The Duelist's Spirit

by YamiRuss

Some view international boarding school as a punishment for youthful indiscretions. Some see it as a way to escape a discouraging home life. The goal may be sharpening your social skills, expanding your academic duel count, or combating a secret organization out to fulfill an ancient prophecy that ends the world. Better build your deck wisely if you want to graduate.

36. Total Eclipse of the Sun

Chapter 36: Total Eclipse of the Sun

The video quality was high enough to see every crystalline particle that floated through the fog. But that level of focus was what made the fight between the Archangel and the Demon so hard to see. Their forms blurred with each slow, exaggerated movement. Lights flashed when Archangel attacked, and Demon's maneuvers absorbed the light. They were somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by now, east of the Gulf of Mexico, so no more cities were immediately vaporized by their confrontation. But the two titans fighting in the ocean still played havoc with ocean currents, disturbing ecosystems, flooding coastal cities, and battering four continents with horrific weather and unending storms. Cary's vision blurred whenever the news began to list affected cities or monetize the damage—the knowledge was traumatizing for her, especially knowing she couldn't do anything.

After Cary called the campus police a second time to help her retrieve the bodies of Guardian Duelers and their would-be victims, the faculty started keeping a closer eye on her. Dr. Houtz had gone on a tirade about how dangerous it was to keep sneaking out of DA-Rec and how sacrificing her classmates to alleged Shadow Games was against school policy. Cary asked where that was written down, so Dr. Houtz showed her. It was an obscure article, but apparently there was enough in Duel Academy's history to warrant such a doctrine.

"You don't understand how dangerous these monsters are," Dr. Houtz kept repeating. "There's a reason they were each divided into three parts before they were sealed away."

"Three each. So there really are three monsters out there." The news debated on whether the Demon and the Fiend were the same kaiju or not. "Then why are you not out there defeating the rest of the Guardians?"

"The Guardians aren't the real problem here." She paused before adding, "They don't have the real god cards."

Cary forgot to act surprised by this information. "What if they're spellbound into protecting the people who do have them?"

"That's a possibility, but for what we currently know, the Guardians might be the ones limiting the power of the embodied gods right now. Maybe severing the shadows around our duelists makes the gods even more dangerous. In truth, we don't know what will happen." Dr. Houtz gave Cary's shoulder a light fist bump. "But I'll admit, I never expected you to take out so many of them, as powerful as they are right now."

"Wait. You don't believe that I'm just leading people out there to be shadow sacrifices?"

"Of course not. You're going about it all wrong. Calling the campus police straight to yourself and not even hiding? I mean, you'd have to realize that it looks suspicious how you keep sneaking out and finding more people who were lost to the fog." Dr. Houtz leaned in to whisper. "Thank you for that, by the way. Dr. Nagell says they'd be at risk of hypothermia or worse if left outdoors."

Cary made a face as she tried to read the lines between Dr. Houtz's enthusiasm and her sincerity. "But you still won't let me help find the rest of them."

"Correct. Too many people followed your example and snuck out. Most of them haven't come back yet. Best case, they're just a little lost in the fog. Worst case, the shadows got them and left them outdoors."

"Police haven't found any of them yet?"

"It's a big island, with a lot of nooks and crannies, and the force only has six heads."

"Who's missing?"

Dr. Houtz sighed and looked away as if trying to remember names. "From Slifer, Jack snuck out. From Obelisk, there's Kai, plus Nick and Thomas. From Obelisk Girls, we haven't seen Sydney since the first time you left, plus Wikolia, Lei, and Kasumi all snuck away." Cary reacted to that last name while Dr. Houtz kept saying, "We'll probably need a punishment for all of you."

"Kasumi left?" asked Cary.

"Yes. Do you think she'll be okay?"

Cary tried not to think about how badly Erica had trounced her roommate during every one of their tutoring sessions. "No, not really."

"I don't think so, either. But the odds might be slightly more in her favor than for Wikolia; no doubt she's looking for Andy." Dr. Houtz let her gaze fall on the TV, which continued to show footage of the kaiju battle between the Archangel and Demon. "Considering the animosity between the embodied gods, I wonder if that'll affect the Guardians."

"Please," said Cary. "Can I go rescue Kasumi?"

"You're safer here," said Dr. Houtz. "The rest of the faculty and staff are paying special attention to you now, so stop sneaking out. How are you doing it, anyway?" She waited a minute for Cary to answer, but Cary had no desire to do so. "Worth a shot. Just stay here, get some rest, and catch up on the essay assignment you missed this morning."

Even though the doors weren't technically locked, Cary was well aware that she was right next to the infirmary because there was no way for her to leave without crossing in plain view of Dr. Nagell and her team. Cary's body was physically exhausted from suffering the shadows multiple times, even though she wasn't the target. The only thing preventing sleep was her anxiety over knowing that her roommate was stupid enough to go challenge a Guardian Dueler.

So she texted her roommate's boyfriend. "Matt, are you still out there? Is your phone on yet?"

---

"My phone is on, but I'm not texting back," Matt said aloud as he put his phone away.

Bryan asked, "What?" He was walking a few steps behind Matt, so it made sense that he couldn't hear well.

"Don't worry about it. We're close."

Tromping over another pile of rocks and kicking up the underbrush, Bryan asked, "Remind me where the hell we're going?"

"This way," said Matt, continuing his eastern march through the woods. He didn't know exactly where to look, but he had an estimate for what area to search as he headed through the wooded area south of Slifer Red.

"No chance… you can be… more specific?" asked Bryan. He was sounding more and more exhausted despite having finally gotten some sleep. Bastard had been snuggled up with Lucy until Syd made a big deal about consent. That's when everyone discarded the idea of consent and moved Syd, Lucy, and Numbers over to the other Slifer bedroom while the boys stayed in Matt's room.

Maybe the fact that Bryan was ready to fight over Lucy was what made Matt so annoyed with him. It's not even like Bryan had her best interests at heart—not when she just wanted to devour everyone's souls.

Stewing in his frustration, Matt decided he would explain his thought process again in a way that made Bryan feel as stupid as possible. "It's a simple matter of following the map," he said. "Lucy found her challenges at Slifer. Justin waited at Obelisk. Gima was in the woods between Obelisk Blue and Obelisk Girls. Mikey was between the Guardhouse and the lake. Dave was at the agricultural center. And Erica was last seen at the beach. Can you figure out what's in the giant gap between all of those major locations?"

"The Grand Canyon?"

Unamused with Bryan but amused with himself, Matt said, "I believe it's called a sar-chasm. But no. The obvious landmark that's been skipped over is—"

"Ra Yellow." Matt bit his tongue. Fucking hell that Bryan did figure it out and spoiled Matt's moment of superiority.

He said, "We'll likely find Jade around there."

"Or maybe Andy, if he somehow felt the need to be ironic," said Bryan.

"Taking Ra to the Ra dorm is not ironic. Irony requires deliberate contradiction. The word you're looking for is either obvious or cliche."

"Thanks the gods that you're here to explain that to me."

