Peekaboo, chapter came earlier :D
Friendly reminder: The Cyberdark cards aren't the only ones using their anime effect.

Chapter 43:

Bastion was shivering when both Jaden and Doctor Crowler left to do their own duties. Kami had seemed alright when he'd woken up. He hated himself for leaving her behind the way he did, but seeing Blake stumble forward in the distance put his priorities elsewhere. Something his best friend would very likely chastise him for, not just because he put himself in danger, but for leaving their friend behind like that. His … girlfriend? Bastion wasn't sure, but there was definitely something going on between these two. Something that might've helped against this "failsafe", which seemed more akin to what he'd been told happened to Atticus.

The cold amusement with which Blake looked at him caused the hair on his body to stand up. His possessed friend was pacing around like a predator waiting to jump his prey, something that unnerved Bastion even more. Trying to not let it get to him, he instead went over how he could actually win this duel.

While the adjustment he'd made to his deck with both his own cards and the one's Blake had given him were certainly improvements, he doubted it could handle the sheer pressure of Blake's deck, which was as oppressive as the Kaiser's Cyber Dragons. Perhaps even more so, given how strong his spirit cards were. But he had natural answers in his decks, along with some additions he might've made ever since he knew something weird might happen to Blake.

Not only could his Field spell lock down the effects of the Cyberdarks, he could also manipulate both their graveyards, making it hard to bring out the Dark Armed Dragon. And with the line-up of his high-level monsters, he could clear the field and easily swing over Jinzo as well. The only problem was to get there. While he had all those answers, his deck didn't move at the same break-neck speed as his opponents. The amount of drawing and setup was just on a different level. To add insult to injury, he's also lacking a spirit, like the unfamiliar senior student had so nicely put it.

Perhaps it was his way of thinking that had dismissed the supernatural aspects for as long as he could remember. Perhaps he still hadn't found the right deck for himself. Or perhaps he was simply too weak for a spirit to want him as its partner. Even Kami, who'd only recently been put up to speed, had apparently made connection to one. It annoyed him. He's once again left behind in the dust.

This would stop now. He couldn't afford to lose this duel. He couldn't let whatever it was that was controlling Blake to continue. Perhaps Jaden could beat him once he returned. Maybe Chazz could, now that he's running an improved version of his deck from before the academy. Or even something as simple as genuine affection from Kami could break through the dark spell, something about the "Power of Friendship" Syrus liked to go on about when talking about his hobbies. But none of that was an option right now.

No, all of them had advanced past him, and now he would be the one to catch up and do the impossible. He had a plan, he had the cards, and he had trust in himself and his deck, as weird as it still sounded to him. With his mind set, he shook himself and the nervousness off him before locking eyes with his opponent.

"Think you got it all figured out now? Calculated a plan to your victory?" Blake taunted as he stopped pacing.

"I have a plan for your defeat." Bastion answered resolutely.

"A plan never survives first contact with the enemy." Blake smirked. "Thought you were smart enough to know that."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Bastion mused and readied himself.

"Good. I'm tired of waiting."

"DUEL!" (Bastion 4000 / Blake 4000)

"I'll start!" Bastion announced and drew a card, looking over his options. He had just what he needed to keep his opponent at bay, at least for a while.

"First, I summon Gozuki!" He declared, the familiar form of the minotaur yokai appearing. "Its effect activates! I send Crow Tengu from my deck to the graveyard!" His monster slammed the ground with its hammer, opening a rift through which an apparition of Crow Tengu was send down below.

Blake tapped his duel disk, a hologram of the card he went displayed visibly in front of him. "Setting up I see. But shouldn't you prepare something more pro-active?" He mocked with a smirk.

'Blake knows the cards in my deck, why would he need to look it up?' Bastion thought, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Then it should be easy for you to beat me, shouldn't it?" He shot back, his mind whirring at the implications of that question.

"And there's exactly why you'll lose: You make assumptions based on what you're doing." His opponent tutted. "It matters not in the slightest."

"We'll see about that. Next, I activate Zombie World!" Bastion continued, opening the Field spell compartment on his duel disk as he played his card. Their surroundings shifted into a realm or bones and rot. Grey and pale flesh colors were all there was. More importantly, it turned every monster, on the field and in the graveyard, into Zombies.

"I set two cards face-down and end my turn." He finished. His setup wasn't perfect, but it should do the job for now. He only hoped he would draw the critical piece to his plans sooner rather than later. The idea of this not being the Blake he was itching in his mind. If that was the case, there was the possibility of him lacking what made Blake as powerful a duelist he was.

