A portal opened up and Oogumo had stepped out of it, finding himself in a location he's never been to, yet only knew because of his communication with S.H.O.C.K.E.R in the Rider World. Needing to somewhat speed up his plans, he worked relentlessly on upgrading his transporter capable of transporting himself anywhere in the World of Duel Monsters.
He of course tested this on himself to get to the destination in mind, and it became a success, looking towards the large building before him.
"West Academia…" he grumbled.
After hearing the demise of Pandora, he knew that he can't afford to waste anymore time. He needed to put his plans in motion now.
Another figure suddenly stepped out of the portal as well. This figure has a beige colored cloak over his entire body and a black mask hiding his mask. If one were to look under the cloak, one would a black one piece garb almost akin to a ninja's clothing. His look was finished by the multiple red tattered scarves he had.
"I see that you're the last of them? The Seven Stars?" the mouthless cyclops mused, "Why do you wish to come to me?"
"Because our plan is not yet complete. For we need the soul of the Phantasms if we wish to summon them, and their merged spirits reside within one ka, the creator of the Phantasms." the masked man said.
Oogumo knew what he meant, "Tragoedia."
He had heard of Tragoedia's tale while staying in this world. He was once an astrologer in Ancient Egypt as part of the Pharaoh's court, but in truth was a thief from the village of Kul Elna. It was he who created the Phantasms as a way to test his power, for if he could create copies of the great beasts, then perhaps any beast could be possible to revive. Sadly, when he heard of his village being snuffed out for the creation of the Millennium Items, his revenge became his sole purpose.
"So, I assume you're here to reclaim the creator of what you seek?" he asked.
"Yes…" The figure spoke, before walking forward. "Let us be on our way."
The two continued their way towards the building and eventually walked its halls. Fortunately for them, the school was closed for the weekend. The sounds of steps echoed throughout the facility. Not a single soul was to be found.
"You certainly have chosen a good day to walk in." The figure said.
"It was mere coincidence." Oogumo refuted. "I would have visited this building regardless if it was inhabited or not."
"…"
"And what of you? Despite our temporary alignment, you don't seem to be the kind of person that would merely use others for their own personal agenda." Oogumo stated.
"I am merely following orders…" the masked man stated firmly.
"Oh, and achieving this objective in order to sustain your master's life doesn't have any strings attached?" Oogumo asked curiously, chuckling upon getting silence from him. "I must admit… it was rather surprising that you would request my assistance for this endeavor."
"I was not exactly left with much choice. I am all that's left of our forces." The masked man admitted.
"A fair point. I suppose in a way this deal is something of a double-edged sword." Oogumo replied, "If you win, then your master is satisfied. If not…" he stopped himself just so that the masked man could be reminded of what would happen if he were to fall.
"Do not let your assumptions misconstrue my intentions." The masked figure countered. "Everything that will be happening from this point forward, via this agreement, will have caveats. And there is no turning back. Pray that you will at least be prepared for the consequences."
The two soon arrived at a large set of doors. But they heard the sound of groans and snarls from the other side of said doors. The two looked at each other briefly before opening the door.
The room they entered was Principal Mackenzie's office. However, the state of the room looked drastically different. Bookshelves were toppled as many books were scattered on the ground, lights were completely shattered whilst the window had a large hole in it. Given the lack of a desk like in Samejima's office, the pair could assume that the desk made that large hole.
"Who dares enter here?"
The masked man stepped back while the mouthless cyclops remained unimpressed.
A figure came out of the shadows revealing a hunched over man in his early 50's, with combed back hair that fell to his shoulder, very shaggy eyebrows with a goatee, but his sclera in his eyes were black and the irises glowed eerily golden..
"The astronomer thief Tragoedia, I presume?" Oogumo asked the figure.
"You… you feel… different." The figure snarled.
"Ah, so you noticed." Oogumo said. "Yes… I'm not from this world. And I do not mean the realms within the tower either."
"For what reason are you even here then, outsider?" Tragoedia questioned him.
"It's simple really. We're here to free you from your current vessel." Oogumo answered. "Someone is in need of a much more sustainable body. My friend here can use his alchemy and fuse the two of you together."
"And why would I agree to such trivial matters?"
"You don't have much of a choice. After all, a significant amount of your power has diminished due to the Legendary Planet monsters leaving this world. You might as well make yourself useful. Your revenge means nothing in the grand scheme of things, at least with the other pieces of your power currently in space… apart from one."
"You dare mock me with your arrogance?!" Tragoedia roared as a dark shadow of its spiritual form grew large, towering over Oogumo and the masked man, yet the latter remained unfazed.
"Amanael." Oogumo gestured, to which the figure now named Amanael approached Tragoedia and held out his Shadow Charm, the Emerald Tablet, which was a thin tome of sorts. He opened said book and all of a sudden, Tragoedia suddenly roared in pain.
The body he was currently possessing involuntarily opened his mouth, and the very spirit was being extracted out slowly but surely. Once the extraction was complete, he was sealed into the tome, containing him. The man then slumped over afterwards. Amanael checked the man's pulse.
"Unconscious but still alive. There's a chance he won't even remember us." The masked man said.
"For once, let's leave as is. It's best we do not leave any more evidence that the ka did not already leave behind." Oogumo said as they vanished from West Academia. While he would love to kill this man, he still needed that carrot over David and Reggie to keep them in line.
"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…."
"They are never letting me live this down, are they?" Jun grumbled to himself as he looked towards the currently angry Kuromu and Rex. It had been a couple of days since the incident. Tsukasa contacted Jun's older brothers to have the stainless steel Chaos Soldier sent to them and be sold for the money they desperately needed back.
It's also been a couple of days that he reunited with the girl that was currently getting him glares from the Rider Duelist and mutt. All of their pain, suffering, and annoyance was because of this one man. Well… that was more so on Rex than Kuromu, but nonetheless a pain in the ass!
"Cheater…" Kuromu growled.
"You started it…" Rex snarled.
"Yeah they're definitely not letting me live this down." Jun sighed.
"Oh don't worry, they can't stay mad forever." Annette giggled.
After some time coercing her father, Annette Lupin, Jun's fiancé and Rex's former rival in thieving, was able to get into Duel Academia under the Obelisk Blue dorm. Though that didn't stop her from using her Yumehara Ai disguise just to keep any prying eyes off of herself and the ace.
That didn't stop the mutt nor the Rider Duelist from giving him constant crap for being the unintended catalyst for their pain.
As for her thieving ways… that was still in the air.
Jun also had to do a lot of apologizing on his part about him forgetting his engagement with Annette. As it turned out, she also had a small jealous streak when the thief found out he was being "unfaithful" as she put it.
"Well, at least on the bright side, you got one less guy to worry about." Rika muttered nervously.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kuromu glowered at the Foodon Duelist, who comically sweat dropped.
"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure to keep my fiancé in line," Annette smirked. "Isn't that right, Jun-kun?" She looked at him, though a chill ran down his spine. If it was of excitement or fear, he could not tell.
"Y-Yeah…" The ace said before deciding to smirk, "Besides, I don't think I can flirt with anyone given that I got you with me." he began to flirt with her, and sure enough it worked given how she was blushing.
Rex merely made the motion of throwing up. He was still not used to his old rival actually acting lovey-dovey with the ace. It's not that he doesn't approve of the relationship altogether, that would be heartless of him to think about. But boy was it jarring having to see the Phantom Princess wrapped around the former Manjoume Thunder's arm.
"Oh grow up," Asuka chided, smacking the mutt upside the head.
"Yeah yeah…" Rex sighed.
"Let's see how you like it when we gag at the sight of you and the popstar flirting." Jun smirked.
*POP!*
"That's it! Killing you now!" The mutt snapped as the two got into a scrap. Judai, in spite of the current chaos, was still as carefree as ever.
