Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL 1. Summary of Part 1

**The Story So far**

(Though really, as this is Part 2 of the Order Through Chaos series, you should read part 1 first. But for those who do not have the time for that, here is an abridged summary of everything that happened in Part 1)

One night a falling star crash into a city. Only 2 people see that star: the duelist Azar Helder is one of them, yet he finds nothing at the crash site. Later However he stumbles across Dakar Serin, the other who saw the star. Dakar had been unable to contain the power he found at the crash site, the power known as Chaos. Chaos is an otherworldly entity that hunts the Numbers; beings from the same dimension as Chaos, that possess duelists and take the form of powerful monster cards and can only be killed by other Number cards. Before Dakar slips into a coma, he passes Chaos along to Azar, who now takes over Dakars task of hunting the Numbers in the city.

As Azar undergoes these hunts, he assumes an alternate identity as the masked duelist 'Dusk'. Dusk has encounters with various duelists, like Dakars younger sister, Ariel and other Number owners. As Dusk he enlists the help of his school friend Shin Artega, though he also faces off against Shins older brother and ex-pro duelist; Subito Artega. And he encounters official Number Hunters sent by an unknown organization that operates in the shadows. Shins father research into the Numbers his sons find is shut down by the Agency, and he is framed for corporate embezzlement to keep him from getting too close to them.

One Agent, Ion, forms a temporary alliance with Dusk and also with Subito, to hunt down the person who helped spread out the Numbers in the city. They find the mysterious duelist Prometheus; a catalyst who can hand out Numbers to other duelists. His victims include Azars fellow classmate, Sky Chism, and later Ariel as well. Azar succeeds in overpowering Prometheus' ultimate Number (and freeing his unfortunate host, Xander Carson, at the same time), and discovers the Numbers ultimate goal. Once all Numbers all gathered together, they will destroy the human world and replace it with theirs. At this point the Agency sends their strongest Agent, N the nameless girl, to hunt all Numbers in the city. But in turn Ion betrays the agency after they refuse to clarify whether or not they knew about what would happen to the world once they had all the Numbers, and saves Azar from N.

One of the Agency directors, Morgana Graves, forms her own plan to capture all Numbers. She extends an ongoing tournament and brings it into her city, Neo Avalon. At the same time she makes the presence of Numbers public knowledge and invites all Number owners to come and fight til only one remains. Azar forms a union with Ion but also with Ariel, Sky and Shin to head into Neo Avalon and confront the agents hiding there. However Azar only reveals his identity as Dusk to Ion. There they meet with more Number owners; former arsonist Ruby Irant, Trey Lionetti the gambler and Darcy Lawless the doll collector. They also meet more agents, including the loyal battle enthusiast Korose, the national champion Morbis, and the TV-showhost pair Claud and Rita.

Eventually Morgana draws all remaining duelists inside the final battlefield, the museum Etemenank. Inside her agents are defeated one by one, and eventually only Ariel and Azar are the last duelists with Numbers remaining. Azar ultimately takes down Morbis, the agent who had been given a new Number by Prometheus himself, by evolving his power of Chaos and creating the first Chaosnumber. At the same time Morgana reveals her final plan, to capture all Numbers within Etemenank and use them for her own ends. But Esther, the quartermaster of all agents and direct assistant to the agency, foresaw Morgana's betrayal and helps Ion and Subito stop her plans before she can complete them. Subito then defeats her in a duel, though he fails to destroy the Number that possessed her during the duel. That Number, the sixth, then claims Morgana's body. And leaves with Prometheus. The catalyst reveals that he and all of his kind were once humans, but they have evolved into what they are now by permanently bonding with their Numbers. And they intend to do the same to all humans.

Once they return to the city, Esther and the agency clear the name of Subito's father to thank them for stopping Morgana. At the same time Azar develops his powers with Chaos, but he grows increasingly less stable as time goes on. It becomes harder for him to hide his identity as Dusk with the rise of a new enemy, a cult called 'Tomorrow' that believes that humanity must accept the Numbers or die, and the return of Agent N who enrolls into his school to deal with the cult while looking for the true identity of Dusk at the same time. During this time Ariel learns of Azars secret when Chaos gives her a part of its power as well (she was a suitable host, due to her bond with Dakar).

Eventually N has to be called back by her father Kincaid, who is another director from the Agency. Kincaid reveals how his group was founded after a scientific research facility accidentally created a portal to the world of Numbers. And states that their goal is only to capture them all so they can send them back to their home world and sea the portal for good. In truth however the Agency intends to start mass production of the Numbers to further the development of mankind. They can only do so once all Numbers are gathered.

Azar and his friends, now with the aid of Xander as well, then locate the hideout of the Tomorrow cult. They take down their leader, Theo Jager, and defeat the ultimate Number that another catalyst and Theo's former brother had created. However that catalyst, Kain, then drags the minds of Chaos, Ion and Shin back to the catalyst world, a dimension between the human and number world. Chaos separates from Azar and becomes its own entity. He and the others encounter the remaining catalysts, the first Nine Numbers, on the second moon of the world. And the First defeats Chaos in a duel. Subito meanwhile is taken to the Agency headquarters with the bodies of Ion and Shin. There he finds out their true intentions and meets with Kapha, the true mastermind behind the Agency and one of the scientists who created the portal.

At the same time Ariel discovers a way to cure her brothers coma, with the help of Korose who wanted to aid her. She, Azar and others manage to travell to the catalyst world as well, where the minds of Dakar and others like him are kept. Prometheus and another catalyst, Pandora, engage Korose and Ion in a duel. And though Ion manages to awaken his own Number in this duel, one not even the catalysts knew about, he loses the duel and subsequently dies. Enraged, Azar reconnects with Chaos and evolves his power even further. Chaos, now in full control of Azars body, challenges and defeats the Seventh catalyst and absorbs its powers. With it he frees Dakar, Shin and his other friends from the Catalyst world and then immediately attacks the Agency HQ to claim the Numbers they have captured so far. However he fails to find the Numbers and goes on a blind rampage. He nearly kills the directors themselves before Shin manages to reach Azar and snap him out of it.

