Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Realm: Fifteen ❯ Finest Hour ( Chapter 17 )

Necross stirred, and the Shadow Realm suffered for it. Jet-black clouds gathered overhead, but they failed to fully block the otherworldly red sky.

 

Everywhere in the Central Shadow Realm, the monsters stopped what they were doing and looked above them, questioning what had happened to change the sky like that. After the earthquake struck, the questioning increased in ferocity.

 

And then it began to hail, sharp, purple balls of ice slamming into the city below. The monsters ceased their questions and ran indoors.

 

The Dragon Lairs were alive with activity, as every dragon did all in their power to escape the pelting ice. Many of the weaker dragons could not fly fast enough, and their lives ended under a series of rhythmic blows from the hail. The Blue Eyes White Dragons roared in defiance, but their voices did nothing.

 

And under the Central Shadow Realm, the CSRPD Special Forces came to a halt. The sound of the hail striking ground reverberated all the way to them.

“What in the name of the gods is that?” the Trap Master asked, glancing to the ceiling.

 

Closing his eyes, Dupin thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. “I have no idea,” he answered, “but it can't be anything good. The sooner we get done here, the sooner we can find out. Onward!”

 

The forces moved as one, heading ever closer to the final room.

 

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What once was Jinzo's room was now a disaster area. Every inch of the walls now bore scorch marks, and the red emergency lighting made things seem all the worse. But the décor paled in comparison to the monsters within.

 

On one side, three exhausted spellcasters and one drained fiend did what they could to catch their breath. Raelvion and Tilde sat together, trying not to hyperventilate, while Fifteen held Tessia to him, his time as Negative Fifteen having taken a toll on him.

 

Waiting patiently across the room from them, the metal titan calling itself Jinzodia flexed one of its Exodia hands, stretching its Jinzo body. Its eyes moved from one opponent to another, and it idly charged a Cyber Energy Shock in one hand.

 

[There are few things more satisfying than realizing I can kill you whenever I bid it,] the machine thought to the exhausted monsters. [So, do you wish to carry on a farce of fighting me, or shall I simply kill all four of you now and go out to face Exodia?]

 

The four glanced to each other. “Do we stand a chance at all?” Fifteen asked.

 

“Not a chance in Dark World,” Raelvion said, his voice filled with sorrow. “All the tricks we had to defeat it, we've used already… and now we're all down to the last spark of life, and it's refreshed. This time, we have nothing.”

 

Tessia looked up, her hands still clinging to Fifteen. “So… this is the end…”

 

Raising both of its Exodia hands, Jinzodia began to draw in energy. Its Jinzo hands crushed the Cyber Energy Shock it had charged. [Indeed it is. If you go limp, I can assure you will feel no pain.]

 

Suddenly, Tilde spoke up: “We have one option.”

 

“And that would be?” Fifteen asked.

 

“It's not much of one, but…” She paused. “We can run. Perhaps if we can get to the surface, we can find something that can stop this thing. It might be our one chance.”

 

Raelvion sighed again, hefting his staff. “As much as I dislike the prospect, you have a good point. On three… three!”

As one, the four turned to flee… but seconds later, each of them stopped in mid-stride. And then, as one, they slammed into the ground.

 

Jinzodia flexed all four of its hands. [You must be in a dream if you think I would let you escape me,] it thought angrily. [In addition, it's never a good idea to talk about running away in front of the enemy you seek to flee.]

 

“To be honest,” Fifteen said as he pulled himself to his feet, “I didn't think that would work.” He rubbed one of his kneecaps, hefting his sword again.

 

Having gotten the furthest of the group, Raelvion was the first to hear it coming. He set his ear to the floor, eyes shut. Soon, Tilde heard it as well, followed by Tessia. Fifteen heard it next, and then Jinzodia.

 

Tessia was the first to put it into words: “Are those… footsteps?”

 

“But who'd be down here?” Tilde asked next.

 

[How utterly interesting.] On hearing the thought, all four monsters spun on their heels to face Jinzodia, whose Jinzo half had placed its hand to where it should have had a chin. [We will be having visitors shortly.]

 

“Visitors?” Raelvion asked.

 

Jinzodia nodded. [It seems the Central Shadow Realm Police Department has discovered my door… and they've sent the Special Forces, too. A pity that the lock didn't hold… You were invited, but they were not. And I have trouble with uninvited guests.] It raised all four of its hands.

 

There was a moment's pause, as the four others mulled over that fact, and then Fifteen's eyes went wide.

