your second attack to destroy Amenboat, Acrimonious Lion!" The beast bared it's teeth and once again darted in Yuto's direction.

"I activate Entermate Amenboat's effect! When this Attack Position Card is targeted for an attack, I can switch this Card to face-up Defense Position and negate the attack!" Amenboat was covered in a sheet of blue as the Monster took a defensive position. Like last time, Acrimonious Tiger backed off and jumped back into its cube.

"Your very persistent! However, that won't stop Slithering Serpent from destroying your Monster! Go!" Slithering Serpent slithered our of the cube and across the Field, wrapping around Amenboat and destroying him instantly, returning to the cube after the deed was done. "Finally! You have nothing to defend you now! Clear Darkness: Lustful Lion, attack him directly!"

Lustful Lion phased through its cube and unleashed many shockwaves just like last time. Due to the ensuing shockwaves, Yuto was knocked backwards with a cry of pain.

Yuto: 4000-1400 LP

"And this is where I end my turn." Darkness spoke.

Yuto furrowed his eyebrows out of frustration. With the way things were, there was absolutely no way he would be able to turn things around.

He glanced at the only Card in his Hand and loosened his tight gaze.

On second thought…

Oh. Right...

There might be one thing he could do.

He was so stupid. How could he just forget about him. His own ace Monster...

"ACK!"

Yuto suddenly gripped his chest tightly after suffering from a sharp and excruciating pain. The dark aura around him began to radiate and fluctuate violently as his eyes began to flicker from their normal gray hue to a light blue.

The Darkness! It's overtaking me...like all the their times. I can…

ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAR!

I can hear the roar of Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion. Along with...Clear Wing Synchro Dragon? And...what is that...fourth…

Yuto's thoughts drowned out as his eyes finally flashed to a light blue hue, his form bulging for a quick moment as he took a nasty glare at Darkness, who didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

Yuto placed a hand on his Deck, "My turn...DRAW!"

WHOOSH!

A gust of wind lashed out at Darkness. They were so strong that he actually had to brace himself out of surprise.

"Another dose of your power, eh Zarc?" Darkness said out loud, his smile fading into a more serious expression.

Yuto beamed viciously, confident of his victory now. "

"Now, I use the already set Pendulum Scale to Pendulum Summon! Appear before me! My Monster servants!"

Three beams bursted down to the Field right in front of Yuto with great light. The first Monster was from the Grave, it was Entermate Amenboat once again. The second Monster was returning from the Extra Deck, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon. The third one, came from the Hand. It was Phantom Knights Fragile Armor.

Fragile Armor: Level 4, 1000 Atk, 2000 Def

Yuto's body recoiled as he let out a sadistic grin, "Now...is the time...I overlay the level 4 Phantom Knights Fragile Armor and Entermate Amenboat! Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose it with its treacherous fangs! Now, descend! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"

Yuto's blue eyes glowed even brighter as his ace Monster descended. Also, the dark aura shot up even more.

Dark Rebellion: Rank 4, 2500 Atk, 2000 Def

"HAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" A loud laughing sound boomed throughout the field of darkness as a dark purple dragon-like silhouette formed behind Yuto from his aura, looming over him with glowing red eyes...like the Devil.

"Now...is the time...for us...to become one..." Yuto mumbled under his breath. Outside the portal, Yugo and Yuri were reciting the chant along with Sakaki Yuya, who was not in the area at the moment.

"NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO BECOME ONE!

"YES! YES! REVIVE ME! REVIVE YOUR GOD, THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC!"

BOOM!

An explosion occurred, so strong that it actually destroyed dark sphere that both Yuto and Darkness were Dueling in, revealing them to the real world for all to see.

Ruri and Yuzu could both be heard screaming at the sudden explosion, looking to the source in a panic, widening their eyes when they saw the two along with the silhouette.

"Yuto!"

Serena, who was still Dueling Yuri, looked back and forth between all three of the possessed boys. Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri as they both continued to chant the same exact thing with a deep, demonic voice.

The wind velocity in the area began to increase drastically, knocking down some trees, blowing over trash cans. Soon, loud sparks of lightning could be heard flashing across the sky with loud BOOMS of thunder to accompany them.

The hole in the sky began to sink like a tornado would when hitting ground. A funnel began to twist and churn at the city, destroying glass, blowing over cars and even catching some people as well, killing them.

More screams of terror filled the city in one sector as Tops, Commons, and even Academia soldiers fell victim to the tornado-like phenomenon.

People in farther places like the stadium, while they weren't suffering any casualties, were still receiving harsh winds. This caused much turmoil and panic in the audience, especially between the already fighting Tops and Commons.

"What's happening?!" Wondered Sora, who along with O'Brien and Reira, looked over at the vortex.

In other parts of the city, all members of the Lancers looked at the storm with wonder along with other citizens of the city and even members of Academia, who halted their assault.

Soon, a booming voice could be heard.

"ACCEPT YOUR FATES, FOOLISH HUMANS! FOR NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THE RETURN OF I, ZARC!"

"Zarc?" Ruri and her other counterparts including the mind-controlled Rin repeated. For some reason, the name seemed so familiar to them...

Darkness sharpened his gaze at the storm, "Under strict orders from the Professor and myself, I will not allow you to ever walk on human soil again, Zarc! The only way to stop this, is to kill you now!" He turned to Yuto, "And that is by killing him!"

"No!" Yuto boomed, "I will not let you! I activate the Monster effect of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The dark dragon let out a hiss towards Darkness, "By detaching an overlay unit, I can halve the Attack of a Monster you control until the end of the turn. Then, Dark Rebellion gains the lost amount! Treason Discharge!"

Lightning spewed from Dark Rebellion's now open wings, and upon contact weakened Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger.

Lustful Tiger: 2600-1300 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 2500-3800 Atk

"I'm not letting up until YOU DIE! DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON, ACTIVATE YOUR EFFECT AGAIN!"

"No...No…" Ruri from the sidelines murmured with tears streaming down her face as Dark Rebellion sucked more Attack Points away from Lustful Tiger.

Lustful Tiger: 1300-650 Atk

Dark Rebellion: 3800-4450 Atk

"This isn't you...it isn't."

"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB JUST TO DESTROY YOU!"

"Stop...Please…"

"NOW! ODD EYES PENDULUM DRAGON! ATTACK CLEAR DARKNESS: LUSTFUL TIGER! SPIRAL STRIKE BUR-!"

"STOP! PLEASE!" Ruri screamed.