A distraught Azar retreats, taking Subito and Shin with him. Back home he tries to ask the Numbers themselves what Chaos truly is. They tell him that Chaos is one of the few beings created by accident when their worlds collided. Before he can get too many answers however, Azar is attacked by Agent N. N, now using her true name of Necara, reveals that she has met a being like Chaos as well, calling it The End. She claims that she should be the true Number Hunter, as she was the only human to go through the portal and come back alive. And after a long struggle, Azars power of Chaos is defeated by The End and all his Numbers and powers are claimed by Necara. Necara unmasks 'Dusk' before the whole school and leaves Azar with only Number 39: Utopia, with his last hope. She leaves and Azar is forced to go on the run as he has become an outlaw. He severs all ties with Shin and his other friends and goes to parts unknown, not knowing what to do next...

And now that Necara has acquired the power of Chaos, Kapha intends to use it to create a new weapon.. so that the remaining Numbers can finally be claimed.

**ADDENDUM (current Numbers and their Owners)**  
Catalysts: Numbers 1-6, 8 & 9  
Azar: Number 39 (physically)  
Ariel: Numbers 32, 47, 72, 94  
Shin: Number 42  
Subito: Number 33  
Sky: Number 54  
Xander: Number 48  
Kincaid: Number 73  
Agency & the Board of Directors: Number 102 (physically) and several unknown Numbers  
Necara: All but 1 of the remaining Numbers and Number 39 (mentally)  
Unaccounted for: 1 unknown Number


	2. Cipher (1)00: Unfinished

**Cipher (1)00: Unfinished**

_The world of man was steadily approaching the fourth decade of the twenty-first century. They came to understand a great deal about the universe around them, fed their hunger for knowledge, and designed many applications through their always advancing pool of technology. The world became a place of peace and wealth, entertainment and comfort dominated the minds of many. On the surface it seemed like all were pleased with their place in the grand scheme of things. However in spite all they had accumulated over these years, or perhaps because of it, they encountered a threat they could not adapt to. And the root of misery that could not be so easily eradicated by joy, sprouted once more. Mankind's science dug too deep and came across something limitless, something incomprehensible. Earth has suffered for it ever since. Yet most do not see the danger for what it is, most do not understand. For the danger has taken a very inoffensive form, and waged its battles through a medium that has gone unseen to the eyes of those in charge. That had changed recently..._

_.._

As rain poured down over the country, a military jeep drove through the water, headed across the streets towards its destination. It held three occupants; the driver and two passengers. The passenger on the left, a young man with well groomed hair and moderately formal attire, was fiddling with a digital pad of some sort. This was to much annoyance of the second passenger. "How many times are you going to try? Even if they eased up on the restrictions of those devices, you can not duel with them. They at least made sure of that." She provided a sharp contrast with her red streaked dark hair, and her glossy bomber coat. "True. But a D-Pad is not just used for dueling." Said the man, as he continued to play with it. "By you maybe. I never used it for anything else. Dueling was what it did best anyway." The girl moaned and looked out the window. They were not there yet. "They could have done a lot worse, if you think about it. They could have confiscated them, along with our decks. Rather than simply banning the use of them." The man said with a casual tone. "Don't give them any ideas." She replied quickly, and glared around as if someone was actually listening. That would not be out of the ordinary, given what she has seen so far. This was a world where their kind was not looked upon favorably.

"We are here."

It was soon after that their driver spoke for the first time since they had taken off. All that time the tall and stern-faced individual had only focused on what lied ahead of them. They arrived at a large complex, surrounded at all sides by a metallic fence. The car came to a halt in front of an automatic gate, as one of the guards walked up them. "Who are you? And what is your purpose here?" The man, not quite a soldier but clearly armed, had many questions for these visitors. "I am Korose. And these are my associates; Ruby Irant and Xander Carson. We are here by request. This should clear us." Korose handed the man an electric card. "Just a moment sir." The guard took it, walked back to the gate room, and came back a moment later. "All clear." he handed Korose the card back. "You may proceed." As he stepped back again, the gate opened for them. "I thank you." Korose replied and drove on. As they moved beyond the threshold, the guards gave them one last look. "Who were they?" One guard wondered, after he noticed what kind of device Xander was holding. "...Duelists I suppose." The other answered, mildly confused himself. As far as they had heard, dueling was a thing of the past.

Korose parked the car, and not a second later were they came across another employee of this facility. "Welcome, gentle men and lady, to our Space Flight Center. My name is Ellsworth. I was told you needed to see our archives." A man in white clothes stepped up to Korose and extended his hand. "You were?" Xander inquired, while Korose gave the man a firm handshake. "Of course. Our mutual benefactor has been very clear to us that we should help you in any way possible. Though I must confess, the specifics of your visit partially elude me."

Korose looked up at the building, a mass of stark grey blocks, surrounded by white domes. "We came here to investigate one of your shuttles. While you take us to where we need to go, you can tell us all you know about the Araquiel." The tall man stated pointedly "Oh?" Ellsworth seemed surprised to hear that name, and he took his time to respond. "The Araquiel? That was.. the shuttle that went lost, wasn't it? That was before my time. But I should be able to bring up the details." Ellsworth took out his notepad and started looking into it, while he started moving towards the center building of the complex and the others followed. "Ah yes. Near two decades ago. The Araquiel shuttle launched in 2015 with our direct supervision. This was when the space flight program had been restarted, and the Araquiel was one of many new shuttle models developed here. It and others like it were equipped with more advanced engines and thruster systems than the classic models. Which would allow for greater maneuverability through space."

"How exactly does one lose a shuttle?" Xander asked with mild exasperation, as the four entered the building. "That is a good question. I wish i could answer it." Ellsworth replied with genuine disappointment in his voice. "I only received the official explanation; we lost contact and the shuttle strayed from the intended path. We never heard from it since, and nobody saw it or its crew again. We tried to find them, but space is vast. And we gave up years ago. I do not know if you will have any more luck finding out what caused the accident." He sighed.

"If it even was an accident." Ruby muttered. But Korose picked up the conversation before anyone could dwell on that. "Any information at all would be helpful to us." And Ellsworth nodded. "Yes. The staff from that time no longer works here. But they would have archived everything, anything we once knew will be stored down there." He stopped in front of an elevator and used his pass to open the door. "Here you are." A moment later he had taken the duelists to the lowest level. "Astounding" Xander expressed his astonishment, as he and the others laid eyes on thousands of folders and files, tucked away in rows and rows of mobile cabinets. "There is a terminal nearby, it should find the subject for you." Ellsworth explained them that one final thing before returning to the elevator. "If you need me, just ring this. And I will be right down again." He tapped the button next to the door. "..Thank you." Korose waved him farewell, and Ellsworth was off. It was just the three of them now.