 

“They wouldn't stand a chance,” Tessia said, barely above a whisper.

 

“The Special Forces have no idea what's down here,” Fifteen answered, picking up the thread. “Jinzodia would slaughter them all. Every one of them…”

 

Across the room, Jinzodia laughed within its head. It could see the lights of that horrible realization in their eyes and the way they stood, and it fed off it.

 

A moment passed, and then Raelvion reached into his pocket and took out two magic cubes. One he set back in his pocket, and the other he held out before the others. “Before I left home, I set this in my pocket along with the others,” he began, sighing between words. “I prayed to every spirit on the Higher Plane that I would not need to use this. But now… it's either this, or so many others will have to die.”

 

In turn, Fifteen, Tilde, and Tessia all stepped forward, sensing the cube's aura… and in turn, they each fell back, stunned. “Brave Attack? Sir, where did you get that? The CSRPD keeps them all under lock and key!” Tilde asked.

 

“It's amazing what they'll give you if you do them a favor,” he replied. “Now… we must be prepared. Brave Attack will not work if your will isn't focused on the attack.”

 

Unseen by Raelvion or the others, Jinzodia had spread its Jinzo arms, the Exodia arms moving into position. [Engage Amplifier,] it mentally ordered. From the back of its head, a metal semicircle emerged and locked into place, humming with energy.

 

“I'm ready,” Tilde said.

 

Fifteen nodded, raising the Sword of Deep-Seated. “So am I. If my death can make up for what it has done… I'm willing to go.”

Leaning into Fifteen, Tessia looked up at him, and then turned to Raelvion, a look of determination edging out fear. “I'm also ready…”

 

“Then we act as one!” the Dark Magician declared. He turned to Jinzodia and triggered the Brave Attack cube. “Prepare yourself, metal titan!”

[Please… being overdramatic will only increase the humiliation.] The machine snapped its fingers, and the Exodia right arm rose, charging with purple energy. [Fire the Magic Jammer!]

 

From the Exodia arm's palm, two thin bolts of purple lightning shot across the room, striking the cube Raelvion was holding. The spellcaster yelled, grabbing his hand and pulling it back as the cube dropped to the floor.

 

Even as the others moved to check on Raelvion, Fifteen looked up and muttered, “A trap? When did you hook that up?”

 

Jinzodia's first answer was a telepathic laugh. It then calmed and thought, [It took a very long time, let me assure you. I spent a hundred years developing the technologies that led to my Mechanical Exodia, and one of them was a way to transfer the energy from trap cubes into a metal frame. I had to invent this Amplifier in order to negate my body's own energy fields - they tend to short out most traps. It was all worth it, though…that arm can shut down any magic you try to use!]

 

“Why did the Wave-Motion Cannon work, then?” Tilde asked.

 

[My own foolishness,] Jinzodia thought with a hint of distaste. [Hubris blinded me to the possibility that the Dark Magician's plan would work. Damn my pride.]

 

A wisp of smoke escaped the Brave Attack cube as Ralevion picked it up. Despite himself, he began to tear up. “It's ruined,” he whispered. “The magic's burned out. We're now completely out of options.”

[Was there any doubt? The simple truth of the matter is that you will all die here.]

 

Tessia's expression changed after hearing that. Turning Fifteen's head, she kissed him as hard as she could. The fiend kissed back, a little confused.

 

That done, the Magician of Faith let go of Fifteen. She stood up, taking her staff from her side, and said, “Fifteen, Tilde, Representative… don't try to stop me. I know what I must do.”

And then she walked past them, standing only a foot or so from Jinzodia.

 

The Witty Phantom's jaw dropped, and he rushed to pull her away… but the machine waved a hand and he flew backwards, striking the floor hard.

 

For a moment, the dark machine and the spellcaster of light stared at each other. Then, pulling her staff back, Tessia shouted, “Holy Crescent!” and fired her magic at Jinzodia.

 

It dissipated harmlessly on hitting the Exodia body's chest.

 

A gust of steam flew out of the vent on Jinzodia's face, and it raised all four of its hands, charging gigantic amounts of energy through each pair. [Impressive courage… but suicidal nonetheless. THIS is how you attack!]

 

It suddenly hit Raelvion what Tessia's plan was. As Fifteen was about to throw her out of the way, the Dark Magician tripped the fiend and pinned him down, Tilde holding his legs.