His opponent grimaced ever so slightly before smirking once more. "For someone so eager to save his friend, you sure play it slow. Is that how little your bond truly means?" When Blake drew his next card, Bastion could hear a not-so-faint rumble akin to a dragon's growl.

Bastion blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. It looked like a see-through version of Blake's ace monster, the Dark Armed Dragon, was pulled backwards against his will and into the hand of his opponent before vanishing with a defiant growl. The scene replayed in his mind a few times, just to make sure he hadn't been hallucinating there for a moment.

"Let me show you how futile your resistance is." His opponents smirk disappeared, his voice shifting. It became deeper, calmer, an unsettling undertone echoing behind each word. In stark control to the change in voice, the body didn't seem as calm.

Knowing the shortcomings his best friend had to endure due to his past, Bastion easily picked up on the slight tremble in Blake's right hand and left leg. They'd grown so subtle one wouldn't notice if one didn't know about them. For just a moment, a glint in Blake's eyes appeared as their eyes locked before they turned hollow once more.

'He's still here, maybe even fighting against it.' Bastion's eyes widened in realization. Something that his opponent must've noticed as well, but he only uncaringly shook the hand holding his cards.

"Resistance is futile." Blake chided calmly before picking a card. "I activate Future Fusion. By sending the three parts of my newest minion to the graveyard, I can summon their combined form in a few turns time." The Cyberdark monsters appeared briefly before they're trapped in a group of skyscrapers. The monsters appeared way more subdued than Bastion had anticipated from the way they'd been described to him. It almost appeared like they were … shivering?

"Your minions?" Bastion wondered out loud.

"Of course." Blake replied. "I guess you wouldn't know, seeing as you saw neither of my previous hosts duel yourself. Isn't it funny how you humans preach about bonds only to get so easily corrupted by them? All it took was to empower the spirit of the Red-Eyes with darkness and its wielder became my puppet."

The entity, which Bastion now decided to call it in his mind, let out a hollow chuckle. "And while these three were meant for the last part of the trio, they've found their way to someone arguably way more powerful than I intended. Even though the seed for this one had already been planted months ago."

Bastion mind whirred, trying to compile all the information just given to him. He'd been told about the duel between Zane and Atticus, the later using not just a Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but also an upgrade to it no-one had apparently seen before. Except for Blake, who seemed to know way more than he ever decided to reveal. Was this because of this "seed"? And what did it mean with "trio"? Given who's been keeping the Cyberdark cards, it made sense that Zane would encounter them at some point. He and Atticus have been hailed as Central Academy's strongest duelists. Was there a third? The senior they'd encountered earlier?

"Wait, what do you mean with 'planted month's ago'?" Bastion blabbed out, the question ringing in his head. "Didn't you arrive here with Atticus?"

"Allow me show you." The entity replied and picked its next card. "Would you mind telling me what's in my graveyard right now?"

Bastion blinked in confusion. "Only the three Cyberdark monsters-"

"Which, despite your spell turning them into Zombies, remain Dark monsters." It concluded. "Exactly what's needed to summon Dark Armed Dragon." The familiar sight of Blake's ace monster caused Bastion to take a step back. Unlike its usual appearance, however, the dragon appeared similarly docile to the Cyberdarks, its eyes dull and unresponsive (2800/1000). The effect of Zombie world turned its flesh rotten, splitting it open at some parts as it was turned into a Zombie.

"Knowing or not, he's found another host for me. The best until date, if I may add." The entity chuckled coldly once more. "A bond build upon lies and darkness, waiting to be abused. Ironic, considering this particular host, wouldn't you say so?"

When Jaden had met up with Syrus at the cliffside earlier, he'd been elated to hear his best buddy had not only managed to win against a Shadow Rider by himself, but also doing it by using the one card he'd been struggling to use all year. What happened to Zane hadn't been great to hear at all, but he'd been in a stable condition when they got to him and brought him back to the main building. Just in time for Alexis and Atticus to wake up too, who'd quickly taken over caring for the Kaiser when they met at the buildings entrance.

Before Jaden had left, Atticus had warned him about whatever it was that had possessed him lurking around the island in search of a new host. He hadn't thought much of it when the older boy had told him; he hadn't seen how he behaved when dueling Zane, after all. But when he and Doctor Crowler arrived at the Abandoned Dorm, it felt like an understatement.

