Yuko and his friends: Yusuke, Jonah, Neji, Kira, and Sho sat in a circle. Yuko had a feeling that his dreams were finally coming into light. He and his newest friends were finally all together.
"Well first off. I think we all know that we're here for a reason. Whatever Xaphoria wants, it involves us."
Yusuke nodded. "Our dreams must've warned us about this."
Jonah was in denial, but he couldn't help but believe the situation he was in. "So what do we do? Attack Xaphoria?"
Yuko shook his head. "No yet. At least," He sighed. "You guys won't face him yet."
Kira raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"You have to be kidding me, Yuko. You aren't thinking about taking on Xaphoria by yourself, are you?" Neji caught on.
Yuko knew his plan was beyond reckless, but he knew that he couldn't allow his friends to die because of him. "Look guys, I have to do this alone. I can't have any of us losing our lives here."
"But our dreams meant that we have to stand together. Right?" Sho protested. "We can't split up now. We just found each other."
Yuko agreed, but he knew what he had to do. "Look, over the summer, I lost five friends because of some immortal freak. I'm not going to let that happen again. I have to go alone." He made eye contact with Yusuke. "Please."
Yusuke could see where Yuko was coming from. "What's your plan?"
"I'm going to face Xaphoria myself and if I'm not back in three hours, you guys are going to have to go up to his temple and face him yourselves."
Neji jumped up. "That's crazy! You can't face that guy alone!"
"I'm the only one who's faced a guy like him and won. I can take him," Yuko defended himself. He looked down at his Mark of Unity. "I have to do this."
"But if you go and don't come back," Kira began. "How do you expect us to win? We're way out of our league."
Yuko smirked. "That's why I'm giving you guys something to keep." He pulled out his deck and took out his four forbidden monster cards and four other monster cards. "I'm giving guys these. Your ancestors gave them to me and now I'm giving them to you."
Neji's eyes widened. "Our ancestors? We can't accept these Yuko. They're yours."
Yuko thought about his duel with Yoku. He didn't want to see his monsters used for the wrong purposes again. "I don't think the safest hands are still my own, so I'm giving them to you. Please take them."
Yuko handed Neji his Synchro Force Warrior and Tyrosa, Lord of Time cards. "Yuko..." Neji accepted.
He gave Xyz Force Magician and Zubora, Lord of Space to Kira then Pendulum Force Shaman and Phira, Lord of Justice to Sho.
"I'll take good care of them Yuko. I promise," Kira said.
"Woah! Thanks Yuko!" Sho said. "Now how do you use then?"
"You'll know when the time comes. I learned on my own for the most part." Yuko handed Jonah Fusion Force Angel and Kaiota, Lord of Wisdom.
Jonah turned away. "I don't want your weak cards."
"These weak cards are what saved the world for being ruled by a maniac," Yuko pointed out. "You won't stand a chance against Xaphoria without these. Please take them."
Jonah sighed and accepted. "I won't need them though."
"And this is for you Yusuke." Yuko pulled out Zeo Force Dragon. "Because you can Hyper Zeo Summon now, which is great, I'm going to give you this to help you out."
Yusuke accepted the card and smiled. "This is the second card you've given me. Thank you."
"You're welcome. You all are." Yuko stood to his feet. "So remember, if I'm not back in three hours, you guys need to up to that temple and hopefully Xaphoria hasn't killed me."
Yusuke stood up. "Okay Yuko. I think this isn't a great idea, but if you feel you need to do this alone, we'll support you. Right guys?"
"You know it!" Sho cheered.
"We'll wait here for you I guess," Neji added.
Kira looked down. "Hopefully, you'll be back."
Jonah rolled his eyes. "You're a dead man."
"Wow thanks Jonah," Yuko said. He patted Jonah's back. "You know, I really think that you actually like us."
"As if."
"Well," Yuko walked over to the door. "The faster I get this done, the sooner we can go home. I'll see you guys."
"Wait!" Kira hugged Yuko. "Just for luck! You're a great friend, Yuko."
