Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


Fayth gave a firm nod and yet a gentle smile as she heard Jack's reassurance. "That's the only goal I had in mind. Don't even worry about that." Not to say she hadn't against Rutger. But that had been her fighting alone. Now that Jack had been literally dragged here though? After everything they'd promised one another, be it not running away from this war or how they'd celebrate afterwards? The stakes had been raised, and quite a bit now that they were facing a seemingly new and improved Carly.

.... In fact, she was almost certain some of these very cards were new. Or she hadn't drawn them last time. Whatever the case was, her deck was definitely answering her much better, and that was a major problem.

I'm not losing you too. I can't ... I literally can't ....

Her hands trembled at the thought before Fayth shook her head and calmed herself well enough so that her body was stable. "Draw!" she declared. She took a few moments to go over her hand then made her move. "I summon Darklord Ukoback. Before he leaves, I'll activate his own effect and send another copy of him to the graveyard."

Just as quickly as the fallen angel appeared, it vanished in mere moments. But indeed, not before a card would vanish into her graveyard area. "And for now ... that's it."

Her Solidarity could come into play soon enough, but did she want to? Or should she reserve it for when Niari pulled out stronger monsters? Or worse off, if Fire got too powerful due to its effect? That was definitely a thought now going through her head as she heard Niari pull the top card from her own deck.

"Let's give a warm welcome back to the other Fortune Lady Fire, shall we? And this time ... look at what we have! A face-up monster! So ... I choose the Dark Resonator, and .... "

A fireball built up in Fortune Lady Fire's hands. As Niari snapped, the fairy hurled it right at Dark Resonator, burning it to ashes ... which was likely something they could guess due to its name. What may not have been expected was for Fayth to hear Jack hiss in agony. "Jack?!"

"Fortune Lady Fire doesn't simply destroy the monster. No, no, that's too simple. She also deals damage according to the attack of what she destroyed."

Normally, 1300 wouldn't have been so worrisome. But when they both only had 4000 instead of 8000? It most certainly was. "You okay, Jack?" Fayth asked, her voice beginning to betray her as it shook.

"You should worry about yourself. Unlike you, I still have my sight. I'm simply getting back at Jack for our last encounter. Now then, I'll summon Catbopleas ... who will return next turn. Luckily for you, missy, I know it'd be foolish to try to get a direct attack in. Doubly so when I have nothing to stop that annoying trap, so .... Jack's turn. Come at me ... if either of you can."
 
With the return of the second Fortune Lady Fire, Jack had not been prepared; it seemed this time her Deck was indeed working much better. However, her effect was something that he did not expect. As Dark Resonator was burned to ash, the searing flame struck him square in the chest; he could feel his skin char a bit, his clothes singed and scorched as well as his Life dropped. "I'm alright...I've suffered worse..." Jack would say, though the pain in his voice made it clear that her attack had indeed hurt him. And since it wasn't an attack, there was nothing Fayth's Scarecrow could do to stop it.

Even worse...All he would have is the zero ATK Ogre during his turn. He had another monster in his hand...And in truth, Niari had done him a bit of a favor putting his Resonator in the Graveyard. His Trap could circumvent the summoning banishment this way, and he could probably do what he did last time. All he needed was to survive this next turn, and they might have a chance to put another dent in her life.

"I draw! Ogre of the Bloody Tears returns in Attack Position!"

The club-using Ogre reappeared, an Attack Power of 0 not much to inspire confidence. "I release Ogre to Advance Summon Power Invader!" Jack then declared, the Ogre being sucked into a portal as a massively muscular alien-like being appeared on his field, Future Visions quickly displacing it as it cried out. His hand definitely wasn't the best, but he would find a way to make it work.

A grimace appeared on his face, knowing he might very well take damage next turn. "Turn....End. Sorry, Fayth..." Jack would say, the displeasure he felt aimed squarely at himself.
 

"Me too, Jack. I swear, I am working towards something. Hang on ... please."

Fayth wouldn't overly blame him if it seemed like a bluff, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. And admittedly ... now it was seeming like the right time to activate Solidarity. As she drew however .... all she felt were signals that the waiting was indeed worth it. "I'll release Darklord Ukoback once he returns to advance summon Darklord Edeh Arae! I set another card then end!"

As Fayth declared the end of her turn, her head lifted as she heard Niari chuckling. "And what the hell's so funny?"

"I know it wasn't that long ago since we dueled ... but it's been long enough that I temporarily forgot a few things. How easy you get flustered when he's hurt or in danger ... your willingness to sacrifice yourself ... you chose the right angel to make a pact with, it seemed. Too bad that's gone, hmmm? Though ... perhaps more intriguing than that ... have you also done something with a Shinigami, girl?"

"W-what? How would I even...?? Gods, no!"

"No?" Niari repeated. "With all the times you've cheated Death, are you sure about that?"

"Would it matter if I did at this rate or no? But ... yes, the answer is no."

Niari stared at Fayth as she drew, wearing a pensive look. "We've all been wondering about that. It's something even we couldn't do and yet ... you've done so how many times now? You had a life here, and despite that, have seemed to return. Your battle against Rutger, my last encounter with Jack, any time you've been around Kiryu .... at least five to six times I'm recalling. That sort of ability .... makes you just as dangerous as my own deck. Perhaps more so."

Regardless of what may or may not be the truth ..... there clearly did seem to be an unknown and unseen force protecting this girl. Even if not stronger than her and the other Dark Signer's gods, enough to warrant genuine concern. No matter .... she would be dealt with next.

"Draw! Catoplebas returns to the field. Next, I activate Fortune Lady Calling to special summon Fortune Lady Dark!"

And though Fayth couldn't see the stats, she could certainly feel them and realize how quickly this duel had just become even more dangerous. Fayth grit her teeth as Niari continued with her turn.

"Fortune Lady Fire will go up and another star, now becoming 4 instead of the starting 2. Let the flames grow!"

And sure enough, the area did quickly get warmer. Enough that Fayth was sweating from both the card and a bit of fear. "Fortune Lady Dark! Direct attack against Jack!"

"I'm still not letting you! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, open!"

Niari chuckled again. "Your efforts are admirable ... but in vain. There's still two more who have the chance to assault him, so ... Fortune Lady Fire! Catoplebas! Direct attack! For your knowledge .... that's twenty six hundred. I'm sure you can understand what that means, yes?"

"JACK!"

And indeed, she did. Fayth tried to run forward, almost stumbling as the shackle reminded her it was still very much attached to her ankle. He was alive, thankfully ... but barely. Now reduced to a mere 100 life points. And all in the matter of a few quick turns.

"I'm sorry ... please don't leave me, Jack ... "

Niari's smirk spread over her face. Good. She hadn't been wrong about that observation, at least. Once he was gone ... that'd break her and the duel would all but be in her favor. It made her feel that much better she'd made the right choice by targeting Jack first. Of course ... it would have been better if she could have finished him off in this turn, but no big deal. Niari had already exposed the biggest flaw about Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, and she very much intended to use that as long as needed.

"Turn end. Come now, Jack. Where's the version of you that was strong and determined last time? Is it because she's dueling alongside you and not in a bubble again? Be grateful I need her to fight, otherwise I'd do exactly that and see how well she can swim again. Show me your fire, your pride ... assuming it's still there in the first place."
 
God, no wonder this woman was Ignacious' wife. The two were so eerily similar, based on what he'd heard at least. Confident, arrogant, and vain. Well....At least they did seem to have some power to back it all up though. Even so, Jack knew he couldn't let them win here...But with his field still empty, he had no real options to defend himself.

And as Niari took her turn, her Fortune Lady's ATK rising as well as the flames that surrounded her, now at 800 Attack Points. Still not much, but with three monsters whose total power exceeded his own life? This could very well be game over for him. "Damn you...." he swore, watching as Dark would send a bolt of energy hurling at him....Only for Fayth to intercept it. The Scarecrow's form absorbing the brunt of the impact, knowing full well he was still in her sights.

In truth, it was sound strategy...And part of Jack's plan was to make himself a target, try and make her sloppy. Let Fayth sneak up and destroy her. But as Fire and Catoblepas' attacks reached him? He was slightly regretting his actions.

A pained scream left him as the heat and scorching power from their combined assault sent him hurtling down, his breath short, ragged and quick. Every muscle fiber screamed in pain, his life at a dangerous 100. Whatever had been done...This was not the same deck Carly had used. It had been changed, it had to have been; did this 'Niari' access the real Carly's memories? Modify the cards in it to make it even stronger?

The only reaosn he wasn't sent back further was because the chain around his ankle had stopped him; Niari's words barely reached him, something about pride and power....But Fayth's pleas to have him stay? That was loud and clear. His fingers slowly clenched and unclenched, beginning to push himself back to his feet. "Don't....Don't worry, Fayth...I'm not....ugh...I'm not done yet!" Jack would shout, a familiar energy causing his Mark to glow.

"So long as I have even one Life Point left, you'll not break me that easily! I draw! And Power Invader returns!"

The muscular alien reappeared on Jack's field, with him then declaring, "I then activate the Trap Card, Revival Gift! I Special Summon the Tuner monster Dark Resonator from my Cemetery with its effects negated, then two Gift Demon Tokens are Special Summoned to your field in Attack Position!" As the two cartoonish tokens appeared, it would be obvious what Jack was going for. "You want to see my strength?! I'll show you what happened in our last Duel! Level 3 Dark Resonator tunes Level 5 Power Invader!"

As the Summon animation played out, Jack would then chant "The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" As the mighty Dragon descended....Jack then heard something very uncharacteristic: Niari was laughing.

"What the hell's so funny?"

"Oh, Jack; did you honestly think I hadn't prepared for something like this? In fact, this is amazing! I activate the effect of my Catoblepas! When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can exclude a monster with unknown Attack Points from my Cemetery to destroy it! So Fortune Lady Fire goes away...And so does your precious Dragon! Ruinous Effigy!"

At this, Jack had to shield his eyes as Catoblepas hit Red Demon's Dragon with a massive barrage of energy, the dragon howling as its body was cut to shreds....Before long exploding into dust, his Mark fading...And Jack just looking on in shock and horror. Indeed....Such a thing seemed to do the very thing he had just declared would not happen: She'd broken him, his eyes staring at where his Dragon had been...Gone. Just like that.

And though he said nothing? It was more than evident his turn was over...Leaving him open and vulnerable for whatever might happen next.
 

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!"

This was somehow worse than when she had been in the bubble ... which was horrifying to admit given after a bit, the then Dark Signer Carly had made the water turn into a smaller but equally powerful ocean. Water repeatedly crashing down over her frame, literally thrusting her against the bottom of it. And just like she had now ... a shackle that prevented her from breathing and damn well nearly made her drown to death.

Yet despite only having the shackle ... this was as terrifying in its own rights. And worse off ... was knowing she was so close and yet so far from being able to stand right beside him. Regardless of how big the gap was .... it was enough that she couldn't reach his hand or arm and hold onto it. All she could do was glance over .... and listen to his voice.

Which .... caused her own heart to ache when he spoke.

"No more .... " she whimpered, covering the blindfold with her empty hand while still keeping a hold onto her cards. "Please, stop .... "

"Are you giving up then?" Niari inquired ... almost daring her to go on and say yes. But when she saw a determined shake of the young girl's head, she chuckled. "Just ... fucking hell, you've got us both here. The stakes have already been set. You don't need to make the damage real. There's already enough risks ad dangers as it is ... "

"Be that as it may, where would the fun in that be?"

A grimace appeared as Fayth turned her head away. Somehow ... every new form of Carly's seemed to get worse and worse. Each seeming to become as vile as Kiryu ... and even more grim. It wouldn't be too surprising if at this rate, all of the Dark Signers were like that twisted sadist. Or ... most, at any rate. She'd have to take Crow and Rua's word about the one Ruka had faced. But otherwise? Any future fights would be as sickening as this one ... and that very thought made her tremors resume once again.

Damniiiiiiiiiiiit! she inwardly screamed at herself, holding onto herself tightly.

"That's right," Niari encouraged, "There's no shame in being honest with yourself. Surely you knew this was a lost cause from the get-go, did you not?"

"I'm not done either!" Fayth shot back angrily, digging her nails into her arms to keep herself awake and conscious even though part of her was wanting to pass out from a panic attack.

And for a bit ... her heart seemed to soar as Jack started to Synchro Summon his ace monster. But then ... something neither of them expected happened. Nairi began to laugh again and even before she started talking, Fayth's heart was beginning to sink as quickly as it'd started feeling hope.

"Oh, Jack; did you honestly think I hadn't prepared for something like this? In fact, this is amazing! I activate the effect of my Catoblepas! When my opponent Special Summons a monster, I can exclude a monster with unknown Attack Points from my Cemetery to destroy it! So Fortune Lady Fire goes away...And so does your precious Dragon! Ruinous Effigy!"

"W....what??" Fayth muttered, disbelief mingling in with despair. "Then .... ??"

And sure enough, the tell-tale explosion revealed that as quickly as Jack's field had started to form ... it was empty. Gone. Fayth whimpered as she barely kept herself standing on her feet, feeling her legs wanting to give up. Her entire being ready ... ready to put her hand atop her deck. But even if she could - as it hadn't yet gone past enough turns for Fayth to surrender - she also acknowledged the other thing this would mean. It would all but give Niari consent to take their lives .... and that was definitely not what Fayth wanted.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! FUCK YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! DRAW!!!!!"

"Good, good! Glad one of you isn't giving up just yet. Please ... keep going! Keep amusing me!"

"SHUT UP, ALREADY! Now then .... Darklord Edeh Arae returns! I summon Freya, Spirit Of Victory, who will temporarily be removed! I then flip over two of my sets, Solidarity!" Now it was Fayth's turn to smirk. "And on the off chance you didn't know this trick ... they stack. So it's not a mere 800 boost, it's 1600 for all of my cards! Rise up, Darklord Edeh Arae! And he'll vanquish Fortune Lady Dark! Darkness Sphere!"

Another scream - this time from Niari's side - would reverberate. But even as the dust settled and Niari's life dropped a bit further? She wasn't looking the least bit anxious. In fact ... she was grinning maniacally while slowly clapping. "Bravo. Truly ... very good indeed. You know ... it's not yet too late. You both would be so much more useful on our side than wasting your lives away. Accept my offer ... and your deaths won't be useless or in vain."

