Okay guys, we are nearing the climax of this arc! Only two Death-T games are left for Yugi and his friends to survive! First we'll focus on Shuzo's group for a bit, and then to the start of Death T-4… which includes Kaiba!
Yugioh: The Hope of Six
Chapter 25: Kaiba Arc – Part 15
While Yugi's Duel with Vivian was taking place, Shuzo, Valon, Bakura, and Miho moved quickly but silently through the hallway. Although they appeared to be alone, the group couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Are we almost out of here?" Miho asked as they came around a corner.
"The exit can't be that much further." Bakura told her.
"Well, that elevator took us even further down than the one that brought us to Death T-F. We might be even more underground than before." Valon said.
"If we are, we could be expecting maybe another elevator or a staircase to get back to ground level. Personally, I don't care which as long as we get out of this hell hole and breathe some fresh air." Shuzo said, longing to be out of his former prison.
"Look! Up ahead!" Miho pointed to an opening with a light shining through. "That's got to lead somewhere! Come on!"
"Miho wait!" Shuzo stopped the teen from running off, along with the others.
"Mr. Hiragi?" Miho asked. The older man eyed the opening wearily.
"I don't like it. Something is telling me not to rush through there." Valon nodded at him.
"I agree, mate. This smells way too fishy for my liking."
"Then what should we do?" Bakura asked.
"How about all of you just stand there and die?" The gang froze in shock as three men stepped out of the shadows wearing strange vests and aimed high tech blaster rifles at them. They were Red, Black, and Gray from Death T-1.
"Who are you blokes?" Valon demanded. The man who spoke a second ago, Black, chuckled.
"Just a few well paid highly trained killers." He told him.
"We had a little game with some of your pals earlier, but they were trickier than we had expected." Gray explained.
"After they had gone, Noah ordered us to wait down here just in case you punks try to escape this way." Red finished.
"So that doorway really is a way out?" Miho questioned.
"Sure, but not for you. We expected you go running through here thinking you were home free… right before we Swiss cheese the lot of you as you pass us. Only the old man here ruined our fun." Black answered.
"Old man?! I'm not as old as you think I am sir!" Shuzo said, greatly annoyed by the insult.
"Like we care." Gray replied coldly as he shifted his blaster so that it was aiming right at Shuzo's head. "You and those kids aren't leaving here except in body bags."
The whole gang glanced one another in fear and panic. Unless someone did something drastic in the next few seconds, they would all die. And that's exactly what the only teen girl in the group did.
"Um, hold on a second! Can't we just have a game of marbles before you kill us?" Miho interjected, holding up her marble bag and smiled nervously. The mercenary trio turned to her, dumbfounded.
"What are you, a toddler? Who the hell would want to…?" But Black's question went unfinished as Miho threw bag at his face as hard as she could. The hard little balls hurt him enough to drop his weapon and held his nose, where he had been hit hardest. "You little bitch!"
Before as Black bent over to retrieve his blaster, Valon rammed into him, causing both of them to fall to the floor. "Don't you dare call a lady names like that, jackass!" He told him with a smirk before moaning in pain.
"Hey, that's enough!" Red shouted as he and Gray started to move in for the kill. Instead of doing that, they stepped on the spilled out marbles and lost their balance, resulting them to fall humiliatingly on their butts. "Dammit! I hate marbles!"
"At least they didn't hit you right in the face!" Black complained while forcing Valon off him with a punch in the jaw.
Valon fell on his back and rubbed where he had been hit. "Damn, that's a mean hook you got there." He said.
"You'll about to feel much worse than… Hey! Where's my weapon?!" Black shouted when he saw his blaster was not where he dropped it.
"Looking for this?" Everyone turned to Miho, who now held the weapon. "Stay back and let us leave, or you'll be sorry!" She warned in a shaky voice. The three men laughed.
"Look at that boys! That little girl thinks she can tell us what to do just because she's pointing a gun at us! Isn't that a riot?" Red told his teammates, who laughed further. He smiled evilly at the girl. "Kid, you're in way over your head. Gray… let's show her just how ruthless we are!" The two men leveled their blasters and aimed at Miho.
"Miho! Get out of there!" Bakura yelled. Miho scrunched up her face and shut her eyes in fear as she started firing her blaster wildly, screaming all the while.
