It was finally Winter Break for Duel Academia. As thanks for the hard work and Dueling they've done thus far, the students were rewarded with visiting their families on the mainland. Though there were several students that decided to stay behind. Mainly, Judai, Sho, Rex, Koji, Rika, Asuka, and Kuromu. And to supervise them were Daitokuji, Tsukasa, and Kyoshiro. As to where the group were staying, it was at the Osiris Red Dorm.
"Ahh, this is life…" Rex sighed as he lay down on his favorite spot, the roof of the dorm. "The air is nippy, the snow's falling, man there's nothing like winter." He chuckled.
"Hey Rex, you coming down?" Kuromu called out from down below. "Food's ready!"
"Coming!" Rex called out before jumping safely off the roof to join the group for a nice warm meal.
Upon the boys arriving in the cafeteria, they were met with the sight of a feast before their eyes. Today's special was a variety of dishes from Rika's family restaurant.
"Finally got the dog off the roof, eh?" Rika smiled wryly.
"I'm still surprised he knows how to get there in the first place." Sho admitted, "How Rex is able to get up there was anyone's guess."
"It's all in the muscles." Rex grinned, "And practice, lots of practice." The mutt blushed as he recalled his many failed attempts to get onto the roof during the start of the school year.
"Never thought you were the type to do parkour, hound dog." Koji raised an eyebrow.
"It's a skill I picked up from home. Needed it too." The mutt said, though he never revealed why he needed to learn it.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving! All this food looks great!" Judai smiled widely, but Rika stopped him before he could leap at the feast like it was a wounded gazelle. All in the form of her whacking Judai's head with a ladle.
"No, bad Judai! Bad!" Rika scolded, "There's plenty for everyone."
"Ow! What did I do?" The E-Hero Duelist asked.
"You were about to dive in for the food." Asuka said dryly.
"And leave us with scraps. Again." Kuromu added.
"Hehehe…" Judai laughed sheepishly.
"I will ensure fairness that everyone gets an equal share of food on their plates-nya." Daitokuji reassured the students, as Pharaoh jumped on the table and pawed a fried shrimp for him to eat.
"Hey! Pharaoh, no cutting in line!" Judai cried out.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssssss…" The tabby cat hissed at the E-Hero Duelist.
"Good grief…" Tsukasa groaned while watching Judai argue with Pharaoh. "Those kids are a colorful bunch."
"Heh, yeah, no kidding." Kyoshiro chuckled as they watched them, before leaning slightly, muttering to Tsukasa, "By the way, how's the search going?" He asked.
The Dimension Rider shook his head, "Still got no leads. He's a slippery guy, I'll admit."
"I see…" Kyoshiro sighed, hunched over in his seat.
"Relax. We'll find her. It's just taking time." Tsukasa reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Besides, you should follow your own advice and just wait it out." He advised the Kururugi patriarch.
"I guess you have a point." Kyoshiro agreed.
"OI! Hands off my food!" They heard Rex yelp as he tried to fight off Judai from eating the pizza box he had.
"Come on, just one bite!"
"Get your own!"
"Wow, I thought the guys were really exaggerating about Judai's appetite." Kuromu blinked at the display.
"Yeah, no kidding." Asuka agreed.
"Like I said, Judai. I called dibs on the pizza!" The mutt growled as he fought to protect his food.
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"
A lone Obelisk Blue student ran through the forest, as if a demon was nipping at his heels. He was exhausted and tired. His feet felt like they were on fire and his legs felt like jelly, being on the verge of giving up and buckling under his own weight. But he had to keep going.
'Crap, why is this happening?! I gotta find help and fast!' The Obelisk student thought as he looked around for any hope of salvation.
As he continued to flee through the forest, he heard a sound behind him get louder and louder, making him run much harder in response. In spite of his body screaming for him to stop. It's as if the whole forest was echoing in laughter.
"Run as fast as you can, mortal. But you're not backing out of our deal. Hahahahahahaha!"
The Obelisk Blue kept on running, he couldn't stop, he shouldn't stop.
Then, just when all hope was lost, he saw a light in the distance. It was… the Osiris Red Dorm! There were still people on the island!
'Finally, freedom!' He thought, booking it as fast as he could to the dorm.
"Ah man, I'm stuffed!" Judai grinned. "Thanks for the food, Rika!"
"Yeah. Still, you should pace yourself." She told the E-Hero Duelist, "You could have choked on your food."
"Judai? Choke on food? That's as likely as seeing a guy clock Bigfoot in the nose and live to tell the tale." Rex scoffed, "Man's got a black hole for a stomach and an industrial chute for a throat."
"Congrats Rika." Kuromu grinned, patting her shoulder. "You unofficially got yourself a boyfriend."
"Huh?!" Rika gawked.
"They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He chuckled.
"Ah, now I see why you always cook more for him." Koji agreed.
"Please, take care of this idiot. He's in need of some TLC." Rex playfully asked her.
"W-Wait, hold on, you can't just-" Rika stammered and stuttered.
"HEEEELP! SOMEONE!"
"What was that?" Sho gasped.
*CRASH!*
Everyone yelped out in surprise when someone crashed through the window of the cafeteria. Kuromu and Asuka were surprised to see another Obelisk Blue student there, but even more so how terrified he looked. He was a young man with blackish-brunette hair that fell to his shoulders and wore thin rectangle glasses, while wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform.
"Whoa, Daddy-O, you alright?" Koji said, surprised. "You look like you saw a ghost."
The Obelisk Blue student looked up, "That's… because… I did! I saw Psycho Shocker!"
"'Scuse me?" Judai blinked in confusion.
"Tell me you're kidding, right?" Rex asked him.
"Wait a minute, I know you-nya." Daitokuji said, approaching him. "You're Takadera-kun, right-nya?"
"Daitokuji-sensei!" The man now known as Takadera cried out, desperately holding onto him. "You're the one that researches Duel Spirits, right?! Please, you have to help me!"
"Duel Spirits?" Kyoshiro said, "There's actually a class for researching that?" He asked the Osiris Red dorm head, who nodded.
"Oh boy… something tells me this is already going off the deep end." Tsukasa sighed, before approaching Takadera, kneeling on one knee. "Alright kid, why don't you start from the beginning and tell us exactly what happened. Don't leave anything out."
After adjusting his glasses, Takadera sat up and took a deep breath. "It happened a while back before Winter Break started. My two friends and I, all of us being Obelisk Blue, research aspects of occult dueling. In particular we researched the origins of Dueling: Spirits. And on that day, we decided to put what we researched to the test using a Ouija Board."
"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there!" Rex suddenly said. "Already seeing red flags when you mentioned a Ouija Board! Nothing good ever comes from a Ouija Board!"
*WAPISH!*
"Ow! What?! It's true!" Rex pointed out, after Rika whacked him on the head with a harisen, "Name one time using one of those things ended in a good outcome." He challenged her.
"Let him finish." Rika glowered, with a glare.
The mutt rolled his eyes and let the Obelisk student continue his story.
"So what happened next?" Asuka asked.
"It said… "Offer me three sacrifices. If you do so, I will be reborn." is what his message said. But we thought he meant cards!"
"And you agreed to that?" Koji said wide-eyed.
"How awful…" Daitokuji sighed wearily. "You shouldn't have researched that far into Duel Spirits and phenomenon-nya…"
"So now Psycho Shocker's taken two of your buddies." Judai guessed.