Matt started thinking that talking less might help them find an opponent even faster because it would be easier to pay attention to their surroundings. But on the other hand, maybe talking and making noise was the right way to go: draw attention to themselves and lure out the Guardians instead.

It didn't matter for long. Not far east of Ra, a short distance away from the river, Matt saw just enough lights flickering in the distance to know he had found another duel. He hurried ahead of Bryan and emerged into a small clearing where he found both the duelists he was looking for, facing off against each other. Jade's effervescent personality was completely obscured by the giant, black orb that occupied most of her field. Shadows spread from the orb like a gas ball that popped at the bottom. The shadows swamped Andy, who stood across from Jade without even flinching. But maybe that's because The Wicked Avatar (10: 100|100) had no opponents on the field, so it only had 100 points.

But the shadows also swam past Andy and engulfed Wikolia and Lei. Matt couldn't believe how easy it apparently was for everyone to immediately locate their significant others in this ridiculous Shadow Realm mist. Like love magnets. Or maybe Wikolia and Andy shared GPS locations with each other.

Andy: 7900 LP, 4 cards

Jade: 8000 LP, 4 cards

"Should a couple of nice girls like you be wandering around by yourselves late a night?" he asked as he sidled up to them.

Lei said, "Matt! You're okay?"

"Shouldn't I be?"

"Everyone assumed you lost to one of the Guardians and ended up in a coma."

Wikolia added, "And it's daytime."

Matt looked to the sky, forgetting that it was, in fact, daytime. The extra fog obscured the island so much that it was nearly impossible to see even a tiny ray of sunlight. "Oh yeah. So… why are the Guardians dueling against each other?"

"Right? I assumed they were all working for the same evil overlord," said Lei. The ease with which she spoke of evil overlords almost made Matt laugh. "Jade does tease Andy a lot about how their gods are basically light and dark versions of each other. Maybe the shadows latched onto that part of her personality."

Wikolia said, "I would guess it's related to the kaiju from the news. They mentioned how the storms got worse as the monsters were getting close to each other. The tension between them might also have influenced Andy and Jade to fight."

Matt nodded. "That theory holds up. The Creator of Light and The Wicked Endgame just started fighting in real life. I guess that makes this duel kind of obvious, in hindsight. I just can't tell if it's good or bad: What happens if someone possessed by Shadows defeats someone else possessed by Shadows? Do they become twice as shadowy? Or does the island start flying?"

"I have a plan," said Wikolia. "Andy's Duel Disk is still set to Battle Royale mode. I know it is because I have a code to enter a Battle Royale with him, and it's still valid. That means Jade's Duel Disk also switched to Battle Royale mode so she could duel him."

"What does that code do?"

"Just lets me butt in even when a duel has already started. I start with Life Points equal to the weakest player, and I have to skip the Draw Phase on my first turn. But if I hit the right moment, I might be able to take advantage of whatever they do to each other first."

Wondering whether he was about to get verbally shit on for even suggesting this, Matt hesitated. Both Lei and Wikolia stared at the duel, not even noticing his squeamish behavior.

After Jade's first attack, Andy was basically stuck. The Wicked Avatar prevented Andy from activating any Spells or Traps for two turns, so all he did was set one Spell or Trap on his field and end his turn.

Andy: 7900 LP, 4 cards

Jade: 8000 LP, 4 cards

Jade responded to the open field by summoning Megalosmasher X (4: 2000|0), a massive shark with a long, thin tail and glowing scales along its dorsum. The shark showed off its incredible jaws as it flew through the fog and took a huge bite out of Andy.

Andy responded by summoning Guardian Slime (10: 0|0), an amorphous blob creature with the head of a jackal. The Wicked Avatar (+2100) transformed from an orb into the shape of a shark so dark that no light could even shine on its body. When the black shark bit into the Guardian Slime (+2000), the monster dissolved temporarily, but then it resumed its defensive form (-0), perfectly matching its defense level to meet the opponent's attack power.

Andy: 3800 LP, 3 cards

Jade: 8000 LP, 4 cards

On his turn, Andy still couldn't use Spells or Traps. So instead, he thought it was smart to put a monster in attack mode? He summoned Ra's Disciple (4: 1100|600), an Egyptian man wearing a headdress shaped like Ra's head and a cape like Ra's wings. Ra's Disciple immediately multiplied into three copies of the same monster. At least the extra two were in defense mode.

Andy: 3800 LP, 3 cards

Jade: 8000 LP, 4 cards

"What if you gave me that code?" asked Matt. He didn't look at Wikolia right away until he felt that familiar heat of angry women glaring at him. Lei was flustered by the request, but Wikolia was downright furious. "Butting in here will be dangerous. I might be able to defeat them both."

"Because you're a guy?" asked Wikolia.

"No, it's not like that at all. I'm just good."

She scoffed hard enough to smack him in the face with a tiny loogie. "And did you spend the last three years dueling against Andy every day, learning his ticks and tells so well that you know exactly when he's being dishonest and to what extent?"

"Obviously not. I've not even known him a full year."

"Then back off," she snapped. She took a deep breath and looked back to the field. "I can do this. Only I can."

"I can help," offered Lei.

But that's when Wikolia became as arrogant as Matt. "No. It's too dangerous for that. And you know my deck: Since we'll be in Battle Royale, I'd just hurt you, too." She shot one more angry glance at Matt. "If I end up not winning: You can use Lei's code to jump in and finish them off. But I'm only saying that because I'm sure I'll win."

Lei asked, "How can you be so confident? Look how this duel is weighing Andy down."

As if Andy weren't already hunching more than usual, Jade had gone on a serious dinosaur combo. Ground Xeno brought a card to her hand in the form of a meteorite, which created an explosion so big that it destroyed the Babycersaurus in Jade's hand and sent it to the Graveyard. From the impact sprang a bipedal dinosaur flowing with lava: Xeno Meteorus (6: 2000|200). The lava seeping off this dinosaur destroyed the Petiteranodon card in Jade's hand. The lava somehow raised the heat enough that a second Megalosmasher X (4: 2000|0) was able to enter the field, floating over the fiery floor. But killing the Petiteranodon brought out Souleating Oviraptor (4: 1800|500), another velociraptor-type reptile with blue fire streaming down its spine. The heat continued to be enough that Oviraptor let Jade take Miscellaneousaurus from her deck to her hand… and she immediately discarded it. If Matt remembered his dinosaurs correctly, that meant that Jade's monsters were immune to all of Andy's card effects for the rest of the turn.

Finally, Jade looked to her Graveyard. By banishing Ground Xeno, Oviraptor and a Megalosmasher fused into Transcendosaurus Gigantozowler (12: 3800|2000). It was a truly massive creature, rivaling even Obelisk in size—covered from crown to tail with spikes and horns. If that weren't bad enough, The Wicked Avatar (+3900) transformed again, turning from massive shark into a gigantic behemoth covered in horns and spikes. Avatar used its newfound mass to gore Ra's Disciple (1100) and bring Andy's LP down into the red zone. Megalosmasher (2000) charged Guardian Slime (+2000), and the slime monster endured the assault. But then Meteorus (2000) immediately followed up; its lava-soaked scales melted away Guardian Slime (-0), overwhelming the ability to defend. Its acid left behind a card, which Andy took to his hand.

