Yu-Gi-Oh! Armageddon (PG13) - Finished

[Umbra]

Good chapter, and good duel. The gauntlet-type match may actually be the first of its kind (other than the WRGP duels, and that's an entirely different concept in my book.) Abyss/Irakih's mannerisms were a bit stereotypical, perhaps, but nonetheless an entertaining character and a good complement to Hikari. I especially enjoyed the Center of the Mind scene, with Irakih desperately grasping at Hikari as she lies on the floor. Very humiliating, utterly so.

 

I only noticed the Chaos Goddess fault (the double DARK requirement) but I see no problem with Hyper Synchron not winning the game for Sabin. Sometimes, plot has to take precedence over logic, and Decisive Arms is far, far more appropriate as a final attacker than a Level 4 Tuner. With Sabin even commenting on the overkill ("...be gentle.") it felt very, very appropriate.

 

You have a ways with duels in your story that I would personally kill (or at least, severely injure) to have. Sure, you have them in abundance, but you make all of them feel logical. Needed. I can't think of a single duel in this story that felt unnecessary, and they number by the dozens by now. Bravo, friend, bravo.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Good chapter, and good duel. The gauntlet-type match may actually be the first of its kind (other than the WRGP duels, and that's an entirely different concept in my book.) Abyss/Irakih's mannerisms were a bit stereotypical, perhaps, but nonetheless an entertaining character and a good complement to Hikari. I especially enjoyed the Center of the Mind scene, with Irakih desperately grasping at Hikari as she lies on the floor. Very humiliating, utterly so.

 

I only noticed the Chaos Goddess fault (the double DARK requirement) but I see no problem with Hyper Synchron not winning the game for Sabin. Sometimes, plot has to take precedence over logic, and Decisive Arms is far, far more appropriate as a final attacker than a Level 4 Tuner. With Sabin even commenting on the overkill ("...be gentle.") it felt very, very appropriate.

 

You have a ways with duels in your story that I would personally kill (or at least, severely injure) to have. Sure, you have them in abundance, but you make all of them feel logical. Needed. I can't think of a single duel in this story that felt unnecessary, and they number by the dozens by now. Bravo, friend, bravo.

 

Would be surprised if its a first. Its baiscially a two/three on one match but taking each opponent after the other one on one. Depending on the state of your field after you win the first match and your opponents opening hand, you could quickly defeat duelists 2 and 3 but that would defy the point. The centre of mind was done to protect Hikari from the brunt of the attack as well, as 'Irakih' would have taken it and thus left Hikari in an okayish state (having to keep duelists alive in games of life and death scenario is becoming an increasingly complicated dance).

 

*Notices the murderous glint in Umbra's eye and slowly backs away* Thank you. How many have we had now? 26 including bonus chapters I think. Thanks, I'd like to think they've got better despite the odd glaring error that I keep making. I know there's quite a few in duel number 27 right now as well which I'm disappointed with and won't bleat excuses for. I don't like changing card effects, but hey, I don't do it to the extent Konami do. ;)

 

Speaking of, this chapter contains a duel that was actually a very late addition to the script and may seem filler-ish at first. Or it may not, as a certain miss comes to the front at LONG last and in more ways than one. Plus some other scenes; one that clears up our little side plot, one that features a fan favourite going into full kick ass mode. But first, I think I'm about to make Fusion and Saber very happy...

 

[spoiler=Chapter 55]

Chapter 55 - Spirits Rising

 

With Juruo clearly in a state unfit to drive, Luca hopped up on his runner and gave him a lift back, with Tyrana taking the exhausted Hikari back with her. As they set off through the darkness and the rain, Sabin wearily hauled himself over to the third runner, followed by Yuma.

 

“You can’t possibly drive after that. Let me.”

 

“I’m fine. I can do it” Sabin protested weakly. Half collapsing over the handlebars told her otherwise. Pushing herself between him and the front of the bike, Yuma forced herself into the driver’s position. Now pushed back to being a frustrated passenger, Sabin watched the girl fiddle with the controls as she tried to start the machine. “No, not that. Over here.”

 

He placed his hand on hers to guide it, prompting a slight gasp. There was a long, awkward moment as the two sat on the runner, in the rain, in the middle of nowhere, each waiting for the other to make that breakthrough.

 

“You were really brave to stand up to Hikari like that. You never gave up on her for a moment.”

 

“Well, she’s been there for me. I think any of us would do it for anyone else.”

 

Sabin groaned, making Yuma turn in her position. He was clutching his upper arm with an awkward grimace, holding his arm which was battered and bruised. His whole body felt sore. Sadly, Yuma put a reassuring hand on his cheek. Her eyes were sparkling in that strange way again as they gazed into Sabin’s. Without thinking, he placed one hand on her hips, and stroked her cheek with the other. Her skin was so soft, like a delicate flower similar to the one in her long wet hair. Yuma didn’t show any sign she was uncomfortable as they sat there. Indeed she smiled slightly and wrapped her other arm around his neck.

 

Then followed a long kiss.

 

...

 

Warren was standing on the eastern wall surrounding the capital city. A radio speaker was hanging limply from his hand, as he stared out across the fields outside the city through the darkness. A line of archers either side stood frozen, bows drawn, waiting for the command. Down in the streets below, many civilians who had been summoned to arms in desperation, scared out of their minds, had their weapons drawn and waiting, each man and woman’s eye kept glancing at the nearest gate. Warren looked out of the city and gulped.

 

“Warren. Warren! Are you receiving me? Over?”

 

The crackling radio startled the elder guard back to his sense. Composing himself, Warren took off his helmet and ran a hand through his neat greyish-black hair. He had fought countless battles in his time and thought that nothing could move him anymore, that the scars of war had made him immune to terror. However, gazing out at the carnage outside, he shivered as he thought of what could have been.

 

“I’m receiving you Dominik. I take it that because you’re radioing me, you were successful. Over.”

 

“Just keeping in there. The guy on the runner admitted he was the army’s leader, and his runner exploded upon defeat. Has this affected things your end? Over.”

 

“Well, it would explain what we’re seeing here. The legions of the army just started tearing into each other a few seconds ago.”

 

Indeed, beyond the walls, the zombie army that had been so unmoved, so disciplined, waiting patiently as their ranks grew with bigger and badder beasts, had just descended into sudden madness. Ignoring the city completely, they had all seemed to lose their control simultaneously, and each monster had instinctively attacked its nearest ally. There was a long pause over the radio.

 

“That’s a relief. Keep the archers up there. Don’t fire and make a target of yourselves, just look to pick off any stragglers towards the end. I’m just a few miles away; I’ll find a place out in the country for the night and be back at dawn when it’s calm. Over.”

 

Warren breathed a small sigh of relief. For the city and the Empire, it wasn’t quite over.

 

...

 

Locked in the darkness of her cell, Erin stared blankly up at the ceiling from her bed. Never in her life had she felt so empty, so lost, as utterly helpless and miserable as she had for the last twenty four hours. She knew Gear hadn’t lied. Mel was gone. Her entire world had been taken away from her. Why? Why had her little brother, who she had been as much a mother to as a sister, had to be killed? Everything she had done, it had been for him more than for herself. To secure a better world where Mel could grow up and live safely and happily, with no boundaries or suffering at the hands of the Empire. Now the Empire had fallen at the hands of the people, and the world would end a few days later, as the power of the Final Countdown ripped through the realities and realms collapsed, descending into chaos. It would be irreversible once the countdown was completed in just about a day, and then the world would burn. Well, no one could say for sure exactly what would happen once the ring was complete, but natural and supernatural disaster on a cataclysmic scale was ensured in some way. Enough to tear the planet apart in a few hours, if not in minutes. Maybe death would be instant. But what was the point anymore? Without Mel going with her, there would be no Utopia at all for her and Juruo.

 

Gear had told her Juruo had administered the crushing attack that had done it. It was of course possible, but she didn’t believe it. Juruo would never do something like that, no matter what he was faced with. He and the others all loved Mel, and would fight bloody-mindedly to break him free from the control he had been placed and made to fight under. No, this was Demon and Fygmorke’s fault. They had, after all of Demon’s assurances that he would be kept safe for her, forced him in some way to fight the signers, looked to exploit his relationship with them, and didn’t care what happened either way. And yet, Juruo had killed him. Juruo...

 

The heavy sounds of footsteps hammering down the stone steps pulled her out of her stupor. Sitting upright, she was quite startled to see Raesir and Gear come hurtling into view; Raesir coming to a screeching stop at the steel door and hurriedly flipping through a set of keys. Gear was holding the light for him and stared pointedly at Erin. Under his arm was her duel disk.

 

“Let me guess. The signers are here, and you’re going to beg me to fight for you? Well you can shove...”

 

“No, we have bigger problems internally.” The panic in Gear’s voice was something Erin had not so much ever heard, but never believed possible in him. Raesir finally found the right key and went to insert it in the lock, but Gear held him back for a second.

 

“Before we let you out, we need to know you’re on our side and that you won’t try to kill us.”

 

“You expect me to promise that after what you lot have done to me? You’ve got a bloody nerve...”

 

“No no no, just let me explain. Demon and Fygmorke are facing off in the gateway chamber.” Erin blinked at this unexpected announcement. “Something is really wrong. They’re going all out for each other’s blood. We need your help. If you do help us, you might get some answers as to what has happened, or what is going to happen next.”

 

Erin paused for a moment, then nodded. Raesir swung the door open and she stepped out, snatching her duel shield from Gear as she passed and reattaching it to her arm.

 

“Alright, I’ll go with you and try to get to the bottom of this. But don’t think for one second either of you are safe.”

 

The trio set off back up the stairs, Erin following the others lead. Her thoughts were a blur. But one thing remained clear; Mel was gone, and someone was going to suffer her wrath for it. Demon and Fygmorke would be first to pay for what had happened. As for Juruo, she would only know for sure how she would react when she saw him face to face. But if he or any of the others were responsible for Mel’s death...

 

Even God couldn’t save them from her...

 

...

 

Reconvened in their slightly tore apart room; Juruo, Mel and Luca prepared for a short sleep before the final battle tomorrow. They were to make sure they were awake and ready at dawn, and really needed the rest to recover. That was until Sabin burst through the doorway. He seemed oddly re-energised, but red and frantic all the same.

 

“You lot, do me a favour. Another room, now.”

 

Juruo barely had time to respond before Sabin grabbed him off the nearest bed and half hurled him through the door into the corridor. Lying outside in a heap, he was surprised to see Yuma was waiting there, leaning with her back to the wall, sheepish smile in place.

 

“What... oh... Hey, if you want the room why don’t you go book...” He was interrupted as Mel flew into his midriff.

 

“Is it not clear that we have better things to be doing than messing around at reception? Besides, I think I’ve earned it” came the answer from somewhere inside the room. Sabin emerged from inside with Luca in a headlock, his new rush of feelings pushing his body forward after the effects of the duel, before he dumped him in the pile. Then he took Yuma by the hand, showed her inside, and with a broad smile shut the door on them.

 

“He’s got a fair point I guess” Luca admitted, lying on top of the pile of bodies. Somewhere in the middle of the heap, Mel looked puzzled, switching between staring at him and Juruo.

 

“Juruo, is this like when Erin swapped rooms with me and stayed with you?”