"Yeah. The next day, one of our members vanished without a trace. Then it was the other. Both of them were offered as sacrifices! And now… I know for sure that Psycho Shocker is gonna come after me!" Takadera panicked.
"Not gonna happen." Kuromu said, firmly. "There's no way any of us are gonna let that happen."
"You sure they didn't just leave to go home for Winter Break?" Judai suggested.
Takadera shook his head. "No, I called their parents, but they had no idea where they were. I doubt that they would even make it home anyway. I tried to leave the island by getting on today's ferry, but I couldn't. He was on the boat waiting for me! There's no escape!"
"Well, as long as you're here with us, you should be safe." Kyoshiro said.
"Plus, if that green guy shows up? We'll kick his ass." The mutt added, an eager grin forming on his face.
Of course, the moment he said that, the lights suddenly went out.
"I didn't mean right now!" He then shouted.
"Kyaaaaah!" Rika freaked out, holding Kuromu tightly in a chokehold, "What's going on?!"
"Rika… choking…! Can't breathe… need… air!" Kuromu wheezed, tapping out rapidly to try and get her to release him. The rest quickly prepared themselves for a fight as they all watched for any sight of the Duel Spirit.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Asuka murmured.
"W-Where is it?" Sho stuttered, looking around.
"Keep your guard up." Tsukasa told the others, "He could be anywhere."
Everyone kept their eye on both the cafeteria door and windows, as well as each other. Yet the tension was still high as the group tried their best to keep their bravery.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
"HE'S HERE! I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!" Takadera shouted, as he started running.
But then from out of nowhere, something appeared in front of them, a tall man in a black leather coat and hat standing just outside, Everyone including the cat freaked out. The next thing they knew, the tall man knocked out Takadera and carried him under his arm.
"Takadera!" Kuromu called out.
"You're… Psycho Shocker!" Judai gasped, as the tall man suddenly ran off at an unnatural speed.
"Hey wait!" Judai shouted, running after him.
"Get back here!" Rex roared as he joined the E-Hero in the chase.
"Aniki! Rex!" Sho called out, as everyone else ran after the E-Hero Duelist.
"Takumi-san, Souji-san, Shinnosuke-san, after him!" Kuromu commanded as Faiz, Kabuto, and Drive appeared in spirit form.
"We're on it." They said, as Faiz took out the Mission Memory and attached the Faiz Axel Watch to his wrist then slipped its Mission Memory into the phone.
COMPLETE
The Full Metal Lung chest plates rose out of their recesses and rotate from the scapula to form shoulder pads and reveal the Faiz Core in the center of the chest. The Sol Foam remains black, while the Photon Streams turn silver and the Ultimate Finder turns red. After that, he pressed the button on the watch
START UP
"Clock up…"
CLOCK UP!
SP-SP-SPEED!
The three Rider Spirits then dashed at lightning fast speeds, catching up to Judai who was still running on the ground, and Rex who quickly took advantage of the trees and began jumping and swinging from branch to branch.
'Man, tree swinging is a lot more hell on the body than roof jumpin'!' The mutt thought, but it was the best way to gain speed and distance as he was inches away from reaching Takadera.
The group followed the Riders towards what appeared to be the central power station for the entire island. It wasn't very far to say the least. When they got there, Faiz, Kabuto, and Drive were there, confronting Psycho Shocker who was in a shimmering, static, state and the unconscious Takadera was lying on the ground.
"Crap… are we too late?" the mutt gasped.
"Give us the boy!" Faiz shouted.
"If you do, we won't hurt you and let you be on your way," Kabuto told the metal monster.
"You think a bunch of spirits such as yourselves can hold me down? When I'm on my own territory! You are so naive!" Psycho Shocker shouted. As he did, bolts of electricity were shot down from the large towers causing the spirits to scatter to dodge them. "Now stay back while I take what rightfully belongs to me."
"You won't be doing anything!" Rex hollered as he stood up to the Duel Spirit.
Psycho Shocker laughed at his bravado. "Fool… why interfere with me? I made a deal with him and his friends. I am here merely to fulfill that deal."
"They didn't need to die." The mutt snarled.
"Oh they're not dead quite yet. I assure you." Psycho Shocker said.
"Either way. You don't want to do this." Drive said, aiming his Door Gun at him.
"I'd listen to them, if I were you." Dicaerii agreed as the rest of the Gladial Beasts appeared.
"What's going on?" Sho turned to Daitokuji, pointing to the shimmery creature, "Why does Psycho Shocker look like that?"
Daitokuji looked at the Duel Spirit, then looked at the towers which still sparked electricity, putting two and two together. "He's using the power of the supply station to keep himself tethered in this world until he gets Takadera-kun's soul-nya."
"Crafty…" Kyoshiro grimaced.
"You know, you've been mouthing off to me a lot, brat." Psycho Shocker snarled at Rex, "Why don't you put your pride where it counts?"
"What are you on about?" Rex asked.
"I'm challenging you to a Duel. If I win, that boy's soul is mine. But if you win, I'll willingly release those three boys. What do you say?"
"Deal, now let's rumble." Rex said, immediately slapping on his Duel Disk and began shuffling his deck, to the other's shock.
"Hope you know what you're doing, kid." Tsukasa said.
"I won't let people suffer if I can make a difference." The mutt answered as he slotted his deck into his Duel Disk, before electricity sparked around the generators. Electricity sparked as five hologram cards appeared behind Psycho Shocker while Rex drew his own Starting Hand.
"DUEL!"
Rex: 4000
Psycho Shocker: 4000
"Since you challenged me, I'll go first." Rex said, before drawing his sixth card. 'Okay, no pressure. Just gotta play smart…' He then took out three cards, "I set two cards facedown, and summon Gladial Beast Dicaerii in ATK position!"
After placing the card down, Dicaerii materialized onto the mutt's side of the field, bellowing out a roar before entering his battle stance (4/ATK:1600/DEF:1200).
"I end my turn. Your move." Rex said.
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Psycho Shocker declared, as a sixth card appeared before him. "I summon Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight in ATK mode!" Soon, a fiendish knight clad in black armor that resembled a skeleton arrived on a black stallion and pointed his jagged-looking sword at the buffalo (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1800).
'Ah, crap. Not this monster. I need to take that one out before I can tag in any of the other Gladial Beasts.' Rex thought.
"Battle! Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight attacks Gladial Beast Dicaerii! Death Slash!"
The dark knight then readied his horse and charged for the monster, but Rex had a plan.
"I activate my trap card! Emissaries of Reconciliation!" The mutt called out, "I won't be taking any battle damage from this attack or have my friend get destroyed!"
After three maidens appeared behind Dicaerii, they then created a holy aura that protected the buffalo from the Deathcalibur Knight's slash.
'Alright, reveal Deathcalibur Knight's effect. I'm ready for you.' The mutt thought, knowing what his next move will be countered by. "Now I activate Dicaerii's effect! Since he was attacked, I can send him back to my deck and Special Summon another monster with Gladial Beast in its name, from it!"
"I won't let you do that! Activating Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight's quick effect! If a monster effect is activated, I can tribute this card and both destroy the monster and negate its effect."
Rex however smirked, "I was waiting for that." He said, "Time to reveal my other face-down. I play the Counter Trap, Gladial Beast Chariot! As long as I have a Gladial Beast on my side of the field, I can negate a monster effect and destroy it. So sorry, pal. But I'm letting this tag-out go through!"
