Judai was silent as he sat at the infirmary, looking towards his two friends who were brutally beaten down by the next Seven Star Duelist, the Player Killer of Darkness. But even more so, Ryo, the Kaiser, was taking it the hardest. He sat at his brother's bedside with regret. His little brother became the latest victim of the Seven Stars. Even worse was the fact that he was not a Spirit Key Holder, let alone being innocent in all of it.
Most damning thing of all, was that he couldn't do anything to stop it.
Yet there he was, unconscious in the medical bed alongside Rex, who was thrown into several trees by PaniK's boss monster. His Spirit Bond with Dominiatus had almost surfaced, albeit briefly, but the fact that the mutt's boss monster briefly showed himself showcased how strong PaniK had become since his time as an eliminator at the Duelist Kingdom tournament.
Regardless, both the Roid Duelist and the mutt were unconscious as they laid in bed, a BPM machine monitoring the pair's heartbeats. Kuromu could only look on with sympathy. He couldn't imagine what's going on in Judai's and Ryo's minds right now. Most likely, they want their pound of flesh and avenge Sho. But at this moment, all they want to do is make sure that Sho and Rex are okay.
'Shizuka-sensei… is there nothing you can do? Can't you heal them with your magic?' Kuromu asked the Silent Magician in his thoughts, the silver-haired magician standing next to him in her spirit form.
She shook her head, "There is nothing I can do, especially with the beast."
'Gh…!' Kuromu gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
"Do not blame yourself for this, my apprentice. There was nothing you could have done."
'But I should've! I…!' Kuromu said, frustrated.
There was a brief flicker of gold electricity in his eyes. Subtle enough that most people wouldn't notice, but its power could be felt by Shizuka.
"Kuromu, please…" Shizuka said sadly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do not blame yourself for this… you could not have known what would happen."
Kuromu sighed and shook his head before looking at the currently, shell shocked, Judai. He still didn't know how to comfort the Elemental HERO Duelist, especially after seeing that massacre before him.
"DAMMIT!" Judai cursed, banging his fist on the wall. "I should have Dueled PaniK, I should have!" he snarled, "If I didn't… If I had just stepped up…" The Elemental HERO Duelist growled in frustration, feeling so powerless.
"That responsibility shouldn't fall on you." Ryo said, gaining their attention.
"Marufuji-senpai…?" Kuromu got out.
"Trust me, you're not the only one who's angry at that monster." Ryo muttered. "If anything, the responsibility of putting that monster down, should be me."
"Senpai, you…"
"Sho is my little brother, Kuromu." Ryo continued. "I was supposed to protect him, but I failed to do so, as his older brother. So now it falls on me to rectify this mistake and exact retribution."
"Are you sure?" the Rider Duelist asked, "What if…"
"I can imagine that you would be worried, given you can see the spirits of my Monsters. But I can also imagine that my Cyber Dragons want revenge as much as I do." the Kaiser guessed.
"Let me at him, Kaiser!" Judai said. "It's my fault that your brother became like this! PaniK wanted to target me, so I need to fix this and get retribution for Sho!"
"And that is exactly what PaniK wants. He wants you to mindlessly rush in and fight him without a clear head." Ryo stated. "But he won't be expecting me,"
"Senpai…" Kuromu muttered. "Just… be careful when you do Duel him. It's because of situations like this… that it brings out the worst in us. And if you have a Spirit Bond with one of your dragons…"
"That is a risk I will gladly take." the Kaiser stated, with a deep sigh.
Outside the infirmary, Asuka and the others waited for Kuromu, Judai, and Ryo to leave. She and Rika were leaning against the wall, while Misawa and Jun sat on the floor. Tsukasa, Daitokuji, and Kyoshiro were talking amongst themselves, trying to figure out their next move. As for Koji…
*WHAM!*
"SHIT!" Koji shouted, getting their attention after banging his fist on the wall. "This is bogus!"
"Woah, calm down Koji!" Rika panicked, having never seen this rage from the disco fan before.
"Don't tell me to take a chill pill, sistah!" Koji snapped, "Not while that maniac is still breathing!"
"But you need to!" Jun said. "You're being a jive-turkey!"
"Manjoume-kun's right. All of us don't like what happened." Asuka said.
"Even so…! If only I'd known sooner…!" He snarled, "How the hell can I be a detective like my old man if I missed such an obvious clue!" He growled, "Ugh, this is complete bullshit!"
Misawa got up and crossed his arms, "The road to perfect your craft isn't meant to be easy. There are some things that we just cannot predict. I remember learning that after dueling Ichiban-kun."
"Still…"
"Don't get so worked up about it, kid." Tsukasa said, approaching him. "Things happen that are beyond our control. You just have to live with that."
"Ugh, I guess you're right…" Koji sighed, "But boy does this scream bad vibes all 'round."
Just then, the doors of the infirmary opened. But only Kuromu came out. They quickly gathered around them.
"How are they-nya?" Daitokuji asked.
"They're not out of the woods yet." Kuromu said. "Ayukawa-sensei says it's still touch and go for them, but I'm hoping they'll make it."
"I hope so, I mean… being crushed by a giant drill and being flung through several trees via a back fist. It's a miracle that either of them are still breathing." Rika observed.
"A hard miracle, indeed." Kyoshiro sighed. "Better that than no miracles at all."
Kuromu then thought to himself, 'I wonder who that mystery voice Jun and I heard was? Whoever they were, I'm sure even they weren't happy about this…'
"How are Judai and Ryo?" Asuka asked.
"Feeling like crap, but… I know they're not going to let this keep them down." Kuromu said. "And this isn't going to keep us down either. We have to be strong for Rex and especially for Sho. It's the least we can do for him."
"Right." They all nodded.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Wally winced as he watched PaniK scream in agony as the gauntlet began to burn his hand, while their leader watched on with disappointment in their eyes. After PaniK had returned from his Duel with Sho, he was subjected to the appropriate punishment bestowed on him. The Shadow Charm Gauntlet was bright red hot and smoking as the large man continued to roar and writhe in agonizing pain.
'Yeesh, glad that ain't me…' the gang leader thought.
"Enough! Enough!" PaniK cried out in pain.
"I don't believe that you've quite learned your lesson…" The leader said as the Shadow Charm Gauntlet burned hotter.
The maniac was left reeling in pain while the leader turned towards his remaining Seven Star Duelists, "I expect you two to not try and involve others into this."
Wally sighed as he gave a silent nod, there goes one plan he wanted to pull. His compatriot however waved his hand.
"Do not worry, unlike that man, I can still focus on my target." he said.
"Just know this. THe moment I sense that either of you harm another pointless victim, I will punish you two, tenfold." The leader said.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Wally raised his hands in defense. "Well… there goes that plan…"
"…" The leader was silent before saying to Wally, "Speak freely."
"I was planning on a hostile takeover of the island, but as you said, we can't get too many people involved." the gang leader noted, "That would put too many eyes on us and risk playing our hand too early, is that right?"
Wally soon heard his superior chuckle, "You catch on, Owen." The leader complimented him, "Do you have an alternative?"
"I'll have to run it by my crew first, but for now, one of my boys was able to see how they're doing and needless to say, morale is at an all-time low for them." the gang leader reported.
"I see…" The leader muttered. "It may have been effective, but the method was not what I intended…"
"Going by the book, eh?" Wally mused.
"Indeed…" he noted before looking at PaniK, cooling off the gauntlet, "I am giving you one more chance. Either defeat a Spirit Key Holder, or don't come back at all."