 

“Yes mate, it is. C’mon, let’s find another room and give them some privacy.”

 

...

 

Sometime later, Yuma was lying in bed peacefully cuddling against Sabin, thinking she was feeling the happiest she had ever done. Sabin had been beaten up badly due to the attacks of Hikari’s chaotic side so he was... restricted... but that was ok, just lying next to him in his arms as he slept was just so warm and safe and perfect. Stroking his hair absentmindedly, Yuma looked at the clock. Two in the morning. There wasn’t much time left before she, Sabin and the others fought for the survival of the world as they knew it. Sighing awkwardly, Yuma moved herself a little closer to her boy, and started to drift off.

 

Tomorrow she would come face to face with the one responsible for all this madness, whose shadow loomed over them all. The one who threatened to take everything away from everyone, moments and relationships like this would be lost in an instant, as many would be trapped and died here, whilst some may or may not go on to another place. The one who had killed her father and her uncle, the one now known as Demon. The last time she had seen him face to face she had been eleven, and she was terrified of his appearance. A black aura seemed to emanate from his heart that only she could see. He had continually tried to take her away with him, but the spirits in her deck just about repelled him. She yawned and her vision faded as she passed into the world of dreams.

 

Thank goodness for the spirits who protected her. Since Uncle Vardus had given her the deck he had found... no, that he had been guided to find for her, her friends would be there for her. Whenever she felt threatened or scared, tall humanoid like spirits would appear beside her, and she felt safe. Sometimes there was the odd cuddle-able creature to make her laugh and reassure her. Yuma’s spirit was of many layers, and thus the deck represented her many different moods, thoughts and feelings. She smiled as she thought of them, as she passed out.

 

She blinked, and was amazed to find herself back in a place that shone with bright light. She was standing in a green, hilly area; with fields of flowers and luscious trees dotted around the countryside, a small stream with glistening clear water was flowing to her left, the odd small creature moving across the place, and blue skies overhead. She had found herself here a few times in her sleep, mostly when she was younger but still occasionally she found herself here on random nights. Here she would meet her spirit friends face to face, including the one floating before her now.

 

The beautiful aquamarine coloured dragon, with light pink teardrop shaped wings and wild turquoise mane, was floating before her. The signer dragon that had marked her since birth with the mark of the heart of the Crimson Dragon that was now shining under her black silk gloves. Ancient Fairy Dragon smiled, revealing a row of savage teeth, and its cry echoed across the land.

 

“Hello again Yuma.” Yuma was familiar with the soft voice of the dragon that spoke to her telekinetically. “I would say that I hope you are well, but I can already sense your troubled heart. A multitude of mixed emotions, some good and some bad, caused no doubt by thoughts of what lies ahead for you tomorrow, and everything that is on the brink of being erased from existence.”

 

Wow, she had cut to the chase. Just as well since Yuma, a little selfishly, wanted to be back in her own world right now. Still, the dragon must have bought her here with good reason so... “My heart is always tainted with both happiness and sadness at all times, but now there is so much going on around me, I’m not quite sure what I feel about what.”

 

“I think you know yourself better than that, and are afraid to admit. No it’s okay” the dragon cut in as Yuma’s face fell a little. “We all get confused sometimes, and struggle to admit to what scares us. But admittance is the first step to overcoming adversity. And you are faced with the greatest of adversity, when tomorrow you must battle for all our survival. Are you ready to face the crisis and make a difference?”

Yuma shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I am. I don’t know what to do sometimes, or how I can help. Everyone in our world, and your world, is relying on us. Maybe the pressure is getting to me.”

 

“Do you feel unsure of your strength?” asked the dragon, to which Yuma nodded. “That is perhaps understandable. You have less duelling experience than the others. This is in part why I bought you here. You were chosen at birth by me because I saw that you are a strong girl; deeply in tune with the world around you, sensitive to your friends feelings and willing to stand by them through their battles. But you have your own battles that only you can fight, the darkness that you have known you must face for some time. You doubt your ability in the wake of such battles, but you just need to believe in yourself and your cards. I apologise for not doing this earlier with you, but I want you to have a training duel to prepare you for your battle tomorrow. As soon as you are ready you can go back to your world, and spend what, if you succeed in stopping Armageddon, will not be your final night together with Red Dragon Archfiend’s signer.”

 

Yuma blushed furiously. “You saw me!... well, okay, I suppose it’s for the best. I know you are always honest with me and can see my emotions clearer than I can at times. The battles ahead do scare me, but I need to overcome them, for everyone. So if this match will make me stronger, then just give me an opponent and let’s do this.” Yuma felt something drop into her hand, and looked down to see her deck had appeared.

 

“Very well. I have an opponent already picked out for you. I shall be in your deck to aid you, waiting for your call to fight beside you if you need me.” With that Ancient Fairy Dragon disappeared in a flash, and Yuma’s deck of cards glowed for a second as she passed into them.

 

As soon as the dragon had disappeared, the world changed. Yuma watched the transformation of the beautiful land before her eyes, as the grassy fields were replaced by scorched and cracked earth. The trees withered and died. The river was flowing with lava instead of water. The sky was dark purple. No living creature could inhabit this place, except the one rising up from his bent position before her now. A beastly creature with blue hide and sharp claws. Silver chains wrapped around his semi-naked body, the hide penetrated by horns at the shoulders and hips. He stood upright and grinned at her maliciously behind his silver mask.

 

“That is Garlandolf. Since your uncle uses Demise and Ruin, I have selected their weaker cousin as your opponent. That does not make him any less threatening, and you have to fight him on his grounds, as you do Demon.” Yuma nodded as she understood, and let go of her deck so it floated before her. She had no magical power of her own; it was the power of the spirits inhabiting her deck that made it float like that. Garlandolf apparently had the same ability, as five cards rose before each of them.

 

“Let’s Duel!”

 

“Welcome to my domain signer” snarled Garlandolf in his harsh beastly tone. “Since I am to host this duel, I will go first. I’ll start with two cards face down. Then I shall summon Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness in defence, and end my turn.”

 

Yuma almost collapsed as the small winged squirrel creature, a weak and effect-less monster, appeared before the fiendish beast (DEF: 600). “Okay, I thought this was supposed to be a severe test of my duelling skills as a signer. Now I find myself faced with that... thing. Are you kidding me?”

 

“Do not underestimate me child, or you will soon regret it” the beast smiled sickly.

 

Yuma already knew underestimating any opponent was a fatal flaw in a duelist, but still, Archfiend Marmot? Really? She cast her arm out with a scowl, her sixth card rising and turning before her. What was Ancient Fairy Dragon’s game picking this opponent? Still, if she could dispense with him quickly, she would soon be back in Sabin’s arms. Hmm, no Exodia or Destiny Board in hand, but no matter...

 

“I summon Defender the Magical Knight and have him go straight for your monster.” A knight in broad blue armour plate, carrying a huge rectangular shield and wielding a short sword, appeared and lunged for the helpless demon rodent (ATK: 1600). The thing tried desperately to fly away, but was easily cut down. The beast’s demise prompted a snarling smirk from Garlandolf. “Also, when I summon Defender, he comes with a spell counter. Then I’ll play two cards face down and end my turn.”

 

“It’s time for me to activate my trap, Human Wave Tactics. During the end phase, I can special summon a number of level two normal monsters from my deck equal to the number of similar monsters destroyed this turn. I summon Bokoichi the Freightening Car.” A small cargo carriage appeared before the beast, to Yuma’s increased bewilderment (ATK: 500). What was with this guy?

 

[spoiler=Summary - End Turn 2]

Garlandolf - Front Row: Bokoicihi. Back Row: HW Tactics, Face Down. Hand: 3 LP: 4000

Yuma - Front Row: Defender. Back Row: Face Down x2. Hand: 3 LP: 4000

 

 

 

Garlandolf brandished his hand, showing spikes on his knuckles and blood red fingernails “It’s my move once more. I activate the spell cards Machine Duplication and Thousand Energy from my hand. Machine Duplication summons two more copies of Bokoichi from my deck, then Thousand Energy increases all of their attacks by one thousand until the end phase. Then I summon Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive. When summoned I get to draw a card, plus one additional card for each Bokoichi I control.” Yuma scowled as four cards were added to Garlandolf’s hand, but the living train was no problem (ATK: 1400). Neither were the cargo trucks, despite the temporary power boost (ATK: 1500). So why did she feel a sudden dread overcoming her? Perhaps it had something to do with the way Garlandolf’s red eyes had lit up at the sight of the second card.

 

“Time for true terror to be revealed at last. I play the spell Advanced Ritual Art to perform a Ritual summoning.” Behind the beast rose a huge stone monument. As it appeared, a beam of green light shot skywards, penetrating the dark clouds. Yuma knew a little about Ritual cards, mostly because of Demon’s use of them. Out of all the ways to summon high level monsters, they were by far the weakest. First you had to get both monster and spell in hand, plus enough monsters to release on your field or in your hand as tribute. They took too much hand and field advantage for monsters that often really weren’t worth the effort. But Yuma still shuddered as the pillar of green light towered above her.

 

“Advanced Ritual Art is no ordinary ritual spell. Instead of sending monsters from my hand or graveyard, I can send monsters from my deck as tribute. However those monsters have to be normal, and their level must exactly equal to the ritual monsters. So I send my other two Archfiend Marmot’s and one level two Souls of the Forgotten, to summon the level six ritual monster Lycanthrope!” A savage werewolf burst from the emerald column, howling at the dark sky as Garlandolf pointed at his foe (ATK: 2400). “Lycanthrope, sink your teeth into Defender the Magical Knight.” The werewolf promptly did so, moving with incredible pace to dodge the knights shield, and biting Defenders right sword arm.

 

Yuma screamed. She could feel those teeth cut into her own arm; it felt like it would be ripped off at any second. Ancient Fairy Dragon was going not going to treat her with kid gloves, she was going to make this as true to the situation she faced as possible (LP: 3200).

 

“Defender’s ability activates. By removing his spell counter, he isn’t destroyed by battle.”

 

“Lycanthrope’s ability also activates” the demonic beast snarled back. “When he inflicts damage to you through battle, further pain is dispensed. An amount equal to the number of normal monsters in my graveyard times two hundred. So that means another eight hundred off your life points!”

 

So that was why. Yuma cried out as the wolf charged towards, claws raised high above its head to slash down on her, closing her eyes before the inevitable. She felt the werewolf slash at her body and her eyes jerked open as she screamed again. Incredibly its claws passed through her stomach like the hand of a ghost, but it still felt as though she had been slashed for real. She doubled over clutching her sides, panting (LP: 2400). It was then she saw a screen of light, some sort of barrier, had formed in front of her at the last second, protecting her. Across the field, Garlandolf continued. “Next I activate Strike Slash to increase the attack of Dekoichi by seven hundred, and have him take out Defender.” The train slammed into the knight, destroying it and inflicting upon Yuma another heavy blow (LP: 1900).

 

“I activate my face down Miracle's Wake to revive Defender.” The knight rose again, standing between her and the three freight cars with his shield raised (DEF: 2000).

 

“I place one card face down and end my turn, at which point all the Bokoichi affected by Thousand Energy are destroyed.” Garlandolf grinned wickedly at her as she forced herself upright.