Before the dark knight could strike, the chariot appeared for Dicaerii to ride. He then rammed the chariot into Deathcalibur Knight's steed, causing him to be bucked off of it and get run over by the buffalo gladiator as a result, destroying him and causing his steed to dissipate into pixels.
After placing the buffalo back into his deck, Dicaerii vanished from Rex's side of the field and then re-appeared in spirit form by his side.
"Thank you for saving me, general." He thanked the mutt.
"No prob, but now I gotta set up the field again." Rex noted to the buffalo before returning his attention back to the duel, "But first, from my hand I Special Summon Gladial Beast Saggitari from my deck!"
After placing it down, a centaur with a white horse lower half dressed in black and gold armor materialized, his long blonde hair blowing in the wind while he gripped his bow (3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000).
"You asked for my aid, general?" Saggitari asked in a polite tone.
"Pretty much. Now Sagittari's effect activates! Since he was summoned by the effect of a Gladial Beast, I can discard one Gladial Beast card from my hand and add two cards to my hand." He noted as his hand grew from three to four after the discard, "Anything else, sparky?" He asked Psycho Shocker.
"I will place one card face-down." Psycho Shocker said, as a reverse card appeared on the field, "Ta-n endo."
"Alright then, my turn. I draw!" The mutt declared as he drew a card and increased his hand from four to five. He then picked up two cards from his hand, "I place two cards face-down." He said as one Monster card appeared next to Sagittari while another Spell/Trap appeared behind him.
"Rex is acting awfully cautious." Judai observed, noticing the mutt's earlier plays in the duel.
"Alright, time for battle! Gladial Beast Saggitari, hit his Life Points directly! Stallion Shot!"
After drawing his bow, the centaur took aim and fired off a few shots on Psycho Shocker, damaging him.
Rex: 4000
Psycho Shocker: 2700
"Alright, first blood!" Koji cheered.
"Nice one, Rex!" Sho smiled.
"My turn ain't done yet, now it's time for Saggitari to tag out!" Rex said as the centaur vanished, "I Special Summon Gladial Beast Darius to the field!"
Once more, the horse gladiator appeared by his side (4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 300).
"Now I activate Darius' effect and bring back the monster I discarded, Gladial Beast Octavius!" He called out before Darius cracked his whip.
"To the battlefield, soldier!" Darius declared before a large bald eagle clad in bright green armor appeared and let out a screech. (8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1200)
"You will pay for what you did to those children, maggot." Octavius warned Psycho Shocker.
Kuromu couldn't help but chuckle, 'Of course the American has a bald eagle.' he thought to himself.
"I end my turn." Rex noted with bated breath.
"How pathetic of you… O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Psycho Shocker declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand from four to five. "I activate my face-down, Call of the Living Dead!" The card then flipped upwards to reveal itself. "This card allows me to revive Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight from the Graveyard!" The fiendish horseman with the skeleton armor returned. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1800)
"Crap, Rex can't tag out his Gladial Beasts now." Kuromu said.
"Now I summon Killer Doll of Malice!" He declared before a creepy human doll in dilapidated overalls appeared, wielding an axe (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1700).
"Oh great, Chucky's cousin…" Rex groaned, "With the fake Headless Horsemen over there, I'm starting to wonder if all of your monsters are Fiend-types." He observed.
"Next I activate the Continuous Spell, Ectoplasmer!" The Duel Spirit called out, "Once per turn, during our End Phases, I must tribute one face-up monster. If I do, I can inflict damage equal to half the original ATK of the Tributed monster."
"But that also applies to me too." Rex pointed out.
"Before I start my battle, I'll activate the Spell Card, Pillage! I can equip this card to one of my opponent's monsters and seize control of it."
"SON OF A-"
"Now come to me, Gladial Beast Octavius!" The Duel Spirit ordered as all of a sudden, the bald eagle gladiator felt himself dragged from Rex's side of the field to Psycho Shocker's.
"Battle! How about I use one of your precious comrades against you! Gladial Beast Octavius battles Gladial Beast Darius! Aerial Assault!"
Forced to fight against his will, Octavio flew forward and picked the centaur up and then flew up as high as he could before diving down and throwing Darius on the ground as hard as he could, shattering his comrade and leaving behind a shockwave that hurt Rex.
Rex: 2800
Psycho Shocker: 2700
"I place one card face-down. Ta-n endo. Now that it's the End Phase, I'll Tribute your Gladial Beast Octavius and deal you damage equal to half its ATK!"
"Not good! Not only that, Rex won't get 1000 Life Points during his Standby Phase when it's his turn-nya!" Daitokuji said.
Suddenly, Octavio's spirit was flung right back at the mutt, causing him to scream in pain from the blast. Rex soon fell to one knee.
Rex: 1550
Psycho Shocker: 2700
"Hahahahahahaha! How does it feel boy?!" Psycho Shocker laughed as the mutt staggered back to his feet.
"Ah! Rex! Your body!" Rika panicked.
When he looked downwards, Rex was left horrified by what he saw. His body had become half of what Psycho Shocker's body currently looks like.
"Wait… don't tell me…" he muttered in fear, something Judai and Sho quickly caught onto.
"Hey! Rex didn't agree to have his soul taken! What gives?!" Judai snapped.
"You… you son of a bitch! You set up a Game of Darkness, didn't you!" Rex shouted.
"Hahahahahahaha! What ever gave you that idea?" Psycho Shocker chuckled.
"Cut the bullshit!" Rex snapped, though his tone betrayed the fact that he was panicking which the Duel Spirit enjoyed seeing.
"What's the matter? Afraid of a little game?" Psycho Shocker asked him, taking notice of the mutt's expression.
Upon saying that phrase, Rex's mind flashed back to an memory of himself holding his currently bleeding eye while dueling another person, a ring of fire surrounding them along with the sound of a crumbling building.
"Look at you, afraid of a little game… how weak."
Phantom pains quickly began to surge through the mutt as he felt himself hyperventilating, his free hand clutching the scar on his eye.
"Uh-oh, he's acting up again!" Bestrouli yelped since the quartet had all recognized what the mutt was experiencing.
"Wait, what's up with the hound dog? He looks like…" Koji observed.
"He has PTSD." Asuka noticed, "He's been in this situation before."
"Oi, kid! Get it together!" Tsukasa shouted.
"H-Huh?!" Rex gasped, his mind snapping back to reality.
"Now's not the time for you to panic! You need to win this Duel!" Tsukasa said, "You said it yourself. You aren't going to let people suffer if you can make a difference. So get it together and kick his ass already!"
Judai then chimed in, "Yeah, don't be afraid! You got all of us with you!" He encouraged the mutt.
"If I could survive a Game of Darkness, then so can you!" Kuromu added. "Now go on and win!"
"R-Right!" Rex realized, slapping his cheeks, "I can't give up now! Alright, let's do this!" He declared, "My turn now, I draw!"
As he looked at his drawn card, he winced and shook his head, "Stupid dead draw… ugh, I'll work with what I got." he growled before increasing his hand from three to four, "I summon Gladial Beast Retiari and activate the Equip Spell, Armament of the Gladial Beasts - Daemon's Shield and equip it to Darius, since only Gladial Beasts can be equipped with this card." He said as a gator-like Gladial Beast holding a demonic-looking shield and a piece of rope materialized (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800).
"This ain't good, is it mate?" Retiari asked the mutt in an Australian accent, to which Rex shook his head, "Figured as much."
"Oh no, not good…" Sho whimpered.