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…" PaniK breathed heavily, having lost his breath from the burning pain, trying to catch it.
He then snarled in anger as his mind drifted back to Judai.
"It's time that you fell, Duel Prince…"
At the Osiris Red Dorm, there was an uneasy silence due to the missing Roid Duelist and mutt's absence. Everyone in their group had gathered in its cafeteria to discuss what had happened the other night. Even though it was broad daylight, there were some concerns that PaniK could show up at any time, given the deaths of two members of the D.E.C, so those of the higher dorms had to be escorted.
"Anything from Sho and Rex?" Rika asked Jun.
"No… Judai's still there, watching over them." The Ojama Duelist shook his head. "Ryo-senpai is there too."
"I don't blame him." Misawa sighed. "He still feels guilty that he didn't step up."
"I've never seen him act this… distant." Kuromu said, "He hasn't even touched his Deck in a long while. I don't have to tell you how much this hurt him."
"They've really cornered us, haven't they…" Koji trailed off.
"Maybe, but that's also a chance to get back at him." Asuka said, getting their attention. "After all, when an animal is backed against a corner…"
"They bare all of their claws and fangs to show and fight back." Kuromu finished before looking towards the Gladial quartet, "Uh, no offense fellas."
"None taken." Bestrouli reassured him.
"What do you propose we do?" Misawa inquired.
"Simple, we bum rush him." Kuromu said, "Take him down with no turns to breathe. I want this guy to suffer for what he did to my frie-"
*WAPISH!*
"ITE!" Kuromu cried out, after being slapped on the face, thanks to… Asuka?
"Kuromu, stop that." she said, "Your eyes were…"
"Huh? My… eyes?" Kuromu blinked in confusion, which in turn confused the Obelisk Queen, but he shook it off for now, "A-Anyways, thanks for that. I guess I'm still pissed about, well, Sho and Rex. Heck, Reggie's still out there and we don't know where she or her brother are. I just feel so… powerless!"
"We all are." Rika murmured. "But… that hasn't stopped us from moving forward!"
"Rika?" Asuka looked towards the Foodon Duelist.
"Think about it! Even if the road ahead is long and hard, that doesn't mean that it's impossible! I know that things can look out of control, and that you have no way of changing it. So what? That never stopped Judai from dreaming to become like Yugi-san, or you, Kuro, from wanting to save Yukina-san from that eight-legged freak."
"Well, when she puts it like that, it makes sense." Koji chuckled.
"You can say that again." Kuromu soon heard Shotaro comment as he saw W, Shizuka, and even Minerva before him.
"Sir Kuromu, I'm sure that you will be able to save Lady MacKenzie, just as I know you will be able to avenge Sir Marufuji and Sir Taylor." Minerva affirmed.
"She is right. Look at what you have accomplished thus far." Shizuka joined in. "Despite the setbacks presented to you, you are becoming a stronger Duelist, and you are fighting for those smiles you want everyone to have."
"Everyone…" Kuromu muttered, looking at the Duel Spirits, then looked to W.
"It's like that food girl says, nothing's stopped us from moving forward. How you choose to move forward is up to you." Shotaro added.
"It's because of that attitude of yours, you'll always be half-boiled, Shotaro." Philip chuckled.
"I said I'm hard-boiled, dammit!"
Kuromu couldn't help but chuckle at his Duel Spirits' antics.
"So are we done moping around?" Jun asked, before noticing the Rider Duelist rush out, "Hey! Where are you going?! We need a plan of attack!"
"I have a plan. Attack." Kuromu declared, "And I'm not doing it alone."
Back at the infirmary…
Judai and Ryo still sat at the infirmary, waiting for Sho and Rex to wake up. Neither of them had spoken to each other. The only times they would leave is if their stomachs needed food or going to the restroom. Other than that, they stayed right where they were.
"Kuri…" Winged Kuriboh cooed as he tried to console the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"Sorry, Winged Kuriboh… I'm not feeling well…" Judai apologized.
"Kuri Kuri…"
"I'm not leaving here until Sho and Rex wake up."
Darkness.
Everything was pitch black. There wasn't anything within this black void. Sight and sound are limited and touch is virtually non-existent. The only thing that was in the darkness was the Roid Duelist, Sho, floating in the endless ethereal mass of nothingness.
It had been some time before his inner consciousness woke him up. Eyes fluttered open as he found himself nowhere. He uttered with a groan, "What happened…? Where am I…?"
That was when everything, his memories, came back rushing towards him. Sho was in a Game of Darkness with PaniK, the Player Killer of Darkness. He was forced to Duel him for the sick satisfaction of winning against those that were supposedly weaker than him. Even worse was the fact that he wasn't a Spirit Key Holder, yet PaniK still forced him into a Game of Darkness he was not supposed to be a part of, and became a victim of PaniK's madness when he lost.
"Nii-san!" Sho shouted. "Nii-san! Nii-san!"
No response.
"Aniki! Rex! Kuromu! Asuka-san! Rika-san! Anyone!"
But nobody came…
Sho shivered in fear of being alone in this strange void. It felt as if the darkness started to close in on him, about to be swallowed by it. He soon found himself in the fetal position, hugging his knees and legs with his head bowed down.
"Someone… anyone… help me… I don't want to die…" Sho whimpered.
In that instance, a tiny ball of light floated towards him.
It was enough for Sho to notice as he looked up at the tiny ball of light.
"H-Huh? What's… what's this?" He asked as he reached for it. When he grabbed it, he was engulfed in a bright light, consuming him. It was only for a brief moment before Sho slowly opened his eyes.
He was in what looked to be a large futuristic base filled with Vehicroids of all shapes and sizes. Each one going in and out of either the tubes that contained hardlight roads, the actual roads, and even the open dock that allowed the aquatic Vehicroids to move freely.
"This is…" Sho said in awe, looking around, "This is Megaroid City!" he exclaimed
He soon heard the sound of a drill, a truck, a train, and a stealth jet coming together.
"Drilloid, Expressroid, Truckroid, Stealthroid?" Sho marveled.
When he looked up, a bright flash of light blinded him…
It blinded him temporarily but he managed to look up again and see the four Roids that assembled before him… beginning to transform into one large machine, fusing together to become something stronger.
"Woah…" was all he could say before a light quickly flew straight for him, making him brace for impact.
Rex heard the sound of people cheering in the arena as he slowly opened his eyes. When he looked up, he was met with hundreds, if not thousands of people cheering in the stands. He quickly recognized the place as the Dungeon of the Gladial Beast - Colosseum. Yet at the same time, it looked much more clean and well kept in comparison to the dilapidated stone structure he was so used to calling out.
That was when he noticed a shadow loom over him as he looked up to see Domitianus standing before him, or rather his weaker form of Vespasius, a large leviathan-like monster with turquoise blue armor and gold trimmings.
"What the?!" Rex gasped.
"You have arrived, general." the leviathan gladiator reassured him.
"I-I guess but…" the mutt then turned his attention towards a lion gladiator around the same size as Domitianos with yellow armor that included two large wings that sported turrets on them.
"E-Emperor Alexander!" Rex yelped, quickly bending the knee, "I-It's been a while."
"Peace, general." Alexander raised his paw, speaking in a deep voice.
"What happened? Why am I-"
"You made a fool of yourself rushing in towards that large man." Alexander scolded, making Rex flinch. "Pray tell, who in their right mind would charge in so recklessly?"