 

‘Damn it. That gives Lycanthrope more ammunition. At least this next card gives me some protection from his effect.’ “I summon Royal Magical Library, and then I activate the spell card Spell Power Grasp. This places a spell counter on Defender, and also because I activated it, Royal Magical Library gains a spell counter too. Then I get to add another Spell Power Grasp to my hand, although I can’t use it until next turn.” A set of bookcases towered behind her like the ritual monument had behind her opponent (DEF: 2000). “Then I place one card face down and end my turn.”

 

[spoiler=Summary - End Turn 4]

Garlandolf - Front Row: Lycanthrope, Dekoichi. Back Row: HW Tactics, Face Down. Hand: 2 LP: 4000

Yuma - Front Row: Royal M. Library, Defender. Back Row: Face Down x2. Hand: 2 LP: 1900

 

 

 

Garlandolf drew another card with relish. “You are powerless to stop my cousins from bringing the ultimate destruction upon you all. I activate the continuous spell card Ritual Cage. With this in play, your monsters effects can’t touch Lycanthrope. Then by releasing Dekoichi, I advance summon Summoned Skull to the field.” A tall skeleton demon with black wings appeared in the machines wake (ATK: 2500). “Now I activate my second Strike Slash. Not only does this increase Lycanthrope’s attack by seven hundred, it also allows him to do battle damage to monsters in defence, and you know what happens then.” The demon laughed wildly as the werewolf lunged forward, tearing at Defender with its teeth and claws. Yuma yelled with every blow, but Defender survived, battered and bloody, as her stalwart shield (LP: 800). “Now Lycanthrope’s ability finishes you off child, hitting you for fourteen hundred points of damage. Experience the sweet embrace of total nothingness as all feeling is robbed of you.”

 

“Not just yet. I activate the trap card, Damage Translation. This cuts all effect damage I take this turn in half.” Lycanthrope’s claws ran through her again, bringing her to knees, but not quite beaten yet (LP: 100).

 

“Summoned Skull, bring this library to the ground.” The fiend discharged its electrical attack, sending sparks around the shelves. Again, a counter was removed from it and the library stood firm, much to the beast’s annoyance. “Your stubborn resistance is futile. You humans cling to false hope like molluscs to the ocean cliff. It is inevitable that the tides will drag you away eventually, but still you fight it pointlessly. Through all the pain and misery, with nothing to gain in the end, but my cousins and their duelist will end all your suffering forever.”

 

“For nothing? Clearly you’ve never had what I found a few hours ago.” Yuma smiled at the beast snarling at her for not agreeing. “Sure there are sad times and hardships. That’s life. But there are many good feelings too, and those few moments outshine all the heartaches and sufferings we endure. Now at the end of the turn, Damage Translation activates its second effect, summoning a Ghost token for each time I took effect damage this turn (DEF: 0). Then it’s my... ‘With this gulf in life points, this is as tough a situation as it gets, but I can’t let down Ancient Fairy Dragon, or everyone else. This card has to be perfect...’ Draw!” The drawn card spun on the spot, revealing exactly the monster Yuma wanted.

 

“I release Royal Magical Library to advance summon Magical Marionette.” A man in a dark metal suit covering his entire body, and draped with a red hooded cape over that, appeared before her (ATK: 2000). “Next I activate Spell Power Grasp, placing two spell counters on Marionette through their combined effects and adding another copy to my hand. Then I activate Emergency Teleport, which summons a psychic type monster from my deck. Krebons.” Yuma never used many psychic types, but Teleport was such a good card to have, especially when it could summon a tuner like the grinning jester to the field. “Now I tune Krebons with Defender the Magical Knight and my ghost token to synchro summon Arcanite Magician.”

 

A part of her wanted to summon Ancient Fairy Dragon, but Yuma had to let her head dictate her actions on this one. Instead came the wizard dressed in white robes that flared up at the shoulders and out at the waist, bulking up his appearance. He clutched a staff in his left hand, like all her family were. “When Synchro summoned, Arcanite Magician gains two spell counters and one thousand attack for each of them. Then by removing one of those counters, I can destroy one card on the field.” The tip of the staff began to glow as the magician began to channel his power into it (ATK: 1400).

 

“Your effect still cannot target Lycanthrope” Garlandolf screamed at her.

 

“Yeah yeah I’ll get to him. But right now it’s Summoned Skull who is being blasted away by my magical friend.” Indeed, with a swift striking motion with the staff, a bolt of energy flew from it and obliterated the demonic creature. “Now as your wolf, I may not be able to use my monsters effects on him, but since Marionette gains two hundred attack points for every spell counter he has, of which there are currently three, I can just bulldoze over it. Go Marionette.”

 

With a cackle, the marionette blasted at the werewolf with a beam of energy from its hands (ATK: 2600). The wolf whimpered as it was overpowered, and disappeared.

 

“Graah! Ritual Cage reduces all battle damage inflicted to my ritual monster to zero” the demon snarled.

 

“Whatever. It won’t protect you from my wizard’s direct attack.” A second blast from the slightly fainter tip of the wizard's staff struck the beast in the chest. The repugnant stench of burnt fur and flesh filled Yuma’s senses (LP: 2600).

 

[spoiler=Summary - End Turn 6]

Garlandolf - Front Row: -. Back Row: Ritual Cage, HW Tactics. Hand: 1 LP: 2600

Yuma - Front Row: Arcanite Magician, Magical Marionette Back Row: Face Down. Hand: 1 LP: 100

 

 

 

“Merely a tickle” chortled the beast, as his next card appeared in front of him. The eyes gave him away though; he was less than confident in the cards he was ‘holding’ as he searched them for answers. “I summon Souls of the Forgotten in defence, and place one card face down.” A fog appeared in front of the beast, a dark cloud that trapped several souls that Yuma could hear screaming in agony (DEF: 200).

 

“Time to end this” she declared. “I activate my final Spell Power Grasp, placing a spell counter on Arcanite Magician and restoring his attack, and Marionette also gains a counter through his effect. Then by removing two of the counters on Marionette, Souls of the Forgotten is destroyed immediately. Finally Arcanite Magician uses another of his counters to destroy your face down.”

 

“I activate the face down Threatening Roar, preventing you from declaring an attack this turn.” Garlandolf himself roared ferociously, sending a visible shockwave through the air at the two spell casters.

 

“Then I play a face down and end my turn. Looks like you are the one clinging on now.”

 

[spoiler=Summary - End Turn 8]

Garlandolf - Front Row: -. Back Row: Ritual Cage, HW Tactics. Hand: - LP: 2600

Yuma - Front Row: Arcanite Magician, Magical Marionette Back Row: Face Down x2. Hand: - LP: 100

 

 

 

A single card rose in front of the snarling demon. As it revealed itself to him, Garlandolf red eyes narrowed, and he burst out into slow, dark laughter once again. A reaction Yuma couldn’t understand.

 

“No way! There is no one card you can draw that can reverse this.”

 

“Wanna bet signer? I activate the spell card Preparation of Rites. This cards adds two other cards to my hand; the first being a ritual monster from my deck that is level seven or lower. The other is a ritual spell from my graveyard, which you know what will be.” Yuma cursed, as two cards materialised in front of the grinning fiend, one revealing itself instantly. “I activate Advanced Ritual Art. By sending Zoa from my deck to the graveyard, I can summon myself, Garlandolf, King Of Destruction!”

 

The emerald column shot skywards from the small ring of stones behind him, as the beast himself jumped high into the air. He came crashing down to earth, crackling the solid rock where his spiked fists had landed (ATK: 2500). The fiends head snapped up to stare into Yuma’s face, grin getting wider. “My effect now activates. When I am ritual summoned, all monsters on the field whose defence is lower than my attack are destroyed immediately. Then I gain a one hundred point attack bonus for each monster destroyed.”

 

Yuma gasped at what she had heard. No sooner had Garlandolf finished speaking, than a torrent of pitch black flame burst from his open jaws. Arcanite Magician and Magical Marionette were struck down instantly, leaving Yuma helpless. Snarling triumphantly, Garlandolf sprung forward from his crouching position, leaping like a wild cat onto its prey, long red claws pulled back to strike.

 

“I activate The High Priestess' Staff, negating your attack and hitting you with five hundred points of damage.” At the last second, a blonde woman holding a wizards staff appeared before Yuma and raised her weapon, creating her holy barrier. Garlandolf slammed into the force field and was thrown backwards, landing in a snarling heap (LP: 2100).

 

“How dare you Signer? I’m going to tear you apart!”

 

Desperate, Yuma pulled out her last card, her last hope. She sighed at the sight of it, this was over. There was no way she could win with this monster. She could only protect herself for a further turn at best, but if Garlandolf drew another monster, it would be over. She would let her spirit friends and her dragon down, the other signers down, everyone down.

 

“I summon Regulus in defence mode and end my turn.” A white lion covered in body armour kneeled before her, shaking its grizzly fiery mane (DEF: 1000). Garlandolf laughed sinisterly as he drew his card.

 

‘Yuma. The field is set. Call me to your aid now so that I can dispose of this beast.’

 

“But I... how...?” Yuma heard the words ring in the back of her mind. The words were strong and fierce, and so full of confidence that she did not share. She couldn’t see a way out of this.

 

Wait, the face down she had set first turn. That had to be it, she hoped. Yuma raised her arm towards it, revealing it to the demon beast, whose eyes widened in horror. A card depicting the lion knelt before him, and behind it...

 

“I activate Ancient Sunshine. Because I have Regulus on the field, I can now remove Ancient Fairy Dragon in my extra deck from play. But before she goes, she is leaving you with a parting gift. A blast of blessed sunlight that eradicates your darkness, and all of your remaining twenty one hundred life points.”

 

Behind Yuma, the holy dragon rose, its wings starting to glow white. With a screech, the world burst into light as the dragon released its blinding attack, every tree and rock suddenly disappearing from sight. Yuma had to shield her eyes from the overpowering brightness, but she could just make out ahead of her Garlandolf struggle to stand, being pushed backwards by some unseen force. With a blood curdling scream, he evaporated from the feet up, until nothing remained of him. As the glow started to fade Yuma blinked, to find the land had returned to its normal green and vibrant state.

 

“Congratulations Yuma, you defeated Garlandolf and passed the test.” Yuma turned to face the dragon, she could sense it was smiling.

 

“Only just. If you hadn’t directed me to the face down card...”

 

“We are connected by a deep bond Yuma, one that cannot be broken easily. We need your help to defeat your uncle and stop our worlds from ending, so if I you ever need guidance then I shall of course help you. I will not lie and say tomorrow will be easy and without loss; you will no doubt have to fight against terrible enemies, and the other signers will not be able to help you in all of your battles. You should also know that Demon’s fortress is surrounded by a strange veil, one that I don’t fully understand. While you are inside there, our connection could well be weakened. But you will never be alone; you have me and all the others in your deck to help you, fighting beside you until the very end. Now when you wake up, you will be back in your world. Try to gain some rest.” Yuma nodded, even though she hadn’t quite understood all of what Ancient Fairy Dragon had said. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to wake up. “And Yuma...” She opened one eye again to see the dragon still before her.

 

“Tell Red Dragon Archfiend’s signer that I do approve of him, but if he does anything to hurt you, he will have me to answer to.”

 

...