Atticus had described it as being locked in a pitch-black, cold room, unable to do anything but listen to what happens on the outside. Alexis had added him wearing some mask and his aura changing noticeably. But Blake, who's rather visibly not being himself, was creeping him out when he saw him. He'd unknowingly taken a step back when Blake even so much as looked in his direction before dismissing him to go after Banner.

Winged Kuriboh tried giving him some reassurance, but even the small spirit was keeping its distance. In its place, he felt a dark but comforting presence from deep within, similar to how he felt after the dueling gauntlet at the ruins. It was perhaps this shift that gave him the confidence to play the whole scene off. While certainly not eager himself to duel Blake, which was weird in itself, he would've loved to help Bastion.

He couldn't, nor did Bastion want the help it seemed, but it felt wrong to leave his friend to fend for himself. Then again, someone had to duel Banner. It irked him how the professor had played them without anyone being any the wiser, except Blake who was now suffering for it. He knew he wasn't the brightest sword of revealing lights, but looking back he could see the man behaving weirdly at times, more so than the goofy façade he'd put up. Had his excitement of being at the academy clouded his judgement or had he ignored it willingly? He didn't know.

What he did know was that he'd make up for it, even if it meant going all the way down through the cobweb-ridden building, back to the room he'd had his first Shadow Duel in. It gave him shivers for a moment, but he pushed through, determined to end this whole debacle and get back to having fun dueling. He'd have to ask Blake and Co to hang out after all of this was over too.

Arriving back in the circular room he'd once dueled to save Alexis and Kami, he noticed a stone door that hadn't been there before. Knowing what was waiting before him, he pulled his deck out of his deck box and held it close as he mentally prepared himself, closing his eyes as he took deep breaths.

The soft cooing of his winged friend made him open his eyes, before they widened even further in surprise. He was surrounded by not just Winged Kuriboh, but all his Elemental HEROs!

"Huh, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to inhale the air down here …" he murmured, blinking rapidly.

The spirits chuckled at that, before parting and making way for him to continue on, sending him thumbs-up and reassuring smiles. The firm hand of Terra Firma was placed on his left shoulder, while Flame Wingman put its own on his right. And for just a brief moment, they felt real. What felt even more real was the push he got from behind, causing him to stumble forward and the nervousness to leave his body.

Looking back over his shoulder, the spirits disappeared one by one. The last one remaining was Inferno Wing, who's stuck in a position that made it clear she's the one pushing him. The Evil HERO shot him a small smile, one he returned tenfold. Before she too vanished, Jaden was sure he saw her form overlapping with his favorite card he'd lost as a child; Yubel. A sudden warmth filled him, feeling like an all-encompassing embrace.

'Go on, Jaden.' A feminine voice ringed in his head, speaking his name ever so lovingly. 'You do not stand alone against your dark foe. We're with you, just like you are with us. Always.'

Having seen and felt the support of his deck, Jaden clapped his cheeks and rushed through the door.

"Hey professor! I hope you're ready to get your game on!"

Jaden's eyes wandered the room in search for the man. The room was smaller than the one before it but filled to the brim with items. Rows of books along the walls and bookcases, alchemic equipment, and flask of various sizes, filled with all kinds of liquids. A big apparatus connected with dozens of tubes, with some burners distilling liquid, creating gasses, and melting solid ingredients, all flowing together into one empty container.

Lastly, an open coffin stood against the wall, the body of Professor Banner in it, but with its skin weathered and crumbling. Right in front of the large apparatus another, almost identical body stood, but this one had white hair and red eyes, with veins protruding on its face. It also wore some long, brown and red robes, and held onto a thick tome with the same golden eye symbol on it as he'd seen on Blake's armband just minutes prior.

"Jaden, how nice of you to join me during the final steps." The man welcomed him. From between the bookcases, the cat Pharaoh appeared with a happy tune, rubbing himself against his owner's legs.

"Dang professor, you ain't looking too well." Jaden couldn't help but chuckle, the cat's actions confirming that this was indeed Banner.

Banner joined with a lighthearted chuckle himself. "I'm afraid you're right about that. Which is why I also hope you'll be willing to work with rather than against me."

Jaden narrowed his eyes at the man. "Like Blake did? I dunno professor, I think he might be regretting that right now. Not exactly tempting."

"Young Blake got only himself to blame for that. If he kept working with me, rather than trying to betray me, it would've never come to this." Banner lamented with a shake of his head.