The mutt looked away with shame, "I… I'll admit, I was just gripped with rage, my liege. I just-"
"You just felt like you could have prevented that boy from falling to that man, weren't you?" the lion gladiator said.
"H-How di-"
"I have heard it from your four consorts." The lion gladiator noted as Diecarii, Bestrouli, Lacquer, and Murmullo arrived. "You do recall the day I entrusted our power to you, right?"
Rex nodded, "You told me to fight like my life was always on the line, to savor each day I'm alive."
Alexander nodded, "Indeed, but you must also recognize that you are not invincible. There is only so much your speed can allow you to move out of danger." The lion gladiator then placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "However, I can also commend you for giving your life to save your friend earlier."
"You mean Kuromu?" Rex asked as he placed his hand to where his scar was, to which the lion gladiator nodded.
"It was that exact courage that made many of us allow you to wield our might against your foes." the lion gladiator noted, "What happened last night was a lesson to you; that you cannot let your anger get the best of you."
Rex smiled at that, "Thank you, my liege." the mutt thanked him.
That was when he saw Alexander, Diecarii, Bestrouli, Lacquer, and Murmullo begin to glow yellow, purple, red, green, and blue before they flew up into the sky and quickly crashed together in a blinding rainbow light…
Sho was the first to wake as he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but it soon focused and sharpened. He looked to his bedside and saw Judai and Ryo sitting in their chairs sleeping.
"Kuri! Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh called out to Judai. "Kuri! Kuri!"
"Huh, what is it?" the Elemental HERO Duelist asked before noticing his two friends slowly getting up. "Ryo, wake up!" He shook the Kaiser.
"Hm?" Ryo woke up and looked to the bedside to see his brother waking up. "Sho!" He gasped, standing up.
"Nii… san?" Sho got out.
"Never scare me like that again!" he declared.
"Ugh… too loud… shut up…" A familiar mutt barked out.
"Rex! Boy am I glad to see you up!" the Elemental HERO Duelist cheered as he went to hug him, but Rex stuck his foot in front of his friend.
"Don't, I feel like shit right now." the mutt groaned.
"Right, sorry about that buddy." Judai chuckled.
Just then the doors to the infirmary slid open and in came Kuromu. "Judai, Marufuji-senpai, I-" His voice was cut off when he saw that his unconscious friends were now awake. "Sho! Rex!"
"Yo…" the mutt greeted weakly.
"Are you guys okay?" Kuromu asked.
"We're fine. I think…" Sho muttered.
"Fine?! You were electrocuted and had a big ass cartoon drill thrown at you! And Rex got slammed through several trees after being bitch-slapped by a zombie dragon! Back-handed mind you!"
"Yeah, my back still aches like hell…" the mutt confirmed before stretching his back. He quickly winced in pain upon hearing his back crack, "Ugh, I'm gonna feel that in the afternoon!"
"I'm calling the others!" Kuromu said quickly, about to grab his PDA before he remembered something, "Oh right, I forgot something!"
"What is it?" Judai asked.
"Judai, Marufuji-senpai. We're taking down PaniK… together." Kuromu said.
…
"Uh, have you lost your mind?" Rex asked, "You saw how strong his monsters are, what makes you think it'd be a good idea to throw three guys at him?"
"Trust me, I know it sounds insane but it will work." Kuromu affirmed.
"How did you figure that?" Ryo inquired.
"Think about our different strategies, senpai." Kuromu explained. "My Riders and Judai's HEROes can swarm the field and you can bring out the big guns with your Cyber Dragons."
"And if he decides to bring in his boss monster?" the Kaiser asked.
"All of us will make sure to cover each other." Judai answered, "I mean, I got my Fusions, and Kuromu has his Final Forms. I think we can handle anything."
"Well, I hope you guys have got a good plan. Or at least pack a hell of a lot of traps and floodgates." Rex muttered. "Because I'm actually scared of what will happen if you guys fall too."
"We're not going to." Kuromu assured the mutt. "We have each other's backs."
Nightfall arrived, as the three Duelists stood at the ready at the front of the Abandoned Dorm, while everyone else watched on from the sidelines. Sho and Rex had to stay behind in the infirmary, but Jun and Misawa used their PDAs to communicate and let them watch the Duel from there. Judai stood at the left, with Kuromu standing on the right, and Ryo standing in the middle. Each had their Duel Disks equipped and their Decks at the ready.
"Time, Misawa?" Kuromu looked over his shoulder.
"3:00 AM" the genius reported before giving them the nod.
The Rider Duelist nodded, before looking at Judai and Ryo. "Are you two ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." the Elemental HERO Duelist affirmed.
The Kaiser merely said, "Do it."
"Alright, here goes." Kuromu sighed, taking in a deep breath, before uttering three times, "Pain. Pain. Pain."
"…and Panic."
The same black fog from the other night soon rolled in. It crept slowly towards the three Duelists in waiting, who stood there with guarded and bated breaths. Like before, the group were transported to the Abandoned Dorm, but this time, their Duel Disks didn't vanish. What's more, there was only half a Duel Arena standing before them this time.
"Half of a Duel Arena?" Asuka said, confused. "That's…"
"So, I see that you three wish to face me together?" PaniK chuckled as he stepped onto the Duel Arena, ready to face off against the trio.
"You're going to pay for what you did to my little brother!" Ryo declared. "Hurting him was the biggest mistake of your life!"
"I won't make the same mistake twice in not challenging you." Judai added.
"With the three of us together, we can take you down for good!" Kuromu said, "So we're doing this by Battle Royale rules. None of us can draw or attack on our first turn, and while we get the usual 4000 Life Points, you get 12000 Life Points in exchange."
"Do you honestly think that giving me more Life Points will allow you three to succeed?" PaniK questioned the Rider Duelist.
"We're all on equal footing, as far as we're concerned." Ryo pointed out.
"Guess someone failed in math when they were young." Judai smirked, much to PaniK's annoyance, "Still, it's time to get your game on!" All of them then activated their equipment and drew their starting hands.
"DUEL!"
PaniK: 12000
Judai: 4000 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
"Since Sho went first in your last Duel, it's only fair that you go first." Kuromu said.
"Very well then, I will go first!" he declared as he checked his hand, "I will start off by playing the Field Spell, The Gates of Dark World! With this, any Fiend Monster I summon will gain 300 ATK and DEF." After slapping the card onto the mat, not long after he uttered his move, the ground began to shake. Everyone present attempted to stand their ground, as something rose from beneath the surface of the earth. Rising up was a large door from the seeming depths of hell given the macabre imagery sculpted onto the doors.
"W-What is that?" Rika stuttered.
"Just what the name implies," Jun muttered. "Though honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the other side of the door leads there."
"Once per turn I can discard 1 Fiend monster to draw a card." PaniK added, before revealing said card. "And the card I choose is Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, and if he's discarded to the Graveyard thanks to a card effect, I get an additional card. So essentially, I get to draw two new cards." He discarded said card, and drew two new ones, increasing his hand to five. "I shall set a monster face-down and a card face-down. Ta-n endo."
"Then comes mine!" Judai declared, before looking at his hand. "I'll start by summoning Elemental HERO Bubbleman in ATK mode!" The bubble-themed superhero quickly appeared on the field (4/ATK: 800/DEF: 1200). "And since he's the only one on my side of the field, I get to draw two new cards!" He then drew two, his hand having increased to six. "Nice, now I'll play Dual Summon, allowing me to Normal Summon one more time! So now I'll summon Elemental HERO Solidman!"