Finally, Gigantozowler (3800) trampled one of Ra's Disciples (600) in defense mode. Jade set one card, and then Andy activated Call of the Haunted. His Guardian Slime (10: 0|0) splashed right back onto the field in attack position, but with no more attacking monsters to defend against this turn.

Andy: 1000 LP, 4 cards

Jade: 8000 LP, 1 card

Lei nudged her sister. "He's about to summon Ra. You should jump in now!"

"No," said Wikolia. "If legends are true, then the best way to free Andy is to beat him while Ra is on the field. That's how we make sure the shadows possessing him are at their strongest point, and they take the most damage."

Finally able to play Spells and Traps normally again, Andy played Millennium Revelation: A stone tablet appeared on the field, and a low rumbling sound droned as if someone were reading the hieroglyphics. Andy took a shining card from his hand and dropped it into the Graveyard. Doing so let him take two cards from his deck. One of those cards was swarming with darkness.

Andy's huge slime jackal transformed right then, taking the shape of Obelisk's endoskeleton, thin and covered with slimy metal: the Egyptian God Slime (10: 3000|3000). But as powerful as this slime monster was, Andy only wanted it as a Tribute to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra (10: +900|+900). Almost all of Andy's Life Points were drawn straight out of his body and into the shining dragon as it took form on the field.

Ra let out a powerful cry that caused Andy's deck to shine. Card Advance activated, letting Andy rearrange the top five cards on top of his deck. Ra shrieked again as Reversal Quiz activated. Everything on Andy's field, including Ra, disappeared while the chorus that used Andy's voice said, "My top card is a Monster." Matt almost laughed at how easy it was to guess that right after looking at the top five cards.

The Shadows swarmed the field, bigger on Jade's side than Andy's at first. But the Shadows rapidly transferred from Jade (100 LP) over to surrounding Andy (8000 LP), swapping their remaining life force as a result of Andy's successful quiz. Andy was like a phoenix, newly revived with fresh Life Points. And his Graveyard burst into flames as Ra, too, became as a phoenix, summoning itself to the field as The Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix (10: 4000|4000).

The Wicked Avatar (+4100) transformed yet again, finding a form even larger than before as it became a phoenix surpassing even Ra. But Ra and Andy were linked: By draining just 1000 LP, Ra's flame rampaged across the field, engulfing The Wicked Avatar in an unquenchable flame. No matter how the evil god resisted and fought back, Ra's flame was immortal, never even dimming until The Wicked Avatar was destroyed.

Jade cried out and fell to the ground as if her lifeline had been cut. Andy was clearly hoping to end it completely when Ra (4000) dove toward Megalosmasher (2000). But the whole island shook as Jade was able to activate Quaking Mirror Force: Without targeting, the Trap forced Andy's monsters into defense mode before attacks could conclude. Andy was clearly disappointed, but with no other moves, he accepted the end of his turn. Ra's fire finally faded as the mighty phoenix curled up into a golden ball, hibernating until its next release: The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode (10: ?|?).

Andy: 7000 LP, 2 cards

Jade: 100 LP, 1 card

"Now," said Matt. But Wikolia was already way ahead of him. Her Duel Disk was active and lit as the game immediately granted her a turn. All at once, her Life Points exploded as they cut in half from the default value.

She screamed and wrapped herself in a self-hug. "Oh, my god. How does it hurt so much?"

Matt wished he could jump in to take her place, but the Shadows already had their invisible force pushing him away. He could only reach her through words. "It's all in your head. The Shadow Realm is psychosomatic, imaginary pain that you think you feel but isn't real."

"It's worse than eating ghost peppers," she grunted.

Was that supposed to be a joke? He couldn't tell. He hadn't taken enough meals with Wikolia to know how she felt about spicy foods. So he asked Lei, "Any words of motivation for your sister?"

"You're stronger than the pain!" said Lei. "Look at Andy and Jade. They've both been knocked down to 100 LP and they're still standing."

"They can't be human," said Wikolia. Tears were falling from her face.

Lei looked ready to cry sympathetically. "They're supported by the Shadow Realm. You're supported by us."

She looked to Matt for encouragement now. "That's right," he said. "And you already know you can win this. Just pause for a minute, then take ten deep breaths. This pain will go away. If you lose Andy to the shadows, that pain will never go away."

Apparently that was what Wikolia needed to hear. She finally opened her eyes, stood up straight, and picked her cards back up. Another moment later and she was ready to duel.

"Here's Trickstar Candina (4: 1800|400)." Her monster looked like a pop idol wearing a yellow dress and carrying a megaphone. "Summoning her brings a Trickstar card to my hand. Here it is: Trickstar Light Stage." The field transformed into an auditorium. Andy and Jade were placed in the orchestra seats with their monsters while Wikolia and Candina stood on a lit stage with transparent TV screens behind them. "Playing this card also gives me a Trickstar to my hand.

"So now I'll play Giant Trunade." A tornado whipped up violently but only across every player's backfield. Somehow the wind also had a face. "All our Spells and Traps return to our hands, which means I can activate Trickstar Light Stage again and get another Trickstar monster." She looked at Andy for a moment. "If you were really Andy, you'd know which card I took already." She flipped around three cards in her hand: They were all the same monster. "I'll target Candina to Special Summon three of my Trickstar Lycoris (3: 1600|1200) to the field." As identical idols hopped into the spotlight wearing pink dresses and wielding—perhaps—a theatrical rapier, the idol in yellow disappeared, returning to Wikolia's hand.

"Now the field is set. I'll place one card face-down and then activate Dark Room of Nightmare." A section of the field behind the light stage cast several shadows that implied some kind of torture taking place backstage. "That ends my turn."

Andy: 7000 LP, 3 cards

Jade: 100 LP, 1 card

Wikolia: 100 LP, 1 card

As soon as Jade drew, Wikolia's trap was sprung. Each Lycoris held their rapiers in that pose that looked like praying to the blade, then they lunged, stabbing through the card Jade drew and striking her at the same time. The Light Stage also flashed the spotlights on each Lycoris, and muffled screams poured out of the Dark Room.

Considering Lycoris alone dealt 200 points when Jade took a card to her hand, she was instantly knocked out of the duel. Shadows swarmed Jade and exploded with even more vigor than it had for the previous duels Matt watched. Was the added intensity because of how much power Jade had absorbed from The Wicked Avatar? Or maybe it was because Ra and Avatar went head-to-head.

Andy: 7000 LP, 3 cards

Jade: 0 LP, 1 card

Wikolia: 100 LP, 1 card

When the duel shifted to Andy, Wikolia reminded everyone why she was still a member of Team OTK. Andy's card drew the same reaction as Jade's did: Each Lycoris dealt 200 points of damage, followed by Light Stage flashing him for another 200. After all six miniature attacks, the Dark Room unleashed six rounds of shadowy torture for 1800 additional points of damage. In all, that was already 3000 points.

