"You are sure?"

Brom looked over at Kadaver, his large hands wrapped around the warm cup of coffee that she had just poured for him. On either side of him was Yuri and Renard, though the two were far closer to him than they were Kadaver. He didn't blame them for that, as his Sister-God was quite a sight. There were many that thought that Brom was the inspiration for the classical Grim Reaper. He understood where that came from, what with his half-skull mask, his long black leather coat, and his icy cold sword. But that wasn't the fact… his people were gone and the stories of him had faded from memory, with the only reference to him as anything other than a psychologist before he had revealed himself to the finalists of Battle City, had been a misspelling of his name by Irving because he'd needed a character for his novel.

But there were others that better represented the Reaper and Kadaver certainly was one of them. Yes, her face wasn't a skull but rather a thin drawn out face, with skin so thin that one could see every twitch of muscle and pulse of vein. Dark sunken eyes that disappeared into the shadows of her sockets. Her long black hooded robe and her scythe.

She was also sweet, kind, and loving to all. Someone who was frightening yes but also there to gently gather up young children who had died with empty bellies and beaten faces and whisper they were going to a better place. Who went to widows and told them their spouses were waiting.

They were seated in her domain, the great Tower of Loss. The place where the forgotten were remembered. Every year the tower gained a new room or a new floor as more souls that had died alone and unmourned were allowed a chance to be remembered, if only by Kadaver. Despite her looks and the title of her home Kadaver's domain was a beautiful place. A great sky blue tower with soft lights in every room and rich elegant furniture. Many times she allowed those she was ferrying to the afterlife to stay with her, so that they might talk with others about what was to come next. In life they were alone but in death they went to the afterlife with new friends, laughing over private jokes and ready to make new memories. When Brom, Yuri, and Renard had arrived they had found the place full of souls who had welcomed them and even when Brom had explained that the two weren't joining them the Forgotten had still wished them well.

"I am," she said in her sweet, almost lyrical voice. It was a voice that belonged to an elf or a fairy or another of the fair folk. Which she actually was a part of, even if she didn't look like most of them. Then again people always forgot that many so called "goblins" fell under the domain of the fae, including the Goblin King himself, one of the most otherworldly elf lords there was. "Someone or something, I am not sure, has tampered with the paths to the afterlife. Edwin Chaos was reaped by none of us, brother. He was sent straight to Hell."

"Who could have done that?" Yuri asked softly, her coffee untouched.

"I don't know," Kadaver admitted. "But whoever has-"

"Made an enemy of every Death God," Brom finished, still holding onto his coffee. He clung to it. Felt the heat against his palms. It was only because he respected his sister that he didn't shatter the damn thing.

"Does that mean… that innocent people are being sent to Hell?" Renard asked.

"I… I don't know," Brom admitted.

"Neither do I," Kadaver said. "It is possible that Edwin was merely the first and that then whatever or whoever did this then made it that the path works like it should. I don't know. They were at once clever and sloppy. They managed to alter the paths of the Afterlife, which isn't easy to do, but then did nothing to try and cover it up. Why not switch it back? Why leave it there?" She shook her head. "I don't understand it."

"But can we figure out where Edwin is?" Yuri pressed.

"We can," Kadaver stated, looking back at Brom and smiling. "You should have come to me first."

"I thought I could do it on my own. And I didn't want you-"

"He doesn't belong in Hell," Kadaver stated. "I know that. Yes, we are going to break the rules… but someone else did it first."

"If there is anyone who has a problem with that…" Renard said quietly.

Brom merely nodded. "To Hell with them."

~MC~MC~MC~

"There is no way this is working," Edwin said, watching as Lucifer Morningstar was able to mingle with the other duelists, having an engaging conversation with one Sinner Demon that resembled a big mouth bass and had literal cement shoes. But the Sinner didn't react at all to chatting with the King of Hell… in fact he was being rather rude to him, talking snidely to the 'clear new arrival'.

He didn't even realize who he was talking to thanks to the thick long gray beard, fake nose, black rim sunglasses, and false bushy eyebrows.

