Welcome everyone, glad you can join us in 2022 for the continuation of our story, especially given how much we haven't used any of the official characters. Fortunately, we'll be showing them in the future, just not in the ways you expect. We'd like to once again thank our Beta, Eneko95, for her hard work. I don't know how far we'd be without her.

With all that out of the way, enjoy the conclusion of the Duel between Barclay and Saturn.

Chapter 44

Royal Showdown

Part II

Duel Academy

Beach

Barclay - 4300

Saturn - 148000

'Barclay!' Gwen shouted. 'Breathe! Whatever ghosts our enemy unearthed, you're stronger than them now! Take a moment to center yourself.'

Barclay suddenly found himself standing in a black void, only him and the Duel Spirit. The Duel and his opponent suddenly seemed so far away as silence filled the air.

'It should be my choice who gets to know about that,' he replied frustratedly. 'It shouldn't just be dragged out by some stranger just to mess with my head.'

'And you're right to be angry about that, both the secret and your privacy being violated.' Gwen gently placed a hand on his shoulder. 'But acting out of that anger is exactly what he wants. Please, remember that you're fighting to protect your friends as much as you are to win.'

That comment made him look up at her, seeing her worried face and expression.

'Right…' Barclay sighed, eyes closed and unclenching his jaw. 'There are more important things at stake.'

When he opened his eyes, he was more composed and back in the Duel, staring down Saturn.

"Well, lookie there, you got that spark of yours again," Saturn commented. "Good, it'd be such a bore to beat an angry guy."

With that, he drew his next card.

"Now, I think I should have one of my own posse join the fun, my Twin-Barrel Dragon (4/1700/200) to be exact."

As he placed the card, two large steel doors slid open in front of him. Then a low hum, almost a rumble, as a dark blue raptor-like robot rose to the field on an elevated platform. Despite having two gun barrels for a head, it still let out a proud roar upon arrival.

"This is the one from Desperado's effect, huh. Again, bold of you. Not many people I know use cards with coin tosses or a dice roll in the effect," Barclay commented after checking the new monster's stats.

"You need to make some more daring friends then," he replied smugly. "Twin-Barrel ain't the heaviest hitter, but his effect more than makes up for it. See, if I'm lucky here, you'll have to say adios to one of the knights without even sending them into battle, and that's just a great damn feeling."

Two large silver coins appeared next to the beast. "Call 'em in the air!"

The coins flew upward, and Barclay very pointedly said nothing. A few seconds later, both landed face-up on the beach. The dragon roared triumphantly and began charging up.

"Hoo boy! Looks like your Gawayn gets a one-way ticket to the grave!"

The hammer on the back of its head clicked, and two energy bullets went straight through the knight's armor, destroying him instantly.

"Oh, and why stop the pain train there? Twin-Barrel, take out Borz!"

With that second command, the mechanical beast charged forward to ram down the second knight. However, as it made contact, Borz thrust his weapon into the dragon's neck. There was a muffled pop, and then a much bigger blast that destroyed both monsters.

Saturn laughed somewhat maniacally. "Man, I love a good explosion. Go ahead and make your move, kid."

After drawing his card and looking at the clear field on his opponent's side of the field, Barclay gave a rarely seen smile.

'What's gotten you so confident suddenly?' Gwenhwyfar asked with a puzzled tone.

"He may be ahead with Life Points, but his cocky attitude is going to bite him in the end," Barclay replied. "But first, I activate Caliburn's effect to regain 500 more Life Points."

Once more, a green aura emanated onto the Duelist from the sword, healing some of his wounds.

Barclay - (4300 - 4800)

Saturn - 148000

"But that other sword of yours weakens your monster too!" Saturn smirked.

The supreme blade dimmed slightly and started cracking.

King Artorigus - (4000 - 3800)

"True, an accurate reflection of Gawayn's strength in the legends," Barclay replied without much worry. "Next up, I'll Normal Summon Noble Knight Artorigus (4/1800/1800) in Attack Mode."

A simple portal opened, and a young knight with the same reddish-brown hair and general bearing as King Artorigus marched through it onto the field. Unlike his older counterpart, the noble knight had fur trimming on his plate armor, and a much simpler (though no less well-crafted) sword.

"Now, with a clear field, let's start reducing that truly absurd Life Point total," Barclay continued. "Attack, Once and Future Kings! Avalon's Might!"

The two versions of Artorigus focused light energy into their blades, causing a rainbow glow on them as they both charged forward, slashing and hitting Saturn across the chest.

