Rika sighed as she sat in the Obelisk Blue Girls Bath. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. She had Dueled her toughest opponent yet and somehow she managed to pull out a win and survived.
Having put up a brave front throughout the whole Duel wasn't easy for her. She couldn't let the enemy know how scared she was. It was after the Duel, that she was able to let her guard down and finally show her true colors through the tears she shed, when she hugged Asuka.
"Omelet!"
"Glad you like it." She chuckled as the little Foodon was swimming around the bath.
"Rika?" Asuka's voice called out. The Foodon Duelist turned to see Asuka approach the bath, a towel wrapped around the Obelisk Queen's body.
"Hey there." The chef greeted her.
"Mind if I join?"
"Not at all." Rika smiled softly as the Obelisk Queen dipped herself in, taking the towel off of her as she did, setting it on the side.
"How are you holding up?"
"Better than earlier tonight." Rika admitted, bundling up. "How's Instructor Chronos?"
"Ayukawa-sensei's currently monitoring him." The Obelisk Queen recalled. "Though so far, aside from the injuries he got from his Duel with David, he seems to be fine."
"Right…" Rika trailed off.
"Still shaken up about tonight?" Asuka looked concerned.
"A little…" She answered, watching Omelet swimming around who was enjoying herself. "Honestly, I don't know what to feel after all of that. I should feel relieved that I won, but I know this war isn't over yet. There are still five people left."
"Yeah… but we'll be ready for them." Asuka nodded, "After all, we wouldn't have signed up for this if we didn't know the danger ahead, right?"
"I guess so…" Rika trailed off before the Foodon Duelist cuddled close to the Obelisk Queen, even resting her head on the blonde's shoulder.
"Rika?" Asuka got out.
"Sorry, can we… stay like this? For a little bit?" The chef asked.
Asuka was mildly surprised, but smiled softly as her head rested on Rika's. "Yeah, I don't mind…" She said, as the two sat there.
"Ehehe…" Rika giggled softly. "This kinda feels like we're already girlfriends."
"Don't make it weird." Asuka blushed.
Rika giggled again, "Sorry, I had to get one in."
The Obelisk Queen rolled her eyes as the two cuddled. However, Rika couldn't help but imagine what a different life could be like for the two of them.
"Omelet?" The Foodon looked between Rika and Asuka in innocence.
"Hm? What's up Omelet?" Rika asked, catching Asuka's attention.
"Oh, Kuro and Judai mentioned that you could see Duel Spirits now, right?" Asuka recalled.
"Y-Yeah, I can." She confirmed, "I remember dreaming about what it would be like to talk to the monsters I drew up. I guess that dream came true now."
"Omelet? Omelet?" The egg Foodon looked at Rika and Asuka curiously.
"Hm? What is it?" Rika asked.
"What's she saying?" Asuka questioned.
"I don't know." Rika answered. It was then that the Foodon started swimming in some sort of pattern, which confused the Foodon Duelist for a moment, until she realized… Omelet was swimming in the shape of a heart?! "O-Omelet! No, Asuka-chan and I aren't like that!" She stammered, blushing heavily.
"Omelet?" The egg Foodon tilted her head innocently.
Ah~ even with Duel Monsters, the sweet innocence of youth was at its finest.
"Does she really think we're like that?" Asuka sweat dropped.
"Omelet, uh…" Rika trailed off, trying to think of her next words. "How should I say this? Uh… Asuka-chan and I are best friends, but we're not lovers. Actually, we're more like… sisters! Yeah, that's it! Sisters!"
"Omelet?" The egg Foodon questioned looking at Rika and Asuka for a moment longer, before smiling and jumping up and down the water. "Omelet! Omelet!"
Rika sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest. At least Omelet understood that perfectly. Bless her little heart.
Meanwhile in the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm…
Reggie felt something itchy at the back of her neck.
"You're getting sloppy, D'Arc." a voice chuckled as the militaristic woman looked to her side and sighed irritably.
"What do you want?" she snarled.
"Oh come on. Ain't that a way to talk to a fellow candidate?" the voice chuckled.
"What are you even doing here?" she asked as she avoided looking at this newcomer, "I thought I told you that my brother and I are handling this."
"And yet the boss found out he got beaten." the unknown figure said, "Beaten by food. Who would've thought?"
"Your point?"
"My point is that we need to act now or else we can kiss what we want goodbye," he said.
"What you and I want are completely different." she snarled as she got up and glared at the intruder, "I'm trying to save my father. All you want is peace through tyranny."
"And yet we both can't achieve that with those Spirit Key holders around." the intruder snarled, "So I suggest you try and at least get one, or else I'll have to step in for ya; and we both know you wouldn't want that. Would you?"
"…" Reggie remained silent at that.
"Whatever. You think about it. I have to make preparations for when it's my turn to fight." He then chuckled, "Oh and D'Arc? I know you're sidelining the rest of your Extra Deck."
"That's because our benefactor told us that we shouldn't muddle the timeline." Reggie said.
"Oh, you and I both know that's bullshit. The boss meant to say that we shouldn't reveal how to make them. He never said that we couldn't use them." The intruder sighed, "But hey, you do you I guess. This is your mission right now, not mine."
With that, the intruder left the militaristic woman grumbling to herself, "Why must you be like this, Conquete?"
With a shake of her head, she looked back towards her desk and on said desk were files. These files however, contained profiles of the strongest Duelists in Central Academia. Prior to their arrival on the island, their… benefactor, had obtained their data from the school's mainframe. It wasn't hard for them to obtain due to certain connections with said school and had them printed out. They were to go through their profiles and study them. Learn their strengths and weaknesses, and plan accordingly after.
With another sigh, she looked over each file. Looking at their information and reading their Deck lists, they seemed pretty powerful, each in their own rights. But of course, there were weaknesses.
She could lock out the Extra Deck to prevent Duelists like Judai and Rex from using their Fusion Monsters, negate the powerful Ritual Spell that Asuka uses for her Ritual monsters, and also stall Ryo out should he use Power Bond if he tries to go for an overkill.
Misawa may prove to be somewhat difficult, due to the plethora of Decks he holds underneath his jacket, one for each attribute in Duel Monsters, making it hard to develop a specific strategy against him.
'What to do…'
She had seen Rika's deck firsthand when she Dueled against David. And as for Koji, his Deck was a deck that uses a milling strategy, "Just like…" She trailed off. But before she could finish her train of thought on Koji's profile, she turned her attention to Kuromu's.
His strategy hinges on two important cards; Final Henshin and Magician of Silence - Silent Magician. If she can counter one or ideally both cards, then she can just focus on preventing him from activating his monsters' effects.