In fact, it was quite clear that Lucifer was absolutely loving the fact that the Sinner Demon didn't have any idea who he was. Where before he had been a bit awkward, coming off a bit too eager and strong with everyone, at that moment he was relaxed. He was answering questions, sending back some of his own, and doing so with a charm that… well, frankly it fit what Edwin expected from the Devil. He looked the part before but was a clear nervous bundle that KNEW he was a nervous bundle and thus was doing all he could to NOT be a nervous bundle… and that made him an even worse bundle.

'But with him no longer being seen as the King of Hell by everyone he doesn't feel the pressure to act like Lucifer Morningstar… and, wildly enough, can actually BE Lucifer Morningstar.' Edwin shook his head at that. 'You should know what that's like, 'Edwin'. There is a thrill in being able to fall into a role and become someone else.'

He hadn't mentioned it to anyone in Hell and only a few people back when he was alive, at least in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world, knew he had been in several plays. Had played such a good villain that a friend had begged him to not audition for the role of Jafar because everyone knew he would get it. Edwin knew how to become someone else… and he had done that as Edwin Chaos. Become the man that the Yu-Gi-Oh! world needed him to be. Just as in Hell he was becoming the man that they needed him to be… even if they didn't realize or understand that they needed him to be that way.

"Not sure how I feel about all this," Aria said next to him, tapping a clawed finger against the table. "I mean, its kinda like Battle City except not as spread out, but I wasn't the biggest fan of that either."

Edwin nodded. "Duelist Kingdom too, which I wasn't a fan of either. Would prefer to know just who I am going to take on and plan for it rather than just real with the random bullshit." He shook his head, looking over at the clock that Cecelia had revealed as she had ended her speech. She had told them all that when the clock hit zero the duels would begin. Anyone could challenge anyone, so long as they did it at one of the tables, and they would keep doing that until they got down to the final four duelists. Anyone that didn't duel, thinking that they could wait things out, would be in for a cruel surprise. Or rather a cruel non-surprise as Cecelia had flat out stated that at certain points she would automatically eliminate duelists who had the least amount of tickets. So he wouldn't be able to just sit back and watch some duels and weigh up the competition. He was going to have to go out and duel against random strangers, without even the anime logic to help him.

"You'll be fine," Aria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You are one of the best duelists in the world."

"Too bad we aren't in the world," Edwin replied before glancing at the clock one more time. "So I'm not dueling you unless I need to."

"Thanks," Aria said. "Though I think you'd have to get in line. Sinner Demons are going to see me as an easy target."

"Bastards," Edwin muttered, Jackie raising his head and growling low at that. Neither were pleased with the blatant speciesism that seemed to forever be roiling about Hell. The Ars Goetia looked down on Sinners. Sinners looked down on Hellhounds and the Incubi. The Hellborn looked down on Imps. The Imps looked down on themselves half the time. It annoyed Edwin to no end, especially when it was one of his friends that was being targeted. "Give them fucking Hell then."

"I know what you were going for and thanks. You too." She got up and stretched. "Alright, I'm going to find an empty table. See you hopefully soon." But then she paused. "But. You know, not too soon? But soon enough. Like we both make it to the finals and-"

"Aria… kick some ass," Edwin said with a smirk. The hellhound nodded and hurried off to find a free table, leaving Edwin with just Husk. "Going to challenge me?"

"I was thinking about it," Husk admitted. "You might be one of the few people I trust myself to duel." Edwin raised an eyebrow at that and Husk let out a huff. "You're friends with Aria or whatever the hell you two are… she knows what happened to me."

"She might have mentioned your status as an Overlord and a gambling problem."

"Made deals with the wrong people and kept trying to make it right."

"Gambler's Ruin," Edwin stated, causing Husk to glower at him. "it's a term used in Chaos Theory. The basics are that a Gambler will raise the stakes when they win but not course correct when they lose. In fact they will often raise when they lose too, in order to make back up what they lost. Then there is the whole The House Always Win… statistically you are more likely to lose than to win." He shrugged. "I wasn't accusing you of anything, just commenting."

Husk slowly nodded at that, settling down. "Yeah… you'd think after owning so many casinos I would have realized that. But I thought I was the House."

"No one is the House, though," Edwin stated. "The House is the nebulous force that dooms us all." He leaned towards Husk. "So what does all that have to do with you trusting me?"