Neji and Sho joined. "Good luck, Yuko," Neji added.
"I just like to hug people," Sho said. "Kira, I'll hug you next."
After the hug, Yuko stood tall and tried to seem confident. "See ya later guys."
Yusuke waved goodbye. "See you later." Yuko left the room leaving his friends alone.
Jonah sighed. "He's not coming back."
"He will," Yusuke said. "We just have to have faith in him. Besides, he's the best duelist I know."
Tammi and Koji sat in the hospital's cafeteria. Koji had a whole tray of food while Tammi only had a coffee. She just managed to stop crying over the absense of her brother and friends. She watched Koji gobblw down his meal and all it did was make her think of Yuko.
"You eat just like him," she said trying not to cry.
Koji looked up at Tammi. He could tell she was about to tear up. "Hey, they'll be okay. This is Yuko, Kenji, and Benta we're talking about. Besides, they have Yusuke, and Neji, and Kira, and Sho." Koji laughed a bit. "Wow we have a lot of friends."
"We do," Tammi agreed.
"My point is that they'll be back. We just have to believe that. Okay?"
Tammi nodded. She knew that she had to stay positive. "You're right. I just hope they're okay."
It didn't take Yuko long to get to the temple. Maybe about thrity minutes. It was almost as if the temple was calling for him. But that didn't scare Yuko at all. He had a mission to accomplish.
"I'm coming Xaphoria." He continued to trudge up the hill. He had a perfect view of the destroyed city of Mayatec. The view looked exactly like his dead friend Ito's old Hyper Zeo Monster. Yuko began to think that maybe the souls of the fallen Legion members were close by just like Yugi and the other spirits. Yuko hoped so. He missed them a lot.
Yuko had a lot of questions for Xaphoria. Like why he sent them to Hell and why does he hate the darkness so much. Yuko personally couldn't understand the wrong in destroying the darkness, but he knew that the realms can't live without it darkness. If the darkness goes away, then the order will be gone. Deltrus had helped Yuko realize that during their last duel.
"I can't let him win," Yuko said to himself as he approached the temple. He took a deep breath and entered.
Inside, he saw Xaphoria sitting in a throne facing away from the entrance. His anger built up, but he had to keep his cool. He opened his mouth to speak, but Xaphoria beat him to it.
"They built this temple on top of the hill to look over the city. All to feel closer to the gods. I like that. The idea of worship." He sighed. "Of course, I never understood why they chose to worship Xerus."
Xaphoria smirked though Yuko couldn't see him. "I'm sorry for rambling," he started again. "I bet you're wondering why I'm doing all of this."
Yuko tried to keep his anger in check. Letting Xaphoria see him mad was the last thing he wanted to do. "Well I've from past experience that guys like you only go through this much trouble to become tryants."
Xaphoria laughed. "Oh I'm sure they do." He rose from his throne and faced Yuko. "But there are no men like me."
Yuko was definately caught off guard by Xaphoria's height. He had to be at least seven feet tall. "What do you mean?"
Xaphoria paced around the room. "Allow me to explain. Gods create man. Man creates Duel Monsters. Duel Monsters create duelist. Then Kuriboh and Multiply create..." He scratched his head to hurry up and think of something clever. "More Kuribohs?"
Yuko rose his eyebrows in confusion. How Xaphoria carried himself confused Yuko. He didn't know what to expect from him, so he had to keep his guard up.
"My point is: We all create something. We cherish them and hope that one day they'll bring us a sense of pride. I want to create a world I'm proud of. One without darkness."
"But don't you think that's insane?" Yuko finally let out. "You'll just upset the balance!"
Xaphoria sighed. "I didn't expect you to understand. You don't know the beauty of my plan."
"No, I think I do. You want to change the world into your image." Yuko balled his fist. "You're just like Xerus."
"What?" Xaphoria turned livid. His silver eyes glowed and he open his hands.
Yuko's body froze and his rose into the air. He couldn't move at all, but his Mark of Unity glowed and burned his skin.