Though there was something odd about his Deck list. Each of his monsters had a corresponding final form. But… there was one missing, which piqued her interest and concern at the same time.
It was that of Zi-O, the clock-based Kamen Rider. Out of all the Final Forms, suspiciously his Final Form, whatever it was, had been excluded.
Somewhat frantic, she double checked the list to be sure she wasn't seeing things, and sure enough, her eyes did not deceive. But why? Why should one Final Form be excluded from his Deck? Was it an oversight from the creator? Did they intentionally leave it out? Or was it a different reason altogether? The 19 other Final Forms were powerful, there was no question about it. But the last one was left out… it's as if…
"No… that can't be right." Reggie murmured to herself, "There's no possible way Zi-O doesn't have a Final Form, does he?"
From what the profile says, Zi-O is the last Rider in-lore, perfectly showcased as his effects allow him to take on the name of the original Rider and receive their power. She would assume that Zi-O can use the powers of the other Riders before him. And if that was the case, given that there's no Final Form for Zi-O, it would only stand to reason that…
"He might induce a Spirit Bond if not careful." She realized.
It all made sense. What better boss monster to have but the strongest form of the final Rider?
Having a Spirit Bond with the strongest monster in one's Deck is dangerous enough as it is, after seeing how bloodthirsty Rex had become when bonded with Gladial Beast Domitianus or how stubborn her own brother had become upon bonding with A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon. She couldn't help but wonder… if this supposed strongest form of Zi-O, who is supposed to represent justice, perform a Spirit Bond with Kuromu, would the Rider Duelist's sense of justice be corrupted?
"This is terrible, I need to take that deck away from him," She muttered, scratching the back of her neck again… as her own parasite began to chirp.
David found himself in what appeared to be a dark room. However, only a single light shone above him. He also noticed that his Deck and Duel Disk were nowhere to be found, and he was tied to a chair, his hand tied behind his back by a zip tie.
It was then that David remembered. After his Duel with Rika, and snapping out of his Spirit Bond, someone knocked him out cold with a swift judo chop to the neck.
"Looking for something?" he soon heard as he looked to find Tsukasa holding his deck box in his hand while approaching him.
"You, you're one of Kururugi's Riders." the stern young man realized.
"Glad you did your research, but you know why I'm here." the dimensional Rider mused as he glared at David, "So tell me what I need to know, and then you can go free."
"Hmph, we both know that you won't get that information out of me so easily," David scoffed, looking away.
"Oh sure, keep tight-lipped. Haven't seen that tactic before." Tsukasa scoffed mockingly.
"I would." David said matter-of-factly. "If it means dying for the sake of a new world order, then I gladly will."
"Yeah, about that new world order. What the heck are you going on about?" The dimensional Rider questioned him.
"Don't you know?" David chuckled. "This entire world is flawed. Its inhabitants are blissfully ignorant of what's coming. Humanity will be swallowed by the darkness it created. People already know where it's headed when they've chosen to walk this path. Justice and faith. Ignorance and escapism. They never listen and they never learn. They'll be reaching the end of that path very soon. Mankind will be vanquished and deservedly so."
"And yet you plan on robbing them of their free will, aren't you?" Decade pointed out.
"What I'm doing is a necessary evil." David countered. "It's just a matter of time before it finally comes to fruition. Without the Legendary Planet cards, I was forced to take other means."
"And look where that got you." Tsukasa sighed, 'Man, this guy is sounding a lot like Darkness.' he thought.
"I needed to make due with what I have."
"Well regardless, whatever you're planning, it's not going to work." Tsukasa said. "By the time we let you go, the Seven Stars will be finished."
"Hmhmhmhmhm, you just don't get it, do you." David shook his head with another chuckle. "This is merely the beginning of a long term goal."
"I've heard it all before." the dimensional Rider waved off, then turned around to leave.
"And yet by focusing on me, you forget the light that cast the shadows." David said.
Tsukasa stopped in his tracks and turned around, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He smirked, "You'll see."
Tsukasa briskly walked over to David and roughly pulled him by the collar. "Start talking. Are you telling me there's another Seven Star?"
"All you need to know is that you will fear the wrath of judgment upon you, Destroyer." The stern young man stated.
"What, you're telling me that I'm next?" Tsukasa inquired.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out." David said cryptically.
Hearing this, Tsukasa shoves David back on the chair unceremoniously and walks off, determined to find the other Seven Star.
"Mama mia, I told you I'm fine as it is! Do you not see that I'm physically well? I just want to know my students are safe!"
"And they are. Now hold still and let me do my job!"
The students heard the now awake Chronos arguing with the school nurse from the other side of the door. At least things were back to normal. Well… as normal as it can get for the Instructor.
"Well, he's back to his old self." Judai commented.
"Wouldn't feel right if he wasn't." Rex shrugged off.
"Hard to believe he was up in smoke the other day." Koji added with a smile, before the group decided to walk into the infirmary.
"Instructor Chronos," Ryo said, catching the instructor's attention.
"Ah, Signore Marufuji." The instructor greeted the Kaiser.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. But Signora Ayukawa wouldn't believe me." he scowled at the school nurse, who just shook her head.
"Well at least you got your spirit back." the mutt pointed out. "Let alone your body for that matter, since you turned into data."
"I see. What exactly happened after I lost against Signore Rabb?" Chronos inquired.
"Well, he used his Cyclops visor Shadow Charm thingy to turn you into data, somehow got your Deck recipe for the Antique Gears, and Rika kicked his jive-ass turkey the next night." Koji explained.
"And the strangest part is that when he summoned his ace monster, it looked like he was possessed by it." Misawa mused.
"I see… that is troubling…" the instructor admitted. "Anything else?"
"Not much I'm afraid." Ryo shook his head. "Though given our suspicions about David being a Seven Stars member was right…"
"That puts Reggie in question." the mutt said. "Speaking of which… where is she?"
"I think she's just in her room." Rika recalled.
"She's been there all day?" Jun frowned.
"Can you blame her after last night?" Rex shrugged, "It ain't every day you see your brother get possessed by their boss monster. She just needs a bit more time."
"Errrrrgh… errrrrgh… errrrrgh…" Kuromu grunted as he was bench pressing weights at the private gym, being shirtless and having gym shorts on.
Ever since getting out of the infirmary, he wanted to at least get back in shape and prepare for the next Seven Star that might show up. Asuka protested this, but he assured her that he won't overexert himself. And the only way she even agreed to this, is if she was his spotter, which was a fair trade.
"Alright, I think that'll be good." The Obelisk Queen said, standing over him at the bench.
"Come on, just a few more reps." Kuromu said.
"You're still recovering, Kuro." She reminded him. "I know you don't want to stay cooped up in the infirmary, but you're not doing anyone favors if you keep pushing yourself."