"It would've never come to this if you had just been honest about it either!" Jaden shot back angrily. "What's your plan anyways?"

Banner gestured towards his crumbling body double. "As you have said and seen, I'm not in the best condition physically. And while I'd love to explain to you the details and procedures of what I'm doing, I doubt you care about any of that right now. To put it simply; I'm harnessing the Duel Energy all around the island to create the most sought-after alchemical substance; the Philosopher's Stone."

Jaden tilted his head. "Okay? I guess that rock will help you with your ailments then?"

"Precisely. Once I can procure it and harness its power, I'll be granted an immortal body, which in turn will save my life." Banner explained. "You would've known that if you listened during my classes, you know."

"Makes sense." Jaden nodded. "But couldn't you have done it in a less evil way? I mean, you know how many people got hurt over all this Spirit Key business and all that."

"Believe me, Jaden, I'd have preferred it that way." Banner sighed heavily. "But since I needed a lot of reagents for this procedure, I required a lot of money. And the pay in this school isn't as good as one would believe, let me tell you." The man let out a short laugh. "No, there's only one person that was willing to support my endeavor, the catch being me helping him with his plan in return."

"The Sacred Beasts." Jaden concluded.

"Indeed." Banner nodded. "While I doubt their mere existence once released will be as catastrophic as it's made out to be, I never intended to free them. No, I'm currently harnessing the exact power needed for their revival to instead create an alchemic marvel. If it's finished, there won't be enough energy to open the gates holding back the Sacred Beasts."

"So, what you're saying is, I shouldn't interfere because you're the good guy here." Jaden thought out loud. "You'll stay alive, the pseudo-Egyptian God cards won't escape, and all will be good."

"That would be the preferable outcome of this conversation." Banner nodded, but nevertheless readied his duel disk. "However, given your usual disposition, I doubt you'll stand by and watch."

"Heh, you're right about that, teach." Jaden grinned and readied himself as well.

"A shame. But it allows me to try and see your innate powers, which may or may not be as great or even greater than the Philosopher's Stone." Banner replied.

"Eh?" Jaden blinked.

"Don't tell me you don't remember what happened back at the ruins?" Banner asked playfully. "After all those duels you went through, something in you responded to your negative emotions. I was surprised when I saw that monster of yours staying around after the duel had concluded. Not only that, but it was able to physically interact with its surroundings, something that should be impossible for a mere hologram."

Jaden's brows furrowed, until he remembered how just a few minutes ago, he'd felt the sensation of his HEROs hands. "I see. Though I guess I'll have to disappoint you there, teach. I have no idea how I'm doing that."

"No time like the present to find out, no?" Banner dared, a dark mist shooting out of his tome, surrounding them in a circle. "Pushing you to the edge while your friends are outside getting hurt should be a powerful motivator."

"You don't have to do this, professor!" Jaden argued.

"I am well aware, my student. However, it's not just curiosity that drives me this far." Banner reasoned. "Even when I'm successful and Superintendent Kagemaru's plan fails, it won't be the last evil that will target this island and everyone on it."

"What are you talking about? How can you know that?" Jaden demanded.

"Beat me and I'll tell you."

"Alright, you asked for it!"

"DUEL!" (Jaden 4000 / Banner 4000)

"I'll start! Draw!" Jaden began. "Let's start with an old friend of mine! I summon Elemental HERO Woodsman in attack position!" The green-skinned hero arrived with a loud groan of tree-bark as he flexed his overgrown arm (1000/2000). "Then I'll throw down a pair of face-downs. Your move, teach."

Banner hummed to himself as he drew for turn. "You might want to help my memory a bit here, Jaden. Isn't that one of Koyo Hibiki's monsters? Back when he was an active pro, of course."

"It is." Jaden said proudly. "And just like him, I'll be the hero everyone needs!"

"It's a shame he's been bedridden for so long." Banner shook his head, a small smirk appearing on his face. "You know, the Philosopher's Stone might help him too."

Jaden froze, his eyes widening.

"It's a possibility. If whatever ails him is at least somewhat natural, it might just do the trick." Banner continued. "Only if I stay around to finish the procedure after our duel, of course."

Jaden gritted his teeth but remained silent, his mind fighting with itself over what to do. Could he really help Koyo by losing? Would this stop whatever's going on outside? Prevent the Sacred Beasts from causing chaos and destruction?