Yuto paused as his comrade made a mad dash for her friend, fighting through the strong gusts of wind that lashed out at her body.

"YOU FOOL!" Darkness shouted, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM! HE'LL KILL YOU!"

Ruri ignored him and kept going. She managed to make it to Yuto's body and get a hard grip on his wrist. It must have been harder than she thought it was, because Yuto immediately began to let out anguished cries and howls.

Her bracelet was blinking brightly the entire time.

"Yuto, stop! Remember who you are. The boy who lost his world and true smile in a city filled with smiles. The boy who wanted to get his world and smile back from those who took it! For yourself...and for the others who also lost their world on that day..."

"I am…" Yuto whispered, his voice distorting for a moment between his demonic one and his regular one as he still flinched from the throbbing pain.

"Yes! You are Yuto! You're not a Demon!" She exclaimed with a hopeful smile.

"No...I'm not. I'm not him…"

"I'M JUST ZARC!" He shouted with a wicked and triumphant grin, washing Ruri's hope away and replacing it with fear. Now, he wasn't even suffering from pain anymore. He was embracing it.

"That's right. I'm Zarc!" 'Yuto' said once again, his eyes changing color to a bright yellow, similarly to his counterparts. He cranking his head to look straight into Ruri's eyes, showing their glowing yellow features and demonic vibe. "INSECTS LIKE YOU CANNOT STOP US, LITTLE GIRL! I WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW YOU WEAK YOU ARE COMPARED TO ME RIGHT HERE!"

At that moment, by sheer strength alone, he forced his hand away from Ruri. The girl let out a yelp of surprise. Yuto grinned at her maliciously, placing inside his Deck holster for a moment to have both hands free.

Ruri stood her ground. She wasn't going to run away. NOT from her friend!

"Oh? A brave one. The brave ones are always the foolish ones. Brave. But foolish as Hell. And always the best to break into pieces!"

Ruri shivered in her place as Yuto caressed her face gently with the coldest of touches she's ever felt. Suddenly, with great speed, Yuto grabbed her hair with a tight grip. Ruri winced with a tiny groan signifying her discomfort.

"No matter what you do to me…" She whispered lightly, "I'm not giving up...on the real Yuto."

His hand quivered for a second, as if a moment of hesitation. As if that just for a moment, the old Yuto came back. But it was shoved aside immediately by an even tighter grip of Ruri's long hair and a yank as well, earning a loud scream from the girl.

"Now...BEGONE INSECT!" Yuto kicked Ruri hard in the side, sending her away with a cough and loss of air. She clutched her side as she was powerless to defend herself from a wave of darkness that Yuto sent at her, striking the stomach and blowing her away instantly.

"Ruri!" Yuzu squealed out of concern as the girl hit the ground nearly unconscious, the world going out of focus.

"NOTHING WILL STOP US! WE WILL BECOME ONE AND REVIVE!"

The words could be heard coming out of all three boys. But...for some reason, there was fourth booming in the area.

Hiragi Yuzu's heart skipped a beat.

"WE WILL BECOME ONE AND REVIVE!"

She could hear it...just faintly, but it was there. That same familiar voice. She turned around, and, walking at a slow limping pace towards them, about quite a fair distance away and yelling at the top of his lungs, was…

"Yuya!"

She instinctively took small steps towards him.

No one stopped her, because no one could. Ruri was could barely move at the moment. Barrett right after his loss to Ruri was immediately sent back to Academia with a look of defeat and disappointment on his face. And everyone else was in a Duel.

"Now, where was I." Yuto muttered to himself, turning back to Darkness, who was seething at the fact that he let one of the people who was supposed to be captured get hurt, possibly injured...or worse.

"Oh right, I remember. ODD EYES PENDULUM DRAGON, ATTACK LUSTFUL TIGER! SPIRAL STRIKE BURST!" Odd Eyes let out a powerful screech of compliance, jumping into the air with orangish-red fire foaming at its mouth.

He reeled back his head as if he was taking a breath and blew hard, releasing a large stream of fire barreling towards Lustful Tiger.

"When Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a level 5 or higher Monster, I can double the battle damage! REACTION FORCE!"

Odd Eyes put even more force and pressure into his attack, eventually overwhelming the Monster and overtaking Lustful Tiger.

Darkness smirked, "It's over! For the sake of myself and the Professor only, your revival shall not commence! I will put an end to this right now!" He thrusted his hand forward, his smirk disappearing, "Its been not nice seeing you again, Zarc, but I'm afraid we have to part ways again! Once per turn, when Clear Darkness: Lustful Tiger battles a Light or Dark Monster with higher Attack Points, the battle damage I would take is split in half between us!"

"WHAT?! NO! YOU CAN'T!"

"I. Just. Did. And remember, I still have 4000 life points. You? You only have 1400, fellow Demon. The damage shared between us is going to be...1850!"

"NOOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN!"

"Goodbye, Zarc!" Darkness grinned as his Monster was finally destroy, causing a large explosion that caused powerful shockwaves that attacked both Yuto and Darkness.

"AHH!" Both yelled out in pain, being blown backwards.

Darkness: 4000-2150 LP

Yuto: 1400-0 LP

Darkness' Monsters disappeared as a result of the end of the Duel. But for some reason, on Yuto's Field, Odd Eyes and Dark Rebellion remained.

"No...My will. My will is stronger than all!"

"I see. Those dragons. The only reason they're still here is because you're mustering what little power you have to keep them there. With them resting and powerless, you cannot resurrect. You are tenacious, Zarc. But it still ends here. ACK!"

Darkness widened his eyes, a sharp pain in his body as he moved to clutch his chest immediately. He breathed heavily, sweat dropping down his face. He glanced to his left to see more than half of his mask destroyed and split into multiple pieces.

"S-Shit! The mask! My...condition…ARGH!" Darkness fell forwards, trying to use his hands to support themselves, but this failed. As a result, he ended up lying on the ground with little energy to move much. "At this rate, I'll be the one dying...need to get...treated!" With his revealed eye, he glared at the grounded Yuto, who still had a dark flaring around his body.

"Damn it! Well done, Yuto...or should I say, Zarc. It seems I will be unable to kill you this time. It seems it will have to wait for another encounter. Let's hope you will provide me with more entertainment next time around..."

Using his draining strength, he clicked a button on his Duel Disk. And soon, Darkness a.k.a Fujisawa Yusuke was transported out of the Synchro Dimension.

And back to Academia.