 

Yuma drowsily opened her eyes to find herself back in the hotel room, among the soft sheets of the bed. The clock on the bedside now read about quarter to three. Sabin was propped up on his side beside her, looking down at her with an expression that seemed a mix of confusion, fear and relief. She noticed he was gripping her hand quite tightly.

 

“Hey, were you having a nightmare? I heard you cry out which woke me up about twenty minutes ago, and you’ve had a pained look on your face since. I tried waking you but you wouldn’t respond...”

 

A warm feel rushed through Yuma, to see him so concerned for her. Hearing that she had reacted here to what was going on where she had been was quite a shock though. She quickly checked her body to make sure that the effects of the duel had not also carried over, prompting another confused look, but she was fine. “No, it’s okay. Ancient Fairy Dragon just thought I needed a training duel was all.”

 

“Er, I see” Sabin replied. Shrugging, he laid back down again and kissed her, making her smile playfully and wrap herself round him again. “Well, as long as you’re alright...”

 

“Better than alright.” Curling up together, the two began to drift back to sleep. “Oh yeah. Ancient Fairy Dragon said she likes you, but if you hurt me then she’ll come after you.”

 

Yuma smiled at his alarmed reaction.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Postscripts]

Damn those signer dragons just won't give our signers a break will they?

 

Sorry about making Arcanite generic, only realised on Monday and couldn't find a way around it. Hopefully the contents of the duel overlooked this. And for ignoring flip effects, I'll abandon old anime rules and duel by IRL rules next fanfic I think.

 

 

 

Anyway chapter 56 - Final Dawn - will be released Friday-ish. Will find out more about where to go from there when I post that.

[Aviv: D's Knight]

I think as a twist, Yuma should duel Demon/Fygmore and use utopia, saying something like "You don't need to destroy it all to go to Utopia, my bond with Sabin had me realize it! True Utopia is the bonds of friendship and love!"

[Lexadin]

As expected, there is now SabinxYuma.

 

All the monsters started attacking eachother? Poor "Skull Servants" they'll be pulverized.

 

So father and son are finally trying rip each others throats out, metaforically speaking of course (and perhaps litterally aswell).

 

I honestly loled at the scene where Juruo and the other boys where thrown out of the room. Just brilliant.

 

"Lycanthrope"! I love that card, its my 3rd most fav Ritual. Only second to "Ruin"/"Demise". Though I personally use a more high ATK Normal Monster Deck, with "Exodius" but seeing as it's not a pure-"Lycanthrophe" Deck, I gues I can understand. Though I'd chosen for using Lvl 3 Normals beside Lvl 4s and Summoned Skull in "Garlandorf's" position.

 

Anyway, it was a good chapter.

[Vector Nightmare]

I returned, and I had the pleasure of reading no less than 4 chapters, almost in a row. Dominik vs the XYZ fellow, Hikari versus Juruo, Sabin versus Hikari, and the relatively random Yuma versus Ganondorf Garlandorf.

 

I did not like Dominik vs XYZ excessively much. In fact you could say that this duel was a bit excessive in its demands of suspension of disbelief, having Dominik make draws that could make Yusei feel excessive jealousy. The exceedingly awesome concept of speed = win remained, and I liked the way Dominik exceeded his limits. In fact, the excess... alright, I'll stop. While an entertaining match, with a nice ending, it just felt a bit out of place there.

 

Dark!Hikari versus Juruo was expected. The outcome was not, and it was overall a pretty well-handled duel, both atmosphere-wise and game-wise. Just to note, obligatory effects like the Dark World monsters, you don't have to worry about missing the timing, and they will activate even if their discard (or, more generally, the thing that triggered their effects) was not the last thing to happen in the current chain. The important part to remember is the difference between discarding and sending to the Graveyard, and the difference between discarding by an effect and discarding in general (including a cost). But I did not spot any errors myself there.

 

Sabin versus Dark!Hikari was very amazing, especially how it was started with Sabin taking over for Juruo. I really liked the 'wtf, you didn't even deal 1 damage?!' part. Sabin's misplay and skipping Thousand Arms' cost weren't very important to me, especially since the latter ended up in a decent, yet mildly cliche situation. The most annoying part was the requirements for Chaos Goddess. I wish she was that easy to bring out, but... Anyway, Umbra pointed out correctly that the highlight in this duel was the gauntlet-style match. I found it very nice for this game, and though I rejoiced at the hints of Sabin x Hikari there, I guess it was pretty much settled a while back that he'd end up with Yuma. Which was not a disappointing conclusion. Nice to see Hikari came to her senses, although pretty much all possible romance has been taken away from her in these two chapters. I disliked how she threw away her deck - a mix of Lightlords, Demon Roar Gods, and Dark World monsters would be quite the godly deck choice.

 

And finally, 55. A necessary Yuma development chapter, but I could've wished you didn't pick such a tired way to do it. Especially since the situation seemed mostly controlled by Ancient Fairy, it definitely lacked excitement, and the choice of opponent was mehish. That said, the out-of-duel stuff made up for it, with Erin being awesome once more, Sabin x Yuma becoming official canon, and some needed exposition on Dominik's front. So overall, I'd say the chapter was on the better side.

 

What was great about these chapters was that the Hikari situation was resolved in an appropriate and exciting manner. I was afraid you'd sort of gimp that plot line in favor of space, but you did very well. It seems we've pretty much cut down to the chase by now. Raesir, Gears, Erin, Demon and Fygmorke need to be dealt with yet, as I don't think another villain will make an appearance at this stage (XYZ was a stretch). It does seem inter-villain conflict is prominent now, so I guess you can fit these in less chapters than I'd have otherwise thought. I'm pretty curious as to what the next chapter will entail.

 

Good job, overall.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

I think as a twist, Yuma should duel Demon/Fygmore and use utopia, saying something like "You don't need to destroy it all to go to Utopia, my bond with Sabin had me realize it! True Utopia is the bonds of friendship and love!"

 

New commenter! Woohoo!

 

To tell the truth Umbra has (in another thread) asked about the inclusion of No 39 Utopia, as part of Fygmorke's deck. I'm inclined to say to have an xyz in anyones deck on its own (as opposed to XYZ's specific deck) would fall into the 'how the hell did that get there, boo!!!' category imo. Love and laugh at that line at the same time. So cheesy but it is what it says. :D

 

As expected, there is now SabinxYuma.

 

All the monsters started attacking eachother? Poor "Skull Servants" they'll be pulverized.

 

So father and son are finally trying rip each others throats out, metaforically speaking of course (and perhaps litterally aswell).

 

I honestly loled at the scene where Juruo and the other boys where thrown out of the room. Just brilliant.

 

"Lycanthrope"! I love that card, its my 3rd most fav Ritual. Only second to "Ruin"/"Demise". Though I personally use a more high ATK Normal Monster Deck, with "Exodius" but seeing as it's not a pure-"Lycanthrophe" Deck, I gues I can understand. Though I'd chosen for using Lvl 3 Normals beside Lvl 2s and Summoned Skull in "Garlandorf's" position.

 

Anyway, it was a good chapter.

 

I made absolutely sure this one wasn't as out of the blue as Erin x Juruo.

 

Yep, seems without a leader the mindless zombies went back to being... mindless zombies. Skull Servants always get pulverzied, although in this situation the numbers may help. Doubt it though.

 

You have no idea.... ahahaha ahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHA!!!

 

I just love Mel's blissful ignorance to this things. Makes me laugh.

 

I assume you meant level two monsters instead of four? The point is to send as many as possible to the grave for Lycanthrope though, as well as protect with Human Wave to then bring out Summoned Skull/Zoa/whatever. But anyway, thought it would be a nice mixup.

 

I returned, and I had the pleasure of reading no less than 4 chapters, almost in a row. Dominik vs the XYZ fellow, Hikari versus Juruo, Sabin versus Hikari, and the relatively random Yuma versus Ganondorf Garlandorf.

 

I did not like Dominik vs XYZ excessively much. In fact you could say that this duel was a bit excessive in its demands of suspension of disbelief, having Dominik make draws that could make Yusei feel excessive jealousy. The exceedingly awesome concept of speed = win remained, and I liked the way Dominik exceeded his limits. In fact, the excess... alright, I'll stop. While an entertaining match, with a nice ending, it just felt a bit out of place there.

 

Dark!Hikari versus Juruo was expected. The outcome was not, and it was overall a pretty well-handled duel, both atmosphere-wise and game-wise. Just to note, obligatory effects like the Dark World monsters, you don't have to worry about missing the timing, and they will activate even if their discard (or, more generally, the thing that triggered their effects) was not the last thing to happen in the current chain. The important part to remember is the difference between discarding and sending to the Graveyard, and the difference between discarding by an effect and discarding in general (including a cost). But I did not spot any errors myself there.

 

Sabin versus Dark!Hikari was very amazing, especially how it was started with Sabin taking over for Juruo. I really liked the 'wtf, you didn't even deal 1 damage?!' part. Sabin's misplay and skipping Thousand Arms' cost weren't very important to me, especially since the latter ended up in a decent, yet mildly cliche situation. The most annoying part was the requirements for Chaos Goddess. I wish she was that easy to bring out, but... Anyway, Umbra pointed out correctly that the highlight in this duel was the gauntlet-style match. I found it very nice for this game, and though I rejoiced at the hints of Sabin x Hikari there, I guess it was pretty much settled a while back that he'd end up with Yuma. Which was not a disappointing conclusion. Nice to see Hikari came to her senses, although pretty much all possible romance has been taken away from her in these two chapters. I disliked how she threw away her deck - a mix of Lightlords, Demon Roar Gods, and Dark World monsters would be quite the godly deck choice.

 

And finally, 55. A necessary Yuma development chapter, but I could've wished you didn't pick such a tired way to do it. Especially since the situation seemed mostly controlled by Ancient Fairy, it definitely lacked excitement, and the choice of opponent was mehish. That said, the out-of-duel stuff made up for it, with Erin being awesome once more, Sabin x Yuma becoming official canon, and some needed exposition on Dominik's front. So overall, I'd say the chapter was on the better side.

 

What was great about these chapters was that the Hikari situation was resolved in an appropriate and exciting manner. I was afraid you'd sort of gimp that plot line in favor of space, but you did very well. It seems we've pretty much cut down to the chase by now. Raesir, Gears, Erin, Demon and Fygmorke need to be dealt with yet, as I don't think another villain will make an appearance at this stage (XYZ was a stretch). It does seem inter-villain conflict is prominent now, so I guess you can fit these in less chapters than I'd have otherwise thought. I'm pretty curious as to what the next chapter will entail.

 

Good job, overall.

 

Good, put more Dead Zone up. B)

 

Dominik vs XYZ - Didn't even notice the puns there. Here's something you may wish to know, that wasn't the ending I wanted. If such a card had existed, I would have liked Dominik to fall 100-200 points short with his attack (XYZ having recovered more LP with Damage Eraser) and have to end his turn. Just when it all looks lost and XYZ is about to play Overboost, Dominik activates a trap that does damage when his speed counters increase by a card effect. That would have been good. But as it was, I admit it was filler, I just wanted to use XYZ monsters and I was hoping you'd all love it. 3 great draws was a stretch, but could be worse, could reveal all the top 5 cards of your deck are tune... oh wait...