 

Tessia turned her head, tears staining her face. “Fifteen,” she said, “I… I love you…”

The Witty Phantom thrashed under his captor's arms, but they held firm, although both were beginning to cry.

 

[Cyber Obliteration!] With those words, Jinzodia unleashed its attack, a massive Cyber Energy Shock joined to a beam of power from its Exodia hands.

 

The combined energies slammed into the Magician of Faith, and for a moment it was far too bright to see.

 

But when the light faded, there was nothing to be seen; nothing was left where Tessia had stood but a scorch mark, the metal surrounding it melted and bubbling.

 

[One down,] Jinzodia thought, triumph ringing in every letter. [One down.]

 

Now openly crying, both spellcasters let Fifteen go, moving back a couple of steps. The fiend rose to his feet, stumbling forward a few inches at a time until he reached the scorched spot where Tessia had died. He lowered his head, pulling down his hat, and whispered, “Tessia, I love you too…”

 

And then he threw his head back and screamed. Every ounce of his rage and his sorrow fell into the scream, everything he'd ever felt for Tessia awakening at once and fueling his cry. The sheer force of his scream almost lifted him off the ground.

 

When it was over, he stumbled back to Tilde and Raelvion and collapsed, breathing hard. The spellcasters held him up.

 

The machine was fairly confused by Fifteen's reaction, and took a moment to look into the Witty Phantom's mind. It then mentally recoiled and drew back - the fiend's gathered emotions had shocked every circuit it had, and reading his mind was impossible.

 

Even as Fifteen regained his breath and stood again, the first few tears were rolling down his face. “Why… why did she…” He couldn't finish his question, as even trying to say the next word caused a new spasm of tears to emerge.

 

Before Raelvion or Tilde could answer, there was a faint breeze - something that shouldn't have happened underground. The breeze picked up, and then the three felt it. It was an aura, free of any body, and it was one they recognized instantly.

 

Fifteen's eyes widened again, and his tears stopped.

 

Tessia's aura moved among the three, a sense of joy radiating off of it. It brushed across Tilde's cheek, weaved amid Raelvion's arms, and floated around Jinzodia, causing the machine to shudder slightly (a highly strange sight).

 

A moment more passed, and then the Magician of Faith's aura floated before Fifteen. The fiend was silent, and then said, “Goodbye, Tessia.”

 

The aura brushed his lips once before it flew past him. It went to the Brave Attack cube, and then suddenly dove into it. The cube sparked, and then let off a bright purple glow.

 

After the cube stopped glowing, a curious Raelvion picked it up… and then gasped. “It's charged again!” he said, awed. “I knew that was her plan!”

 

“They say a Magician of Faith's death can restore magic to anything that once was magical…” Tilde answered, also awed. “Why didn't I remember?”

“So… so that's why she sacrificed herself,” Fifteen said once his shock wore off. “She gave us another chance.”

In a rage, Jinzodia closed all four of his hands. [That stupid mage!] it thought. [Killing her wasn't worth it! But there's no way I'll let you have that second chance!] It thrust out its Exodia right arm, the Magic Jammer charging.

 

Fifteen then let out a roar and hurled his Sword of Deep-Seated at Jinzodia, the blade spinning. His gathered emotions shielded his thoughts from the machine, so it didn't see the attack coming.

 

The sword sliced neatly through Jinzodia's arm at the shoulder joint, flew past it, and shattered on the back wall of the room. Dropping from its joint, the arm hung by two wires for a moment, and then they snapped and it hit the floor.

 

Nobody moved or said a word for several seconds. Finally, Jinzodia thought, [Impressive, but futile. One of the many advantages of being a machine is that lost limbs are only the matter of a few hours of spot welding.] It then moved its attached arm to cover the severed joint.

 

The three other monsters huddled together, and Raelvion whispered, “All right… when I activate Brave Attack, we will each launch one final attack on him. The magic of the cube will combine our powers into one attack greater than the sum of its parts. But the force of the attacks will kill us in the process. You already knew this, but now…” He paused, took a deep breath, and then said, “One of us has to be the `point', the one who goes last. That one will survive for several minutes after the Brave Attack…”

 

“I'll be the point,” Fifteen said before Raelvion could finish his sentence.

 

Taking another deep breath, Raelvion replied, “Are you certain? Once the Brave Attack begins, it can't be stopped, and it can't be altered. And most monsters would rather get it over with quickly than linger.”

 

Glancing to Jinzodia, Fifteen turned back and nodded. “For Tessia's sake… I want to see it die.”