Just then Sho came rushing into the cafeteria, catching their attention, though Jun and Rex stopped midway, being in awkward fighting stances, while pushing each others' faces away. "Guys! Guys! It's terrible!" He panicked.
"What's up Sho?" Kuromu asked.
"Daitokuji-sensei… he's gone missing!"
"WHAT?!"
The Osiris quartet immediately joined the rest of their fellow dorm mates as they searched through much of the area for the missing Daitokuji. But everywhere they looked, the headmaster of Osiris Red was nowhere to be seen.
"Did you guys find anything?" Kuromu asked as he and Koji, alongside the rest of the Spirit Key Holders, were helping out with the search.
"Nothing." Rika shook her head.
"Where could he have gone, though?" Judai asked worriedly. "I hope he's okay.""
"What do you think happened to him?" Sho muttered with worry.
"That's the rub. After all, people don't simply vanish into thin air… scientifically speaking, that is." Misawa said.
"Yeah, it's either because someone took them or they want to disappear." Rex added.
"You don't think…" Koji trailed off.
"The last member of the Seven Stars taking him?" Kuromu frowned. "Yeah, that's what it's starting to look like."
"We better check his room in case he was taken there." Koji said.
"Lead the way, Starsky." The mutt said before the group approached the headmaster's office. Judai and Kuromu stood at both sides of the door. They looked at Rex and nodded, and the mutt reared his leg back…
*WHAM!*
…and kicked the door. which didn't budge.
…
…
…
"One moment…" The mutt said before walking around the building, confusing the group before-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He then returned to the group, "Okay, I'm good."
"Still having regrets?" Jun quipped.
"A few, but unless we have a way to get in, we can't access Daitokuji-sensei's room." Rex said.
"What are we going to do, aniki?" Sho asked, to which the Elemental HERO Duelist said simply…
"Use your head."
"Huh?" Sho blinked before the Osiris Quartet looked to… Kuromu?
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO USE MY HEAD!"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The Osiris Quartet yelled as they carried Kuromu like a makeshift battering ram. Sure enough, they broke through the door and made it in.
"WHOOOOOA! OW!" Kuromu groaned after tumbling to the floor.
"Kuro!" Asuka gasped, rushing over to him. "Are you alright?!"
"Kaa-san~ that's my chocolate~" Kuromu slurred, seeing Level stars circling around him.
"Was that necessary?" Annette raised an eyebrow.
"I just went with it." Jun said, being surprised that even he was roped into it.
"I'm gonna sue all of you if I'm diagnosed with a concussion…" Kuromu groaned, as he was slowly sitting up with the help of Asuka and Rika.
Koji soon got to work on investigating Daitokuji's office, looking over his belongings. Besides the multiple odds and ends knocked over, due to Kuromu crashing into the room, nothing else seemed out of place. That was until he noticed an open book.
"Did you find something?" Ryo asked.
"I think." The disco fan muttered as he began to skim read through its contents. He was left intrigued by what he had found, namely all of the alchemic formulas. There was also some kind of map with a strange symbol on it.
"A map?"
"Leading to where exactly?" Sho wondered.
"Who knows?" The disco fan shrugged.
"Is there anything else to go by?" Judai asked.
That was when the group noticed a strange glowing symbol before them. Rex leered at it as he quickly heard something. That was when the mutt took off, to everyone's surprise.
"H-Hey, Rex! Where are you going?" Kuromu asked but the mutt was already at full speed.
As he arrived, Rex found himself right in the forest as he looked up and saw Amanael standing in the shadows.
"Look pal, I don't know who you are, but I am tired of this song and dance!" the mutt snarled as he activated his Duel Disk, which in turn caused the masked man to activate his own black Academia Duel Disk.
"Rex, wait up!" Kuromu called out as he and the others were rushing to his side, only to hear the mutt's cry before arriving to find his cards scattered all over.
"Where is he?" Sho asked, looking around.
"His cards…" Judai said, picking them up. He then saw the Gladial Quartet and they looked like crap.
"The general… he was beaten." Dicaerii reported, "He was defeated by this Duelist in a mask."
"Oogumo did this?!" Kuromu gasped, but Murmillo shook his head.
"Different mask. Different deck." The carp gladiator explained.
"This book he was carrying absorbed him too." Bestrouli added.
"The last Shadow Charm…" Kuromu muttered. "Is there anything else you can remember? Anything at all?"
Laquer crossed his arms, "His Monsters seemed to have these alchemical symbols to them."
"Alchemical?" Jun parroted, before turning to the disco duelist, "Show him."
The disco fan then showed the four gladiators the symbol, and immediately their eyes lit up.
"Yeah! That's the symbol!" Bestrouli shouted.
"Okay, so this guy uses alchemy like Daitokuji-sensei." Kuromu pondered.
"Kuro, what are you thinking?" Rika asked.
"We know someone who's also an alchemist himself." Kuromu said, before taking his PDA from his pocket and video calling someone. "Kadoya-sensei, we need Ichinose-san's help."
"You said that you needed my help?" Hotaro asked as he and Hopper-1 arrived at Duel Academia via Tsukasa's Aurora Veil.
"Hai, our teacher Daitokuji-sensei's gone missing and the last Seven Star is their connection to them. Alchemy by the looks of things." Kuromu said, before showing him the symbol. "Do you know what this means?"
"Hoppa, hoppa?" The grasshopper Chemy hopped on Hotaro's shoulder to look at it.
"Hmm… this looks like the Mark of Amanael." Hotaro observed, "I remember Spanner-senpai and Rinne were talking about it."
"Spanner?" Koji asked.
"Rinne?" Rika added.
"Friends of mine." Hotaro said.
"Oh." Rika then leaned in towards Hotaro, grinning teasingly. "So this Rinne girl, is she your-"
"Huh? Uh…" Hopper-1 began to chuckle at his friend's current disposition. "Hopper-1, what are you laughing at?" He complained.
"Er-hem! The symbol, Ichinose-san?" Kuromu prompted, clearing his throat.
"R-Right." Hotaro cleared his throat. "The Mark of Amanael is a representative mark of alchemy. 'What lies below is as above, just as what lies above is as below'."
"What does that mean?" Asuka asked, perplexed.
"It means what happens on a higher level of reality also happens on lower levels." The alchemist recalled, "That's kind of what my teacher told me about alchemy."
"So what would this symbol have to do with Daitokuji-sensei's disappearance?" Misawa asked.
"Maybe he was taken by this Seven Star? If what Rex's Duel Spirits' recount is anything to go by." Kuromu guessed, but then shook his head. "Regardless, we still have to look for him. And with Daitokuji-sensei absent in class, there's no one to teach. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Judai asked, "Our teacher and our friend have gone missing! The longer we stand around, the more our friends are gonna be taken from us!"
"Ease up, Daddy-O we got this." Koji tried to placate. "This jive-turkey ain't gonna get the jump on us."
"Yeah, if anything we'll jump on them." Rika added.
"We just need someone to take over Daitokuji-sensei's class for the time being, that's all." Jun said.
"Minato-sensei can do that." Hotaro offered. "He's my homeroom teacher, but also a high class alchemist. He can definitely teach the class. And I can help you guys search for your sensei."
"Hoppa!" Hopper-1 jumped in agreement.
"I guess that solved our teacher issue, but not our missing friend issue…" Kuromu noted.
That's when Judai realized, "Wait, I got an idea!"
"Huh?" They all looked at the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"We could use Pharaoh!" He exclaimed.
"One problem. We don't know where the cat is." Jun deadpanned, causing Judai to deflate in disappointment.
"Well that's why I have my friends with me." Hotaro said, revealing his Chemy friends, who all voiced their eagerness to help. "They can help with the search."