"Never!" Fayth growled, "I'd definitely rather die than become anything like you, Kiryu, Sora, or anyone else that enjoys putting people through this much sorrow!"

Niari clicked her tongue but drew from the top of her deck. "That's a shame ... but I can at least say I tried. I draw! Catoblepas has served her purpose so ... farewell to her! I advance summon Fortune Lady Earth ... who will come back next turn. Luckily for me, I do still have someone on my field ... Fortune Lady Fire, who will go up another star and become five now!"

Fayth gulped as she heard the noises coming from Niari's disk, indicating the rise in attack. And while it was only a thousand ... that was more than enough to eliminate Jack, who was stuck at one hundred life.

"Direct attack, Fortune Lady Fire!"

And right as Fayth pushed down to activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow, Niari would press down on her own duel disk. "I'll counter and get rid of that pesky trap with my own! Trap card open, Bending Destiny! It can negate and remove the card I target from play. Luckily for you ... you will get it back at your next End Phase."

"N...no, wait .... "

But the pleas fell on deaf ears. Next came Jack's screams .... and then nothing. Silence. Suddenly ... Fayth knew almost exactly how Yuna had felt. The only real difference was she'd been forced to kill Hotsuma. But in its own rights? This wasn't much better. She could have saved Jack ... should have been able to. But now ... Fayth was left standing place, knowing fully well that a large part of the silence was because .....

"Yes. He's gone. Luckily for him, it should have been painless enough."

"I hate you ... "

The words were uttered barely above a shaky whisper. More tears started flowing down Fayth's face as she grasped at her heart, knowing that even if not literally ... it had most certainly shattered. Enough for her to feel ample pain, horror, fear .... but above all? A degree of rage she'd never known existed with herself.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Now Fayth allowed herself to fall to her knees, giving the dirt several good punches, each hurting her much more than helping her. But what was the point? Why should she care? What was the point of trying to fight on? She sure as hell didn't want to deal with the Dark Signers essentially by herself ... with minimal if any help. Fayth certainly didn't bother to notice her own Mark now glowing and activating, adding in to more pain shooting through her body, particularly her arm. The hell with everything, Niari was right! This had been a death trap from the get-go! Should she not take this as her cue to join Jack? Let her own soul be at peace with him?

.... Luckily, her brain was able to give her a proper answer ... which helped Fayth stop and stand back up. If she could, a glare would be shot right at Niari as she rose her hands back up, ready to take her turn.

"You meant it, right?! If I win ... he comes back."

"I may now be a demoness, but I keep my word. Yes. If you can win .... Jack's soul will return."

"You fucking better .... or I'll kill you personally! I don't care how ... I'll figure something out. DRAW! Freya returns to my field! I'll s-set a card down ...."

Fayth gripped tightly onto her wrist, forcing it to stay still enough. Her eyelids closed under the blindfold as she re-drew the field in her mind ... trying to block out the sorrow as she noted Jack's field was gone, as was he. And then ... she recalled the tokens. Some of the last things he'd summoned.

"Thanks to Solidarity .... even Freya can contribute in this fray despite normally being 100. She and Darklord Edeh Arae will get rid of the tokens! Turn them into dust!"

Only after hearing the attacks going through did Fayth nod, continuing to coerce her body to stay standing. "Turn end. I do NOT care what I need to endure or what it takes ... you're not taking Jack away from me! I'm getting him back ... by any and all means necessary!"
 
Jack had been so stunned by what happened that nothing else really transmitted to him; this entire Duel had just fallen out of the sky on his head. His very soul....His own Dueling Spirit...just destroyed. It was like a piece of him had been ripped out; he'd felt the pain Red Demon's Dragon felt. Not to nearly the same degree, but he still had. It was palpable, that searing pain of sheer annihilation.

Was this what they were up against? Was this was Yusei truly fought? How could they win against this kind of power? How did they win any of their Duels? Were they just extremely lucky? Sure was seeming to be that way.

But then as Niari and Fayth took their turns, Niari had set her sights on correcting the mistakes of her former vessel. He had been the reason for her defeat earlier...So in many ways, she was targeting him both to break Fayth's spirit and destroy the more problematic of the two Signers. And when it did connect? The attack made an agony beyond comprehension shatter through his body, ripping a soul-rending scream from his throat. And his Life hit zero, his heart gave one last beat...Before long his soul was torn from his mortal coil, flying towards the Tower, now covered in a sheen of orange light. Not as strong as the other four that were active....But close enough to it.

It would be so easy to just...annihilate Fayth right now. Technically speaking, the Tower had enough power to just tear her soul from her body, regardless of her convictions or lack thereof. But Niari knew better; the Tower could only be TRULY empowered if both were taken in a Ritual Duel, their bodies robbed of every last drop of energy. And after their banter, Niari did grunt a bit as the attacks on the Tokens whittled her life down even more. Now to 3800. Dangerous compared to Fayth having yet to be touched, but she could feel it: That was about to change.

"Oh? Is that right?" Niari chuckled, bringing a clawed finger to her lips and touching them, "Admittedly, you have talent...But you are no match for me. No match for my wonderful husband, nor the Dark Signers themselves. Fortune might smile on you for now, but you would be shocked at how quickly that can change. My turn, I draw!"

As she looked at the card, she just smirked, "And I will demonstrate what I just said to you. Burn this lesson into your memory, for it shall be the last. First, Fortune Lady Earthy returns, and her Level increases by 1 to 7!" Doing so, Fayth would now be facing a 2800 ATK warrior, but she contiuned, "And when her Level increases, you take 400 damage! Cursed Skewer!" A barrage of metallic spikes ripped through the ground, several impaling Fayth in multiple locations. But Niari was not about to relent, "I activate the Magic Card, Fortune Lady Calling! Since I control a Fortune Lady monster, I can Special Summon another with a different name from my Deck. Appear, Fortune Lady Watery!" This would be a new monster Fayth or Jack had not seen before, Niari then adding "Since she was Special Summoned while another Fortune Lady is in play, I can draw 2 more cards from my Deck." Taking the top two, a quick glance had her laughing once again.

Indeed, fortune was a fickle bitch; and Fayth was about to experience that much right at this moment. "I then activate the Permanent Magic, Fortune Visions! With its activation, I add a Fortune Lady card to my hand and Set it face-down." Taking that action, she then declared, "Now witness true terror as your hopes shatter and die!" The air around her grew darker and more violent, the Tower seeming to come alive even more, threatening to draw them both into it. "I offer Fortune Lady Earthy and Watery as sacrifices!" The two women screamed in pain, their forms ripped apart as a core appeared in the sky, beating like a wretched heart, the lines glowing the same orange color as the Tower had been.

"Now transcending five thousand years time, the doors of the underworld will open once more! May our souls be the food of the new world! Advent, Earthbound God Aslla Piscu!"

In a violent storm of wind and light, the Earthbound God descended, a loud chittering emanating from it as its powerful wings flapped. "But of course...He won't stay for long, since my Field Magic will banish him until my next turn." At this the God disappeared...But that would just be the beginning.

"And since it left the field, its effect activates! Its immortal rage destroys your monsters and inflicts 800 points of damage to you for each one! 3 means you are dealt 2400 damage! God Whirlwind!"

A spirital vestige of Piscu then reappeared, a buffeting storm shattering all of Fayth's monsters as the God's spirit tore through them, striking her directly and dealing more than half her LIfe as damage, leaving her at a precarious 1200. Even with her field empty...Her face-down all but ensured her victory. She hoped the girl would be so enraged at losing Jack she would not even think to stop. And if she did? Oh, what a glorious end she would meet.

"Well? I end my turn....I give you this one last chance to surrender, Fayth. If you do...I'll make it painless. Then you can be with Jack for all eternity. No more misery, no more death. Just you and the man you love. You might even see your friend Fuyu again. This is my one last act of mercy towards you. Something neither Kiryu nor my husband would ever think of giving. But I warn you if you refuse: Your end will be most unpleasant."
 

"I didn't get as far in the Fortune Cup as I did by a damned fluke! I used this very same deck, after all!" Fayth snarled. Despite not actually being trapped in the bubble ... she felt as if she were in a way. She was almost literally drowning ... but in a sea of emotions as opposed to actual water. And right now? The same fury and rage continued to dominate Fayth. Urges she'd never dared to allow to cross her mind - mainly the desire to actually take a life - continued to flow through her mind. Even the knowledge that neither Jack nor Yusei would want her to go that far seemed to matter. After all, that was these bastard's goal. To kill them ... every single one of them. And with her and Jack having recently learned the only other Signers alive aside from herself, Crow, and Jack was a trapped Aki .... this was literally a do or die time.

And since Fayth didn't want to die ... she had to be the one to go through with said actions. Doubly so if it meant having a sliver of hope in getting Jack back. She moved her shaky fingertips along the cards ... taking note of her hand. Athena was there ... but she was a two monster tribute. And no matter which two she would choose .. it would be risky. She could keep Edeh Arae there ... but lose her wall in the form of the face down Marshmallon. And even Freya wasn't half bad in her own rights.

No, she needed something else .... a better time to consider sacrificing any of her monsters in order to get Athena out. The wait would definitely be worth it ... or so she continued to persuade herself of that.

For now though ... it was Niari's turn. And as such, she kept her head lifted and paid very close attention to what was happening. And as the turn played out? Horror swiftly replaced the wrath as a genuine fear for her life overtook Fayth.

And worse off ... she had a field card this time. There was no mistake of the Immortal Earthbound vanishing; not from a lack of a field card, at least. It would because of Niari's field effect.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Fayth stumbled back, finally plopping onto the ground and going still. Her body ached everywhere, no thanks to the numerous metallic spikes. None had gotten anywhere vital ... but one got damn close to piercing a lung.

Tired .... she heard echo in her own head. Her eyelids closed ... and stayed that way for a good minute or so. She hadn't wanted any of this; to be in this war, to be stuck here. And yet ... some part of her was at least glad her disk had malfunctioned after traveling here. She never would have met Jack, Yusei or any of the others.

But now? Now with the chance of her failing .... why? Why was she still fighting in a role she was never meant to have.

I don't want to ... she added, a low whimper accompanied by some pained coughs and wheezes resounding.

And then .... her memory went back to Jack finding her after she snuck out of the hospital and fought Rutger. How they vowed to one another neither of them would run away despite being given so many reasons to do just that. The promise to be free and fully intimate with one another, with no restrictions, no worries ... nothing of the like. The desire to turn this stupid war around ... to ensure there would still be a Satellite and Domino City standing. To defeat the remaining Dark Signers ... no matter what that meant risking.

All of those caused Fayth's eyebrows to widen as she gasped and panted, shaking her head frantically from side to side. Her hair was a disheveled mess, her limbs intact .... but at quite the price. A few bones were at least broken, and it was clear that had they gone any further, Fayth would very likely have several open fractures piercing through her flesh. It was nothing short of a miracle that she was still alive in her current state.

"No," she hoarsely replied, raising a shaky hand .... and gripping onto her lip. She knew well enough what she was going to do would be very stupid. But she needed to think ... needed to focus. And doing so with all of these spikes? It wasn't doable.

So ....

"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngghhhh!!!"

Using every ounce of strength, she yanked each and every spike out. Just like she assumed, blood began to flow freely. Her heart was pumping rapidly as adrenaline began to aid her in remaining conscious, even if on a more auto-pilot like function.

"Not ... giving up. Dr-draw .... "

A few more pained coughs elicited as she drew before her head lifted. "T....thank you. You ... just gave me the perfect opportunity. I activate Valhalla, Hall of The Fallen! With this .... I can special summon one angel from my hand. Goddess of war and wisdom .... aid me ... and help me secure a victory. Athena, I summon thee!"

Fayth almost swore she heard Niari arguing ... protesting about something. But truthfully? Only part of her was paying heed. The other was concentrating on herself and her turn. "Athena! Directly attack! End this .... once and for all! And you ... you demonic bitch! Br...bring Jack back, like you promised!"

The words sounded as if they were underwater. But she could tell from the tone that they were frantic. Desperate. Livid, even. Soon enough though ... a scream would manage to register to Fayth's ears. The shackle fell off her ankle .... and her body began to fall forward, until .....

She felt herself collapse, and then heard something land beside her. "Jack?" she whispered weakly, pulling herself beside what she felt confident enough was indeed his body. "You .... you're back, right? Please ... say something. Don't ... you dare .... leave me. Not like this .... "

Her hands slowly trailed up ... up more ... and stopped as they found one of his hands. She intertwined her own with his, not caring nor minding enough of how messy she was. He wasn't likely too much better anyway. She then lowered her head while still clasping onto Jack's hand, trying to feel or gauge for a heartbeat. "Please come back ... I did it. I won ... for us ..... please, Jack, don't leave me .... "

Luckily, the sounds of something literally collapsing caught the attention of Judai, who had been nearby. He'd stayed behind in case Jack and Fayth returned. Oh yeah, their absence had definitely not gone unnoticed. And with him, Crow, and Rua remembering they had been resting? They all quickly agreed some form of foul play had occurred.

Right before he could try to jest about them sneaking away for alone time ... his mouth remained agape as he found himself staring at what very well might be corpses.

"Oh fuck no," he whispered, quickly running forward towards the two.

" ... Judai ....???" Fayth weakly whispered.

"Yeah, yeah it's me. Be quiet ... you're ... goddamn, what .the hell even..?? No, never mind that. The answer doesn't matter right now. Stay still and silent."

"Help Jack, please ... I don't know if Niari kept her word .... I don't know if his soul's back .... "

Judai felt his blood freeze. Jack ... was technically dead? Or damn close to it? He shook his head furiously. No! This couldn't be the case! Instinctively and with a bit of Yubel's aid, he began quickly going through his deck. He damn well nearly slammed a card into the trap slot; Draining Shield. A light blue aura engulfed the three, but only started working on the two very wounded duelists. Slowly, the wounds were beginning to start healing up.

At least this way ... they wouldn't bleed out to death. But he knew more would be needed. So ....

After taking a moment to lick his lips, Judai let out a loud whistle. "Crow! Need you in the living room, stat!"

He kept it vague ... for now. If only to keep the kids from following him and panicking. Granted, it may be inevitable .... but at least this way he'd tried to keep their eyes from witnessing something just as horrible as Crow when he'd gotten banged up in his own duel against Bommer.
 