 

“I understand.” Raelvion then took the other magic cube out of his pocket and handed it to Fifteen.

 

The instant his fingers wrapped around the cube, Fifteen was stunned. “A…” He stared into Raelvion's eyes. “A Monster Reborn? Why in the Shadow Realm would you give this to me?”

 

“I've been around for over two thousand years, Fifteen. I've seen many things, most of which I haven't wanted to see. I'm ready to see what the Graveyard has for me.” Readjusting his hat, Raelvion added, “Just as you die, the cube will activate automatically. Now, are you ready?”

“Always,” Fifteen answered.

 

Tilde added, “As am I.”

 

Stepping in front of them, Raelvion glared at Jinzodia, and then flicked the magic cube on. “Brave Attack begins now!”

 

Instantly, all three of the monsters were outlined in a blue light, one that crackled with their every movement. Jinzodia, dismayed, launched a psychic pulse at them. It bounced off, nearly knocking the machine down.

 

Raelvion looked to Tilde. The Rogue Doll nodded, floated forward, and gathered all her energy at the tip of her staff before pointing it at Jinzodia and shouting, “Rogue's Magic Blast!”

 

The resulting burst of magic was much larger than any of her previous attacks; it was a beam of pure white light, crackling with ozone as it tore across the room and struck the machine's Exodia body. Unlike her previous attacks, this one left a crack on its casing.

 

Spent, Tilde floated backwards. She looked up to the Dark Magician, managed a thin smile, and then dropped to the ground, shattering on impact.

 

Fighting back his tears, Raelvion whispered, “Goodbye, Tilde,” and then turned to Fifteen, saying more audibly, “My turn. I enjoyed our time together, Fifteen.”

 

“Thank you,” the fiend said, tipping his hat.

 

Seeing the damage to its casing, Jinzodia blew steam out of its vents, its severed Exodia right shoulder, and the crack on its front. Drawing its limbs together, it gathered another Cyber Obliteration and fired it.

 

Raelvion stepped forward, drawing on the Brave Attack, and swatted the attack away, whereupon it tore a colossal gouge out of the wall. Calling in all of his power, he pointed his staff and yelled, “Dark Magic Attack!”

The world around them turned negative as he let loose the magic, one long stream of energy firing out from him and tearing into the machine. The Brave Attack then drew out Raelvion's life force, a blue energy mingling with the dark magic, and the air around them grew white-hot. It was so powerful that the Dark Magician began to sweat blood.

 

When, mercifully, the attack came to an end, large portions of Jinzodia's body were scorched, and the crack on its torso was wider and deeper than previously. Although it couldn't feel pain, the Jinzo half was slouched over the Exodia half, sparks emerging from its frame.

 

Blood dripped from Raelvion's palms as he let his staff go. It clanged on the floor, and he fell to his knees, taking his last breaths in long, drawn-out gasps. Finally, he turned to Fifteen and gasped, “Now… finish it!”

”It shall be done,” the Witty Phantom answered.

On hearing that, the Dark Magician smiled and collapsed, dead. As a Council member, his body did not shatter.

 

Tugging his glove down, Fifteen looked across the room, his eyes meeting the glowing discs of Jinzodia. The machine had taken everything from him - his peace, his friends, his normal existence… now it had taken the woman he loved, and soon it would take his life.

 

It was time to return some of that torment.

 

The look in Fifteen's eyes forced Jinzodia to look away.

 

The fiend broke into a run, one hand pulled back and the other keeping his hat on. They were only a few feet apart, but as he charged at Jinzodia everything seemed to slow down. He dimly felt the machine's psychic impulses strike him again and again, trying to slow him down or stop him. It was like being tickled.

 

Finally, he threw himself at the machine, slamming his palm into its body. He set the other hand on top of the first and screamed, “Phantom Strike!”

 

All of the energy in his body tore out through his palms, flooding Jinzodia's frame. A wave of black and blue energy - his power and his life force - crackled through the machine, and the crack spread backwards before blowing through Jinzodia's back. This wave of energy lasted for a minute, and then Fifteen stumbled back.

 

“Please tell me it worked,” he muttered.

 

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Hearing the sounds of battle, Sophitia turned to Dupin and asked, “Do you hear that?”

“I'd have to be deaf not to!” the Chief of Police answered. “Someone needs our help! Faster, everyone!”

 

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Everything seemed like a mirage to Fifteen as the Brave Attack's price began to work on him. He shook it off, struggling to keep his focus as he stared at Jinzodia.