"I wish we could have told him." It pained Korose to keep things from anyone, certainly someone so helpful. "Yeah we found your shuttle in another dimension. Sounds good enough to me." But as Ruby so helpfully pointed out, there were reasons for secrecy. "Let's just find the computer. I do not look forward to reading all this stuff, so any way to speed it up is okay in my book. If there is anything valuable down here at all." She had her doubts... Because of the one who sent them here. In the end they only came here because the 'Agency' had allowed it. "I believe there is. I believe _her_." Korose pressed on.

... Ellsworth reached the top floor again. As far as he saw, these people were trustworthy, and he had no concerns about them. "Huh?" The same could not be said about who or what he saw next. "Excuse me!" A strange character, wrapped up in black clothes, was stalking through the rain. "I do not think you are supposed to be here. How did you get passed.." He called out to the stranger. "...!?" And before he knew it, the intruder appeared in front of him and held an open hand in front of his face. Ellsworth stared at him, and his eyes glazed over. "I understand." His voice became slow and monotonous. "I will take you to them.."

...Down below the digital inventory revealed two spots of interest. While Ruby stayed behind to dig more through the computers files, Xander and Korose spread out. Xander ended up in the A-section. A logical place to start with, he figured._ "I could spend all day in here.." _Xander did not consider himself to be an expert in this area, but he did know the allure of private information. _"But we have a goal..and.. aha!" _He eventually found a folder labeled 'Araquiel', and opened it. _"Lighter than I expected." _Compared to other files, the Araquiel file was rather thin. But it was something._ "I should get the others.. Well, one peek can not hurt." _Xander started flipping through the pages, skimming through technical specs, crew manifests and other details.

"!?" Only to hear a noise from behind him. "Korose?" It was the sound of folders falling to the floor, it came from a few rows to his left. "Ruby, is that you?" If this was a pratical joke, it was going on longer than it really should have. Xander closed the file and slowly started walking the other direction. As he did, he heard a different noise; whispers. "Who is there?" It was not a voice he recognized. Was it another employee? "I hope I am not interrupting anything. I am here on..." That thought was crossed out as well, when the whispers became distinguishable as words. They were names, familiar names. "Judith, hospital. Ryan, prison. Janus, correctional institute. Urban, gone." Those names were what Xander needed to make the mental leap towards remembering the man behind that voice. "You?!" And the very next instant, he stood face to face with that man in a tattered black cloak. It was Theo Jager, former leader of the Tomorrow sect.

"I have found my target." A malicious smile was glued to Theo's face. "The revolution shall begin with you!" Then a flash of light surged from Theo's arm, widening and shaping a cage that trapped the two within. "It is no calling for backup now! Nobody can hear or see you inside this barrier!" Theo rolled up his sleeve and revealed the D-pad strapped to his arm. "You.. came all this way to duel me?" Xander did not know whether to be impressed or unsettled. He was stunned either way. "It was you who began our downfall. You who took Urban away from us. Tomorrow broke down because of you. And because of you, it will rise again!" Theo drew five cards, and set his lifepoints. "Stand your ground, and fight! For your sake, and for the Number you stole!"

Theo's LP: 8000 Xanders LP: 8000

"I do not know how you found me, or how you even got out." Last time Xander heard, Theo was supposed to be locked away somewhere. "But you need to learn to let things go." It was clear that Theo wanted to reclaim the Number card that Xander had taken from one of his accomplices months ago. But a Number would likely just aggravate Theo's state of mind. "Then again, you are not listening to me, are you? A game is all you understand. " Xander activated the D-pad and attached his Visor to see the duel holograms. The first turn of this game was his. "I summon Gogogo Gollum, who switches itself to defense, when he is normal summoned." A one-eyed red-brick golem(4/2300/0) was placed in a monster zone and given a visual form through the D-pad emitters. Xanders rock monster curled up its body. "I also activate Gogogo Talisman, this continuous spell negates the destruction of 'Gogogo' monster that does battle, once every turn." The duelist explained as he placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

"nobody has ever won a battle just by defending themselves!" Theo scoffed at Xanders spell and activated his own; Foolish Burial. "And make no mistake, this IS is battle!" Theo used the spell to send a Mecha Phantom Beast, Blue Impala, from the deck to the graveyard. "I control no monsters, and my enemy does! This means I can banish Blue Impala from the cemetery to special summon a Mecha Phantom Beast token!" The tiny blue jet was removed, and its effect created a holographic fighter jet(3/0/0) with its effect. "Now. Mecha Phantom Beast Harrliard!" Next a golden harrier jet(4/1800/800) was normal summoned. "It tributes a token, to summon a Mecha Phantom Beast from my hand! I select Coltwing!" Harrliard removed the virtual mecha beast and brought forth the tilt-winged osprey plane(4/1600/1500). "When Coltwing is special summoned, it creates a pair of tokens!" Theo's new machine spawned two more Mecha Phantom Beast tokens(3/0/0). "Both Coltwing and Harrliard's levels are raised by the levels of all tokens I control, by six levels!" Theo raised his arm to the ceiling, as both Harrliard(10/1800/800) and Coltwing(10/1600/1500) flew upwards as well. "I xyz-summon: Skypalace Gangaridai!"

The level 10 Beasts had been overlayed, placed on top of each other to open a portal for an Xyz-monster. What came back from darkness above, was an immense machine(10/3400/3000); a titanic boat held aloft by two crimson zeppelins. "A monster of the tenth rank?!" Xander had observed Theo in a duel before, but he did not recognize this Xyz-monster. It was a miracle it even fit inside the barrier. "I detach one material from Skypalace Gangaridai to activate its effect: it can destroy any card and inflict 1000 points of damage to that cards controller!" The Skypalace hovered above Gogogo Gollum. "Take it down!" And then it dropped its payload of bombs down on the rock monster, blasting it to rubble with relentless explosions.

Xander's LP: 7000

"Gh..hmm?" To Xanders surprise; he did not feel any pain despite the loss of lifepoints._ "No magic? Just holograms?" _He had nearly forgotten that he was dealing with just a regular duelist now. Theo was insane, but not possessed by a Number. "You activated my monsters effect. When Gogogo Gollum is destroyed, it sends a 'Gogogo' monster to my graveyard." Xander sent a Gogogo Gigas card from his deck to the grave. "And then I activate my trap card, Puzzle Reborn. It revives a single monster that was destroyed by a card effect." Xander flipped his set card, which brought back Gogogo Gollum in attack mode. "This activates the effect of Gogogo Gigas." Next Xander special summoned a rock monster(0/2200) made from square-shaped rocks and gold slabs. "I can revive it, when another 'Gogogo monster' is special summoned." Xander placed it face-up in defense mode.

