Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Realm: Fifteen ❯ Conflict in Madness ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Man Called True 
As the Central Shadow Realm slips into chaos, Fifteen confronts Gaia the Dragon Champion for their last confrontation...
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.30.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 221 | Status: Completed
As the Central Shadow Realm slips into chaos, Fifteen confronts Gaia the Dragon Champion for their last confrontation...
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.30.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.9K | Visits: 221 | Status: Completed
(Author's note: Yamato the Noble Samurai is a creation of Cyber Commander, and as thus is used with his permission. Also, liberties have been taken with the functioning of a certain card - but since this isn't a duel, it shouldn't matter.)
A cold wind still blew across the Central Shadow Realm. Fifteen shivered a little, holding his hat to his head with one hand. Tessia and Naomi, behind him, backed away as he glared up, still staring into the eyes of his enemy.
"Do you know how much it wears out one's feet to travel by foot to the Dragon Lairs?" Gaia the Dragon Champion asked, leaning forward on the Curse of Dragon's back. "It's a seven-day hike across rugged, uneven terrain, interspersed with constant battle against dragons and their allies. To be honest, it's quite a relief to be airborne."
Fifteen, who had never traveled further than a mile by foot on any given day in his life, replied, "Sounds like it. And I see all those stories concerning you and the Curse of Dragon are true."
Gaia nodded. "Most of them, anyway," he clarified. "Some of them describe a more... prurient interest between myself and my mount than is actually the case."
Tessia and Naomi both blushed, and the Witty Phantom shook his head. "Amazing, how sick some monsters can be," he said, one hand reaching into his pocket to ready the Sword of Deep-Seated cube. "Then again, you were always known for how much you cared for the animals you rode on."
"That much is true," Gaia said, one gauntleted hand patting his dragon's head. "I truly loved Slepneir, until you killed him. Honestly, you have no respect for the calvalry."
"Said calvalry was trying to kill me at the time, so I feel justified in my disrespect," the fiend said in return.
Gaia countered with, "Any good horseman would rather be killed than see their mount die. Most who lose their horses kill themselves afterwards - remember the tale of Mefist the Infernal General?"
Fifteen did remember: the story stated that after winning a thousand battles, Mefist committed suicide when the Vampire Lord Meier slaughtered his horse. "I note you're still alive," he replied.
"Force of habit," Gaia said, sighing. "I can't justify my own death until you're dead. Bad luck for us, I guess."
The parlay was now over. Fifteen withdrew the Sword of Deep-Seated cube from his pocket, and then called over his shoulder to the girls, "Tessia, Naomi, find somewhere safe to hide!" They ran off, and he returned his attention to his opponent.
The Curse of Dragon snorted a fireball, nearly scorching Fifteen's shirt cuff. "It thinks you're an utter fool," Gaia declared, dropping the reins and retrieving his second lance. He clashed the weapons against each other.
"Can't make everyone happy," Fifteen replied, as the cube activated and his sword appeared in his hand.
"I happen to think you're a fool as well," the Dragon Champion continued, his mount rising higher into the air.
Stepping onto a bench for a bit of height, the Witty Phantom swung his sword once over his head, replying, "All a matter of opinion."
The two stared at each other once more, and then both pointed their weapons at each other, staring down them.
"You know... I question whether you were even sane before the Second Dragon Wars," Fifteen said.
"It's quite possible I wasn't. Too bad you'll be dead before you figure it out," Gaia replied.
Fifteen's eyes narrowed. "Who says I won't kill you?"
Gaia shouted, "By all means, try!"
And the battle was on.
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The center field of the Council Lower Quarter, as opposed to that of the Upper Quarter, was completely empty. This was more for convenience's sake than aesthetics - it was the mustering ground for the Central Shadow Realm Armed Forces. And tonight, thirteen minutes after ten, the field was filled with monsters of all sorts, eager to support their home city.
Standing before them, the commanding officer of the army began to seriously reconsider his choice of career. He was also beginning to wish that Freed the Matchless General, known now as Dupin, had never left to take charge of the Central Shadow Realm Police Force.
But, Gilford the Lightning thought as he readjusted his left gauntlet, all jobs have their drawbacks, and to serve Exodia in so exalted a fashion is blessing enough. He kept telling himself that even as the Hibikime squadron got into a yelling match with a group of Goblin Attack Forces.
"ATTENTION!" he finally yelled, and since it was accompanied by a crack of thunder, it caught the notice of the 10,000-odd monsters on the field. They turned towards him and saluted. "It is my duty to inform you that we have received orders from Exodia the Forbidden One himself! We are to enter the various quarters of the city and maintain order! And if we find the Shadow Killer..." He paused, smiling. "It is our duty to terminate him! Dare we disobey?"
Every monster in the army cried out, "NO!"
Drawing his sword, Gilford flourished it overhead. "Then prepare for battle! Your squadron's Marauding Captain will have your orders!" He turned his back on the cheering army, sheathing his sword and beginning to recall why he took the job in the first place. Seeing his aide, a Getsu Fuhma, approaching, he asked her, "Any new messages from the Council?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, holding up a sheet of paper. "They respectfully request that you send a detachment to deal with the riots."
The commander's expression was completely unreadable as he asked, "Riots?"
The Getsu Fuhma nodded, pointing to the sheet. "Yes, sir. Since fifty minutes after eight, around the same time as the fighting between Ha Des and the Dark Scorpions began. We think they're related incidents."
One of Gilford's eyebrows began to twitch under his helmet. "Who's in charge of gathering intelligence in this army?" he asked.
His aide shut her eyes, thinking a moment, before answering, "Mazata the Zapper number MZ-47D, sir."
"Remind me to have him fired and/or killed," Gilford said, before turning back to his troops and shouting, "Soldiers! I have new orders for you..."