Either way an outsider might look at this, this was the last turn. Fayth had only this one shot to make it work; if Aslla Piscu returned, its own effects would spell her death. Figuratively and literally. "Fufufu....Actually you did. That Mister E fellow beat you did he not? Only because he cheated to face against you was the reason he lost, wasn't it? Otherwise you would not have faced against Miss Ling. Speaking of...I'll need to ask Ignacious to go and deal with her once I am done here." Niari mused; even if Fayth did Summon a monster? Well...Her own face-down would still ensure her victory.

Yes, Fortune Lady Rewind. A card that would allow her to call back the excluded Fortune Lady Fire she had used to destroy Jack's ace monster. Something Carly should have used the first time; last time she didn't even face them two on one like Niari herself had. No, she used a still valuable tactic: Hostage, but she did it all wrong. She should have tied to her Life Points, even if she did understand why Carly had chosen to tie the water to Jack's Life at the time.

These two held a certain bond; perhaps that was the source of Fayth's strength. Though Niari did raise a brow as Fayth began to remove Earthy's spikes from her body; good, perhaps she might exsanguinate herself. "Oh did I?" Niari mused calmly at Fayth's declaration of the perfect opportunity, giving a large smile as Athena came onto the field, Solidarity's twin effects boosting her all the way to 4200 ATK!

Oh, this was such sweet perfection! "My my, that is quite the strong monster~ However shall I deal with it?" she teased, watching as Fayth declared an attack to end the Duel. "Oh yes, the Duel ends...But for you! Not for me! Reverse Card Open, Fortune Lady Re...."

Her voice cut off however, and her finger paused inches from the trigger to activate the Trap Card. "What.....What is this..." Niari grunted, trying to force her new body to move.

"No more....I won't let you...."

A familiar voice played in her head; how? Ignacious' magic should have overtaken her completely, destroyed any trace that remained! "I don't know how....But I'm not letting you....spoil this! Stupid girl!" Niari all but shrieked. It was here Carly's voice spoke again, her tone firmer "No! I didn't want to become this! You and your husband, your pathetic excuse of a husband! YOU BOTH CAN GO FUCK YOURSELVES!"

And by the time Niari did look back? Athena was upon her, divine energy tearing through her and making her scream in agony. In moments, her body and soul - both hers and Carly's gone - were gone. What energy remained in the Tower seemed to spike...But then faded, exploding outward, Jack's unconscious form landing with a soft thump beside Fayth. His body intact, though still messed up from the encounter of now and from Kiryu.

And though Fayth called to him? He would stay unconscious, even though every last bit of him was fighting to awaken. His soul was trying to restabilize after being ripped out. And soon enough, the two were returned as promised to Crow's home. Plopped right in the middle of Crow's living room, Fayth trying to beg Judai to do something. And as the Draining Shield card absorbed the free magical energies in the air, transferring them to Jack and Fayth, Crow came running out.

"Oh god, what happened?!" Crow said, running to grab a first aid kit. He didn't have the formal training that Mei or any doctor did, but given that he was in charge of caring for rambunctious orphans? He had to learn some basics pretty damned quick. "Shit...Fayth hold still...." Crow said; he could tell from her shaking that she was banged badly.

Though as the energy reached its peak, Jack felt...stronger....Something calling him back. His soul in Limbo, a white emptiness of space. "Did I die...." his spirit muttered, feeling both alive and well...disconnected at the same time. It was a surreal experience. But then he felt himself yanked hard backwards; and his soul having completely leveled out, his eyes opened rather abruptly, coughs leaving him as his chest heaved. Quick rapid breaths coming from him as he woke up, feeling his body then get wracked in agony from the injuries he sustained during the Duel.

"No....Fayth...FAYTH!?!" Jack shouted, trying to sit up but his body completely unable, Crow then scrambling to calm him down, "Whoa whoa, Jack! Easy....Easy...It's alright....What the heck happened to you too?" Jack panted, his eyes looking to his right to see Fayth. Hurt...But very much alive. "Oh thank Gods.....One of them pulled us....Some kind of portal. Forced us to Duel....I....I don't know how I got back...But....Fayth, that means...You won..." Giving a light smile, he then tried to laugh but just grimaced in agony, "Aye....Fayth had to have won....That's....The only reason I could have returned. She zeroed me, Crow...Destroyed Red Demon's Dragon....Like blowing out a candle..."
 

" .... Jack .... "

"Seriously, Fayth. Hush. You're .... how you're alive is beyond me. This looks like you should be gone."

More tears continued to slowly stream from her face. That bitch! She had lied, hadn't she? Her grip on Jack's hand tightened. It would likely be the very last thing Fayth would do ... but so help her, if she needed to keep good on that promise about hunting her down, then ....

Thankfully, the gasps and coughs made her head turn as a weak but genuine smile appeared on her lips. "JACK!" And upon remembering where she was, she forced her voice to lower ... still very much trembling as she continued talking, giving him a shaky nod first. "You did," she whispered, "I .... was so fucking scared, I .... "

" ... Fine, if you're not gonna be silent, then at least be still. And ...." Judai would nod towards Crow, indicating he also wanted to know what had happened. Fayth shook her head, but gave the best possible response she could offer.

"We were just ... resting up. And from literally nowhere .... a portal appeared under us. We fell through and .... I'm not exactly sure where we wound up, but .... I'd guess at one of the Towers. Carly ... she'd been reborn yet again, but ... as a demoness. Niari was her name. Supposedly Ignacious's husband. Wanted to try to finish what she started and .... "

" ... Tch. That's really low of those bastards. Making you both come duel when you weren't wanting to. Hmmm. If they're that desperate ... we're going to have to keep a more thorough lookout then." Judai's head lowered as he looked back down to Fayth's body, grimacing at the sight. Her upper was by far much worse for wear, but her lower hadn't been spared, either. A few spikes had gotten dangerously close to her Achilles Heel, another barely missing piercing her kneecap. Judai searched through his deck, removed the second Draining Shield, and slid it in another slot.

Fayth managed to turn her head and nod, her smile widening as she looked towards Jack. "Of course I won. We promised ... no running. We'd get through this together. And since she made that bargain ... damn straight I took advantage of it."

Judai, meanwhile, was busy inspecting both Fayth and Jack ... though given her state, his focus was a bit more on Fayth. "That first aid kit ... is not going to be enough by itself. It'll work for a bit, but .... one of us should see if Yuna can afford to have Mei come over. Yubel's helping make these Draining Sheilds real enough for now, but .... this especially .... " He pointed his fingers over the wound in Fayth's chest. "Is definitely going to need a professional's touch. The sooner, the better."

"I ... think ... a few things are broken," Fayth admitted, earning more tears that were now fueled by pain and frustration more than the anger from earlier. Judai nodded, frowning upon hearing the revelation. "Yeah .... an arm, specifically it looks like. Okay .... I'm sorry in advanced because ... "

As Judai lightly took a hold of Fayth's right, she cried out and whimpered, shaking her head pleadingly. "I need to get the disk off. So it can be more properly treated. Ummmm .... excuse me ... "

It wouldn't be until she felt the hem of the tank top being gripped, and then a rip sound, that Fayth understood what Judai had done. Thankfully, he didn't tear off too much. It was still long enough to cover most of her midsection. She was more than decent ... which was better than if she were in really bad company. "Okay, now ... open your mouth."

And as Fayth complied, the cloth was placed in, clearly being used as a makeshift gag. "Now ... bite down as hard as you can. I hate to say it, but ... you'll need to."

Fayth gave a few whimpers in response but closed her eyelids behind the blindfold and obeyed. "I know," Judai repeated, genuinely looking irked at himself as he kept a hold on Fayth's arm. "I truly am sorry, but ... this needs to be removed. Jack? Try .... to help with holding her still. This is going to royally suck for her."

Knowing well enough what was about to happen, she squeezed tighter on Jack's hand. Judai was at least generous enough to be slow in his movements. But even the slightest shift in her arm - be it the actual joint, muscles, literally anything - caused a surge of pain. And although she was already biting down .... she gripped tighter onto the gag, letting out a still loud - just now muffled - scream of agony as Judai slowly removed the disk.


In an undisclosed alleyway, a lone figure was heavily panting and breathing.

".... Pricks!" a furious voice hissed angrily. "How could they?!"

Just as Hotsuma had relayed to everyone, nowhere was safe. As the figure moved out of the shadows, we could see it was Ling, and the red around her eyes revealed she'd been crying on and off. "My parents didn't even know how to duel! That wasn't ..."

An arm rose as she took a long, deep exhale and forced herself to calm down. Indeed, her house had been discovered. And though she managed to escape .... her parents were another story. A tragedy, to be more specific. They'd died practically instantaneously, having no real way to handle the Dark Signers, let alone their capabilities.

And now ... Ling found herself like most of the other remaining residents of the Satellite; an orphan. Fortunately .... she knew who she was looking for. However, she'd found the Facility in ruins, as well as the note about home being where the heart was. While she could understand what it meant ... it didn't really offer her any leads on what direction to go.

Lowering a hand beside her hip, Ling grabbed a bottle of water and sighed as she saw a third of the contents were left. She'd been lucky enough to grab that much on the way out, and had been trying her damnedest to make that last. With the lack of fresh bodies of water, she hadn't really been able to refill it. And food? She hadn't felt great about it ... but Ling had been forced to go into any of the homes she could find, and if they were empty and had anything left? She did indeed steal .... though not without her heart feeling heavy.

It was the unfortunate and necessary evil she'd had to go through with. Otherwise ... she'd start starving.

Another exhale ... before Ling nodded and unscrewed the cap, downing the rest of the water. She then tossed it in a nearby trash bin.

"Okay .... let's see now if any of them are around here."

Naturally, the primary individual she was looking for was Yamichi. But frankly, if she could find literally any of his friends or allies? That would work just as well. After taking a moment to embed the appearances of those she knew in her head, Ling nodded to herself ... then broke off into a run.
 
Jack was just glad they'd made it out; that fucking bitch! He hoped she went right back to wherever she came from and never crawled back out! Especially with what they did to Fayth. Damn pricks just had to keep coming after them, and doing this much to them! Why did they seem to get off on torturing them?!

He wanted to believe it was just the Gods, their evil energies corrupting them; but now he was beginning to think it was just them. But....There was no time to reflect on that now. Fayth was hurt badly, and really so was he but he was more concerned for her well-being than his own. More so than any of them, she'd been forced into this. An actual victim of circumstance, and if only to ensure she could live to make it back home - whether or not it was with him in tow - he was going to do everything he could to ensure her survival.

And as the wounds in her body were made more evident, Jack - with great effort - managed to sit up, making him have to stifle cries of agony by biting on his inner cheek. Nearly hard enough to draw blood, but thankfully that wasn't the case. And as Judai and Crow would hold her still, Jack did so as well; with great difficulty, he managed to move into position behind her, holding her close to his chest as they worked the Disk off her arm.

"I'm here Fayth...It's alright, it's almost off..." Jack said to her, holding her close and trying not to squeeze her too hard...And finally the disk was worked free, falling off with a loud clattering noise, the surface streaked with her blood.

Jack then just patted her head, saying "You did good, Fayth: It's done...We'll get Doc Mei somehow. Judai....Can you get yourself over to where Yuna and the others are staying? Crow still has to get the children to Martha's...And Rua is going with them to help her watch over them. I'll keep an eye on Fayth...."



In yet another area of the Satellite, the hunt had already begun. Each of the three underlings remaining from Yomi had split up to take a different part of the Satellite, try to find out how they might be able to shut down the Towers. Even if Wiraqocha had said that it wasn't likely possible...Well, they knew sitting back and doing nothing was not an option. They had to do something, anything to stop not just their home, but the world and any others from being destroyed.

And to that end, they went on with the knowledge it might up with them dead. But at least they could say they went down fighting, trying to at least somewhat even the odds for the Signers.

And unfortunately for one tech, trouble found him rather quickly. An apparent Drone of the Dark Signers, one of those cloaked assholes had ambushed Yamichi, forced him into a Duel to survive. And as it stood, Yamichi had only one monster: Scrap Golem, but its effects were negated, as well as two face-downs. His opponent? A Karakuri user, with Karakuri Shogun Nil-Zero and Karakuri Great Gongen Nil-Zero-Martial. The tech's body was battered, his Life now at a dangerous 200, and his opponent at 2300.

Only thing was, this guy had one face-down...And if Yamichi learned anything, it was that his opponent's Deck played much like his own, only instead of self-destructing, it relied on position changes.

"Come now...Even with your field so close to empty, you still wish to fight? Just give up kid, you can't win." the Drone mused, chuckling as Yamichi grimaced, his body in such pain right now it was a miracle he was even standing. His clothes were ragged and torn, several cuts on his form already bleeding. Including one particularly nasty gash on his chest. "Sorry....But I don't have to....time to listen to your bullshit. My turn! I draw!"

He then declared, "I Summon Scrap Raptor in Attack Position!" At this a mechanical velociraptor appeared, giving a hiss as it assembled. "And with its effect, I destroy Scrap Golem!" Golem shattered, and then Yamichi went on, "I then activate the effects of the three Searchers in my Cemetery! I Special Summon them to my field, and then chain my Field Magic's effect! I summon another Golem to my field!" As his monsters appeared, the Drone just laughed, "What are you planning to do with those? None of them can stand up to my Shoguns! Did you forget my own Field Magic?"

Yamichi shook his head, "No...But it only activates when I declare an attack. And your Shoguns only activate when a Karakuri monster changes Battle Positions....As for your face-down, I have a feeling I don't need to worry about that." The Drone laughed, "Just try it and see then....I love crushing cocky assholes."

Yamichi smirked, "With pleasure. Level 4 Raptor tunes Level 5 Golem! Synchro Summon! Scrap Twin Dragon!" Going forward he then said, "I then activate Twin Dragons effect! I destroy one of my Searchers to return your Shoguns to your Extra Deck!" At this the Drone cackled, "Nice try kid...Reverse Counter Trap, Open! Karakuri Trick House! I negate Twin Dragon's effect and destroy it!" His Dragon shattered, making Yamichi grin, "Thanks for that, because now I can Special Summon one Scrap monster from my Cemetery! Erupt! Scrap Golem!"

Yamichi then pointed, "I then use Golems effect to Special Summon Scrap Worm from my Cemetery! I'll use it with Golem and a second Searcher to Synchro Summon! Appear once more! Scrap Twin Dragon!" The Drone watched on, shouting "You have two!?" to which Yamichi laughed, "That's why it's called 'Twin Dragon', not just because it has two heads. Now...Let's try this again! I destroy Searcher and return your Shoguns to the Deck! Scrap-Iron Recall!"