"Next, I activate my Field Spell, Dungeon of the Gladial Beast - Colosseum!" The mutt called out as the area transformed into the familiar battleground of his archetype. Psycho Shocker found the move laughable.
"How exactly will changing the battlefield change the outcome?" He questioned him.
"I'm playing the long game, but for now I set a Monster facedown and end my turn." He said.
"So be it. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Psycho Shocker said, drawing his next card. "Hahahahahahaha! Haaaaaaaahahahahahahaha!"
"You gotta be kidding me." Rex groaned.
"I Tribute my Killer Doll of Malice to summon… MYSELF!" He declared before he materialized onto the field in his true form, a rather grotesque looking man wearing spiky green and yellow armor and a mask with red tinted goggles on it (6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500).
"Dude, I hate to say this, but you are one ugly bastard." Rex muttered.
"You can't just summon yourself!" Judai shouted.
"I just did…" Psycho Shocker said dryly.
"And now any Trap Card hound dog might set down is null and void…" Koji groaned, "Ain't that peachy."
"Next I activate Cyber Brain Amplifier and equip it to myself!" Psycho Shocker said, as a helmet implant attached to his head. "Now I won't suffer my own effects! Now I'll reveal my face-down, Spirit Barrier! As long as I have a Monster on my Field, I don't take Damage!"
"Oh, sure, just make yourself invincible at this point!" The Rider Duelist growled.
"Battle! I'll attack Gladial Beast Retiari! Cyber Energy Shock!" Psycho Shocker said, forming a ball of electrical psychic energy with his free hand before firing it at Retiari.
"I-I activate Armament of the Gladial Beasts - Daemon's Shield's effect! If a monster equipped with this card is to be destroyed in battle, I can destroy this card instead!" Rex yelped.
Sure enough, the energy ball hit the shield, destroying it. The Duel Spirit was disappointed.
"You live for now, but on my next turn, you're finished! Ta-n endo!"
"Alright Taylor, you can do it." Rex told himself, "My turn now. Draw!"
Upon seeing the card that he drew, he started… cackling?
"What's so funny?" Psycho Shocker questioned him.
Rex then looked at the Duel Spirit dead in the eye, his smile looking both vicious and victorious as he continued to laugh.
"Buddy? Your luck just ran out…" he stated.
"Wait what?" Kuromu got out.
"What did he draw?" Rika wondered.
"Whatever it is, the hound dog gotta clinch it now." Koji said.
"First, I summon Gladial Beast Laquer to the field!" He declared as the tiger gladiator arrived on the scene, roaring while the flame ring formed around him, (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 400) "Next I Flip Summon one of my facedown Monsters! Gladial Beast Atrix!"
Suddenly, from the facedown card came a surprise to Koji, as a female lynx wearing silver armor under a short-sleeved blue jumpsuit that reached to above her knees and a lilac skirt appeared, brandishing her sword and shield (4/ATK: 400/DEF: 2000)
"I see that you have called for me, great one." The lynx spoke in a Romani accent.
"WOWZER! SOMEBODY CALL MY MAMA!" the disco fan exclaimed with heart in his eyes, only to be bopped on the head by Tsukasa.
"No…" The dimension Rider deadpanned.
"OI! NO SWOONING OVER ONE OF MY CARDS, JACKASS!" Rex roared.
"Umm, is there something wrong, great one?" A rather confused Atrix asked the mutt, who let out a big sigh.
"Nothing… just… ignore the would-be furry." He grumbled.
"What exactly would that kitten of yours do?" Psycho Shocker sneered.
"She's going to help me with something in the Battle Phase." Rex said before revealing the card he just drew, "I play the Quick Play Spell, United Gladial Beasts! During the Battle Phase, I can shuffle any Gladial Beasts from my hand, field, or even my graveyard into my deck if they're listed as the materials for a Gladial Beast Fusion Monster!" He placed special emphasis on the last two words, which made Judai and Sho perk up.
"So he's fusing them during the Battle Phase?!" Judai gasped.
"I send back to the deck Gladial Beast Octavius, Gladial Beast Atrix, and Gladial Beast Saggitari to perform a Contact Fusion!" As Atrix leaped into the air, the spirits of Octavius and Saggitari entered her before a dark portal appeared around where the three beasts were, "With wings as black as night, let my enemies fear my wrath! I Fusion Summon Gladial Beast Nerokius in ATK position!"
From the dark portal, a huge muscular bat Gladial Beast with six wings and clad in a set of purple and silver armor adorned with various pink orbs emerged, floating down and crossing his arms as the others looked on in awe (8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1900).
Well, all except one…
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Rika screamed, suddenly hugging Judai tight, causing him to panic from the tightness, yet not notice how close she was to the E-Hero Duelist.
"R-Rika-san! Calm down!" Sho cried out, "I think aniki's going blue."
"Rika! Please! I can't breathe!" Judai pleaded in spite of his lungs being squished.
"Uhh… is she okay?" Rex asked Kuromu.
"She hates bats. Plain and simple."
"Ah… that's gotta sting." he winced before hearing the bat gladiator clear his throat.
"So you finally summoned me to battle." Nerokius mused, his voice being appropriately deep and commanding. "Took you long enough."
"What can I say? Desperate times call for desperate measures." the mutt shrugged, "Now, Dungeon of the Gladial Beast - Colosseum's effect activates! Because a monster was Special Summoned while this card is on the field, I can place one counter onto each of my Gladial Beasts and boost them by 100 ATK and 100 DEF."
Suddenly, both Retiari and Nerokius felt their power boost thanks to the cheers of the crowd.
Gladial Beast Retiari (ATK: 1200-1300/DEF:800-900)
Gladial Beast Nerokius (ATK: 2800-2900/1900-2000)
"It makes no difference! As long as my Spirit Barrier is active, you can't get to my Life Points!"
"Oh, didn't you hear? When Nerokius attacks, you can't activate any cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step." Rex said with a smug grin, "Plus, that's not my only Fusion Monster. Time to reveal facedown numero dos! Gladial Beast Bestrouli!"
The bird gladiator then flew out and let out a wild shriek as he landed on the battlefield. Kuromu immediately caught onto what Rex was planning.
"He's summoning Gyzarus, giving an added boost to Nerokius' power via Colosseum's effect alongside destroying up to two cards of his choosing on his opponent's side of the field." he recalled, remembering how Gyzarus was used when he last saw the mutt duel.
"Now then, time for my second Contact Fusion!" he declared as both Retiari and Bestrouli leaped into the sky, "Time to spread the wings of freedom and claim victory! I Fusion Summon Gladial Beast Gyzarus in ATK position!"
Soon, the powered-up Gyzarus descended back onto the field, ready for battle as his arrival thrilled the crowd and Nerokius (6/ATK:2400-2600/DEF:1500-1700).
Gladial Beast Nerokius (ATK: 2900-3000/1900-2100)
"Now then, time to activate Gyzarus' effect! Get off the field, Psycho Shocker! Solo Aves Arrow!"
"Eat this, jackasses!" the bird Gladial Beast declared before aiming one of his arrows at the Duel Spirit.
"Tsk, I activate Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight's effect!" Psycho Shocker said.
"About that…" Rex chuckled, "You think I had just one Gladial Beast Chariot in my deck? Why do you think I targeted you first for Gyzarus' effect?"
