Yu-Gi-Oh! 5 Deluxe Dragons
Disclaimer: This one doesn't own the Yugioh series.
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Chapter 7 –The Lone Light & At The End of Truth
Over with Jack at the tower Asilla Piscu, the silver-colored riding duelist reaches the area. Once there, he notes nobody is there. He isn't going to lie down and finish this without his answer, so he shouts, "Carly! Carly, where are you!?"
That's when he hears the revving of an engine. Looking over to the side, he spots a crimson D-Wheel with orange markings riding up off a ramp. It lands with a screech against the floor, before coming to a halt. The rider, however, falls off on the other side, her legs raised. "Ouch!"
Jack dismounts and goes to her side, only to stop when she holds a hand out to him. She then gets up, her eyes and markings clear to her even under the helmet. "You made it, Jack. My dearest Jack. It seems my premonition will come true."
"So, it's really you, Carly."
"It is. I have come back from the bowels of hell to face you as a Dark Signer."
"What do you mean? How did this even happen?!"
"Divine." She removes her helmet and looks at it. "I couldn't just let you go, so I infiltrated the Arcadia Movement, where I was killed by Divine."
"He… he what?!"
"Blasted me right through the windows, hundreds of feet in the air, where I came back as this undead soldier."
Jack clenches his fists in frustration. "So you weren't sacrificed by the Earthbound Gods… then, if I could-"
"You thought you could bring me back if you played in the hand of fate? Sorry, but destiny had other designs for us. Don't tell me you're not going to duel me now that you know it's me."
"Don't you believe it! If you're going to point a gun at me, then you've already given up your guarantee of life!" Jack reseats himself.
"Of course." Carly throws the helmet back on, ready to accept what she must. He is a Signer, and she is a Dark Signer. Even if she loves him, she'll have to follow through.
She summons her geoglyph, smiling while she turns. "Come now, Jack. Let's begin our destined duel. I spent a whole day learning how to ride just to face you at your best."
Popping a wheelie, she rides off first with Jack in pursuit.
Looking back briefly, Carly says, "It's funny how fate can be ironic. I became this chasing you, and in turn, you're now chasing me."
"What are you getting at?"
"You'll see. Speed World, Set On!"
Jack turns on his duel mode as things begin for them.
"Duel!"
Jack Atlas: 4000
Carly Nagisa: 4000
…
Over in the distance, Mikage and Aki notice the geoglyph of the hummingbird appearing in the skies. The former steps on the brakes, staring up with intense worry.
"It's begun." Aki looks at her birthmark glowing bright red. She then notes Mikage has grown incredibly worried, and unfocused on her task of sending Aki to where she needs to go.
"Aki-san…" Mikage keeps looking at the sky. "Please… can I stay and await the result?"
Looking at her, Aki gets this feeling of Mikage and wants to better understand it. Although, deep down, she probably does. "Okay."
As the duel proceeds, Crow can be found driving his D-Wheel to the scene. As he gets closer, he sees the dark purple flames burning around the battlefield. He even hears something akin to the ground shaking. Eventually, he makes it to a high enough level and spots Jack with his opponent.
But, instead of dueling, they've stopped to have a conversation. "Jack…" Crow turns on his Duel Monitor to watch the battle, and sees his blond buddy in a precarious position.
"Look, Carly! The Carly I know isn't the type who would be happy turning the world into hell!"
"That… that's not true!" she shouts in denial, turning her machine to continue the riding duel. "I came back as a Dark Signer to dye this terrain black together! So the two of us can rule the world! That is the fate that was appointed to me!"
"That's wrong!" Jack shouts back, ignoring the blood on his face. "Back then, I was toyed by a sham of fate and lost all direction. And you were there to help me wake up. I hadn't forgotten what you said, and now I'm here following your advice and deciding how I live. Now it's your turn to decide."
"Decide?"
"Change Destiny has another effect; upon attack negation, my opponent can choose one of two effects: either I take damage equal to half of the attack points of the monster I stopped, or you gain life equal to the same amount."
"What's this about, Jack? You barely squeezed by Earthy's assault, and now you're going to get hit again?"
"Not the point I'm making: you should know as well as me that fate isn't always the answer! Because only we get to decide our future. Now, Carly, choose your destiny for once!"
This honestly gives her pause. Obviously, the better effect would be dealing damage; he will be accepting the fate she has ordained best. 'Jack you fool.' Turning around, she smirks darkly while pointing, saying, "I shall activate the effect of Change Destiny to…"
Her eyes meet his, and she stops once again. "I shall activate the effect…"
She tries. She tries so hard. But in the end… "I shall regain life points equal to Earthy's attack."
Blue light flashes over Carly, bringing her life up to 5000. Realizing what this means, Jack speeds up to meet her. Carly's eyes have returned to normal.
"Carly."
"Jack, I'm sorry. I don't want to do this after all!"
"Of course not. You're not that type of woman."
At that moment, it happens. Dark energy billows from her mark as it sears into her.