Twin Dragon howled, both the Karakuri's disappearing as the Drone watched on in horror. "The fuck?! The hell, how did you do that?!" Yamichi's gaze then hardened, "Because I'm fighting for everyone's survival here except yours....This deck got me through more rough shit than I care to admit, but I'll be damned if I let you fuckers take anyone else from me! Battle! Scrap Twin Dragon, Direct Attack! Twin Burst!"

A searing wave of energy scorched the Signer Drone, making him howl in pain; the loss of the Duel causing the field of flames around them to vanish just as the Drone did.....And with that, the tech's first battle was over...But damn his knee hurt...And he was about out of juice....

"Sorry....Hotsuma....I think i Just....need a sec..."

He didn't even get to finish his sentence before his vision faded, his body starting to collapse.
 

Fortunately, Jack's voice was indeed one of the few things keeping Fayth from lashing out and having a full-on panic attack. Otherwise, the tremors hinted she would have purposely struggled. For once, her fight instinct was kicking in as supposed to flight. Though ... it made enough sense. She was literally clinging onto what remaining blood, energy, everything she still had. And since she didn't yet have a death wish - even if it would get her away from all of these sadistic freaks - she was fighting like hell.

Finally ... the thud of the disk falling onto the floor resonated in her ears. Fayth opened her mouth, letting the cloth fall out. She tried to turn her head and bury it into Jack's chest ... but the movements made more pain shoot through her.

"No. That's exactly why we've said to stay still."

"I've never been the best of patients," Fayth managed to choke out, managing to flash Judai a coy smile.

"Yeah, it shows. Unfortunately ... you're both gonna have to." Finally, he pointed upward, drawing everyone's attention to the two Draining Shields. "Since I'm using both, the area is larger than usual. But I need you, Jack, to ensure you both remain here. The healing only works if you remain inside. Obviously, it's not going to do anything for me or ..."

He then stopped, quirking an eyebrow as he snuck a peek at Crow.

"Maybe a small bit. Whatever bruises or remaining injuries he may have from his own duel. Either way, not gonna do anything for me, but that's okay. Right now, you two need this. Which is why I can't emphasize enough for you both to stay here."

But ... he had heard their story. And since it matched, plus their own gut instincts, he had no reason to think they were lying about how they'd vanished.

"That said ... by all means, you can get the kids to Martha's. But please wait for me to come back with Mei first. If they were able to abduct Jack and Fayth like that, and with no real noise or warning ... then at least someone should be here. Besides ...." he grinned as he tapped his temple. "I'm never alone. So anyone dumb enough won't just have me to deal with."

"They'll have me also," Yubel chimed in. "And after the nonsense we dealt with in and even a bit before entering the Spirit World? I've been waiting for the best opportunity to let my own frustrations out."

"So ... I'm taking your ride. Only kinda sorry, but it's too far to go on foot. Don't worry though, I won't crash it. That much is a promise!"

Before Crow could even attempt to protest, Judai darted off, only to dash by moments later, holding the keys to Crow's wheeler in his hand. The sounds of a D-Wheeler roaring to life would be heard, and then it speeding off just as quickly.

"I'm so tired, Jack," Fayth muttered in a faint voice, "But I'm terrified of giving in, only to fall asleep forever. I wanna make sure I can wake up again ... "


A grin quickly spread over Ling's face. There were voices nearby ... two of them. But one in particular was very familiar. And sure enough, as she turned a corner and peeked from behind an alley ... there he was! She started to call out to the tech ... but ended up staring instead.

Dear gods ...

He looked to be in really horrible shape ... which made her unable to assume the worst. And for Ling, that meant the damage was, once again, real. She frowned at the thought, clenching her fists tightly as she silently watched, allowing Yamichi to focus. Lo and behold, he was able to turn the duel around, causing her to let out a "Hell yes!" as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Ahhh! Hold on!"

Before his body met the concrete, Ling ran over and wrapped her arms around Yamichi, gently sitting down while cradling him against her body. "Yamichi?" she whispered softly. "You still awake? It's me, Ling."

At least it wasn't a matter of worrying whether he was alive or not; no, she'd been fortunate enough to know and see that outcome with her own eyes. At the absolute worst, he was probably just exhausted as all hell ... and Ling wouldn't dare blame him. Duels like that ... had been a good part of her daily routine since she was forced to leave the Tops. And even though some of the fights had been tough in their own rights .... she proved and reminded people why she had become the new Queen.
 
With the disk off, Crow got as fast as he could to work patching them up; yeah, his kit did not have the right equipment for these sorts of injuries. Needless to say, these two were out of commission. Not that anyone would blame them...But all them rushing in while injured would do was make them easy targets. And Crow knew Jack and Fayth hadn't just run off; if anything, he wasn't even surprised that one of them had dragged them out of hiding.

Hell, that was essentially what Bommer did to him. And he was freaking glad that psycho was gone! Crow pushed those thoughts out of his head, however, and started to sew some of the larger cuts closed. "Fayth...I'm sorry but I don't have any painkillers; I had to use the last of them when Bommer decided to turn my property into a firing range. I wish I had more to spare...So just try to stay with me..."

It wasn't easy, and he knew he wasn't doing the best job, but he needed to be sure she wouldn't bleed out; granted, Judai's Drain Shields were doing a fantastic job, but even that was still a slow recovery process. Nothing about this would be instantaneous, and he wanted to make Doc Mei's job as simple as he could.

"Fayth....While I'm still awake, trust me, you'll wake up. We both will...All of us will. Isn't that right, Crow?" Jack asked after Judai had all but taken off.


Yamichi was sure his head would hit the pavement; he had just enough consciousness as he started to fall to realize he had no way to stop himself. This Duel had damaged him severely; blood loss and the sheer agony of the wounds had ensured his body was sapped of strength. Something that would recover with treatment, but as it was? He was in real danger right now.

And this was from a Drone; Lord only knew what facing one of the actual Dark Signers was like. But...He then felt someone catch him, the last vestiges of his energy spared from the shock of hard impact. A kind voice rang into his ears...One that was familiar. Shit...He was hearing things. Damn it, he must be delirious from the pain.

However, as his eyes opened? He saw a blurry face, one that cleared up a bit, his eyes slowly starting to shine in recognition.

"Ling...?"

It was clear he hadn't heard her fully state her name to him, but once he saw it was in fact her, his arms gently reached up - albeit with great difficulty - to hug her. Tears both from relief and agony falling free. "Damn it....I hope you didn't see me getting my ass kicked...Haha....Owww....." he grunted, trying to use some humor...For his admittedly very sorry state.

"I tried calling you...Really I did...Thank god....I...I thought...Oh gods, Ling, seeing you just made this shitty past couple of months so much better..."
 

"Agggh, fuck!"

Fayth gripped tightly on her lower lip in an effort to muffle the curse. But with Crow not really offering many warnings about the abrupt stitching up process, it'd taken Fayth very off guard. On the plus side ... it most certainly helped her wake up and remain conscious. But .... goddamn this wasn't just painful. No, it was excruciating.

Was this what Hotsuma felt when people were working on him?

There was one major saving grace no matter the answer to that rhetorical thought; this wasn't intentional. She was among good people. Circumstances just ... weren't allowing her to block out much of the pain. The most of a 'pain killer' she had in any form or fashion were Judai's Draining Shields, and even then, that was the absolute bare minimum.

Tears continued slowly falling as she managed to lift her head and try to keep her focus upon Jack. "So .... that vacation we've been trying to figure out? Where even would that be? Because ... my own home ... I dunno how that'd work. Partly because it doesn't sound like things are going much smoother there, and then .... with the other you existing, I dunno if that'd result in something happening or what."

Add in the fact Fayth also had no idea if it'd be a good or bad 'something' and ... that just made the idea too risky.

Every time Crow hit a more sensitive spot, Jack would be the first to know, be it in the form of a wince or hiss of pain, sometimes her hand squeezing tighter on his. Her breaths were as shaky as her voice. Slowly, Fayth lowered her head .... scoffing in annoyance knowing fully well she couldn't answer this herself. Which was exactly why she looked anxiously between both Crow and Jack.

"Please be honest. Is it really as bad as Yu -- I mean, Judai, said? The wounds, I mean?"

Her head shook. Whether it was the blood loss or the simple fact she was missing Yusei, she felt a bit shitty for almost uttering his name. They were all still grieving from that injury, and even if it hadn't been intentional, she still felt horrible for almost ripping that proverbial band-aid off. "Sorry," she muttered in a barely audible voice. "Not ... sure where that slip almost came from. I guess ... they kinda do seem similar in some rights. Really passionate and caring ... do they even look the same in any way?"


Judai, meanwhile, had indeed done exactly as he'd sworn. He sped along the - thankfully - empty roads of the Satellite. Even more luckily ... with all of the chaos and ongoing fights, there were no Sector officers to worry about. With him having been given coordinates after the three visited Yuna recently, Judai had remembered them and was following the directions, using both the radar on the bike and a map in his head.

Soon, he found the location in question and slammed on the breaks. The door quickly opened, revealing a slightly tense Yuna ... who swiftly relaxed as Judai damn well nearly threw the helmet off and revealed his identity in the process.

"Ah, there you are. I was ---"

"Sorry Yuna, but I'm not here for visiting. Mei still here?"

Yuna nodded, making a 'come in' gesture, closing the door after Judai entered. "I'm assuming you're heading out soon? Because we usually make people park the wheelers around the back. Standard procedure and all."

"Yeah, no. I literally need to take Mei back with me now and that's it."

" ... Someone hurt?"

"Dying, even. Fayth is."

Upon hearing that, Yuna's eyes narrowed. "And what the fuck happened exactly? MEI! Visitor!"

"She ... she and Jack got dragged into a duel. Somewhere along the way, Ignacious turned Carly into his Empress and ... that was who they faced. Niari, I think they said."

" .... He can do even that?"

Judai nodded, "And just as worrisome was Niari making them fall through a portal .... from afar."

Yuna nodded in agreement, gritting her teeth angrily. "Who's with them? They're not alone, right?"

"Nah. Crow is with them, but I'm not sure how much longer he'll be around. He found a place to send Rua and the other orphans over until this calms down."

"Then until I need to head out ... I'm coming over to help you keep them safe. That's not up for negotiation. Fayth is a good part of why I woke up from that coma. The absolute least I can do is help her and Jack both out. Besides ... our last visit was kinda cut short. I can make up for it this way."

The two nodded, deciding that was a more than fair enough plan. Now all they needed to do was wait for Mei which .... would hopefully not be too long.



Ling rolled her eyes at Yamichi's words as she grinned down at him. "It clearly wasn't kicked badly enough. Not since you managed to win and all. I did, but .... I just figured you'd do better if I stayed silent so you could focus."

Leaning down, Ling pressed her lips gently against Yamichi's, sighing into the kiss. She stayed put for a good thirty seconds before moving away.

"I ... you're still with the others, right? You're not just out and about by yourself, are you? Okay ... actually ... let's walk and talk, shall we? Sorry if you're still a bit sore, so ... ready? One .... two .... three!"

And as 'three' left her lips, she helped guide Yamichi onto his legs, allowing him to borrow one of her shoulders to use as a means of support. "Let's get back. Like I said, we can walk and talk better this way."
 
Crow grimaced as Fayth cursed; yeah, he can't imagine this must have felt good. But she needed to have these open gashes closed or she was going to bleed to death before Doc Mei was able to get here. "I'm sorry, Fayth...Almost done....Just hang...hang in there alright?" Crow would say, Jack keeping her held close. Jack wished he could somehow lessen the pain for her, but at least he could reassure her he was here.

And that he wasn't going to let her suffer alone.

And then came a topic that might help distract her: Their vacation. "Heh....It's going to be somewhere warm. A huge beach, sun, catered meals, you name it. Might be sappy of me to say, but once we do get out of this? I'm spoiling you rotten." Indeed, Fayth seemed to have made quite an impact on the former King. Fair to say, the man was smitten with her.

And then came her next question, to which Crow answered, "Yes...Not lying. Many of these are quite ragged and deep; whatever you faced against Niari, she seemed to make extra sure you might die. But I'm not letting that happen, not while I can still work." He would press what little gauze he could over her more severe cuts, helping to stop the blood loss, and the shallower ones were solved with a torniquet of old rubber hosing. Not by all means a long term solution...But hopefully enough.

Both Jack and Crow did grow silent as Fayth let slip part of their friend's name; they both knew it wasn't malicious, but it was still hard to hear his name. Knowing he was gone.

"Visually....You couldn't find two more distinct from each other." Jack would say, Crow adding "But personality-wise...Different but similar. Both are all about protecting those close to them, more than most anyone else I've met. And with Judai being a complete stranger until relatively recent? That speaks a lot to his character."

Yuna would not have to wait long; Doc Mei had been running a battery of basic diagnostic tests on Hotsuma. Granted most of them were useless: He had no pulse, no heartbeat, hell even no lungs for her to listen to. Weirdly enough, his reflexes seemed to work....And lord was he strong physically! She found an old wrench under one of the cabinets, and asked him to try and bend it; weirdly enough, it was a fantasy, surely someone dead or alive would be unable to do such a thing.

And yet he did: Folded it like one would a piece of paper. It was quite a sight...But then Doc Mei heard her name called, both her and Hotsuma running out. "Yuna?! What's the matter?!" Mei asked, very much worried from the urgency of her tone. Both her and Hotsuma would hear the tale...But when Hotsuma heard that name, all of them would see his eyes widen. Not in just surprise, but genuine shock and horror.

"Oh god...."

That made Mei freeze as well, seeing Hotsuma looking genuinely terrified made her even more worried. "Judai...When did she get here?" Hotsuma asked in a low voice, to which Mei would say, "Hotsuma, calm down...I'm sure..." but then Hotsuma shook his head, "FUCK! No, you don't get it! This just fucked us majorly. If she's here, that means he almost has enough power to go through with the ritual. Means he might not even need all the Towers activated. "

He then explained, "Yuna's right, we need to leave. Now." No doubt this might confuse them , so he would clarify, "If she's here, that means Ignacious just accelerated his timetable. Whatever's going on has him spooked. Judai, take Mei with you....Yuna." It was here that Judai might comment about there not being enough room for the four of them, but of course....Hotsuma had one last power. One he was planning to use to get them close to the Dark Signer base without being detected...But he would have to burn most of it here.