0000000
The monsters of the Central Shadow Realm normally had no interest in rioting. Those of lower level took their burdens quietly (or, in the case of Ophelia, not so quietly), those of Level Four suffered in silence, and those of higher level had nothing to complain about. Most of the time, even if life wasn't comfortable, the monsters of the Central Shadow Realm would let it slide.
Don Zaloog, however, was both a very passionate speaker and a man in need of a cover, knowing that the Dark Scorpions couldn't afford to have the army on them when they fought against Ha Des. And so he had made some very quick and dirty speeches.
And by the time he was done, full-blown rioting had erupted. The Warrior and Beast-Warrior Living Quarters were the primary instigators, the natural anger of both groups being used to full advantage, but Don Zaloog had seen the wisdom of ticking off the Pyro and Thunder Living Quarters as well. The mobs made their way from quarter to quarter, either by train or on the roads (normally only used by monsters rich enough to afford Oni Tanks or Overdrives). By ten minutes after nine, the riots were a full-scale emergency.
In the Level Six Warrior Living Quarters, the Level Fours and lower were on a rampage, smashing out store windows and hurling Hinotama bombs into buildings. One building in particular, however, stood so far unmolested. It was the plain brown, arch-roofed building known simply as the Dojo of Yamato.
The owner of said dojo was currently in meditation, ignoring the cries of blood outside. He was Yamato the Noble Samurai, master of the dojo and in many ways a bit of a snob. Having made his reputation during the Coming of the Great Leviathan, he had retired to this dojo, where he had a small class of disciples who sought to carry on his ways. In other words, he had little to fear.
The woman sitting beside him, the Command Knight, was a little more grounded in the physical than the spiritual. She constantly looked out the window at the rampaging mob, her concentration long since gone. Finally, breaking his silence, Yamato muttered, "Why so nervous?"
She replied, "You know how the uncontrolled get. What will we do if they attack us?"
One of the samurai's eyebrows arched, and he supressed a laugh, saying, "Oh, please! All know my reputation, and most fear it. They wouldn't dare to attack me!"
The dojo's door slammed open, and a teary-eyed woman in ninja garb glared at Yamato. Catching her breath, she screamed, "Hypocrite!" and threw an active Hinotama into the room. Yamato stared at it a moment.
Five minutes later, as the temple burned to the ground, the Noble Samurai had managed to cut a path through the enraged monsters outside his door. His armor was stained with smoke, and the silk he wore under it was scorched. The Command Knight was in equally bad condition, her hair a sooty mess. Coughing, she hissed with venomous sarcasm, "They wouldn't dare to attack you, huh?"
"So I forgot about Lady Ninja Yae!" Yamato retorted, coughing himself as he marched towards a Labyrinth Tank post. "You know what I think of ninjas!"
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A fireball shot from the Curse of Dragon's mouth, destroying the bench Fifteen was standing on. He had already kicked off the back and brought his sword down, cursing as it glanced off the Curse's carapace.
Gaia swung a lance around, catching Fifteen in the stomach and laughing. "Not as soft as Slepneir was, is it?" he taunted Fifteen. "This time you can't just impale my dragon - you have to do it the hard way!" A massive gout of flame scorched along the ground, aiming straight for the fiend.
Fifteen threw himself to one side, leaning on a lamp post and catching his breath. His eyes flicked toward an alley, where Tessia and Naomi had found a dumpster and were currently cowering in it. Satisfied that they were safe from collateral damage, he spun around the post, only to find himself staring straight at Gaia. A quick roll backward was all that saved him from being bisected.
The Curse of Dragon rose into the air, and then swooped down, Gaia holding out both lances. Fifteen sidestepped and swung at the knight's back, only to be countered by the dragon's tail. Gaia whistled, and the Curse of Dragon spun around before ramming its head into Fifteen's stomach. The Witty Phantom went flying, slamming into a stone wall. Pulling himself to his feet, Fifteen felt his ribs and silently cursed. Two felt broken, and he was sure there would be a new record before the fight was done. The last record, he reminded himself, was five.
Suddenly, he remembered the Cold Wave in his pocket.
The Curse of Dragon inhaled, and Fifteen waited for the right moment. Just as it breathed fire, he threw the magic cube. A massive cloud of steam rose from the impact, and Fifteen grabbed the Curse of Dragon's rose, bringing the blade down in an overhead chop...
...but then Gaia knocked the sword aside and grabbed Fifteen's shirt. He was laughing hysterically, saying, "Did you really just try to blind me?!? I've fought dragons - you learn to recognize shapes in smoke very quickly!" And he threw Fifteen across the street as punctuation. The sidewalk shattered as he struck the ground, his left jacket arm tearing off and the shirt sleeve threatening to join it.
Turning his sword point-down, Fifteen used it as a crutch, pulling himself to his feet. At least one vertebrae, he decided, had shattered in the impact, and if his leg wasn't cracked he was fortunate. He lifted the sword, biting his lip to ignore the pain, and took a fighting stance again. One foot slipped despite his efforts to keep it still.
Gaia just stared, and then tucked his lances away and began to applaud. "Very amusing," he told his opponent. "I love when an opponent has a will like yours - it's almost noble. Despite all my best efforts, you're still standing up, even if it's only barely. Too bad I can only kill you once." He snapped his fingers.
Its eye burning a dark purple, the Curse of Dragon inhaled deeply, and then unleashed a larger stream of fire than ever before. Fifteen tried to throw himself aside, but his legs refused to respond. By the time he moved, his left arm was caught in the flames.
The Witty Phantom screamed, his very flesh cracked and searing under the incredible heat. It was like shoving his arm into the heart of a Woodburning Inpachi! Thankfully, the stream of fire cut out quickly enough, and he was able to draw back his arm to examine it.
The wind was knocked from his lungs. The parts that weren't burned black had no skin left on them - he could see his own bone. It was all he could do not to throw up then and there.