A hero clad in a black bodysuit and a set of spiky white and gold armor emerged. He had a blue gem at the center of his chest plate, two large shield arms attached to his forearms, and a diamond-like helmet (4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1100).
"When Elemental HERO Solidman is Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Elemental HERO from my hand! So I'll summon my Elemental HERO Lady of Fire!"
Soon, the female half of the Heat heroes emerged, performing a quick kick before posing (4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000)
"I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo. And since it's my End Phase, Elemental HERO Lady of Fire's effect kicks in! You lose 200 Points for each Elemental HERO on my field. I have 3, so you lose 600 Life Points!" The fire themed heroine waved her arm, releasing a heat wave that crashed into PaniK's platform who cringed from the intense heat.
PaniK: 11400
Judai: 4000 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
["Heh, first blood and it's by effect damage. Nice."] Rex chuckled.
"O-re no ta-n!" Kuromu declared, before looking at his hand. "I summon Kamen Rider Hibiki in ATK mode!"
Upon activating the card, a ringing noise was heard and small soundwaves appeared in thin air as a small golden head of an oni appeared. The space being occupied suddenly burst into purple flames that raged briefly for a few seconds, before the embers dispersed, revealing the oni warrior. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1400)
"Next, I'll activate his ability! I can send up to three "Kamen Rider" monsters from my hand to the graveyard and inflict 400 points of Damage for each one sent at the cost of my other Kamen Riders not attacking this turn. But since all of us can't attack anyways, that's just fine with me! So I send Kamen Rider W, Kamen Rider Decade, and Kamen Rider Blade to the Graveyard, meaning you get slammed with 1200 points of Damage! "I-ke Hitoshi-san! Kigenjutsu Onibi!"
"On it, shounen." Hibiki said, before breathing purple flames that engulfed PaniK briefly.
PaniK: 10200
Judai: 4000 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
"A brilliant strategy! They're trying to whittle down as many Life Points as they can before PaniK's turn comes up!" Misawa realized with a gasp.
"Here's hoping that Ryo can keep this up when his turn begins." Koji observed.
"I'm not done yet, there's more where that came from! Next I activate Resurrection of the Dead, allowing me to revive a Monster, and I choose… Kamen Rider W!"
CYCLONE-JOKER!
A tune began to play as a strong wind suddenly blew, causing dust and debris to fly in all directions. The same dust and debris spun around before composing into a body and forming the suit. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1000)
"Saa… omae no tsumi o kazoero!"
"I activate Kamen Rider W's secondary effect! By targeting a number of Warrior monsters in my Graveyard equal to the number of "Kamen Rider" monsters I control, except him, I can shuffle them into the Deck, then draw 1 card! So I'll shuffle Kamen Rider Decade back into the Deck and draw that card!" Once he placed the card in the Deck, he shuffled cards and inserted the Deck back in its slot before drawing his lone card. "Heh, and my luck's shining on me today! I activate Treasure Cards from the Heavens, allowing all of us to draw until we have six cards!"
All players then drew.
"Even though he replenished PaniK's hand, he at least gave Judai and Ryo some resemblance of getting more cards and having more options to play." Rika commented.
["Yeah, that's gonna be an issue once PaniK's turn comes up."] Rex agreed.
"Here's more for ya! If I have Kamen Rider monsters on my field, I can Special Summon these two from my hand! Kamen Rider Faiz and Kamen Rider Gaim!"
STANDING BY
Another sound in the form of a pulsing power up noise was heard before there was another announcement.
COMPLETE
Red lines appeared in thin air forming a frame, then glowed briefly before the light dimmed, revealing the Rider. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)
ORANGE! LOCK ON!
SOIYA! ORANGE ARMS: HANAMICHI ON STAGE!
The metal orange dropped and landed midair. The air rippled with energy until the typical bodysuit emerged while the orange folded to become the armor. (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1500)
"Koko kara wa o-retachi no suteji da!" Gaim declared.
"Wowza, Kuro you ain't messing around!" Koji commented.
"The stage is set! First, Gaim gains 800 since I control 2 or more different Kamen Riders! Plus, you can't target them for attack except him!" Kuromu said.
Kamen Rider Gaim (ATK: 1700-2500)
"Finally, I'll finish by placing this face-down, then activate Kamen Rider W's first effect! By discarding one card, I can deal 300 points of Damage to you, for every Kamen Rider on my side of the Field, except for him. Since I have three, that's 900 more points!" After discarding a card, decreasing his hand to two, W closed the Double Driver and took out the Trigger Memory.
TRIGGER!
He inserted it into the Driver then spread it apart.
CYCLONE-TRIGGER!
A tune played as W's black half turned blue while equipping himself with the Trigger Magnum. He then aimed it at PaniK and fired three aero shots at him, the wind cutting into his thick skin, but no blood as of yet.
PaniK: 9300
Judai: 4000 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
"PaniK's almost down to 2/3 of his Life Points!" Asuka smiled.
"You… insolent curs!" PaniK snarled. "How dare you damage me so!"
"That's a pot calling the kettle black, considering what you did to Sho!" Kuromu snapped. "Marufuji-senpai!"
"Right." Ryo nodded before looking at his hand of six. "O-re no ta-n! I begin by activating my two Cyber Dragons' special effects. Since you control a monster, I can Special Summon them from my hand!"
The two twin dragons quickly emerged on the field (5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600).
"Next, I activate the spell Protective Seal Swords of Light! When this card is activated, you can't attack for three turns and your monster gets flipped up, this instant!" Ryo declared.
As the three swords of light fell in between the battlefield, the facedown card revealed itself to be another macabre monster with tentacle hair, a long black scarf, and finally a large shield, Genta, Gateman of Dark World (4/ATK: 1000-1300/DEF: 1800-2100).
"I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Ryo finished.
"Wait, that's it?" Jun said, confused.
"Actually, this strategy is sound." Misawa said. "While Ichiban-kun and Kuromu-kun deal Damage, Marufuji-san will act as a buffer to prevent PaniK from making any sudden moves that would hinder their strategy."
"Alright! Now they've made sure he can't attack once his turn begins!" Rika cheered.
"Meaning they can wail on him for three turns straight!" Koji agreed.
["Kick his ass, guys!"] Rex cheered.
"Tsk, do you honestly think I will let you keep those blades on the field?" PaniK chuckled, "Well then, my turn begins now! Draw!" He soon performed the first draw of the game, his hand at seven cards and quickly activated it, "I play the spell, Magical Removal! I can target one face-up Spell card, or a set Spell/Trap and destroy it! I choose to destroy Protective Seal Swords of Light!"
"Crap!" Kuromu gasped as the swords of light disappeared.
"Those accursed swords became my undoing back in Duelist Kingdom, I will not let them hinder me again!" PaniK said, "Next, I will reveal my face-down Dark World Dealings so now we will draw one card and discard at the same time."
All of them did as the card instructed, keeping the number of cards in their hand the same. Judai's hand at six, Kuromu's hand at two, and Ryo's hand also at two. However, that was when PaniK smirked as the three Duelists realized he was about to activate another card from the Graveyard.
["Uh-oh, which Dark World did he discard this time?"] Sho said, worried.
"I Special Summon from the Graveyard, Sillva, Army God of Dark World!" the masochist declared as on his side of the field, a large skull-like monster with two black wings, long silver hair, and blades on his arms emerged on his side of the field (5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1400).
"That's not good…" Asuka said, concerned.