"Don't worry, Yuna, I'll get you there myself...But we can't stay there long. Just follow me outside. Mei, grab your medical kit, quickly."

Once Judai and Mei might be situated, they would take off as fast as they could as Hotsuma held Yuna close. "Whatever you do, don't let go...And just hold me as tight as you can." he would advise Yuna, before long both their bodies becoming like that of spirits...And after a massive set of spectral wings emerged from Hotsuma's back, they rocketed after Judai. But unlike him, who might need to take detours and shortcuts, Hotsuma would be able to pass right through everything.



Ling would see Yamichi's appreciative face, his eyes closed as he relished the liplock; fuck this might be the worst time ever to do this, but damn it he wasn't about to complain. This was long overdue.

Only when it broke did he nod, accepting the help in standing up. "I...I was....I'm trying to...help stop the Dark Signers...Those Towers....You might have seen them...They're...They're what's causing all this. We need...Need to shut them down. Got jumped on my way there...."

"And you think that much is done, young man?"

A wicked voice came from behind them after they took not but twenty steps, Yamichi peering up to see a robotic man staring down at them. "Who...God damn it, just fuck off! I already kicked one of your asses!" Yamichi yelled, the man just grinning as he replied, "That's quite impossible; I overheard the sound of one of the Drones being defeated. You just can't find good help these days."

Jumping a good distance into the air, he would then land with a heavy thud right in front of them. "Now then....I will exterminate you now to prevent any further interference." And as the man might lunge for Ling, Yamichi would shove her out of the way.

"CRUNCH"

A sickening squish could be heard, and if Ling looked? The man had punched a hole clean through Yamichi, his metallic arm covered in streaks of red viscera, the tech gagging as indescribable pain wracked him. "So eager to die....You fleshlings truly are a sorry species." he would say, withdrawing his arm and letting the tech's body fall to the ground unceremoniously.

"But I suppose this does give me an opportunity: I know you would not want him to die here, Miss Ling. So I propose a battle, just you and me." At this an orb passed over Yamichi, an energy barrier quickly surrounding him. He grinned sadistically, knowing how this would all play out.

"The stakes are simple: A Duel, like I should have had against you before Miss Milner decided to play goody-two-shoes and whine. Her service to the Light caused all this, and I will undo her errors. But if you win? That orb will instantly heal your little friend, and I will leave you be. But if you lose? You surrender your life and his to me. That orb is the only thing ensuring his survival: If you make a move besides accepting my proposal, I will kill you both without hesitation."
 

"It...it's fine. I just ... usually prefer a warning, but honestly? Maybe it was the smarter thing to just go through with the stitching as opposed to letting me know ahead of time. So .... you're good. Not .... really the first type of experience I envisioned myself going through, but .... "

A defeated sigh left her lips as she kept her head leaned back against Jack's chest, eyelids shut behind the blindfold. The poor girl was trying her damnedest to remain as calm and relaxed as humanly possible given her circumstances. One was certainly easier than the other in working, and it was easy enough to tell which was which.

"S-so ... somewhere .... probably far from here or the Tops, I'm guessing. I haven't ... really gotten any .... shit! .... hints that such things exist around here."

Despite knowing an ocean did exist nearby the piers ... she hadn't felt or taken note of any sand, which removed the possibility of beaches. Unless ... she'd simply been at the wrong location. But from what she'd seen and felt? Nah, it wasn't likely.

"Either way," she added, nodding at the thought, "sounds nice."

This time, Fayth's fingers lightly rolled over Jack's hand, before gently holding it back into hers. Were Fayth in a less injured state, then maybe she'd be a bit more embarrassed about making such a gesture in front of Crow. As things were though? She barely cared. Besides, since Crow had already picked up on their relationship, it wasn't nearly as awkward compared to someone out of the loop seeing this and having to add two and two together.

"Hmmm .... "

Though the memory was far from pleasant, she remembered the turn where she last a good chunk of her hit points. Over half, in fact ... and tried to remember those moments. "Felt like .... earth spikes, which ... given she did have Fortune Lady Earth as part of the attack? I suppose it does make enough sense. They may have even been stalactites or stalagmites ... pick your poison. They're both ultimately the same. Whatever they were, they were certainly sharp and heavy enough to possibly fall under such categories. Yanking them out was definitely not much more fun than this is. No offense to you, you really are doing fine, Crow."

Another wince elicited as she gripped back onto Jack's hand. Her mouth started to open, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself. He probably knew and understood her point, so no need to drone on and on. It'd drive her nuts if anyone did that to her .... hell, Fuyu had in the past before. And when her mind went back to her friend ... she grimaced and gently turned her head away.

"I see," she muttered, nodding again as both relayed that Judai and Yusei were indeed similar ... yet still different in their own rights. "Yeah, Judai does give me that feeling. The other difference I took note of is Judai's a lot more happy-go-lucky .... when circumstances are more appropriate and typical for him to do so. Not that Yusei didn't have any humor ... but he was ... "

Fayth paused, taking a moment to gather the right words before finishing her thoughts, "Stoic yet still friendly to those who earned his trust? If that makes enough sense? That's how he came off to me, anyway."

Another frustrated whimper mingled in with a low growl as Fayth grit her teeth.

Sweet gods, please tell me Judai won't be much longer ....


"W...what's that mean? Is Niari like a second in command or something? I mean .... sure, Judai said Ignacious's wife, but .... "

There had been a very small amount of times where Yuna ever saw Hotsuma look the way he was now. It was so rare, in fact, she could only count them on one hand, even if she added this very instance. The simple fact was .... that expression? It meant things were very bad and, for once, he was actually scared. Which was indeed confirmed as he started quickly asking Judai questions.

Judai, unfortunately, was only able to shake his head in uncertainty. "Like I said, she used a portal from afar, so .... it's hard to say when she arrived. But given Jack and Fayth were missing for .... a bit over thirty minutes, give or take, you can probably add a bit more time to that response to get a decent enough idea."

"You ... what?" Yuna inquired, unable to help but grin at Hotsuma's offer. "Alrighty. I'll let you get me there .... whatever you have in mind." She chuckled softly, shaking her head as she followed him out. "Well yeah, no shit. I know we can't stay long. But I do wanna be there long enough to know for certain she'll pull through. And maybe - hopefully - her hearing me drop by will assist in that matter. Because her voice really did save my sorry ass .... among one other major factor."

But the story about Rose could wait because ... she did want to let him know about that. Now, however, was not the time.

"Actually," Yuna muttered as she put her arms around Hotsuma's waist, "We can let them know about Rex's brother while we're there. But umm .... question. Are you seriously going to be nearby? Just ... they did see and hear about your demise, so ... won't be this be a bit ... weird? Either way .... ready when you are."

Judai, meanwhile, wasted little time in driving off. Before he pushed down on the pedal, however, he did give Mei a similar warning as Hotsuma. "Hold on and do so tightly. If any hospitals were still standing, she'd be in the ICU ward so, yes, I am gonna speed off again."

And with that, he did exactly that. Pressed down and zoomed right back to Crow's residence. He at least made certain not to crash into anything or anyone, but it was otherwise clear that the man was very much on a mission.


Ling also knew and understood her timing was ... not the best. But between the past several days and how long it had been since she'd been with Yamichi? Not only was the kiss overdue, but very needed. And going off his reaction? Well ... she wasn't the only one who felt the same, which made her feel less selfish, and also made her grin widen. The smile, however, faded as he mentioned the Towers. A stern nod was her first reply before she verbally responded.

"Yeah, I've definitely seen. You'd have to be blind like poor Fayth to not see them, though even then, I'm sure she still knows about them. Yeah though, I ... haven't known what they are, but the last thing they've given me are any remotely good feelings."

Speaking of not having any good feelings .... there were even more to come, it seemed. Ling grimaced as a stranger soon appeared before them, now only mere paces away. Her eyes widened at the word 'exterminate'.

Wait, so this bastard is one of them too?!

She tried to keep a hold on Yamichi's arm in an effort to pull him away. But it was all in vain and soon .... blood spilled on her clothes and even a bit of her face. Ling slowly blinked .... glanced down at herself .... and then at the body belonging to Yamichi.

"WHY?!" she screamed out in horror. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! HE'S NOT EVEN A SIGNER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, NEITHER OF US ARE!! WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK?!"

She'd wanted to believe her parents had simply been caught in the crossfire by accident. But no. This was proof that these pricks didn't give a damn at all ... which made her anger quickly begin to build up.

"Oi, are you insane?! Why should I --- wait. Why do you know Fayth?"

Appearance wise, this machine - apparently - did not look at all familiar. But the way he spoke about "The Light"? Oh yes, that part was.

"Wait ... you're .... were you that Mister E freak? The one who had enough balls to brag and announce you had to cheat to beat her?"

Ling snickered, shaking her head.

"What kind of dueling are you even? I'd ask about man too, but clearly, you're not human. Tch .... "

She then glanced down at the prone Yamichi, frowning. She didn't normally like doing these sorts of things ... speaking and making decisions about and for other people. But if this was the only chance she could have as far as saving him went?

"Fine. I'll accept, so ... sorry in advanced, Yamichi. But that's the only answer I can offer."

Ling would push down and activate her disk. "Duel! I'll go first. I'll set a monster and a card face down, then end my turn."
 
Crow just nodded as Fayth made her assessment, "Yeah, that was Yusei alright. He was definitely able to let go when he could, but he usually was no-nonsense. Even so...He was never cold. He cared in his own way. He always made things seem so much less worse than they might be."

Jack's eyes averted, knowing he was one of two to hear of his final moments. And see them in a matter of speaking...Well, the aftermath anyway. Even now, that gruesome scene replayed in his head. Yusei's body, walked along like a bad puppet, Kiryu with that sickening smirk on his face as he dropped their comrades corpse in front of them. The ultimate trophy of his victory in his misguided quest for revenge.

"Judai definitely seems the more...well, aloof-type. But I know him and Yusei would have been the best of friends. Both are able to get serious at a moment's notice." Jack would say, certain somberness in his voice betraying the sorrow that was welling back up inside of him.

However, the sounds of an engine interrupted their thoughts, Crow having just finished his basic stitching and bandage work...And right on time too, as they heard Judai's voice directing someone to their house. In burst a familiar figure: Doc Mei, right as rain. "They told me you were in bad shape, but heavens above...Crow, thank you so much for your help. But let me take over from here."

With that, Mei began to tend to Fayth, having to convince Jack the tiniest bit to let go of her enough to do what she needed; though first thing was first. A measured dose of morphine, something not too strong. It would have helped to know Fayth's BMI, but thankfully she was pretty damn good about making sure not to overdose. "This should help...My god, I can tell these are compound fractures. Needless to say, you're not going anywhere. Crow, is there a free bed we can use?"

And moments later, another pair of figures descended, first through the door being Yuna. "Yuna! You came too...Damn, and I thought you wo..."

But Crow's words died in his throat, and Jack's eyes widened, as the next figure might cross the threshold. Someone none of them would expect to see or hear. "Don't freak out....I promise I'm not like them." Hotsuma would say, his voice also coming through to Fayth. "Wait...How...You were..." Jack said, completely in disbelief, Hotsuma adding "Dead? Yeah I was...But, let's just say a certain someone shares an enemy with the Emperor. And he was kind enough to bring me back so I could help you all put him back where he came from."

Crow's eyes narrowed in disbelief, as did Jack's, Hotsuma just stating "I'm not saying you have to trust me, or even like me...But I'm serious. I'm here to do whatever I can to make sure the Emperor's little scheme doesn't get off the ground. The Satellite might be a hovel, but it's my hovel. And I'm not letting some no-good demon turn it into his playground. Not without a fight anyway."


The mechanical man had grinned as Ling screamed at him; ah yes, the classic rage reaction. So he was correct: These two were indeed an item. Good. This would make her careless. Sloppy even. And after he was done here, he would target Milner next. She was his original assignment after all, the one he was to eradicate.

And Ling? An unexpected and unwelcome development. But in truth? It made Jack that much more accessible, so in reality he should be thanking her, and he knew just the perfect way. "Ah so you do remember! Quite right, I am the one you know as Mister E. But in truth, I am Epsilon-A0J1-Alpha. All the same, I am glad to see you are so amenable to our deal. And I promise you, should you win, your little boytoy here shall be fully restored. I will even ensure his pre-existing leg injury is taken care of."

It seemed very contradictory to have this machine that punched a hole in her boyfriend's chest offer to fix his injuries; was it some kind of malfunction? As Ling might take her turn, a cybernetic disk popping out of his arm and allowng him to add his cards and play his monsters and magic cards, only then did he speak once more. "I draw!" he would say, continuing "I'll Set one card. Then I'll activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed! Allowing me to draw two more cards!"

"I'll then Normal Summon Ally of Justice - Thousand Arms!"

The multiple-limbed machine man then appeared, brandising every one of its weapons menacingly. "Battle! Thousand Arms attacks your face-down! Thousand Breaker!" But as the monster revealed itself, Mister E knew this was bad...But thankfully, Thousand Arms' own effect would prevent him from harming himself! "Thousand Arms' effect activates! If this monster battles a monster that is not LIGHT-Attribute, it is destroyed before damage calculation!" And with that, Thousand Arms shattered, leaving both their Life Points untouched, but him wide open.

"Now then, you asked why I targeted him? And by extension you for that matter? Because you are servants of the Light, even if only by proxy. In truth, I bear no real hatred towards any of you. But you are a blight that must be purged from this land if it is to survive. That is what my creator showed me. But even he was a merciful man...At one point, which is why I will honor our agreement should you emerge victorious. I end my turn."
 

"Oh thank god," Fayth whispered, her body finally starting to relax as the door opened and she first heard both Judai and Mei enter. A grimace appeared on her face as she gave an understanding - even if irked - nod about not going anywhere anytime soon. Right before she could voice that out loud, or even thank Judai for being so quick, more footfalls echoed. And as Crow addressed Yuna? Well ... if they could, her eyes would have lit up.

"Yuna? You're really here?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." One set of footsteps would slowly begin approaching. She'd at least give Mei space ... but Yuna wanted to see up close how bad the damage is. And when she did? She scowled and scoffed. "They're getting desperate," she muttered lowly under her breath. But even without the volume being an issue ... there would swiftly be something else the others would likely focus on.