After taking out what looked to be an orange knuckle duster with a card slot, Hotaro quickly drew out a full five card hand of Chemies.
CHEMY RISE: MERCURIN!
CHEMY RISE: DOKKIRI MAJIN!
CHEMY RISE: SABERLIGER!
CHEMY RISE: HAWKSTAR!
CHEMY RISE: NINETAIL!
Suddenly, a large mini planetoid, a lanky magician, a sabretooth tiger, a hawk, and a nine-tailed fox all having arrows somewhere on their bodies appeared before the group.
"Whoa!" Sho gasped. "These are-"
"They're my friends, the Chemies. They're what give me my powers."
"Mercurin!"
"Dokkiri!"
"Li! Liger!"
"Haaaawk!"
"Nine!"
"Woah! They're like us!" Ojama Yellow cheered as he, W, Minerva, Winged Kuriboh, and even Disco King all appeared alongside the Gladial quartet.
Hotaro then turned to the Chemies. "Everyone, I want you all to find Daitokuji-sensei who went missing. He's a fellow alchemist, like me. Can you do that?"
"Mercurin!"
"Dokkiri!"
"Li! Liger!"
"Haaaawk!"
"Nine!"
The group soon began searching the island, with Judai and Sho trying their best to explain away Rex's absence from class. Meanwhile, Jun was back in the Osiris Red Dorm, particularly the dorm room as he was working on something. If his Seven Star was going to pick them off one by one, he needed to be prepared. Not only that, he has to protect Annette if they try to use her as bait.
"What are you doing, Boss?" Ojama Yellow asked as the rest of the trio appeared.
"Shouldn't you be out there?" Ojama Green inquired.
"Instead of in here?" Ojama Black finished.
"I can't let Annette get caught up in this, not after remembering our promise." He affirmed.
"But she has nothing to do with this." Ojama Yellow Yellow argued.
"Exactly my point." Jun added. "That didn't stop the last three from targeting our loved ones." He shuddered as he recalled how PaniK, Wally, and especially Pandora used their loved ones as bait. "I'm not gonna give that bastard the satisfaction."
He then finished what he was working on.
"Is that…" Ojama Green asked, in front of them was a letter and a gift.
"Yeah. And with that…" He said, before equipping his Disk. "Let's show them what Manjoume Thunder is all about!"
"Hai!" the Ojamas cheered on.
"Did you find anything?" Koji asked, as he and Rika briefly met up for a progress report.
"No, not a thing…" the Foodon Duelist shook her head before noticing Annette rushing to them. "Annette? What's wrong?" She asked.
"It's Jun, he's run off to try and fight the Seven Star!" She exclaimed, her hand clutching the letter Jun had written for her.
"What?!" Rika gasped.
"Has he gone bananas?!" Koji gawked, before taking the letter from Annette's hands and reading it.
"Annette, if you're reading this, I've gone off to find that last Seven Star. If you can't find me, that means I probably lost the Duel and my Spirit Key. I can't let you get hurt and be caught up in this, not after remembering our promise. Jun."
Koji clutched the note tightly. "That jive-turkey! What is he thinking?!"
"Great, and if he loses, that means we'll be another one down." Rika groaned.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
The three of them turned towards the sound of the scream. Their faces pale and void of color. Sure enough, the three rushed in and found the same harrowing image of scattered cards and battered Duel Spirits with the Ojamas, Light and Darkness Dragon, and Armed Dragon all on the ground and in pain. They then saw the unconscious ace on the ground. Jun had been beaten as well.
"JUN!" Annette shouted, as the three rushed over… only for him to disappear in front of their eyes. "NOOOOOO!"
Koji and Rika looked ahead and in front of them was a cloaked figure with their Duel Disk, most likely this last Seven Star.
"Is that-" Koji got out.
"Yeah, that's him." Rika said, before looking at Annette, still in shock. "Annette, listen to me. You need to go find Asuka-chan, Kuro, and Judai. Koji and I will Duel him two-on-one."
"No, I'm fighting too!" Annette denied, about to activate her Duel Disk.
"There's no time!" Rika argued.
"Don't worry, you'll get dibs too. We'll keep dancing with this jive-turkey for as long as we can until you get here with our backup." Koji said. "Now hurry! Skedaddle!"
While looking uneasy, the thief had to go with the plan as she ran back to grab the others. After all, with the mutt currently gone, she was technically the fastest of their friend group.
"Ready sistah?" Koji asked.
"You know it." Rika nodded, before both of them activated their Duel Disks. "You know my family's saying, 'You mess with the dragon, you're gonna get burned'!"
But, as Annette was leaving the area, she heard two more screams. That meant Koji and Rika had also fallen to this Seven Star. Despite that, she knew she had to keep going, she knew she had to reach them.
Kuromu's body suddenly trembled, an ominous chill running down his spine. Something felt very wrong. He looked towards a certain direction; hoping and praying that it wasn't what he thought it was.
"You felt that too?" Asuka asked.
"Yeah…" Kuromu muttered.
That's when they, as well as Judai, Sho, and Hotaro, quickly noticed Annette returning, around the same time as the other Chemies.
"Annette?" Sho got out.
"What's wrong?" Judai asked.
"Jun… Koji… Rika…" she muttered with fear, which made the remaining Spirit Key holders look on with some fear. Within one day, four of their own were taken down with seemingly relative ease.
"No…" Asuka gasped in horror.
"They're gone…?" Sho managed to say.
"Dammit… and there's a chance that they now know who the real holders are from the fakes too." Kuromu gritted his teeth in anger, but calmed down, shaking his head. "No, we're not giving up. Not by a long shot."
"But Kuro-" Sho began.
"But nothing Sho. Remember when Instructor Chronos lost against David? What happened when Rika won against him? Instructor Chronos came back. I'm sure the same conditions will apply when we win against this last Seven Star." Kuromu affirmed, "We just need to figure out who they are."
"What do we do now?" Judai asked.
"As much as we want to find them now, that Seven Star Duelist wants us to panic and be confused. So at the moment, we need to lay low." Kuromu then turned to the Obelisk Queen. "Asuka… Junko and Momoe, they…"
"I know… I'll have to tell them." Asuka said sadly.
"Not just, you need to get them and Annette to safety." the Rider Duelist pointed out, "There's a good chance that he'll try and separate us and take us down one by one. As long as we can all stick together, then we can at least have some kind of fighting chance."
"Okay." Asuka nodded.
The Rider Duelist then turned to Sho placing his hands on his shoulders. "Sho, I'm giving you the job of guarding those ladies once Asuka gets them out of harm's way."
"Eh?! Me?!"
"Yeah, I'll have Misawa and Ryo help out too." Kuromu said, "Like I said, this new Seven Star likely knows who actually has the Spirit Keys, so we'll at least take the heat off of you."
"This is a huge gamble you're taking." Hotaro said.
"I know, but it's the only chance we have of ridding the Seven Stars and ending this madness. We won't let anyone else take the fall." Kuromu said, determined, clenching his fist with conviction.
In Kuromu's room, Sho soon placed four cards down on the table next to their respective decks, each one representing the fallen Spirit Key holders. Annette showed them where she last saw Koji and Rika and upon arriving, they saw all their cards scattered on the ground just like Rex and Jun's were. Their respective Duel Spirits were also on the ground and heavily damaged.
"Here they are." Sho said.
"Thanks, Sho. They'll be safe here for the time being." Kuromu nodded as the other Riders helped the Boogie Knights and Foodons back on their feet.
Afterwards, Sho left to meet up with Misawa and Ryo to guard Junko, Momoe, and Annette while Kuromu and Asuka, alongside Hotaro and Judai began to walk towards the place where all of this began; the Abandoned Dorm.
"I hate coming here…" Asuka frowned.
"It's the only place we haven't looked." Judai said.
"What is this place?" Hotaro asked.