"Another?" Now Theo had twice as many monsters to deal with. "Your pacifist tactics will not work against my firepower!" He grunted and finished his turn. "I prefer the term pragmatist, rather." Xander drew his next card and summoned it. "Gogogo Golem." The blue and green brick golem(4/1800/1500) stomped down on the floor. "I then activate my spell card; Ballista Zone. Once a turn, I can inflict 1000 damage to both players for each rock-monster on the field." Each of Xanders Gogogo monsters loaded the Ballista with large boulders. "Damage to both of us?" And before Theo knew it, he was bombarded with rocks. "..No..just me." The Ballista's rocks had come for Xander as well. But they were intercepted by Gogogo Talisman. "When I control two or more Gogogo's, my Talisman will reduce all effect damage to zero." Xander explained and he ended his turn.

Theo's LP: 5000

_Ballista Zone, Continuous Spell  
__Once per turn, you can inflict 1000 points of damage to both players life pints for each rock-type monster on the field.  
__You can not inflict any other damage or activate any other card effects, during the turn you activate this effect._

"Kheh. Charging against the machines of modern war with such fossils." Theo chuckled briefly. But that happiness only appeared after he saw what card he had drawn from his deck. "You treat a duel like a game.. You need to be taught the reality of battling!" Theo detached a second material from Gangaridai, and let its bombs destroy the Gogogo Talisman. spell card "I think I'd make a better teacher than you, Jager." Xander replied somewhat confidently. His Visor had told him Gangaridai could not attack the same turn it used its effect. So his monsters seemed to be safe.. "You have your wits, I will give you that much. That will be a valuable asset in the coming mission. _You_ will help me free all my comrades from their misery!" Theo began to laugh loudly. "Why would I help you?" Xander snapped back. "Because.. I have a new weapon.." Theo activated the drawn card. "It is called.. Rank-Up Magic."

Xander's LP: 6000

...

"Oh you're back already. Did you find anything?" Korose returned to Ruby, holding several folders in his arms. "Personal records on the staff at the time of launch, and the crew that was lost along with the Araquiel...Those people" As he spoke the words Korose's mind flashed back to that other world, to that prison of souls. "Yeah. They are are either still trapped in that other dimension, or worse.. they are the Catalysts." And both he and Ruby knew that the enemies they were up against, were once humans. But their tie with the Numbers had changed them for good. "I still hope this was not just a dead end. Or worse.." Ruby said as she threw nervous glances around the basement. "I do not see what you mean.."

"Think about it. If the agency has ties with Araquiel, they might already knew exactly what went on with it. If so, why send us? We are not going to tell them anything new." It was almost as if the agency wanted them here for another purpose. "I understand how you feel. But I owe it to a friend, to investigate this matter." Korose said, sounding slightly distracted. "Oh..yeah..him." And Ruby slipped into an awkward silence. That usually happened when 'he' was brought up. "I do not see Xander." Korose broke that silence when he noticed an absence. "Oh! No.. He must still be reading, or looking."

"Hey guys" As if on cue, Xanders shouts echoed across the archives. "What!?" Ruby yelled back. She was not used to Xander making outbursts like that, even if they were less loud than a normal persons screams. "I found something you might find useful." The duelist kept on saying. "You found information?" Korose walked over to him and found him in a corner. "Where.. " Yet the instant he was within range, Xander pulled out an odd clamp-device from behind his back, with which he pierced Korose's wrist while his guard was down. "!? Xander..what did you.."

"Oh. Just something I need to take care of. Before you see.." And as Ruby joined the two, Xander revealed something as well. "..what I saw!" He extended his hand, and the spell card that he held began to glow brilliantly.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)01: Dawn of the CXyz)

**New Cards used by Xander Carson  
**Gogogo Gollum  
Gogogo Gigas

-  
Gogogo Talisman  
_Ballista Zone_

**New Cards used by Theo Jager  
**Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala  
Mecha Phantom Beast Coltwing  
Skypalace Gangaridai

-  
Foolish Burial


	3. Cipher (1)01: Dawn of the CXyz

**Cipher (1)01: Dawn of the CXyz**

A young redhaired youth sat at his desk in the classroom, absentmindedly staring out the window, unable to focus on the words of his teacher. Shin Artega did not always have difficulty with the daily routines of life. For as much as trouble as he had with school, he always could turn to a friend. That had changed. Yes he had gained many new friends the last half year, in and out of school. But he had also lost one, and the empty seat in the classroom right before him, was a constant reminder of that fact. It had been four months since Azar Helder left, and life moved on at a snail's pace since then. He heard nothing about him, even though a warrant for his arrest had been made. Officers had come up to Shin to question him about Azar. He told them nothing but good things about his friend and they told Shin nothing in return. The enemies they had dueled against together, they did not even show themselves anymore. The decree against virtual dueling was still in effect and seemingly silenced all activity. No D-pad could be activated and none were seen on the streets. Official anti-duelist Enforcers were everywhere, the city started to resemble a police state like Neo Avalon. Most people just did not think the game was worth the effort..

But Shin knew it wasn't over. And every day he waited for something to happen, anything at all.

"You grades are going down." He still had others who knew his pain. Like Natasha, the principals daughter, who once again approached him after class. "Shin. You really need to get it together. I know the situation is ..weird. But this is important too!" Though Natasha had become Shins friend as well, she did not go easy on him. "Is it..really?" But Shin did not know if he even cared about grades. The normal world felt so insignificant now. "You are waiting for something, I know you are. But Azar can not come back. And we can not help him." Natasha had seen him like this many times before, and what she said was nothing new to Shin either. "I gotta do something, everyone else is!" Shin simply could not hold it in anymore. "Korose and the others are out there investigating the catalysts, my dad and big brother are working with the government, and who knows what Azar is doing! I can not be.. I.." He slammed his hand against his locker. He felt small, useless. "I am sure you can do something. Just ask your father, or.." Natasha was not sure what advise to give. "I already know what he will say." It was all the same to Shin.