W̴̨̪̜̩̭̦̺̍͋͐h̴͕̙͎̦͉̄̑ạ̵̛͋̆͂͋͠ṯ̵̜̲͕̐̇͌́ ̶͚̪̾y̸̨̛̖͇͔̙o̵̳̮̍͊ų̵̛̞̦̠̹̱͝ ̸̜̗̜̘̖͉̳̯̇̒̇́̋̚d̸̢̨̙̯̜̟̘͔̍͐̓̔́͘͠e̴̪̣̤͋͂̋s̵͇̻͉͔̲̬̾i̴̬̘̩̭͋͆̇͒r̷̪̤̦̮̬͆̉̈́͐̽e̴͍͔͔̮̻̱͇͛͊͑̕̚͜͝͝ ̴̧̳̞̘̼̐̍͂͛m̷̤̦̤̟͗͐̈̂̃̚̕ą̸̳̠̫̞͌̈́̃͝t̷̥̹͙̹͇̘͖̎̽̀ṱ̴͓̌̒̃̐͝ĕ̸̱̣͔̾r̷̻̠̫̬͉̀s̸̛̟̀́͛̚͠ ̸̧͓̘̭̫̮̔̓̈́̿͑ṅ̸͇̙͔̼̭̥͌͊͗̽̈́̿̂̕ỏ̸̜̹͈̥̣͆t̶͉̑͆͌͆̐͗͠!̷̗̿ ̵̳͗́́̌̊̕Ț̷̩̀̀̽̒̉̒̔̚͝ḩ̷̛̣̥̗̞̳̈̎͌̆̌̚į̸̪̩̻̜̩͋̃̽͌̀̕͘s̴̖͚̙͆͗͒͌͛ ̸̗̞̼̈́̎̂̄̍̒b̵͈̫̙̺́͌͐̆́̾̓͜a̵̡̢̮̮̬͉̙̦͑ͅt̷͔̔t̶̨̯̼̥̥̞̹͂̎̈́l̸̨̝̼̥̥͗̂̇͐̕e̴̻͚͕̤͔͍̒̈́̇́̉ͅ ̴̟̹͒͒̉í̶̛͚͉͖̟̝̜͔̇̇̑̕͠s̸͉̣͒ ̵̢̝̯͇̭͇̪̔̒́͠ÿ̴̢͎̦͔̲̻́̎̅̒̓̈́̾͒ỏ̶̙͚͜ủ̴̗̰̱͈̹͉̞̭ŗ̸̱͋̀͗̈́̾̑ ̴̡͙̹̭̣̹͎̄̒̔̓̃̓͜f̵̢̡̟̩̄̈́͆̉̎͗͠a̸̡̢̭̗̙̣̼̋̎͂̊̀̍t̸̨͇̱̜̩̅̓̀͊̃ḛ̴͈̠̿͛̒ ̴̠̮̤̭̒͌̊͌̈̆̐̒͋a̵͎͎̤̫͕̺̾̒̍͒͜p̷͓͚̤̞͕̭̃͆͛̑̾́͊͝p̵̡̳̟̊o̵̧̖͙̳͔͈̳̓͂̌͊̓̎͋̚͠i̸͍̮̹̼͖̥͘ͅn̸̪͚͈̿̀͝t̵͈̩̯̳̦̝̲̔̀̃̊̽̈́̚͘ȩ̴̧̜̘̩̉̾̀̈́̋̈́̃ď̴̨̙͎̙̭̠͓̻͔̐̕ ̷̡̛͔̜̝̲̣͙̺̓̐́̈́̚â̵̡̹̻̟̟͎̓̓̑͒̕͝s̵̢͓͌̍̋ ̷̠͔̲̩̬͆a̶̛͎̰͙̯̻̍͊̕͜ ̸̻͚͋̕Ḏ̸͖̬͖̔̆̿ȃ̶͎̜͚̮̠̈̀̈̆̍̔̇̍r̶̮̔͘k̷̩̬̥͒̅̏ ̸͉͎̮̻͋̈́̎̓̌S̸̨̭̣̦̱̜̔̽͠i̸͖̞̜̯̦͍̯̬̲̔̿g̸̖̙͚̍̾͋n̴̡͎̜̭͈̙̊͐̀̚͜é̷͎͎̲̗̋ř̸̲͕̹̘̅̀̂̃͜͝!̴̢̰̻͈̙̙̥̲͕͒̈́̀̄̄̿̎
The darkness rises in the form of a hummingbird.
"So! You're the one who's been manipulating Carly!?"
C̸̘͂̄ả̴̫̺̍ŗ̴̤̿̐l̴̹̓y̷̘̟͒͑,̸̛̹̩̞͐̌ ̶̳͉̾f̷̞̥̬͑i̶͕͉̜͊̃͠n̸̯͍͋ì̸̤̮̙s̴͔̭̚h̴̯̥̝̑̄͑ ̴̺́͂̓ṯ̶͕̥̓ḧ̶̞́͝é̶̠̞̻̚̚ ̶̥͂ď̸͕͓ŭ̸̲̻̖e̷̥̻̹͌̈́̓l̵̩̹͒̒͝!̶̤̰̃͊ ̵̢͖͊̆Ẏ̴̨̪̰͂o̷̥̲͛͆u̷̬̼̓͌̈́ ̵̮̐͗h̵̡͖̥͌͊a̵̞͆v̴̬̗͒ė̵̢̲͛ ̷̖͉̃n̶̰͍̻͐͐͂o̵͙̪͖͑ ̶̠̭̎͜c̶̡͍̳̏̐̀h̴̗̩͂͋̕ȏ̴̰̘͑̌i̴̡̳̥̿̎́c̵͔͇̓ḙ̴͙͚̒͒ ̷͇̞̌à̵̛̗ḟ̶͙͚̌t̵̫͗̈́e̶͔̓r̴̭͝ ̷̦̹̲̃̎̊ȧ̴̭̹͐̃l̷̖̻̔̋͗l̶͖͕̗̓.̸̳̖̱̌
The dark bird turns into smoke and slithers into her orifices. Her screams of pain fade away, as soon her marks and eyes glow. "Carly!"