"H-H-Hoppa?" Hopper-1 stuttered scared.
"The Abandoned Dorm." Kuromu said. "A place where an evil entity named Nightmare made several students disappear, including Asuka's brother, but those students came back after I beat Nightmare in our Game of Darkness."
He then felt something ominous, which came from his pocket. He picked it out… revealing the Nightmare mask card.
"You still have that?" Asuka gasped.
"That's… Nightmare?" Hotaro asked.
"Yeah. I promised that I'd have this thing buried… but if push comes to shove, I will have to use this thing." Kuromu feared as his hand shook.
"Kuro, you don't have to…" the Obelisk Queen muttered.
"I know but… our friends, they-" Kuromu gritted his teeth as his eyes flickered golden static again. He then shook his head violently, shaking off whatever oppressive feeling that tried to overtake him. "No…!" He panted, kneeling on one knee while holding his head.
"Kuromu-san!" Hotaro gasped, holding onto him. "Are you okay?"
"I think so…"
Now Asuka was really worried, "Was that… was that what I think it was?"
"Oya oya, that doesn't look good." A familiar voice as the time prophet appeared before them.
"W-Woz…?" Judai got out. "What are you doing here?"
"I sensed that my Maou is trying to make contact with you."
"Sougo? But he-"
"Not him. Oma Zi-O." Woz stated, "Perhaps this could be how his Spirit Bond works. After all, what is the strongest Kamen Rider in history, if not the one who rules over time itself?"
"A Spirit Bond with Oma Zi-O…?" Kuromu uttered out.
"We can't have him do that, not when that Seven Star is still out there." Asuka pointed out. "And… there's no card for Oma Zi-O either."
"You're correct, Tenjoin-kun." Woz said. "There is none… yet. There have been times where cards were created not from a simple designer, but by the will of the Duelist themselves."
"Create cards… from sheer will alone?" Kuromu got out. "But I never intended to-"
"Not deliberately, no." Woz said. "But your desire to save your friends by any means is what's fueling its manifestation. Including the link between you two."
"Even so, I've got no wish to be a Demon King." Kuromu shook his head.
"That's what many of my Overlord's variants say." Woz muttered.
"Then answer me this Woz: If a King does not lead, how can he expect his subjects to follow him?" Kuromu retorted.
Woz, for the first time, was genuinely caught off guard at the question, looking surprised but not too surprised.
"That is likely something you yourself should be asking. After all, you currently wield the power of my Overlord." the chronicler noted.
"…" Kuromu remained silent.
"Well now isn't this a disgusting sight to see." A familiar voice said, as coming out of the shadows was Oogumo, or rather…
"S.H.O.C.K.E.R Leader…" Kuromu growled.
"Did you enjoy my presents?" he asked wickedly.
That was when Kuromu snapped at him, "What've you done with my friends!?"
"I laid no finger on them. That was the work of a, let's say, new acquaintance." Oogumo chuckled, "Care to see your friends' last moments?"
He then took out a tape recorder and pressed the play button.
["What the?! Hey! What the heck are you doing!?"] a familiar voice played from the device before the recording ended with a familiar scream.
"Rex…!" Judai gasped.
["H-Hey! What's happening to me?! You can't do this to Manjoume Thunder! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"] another voice played.
"Man… joume…" Asuka got out.
["No way! Ain't no way I've been out danced by this jive-turkey! HAIL NAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaah!"]
["Judai… Kuro… Asuka-chan… gomen…"]
"Koji… Rika…" Kuromu muttered in horror.
"Ah~, I just love the sound of despair at the last moment, don't you think?" the mouthless cyclops chuckled to himself as he put the tape recorder away, "Oh, but don't worry. You two will be joining them very soon."
*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*
A certain Dimension Rider came out of the Deck and shot at Oogumo with his RideBooker.
"Kadoya-sensei!" Kuromu gasped.
"You three need to go, the final Seven Star should be in the dorm." Tsukasa shouted.
"Oh I think not. Another certain acquaintance wants to destroy you." He said… as another Aurora Veil appeared in front of them?
"We meet again, Decade…" It was an older man who had a tan jacket over a white shirt and a fisherman's cap.
"Who's that?" Asuka asked.
"Narutaki. A big pain in my ass ever since I took on the mantle of Decade."
"As long as you exist, you will continue to destroy other Worlds, just as you are now with the World of Duel Monsters."
"Oh get over yourself!" Tsukasa said. "You even thought Kamen Riders were awesome at one point!"
"I may be an ally of the Riders, but your existence still threatens the worlds. You unleashed the Lord of Dark onto one world after all. I don't think you have any room to talk." the mysterious man said.
"What happened in that world doesn't dictate you coming after me all over again." the dimensional Rider stated.
"It doesn't matter. You still exist, so as your journey never ends, so too will mine never cease." With this, the Aurora Veil unveiled several kaijin monsters, all ready to strike.
"What the-!" Kuromu cried out.
"Oya, oya, that's not good." Woz said, before standing next to Tsukasa. "Maa, might as well join in on the fun."
WOZ! ACTION!
"Might as well." Tsukasa sighed before slapping on his DecaDriver.
"Henshin!"
KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!
KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WO~Z!
"Let me help too!" Hotaro said, attaching his GotcharDriver.
"So, the boy who wields the key to the Door of Darkness is here as well." Narutaki snarled, "I suppose that half-breed is here too."
"No, it's just me and my friends." the alchemist Rider stated. "Ikuyo, Hopper-1! Steamliner!"
"Hoppa! Hoppa!"
"Steeeeeeam!"
HOPPER-1! STEAMLINER!
"Henshin!"
GOTCHANKO! STE~AM-HO~PPER~!
The three Riders transformed into their respective armors, ready to fight them. "Go you three, the last Seven Star should be inside."
"Just be careful, okay guys?" the Elemental HERO Duelist asked of the three.
With a nod from Judai, Kuromu and Asuka, the three remaining Spirit Key Holders quickly ran past the mouthless cyclops and the dimensional Rider; entering the Abandoned Dorm to end this once and for all.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Narutaki snarled. "Your influence will destroy this world, just like countless others!"
"That won't stop me from trying to protect countless more!" Decade snapped back.
"ONORE, DIKEIDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
With the cursing of Decade's name, the kaijin rushed in at the three Riders.
Meanwhile, Judai, Kuromu, and Asuka were on their way to fight the final Seven Star. However, with Decade currently fighting the kaijin outside, it meant that Kuromu couldn't summon him or use his associated cards for the upcoming duel.
"Man, I really hope this place is close!" Judai panted as he ran along, "I'm getting exhausted!"
"I know, but we gotta keep going. Our friends need our help!" Kuromu stated.
"Kuromu's right, we need to keep going!" Asuka affirmed.
As they kept going, a strange symbol appeared in front of them then disappeared and reappeared further away.
"That symbol…" Kuromu got out. "You guys see that, right?"
"I think so." Judai pointed out. "I think we should follow it."
"Are you sure?" Asuka asked. "It could lead into a trap."
"Not like we have a choice!" the Rider Duelist said as they began to follow the symbol through the abandoned dorm and into an old cave. At that point, the Shadow Pendant currently in Kuromu's pocket began to glow. "Looks like we're here. Let's check it out."
On the inside, it looked like a very old-school mad scientist laboratory, clearly abandoned given the rusted machinery and the dust, cobwebs, and musky air around the place. There was even a large distillery on one side of the cave room that was half the total height of the area.
"Man, talk about creepy." Judai commented.
"It looks like this place has been abandoned for some time." Asuka observed while looking over the equipment.
"It's an alchemist's lab." Kuromu stated. He then noticed something up ahead. There before the trio were a set of three large stone tablets, depicting three monsters that looked like demented versions of Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra.
"Are those…" Judai muttered.
