"Is this how it ends, Zane?" Atticus asked. Ash-gray dust flaked from his shoulders, on closer look, it was truly ash.
He drew, glanced at the card, and chuckled. "Spell Card, Pot of Greed."
Two more cards slid into his hand. He weighed them, then smiled wider. "Looks like your luck's run dry. I activate Giant Trunade!"
From the sideline, Hikaru felt like he was watching a demon's waltz. From start to finish, what even was this Duel anymore?
"Return all Spell and Trap Cards on the field to their owners' hands!"
Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry beat its wings; winds ripped across the arena and every face-up and Set card arced back into hands.
Zane silently picked up his face-down Trap and Cyberdark World.
Atticus fanned his new grip: a Trap that looked like a "Red-Eyes" revival, and Red-Eyes Soul, but it didn't matter.
"I activate Elborz, the Sacred Lands of Simorgh again," he said, slamming the Field Spell back down. "Then I reveal this, Simorgh, Bird of Divinity. This turn, Elborz reduces the Tribute count for Winged Beast Normal Summons by 1. And with Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry already on the field, Tribute requirements for WIND Tribute Summons are reduced by another 1. Which means…"
"I can Normal Summon a high-Level WIND without Tributing. Come, Simorgh, Bird of Divinity!"
Green wings unfurled, sheltering Atticus; the strain on the spirits maintaining the barrier eased at once.
[Simorgh, Bird of Divinity — Level 7 | WIND | Winged Beast | 2700 ATK → 3000] (Elborz +300/+300)
"As strong as Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"And no Tributes!"
"So strong, no Fusion, no Xyz, no Synchro… Tribute Summoning can do that?!"
Many Duelists chased ever-newer Summons to keep up with other Dimensions; if all else failed, there was always Ritual. But Atticus simply used the cards he liked, and made them sing.
"With this board, Zane can't defend at all," Bastion murmured, worry creasing his face. He'd heard Atticus try to reach Zane, but with an assault this overwhelming, would it help? Would it just knock Zane out?
"Battle! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack Cyber...
"Hold it!" Zane snapped. "Cyber Valley's effect! When this card is targeted for an attack: I banish it; draw 1 card, then end the Battle Phase!"
The small machine flickered, warping into a stream of light that intercepted the black dragon and vanished. Zane drew quickly.
"You've survived another turn? Heh…" Atticus set two cards. "End my turn."
Zane drew a breath, about to start, when Atticus raised his right hand.
"Simorgh, Bird of Divinity, effect! During each player's End Phase, each player takes 1000 damage, reduced by 500 for each Spell/Trap they control!"
"What!?"
"Oh no."
"Go, Divine Gale Repulsion!"
The green divine bird swept its wings. Even without Red-Eyes, the Darkness-stoked damage made Zane's vision swim.
Zane Truesdale LP: 1500 → 500
Zane clutched his head; the gale left him reeling. He might collapse at any moment, but he forced himself upright.
Fire that burned, lightning that numbed, wind that tore, three kinds of pain at once.
Somehow, that made his mind sharper.
"My turn, draw!" Zane looked over his hand, thoughts firing in rapid sequence.
'Not enough… Not enough!'
Mechanical shadows seemed to flicker at the edges of his sight, staring him down without mercy, offering no help.
"I banish Cyber Jormungardr from my GY, Special Summon! Cyber Eltanin!"
Thrum.. thrum...THRUM
A colossal steel dragon-head rose, ringed by orbiting cannons.
"This card must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing all LIGHT Machine monsters from your field and GY!"
[Cyber Eltanin — Level 10 | LIGHT | Machine | ? ATK / ? DEF]
"Its ATK/DEF become 500 for each monster banished for its Summon."
[Cyber Eltanin current stats: 500 ATK / 500 DEF]
"And when it's Special Summoned, send all other face-up monsters on the field to the GY!"
Elborz's winds screamed as Eltanin's cannons locked on; lances of light tore through the opposing side. Atticus's monsters shattered and blew away.
"I see," Atticus said softly. "You're clawing out one more turn."
"That's right," Zane answered, eyes hard. "This is my struggle, for victory!"
"I activate the Continuous Spell, Cyberdark World! On activation, I add Cyberdark Cannon to my hand. Then I discard Cyberdark Cannon to activate its effect and add Cyberdark Chimera!"
"I Set 1 card. End my turn."
"He cleared the field, but didn't cash in with Cyberdark monsters for an attack?" someone asked, puzzled.
They all knew the Cyberdark line could equip a Dragon from the GY to boost ATK. If he'd gone for it, there was a chance to finish Atticus on the spot.
"Don't forget, Atticus still has two Set cards!"
Right, if Zane failed to connect now, 50 LP wouldn't weather any follow-up.
"It looks like this Duel's about to end," Atticus thought, weighing the board.
"My turn, draw." He drew, checked the card, and frowned. Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon.
Tch…
He'd borrowed Darkness too long; time was up. And he still couldn't fully control it, but it would do.
"I flip my Set, Red-Eyes Spirit! I target a 'Red-Eyes' in my GY and Special Summon it!"
Black pillars of flame howled as the dragon soared up from the grave.
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon — Level 7 | DARK | Dragon | 2400 ATK]
"Then I Tribute that Red-Eyes Black Dragon to Special Summon from my hand, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"
Armor clamped over the black dragon, morphing it into a darker, heavier form.
[Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon — Level 9 | DARK | Dragon | 2400 ATK]
"Gains 300 ATK for each Dragon in my GY."
ATK: 2400 → 3000
"He dropped another monster with Blue-Eyes class ATK just like that!"