Possessed, Carly resumes the duel. "My turn isn't over. Speed Spell – Curse of Fate! While my counters are two or more, it places two Curse Counters on one monster I control."
Earthy screams as she is also possessed and turned black. This corrupted Fortune Lady laughs as a result. "By removing a counter, it inflicts damage to my opponent equal to its attack points! But, it doesn't work if that monster already battled this turn."
She then sets two cards face down and ends her turn. "Now you'll suffer at the hands of your beloved Carly."
The possessed Dark Signer laughs as they make their turns, pissing off the former riding king. "You won't get away with this, DARK SIGNER! My turn!"
He draws and immediately adds it to his hand. "I special summon Vice Dragon!"
A purple dragon with yellow claws appears in the field, being able to due to its effect that also cuts its power in half.
Vice Dragon: 1000/1200 (5)
"Next, I summon Dark Resonator!" His next monster is a devil tuner.
Dark Resonator: 1300/200 (3) Tuner
"I'll tune my level 3 Dark Resonator and my level 5 Vice Dragon!" Dark Resonator plays with its tuning device, causing it to turn into three stars that become rings. They pass through Vice Dragon.
"The Ruler's heartbeats will file through here; bear witness to its creation shaking power! Synchro Summon!" Rising from a pillar of flames is Jack's ace monster, a demonic black and crimson European dragon with horns and glowing yellow eyes.
"My very soul, Red Daemon's Dragon!"
RDD: 3000/2000 (8)
"So, it's finally here! The proof of you being a Signer! But, I was expecting this." Carly presses a button, activating her trap card Class Change. "Class Change turns my level 7 Earthy into 8. And Earthy being in the advanced class means she gains 400 points!"
Earthy: 3200/3200 (8)
"Also, Earthy deals damage when she upgrades." Lightning strikes Jack from the attack.
Jack: 400
"Looks like I only need to wait until my Standby Phase to win!"
In pain, Jack checks his hand. "You'll be waiting longer than that. Speed Spell – Half Seize!"
A bolt of light shoots at Earthy. "When my Speed Counters are at 3 or more, I can cut your monster's attack power in half, and I gain that amount in life points."
With Jack's spell, his life points shoot up to 2000. "Now there's no problem. Red Daemon's Dragon, smash Fortune Lady Earthy! Absolute Power Force!"
Flames form around the dragon's right claw as it roars, punching Earthy's lights out. The death of Earthy sends a flurry of flames to hit Carly, who cries out in pain. She spins out before crashing into the burning geoglyph.
"Carly!" Jack shouts out in worry, watching her disappear into the rose fire.
After a few seconds of driving and following the stream, she eventually emerges. There are some burns on her, but she looks otherwise fine. She glares at him before continuing, worrying Jack that maybe he can't save her.
That's when she activates her trap. "Inherited Fortune; when a Fortune Lady is destroyed, I can special summon up to two Fortune Ladies from my hand during my Standby Phase."
"Carly…" Jack then takes a card from his hand and sets it before ending his turn.
"Draw!" Carly then takes her drawn card and one from her hand. "Due to Inherited Fortune, I shall special summon my two ladies. Come forth, Windy and Watery!"
Slapping her cards to the field, two witches appear in a flurry of their elements. The first is green and the second is blue. "Both are part of the Intermediate class, so they gain 300x their level."
Windy: 900/900 (3)
Watery: 1200/1200 (4)
"Due to Watery's effect, when special summoned, I can draw one card for every Fortune Lady I control along with her." Carly then draws two cards, one a trap and the other her god.
Seeing it, she smirks. "Time to be sacrificed. I shall release my two Fortune Ladies!" Windy and Watery disappear into twirling light before entering the skies where the heart forms. Smoke from the fog enters it as well.
As the heart explodes, Carly laughs as she summons her Earthbound. "Transcending five thousand years time, the doors of the underworld will open once more. May our souls be the food of the new world! Descend upon the earth, Earthbound God Aslla Piscu!"
From the earth rises the monster, a black and orange hummingbird that shrieks in horror.
Aslla Piscu: 2500/2500 (10)
"Due to the power of my deity, Aslla Piscu can attack you directly. Goodbye, Signer!"
"Not so fast! Battle Fader's effect!" From his hand, Jack summons a monster. This bell-looking demon appears before Aslla Piscu before releasing a gong. The noise repels the evil god, causing it to crash on its behind.
"Damn you! I'll set one card and end my turn!"