Kuromu sighed, "Alright, alright…" before placing the bar on the rack and sitting up after. As he got up, Asuka handed him a water bottle and sat next to him. "Thanks."
"Think you can recover for the next fight?" The Obelisk Queen asked, obviously concerned.
"I have to." Kuromu frowned. "I'm the one with the most experience in Games of Darkness, other than Yugi-san and his friends. And especially so if and when I face Oogumo again. I need to do this."
Asuka sighed, "I guess some things never change, do they? Once you put a goal in front of you, it's all systems go."
"C'mon, it's not always a bad thing, is it?" Kuromu winced.
"I guess not." She giggled.
As the two old friends talked, Reggie was watching them from afar, trying to see if they were still busy.
'I don't have much time. I need to act fast or else…' she shook her head, clearing her mind of the worst case scenario. 'No, I need to confront him about it before I do anything else. I can't be rash.'
"I still remember that time you got back my handkerchief back in elementary." Asuka said, catching Reggie's attention, listening into the conversation.
"Yeah, the gambling jerk just didn't know when to quit." Kuromu scoffed.
Flashback
"Hey, jerk!" A young Kuromu shouted, catching the attention of one of the boys. He was a brunette whose hair was slicked downwards, the bangs of his hair fanned out, while wearing his school uniform. This particular boy was caught by surprise hearing Kuromu shout.
"Huh? Who said that?" The 'jerk', Mitsuo asked, looking around for the source of the callout.
"I'm over here!" Kuromu shouted, to which the gambler looked and saw the future Rider Duelist, the future Obelisk Queen being not far behind, alongside a young Rika and Koji. "Give Asuka's handkerchief back now!"
"Oh, you. The lucky student." Mitsuo sighed.
"Hey, jive-turkey! You have somethin' of Asuka's! Why don't you shimmy on over, and hand it back?" Koji said.
"So what? I won it fair and square."
"Liar! You stole it from her when she kicked your butt in Duel Monsters!" Rika snapped. "Don't make me whip out the frying pan and crack your head open like an egg!"
"Not to mention, that handkerchief belonged to Asuka's mom!" Kuromu added. "So hand it over now, thief!"
"How about you Duel me for it?" The gambler laughed. "But of course, you have to wager something as well.
"Seriously?!" Rika said angrily. "You practically took everything from everyone in this classroom with your gambles! What makes you think-"
"No, not everything." Kuromu said, confusing the future Foodon Duelist. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Duel Monsters card. But not just any card. "I'll wager my rarest card: Magician of Silence - Silent Magician."
"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!" The elementary students cried out in shock.
"Silent Magician?!"
"That's a rare card!"
"But isn't that one of the Duel King's cards?!"
"How did you get that card?" The gambler gasped.
"Duel me and find out." Kuromu challenged him. "If you win, you get my card, but if I win, you hand back the handkerchief to Asuka as well as everyone else's belongings you've taken. And if you try to worm your way out of this bet, well… Koji can be my impromptu bouncer to… ensure you follow through."
"Gladly." Koji grinned, cracking his knuckles.
The gambler snarled and sighed, "Fine. I guess we can do a Standard Duel for it."
"Kuro, are you sure you want to do this?" Asuka asked worriedly.
"He won't win. I know he won't." Kuromu said, before grinning at her wifely. "Because I'm gonna win with our Deck."
Asuka blushed slightly at this.
Soon, both he and Mitsuo took their places at two tables that were pushed together. The playmats were set on each table and both players sat at the desks.
Kuromu and the gambling boy then took out their Decks and shuffled them thoroughly.
"I'm watching you," Kuromu glared at the boy, as he shuffled his Deck. "Don't even think about trying any sleight of hand."
"I won't, I promise." The gambler chuckled.
"I call BS…" Rika grumbled under her breath.
Afterwards, the two shuffled their decks, placed them on the mat, and then drew their hands.
"DUEL!"
Mitsuo: 4000
Kuromu: 4000
"Since you're so confident at winning against me, you have the first move." Kuromu offered.
"Oh, I will!" Mitsuo laughed, "O-re no ta-n, Draw!" As he checked his cards, the gambler smirked. "I summon Legend Gambler (4/ATK: 500/DEF: 1400) in ATK position!"
"Rather bold of you to summon him in ATK mode…" Kuromu frowned.
"That's because I plan on using his effect!" Mitsuo declared, "Once per turn, I can toss a coin three times and apply its appropriate effect!" He then took out a coin, "Care to test the odds?"
"This is your first turn though." Kuromu pointed out. "I don't have anything on the field and the only plausible move you can make is if you get two heads, which allows you to discard one random card from my hand."
"That's the plan. If I can take out your key card then this Duel is mine!" Mitsuo declared.
"You don't even know what's in my hand."
"Let's find out."
Mitsuo then flipped the coon three times and then got two heads and one tail.
"Well well well, looks like you'll have to discard a card." He chuckled before he prepared to choose a card.
When he pointed at the card, Kuromu's eyes widened in shock. How did he know he had this in his opening hand?! With shame, Kuromu discarded… Resurrection of the Dead?!
"What the?! How did he think that'd work?!" Koji gasped.
"The cards are always in my favor." Mitsuo chuckled.
"He must be cheating somehow!" Rika snapped.
In truth, Mitsuo made a gambit on if he could remove a key card from Kuromu's arsenal and, to his amusement, the gambler's gambit was successful.
"Tch…" Kuromu clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I set two cards face-down then activate Dangerous Machine Type-6 to finish my turn. Your move." The gambler motioned.
"That card is completely random." Asuka murmured. "It will be dangerous for both of them."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared drawing his fifth card, due to Legend Gambler's effect. "I activate Pot of Greed which allows me to draw two extra cards!" He then drew them, putting his hand at six. "Then I play another card known as Pot of Desires! By banishing the top ten cards of my Deck face-down, I can draw two more cards!" He said, doing the card instructed, his hand now at seven.
"What is he doing?"
"Is he crazy?"
"It's all part of the plan, everyone. Now I play Bait Doll! This forces the activation of your face-downs and if the timing is incorrect, it's destroyed!"
"Oh, not so fast."
"What?" Kuromu got out.
"I flip up my face-down card, God's Pronouncement! By paying half of my Life Points, I can negate and destroy your Bait Doll!"
Mitsuo: 2000
Kuromu: 4000
However, this made Kuromu smirk after placing his card in the graveyard. "I got you right where I want you."
"Huh? How?!"
"It's simple. Given how you're such a gambler, I knew one of your face-downs was something to protect that other face-down that increases your chances of winning so-to-speak. So I baited you into activating it, which is why I can now activate this! Cyclone!"
"No!"