With Yugo and Rin

Rin watched as Yuto and Darkness hit the ground. She could see a good portion of Darkness's mask fell off. And for some reason, while the man was able to get back to his feet, he was suddenly clutching his chest and letting out frustrated grunts. He collapsed to the ground and teleported back to Academia.

Whatever had happened in that Duel, something was wrong with him. She needed to get back to Academia quickly…

She took a long stare at the angry and possessed Yugo.

On second thought...maybe I should have some more fun...and finish him off.

"What's wrong, Yugo-kun? I thought you were going to beat the crap out of me and get me back. Just too much of a wimp to do it? You can't dare hurt a 'little girl' like me?" She taunted with a mocking chuckle.

"Me? Scared to hurt a girl? Haha! You couldn't be more wrong. I'm not afraid of killing you, so why would I be afraid of hurting you?" Yugo questioned with a cocky smirk.

The smile on Rin's face washed away. She gaped at the boy out of confusion. A minute ago he was a blubbering fool. Now...he was willing to do anything he wanted without remorse or hesitation.

Why the Hell are the weird things happening when I'm on the battlefield? The mind-controlled Rin thought to herself with slight disdain.

"You're bluffing."

"Trust me, fool. My words are the closest thing to the truth you will ever hear in your worthless life." Yugo replied scornfully. "And my actions? They are more true, and will show you just how serious I really am."

Currently, Yugo had Clear Wing on his Field, three Cards in his Hand and no set Cards.

On the other hand, Rin had Windwitch-Crystal Bell (which was equipped with Parasite Fusioner), no set Cards and two Cards currently in her Hand.

Right now, it was Yugo's turn.

Rin: 3500 LP

Yugo: 1900 LP

"From my Hand, I'll be Summoning Speedroid Razorang from my Hand!"

Razorang: Level 4, 2000 Atk, 0 Def

"I use Razorang's effect. Once per turn, I can target a Monster on the Field, by changing this Card to Defense Position, that Monster will lose 300 Attack!" Yugo explained with a cold tone. "I will pick Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! And then, I will activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! When a level 5 or higher Monster on the Field is targeted by a Monster effect, I can negate the activation and destroy the activated Monster! Dichroic Mirror!"

Clear Wing's wings gleamed with green light as rays of light reflected off of them heading straight for Razorang. The Monster was struck by all rays and destroyed.

"And now…" Yugo began.

"Clear Wing will gain the Attack of the destroyed Monster until the end of the turn." Rin said with a bored face, having clashed with the effect to many times to count in the past. "You never change, Yugo."

Clear Wing: 2500-4500 Atk

"Well, I'm sure you won't recognize this, Rin! I activate the Magic Card Supreme King's! The targeted Monster—Clear Wing Synchro Dragon—is now allowed to attack twice this turn! Go, my dragon! Attack Windwitch-Crystal Bell! Whirlwind Helldiving Slasher!" Yugo shouted as Clear Wing flew into the air at high speeds, spinning around and barreling down towards Crystal Bell.

"Hold on one second! If the Monster Parasite Fusioner is equipped to will be destroyed, then I can destroy Parasite Fusioner instead. AHH!" Rin cried out as she was blown back by the shockwaves of the connected attack.

Rin: 3500-1800 LP

"My Crystal Bell will never break! It's going to keep ringing and ringing for all of time to hear! It is an eternal bell!" She declared, recovering from the sudden shock.

"Have you forgotten? My Monster can attack twice."

"...Shit!"

"Clear Wing, attack again and shatter her so-called eternal bell!"

Clear Wing repeated the same process of attack, ending up crashing into Crystal Bell and destroying her instantly.

Rin was sent back screaming, hitting the ground and making a loud scratching sound as her body slid across.

Rin: 1800-100 LP

From the ground, Rin took the initiative and began speaking, fighting through the burning pain in her back and head. "I activate Crystal Bell's effect on destruction! I can target and Special Summon Windwitch-Winter Bell and a level 4 or lower Windwitch Monster from my Graveyard! And since Crystal Bell is no longer on the Field, Clear Wing cannot negate this effect."

Yugo clicked his tongue as he witnessed Rin call out Winter Bell and Parasite Fusioner, the latter immediately creeping backwards at the sight of Yugo.

Winter Bell: Level 7, 2400 Atk, 2000 Def

Parasite Fusioner: Level 1, 0 Atk, 0 Def

"I end my turn here. At this moment, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect ends, and her attack now returns to normal." Yugo droned as Clear Wing let out a long groaning sound.

Clear Wing: 4500-2500 Atk

"My turn, draw!" Rin glanced at her Card and grinned. "The preparations are set. From my Hand, I Summon a second copy of the Tuner Monster Windwitch-Snow Bell!"

Snow Bell: Level 1, 100 Atk, 100 Def

"Following that, I'll be tuning the level 7 Windwitch-Winter Bell with my Snow Bell! Witch of midwinter wind, glide through snow and bring forth a new storm! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Windwitch-Storm Bell!"

Storm Bell: Level 8, 2900 Atk, 2450 Def

Yugo suddenly widened his eyes, "Oh no! I don't anything left to defend Clear Wing or my life points!"

"That's correct, Yugo-kun." Rin said with a mocking smile back on her face again. Now, she was back in control. She could go back to being cocky. There was nothing left he could do to delay the inevitable. With a single hand motion, she declared battle against Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who welcomed the challenge.

The battle was short and merciless. As soon as Clear Wing charged, the dragon froze to death from Storm Bell's fearsome attack.

Yugo: 1900-1600 LP

Yugo let out a cry of pain as his eyes blurred from the ensuing cloud of smoke from his Monster's death. The dark aura around Yugo faded slightly, his eyes dimming just a little bit.

The Synchro Duelist dropped to his knees panting, managing to let out a small, "Rin" between heavy breaths, signifying that he was back to normal for the most part.

"What the hell...huff...huff...just happened? Rin? Rin!" Yugo called out, realizing that he was still in the middle of a Duel. After the smoke cleared, he saw no Monster on his Field and two on Rin's. "Shit! Oh no no no no no no!"

"I activate Parasite Fusioner's effect! By substituting this Card as a Fusion Material, I can conduct a Fusion Summon between this Card and other Monsters. I substitute this Card for Windwitch-Winter Bell!"

"What?!" Yugo exclaimed out of shock. He looked at his Duel Disk and saw Rin's Graveyard, "Rin...you...you have another copy of that Fusion Monster?!"

"Sound of the wind running through a snowfield of midwinter. Become one with the inner voice, and give a more violent echo! Fusion Summon! Appear, bell of crystal echoing solemnly! Wind Witch-Crystal Bell!"