"Duck!" Valon yelled, grabbing Shuzo and Bakura by the the shirt and forcing them down on their stomachs. They also shut their eyes and covered their heads.
After several intense seconds, the noise stopped and was replaced by heavy breathing and painful moaning. Slowly, they opened their eyes and saw an unexpected sight. Miho stood there, her blaster lowered while breathing heavily. Before her lay the three men that were about to kill her. They weren't dead, but they all groaned as they held numerous places on their bodies where they were apparently struck. Shuzo, Valon, and Bakura gawked at their friend.
"Miho? Are you… okay?" Shuzo asked nervously. Miho, who looked very stunned herself, turned to him and gave him a slow nod.
"I… think so. Did I… hurt anyone?" She asked hesitantly, fearing she may have shot one of her friends. They all shook their heads.
"Nah, you didn't nick us. Those chumps on the other hand… weren't as lucky." Valon told her. She sighed deeply, very relieved.
"That's really good to know."
"That was crazy Miho! You took all three of them down by yourself!" Shuzo suddenly exclaimed.
"Yeah, you actually saved us! Thanks!" Bakura said gratefully.
"Same here! We definitely owe you one for that!" Valon added. Miho smiled.
"Well um, I was so scared of dying that I just… didn't know what else to do." Miho confessed.
"We don't blame ya." Valon said. "Now then, what say we get a move on?"
They all agreed. After Valon knocked out the mercenaries with the butt of Miho's weapon, the gang moved forward until they at last stepped through the doorway. When they did, they were met by an amazing sight.
"Wow. What is it?" Miho asked. Valon smiled as he looked up at their discovery.
"My guess… a way out."
/\/\/\/\/\
Kaiba examined the damaged Action Disk as best he could, but he saw no way it could be fixed. Now he had another reason to despise Noah. He just wished he could leave his cell and take out his frustrations on his hated stepbrother.
No sooner had he thought that than than the thing he wanted at the moment came to pass. The retractable laser that shot through the Mokuba hologram reappeared from the floor in front of Kaiba and fired at the bottom. From there, the laser beam moved up and around the side, cutting it thoroughly. Before long, the weapon did it's work and the cut off section fell to the floor.
Kaiba was surprised to say the least. He wondered if it was safe to actually leave. That was when Noah returned. He grinned maliciously.
"Alright Seto, you can come out now. It's time for you to play." Kaiba eyed him wearily as he stepped out into the open once again.
"Finally. You've kept me locked up longer than I would've liked." Noah shrugged.
"What can I say? I wanted to save you for my favorite Death-T game… aside from the final game of course. If you're lucky to survive it that is."
"Final game? The one you're having me play now isn't the last?" Kaiba asked, not liking what he was hearing. Noah shook his head.
"Nope, and don't bother asking. I won't tell you what the final Death-T game is… not at this time. You'll need to make it through this one first." Kaiba snorted.
"I don't care, as long as I get to ring your neck when I meet you in person." The digital human snickered.
"If you make it out alive, you just might have a chance to get your wish. Now then, here's what you will be doing on Death T-4…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Once the Duel had ended and he had separated himself from the Pharaoh's spirit, Yugi moved toward Vivian's body. He knelt down and looked closely. After a moment, he stood up again and faced his friends. His expression was grim. "There's no mistaking it guys. Vivian's soul is definitely gone."
"Damn. The Seal of Orichalcos really has come back to haunt us." Joey cursed.
"Unbelievable." Tristan muttered while shaking his head.
"Just when things couldn't get any worse." Tèa said.
"Then does this mean that Vivian… is dead?" Serenity asked, afraid she actually witnessed a person die before her eyes.
"Is she really dead Yugi?" Yuya questioned, having the same worry. Yugi didn't seem to think that as he walked back over to the others.
"I don't know. When we dealt with the Seal in the past, all it's victims weren't actually dead but rather trapped in a dimensional prison of some sort. That was all gone when we defeated the Seal's creator, Dartz. If the Seal is active again…" Yugi didn't want to continue.
"Could that mean Dartz really has come back along with that Leviathan of his?" Joey wondered, not liking the possibility.
"I doubt it. Dartz was freed from the Orichalcos' corruptive influence before passing on to the afterlife. I can't imagine he would suddenly return to repeat history." Yugi told him.