"I am sorry Shin. They are still not convinced." Mr. Artega told his son as he saw him at his office. "You gave them Subito's Number card, told them about Kincaid and his organization, and they are still okay with things as they are now?" While his father had aided the official enquiry into the Number attacks, they were still considered less of a threat than the people that used them. "I consider myself lucky that Kincaid cleared my name, Shin." Artega's house arrest seemed like it would have lasted forever before then. And all he got out of that was the ankle monitor they had used to keep track of him. Now instead they just used monitors on suspicious duelists. "Can't you see that Kincaid is pulling the strings? He is head of the rival company that framed you in the first place, and he is a member of that evil council! I bet they have people inside the government as well!" Shin knew very well that the dueling ban was no threat to the Agency. "There is little I can do. Kincaid is untouchable, we have nothing to back our accusations up. And we do not even know who the other members of his 'council' are."

"If only I had taken a better look." Shin had been in their very conference room. Yet he failed to get a good look at the people inside at that time. "Only Azar knows what they look like.." For all of their adventures, they had nothing but dead ends. "What about Ruby, Xander and Korose? Have you heard from tham lately?" Even the former agents investigation seemed to be going nowhere. "Not as of yet.. The last thing they told me was that their trip to the space flight center did not pan out." Mr. Artega shook his head wearily. "They're all laying low." Shin let out a moan. He remembered the last time he saw Azar, after he lost to Agent N. "Ann. She has almost all of the Numbers now." Shin looked at his own Number card, one he took from Theo Jager himself. "I don't get it. What is she waiting for? What are they all waiting for? I thought the point was to get them all?"

Night came, and passed uneventfully. The next day proceeded the same old way. Or so it appeared. Shin did not even spot it at first, his mind was so dull that it took him a minute to register the note attached to his locker. "!?" His eyes snapped open. He looked around and quickly opened it where nobody could see him. What he read jolted his body back to life.

_"Shin. It is me. Come meet me at the Sporting Park at the Olympic Square before the sun sets. Do not tell anyone else."_

Shin did not even need to consider his options. The very next minute he was racing towards the Olympic square. "Shin, what is your hurry?" His speed did not allow him to escape undetected however. "There are no PE courses scheduled for today!" Natasha hollered after him. "This is important!" Shin briefly stopped to yell back at her. "It's Azar!" He also quickly reasoned that Azar wouldn't mind if he told Natasha about the letter. So he showed it to her. "What?" Natasha flinched and took the paper, examining it carefully. "How can you be so sure? His name isn't even on it!?" As far as she could tell; anyone could have sent this. "It has to be him! He did this before, when he was Dusk!And of course he can not use his name!" Shin had already made up his mind, and he continued towards his destination. "Wait. Shin!" Natasha pursued. The Antenon school building was only a few blocks away from the sports park, so the two made it there quickly. "There!" The fields were empty, save for one dark cloaked stranger lingering on the athletic course. "Azar!" Shin rushed towards him.

"This _did_..happen before." Natasha felt like she was experiencing Déjà Vu. She did not like this one bit. If that was Azar, why was he hiding his face at this stage? "!?" To make matters more suspect, the stranger spread his arms to reveal a D-pad. "Huh?" The device activated and sent walls of light around the area to close them off from the outside. "I knew it. It is a trap!" Natasha screamed. "No. That makes no sense! Azar, what is.." Shin was confused as well, but he noticed how the outside world became distorted through the barrier. "Oh? It is to hide us from others, is that it?" He justified it by assuming that Azar just did not want them to be spotted.

"Shin. Your bag!" Natasha then noticed a red glow coming from Shins backpack. "Huh? My D-pad?" Shin took it out, it had been forcibly activated and his lifepoints had been set. "You brought that with you, even now?" Natasha was only half surprised that Shin kept the device around, even during the dueling ban. "I always do! Azar would know that too! But..why do you want to duel me?" Even Shin was starting to get unnerved by his friends silence. 'Azar' had already moved to the first turn of the duel in fact. And after he drew his six cards, he summoned a Rescue Rabbit(4/300/200). Shins face was filled with joy. _"Ah! The monster card I gave to Azar all those months ago! It has to be him!"_

?'s LP: 8000 Shins LP: 8000

"Hmmm. No." But then a distinctly female voice came from underneath the hood. "Come out, Dunames!" The person used Rescue Rabbit's effect; banishing it to special summon a pair of same-named normal monsters from her deck. Two Dunames Dark Witches(4/1800/1050) showed up. "What? Who.. who are you! Where is Azar?" Horrified and outraged, Shin started hurling questions towards this mystery person. "Don't know. Don't care. I'm here for you!" The duelist took off her cloak to reveal a young curly redheaded girl in a bright green dress. "Crystal?" Natasha recognized her. "Her?" Shin vaguely did too. She was a member of the same school sports club that Sky belonged to, just from a younger year. "Good. You know me. Then we have less talking to do" Crystal smirked and placed her two monsters on each other, announcing an incoming xyz-summon.. "Let's get a move on! I xyz-summon Fairy Cheer Girl by overlaying 2 fairies!" The two valkyries transformed into a pompon wielding pixie(4/1900/1500) with blue wings. "I can detach one material from Fairy Cheer Girl, to draw one card!" Crystal activated the pixie's effect and added a spell to her hand.

"I do not believe this. You baited me here by pretending to be Azar? Why!?" Shin could feel his blood boiling. How did he let himself get fooled so easily? "You know why! Your Number!" Crystal placed a trap card down and then activated the continuous spell card: Heart of the Underdog. Then she ended her turn. "The Numbers.. It is always about the Numbers. Fine then! Are you an Agent? Or a member of Tomorrow?" Shin asked angrily as he drew his card. "Wrong, and wrong again. Try again." Crystal giggled. "Grrr. You think this is funny?! I will find out who you work for!" Shin normal summoned Hermit of Prophecy, an elderly mage(3/1200/700) in blue robes. "Gagaga Wind! I can special summon a Gagaga monster from my hand!" Next he brought out the dark armored Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000). And Shin used the Magicians effect to raises his(5/1500/1000) level by 1 star. "Spell card: Spellbook Library of the Crescent! I have no spellbooks in my hand, so I can claim one one of three from my deck!" Azar selected the Spellbooks of Wisdom, Secrets and Power. "I get to choose? Okay, Power then." Crystal allowed him to keep the latter of three. "You're welcome." She gave him an affectionate smile afterwards.