The Duel Spirit gasped in shock as the mutt's last facedown card was in-fact, another Gladial Beast Chariot. Soon, the chariot returned for Gyzarus to ride as he dodged the swing from Deathknight and fired off one of his arrows at him, destroying the monster before ramming the chariot right into Psycho Shocker to knock him back out of the field.
"Now, let's clear the board!" the mutt gave a thumbs up that he switched into a thumbs down, "Nerokius, Laquer, destroy Psycho Shocker and return the souls he stole back to their rightful owners. Midnight Madness!"
The Duel Spirit quickly stepped away before finding himself grabbed by the tiger gladiator.
"Where do you think you're going? Your funeral is about to begin…" Laquer chuckled while Psycho Shocker struggled to break free.
As Nerokius lifted his hands, two large purple energy sickles appeared in his hands before he signaled the tiger gladiator to bring him forward. Laquer obliged and pushed the Duel Spirit right into the vicinity of Nerokius' slash attack, finishing him off for good as he disappeared into static, leaving behind an enraged scream as he vanished while the two Obelisks that vanished reappeared unconscious next to the unconscious Takadera.
Rex: 1550
Psycho Shocker: 0
The Solid Vision disappeared as Rex fell on his butt. "Gahhhhhhh, I won… somehow…" he groaned before seeing that his body was back to normal, no longer resembling Psycho Shocker in any shape or form. He was human again.
"Ha ha! You did it buddy!" Judai cheered as he and Sho hugged their fellow Osiris duelist, tight.
"Hey, easy!" Rex groaned as the others approached the mutt and were glad to see the effect of the Game of Darkness on him was reversed.
"You alright man?" Kuromu asked.
"Yeah, gotta say though. Leather and spikes are definitely not for me. Too uncomfortable for my taste." The mutt said, letting out a tired happy laugh.
Meanwhile, Kyoshiro went over to the three unconscious Takadera and his two friends, checking their pulses. He sighed in relief, "They're alive and okay."
"That's a relief-nya." Daitokuji agreed, feeling grateful that the three are okay.
"Let's get them back to Osiris Dorm." Kuromu said, as Kyoshiro and Daitokuji took the two boys while the Rider duelist grabbed Takadera. Sho and Koji then helped Rex up as the group made their way out of the power station. But as they left, Kuromu felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Something was wrong. "Judai, catch!" He said, lightly shoving Takadera towards him.
"What-" Judai got out, as he managed to catch said person.
The moment Judai and the others got out of the gate, Kuromu brandished his Duel Disk and purple flames surrounded the fence, cutting Kuromu off from the others.
"KURO!" Asuka and Rika cried out.
"SON!" Kyoshiro shouted.
The sound of an evil cackle echoed, as out from the flames came the spider-masked man. "Hello again, boy." He greeted him with a sneer.
"Oogumo…" Kuromu growled, clenching his fist.
"Not this again!" Rex snapped. He wanted to help, but he just went through hell with Psycho Shocker so he wasn't in the best condition to do so.
"I see you've kept yourselves busy." the spider-masked man observed.
"What's it to you?" Kuromu snarled, "And what do you want with us now?"
"Oh, I'm not here for them, specifically. I'm here for you." Oogumo said, "You know exactly what and why."
"Well fat chance of that happening!" Kuromu denied.
"Give back my wife, you bastard!" Kyoshiro shouted, which caught the attention of the spider-masked man.
"Oh, you're here too." Oogumo casually observed, making the elder Kururugi snarl.
"Where's Yukina?! Answer me!" Kyoshiro demanded.
"Don't you worry. I still have her safe and sound… at least for now." Oogumo chuckled. "But that all depends if you're willing to give me what I want."
"The flash drive isn't going anywhere!" Kuromu said. "Whatever is on that thing, you're not getting it!"
"Wait." Oogumo trailed off, "You mean… you never bothered to look at what was in it? Hehehehehe… hahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA! You haven't the slightest clue as to what that flash drive contains?"
"Why should I? The fact that you're obsessing over it gives me more than enough reason to not hand it over!" the Rider Duelist shouted, "So what now? You're just here to laugh at me?"
"Hardly, but the fact that you're so clueless that you have no idea what you have in your hand amuses me." Oogumo chuckled. "But no matter, whether or not you know, all you need to know is that once I have it, you can't stop me. After all, this world is nothing but a stepping stone."
"What are you talking about?!" Kuromu demanded. But before Oogumo could answer. Tsukasa suddenly jumped over the flames and stood next to the Rider duelist.
"You sure love to talk a lot don't you, Oogumo." Tsukasa sighed.
"The Destroyer of Worlds. You have impeccable timing as always." the spider-masked man groaned.
"Destroyer of Worlds?" Kuromu looked flabbergasted at the dimension Rider. "What's he talking about?"
"It's… a title. That's all I want to say." the dimensional Rider noted, rolling his eyes at what Oogumo called him. "Look kid, as much as you're looking for answers, you can't know what it is. Yet."
"So you and the others are hiding something," Kuromu sighed, scratching his head, "Dammit, this is so annoying…"
"Hahahaha! How amusing, you Riders are intentionally keeping that boy in the dark from what I have planned for this world-"
*BANG! BANG! BANG!*
"K-K-Kadoya-san?!" Daitokuji freaked out, when he saw Tsukasa use his RideBooker to fire several shots at Oogumo, albeit to no effect much to the dimensional Rider's annoyance.
"Aren't you the eager one?" Oogumo chuckled.
"You really need to shut up." Tsukasa frowned, his RideBooker still aimed at the spider-masked man.
"Or what?" Oogumo taunted. "As I said, once I get what I want, you can't stop me." he stated firmly, "But that's enough about me." the spider-masked man chuckled, "I'm here for you specifically, Kururugi Kuromu." He said, before revealing his Duel Disk. "You and I will duel for that flash drive again."
"And what guarantee do I have that should I win, you're not going to kill my mother after, let alone release?" Kuromu pointed out, "You already went back on our deal in the previous Duel, so why should I believe you'll keep your word now?"
"That was your fault to begin with. I said I would consider releasing your mother at the time, not actually letting her go." Oogumo said. "She is still useful to me as a bargaining chip. And that flash drive is far too important for me to lose. Regardless, we both hold the fate of your mother in our hands."
"Grrrrrrrrr…" Kuromu growled, clenching his fist, "Then I'll add a stipulation. You don't give me my mother back…" he then revealed the flash drive, "I'll crush this beneath my feet."
"I'll kill your mother right then and there if you do." Oogumo countered.
"Seems we both got something on the line for this Duel." Kuromu said, "So you better follow through on your deal this time around. Or else…" he then stomped his feet to mimic the motion of destroying the flash drive.
For once, Oogumo was the one left seething in anger.
"Kadoya-sensei." Kuromu looked at Tsukasa.
"Yeah, I got it. Don't get yourself killed, kiddo." He said, before turning into a ball of light and going into his deck.
"K-K-K-Kadoya-san disappeared-nya!" Daitokuji panicked, his cat having the same feeling.
"Go get 'em, Kuro!" Rika cheered.
"Yeah, kick his ass!" A tired Rex added.
"Kuro…" Asuka murmured worriedly, as both Players activated their Duel Disks and drew their starting Hands.
"DUEL!"
Oogumo: 4000
Kuromu: 4000
"I'll make the first move. It's only fair since you took the first turn in our last encounter." Oogumo said.
"Fine." Kuromu spat.