The next person who had come in. And once he spoke .... Fayth felt her blood freeze and body tense up. " .... Hotsuma? But .... I was with Yuna, me and Jack both were. We ... well, he saw and .... "

Suffice to say, this was something that almost everyone could agree about being confused on. Save for poor Judai ... who looked between everyone else and finally looked quizzically to Yuna. "Hold up, hold up. They're all serious about that. Hotsuma's ... really .... ??"

"Yeah. Yeah, he is," Yuna confirmed, then pointing to herself. "By my hand. Had to ..... he was basically a corpse when we tried to save him. So he took the ability to revive like the others have."

"Others? So .... he's a Dark Signer?"

"Technically, yes." Yuna moved back beside Hotsuma, resting an arm atop his shoulder. "If nothing else .... then believe this. Because if this were an act ... if he were truly with all of them ... well, for one, I would not be coming in here willingly. Nah, he'd either be dragging me along or have already killed me. He'd look a bit more beaten up, if only because of the blade I have while in my Yutsu form. And I definitely wouldn't have led him right to where you all are. I do get it though. I had to have this talk with my own people .... Hajime in particular. I'm not going to pretend I'm fond of his circumstances of coming back, but .... this is easily one of the best chances we've got to turn things around. On that ... he is certainly right."

" .... Yutsu?"

Yuna nodded, smirking. "The first two letters of my own name plus Getsu's name. I did that with Rose too. I used Yuse if I was fused in her body."

"Don't you even think about it, boy. We're not doing something like that," Yubel internally chided Judai, causing him to click his tongue.

"You're really no fun sometimes, Yubel. I doubt the names would be too horrible or anything."

"And you're too childish sometimes. Most, in fact." Yubel would reply back, causing Judai to raise his hands beside his head. "Got me there," he muttered.

" .... Why'd you switch? Is that something you willingly did, or .... ??"

The sigh from Yuna revealed the answer already, but the somber look appearing on her face all but confirmed it for everyone else. "Well .... there were some things we also wanted to give you a heads up on anyway. But since you asked about that first .... and I haven't had enough chances to relay it to Hotsuma properly ... okay. Here goes. So to answer the question of whether it was a willing choice or not .... yes and no. Fayth, you absolutely were a large part of why I woke up in the first place. Whatever you and Morningstar did ... that worked wonders. But ... not too long after you both left .... Rose spoke with me. And that was when I learned Rose wasn't simply the spirit of the card I have in my deck."

Yuna purposely paused, partly to let suspense linger in the air while also gathering her wits so she could finish the revelation.

"If you go out to the cemetery ... you'll find a gravestone with the name Rose Takeda on it."

And just in case anyone wanted any confirmation, Yuna would nod and say aloud, "That is indeed my onee-san. Or was, at any rate. My idiotic parents decided to keep that away from me, so I left home never knowing until it was late too late. But .... I had to allow Rose to leave me. It was an exchange of sorts. A soul in order for another to properly recover and finally awaken."

Fayth's heart sunk at that. "Kinda like what me and Morningstar had to do. That's ... unfortunate."

"Not compared to the bastard who killed her. I'm gunning for that prick personally."

" .... Are you saying it was one of them?" Judai asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, yeah I am. I wish I weren't, but .... " Yuna let out a frustrated huff. "Now ... to his credit, it honestly probably was just wrong place, wrong time. Given ... where and how she died, I will believe that. He also did remove my mute status while I still had it, which was appreciated enough. But I won't excuse him for it regardless. Don't worry, it's not who you may be assuming or expecting. It's .... hmmm ...." Her fingernails lightly tapped against her jeans. "Tsk. He didn't give a name. But he was the same guy you fought before I drove off to see about getting Takeshi back from them."

Fortunately, she had a way to show who she was talking about. Yuna shut her eyes, going back to the very memory she relayed. Soon, it began to play, as if an invisible movie player were in the room. And sure enough, they would see the moments right before Hotsuma arrived to fight him off. Both Crow and Judai would immediately recognize it.

" ... Demak? You're sure that's the right person?"

"Damn sure. Rose took me to that night she was murdered. It's one hundred percent him. No mistakes about that." Yuna rose an eyebrow. "Why do you sound like you find it hard to believe?"

"Because he didn't enjoy fighting Ruka. In fact ... he really lamented it. Was ... your sister young when she died?"

"Seven young enough?"

Judai frowned and grimaced, nodding in reply. "Hmmm. He at least sounded like he'd been honest enough, but maybe that could have been an act. But even you're admitting it could have been wrong place, wrong time."

"Be that as it may, it doesn't excuse me. There were a million other things he could have done. Let her go. Knocked her out then allowed her to leave upon waking up. But he didn't do any of those."

"What did he do?" Fayth asked .... which made Yuna frown and turn her head away. "Later," she replied bitterly. "I don't really feel like revealing that part. But ... if you know me well enough ... it's one of the few things I genuinely fear. Because I ended up inheriting that from Rose while we were fused. Anyway .... the other thing you all should know ... is Rex has a brother who is one of the Dark Signers."

Yuna turned her head, now looking towards Hotsuma. "Know which one of them he is by chance?"



Ling rolled her eyes, scoffing as she drew and took her turn. "Mind elaborating what this Servants of the Light nonsense is? Aside from sounding like something I might be hearing in a cult?"

All she knew was it was also the same topic he'd heard repeatedly when he faced off against Fayth in the Fortune Cup. But with the lack of details ... all Ling could go off of were assumptions. And the first that jumped out to her was Fayth now using an angel deck. But even then ... she also had Darklords. It was, therefore, only a mostly Light deck, but not a full one.

Regardless of whether he'd indulge her or not, Ling would proceed with her turn. "I'll summon Dodger Dragon, who'll attack directly." And fortunately for Ling, the extra effect of forbidding traps from being used would help her out. Sure, it was only for this turn, but anything to gain a head start would be a blessing Ling would eagerly take.

"For now, that'll be all. Turn end!"
 
Hotsuma didn't want to rain on Yuna's parade, but they knew someone would try and interfere with the Towers; and with Niari now in play? That made shit so much worse. This wasn't them getting desperate. This was them getting serious. As in, now the kid gloves were really coming off. They had 4 Towers lit, and they would use whatever means necessary to ensure victory.

It's why Hotsuma really didn't want to let Yamichi go...Even if he might have said otherwise. But they needed as much help as possible.

"You don't have to believe me. But do believe Yuna; I might be a 'Dark Signer', but I'm one in name and ability only. Even the God that brought me back wants his brethren put back where they came from." Normally he would be glad to explain why...But he was conveying through his urgent tone that a full-blown explanation just wasn't feasible.

Even so, Hotsuma did shoot Yuna a look of surprise at the mention of 'Yutsu'...That was different. So she had changed; he thought he felt something different about her. There was a lot of time he wasn't able to see what was going on, but he did have eyes on the inside of Yomi through the eyes of the demons. And one thing he did notice was that she was brought back, something he would have to tell her that pissed off the Emperor very much. He had been so enthused Yuna had 'died'.

But then came the reason why...Something that made Hotsuma reconsider his own past actions in a new light. Especially with new knowledge that put her in a similar situation he had with Miyamoto. Both had siblings unjustly stolen from them by sadist assholes.

But then came the revelation that really got to Crow and Jack. "Hold up....Goodwin has a brother leading them?" Jack asked, Hotsuma nodding in the affirmative as Yuna would then answer before turning to him.

"Fayth would know him best....It's the one who possesses the Mark of the Spider. He was also the one who depowered you, was he not?" Hotsuma would then ask, making Jack look to him in shock as Crow then looked at Fayth. "So it was true...Shit..." Crow muttered, Jack then asking "But how did you..."

Hotsuma shook his head, "Long story short, the Emperor. He was oh so thrilled to rub every victory in my face...Every life he and the Dark Signers snuffed out. Though I have to say Crow: He was exceptionally livid when you beat Bommer. Especially with what that asshole pulled on you." Crow's face hardened into a frown, "Y-Yeah...I...I don't want to talk about that..." Hotsuma just nodded, "I understand."

At this Jack couldn't help but laugh, making Hotsuma raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "Well...If Bommer losing made him that upset, I can only imagine his reaction to hearing about his wife's loss to Fayth." Now this made Hotsuma pause; did he just hear right? "Wait...You beat Niari? She's....She's gone?" Hotsuma asked, Jack nodding "Yes...But it wasn't me. It was Fayth here." Pointing to the woman still held in his arms.

At this Hotsuma couldn't help but go silent, before long busting out into a belly laugh that made him sound just a little psychotic. "Woa....Easy, Hotsuma." Crow would say, Hotsuma managing to calm down as he said, "Oh...Sorry...Sorry...It's just...This is perfect. We're still royally fucked...But this might just tip the balance in our favor." He then paused, deciding to retract from the beginning.

"The fact of the matter is: Niari was supposed to be there beside him. He's trying to perform a ritual you see. One that will bring the Underworld to this plane of existence. And then to every other...But it requires a ton of power to do it. That's why they need as many Towers lit as possible. It feeds the Gods' essence to the ritual site, allowing them to break the barriers between realities. I already stole a piece by letting this God take over me...And Fayth, you just put another dent in his plan. If he wasn't desperate before, he will be now. That and pissed off. Which means he'll be sloppy."

At this Crow asked, "But how will that help? Won't that just make him more dangerous?" to which Hotsuma would say, "Yes, but he'll try to push his timetable even faster now. You see, demon rituals are exceptionally finicky. There's a lot of rule-lawyering to this sort of thing in their culture; part of how their magic works, and why it's so damn powerful. Without Niari...Well, he'll have to shoulder the entire burden himself. And even with him having achieved a mortal form - mine, namely - he'll still be exceptionally weak."


Mister E could only watch on as Ling took her turn, summoning a rather troublesome Dragon. One that sealed Trap Cards on the turn it was Summoned. Quite right, it was hard not to see why she was able to best Jack Atlas and take the title of Queen.

And when she attacked him directly? His body produced sparks as the dragon slammed into him, his armored chassis taking a significant hit. His Life falling to 6100 from the attack. Taking his turn, he would declare, "I draw!" And yet...Nothing he could use. Anything he could Summon would just be destroyed. As much as it annoyed him, he needed to be patient. But no...Waiting too long would allow her to gain an advantage.

"I'll play the Magic Card, Thunder Bolt! Destroying all your monster! I then Summon the Tuner monster, Ally of Justice - Cycle Reader! And it will attack you directly!" Twin lasers harmlessly struck Ling, no more damage than the normal Solid Vision would inflict, reducing her Life to 7000. "And with that, I end my turn. Now, Miss Ling....You asked about the Light, yes? I will tell you: Those who bear the Light Dragon Marks are the purest forms of evil. They will destroy this world through their own sanctimonious actions. Saying they will save this world by ridding it of Darkness? Both must be kept in balance, and too many times has the Light extinguished the Darkness. Your own piety naturally prevents you from seeing this, hence your outrage at my near-killing of your boyfriend. But in truth, your vain attempts to save those who aid the Light only further damns you to failure."
 
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"...Huh? I would?" Fayth repeated, clearly not expecting Hotsuma to say that of all things. But when he revealed it'd been her opponent that was Rex's brother, Fayth covered her mouth while nodded. "That ... that was him, yes. He never gave me a name or anything, so I didn't think much of it. Although ... now that you bring it up, he did sound a bit similar to Rex. I just wrote it off as coincidence ... foolish on my behalf."

"Tch," Yuna muttered, "Of course that fucker was him. Well .... guess I got three I personally owe something back for."

The third went, ultimately, without any real saying. It was the same name on basically everyone's list at this point; Kiryu. Besides, enough people in the room knew about him being very much involved with forcing her to duel Takeshi, so no explanation this time around was needed.

.... And then came something that perhaps no one would expect. Hotsuma to bust out laughing. Fayth's cheeks burned red as she turned her head away. "I hope that's not some ironic laugh just because you kicked my ass back when the Facility was still standing and it doesn't seem likely in your head." Which, to be fair, she couldn't fully blame him about. Even now ... she tried to go back over her last words. What she was arguing about. Alas ... the words had sounded like Fayth was nearly drowning, and she thus hadn't been able to discern them well enough.

Then there was finally the reveal. What exactly the Emperor was trying his damnedest to achieve. And even if for different reasons, both Fayth and Yuna rose their eyebrows. However, it would be Yomi's leader who would voice the same question going through the runner-up Queen's mind. "I mean .... aside from literally raising Hell, why? What's he aiming to get when nothing else is going to be left; or barely anything, if that. He'd just have .... what? Himself, his troops, any remaining Dark Signers? Not an overly huge army or group when you stop and think about it."

Yes, she'd heard the part about the other dimensions ... but then wasn't that dividing the numbers? It was factors like that which really threw Yuna through quite a few loops. And Fayth had most certainly tucked that exact same part away. It was knowledge that made her groan. She'd need to call and inform Reiji about that later, because now that she knew there was yet another force wanting to mess with the other worlds? Oh yeah, he needed to know that one ASAP. Probably after Yuna and Hotsuma left .... and also after Mei was completely done with treating her.

However, when the topic shifted to dealing with demons ... Fayth would nod again. "Granted, he was a fallen angel, so I can understand if some of you wanna argue it doesn't fully count. However, me and Morningstar had to talk quite a few conditions over before making anything official. And that was just for a far simpler arrangement. For something like whatever Ignacious is wanting to go through ... that's probably a lot more so in everything; stakes, technicalities, all of that. If nothing else ... he very likely is desperate for sure."

Yuna now turned her head ... knowing that Hotsuma was right about them not being able to stay. But clearly not looking satisfied at the thought of having to go away anytime soon.

Fortunately, there was someone who had been quietly listening ... only to finally chime in now. "You do remember I'm staying here. Right, Yuna?" Judai inquired. "And ... like I reassured the others. I'm never fully alone."

" .... You're ... what now?"

"Let's just say I got my own pact of sorts. You must have been out when I revealed this to others. I'm fused with Yubel."

Now it was Yuna's turn to chuckle softly. "Sorry, sorry. Well .... I kinda feel a bit more normal with all of us who have done this pact thing at least once now. Okay then. I'm holding you to that, because ... for better or worse, Yutsu's blade is most definitely one of the better items any of us have that will allow us to have a sliver of hope in dealing with Ignacious. So .... it's not up for negotiation. I gotta help Hotsuma with him .... and hopefully freeing Aki."