"Now, I activate The Gates of Dark World's effect to discard a Fiend-type Monster then draw another card!" he declared before smirking, "Now I bring forth Kelto, Ogre God of Dark World from the Graveyard!"
Coming out of the door was a bulky fiend with a white skull for a head with green eyes, and two large drill-like horns that protruded out. He wore organic silverish-gray armor with translucent armor over his shoulders and gauntlets, while having an elongated tail and bits of his flesh and muscle tissue were exposed. (6/ATK: 2400-2700/DEF: 0-300)
["Crap, he's got two monsters already stronger than anything on the board."] Rex observed.
"Now then, since I still have a Normal Summon free, I summon forth Broww, Huntsman of Dark World!" PaniK finished as he summoned forth another dark monster with fins on its head, fur-lined shoulder pads, a large bronze claw, and a bow (3/ATK: 1400-1700/DEF: 800-1100)
"Get ready, you two." Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Battle! Broww, Huntsman of Dark World attacks Elemental HERO Bubbleman! Chaos Arrow!"
The fiend hunter aimed his bow towards the water-themed HERO, the arrow being pulled back as the tip glowed with dark energy before firing at him.
"Sorry, but I activate my face-down! Magic Cylinder to redirect your monster's attack from me right back at you!" Judai declared as Brron ended up getting teleported from one cylinder to the next as his attack struck PaniK in the back.
PaniK: 7600
Judai: 4000 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
"Grrrrr…" PaniK growled in pain, not like that will save you, Duel Prince! Sillva, Army God of Dark World attacks Elemental HERO Lady of Fire! Infernal Storm!" he ordered as the silver monster's arm blades began to charge up with dark energy before he rocketed forward to slice the fire heroine in two.
PaniK: 7600
Judai: 2700 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
That's when Judai felt himself getting pulled in as the gates opened up a bit.
"Judai!" Rika called out.
"What's going on?!" Kuromu demanded. "What are you doing, PaniK?!"
"Doing what I wanted to do with the Duel King for ages." the Seven Star Duelist declared, "But since I can only fight his successor at the moment, I will make sure that no one becomes like that brat ever again. Now then let's continue shall we? Battle! Kelto, Ogre of Dark World, will attack Kamen Rider Gaim! Beastly Smash!"
Kelto then leaped into the air and smashed Gaim into the ground with a double axe handle. However, when the smoke from the impact cleared… W was blocking the attack with Gaim?
"WHAT?!"
"Sorry, but you activated my trap! Kamen Rider Intervention! When one of my Kamen Riders is targeted for an attack, I choose another one on the field and the one targeted gains half of their ATK until the end of the Damage Step! In other words, Gaim takes half of W's ATK points for this battle!"
Kamen Rider Gaim (ATK: 2500-3450)
"Kouta-san! Shotaro-san! Philip-san! Counterattack!" Kuromu shouted.
"Got it!" The three affirmed as the two-in-one Rider quickly kicked the ogre away and activated their finisher alongside the orange samurai Rider.
JOKER: MAXIMUM DRIVE!
SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!
The two of them then jumped up and dived down for their respective Rider Kicks, the ogre-like warlord blocking them with both arms, but was eventually overpowered, destroying him in an explosive fashion.
PaniK: 6850
Judai: 2700 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 4000
["Nice!"] Rex cheered.
"What's wrong, PaniK? Gotten rusty?" Kuromu taunted.
"Tsk, a mere setback." He snarled. PaniK thought back to the day Yugi, the future Duel King, had defeated him all those years ago…
Flashback
Duelist Kingdom.
The island where Pegasus organized and held his tournament. Some of Japan's strongest Duelists were invited to compete for the title of "Duel King" and a prize money of ¥3,000,000. Yugi alongside his friend Jounouchi participated in this tournament; Yugi being forced to, to save his grandfather's soul and Joey dueling for the prize money in order to pay for his sister's eye operation.
At the moment, PaniK had just eliminated Kujaku Mai from the competition, having taken her eight Star Chips. Yugi challenged him to a Duel and if he were to win, Mai would get her eight Star Chips back. If not, she was eliminated from the competition.
And so the Duel went on, PaniK was left snarling on the inside on how Yugi was out dueling him. The current field is as follows. On Yugi's side he had Gaia the Dragon Knight. On PaniK's side, the monsters he had on the field were Castle of Darkening, Supreme King of the Dark Demon World, Barox, Dark Chimera, and Metal Guardian. They were all protected by the Chaos Shield and Yugi's Protective Seal Swords of Light prevented PaniK from attacking. As for their Life Points…
PaniK: 494
Yugi: 1606
"You only think about protecting yourself. You're too weak." Yugi declared.
"Shut up! Once your Protective Seal Swords of Light are gone, I'll be invincible and will counterattack!"
"It's already too late, you've already fallen into my trap!" Yugi said. "The more you protect yourself, the less you have a chance of escaping!"
"Shut up! You're nothing but talk!"
"We'll see about that. This is your last turn!" Yugi said.
That's when the Duel King smirked and declared that this turn would be PaniK's last before Yugi performed his winning combo.
"This is the end, my card is Catapult Turtle!" Yugi declared while a large turtle-like mecha with a green shell and a rail cannon appeared on Yugi's side of the field (5/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2000).
"Furthermore, I place Gaia the Dragon Knight on the catapult to launch it!" Yugi added as the dragon rider mounted the turtle mecha's weapon. "By launching it from the catapult, Gaia the Dragon Knight's ATK increases to 3200!"
Gaia the Dragon Knight (ATK: 2600-3200)
PaniK couldn't help but smile and laugh. "How pointless! My monster's defenses are superior! If I survive this turn, the shadows will once again block your attacks!"
"I never said anything about attacking your monsters." Yugi smirked. "What I'm attacking… is your Castle of Darkening!"
PaniK laughed even harder. "Are you stupid?! My Castle of Darkening's ATK is also 3200! I won't take any Damage!"
"You're probably right, and by my calculations, my Life Points will be reduced to 300. But there's a weakness in your castle… and that is its flotation ring! That is what I'm aiming for!"
"And why would you do that?" PaniK asked.
"Think about it." Yugi said, confusing the Player eliminator. "The reason why I'm aiming for its levitation ring is because when I end my turn, the Protective Seal Swords of Light would fade. The swords are the only thing that's keeping your castle afloat! And your Chaos Shield keeps your castle and the fiends below it, trapped. In other words, once I end my turn, and the swords fade, your castle will come crumbling down on them."
PaniK's eyes widened in horror and realization. "No! It can't be!"
"Knock it out of the sky, Gaia the Dragon Knight!" Yugi shouted. From there, the Catapult Turtle launched the dragon Rider straight into the castle. The monster exploded on contact. And when the dust settled, the floatation ring cracked before breaking apart.
PaniK: 494
Yugi: 300
"Wait!" PaniK panicked.
"Ta-n… shuuryou." Yugi said, doing a thumbs-down gesture.
The swords faded away and the castle came floating down. The monsters inside the Chaos Shield, excluding Metal Guardian tried to escape, but to no avail. The castle crushed them to their deaths, the castle crumbling down on them afterwards.
PaniK: 0
Yugi: 300
"You did it!" Anzu cheered.
"Yugi won!" Jounouchi cheered as well.
"Alright!" Honda and Bakura affirmed.
"Yugi…" Mai murmured.
PaniK snarled in anger as he hunched down over his side of the Duel Arena. This amateur… there was no way that someone like this pipsqueak could beat him. No… it wasn't right! HE REFUSED TO ACCEPT IT!