"Because you understand that and won't push the bet too far," Husk replied. "You ain't one to gamble if it means losing it all, even if you stand to win it all. I trust you because you won't let me do something stupid."

"I wouldn't," Edwin said. "And how fucking sad is that?" He propped his head up on his chin and smiled and Husk who huffed at that.

"Still, I think I'm gonna find a smaller fish in this pond. From what I gathered from Aria you were pretty good back when you were alivd." Edwin didn't say a word at that; sometimes it was safer to stay quiet. That made Husk though point a clawed finger at him, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't think that means I won't try and beat you. Just that I'm not going to waste you in the first round."

"Good luck to you then," Edwin said with a nod and Husk got up, leaving Edwin all alone at the table. "And then there was one," he muttered himself. He wasn't terribly worried about the tournament, as the prize wasn't something that was going to make or break him. Oh, he could tell that everyone was hungering over being able to make their own card. But he doubted, other than himself, that there was anyone in Hell that knew about the God Cards. 'And what would they make down here? The Devil Cards? The Wicked God Cards?'

~Meanwhile, on Earth…~

Pegasus frowned, looking up from the game of Rummy he was playing with his adopted sons, before shaking his head.

~MC~MC~MC~

'And even if they did make some amazing card that could break the game… every deck has a weakness. Every card can be destroyed. One just has to be smart about it.'

Still, as the time began to tick by, he couldn't help but look around the crowd and wonder if there was anyone he wouldn't mind winning the Hellfire Gala.

'Aria, I suppose,' he thought. 'Charlie too. Vaggie probably would be a safe bet. I don't see Stolas or Octavia so can't count on them.' He blinked when he looked up towards the entrance to see that Ozzie and Fizz had walked in, making a fashionably late entrance; most likely for dramatic effect. 'Ozzie would be a safe bet and hopefully he would keep Fizz in line if he were to win. Keep him from going power mad. Lucifer, obviously.' He shook his head though. 'But your average Sinner Demon?'

"Hello there!"

Edwin looked up and stared at the figure before him. The demon had deep red skin, almost purple, with lighter intense red hair that rose up in two horn-like points. He had a truly massive long mustache which curled on either side of his face and neon green teeth that gave off a radioactive glow. He was decked out in a black bodysuit and red cap, with bright green boots and a green swirl on his chest. A top hat was perched on his head and his eyes were covered by a pair of green goggles.

Behind him was a short man, his upper half wearing a suit, his lower half a large black ball like he was one of those Dyson Spheres. He too had goggles on, those his were blood red, and his white mustache was thicker but just as extended.

"…if you are looking for Corpse-Man he's still up on Earth."

"Corpse-Man?" the new arrival said nervously. "No… no no no. I would never want to tangle with him! No… I have come to chat with YOU." He thrust out his hand. "Loopty Goopty! And this is my associate Lyle Lipton! And yooooou-" Loopty leaned in close, staring at Edwin intently, "-are Edwin Chaos."

"Cerberus," Edwin responded. "Stage name, at least. You know how it is."

"Not really, no," Loopty said. "I never understood not using your real name for things."

Edwin stared at the other demon for a LONG while. "I'm sorry your parents hated you."

"Thank you!" Loopty declared pleasantly. "But back to the point… we are the founders of Loopty-Lyle Industries. And you… are the sole board member of KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions."

"Well, I was." Edwin suddenly blinked. "Shit, the Big Five are going to be joining me the moment they end up in Hell."

~Meanwhile…~

"I don't think he's coming," Nezbitt said, looking over at Leichter. Ever since they had arrived in Hell all of them had been coming back to where they had first appeared, waiting to see if the final member of their group would arrive. Mr. Kaiba had disappeared shortly after he had shown up, telling them to wait until they were all gathered and he would 'return so they might plot their revenge on all those that had harmed' them as well as work to 'take over this, the final battlefield'.

That had been months ago and all any of them had to show for their constant vigilance was worn out shoes and having learned that Johnson bore a passing resemblance to Titty McGee, the most popular transvestite imp whore in the Pride Ring.

"We must wait until Crump arrives," Leichter said. He was careful not to say "until Crump comes" as that caused the other Imp Whores to giggle at him.