"Noah did." Tèa said. Yugi couldn't argue against that.
Yuya then had to ask something that's been bothering him. Although he felt afraid to, he had to know. "Yugi, during the Duel you told Vivian you understood what it felt like to be influenced by the Seal of Orichalcos. What… did you mean?"
Yugi looked down for a moment and shut his eyes. The group aside from Serenity knew the pain that was felt by him. "Go on Yugi… tell him." Atem said. Reluctantly, he complied.
"Well, it was actually Atem who said that, but what happened was no less painful." Yugi hesitated for a moment before proceeding, his eyes opening again and facing his friend. "While we had a Duel against one of Dartz's henchmen, Atem and I received the Seal of Orichalcos from him. He was tempting Atem to play it, while I was trying to help him NOT to. However, the Seal's power began to take hold as the Duel got more difficult and things looking bad for us. He eventually felt he had no way out unless that card was played. I tried my hardest to stop Atem, but he wouldn't listen. That was when… he activated the Seal of Orichalcos himself."
Yuya gasped in shock and disbelief. "No! He played that card, knowing what it did to people?!" Yugi nodded.
"Yeah, and when he did I got separated from him and was trapped in an isolated prison. All I could do was watch as my friend became lost in the Seal's power and completely changed his dueling tactics. He ended up needlessly sacrificing his own Monsters to damage our opponent's Life Points. But then our enemy used that to his advantage and ended up defeating Atem."
Yuya couldn't believe this. Atem, the same noble and pure being he once saw help Yugi destroy a piece of the evil Zarc, became tainted and abusive?! That he had once been like Vivian when she was corrupted?! He simply could not fathom it.
"The Orichalcos' power must be very potent indeed if the Pharaoh himself could not resist it." Zarc told the boy. Yuya figured that as well.
"So then… Atem's soul was taken by the Orichalcos?" Yuya asked after a moment. To his surprise, Yugi shook his head.
"No Yuya. It didn't happen that way. While the Seal was in the process of taking Atem's soul, I used the Millennium Puzzle's power to break free and save him. I pushed him aside and allowed the Seal to take my soul instead."
"You were taken?!" Yuya exclaimed in shock.
"I was, but after redeeming himself Atem was able to save me and helped put an end to Dartz and the threat the Orichalcos posed. Still…" Yugi sighed. "Even though things turned out alright in the end, I wish I could've changed how that Duel played out. Everyone would've been spared so much pain and suffering… especially Atem."
"Yugi…" Atem muttered softly. He too wished that day had gone differently...
"Aw, such a tragic tale. Two friends torn apart by a single card. I almost shed a tear from hearing it." Yugi and the gang turned around. There, standing beside Vivian's lifeless form was their current enemy.
"Noah!" Yuya shouted. Noah wore a wicked grin as he bent over and removed Vivian's Deck from her Duel Disk. This stunned everyone.
"Ironic that the same card that once took Yugi's soul now took Vivian's." Noah said to himself.
"Wait, you can touch and hold stuff now?! I thought you were inside a computer making holograms of yourself?!" Tristan shouted, not believing what he was seeing. Noah turned to the group.
"That was the old me when you were trapped in a virtual world. This time, I'm the one who's ventured out into the real world." Noah told him. He then removed three cards from the Deck before tossing the rest away. Yugi knew what cards Noah had extracted.
"How?" Tèa asked.
"Sorry Tèa, but unlike Vivian I'm not one that blabs out stuff they shouldn't mention." Noah replied in a mocking tone.
"How did you get your hands on the Seal of Orichalcos? Did you team up with Dartz against us?" Joey questioned. Noah chuckled as he eyed the Seal before sliding it and the other cards into his pants pocket.
"No one named Dartz has been involved in my grand scheme. That's all I'm willing to say on the matter." This confused the group.
"But Dartz was the only one that could have given that card to you! There's just no one else it could be! He must be lying!" Joey accused.
"Have I ever lied about anything since you all got here? Have I?" Noah questioned him. To their frustration, that statement was true. So far, Noah had not deceived anyone since their arrival. Sure, he did not share every detail of his Death-T games, but he never once lied.
"What about Leon? You tried to stop Vivian from revealing what really happened to him! That means you know about it too! Tell us where he is!" Yugi angrily demanded. Noah sighed deeply while shaking his head. He seemed annoyed.