However .... before Hotsuma hurried her out, Yuna lowered her arm down towards the side pocket of her disk. She rummaged through it, nodding as she found what she was looking for; three more Draining Shields. Walking over, she gave them to Judai.

"Since those seem to be doing well .... feel free to keep these and put them to good use. They both need it ... and if I can't stay here for long to ensure Fayth pulls through, then I'm making sure you have as close to - if not a 100% - chance with succeeding in this endeavor."

"Perfect. No worries. I had zero intentions of failing with this anyway." And once they were placed in his hand, Judai leaned down and slid them into the remaining spell/trap slots, now all five being occupied with a powerful healing force field of sorts. The additional cards not only increased the potency, but made the area even bigger. He could very easily help Mei in moving them to an actual bed if she so desired; all while keeping them safe and secure. Or they could remain here. Regardless, it was clear space would most definitely not be an option.


What a bunch of bullshit, Ling internally thought, frowning and shaking her head in disdain at Mister E's words. As easy as it would be to argue ... there was something much more important than worry about whatever he was going on about. That was winning, particularly with her fighting for much more than just herself.

"I draw. I activate Solidarity! I then summon Debris Dragon, who activates its effect. I can special summon any monster with 500 or less attack. Keeper of the Shrine, return!"

.... Why couldn't she Synchro Summon? She literally had everything in place. Was her disk malfunctioning, or .... ??

Then she took a good, long look at the last line of Debris Dragon's effect and grit her teeth.

This duel isn't over. You can still make this work.

"Thanks to Solidarity, I feel fine ordering Debris Dragon to attack your set card!" The image of Ally of Justice Cycle Reader would briefly flicker, only to shatter as it got swiftly destroyed. "And now, Keeper of the Shrine! Direct attack!"

There you go, see? Stay calm. Keep this freak outta your head and you can win like you have with the other duels.

Nodding at the internal resolve echoing in her head, Ling looked right into the robot's eyes before declaring, "Turn end!"
 
Hotsuma did want to keep going...But with having learned now of Ignacious' wife's defeat? They had a bit more breathing room; this was a good thing. They needed any sort of delay or advantage they could get. "No....God no, Fayth! I'm over the moon you kicked her ass! Honestly, that wicked witch is just as evil as Ignacious is! Heck, maybe even more so...But, I'm guessing you two found that out first hand." Jack nodded, "Yeah we did....She took over the body of a reporter I used to know." At this Hotsuma nodded, "Yeah, some young lady named Carly, right?"

At this Crow had to ask, "Okay....Seriously? I have to know, how do you know all this? I mean, no offense, but being dead I would think means you don't exactly have the senses or the ability to perceive anything around you, let alone miles away right?" At this Hotsuma nodded, then explained, "True...But as I explained to Yuna earlier, Ignacious showed me every scrap of a defeat and victory...And truth be told, some of them I had to try and pry for myself. I needed info, and he had an all-access pass to everything happening in the Satellite...And the Tops."

Crow paused here, "The Tops...Wait, is he..."

Hotsuma would just cut him off, "I don't want to say too much...But yes. People are being dragged over here for this ritual. I mean...I have my own axe to grind with those uppity pricks. For overlooking everything Goodwin and Security did to the Satellite. But never to the extent Ignacious is doing. I wouldn't wish that kind of fate on anyone." At this Jack had to ask as well, "Actually...You mentioned Goodwin being the Dark Signer Leader's brother. Do you know...what happened to Goodwin?"

Hotsuma had to stop here again, and actually search his memory...But then all would hear his God's voice.

"Ignacious would not have wanted you to know this, Hotsuma...But the one you know as Goodwin is dead. Ignacious slaughtered him with his own two hands. And stole the last piece he needed."

At that, Hotsuma's eyes widened; sure, he didn't feel any sort of sadness about that prick biting the dust. Too damn long coming. "What...what the heck was that?" Crow asked, Hotsuma just saying "That...would be the God that's using me like a hand puppet currently. Minus the piss-poor voice-throwing. And the overwhelming urge to destroy the world, of course." At this Wiraqocha huffed, "I would figure you would be more grateful at a second chance."

Hotsuma just smirked, "It's called pushing your buttons, Big Bird. It's what people who are close to each other do." to which Wiraqocha replied, "Ah, I see...As that young one and Yubel do then. An interesting interaction."

And soon enough, Judai would confirm his Fusion to Yubel with Yuna. And speaking of, Wiraqocha had one last thing to say.

"The one named Yuna does have a valid question however...One I can answer. I do not fault any of you for not knowing this...But once this ritual is complete, his own power to corrupt will reach its absolute potential. In truth, even the other Gods know not of his deceit. What you, Yuna Takeda and Hotsuma Oboro, saw him do to the guards of the Facility is but a fraction of what he is capable of. This ritual will sacrifice every God, animal, human and spirit from this world to become his soldiers, giving him power beyond power. And with it, he will seal the Crimson Dragon, whose Marks are born on the arms of the ones named Fayth, Jack and Crow. With both Creation and Destruction at his calling, he can reshape reality as he sees fit. Make himself into the ultimate Emperor. Understand that these powers were never meant to be wielded by any one being. Only once both sides had chosen their respective Champions would this battle take place, the strongest of either side performing a Ritual Battle to determine whether their world would embrace great prosperity...or devastating ruination."

At this Crow would inquire, "But then...Why kill Goodwin? What did he have? He wasn't a Signer." Wiraqocha then replied, "True, he was not...But his brother was. Rutger, the Leader of the Dark Signers, was once vessel to both the Dragon and myself. I know not why we were destined to fight over the same vessel..But in the end, I prevailed....And he destroyed half of Neo Domino in the process."

At this Mei, who had been focused on treating Fayth, dropped everything she was working on. She had remembered the news...17 years ago. She was in medical school abroad, she saw the devastation in the aftermath of the explosion. The catastrophic event that caused the Satellite to be separated from Neo Domino. "You....You caused that!?" she muttered, her body shaking in both exasperation and...well, anger!

Jack and Crow both looked at Hotsuma with narrowed eyes, who was just as shook by the news as everyone else, raising his hands defensively "Hey, hey! You think I knew about this? Bro, seriously, what the hell?! You blew up half a city?! For what?!" Wiraqocha then replied, "Because all of Neo Domino rested on a massive energy cluster...One that the Emperor was attempting to exploit for exactly what he was preparing to do this day. It was...not an easy decision to make, knowing what kind of damage it would inevitably - and irreversibly - cause. But he had gained far more power than I realized; perhaps it was him that caused the Dragon and myself to battle over dominion of a Vessel. So, in an attempt to stall his advances...I had to use an emissary to seize control of Rutger....And overload his experiment. The loss of life was an unfortunate consequence, but one that could not be avoided without further dooming this world and every other to Ignacious' control."


Mister E understood the situation he was in, and he could see that Ling either did not care or did not believe what he was telling her. That was fine; all that mattered was winning. Or failing that, running out the clock on any interlopers. Anything and everything to permit the Darkness to reign and be in control.

"I draw!"

Taking a look at his hand, he was scanning every possible play through his machine mind; it seemed his Deck was not giving him what he needed to ensure his victory, and all he needed was one card to make it happen. But for now, he just needed to stall her.

"I will set another card, as well as one monster face-down, then end my turn. Your move, Miss Ling."

At this Yamichi grunted painfully, his wound - while stable - still causing him great distress. Something that gave Mister E an idea about how to try and shake her resolve. "Oh....I should have mentioned. He might not be in danger of dying, but he is still going to live out every last moment of agony while my device stops him from dying. I suggest you try to defeat me quickly; I have detailed records of incidents where patients go utterly and irreparably insane from an overload of agony, after all~"
 

Fayth nodded with Jack, gesturing down towards both of their bodies. "This was all that demonic bitch's doing, so ... yeah. We definitely found out very quickly how vicious she is."

" .... The Tops, huh?" Yuna repeated. For one, that made her feel better about suggesting to Yamichi to get a hold of Ling. With how quickly things were going to shit, it'd seemed hard to believe that anyone would really be safe. Now that the confirmation was revealed ... it just made her feel that much more relieved. But the other thing she was noting ... was this had been something Hajime revealed not too long after she regained consciousness. He'd seen a memory once upon a time ago that hinted that was indeed what Hotsuma wanted. Or, as she now knew, Ignacious posing as Hotsuma.

Well, it better explains why he saw that, she mused, tucking the thought away. Her attention was swiftly dragged away, though, as Wiraqocha spoke and allowed them all to learn what Ignacious was going for. The moment Yuna saw and heard a huge loophole, she practically jumped on it. "Wait. None of the other gods know? Then could we not use that to our advantage somehow in case?"

Not to say she was trying to avoid fighting Igancious. Well, not completely. Still, if there was an alternative, then why not try that also? "I may not have a full God, per se," Yuna added, "But I do have someone that I know for sure wouldn't be happy if they found out I'd been keeping secrets from them. So I can't imagine the others would wish to help Ignacious out. And with them being gods, I mean .... it's not like they don't have a chance. Or ... am I wrong somehow?"

Deep down, she did acknowledge that even if they tried this, it may not solve all of their problems. Kiryu being a huge one as an example. As long as he could continue his sadistic ways, it didn't seem like he or his own God would give half a damn. But the others? Well ... Yuna could at least hope. And even without being able to make eye contact with her, Fayth seemed to have a similar feel about her, even if not look.

.... Hmmmm ....

Yuna would remain quiet, allowing everyone else to voice their thoughts about a tragedy in its own rights. But also one that had happened much longer ago compared to the recent deaths of all of the Signers. One that was far beyond any type of repair. So cold as it may come off ... Yuna was just trying to focus on the here and now, which meant avoiding tempting everyone to jump towards Hotsuma and attempt to strangle him. Or worse.

"With all due respect," she'd finally reply when everyone had finished, "That's unable to have anything done about in any form or fashion. Right now, we have more immediate threats. Keeping the rest of you guys alive, for example. Seeing about turning this stupid war around for the better. Allowing poor Fayth to rest. She's more than earned it."

And as Yuna uttered those last words, both Jack and Mei would take note that Fayth had indeed gone still, her head half against Jack's chest, while it was slowly beginning to slump towards his lap, her body moving slightly more towards the floor. Both would be able to feel that, luckily, she was indeed just asleep as Yuna stated. No doubt exhausted physically and mentally ... more so than she'd ever been thus far not just since arriving in this dimension, but likely throughout her whole life.

"And you," Yuna added, now looking over towards Hotsuma, "Since your psychic abilities are gone ... it means you won't be able to nearly as easily notice if Ignacious goes into your head. Or at least won't be able to do much about it without me intervening. So .... before he decides to see about trying anything too bold, we should - somewhat reluctantly - take our leave."

A small smile appeared as she glanced back towards the unconscious Fayth. "But I most definitely intend to give her - all of you, really - a much more proper and less rushed visit when this is over. We can all celebrate in some form or fashion. Until then .... I'm holding you to your word, Judai, to help Mei look after her."

With that, Yuna would give a nod towards Hotsuma and head towards the door. Very ... not necessarily eager, but willing enough to leave if only to ensure the right actions would be taken.


"Draw!"

Her mouth opened to declare what she intended to do, only to be interrupted by the pained sounds coming from Yamichi. "Please try to be still. Hang in there, okay?"

Ling fixed her gaze back upon Mister E .... and she almost swore she saw a smug grin appear on his metallic face, causing her to frown.

Enjoy that while you can, bastard!

But ... that would probably be exactly what he'd want to hear. And precisely to avoid giving him what he wanted, Ling stayed silent, instead lowering her head and looking back at her hand. "I set my own monster as well as a spell or trap. I then shift my Keeper to defense mode. Debris Dragon will attack your set monster!"

Another image briefly appeared, only to disappear as it split into numerous pieces. "Turn end!"
 
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"Oh, believe me, they are aware of potential treachery....But it is more they underestimate how much power Ignacious truly wields. And now with his wife having been defeated? He will show no more leniency." Wiraqocha explained, Hotsuma adding "Yeah, that's great and all....But do you mind trying to stop Jack and Crow from wanting to kill me? It's bad enough I'm wearing the Mark of their enemy...But god, you blew up half a city! I don't care if the planet was about to get fried, there's always another way!"

And yet, that seemed to make Jack and Crow not settle down, only doing so once Yuna intervened. It was only natural...But damn it, did they not see he wasn't here to make things worse? He wanted this nightmare to end! He wanted Ignacious gone! He'd fucked up so much shit, by doing so little! Even more than Goodwin had done!

"I admit I don't like it....Hotsuma being under a God's control..." Crow would say, but then Jack intervened, "But...If you mean what you say....Then we'll leave it in your hands. But...Crow and I will help...Just...Try not to get killed, okay?" Crow would then add, "And....If there's nothing else? I should see about getting the children over to Martha's. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can."

When Yuna warned him about Igancious potentially taking over, Wiraqocha would speak up once more, "That is precisely why I stripped his Psychic abilities from him: They served as Ignacious' only line to the boy. Without that, Ignacious can do no more harm to him than he could to Getsu or her Demon-Slaying Blade. However, it does mean he will not be able to communicate with you telepathically. You will have to find out other methods to relay signals and such without being noticed."

Hotsuma then looked to Doc Mei, "Mei...Before we go, do you..." but the Doctor shook her head, "No...And Hotsuma? Yuna? Like Jack said: Be careful. And whatever happens....We're all with you. That much I can say with certainty." Giving a nod, he then said to Yuna, "Alright....Come on, Yuna...We shouldn't waste too much time."

Once outside....Instead of taking right off though, Hotsuma had them both stop for a second. And without warning, Hotsuma then pulled Yuna into a strong hug. He was definitely mindful of his bodily strength, and had he squeezed any harder even she would feel her bones starting to creak and fracture, but it was clear he was wanting to do this for some time.

"Yuna...Before we take off....I want to tell you...In all seriousness..." he would say, his black-sclera and violet-iris eyes peering right at hers, "That I do love you. That hasn't changed...Not one damn bit. You're the only woman I have ever loved...The only one I could love. But you have to promise me something. When I die...And I mean die for real...I want you to forget about any action or thought about revival. We've seen what that does. How it can fuck people up."

Giving a sigh, kicking himself mentally for saying this, he then took her hand and held it in his larger two, "So...When I go...Just promise me you'll live your best life. Maybe you can find a lover that won't treat you so shitilly like I did."