"The Three Phantom Demons we're trying to keep locked up? Yeah, looks like it."
"How interesting." Philip's voice said as W appeared.
"Oi aibou, this isn't the time to be impressed right now." Shotaro said.
That was when they found some kind of sarcophagus leaning on the wall, right next to the stone tablets.
"Hey, what's this?" Jaden pondered as the three looked at it.
"It's some kind of ornate coffin or something." Kuromu mused as he approached it, placing his hand on the stone lid, "Question is: what is it doing here?"
"Don't know, but I'm gonna find out. Come on, help me out here." Judai muttered before all three of them pushed the lid as hard as they could.
Once the lid came off, the three recoiled in fear as a strange mummy was found within. A seemingly fresh one too.
"Wait…" Kuromu peered closer as the dust settled. "AHHHHHHHHH!" He yelled as he fell on his butt, crawling away in horror. Judai and Asuka were also shocked by what they saw.
"No way… that can't be…" Judai got out. "Daitokuji-sensei…?"
Sure enough, they confirmed that the mummy was actually that of the Osiris Red headmaster.
"What… happened to him?" Asuka wondered.
"I… I don't know." the Elemental HERO Duelist muttered, "But, it doesn't make any sense. Why is Daitokuji-sensei here?"
"You don't think he lost a Game of Darkness and became… this, do you?" Kuromu got out.
"The fact he's been missing should have been a clue." Asuka added.
Just then, the lights of the cave lit up, to their surprise.
"Welcome to my laboratory, Yuki Judai, Kururugi Kuromu, Tenjoin Asuka." a voice spouted as, from out of the shadows, Amanael stepped out.
"Who are you?!" Jaden demanded.
"I am Amanael, the last of the Seven Stars!" the final Seven Star introduced himself, "And you three shall have a Duel with me!"
Kuromu looked at him and shouted, "Then you're the one who took the others down! Tellus where our friends are right now!"
"Oh, they're safe and sound… inside this tome." Amanael laughed as he pulled out a purple tome book with the Millennium Eye symbol. "And they won't be coming out any time soon."
"Let them go Amanael!" Judai demanded.
Amanael scoffed before activating his Duel Disk, "I will set your friends free if you three can defeat me in our Duel."
"Oh no need to trouble yourself Amanael." Another voice said, as Oogumo showed up again.
"Oogumo!" Kuromu got out.
"Relax, your Riders friends are still fighting my minions with Narutaki, so they're a bit tied up at the moment." Oogumo said.
"Why are you here?" Amanael asked.
"To even the playing field." Oogumo said, before stretching out his hand and… lightning shot out of it, striking Kuromu and Asuka.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH/KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"KUROMU! ASUKA!" Judai shouted as electrical shockwaves were coming from their Duel Disk. The Rider Duelist and Obelisk Queen fell to the ground, reeling in pain. That was when the eyeless cyclops stood over the pair and grabbed the Spirit Keys from their necks.
"What the-?" Judai gasped, before turning to the S.H.O.C.K.E.R Leader. "What did you do?!"
"I grew tired of having to just use simple games to get what was needed. So I just decided to take them from you without needing to duel." Oogumo said.
"What kind of cheating is that?!" Judai snarled.
"The kind that brings my plans to fruition sooner than later." Oogumo said before picking up the USB drive… only to find it sparking.
"Heh, should have thought twice about shocking me. I always keep the drive with me, remember?" Kuromu weakly chuckled.
The eyeless cyclops snarled as his hubris cost him getting his ultimate prize. He then threw the now useless flash drive to the ground before he turned to Amanael. "I'll take these keys to the lock while you deal with that boy."
Amanael merely scoffed as Oogumo stepped through a portal, closing right after.
"No… the Spirit Keys…" Kuromu gritted, trying to stand up only to fall on the ground.
"Kuromu!" Judai said, kneeling on one knee, holding his friend.
All of a sudden, there was a loud rumbling sound coming from outside.
"What's going on?!" Judai got out.
"Oogumo has placed the two Spirit Keys into the locks, six of the Spirit Gates are now open. And only one remains. We've come to our Magnum Opus. Although, I don't want to win like this." Amanael sighed before looking towards Judai, "Yuki Judai. You and I will Duel with your two friends' souls on the line. If you win, I will spare you three, release your friends in this Emerald Tablet, and you will have stopped us all. If you lose, however, your souls will all join them here. Do you accept my terms?"
"Judai… it's on you now… You have to win this Duel or we're all doomed…" Kuromu then reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Here… take this." Kuromu said, giving it to the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"What is it?" Judai asked.
"A wild card. Could turn the tables…"
Looking at the card, he nodded and slipped it with the rest of his cards before he looked towards the alchemist.
"Alright, Amanael! Get your game on!" Judai shouted, activating his Duel Disk. After the mysterious Alchemist activated his own, both players drew their starting hands.
"DUEL!"
Amanael: 4000
Judai: 4000
"Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Amanael said as he made the first draw, "I activate Alchemic Kettle - Chaos Distill. This Continuous Spell card forces all cards to be sent to the Banished Zone rather than the Graveyard." he declared as a large orange kettle-like device appeared as it constantly pumped out steam.
"Gee, whoop-de-doo." Judai sighed.
"Careful Judai… that distillery is dangerous." Kuromu grunted, "In alchemy, a distillery is used to purify any liquid substance by boiling it. In this case, he'll most likely use whatever monsters he has removed to make something stronger in that pot of his."
"Makes sense for an alchemist to use an alchemy-themed archetype." Judai observed, taking in what Kuromu told him.
"Now I use Chaos Distill's on-field effect. While it's on the field, I can activate these three spells." he said as he placed three cards down. "Using Iron Lamp, Copper Scale, and Lead Compass, I Special Summon Alchemy Beast - Salamandra the Iron, Alchemy Beast - Ouroboros the Copper, and Alchemy Beast - Leon the Lead!"
Appearing onto the field was a iron dragon (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500), a copper serpent (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500), and a lead lion (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500); all of them snarling threateningly at their opponent.
"Lead, Copper, and Iron… three of the seven planetary elements of Saturn, Mars, and Venus respectively…" Kuromu muttered.
"You're well informed, Kururugi Kuromu." Amanael said, a hint of praise escaping his lips. "I set a card face down. Ta-n endo."
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Judai declared, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Elemental HERO Airman!"
Slapping the card into the tray, the familiar jetpack-wearing hero appeared (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 300)
"Already going for his usual combo." Kuromu observed.
"Stratos' effect activates! Whether he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can choose one of two effects. I'll go with the first effect and destroy your face-down! Air Shooter!" Judai said as the jetpack hero quickly revved up his turbines and blew the card, revealed to be a Continuous Trap Card named Element Absorber, away.
"I see that you were quite observant." Amanael groaned.
"But I'm not done yet." the Elemental HERO Duelist remarked, "Next I activate Mask Change, which allows me to transform my Elemental HERO Airman to a Masked HERO, just like Kuro with his Riders!"
"He's going for a Masked HERO already?" Asuka managed to say, despite the pain she's in.
After clenching his fists, the wing pack hero then began to slowly raise his arms before crossing them before swinging his arm forward and snapping his fingers.
"Jump to the sky to unleash the might of the wind!"
Suddenly, a burst of green electricity coursed through Airman's body, transforming him into a Rider that had green armor, with a golden belt, black patches, and a red jewel-core on his chest. He also obtained a green helmet that had orange lenses while a long red scarf was wrapped around his neck.
"Henshin Shōkan! Let's go, Masked HERO Blast (6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1800)!"
"So, these are the Masked HEROes that I've heard about." Amanael observed.