"Just keep it in mind. For now, let's continue our game, shall we?" Banner said and picked his cards. "I activate Dimensional Fissure. While this card is active, all monsters sent to the graveyard are banished instead." Above their heads, the air was torn apart, opening a rift into what looked like the darkness of space.

"Next, I summon Homunculus the Alchemic Being." A big flask filled with liquid appeared briefly before it shattered, revealing a humanoid figure, its light skin being a metallic grey here and there, with strange runes carved into its body and a blindfold taking its sight (1800/1600). "Attack his Woodsman!"

'No', Jaden thought. 'I don't think Koyo would appreciate this way of help. A hero should be just and what Banner's doing is anything but.'

His resolve steeled; Jaden countered. "Not so fast, professor! I activate my Trap card: Hero Barrier! This will negate your attack and keep my hero save!" A contraption akin to a large fan appeared in front of Jaden's monster, spinning rapidly, and blocking the incoming attack.

"I hope this isn't your answer, Jaden. But you'll see reason soon enough. I set one card and end my turn." Banner said eventually.

"I'm afraid it is, teach. Let me show you my resolve!" Jaden replied and drew. "Since I have Woodsman on my field, he can grab me something real special from my deck: Polymerization!" The hero in question rammed its bark-armed fist into the ground, causing a small flower to blossom, which revealed a copy of said card for Jaden to pick up.

Jaden locked eyes with his opponent. "While I like the sight you put up for us, I'm afraid it'll have to go. I summon Elemental HERO Stratos!" Flying in with propellor-wings on its back, the blue-skinned hero touched down with a classic superhero landing, creating a wave of pressure that collided with the rift above them, shattering it. "When Stratos hits the field, I can either add another Elemental HERO from the deck to my hand or destroy a number of Spell and Trap cards equal to the number of HERO monsters I control, other than Stratos."

"But I'm not done yet! Next, I'll activate the card I just added to my hand: Polymerization! With it, I'll fuse Woodsman from my field and Elemental HERO Ocean from my hand to summon Elemental HERO Terra Firma!" Jaden announced proudly as the familiar swirl of fusion magic combined the two heroes to summon the ace of his personal hero and mentor. Terra Firma hit the field with a resounding boom, causing the dust all around the room to be thrown into the air as he readied his muscular body (2500/2000).

"Battle! Terra Firma, attack his Homunculus!" Jaden ordered, both determined to win this duel and giddy at seeing the monster in action once more. At least until it was unceremoniously dispatched.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. But I'm sure your hero will be comfortable in its Dimensional Prison." Banner countered, easily ridding himself of the iconic hero, sending it through a similar but much smaller rift.

Jaden grunted, more angrily than ever from seeing his monster destroyed. Not wanting to crash his remaining monster, he ended his turn.

"Good, Jaden, good." Banner grinned. "Let those emotions flow through you. Find what's hidden inside. Embrace it and overcome me with it. Let me push you even further. I summon Diskblade Rider!" Of all the things Jaden had expected the professor to play, like some weird alchemy stuff, a motorcycling fiend wasn't something he'd expected (1700/1500).

"Don't look so surprised. I have hobbies other than alchemy; I'll have you know." Banner drolled. "Wouldn't you say the rush of high-speed movement would make dueling even greater? But I'm getting ahead of myself. I activate Diskblade Rider's effect! I can banish a Normal Trap from my graveyard to increase its attack points by 500 until the end of your turn." The monster revved its engine, its futuristic wheels and blades spinning fast with a green glow (2200/1700).

"Now, Diskblade Rider, attack his Stratos!" Banner's monster charged forward, raising its front wheel as it arrived, only to crash it down on its target, easily shattering Stratos. The remaining force pushed Jaden back and teared at his jacket. (Jaden 3600 / Banner 4000)

"Not bad, teach, but I'm not done yet!" Jaden revealed. "I activate my Trap card: Hero Signal! This lets me summon a HERO from my deck after one was destroyed by battle. Say hello the Elemental HERO Blazeman!" Following the shining signal, the fiery hero took a defensive stance in front of Jaden, the six attachments on its back helping it form a burning shield. (1200/1800).

"Not only is my Blazeman strong enough to ward off your Homunculus, he also has the neat effect of grabbing me another Polymerization when summoned! Pretty cool, eh?" The second copy of his card shot out of the flames surrounding his newest monster, making Jaden flap it in the air and blowing at it once caught due to the hotness of the card.