"You think I'm like Xerus? That's absurd! What do you think? I'm some sort of villian? Do I look like a man of darkness to you?!?" He closed his fist and Yuko began to scream his agony.
It took a few seconds, but Xaphoria realized that he was hurting Yuko. He dropped Yuko out of the air and freed him from his control. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll be fine. It's just something that irritates me. Don't compare me to Xerus! That man was nothing!"
Yuko tried to catch his breath. His Mark of Unity burned his skin even more. "And so your true colors show."
"Xerus killed my family, Yuko. I'm not a killer."
"He killed my family too."
"Then you should understand why we need this. Why we need to purify the realms." Xaphoria held his hand. "I need your help Yuko."
Yuko stood up and shook his head. "Are you crazy? Look, I understand where you're coming from. Deltrus felt the same way. But I'm going to tell you what I told him. If you destroy every piece of darkness there is, the balance would be thrown off! So no, I won't help."
Yuko activated his duel gear and drew his cards. "I guess I'll have to teach you the same lesson I taught Deltrus!"
Xaphoria shook his head and frowned. "And to think I was grateful that you were the one who freed me." He summoned a shining duel disk of golden light. "I'll play your little game seeing as I haven't dueled since the war. Let's see how powerful the Heart of Unity truly is."
"If I can handle Deltrus and Xerus, I can handle you for sure."
"Duel!!"
[DUEL START]
"Are you sure you want to duel me, Yuko?"-Xaphoria
"Of course. You put my friends in a hellhole and I don't appreciate it."-Yuko
"Well then...let's have some fun. I'll begin."-Xaphoria
•Xaphoria(4000): Draws.
{Whatever he's planning, I can counter. I know my deck will help me out. Let's see what you're all about, Xaphoria}-Yuko
"I'll set one card and end my turn."-Xaphoria
Sets 1 card.
"What?"-Yuko
"Bad hand. I guess I didn't draw any good cards."-Xaphoria
"{He's got to be bluffing me. That's all? What's he planning? Guess I won't find out until I attack} My move!!"-Yuko
•Yuko(4000): Draws.
{Looks like I can end this in one go if I'm lucky}-Yuko
Activates Twilight Prophecy.
"Because I don't control any Light or Dark-Attribute monsters, I can Special Summon one Oathkeeper and one Oblivion Monster from my deck!"-Yuko
Special Summons Oblivion's Demon(Dark/Lv.4/1500 atk) and Oathkeeper's Angel(Light/Lv.4/1000 atk).
"Next I'll meld them into one!"-Yuko
Melds Angel(Light) and Demon(Dark) to Zeo Summon Wanderer of the Dawn(Light-Dark/Lv.5/2000 atk).
"Trying to show me the harmony between light and dark huh? Sorry Yuko, but it won't change my mind."-Xaphoria
"It was worth a shot I guess. I activate Wanderer's effect!"-Yuko
Activates Wanderer's effect twice. (Wanderer:2 ZU/0 ZU)
"Since I banished two units, I can Special Summon two more Oathkeeper and Oblivion Monsters from my deck!"-Yuko
Special Summons Oblivion's Fiend (Dark/Lv.1/300 atk) and Oathkeeper's Fairy(Light/Lv.1/300 atk) from his deck.
"And I'll meld these two!"-Yuko
Melds Fiend(Dark) and Fairy(Light) to Zeo Summon Darkshine Dragon(Light-Dark/Lv.8/2500 atk).