"Vivian should not have brought up that particular subject. I supposed the Orichalcos' power must've been too much for her after all if she couldn't keep her mouth shut."
"Answer him! Where is Leon?" Yuya also asked. Noah frowned at the boy.
"Why do you care about that brat? You've never met him."
"That doesn't matter! Any friend of Yugi's is someone worth saving! Tell us where he's been taken to!" Noah smirked.
"I'm confused Yuya. I thought you were more interested in saving your mother from me?" He reminded him. This stopped Yuya from retorting.
"He's right Yuya." Yuya turned to Yugi, stunned. "Saving your mom is our main goal right now. We'll worry about finding Leon later." 'Besides, Noah clearly isn't going to tell us anything.' He thought in frustration.
"Not at this time at least." Atem added. They both also had a bad feeling about the reason Leon was kidnapped. To have gone to the trouble of taking him and fooling the public with a fake, it had to be important. For now, their focus was on stopping Noah and rescuing Yoko.
"I'm glad we're finally on the same page, Yugi. Now with that out of the way, let's move on to the next game." Noah said with a snicker as he lifted his arm up. At the same time, the door to Death T-4 behind him slowly slid upward. Once the entrance was fully opened, Yugi and the gang gaped at the sight before them. "Welcome everyone… to Death T-4!"
The huge room was nearly taken up by a massive colosseum. It reminded Yugi of the holographic colosseum that Kaiba produced for their Duel in the Battle City semifinals. This one though was real and was colored blood red. With Noah's beckoning, the gang followed him inside. Vivian's body was left behind at the entrance.
As they entered, they saw many rows of seats that were all the same red as the rest of the structure. Within the arena itself were five silver circles, one in the center and four spread across. "What are we up against this time? A squad of Roman gladiators, or maybe a blood thirsty lion?" Tristan guessed. Noah moved toward the center circle and stopped when he was standing on it.
"Something considerably more deadly, actually. But you'll be pleased to know that for this game, you'll get an extra player…" He then turned to his right. "And he is sure to have a "blast"." Everyone faced the same direction as Noah and were surprised to see who walked in from the opposite end of the arena.
"Kaiba!" Yugi and Yuya exclaimed.
"Finally joining the fun, huh rich boy?" Joey asked sarcastically. Kaiba looked as though he would rather be any place but here.
"From what I've been told about this game, I wouldn't call it "fun" Wheeler." He gave Noah a nasty stare. "Especially after learning what he has planned for me."
"Meaning what?" Yugi asked as he turned back to Noah, who smiled evilly.
"You'll find out soon enough." He then looked at everyone present. "Now that everyone is here, I will explain the Death T-4 game you're playing: Battle of the Gods."
"Catchy name." Tristan said.
"It is actually simple, but it will be no less lethal than all the other games you've played up to this point. To win, all you guys have to do is defeat my "champion" in battle, who is waiting just below us."
"What champion?" Tèa asked.
"Someone I've chosen that will enjoy your pain and suffering." Noah hinted maliciously. Just then, the circle he was on started to hover from the ground. It wasn't long until he was several feet high. "Here is how to play my game. Three of you will face my champion in hand to hand combat while the others will provide support from a distance." Noah then motioned at the remaking four circles in the arena. "The four supporters will each stand on one of those circles during the battle. They will not be allowed to move anywhere else. If any of them steps out any time, they will be instantly electrocuted with enough voltage to make their hearts explode. They would be dead within seconds."
"That's shocking." Joey muttered after he gulped. Noah continued.
"To fight my champion, you will all be given weapons. This colosseum has been outfitted with highly advanced holographic technology. The sensors in place will read your brainwaves and instantly materialize weapons for each of you… weapons based on the Ace Monsters from your respective Duel Monsters Decks. Each weapon will have a special ability, but I can't tell you what they are. The abilities are unique depending on the weapon itself. Even I don't know what to expect. Should be fun to see what they can do." Noah then pointed at three specific people. "Yugi, Seto, and Joey… you will be the ones to face my champion in a fight to the death. You must strike him three times in a certain weak spot located somewhere on his body before he does the same to you first. If you succeed, you win. If not… I think we can guess that outcome."
"Don't remind me." Kaiba said humorlessly. Noah ignored him.