Jack looks at his opponent, the woman who made him a better man. "Carly, there was a time when I used to be a man who would sacrifice others just to get ahead. I laughed at the idea of friendship and what it wrought. But even a bruised and troubled heart can be saved. All it takes is the love of someone who cares. So I am here, to save you. To save the person I love!"
At that, his Signer mark glows. Everyone else does as well before they all disappear. The five marks appear on Jack's back. The top of his deck glows as well. "This is…" He draws his card and looks at it. The same card Yusei had.
Jack.
"Carly?" he mutters, hearing her real voice.
Jack. Please. You have to end the duel. I don't want to hurt anyone else.
"Carly… come on. There has to be a way to save you."
If you want to save me, then end the duel. You know what to do.
He does. "I summon the Draconis Messiah, Savior Dragon!"
Jack's monster appears before he goes straight to what he wants from it. Red Daemon's Dragon flies up with Battle Fader behind it. "I will tune my level 8 Red Daemon's Dragon and my level 1 Battle Fader with my Level 1 Tuner Savior Dragon!"
Nine stars pass through the bright dragon ring. "Lone polished light, become the true supreme ruler, and illuminate the earth! Shine your light! Synchro Summon!"
Appearing now is a red demon dragon with angelic white wings. This resembles the Savior Star Dragon Yusei once created. Jack and the Wheel of Fortune are inside just like him. "Great soul, Savior Daemon Dragon!"
SDD: 4000/3800 (10)
"An attack power of 4000?!"
"Once per turn, Savior Daemon Dragon can negate a monster's effects and gain its attack power! Power Gain!" The dragon releases a beam of light that crystallizes the bird demon.
SDD: 6500
"As you wish, I shall finish you off at once!" 'But, I won't let you go alone.' He eyes his last facedown while up above. This card, Shockwave, destroys a monster he controls and deals damage to both players equal to its attack. 'This is the fate I have chosen for myself. If I die along with you, I will have no regret.'
"Trap card activate-"
"Trap card activate! Earthbound Release!" Before he can, Carly activates her trap card first. The crystal around her god cracks away as she activates her card. "By releasing an Earthbound God I control, I destroy all monsters on the field and you take damage equal to their combined attack!"
"Wait! Savior Daemon Dragon negates any effect that would destroy it and deals damage equal to its attack! Carly, stop!" But it's too late; Aslla Piscu shatters as an explosion envelops the field. Savior Daemon Dragon roars before it shines, repelling the blast. It then breathes a powerful stream that obliterates Carly.
I'm sorry Jack, but this isn't where you fall. I have seen your future, one where you're beloved by all the people and children as a true King of Riding Duels.
The effect resolves, and Carly is flung from her bike. Jack dismounts and rushes to her side, throwing his helmet away. "Carly! Carly, hold on! Don't die on me!"
"Jack…" Carly looks up, her eyes returning to normal. That also means she can't see. "Where are you?"
He takes the glasses he held on his person and places them on her eyes. "Oh, there you are. I'm sorry I did this."
"Carly, it's okay. You were forced to."
"It's not just that…" She looks aside. "I've always liked cheering on people who did their best, like you. It made me want to help them do better, and it made me want to try harder too… but then I met you, and I wanted happiness for myself. So I got selfish and got caught up in this mess. I'm such a horrible person!"
"No, you're not! Everyone has a right to be happy. If that's a crime, then I'm guilty too."
"Thank you…" She can feel her body disintegrate. "I'll be cheering for you all the way from the afterlife."
Carly reaches up to hug him, whispering, "I love you, Jack," before turning to dust.
Elsewhere…
At the conclusion of the duel, all of the Signer Marks return. Aki, staring at her arm, says, "Looks like it's over. Jack won."
"Oh thank god! You did it, Atlas-sama!" shouts Mikage, clapping her hands together. It has been weighing on her heart the longest.
Aki pauses to stare over Mikage, before asking, "Do you care that much for him?"
"O-Of course!" she says, composing herself to try to be professional. "I have great respect for Atlas-sama. I was just… worried."
Sighing, Aki turns away while smiling. "I see."
"… please don't say anything," she begs, embarrassed that her secret is exposed.
Mikage then picks up the wheel. They start to drive for their tower.
Meanwhile…
Back with the Aslla Piscu tower, it slowly descends into the ground. Jack rushes out before it does, holding his Red Daemon's card.
As he does, he spots someone up ahead. Crow Hogan. "Crow?"
"Jack." The orange-haired young adult approaches his blond friend, the two exchanging a fist bump.
Though, on his end, Crow notices that Jack isn't really feeling it. "Still hurt from that duel?"
"Please. Jack Atlas doesn't feel pain!" he declares, returning to his personality. For a minute. "What are you doing here?"
"To check up on you! Just saw your duel, after all."
"Since when did you become Martha-" He stops there, unable to finish that.
Crow bites his inner bottom lip. He can tell just from what. "We'll get her back, Jack. There's only one tower left."
Later…
As the day continues, Aki and Mikage finally reach the Ccarayhua Tower. The surrounding landscape is filled with dilapidated buildings and an abandoned amusement park.
As they near it, Aki says, "There's something I need to say, about what Misty told me."