Crystal Bell: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2400 Def

"Rin! No! Don't do it!" Yugo pleaded.

Rin raised her hand, "Windwitch-Crystal Bell…"

"RIN!" She stopped, giving him a look that said she was listening. Yugo's quick breathing halted. Taking one deep breath, he spoke with a soft tone. "Rin...remember who you're fighting. It's me...Yugo! The good for nothing loser you saved. Your kind heart reminded me what it means to be loved...so please, Rin...come back! I don't want to lose you again…"

"Crystal Bell…" She murmured, lowering her arm.

Yugo let out a small sigh of relief as silence once again filled the air.

Except...for three more words.

"Attack Yugo directly!"

Yugo froze as the gust of wind came his way. His entire world paused...completely frozen in orbit. Then suddenly, BOOM! His world was shaken out of orbit…

And he was left on the ground defeated, unable to get up and fight on…

Yugo: 1600-0 LP


Earlier-With O'Brien, Sora, and Reira

The Duel had started picking up again not long after the group saw the hole in the sky. The Duel concluded right before the sphere surrounding Yuto and Darkness exploded.

Obelisk Force 1 had only one set Card on the Field and three Cards in his Hand.

Reira had two set Cards, Film Magician, and three Cards in his Hand.

Obelisk Force 2 had Ancient Gear Megaton Golem and one set Card on his Field along with a single Card in his Hand.

O'Brien had Volcanic Avenger on his Field and two Cards in his Hand.

Obelisk Force 3 had only a set Card and two Cards in his Hand.

Finally, Sora had Death-Toy Mad Chimera, a stolen Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog, the Continuous Magic Death-Toy Sanctuary activated and finally one Card in his Hand.

Currently, it was Obelisk Force 1's turn.

Obelisk Force 1: 3100 LP

Reira: 3400 LP

Obelisk Force 2: 3200 LP

O'Brien: 4000 LP

Obelisk Force 3: 1600 LP

Sora: 2800 LP

"My turn, draw! Magic Card, activate! Foolish Burial!" Obelisk Force 1 activated his Card by inserting it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "With this, I can send a Monster from my Deck to the Graveyard! I send Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon to my Grave! Next, I activate the Continuous Trap Ancient Gear Reborn! Once per turn, if I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon an Ancient Gear Monster that was sent to the Graveyard this turn and increase its Attack by 200! Rise, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon!"

A rumbling sound shook the earth as Ancient Reactor Dragon appeared out of the ground.

Reactor Dragon: Level 9: 3000-3200 Atk, 3000 Def

"Next, from my Hand I'll Summon another copy of Ancient Gear Hound Dog!"

The mechanic dog appeared yet again just like the many others time it has been brought to the Field.

Hound Dog: Level 3, 1000 Atk, 1000 Def

"This Monster can 600 points of damage to my opponent! So, I will activate it's effect now! Shiunin Sora, take these 600 points of damage!"

The dog barked in response, throwing a fireball out of its mouth towards Sora. It hit him in the leg, causing him to drop to the ground with a grimace.

Sora: 2800-2200 LP

"Time to battle! Go, Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon! Attack Death-Toy Mad Chimera!" The mechanic dragon-like creature rushed over to Sora's Field, right for Mad Chimera.

Immediately, Reira came to Sora's rescue, clicking a button on her Duel Disk to reveal a Trap Card.

"I activate the Trap Card Redirect Shutter! When an opponent's Monster battles another Monster, I can change the attack target a Monster I control and they do battle instead!" Reira explained, causing Sora to let out a gasp of shock, prompting the lollipop in his mouth to almost fall out. "Your Monster will now be attacking my Film Magician!"

"Your Film Magician?" Obelisk Force 1 questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Yes. This is because...Film Magician cannot be destroyed in battle! And, when Film Magician battles with another Monster, I can have him gain Attack and Defense equal to the Monster he fights with!"

"Equal?!" The eyes of Obelisk Force 1 widened, "That means only my Monster will be destroyed!"

"Correct!"

Film Magician: 0-3200 Atk

Film Magician clashed with Ancient Gear Reactor Dragon, both floating in one place for quite some time before Reactor Dragon eventually shattered into pieces.

"Nice one, Reira." O'Brien said with a proud smile. The girl had come a long way since they arrived to the Synchro Dimension.

Sora, meanwhile, was gaping with shock at Reira. This is the same kid who had that boring match against Ayu-chan in the Miami Championship? Fighting in the dimensional war? I don't know what I missed but it seems like Akaba Reiji is one crazy dude.

"I end my turn." Obelisk Force 1 concluded, bringing Sora back to reality.

So, Akaba Reira...lets see how you do in your next turn. Sora thought with an interested look on his face.

"My turn, draw!" Reira looked at the Card she drew, letting out a rare smile. "It's here. Here we go, from my Hand, I Summon C/C Critical Eye!"

Critical Eye: Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1000 Def

"Now, I'm throwing down the Continuous Magic Montage Fusion! And I use the effect! Once per turn, if the Materials of a Fusion Monster in my Extra Deck are on the Field, then I can Fusion Summon that Monster using those Monsters as Materials! The Materials required are Critical Eye and a single Earth Monster. So, the Monsters used will be C/C Critical Eye and your Ancient Gear Hound Dog!"

"What?!" Sora blurted out loud with slight anger in his voice.

O'Brien looked at Reira with a stern face, trying to analyze what he was doing. It wasn't a mistake, he had to have done that with a reason. There had to be a reason why he didn't choose Megaton Golem as the Material. It's not like he couldn't. Megaton was more powerful but it was still an Earth Monster like Hound Dog.

So why…

"Mechanic Hound! Dwell in this eye and give me your power! Fusion Summon! Level 6! C/C/C Rock Sword the Embodiment of Fused Arms!"

Rock Sword: Level 6, 2400 Atk, 1200 Def

"Let's battle! Rock Sword, please attack Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"

"Attacking a higher Attack Monster? No, there has to be more to it." Obelisk Force 2 mumbled as he looked to Reira.

"I activate Rock Sword's effect! When it declares an attack, I can have it gain the total Attack of all other Earth Monsters in the Field until the end of the battle! The only other Earth Monsters here are Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog and your Ancient Gear Megaton Golem!"

The combined Attack of Double Bite Hound Dog and Megaton Golem was 4700. So, Rock Sword will gain 4700 Attack.

Rock Sword: 2400-7100 Atk

"7-7100 Attack!" All three members of the Obelisk Force sputtered out of awe.