"The weapon process I just explained only applies to the four supporters and Joey. As for you two..." Noah said as he turned to Yugi and Kaiba. "I've already chosen what you will be fighting my champion with. This game is called "Battle of the Gods" for a reason…"
At this time, Yugi merged with Atem once more. "I'm beginning to see what you have in mind Noah."
"Good to know that, Yugi." With a snap of Noah's fingers, Yugi and Kaiba glowed red and blue respectively for a few seconds. Once they could be seen again, the gang stared in awe.
Yugi was now wearing armor based on Osiris the Sky Dragon, while Kaiba was outfitted to resemble Obelisk the Tormentor. The red Osiris Armor was composed of red and black scales on the arms and legs, had a pair of dragon wings and a small dragon tail on the back, and the chest piece had the face of the Egyptian God itself. The blue Obelisk armor Kaiba had was identical to the bulky Egyptian God's body, except that it was made to match Kaiba's body frame. Even the pair of blue demon wings attached behind him matched that of the real Obelisk. The only difference was that Obelisk's face was embedded in the upper chest area.
The two rival Duelists examined their new attire. "This armor… it feels so real." Yugi noted as he touched the scales that now covered him.
"Even Kaibacorp's hologram technology doesn't have this level of realism." Kaiba said, actually sounding impressed despite their situation. He flexed his gloved hands and was astonished to feel how perfect they fitted.
"I see you appreciate the effort it took to make this possible." Noah said to them. "Those suits of armor have powerful abilities as well. Unlike your friends' weapons, your armor abilities need a specific requirement to activate. Trust me, you'll know when you see it..."
"Hold on a minute Noah! I got a complaint!" Joey interjected.
"Yes Joey?" Noah asked, already knowing what said complaint would be.
"You said that I have to fight this champ of yours with Yugi and Kaiba, and yet I don't get the Egyptian God card treatment like them?! We know there's one other Egyptian God to make armor from but I don't get to use it?! What's the deal with that, huh?!" Noah couldn't help but chuckle.
"There is a Winged Dragon of Ra armor… which my champion will be using in the game against you." Joey groaned while lowering his head.
'I was afraid of that.' Yugi said in his mind.
"If these suits of armor have abilities similar to the Egyptian God cards themselves, and if Noah's champion is wearing the Ra armor… then we are truly in for a fight." Atem responded ominously. What's more concerning for the merged pair was that the identity of said champion had not been revealed yet.
"If it makes you feel any better, you're free to create your own armor for the game." Noah suggested. Joey decided to take him on that.
"Heh. Don't mind if I do!" He took a moment to picture what he could use in the upcoming struggle, and then he glowed black for a brief moment before he now wore his own scaled battle armor. It was shown to be completely black with wings and a tail, looking like a humanoid dragon. Joey was quite pleased with the result as he posed proudly. "Oh yeah! Check out my Lord of the Red armor! Do I look like a badass or what?" He created that armor based on a certain Ritual Monster he used in his extreme Duel against Valon some time ago.
"You still look like a dork." Kaiba commented bluntly. Joey stared daggers at him.
"Screw you! I look good!" He retorted.
"If we're done comparing one another's new looks, let's move on." Noah then turned to the rest of the gang. "You four create your own weapons and get into your circles." At his insistence Yuya, Tèa, Tristan, and Serenity imagined and manifested their weapons.
Yuya now held a round shield bearing the face of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. Tèa was holding a celestial bow with Master Hyperion's flaming wings at both tips. Tristan had Machiners Colonel's blaster mounted on his right shoulder. As for Serenity, she possessed a black and white magic wand with the head of Dragonmaid Sheou at the top with it's mouth open.
"Sweet looking gear." Joey told them. Yugi nodded agreement.
After examining their new arsenal, the teens moved to their circles. Once they did, the circles then lit up from underneath the players' feet. "That light means you now cannot move away from your positions for the duration of the game. You know will happen if you do." Noah said, smiling to himself. 'Excellent. Everything is in place now.'
"Whoever your so called "champion" is, we will defeat him and then come after you!" Yugi boldly declared.