 

Gauntlet Match - Who's a Mary Sue now? nyak nyak nyak. Happy to take your comments on board about heros need to legitametly lose sometime. Hadn't watched any of the series when this started but having now got 125 episodes into 5D's and still waiting for Yusei to lose one match (I know he never will) has just got so dull. As for the second half, glad you enjoyed. Bout time Sabin became more awesome in terms of major major duels. Chaos Goddess, so annoying, it was such a good play as well even though I had to cheat dammit! Don't quite understand what you mean about her romance being lost though? As for a mix of three archtypes, way too busy.

 

Yuma vs Garlandolf - As I stated at the top this duel was a last minute, but I felt needed addition to the card. I can see where you are coming from with AFD and I am working on that, indeed added a bit to the next chapter and subsequents to try and address her, we'll see how that goes. Erin is always awesome. Canon?

 

Yep, final few straights now. It's GEAR! No plural! GE-AR! *mock anger*

 

Glad you all are enjoying this still.

[Vector Nightmare]

Good, put more Dead Zone up. B)

 

I will, soon enough.

 

Dominik vs XYZ - Didn't even notice the puns there. Here's something you may wish to know, that wasn't the ending I wanted. If such a card had existed, I would have liked Dominik to fall 100-200 points short with his attack (XYZ having recovered more LP with Damage Eraser) and have to end his turn. Just when it all looks lost and XYZ is about to play Overboost, Dominik activates a trap that does damage when his speed counters increase by a card effect. That would have been good. But as it was, I admit it was filler, I just wanted to use XYZ monsters and I was hoping you'd all love it. 3 great draws was a stretch, but could be worse, could reveal all the top 5 cards of your deck are tune... oh wait...

 

I guess yeah, using Yusei as an example is like... no.

 

Gauntlet Match - Who's a Mary Sue now? nyak nyak nyak. Happy to take your comments on board about heros need to legitametly lose sometime. Hadn't watched any of the series when this started but having now got 125 episodes into 5D's and still waiting for Yusei to lose one match (I know he never will) has just got so dull. As for the second half, glad you enjoyed. Bout time Sabin became more awesome in terms of major major duels. Chaos Goddess, so annoying, it was such a good play as well even though I had to cheat dammit! Don't quite understand what you mean about her romance being lost though? As for a mix of three archtypes, way too busy.

 

I meant that with Juruo dedicated to Erin and with Sabin now on top of Yuma, there's not many men left for her to pick up.

 

Yuma vs Garlandolf - As I stated at the top this duel was a last minute, but I felt needed addition to the card. I can see where you are coming from with AFD and I am working on that, indeed added a bit to the next chapter and subsequents to try and address her, we'll see how that goes. Erin is always awesome. Canon?

 

Canon is... basically, it refers to it being true in the story, as opposed to fan speculation, like most pairings are. Even though Yuma x Sabin had been hinted at for a while, it wasn't canon until you actually confirmed their relationship, either with explicit statements or actions.

 

Yep, final few straights now. It's GEAR! No plural! GE-AR! *mock anger*

 

Aah. I was kinda looking at how his name could be a bit less, y'know, blaringly obvious as a pun, and that's what I came up with...

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

I will, soon enough.

 

I need to Internet just so I can keep reading it and Dark Doorway. Really need it soon!!!

 

I guess yeah, using Yusei as an example is like... no.

 

Yusei would be cool if it wasn't for the unbeatable-ness/unbeatability.

 

I meant that with Juruo dedicated to Erin and with Sabin now on top of Yuma, there's not many men left for her to pick up.

 

I love how delicately you put that. Classy Saber, classy. :lol:

 

Canon is... basically, it refers to it being true in the story, as opposed to fan speculation, like most pairings are. Even though Yuma x Sabin had been hinted at for a while, it wasn't canon until you actually confirmed their relationship, either with explicit statements or actions.

 

Oh I see, gotcha.

 

Aah. I was kinda looking at how his name could be a bit less, y'know, blaringly obvious as a pun, and that's what I came up with...

 

You have to have pun names, we've been over this. They're good for chapter titles (i.e. Raesir's Edge, Torment Eterniaal)

[Fusion X. Denver]

Finally found time to read everything v.v

This arc took a turn for the better. I liked the focus on Hikari and the end of it; like Saber said, it had enough exposition and was wrapped up nicely. Personally, I believe JuruoxHikari will happen, but you tend to do the exact opposite of what's expected from me, so I can see him and Erin happening too.

The duels have been getting even better, although I'm sorry to say: Ravenous Black was probably the first one to do Xyz in his YGO fic :T

Demon and Fygmorke betraying each other was cool. I really don't know what's gonna happen regarding the villains, makes things more interesting.

So I'm back on board, looking forward to 56.

Oh, and good luck moving!

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Finally found time to read everything v.v

This arc took a turn for the better. I liked the focus on Hikari and the end of it; like Saber said, it had enough exposition and was wrapped up nicely. Personally, I believe JuruoxHikari will happen, but you tend to do the exact opposite of what's expected from me, so I can see him and Erin happening too.

The duels have been getting even better, although I'm sorry to say: Ravenous Black was probably the first one to do Xyz in his YGO fic :T

Demon and Fygmorke betraying each other was cool. I really don't know what's gonna happen regarding the villains, makes things more interesting.

So I'm back on board, looking forward to 56.

Oh, and good luck moving!

 

No worries, we all have busy lives (mine's about to get frantic as we all know). Thanks man.

 

Did he? I kept checking other fics but I must have missed his. If he was first, then he was first and fair play to him. I'll happily leave it at mine just being better. B)

 

I do it to spite you, mwahahahaha! no I'm kidding, glad this isn't too predictable. As for what's going to happen to everyone, well after this chapter it is just going to be the main party and villians from when we return so what, 12 characters? I've got it all drafted up as to the end and everyone's fate is pretty much set in stone now for the first time or as good as. Now I am just trying to work out how the final few duels will go down and how a few things will work before writing them up.

 

I'm halfway through writing chapter 60 at present by the way, but just noticed I made a major mess up so am having to redo some of it <_< . (Edit for anyone who cares: Error fixed. Was to do with reviving cards that can't be revived, just had to swap some traps so that the monster wasn't destroyed in first place. Means I can't use two cards that were good in the situation though. Damn you all guilting me into being accurate with card effects!!!)

 

I've repped all the people who have posted/commented on this thread as a thank you for the feedback and generally being awesome. (Catlover, Komma and Kakashi if you're still reading this, you'll get your reps tomorrow because I've ran out). Thanks again guys. Also speaking of tomorrow, I'm going to be mega busy, so I'll put the chapter up now. Hopefully this is a decent pit stop for this extended hiatus, then when I come back (hopefully end of August/early September) we can have one long unbroken run to the finish. ALTERNATIVELY, I could keep a key to dad's house and keep breaking in and posting on his Internet. :D Well no, only if I'm away for too long will I do that.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling, so chapter 56, entitled Final Dawn. Ripping from Saber and Dead Zone a bit here, this is the last duelless chapter of the story (sorry about that) but hopefully it closes a few things and sets up for the final battles to come. Comments on this chapter, and indeed the story as a whole would be nice to leave on.

 

[spoiler=Chapter 56]

Chapter 56 - Final Dawn

 

Rays of the morning sunshine crept over the horizon, far out to sea. For what might well be the final time, morning was breaking over the Empire. The skies were clear after a stormy night, dewdrops reflected the light off the leaves of trees and plants across the countryside, as the world began to wake for the dawn of the apocalypse.

 

Sat in the doorway of his temple hidden away among the cliffs overlooking the sea, the spirit being Seishin was sat in a meditating position. His two regular eyes were closed, the third above and centre on his forehead wide open as he let his mind float through another reality, getting lost in the energies flowing around the world. Seishin paid no attention to the circular stone gateway behind him in the depths of the temple, which was emanating red mist as it was open for an arrival. He could sense, but did not react, as another being passed through the portal, coughing slightly and waving away the mist with a thick wooden arm before it walked the length of the temple to where he was meditating. With its bulky inflexible body the arrival awkwardly sat itself down beside him, unable to cross its thick trunk like legs like the other spirit had, eventually speaking when comfortable.

 

“Do you believe you will see another sunrise here Seishin?” Inpachi asked.

 

“I have seen many sunrises, enough to be content with” Seishin replied cryptically, his mind returning to his physical body and opening his two normal eyes.

 

“You do not believe that the signers will succeed then?”

 

“I am a master of duel monsters Inpachi. I know everything about every card ever played. Once the card ‘Final Countdown’ is activated in a duel, all the opponent facing it can do is win before time runs out. There is no other way to stop it. Once the time is up, and the ring is complete, it is over immediately. If the fires above mirror the effect of the card that they came from, then I cannot see how the signers can stop Armageddon.”

 

“You already said it, by winning before time runs out.”

 

“And how do you propose that they win?” Seishin snapped at the tree spirit irritably. “You think that by one of them just defeating Demon in a duel, that those fires will suddenly, magically go away?” Inpachi attempted to answer him, but couldn’t come up with anything satisfactory and fell into silence. “I’m sorry my friend, but my soul is prepared for the afterlife that awaits it, if there is one to be awaited.”

 

“Well you can give up if you want, but I know the signers won’t” Inpachi retorted. “You know the strength of the three we’ve met, and I’ve heard good things about the other three. They will find a way. Somehow.”

 

Seishin did not react, instead simply stared out at the calm ocean. Inpachi joined him in the serene state of peace, taking in the beauty of the nature around them for a few precious hours more.

 

...

 

In a small village on the edge of the Ascorsa Mountains, Emily Daisuke stepped out into her brothers back garden and into the morning light. The first thing she saw was the devastation in the village that had occurred over the last few nights. Attacks from hideous, unholy creatures had been frequent over the last few nights. Houses had been laid to waste, people had been left dead in the streets. Emily and her brother’s family had survived due to a hidden basement in their home, built during the war between the Empire and the old Ascorsa state. Although the monsters had found the house to be empty, everything had been ransacked and destroyed.

 

Emily had no idea of what was going on, but she had a feeling her son was heavily involved. Mother’s intuition, perhaps. She had had no contact with Juruo since the day he told her he would join the fight against the Empire and that she would be safer by going away. That was nearly a month ago. Since then she had heard about Nero’s death via a radio broadcast, but no mention of Juruo. She read the obituaries in the papers every day, fearing the worst, but his name never appeared. But if he had died fighting the corrupt state, then his death could well have been covered up, an unnamed soldier, a traitor. No, she hadn’t seen his name listed because he was still alive. She missed her son and feared for him every day, but if he had the same instincts as his father, she could still hope.

 

High in the morning sky above her, those two long arcs of fire, separated from each other by just a small gap now, loomed large, making her shudder. She had noticed - how could she not - the direct correlation between the growth of these fires and the appearance and attacks by the monsters. It was like the laws of science, nature, and even God were being torn apart and thrown aside as unholy devils ran amuck. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from instinctively praying, to anyone or anything that might be listening.

 

“Stay safe Juruo, and do whatever you can for us.”

 

...

 

They were rioting again.

 

Sitting upright on his top bunk of his cell, Prens Hirzliar groaned. He had no interest in being caught in this. The detention facility of the southern city Citta del Cascata was not renowned for holding many hardened criminals. Despite the rich status of the city, crime was kept well under control. But over the last few days, the prisoners had lost all sense of self control and had been fighting non-stop. The guards had left the facility and barricaded the outside, leaving the scum to their own fate. No order was established, just absolute carnage.