Gangsley sniffed dismissively, causing some sparks to come out of his nose. All four of them resembled different electric eels with cables making up their hair and they had found that they had to be careful doing many things as it could cause sparks, jolts, and other electrical incidents to occur. The first time that Johnson had sneezed had nearly sent all four men into a panic and caused a small arson incident.

"We… must wait… until Crump arrives…" Leichter stressed, causing the other members of his group to grumble. "We were ordered by Mr. Kaiba."

"Who abandoned us," Johnson pointed out. "Give us a better reason."

"The Big 4 doesn't sound as good," Leichter pointed out.

"…I hate that you're right but you are," Nezbitt commented.

They went back to looking skyward.

~MC~MC~MC~

"So… is this a "we respect you because you were part of an evil company" or "we will have our revenge against the actions of your evil company"?"

Loopty laughed at that. "Can't it be both?"

"…fair," Edwin admitted just as the timer went off, signaling for the beginning of the Tournament. "So… I'm hoping we can just duel to settle this?"

"I am all for that!" Loopty said, throwing his cape back dramatically and taking a seat before Edwin, pulling out his deck and shuffling his cards. "Are you ready?"

"I will be when your boyfriend backs off." Edwin glowered at Lyle, who had been edging near him.

"He is my best friend, not my boyfriend!" Lyle complained.

"Fine fine," Edwin said, just before Jackie raised his head and growled, causing Lyle to roll backwards over to Loopty. "Yeah, keep your fucking space." Edwin shuffled his own deck. "This is going to be weird without holograms. Nice but weird." He shrugged and set his deck on the table. "Cut."

"Oh, are we doing that?" Loopty said with his massive radioactive grin. He reached over and cut Edwin's deck and then Edwin did the same, only he cut Loopty's three times. "So mistrusting!"

"Pi-rate," Edwin sang before shaking his head. "Sorry, wrong fucked up tale. He-ll…" Edwin sang. He waved his hand at Loopty. "Insanity before beauty."

Loopty chuckled at that. "Oh, that might be the nicest thing anyone ever said to me! You know, of course-" he drew his hand, "-that every great inventorywas insane. Only those that break the shackles of rationality can they discover that which was held as possible is merely undiscovered. Oh yes, there will be those that claim that the insanity isn't worth it but… they don't know better."

"Huh," Edwin said, raising an eyebrow. "That was rather poetic and lovely."

"Thank you!" Loopty looked over his hand. "I'll start by activating my field spell Union Hanger."

It was VERY odd for Edwin for everything to remain the same when Loopty placed the card on the field. No strange worlds popping up around him… just a card showing a warehouse full of different high tech containers, filled with different machines waiting to be unleashed.

"This card allows me to select from my deck one Light Machine Monster and summon it to the field." He took his deck and quickly searched through it. "And I select V-Tiger Jet!" "The card depicted a yellow tiger/seafoam colored jet fusion. It was the kind of thing one might see on one of the lesser Power Ranger seasons or in an 80s anime. Possibly both. "And Union Hanger then allows me, once per turn, to find one Light Machine Union Monster that can be equipped to it. So I select the W-Wing Catapult!" He pulled out that monster as well, placing it on the field and moving to shuffle his deck while Edwin looked over the card.

'I love the concept of the VWXYZ cards but… god W-Wing was such a lazy design,' Edwin thought as he looked at the blue booster… thing. 'But okay, this will be different than from the anime. When he equips W-Wing to V-Tiger that will instantly make their fusion and if I attack and destroy one part it will simply become the second part. A bit tougher but I can manage well enough against him.'

Loopty placed W-Wing under V-Tiger before he went to his extra deck and took out VW-Tiger Catapult and put it over the two. "And with that I believe I will end my turn." He leaned in, smile growing all the brighter. "Are you terrified? Horrified? Petrified?"

"Bonified, actually," Edwin teased but that made Loopty lean back, confused. 'God, if that's all it takes to throw him off his game this is gonna be a quick duel.' He drew his hand and quickly scanned his cards. 'Weird to not being using my Endymion Deck but this one is already looking to be a load of fun.' He smirked and held up a card. "I'll start by summoning in defense mode Mementotlan Mace." The card depicted a small gray skinned fairy creature with bone boots, a bone necklace with violet crystals, and a ram skull helm with a bone lance.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Lyle asked. "It looks like one of the workers at our oversea factories!"