But Andy still had Ra on the field. He turned his attention to The Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode, but Wikolia interrupted him. "I activate Disturbance Strategy." Flames appeared all around his field, plus the sound of screaming and coughing from his invisible army being distracted. "You shuffle all four of your cards back into your deck and then draw four new cards." As he complied, the chain with Lycoris, Light Stage, and Dark Room started again. Since he drew four cards this time, each Lycoris struck four times; though Light Stage and Dark Room dealt the same damage as before, the total this time was 4800—more than what Andy had left.

Andy: 0 LP, 4 cards

Jade: 0 LP, 1 card

Wikolia: 100 LP, 1 card

Matt stared at the spherical form Ra had taken. While the shadows attacked Andy, Matt just wanted to watch exactly what was about to happen. Maybe it was just an old wives' tale that Shadow Games didn't count if you didn't fully destroy the god card. Or maybe Ra was considered to be destroyed with how many times it went to the Graveyard. He watched Sphere Mode slowly melt into shadowy mist long before he realized that Wikolia had rushed into the Shadows to protect Andy.

"Sissy!" shouted Lei, but she didn't charge into danger like her sister did. Matt stood beside Lei in case there was any way he could defend her, but in reality, all either of them could do was to watch as the shadows became a veritable tornado that just blinked out of existence with a puff. The bodies of Wikolia, Andy, and Jade were all left behind, the same way every Shadow Duel had ended so far.

Like the other times, Wikolia was still awake. "That hurt so much," she whined.

"Honestly a tad surprised you survived," said Matt. "What was it like inside the shadow swarm like that?"

"It felt like being inside a human-size blender."

"Gross. How are you feeling?"

She sighed. "I'll be okay. Andy's…"

"Probably just unconscious," said Matt, though he still wasn't sure whether Shadow Duels had any long-lasting effects on the duelists. Maybe Andy would wake up with brain damage, or he'd never wake up at all, but Wikolia only needed to hear the best possible outcome. "Can you walk?"

"Maybe."

Lei said, "I can help." She grabbed her sister's arm and pulled it over her shoulder. Working together, they were able to get Wikolia off the ground. Every step brought a pained expression to her face, but at least she was moving. "What about Andy?"

"Bryan can carry him. I got dibs on Jade." She had the kind of body that still looked curvy even with her school jacket on and buttoned up. He might not have noticed that if Bryan hadn't been such an asshole about all the "groping Lucy" comments—Matt wanted to believe he was more interested in Jade's health than in copping a feel. He hoisted her off the ground with a bit more difficulty than he had with Syd. Jade actually felt like she was slightly lighter, but she was fully unconscious weight and wasn't helpful with positioning herself. He had to settle for carrying her like they were giving each other a big hug.

Wikolia said, "What are you doing to her? Don't be creepy and grope the unconscious girl."

"I'm not just groping her." Matt tried to keep his voice calm, not defensive.

"Your hands are on her butt."

"She's not too heavy, but she's total dead weight. I have to get my arms under her to keep her off the ground." The fact that her breasts were pressed against his chest was just a bonus. "I'm worried that throwing her over my shoulder would just bruise her and maybe cause some respiratory issues by compressing her lungs unnecessarily." Yeah, that part was bullshit. But it was plausible bullshit that Wikolia and Lei seemed to be satisfied with.

Lei asked, "Where's Bryan?"

Matt looked around, which required spinning full-body with Jade in his arms and blocking his left shoulder. "Crap. Who knows what kind of mischief that jackass got into without supervision."

Wikolia said, "We can't just leave Andy here alone."

"What's going to happen to him?" asked Matt. "Let's get you three somewhere safe, then I can come back for Andy." But that was just placating for now. He was mostly worried about what happens when Bryan is left alone on an island enveloped by shadow magic.

---

Bryan never even saw Andy and Jade going at it. After Matt gave him a hard time about the true definition of irony, Bryan decided to wander off toward the beach. He knew that Matt had been getting updates from Cary about other Guardian Duelers as they lost their duels, so when he said that Erica was last seen by the beach, Bryan concluded that Erica was still conscious and doing her thing. Erica had always been more interesting than everyone else, anyway. Sure, Andy was helpful for a while when Bryan needed to learn about deck speed, but most of that tutoring came from Dave, so Bryan didn't really owe Andy that much. Besides, Matt would be there. Splitting up would cover more ground.

Apart from the now-standard issue where the horizon and the fog had merged into a single visual blur, the vibrant colors of the sand, waves, and trees had all drained into a drab palette of grays and silvers. Stepping into the sand, Bryan realized that it wasn't just appearances that changed. Normally warm and inviting, the sand felt hard and clammy, like greased glass. Salty air continued to fill his nostrils, but a musty undertone reminiscent of old books or forgotten cellars had settled in. Bryan felt sure that if he tried to leave the island, he'd end up swallowed by eternity.

But Erica was still close by. Maybe she picked this spot because of its proximity to the rec center, meaning she had first pick whenever someone wandered away from the group. In fact, he found Erica already in the midst of a duel against one opponent while two more watched, waiting their turns. Bryan's first instinct was to jump in and help Erica, but he also knew that she'd be fine by herself. No one was going to take down her Crystal Beasts.

Especially not Kasumi? Bryan actually laughed when he found that she was Erica's opponent. That made both of her cohorts turn scowls in his direction. "Why the fuck are you here?" asked Thomas Estrada. As always, his arms were folded across the chest of his Obelisk jacket. Between that and the permanent scowl, Bryan couldn't be sure that Thomas wasn't just a mobile mannequin.

"There's a duel going on. Where else would I be?" said Bryan. He motioned to the field, where Kasumi appeared to be reading the cards in her hand very carefully. "Whose idea was it to have Kasumi duel against Erica?"

"She insisted," said Nick Sims, a guy Bryan wouldn't have even noticed if he didn't speak up.

"Did you bring her here?"

Nick's expression was caught somewhere between despair and personal offense. "I thought we were supposed to rescue Erica together, in a Tag Team Duel. But once we got here, Kasumi insisted that Erica was her mentor so she had to be the one to rescue her."

"And you couldn't stop her? Was she too strong for you?" Bryan said with a laugh. "She's gonna get crushed."

Thomas glowered some more. "You're awfully easygoing about this considering Kas over there is supposed to be dating your Mini-Me. Where have the two of you been this whole time while she's been crying about her boyfriend's disappearance?"

"Just trying to figure out how to stop the monsters," said Bryan.

"Well, great work. You should be proud of yourself." It's funny that Thomas and Matt didn't get along because they both spoke mainly in sarcasm.

By the time Bryan showed up to the duel, Erica had already summoned Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200) with Emerald and Cobalt crystals in the backfield, plus the field was covered by Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins.

Now Kasumi was pretending that she was at all a match for the Number 4 duelist on campus. "I'll use Red-Eyes Fusion." The fog became even murkier as she dropped two cards from her deck into the swirling mass that appeared before her. "Red-Eyes and Summoned Skull fuse into Archfiend Black Skull Dragon (9: 3200|2500)." What emerged from the miasma was a massive creature, its fiendish sinew rippling as it flexed. With dragonic scales along its tail and below its knees and elbows, its wings burst into flames when it roared. Energy condensed inside its jowls before it spat a harsh fireball that melted Sapphire Pegasus (1800) and turned it into a crystal. "After its normal attack, Black Skull Dragon also draws on the power of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (2400) in my Graveyard to attack you directly." Although the attack came from the monster on the field, it was the monster in the grave supplying the power. Afterward, the Red-Eyes was shuffled back into her deck.