 

For a crucial, painful second, it seemed like the machine was unaffected. It looked at him and began to laugh mentally… a laugh that stopped when one of its eyes shattered.

 

[No!] it mentally cried, reaching up with one of its Jinzo arms to feel its eye. There was an explosion as its arm blew off at the elbow, falling to the floor.

 

A large explosion tore through its lower body, and the machine began to protest. [This isn't right! This isn't how I wanted it to go! What happened to my control?] The Exodia left arm detonated from within, pieces flying everywhere.

 

The Witty Phantom smiled grimly.

 

Even without a face to show it, the machine was clearly panicked as small explosions rocked its frame. The Jinzo left side erupted, and the Amplifier on its head shattered. Finally, it raised its one remaining arm and thought, [HOW?]

 

And then the rest of it went up in one massive explosion, shards flying through the air as Jinzo finally fell, its evil purged forever.

 

A weight lifted itself from Fifteen's heart, even as shards of his slain enemy slashed across his face. But, relieved as he was, there was one last task to carry out.

 

He limped to Raelvion's body, dropped to his knees, and took out the Monster Reborn cube the Dark Magician had given him. Holding it over the dead monster, he triggered it.

The symbol of the ankh shined for a brief moment, and then Raelvion coughed, life restored to his body. He coughed again, spitting up blood as he revived, and then blinked a few times, raising his head.

 

And then the situation struck him, and he looked at Fifteen, unbelieving. “Fifteen… you brought me back? Why?”

Although he was weak and getting weaker, Fifteen answered, “You forgot… I'm still a wanted monster… My continued existence wouldn't make anyone happy. You… you're a Council member… important…” He managed a smile. “Consider it… my last chance for a pardon…”

Working his way to his knees, Raelvion took a few deep breaths, and then saw the pieces of Jinzodia that had scattered everywhere. He then let out a sigh. “It's finished, then? The Shadow Realm is safe for now?”

“Yes… and now…” Fifteen placed a hand on his chest, wincing as the Brave Attack took its final toll. “To be with Tessia… it's not so bad a way to go…”

 

There was nothing Raelvion could say to that.

With one final tip of his hat, Fifteen fell onto his side and expired. The hat, the one he'd worked so hard to protect, rolled off of his head in the last seconds of his life.

 

A moment later, the Witty Phantom D-15A, Fifteen, shattered.

 

No more than thirty seconds after that, the Central Shadow Realm Police Special Forces arrived on the scene. They fanned out around the room, performing their usual security sweep… until Dupin said, “Don't even bother. It's obvious we missed all the real dangers.”

 

Noting the Dark Magician in the center of the room, Dupin approached him and said, “Are you all right, Mr. Representative?”

 

The spellcaster didn't answer. Instead, reaching down, he picked up Fifteen's hat and looked at it.

 

Catching up to the chief, Aysev and Geefor caught their breaths. The Unfriendly Amazon then noticed what Raelvion was holding. “That's Witty Phantom D-15A's hat. I'd recognize the damage anywhere,” she said. “But where's D-15A?”

 

In that instant, the reality of everything that had happened finally caught up with the Dark Magician. He curled into a ball and began to cry, all his emotions coming out in one wave of tears after another.

 

Unsure how to react, Dupin just stood there, watching his police officers try to make sense out of the charnel grounds that was the late Jinzo's lair.

 

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At the very edge of the Shadow Realm, in front of the iron door, Archlord Zerato had finally relit the sacred candles and was just about to resume his activities in front of the shrine. His plans were interrupted by a sudden, impossibly loud noise from behind the iron door.

It was a howl, a vile howl of rage and frustration. It was the roar of one who, seeking to commit unspeakable crimes, saw an opening appear before them, only to have it stolen away at the last moment. It was the howl of Necross, its opportunity to escape destroyed, and it could be heard throughout all the Shadow Realm and the worlds it bordered.

 

The howl carried on for several minutes, and then faded away to nothing, leaving only an echo.

 

There's one more chapter left…

 

Coming in the final chapter: Jinzo is dead, its evil gone. Fifteen has died as well… but whereas Jinzo has nothing waiting for it, the Shadow Realm has one final trick up its sleeve for the Witty Phantom. A surprise waits in his afterlife, one that may not be what he was expecting. The story is nearly complete. It all concludes in Chapter Seventeen, “Life and Death in the Shadow Realm”.