Watching from the dumpster, Tessia screamed, and then turned away, bursting into tears. Naomi's reaction was much simpler - she fainted and fell back into the trash.
Even Gaia seemed disturbed, grunting under his breath. "I've seen monsters die under the breath of a dragon," he said, "and what was left before they shattered looked better than your left arm does now. I'd say your best option for a painless death would be to cut it off with your sword. I'll still kill you, but at least you won't feel any pain from that part."
For a moment, Fifteen actually raised his Sword of Deep-Seated, looking between his elbow and shoulder joints as if trying to pick a incision point, but then he lowered it and shook his head. "I have plans that require this arm to stay on," he replied. Internally, however, he wondered how long this fight would last with him barely able to move, let alone run.
The lid of the dumpster lifted up, and a Blue Medicine cube struck the ground between his feet. Fifteen picked it up, activated it, and drank down the medicine. While his arm was too damaged to heal this way, he could feel his legs solidifying, and his vertebrae knitting together. To his left, he could see Gaia charging his lances.
Just as Gaia's energy burst hit the concrete, Fifteen rolled away, his left arm dangling uselessly beside him. The ground he'd sat on exploded, throwing debris into the air. One piece of it struck Fifteen in the head, staining his hair with blood. Only then did he realize he'd lost his hat a while before.
Hovering in front of Fifteen, Gaia snorted, tapping one lance against his helmet. "Any other fiend in the Shadow Realm would be dead by now, Fifteen," he said. "You have the devil's own luck! I was hoping not to have to use these, but..." He lifted his lances into the air, and then threw them down, both lances sticking straight up once their tips were embedded in the street. From his saddlebags, he withdrew two magic cubes and activated them. The magic resolved, and he was carrying two gigantic axes, both with the head of a screaming man holding the blade.
The Witty Phantom's heart sank. It was bad enough to confront an opponent holding even one Axe of Despair. But two? That was like facing down the Reaper of the Cards himself.
Gaia twitched, and then threw the axes. They spun at Fifteen, going for both his head and his legs. Only one course of evasion presented itself, and so he dove between them, only to spring to the right to avoid the Curse of Dragon's breath. The axes returned to Gaia, and he threw them again. This time a quick jump to the right got Fifteen out of the way by centimeters, whereupon he fell prone to duck a wave of fire. The Sword of Deep-Seated barely remained in his hand.
Spinning the axes in either hand, Gaia laughed in deranged mirth. "Oh, Fifteen, Fifteen!" he said once the laughing stopped. "You truly are too much fun to fight against! Oh, such a pity I can only kill you once!" Hidden within his helmet, the Dragon Champion's eyes wandered to the dumpster, and then his arm shot out.
One Axe of Despair shot straight towards Tessia and Naomi's hiding spot.
A scream tore itself from Fifteen's throat, and he jammed the point of his sword into the ground. Using it as a vaulting aid, he hurled himself in the axe's trajectory, barely getting his sword up in time. The impact dragged him back hard, until his back made contact with the metal wall of the dumpster. After the shock wore off, he realized that in addition to all his other injuries, he'd lost a shoe during the skid.
The Axe of Despair returned to Gaia's hand, and he shook his head. "Friendship is just going to make it more painful, Fifteen." He clanged the blades of the axes against each other. "But if you insist on protecting them, come out to the center of the street, so we can finish this the easy way."
Limping, his vertebrae having rebroken and taken two others with it, Fifteen dragged himself to the center of the street. He lowered his sword and awaited the killing blow.
Gaia sighted down one of his axes, and then lifted both. "Goodbye, Fifteen," he said, and threw both at once.
Whereupon the Witty Phantom jabbed his sword straight up in the air, twisting it once to catch both Axes of Despair on it. The axes clanged off the blade, chipping it, and rebounded off the road before returning to their user. The sword then fell, and Fifteen dropped to his knees, his defiance spent.
There was utter silence from all three: Gaia, Fifteen, and Tessia, still watching from the dumpster (Naomi still unconscious). Then Gaia shouted, "In the name of Slifer the Sky Dragon, Fifteen, play fair!" He took aim again...
...and a voice cried out, "Halt!"
In the sky above both combatants, both of whom looked up (Fifteen through a haze of pain), an Interdimensional Matter Transporter shimmered into view. It shattered like glass, discharging its sole passenger.
The purple robes alone would have identified him. But adding in the tall, peaked hat, the ice-blue eyes, the green metal staff, and the rather large shoulderpads made the identification impossible to botch.
"The Dark Magician..." Fifteen croaked.
Seeing the idol and representative of all spellcasters in the Central Shadow Realm, Tessia bit her lip to keep from letting out a squeal, and then shook Naomi awoke. Once the Witch of the Black Forest saw the Dark Magician, she too had to mute herself.
Standing between the fighters, the Dark Magician Raelvion examined the situation. He noted Fifteen's horribly burned arm. He noted Gaia's aerial location, judging wind speeds in his head. His gaze fell on Gaia's Axe of Despair, before moving to the other Axe of Despair in the knight's other hand. Working it all out, he tallied it up mentally.
"Oh, damn," he said audibly, just as Gaia prepared for his next attack.
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A fight of such ferocity as the one between Gaia and Fifteen was bound to draw attention. In this case, it caught the eye of a Gradius, commissoned by the Central Shadow Realm Police Force, that happened to be doing a random flyby. Using its built-in communication device, it sent a brief and to-the-point message to HQ.
Aysev and Geefor immediately received a message from the chief. They were in his office within seconds.
The Chief of Police himself, Dupin, drummed his fingers on the desk and stared down at the Unfriendly Amazon and the Sasuke Samurai. "One of the Gradius patrols has found our suspected Shadow Killer. That's the good news..." He paused, stroking his beard a moment, and then added, "The bad news is that he's currently engaged in lethal combat with Gaia, and this time it's Gaia the Dragon Champion."