"Skillful play. I'm impressed."-Xaphoria
"Okay, why are you acting like we're friends?"-Yuko
"Hahahaha. Yuko, I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone really."-Xaphoria
"Yeah right. Then why are forcing my friends to fight to the death in Hell?!"-Yuko
"Because there's no other way. I need to do this."-Xaphoria
"I'm finding it hard to believe that you're not insane."-Yuko
"Yuko, me and you are alike in some ways. We both lost our families to the darkness after all."-Xaphoria
"How did Xerus kill your family?"-Yuko
"It all started when Xerus killed my mother, Itara. He knew that if he killed her then he'd start a war between the gods. Little did he expect was that I attacked his precious city, Mayatec. I went to war with Xerus...and lost. He locked me away and soon went to war with the entire Itaru clan. I may have been imprisoned in Hell, but I could still feel the deaths of my family members. Xerus killed them all."-Xaphoria
"So...you're an Itaru...like Tammi and Kenji?"-Yuko
"Yes. I'm their last ancestor."-Xaphoria
"Sorry to hear about that. Being trapped down here must've driven you crazy. But to destroy the darkness as a whole? That's ridiculous! It's not right!"-Yuko
"Not unless you have a plan like me. Yuko, I can purify this world, your world, and all worlds! Just join me and we can make the whole universe a better place!"-Xaphoria
"Sorry. No can do. I don't think you get it. Light and darkness are one! Here, how about I show you? Darkshine Dragon and Wanderer of the Dawn attack him directly!!!"-Yuko
Attacks directly with Wanderer and Darkshine.
"I was hoping you'd understand! I guess not. I activate a trap!"-Xaphoria
Xaphoria activates Gate of Immortality.
"By discarding five cards in my hand, I can end your Battle Phase and Special Summon one Divine-Attribute Zeo Monster from my Extra Deck!!"-Xaphoria
Xaphoria discards five cards and Special Summons Valtorus, Dragon of Immortal Riches(Divine/Lv.9/3200 atk) from his Extra Deck.
A portal of golden light opened and a green dragon with shining golden wings and long golden claws soared out and into the sky.
"A Divine-Attribute?! I guess this isn't suprising considering that Deltrus and Xerus has some too."-Yuko
"Yes, but I'm the master of divinity. My trap now links the five cards I discarded to Valtorus as Zeon Units."-Xaphoria
(Valtorus:0 ZU/5 ZU)
"Great...guess I'll just enter my Main Phase 2 then. You want to bring out powerhouses, well I can too! I meld both Wanderer and Darkshine Dragon to Hyper Zeo Summon a good friend! Come on out, Saxor!!"-Yuko
Melds Wanderer(Light-Dark) and Darkshine(Light-Dark) to Hyper Zeo Summon Saxor, Order of Chaos(Light-Dark/Lv.9/3000 atk).
"Aw the Hyper Zeo Summon. To think that it's a mortal man's plaything now."-Xaphoria
"Yeah, I think it's unfortunate too, but now we have to live with the consequences, just like you will for sending my friends here!"-Yuko
Activates Saxor's effect twice.
"I'm banishing both of Saxor's Zeon Units! Because one was a Light-Attribute, it'll allow me to increase my Life Points by 1500 and Saxor's strength by 500!"-Yuko
(Saxor:2 ZU/0 ZU) (Saxor:3000 atk/3500 atk) (Yuko:4000/5500)
"Then because the other unit was a Dark-Attribute, you lose 1500 Life Points and Valtorus loses 500 attack points!"-Yuko
(Valtorus:3200 atk/2700 atk) (Xaphoria:4000/2500)
"Wow. That's all?"-Xaphoria
"Shut up. I'm ending my turn with these!"-Yuko
Sets 2 cards.
{He's taunting me. I can't allow him to get in my head. I have to win amd rescue my friends}-Yuko
"My move."-Xaphoria
•Xaphoria(2500): Draws.
"I'll start with my dragon's effect. I can banish a Zeon Unit to reduce my Life Points to 100 and add the points I lost to Valtorus' strength."-Xaphoria
Activates Valtorus' effect. (Valtorus:5 ZU/4 ZU) (Xaphoria:2500/100) (Valtorus:2700 atk/5100 atk)
"Ha! Thanks for that, now I can use this!"-Yuko
Yuko activates Final Limit of Chaos.
"Now Saxor gains attack points equal to Valtorus' strength!"-Yuko
(Saxor:3500 atk/8600 atk)
"Mmmm now this is more fun. Now I can show off."-Xaphoria
"What?"-Yuko
"Valtorus attack Saxor!"-Xaphoria
Attacks Saxor with Valtorus.