"You know what that means, your other face-down is no more!"
Mitsuo growled as he placed the card in the graveyard.
"Now then, time to take you down for good!" Kuromu declared. "I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000) in ATK mode!" He said, placing the card on the mat. "But then I'll replace Neo with someone stronger." He said, before revealing the card. "Magician of Silence - Silent Magician! (4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)"
"Uwhoooooooooooooooooooooa!" The students cheered.
"What was that about the cards being in your favor?" Kuromu asked the gambler smugly, "Looks like you got a Dead Man's Hand instead."
"T-That's-" Mitsuo said shocked.
"Game over." Kuromu finished. "Silent Magician gains 500 ATK for each card in my hand, and I currently hold three. That increases her ATK by 1500 for a grand total of 2500. And the difference between our Monsters is exactly how many Life Points you have left."
Mitsuo: 0
Kuromu: 4000
The class cheered as the gambler was left staring at the end board of the Duel.
"Oh yeah, beat that ya jerk!" Rika cheered.
"Jive-turkey's done for!" Koji grinned.
"Kuromu…" Asuka smiled in relief.
"I won. So return Asuka's handkerchief and everyone else's other belongings. Now." Kuromu demanded.
The gambler sighed before giving the items back. The last thing he gave out was of course Asuka's handkerchief. He was hesitant at first, but when Koji smiled and cracked his knuckles, he quickly gave it to Kuromu, before running off.
Satisfied, the future Rider Duelist gave it to the future Obelisk Queen. "Here you go, Asuka."
Asuka smiled as she accepted the handkerchief. "Thank you, Kuro."
"Oho~?" Rika wiggled her eyebrows with half-lidded eyes, her fingers on her chin in a 'V' gesture. "What have we here?"
"Two lovebirds, that's what it is." Koji teased.
"SHE/HE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND!" They shouted in unison. This caused the class to laugh while the two were blushing in embarrassment.
"I wasn't able to live that down for a week after that…" Kuromu grumbled, to which Asuka giggled. "Hey now, you were like that for two weeks. I panicked when you didn't talk to me for that second week, thinking that I did something wrong."
"Sorry" Asuka apologized, "I honestly thought you were mad at me because of that."
"Eh?! N-No, I would never get mad at you!" Kuromu said horrified.
"You certainly acted like that given how you tried to avoid me." The Obelisk Queen said.
"Y-You have a point…" The Rider Duelist admitted, hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry…"
"Hahahaha, what are you apologizing for?" Asuka laughed. "It's all in the past."
"I know, I still feel bad for acting like that towards you…" the Rider Duelist apologized, "I'm pretty sure Koji, Rika and Ayano wouldn't let me hear the end of it." he then shivered in fear, "Especially Ayano…"
"She does have a bit of a mean streak." Asuka chuckled.
"Don't remind me…" Kuromu groaned.
"Kururugi-san." A voice called out, to which Kuromu and Asuka looked up to see Reggie approach them.
"MacKenzie-san?" Kuromu blinked. "Is something wrong?"
"May I speak to you about something? It's important." Reggie said. "Alone."
Asuka said nothing as she looked at Kuromu.
"Is it really that important that we have to be alone to talk?" Kuromu asked, confused. "Given what happened to your brother, I don't want to take any chances."
"I suppose you're right…" Reggie had to admit.
"What's this about anyway?" Asuka asked.
"It's about his Deck. I must ask, why doesn't Kamen Rider Zi-O have his Final Form?" the militaristic woman asked.
"Excuse me?" Kuromu blinked in total confusion, though the question made him wary about how she would know about Zi-O.
"I find it curious." she said. "You've used a lot of Transformation Summons on your Riders, why have you never targeted Zi-O for them?"
"Well… it's only natural that my Duels only give me what I've been dealt." Kuromu answered. "I've never had the chance to actually target Zi-O for that. And even if I wanted to, I don't have the actual card on hand."
Now this surprised the militaristic woman. She assumed that all of the Final Form cards had been made. Even Asuka was surprised.
"You… don't have the physical card?"
"No. My father didn't have time to finish making it by the time I enrolled into Duel Academia." Kuromu raised his eyebrow. "Should I be worried?" he recalled when he saw A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon take over her brother's mind.
Reggie sighed at this, "You must understand… what my brother had experienced… I do not wish it upon anyone. A Spirit Bond is a dangerous supernatural phenomenon that should not be exploited for any reason."
"And… you believed Zi-O had a card that would induce this Spirit Bond?" Asuka asked.
"That's what I'm scared of. I've seen what happens when strong Duelists fall victim to their dark sides." she muttered.
"Well, I can assure you that since the card isn't made yet, I won't succumb to it anytime soon." Kuromu stated. "And even if I did have this card, I'll only use it as a last resort."
"I see…" she muttered, her decision becoming clear.
"Is… that all?" Kuromu asked.
"Yes…" she said, steeling herself. "And I'm sorry for what's about to happen now."
That was when Kuromu felt something prick his neck. When he went to check it, the Rider Duelist quickly began to lose consciousness. As he fell to the ground, the last thing he saw was Asuka getting chopped on the neck by the militaristic woman before-
*THUD!*
At class, Rika felt something was odd. Kuromu and Asuka hadn't shown up and she didn't like it. It felt… dreadful.
"Yo Rika," Koji called out, getting the Foodon Duelist's attention. "What's wrong?"
"Kuro and Asuka-chan haven't shown up to class." Rika said. "That's not like them."
"Weren't they at the gym earlier?" Koji blinked.
"I know that but I'm pretty sure that Asuka-chan went with Kuro so that he wouldn't overdo it." The chef said. "Should we go check on them?"
"Well they have been out for longer." The disco fan mused, "Eh, why not?"
Rika and Koji then went out of the classroom and towards the Obelisk Blue Dorm where the private gym was. However… when they arrived, to their shock, they found Asuka on the floor.
"Asuka-chan!" Rika cried out as she and Koji rushed over to her fallen form.
"Ugh… wha?" Asuka groaned as she regained consciousness when the chef and the disco fan ran up to her.
"Asuka, you alright?" Koji asked, as he and Rika helped her up. "You were on the floor like you got outdanced by someone."
That's when her eyes widened, "Oh no, Kuromu!" She tried to get up but felt an ache.
"Asuka-chan, stay still."
"No, I can't…!" Asuka groaned. "Reggie… she…"
"Reggie?" Koji and Rika got out.
"She abducted Kuro!"
"What?!" Rika cried out in shock. "But that means-!"
"She's a Seven Star," Koji finished.
"You two inform the others, I'll tell Mr. Kyo." Asuka said before they split up to gather the other Spirit Key Wielders. She then used her PDA and contacted the patriarch.