Putting a hand to her forehead, Aysev groaned, "There goes that case..."
"Not necessarily," Dupin interrupted. "We have to prove to the Council that we're more reliable than a homicidal, dragon-riding nightmare. Thus, I am authorizing the use of Weapon Seven-Five-Oh."
Geefor closed his eyes a moment, and then gasped as he realized what that meant. "The Offering Cannon?" he exhaled.
Dupin nodded, pushing a folded piece of paper over the desk. "Take this down to Requisition," he ordered. "Witty Phantom D-15A and Gaia are fighting in the Level Four Fiend Living Quarters. If D-15A is killed, you have authorization to terminate Gaia the Dragon Champion. If he is still alive but has not won the fight, terminate Gaia and apprehend him. If Gaia has been slain, do all in your power to take D-15A into custody. And act with extreme caution - both of them are armed and extremely dangerous. Get to it!"
As Aysev and Geefor filed out of the office, Dupin thought back to his youth, when he was simply Freed the Matchless General, leading the charge against the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, fighting against the Five-God Dragon, leading the way in a thousand hopeless charges. Sometimes he wished he'd stayed in the army instead of taking this job.
Taking out some brandy, he poured himself a snifter and sighed. Employment was a necessary evil.
0000000
"Magical Hats!" Invoking this power, Raelvion grabbed Fifteen and disappeared under a series of hats. One was sliced into multiple pieces by the Axes of Despair, but it wasn't the correct one.
Huddled under a hat in the far back, the Dark Magician slapped Fifteen across the face, knocking him out of his delirium. The Witty Phantom blinked twice, and then asked, "Are you really him?"
"Yes, Fifteen," Raelvion said simply. "Now listen carefully, because he'll get to this hat by process of elimination quickly enough. When he does, you need to take this..." He pressed a magic cube into Fifteen's good hand, next to the Sword of Deep-Seated, and curled the fiend's fingers around it. "And use it to take out Gaia. I'd do it myself, but this works better if you have a bunch of people supporting you, and I don't at the moment."
Forcing himself to concentrate, Fifteen read the cube's aura. And then his eyes widened. "Where did you get this... this United We Stand?"
Raelvion chuckled, despite the situation. Outside the hat, he could hear another being destroyed. "It didn't come cheap, let me tell you," he answered. "But it's the one thing that will stop Gaia at this point. When you're ready, I'll banish the hat and you'll open fire."
"I can barely stand up... How am I supposed to use this?"
Before the Dark Magician could answer, the second-to-last hat was destroyed. "Figure it out quickly, our time's up!" He jumped out of the top of the hat, causing it to disappear.
Taking quick aim, Gaia hurled his axes, and one of them clipped Raelvion's shoulder. Sent spinning, he crashed into the ground. The axes returned to Gaia, whereupon he turned his gaze on Fifteen, aiming again...
But the Witty Phantom was looking over to the dumpster. "Tessia... Naomi..." he whispered. He turned to the Dark Magician. "Representative," he continued. Taking the Sword of Deep-Seated, he placed it in his left elbow, and with a gasp of pain snapped his arm around it, locking it in place.
Tessia, Raelvion, and Gaia all winced. Naomi, meanwhile, fainted again.
Fifteen raised his hand towards Gaia, causing the Dragon Champion to stare in confusion. One thumb clicked into the United We Stand's activation switch. "I so hope this works," he grunted, the pain at a high pitch.
Gaia audibly gasped. Raelvion, clutching his shoulder, smiled softly.
"UNITED BLAST!"
From Fifteen's palm came a tremendous rush of light, ripping the very street to shreds as it blasted skyward. The light could be seen from the Council Quarters, causing Exodia to gape. It was a beacon to Aysev and Geefor, who were rushing towards the Level Four Fiend Living Quarters. It caused a certain figure to look up from his work and shake his head, somewhere in the city.
And even as Gaia threw his axes in desperation, it vaporized them before reaching him. For the first time in years, Gaia screamed, and the Curse of Dragon screeched in utter terror.
The light lasted only a minute or so, long enough to be noticed, and then died away. Dropping his hand, Fifteen smiled, and then collapsed in a heap, the Sword of Deep-Seated shattering as he hit the ground.
Gaia's armor was gone, torn to pieces. His helmet was split in two, and the Curse of Dragon's carapace was little more than scattered fragments. The Dragon Champion plummered, smashing into the street and exploding into a thousand glistening shards.
The fight was over. Gaia the Fierce Knight, later Gaia the Dragon Champion, was dead.
Using his staff to lever himself up, Raelvion stepped over to the dumpster in the alley, tapping it with his knuckles. "You can come out now," he said.
Tessia was the first out of the dumpster, after stopping to wake up Naomi again. She sped across the street to kneel by Fifteen, checking for signs of life and sighing in relief when she found them. "Oh, Fifteen," she said, stroking his bloodstained hair.
Moving alongside them, Raelvion took out another magic cube. As Tessia stepped back, he triggered it, causing a blue light to envelope Fifteen. The familiar figure of Dian Keto shimmered into appearance for a moment before vanishing, and Fifteen's arm reset itself before the burns vanished, replaced once again by healthy skin and muscle. The Witty Phantom was still unconscious, but now he was in much better condition.
Once Naomi had caught up with the group, having stopped to retrieve Fifteen's hat, the Dark Magician announced, "He should be safe to move now. Let's get him out of here before the cops show up." There was no argument.
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Seconds after the three took Fifteen off the street, a very large crow landed on the scene of the fight, unwitnessed. It warped slightly, and then became the mirror-holding figure of the Copycat. Without any haste whatsoever, it strode up to where Gaia's lances still stood, intact, since their owner did not hold them at the time of his death.