Barclay - 4800

Saturn - (148000 - 9200)

Despite the power and sheer presence of that attack, Saturn barely flinched, shaking out his duster as if he faced this all the time.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Barclay remarked. "You won't be shrugging it off for much longer. Make your move."

"Right then," said Saturn before drawing. "I'm still way ahead of you, so I'll just pass the hat back your way."

The Slifer student looked bewildered by that statement, wondering if his enemy really was insane after all. Regardless, he wouldn't let this chance slip by.

"First things first," Barclay said. "Gallatin's effect drops King Artorigus's attack by 200."

King Artorigus - (3800 - 3600)

"Then I'll use Caliburn's effect to gain another 500 Life Points."

The same actions occurred once again.

Barclay - (4800 - 5300)

Saturn - 9200

"Now, once again, with your Life Points wide open, both of my monsters will attack you directly," Barclay finished.

The knights charged forward again. This time, however, King Artorigus veered right and swung at Saturn's arm. Saturn attempted to sidestep it, only to then be hit head-on by the younger one's attack. He dropped to the ground in pain.

Barclay - 5300

Saturn - (9200 - 3800)

"Now, are you going to actually do something this turn or will you keep standing there while I finish you off?" Barclay asked impatiently. "If it's the latter, I'd honestly rather you just concede and save both of our time. Like you said, there's no sport in it if the other guy's just given up."

The only response was a hearty laugh as his opponent got up and fixed his hat.

"Boy, they were not kidding when they told me how much of a downer you were," he replied. "You honestly think I care? Son, this is a game. Not just the duel, but this whole shindig we got going on. You and your posse have no clue what is actually happening or why, not that it matters."

"Then why don't you fill me in?" Barclay questioned. "Maybe actually knowing the stakes will improve my mood for you."

Saturn looked at his hand and shrugged. "Like I said, it doesn't really matter. I'll set a monster and another card facedown, since my luck hasn't completely abandoned me."

Both cards soon appeared as the turn switched to Barclay.

"You mean this last gasp of a dying man?" Barclay mocked. "If that's how you want to go out, then fine."

King Artorigus - (3600 - 3400)

This time, he didn't bother to use his other sword's effect.

"Go King Artorigus, destroy that facedown monster," Barclay ordered.

The king bellowed before dashing forward, cutting the card down the middle as it exploded, leaving his opponent wide open.

"And now, Noble Knight, the field is yours. Attack him directly!"

His monster's younger self also dashed forward, this time attempting to stab his opponent. However, his blade wouldn't reach him this time.

"I'm not dead yet! I activate Call of the Haunted!"

Before the monster could pierce its target, a purple plum erupted from the ground as eerie moans echoed through the area. In seconds, a figure rose from the ground, swinging its arm to blow the smoke away and revealing itself as The Big Saturn.

"So, what's next for that ol' thinkin' mind of yours?"

"I think I'll play your game this time and go all in," Barclay replied with a grin. "King Artorigus, use your last Overlay Unit."

That reply genuinely shocked Saturn, never expecting his opponent would actually pull a stunt like that. He saw the warrior absorb his last Overlay Unit, then take aim right at his beast.

"Well, guess we'll see who's tough now."

With that, the beam blasted forward and pierced Saturn, destroying it instantly along with the Trap that brought him back.

Right when he did though, a powerful explosion expanded and engulfed both Duelists in seconds.

Barclay - (5300 - 2500)

Saturn - (3800 - 1000)

As the energy dispersed, both Duelists were shown to have been dealt significant damage and struggling to keep themselves from falling. However, Saturn was one of the two who nearly fell but kept shaking himself to regain consciousness.

'Do you have any self-preservation at all?!' Gwen shouted. 'You've let that monster blow you up twice! On purpose! What in God's Name are you planning?!'

'I'm thinking, I've got one more sword in my scabbard that'll let me deal with just about anything he might play.'

"And before I end my turn, I'll activate Caliburn's ability again to regain 500 Life Points," Barclay finished.

Barclay - (2500 - 3000)

Saturn - (1000)

His opponent let out a genuinely pleased laugh, as if something had clicked about what just happened.

"Gotta admit, yer a damn stronger fool than I thought you were," he remarked while drawing. "But this rodeo is far from over, and I'll show you by activating the Spell Sacred Sword of Seven Stars, letting me draw 2 cards in exchange for banishing a Level 7 monster from my hand or field."

As it appeared, the owner revealed his Barrel Dragon (7/2600/2200) that he just drew before inserting it into his Deck Case. With that, two twinkling lights descended and entered the cybernetic arm. He then drew his two cards.

"And just to be sure, now I activate my Allure of Darkness. I can draw two more cards, but in order to keep my hand I gotta banish a Dark monster from it."