The doors of the interrogation room opened up to reveal Kyoshiro and Tsukasa entering. The Kururugi patriarch stormed over to David still tied to the chair and grabbed him by the lapels, pulling him in. "WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE DID SHE TAKE MY SON?!"
The stern young man now chuckled, "So the light that is my sister finally casts her shadow."
"You son of a bitch, tell us right now or I swear you'll be wishing you dueled a Ghoul instead!" Kyoshiro threatened him.
"Hmph, your threats don't scare me, old man." David scoffed. "And as I told the Destroyer; if it means dying for the sake of a new world order, then I gladly will. And besides, my sister will reach out to you all instead of the other way around."
As if on cue, Kyoshiro and Tsukasa got a message on their Duel Pilots.
[Meet at this location. Don't be late.]
Conflicted, the two soon left David as they alongside the rest of the Spirit Key holders met up at said location which was near the Ra Yellow dorm.
Kuromu groaned as his consciousness slowly returned. His eyes slowly opened, but was briefly blinded by the light, prompting him to close it back shut. But it was only for a brief moment as his vision gradually sharpened.
"H-Huh…?" Kuromu groaned, "What happened…? Where am I?"
"Finally, you're awake." A voice sighed.
When Kuromu's vision finally focused, he was met with the sight of Reggie, but… why was she looking up at him? That's when he tried to move his arms and legs and found them to be bound to something. It wasn't until he looked down that he realized he had been strapped to an entire cross.
"W-What the-?!" He gasped in horror. He then struggled to free himself, but to no avail. "What's going on!?"
He soon looked around to find himself in what looked to be a fancy temple straight out of ancient Greece, the walls adorned with carvings of various warriors whilst the roof had an unmistakable dragon marking on it.
"Relax, you're not in danger anymore." Reggie said.
"That's not very assuring, considering that I'm tied up to a cross!" Kuromu cried out.
"I'm ensuring that the demon king doesn't arise." She said, "I've read the lore of the Kamen Riders, and of the Demon King of Time that rules over them all."
"Demon King of Time?" Kuromu said, now more confused. "I don't know anything about that!"
"I'm surprised. You know a lot about your Monsters yet you don't know their full story." She sighed.
"Didn't I tell you that I don't have Zi-O's final form?!"
"Yes you did."
"So then why-"
"Not as a card, but as a possible future." Reggie said, "Tell me… what do you know of Oma Zi-O?"
"First I've heard of it." Kuromu sighed, 'I'll need to ask Sougo about this. That is after I get off this cross first…'
"In the year 2068, there exists a future where humanity is barely struggling to survive in this desert wasteland. At the root of it, one man rules over them with an iron fist." Reggie recounted, "That man? The Demon King of Time, Kamen Rider Oma Zi-O."
"MacKenzie-san, whatever you're thinking, you have it all wrong. There's no way that Zi-O would be that kind of person!"
"There you are!"
Moments earlier…
The fake Spirit Key Wielders minus Chronos and the real Spirit Key wielders, along with Sho all gathered at the front of the Ra Yellow Dorm.
"Did a brief scout around. Place is clean." Rex reported after he rejoined the group from a quick run.
"No one else's seen him?" Jun asked.
"We searched the school and the other dorms. No sign." Misawa shook his head.
"Crap, to think that both siblings were Seven Star Duelists." Judai groaned.
"But where could he be though?" Sho asked, worried.
"We'll find him." Ryotaro assured the Roid Duelist. "We just need to keep looking."
"But why would the message say to meet in front of the Ra Yellow dorm-nya?" Daitokuji wondered.
As everyone was thinking of an answer, Ryo noticed something sparkling on the ground, at the edge of the cliff. "What's that?" He asked, catching their attention as he walked towards it. The moment he stood in front of it, a set of ethereal stairs appeared. Everyone gasped as the stairs moved upwards… and into the sky?!
"Okay, that's just weird." Rika said, amazed yet disturbed.
"Well, we got no other leads." The mutt shrugged.
"I'm going!" Asuka said, as she was the first to run up this literal stairway to heaven.
"Asuka, wait up!" Koji shouted, before everything else ran after her.
Asuka glared at Reggie before everyone else was left shocked at Kuromu's current position.
"Uhhhh… a little help here, guys?" Kuromu said sheepishly.
"I got it!" Rex declared as he dashed towards him. However, the mutt found himself crashing into a barrier of light that protected Kuromu. Then he was sent flying back towards the group.
"Rex!" Sho cried out.
"Ow… that hurt…" Rex groaned, holding his head.
"You won't be able to break it so easily, even with brute force." Reggie said, standing in front of the cross that Kuromu hung upon.
"Let go of Kuromu, now!" Asuka demanded.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow Kuromu to continue Dueling. Not while the Demon King of Time still sleeps." The militaristic woman said.
"Demon King of Time?" Judai said, confused as were most of them who voiced their own confusion, but Tsukasa and Kyoshiro remained silent.
She then turned to the Dimension Rider. "You know what I speak of, Destroyer."
Tsukasa stayed silent, shaking his head, 'Just great. And here I thought that I'd only have to deal with this somewhere else…'
However Reggie interpreted the shake of his head as something else. "Denying it, are you?" She then walked towards the altar that was below Kuromu, and took something off of it, revealing that it was a Shadow Charm, almost resembling a certain golden pair of scales. "Then perhaps these scales of judgment will answer for you."
*SHING!*
Then, as she focused on Tsukasa, two flames of yellow and purple appeared on the scales before the purple flame grew in size and tilted its scale downwards.
"The scales of judgment have condemned you, Destroyer. And now you must pay for those sins. Unless of course you're willing to Duel me and win in order for your sins to be forgiven."
"What the heck does that do?" Rex asked.
That's when Reggie, seeing the mutt's confusion, decided to test the scales on him. When the flames appeared, the purple flame was much larger than the yellow flame upon manifesting, and it only grew in size when the judgement began.
"As you can see, I can use the scales to test the character of those I focus on." She explained, "And it seems that you two have dwelled in the shadows."
"Gh…" Rex gritted, looking away.
"Oh my…" Misawa observed, as did the rest.
"Hey! Leave him out of this!" Judai snapped. "What Rex did is none of your business!"
Jun and Koji however had their doubts about it. Reggie smiled, "Then do you wish to be judged?"
To everyone's shock, Judai actually backed off which intrigued the militaristic woman, but before she could inquire as to why the Elemental HERO Duelist would not want to be judged…
Tsukasa shook his head, "I'll do it." He said.
"Kadoya-sensei?" Rika got out.
"Look, it's plain and simple. You took something that belongs to us and we're going to get it back. By any means necessary. Even if it means damning myself for it." The dimensional Rider said with a shrug.