"What did she say?"
"That I killed her brother Tobi." That gets Mikage to turn to the teenage girl in shock.
"Is… is that true?"
"No… well, I don't think I did. I was aware enough of anyone caught in the vicinity of my duels…" She then recalls the woman's anger, her hatred, and all of that resentment directed at her. "But her emotion is real… still, I have to answer to Yusei and the others' faith in me."
Soon they reach the amusement park. After parking, the two get up to look around, wary of a geoglyph forming at any second. The sun is still up, almost visible through the fog dome.
While walking, Mikage gets a look at the amusement park and its attractions. "To think a place like this was in Satellite… seeing it devoid is somewhat sad."
"I agree." The woman goes on edge hearing someone she doesn't recognize. The man comes out into the opening, wearing shades and a duel disk.
"Don't worry. I'm on your side. I have come here under direct orders of Director Goodwin."
Elsewhere in the park, Aki continues searching. She passes by a hall of mirrors, looking at them briefly before stopping. Something passes through the glass.
"Misty!" She enters the room of shattered reflections, the exit closing immediately after her.
"Black Rose Witch…" her voice speaks, echoing through the hall. "I hope you like the accommodation. It was the best way to conclude my business with you without outside interference."
From one mirror her face appears, vengeful and cruel. "Here is where I take revenge for my brother and myself."
All of the mirrors soon show her face, each one giving a sinister laugh. "Let the duel begin. If you wish to seal Ccarayhua's control tower, you will have to navigate the maze. Meanwhile, we can have a 'pleasant' duel where I share my recollection of what you did."
"Good. I accept your challenge."
"DUEL!"
Aki Izayoi: 4000
Misty Lola: 4000
Elsewhere…
Shortly after the ladies enter the amusement park, Yusei, Ushio, and the twins arrive. Parking next to their vehicle, the group gets up to start searching.
"Aki! Where are you, Aki?" Yusei shouts while looking for her.
Unbeknownst to him, one of the billboards of the building breaks apart. "Look out!" He hears someone shout, causing him to notice the billboard and jump out of the way in time.
"You good?"
"Thanks for that. Who are you?" asks Yusei, looking up at the man. It's the same person who met with Mikage earlier.
He takes out a badge before saying, "I'm from the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. I have come here under direct orders from Director Goodwin."
"Goodwin?" Yusei feels he might need to question that, considering this is a mission only they can accomplish. "I appreciate the concern, but it's not safe here."
"I can't leave now, especially after all the details Goodwin gave me. Aki has to win at any cost for the sake of the city."
Sighing, Yusei accepts his company. While looking, the two disclose some information about the situation.
"Does Aki stand a chance against her?"
"I believe in her, so I know Aki can win," Yusei tells him, passing by a roller coaster ride.
"You really must trust her, don't you?"
"Of course. We're friends after all." These words seem to cause a reaction in him before he notes something.
"Wait! I saw a shadow over there just now move." He points inside a building.
Moving fast, Yusei rushes inside calling out for Aki or Mikage. There he finds floor grating. Down there, Mikage can be found lying on the ground unconscious.
"Mikage! Don't worry; I'll get you out-" That's when he hears a searing noise. Turning around, he spots a fireball coming his way. He rolls aside and dodges, facing the guy.
"What was that?"
"You're her friend, huh?! Looks like I have to get rid of you after all!"
Piecing it together, this guy must be the one who did this to Mikage. But for him to send an actual fireball means he must be a Psychic Duelist. The man summons a psychic sword and holds it before coming at Yusei. He blocks using his duel disk.
Seeing that it isn't working, he backs away to send another fireball. Yusei easily dodges that, before demanding, "Who are you really then?! A minion of the Dark Signers?!"
"Aki doesn't need any friends. All she will have is me because she's mine!" He summons the sword again and approaches Yusei.
"You know that if Aki doesn't stop Misty, the Dark Signers win, right?!"
He strikes Yusei again, only to turn to strike him in the gut with the sword butt. He then kicks him, launching the teen into an open hatch next to Mikage. "That's none of my concern."
The man then closes the hatch, before using a fireball to singe the edges. "Aki can only shine in the world I desire. That is what we all believe."
He then makes his exit, as water pours from pipes down below.
Not far from that location, Ushio can be found still looking. He checks down below at an ID badge. "Huh… this is a Public Security Maintenance Bureau ID."
Ushio picks it up to see who it belongs to. With a flip, he notes the owner is Mikage. "And she put a damn sticker of Jack on it! I'll get you for this, Jack!"
"Save us, Atlas-sama!"
Recognizing that voice, Ushio looks around for the source. He enters the building and spots Yusei and Mikage trapped and about to drown. "Mikage? Yusei?"
"Open the hatch!" he shouts to the officer. Ushio looks around and grabs a pole, using it to prod against an opening in the hatch.
Using his strength he pushes against it to break it open. Despite all of his work, the melted sides won't budge. Mikage is choking on the water as they await their rescue.
"Ushio, hurry!"
"I know, damn it!" he shouts, struggling.
Mikage spits up water, screaming, "Please save us, Atlas-sama!"