[Take them now,] the master's voice ordered. With one tug, it pulled first one and then the other from the street, setting them down. [Good,] said the master's voice. [This is the last piece to our puzzle. Breaker should be accomplishing his task shortly. Now bring me Gaia's lances so we can move to Part D.]
The Copycat shifted forms again, becoming the crow, before picking up both lances in its claws. Unseen still, it took flight for its next destination.
A cold wind still blew across the Central Shadow Realm. Fifteen shivered a little, holding his hat to his head with one hand. Tessia and Naomi, behind him, backed away as he glared up, still staring into the eyes of his enemy.
"Do you know how much it wears out one's feet to travel by foot to the Dragon Lairs?" Gaia the Dragon Champion asked, leaning forward on the Curse of Dragon's back. "It's a seven-day hike across rugged, uneven terrain, interspersed with constant battle against dragons and their allies. To be honest, it's quite a relief to be airborne."
Fifteen, who had never traveled further than a mile by foot on any given day in his life, replied, "Sounds like it. And I see all those stories concerning you and the Curse of Dragon are true."
Gaia nodded. "Most of them, anyway," he clarified. "Some of them describe a more... prurient interest between myself and my mount than is actually the case."
Tessia and Naomi both blushed, and the Witty Phantom shook his head. "Amazing, how sick some monsters can be," he said, one hand reaching into his pocket to ready the Sword of Deep-Seated cube. "Then again, you were always known for how much you cared for the animals you rode on."
"That much is true," Gaia said, one gauntleted hand patting his dragon's head. "I truly loved Slepneir, until you killed him. Honestly, you have no respect for the calvalry."
"Said calvalry was trying to kill me at the time, so I feel justified in my disrespect," the fiend said in return.
Gaia countered with, "Any good horseman would rather be killed than see their mount die. Most who lose their horses kill themselves afterwards - remember the tale of Mefist the Infernal General?"
Fifteen did remember: the story stated that after winning a thousand battles, Mefist committed suicide when the Vampire Lord Meier slaughtered his horse. "I note you're still alive," he replied.
"Force of habit," Gaia said, sighing. "I can't justify my own death until you're dead. Bad luck for us, I guess."
The parlay was now over. Fifteen withdrew the Sword of Deep-Seated cube from his pocket, and then called over his shoulder to the girls, "Tessia, Naomi, find somewhere safe to hide!" They ran off, and he returned his attention to his opponent.
The Curse of Dragon snorted a fireball, nearly scorching Fifteen's shirt cuff. "It thinks you're an utter fool," Gaia declared, dropping the reins and retrieving his second lance. He clashed the weapons against each other.
"Can't make everyone happy," Fifteen replied, as the cube activated and his sword appeared in his hand.
"I happen to think you're a fool as well," the Dragon Champion continued, his mount rising higher into the air.
Stepping onto a bench for a bit of height, the Witty Phantom swung his sword once over his head, replying, "All a matter of opinion."
The two stared at each other once more, and then both pointed their weapons at each other, staring down them.
"You know... I question whether you were even sane before the Second Dragon Wars," Fifteen said.
"It's quite possible I wasn't. Too bad you'll be dead before you figure it out," Gaia replied.
Fifteen's eyes narrowed. "Who says I won't kill you?"
Gaia shouted, "By all means, try!"
And the battle was on.
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The center field of the Council Lower Quarter, as opposed to that of the Upper Quarter, was completely empty. This was more for convenience's sake than aesthetics - it was the mustering ground for the Central Shadow Realm Armed Forces. And tonight, thirteen minutes after ten, the field was filled with monsters of all sorts, eager to support their home city.
Standing before them, the commanding officer of the army began to seriously reconsider his choice of career. He was also beginning to wish that Freed the Matchless General, known now as Dupin, had never left to take charge of the Central Shadow Realm Police Force.
But, Gilford the Lightning thought as he readjusted his left gauntlet, all jobs have their drawbacks, and to serve Exodia in so exalted a fashion is blessing enough. He kept telling himself that even as the Hibikime squadron got into a yelling match with a group of Goblin Attack Forces.
"ATTENTION!" he finally yelled, and since it was accompanied by a crack of thunder, it caught the notice of the 10,000-odd monsters on the field. They turned towards him and saluted. "It is my duty to inform you that we have received orders from Exodia the Forbidden One himself! We are to enter the various quarters of the city and maintain order! And if we find the Shadow Killer..." He paused, smiling. "It is our duty to terminate him! Dare we disobey?"
Every monster in the army cried out, "NO!"
Drawing his sword, Gilford flourished it overhead. "Then prepare for battle! Your squadron's Marauding Captain will have your orders!" He turned his back on the cheering army, sheathing his sword and beginning to recall why he took the job in the first place. Seeing his aide, a Getsu Fuhma, approaching, he asked her, "Any new messages from the Council?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, holding up a sheet of paper. "They respectfully request that you send a detachment to deal with the riots."
The commander's expression was completely unreadable as he asked, "Riots?"
The Getsu Fuhma nodded, pointing to the sheet. "Yes, sir. Since fifty minutes after eight, around the same time as the fighting between Ha Des and the Dark Scorpions began. We think they're related incidents."
One of Gilford's eyebrows began to twitch under his helmet. "Who's in charge of gathering intelligence in this army?" he asked.
His aide shut her eyes, thinking a moment, before answering, "Mazata the Zapper number MZ-47D, sir."
"Remind me to have him fired and/or killed," Gilford said, before turning back to his troops and shouting, "Soldiers! I have new orders for you..."
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The monsters of the Central Shadow Realm normally had no interest in rioting. Those of lower level took their burdens quietly (or, in the case of Ophelia, not so quietly), those of Level Four suffered in silence, and those of higher level had nothing to complain about. Most of the time, even if life wasn't comfortable, the monsters of the Central Shadow Realm would let it slide.