Banner chuckled at his student's antics. "Quite so. Sadly, I'll have to end my turn here."

"Then I guess it's time to turn up the heat!" Jaden grinned. "Now that it's my turn, I activate Blazeman's other effect. By sending one Elemental HERO from my deck to the grave, Blazeman gets both its attribute and stats! And I'll send my good buddy Elemental HERO Avian!" A see-through version of Avian appeared briefly, sending his energy towards the hero on the field before disappearing. (1000/1000)

"I fail to see how that's helping you. Your monster just turned weaker." Banner pointed out.

"You'll see in just a second! But first I'll have to summon Elemental HERO Burstinatrix!" The first female Elemental HERO appeared in a burst of flames, shooting her owner a wink before staring down her opponents (1200/800). "Now check this out: I activate Miracle Fusion! This allows me to summon a Fusion monster by fusing monsters from my field and graveyard. I'll combine Avian and Burstinatrix to summon my favorite HERO: Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

Unlike the regular visuals of fusion summoning, Jaden's heroes combined in a swirl of red and blue, the "H"-insignia of the Elemental HEROs pulsating in front of it as the spell reached its climax. Flapping his wing and snapping the draconic jaw that made up his right hand, Flame Wingman took center stage, his arms crossed as he nodded at Jaden (2100/1400).

"Time for a heroic comeback! Flame Wingman: Grill Banner's Homunculus!" Jaden threw out his hand and his monster followed. With one swift motion, Flame Wingman's right arm pierced its target, shattering the hologram (Jaden 3600 / Banner 3700) before continuing with a burst for fire which hit Banner directly, singing his robes. (Jaden 3600 / Banner 1900)

"I remember your monster's effect quite well, as does Doctor Crowler no doubt." Banner coughed.

"Pretty neat, isn't it? With that, I end my turn." Jaden replied easily.

He'd expected Banner to summon an even bigger monster to beat over his fusion. Instead, the professor switched his remaining monster into defense position (1700/1500), set two cards face-down, and finished his turn by summoning the cloaked D.D. Survivor (1800/200).

"You're putting me in quite the predicament, Jaden." Banner said, seeming not perturbed by having to play defensively in the slightest.

Jaden narrowed his eyes at that. Flame Wingman wouldn't have dealt enough damage by destroying the now defending Diskblade Rider. This was an obvious trap, something he could do little against with the cards on his hand. What he could do was recover from whatever Banner had planned, if he wasn't bluffing. That and he didn't want to leave Bastion fighting by himself for longer than necessary, he'd put an end to this here and now.

"Flame Wingman, attack D.D. Survivor!" Jaden ordered and his HERO rushed forward.

"A bit eager, wouldn't you say?" Banner scolded. "I activate Macro Cosmos. While it's on the field every card gets banished instead of being sent to the graveyard. Not only that, it allows me to summon Helios – The Primordial Sun from my deck." Behind Banner, a lot of circles were drawn into the air, depicting some sort of pattern Jaden couldn't place. Then, a small sun appeared, unfolding into a humanoid form, held together by white bandages (?/?).

"Helios stats equal the number of banished monsters times 100, which are only three, as of now." Banner explained as the sun-head of his monster shined dimly (300/300).

"Well, thanks for summoning her in attack position, teach." Jaden replied and changed the target of his attack.

"That rashness of yours will be your downfall someday, Jaden." Banner shook his head. "I activate Grand Convergence. Since I control Macro Cosmos, it inflicts 300 points of damage to you and destroys all monsters on the field." Above them, holograms of the stars and planets aligning appeared, creating a cross of pure energy that exploded onto the field, destroying all monsters and sending them through the weird circles behind Banner and singing Jaden's sleeves. (Jaden 3300 / Banner 1900)

Jaden had known this was a trap, but not the extent of it. Then again, even if he hadn't attacked so rashly, Banner could've activated those cards for the same result later. But seeing even more of his monsters, his spirits, destroyed and banished away, something in Jaden cracked. Not even the short look of reassurance Flame Wingman gave him as he was disintegrated helped. Suddenly, the same feminine voice he'd heard earlier echoed in his mind.

'How dare he. This affront shall not go unpunished. Cast your judgement upon him, my king.'

The anger from his monsters being destroyed, the betrayal of Banner as a whole, and the audacity of trying to sway his mind with promises of helping Koyo culminated into a massive spike of negativity. Jaden couldn't help but agree with the voice. His eyes hardened, filled with cold fury as he looked at Banner.