Quite the pickle Mister E found himself in, but now he had to knuckle down. With Ling still in the way, he had to make sure to play his moves carefully. He was down a significant chunk of Life Points, and not much more could be spared. Even as his Set, Genex Ally Bird-Man, was destroyed, he knew there was a chance to turn this around.

"My turn! I draw!"

Taking a quick look, he then continued, "I activate another Pot of Greed! With its effect, I draw 2 cards from my Deck!" Taking his new hand into account, he saw a potential means to reverse his fortune.

"I then activate the Field Magic, Heavy Metal Raiders!"

A dark Miasmic Field then enveloped them, sounds of whirring gears and clanking joints surrounding them. "I will then Summon the monster, Ally of Justice - Core Destroyer!" The tiny mechanoid would appear, chittering as its 1200 ATK stared down Ling's Debris Dragon. It was too low to take it on, or even take on her Keeper...And likely even her Set. "Turn end."
 

Yuna lifted her head as Hotsuma halted her from taking too many steps away. An eyebrow rose ... what was he aiming for? Why'd he stop her? They needed to leave, right? And then ... he hit her. Not literally, though the words were as strong as if he had thrust a clenched fist in her gut. Her head bowed as she clenched her own fists, angrily gritting her teeth.

"You know how easy it'd be for me to say how much nerve you got for making that kind of demand from me when killing you was hard enough? But the truth is ... "

A defeated sigh elicited from Yuna as she forced herself to look back up, "Were roles reversed ... I'd ask for the same. So as much as I hate what you're spouting to me .... I get what you're saying. He wouldn't want things to go this way, but ...."

Yuna nodded, at least acknowledging Hotsuma's words. "If you're gonna make me do that though, then .... "

Her arms would wrap around Hotsuma's neck. Without saying anything out loud, she leaned forward ... not minding or caring enough about the technicalities of this new body of his ... and pressed her lips tightly onto his. This wasn't just because part of her wanted to make certain his words were sincere, but a small part of that was why she'd bothered with such a sudden gesture. More than that, though ....

"It's been way too long," she muttered, "And .... I'd rather have the chance to feel that one more time just only once. Fine. Let's .... head out now."

Yuna would let her head fall onto Hotsuma's chest as he hoisted her up and flew away with her. Damnit all. Of all the times to not have a reversal for an unfortunate situation. Goddamn did it suck. They'd been able to figure just about anything else out. But the very real likelihood of preventing Hotsuma from dying again? Nope. And right now, Yuna was hating the feeling of hopelessness about as much as her rage for Ignacious and the Dark Signers was surging through her. She was merely keeping herself under control, but when the time was right?

Yuna - likely Yutsu - would be done letting go of her emotions.


"....Hey, Hajime? I kinda feel like we should have asked for Yamichi to come along with us."

The bluenette nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I hear you. But he was very adamant on wanting to prove himself."

Shivini frowned slightly, "I mean ... I get that. But shouldn't we have gone about this in a smarter way?"

"That's literally my point, Shivini. He didn't want that. He wants to take the risk and see about turning this around on his own. I honestly was close to doing the same myself."

"So why didn't you? And don't you dare say some bullshit about me being a chick."

Hajime turned to the Amazoness user, quirking an eyebrow in response.

"Come on. You know of all the people who might do that, I'm the last to even dare such a foolish thing. No, just .... I got something to redeem too. I let aniki die. If I allowed you to go alone and risk yourself like that ..... I'd kick myself even more than I have been since the Facility got overtaken. I would have done this regardless of your gender, too, so don't think that."

Shivini nodded, seeming to accept that answer as the two continued walking towards one of the large Towers up ahead.

"It goes without saying ... but let's be cautious. Hell, maybe a 2 against 1 tag may be something to consider."

"Possibly," Shivini muttered in agreement. "Whatever the case ... I'll definitely keep my ears and eyes open. So don't fret about that."


Ling's head turned, her focus immediately going to the field card more so than his monster. This was a very new field card for her, one she'd never heard about before.

Hmmmm ... whatever its effect is, it can't be good, she concluded, nodding as she pulled her card off the top of her deck.

"I'll summon Luster Dragon! Debris Dragon will attack Ally of Justice Core Destroyer!"

And there it was. Even after being attacked and technically defeated, it didn't leave the field. Mister E smirked as he saw Ling's confusion.

"Heavy Metal Raiders specifically says that any DARK monster who is attacked will not immediately die the first time. Therefore, you have to attack them twice. Also ..."

Some beeping echoed and soon enough, Ling would see the attack of his monster increase.

"They gain the same amount of attack as the hit points I lost."

"Fine," Ling replied, just barely managing to keep her voice from trembling in frustration and anger. "But it's not stronger than my Luster Dragon! Luster Dragon! Get rid of Core Destroyer for good!"

Sure enough, the card image would break apart this time. Ling had originally hoped to use Luster Dragon for a direct attack, but .... now she was quickly seeing that would become a much easier said than done task with this new field card out.

I'll need to be careful about attacking from here on out. That could have turned really ugly had it been probably any other monster he owned.

"That's it for now! Turn end!"
 
"Come on....Exactly. You would be asking the exact same of me if situations were reversed. I know it's not fair...But neither is making you wait for a miracle that will never happen. You deserve someone to be happy with. Like your lieutenant...I know even as Yukio he was a lot closer to you than most others would be." Hotsuma would say; he might not be the brightest, but even he knew attraction when he saw it. How Hajime always hung around Yuna, never letting her (him at the time) out of his sight.

And if there was anyone he knew could make Yuna happy? It was him. Even as the Emperor smeared his name and reputation in Yomi, Hajime never let Yuna get touched. At least in there...In his eye, there was no finer man to be Yuna's lover. A thought did cross the back of his mind about him surviving...But that was wishful thinking. He knew his number was up; the very least he could do was make sure that Ignacious got his comeuppance.

It was long overdue.

Though that took a back seat as Yuna then did something he wouldn't expect to even want to do, especially given his current state. She kissed him....And for a moment he wasn't sure how to respond, but then just said fuck it and returned it. Holding her close, taking in her warmth, something he could still feel even with his body being made of essentially energy. "I admit...I missed that as well. Fuck...But alright, let's go." he would say, taking her and once his wings re-materialized, took off.

However...Things started to get dice-y as they flew; even Hotsuma could feel it, his body beginning to hover between intangibility and tangibility. He made a sharp right to avoid colliding with a destroyed residence, then skidded on his feet to a stop, still keeping Yuna safe. A hand gripped at his right arm, a chunk of the limb falling away, leaving a sizable piece missing before it reformed, but it was clear the sight and sensation had disturbed Hotsuma. "Fuck. That short huh?" Hotsuma mused, Wiraqocha replying "We established earlier your resonance with me was less than perfect. Had we gone straight from your ex-lover's residence, we could have avoided detection the entire way." Hotsuma just huffed, "Well, sorrrrry...Fayth's something we call a friend. And Yuna wanted to see her and make sure she was alright. Because that's what friends do...Not something a worldbreaker like you would get."

Giving a sigh, he then looked to Yuna, "Guess we're walking the rest of the way. Don't worry, we're still close enough. But we gotta move all the same; the ritual might start any time now." he would say, motioning for her to follow as he led her to where the Dark Signers - and Akiza - were being held.


As Hajime and Shivini would get closer, they would indeed see one of the Towers: This was the one glowing blue, the Tower of the Giant. Even from here, without Marks, they could sense a dreadful energy flowing through it. Corrupting the land, a sickening presence that wrought only death. Enough to make them shiver, to make anyone shiver really; this was not something mortals should be close to, Psychic or otherwise.

However...Before they could get close, Hajime might indeed detect two presences stalking them. Like someone was boring a hole in the back of his head, their eyes solely fixated on him, and very like Shivini as well.


Mister E just watched on as his opponent took her turn, noting her silence; seemed she was done trying to talk to him. That was fine; there was no need to establish a connection with someone determined to die by his hand anyway.

Even so...He was having much more difficulty with her than he realized. He would need to optimize himself even further if the Light was going to be defeated. This was his duty, and his prime directive did not allow for failure. His creator had already threatened him with deactivation for his inability to destroy Fayth completely during the Fortune Cup qualifier, and he could not fail here.

The first hit from Debris Dragon took a chunk from his Life, smirking as she might grow confused. "Ah, my apologies. One benefit of my Field Magic: Heavy Metal Raiders specifically says that any DARK Machine-type monster who is attacked will not immediately die the first time. Therefore, you have to attack them twice. Also ..." he paused here to let the display update, showing Core Destroyer rising to 2200 ATK, then saying "They gain the same amount of Attack as the Life Points I lost."

Even so, Ling was right: Her Luster Dragon was still stronger, evidenced as such when it destroyed Core Destroyer after hitting it a second time. Even so, that had shielded his Life enough for his next plan to go forward. Unlike Ling, he could not afford to be prudent. "My turn! I draw!"

He would look down at his hand, seeing the perfect combination he needed. "First, I will Summon Ally of Justice - Cyclone Creator!" At this a bird-like robot appeared, its wings flapping as tiny gusts of wind appeared from beneath its mechanical wings. "I shall then activate the Magic Card, Resurrection of the Dead! Reappear, Genex Ally Bird-Man!" A second bird robot then descended on his field, hovering beside Cyclone Creator.

A slight smirk then grew even more, his voice proud as he said, "I then activate the effect of Cyclone Creator! I discard one card to target Spell or Trap cards on the field equal to the number of Tuner monsters on the field and return them to their owner's hands! My Birdman and Cyclone Creator are both Tuners, as is your Debris Dragon! So I will return both your face-downs as well as your Solidarity to the hand! Ally Storm!"

A heavy storm kicked up, Ling's back-row disappearing as her cards were forced back to her hand, Mister E then declaring "And now I'll have my Birdman and Cyclone Creator attack your Luster Dragon!" His Life dinged and dinged as each attack connected, his Field Magic preventing his monsters from being destroyed. And with both of them now at 1900 ATK, most of her lower monsters would only be able to match them.

His situation was precarious, but not unwinnable. If he played this combination right, she would have limited options to destroy his monsters. "Turn end!"
 

He still wouldn't want it to go down like this ....

For all the times he and Hotsuma had butted heads, Hajime wasn't spiteful. Not without a really good reason, anyway. And while Hotsuma had definitely cut it really close ... almost didn't count. And even if it did? It still didn't alter the facts which, in this case, meant he wouldn't like knowing the main reason Yuna would be with him .... was because it would come with an immense amount of pain. Truthfully, he'd likely wanna kick Hotsuma's ass first, undead or not, while comforting Yuna.

The image of that being a very likely reality made a ghost of a smirk appear on her lips. It shouldn't be even somewhat hilarious ... but if only because it was playing akin to a cartoon, it did earn that reaction from Yuna. Besides .... she needed something to keep her sane, knowing fully well what she was about to go do with Hotsuma. And if that meant focusing on dark humor for a bit? Well ... better that than letting despair consume her.

It was sooner than she'd wanted, but the kiss did eventually end. With it came Yuna wrapping her arms around Hotsuma's neck, laying her head against his shoulder. Even though she was ensuring her emotions didn't get the best of her, it wasn't wrong to think they were still nagging at her. Something he'd be able to guess well enough as she clenched back onto his shoulders, her eyes closing as a stifled "Fuck!" escaped through gritted teeth. When she detected the flight becoming shaky and unstable, Yuna's head would lift as she looked into the new pair of violet eyes Hotsuma possessed.

"Oi ... the fuck is going on now?"

Fortunately, the landing was smooth enough ... all things considered. It definitely could have been a shit ton worse. And as Hotsuma's new god explained it ... Yuna scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Look, if you're gonna give him a tough time, I can't stop that. But mind holding off on that shit for later? You're both gonna have more than enough time when .... well ...."

Yuna let out a miffed huff, crossing her arms over her chest. Even without finishing the sentence, both could complete it well enough.

"Now then ... nu-uh. We're not walking, fuck that." Now her smirk fully spread over her face as she pivoted ... and broke off into a full-fledged run. "Come on. As much as I'd love to, we can't fuck around, particularly if your guess about Ignacious becoming as desperate as he might be is truly that accurate."

"Which is exactly why ...."

Even while she continued running, Yuna's form began to change. A flash of light briefly coated her body, vanishing moments later to show her as Yutsu. Her hand was already resting atop her blade, showing she was very ready and willing to draw it from its sheath when the time was right. That would be a plus, if absolutely nothing else. The sight of her ready and willing to get into a massive fight showed just how determined she was to see about turning things around. Not that she ever half-assed anything to start with ... but a little extra reassurance wouldn't hurt Hotsuma.


... Hm?!

"Hajime?" Shivini asked, gasping as he quickly pivoted so they were facing back-to-back. "So someone is here?"

Most definitely. Now ... you fuckers gonna keep being cowards? Or you gonna come out?

Fortunately, neither would need to wait very long. Slowly but surely, two figures did begin to reveal themselves. Neither recognizable - not to them, anyway - but neither cared. Once they saw the tell-tale robes, that was more than enough for either Hajime or Shivini to know; that they were among bad company then and there.


Damnit. I don't think I have anything to deal with that field card.

It was without a doubt the worst thing going for Ling in this duel. She could handle monsters not dying on the first hit; it was knowing any life he lost would be added to their attack that made this duel much more dangerous than she ever would have guessed. Had she miscalculated her last turn, Mister E's Core Destroyer really could have ended up becoming an insanely strong monster.

He's also low though, she added, her eyes studying the number '2000' beside Mister E's life points. It was hasty ... but if she could deal more damage than him ... that was it. This could be other.

" ... Tch .... "

Though he clearly wasn't going to make that a simple endeavor, evidenced by his Cyclone Creator's effect. Well ... at least her cards went back to the hand. That was better than losing them altogether ala something like Heavy Storm. Still, it was a bit irritating for sure ... but she could deal with this obstacle. She had to be able to, rather.

"Draw! I'll reset my cards as well as activate Solidarity again. Luster Dragon! Attack Genex Ally Birdman!"

Any hope of her seeing the previous turn being a fluke was revealed that wasn't the case. She truly had seen the effect of the field properly, something that made Ling grimace as not only did Birdman remain alive, but his attack rose to 2700. It was now officially stronger than anything on her side of the field. But ... unlike Mister E, Ling still had a lot more than 2000 points, and it wasn't like she had a wide open field.

Just hang in there a bit longer, Yamichi!

"Turn end!"
 
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