"I don't care about the results of this Duel! I'm sending you to Hell!"
After smashing the button, the flamethrowers installed into Yugi's side of the Duel Arena lit up and began firing streams of flames around him.
"This is bad! Yugi can't move!" Jounouchi cried out.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR MAKING A FOOL OUT OF ME! FIREEEEEEEEEE!"
However, as he fired the flamethrowers installed into his own table at Yugi, the Millennium Puzzle glowed and protected its holder from the flames. The flames then became a massive fire tornado that masked the whole Duel Arena.
"What?" PaniK gasped. "What is this?! You're supposed to be burned alive!"
"It's time I show you the true power of darkness!" Yugi declared.
PaniK stepped back in fear, "S-Stop!" When he tried to escape, he backed up into the railing on his side of the Duel Arena. That hesitation was all the Duel King needed as he quickly delivered a Mind Crush. PaniK was sent flying straight through the pillar of flames and onto the ground while his body was still scorched.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" PaniK roared in pain, as he rolled all over the ground, before passing out from the pain.
When he came to, Yugi and his friends were nowhere in sight. He struggled to get back to his feet and let out a fierce snarl.
"I won't let this slide, you freak." he groaned before looking to his side of the Duel Arena. Sure enough, his deck was completely burned, reduced to ashes. With nothing else on hand, he had no choice but to leave the island and return to the mainland.
From then on, he watched the boy that beat him rise to unimaginable heights, until he was hailed as the legendary Duel King; and it completely sickened him. And so, building himself a new Deck, he had been participating in Underground Duels in the alleyways and underneath the streets of Domino City. It was here that he began to rack up wins once again as he tortured his would-be opponents.
His opponents all feared him, just as PaniK wanted them to. Which was why he decided on the Dark World archetype as his new game plan. He had dominated the Domino City Underground for some time, before the day that someone hired him as a Seven Star.
It was on that day that he ended up witnessing something. He saw Yugi give Judai Winged Kuriboh. In his eyes, he just saw his greatest pain pass the torch down to a successor.
A wicked plan also formed in his head. If he takes down that successor, no doubt that it will draw out the Duel King. And he can finally have his revenge for all the suffering he had to endure that led him to today!
From there, he would end up being chosen by the leader of the Seven Stars to be a part of his group. PaniK soon ended up meeting the other Seven Stars as Darkness, David, Reggie, Wally, and the final two members after the call had been put out.
"Wait, this old timer is one of us? One of those Player Eliminators from Duelist Kingdom?" Wally asked.
"Patience, Owen." the stern young man said, "You shouldn't be making any comparison, criminal."
"Hey, don't you sass me bub!" the gang leader snarled.
Darkness rolled his eyes, "There they go again…"
"Enough, you two." Reggie said, getting in between Wally and Reggie. "You're setting a bad example to him."
"So, you are the one who faced off against Muto Yugi?" One of the two asked.
"Yeah, what of it?" PaniK gruffed.
"It seems that we have the same enemy." The voice said. "I, too, was once defeated by the so-called Duel King."
"I see…" PaniK muttered.
From there, he would watch the group discuss the plan, before watching Darkness, David, and Reggie fall to the Spirit Key Holders.
'I will not let those brats make a mockery out of me!' PaniK thought before continuing his move, "I play Cyclone to destroy my Field Spell!"
["Huh, why would he do something like that?!"] Rex asked as the gate of the Dark World crumbled and the power bonus for the Dark World monsters disappeared.
Sillva, Army God of Dark World (ATK: 2600-2300/DEF: 1700-1400)
Kelto, Ogre God of Dark World (ATK: 2700-2400/DEF: 300-0)
Broww, Huntsman of Dark World (ATK: 1700-1400/DEF: 1100-800)
Genta, Gateman of Dark World (ATK: 1300-1000/DEF: 2100-1800)
"What's his plan this time?" Ryo asked.
"It's all for this next card I'm going to play…" he then stared directly into Kuromu's eyes, and seemingly into his soul. "I play Berserker Soul!"
"Berserker Soul?!" Kuromu gasped.
"First, I must discard my entire hand." He said before smirking, "But that also allows me to activate Beiige's effect to allow me to summon it from the Graveyard!"
Soon, the demonic spearman appeared as he bent a knee after being summoned (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1300)
"Now for every monster I draw and discard to the graveyard, one of my monsters who has less than 1500 ATK will perform an additional attack and I won't stop until I've drawn a Spell or Trap Card." PaniK declared, "Now let's see how many arrows you can stomach, boy."
"Egads… he could potentially defeat all three of them at once!" Misawa gasped.
"Now, let's see…" he then drew his first card, "Ah, a Monster Card!"
"Gh…" Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Now I'll discard it and Broww, Huntsman of Dark World will attack you directly!" PaniK laughed, before said demon archer drew his arrow and fired, hitting Kuromu right on the shoulder.
"GAHHHHHHHHHH!"
PaniK: 6850
Judai: 2700 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 2600
"Kuromu/Kuromu!" Asuka and his Riders shouted in worry as Kuromu fell on one knee.
"Kuro, you okay?!" Judai called.
"Arrrrgh…! Ergh!" Kuromu groaned in pain, with one eye shut, clenching his teeth tightly, before gripping onto the arrow and yanking it out, much to his friend's horror. "Aaaargh! Dammit, that hurts!"
"Oi shounen, get a hold of yourself!" Hibiki said. "We can't have you dying yet!"
"Next card I draw? Oh, another Monster." He chuckled before looking towards Judai and having Broww fire his next arrow. It whizzed across the field and Judai dodged it, but the arrow honed in on him and it struck Judai on one of his legs, forcing him on one knee as well.
"Arrrrgh!"
"Judai/["Judai/Aniki!"]!"
PaniK: 6850
Judai: 1300 Ryo: 4000 Kuromu: 2600
"For my next card? Another Monster!" He said before looking to the Kaiser, "I see that you're still fresh…" he laughed.
["Nii-san!"] Sho shouted.
"Fire!" PaniK ordered as Broww fired another arrow. But unlike Judai and Kuromu, Ryo was quick on his feet to deflect the arrow with his Duel Disk.
PaniK: 6850
Judai: 1300 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
"Now then, what will my next card be? Oh, well. You three live this time." He sighed as he had not drawn a Monster card, revealing the card to be Dark World Brainwashing before he looked with glee at the staggered Elemental HERO and Rider Duelists. "How does it feel boys? Are you in so much pain that you now fear me?"
Kuromu panted heavily, glaring at the Dark World Duelist. "I've been through worse…!"
"Oh? Then you'll be in for hell when my turn arrives." PaniK laughed.
"Well it's gonna have to wait…" Judai said, as he managed to pull the arrow out of his leg with a yank. "Argh! That sucked…" He groaned, before throwing the arrow away. "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Judai declared, drawing his next card, increasing it to seven. "Sweet! Just what I'm looking for! I'm activating the Spell Card, Fusion! I'll fuse Elemental HERO Bubbleman on my field, and Elemental HERO Burst Lady in my hand!"
Soon, Bubbleman quickly transformed into a set of armor. Once that was similar to Thunder Giant's armor, but was purple in color. It flew towards Burst Lady.
"It's time to go hero, full steam ahead!"
Burst Lady then jumped up into the air alongside the armor which then separated into parts. Burst Lady then flew to one armor part, then the next, and the other, before the helmet was placed over her head, landing on the ground after.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Steam Healer (6/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1000)!"