"Close one, if Zane weren't in Defense, he'd be done!"
"I activate the Continuous Trap, Return of the Red-Eyes! Since I control a 'Red-Eyes' monster, I target a Normal Monster in my GY and Special Summon it!"
A second vortex of fire tore open.
"Rise again, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"Impeccable…" someone whispered. The crowd could feel it too, Atticus hadn't just been strong; he'd been prepared.
Even if Darkness Dragon's ATK dropped by 300 when Red-Eyes returned, if the attacks landed, Zane would still be finished.
"Battle! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, tear down Cyber Eltanin!"
The black dragon slammed into the hulking machine. Eltanin, hunkered in Defense Position, screeched and collapsed into scrap, no damage.
"And now, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, direct attack!"
"Trap, open, Life Barrier! I discard 1 card; I take no battle damage this turn!"
A thin shield shimmered over Zane.
But, though the damage was zero, the pain and shock didn't vanish. Black fire smashed into him; he couldn't even pretend to be stoic. The flames and the lingering electricity turned the world dark at the edges.
Zane saw them again: black mechanical lives watching hungrily, as if he were prey.
"Heh… ha…ha…"
"Are you craving my life?"
His eyes flashed.
"My life belongs to victory. You, become part of that path. My power."
Atticus said nothing, only glanced down at his hand.
There was nothing more he could do.
"End turn."
"My turn," Zane drew with effort.
At last, he understood.
Why the Cyberdark monsters had been sealed by Cyber‐Style.
Because they had no "goodwill," no ordinary spirituality, no "beliefs" at all.
They only wanted to invade and destroy, indiscriminately.
Which meant the usual ways of speaking to spirits were useless.
But for that very reason, these ones still obeyed a basic logic, an AI's hierarchy.
Obey the higher command.
"If that's the case… it's simple."
"I activate the Spell, Cybernetic Horizon!"
A card flipped open, its art showing Cyberdark Dragon and Cyber End Dragon in resonance. "I send 2 'Cyber' monsters with different Attributes to the GY, 1 from my hand and 1 from my Deck, Cyber Dragon Vier (hand, LIGHT) and Cyberdark Edge (Deck, DARK).
I add Cyber Dragon to my hand, then send a Machine 'Cyber' Fusion from my Extra Deck to the GY, Cyber End Dragon!"
"Next, I pay half my LP, Cybernetic Fusion Support! Once this turn, if I Fusion Summon a Machine Fusion, I can banish Fusion Materials from my hand, field, and/or GY."
Zane LP: 500 → 250.
"This is my struggle for victory."
Atticus's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Then the last card you're aiming for… there's only one."
"Power Bond!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"But at 250 LP, if he doesn't win now, the End Phase burn will..."
"Atticus… thank you. I should've been the one to find you, to bring you back, but you returned with the Light's help, and I barely stood by you after. Now you're saving me again."
"Hey, don't get sappy. My fans will turn it into a photobook."
Zane snorted. Whenever he tried to speak seriously, Atticus cracked a joke, yet whenever it truly mattered, Atticus grew serious.
"Because of Cybernetic Fusion Support, I can use the GY as materials," Zane said, voice steadying. "I fuse five 'Cyberdark' Effect Monsters."
"Five?!"
"Horn, Edge, Keel, and more?!" The stands buzzed.
In the real Dimension, Chancellor Sheppard, watching with a knot in his chest, suddenly stood up, eyes wet.
'Did he do it? Did he achieve what Cyber-Style's founders only dreamed of?'
One by one, dark machine-dragons surged up, trying to devour Zane whole. He didn't flinch.
"Obey my command, spirits! I banish Cyberdark Chimera from my hand and four 'Cyberdark' monsters from my GY! Engrave my goal, my respect, into your logic! For my best friend's help. For the fight to win, and to live!
"Fusion Summon!"
The five howls merged, then quieted. Though Zane had only 250 LP, the black current snaking over the dragons settled under his control. Power and voltage converged.
"Level 10—Cyberdarkness Dragon!"
A colossal, sinister engine-dragon assembled, like a fortress built atop Cyberdark Dragon. It bristled with armor and cannonry.
[Cyberdarkness Dragon — Level 10 | DARK | Machine | 2000 ATK / 2000 DEF]
"Power Bond doubles its ATK this turn—2000 → 4000."
"And on Fusion Summon: Cyberdarkness equips 1 Dragon or Machine from either GY, gaining ATK equal to its original ATK!"
From the grave, Cyber End Dragon's triple-maw rose like a battleship and locked onto the new chassis.
click.
Armor sealed. +4000 ATK.
Cyberdarkness Dragon ATK: 4000 → 8000.
"Eight… eight thousand?!"
"The scale of this Duel, this is another Dimension entirely!"
"With this… I win, Atticus."
Atticus said nothing, one hand to his temple. He'd borne Darkness too long.
Seeing that, Zane dropped the thanks and raised his arm. "Battle! Cyberdarkness Dragon, attack Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"
"Eternal Evolution Impact!"
Black cannons and a blazing tri-beam from deep within the frame fired in perfect unison. Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon shattered under the overwhelming charge; the blast bored straight through the barrier, leaving the attending spirits awestruck.
Atticus wasn't physically hit, but as his LP vanished, his body sagged and he pitched forward, unconscious.
Seeing it, Zane snapped his Disk closed and sprinted to catch him. "Atticus! Atticus!"
Atticus Rhodes LP: 3900 → 0
Winner: Zane Truesdale.
And… Atticus Rhodes.