 

Hirz looked out of the window at the thing that had caused this. That giant uncompleted ring, of which he could only see two or three of the spheres of fire of from his cell due to the things enormity, was casting its shadow across the world. Some said it was a sign of the rapture. Hirz did not particularly believe in things like heaven or hell – religion and life after death is not high in the minds of most criminals. But even his insides squirmed at the thought of the end of the world. He had nothing to live for. He would most probably spend the rest of his life in jail. But still, he didn’t want to die. Maybe deep down he was scared of what would happen to him after all.

 

“Sabin, if what you said is true, and you are fighting for the world’s future, you better damn well succeed. Or my ghost is going to curse the hell out of you.”

 

...

 

The group of priests of the church in the slums of the capital were preparing for their morning prayers. Lighting candles, sweeping the front steps, tuning the organ, that kind of thing. Numbers at the church had increased rapidly recently. Hardly surprising with the mood around town, due to those fires overhead that were just short of forming a complete ring. As the sun rose over the buildings, the long morning shadows distorted and took wicked shapes in the eyes of those up at dawn. Perhaps paranoia was playing on the people’s minds, or perhaps it was sign of the terror to come.

 

The young priest sweeping the front steps looked up at the statues at the top. The three angels covering their eyes, ears and mouth. He gulped inwardly. As far as he was concerned, the angels had abandoned them. The fires hanging in the morning sky were a sign of the apocalypse and once they were all gathered, all the wicked and damned would be struck down. But there seemed to be no-one ascending and avoiding this grizzly fate as the teaching predicted. Was this world really that full of sin? Had God decided that it was beyond saving and to wipe the slate clean entirely, casting off all his people to the fire to begin afresh? Or was this the work of a devil more powerful than their God?

 

The priest rejoined the others at the front altar. At the back was a small array of flowers and other items that had been gathered in a shrine for the late Father Bartholomew, the previous high minister who had been brutally murdered by the servants of the Empire. Obviously there was no proof but there didn’t need to be; everyone knew this because they had seen him with that girl on many occasions, the one who was trying so hard to fight against the Empire, and that his association with her was making him enemies. But still he had always felt supporting her was the right thing to do. The girl herself had disappeared. Maybe somewhere she was still fighting for them all. All they could do was pray.

 

Each priest clasped their hands and prayed for the fallen, and for the souls of the living.

 

...

 

The village graveyard was a solemn place in the dawn sunlight. The long shadows cast by the stones, the early morning bird song and sight of a bunny rabbit hopping through the long grass. It was all quite serene, unlike the previous days and nights that had been endured by the villagers. Freya stood in front of her husband’s gravestone with a small handful of flowers and wept. She had been lucky that she had avoided attacks from those creatures so far; those terrifying bug like creatures with black hides and wings that came and attacked people at random. Not to eat, just for wicked fun it seemed.

 

No, she wasn’t lucky. She wished they had got her instead of her friends. She had lost enough already. Her husband was dead, and she was sure her daughter, who had disappeared the same night, was too. If not worse, she could have been taken by Dravir. Whilst she was being made to suffer alone, in the midst of this chaos, waiting for those fires burning in the daybreak to... she did not intend to stick around to find out whatever horror they would unleash. Laying the flowers at her husband’s stone, her hands tightly gripped the length of rope she was holding.

 

Freya gasped as in front of her, the ghostly image of an enormous, slender blue serpent with golden armour, pink wings and big sad eyes appeared from nowhere.

 

“Stop Freya, do not give up yet. Yuma is alive and fighting to save both our worlds. Keep hold of your hope. If you survive to see another morning sunrise, then I promise your daughter will return to you safely.”

 

Before Freya could reply, the serpent disappeared, leaving her staring at thin air. Yuma was still alive?

 

She dropped the rope and returned home, clinging to the last glimmer of hope offered by the serpent.

 

...

 

“Big bro!”

 

Carla jumped into her brother’s arms as he got off his duel runner. He had just re-entered the city by the northern gate, which they and Warren were stood in front of now. The hoards of zombies that had been outside had mostly gone now, having torn into each other mindlessly, whilst archers picked off any stragglers. Dominik winced as the weight of his little sister crashed into him, but he grinned none the less.

 

“I’m glad you’re safe Carla. I’ll protect you from those who would hurt you, no matter what.” Carla laughed in his arms and hugged him tightly, as he turned to the older guard. “Any news?”

 

“Haven’t been able to contact either Luca or Tyrana yet sir.”

 

“Damn, I hope they are alright. They have to be. We’re relying on them, and the others.”

 

“You mean to get rid of those things in the sky?” Carla looked at her brother, going from supreme happiness to terrified in a blink. “They scare me. They bring bad things, I know it. But the gang are going to make them go away right? Soon?”

 

“I have no doubt they will” Dominik forced a reassuring smile, making Carla beam and hug him again. Inside, he and Warren could only hope that their confidence was well placed.

 

...

 

As daylight began to seep through their curtains, Juruo and Luca were already awake. They had spent the night in a room on the top floor of three and had managed to get a few hours sleep; which Juruo felt much better for despite still being tender after his duel with Hikari. The two boys showered in the on-suite (the boiler had been ruined by monster attacks, so it was freezing) and dressed in silence. This was done because in the far bed, Mel was still sleeping soundly. It had been agreed by four of the group last night that he - however heartless it was - was to be left behind here, in the hope that the village would go without attack whilst the signers took on Demon’s allies of darkness. They faced unknown danger that he should not be put in way of, and they did not want to expose him again to the sorcerer who had bewitched him. Juruo felt a pang of regret at this decision, it being done with the best intentions didn’t make it settle with him any easier. Ready to leave, Luca opened the door for them, and they crept out, leaving Melanc to dream.

 

Quickly making their way downstairs, Luca knocked on the girl’s door. Tyrana let them in. She was ready to go, but Hikari was still getting dressed in their bathroom so the boys were admitted to sit and wait, the punkette making them all a coffee with the tea set provided in the room. Ten minutes later Hikari emerged, still baring the bruises after her gruelling battles from yesterday, but rejuvenated after being released from the grip controlling her. She accepted the coffee Luca passed her, added a few sugars, and sat beside Juruo.

 

“Please tell me you’ve recovered after what I did to you yesterday?”

 

Juruo nodded reassuringly. “You didn’t do this to me remember, not really. I’ve got use to the knocks by now, they won’t stop me.”

Hikari breathed a sigh of relief. “What about you two? You’ve been thrown in at the deep end in all this; you’ll be seeing Demon and the rest of his group for the first time today. You feel up for it?”

 

“I’m always up for it. I’ll take it to all of them” Luca took a mock boxers stance with confident swagger, taking a few swings at invisible foes whilst Tyrana rolled her eyes at him. Eyes which then turned to the claw mark on her arm, the opposite of Hikari’s.

 

“I understand what is on the line, and I won’t let anything faze me. Myself and Luca have been chosen for the virtues we showed battling Nero, and we will stand by those virtues against Demon too.”

 

The group next found themselves hammering on the door of the room that had been commandeered by Sabin last night. “Come on guys, we’ve got to go” Luca shouted at the locked door, before going back to hitting it. Finally there was the clink of locks being released, and the door opened to allow Sabin out, holding Yuma’s hand as she followed him. He was ready to go, duel shield armed and game face on, whilst Yuma was fiddling with her little bag that hung from her shoulder, containing her deck.

 

“We’re all ready?” Sabin asked rhetorically, prompting several nods. “Alright then, let’s do this.”

 

Filing into the reception, Luca settled the bill. The receptionist was visibly shaking and edgy in her check out speech, repeating herself several times as she lost concentration. In the restaurant, where Sabin had gone to get a bacon roll, the other guests up at this time were silent. Few were able to touch their food. Some were drinking spirits, heavily. Everyone bore the same pale expression. Gulping on his roll, Sabin returned to the others, and they left the hotel. After last night’s storm, it was bright today with a little cloud cover, making the final journey a little less arduous. The group were quiet as they turned the corner to find their runners that were parked around the back. The three machines that had taken them faithfully across the length of the Empire were ready for the final leg of their journey. Juruo, Sabin and Tyrana fired them up, the engines purring smoothly.

 

“Wait. Wait!”

 

The signer’s heads jerked up as they heard the desperate shouts coming from the inn. Sprinting around the corner of the building, Mel came hurtling into view. He came to stop in front of Juruo’s runner, leaning against it as he got his breath back. “You guys were going to leave me behind! After everything we’ve all been through you cut me from the final fight. Not cool guys, not cool.”

 

“For your own safety Mel” Luca said from the other runner. “This is something only we can do...”

 

“So it’s because I haven’t got a mark? I’m still part of the team, and I can still help. You can’t leave me here in this village. I’ll go crazy waiting and not knowing what’s happening. And what about my sister? Please Juruo, let me come with.”

 

There was a long pause as the others all looked at Juruo. Finally he nodded. Mel broke into a broad grin as Hikari sat back to give him room, so that he could sit between the two of them. “Thanks Juruo” he said as he climbed between them. “I’ll do my best for you guys k?”

 

“I know you will Mel. Now let’s go.”

 

The group rode out of the village, heading for the towering mountains ahead of them. Somewhere in there, their enemies were waiting.

 

...

 

Making their way through the mountains was a frustrating process, one that involved getting lost annoyingly frequently. The group had got maps from the hotel, but every mountain road looked the same, every rock face and snowdrift identical as they plunged deeper into the maze. The GPS systems were next to useless, as they only pointed in the general direction of the castle, and pointed to it in a straight line; not in a way which navigated for them a path. With every dead end came increased anger and worry as time began to tick away, the sun seemed to be hurtling across the sky much more quickly today.

 

“For god’s sake, it’s like the minotaur’s labyrinth out here” Sabin moaned, having driven down yet another trail that had almost dropped him and Yuma straight into a gorge.

 

Nobody commented on the guys surprising knowledge of ancient history. They were too busy pouring over their respective maps, trying to work out where they had already been. Even this, even just trying to work out where they were now, was tricky to impossible. Sighing heavily, hopelessly lost with the sands of time slipping away through life’s hourglass, Hikari sat back in her seat and looked upwards at the sky despite knowing the sight that was waiting for her. Those accursed balls of flame that were staring down at them, laughing at them. But there was still time, and as long as there was time there was hope. There was a purring noise in her ear, and she jumped in surprise as Rinyan appeared in her lap. The cat pawed at her stomach, looking and sounding most distressed.

 

“Rinyan. What’s wrong?”

 

The others turned to observe what was happening between duelist and spirit. Usually Hikari could easily tell what was going through the cats mind, but now she was confused. “I don’t understand” she kept saying, as the cat continued to meow with increased agitation.

 

Next came a cry from above, and the group looked up to see the small electric blue baby dragon, Juruo’s Decoy Dragon, floating above them by flapping its small wings frantically to stay afloat. There was another cry, and it was off. Sabin turned to Juruo.

 

“We following him?”

 

Juruo nodded; it had been proven in the past that the baby dragon had a keen instinct and could sense the path that he or the group should take. Spinning the runner on its axis, Juruo set off after it with the others in pursuit, following after the little dragon for what would be the final time.