"That's it, Jaden. That's exactly it." Banner said, widening his arms in welcoming. "Show me everything! Unleash your powers!"

The air shifted around them as Jaden's eyes lit up into an almost demonic-looking golden color. "You'll regret that, old man." Jaden's voice echoed through the room, cold yet filled with distain.

"I activate A Hero Lives. For the measly cost of half my lifepoints, I'll summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman from my deck." Jaden stated, brushing off the damage as if it was nothing (Jaden 1650 / Banner 1900). The bubbly hero in blue had a resolute look on his face, kneeling in defense (800/1200). "Since Bubbleman is the only card on my side of the field, I can draw two cards. I'll then set all of them and activate Mirage of Nightmare."

Banner was momentarily taken aback by the shift in tone. "Very interesting. I hadn't expected your personality to change in correspondence with your darker emotions."

"Can it, worm." Jaden snapped back. "Take your last pathetic turn so I can end this duel."

"End the duel? With what?" Banner asked. "I know that combo of yours, but as long as Macro Cosmos is on the field you cannot activate Emergency Provisions to prevent Mirage of Nightmare's discard effect. By the looks of it, none of your cards was able to get rid of it, not like your weak monster will be of any help either."

"I expected something more insightful from a man who prides himself on his intellect. Now get on with it." Jaden mocked.

"I will. Since you've ended your turn, I can summon back D.D. Survivor as he's been banished while face-up on the field." Banner started.

"Mirage of Nightmare activates after your draw." Jaden interjected, drawing four cards.

"Not that you'll keep those cards. First, I activate Soul Release. With it, I'll banish Dimensional Fissure and Homunculus the Alchemic Being from my graveyard, as well as Elemental HEROs Stratos, Woodsman, and Ocen from yours." Banner stated, a blue mist blowing over the field, pulling out the cards in question, before sending them into the dark beyond.

"With no cards in my graveyard and over four banished, I activate Chaos Greed, which allows me to draw two cards." Banner continued.

"What, couldn't afford a simple Pot of Greed?" Jaden remarked with a smirk.

"I believe I told you the pay isn't all that great in this academy." Banner remarked sharply. "But enough of that. I tribute D.D. Survivor to summon Golden Homunculus!" With his monster banished once more, a golden golem took its place (1500/1500). "Golden Homunculus gains 300 attack and defense points for every of my banished cards." The golem raised its hands, absorbing the power of all the cards banished and grew to an enormous size (4200/4200).

"Golden Homunculus, strike down his monster!" Banner ordered, and Bubbleman was no more. "At the end of my turn, D.D. Survivor gets summoned once more."

"That's it? That's your grand strategy?" Jaden laughed. "Pathetic."

"Let's see if you'll laugh once you're left with no cards in hand and no monsters to protect yourself." Banner chided with a smile, entirely unbothered.

"That's what you think. My turn." Jaden said, his right hand and the card it drew shining with a low golden glow. "Before Mirage of Nightmare's effect activates, I play this: Mystical Space Typhoon, which will destroy your Macro Cosmos." The typhoon easily ripped apart its target, causing Banner's smile to fade. "Next, Emergency Provision sends both Mirage of Nightmare and my set Hero Mask to the graveyard, increasing my lifepoints by 2000." The set card sprung up and completed Jaden's combo, turning the cards it targeted into little snacks.

"Now I activate Dimension Fusion. For the 2000 lifepoints I just received, we must summon as many of our banished monsters as possible to the field." Above their heads, two rifts opened over their respective sides. On Jaden's side, Avian, Burstinatrix, Ocean, Woodsman, and Stratos appeared, angry and ready to attack. The last allowing Jaden to add another hero from his deck to his hand.

On Banner's side, Homunculus the Alchemic Being, Diskblade Rider, and Helios the Primordial Sun appeared, all taking a defensive stance.

"Next I activate Dark Fusion, combining Avian and Burstinatrix to summon Evil HERO Infernal Wing." The two heroes moved next to each other and disappeared in a golden light just like the color of Jaden's eyes, forming the dark HERO Banner had first seen at the ruins. The new hero flexed her wings, scoffed at her opposition, and sent Jaden a hand-blown kiss (2100/1200).

Jaden himself didn't react to it, but someone else did. A dark, feminine chuckle echoed through the room, causing Banner to furrow his brows. "Who's there?"