"Yeah, and you'll be seeing a lot more where that came from!" Judai declared, "But right now, Masked HERO Blast's summon effect activates! Since he was successfully Special Summoned, I can choose one of your monsters to halve its ATK." the Elemental HERO Duelist then looked at the three monsters, "Eenie, meenie, miney… you." he pointed towards Ouroboros before a bolt of green lightning struck the bronze snake.
Alchemy Beast - Ouroboros the Copper: (ATK: 500-250)
"Up next, I'll activate Masked HERO Blast's Quick Effect! By paying 500 LP, I can target 1 Spell or Trap you control and return it to the hand. So let's bounce Alchemic Kettle - Chaos Distill back." Judai declared as another shot of green lightning zapped the kettle back into a card.
Amanael: 4000
Judai: 3500
"Battle! Masked HERO Blast attacks Ouroboros the Copper! Tempest Strike!" the Elemental HERO Duelist called out.
With a nod, the wind-themed Rider tapped on the center of his belt.
HURRICANE IMPACT!
As green electricity coursed through Blast, he quickly zipped towards the bronze snake and kicked it into the air with a Flash Kick, causing a large upwards gust of wind to blow through the area. Afterwards, the wind-themed Rider leaped high into the air and delivered a couple more kicks to further electrify the monster. As the bronze snake was falling to the ground, Blast finished it off with a powerful flying side kick; the force of which caused the masked man to use his cloak to block the wind and lightning.
Amanael: 2050
Judai: 3500
"He's down to almost half his Life Points." Kuromu grinned.
"I'll place two cards face-down. Ta-n endo." Judai concluded, and two reversed cards appeared.
"Not bad for a first turn. You've certainly improved." Amanael complimented the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"What are you talking about?" Judai demanded.
"Don't talk like you know him!" Kuromu snapped.
"Oh, but I do." Amanael pointed out, "I have been watching you all for some time, and from what I've seen of your progress, you do not disappoint."
"Huh?" Everyone said, confused.
"But alas, this is no time to reminisce. We're here to Duel. Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" Amanael declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand to three. "I will begin by reactivating my Alchemic Kettle - Chaos Distill." He then signed, "Next, I shall play Treasure Cards from the Heavens, having us draw until we have six cards."
Both players drew until they had six cards.
"Now what's he up to?" Asuka wondered.
"Next the Spell Card Black Process - Nigredo. With Chaos Distill in play, I banish all Alchemy Beasts and draw two cards for each. Since I will banish two, I will get four more cards." As Amanael's hand grew from five to nine, the remaining Alchemy Beasts roared in pain before getting sucked into the Chaos Distill. "And now, I will use Tin Spell Circle, Mercury Hourglass, and Silver Key to Special Summon Alchemy Beast - Aetos the Tin, Alchemy Beast - Echeneis the Mercury, and Alchemy Beast - Moonface the Silver!"
Soon, a tin eagle (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500), a mercury fish (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500), and a silver rock beast (3/ATK: 500/DEF: 500) appeared.
"Tin, Mercury, and Silver. That's three more of the planetary elements representing Jupiter, Mercury, and the Moon…" Kuromu said. "That just leaves…"
"Battle! Aetos the Tin, Echensis the Mercury, and Moonface the Silver will attack you directly!"
"What?!" Judai gasped.
"There's no way he can do that!" Asuka protested.
"There has to be some kind of effect to those things!" Kuromu shouted.
"Alas, it is stated in the card's text that my Alchemical Beasts can attack directly. There is no error." Amanael said. "Now attack!"
The three beasts quickly surged right for Judai as the eagle slashed at him with its metal talons, the fish slapped him with its tail, and finally the golem landed a powerful gut punch that sent Judai to his knees.
"JUDAI!" Kuromu and Asuka shouted.
Amanael: 2050
Judai: 2000
"I place one card face-down. Ta-n endo," he remarked, his hand now at five.
"O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Judai declared, drawing his seventh card. "I summon Elemental HERO Liquidman in ATK mode!" The liquid hero soon emerged, ready for action (4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1300). "Next I activate Fusion by fusing Elemental HERO Liquidman and Elemental HERO Ice Edge in my hand!"
Once more, the two water-based heroes jumped into the red and blue vortex to fuse.
"Break the ice and freeze those who plan harm on the innocent!"
When the ice ball shattered, the ice knight-like superhero appeared.
"Fusion Summon! Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!" (8/AK: 2500/DEF: 2000)
"I see you're already going for your Extra Deck." Amanael observed.
"I activate Elemental HERO Liquidman's second ability! Since he was used as Fusion Material for a "HERO" monster, I get to draw two cards, then discard one!" He drew his two cards to increase his hand to six, then discarded one, now having five. "Now it's time to end this Duel! Battle! Elemental HERO Absolute Zero and Masked HERO Blast will attack Aetos the Tin and Moonface the Silver!"
"Sadly you will not be destroying any more of my monsters." The alchemist declared. "I activate my Continuous Trap, Element Absorber! By discarding a monster from my hand, any monster of that Attribute will have their attack negated!" He then revealed two cards. "I discard Aqueria the Water Spirit and Garuda to negate your attacks!"
A black pod-like machine appeared and when Absolute Zero unleashed a wave of snow and ice, the black pod-like machine rotated, revealing the alchemical symbol for Water and blocked it with a wave of water, which then froze and shattered. Blast jumped up and dived down for a wind-powered kick, but the black pod-like machine turned and the alchemical symbol for Air appeared, unleashing a gush of wind that sent the Masked HERO flying.
"Dammit…" Judai growled. "Ta-n endo."
"As much as you've improved, you still have much to learn, Yuki Judai." Amanael stated.
"Great, looks like he'll need to do something in order to get out of this Duel alive." Kuromu growled.
*MEOW~!*
"Huh?" Asuka got out. "Was that-?"
Everyone turned to the doorway and saw a familiar cat coming into the basement.
"Pharaoh?" Kuromu got out, before the cat started running towards… Amanael?! "Pharaoh, no! That man's dangerous!" He cried out. However the cat did not listen and instead continued approaching the alchemist. Eventually, the alchemist picked up the cat into his arms, much to the students' shock and surprise.
"But… but how?" Judai asked.
"It's rather simple, children." Amanael said, before putting down his hood, revealing a familiar hairstyle but was now white. Not only that, he removed his mask, and all three students were in for the shock of their lives.
"It… That can't be right!" Asuka gasped.
"No way…" Kuromu uttered.
"Daitokuji… sensei…?" Judai said, stunned.
Indeed, it definitely was Daitokuji. One thing noticeable about the teacher was that there were veins framing his face and that his eyes were actually open.
"Hello, children." Amanael, or rather Daitokuji chuckled.
"Hold on, you're… if you're Daitokuji-sensei, then who…" Judai pointed at the mummy that was in the sarcophagus.
"That mummified body is also me." Daitokuji answered.
Kuromu's eyes widened considerably, "No way… you're… actually a homunculus? B-But how?"
"It is sadly complicated. The body you currently see standing before you was one of many that I have used to live. It just so happened to be my last one." The alchemist professor then turned towards the mummy, "The mummy in the sarcophagus however was my original body."
Judai was distraught, "Daitokuji-sensei… what… why…?"
"It is a long story. It started many years ago, back when I was a younger man and studying alchemy. I had become obsessed with one thing and one thing only; creating the ultimate prize that man an alchemist dreamed of creating."
"The Philosopher's Stone." the Rider Duelist realized, "But, that's impossible. The Philosopher's Stone is just a myth."
Daitokuji shook his head, "No, Kuromu. It is real, so much more real than any of us could imagine even with the revelation of the multiverse." he affirmed, "And after several grueling months of intense study, I had its creation at my fingertips. I had learned that the secret to finding the Philosopher's Stone lay in the discoveries found by Pegasus J. Crawford and I suppose now, your mother as well."
"Dueling Energy…" Kuromu quickly put the pieces together.