"Gah!" Enraged further, he went on to overlay Hermit of Prophecy(5/1200/700), whose effect raised its level by 2 stars whenever a Spellbook was activated, and Gagaga Magician, to xyz-summon a Rank 5 monster. "Empress of Prophecy!" What he summoned was the royal magician(5/2000/1700) donning white and gold. "She can discard the top 5 cards of my deck, and destroy cards for every Spellbook among them!" Shin was about do do just that, as he detached a material from the Empress. "Normal Xyz-monsters are not gonna cut it!" However Crystal activated her set trap card. "Memory Loss! Your monsters effect is negated, and it switches to defense mode!" The Empress was forced to stand down and sit on her throne. "Rgh!" Now Shin could not attack either. "She is good. Too good." Natasha had never seen Crystal express interest in cardgames. Though even if she had, why would she be interested in the Numbers?

"It's all thanks to my new power, Natasha." Crystal said as the turn was passed back to her. "Heart of the Underdog! I can draw again during my draw phase, if I drew a normal monster!" Crystal explained as she drew one normal monster and revealed it. "Hee." And the next four cards were also normal monsters. Her deck was swamped with them, on purpose. "Finally" And she stopped when she gained a spell card. Then during her main phase, she normal summoned a Gemini Elf(4/1900/900). At the same time she detached another material from Fairy Cheer Girl, to draw yet again. "Is she going to summon a Number?" Shin wondered out loud, his rage turning to concern. "Numbers? Why would I want something like that, when I have something far better!?" Instead Crystal activated _the_ spell card. "Rank Up Magic: Chaos Force!" Red light enveloped Fairy Cheer Girl. "Rank.. Up?" Shin gasped as he saw her put a new Xyz-card on top of her current one. "Hey!" And at the same time the last material attached to his Empress, Hermit of Prophecy, was detached and re-attached to her Xyz monster.

_Rank Up Magic: Chaos Force, Normal Spell  
__Target 1 face-up Xyz monster you control; special summon from your extra Deck, 1 "Number C" or "CXyz" monster with the same type as that monster you control but 1 Rank higher, by using it as the Xyz material.  
__(This special summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz materials attached to it also become Xyz materials on the summoned monster.)  
__Then, if possible, detach 1 Xyz material from a monster your opponent controls and attach it to the summoned monster as an Xyz Material.  
__The Xyz Monster that was Xyz Summoned by this effect negates any "cannot be destroyed by battle" effect(s)._

"It's all that I imagined, this power of Chaos! It upgrades my monsters rank, replaces it with its chaos form, while taking an enemy's xyz material away! She has become Chaos Xyz: Dark Fairy Cheer Girl!" The pixie's(5/2500/1900) wings turned dark and her hair silver. The overlayed original Fairy and Hermit were imprisoned in red crystals encased in golden stars. "Chaos Xyz monster? That's what Azar did! It can evolve non-Numbers as well?" This had to be chaos evolution, the same power Azar used to create and summon Number C39: Utopia Ray. "Chaos is no longer his, Shin. Chaos is for all of us who have been given the Rank-Up-Magic card!" Crystal entered the battle phase. "New form means new effect! As long as Fairy Cheer Girl is attached to Dark fairy Cheer Girl, she will cause 400 points of damage for each card in my hand, when she destroys a monster!" The Dark Cheerleader fired a burst of black energy from her hands and eradicated the Empress. "Each card!?" Thanks to all her drawing spells, Crystal now had seven cards in her hand. "_Each_ card." So when she detached one material from her chaos xyz monster, 2800 points of damage were unleashed, along with 500 points of battle damage. "Ghaa!" It rushed over Shin like an stampede of air.

Shins LP: 4700

"And then, a direct attack!" Shin had barely recovered and he already took a direct hit from the twin elves. He was sent plummeting to the ground. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

Shins LP: 2800

"Shin!" Natasha rushed to his side. "I am okay!" But Shin got to his feet on his own. "I have been through this before. I am used to it." The force he experienced was just like a Numbers. Yet it was not a Number. It certainly was not just a hologram. He should have realized that sooner, because even Natasha could see it without a visor. "Now I know what I am dealing with.. and I know I can kill it. I got this!" But now it was his turn, and after he drew his card, he knew what combo to start. "I summon Temperance of Prophecy!" He summoned the mage(3/1000/1000) of the temperate arcana. With her effect he would be able to special summon all kinds of powerful spellcasters.

"And that's about it!" But Crystal flipped her two set cards. "Trap card: Soul Resurrection! It summons any normal monster in my cemetery!" Her first revived one of the Dunames Dark Witches. "Trap card: Tyrants Throes! I sacrifice two normal monsters, and prevent all special summons of effect monsters!" Gemini Elf and Dunames were then tributed to satisfy the trap's costs. "No special summons?" Meaning that Shin could not summon anything anymore this turn. "No!" And he did not have any cards to defend himself or Temperance with either. "No! It can not end like this!"

"It just did, Shin. I am sorry, but this is all you get to do." Crystal did not even wait for him to end his turn, she saw how things were going to end up. "Attack." Dark Fairy Cheer Girl desintegrated Temperance of Prophecy with a dose of dark energy. The combination of her effect damage and battle damage was enough to put an end to Shins lifepoints.

Shins LP: 0

"Ugh." This time the pain was different. "Shin!?" Natasha saw him reach for his chest and nearly fall over. "You are hurting him!" She shouted at Crystal, as she held him up. "Hurting him is just a side-effect. What I am _doing._.. is this." Crystal reached out and drew in shimmering energy which appeared to float out of Shins own body. "Hrghhh!" The process was extremely agonizing, and Shin nearly lost consciousness. "His Number has been vanquished!" A card appeared in Crystals hands as a result, Number 42: Galaxy Tomahawk. "That is all I needed, Shin. You are redeemed now." The barrier around them faded away. And Crystal turned her back on them. If she said anything else Shin no longer heard her. He barely saw the world around him.. "Chaos.." He did not know why this happened, or how. He was tired.. Before he closed his eyes, he had but one thought.. _"Azar.. where are you?" _

_..._

_Six days ago_

There was a houseboat near the west end of canal, a house belonging to what was by all accounts a normal person. Yet there were always things that could not be helped, including the rumors that this place ended up with. They began when a family's only daughter got involved in a traffic accident, wherein she broke her arm. It took extensive surgery to mend. But it was not the accident or the injury that caused suspicion, it was the fact that her arm completely recovered, going against what anyone had predicted. And with the way the mind worked; once you saw one abnormality, you found many more. Yes she had always been weird, that was what they said. She collected dolls, she must have had a million inside that boat. Nobody normal would have a hobby like that, or dye her hair purple and what not. Who would live all by themselves like that anyway? And she was involved with that disaster at Neo Avalon, that city of the future that lost its mayor recently. She probably caused that too! One thing lead to another, and soon most people began to avoid the place altogether. It was a region of superstition, so it became a 'house' that drew few visitors; this home of the ominous 'Dark Claw'.