"My ever-loving, loyal protector, and your ultimate demise." Jaden replied, an almost too small to see smile on his face. "I sacrifice Ocean and Woodsman to summon Yubel!" The two heroes made way for a truly demonic monster to arrive at Jaden's right. A humanoid figure, half man half woman stitched together, dark wings protruding from its back, its hair split perfectly in the middle between white and purple, similar to its heterochromatic orange and teal eyes, with a third, larger vertical eye on its forehead (0/0).

But as frightening as the unknown monster's sight was, the fact it could talk was even more unsettling. "You have called and I followed, my liege." The monster said, bowing deeply towards Jaden with a hungry, almost manic look in its eyes. On Jaden's other side, his Evil HERO crossed her arms and huffed. Yubel simply side-eyed her. "You have done adequately. But you are but a shade of myself, don't forget that."

"Truly fascinating. You are indeed capable of giving duel spirits physical form." Banner noted, seeing as Yubel left footmarks in the dust below as the monster shifted around. "Not only that, they're even capable of speech. Remarkable."

Yubel frowned at him, ready to lash out. "You insignificant worm, how dare you-"

When Jaden raised his hand, she stopped immediately. "Not yet, Yubel. He'll be punished for his insolence soon enough. It doesn't change the fact he enabled this to happen."

"That doesn't excuse his actions towards you, my liege." Yubel argued, her eyes leaving Banner for just a moment before staring back at him, shooting cold sweat down his spine.

"It doesn't, but he could be a promising ally, if his doomsaying of what's to come holds any truth." Jaden explained.

Yubel clicked her tongue. "As you wish."

Jaden then looked at Banner, making the man shiver from his sheer presence alone. "For now, let's finish this duel. You'll follow along or be destroyed. Yubel, attack his Golden Homunculus."

Before Banner could reply, Yubel crashed into his monster. Their difference in attack points should've destroyed Jaden's monster and cause him to lose, but instead the opposite happened. Banner was thrown back by his monster exploding, hitting the bookcase behind him hard enough to shatter it and bury him under the falling books. (Jaden 1650 / Banner 0)

Then, the whole room shook, as did the rest of the island.

Didn't expect an earlier update now, did ya? Just like Jaden, I gotta turn up the heat to get the arc done by the end of the year, so expect more early updates till that's done. To clarify Blake's current state: It's a mix of what Banner had intended with his failsafe and the untimely decision to hold onto the Nightshroud card. As such, the lashing out and putting Bastion down last chapter and at the beginning of this is caused by the Shadow Charm, while the rest is all Nightshroud, who dropped some bombs for sure. For anyone wondering how the Cyberdarks are supposed to be Nightshrouds creation, you'll see next chapter, which will tie in with another plot nicely.

So, yeah, Supreme King Jaden decided to swing by early. Banner might've miscalculated that, or was it too part of his plan? Either way, he for sure delivered. Banner didn't use his Alchemic Beast deck, because there's no way he would've survived long enough with that against this Jaden, and since it didn't play into the other part of his deck. We could really use a cool retrain of those with a Fusion focus, don't you think? Imagine using the alchemic cards to finally summon Bastion's Fire Dragon we never got!

Reviews:
Happy to see you enjoying the updates!
uchiha-rune: Well, about that …
D2268: Glad you think its worth the wait. I'm revving up to get a bit faster for now. Dark Honest's reaction to the LoD could be funny. Yeah, Blake ripped Bastion a new one with the harsh truth, which makes it even worse. The deck-building master sure has a lot of work to do so he can fill the gap soon. Considering how Blake's other spirits reacted to being used, I wouldn't put much hope in D Honest, especially considering he himself used Nightshroud just minutes earlier. And poor Kami, she was just way too over her head by joining the whole thing. Bastion has definitely caught onto Blake knowing more than he should, hopefully Nightshroud won't throw more shade on their bond with some implications …
Peter Kim: Yeah, Bastion has to pull his A-game. Even knowing his opponent's deck and strategies, he knows he's at a severe disadvantage. But can he do it? We'll see next time!
kazikamikaze24: And they won't stop coming, and they won't stop coming. I hope you guys won't get fatigued from even more duels …
defalcomatteo178: Thank you!
MacyWacyLacy: You'd like that, wouldn't you? Jaden's still around, so why not make all three instead?
Guest: Classic good-guy behavior, am I right? But Bastion seems no less determined to save his bro, even if his words hurt. And Blake's spirits, well … you'll see.

That's it from me! See you next time!