And that does it. Nostrils flared, eyebrows sharpened, Ushio grips the pole harder. "WHY'S IT GOTTA BE JACK!?"
With that boost in strength, he snaps the hatch open allowing them to escape. He pulls them up to freedom, allowing the group to break out of the building.
Free, Yusei, Mikage, and Ushio exit to see the lizard geoglyph up in the skies.
"Looks like it's already begun." Though drenched, Yusei intends to go after Aki.
"Wait, Yusei…" Mikage begins, almost hesitantly. No. She can't; Yusei is someone who should definitely hear this. "It's about Aki. Misty said that Aki killed her brother."
That surprises him. "Is that true?"
"She doesn't know. And honestly, it's a little sketchy." Mikage looks down as she recollects. "I didn't know that Misty was after Aki because of Toby, so I didn't have time to tell her this before we got here. Toby's death was ruled an accident, but there were unclear points reported concerning it, even with the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. There's no way his body could have ended up like that by a simple accident, so it's most likely the Arcadia Movement may have manipulated the information."
"Cover up…" Gritting his teeth, Yusei makes his way to the action.
The teen leader reaches the geoglyph, a thin one compared to the other larger, wider flame walls he's been in. On the outside of it stand Lua and Luca, watching the duel. Inside, he sees Misty dueling Aki.
"Lua! Luca!"
"Yusei!" He joins up with the twins as Luca speaks. "It's pretty matched against Aki, but for some reason, she looks different."
"Yeah! She looks just like she used to," says Lua in fright.
Yusei gets a better look at Aki, seeing that indeed he's telling the truth. Her inhibitor has been removed, her eyes look dark and murderous, and she is smiling out of pure sadism. What happened to her?
While watching, his eyes catch a glint of light. Looking up, he spots someone standing in one of the buildings viewing the duel. It's the man who knocked him into the water. Without his mask, he recognizes him.
'So, that's who he was. The leader of the Arcadia Movement… he was that guy.' "You guys stay here."
As he goes off, Aki starts her turn drawing a card. "I'll banish Rose Spirit in my graveyard to activate Black Rose Dragon's effect." The dragon devours the spirit as she removes the card before it releases a flurry of tentacles to restrain the monstrous lizard dragon on Misty's side of the field. Reducing its attack points to zero.
"Burn it to cinders; Black Rose Flare!" The dragon unleashes a blaze of purple rose flames that eradicates the queen. Misty cringes in pain as she skids back.
"That's it, Aki!" speaks Divine as he watches the duel from above. "Without that limiter, not even the Dark Signers can defeat you. Turn her into a real corpse!"
The door behind him bursts open and in rolls Yusei. He turns on his duel disk and faces Divine, his Signer mark shining in the darkened room.
"Still alive, huh?!"
"What's this all about? Why show up now of all times?!"
Divine reveals the hideous scar on the right side of his face. "When the Dark Signers raided the Arcadia Movement, I lost a duel and fell stories. I got lucky and was caught on something so my life was spared, but I got this as a constant reminder. Even with that, my mind control on Aki is perfect, allowing me to use her again."
"Mind control?"
"Right now, she will only listen to my orders. This makes her the perfect attack dog to hunt down the Dark Signers, including that bitch that did this to me. Then, we'll rebuild the Arcadia Movement overseas."
"Aki is a new person! Set her free!"
"No, she's not! She's mine! Only I get to decide everything for her, and to make sure I do that I'll be sure to obliterate you." He plays the Hinotama spell, causing Yusei to dodge the blast that destroys the table separating them.
"Where do you get off controlling people like puppets?!"
"If you're going to lead a group of psychic warriors, you need to be able to control them. I've spent years perfecting this skill; once you stimulate a person's weakness, you can get them to move the way you want them to." He points to the duel. "Take Aki for example; she was lonely because she possessed powers she couldn't control. All you have to do is a little titillation, and she becomes putty in your palms."
"You bastard…"
"Misty is just as pathetic; she became a Dark Signer to avenge her brother Toby by murdering the Psychic Duelist that just happens to be a Signer, something I'm sure the leader of these corpses is doing to get what he wants. That's some tear-jerking fraternal love there… still, I guess with how that turned out Aki was fated to face Misty after all."
That catches Yusei. After what Mikage told him, hearing Divine explain it like that opens an avenue that may answer this mystery. "Are you the one who manipulated Misty into being a Dark Signer?"
"Please. Not even I could have planned this far ahead. Still, it's a perfect opportunity to show that-"
"You're not very good at keeping your mouth shut, are you?" Yusei faces Divine with a finger pointed. "If you're gonna hide that you're connected to Toby's death, don't inadvertently reveal it."
Back to the duel, Misty draws for her turn. At this point, she has two monsters on the field, as does Aki. But, that's about to change. "Looks like this is over. I play the continuous magic card – Advance Force."
Her continuous spell reveals itself. "A level 5 or higher monster can be used as a single tribute for a level 7 or higher monster." Bad End Queen Dragon turns into light, flying upward into the heart of the Earthbound.
"O god which resuscitated my life, it is my soul that I give to you. Descend forth, Earthbound God Ccarayhua."
The heart absorbs the souls from within the fog, before exploding to become it. The towering black and green lizard stands tall.