Don Zaloog, however, was both a very passionate speaker and a man in need of a cover, knowing that the Dark Scorpions couldn't afford to have the army on them when they fought against Ha Des. And so he had made some very quick and dirty speeches.
And by the time he was done, full-blown rioting had erupted. The Warrior and Beast-Warrior Living Quarters were the primary instigators, the natural anger of both groups being used to full advantage, but Don Zaloog had seen the wisdom of ticking off the Pyro and Thunder Living Quarters as well. The mobs made their way from quarter to quarter, either by train or on the roads (normally only used by monsters rich enough to afford Oni Tanks or Overdrives). By ten minutes after nine, the riots were a full-scale emergency.
In the Level Six Warrior Living Quarters, the Level Fours and lower were on a rampage, smashing out store windows and hurling Hinotama bombs into buildings. One building in particular, however, stood so far unmolested. It was the plain brown, arch-roofed building known simply as the Dojo of Yamato.
The owner of said dojo was currently in meditation, ignoring the cries of blood outside. He was Yamato the Noble Samurai, master of the dojo and in many ways a bit of a snob. Having made his reputation during the Coming of the Great Leviathan, he had retired to this dojo, where he had a small class of disciples who sought to carry on his ways. In other words, he had little to fear.
The woman sitting beside him, the Command Knight, was a little more grounded in the physical than the spiritual. She constantly looked out the window at the rampaging mob, her concentration long since gone. Finally, breaking his silence, Yamato muttered, "Why so nervous?"
She replied, "You know how the uncontrolled get. What will we do if they attack us?"
One of the samurai's eyebrows arched, and he supressed a laugh, saying, "Oh, please! All know my reputation, and most fear it. They wouldn't dare to attack me!"
The dojo's door slammed open, and a teary-eyed woman in ninja garb glared at Yamato. Catching her breath, she screamed, "Hypocrite!" and threw an active Hinotama into the room. Yamato stared at it a moment.
Five minutes later, as the temple burned to the ground, the Noble Samurai had managed to cut a path through the enraged monsters outside his door. His armor was stained with smoke, and the silk he wore under it was scorched. The Command Knight was in equally bad condition, her hair a sooty mess. Coughing, she hissed with venomous sarcasm, "They wouldn't dare to attack you, huh?"
"So I forgot about Lady Ninja Yae!" Yamato retorted, coughing himself as he marched towards a Labyrinth Tank post. "You know what I think of ninjas!"
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A fireball shot from the Curse of Dragon's mouth, destroying the bench Fifteen was standing on. He had already kicked off the back and brought his sword down, cursing as it glanced off the Curse's carapace.
Gaia swung a lance around, catching Fifteen in the stomach and laughing. "Not as soft as Slepneir was, is it?" he taunted Fifteen. "This time you can't just impale my dragon - you have to do it the hard way!" A massive gout of flame scorched along the ground, aiming straight for the fiend.
Fifteen threw himself to one side, leaning on a lamp post and catching his breath. His eyes flicked toward an alley, where Tessia and Naomi had found a dumpster and were currently cowering in it. Satisfied that they were safe from collateral damage, he spun around the post, only to find himself staring straight at Gaia. A quick roll backward was all that saved him from being bisected.
The Curse of Dragon rose into the air, and then swooped down, Gaia holding out both lances. Fifteen sidestepped and swung at the knight's back, only to be countered by the dragon's tail. Gaia whistled, and the Curse of Dragon spun around before ramming its head into Fifteen's stomach. The Witty Phantom went flying, slamming into a stone wall. Pulling himself to his feet, Fifteen felt his ribs and silently cursed. Two felt broken, and he was sure there would be a new record before the fight was done. The last record, he reminded himself, was five.
Suddenly, he remembered the Cold Wave in his pocket.
The Curse of Dragon inhaled, and Fifteen waited for the right moment. Just as it breathed fire, he threw the magic cube. A massive cloud of steam rose from the impact, and Fifteen grabbed the Curse of Dragon's rose, bringing the blade down in an overhead chop...
...but then Gaia knocked the sword aside and grabbed Fifteen's shirt. He was laughing hysterically, saying, "Did you really just try to blind me?!? I've fought dragons - you learn to recognize shapes in smoke very quickly!" And he threw Fifteen across the street as punctuation. The sidewalk shattered as he struck the ground, his left jacket arm tearing off and the shirt sleeve threatening to join it.
Turning his sword point-down, Fifteen used it as a crutch, pulling himself to his feet. At least one vertebrae, he decided, had shattered in the impact, and if his leg wasn't cracked he was fortunate. He lifted the sword, biting his lip to ignore the pain, and took a fighting stance again. One foot slipped despite his efforts to keep it still.
Gaia just stared, and then tucked his lances away and began to applaud. "Very amusing," he told his opponent. "I love when an opponent has a will like yours - it's almost noble. Despite all my best efforts, you're still standing up, even if it's only barely. Too bad I can only kill you once." He snapped his fingers.
Its eye burning a dark purple, the Curse of Dragon inhaled deeply, and then unleashed a larger stream of fire than ever before. Fifteen tried to throw himself aside, but his legs refused to respond. By the time he moved, his left arm was caught in the flames.
The Witty Phantom screamed, his very flesh cracked and searing under the incredible heat. It was like shoving his arm into the heart of a Woodburning Inpachi! Thankfully, the stream of fire cut out quickly enough, and he was able to draw back his arm to examine it.
The wind was knocked from his lungs. The parts that weren't burned black had no skin left on them - he could see his own bone. It was all he could do not to throw up then and there.
Watching from the dumpster, Tessia screamed, and then turned away, bursting into tears. Naomi's reaction was much simpler - she fainted and fell back into the trash.
Even Gaia seemed disturbed, grunting under his breath. "I've seen monsters die under the breath of a dragon," he said, "and what was left before they shattered looked better than your left arm does now. I'd say your best option for a painless death would be to cut it off with your sword. I'll still kill you, but at least you won't feel any pain from that part."