"Turn end."

Kasumi: 8000 LP, 3 cards

Erica: 4900 LP, 3 cards

Erica suffered even more under the weight of the Shadows than Mikey or Lucy had. Bryan expected the Guardians would resist the effects of a Shadow Duel better than the other students could, but Erica actually seemed worse off. The Shadows hung close to her like they had been sewn to her clothing.

But as soon as she got her bearings, Erica began shuffling cards between her hand, deck, and field as quickly as the Duel Disk could register her moves. Several times, she had cards already placed before the tile even recognized there was something to read. By the time she ended her turn, she had Emerald Tortoise (3: 600|2000) and Amethyst Cat (3: 1200|400) in defense mode, two Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200) and Ruby Carbuncle (3: 300|300) in attack mode, plus Amber, Topaz, and Cobalt crystals in the backfield. In other words, Kasumi had the biggest dragon for now, but a bigger one was coming up soon.

Kasumi: 8000 LP, 3 cards

Erica: 4900 LP, 2 cards

"Here's Frightfur Patchwork," said Kasumi.

As a stuffed chimera creature appeared on the field, the Rainbow Ruins flashed: A prismatic light struck the creature and sent it away. Erica had used her Field Spell's effect to negate Kasumi's card.

"Okay then. I'll summon War Rock Gactos (4: 1900|1900)." He was just a bare-chested barbarian-looking kid holding two clubs that could be used to dig out a whale's molars. "Black Skull Dragon (3200) attacks Sapphire Pegasus (1800) again." Another fireball transformed the sword-horse into a blue rock. "And Gactos attacks Ruby Carbuncle (300)."

The Rainbow Ruins flashed again. This time, the air in front of the Carbuncle shimmered like a rainbow. Instead of deflecting the attack completely, it could only weaken the damage by cutting it in half. A Ruby crystal appeared in the backfield beside the other three crystals.

"Turn end."

Kasumi: 8000 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2700 LP, 3 cards

After Erica drew her normal card for her turn, Rainbow Ruins flashed once more. This time, the rainbow light touched on Erica's deck and released one more card to her hand. And then Erica's hand shimmered like a rainbow right before she placed Rainbow Dragon (10: 4000|0) on the field. Almost as long and heavy as Slifer and Uria, Rainbow Dragon was covered in white scales with colorful crystals studded along its segmented body. Its feathery wings spread wide right before the dragon's full body was enveloped in a new light. What emerged was Rainbow Overdragon (12: 4000|0), similar to before but even bigger, with broader wings and a royal purple underbelly.

Erica banished a card from her Graveyard so that Rainbow Overdragon (+5800) could unleash a sapphire-colored stream of energy that pierced Black Skull Dragon's (3200) armor. As her monster shattered, Kasumi grabbed her chest, almost as if she had taken that attack.

Kasumi: 5400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2700 LP, 2 cards

Bryan couldn't tell whether the time Kasumi waited to start her turn was the result of the pain she felt after that attack or if she just had no clue what cards to play. But just after Bryan huffed loudly out of boredom, she shifted Gactor (1900) to defense mode, set another monster on the field, and placed a card in her backfield.

Before she fully ended her turn, though, her opponent activated Gem Flash Energy. A full quarry appeared in back of her field, where glittering fragments littered the field with rainbow colors.

Kasumi: 5400 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2700 LP, 2 cards

The reason for Gem Flash Energy became immediately apparent. All the gems in the quarry radiated energy at the same time, ready to inflict damage on Kasumi. She said, "I knew this was coming, so I have Magikey Locking." She offered Gactos as a Tribute for her Trap, but as her Graveyard began to react, Amethyst Cat disappeared so Rainbow Ruins could unleash another prismatic beam, locking down Kasumi's Trap and preventing its effect from activating. After that, the radiation from all four crystals on Erica's field inflicted damage directly to Kasumi's Life Points.

Rainbow Ruins activated again, shining its light on Erica's deck and giving her another card. On the field, Rainbow Overdragon (+5200) banished Amethyst Cat so its own purple crystals would grow stronger. Powered up, it obliterated Kasumi's face-down monster.

Kasumi: 4200 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2700 LP, 4 cards

Kasumi's enthusiasm was draining along with her Life Points. She was starting to huddle herself inward, making herself smaller as she drew. "Red-Eyes Spirit," she said, her voice notably devoid of spirit. But again, Emerald Tortoise disappeared from the field so Rainbow Ruins could beam down and negate Kasumi's card. Erica had her just about locked down, unable to make any substantial moves. All she could do was to set a monster.

Kasumi: 4200 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2700 LP, 4 cards

Gem Flash Energy started Erica's turn again with another round of radiation, and then Rainbow Ruins released another card from the deck. Rainbow Overdragon overpowered yet another of Kasumi's monsters. There was no creativity in her moves, but she was effective.

Kasumi: 3000 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2700 LP, 6 cards

All Kasumi could do was to set a monster. Erica was going to win at this rate.

Kasumi: 3000 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2700 LP, 6 cards

Erica's turn was identical to last time: Gem Flash Energy to deal damage followed by Rainbow Ruins to draw a card and Rainbow Overdragon (4000) to destroy Kasumi's defense. But this time her monster was Black Metal Dragon (600). "Destroying it… lets me… get Red-Eyes… Insight," Kasumi grunted by way of explaining her monster's destruction effect.

Kasumi: 1800 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2700 LP, 6 cards

Maybe Erica was feeling generous—like, maybe her human side actually peeked through enough to give Kasumi a break—or maybe she just got bored of doing the same thing every turn. Whatever the case, when Kasumi activated Red-Eyes Insight, it wasn't negated by Erica's Field Spell. That grace gave Kasumi Red-Eyes Fusion, which Erica still didn't negate, probably out of morbid curiosity. What Red-Eyes card could possibly be stronger than Rainbow Overdragon?

A bit of a letdown, despite how big and powerful it was, Kasumi's efforts produced Meteor Black Comet Dragon (8: 3500|2000). Like a massive dragon with molten rocks for scales, it appeared on the field by falling from the sky and slamming into the ground like a meteorite. The summoning alone damaged Erica equal to half the power of the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (-1400) discarded from Kasumi's deck to the Graveyard.

It was a good try, but not enough. She needed double that damage to defeat Erica.

Kasumi: 1800 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 1300 LP, 6 cards

Gem Flash Energy started the turn again with enough damage to push Kasumi to the ground. Erica didn't bother drawing a new card this time: Rainbow Overdragon (+4300) banished Ruby Carbuncle, becoming just powerful enough to extinguish the Meteor Dragon's (3500) molten body and deplete the remainder of Kasumi's Life Points.