The next thing the knew, Rock Sword was thrusted into Megaton Golem, and the Monster blew up as a result. Obelisk Force 2 was sent backwards with a cry, being sent back to Academia in midair, his body being gone right before he hit the ground.

Obelisk Force 2: 3200-0 LP

Since the battle ended, Rock Sword's Attack returned to normal.

Rock Sword: 7100-2400 Atk

Reira concluded her turn with a smile, proud that she was able to take one of the Obelisk Force out. She looked at O'Brien and Sora, the latter of which couldn't help but smile as well.

If this is what every member of the Lancers is like, then we definitely have a chance at defeating the majority of the chumps in Academia. With some luck, we could even beat the higher ups like the Doktor and the Professor. Sora thought to himself as he saw O'Brien begin his turn due to the absence of Obelisk Force #2.

"You've done good, Reira. I'm sure Akaba Reiji would be proud of you." O'Brien assured the girl, knowing how she was like from her mannerisms and some information from Tsukikage. "Let me take it from here, okay? I'll make sure to take both of them out right here!"

"Oh? That's a bold claim, Austin O'Brien." Sora said with a smirk, causing O'Nrien to look at him with a momentary serious look.

However, his look faded, and his lips curved into a smirk.

"Just you watch, Shiunin Sora. I'm going to show you shouldn't cross my path. My turn, draw!" O'Brien ripped off the top Card of his Deck with unwavering conviction. "I activate Volcanic Avenger's effect! Once per turn, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal the level of a Fire Monster in my Grave times 200! I pick the level 4 Volcanic Slicer!" He jabbed a finger towards Obelisk Force 3, signifying that he was his target.

Obelisk Force 3 cried out in pain as he was struck by a fist of fire from Volcanic Avengers straight in the stomach, causing him to double over clutching his abdomen.

Obelisk Force 3: 1600-800 LP

"Battle!" O'Brien looked to Obelisk Force 1, who flinched under his gaze, "My Volcanic Avenger will now attack you directly!"

Volcanic Avenger jumped over to Obelisk Force 1, giving him a hard gut punch as well, dropping him to the ground reeling from the pain.

Obelisk Force 2: 3100-600 LP

"It's over. From my Hand, I activate De-Fusion. I return Volcanic Avenger to my Extra Deck in order to Special Summon his Fusion Materials! Ignite anew! Volcanic Slicer! Volcanic Counter!" O'Brien called out the name of his Monsters as soon as they returned from small flames.

Slicer: Level 4, 1800 Atk, 1200 Def

Counter: Level 3, 300 Atk, 1300 Def

O'Brien turned for the final time to face Obelisk Force 3, who was seething with anger at his own helplessness against the enemies.

"Volcanic Slicer, attack him directly!" On O'Brien's command, Volcanic Slicer let out a long breath of fire that burned the body of Obelisk Force 3 along with his life points.

Obelisk Force 3: 800-0 LP

After the flames dissipated, the body could not be found. It was transported back to Academia already.

O'Brien spared his remaining Monster a look, "It seems Volcanic Counter cannot finish you off. Well, I guess I'll have Shiunin Sora do that honors." He closed his eyes, stepping back, ending his turn.

"Alright!" Sora bellowed with a mischievous grin, drawing his Card. He deserted Academia. That was correct. However, that didn't mean he couldn't take enjoyment out of his opponent's suffering, particularly the suffering of the Obelisk Force members and anyone else at Academia for that matter.

He took a step (with Mad Chimera mimicking his movements) towards Obelisk Force 1, who took a step back with a frustrated look on his face.

Sora's grin grew even wider as a snicker escaped his lips.

"I'm gonna have so much fun finishing you off!"


With Yuri and Serena

Like the other Duels, the bout between Yuri and Serena picked up again right after the sphere around Yuto and Darkness was destroyed.

Serena had Moonlight Panther Dancer with 3300 Attack, a set Card and a face up Continuous Trap called Moonlight Serenade Dance, and two Cards in her Hand.

On the other hand, Yuri had just Summoned Starve Venom Fusion Dragon with one set Card and two Cards in his Hand.

Serena: 3400 LP

Yuri: 1600 LP

It was currently Yuri's turn.

"Let us carry on, shall we? So that once you're out of the way, we can finally become one!"

Out of all of the counterparts, Yuri was the closest to his original personality under Berserk Mode. There were some slight changes, but they were so small that the only thing that weirder Serena was the eyes and the dark aura. Oh, and the chanting of becoming one as well.

"I activate Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's effect! Once per turn, when this Card is Fusion Summoned using only Monsters on the Field, he gains the Attack of all Special Summoned Monsters that you currently control until the end of the turn." Yuri explained with a smirk as a dark purple aura soon surrounded Starve Venom as well, the dragon letting out a ferocious roar to boot, making it all the more threatening.

Starve Venom: 2800-6100 Atk

"Now, I'll activate another one of Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's abilities! Once per turn, I can target a level 5 or higher Monster you control. That Monster will have its effects negated and this effect will be replaced with that effect until the end of the turn. Unfortunately, Panther Dancer's effects won't be negated due to her effect but...I still get them, because it doesn't negate my effect, does it?"

Starve Venom unleaded his tail, sailing right for Panther Dancer to suck out her effects for himself.

"Panther Dancer won't negate Starve Venom's effect. But this will!" Serena exclaimed as she removed a Card from her Graveyard, "I activate Moonlight Crimson Fox's effect! When a Card or effect is activated that targets a Moonlight Monster I control, I can banish this Card, negate the activation and give us both 1000 life points!"

As she spoke, Crimson Fox was banished, Starve Venom's tail bounced off an invisible force field between him and Panther Dancer, protecting the Moonlight Monster. A light green outline appeared around Serena and Yuri momentarily, showing their healing life points.

Serena: 3400-4400 LP

Yuri: 1600-2600 LP

"It seems you managed to escape a big loss just now. No matter, I know you won't be able to escape this! Battle! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon! Attack Moonlight Panther Dancer! Starving Toxic Blast!"

Starve Venom opened one of his three mouths, unleashing a wave of some sort of toxic substance towards Panther Dancer. It stuck to Serena's Monster, dissolving her and destroying her within seconds.

The shockwaves caused by the destruction of her Monster caused Serena to shield herself, letting out a grunt as she did so.