For a moment, Fifteen actually raised his Sword of Deep-Seated, looking between his elbow and shoulder joints as if trying to pick a incision point, but then he lowered it and shook his head. "I have plans that require this arm to stay on," he replied. Internally, however, he wondered how long this fight would last with him barely able to move, let alone run.
The lid of the dumpster lifted up, and a Blue Medicine cube struck the ground between his feet. Fifteen picked it up, activated it, and drank down the medicine. While his arm was too damaged to heal this way, he could feel his legs solidifying, and his vertebrae knitting together. To his left, he could see Gaia charging his lances.
Just as Gaia's energy burst hit the concrete, Fifteen rolled away, his left arm dangling uselessly beside him. The ground he'd sat on exploded, throwing debris into the air. One piece of it struck Fifteen in the head, staining his hair with blood. Only then did he realize he'd lost his hat a while before.
Hovering in front of Fifteen, Gaia snorted, tapping one lance against his helmet. "Any other fiend in the Shadow Realm would be dead by now, Fifteen," he said. "You have the devil's own luck! I was hoping not to have to use these, but..." He lifted his lances into the air, and then threw them down, both lances sticking straight up once their tips were embedded in the street. From his saddlebags, he withdrew two magic cubes and activated them. The magic resolved, and he was carrying two gigantic axes, both with the head of a screaming man holding the blade.
The Witty Phantom's heart sank. It was bad enough to confront an opponent holding even one Axe of Despair. But two? That was like facing down the Reaper of the Cards himself.
Gaia twitched, and then threw the axes. They spun at Fifteen, going for both his head and his legs. Only one course of evasion presented itself, and so he dove between them, only to spring to the right to avoid the Curse of Dragon's breath. The axes returned to Gaia, and he threw them again. This time a quick jump to the right got Fifteen out of the way by centimeters, whereupon he fell prone to duck a wave of fire. The Sword of Deep-Seated barely remained in his hand.
Spinning the axes in either hand, Gaia laughed in deranged mirth. "Oh, Fifteen, Fifteen!" he said once the laughing stopped. "You truly are too much fun to fight against! Oh, such a pity I can only kill you once!" Hidden within his helmet, the Dragon Champion's eyes wandered to the dumpster, and then his arm shot out.
One Axe of Despair shot straight towards Tessia and Naomi's hiding spot.
A scream tore itself from Fifteen's throat, and he jammed the point of his sword into the ground. Using it as a vaulting aid, he hurled himself in the axe's trajectory, barely getting his sword up in time. The impact dragged him back hard, until his back made contact with the metal wall of the dumpster. After the shock wore off, he realized that in addition to all his other injuries, he'd lost a shoe during the skid.
The Axe of Despair returned to Gaia's hand, and he shook his head. "Friendship is just going to make it more painful, Fifteen." He clanged the blades of the axes against each other. "But if you insist on protecting them, come out to the center of the street, so we can finish this the easy way."
Limping, his vertebrae having rebroken and taken two others with it, Fifteen dragged himself to the center of the street. He lowered his sword and awaited the killing blow.
Gaia sighted down one of his axes, and then lifted both. "Goodbye, Fifteen," he said, and threw both at once.
Whereupon the Witty Phantom jabbed his sword straight up in the air, twisting it once to catch both Axes of Despair on it. The axes clanged off the blade, chipping it, and rebounded off the road before returning to their user. The sword then fell, and Fifteen dropped to his knees, his defiance spent.
There was utter silence from all three: Gaia, Fifteen, and Tessia, still watching from the dumpster (Naomi still unconscious). Then Gaia shouted, "In the name of Slifer the Sky Dragon, Fifteen, play fair!" He took aim again...
...and a voice cried out, "Halt!"
In the sky above both combatants, both of whom looked up (Fifteen through a haze of pain), an Interdimensional Matter Transporter shimmered into view. It shattered like glass, discharging its sole passenger.
The purple robes alone would have identified him. But adding in the tall, peaked hat, the ice-blue eyes, the green metal staff, and the rather large shoulderpads made the identification impossible to botch.
"The Dark Magician..." Fifteen croaked.
Seeing the idol and representative of all spellcasters in the Central Shadow Realm, Tessia bit her lip to keep from letting out a squeal, and then shook Naomi awoke. Once the Witch of the Black Forest saw the Dark Magician, she too had to mute herself.
Standing between the fighters, the Dark Magician Raelvion examined the situation. He noted Fifteen's horribly burned arm. He noted Gaia's aerial location, judging wind speeds in his head. His gaze fell on Gaia's Axe of Despair, before moving to the other Axe of Despair in the knight's other hand. Working it all out, he tallied it up mentally.
"Oh, damn," he said audibly, just as Gaia prepared for his next attack.
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A fight of such ferocity as the one between Gaia and Fifteen was bound to draw attention. In this case, it caught the eye of a Gradius, commissoned by the Central Shadow Realm Police Force, that happened to be doing a random flyby. Using its built-in communication device, it sent a brief and to-the-point message to HQ.
Aysev and Geefor immediately received a message from the chief. They were in his office within seconds.
The Chief of Police himself, Dupin, drummed his fingers on the desk and stared down at the Unfriendly Amazon and the Sasuke Samurai. "One of the Gradius patrols has found our suspected Shadow Killer. That's the good news..." He paused, stroking his beard a moment, and then added, "The bad news is that he's currently engaged in lethal combat with Gaia, and this time it's Gaia the Dragon Champion."
Putting a hand to her forehead, Aysev groaned, "There goes that case..."
"Not necessarily," Dupin interrupted. "We have to prove to the Council that we're more reliable than a homicidal, dragon-riding nightmare. Thus, I am authorizing the use of Weapon Seven-Five-Oh."