Kasumi: 0 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 1300 LP, 7 cards

That was almost exciting to watch, right at the end. Bryan had been sure that Erica would wipe the floor with Kasumi, but Kasumi actually came pretty close to beating her. But now the familiar refrain: The Shadows rushed the field as if some kind of vacuum had sucked them straight into the space surrounding both exhausted duelists. Erica was pained by the air pressure around her, but Kasumi was the one silently screaming. Bryan witnessed vivid glimpses of her open-mouth shrieks but where no sound could be heard over the rushing Shadow energy. When the darkness faded, Kasumi collapsed while Erica only drooped.

"Kas!" Nick dove for her. Without the shadow force field blocking off the duel, he could attend to her. The way he cradled her in his arms was so tender and dejected at the same time.

Bryan did feel bad to see Matt's girlfriend drawn into a coma by whatever spirit had possessed Erica. He pulled out his phone and stared at the screen for a minute, thinking that he should let Matt know about it but not knowing what to say. But on the other hand, he was little bit pissed to see Nick trembling and teary-eyed like she was his girlfriend. "What the hell's going on between you two?" he asked.

No answer from Nick. He just looked to Thomas for support. "I'll take her," said Thomas.

"No, I'll take her," said Bryan. He used his bulk to shove Thomas aside so hard he fell over. Then Bryan reached down to Nick and pulled Kasumi away from him. "She should've known that would happen. Erica's not to be trifled with."

"Shut up," said Nick with more growl than a guy his size should ever use to threaten people Bryan's size. He stood up and faced Erica, who still looked exhausted in the face but carried herself in a way that pretended she wasn't. "It's time for us to duel."

As he and Erica paired their Duel Disks and the Shadows raced in for another force field, Thomas grumbled, "I meant that I should duel Erica. I'm in Obelisk, after all."

Bryan pushed out his bottom lip in a fake pout. "Oh, poor guy. No one cares."

Thomas's glower intensified. "You're sure mouthy today for a dropout."

"I haven't dropped out. I just recognize a loser when I see one." He set Kasumi down at the edge of the beach where the grass started. Pointing back at the duel field, he added, "Erica's about to take another soul."

Thomas scoffed. "You believe in souls, huh? Don't count Nick out yet. He's only in Ra because first-years aren't eligible to be in Obelisk."

Bryan made a face. "You're a first-year in Obelisk."

For once, the glower became a smirk. "I'm special. After my application, they couldn't not put me in Obelisk."

For the second duel, Erica had the first turn. She activated Pot of Duality, a two-faced vase that let her look at the top three cards from her deck, pick one to keep, and then shuffle the others back into the deck. After that, she summoned Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200). The horn on this pegasus' head shone and summoned an additional Sapphire crystal from the deck to Erica's backfield.

Erica: 8000 LP, 4 cards

Nick: 8000 LP, 5 cards

"Here we go," said Nick, broadcasting his voice as if he were putting on a TV special. "I'll play Foolish Burial to send Vampire Duke from my deck straight to my Graveyard. Next, I'll activate Vampire Kingdom." As a small, medieval town sprouted across the field with the largest building overlooking the rest from a hill beside Nick, he explained, "Zombie monsters gain extra points during battle with this active. Here's Vampire Sorcerer (4: 1500|1500)." She was dressed in witch clothes, but the elongated fangs made her affiliation with vampires more noticeable. "I'll set one card, then Vampire Sorcerer will attack."

As the witch prepared her magical staff, Erica discarded a card that brought the image of a warrior adorned with a rainbow of crystals. Crystal Keeper's effect doubled Sapphire Pegasus (+3600) so that it was boosted even higher than Vampire Sorcerer (+2000). The witch's spell dissipated against the strengthened pegasus, leaving her wide open to be gored by a counterattack from that crystalline horn. But Crystal Keeper's boon can only be survived for a short time: Sapphire Pegasus shattered as soon as the battle ended, leaving behind a Sapphire crystal in Erica's backfield.

"When Vampire Sorcerer goes to the Graveyard, I get a vampire card from my deck to my hand. That's all for now," said Nick.

Erica: 8000 LP, 3 cards

Nick: 6400 LP, 3 cards

Erica placed Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (4: 1600|1000) on the field, showing off its saber-teeth and saber-ankles. Then she played Crystal Promise, which caused one of her Sapphire crystals to be reborn as Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (1800).

"Now I'll play my Trap," said Nick. The field flooded as water flowed with so much pressure that it destroyed both her monsters and turned them into crystals. "I paid attention during your duel with Kas. There's never just one monster with you, so I had to wait before playing Torrential Tribute."

Even if he was holding his own, he now filled Erica's field with four total crystals: Topaz, two Sapphires, and Ruby. She put a card face down to end her turn.

Erica: 8000 LP, 1 card

Nick: 6400 LP, 3 cards

"I'll banish Vampire Sorcerer so I can use her effect: I summon Shadow Vampire (5: 2000|0) without a Tribute." The witch appeared as a passing mist briefly, replaced by a see-through vampire wearing armor with the kind of shoulder guards that would decapitate him if he shrugged. "Summoning Shadow Vampire also lets me Special Summon Vampire Duke (5: 2000|0) from my deck." This one looked like the vampire stereotype, with the linen shirt, a giant ascot, and a cape that went on for miles.

"And the Vampire Duke will force you to lose a card from your deck. How about a monster?" Erica discarded another Topaz Tiger straight to the Graveyard. "Whenever you discard from the deck, Vampire Kingdom activates to destroy that face-down card on your field." Erica's response was to activate the card: It was Reckless Greed, essentially opening a treasure chest in front of her, filled with two cards from the top of her deck.

"Unfortunately, Shadow Vampire's effect also prevents him from attacking this turn. But Vampire Duke (+2000) still can." Boosted by Vampire Kingdom, the Duke teleported across the field as a cloud of bats to reappear and bite into Erica's neck. "And just like that, I'm in the lead."

Erica: 5500 LP, 3 cards

Nick: 6400 LP, 3 cards

Bryan said, "Maybe don't get cocky. Your opponent is a Guardian Dueler."

Thomas said, "No, shut up. Don't listen to this asshole. You got this."

Erica wasn't fazed by the peanut gallery. Because of Reckless Greed, she was forced to skip her Draw Phase. But from the look of it, she had alternative methods. She played Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins, replacing the old-time countryside kingdom with the stone columns and pillars of an ancient civilization building a place of entertainment and worship. Powered by all the crystals on her field, Rainbow Ruins used its rainbow magic to let Erica draw a card.

Immediately, Bryan knew which card she drew. The Shadows were ravenously drawn to that card. The sky turned even darker and lightning began to jump between particles in the fog as Erica removed the Sapphires and Topaz from her field to summon Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10: 4000|4000). Everything else on the field became practically invisible behind the size and intensity of a god card taking form.

As if the mere presence of a god weren't threatening enough, Hamon was supported. Erica demolished her Rainbow Ruins in favor of Fallen Paradise: The whole field became a single, wilted tree in front of which one forbidden apple had fallen to the ground. When Hamon's lightning struck the tree, Erica drew two more cards from her deck. That Reckless Greed effect no longer seemed to matter at all.