Ccarayhua: 2800/1800 (10)
"I'll wipe that smug look off your face finally. Ccarayhua, d-"
"So, you were behind it all along, Divine!" Misty pauses when she hears someone else's voice coming from her Duel Disk.
Up above, Yusei faces Divine. With his duel disk to his face, he speaks, "You're the one who killed Toby, aren't you? And then you pinned the blame on Aki?"
"Well, if you're smart enough to piece it together, there's no point in hiding it." He smiles deviously. "Yes, it was me. Of course, it was his fault for being useless in the first place."
Flashback One Year Ago…
At the Arcadia Movement, there is this experimentation room. There, Toby is lying on a bed being horribly electrocuted with prods on him. Burn marks can be seen everywhere on him, his heart rate is skyrocketing, and he can't keep quiet.
And yet, Divine can only say, "Increase the power."
"B-But sir, any more and it could be fatal!" speaks a concerned member.
"So? I'm not asking for him to be Aki or Saeko, but at this rate, he'll be completely useless to me." Divine then personally goes to the machine, and cranks it up to a dangerous amount.
Toby's final screams are as powerful and heart-piercing as the flatline noise.
Back to Present…
"Did you know that our movement has other locations across the world, each with special Class A talent? The electrocution that killed that stupid boy Toby was nothing to what they could take. To think he tried so hard to be like Aki, and couldn't even reach half her heights. Pathetic."
"You son of a bitch!" That crosses a line with Yusei. He lunges at Divine, who simply sidesteps, and blows the floor where Yusei stands. As he hangs for his life on the stairs, Divine steps on his fingers.
"Remember when I said it's easy to manipulate others? You're just as much a pawn as the rest. And now you die."
He almost does, until he hears Yusei laughing. "What's so funny? Are you one of those fools who laugh at death?"
"Thanks for being as gullible as your so-called victims. You see, my Duel Disk is homemade. I can manually activate the multi-duel voice network without being in a duel." He then shows his duel disk, which flashes a green lens. "Misty heard your entire confession."
Shocked, Divine turns over to the duel going on below. No longer focused on Aki, the undead supermodel has her eyes on him.
"You… you killed my brother?!"
Caught, Divine simply laughs at her. "So what if I did?! It's your brother's own fault for being an inept tool! And tools that don't work should be scrapped!"
Her marks glow as her rage billows. "Get him."
Ignoring the duel, Ccarayhua storms over to Divine and shoots out its tongue, entangling him. The bystanders watch in horror, except Luca who covers her eyes. Divine's screams are softened as the giant lizard swallows him whole.
"I-I-I-I-It gobbled him up!"
"Lua, why'd you have to say it!?" Luca mumbles.
The mind control breaks on Aki, unable to keep active due to the caster disappearing.
With Toby's killer gone, all of her rage and spite vanish. "Toby… your death has been avenged." She then faces Aki. "Aki, forgive me. I blamed you this whole time for something you didn't do. Now I can pass over in peace."
She raises her hand to surrender. Her mark burns as a voice tells her no.
Ÿ̶̧̛͔͉͈̩͓̫̱̮͎̲̼͎͍́̅̿̋̀̈́̍̕͘͝õ̶̧̻̼̦̰̰̬̋̄̃͌͑̑̉̾̇̈́̆́̕͠u̴̧̪̰̥͙̒̌̅̂ ̵̘̖̜̦͎̖͓̣̩͍͇̟̊̓͂̅̈́̈́͑̇̀s̵̡̢͚͓̙͎̦̮̪̮̙̲̥̄̃̔͋͑͒̋͑̇̾͂̒̊̉̚͜͜͝͠h̴͖̲͖͉̟̻̰̦͉̲̅̄̅́̋̃͂͒͐͜ä̵̫̟́̿̓̈́̿l̶̠͈̟̰̮̤̻̏̕͜l̷̬̦̄͊͐̐̆̃͐͛͒̃̆͝ ̷̮̗̲͔̠̫͖͉̓͆̀̎͑͗͂n̵̡̩͕͈͖̲̗̫̲̟͚͔̽̃͊͘ö̷̝̜̻́͋̇͋̐̍͒̕t̷̛̻̭̹͉͕͉̹̺̥̝͉̽̆̾̿̓͆͂!̸̧̧̝͎̗̰̯̣͚̩̞͙͂͒̅̎̈́̊̃͗̀͝ͅ
The darkness rises within her, causing the marks to return. "The god inside of me…"
Yusei returns to the scene. "Misty! Don't give into the Earthbound God!"
Hearing his voice, Aki twitches in response. Color slowly returns to her eyes. "Yusei?"