So a knock on her window early in the morning came as quite a surprise to Darcy Lawless. She opened the curtains, only to see someone she had not seen in a very long time. "It's you?" On the other side stood Azar Helder, a wanted man. What was he doing here? "Darcy. May I come inside?" Going by his worn out expression, wild hair and ruffled clothes, she could tell he had had a rough few weeks. "I can understand it if you refuse..."

"No. No it's no problem. I will open the door..."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)02: Walking between Raindrops)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Hermit of Prophecy  
Empress of Prophecy

-  
Gagaga Wind  
Spellbook Library of the Crescent

**New Cards used by Crystal Duvalle  
**Rescue Rabbit  
Dunames the Dark Witch  
Fairy Cheergal  
CXyz: Dark Fairy Cheergal  
Gemini Elf

-  
Heart of the Underdog  
_Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force (+)_

-  
Memory Loss  
Soul Resurrection  
Tyrants Throes

_(+ Rank-Up-Magic: Barians Force renamed/altered for Story purposes)_


	4. Cipher (1)02: Walking between Raindrops

**Cipher (1)02: Walking Between Raindrops**

Azar sat in the the living room of the houseboat, stiff and anxious. "And you are certain I can not get you anything?" Darcy asked as she walked out of her kitchen."No. That's not important right now." He replied bluntly. "..Oh. I see." The girl then matter-of-factly placed her left hand on his forehead. Azar recoiled immediately. "Sorry. I just had to make sure you didn't have a fever.." Azar looked exhausted and near delirious. Something had spooked him, that much she could tell. "I feel fine.." Azar said. Which was half true. "Then.. you are ready to tell me what happened?" Darcy sat down in another chair. She was not sure how to approach that subject with him. "I already know a few things, about you being Dusk and how you left your city..and.."

"It was.. all too much. Too few places I could go, too little I could do. I could live off the money I had for a while.. " Azar spoke with an even wearier tone than before. "Not even your family?" Darcy had to believe that if there was one bond you could always rely on, it was that of your family. "Too dangerous. And..they wouldn't help me anyway. Not them." His answer stunned her. "So you came to me instead.. How did you find me?"

Before answering Azar looked behind him. He saw a small glass case with various dolls and puppets inside. "I knew about your story, your accident, your 'nickname'. You were not hard to find once I had the right neighborhood and the right rumors." Her collection was not as elaborate as they said it would be. "_They_ do not know that I know you. They will not look for me here." Whether he was talking about law enforcers or the Agency, Darcy was not sure. "Something changed. I need fr.. allies." He ultimately admitted. "Allies?" Darcy did not expect that either. "Yes. Something is coming." Azar shivered involuntarily. "I felt it. I can not explain it better than that. I just know that somewhere a dark power is growing. And it will not stay where it is. It is not a Number, not human..."

"Well..I do not know what you think I can do for you." Darcy did want to help him in some way, but she was not sure what he wanted to do. "I just need some equipment, some rest. I will not stay long, I know I am troubling you" Azar seemed to catch on to that. Nevertheless. "No. I didn't say that. You are no trouble at all. Not here, not to me. Though. perhaps I should call your friends?" They would likely be happy to hear from him. "No. I can not involve them. Not yet. Not there." Azar cut her off quickly, and insistently. "They have gone through enough. I need to make this right without using them..."

...

_Six Days Later..._

Times had been strange. Every duelist was living in an environment of unease. Yet not all had fallen into a slump. For Ariel Serin, these last few months had been the brightest in a long time. Dakar Serin was awake again, she had saved him. And now he was with the family again, back at home and back at helping with the funeral business. For her parents, it was like nothing had changed. And they did enjoy some happiness together. But both she and her brother knew that this could not last. They had both experienced the terror and power of the true enemy. The enemy was only hiding...

"Oh no." Those fears unfortunately payed off, when Ariel received a call one evening. "Ariel?" Only she and Dakar were at the house at that time. "What is it? What happened?" Her brother could tell from her tone and her expression, that something grim had taken place. "That was Sky.." Ariel answered as she put down the phone. "Shin was attacked.. I have to go see him." She walked to the door, putting on her coat along the way. "Wait. I will come with you!" Dakar hurried after her. "No. It's alright Dakar. You do not have to come with me. I won't be long." But she outpaced him and was already out the door before he could give a follow-up answer.

Once she was outside, Ariel slowed down. _"Why did I.." _Even though at the time she thought up a dozen different reasons to not involve Dakar in this, she could not recall a single one now that she was out of his sight. "I don't want him to get hurt. Not again." She told herself, while assuming that he was probably thinking the same thing. But things were not how they started out. Her brother had started his Number hunt. And he was now free from them and from 'Chaos'. She was stuck with both. And after all this time, she was no closer to finding out what both of them were. And now this occurred. Sky claimed that Shin had been attacked by a duelist who was neither a catalyst nor an Agent. His Number card was taken away yet Shin seemed to have suffered only external injuries, not mental damage. Was there now another party after the Numbers? Why make their move now? How many of them were out there? And who would they came after next?

One of the questions, was about to get an answer..

"Going anywhere?"

A vaguely familiar voice reached her ears. "...!?" Ariel turned her head and saw his face. That face she had not seen in a long time. "You are.." Months ago, at the city academy, she met a duelist who threatened to blow up the entire building. "Ryan!" This was that man. "Nice to know that a pretty face likes yours remember one like mine." Ryan smirked. "You also..remember me?" That time Ryan had been defeated by Azar. The loss of his Number should have erased his memories of owning that Number. That was the only time he met her, so why did he know her now? "Now I do. You were the one who ruined my plans last time. But I am here for more than revenge.." Ryan wasted no time and took out a deck of cards. "You are here for my Numbers? You were freed from them, so why.." Not only had he not forgotten her, he had not abandoned his ties with the Numbers as well? "Do you have to ask? It's for the sake of Tomorrow, a newer better tomorrow. Now are you going to duel me or submit to me?" He had already put five cards in his hand, the rest was kept in a pocket strapped to his chest. "Duel? Here?" There were a lot of people around them. They could notice and alert the enforcers. "Don't bother with them. They can not see us duel if we play without D-pads and keep track of our lifepoints ourselves. Just act like you normally would do."