"But Saxor has way more attack points!!"-Yuko
"Valtorus has a secondary effect. When it's battling another Zeo Monster, I can banish up to four Zeon Units to Special Summon up to four Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum Dragon-Types from my deck and Extra Deck!"-Xaphoria
Activates Valtorus' second effect. (Valtorus:4 ZU/0 ZU) Special Summons Immortal Xyz Black Dragon(Divine/Rank 8/3000 atk), Immortal Synchro White Dragon(Divine/Lv.8/3000 atk), Immortal Fusion Violet Dragon(Divine/Lv.8/3000 atk), and Immortal Pendulum Red Dragon(Divine/Lv.8/3000 atk) from his Extra Deck and deck.
"Man....that's some effect...I should've known you'd have your own forbidden cards. But how does this help Valtorus?"-Yuko
"Because then I can increase Valtorus' strength equal to the combined power of the monsters it just summoned!!"-Xaphoria
(Valtorus:5100 atk/17100 atk)
"What?!?"-Yuko
"Have fun with this, Yuko. Valtorus, Gold Complex!!"-Xaphoria
"SAXOR!"-Yuko
Destroys Saxor with Valtorus.
"I have a trap!"-Yuko
Yuko activates Final Stand.
"I'm spared 100 Life Points!!"-Yuko
(Yuko:5500/100)
"Hahahaha!!! You truly are a talented duelist Yuko! I'm really enjoying our duel! I really wish we could've dueled under different conditions."-Xaphoria
"I don't..."-Yuko
"I don't know what I have to do to get you to trust me! I'm the good guy here!"-Xaphoria
"All I hear are lies...you're far from good."-Yuko
"I see then...I guess I'll just have to convince you more. I still have four dragons that can attack. Prepare to lose your life Heart of Unity. It's a shame you've had to go like this."-Xaphoria
Attacks directly with Violet Dragon, White Dragon, Black Dragon, and Red Dragon.
"I think not!"-Yuko
Yuko actiavtes Zeo Turntable.
"When I'm attacked directly, I can Special Summon any Zeo Monster from my Extra Deck in defense mode and increase your Life Points by 1500! So to protect me and my friends and to end this duel soon, I'm bringing out my Hyper Zeo, Orionus, Lord of Judgement!!"-Yuko
Yuko Special Summons Orionus, Lord of Judgement(Earth/Lv.10/3000 def) from his Extra Deck. (Xaphoria:2500/4000)
"So your trump card has arrived...you truly are desparate tk stop me. How sad."-Xaphoria
"How it that sad? Your dragon's can't touch me now."-Yuko
"That's true, but it doesn't mean that this will end well for you."-Xaphoria
"I'm getting tired of you talking. Send me and my friends home now or I'll put an end to you like I did Xerus!"-Yuko
"And that's it right there. Your anger. It feeds off the darkness. That's why you're not dueling like yourself. What's the matter? Darkness got your heart?"-Xaphoria
"{He's talking about Yoku...but how does he...} You don't know what you're talking about. I'm 100 percent me!!"-Yuko
"Hmph. We'll see. By the end of this duel, you're true colors will show and we'll find out who the real hero of this story will be."-Xaphoria
[DUEL TO BE CONTINUED]
Feautred Zeo Monster:
1. Valtorus, Dragon of Immortal Riches
-Lv.9
-Divine
-Zeo/Dragon/Effect
-3200/2800
-3 Divine-Attribute Monsters
-Once per turn, you can banish a Zeon Unit and reduce your Life Points to 100. Add the points you lost to this card's ATK until the End Phase. When this card battles another Zeo Monster, you can banish any number of Zeon Units and Special Summon one Xyz, Fusion, or Synchro Dragon-Type Monster from your Extra Deck or one Pendulum Dragon-Type Monster from your deck for each Zeon Unit that's banished. Then increase this card's ATK equal to the combined ATK of every monster this card Special Summoned until the End Phase.
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