Oogumo drew his sixth card, looked at his hand to consider his options before making his move. "I summon Executioner - Makyura in ATK mode." Oogumo said, placing the card on the tray. A humanoid with a set of purple armor, a black helmet with one eye, axe heads on the side, and two huge arm-mounted claws soon materialized and sharpened his claws in anticipation for the fight ahead (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1200).
"Ta-n endo."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared drawing his sixth card. "Gotta play this right." He told himself while looking over his deck. "I summon Kamen Rider Kuuga in ATK mode!" A sound akin to a turbine running echoed as slowly, the red armored stag beetle-themed Rider appeared. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200).
"Out of one situation and into another." Kuuga commented.
"Yeah…" Kuromu frowned. "But it's not something we can't handle. Battle! Kamen Rider Kuuga attacks Executioner - Makyura! When he battles a Level 4 or higher Monster, he gains 400 ATK! Mighty Kick!"
After taking a stance, the Grongi Rider quickly leaped into the air and flew at the armored man with his Rider Kick, destroying it and causing Oogumo some pain.
Oogumo: 3700
Kuromu: 4000
"Ergh… because Makyura was sent to the Graveyard, I can now activate the trap card, Coffin Seller, from my hand." Oogumo grunted, playing the card.
"That's not good. Every time Oogumo's monster is sent to the Graveyard, Kuro will lose 300 Life Points." Asuka said.
"So that's his plan. I hope this ain't another Game of Darkness." Rex hoped.
"I'll place two cards face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu concluded, placing the reversed cards on the Field.
"O-re no ta-n," Oogumo said, drawing his next card as he looked at the hesitation in Kuromu's eyes. "Hmhmhmhmhm, what's wrong boy? Afraid of getting hurt again?"
"Gh…" Kuromu gritted his teeth.
"Well, not that I blame you. It is a Game of Darkness." Oogumo shrugged, with indifference before taking note of Kuromu wincing, "Oh, touched a nerve, have I?
"Just make your move already!" Kuromu snapped.
"Very well, I set two cards on the field and then I will summon Gilgarth in ATK position!" The spider-masked man shouted as a man in spiky silver and purple armor materialized, wielding a wicked blue and silver sword in its hand. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200) "Ta-n endo."
"Wait, that's it?" Sho gasped.
"I smell something fishy." Koji frowned.
"His whole presence screams fishy." Rex pointed out.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand from three to four. Though his body trembled, feeling the phantom pains of his first Game of Darkness.
"Kuromu-kun." Kuuga said, looking over his shoulder and giving him a thumbs-up. "It's okay, you got this."
Kuromu slowly nodded, calming himself down before looking at his hand, "Alright, let's try this. Since I have a Kamen Rider on my field, I can Special Summon Kamen Rider Faiz from my hand in ATK mode!"
There was the sound of three beeping noises, each frequency higher than the last before another beeping noise was heard.
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)
"More warm bodies to protect yourself?" Oogumo scoffed.
Kuromu ignored his comment, making his next move. "Battle! Kamen Rider Faiz attacks Gilgarth! His effect activates! If he battles a monster whose original ATK is higher than his, he gains 500 ATK until the end of the Damage Step, but I can only use it in this battle only! Crimson Smash!"
Faiz held out the Faiz Pointer then took out the Mission Memory from the phone before sliding it into the Pointer, extending the barrel.
READY
He then attached it parallel to the outside of his right leg, the barrel facing downward. Then he opened up his phone, pressing the 'ENTER' button.
EXCEED CHARGE
After taking a stance, Faiz quickly leaped into the air and slanted his body firing a laser at the monster, pinning it with the energy cone. He then dived down for his Rider Kick to Gilgarth, drilling through the monster. He disappeared briefly before reappearing behind Gilgarth. The monster then erupted in blue flames, before turning to ash as a Phi Symbol appeared briefly. The attack sent some damage back to Oogumo. However, Kuromu gritted in pain with one eye shut, clutching onto his chest, and falling on one knee, feeling his energy being sapped away thanks to Coffin Seller.
Oogumo: 3500
Kuromu: 3700
"Kuro!" Asuka and Rika cried out.
"Haaa… haaa… haaa… I'm okay…" Kuromu looked over his shoulder with a pained smile. "This won't kill me…" before getting up.
"I'm impressed that you're still hanging on after that." The spider-masked man observed.
"I've been through worse. You would know." Kuromu spat, to which Oogumo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Battle continues! Kamen Rider Kuuga attacks you directly! Mighty Kick!" Once more, Kuuga took a stance, before running towards Oogumo with a fiery foot on his left foot, jumping up and flipping forward, before delivering a Rider Kick to Oogumo.
Oogumo: 2000
Kuromu: 3700
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu said, though he did briefly lose his balance due to how beaten up he had become.
"Grrrr…" Oogumo growled as he slowly rose to his feet. "So you managed to get in a good hit. Big deal. What I have in store is a lot worse than that." He then prepared for his next move, "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He drew his next card, increasing his hand from two to three. "I summon Dark Jeroid in ATK position!" He declared.
Coming onto the field was the blue centaur-like monster with various limbs, two stingers on the shoulders, a curved tail, and two heads on the lower body and the chest emerged. (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1500).
"Weaken Kamen Rider Faiz." Oogumo pointed at the beetle-themed Rider. The lower head then unleashed an eerie violet beam sent towards Faiz, forcing him to one knee.
Kamen Rider Kabuto (ATK: 1500-700)
"Takumi-san!" Kuromu cried out.
"Ergh… I'll be fine…!" Takumi gritted.
"When Dark Jeroid is summoned, I can lower a Monster's ATK of my choosing by 800." Oogumo explained. "Battle. Dark Jeroid attacks Kamen Rider Faiz!"
"I don't think so! Reveal face-down!" Kuromu shouted, activating one of his trap cards, depicting Kamen Rider Build and Kamen Rider Zi-O doing their Rider Kicks together. "Kamen Rider Intervention! When one of my Kamen Riders is chosen as an attack target, I choose one other Kamen Rider on the field, and half of their ATK points get added to the one being targeted! In this instance, Faiz receives half of Kuuga's ATK points for this turn!"
Faiz soon felt Kuuga's power boost him enough to dash out of the way of Dark Jeroid's stingers. (ATK: 700-1450) He then took off his FaizPhone and dialed in a number.
1-0-3
SINGLE MODE
He bent the phone slightly so that it looks like a gun and fired at Dark Jeroid with a point blank shot to the head, destroying it in the process.
Oogumo: 1850
Kuromu: 3400
Kuromu shook off the damage while taking a look at how haggard his opponent was.
"You are starting to piss me off, boy." Oogumo snarled.
"Good, it should stay that way." Kuromu snarked. "Anything else?"
"I set down two cards facedown." The spider-masked man snarled, "Count yourself lucky, because I won't be so merciful next turn."
"We'll see about that. O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu drew his next card, increasing his hand from three to four again. "This is it! I summon Kamen Rider Decade in ATK mode!"
KAMEN RIDE!
A pulsing sound echoed in the arena before a holographic logo of a barcode with a mask-like face appeared.
DECADE!
The symbols of the Heisei Riders appeared before forming into silhouettes that converged onto his body, forming into his suit. (4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1000)
"So, Kadoya-sensei was actually a Duel Spirit-nya?" Daitokuji realized.
"Not quite…" Kyoshiro trailed off, confusing the bespectacled professor. "Long story."
"Kadoya-sensei, let's finish this bastard off so we can get Kaa-san back!" Kuromu said. "Attack with Dimension Kick!"