Serena: 4400-1600 LP

"After that, I will activate my Quick-Play Magic Card Cyclone! With this, I can destroy a Magic or Trap on the Field. Say goodbye to your Moonlight Serenade Dance." A spinning cyclone shot out of the Magic Card, tumbling towards Serena's Trap Card. It was enveloped by the vortex and destroyed. "I set a Card and end my turn. At this moment, Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's effect ends, and his Attack returns to normal."

Starve Venom: 6100-2800 Atk

"It's my turn!" Serena announced, drawing her Card. "By paying 800 life points, I am allowed to activate the Magic Card Re-Fusion! I get to Special Summon a Fusion Monster in the Grave and equip it with this Card. Return, Moonlight Panther Dancer!" Serena exclaimed with a dry smile as her Monster returned from the Grave.

Serena: 1600-800 LP

Panther Dancer: Level 8, 2800 Atk, 2500 Def

"Now, I reveal my set Card!" Serena spoke, clicking a button on her Duel Disk. "It is the Magic Card named Moonlight Fusion! With this, I can conduct a Fusion Summon from my Hand or Field as Materials! So, I use the Moonlight Panther Dancer on my Field, and the Moonlight Blue Cat and Moonlight White Rabbit in my Hand!"

Serena's desired Monsters swirled in a vortex-like manner as the former member of Academia recited a chant. "Elegant beast dancing on the moonlit wilderness! The cat prowling in azure darkness! The lively white rabbit illuminated by moonlight! Swarm in a vortex of the moon's gravity and revive with a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The king of beasts dancing atop the summit of the moonlight wilderness! Moonlight Lio Dancer!"

Serena clasped her hands together and brought them down with determination as another one of her well-known Fusion Monsters rose to wage battle against Yuri.

Lio Dancer: Level 10, 3500 Atk, 3000 Def

"Moonlight Lio Dancer can attack twice during each Battle Phase! And after her first attack, all Monsters you control are destroyed. Finally, as you should know, Lio Dancer can't be targeted or affected by your Card effects. So, don't even think about using Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's final effect! I'm over such tricks...Yuri."

"Hihihihihi!" Came out of Yuri in the span of a second.

"Huh?"

"AHAHAHAHA! YES! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE TAKEN FULL CONTROL!" A booming voice came from Yuri, Yugo, Yuto, and a nearby Yuya who scared the crap out of Yuzu as a result.

"What the…?" Serena looked around to see powerful wisps of dark aura swirling around the area like mist.

"NOW IS THE TIME FOR MY REVIVAL! NOW IS THE TIME WE BECOME ONE!"


Yuto…

"What the hell is this place?! Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff! I want to get out of here! I...I...I..I don't know what I'm doing anymore! I don't know what I should do!" Yuto, in his dark mindscape of sorts clutched his head, collapsing to his knees out of defeat, his legs hitting water.

The atmosphere changed as soon as they did.

"I wonder what if feels like to be you, Yuto." A deep voice spoke. "Comrades that will soon fall like the rest. Already fallen comrades whose existence will soon be forgotten. No idea where to go in life. Not now. And not after the war. Stuck on a path of Destiny. One that is pointless to fight against. So come...give into your Darkness. You can be relieved of all your pain with Z-ARC."

"Z-ARC? But...how will I know that the pain there will be worse?"

"You won't. That's the best part...Yuto. I wouldn't try resisting. Once again, your will has been broken. The other times it was forged from very little fragments. But now...I think the shards are just too small to piece together. With Z-ARC, you'll have a HOME. No ACADEMIA. Living FRIENDS. FAMILY. Everything you ever wanted...So, after hearing my proposition, will you accept Z-ARC, Yuto?"

"Yes...we shall…"


Yuya...

"Where am I now? I thought I was just in the real world! When will I stopped being kicked in the balls! Will...will I ever be able to feel my friends ever again?"

"Yes. You can feel your friends again, Sakaki Yuya." A deep voice entered his head. "Son of the missing Sakaki Yusho. Separation from his friends. Barely any family. Forced into things that forced him to give up a dream he still longs for deep down. Entertainment Dueling."

"No! Stop! I gave up Entertainment Dueling! I want nothing more to do with it!"

"You cannot lie to me, Sakaki Yuya. I know everything about you. I've been with you your entire life, after all. You may have quit Entertainment Dueling. But deep down in your heart, the old you wants to take a crack at the world to make people smile."

Yuya was silenced at this.

"Don't worry. There is a solution...with Z-ARC."

"Z-ARC?! What is that?!"

"Your key to eternal salvation. You can have whatever you want with Z-ARC." The voice preached. "Smiling kids. Peace. Friends. No war...and your family can finally be complete as well, Yuya."

Yuya widened his eyes as the image of him being with his mother and father together. Taking a picture. Going on picnics. Going to the beach. Having fun…

Together. As if he never left.

He...could have that?

"With this in mind... Sakaki Yuya, will you accept Z-ARC and therefore your greatest desires?"

...

"Y-Yes..."


Yugo…

"DAMN IT! NO NO NO NO NO! I FUCKED IT ALL UP AGAIN! Why...why do I have to screw up so bad?" Yugo whimpered in a sad tone. "When it matters most...I always mess up…"

"Poor Yugo. Scarred by his experiences and past mistakes." A deep voice played through his ears.

"What the helll was that?!" Yugo shot his head up, looking around the dark mindscape only to see nothing.

"You cannot see me. But I assure you, I am here, Yugo. I just want to tell you some things. Hopefully, you will make a life-changing decision because of it."

"A life-changing decision? WHAT THE HELL COULD FUCK UP MY LIFE MORE THAN THIS?!" Yugo shouted with tears streaming down his face.

"Let's see here. Didn't meet biological parents. No friends in old orphanage. Eventually was shut down by those you hate and was thrown onto the streets with caretaker and other kids as a result. All the others either left, starved, or killed. The latter was true for your caretaker, the only person to show your love. All at age 5. Came into another orphanage and still suffered from solitude for 3 years. Rin approached you at age 8 and your life began to light up."

Yugo grit his teeth out of anger as the voice ran down through essentially his entire life story.

"Finally, 6 years later...an agent of Academia came along and took a Rin away from you. You made a promise her to win the Friendship Cup along with her, and now that promise was shattered. Now, you met Rin and tried to keep another promise in bringing her back. But you failed in that too now, didn't you?"

"SHUT UP!" Yugo shouted, punching the air repeatedly as hard as he could, trying to make some sort of connection in order to harm the voice as much as he wanted.

"What if I told you that could all be undone."

Yugo froze. His fist hung in midair as he processed the information.