 

...

 

In the spirit world, Ancient Fairy Dragon found herself flying through the dark and stormy sky. Storms like this were a rare occurrence in this world, and this one was more vicious than most. To think it had nothing to do with the countdown to Armageddon, the fires of which were floating ominously in the space high above even her, would be naive. It really wasn’t flying weather, but thankfully her journey was a short one, and was nearly at an end. She was sure she would be scolded for delaying for arrival, but she had her reasons; Yuma’s training could make all the difference. Appearing before her mother just to reassure about Yuma just as she was about to commit the unthinkable was a lucky chance, but one she was thankful of.

 

A single mountain appeared in distance, and she rose higher to reach her destination. Approaching rapidly, she could see the temple atop of it, the temple of the Crimson Dragon. A great circular pantheon supported by marble columns on the outside, the roof was open to allow admittance. However, as she descended inside the arena, she could feel the barrier surrounding the place ripple, one that would keep out the lightening and the rain. All that the temple contained was six stone pedestals, each floating above a sea of white energy. The other five pedestals were occupied as Ancient Fairy Dragon landed; she was the last of the signer dragons to arrive. She shook off some of the rain, keeping one eye on the ‘front’ of the temple, a tablet that ran from the roof down into the portal below, the mark of the Crimson Dragon carved into the stone.

 

“You’re late sister” came a slightly muscial, yet definately male voice; telekinetically of course. The arrival turned her head towards the speaker perched on the next podium, the great golden Life Stream Dragon. He was glaring at her.

 

“I had things to do with my signer; she is not as battle hardened as yours. But my last minute arrival allows me to bring you news.” On each of the other podiums, the other signers perked up and stared intently at her. Any new information could be crucial. “Our world and the world of humans are now almost one. While I was flying here, I could see humans, everyday people, slipping into this world like our kind have gone into theirs. The walls separating our realities are razor thin, perhaps irreparable.”

 

“Are you saying that the collapse of reality has reached a point of no return?” came a booming voice. Red Dragon Archfiend had sat up; flames were starting to building in its jaws.

 

Ancient Fairy Dragon shook her head. “I don’t know. This doomsday is as much of an unknown to us as the signers themselves. But our fate may no longer be in our hands.” Solemn silence filled the temple.

 

...

 

After twenty minutes of slow driving following the little dragon through convoluted and obscure roads, the group found themselves on a winding track that was recognised by a few; the road looking over a precipice that they had tried to run away down, before their rescue by Seishin after Demon had appeared in their tracks and killed fellow captive Aerial. This place had been so close all the time yet hidden by the tall mountains surrounding it; they could have driven forever and not found it. But now they were close, heading up the winding road for the front door. The doors of the castle made of dark stone that was half buried into the rock face, a grim and gloomy looking place that fitted the title of Glamisery. The runners came to a stop outside the doors. A cool wind blew softly in their ears as they stared up at the towering base ahead of the home, the origin of the madness consuming the world. Everything was silent. Everything was still.

 

Juruo gasped as the dragon, which had settled into his lap once they had got onto this last road, buried its small face in his ribs and hugged him awkwardly, crying softly. He could hear Hikari as the same thing happened to her with Rinyan. The others watched in amazement as the two little spirits hung onto their companions for dear life, before they slowly faded into nothingness.

 

“What was that about?” Mel asked.

 

“Dunno. Could be something to do with this place, or what we’re about to do. What we are about to face.”

 

“Maybe. Or maybe it has something to do with that” Luca said, looking up having noticed the time on the computer of the runner he was on. 11:57. Everyone’s heads craned up towards the sky, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, there was a small glowing sphere beginning to emerge in one of the gaps between the long arcs of fire. It twisted and contorted as it started to grow. After a minute of transfixing allure, fireball number nineteen was at full size, now the two arcs had been joined in one long loop that was just short, just twelve hours from completion.

 

“Yeah, I’d say that might have something to do with” Juruo remarked, before bringing his focus back to the door. Last time this thing had been locked tight, and he had only been able to enter by flying in on Phalanx. This time Tyrana was going to take care of it. Placing her Jurrac Tyrannus card into her duel shield, the giant fire breathing raptor emerged, and charged the door. It was met with stubborn resistance as it slammed its weight into it. The process continued for a minute, the silence broken only by the thud of muscle and scales on thick oak. The door still wouldn’t budge.

 

As Tyrannus backed up and prepared for another charge, there was a chink of metal, followed by a groan of gears and chains, as the doors pulled themselves open of their own accord. Slowly they opened to their fullest, revealing the grand entrance hall behind it. A welcome from the devil. The group exchanged scared glances at this strange admittance, but it was not to be turned down. There was no turning back now. Resolved to whatever awaited them, the signers rolled into the castle where their enemies, known and maybe more, led by the traitor Erin, the mysterious Fygmorke, and the mastermind - Demon, would be waiting.

 

 

[EndlessOcean]

This Story is EPIC.

 

 

Had to say that.

 

Anyway, I really enjoy your writing, you make everything fit in with everything else. The story flows nicely(?), and your Character Development is brilliant.

 

Also, I would break into your dads house.

[Aviv: D's Knight]

That was a great chapter, and I'm not new. I've been reading doorway, armageddon, and dead zone for a long time. Also, how Yuma would get it would be that her last gift from the spirits, with there energy they created a new hope (card).

[Lexadin]

I don't want to sound as a smart-ass by correcting Seishin, but if you would move the turncount back, by for example 10 turns everyturn, you can basicly negate the progress of "Final Countdown" effectively beating it.

 

Bug like creatures with black hides? Inverz perhaps?

 

Mhh, I didn't quite expect "LSD" to speak with a melodic voice, but ok.

 

Anyway, I must say that I enjoyed the upbuild of tention, giving many characters that haven't been seen that much, a voice aswell.

 

Good work, I'll await for your return and the next chapter.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

This Story is EPIC.

 

Had to say that.

 

Anyway, I really enjoy your writing, you make everything fit in with everything else. The story flows nicely(?), and your Character Development is brilliant.

 

Also, I would break into your dads house.

 

Thank you, glad you enjoy.

 

That was a great chapter, and I'm not new. I've been reading doorway, armageddon, and dead zone for a long time. Also, how Yuma would get it would be that her last gift from the spirits, with there energy they created a new hope (card).

 

Didn't say new reader, said new commentor.

 

It's an idea.

 

I don't want to sound as a smart-ass by correcting Seishin, but if you would move the turncount back, by for example 10 turns everyturn, you can basicly negate the progress of "Final Countdown" effectively beating it.

 

Bug like creatures with black hides? Inverz perhaps?

 

Mhh, I didn't quite expect "LSD" to speak with a melodic voice, but ok.

 

Anyway, I must say that I enjoyed the upbuild of tention, giving many characters that haven't been seen that much, a voice aswell.

 

Good work, I'll await for your return and the next chapter.

 

Any cards like that exist?

 

Yes Inverz. They seem like the kind of monsters who kill for laughs.

 

I thought it would suck if all the male dragons had 'deep booming manly voices'.

 

No worries, back soon I hope.

[Lexadin]

Any cards like that exist?

 

Yes Inverz. They seem like the kind of monsters who kill for laughs.

 

I thought it would suck if all the male dragons had 'deep booming manly voices'.

 

No worries, back soon I hope.

 

Not that I know of. Though some might've been introduced in ZeXal. I highly doubt it.

 

It does seem fitting. Seeing as they are invaders.

 

True, but I kinda expected Stardust to speak somewhat melodic. LSD is more of a warrior imo.

 

Let's just presume you'll return.

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

Wow...that's all I have to say to this fantabulous piece of work is just...incredible. I really like the way you set up the very first arc with the messed up/crappy future. It really seemed to pull me into the story. Right now, I am in the process of writing my own fan-fic, but after reading the first arc, I'm not sure that my fan-fic would stand up to this. I sat down a week ago today and started reading this fan-fic NON-STOP (this goes to show that I have no life except YCM), every chapter, for the last seven days. And yes, I have read through every chapter!

 

I appreciated the first arc because it really set the tone of what you were going for (BTW: I also like how you named your first Arc "Oppressed People", your second "People Running About", third "United Resistance", and the fourth "Huge Revolution". I think it really fits the theme of the fan-fic nicely). I would've loved to see more character development throughout the arc, however.

 

I felt like the second arc was kind of haphazard, with a lot of random duels that didn't really contribute to the story a whole lot (like the Duel with Hikari vs. Osborn, or Juruo vs. Carly (or whatever her name is)). But at the same time, it definitely had some great climaxing moments, all leading up to the end of the world. I really didn't like the love interest that Erin and Juruo had going, because it was too quick and too sudden, even if it did end up in a betrayal later.

 

The third arc is where you had the "Signer Dragons" introduced, and I thought it was taboo not to blend fan-fic with reality (in this case 5Ds). I immediately cursed and I thought it was going to turn into a Signer vs. Dark Signer battle at that point (the "meetings" that Demon, Erin, Urusula, and Raesir had kinda reminded me of it), making me wanna throw my computer across the room as yet another great fan-fic writer falls into the 5D's trap. However, you easily picked up at what the original plot is, and the Signer Marks/Signer Dragons aren't too heavily involved with the plot.

 

The fourth arc is definitely my favorite. There is a lot of balanced character development, and not one character is left out (except for poor Hikari, who thinks she is being ignored) in those terms. BTW: GX ALERT!!!! Hikari's "dark" self kinda reminded me of Jaden's "Supreme King" phase, when he was having "personality issues" and his eyes glowed up in a funky color, kind of what happened during the Juruo vs. Hikari Duel. I love what you've done with the story so far, with the colliding of the Duel Spirits World and the Real World, with the world ending and all that happy, fun-loving stuff (obvious sarcasm)

 

Some of my favorite moments from each arc:

 

1st Arc: The raid on the King's Palace trying to save Hikari, Erin, and Mel. I felt like that was something I would do if I was placed in the same situation (unfortuntately, no one believes in the gallows anymore this day and age). My favorite character from this arc would have to be the Resistance Leader (srryforgivemecan'trememberhisname), simply because of the way he owned Sabin with the Clear World cards. I've never really understood the effects of the Clear World cards, and I think this character really enlightened me.

 

2nd Arc: Juruo attempting to Turbo Duel a champ, even though Juruo had no frickin idea what he was doing. I really liked Gear's maniacal behavior and Juruo's perseverance throughout the Duel. Sux that Juruo lost, though. Needless to say, Gear was also my favorite character from the Arc, even if he is a bad guy.

 

3rd Arc: The three on one duel against Nero at the very end. At first I was thinking to myself, 'oh god, the Emperor is hopeless. He's going up against Tech Genus, Jurracs, and...a deck that can summon LSD apparently,' but then as it progressed along further, I began thinking 'oh god, these three are hopeless. Their going up against a Monarch Lockdown deck. Better start writing my will now'. Didn't really get how Dominic (srryforgivemecan'trememberhisname) was able to block the attack against Tyrana (and honestly, couldn't you pick a better name?) without activating a Trap Card or something first. My favorite character in this arc is probably Sabin, just because of his arrogant attitude, but deep down, he really isn't like that.