"I'm with you." Decade agreed before he opened up the DecaDriver, then took a card from his RideBooker, revealing his finisher card and slotted it in before closing it.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE!
Holographic images of his Final Attack Ride appeared in front of another leading to Oogumo. He then jumped up, the row of cards following him in a slant before diving down through the cards.
Oogumo however, smirked as he saw the attack coming. Kuromu quickly caught on too late that he just sprung a trap.
"I reveal my facedown card!" He declared. "Holy Barrier - Mirror Force!"
"Crap! I activate my other face-down!" Kuromu panicked, revealing the other one, depicting Kabuto about to do a counter Rider Kick on a monster, "Danger Sense! When a Kamen Rider is targeted by an effect, I can negate the activation of that card and destroy it!"
"If only you could learn from your mistakes. I activate my second facedown, Trap Jammer!" Oogumo declared.
"JEEPERS!" Koji panicked.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Rex snarled.
Decade crashed against an invisible barrier, trying to smash through it. Sadly it was all for naught, as he was sent flying back, crashing into the other two Riders, and destroying them in the process.
"Yusuke-san! Takumi-san! Kadoya-sensei!"
Tsukasa soon got sent back to the group, damaged but still alive.
"Dammit… that was annoying…" Tsukasa scoffed.
"A-Are you alright?" Judai said bewildered.
"I'm okay. I should have seen that coming." The dimensional Rider admitted as he got back to his feet.
"Are you finished?" Oogumo taunted the Rider Duelist.
"Tch. I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." Kuromu gritted, placing said card down.
"Very well." Oogumo noted. "O-re no ta-n, draw." He said, drawing his next card. "First I activate Life Shaving Treasure Cards. This allows me to draw until I have five cards, but in five turns, I lose my entire hand. But I promise that I would defeat you long before that." He said, before drawing those cards. "Hmhmhmhmhmhm… hahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I-I don't like the sound of that." Sho whimpered.
"What now?" Kuromu groaned.
"The beginning of the end for you, I activate the Continuous Spell, Temple of the Royal Family!"
Without warning, the ground began to shake, as everyone, Oogumo not included, were losing balance.
"An earthquake?!" Rika panicked.
Suddenly, a massive Egyptian temple emerged behind the spider-masked man. A temple that Rex quickly recognized.
"Oh… oh no…" he muttered in horror. "Oh nononononononononono!"
"What? What is it, hound dog? Spit it out!" Koji demanded.
"Do you not recognize that card?" Rex pointed out, "There's only one card in the world that can benefit from having Temple of the Royal Family on the field."
"What? You mean that-" Koji got out, before the implications dawned. "Aww sheeeeeeeeee-it."
"And since Oogumo used Holy Barrier - Mirror Force to take out all of Kuro's monsters, he's now paddling up the creek without a paddle." Rex added.
Kuromu quickly caught on to the fear in both Rex and Koji's voices as he came to the same conclusion.
"So, boy, you realize the situation you're in." Oogumo said.
"Even so, I'm not giving up!" Kuromu shot back.
"Let's see what good that will do you when I call it out." Oogumo said, "Now then, I set this card face-down." He said, as the card appeared. "And thanks to Temple of the Royal Family, I can activate it as well!" He said, before flipping said card face-up, "Apophis the Swamp Deity! This allows me to Special Summon this trap card as a Monster!"
Suddenly, a black and purple nagi with a second snake head and a set of black and gold armor materialized onto the spider-masked man's field. (6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2200)
"But it's not staying for long. For I will offer up to the Temple of the Royal Family to summon… Holy Beast Serket!" The temple doors soon opened and a spectral hand grabbed the nagi, dragging it into the building. The doors suddenly shot, as a loud roar was heard from behind. But then… moments later, the temple doors slowly opened. Something came out of it, something monstrous cane out of it.
Out scuttered a horrific scorpion-like monster with two front claws, two beastly hands, and an egyptian eye on its back (6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).
Kuromu flinched upon the sight of the monster, stepping away as he could feel his arachnophobia act up again.
"Okay, I think I owe Psycho Shocker an apology. That is one ugly mother-"
*WAPISH!*
"Ow!" Rex then turned to Tsukasa, who was holding a green slipper, "What did I do?"
"Oi, how the hell did you grab Akiko's slipper?" Shotaro demanded.
"Yeesh, you don't have to resort to using la chancla. I had enough of that when visiting my friend's grandma." The mutt grumbled whilst massaging the place he got smacked.
"Gh…" Kuromu gritted his teeth, feeling a bead of sweat go down his face.
"You recognize this beast?" Oogumo taunted him. "Maybe it'll refresh your memory when I attack you directly with it! Go, Holy Beast Serket!" The beast soon charged straight at Kuromu, which made his skin crawl worse due to how unsettling its movements were.
"Kuro, get out of there!" Asuka shouted.
The beast then got close to Kuromu and grabbed Kuromu with one of its claws, squeezing him tight. "GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He yelled in pain.
"SON!" Kyoshiro shouted.
The next thing he knew, Serket threw Kuromu towards one of the electrical towers, shocking him, "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in agony before falling prone to the ground… unmoving.
Oogumo: 1850
Kuromu: 900
"KUROMU!" Asuka shouted, as she now attempted to run past the purple flames that barred the group from entering in the first place, but Tsukasa held her back. "Let me go! He needs help!"
"Don't! You'll get burned before you can reach him!" The dimensional Rider warned her.
"But-!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha! How embarrassing!" Oogumo laughed. "To think you actually won against me the first time around! I knew that Duel was a fluke!" He noted as he walked towards Kuromu's still body.
"Bastard! Leave my son alone!" Kyoshiro shouted. "You haven't won this Duel yet!"
"And yet your child cannot even stand back up." The spider-masked man chuckled as he prepared to comb over Kuromu for the USB. However, an idea came to him. "You know what? How about I let you watch as I tear your son limb from limb with my monster?" He chuckled before he began arrogantly dragging the poor boy by his legs back to his side of the field.
"Dammit, somebody stop him!" Rex shouted as he tried to get up, but the pain from his previous duel caused him to stumble.
"That's the thing, you can't stop me!" Oogumo laughed. "All of this could've been avoided if you had just given me what I wanted! But no, you're all defiant to the end, so now you must suffer the consequences!"
"Screw you!" The mutt roared.
"Bite me." The spider-masked man retorted back.
However, when he looked down, Kuromu had gotten up and…
*CRACK! WHAM!*
"GAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Judai, Sho, Rex, Koji, Tsukasa, Daitokuji, and Kyoshiro all winced at what they just saw.
"Heh… dumbass…" Kuromu wheezed, looking up at Oogumo with a pained smile, "Next time, don't let your guard down…"
The spider-masked man crumpled to the ground, clutching his crotch whilst he growled in agony.
"Activate… trap… Damage Condenser." Kuromu gritted, pressing a button to activate it. "I discard a card… then summon a Monster from my Deck that's equal to or less than the Damage I took…" He grunted, slowly moving away from Oogumo, as he discarded his one card. "I special summon… Kamen Rider OOO."
TAKA!
TORA!
BATTA!
Images of three animals in the form of symbols appeared. A red hawk was on the top, a yellow tiger was in the middle, and a green grasshopper was at the bottom.
TA-TO-BA! TATOBA! TA-TO-BA!
The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into his chest. His body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armor. (4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0)
"What the?! Kuromu!" The Multi King Rider gasped in shock when he saw Kuromu's current state.