"After that, I followed in his footsteps and travelled to Egypt to find the answers." Daitokuji then placed his free hand to his heart. "Unfortunately, I succeeded."
"What happened?" Judai asked.
"I had stumbled upon an ancient carving, one depicting the very Phantasms we sought to stop and how their creator Tragoedia created them. When I went to touch it, the ka cursed my name and shouted that I must pay. I was then sprayed by a noxious fume from the temple's carvings; forcing me to flee for my life as I escaped the crumbling temple." Daitokuji then looked down in shame, "I almost wish I perished in that temple instead, because once I returned home, I quickly learned that I was infected with a horrible flesh-eating disease that began to ravage my body, rotting my vital organs, disintegrating my muscles, and dissolving my bones."
"So… when you created your homunculi…" Asuka quickly caught on.
"It was as a way to escape death. Yet, I would soon realize that this wasn't just a simple disease. It was a curse that was bound to my soul." the alchemist professor confirmed, "I tried many times, but each body I made began to fall prey to the curse quicker and quicker. The only reason this body has lasted as long as it did was due to this tome. But even this body will fall as well, and with my original body no longer in a state where I can harvest it for samples, I was left with one option."
"Tragoedia and the Phantasms." Judai realized.
Daitokuji nodded, "If I worked with the ka to help release his creations, I could possibly lift this curse from my body and perhaps even create the Philosopher's Stone to forge a new body; perhaps even become immortal!"
"And you're willing to sacrifice millions of people to make it happen?!" Kuromu said, distraught, before shaking his head, "No… no, I don't believe you! You would never do such a thing! You forcibly killed Rex, Jun, Koji, and Rika. Students who trusted in you, believed in you!"
Daitokuji looked away in shame, recalling the looks of fear, confusion, and horror he had caused those four students, "I know… this may not be the right path… but I must succeed! The road to Hell is paved with good intentions! When I acquire the stone, not only will I be able to make myself immortal, but I can use its power to change the world! Think of all the good I could do! An ageless demigod who can make anything possible!"
It was at that moment that Kuromu and Asuka noticed Judai looking down, his face unreadable. "I was wrong…" he muttered before, after a moment of silence, he looked up… and his eyes briefly gained an amber glow. "You're not Daitokuji-sensei."
"Asuka…" Kuromu looked at her with worry, and she was equally scared.
There was a chance that something was in Yuki Judai, and Daitokuji might be in more trouble than either of them thought.
"I am. And you will see." Daitokuji said, before gently putting Pharaoh down on the ground. The cat ran off to a safe place at a safe distance. "Now then, let's continue this Duel. Watashi no ta-n! Draw!" he declared, drawing his next card, increasing his hand to six.
Daitokuji: 2050
Judai: 2000
"I will release Alchemy Beast - Echeneis the Mercury to Advance Summon Golden Homunculus!"
Suddenly, the mercury fish melted and reformed into a massive golden stone golem who let out a powerful roar as it banged its fists together (6/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500).
"So you got one big gold rock. So what?" Judai scoffed, only to nearly lose his footing when the golem stomped the ground once to cause a small quake.
Daitokuji chuckled wearily, "Always takes the time to quip. But you should know better than to judge a Monster by its appearance." He then outstretched his hand, "Because he gains 300 ATK and DEF for each banished card in the Duel! Unluckily for you, since I have 14 banished cards, this means that Golden Homunculus gains 4200 points!"
Suddenly, the golem grew in size, knocking over some equipment with how loud it roared.
Golden Homunculus (ATK: 1500-5700/DEF: 1500-5700)
"You had to say it…" Kuromu groaned.
"I… I'll take back what I said." Judai chuckled nervously.
It did give some relief to the Rider Duelist and Obelisk Queen. Judai didn't seem to have a relapse in anger.
Amanael scoffed, "Your arrogance will cost you this time, Judai. Battle! Golden Homunculus attacks Elemental HERO Absolute Zero! Gold Crush!"
"Not gonna happen! I activate my face-down, Hero Barrier! As long as I have an Elemental HERO on the field, I can negate your Golden Homunculus' attack!" Judai quickly reacted. The golem pulled back its golden rocky fist and punched forward, but an energy barrier protected the Elemental HERO, preventing it from destroying him.
"Tsk, then I will use my remaining Alchemy Beasts to attack your Life Points directly!" Daitokuji declared.
Aetos and Moonface unleashed their respective attacks, causing Judai to fall on one knee.
Daitokuji: 2050
Judai: 1000
"Crap, one more direct attack and he's done for…" Kuromu realized.
"Before I finish my turn, I shall activate this card, Fusion Cancel. This will send your Elemental HERO Absolute Zero back to your Extra Deck. While the two components that made him would normally be summoned back from your Graveyard, since I still have my Alchemic Kettle - Chaos Distill in play, you can't summon them due to them being removed, ergo, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero's effect of destroying my monsters when it leave the Field will be rendered invalid."
"Dammit…" he snarled as the ice hero suddenly felt his fusion get cancelled, disappearing afterwards.
"Next I shall activate Special Hurricane. By discarding one card, or rather removing one card in this case, all Special Summoned monsters are destroyed, meaning your Masked HERO Blast, as well as my two Alchemy Beasts, so you won't be able to target them on your turn."
Suddenly, a large hurricane appeared to suck up nearly all the monsters on the field, leaving only Golden Homunculus standing.
"And since five more of my cards are now banished, my Golden Homunculus gains an additional 1500 ATK points."
Golden Homunculus (ATK: 5700-7200/DEF: 5700-7200)
"7200 ATK?" Asuka gasped.
"Ta-n endo." Daitokuji said, his hand now has two cards. "Saa… what will you do Judai-kun?"
Judai, surprisingly, froze, looking towards his Deck with some uncertainty. Doubt creeped up into his mind while standing there. 'No… this is all wrong… Daitokuji-sensei, he-'
"Judai, snap out of it!" Kuromu shouted, to which he actually did. "Judai, you can't let doubt get into your head! As much as all of us hate the fact that Daitokuji is our enemy, this is still a Duel! You have to see this through to the end, no matter what!"
"But…" The Elemental HERO Duelist stopped for another moment as he soon felt a strangely comforting presence from, of all things, Winged Kuriboh.
"Kuri! Kuri!"
"Winged Kuriboh…" Judai muttered.
"Kuri! Kuri! Kuri, Kuri, Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh cooed, flying around Judai's head.
"What do you mean?" Judai asked.
'Philip-san, translation? I don't speak Kuriboh.' Kuromu said in his thoughts.
"I think he's trying to encourage him." Phillip interpreted.
"Kuri! Kuri! Kuri, Kuri, Kuri!"
"Really? You mean it?"
"Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh nodded happily.
"Alright, let's get this started! O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Judai declared as he quickly regained his confidence and drew his next card, increasing his hand to six. "Kuro! I drew it!"
"Then do it! Finish this off!" Kuromu said.
"Right!" Judai said, before looking at Daitokuji.
"If you intend to Fusion Summon any monster, you will be forced to banish the Fusion Materials." Daitokuji pointed out. "And as far as I recall, you have no cards that interact with banished cards." Daitokuji observed.
"Sure I do." Judai grinned.
"Impossible!"
"Improbable," Judai corrected, "So to do it, I'll first activate Trap Booster! This lets me discard a card in order to activate a Trap Card from my hand." He then looked towards a card that showcased Flame Wingman alongside A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon and Gladial Beast Nerokius, "And I'll play this wild card that Kuro gave me! It's called Favorite Contact! This allows me to Special Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck that mentions a "HERO" monster as material, ignoring its Summoning conditions! And I do that by placing the Fusion Materials at the bottom of the Deck in any order, from among cards in my hand, field, GY, and/or banished cards!"