"Hah! What a weak monster!" PaniK scoffed.
"Oh, I'm not done yet." Judai smirked. "Thanks to you destroying your own Field Spell, I can activate one of my own! Skyscraper -Skyscraper-!"
Soon, the familiar heroic city line appeared around the group.
"And if I attack a monster that's ATK is higher than my Elemental HERO, said HERO gains 1000 ATK! And when Elemental HERO Steam Healer destroys one of your monsters, I gain Life Points equal to their original ATK!"
"What?!" PaniK bellowed.
"Booyah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Koji cheered.
"It's not a bad move, for sure." Jun agreed with a smirk.
"Battle! Elemental HERO Steam Healer attacks Kelto, Ogre God of Dark World! Steam Blast!"
Steam Healer started building up steam in her armor as she powered up from the Field Spell. (ATK: 1800-2800) Once she had enough stored up, she fired a concentrated heat blast straight to the monstrous ogre and destroyed it. Not only that, the residual steam that hissed after the blast, blew over to Judai, healing him and closing the wound he sustained previously.
PaniK: 6450
Judai: 3700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
"Alright! He's almost back to where he started!" Rika cheered.
"Let's just hope Kuromu and Ryo can keep the momentum up." Asuka hoped.
"I'll switch Elemental HERO Solidman to DEF mode, then place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Judai finished as Solidman knelt on one knee and crossed his arms, while a reversed card appeared on the field.
"Now comes mine. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu said, drawing his next card, increasing his hand to three. "I activate Final Henshin! This lets me upgrade a Kamen Rider that's on my field to their final form, and I choose Kamen Rider Faiz!"
Just then a silver suitcase-like device with a large gun handle and circular number pad appeared at the arriving Faiz's feet. Picking it up, his fingers dialed up the familiar code.
5-5-5
STANDING BY
After Kuromu slapped the card onto the field, Faiz then took off the Faiz Phone from his belt and inserted it into one corner of the suitcase gun-like device.
AWAKENING
To everyone's surprise, a red beam of light shot down from the sky and hit Faiz. As Kuromu watched the cellular Rider evolve, he noticed something odd about his card. For a brief moment it glowed. He found it strange, but now wasn't the time for that. He needed to finish this Duel and quick.
Faiz's suit started changing color from black to red while the red line became yellow.
"Henshin Shōkan! Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form (8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)!"
"That's another one we haven't seen." Misawa mused.
"Next I activate the Continuous Spell, Preemptive Strike!" Kuromu said next, "Now whenever any of my Kamen Riders attack, they gain 400 ATK until the end of the Damage Step! Battle! Kamen Rider Faiz - Blaster Form will attack Sillva, Army God of Dark World! Photon Buster!"
"Right away." Faiz affirmed. He then dialed a number.
1-0-3
BLASTER MODE
He then took the Faiz Blaster and turned the handle to the opposite direction, before unfolding it into an actual futuristic rifle. He then opened up the phone and pressed the 'ENTER' button.
EXCEED CHARGE
After taking aim, the evolved cellular Rider fired a blast from his rifle at the silver demon. The beam hit its target and blue flames emitted from the silver demon's body before crumbling to dust as Faiz's symbol appeared.
PaniK: 6250
Judai: 3700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
"Kamen Rider Gaim attacks Broww, Huntsman of Dark World! Kamen Rider W attacks Genta, Gateman of Dark World! And Kamen Rider Hibiki attacks Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World! Go!"
JOKER! MAXIMUM DRIVE!
SOIYA! ORANGE SQUASH!
After Hibiki tossed forward a disk that created a sound barrier around the three monsters, the oni rider began hitting the disk rapidly like a drum before ducking and allowing W and Gaim to complete the combo by landing a Triple Rider Kick on the disk.
PaniK: 4950
Judai: 3700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
"I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu finished.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Ryo called out as he drew his next card, only to click his tongue.
"Crap, a dead draw…" Koji groaned.
The Kaiser shook his head, "Battle! Cyber Dragons, attack his Life Points directly! Evolution Burst!"
At his command, the twin serpent mechas quickly charged up their mouth beams and fired them right at PaniK, leaving him in agony.
PaniK: 750
Judai: 3700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
["Nice! One more rally and he's done!"] Rex cheered.
"Ta-n endo." Ryo concluded.
"Give it up, PaniK!" Kuromu said. "Whatever move you think you can pull off it's not going to work!"
"Never! I won't stop until I complete my revenge!" PaniK protested.
"And when you do, what's going to happen next?! Nothing! It's going to leave you empty! You lived your whole life for revenge, but what happens when you do get it? You'll have no purpose!"
"What?!" he gasped.
"That look in your eyes." Kuromu said, "That looks like a man consumed by his past, unable to move on. Even if you somehow beat us and Yugi, what will happen to you after that? Will you just remain cruel?"
"Shut up! You do not know me, boy!" the Seven Star Duelist snarled.
"Oh I know plenty," Kuromu said. "Just as how you were ruled by fear back at Duelist Kingdom, you're still a coward right now! You hide behind the darkness because of how we and our friends shine bright with our courage and resolve! Just as how Sho did when he faced you despite his fears!"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UPPP!" Once more, the Spirit Bond phenomenon took over as PaniK's voice merged with that of his likely ace monster Brron, "I WON'T HEAR ANYMORE OF THIS!"
"Then show us what you got!" Judai taunted him… which made the mutt groan.
'Great, way to jinx it dude…' the mutt thought to himself.
"Fine then, I will! O-re no ba-n da! Draw!" he declared, but he didn't draw normally. Like before, he used his gauntlet's eye to give him the card he needed from the deck. "I play my own copy of Treasure Cards from the Heavens!" After he and the others drew their six card hands, PaniK laughed, "I play Fusion to merge Reign, Devil of Dark World, Brron, Mad King of Dark World, and Goldd, War God of Dark World!"
As the red and blue vortex emerged, Brron emerged and was joined by a hulking demonic beast with two large wings and a large whip-like tail (7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1800) and a golden demon with two wings and a large axe in hand (5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1400) as they flew straight into it.
"O'Great king of the shadows, merge with your loyal subjects to awaken the ultimate darkness!"
Soon, what descended before them was a shining white human-like figure with a similarly colored staff, an asura-like face, and a pair of wings encased in what looked to be a dark crystal around it.
"Fusion Summon! Awaken, Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World! (12/ATK: ?/DEF: ?)"
["I hate undetermined stats…"] Rex grumbled.
"Uh-oh, I got a bad feeling about this," Rika said.
"Let the torture begin! I activate Clorless's first effect! If this card is Fusion Summoned, I can destroy all cards my opponent controls!" He declared, "What's more? He gains ATK and DEF depending on the number of materials used to Fusion Summon it x 1000. Since I used three monsters, Clorless gains 3000 ATK and DEF."
Soon, the dark king lifted his scepter and cleared Judai, Kuromu, and Ryo's fields of any cards.
Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World (ATK: ?-3000/DEF: ?-3000)
"Shoot!" Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Now there's NOTHING that can stop me! Battle! Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World attacks the Duel Prince directly! Dark World Judgment!"
In that same movement, Clorless pointed his staff right at Judai, firing a miasma of dark energy that quickly left Judai on his knees and coughing up blood.
"JUDAI!" Kuromu and Ryo shouted.
PaniK: 750
Judai: 700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
"I… I'm good." He reassured them, "I've… been through worse…"
"Hahahahahaha! How does it feel, boy? Do you three think I am a coward now?" PaniK laughed.