"Sorry you have to see me like this… Eiji-san…" Kuromu panted heavily, falling to his knee.
Oogumo staggered back to his feet, "Clever tactics. But it won't get you too far." He snarled.
Kuromu remained silent, as he looked at his deck, "Eiji-san… the only way we're gonna win this Duel is if you go into your final form… If I can just draw it…" he then closed his eyes. "O-re no ta-n… DRAW!"
*WOOSH!*
Kuromu remained silent, before looking at the card he drew… and smirked, "It's here…"
"Please tell me he drew Final Henshin or something." Koji hoped.
"Heh, that's exactly what I drew." Kuromu said, much to the delight of the others, "I activate Final Henshin! And you already know what it does, so now I'm gonna send Kamen Rider OOO to the Graveyard in order for him to achieve his final form!"
The OOO Driver went parallel on its own and the traffic lights Core Medals were immediately ejected out. Three purple Core Medals then came out of Eiji's body, one with the etching of a pterodactyl, one of a triceratops, and the last with a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Once the Core Medals were in, the OOO Driver tilted, and O-Scanner scanned them on its own.
PTERA!
TRICERA!
TYRANNO!
Images of three dinosaurs mentioned appeared. A pterodactyl on the top, a triceratops was in the middle, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the bottom.
PU-TO-TYRANNOSAURUS!
The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards and into his chest. His body then became enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armor. The end result was a powerful set of armor with a pteranodon-like head that sported two large crests on the sides, a triceratops-themed body with two large spokes on the shoulders and smaller spikes on the sarms, and finally a t-rex-like set of boots complete with a tail as well as a pair of pteranodon-like wings on the back of the chest plate. (8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 1500)
"Henshin Shōkan! Kamen Rider OOO - PuToTyra Form!" Kuromu declared.
"Tsk, always relying on your Transformation Summoning." the spider-masked man snarled.
"And it's helped me so far, so why are you complaining about it?" Kuromu retorted with a cocky smirk in spite of being in so much pain from the attacks.
"Grrrrrr…"
"Now then, to finish you off. My victory starts with this effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Kamen Rider monster from my Graveyard! Kadoya-sensei, get back in here!" he called out.
"Alright, let's get this done." the dimensional Rider stated before taking out his card and inserted it in the DecaDriver and closing it after.
KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!
Once he transformed into Decade, he was summoned back onto the battlefield.
"Battle! Kamen Rider OOO - PuToTyra Form attack Holy Beast Serket! Blasting Freezer!"
With that, OOO scanned his medals again as the power returned to him.
SCANNING CHARGE!
He then sent out a large blast of ice that froze the giant scorpion monster solid. Then, as his wings and tail grew, the Multi King Rider whipped his tail and shattered the monster. Several ice shards flew straight for Oogumo and hit him dead on, but a few ice shards also hit Kuromu in the process.
Oogumo: 1350
Kuromu: 600
"No…! No! Impossible! That's twice that I lost to this boy?!" Oogumo shouted.
"Eat it, you eight-legged freak!" Rex laughed.
"That's my boy!" Kyoshiro cheered.
"Kadoya-sensei…! Finish him off!"
"You got it kid, and I've been waiting for this moment." Decade agreed before slotting in his finisher card.
FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE!
Once more, the line of holographic cards appeared as he leaped into the air for his Rider Kick. This time however, the spider-masked man had no more defenses to keep him safe and was thus launched into the temple by the Rider Kick, destroying it while leaving him in a crumpled heap.
Oogumo: 0
Kuromu: 600
The Solid Vision disappeared, and the purple flames finally dissipated after. Kuromu felt the adrenaline leaving his body, which was now in a world of pain. With a painful moan, he fell to the ground. But not before he was caught by someone. He looked to see that it was Asuka, who looked down at him worriedly, as did the rest.
"Damn it… I did it again…" Kuromu sighed, smiling weakly. "Sorry…"
Kyoshiro then stared down Oogumo as he staggered back to his feet, "It's over. Give back my wife." he stated.
"Ergh…!" Oogumo growled. "Screw you…"
"Bastard! You had a deal with my son!"
Rex, in spite of his pain, then grabbed the USB from Kuromu and placed it on the ground, "Then you know what that means." he snarled as he raised his foot in preparation to smash the drive.
"Rex no… he's gonna kill Kaa-san if you do it…" Kuromu grunted.
As much as the mutt wanted to crush it, the Rider Duelist was right. If he destroyed the flash drive, then he would essentially be damning Kuromu's mother to die. The spider-masked man smirked.
"Go ahead, boy." he taunted Rex who was left contemplating on his next move, "Do it. Show me that you're not a coward like your friends over there."
"Grrrrr…" Rex growled as his foot stayed raised, not sure of what to do. He then sighed and just lowered his foot away from the flash drive, looking away in shame. "Fucking hell…" he snarled.
"Hmhmhmhmhm… in the end, you're just like the rest." Oogumo chuckled, "No wonder you're the only one alive out of your little troupe."
That got the mutt to glare, "You have no idea what you're talking about."
"And why not? After all, it's your fault they-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU MONSTER!" Rex roared, "NEVER SPEAK MY FRIENDS' NAMES IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"
Oogumo chuckled at the rage the mutt had, "At least I know another piece to this puzzle…" he noted before looking towards Sho, Asuka, Koji, and Rika, "I wonder what ails the rest of you? Family expectations? Survivor's guilt?" He then focused on Judai specifically, "A naive dream?"
"What would you know?!" Judai snapped.
"I've seen one like you. A simpleton who relied on a dead fool to win his battles for him." he mocked him, "Yet for all of his achievements, he's still the same coward he's always been."
That got the E-Hero Duelist surprisingly angry as he stepped up alongside the mutt.
"Don't you dare mock the Duel King!" Judai shouted. "He's an honorable Duelist and a better man than you'll ever be!"
"We'll see about that…" he said as he wanted to approach the flash drive on the ground, but his injuries plus the group of Duelists standing before him made that task impossible. "It seems I am in need of a tactical retreat." he snarled before looking towards Kuromu, "We will meet again. But know this. This world will soon be mine to control."
"Not while we're alive." Kuromu retorted.
"I'm betting on it…" the spider-masked man stated before the fog allowed him to vanish.
It was then that Kuromu finally collapsed as the others walked away. Well, all but the Osiris trio. Rex had his head hung down in shame, the words Oogumo had spoken bringing up bad memories. The E-Hero Duelist placed a hand on his shoulders.
"Hey, whatever's going on with ya? Don't worry about it." he told the mutt, "Sho and I don't think you're a coward, and I can bet that Kuromu doesn't think you're one either."
"Judai… you couldn't be more wrong about that…" Rex said, before walking ahead before walking away.
Sho was worried, "Hey, what's wrong with Rex?" he asked the E-Hero Duelist, who was speechless.
"Do not blame the general. This is… a rather sensitive topic for him." Dicaerii apologized in Rex's place.
"Don't worry. I don't." Judai reassured the buffalo gladiator, "I just want to know what's going through the big guy's head right now."
Meanwhile, as the mutt walked back to the dorm, he felt the cold snow air again. Earlier in the day, he was enjoying the winter atmosphere. But now? Now all he felt was cold and alone as he walked through the snow. Feeling the chill, he adjusted the collar of his jacket to try and keep warm.
"I hate the cold…" he muttered to himself.