"All be undone? But...that's impossible! All of the things that happened in the past 9 years of my life? Undone? Just like that?!"

"Yes. As long as you join with Z-ARC, you can have anything you desire. Whether it'd be a family. An alive caretaker. A well-paid home in the Tops or somewhere in between. No, in fact, maybe a world with Tops and Commons. One where you'd stand at the top with the girl you love. With her by your side, ruling over the city. Very minor quarrels. No poverty. Equality between all. No shattered promises between friends. It could all be yours. Just side with Z-ARC."

"Just align myself with...Z-ARC?" Yugo muttered to himself, considering the choice.

"Yes. You could have anything you wanted. So, do you join?"

With an offer like this with seemingly no drawbacks. The answer was obvious.

"Yes, I do."


Yuri…

Yuri shot open his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He looked around the surrounding area to see a dark, blank mindscape with nothing in it.

"What the hell is this place? That Yugo idiot's bank account?"

"Hello, Yuri."

"Wait! So is this Fusion's bank account?" Yuri asked, not fazed by the appearance of the sudden deep voice.

"I knew you would be the most interesting counterpart of them all. The other three are too weak and emotional. You on the other hand...are different."

"Yo, Purple Poison Magician."

"I-what?! You know who I am?" The voice asked, surprised, suddenly becoming more feminine.

"No. That was just a fucking guess. I know who you are now. Call it a hunch. Though...I didn't expect you to be female. Have we met before?" Yuri asked, feeling a bit of familiarity from the voice.

"Enough chit-chat. I assume you know why I'm here."

"Does it have to do with that stupid Darkness thing that possessed me once and is currently possessing me right now?" Yuri enquired.

"Yes! Yes it does!" The voice exclaimed with an exasperated tone, suddenly starting to get annoyed with Yuri. "So, I am here to ask if you will join with Z-ARC."

"Who's Z-ARC?"

"You'll find out later, now shut up and try to act like you're surprised."

"I've been through a lot of shit in my life. Not much 'surprises' me now."

"I figured. Anyway, back to Z-ARC. If you join up with Z-ARC, you could have everything you ever wanted in life. Everything you were cheated out of. Friends. Family. The acknowledgement of your existence. You name it. You could even take back that one thing you regret."

Yuri paused, actually becoming hesitant for once after hearing the last part. He knew what the voice was talking about. And he knew that she wasn't talking about his separation from Serena. It was the one thing in life he truly regretted…

"You could have all of that Yuri, and more." Purple Poison Magician continued. "Just as long as you side with Z-ARC."

Yuri smirked, and he began to chuckle.

"What is so funny?"

"Oh nothing." Yuri said with an amused smile. "It's just that I don't desire friends or family anymore. I am amused that you think that I would want any."

"Your heart seems to-"

"My heart doesn't know shit compared to me. What's in my chest can't compare to what's here." Yuri pointed to his head. "Now, as for your offer. Yes, I will take it. I heard the things that thing outside was saying. And I say I'm enjoying the power spurts he gives. So, for my answer…"

Yuri closed his eyes.

"I will gladly accept."


Back to the Real World

"KYAAAH!" A female scream, one Serena immediately recognized.

"Yuzu!" She looked to her direction to see her on the ground looking at Yuya, who had his arm at his side as if he smacked her to the ground. He continued to walk past her, and soon, all the other boy's began to do the same.

Ignoring everything, whether they were on the ground, or in a Duel. They walked. Walked towards each other at an equal pace.

Rin, the victor of her Duel looked at her defeated opponent easily rising to his feet, slowly stomping over to his counterparts.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The pattern continued. Everyone wanted to do something to stop it, but they were too stunned by what was happening to actually act.

Ruri, who was still aching from the blows Yuto gave her, reached out her hand. "YUTO! DON'T GO! THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAVE! EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO PROTECT! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GIVE UP ON THAT NOW?!"

The only response was this by all four Yu-boys.

"Become one. Must become one. WE MUST BECOME ONE!"

Damn it! Sora cursed inwardly. There must be something I can do to help out right now! I feel so useless! Wait, is that Yuya?

"Yuya?" O'Brien murmured at the sight of the boy.

"No...Yuya! I don't want to lose you again! I won't!" Yuzu resolved, fighting the pain she received and rising to her feet. Ruri did the same.

After seeing both of her counterparts moving as fast as they could to the four boys slowly approaching each other, Serena decided to pitch in and help.

Rin was the only one who stayed away, for obvious reasons. Frankly, she thought Yuri could handle himself.

The four boys stopped walking. Each so close to each other one could drive a small rhombus in the space between their feet. They all held their arms up in the air to their sides, looking up at the hole in the sky.

The pendant in Yuzu's pocket began to glow a light blue, and in Yuto's Deck Stargazer and Timegazer lit up in the same color as well.

In the air, in the middle of Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. A Card in the same color as Stargazer, Timegazer, and Yuya's pendant appeared.

If one looked closely, one could see the name of the Card.

Astrograph Magician.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" All four boys screamed, a respective color enveloping their entire eyes as veins sprouted on their faces and the dark aura surrounding them more rampant and wild as ever.

Completely red eyes for Yuya. Complete blue for Yuto. Complete green for Yugo. And finally completely purple eyes for Yuri.

A dark aura erupted from the ground, covering them all as they recited a chant in unison.

"Astrograph Magician who watches over all of Space and Time! We superimpose our wishes with your profound power!"

The light blue hue on the Card faded, and the real spirit of the Monster on the Card appeared. It was a blue-clothed Monster with a staff and light stars ridden on the inside of his cape. He raised his staff into the air, preparing to start a ritual of some sorts.

The four dragons then came over and hovered over their respective owner, howling up at Astrograph Magician as if awaiting the ritual to commence.

"Whatever is happening, we need to stop it!" O'Brien yelled to Sora, who nodded his head in response, both running towards the four boys with Reira following as well.

Fortunately, Ruri, Serena, and Yuzu were already there.

They each grabbed their respective Yu-boy, albeit with Serena grabbing Yugo instead of Yuri.

They all looked at their bracelets as they felt the harsh darkness eat at their clothes and skin. They all let out cries of pain while the Yu-boys all let out triumphant laughs.

"WE WILL NOW BECOME ONE ONCE AGAIN! BEHOLD! THE ULTIMATE EXISTENCE, THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC!"

Towering over the city came the ghostly image of a large dark dragon. It's wings seemed to be covering itself, as it was only a disgusting crackling color of brown with bright yellow for the eyes. The only other thing was the green lining patches of the dragon's face. The lines went down to the neck, but the rest was covered by wings.