When Erica played Cerulean Skyfire, Hamon's lightning turned blue. Her god card seemed to be powered up to the max and ready to smite her opponents. She also discarded a card so she could activate Action Magic - Double Banking. That meant that if Hamon could destroy Nick's monster, he could attack a second time. But Erica wasn't done with the religious overtones: She played Golden Rule, which let her pull Emerald and Cobalt crystals from her deck and revive Sapphire Pegasus (1800) from her Graveyard. Her backfield was full now with three crystals, Golden Rule, and Cerulean Skyfire.

Hamon (4000) roared to the skies, summoning mighty bolts of blue lightning to strike both of Nick's vampires (2000). Each vampire turning to dust dealt 2000 points of damage, but Hamon's effect dealt an additional 1000 points each time a monster was destroyed. Nick was already hanging on by a thread when Sapphire Pegasus (1800) thrashed and removed the rest of his Life Points.

Erica: 5500 LP, 0 cards

Nick: 0 LP, 3 cards

When the Shadows swallowed Nick, Bryan found himself feeling a lot less sympathetic than he was when Kasumi lost. "Good riddance to bad rubbish." A part of him felt guilty for reveling in Nick's loss—after all, that was another one of his classmates who had lost a soul to the Shadow Realm. But Bryan thought he was trying to steal Matt's girlfriend, so it was hard to feel too bad about him.

On the other hand, he was starting to wonder if anyone was capable of defeating Erica. She was looking pretty good after this duel. Compared to how she looked after beating Kasumi, she looked ready to run a mile—easily twice as strong as before. That's when Bryan started to wonder whether these Shadow Games were draining people consistently… or was the effect dependent on Life Points? Maybe the shadows actively consumed the duel energy that Life Points represent. Finishing a duel with less than half her LP left Erica on the brink of passing out, but having more than half left her feeling no worse than taking a really hard exam.

Thomas stepped up beside Nick's lifeless body. "Let's finish this," he said as he activated his Duel Disk.

Erica was happy to accept his challenge, which left Bryan shaking his head. "Sure, why not? Just keep throwing more challengers at her. Surely her Crystal Beasts will get bored and just forfeit for sake of doing something different."

This time, Thomas went first. "One card face down, and Normal Summon the Agent of Creation - Venus (3: 1600|0)." At quick glance, the Fairy-type monster looked like she had bisected wings, but actually it was that her hair was the same length and color as her wings. Three multi-colored orbs appeared on the field beside her. "Special Summon three Mystical Shine Ball (2: 500|500)." Thomas's expression finally looked human as he felt the physical pain associated with losing LP during a Shadow Duel. At the same time, Bryan thought maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him: The three balls almost looked like they contained the souls of Kasumi, Nick, and Thomas.

When he was able to speak again, Thomas said, "Overlay for Gachi Gachi Gantetsu (2: 500|1800)." Specifically, two of the Shine Ball (2) had overlaid to become a tiny but muscular monster who looked like a human-shaped rock. Thomas took the third Shine Ball to his hand so he could "Special Summon Genex Ally Birdman (3: 1400|400)," another tiny monster who looked like he was pulled straight from a Mega Man video game. "Synchro Summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier (6: 2300|1400)." Venus (3) and the Birdman (3) combined into an icy dragon that would never win any size contests against Rainbow Dragon or even Black Skull Dragon, but the chill air actually changed the atmosphere, frosting the fog even more than usual.

"Turn end."

Thomas: 6500 LP, 3 cards

Erica: 8000 LP, 5 cards

Erica's draw was the slowest Bryan had seen yet. He assumed that the Guardians were feeding off the energy they were taking from other people, but Erica's reaction speed didn't support that theory. Come to think of it, the way she was also beaten down at the end of each duel didn't support that theory, either. So if her spiritual energy was absorbed by the Shadows just the same as her opponent's, then where was all that energy going?

She activated Summoning Curse. Runic symbols encircled the entire field, shining at first but quickly fading to become part of the scenery. Steel doors bearing the label B slammed down directly behind each duelist as Erica sealed their duel within Level Limit - Area B. It meant that Brionac (6) was forced into defense mode, and so would all other four-star or stronger monsters.

Erica set one monster face-down to end her turn. The Summoning Curse lit up around the field, and Erica lost 500 LP just to keep it active. When her points dropped, the symbols hid again, leaving Erica looking worn down already.

Thomas: 6500 LP, 3 cards

Erica: 7500 LP, 3 cards

Thomas scoffed as he drew. "I'll barely even notice your effect. Normal Summon Tour Guide from the Underworld (3: 1000|600), then Special Summon another one." Literally dressed like a tour guide, his monsters carried equipment used to draw attention to themselves. Too bad for Thomas that the Summoning Curse lit up and tightened around the second Tour Guide. He removed a card from his hand. "There, banished." The Curse faded away again. Thomas removed another card, but this one only went to the Graveyard. "Activate Brionac." The ice dragon flapped its powerful wings at the steel doors, breaking down the Level Limit and returning it to Erica's hand. That meant Brionac could move back to attack position.

He had to know the risks, but Thomas decided to activate the Summoning Curse again: "Overlay for Number 17: Leviathan Dragon (3: 2000|0)." His Tour Guides (3) became a dragon with six wings, each looking a bit like shark fins so it resembled more of a sea serpent. When the runes encircled Leviathan, Thomas banished another card from his hand.

Finally, he as able to attack. All of his monsters enjoyed an extra 400 points as Gantetsu shared his rock power… somehow. "Brionac (+2700) attacks first." The dragon's ice breath froze and shattered Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle, leaving behind a Cobalt crystal in Erica's backfield. "Activate Leviathan, then attack," said Thomas. Leviathan Dragon (+2900) ate one of its overlay units to give itself an extra 500 points on top of the Gantetsu bonus. It attacked by summoning a tsunami that consumed Erica's entire field.

"Turn end."

Thomas: 6500 LP, 0 cards

Erica: 4600 LP, 4 cards

Again, Erica's recovery was long. Clearly the spirit possessing her wasn't immune to its own power, or else her body just couldn't handle the damage. Bryan hoped she wouldn't suffer any long-term effects from being possessed: He had always assumed that rescuing her would return her to normal with nothing else going wrong, but now he second-guessed his own assumptions.

She replace the restrictions from Level Limit - Area B, forcing Brionac back to defense position, even though Thomas's other monster were low-level enough not to be affected. She placed another monster face-down and set a card in her backfield. Once again, the Summoning Curse cost her 500 LP to maintain.

Thomas: 6500 LP, 0 cards

Erica: 4100 LP, 2 cards

Thomas immediately pulled out the same two-faced Pot of Desires that was so common on campus. After picking his card and then shuffling his deck, he "Set one card. Activate Brionac again." Discarding another card, the steel doors restricting the area froze and shattered again, returning to Erica's hand. "Brionac (2700) attacks." The ice breath attack destroyed her monster, leaving behind a Ruby crystal in her backfield. "Leviathan (2900) attacks."

Before the attack landed, Erica activated Last Resort: It immediately pulled and activated Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins from her deck. Rainbow light emerged between the pillars and dampened the effect of Leviathan Dragon's tsunami this time, cutting the damage in half.