This time, his other hand surrounded itself with black energy as he drew the two cards, resulting in the energy surrounding one specific card before it disappeared from sight.

"Darn. Guess the show's over after all," Saturn commented defeatedly before setting his card facedown. "Go ahead, pardner, your move."

"Shame your final gambit didn't pay off." Barclay was surprised to find he genuinely meant it. "But, this is the last turn."

King Artorigus - (3400 - 3200)

He played one final card.

"I equip my Noble Knight Artorigus with Noble Arms - Arfeudutyr."

After playing the card, a stone holding a jet-black sword hilt erupted from the sand. When the younger Artorigus grabbed it, the circular "core" of the crossguard flashed, and he drew it to reveal a glowing white blade that made quick work of the stone itself.

"Now, the thing about Arfeudutyr is that it doesn't actually provide a warrior with any additional strength, like other equip spells," Barclay explained. "Instead, I can reduce my Knight's attack by 500 points to target and destroy one of your set cards."

He paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

"Say goodbye to whatever your last line of defense was."

The blade glowed white as Artorigus seemed to wane in the light before hurling the sword across the field. The blade pierced the facedown card, which provided a ghostly image of Rainbow Life before shattering.

Artorigus - (1800 - 1300)

"And now, King Artorigus, let's bring an end to this Duel," Barclay said. "Last Strike of Camlann."

Cracked and battle-scarred as it was, the King's blade still shone brighter than anything else on the field. Soon, said energy that illuminated it filled the cracks as a rainbow aura surrounded it and forming into a solid-light blade, causing the monster to charge forward and release a powerful slash.

The impact was strong enough to create an eruption of light that engulfed all on the field.

Barclay - (3000)

Saturn - (1000 - 0)

When the light faded, the magic circles had as well, leaving only a disturbed beach and Saturn flat on his back.

Barclay was still standing, breathing hard and covered in a fresh dusting of sand. If he'd fought the way he had anywhere else on the island, he would probably be on the ground by now.

'Barclay!' Gwen gasped as she floated near him. 'Are you alright? Stay conscious! If you pass out now, we don't know what'll happen!'

"Right... shouting at me is going to help the situation." Barclay chuckled.

Gwen smiled knowingly. 'Fair point.'

A weak laugh caught their attention. They looked over at Saturn, who was using Old Betsy as leverage to stay sitting up.

"I wish it hadn't come to this, but once the bull's mad enough it'll keep lashing out until it wins," he remarked. To Barclay's surprise, his voice sounded not just genuinely regretful, but more human than it ever had. The robotic buzz was gone. "At least those bastards aren't in my head at the moment…"

"Oh, so digging around in people's heads for trauma is fine as long as you retain your autonomy? Nice ta know where the line is, ya trigger-happy bawbag." Barclay deliberately ignored Gwen's scandalized gasp.

"Since I'll be gone soon, guess I might as well tell ya, this wasn't all my idea. Aforementioned bastards took us and did… Godawful things, things meant to break us down. It was either obey or die after a certain point, and frankly, I liked the option where I lived.

So yeah, I embellished, but not because I wanted to."

"Liked? You're still here, Saturn," Barclay added as he walked forward. "You can explain what we're fighting over."

A demonic whistle interrupted whatever Saturn had been about to say.

However, he couldn't find its source and immediately turned back to see Saturn's body glowing in a gray aura.

"Watch your back, cause they ain't stopping until they get their prize. I know her Majesty would agree with me on that one.

And thanks for givin' me a good fight. Happy trails, kid."

As a ball of pearly gray light left the body, the cowboy outfit (and gun) disappeared. Now, an unconscious pajama-clad teenager with a normal-looking prosthetic arm lay on the sand.

"Great." Barclay groaned. "Abso-facking-lutely perfect."

Regardless, the Slifer student let out a sigh of relief before getting up, limping towards his opponent to check on him.

After a few seconds though…

'...Clay...'

He shot up, looking around him when he heard that faint sound.

'...Arclay...'

The second time, it was much more clear and the student recognized something or someone was calling his name.

'...Barclay, are you there?'

That last statement one was crystal clear as the student realized it was coming from inside his mind.

Channeling some of his power, he pressed two fingers against the side of his head and thought hard about speaking in his mind.

'Nick, is that you?'

Only one Duel left for this arc! How exciting! But wait... have our protagonists now developed telepathy? Since when? Does this mean that their powers have gotten stronger? Or that their powers have evolved somehow? When will these questions be answered? Keep reading to find out!

Notes

Bawbag - obnoxious, generally ignorant and/or terrible person. "You (derogatory)"