"You bastard!" Kuromu roared.
"Go ahead then, let's see if you can defeat my king! Because once my turn begins, you're next." PaniK affirmed with a sadistic grin as he set a card face-down.
"O-re no… ta- *Cough! Cough!*" Judai coughed out more blood.
"Judai, don't strain yourself!" Kuromu said worriedly.
"I got this!" Judai said before drawing his next card, increasing his hand to seven… and smiling, "Sweet! Looks like you're not the only one with Transformation Summoning this Duel, Kuro!"
["Did he just draw Mask Change?!"] Rex realized.
"First off, I summon Elemental HERO Shadow Mist in ATK mode!"
The dark heroine quickly appeared, before looking worried at her summoner (4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1500).
"Next, I play the spell card Mask Change where I can target one HERO I control and send it to the Graveyard to special summon one Masked HERO in their place! Let's go Shadow Mist!"
Shadow Mist soon performed a finger gun motion as two mechanical hands appeared, carrying two halves of a suit.
"Even in the shadows, we can aim for the highlight!"
Soon, the halves quickly came together before the helmet was quickly dropped onto Shadow Mist's head, completing the change. The appearance of this new HERO was certainly different as the head looked mechanical and was shaped like a cat. The shoulders and chest also had mecha cat heads, following serrated spikes on its gauntlets and legs.
"Henshin Shōkan! Masked Hero Dark Law (6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800)!"
"It's not strong enough!" PaniK pointed out.
"Trust me, I know. But lucky for me, your Treasure Cards from the Heavens allowed me to draw my second Skyscraper copy!" Judai cheered. When he activated the card, the city skyline returned.
"Now, take the dark king down like any good HERO would Dark Law! Battle! Masked HERO Dark Law attacks Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World! Shadow Victory!"
As Dark Law flew into the air, an astral image of a panther emerged and leaped up to allow the dark Rider to use it as a platform (ATK: 2400-3400). Dark Law then tapped her belt.
ELEMENT GRAND VICTORY!
The astral panther quickly flew forward and vanished, allowing Dark Law to fly straight for the dark king.
"Grk, I activate my face-down! Attack Nullification!" He declared as the barrier around Clorless's wings quickly covered the whole body, protecting him from Dark Law's Rider Kick.
"Damn it, so close!" Rika snarled.
"Don't worry. I'm sure the others got this. Ta-n endo." Judai said, before turning to Kuromu. "Alright, finish this off man!"
Kuromu drew his next card then looked to Ryo, "No… that honor should go to Marufuji-senpai. I'll pass this turn."
"Very well… It's time I put this mad dog down! O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He declared, drawing his next card to increase his hand to seven. "First, I activate Spellbook Inside the Pot, which allows all of us to draw three extra cards!" He said, before they all drew, Ryo's hand in particular now at nine. "Now I can special summon my last Cyber Dragon in ATK mode!"
The last of Ryo's dragons quickly arrived and roared into the sky. (5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600)
"Next, I Normal Summon Proto Cyber Dragon!"
Soon, a less built Cyber Dragon appeared, missing its upper head and sporting wires around its body (3/ATK: 1100/DEF: 600). "With this monster, he's treated as Cyber Dragon! Next I activate Resurrection of the Dead to revive the last Cyber Dragon I need!"
From the ankh, one of the destroyed Cyber Dragons was returned to the field (5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1600).
"Now, I use Power Bond to merge both of my Cyber Dragons and my Proto-Cyber Dragon into one!"
Like before, the two Cyber Dragons quickly flew into the red and blue vortex alongside the prototype.
"Silver serpents of metal, unite your three selves as one and obliterate those who stand in your way!"
Soon, the three-headed machine let out its synthetic roar upon being completed.
"Fusion Summon! Complete, Cyber End Dragon (10/ATK: 4000-8000/DEF: 2800)!"
"He has this won!" Jun exclaimed.
"Not quite, Manjoume. I want to eliminate PaniK off the face of this earth." Ryo said darkly. "Now I activate Limiter Removal! For one turn, my Cyber End Dragon's ATK is doubled!"
Cyber End Dragon: (ATK: 8000-16000)
"His ATK is 16000!" Misawa gasped.
"Activating Spell Card, Magic Shard Excavation! By discarding two cards from my hand, I can retrieve a Spell card from my Graveyard!" He said, doing as the card instructed. "Reactivating Limiter Removal!"
Cyber End Dragon: (ATK: 16000-32000)
["32000?! Holy shit, he's not going for game! He's out for blood!"] Rex exclaimed.
"I activate my last card…" Ryo said, before turning it around, much to PaniK's horror. "And it just so happens to be another Limiter Removal…" The three-headed dragon roared with authority, as electricity crackled around the entire field, so much so, that the group had to either protect themselves or dodge the lightning that was striking the ground around them indiscriminately.
Cyber End Dragon: (ATK: 32000-64000)
"64000?! Is he insane?!" Jun gawked.
["Nii-san…"] Sho said worriedly.
"Wait… no… nonononono! Don't do it!" PaniK panicked, as he stepped backwards, only to be stopped by the rail. How could this have happened to him? Twice!? "This wasn't supposed to happen! I'm supposed to be feared by ALL!"
"This is for my brother! Battle! Cyber End Dragon attacks Clorless, Chaos King of Dark World! ETERNAL EVOLUTION BURST!"
Soon, the dragon's three heads began to charge up an obscene amount of energy from it's mouths before letting it loose in a mighty triple laser attack that not only destroyed the dark king, but eviscerated PaniK.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
When the dust settled, all that was left of PaniK was the heavily destroyed Duel Arena, and the broken gauntlet.
PaniK: 0
Judai: 700 Ryo: 2600 Kuromu: 2600
Everyone was left in awe at what Ryo had just accomplished as the Solid Vision died down.
"I think that broke the school record for highest Damage dealt in a single turn." Rika muttered in shock.
["Forget damage, he left no corpse behind. Not even ashes…"] Rex said in both awe and horror.
"Senpai…" Kuromu muttered, before the adrenaline had left him and cringed. "Ergh…!" He knelt on one knee in pain, as he grabbed his wounded shoulder.
"Kuro!" Asuka gasped, rushing over to him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Kuromu panted, looking at her tiredly, before leaning on her shoulder for support, before the Obelisk Queen helped him up.
Judai fell to the ground but Misawa and Koji helped him back on his feet.
"Easy Daddy-O, we got you." Koji said.
"Ah, gee. Thanks guys." Judai chuckled, before looking at Ryo who just stood there. "Kaiser? You… You good?"
Sho was also worried about what his brother had just done. ["Nii-san…"]
Ryo seemed to have snapped out of it, before looking at Judai. "Yes… I'm alright."
"Uh… overkill much?" Judai winced.
"I suppose. But, it was clear that even if we defeated him here, he wouldn't stop until he got his revenge. So I decided to do what I had to." The Kaiser lamented.
["Well, at least now we got like what? Three more Seven Stars to deal with?"] Rex recalled, ["But knowing our luck, these guys might be the strongest…"]
"…We should get back to the school and inform Principal Samejima." Ryo suggested.
"Agreed." The group said before everyone left, especially to get Kuromu and Judai to the infirmary. Little did they know that the gauntlet crumbled down, revealing the red stone that was embedded. When the stone returned to Kuromu's Shadow Charm Pendant, once more his Extra Deck pulsed with a red glow.