 

4th Arc: There are a lot of good moments throughout this arc that I really like, so I would have to give it a tie between the two duels, the first of course being Dominic and XYZ. I'm personally not a fan of Xyz Monsters because I've always been a fan of Synchro Monsters, but the way you conveyed it was incredibly fascinating. The second duel is the one with Juruo vs. Hikari. I felt that this duel wasn't just explosive and a well-structured duel (except with the mistake that Chaos Goddess requires 2 Non-Tuner DARK Monsters in order to Synchro Summon), but it was rather a great chance for the reader to know the deeper, darker side of Hikari that the reader doesn't really often see. My favorite character in this arc would still have to be Sabin, and that's pretty much because he has the most awesome Deck ever, and even when he is presented with a situation that he can't really get out of easily, he still keeps a straight face and retains his prowess.

 

With that being said, I think my rants are done. I can't wait to see what else you are going to bring to the conclusion of this awesome fan-fic. I've gotta ask, are you gonna write any more fan-fics after this one?

 

EDIT: This is my longest post EVER!!!

[Aviv: D's Knight]

I think it's ridicules that they have to suffer loss at all (Monster Reborn) it's like "Mommy, why didn't they just use a Phoenix Down on Aeris?".

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

Hey, I know your busy with the whole moving with the house and everything, but...

 

[spoiler=Spoiler...]please, please, PLEASE update soon. I can't live without my YGO Armageddon!

 

 

That's all. Kthxbye.

[Fusion X. Denver]

Man, Matt's gonna be stoked when he sees these new readers popping out of nowhere.

Good chapter bro, unfortunately this is me commenting a long while after reading it...

After quickly scanning the chapter, now I remember most of it. Overall, nice set-up for the stuff to come.

The talking Signer Dragons sans Ancient Fairy seemed a little silly to me, but it didn't detract from anything.

And I hope your move went well!

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Hey guys.

 

Been able to snatch the odd glimpse at the site as a guest while at work but thought I'd sign in this once and keep you all updated.

 

Ten days into the adventure of living alone, and I'm loving it. The move has gone well, I'm slowly accumulating furniture from various friends and family to make it comfortable and I'm cooking and eating well. Haven't been sent any bills for it yet (see later in this post) so I'm sure my little bubble will be popped somewhat when they finally come through the door, but until all is fine and I'm much happier. :)

 

Devils Advocate, thank you for commenting in such depth, direct reply is in the spoiler.

 

[spoiler=Quote and response]

Wow...that's all I have to say to this fantabulous piece of work is just...incredible. I really like the way you set up the very first arc with the messed up/crappy future. It really seemed to pull me into the story. Right now, I am in the process of writing my own fan-fic, but after reading the first arc, I'm not sure that my fan-fic would stand up to this. I sat down a week ago today and started reading this fan-fic NON-STOP (this goes to show that I have no life except YCM), every chapter, for the last seven days. And yes, I have read through every chapter!

 

I appreciated the first arc because it really set the tone of what you were going for (BTW: I also like how you named your first Arc "Oppressed People", your second "People Running About", third "United Resistance", and the fourth "Huge Revolution". I think it really fits the theme of the fan-fic nicely). I would've loved to see more character development throughout the arc, however.

 

I felt like the second arc was kind of haphazard, with a lot of random duels that didn't really contribute to the story a whole lot (like the Duel with Hikari vs. Osborn, or Juruo vs. Carly (or whatever her name is)). But at the same time, it definitely had some great climaxing moments, all leading up to the end of the world. I really didn't like the love interest that Erin and Juruo had going, because it was too quick and too sudden, even if it did end up in a betrayal later.

 

The third arc is where you had the "Signer Dragons" introduced, and I thought it was taboo not to blend fan-fic with reality (in this case 5Ds). I immediately cursed and I thought it was going to turn into a Signer vs. Dark Signer battle at that point (the "meetings" that Demon, Erin, Urusula, and Raesir had kinda reminded me of it), making me wanna throw my computer across the room as yet another great fan-fic writer falls into the 5D's trap. However, you easily picked up at what the original plot is, and the Signer Marks/Signer Dragons aren't too heavily involved with the plot.

 

The fourth arc is definitely my favorite. There is a lot of balanced character development, and not one character is left out (except for poor Hikari, who thinks she is being ignored) in those terms. BTW: GX ALERT!!!! Hikari's "dark" self kinda reminded me of Jaden's "Supreme King" phase, when he was having "personality issues" and his eyes glowed up in a funky color, kind of what happened during the Juruo vs. Hikari Duel. I love what you've done with the story so far, with the colliding of the Duel Spirits World and the Real World, with the world ending and all that happy, fun-loving stuff (obvious sarcasm)

 

Some of my favorite moments from each arc:

 

1st Arc: The raid on the King's Palace trying to save Hikari, Erin, and Mel. I felt like that was something I would do if I was placed in the same situation (unfortuntately, no one believes in the gallows anymore this day and age). My favorite character from this arc would have to be the Resistance Leader (srryforgivemecan'trememberhisname), simply because of the way he owned Sabin with the Clear World cards. I've never really understood the effects of the Clear World cards, and I think this character really enlightened me.

 

2nd Arc: Juruo attempting to Turbo Duel a champ, even though Juruo had no frickin idea what he was doing. I really liked Gear's maniacal behavior and Juruo's perseverance throughout the Duel. Sux that Juruo lost, though. Needless to say, Gear was also my favorite character from the Arc, even if he is a bad guy.

 

3rd Arc: The three on one duel against Nero at the very end. At first I was thinking to myself, 'oh god, the Emperor is hopeless. He's going up against Tech Genus, Jurracs, and...a deck that can summon LSD apparently,' but then as it progressed along further, I began thinking 'oh god, these three are hopeless. Their going up against a Monarch Lockdown deck. Better start writing my will now'. Didn't really get how Dominic (srryforgivemecan'trememberhisname) was able to block the attack against Tyrana (and honestly, couldn't you pick a better name?) without activating a Trap Card or something first. My favorite character in this arc is probably Sabin, just because of his arrogant attitude, but deep down, he really isn't like that.

 

4th Arc: There are a lot of good moments throughout this arc that I really like, so I would have to give it a tie between the two duels, the first of course being Dominic and XYZ. I'm personally not a fan of Xyz Monsters because I've always been a fan of Synchro Monsters, but the way you conveyed it was incredibly fascinating. The second duel is the one with Juruo vs. Hikari. I felt that this duel wasn't just explosive and a well-structured duel (except with the mistake that Chaos Goddess requires 2 Non-Tuner DARK Monsters in order to Synchro Summon), but it was rather a great chance for the reader to know the deeper, darker side of Hikari that the reader doesn't really often see. My favorite character in this arc would still have to be Sabin, and that's pretty much because he has the most awesome Deck ever, and even when he is presented with a situation that he can't really get out of easily, he still keeps a straight face and retains his prowess.

 

With that being said, I think my rants are done. I can't wait to see what else you are going to bring to the conclusion of this awesome fan-fic. I've gotta ask, are you gonna write any more fan-fics after this one?

 

EDIT: This is my longest post EVER!!!

 

Wow, that was some effort to read it all in that time.

 

Glad you're enjoying it. This is my first venture into not just fics but writing anything since I was what, twelve or something. I read back the first arc the other day and I amazed myself with how far this thing has come, and how much better my writing is now (reading back I noticed a lot of stuff doesn't tie in with stuff I later had the idea to introduce, mostly being Hikari. Awesome reading how kickass Vardus was though). A lot of it has been done as ideas floated into my head which is probably why a lot of stuff early on is quite jumpy and the second half has had a bit more solidly built structure.

 

Regarding Arc Two and Three, I admit again I should have given JuruoxErin more build up, and if I was to rewrite this thing (doubtful) it would be second on the list of amendments (first being Eternia being screwed over). With the signers, I just like what being a signer stands for with the team thing, and stupidly thought I needed to give the gang definite trump monsters. Strangely though when its come to duels since, I've never made getting them out a real must, and they haven't really had any significant field time (the handicap match against Nero aside).

 

Regarding highlights:

Arc 1 - Vardus has been definately one of the most fun characters to write duels for with his crazy deck. I do want Clear cards made.

Arc 2 - I must do more turbo duels next fanfic.

Arc 3 - Definately was the hardest duel to get right (out of those publised). With Dominik taking the attack, I just wanted it to happen. Quickly. Rather than "I activate a trap to take the damage" "No you can't" "No I have to blah blah blah".

Arc 4 - As I said, I definately must do more turbo duels. Dark Hikari was also fun to write for. Chaos Goddess wasn't a mistake, I knew I had the wrong effect but when I was writing I just happened to end up with Chaos Sorcerer and Fabled Raven out and though "Hang on, I can get her out. No wait I can't. Hell, she's appropriate for the character, I'll summon her anyway." I'd rather get appropriate cards in like that, even if I have to bend the rules/effects slightly.

 

Hopefully you won't have to wait much longer for the end, I can't wait to get back on this site to publish. As for future work, I dunno. I have an idea for one and have already shorlisted a few decks for it and even designed a few characters (one being an antagonist I'm really happy with), but it will be at least a year before I even really start that, as I'll be waiting for Xyz to become stronger/more cards to come out, amongst other things.

 

 

 

Right anyway, regarding my return and continuation of this fic. As I said my costs of living are still not definite without having been billed for much yet, and I'm also undecided on any TV/Bb/Phone package I may want. Such a package certainly won't be installed until after my holiday (13th-20th August, going to sunny Dorset :D) so will be looking at it more seriously after that. Hopefully I'll be back first week of September. In the meantime I'm still writing, chapters 57-60 are finished more or less and I've also written a bonus, welcome back and ease you back into it chapter that will be released first. Was supposed to be 4 pages, and its currently 8, I love it when I get in the groove. Looking forward to coming back and publishing it and the end...

 

See you all then.

 

Matt

[Reinforce]

Hi, I just recently finished reading this story up to it's current state ad I just want to say that it is one of the best fan fics I have read here, though I haven't read many, so congradulations for that, and I am looking forward to seeing more of Erin dueling, even though you made her evil, as Ice Barrier is one of my favorite archetypes.

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

Great to see you replied to my post. BTW: Check out my banner for a future fan-fic which will (hopefully) be rampaging across the Fan-Fic Forum.

 

+1 Rep for Bahamut. +1/2 Rep for Fusion, even though I can't do 1/2 reps.

[Fusion X. Denver]

Great to see you replied to my post. BTW: Check out my banner for a future fan-fic which will (hopefully) be rampaging across the Fan-Fic Forum.

 

+1 Rep for Bahamut. +1/2 Rep for Fusion, even though I can't do 1/2 reps.

 

Wait, what'd I do .-.

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

Wait, what'd I do .-.

 

Well.....you're a good sport and always give good reviews, much more than I would. Unfortunately, I have yet to read your arc, the trio or whatever it is called. Plus I was feeling generous.

 

Maybe if your fan-fic is appealing enough, I'll give you a rep (j/k(about the appealing part)).

[Fusion X. Denver]

Oh, I see.

If you ever do end up reading DEF, heads-up, it's long.

Like

800 something pages.

And I haven't even written the ending chapter/epilogue.

 

Although, I don't compare to Matt when it comes to writing.

Next time the YCM Awards come around, I want him to win Best Writer/Fan Fiction.