Edwin pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek; honestly he wished he could be shocked by such a comment. "Next, because I have a Memento monster on the field, I am able to special summon from my hand Mementotlan Tatsunootoshigo." The new card showed off a black sea horse with bone armor and purple crystals. "Next, I'll use Foolish Burial in order to send one monster to my graveyard." He drew his card and set in the graveyard… face down. There was nothing in Cecelia's rules that said that he had to reveal his graveyard to his opponent and in Battle City and Duelist Kingdom the graveyards had been hidden. He wasn't going to make things easy on Loopty. "Now then, I will use Mementotlan Tatsunootoshigo's effect to destroy one Memento monster on the field in order to send monsters from my deck to the graveyard whose total levels equal the destroyed monsters. So I'll be destroying Mementotlan Tatsunootoshigo itself to send my Mementotlan Goblin, another Mementotlan Mace, and finally a Mementotlan Ghattic to the graveyard." He swept Mementotlan Tatsunootoshigo off the field and into the graveyard before taking out his deck and finding the three cards, added them to the graveyard as well.

"That was a lot of work to dump a lot of monsters in the graveyard," Loopty commented. "Normally I'd question such a move but considering all of us are rotting in graveyards and yet we are down here still fighting? That's how it is for us, both in the game and in this afterlife: the fight never ends."

"Except… it does," Edwin said, shifting his leg to feel the angelic steel dagger strapped to his ankle. "Nothing is forever. Case in point, I will use Mementotlan Mace's effect to destroy itself to add one Memento card from my deck to my hand." He picked up his deck once more, looking through it before finding just the card he wanted. "And now, because I have 3 Memento Monsters in my graveyard, I can summon directly from my hand Mementotlan-Horned Dragon."

The new monster on his side of the field was a large black dragon with bone armor and ruby crystals growing from it, including its feet, hands, and horns. It would have been utterly impressive if rendered in hardlight but even without it the attack points it boasted were impressive enough.

"Now then, I think its time to get rid of your VW-Catapult."

"I don't think so!" Loopty taunted, rubbing the end of his mustache with his left hand. "My VW-Tiger Catapult allows me to discard one card to switch a card's position, so I move your dragon to defense mode in order to halt its attack." Loopty reached over to touch Edwin's card but he smacked the hand and did it himself. "Oooh, did I upset you?" he taunted.

"No, I just don't know what you put on your mustache to style it and don't want it on my cards." He shrugged. "I never put anything in my beard… I'm weird like that."

"You really should," Lyle stated.

"So I have been told." Edwin selected another card and set it on the field, ending his turn. 'Alright… we have things set up well… now we need to see just how powerful Loopty's deck is. Because he might have stalled me for the moment but if I can keep him from realizing what I have planned… this duel is going to be over real fast.'

~MC~MC~MC~

Alastor sat in one of the private boxes at the Hellfire Gala, nibbling on some puff pastries. He wasn't for sure what was in them but that was part of the fun. Oh sure, there were plenty of demons who weren't happy that they might have been having conversations hours earlier with their current meat filling but Alastor always found it so mysterious and fun!

"Looks like the duels are beginning," Rosie said as she poured herself some tea, having decided to be mother. "And I do think that Cecelia is going to be strict with her rules… if we haven't notched any wins then we'll be out."

"Luckily we don't have to leave," Alastor said. "I have no interest in a new rare card… that will only go to a single duelist. I am interested in everyone else, including the winner."

"Ah," Rosie said with a broader grin. "You want to watch and observe."

"One learns so much from observing. Everyone talks about me suddenly showing up in Hell and utterly destroying the Overlords… none of them use their brains, what little of them they might have, to determine just how I could do that."

"Careful watching," Rosie stated. After all, she had known Alastor before he had become the Radio Demon. Had watched him as he watched others. It was why she had survived both of his purges: the more spoken of violent one and his more subtle second. People always ended up merging the two together but Rosie knew of them both. The first had been the young demon trying to prove something to the great powers of Hell. The second had been trying to prove something to himself, that he could win without killing. That he could break the powerful without a single slice or stab.