Noah smirked as his hover disk took him to the highest balcony in the colosseum. "I wouldn't be so sure." He then sat on the throne behind him. "Of all my Death-T games, this is the one I've been looking forward to the most. A game such as this requires an audience, wouldn't you agree?" Without waiting for a reply, Noah waved a hand and holographic spectators appeared in all the empty seats around the arena. They all stared to chant "Champion! Champion! Champion!".
"Copy cat." Kaiba insulted under his breath. It irritated him that Noah pulled the same thing Kaiba himself did when he dueled Yugi in Battle City.
"You heard the crowd! Let's give them what they want! Come forth, my champion!" Noah declared.
Yugi, Kaiba, and the others watched as a golden human sized cylinder with the Eye of Ra on it emerged from the spot Noah's hover disk originated. As it did, a gold glow briefly showed through the cracks. "Any ideas who this "champion" is?" Yuya questioned nervously.
"No clue." Tristan said. "But I got a really bad feeling about this."
Yugi actually gave it some thought. He found it strange that he, Kaiba, and Noah's champion would wear armor based on the Egyptian God cards but not Joey, and yet he was fighting on the front lines with them. Noah also said that the person he chose would enjoy inflicting pain on everyone here without remorse. Lastly, the champion would be using the Winged Dragon of Ra armor against them. Once Yugi put those facts together, he came to one logical conclusion… and that conclusion terrified him. His eyes widened, filled with unmistakable fear. 'No… it can't be! It can't be him! He wouldn't…!'
With a hiss, the the container slid open, letting out some steam as it did. The group tensed as the person inside slowly stepped out. The armor of a golden mechanical phoenix was revealed, covering the figure from the feet up. He sported gold mecha wings and claw like hands. The face of the strongest Egyptian God showed itself on the chest piece.
But the most shocking detail of all… was the face of the dark skinned young man wearing that armor. It was someone no one who knew him ever expected. It also confirmed Yugi's suspicions, in a very bad way.
"Who is that?" Yuya asked. He saw that everyone else stood in total shock. They recognized the new person, Yuya could tell that much.
"What the freaking hell?! Is that… Marik?!" Joey shouted, not believing his eyes.
"Marik?!" Tèa, Tristan, and Serenity also shouted. It was indeed the young pale white-gold haired Egyptian that had once been their enemy. After Battle City he no longer posed a threat. That seemed to have changed as he now wore a most sinister smile. His hair was also sticking up wildly and had the glowing Eye of Wdjat on his forehead.
"As I feared." Yugi said before turning to Kaiba. "Did you know this before now?" Kaiba shook his head.
"Noah did tell me the basics of Death T-4 and my part in it, but he failed to mention his champion was Marik Ishtar of all people."
"Marik?" Yuya asked himself. He then remembered Duke mentioning someone named Marik when he and his loved ones first arrived in this world.
"Marik Ishtar was another bad guy we fought but became our friend afterwards." Tristan told him.
"He doesn't look so friendly now though." Serenity pointed out after seeing his face.
"He looks just like he did when he dueled Mai, Joey and Yugi in Battle City." Tèa noticed.
"What do you mean?" Yuya asked, not understanding.
"Marik looked liked that when he was possessed by a much darker personality born from a Tomb Keepers ritual he was forced to endure as a child. That darker Marik was destroyed when the real Marik forfeited the Battle City championship against Yugi." Joey explained. "Marik" then chuckled as the cylinder closed itself and retracted under the floor.
"Or so you thought, little Joey. Now I have returned to destroy you all… including you and your vessel Pharaoh." He said as he stared directly at Yugi.
"But how? You were sent to the Shadow Realm! How did Noah revive you?!" Yugi demanded. "Marik" then pointed to the "Eye" on his forehead.
"See this? It is a personality replicator. Noah slapped it on the punk's head after Vivian Wong dragged him here kicking and screaming. He designed it to dig into Marik's memories and made a copy of me from scanning his mind. I may not be the original, but I'm close enough. Not only that, I still have all my memories from our time in Battle City so I know how I lost to you before. This time Pharaoh… you will be the one that the shadows shall take!"
A pissed off Yugi turned upward to where Noah sat. "Noah! Why did you involve Marik in this?!" Noah smirked.
"I saw a potential use for him, or rather his darker self, after seeing the stunts he pulled from our last encounter. Now enough questions. I've waited long enough…" Noah then raised his arms up. "Let Death T-4, the Battle of the Gods… BEGIN!"
To be continued.