Geefor closed his eyes a moment, and then gasped as he realized what that meant. "The Offering Cannon?" he exhaled.
Dupin nodded, pushing a folded piece of paper over the desk. "Take this down to Requisition," he ordered. "Witty Phantom D-15A and Gaia are fighting in the Level Four Fiend Living Quarters. If D-15A is killed, you have authorization to terminate Gaia the Dragon Champion. If he is still alive but has not won the fight, terminate Gaia and apprehend him. If Gaia has been slain, do all in your power to take D-15A into custody. And act with extreme caution - both of them are armed and extremely dangerous. Get to it!"
As Aysev and Geefor filed out of the office, Dupin thought back to his youth, when he was simply Freed the Matchless General, leading the charge against the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, fighting against the Five-God Dragon, leading the way in a thousand hopeless charges. Sometimes he wished he'd stayed in the army instead of taking this job.
Taking out some brandy, he poured himself a snifter and sighed. Employment was a necessary evil.
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"Magical Hats!" Invoking this power, Raelvion grabbed Fifteen and disappeared under a series of hats. One was sliced into multiple pieces by the Axes of Despair, but it wasn't the correct one.
Huddled under a hat in the far back, the Dark Magician slapped Fifteen across the face, knocking him out of his delirium. The Witty Phantom blinked twice, and then asked, "Are you really him?"
"Yes, Fifteen," Raelvion said simply. "Now listen carefully, because he'll get to this hat by process of elimination quickly enough. When he does, you need to take this..." He pressed a magic cube into Fifteen's good hand, next to the Sword of Deep-Seated, and curled the fiend's fingers around it. "And use it to take out Gaia. I'd do it myself, but this works better if you have a bunch of people supporting you, and I don't at the moment."
Forcing himself to concentrate, Fifteen read the cube's aura. And then his eyes widened. "Where did you get this... this United We Stand?"
Raelvion chuckled, despite the situation. Outside the hat, he could hear another being destroyed. "It didn't come cheap, let me tell you," he answered. "But it's the one thing that will stop Gaia at this point. When you're ready, I'll banish the hat and you'll open fire."
"I can barely stand up... How am I supposed to use this?"
Before the Dark Magician could answer, the second-to-last hat was destroyed. "Figure it out quickly, our time's up!" He jumped out of the top of the hat, causing it to disappear.
Taking quick aim, Gaia hurled his axes, and one of them clipped Raelvion's shoulder. Sent spinning, he crashed into the ground. The axes returned to Gaia, whereupon he turned his gaze on Fifteen, aiming again...
But the Witty Phantom was looking over to the dumpster. "Tessia... Naomi..." he whispered. He turned to the Dark Magician. "Representative," he continued. Taking the Sword of Deep-Seated, he placed it in his left elbow, and with a gasp of pain snapped his arm around it, locking it in place.
Tessia, Raelvion, and Gaia all winced. Naomi, meanwhile, fainted again.
Fifteen raised his hand towards Gaia, causing the Dragon Champion to stare in confusion. One thumb clicked into the United We Stand's activation switch. "I so hope this works," he grunted, the pain at a high pitch.
Gaia audibly gasped. Raelvion, clutching his shoulder, smiled softly.
"UNITED BLAST!"
From Fifteen's palm came a tremendous rush of light, ripping the very street to shreds as it blasted skyward. The light could be seen from the Council Quarters, causing Exodia to gape. It was a beacon to Aysev and Geefor, who were rushing towards the Level Four Fiend Living Quarters. It caused a certain figure to look up from his work and shake his head, somewhere in the city.
And even as Gaia threw his axes in desperation, it vaporized them before reaching him. For the first time in years, Gaia screamed, and the Curse of Dragon screeched in utter terror.
The light lasted only a minute or so, long enough to be noticed, and then died away. Dropping his hand, Fifteen smiled, and then collapsed in a heap, the Sword of Deep-Seated shattering as he hit the ground.
Gaia's armor was gone, torn to pieces. His helmet was split in two, and the Curse of Dragon's carapace was little more than scattered fragments. The Dragon Champion plummered, smashing into the street and exploding into a thousand glistening shards.
The fight was over. Gaia the Fierce Knight, later Gaia the Dragon Champion, was dead.
Using his staff to lever himself up, Raelvion stepped over to the dumpster in the alley, tapping it with his knuckles. "You can come out now," he said.
Tessia was the first out of the dumpster, after stopping to wake up Naomi again. She sped across the street to kneel by Fifteen, checking for signs of life and sighing in relief when she found them. "Oh, Fifteen," she said, stroking his bloodstained hair.
Moving alongside them, Raelvion took out another magic cube. As Tessia stepped back, he triggered it, causing a blue light to envelope Fifteen. The familiar figure of Dian Keto shimmered into appearance for a moment before vanishing, and Fifteen's arm reset itself before the burns vanished, replaced once again by healthy skin and muscle. The Witty Phantom was still unconscious, but now he was in much better condition.
Once Naomi had caught up with the group, having stopped to retrieve Fifteen's hat, the Dark Magician announced, "He should be safe to move now. Let's get him out of here before the cops show up." There was no argument.
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Seconds after the three took Fifteen off the street, a very large crow landed on the scene of the fight, unwitnessed. It warped slightly, and then became the mirror-holding figure of the Copycat. Without any haste whatsoever, it strode up to where Gaia's lances still stood, intact, since their owner did not hold them at the time of his death.
[Take them now,] the master's voice ordered. With one tug, it pulled first one and then the other from the street, setting them down. [Good,] said the master's voice. [This is the last piece to our puzzle. Breaker should be accomplishing his task shortly. Now bring me Gaia's lances so we can move to Part D.]
The Copycat shifted forms again, becoming the crow, before picking up both lances in its claws. Unseen still, it took flight for its next destination.