"Tsukasa, are you sure about this?" Kyoshiro asked.
"C'mon, have a little faith, Kyoshiro." Tsukasa smiled wryly. "Besides, you should know by now, I'm good at everything except photography."
He then took out something surprising. It was a Battle City Duel Disk, and yet, the silver was replaced by what looked to be pink gold metal.
"Cute…" Jun muttered sarcastically.
"Why is it pink?" Koji asked.
"Pinkku janai! Magenta da!"
"Yeesh, guess he's particular about that." Judai shrugged off.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Tsukasa sighed as he took out a Deck Box and shuffled the deck inside, placing it in the Duel Disk. Reggie then produced her own Duel Disk with a brief light that shined on her arm, revealing a custom made Duel Disk resembling an angel wing.
"So, what's the duel format? Standard? Master?" Tsukasa asked.
"The Duel will be Standard." Reggie answered.
"Alright, easy enough." the dimensional Rider said before the two drew their opening hand.
"DUEL!"
Reggie: 4000
Tsukasa: 4000
"I shall start this Duel off." Reggie began before drawing her sixth card. "And it starts with activating the Field Spell, Justice World!"
A blinding light shines above, prompting everyone but Reggie to close their eyes. When the light faded, and they opened their eyes, they were met with the sight of a city made of shining white marble that seemed to reflect all light on its surface and two enormous pillars stretched high toward the sky.
"Where are we?" Sho wondered, looking around.
"This is Justice World, home of the Lightlords." Reggie answered. "But alas, this is no time for sightseeing. We have a Duel to commence. I summon Lightlord Paladin Jain in ATK mode!"
Suddenly, a white-haired knight clad in silver and golden armor with a red lined cape appeared, brandishing his sword and shield (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
Jain soon leered, "I see that you're here, Destroyer."
Tsukasa sighed, "I see that you're wielding Michael's forces. So what's next? You'll be summoning him soon?"
"I don't need to in order to defeat you." she snarled.
"We'll see about that." Tsukasa said. "Now are you gonna end your turn?"
"After I place this face-down." She said, as a reverse card appeared on the field. "And now that I have finished my turn, with Jain on the field, I must send the top two cards of my Deck to the Graveyard." As she placed one card into the Graveyard, she then revealed the second card, "But it seems that one card won't be staying in the Graveyard for long because I activate Lightlord Beast Wolf's effect! Since he was sent from the Deck to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon him!"
Soon, a very burly wolf man with green and gold trunks, white and gold shoulder pads, and wielded a large golden battle axe and arm-mounted claw emerged (4/ATK: 2100/DEF: 300)
"To think our order would face the Destroyer in combat!" Wulf snarled in a raspy tone.
"Man, the Lightlords really don't like you. Do they?" Rex pointed out.
"I've faced way worse." Tsukasa shrugged.
"Not only that, Justice World's effect activates. For every card I sent to the graveyard via a Lightlord's effect, it gains a Shine Counter, and with those Shine Counters, my Lightlords gain 100 ATK for each."
Justice World: 2 SC
Lightlord Paladin Jain (ATK: 1800-2000)
Lightlord Beast Wolf (ATK: 2100-2300)
"So her spell is like Dungeon of the Gladial Beast - Colosseum, just with sending cards to the Graveyard via the archetype-wide effect instead of simply counting Special Summons from both players." Rex observed.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He declared, drawing his sixth card. He sighed, "I play Dual Summon and set two monsters facedown and one card. Ta-n endo."
"Wait, that's it?" Sho gasped in surprise.
The militaristic woman was unnerved at this play. Why would he Set two monsters and two cards and not attack her?
"You can't defeat me by defending." Reggie pointed out.
"Maybe, but sometimes defense is the best offense." Tsukasa remarked, "Now then, I believe it was your turn?"
Reggie didn't say anything as she drew her next card, increasing her hand to five. "I summon Lightlord Priest Jenis in DEF mode and set two cards facedown!" She declared, slapping three cards on the tray. A young woman with short red hair dressed like a cleric appeared and like the rest of her fellow Lightlords, was not happy to see Tsukasa (4/ATK: 300-500/DEF: 2100). "Battle! Lightlord Paladin Jain and Lightlord Beast Wolf will attack your two face-down monsters!" Reggie commanded with a wave of her arm.
From the cards, two golem-like warriors emerged and to their shock, neither of the Lightlords' attacks made them move, let alone be destroyed (2/ATK: 600/DEF: 1200)
"Sorry, you revealed my two Massive Warriors. And once per turn, they can't be destroyed via battle." Tsukasa smirked, "Moreover, I activate the Continuous Trap, Continuous Attack of the Monarchs! During my opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase, I can Tribute Summon a monster!"
"What?!" Reggie gasped.
"Now then, I use one of my Massive Warriors to perform my own Tribute Summon!" he declared as said golem crumbled and began to reform.
"O'Great king of the stone, let the earth tremble as you claim the throne!"
He then slapped the last card in his hand onto his Duel Disk before a large hulking warrior clad in large gold and brown armor, a helmet with two large horns, a large ring on his back, and finally a purple mantle. The monarch raised his hands as the earth shook around him.
"Rise up, Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch (8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000)!"
"Holy cow!" Judai gasped as the other Spirit Key holders were briefly thrown off-balance by the sudden appearance of the monarch.
"Now, I activate Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch's effect. When he's summoned, I can target two set cards on the field and destroy them." he declared, "So whatever countermeasure you got for my turn will never come! Terra Impact!"
"Not so fast! I will activate my Counter Trap to ensure its usage! Light Vanish!" She said, revealing it. "When a monster is summoned, I can tribute one Lightlord to negate that summon and destroy it! I sacrifice Jain in order to destroy Granmarg!"
"I will not let you bring the monarchs into this realm, Destroyer!" the paladin declared as he made a suicide dive towards Granmarg as he began to shake the earth. With their sword glowing, Jain rushed in and stabbed the earth monarch, causing a light shine, briefly blinding those present watching, before it faded revealing that Jain and Granmarg were nowhere to be seen.
"That was a close one." she sighed, but she knew it came at the cost of both one of her monsters as well as a facedown card.
"A sound strategy…" Misawa frowned. "Now when MacKenzie-san ends her turn, with Jain not on the field, she won't have to send cards from her Deck to the Graveyard."
She shook her head, "I will end my turn."
The dimensional Rider smirked, "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" As he drew his next card, he was a bit disappointed by what he had drawn.
"A dead draw…" Ryo frowned.
"Eh, not what I had in mind but sure." Tsukasa shrugged off, "I play Treasure Cards from the Heavens so we'll have to draw until we get six cards in our hand." Both players then drew their cards. "Next, I play another Dual Summon to perform two summons this turn, and so I first summon Kaiser Sacrifice in ATK position!"