To say that the dragon didn't attract attention was an understatement.

"I AM THE SUPREME KING DRAGON Z-ARC! YOUR RULER AND OVERSEER! LET ME SHOW YOU A FRACTION OF MY HEAVILY SEVERED POWER!"

The dragon opened its mouth, charging a green-like energy inside, ready to open fire at a section of the city.

"What the hell is that?!" Multiple Tops and Commons were asking. Most of the Commons were actually thinking that this was some weird trick that the Tops were using to actually be rid of them.

"THIS! IS TRUE STRENGTH!" The green energy in the dragon's mouth was launched, zooming to a far section of the city. The ball of energy connected with the ground their and exploded.

BOOM!

Nearby areas could hear many screams and loud bangs at that moment.

Many Tops and Commons alike were killed or injured in the explosion, their bodies and buildings being eradicated instantly and others being immensely damaged beyond repair.

"JUST WAIT UNTIL I AM FULLY REVIVED FOOLS! THEN I WILL GIVE OUT JUDGEMENT TO THIS PITIFUL WORLD!"

Everyone could hear the voice.

Including those in the park.

"NO!" Yuzu shrieked, glancing down at her bracelet, which was still twinkling brightly but not transporting any of the boys like it should. "I won't let anything bad happen anymore! Come on, you stupid thing, work! PLEASE WORK!"

"We will become one."

"Why the hell is this thing so useless?!" Serena shouted at her bracelet, wondering why it was only twinkling and not doing anything else.

"We will become one!"

Ruri also had her silent pleads for the bracelet to actually do its thing.

"WE WILL BECOME ONE!"

As if accepting their needs and desires, the bracelets let out the brightest light yet (including Rin's, which confuzzeled her greatly just like the others).

The open-mouthed smiles on each of the Yu-boys faces immediately faded.

"WHAT?! WHAT IS GOING ON?! YOU! RAY! YOU CONIVING BITCH! I WILL NOT LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS! I WILL NOT LET YOU STOP ME AGAIN! I WON'T!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" All four Yu-boys let out strained screams as they experienced the worst pains they have ever felt in their entire life.

A bright light filled the entire park, temporarily blinding everyone there. The screaming of the Yu-boys disappeared. And soon, the Astrograph Magician Card along with the actual Monster did as well.

The big dragon in the sky also faded away. Unfortunately, the damage the dragon performed was still done. It couldn't be undone. The damage was already done. And the people that died are dead forever now.

All four dimensional dragons stopped roaring, and soon they disappeared as well.

When the light in the area cleared, O'Brien, Sora, and Reira looked to where the girls and the Yu-boys were.

To their surprise, they found that almost all of the Yu-boys were gone, and all of the bracelet girls laid out on the ground.

There was one Yu-boy still there. And Yuzu was lying on top of him.

Yuzu slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw tomato red hair.

She screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She jumped off the body, pulled out her fan and slapped the owner's face instinctively.

"OWW!" The boy cried out loud, letting out a hiss of pain as he stood up from the ground. "What the hell was that?!"

THUD!

The sound of Yuzu's fan hitting the ground.

"Y…"

No. This was too good to be true. Was he actually back?! Like, truly back as his usual happy-go-lucky self.

"Yu...ya…" She croaked.

He turned around and looked at her with a stunned face.

"Yuzu…"

His smile appeared in her head. Yes, he was here. The happy idiot who wanted to make people smile. Sakaki…

"YUYA!"


Card Catalog

(Once again, I'm too lazy to fill this out at the moment. I don't really want to sine there were a couple of Cards I have to do.)


AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! FUCK! That was some of the best torture I've ever put myself through.

Welcome back, guys! I am back...for now!

If you're wondering why it took long to update, I actually have some pretty good excuses ready. First, this chapter was god awful long. I wanted the Yuto and Darkness Duel to be as good as possible so I took my time. Then, I had to finish the other three Duels which was longer than I thought.

Also, recently, I had to temporarily move countries to visit family for summer vacation. I departed on July 3rd I believe. So, I spent the days before packing and stuff, then I spent a day or two traveling. A couple more days recuperating and spending time with family and obviously since I'm here I hardly have time to write. So, don't worry nothing is actually wrong with me.

I don't know but I might be able to upload 1-2 more chapters by the time the summer's up. If I remember correctly, I did like 8 chapters last year somehow. Well, I'm definitely not going to be able to pull that off, especially when I'm working with a second fanfic this time around.

1 more thing, sometimes I might not be able to actually post the chapter at times I want. For some reason, this site goes poops out once in a while so I cannot access the website sometimes. Hell, for the first week I was here I couldn't on at all.

So, I know I'm going to get comments about how Yuri and Serena's Duel was a No Result. This was for a couple reasons. 1. Serena's not getting captured. If Yuri got transported, then there would be no need for her to lose. It would just add another loss to record (and she doesn't have a big win in this fic yet, kind of my fault). 2. They will Duel again, and there a result will be made. 3. I thought it would be better to have a No Result to show to Yuri that Serena has grown. She just Summoned a big beater, she could have beaten Yuri. In the past, she lost most Duels she's had against him. Sure, he probably doesn't care but it's still there.

Also, about Yuri's interaction with Purple Poison. This is my take on how Yuri would react due to his personality. I do think I stretched the dialogue and made a little bit out of character but I think they do stay true to his nonchalant character and chill even in danger attitude.

Anime100: I said a while ago that Yuya will have his own body back I believe. Well, here we are. I have an idea for a Duel that involves him during the final hours of this arc.

DivadX: I don't think I received any PM. Let me check, I'll PM you if that's not the case.

Neonecrodarkman: I'm glad you care a little bit about Barrett now. I thought I was a little over-the-top with it, but I'm glad you're alright with it. That was the intention of his backstory, to show his motivations and why he is so loyal to Akaba Leo as seen in the anime.

Heart of the mem: I don't know what United Duelist Academy is. Can you explain it please? I'm kind of interested now, lol.

Bridgey: I'll have something special for Barrett when the Lancers get to Academia. I don't remember if it was addressed this chapter, but Barrett was transported back to Academia. If it's not stated what happened to him, then please tell me, I'll fix it as soon as I can.

Wooh! That was a doozy. That's all for this chapter guys, I'm beat!

Anyway, due to the time difference between where I am and where you guys are this chapter might be posted at an awkward time. It's actually 2:48 literally as I'm typing this.

Anyway, that's all for now guys, take care, goodbye!