"Turn end."

Thomas: 6500 LP, 0 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 3 cards

After a normal Draw Phase, Erica used Rare Value to draw two more cards by exchanging her Ruby crystal. Her hand fell heavy by her side as Bryan sensed the shadow magic collecting within her again. She reactivated Level Limit - Area B, forcing Brionac to defense position, but this time she only kept it long enough to use her Cobalt crystal, the Summoning Curse, and the Level Limit as fodder to summoning Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder (10: 4000|4000). Bryan was awed at the overwhelming pressure he felt just by looking into the face of this god card. Then he was awed by how much awe he continued to feel after seeing this card probably two dozen times during the year and twice today already. It was just that impressive to see a god in person.

Erica set another card in her backfield before Hamon (4000) summoned a bolt of lightning to strike down the Leviathan Dragon (2900). The lightning dissolved the dragon as if it had been made entirely of water. A second bolt struck Thomas directly. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Thomas: 4400 LP, 0 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 2 cards

It was hard to tell whether Thomas was still alive or in control of himself. The lights on the field indicated it was his turn, but then it immediately became Erica's turn.

"Hah! Looks like you're not tougher than the Shadow magic, either," said Bryan.

Thomas: 4900 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2750 LP, 2 cards

Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus (4: 1800|1200) graced the field again, pulling an Amber crystal from the deck into Erica's backfield. Hamon charged another bolt of lightning that blasted straight through Brionac's icy form, shattering the monster and striking Thomas again while he was still on the ground. Each of those direct lightning bolts was taking 1000 LP from Thomas, so having monsters in defense mode wasn't really helping.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2650 LP, 2 cards

And again, Thomas did nothing but roll around on the ground while the Duel Disk ended his turn on him.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 2 cards

Bryan almost felt like he was supposed to feel sorry for him. "Are you even still in this duel?" he asked.

"Fuck. Off," Thomas grunted in reply.

Bryan shrugged. "Still being a dick." So no, he still didn't feel bad that Erica was whooping him.

Erica didn't make any grand maneuvers on this turn. Hamon (4000) simply targeted Gantetsu (+1900) with another lightning bolt.

"Activate Gachi Gachi Gantetsu,"said Thomas. When the lightning struck, one of the overlay units fell off the rock monster like a Jenga piece. It was like being a monster made of rocks piled up meant that Hamon's attack only removed some of its components without destroying the full monster. Gantetsu (-1700) did lose 200 bonus points, though. Another face-down card on Erica's side ended her turn.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 2 cards

Thomas was still on the ground, but he wasn't dead yet, and he apparently hadn't yet given up. He was able to set a card in his backfield before ending his turn this time.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 2 cards

Maybe she had been trying to go easy on her opponent again, or something, but Erica seemed motivated to end the duel now. She placed Crystal Tree on the field, a literal stone tree bearing more stone as its fruit. She also summoned Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger (4: 1600|1000), but a hole opened up in the field below where it appeared.

"Chain Bottomless Trap Hole," Thomas grunted. His Trap banished Topaz Tiger from play, even preventing it from turning into a crystal.

In response, Hamon (4000) riled up storms again to strike Gantetsu (1700) with another bolt of lightning. But this one also just chipped away a piece of Gachi Gachi Gantetsu's body. No more overlay units now; the next attack would finally destroy it.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 1 card

It took a moment after the turn changed, but Thomas finally climbed to his feet. He spent a full minute brushing sand off himself before he made a move. "Normal Summon Agent of Mystery - Earth (2: 1000|800)," he said as a fairy with green wings appeared on the field. She waved her arms and summoned a tidal wave even bigger than Leviathan Dragon's. "Chain Torrential Tribute." The flood consumed the entire field, destroying both of Thomas's defensive monsters, but also overwhelming Hamon. Perhaps electrocuted by the way the flood conducted his own lightning, Hamon shattered and disappeared into the shadows.

"Turn end," he said, his breathing decidedly more labored than before.

Thomas: 3400 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 2650 LP, 1 card

Too bad for him that destroying all monsters meant all monsters, even his own. Erica took advantage of the empty field by summoning Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat (3: 1200|400) to deliver a direct bite attack on Thomas's Life Points.

But Thomas was better able to grit his teeth and bear this attack. As Amethyst Cat moved away, he said, "Special Summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (7: 2700|2500). Also an Emissary of Darkness Token (7: 1200|1200)." Gorz was a fiendish warrior so decked out for battle that he'd never be able to scratch his nose because he'd gore himself with the insane blades on his wrists and shoulders. The Token he summoned assumed equal power to the damage Thomas took from Erica's Crystal Beast.

Thomas: 2200 LP, 1 card

Erica: 2650 LP, 1 card

As he drew, Thomas finally relaxed. "Activate Heavy Storm," he said. A whirlwind picked up around the whole field, sweeping up all the cards in both backfields—though Thomas's was already empty—and sending them to the Graveyard. It was how Thomas made sure that Erica's face-down card couldn't stop him from attacking. "Gorz (2700) attacks." He didn't even use those big blades—he carried an even bigger sword on his hip, which he used to cleave Erica's monster in half. "Emissary of Darkness (1200) attacks." Looking like a smaller version of Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness actually did attack with the blades on his armor.

And somehow, that was exactly the amount of damage Thomas needed to end the duel.

Thomas: 2200 LP, 2 cards

Erica: 0 LP, 1 card

Bryan was honestly surprised to see Thomas emerge successfully, from both the duel and from the Shadow vacuum that swarmed the field for a full minute. But he didn't care what condition Thomas was in. Same for Nick. He walked over to Erica's limp body. She looked like she had aged ten years already. Camping so close to DA-Rec, she might have dueled more than the rest of the Guardians combined. He lifted her carefully, carried her over to Kasumi's unconscious body, and set her down just as gently, with both their backs straight so they wouldn't wake up in need of a chiropractor.

He looked around the beach. If Erica was the last of the Guardian Duelers, Bryan would have assumed the fog would clear up by now, but the air remained cloudy, despite clearing up significantly in the past few days. Maybe Andy or Jade was still out there? Something was still drawing the Shadows in. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to Matt: Erica lost, now wat

---

Remember when I said that writing duels takes me the longest of all the writing? And then I go and do nonsense like four duels in one chapter...

I do remember that Erica's persistent winning was both to remind that she's one of the top students—even though she's rarely had the spotlight—and to emphasize how Shadow Duels drain the winners, too, creating that opening for someone who is also good but not quite at the same level to sneak in with a victory. Meanwhile, the idea of Egyptian Gods vs. Wicked Gods was always something that intrigued me, and it was a chance to show the connection between the Guardians and the gods they hold. But throwing in the Sacred Beast to the same duel would have broken me.

Incidentally, only one person pinged me so far about getting an OC added to the next arc, but they never responded again after I asked a few follow-up questions. I'm still open to additions for anyone who wants to join the existing contributions:

* Jack Hansbury...same name, with a period

* Mikey Brittle...Vstriker

* Sydney King and Jadelyn Kincaid...TC-For-Short