A gray knight with a bucket helmet that covered his whole head and a cape emerged (2/ATK: 200/DEF: 100).
"What does he do?" Koji asked.
"Nothing but this, when I use this card for a Tribute Summon, I can instead return this card to my hand!" he declared, "Now, I have it return to my hand as I perform a Tribute Summon!"
Suddenly, the little knight was engulfed in flames.
"O'Great king of the inferno, blaze a trail of victory in your wake!"
When the flames died down, there stood another monarch, one clad in red armor that had gold trims, a blue cape and mantle, and spikes across his arms and fingers. He also had the same ring that Granmarg had.
"Rise up, Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch (8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000)!"
The group felt the immense heat that Thestalos was giving off.
"Phew… it's getting hot-nya…" Daitokuji said, fanning himself.
"Better that than getting fried by him." Rika pointed out.
"I activate Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch's effect! Since I was able to Tribute Summon him, I can look at your hand and discard one card. If I discard a Monster Card, I can inflict damage on you equal to that monster's original level x 200." he smirked.
"So that's why he played Treasure Cards from the Heavens!" Judai realized.
"Show it to me." Tsukasa said.
With a glow from Reggie's card, a hologram screen appeared in front of Tsukasa, allowing him to see what cards were in her hand.
"Oh me, oh my. Looks like you just screwed yourself." he chuckled as he picked out the card. "Seems like Lightlord Dragon Gragonith will be going to the Graveyard, and since he's a level 6 monster, that'll be 1200 points of Damage."
As the card flew into Reggie's Graveyard, a burst of flames hit her and burned her a bit.
Reggie: 2800
Tsukasa: 4000
"Good golly Miss Molly, she's almost halfway through her own Life Points!" the disco fan gasped.
"Nice going, Kadoya-sensei!" Kuromu cheered.
"And there's more where that came from! Battle! Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch attacks Lightlord Beast Wolf! Firestorm Punch!"
After engulfing his hand in flames, the fire monarch then performed a fiery backhand punch that burned Wolf, but also slightly scorched Reggie.
Reggie: 2300
Tsukasa: 4000
"Ta-n endo." Tsukasa finished.
"I see, you aren't the Destroyer for nothing." the militaristic woman observed. "Then I suppose it would be time that I stopped holding back."
"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good." Sho said worriedly.
But, as she prepared to draw, she recalled what Conquete had told her and shook it off. She knew that actually holding nothing back would go against her benefactor's instructions.
"My turn. I draw!" She declared as she drew her sixth card. "I activate the Spell Card, Solar Exchange! By discarding a Lightlord card from my hand, I get to draw two new cards but in exchange I have to send two cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard. I discard Lightlord Angel Cherubim! Not only that, my Justice World gains two more Shine Counters!"
Reggie did as instructed, discarding the card, before drawing her next two cards, then discarded the top two cards from her Deck.
Justice World: 4 SC
"Now, I summon Lightlord Magician Lyla in ATK position!" she declared.
Soon, a woman wearing a white and gold dress that had detached sleeves, an ornate headdress, and a white cape emerged as she gripped her golden staff (4/ATK: 1700-2100/DEF: 200).
"Oh my… is that…" the magician gasped.
"It is." Reggie said.
"I see…" Lyla frowned.
Rex then did a double take, "Okay, the fact that Reggie seems to be able to see Duel Spirits aside…" he muttered to himself before he then looked to Tsukasa, "Sensei, what did you do to get a whole archetype to hate you out the gate?" the mutt shouted.
"They do not know, do they?" Lyla pondered, "I suppose it is fitting that the Destroyer hides his past from his allies."
"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of." he sighed. "I've been trying my best to make up for them."
"We'll see where that gets you." Reggie said. "Now I'll activate Lyla's ability! I can target one Spell or Trap Card and thus, this card's battle position cannot be changed until the end of my next turn." She then had the magician kneel, "I then set Lyla into DEF position and destroy your Continuous Trap!"
Continuous Attack of the Monarchs shattered to pixels.
"That's not helping you win, you know," Tsukasa pointed out.
"It may not be, but that won't stop me! I'll activate Resurrection of the Dead to revive from my Graveyard Lightlord Dragon Gragonith!"
As the ankh appeared, a white dragon with long blonde hair, red horns, two angelic wings like Judgement Dragoon, and white and gold armor emerged onto the battlefield before roaring to its leader (6/ATK: 2000-2400/DEF: 1600)
"Now, Lightlord Dragon Gragonith's effect activates, as this card gains 300 attack and defense for each Lightlord monster with a different name in the Graveyard!" Reggie declared before the souls of the defeated Lightlords flowed into the dragon's armor, causing it to roar thanks to its new power.
Lightlord Dragon Gragonith (ATK: 2400-3300)
"Battle! Go forth, Lightlord Dragon Granolith! Destroy Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch! Prism Beam!"
The white dragon reared its head and fired a rainbow colored beam of light towards its target, to which it struck true on the chest. Moments later, cracks formed in the armor, light seeping out as it did, before the monarch exploded.
Reggie: 2300
Tsukasa: 3500
"I shall set a card face-down and end my turn. At this, Lightlord Magician Lyla's and Lightlord Dragon Gragonith's effect activates! At the End Phase, I mill the top three cards from my deck to the Graveyard from each of them. That's six total. Meaning Justice World gains 6 more Shine Counters." she said.
Justice World: 10 SC
Lightlord Dragon Gragonith (ATK: 3300-3900)
Lightlord Magician Lyla (ATK: 2100-2700)
"What's more is that Lightlord Priest Jenis's effect activates. Since cards were milled from the Deck due to a Lightlord's effect, I gain 500 Life Points and you lose 500."
Reggie: 2800
Tsukasa: 3000
"Their ATK points are getting too high…" Asuka frowned. "If this keeps up…"
"He'll be done before he knows it." Jun finished.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Tsukasa declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand to four. "I'll start by summoning Emperor Setum."
Soon, a strange ghost-like cat with large bat wings and a golden necklace emerged (4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 2200).
"Next, I play the Spell Card Advance! I can look at the top five cards on my deck and then arrange them in any order. After which, I can Tribute Summon 1 monster in addition to my Normal Summon or Monster Set this turn." the dimensional Rider declared.
After arranging his hand, he nodded. "Now, I use my other Massive Warrior to perform a Tribute Summon. Revive, Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch (8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000)!"
From the crumbling golem came forth the earthen monarch, back for another brawl.