K̴̨̼̭̔i̴̯͙͂l̴̼͍̫͍͔̮͚̅͆́̕l̶͙̟̽̈͊̈́͜ ̴̗̝͙̜͖̗́h̵̯̤̻͆͝ê̵̬̰͖̈́ͅr̸͇͉̜̦̠̬͙͛̚!̵̡̟̙̈́͊̂̓̈́̌̕ ̴͔͎̲̩̜̦̈͛͆̐͊͋͝Ķ̵̟̭̜̅͒̈́̅̋̅į̸͚̩̙̀̊͗l̷͇̿͛͌͝l̶̻̰̹̞͎̪͙̓͌̂ ̶̢̮̬̟̤̠́̋͒̚͝t̸͎͗h̴̡̧̜̜̋͗̑̑͛͝ͅê̵̘̙͇̼̲̈́͆ ̷̢̬͆͋̓͆̓͘S̸̞̭͆į̶͙͖̹͈͈͎̓ğ̷̛̘̥̠̥̗̬̱̐́n̶͇̰̺͋͛̿́͂e̷̱̯̪͖̎r̸̨̤̫͔̻̥̿ ̶̧̗̯̉̐̇̐͊͠n̵̘̖̫̳̼̅̀̂͊̂̌o̵̱̙̖͒̅w̷̡̡̟͚̜̤̥͒͌̕!̷̡̨̡̛̙̞͕̋̒̇͒͝
"Aki! Open your eyes!" At that, her mind finally returns to her.
"I… I cannot stop this duel by myself! Aki, you have to… defeat me!" The darkness slowly enters Misty's body, causing her to stand up. "DEFEATING THE SIGNER IS THE DARK SIGNER'S MISSION!"
Yusei sighs in defeat. "Misty fell, just like Bomber. Aki, you have to win!"
"Finish her off; direct attack!" Ccarayhua reaches down through Mirror Labyrinth to squeeze the life out of Aki.
Acting fast, Aki activates her trap card. "Ground Capture! It halves any battle damage I would take!" The ground rises in the form of a hand, one that grips with Ccarayhua. The lizard smashes it, causing sharp rocks to fly at Aki, slicing her face and dress and knocking her over.
"Aki!" Yusei shouts out of worry.
Finding the strength, Aki draws a card due to the second effect of Ground Capture.
"You're like a weed, a useless weed that's on its last leg. I'll set one card and end my turn." Misty concludes her turn.
Picking herself up, Aki looks at her hand. 'If I do this, Misty will die. But, if I can destroy her Earthbound God, there might be a chance to save her.' "It's my turn; draw!"
Looking at her card, she makes the chain of resolution to reach her conclusion. Using Copy Plant's effect, it copies the level of Dark Verdure. Along with that, she summons her level 3 Guard Hedge. Together, the three monsters make seven stars, but Black Rose Dragon is in the graveyard.
"So next, I'll play Shining Rebirth!" Her spell activates, causing her graveyard to shine. "By targeting a Synchro Monster in my graveyard, I can send the requirements on my field to the graveyard to special summon it, and it will count as a Synchro Summon!"
Her three monsters turn to energy before settling into the graveyard. "The whole world shall be engulfed by chilling flames, setting in bloom the pitch black flower! Synchro Summon!"
A powerful gale unleashes from the field as her dragon returns. "Revive, Black Rose Dragon!"
BRD: 2400/2000 (7)
"When Black Rose Dragon is Synchro Summoned, it can destroy all cards on the field. And, due to Shining Rebirth, it cannot be destroyed this turn!"
Misty stares smugly. "Are you really okay with sending this woman to hell?"
"The only one going to hell is you, Ccarayhua! Black Rose Gale!" Aki's dragon releases the storm.
Misty laughs. "So that's your plan. But, this woman structured her deck to work against your strategy. Death Gazer, activate!" Misty's final trap opens up. "For every card Black Rose Dragon would destroy, Death Gazer will deal 300 points of damage to you! SINCE NINE CARDS ARE BEING DESTROYED, YOU'LL TAKE 2100! GOODBYE, SIGNER!"
A pink beam shoots out at Aki, a beam she sees as Misty herself. "Aki… you know what to do…"
"… Misty…" Closing her eyes, tears flow as she plays her final trap. "Trap card open, Reflect Nature!"
All of the damage she would have taken bounces off of the trap, and then back to Misty. "IMPOSSIBLE?!"
As the chain resolves, Misty is blown away. Her voice reaches out to Aki once more, speaking, "Thank you. Please remember us… Toby, I'm coming…"
Misty: 0000
With Misty's defeat, Ccarayhua fades away. Misty's pendant falls. As everyone gathers to her, Aki wordlessly goes to the pendant and picks it up. "Misty… Toby…" Tears fall onto her hands and the picture of Toby and Misty inside the necklace.
A hand is placed on her shoulder. "Yusei?"
"It's okay, Aki. I know how you feel." Her tears continue as she looks at him. "The Dark Signers were all being used, controlled by the Earthbound Gods… by Rudger!"
"Right…" Aki looks over at the tower. She pulls out the Black Rose Dragon card before running to the tower that was behind Misty the entire time.
She enters the tower holding the card up to her face. "With this, the gates of the underworld will finally close."
Aki places the card into the panel, activating it. She then quickly removes it before running out. As she exits, the doors close behind her. The tower proceeds to descend.
But then, that's when it happens. An explosion goes off on the side of the tower, causing it to stop in its tracks and tilt.
"What?!" Aki shouts looking up in shock.
Everyone's in shock. The tower has been sabotaged.
Lightz: I hope you enjoyed this little segment. Next up is the penultimate duel. The showdown at the Rose Morning Star! ... no wait, wrong one. Showdown at Old Momentum!