"What?!"
"He can do that?" Asuka asked in surprise.
"Now I send my Masked HERO Blast and Masked HERO Gust that I discarded from Trap Booster's effect back to the bottom of my Deck!"
This surprised Daitokuji, "Wait, you have Main Deck Masked HERO Monsters?!"
Kuromu chuckled, "Guess Tou-chan wasn't the only one who could make cards."
"Now my HEROes, fuse together!"
Suddenly, the dragon and demon from the Fusion card appeared as they themselves merged into a belt that the reappearing Blast quickly equipped. A Rider that seemed like a weaker version of Blast (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1600) appeared and the two HEROes jumped into the vortex.
"Light and Darkness that contrast each other, become one and unleash the twilight of justice!"
Soon, the half-and-half Masked HERO (9/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2600) appeared on the battlefield.
"Fusion Summon! Contrast HERO Chaos!"
"Heh, you know it's different seeing the monster you cosplayed a while back being summoned." Kuromu joked.
"Contrast HERO Chaos' effect activates! Once per turn, I can target one card face-up on the field and negate its effects until the end of the turn! And I'm going for Golden Homunculus!"
Golden Homunculus (ATK: 7200-0/DEF: 7200-0)
"No!" Daitokuji gasped.
"His ATK points are 0! That means he wins!" Asuka gasped.
"Battle! Contrast HERO Chaos attacks Golden Homunculus! Chaos Stryzer!"
"Oi! That's our bit!" Shotaro cried out.
That was when the astral images of the Fusion dragon and demon emerged as the half-and-half Rider leaped into the air. Daitokuji was shocked as the half-and-half Rider dashed forward and first delivered a punch that had the astral image of the Fusion demon slashing through the golem before performing a downwards axe kick that had the astral image of the Fusion dragon's head chomping down on the golem; destroying it and finally defeating the alchemist professor.
Daitokuji: 0
Judai: 1000
As the Solid Vision disappeared, Daitokuji fell to his knees. There was another rumbling sound, which shook the cave for a moment, before it stopped completely.
"Did… did we do it?" Judai asked.
"The Spirit Gates must've closed…" Asuka muttered as the trio let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey kids!" A voice called out, as Tsukasa, Hotaro, and Woz arrived.
"Minna." Kuromu muttered, as he and Asuka slowly stood up, supporting one another. "How are things up top?"
"Narutaki fled and the monsters he brought over here were destroyed." Tsukasa said, before looking over their shoulder. "You're kidding me… Daitokuji?" He gasped in shock. "You're the last Seven Star?"
"Hehe… it's been a while." The alchemic professor joked, before addressing Judai, Kuromu, and Asuka. "As promised, I will now release your friends." He said, before opening his Emerald Tablet of a tome. The symbol on the book glowed and streams of light came out, before molding into the unconscious Rex, Jun, Koji, and Rika.
"Ugh… I don't feel so good…" the mutt groaned.
"Ergh… what in the 8-trak…" Koji got out.
"My head hurts…" Rika whined.
"What… happened…?" Jun asked, as the four slowly sat up.
"Koji! Rika!" Kuromu and Asuka gasped, before hugging their two friends, sobbing, "Thank goodness you're alright!"
"Kuro? Asuka? What are you doing here?" Koji asked.
"What's going on?" Rika got out.
Judai was equally ecstatic as he rushed the mutt and the ace, unintentionally smacking the pair's heads on the ground. "You're alright!"
"YEOW!"
*BONK!*
"The hell was that for?!" The pair snarled in unison after smacking Judai in the head.
"Sorry, it's just…" Judai got out. "Wait… you all don't remember what happened?"
"Last thing I remember was trying to grab onto something before blacking out." Rex admitted, before looking over and saw… "Daitokuji-sensei?!"
"Huh?" Jun, Koji, and Rika got out, before realizing.
"No way… Daitokuji-sensei's…" Rika got out.
"The last Seven Star?! What the hail!?" Koji gawked.
"I'm sorry children, it is a long story. Judai, Kuromu, and Asuka will fill you in later…" Daitokuji said, before looking at the Elemental HERO Duelist. "Judai, you passed your final exam with flying colors… Alchemy changing everything into gold is nothing more than a surface phenomenon. Its true motive is to change the hearts of people into purer, nobler things."
"Just like a superhero inspires others to become more than what they are…" Judai realized.
"And now, you have come to know that truth. With this, my goal has been reached…"
Pieces of his face started falling off of him, shocking the others.
"What's happening?" Jun asked.
"Daitokuji-sensei is a homunculus…" Kuromu muttered. "I'm guessing his Shadow Charm kept him intact for so long. And now that he's defeated…"
"What?! He can't be breaking down now!" Rex yelped, "We promised everyone back at the dorm that we'll get him back!"
"I'm sorry Rex… but I'm afraid I won't be coming back any time soon." Daitokuji chuckled as he sat back. "Now listen to me, all of you, a greater disaster will eventually happen on this island. I had to nurture the power to oppose that disaster… which is all of you. Even with you holding the last Spirit Key, you can see that Oogumo won't hesitate to simply take it from you without a Duel."
"Daitokuji-sensei…" Kuromu muttered, before the alchemist professor gave an envelope to him.
"Here, give this to Principal Samejima. It's my letter of resignation, and the name of my successor. He'll understand." He then gave away his Emerald Tablet to the Rider Duelist as well. "One last thing. Kuromu-kun, during my travels to research a cure for my disease, I came across something of interest. It didn't occur to me at the time, but after seeing your countless Duels, and your mother's research on Dueling Energy, I am now certain."
"What do you mean?" Kuromu asked, confused.
"Recall the times that the other Shadow Charms have broken. There were fragments of a red stone, yes? Our leader… sent me to an excavation site of ruins where those stones were discovered and forged them into the Shadow Charms."
"Does this have to do with why Kuromu's Extra Deck started glowing?" Rex asked.
"Yes…" Daitokuji said, as more pieces started falling off of him.
"Sensei!" Rika cried out.
"Kuromu-kun, these stone fragments are without a doubt Dueling Energy in crystallized form. The fragment from my Emerald Tablet being no exception. It will join with the other fragments in your pendant. When it does… you will see your true potential."
"Sensei! Don't leave us!" Judai cried out as he, Jun, and Rex were all on the verge of tears.
"Y-You gotta have at least one more spare body on you. Right? Right?!" Rex looked to Kuromu and Asuka for any sign of hope, his voice clearly shaky and desperate.
Kuromu sighed, then looked at the Alchemist Rider. "Hotaro?"
Hotaro however, shook his head, "I don't think I'm that capable of an alchemist to create homunculi. And by the time I could get someone like Minato-sensei here, Daitokuji-san would already have died…"
"It's alright, children. I've made my peace." Daitokuji smiled.
*MEOW~!*
The tabby cat made his way towards the alchemist professor. "Oh Pharaoh… I'm sorry that we have to part ways like this, but know that I treasure every moment with you." He said, petting his cat one last time, much to its sadness. "Kuromu-kun, please take care of him for me."
"Hai…" Kuromu nodded.
"Ahhhhhhhh… I never thought I would go out like this… at least… I'm surrounded by those that love… me…" Daitokuji muttered, before finally closing his eyes, and the rest of his body turned into dust, crumbling before their eyes, leaving his cloak. The mummy that was in the sarcophagus also broke down into dust.
"SENSEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Kuromu yelled out in grief, falling to his knees, as they all cried. The Elemental HERO Duelist wailing the loudest, Rika clung onto Asuka to cry, while Rex roared in anger at the heavens.
"Yo."
The Kamen Rider Duelist went from sorrowful to vengeful as he and the others ratcheted their heads towards Oogumo, smugly looking upon them. It was then that Kuromu let out a furious roar.
"OOGUMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"