"Since an EARTH-Attribute monster was used to Tribute Summon Granmarg, I can draw another card." Tsukasa said before smirking at the card he drew. "First, Emperor Setum's effect activates!" He declared, "Each time I Tribute Summon a monster, each of us can select one card from their Graveyard and return it to the top of their deck! So I'll be sending Thestalos the Explosive Flame Monarch back to my deck."
"And I will be sending my Resurrection of the Dead back to mine."
"Now I activate Granmarg's effect to destroy your set card." Tsukasa declared.
"Then I will use it before you destroy it! I activate the Instant Magic, Reload! I send my entire hand back to my deck, shuffle and redraw the same number of cards!"
After switching up her hand of four cards, Tsukasa smirked, "Now I play the spell Poltergeist! I can return one Spell or Trap you control from the field back to the hand, so I'm sending Justice World back."
"Brilliant!" Misawa gasped. "That means she'll lose all her Shine Counters, and she could only use them if Justice World is targeted to be destroyed!"
"And that means her monsters have lost their ATK boost." Ryo smirked as the city of Justice World crumbled behind Reggie and the field returned to normal.
Justice World: 0 SC
Lightlord Dragon Gragonith (ATK: 3900-2900)
Lightlord Magician Lyla (ATK: 2700-1700)
"Now I play Forbidden Holy Lance! I can target one monster on the field and until the end of my turn will lose 800 ATK points but in exchange cannot be affected by other spells and traps!" Tsukasa shouted, "So I choose Lightlord Dragon Gragonith!"
Soon, a golden lance fell from the sky and struck the dragon as it wailed in agony.
Lightlord Dragon Gragonith (ATK: 2900-2100)
"Battle! Granmarg the Sturdy Earth Monarch attacks Lightlord Dragon Gragonith! Shatterpoint!"
After lifting its arm into the sky, a large stone fist emerged above the dragon of light. The dragon let out a whimper towards the militaristic woman, as if it was sorry that it could not do much for her. Then it was crushed by the large fist.
Reggie: 2100
Tsukasa: 3000
As the mutt expected, he saw Reggie's fist shake, confirming his theory that she could see Duel Monster Spirits if he was angry about one of her own getting destroyed.
"Now, Emperor Setum! Destroy Lightlord Magician Lyla!" he declared as the cat spirit leaped towards the magician and slashed her in two with its claws.
"Ta-n endo." Tsukasa said. "You're not doing well for yourself." He commented.
"What would you know?" Reggie growled.
"You still haven't used that technique despite having a piece of that puzzle still on the field." Tsukasa observed, "You still haven't S-"
"I said I don't need him!" she snarled, cutting him off before he could say it.
Kuromu couldn't help but look towards Reggie, who was trying to regain her composure.
"I-It doesn't matter. It's my turn now, I draw!" the militaristic woman then drew her next card increasing her hand to five and then…
"The stage is set."
"Huh?"
"Now that I have four different monsters with Lightlord in their name in the graveyard, I can Special Summon this from my hand!" She said, before raising the card in the air to which it glowed.
"Holy beast of the light, unleash your might against my enemies that hide in the shadows and smite them for their sins!"
That's when the dragon carving on the wall began to glow and, to Kuromu's shock, move?!
"Guys, might wanna look up!" Kuromu shouted.
They all did so and were shocked as the carving flew off the ceiling and into the open night sky, grew in size until it was massive, and transformed into a greyish-white feathered dragon with piercing red eyes and two angelic wings.
"Descend, Judgment Dragoon (8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2700)!"
"Holy…" Rika gawked in awe and fear.
"Literally…" Jun added.
"Now I activate Judgment Dragoon's ability! By giving up 1000 Life Points, I can destroy every card in the field except itself." She declared,
Reggie: 1100
Tsukasa: 3000
"Judgement Dragoon, shine your light on the battlefield. Revelation of Light!" Reggie declared.
The dragon then opened its wings and, after Jenis transformed into a node of light that flew into the dragon's body, created a blinding explosion of light that vaporized both of Tsukasa's monsters.
"Kadoya-san is defenseless-nya!" Daitokuji panicked.
"Unbelievable… he lost…" Misawa said, shocked.
"No way…! This can't be happening!" Judai shouted.
"Like I said. I don't need him." Reggie stated coldly.
"Kadoya Tsukasa, for crimes of destruction and conquest, and ravaging within the doors of the neverending tower… I hereby find you guilty!" Reggie declared.
Tsukasa merely shook his head, "I can never catch a break, can I?"
"Now Judgment Dragoon, render judgment onto him!"
"TSUKASA/TSUKASA-SENSEI!" Kyoshiro and Kuromu shouted.
The dragon took a deep breath and then let out a beam of light from its mouth that consumed the dimensional Rider.
Reggie: 1100
Tsukasa: 0
The Real Solid Vision dissipated as Tsukasa was forced back to his Duel Spirit form, on the ground and in a great amount of pain. His fake Spirit Key crumbled to dust.
"Ugh, I shouldn't have taunted her like that." he regretted.
"The deal is done." she said as she tossed Kuromu's deck box to them, which Asuka caught. "Now leave here, and never bring that deck to this sacred ground ever again."
"What's going to happen to Kuromu?" Asuka asked. "You can't keep him tied up there forever!"
"Asuka…" Kuromu muttered.
"There's no need to worry." Reggie said calmly. "I can assure you that no harm will come to him during his stay here. You have my word. Now go!" she stated.
With heavy hearts, the group were forced to depart.
"Don't worry. We will be back, and we will save you." Kyoshiro before he left with the rest of the Spirit Key Holders.
It was then that Reggie finally let out a sigh of relief before noticing something. It was an owl adorned with some white and gold garb, and a girl with a handler's glove and a white and gold dress hiding in the background. Kuromu wasn't surprised to see a Duel Spirit here.
"L-Lady MacKenzie?" the girl asked.
"Minerva." Reggie gasped, before approaching her. "I told you not to be here…"
"I-I'm sorry, it's just…"
Reggie sighed. "Minerva, it's alright. I'm not angry at you." she told her. "But what are you doing here?"
"I… I felt the light of our leader's partner emerge here." Minerva admitted softly. "It felt… angry…"
Kuromu recalled seeing her from the card that Reggie had drawn when she used Reload. But he never got a good look at the card itself, but he did catch at least one part of the text.
Reggie sighed at this before patting her head. "There's no need to worry, Minerva. There's a reason why I never summoned him. And I intend to uphold my honor and duty."
"I see…" she said, feeling relieved, "I was just worried that you would have fallen into madness. Like your brother, or that gladiator."
"I will never let that happen." Reggie assured her.
That's when Kuromu asked her out loud, a phrase that the militaristic woman instantly paled in fear upon hearing.
"Reggie… What's a Tuner Monster?"