"I do believe I will learn much about all down below by watching how they handle gaining their victories or frittering them away." He let out a bemused sigh as he saw that Camilla had blown off Velvette, Vox forced to grab her arm and drag her away as she called the older Overlord a coward. "Yes… this will be very important for what is to come next."

"What is to come next?" Rosie asked.

Alastor let out a chuckle. "You know, after all the time I've spent with Charlotte's little pet projects it is so odd to saying "come next" and not get a thousand eye rolling innuendos."

"We do find ourselves with some rather immature Sinners in Hell, when it comes to the newest generations."

"That we do… but that doesn't mean we should dismiss them." He reached over and plucked another pastry and bit into it, humming in delight as he savored it. "Mmm… I'd say this was an Asian Fisherman? I detect some soy sauce…"

"Yes but not quite," Rosie teased him, refusing to answer. "And I agree that it would be wise not to dismiss this current generation. They are the future, after all… something I think too many of us forget about. Heaven is getting more daring each year while the eldest of us grow lazy and complicit. And when that happens holes open up and they are able to wiggle their way in." She tapped her spoon lightly against her teacup.

"Quite sooner rather than later."

"Oh… now that is an interesting tease," Rosie said, leaning forward. "What gossip do you have to share with me, Alastor? Something tantalizing…"

"Have you heard about the serial killer that was picking off newly arrived Sinner Demons?"

"Of course," Rosie stated. "I tried to secure some of their bodies but I was beaten out by Harvey." She shook her head even as she continued smiling, though her grin grew less pleased and bright. "Such an annoying man… he makes things interesting, of course, but at the worst possible times. Him and his entire law firm." She shook her head before growing more pleased. "What of them?"

"I found the one doing it," Alastor informed her, now reaching for his tea and giving it a sip. Just as his mother used to make, much to his delight. "Malik Ishtar. Not quite sure why… he mentioned something about his son but that doesn't matter because what does is that he killed a few… but gathered QUITE a bit more. And he has a unique power… he can heal Sinner Demons."

"Heal them?" Rosie asked. "My my, that is interesting."

"It is," Alastor stated. "I was forced to withdraw but only because I wanted to consider the best way to deal with him and his little cult. He's proven far more interesting than I had expected and I would so hate to waste this opportunity."

"Of course."

Alastor took another sip and Rosie refilled his cup. "Malik Ishtar has his cult. Cecelia Pegasus has created Duel Monsters which is taking hell by literal storm. Edwin Cerberus meets with Princes and Ars Goetia. Do you not see, Rosie? We are preparing for a new age?"

"A new age?"

"Indeed!" Alastor proclaimed. "I made a bit of a study of it when I was plotting out my second purge of the Overlords. Hell and those that rule it like to pretend that nothing every changes but we both know that isn't the case. There are rises and falls, the old falling away and the new rising up. I caused two such ages… the first influx of new Overlords and then, when I was displeased with those that had taken their place the age we are currently now in. But before that there were others. You joined up in the one before."

Before Alastor had done his first purge the previous age had lasted a grand total of 28 years. A group of Overlords had been taken in by scheming Sinner Demon who had sold them faulty security for their headquarters and hideaways. Then the Exterminators had arrived rather than steel shutters coming down they had gotten silver painted wooden ones with the words 'Adam Sucks Noah's Dick' painted on the shutters. The Overlords had been slaughtered and Rosie had risen up to claim a chair. Of course there had been a hunt for the Sinner Demon salesman… but all they had found was a wig, facepaint, and the stench of Imp.

The era before that had lasted a bit longer. 80 some odd years. That had ended with an Overlord Civil War that had wiped out a third of their number. Before that had been only 14 years of the powers that be in charge, though technically it had been not that peaceful at all as there had been constant changes.

The point was… Overlords didn't remain in power forever. Hell just forgot about it because so many Sinner Demons died off in the Exterminations or in battle or they simply gave up.

"Yes… a new age. Things are moving… shifting… which is why I plan to sit right here and watch these duels." Alastor's eyes began to glow, smile growing all the sharper. "Because I want to see how strong the next Overlords will be… and if they deserve to achieve their destiny… or have it utterly shattered."