Ariels LP: 8000 Ryan's LP: 8000

"What?" Ariel tested this. She always had her cards with her, including her Numbers. She could accept his challenge. She shuffled her deck and drew six cards. "..I set one card in a monster zone and one in a trap zone." She whispered. To her amazement, two face-down cards materialized before like, projected without the use of a holographic emitter. She did not even need to move her hands. "How are you doing this? Is this a new Number's power?" Only Number wielders could manifest cards this way, or so she thought. "I never reveal my secrets, lady." The game moved to Ryan's turn, and he upped the stakes by summoning a monster in attack position. "Pursuit Chaser!" A police-droid(3/1400/600) appeared, unnoticed by all but Ryan and Ariel. "Then as you control a monster and I control a level 3 monster, I can special summon Mimimic from my hand." A little red and gold chatter teeth robot(3/300/300) did not draw any attention either. "And then, as expected." He placed Mimimic on top of Pursuit Chaser. "I Xyz-summon a rank 3 monster; Mechquipped Anguineer." And on top of both he placed a blue/white metallic winged angel(3/1800/1000). "Attack." The Anguineer blasted forwards and and destroyed Ariels face-down Imairuka, the dolphin monster(2/1000/1000).

"You destroyed Imairuka. Its effect will discard the card on top of my deck. And if it is a water-type monster, I draw 1 card." Ariel sent a Shark Stickers from her deck to the grave, so she was allowed to draw once. "... You changed your deck again." Ariel had not seen him use this Xyz monster previously, let alone the rest of his machines. "That's called adaptation, Ariel. You should try it." Ryan stopped smiling and passed the turn to her. "New cards maybe. But your attitude is still the same!" Ariel activated the seamonster reviving spell card, Surface, to special summon the parasitic Shack Stickers(3/200/1000) back from her graveyard. "I special summon a second Shark Stickers!" And because a fish-monster had been summoned, Ariel could special summon another Suction shark(3/200/1000) from her hand with its own effect. "And I overlay them to xyz-summon Leviair the Sea Dragon!" The Sticker Sharks were attached to her rank 3 Xyz monster, the flying seaserpent(3/1800/1600) of the void.

Leviair could release banished monsters from the banished zone. However none were banished right now. "I activate the card, Gold Sarcophagus, and banish a monster in my deck." Until Ariel used a spell to banish an Uminotaurus. "Levair detaches 1 material to special summon it!" The Seadragon cracked open the golden coffin and freed Uminotaurus, the sea axeman(3/1700/1000) with a bullhorned slug on its head. "These two will attack!" Uminotaurus raises its shell-bladed axe. "Hey I did not get to tell you my monsters effect yet!" Ryan detached Pursuit Chaser from his Mechquipped Angineer. "Once a turn it can detach a material to switch it to defense position and make itself indestructible!" The Angineer folded its wings and let them fend off the aquatic axemans strike. "But Uminotaurus adds piercing damage to all attacks from fish, aqua or seaserpent type cards!" Ariel revealed, before the surplus damage between her attack and his defense washed over Ryan.

Ryans LP: 7300

"Is that so?" Ryan snarled. Not just Uminotaurus, but Ariel attacked with Leviair as well. And that dragons attack inflicted additional piercing damage to him. "But my monster stays alive!" Angineer withstood the Seadragons wind burst, and Ryan shrugged of the damage. "That is all I care about!" He got loud enough to start getting noticed by onlookers. Though to them it looked like a minor argument, not a duel.

Ryans LP: 6500

"...Care?" Ariel placed a monster and a trap card face-down and ended her turn. "I should be more clear, shouldn't I?." Ryan drew his next card. "I am not the man I used to be. Let me give you a taste, your final taste!" He activated it. "Chaos Force!" His machine spun in the bloodred radiance. "Chaos?" Before her eyes, Mechquipped Angineer changed its form. A new Xyz monster was placed on top of it and its materials. "This was..what Sky warned me about?" Sky had told her that Shins attacker used a powerful spell that upped a monsters rank. It also stole an Xyz material from the opponent, as she experienced when Shark Stickers was detached from Leviair. It was attached to this new monster, a darker and demonic winged mecha(4/2600/1600). "Say hello to the future, Ariel. Not a future dominated by Numbers, but freed by Chaos! This is my Chaos Xyz; Mechquippped Djinn Angeneral!" The Angeneral let out a deafening roar for only her and him to hear. "When Xyz-summoned, it switches your defending monsters position!" The roars were too loud and forced Ariels face-down Starfish monster(3/300/300) to come out of hiding and appear in attack position.

"Chaos? You have the power of Chaos?" Ariel could not believe it. How did he come into possession of it? "And that is not all!" Ryan summoned another machine, a metallic crane bird(3/300/300). "I normal summon CraneCrane, to trigger its effect! It summons a level 3 monster from my cemetery!" Cranecrane brought Pursuit Chaser back to life. "And I use both these monsters to Xyz-summon MeloMelody the Brass Djinn!" The Cranemachine and Pursuer were converted to materials for one of Ryans musical devils, in this case the greenhaired horn player; Melomelody(3/1400/1600). "MeloMelody allows a Djinn xyz monster to strike twice every turn!" Ryans second xyz monster used her effect on the firxt xyz monster, giving Djinn Angeneral two rounds of attack this battle phase. "Now for the next verse! I activate the spell card, Second March! I swap out one Djinn for another in my extra deck!" MeloMelody was tributed, and replaced with a female devil(3/1100/1800) with long purple hair, sitting behind a piano. "Humhumming the Keyboard Djinn!"

Ryans LP: 5500

_Second March, Normal Spell  
__Pay 1000 Lifepoints and Tribute 1 "Djinn" Xyz Monster; Special Summon from your extra Deck, 1 "Djinn" Xyz monster. And if you do, attach this card to it as an Xyz Material. ._

"Humhumming revives a Djinn Xyz monster from the graveyard, and attaches two cards from my hand to that Djinn!" MeloMelody was placed back on the field and given two spells from Ryans hand as Xyz materials. The Melodious one in turn detached one of those, so she herself could attack twice as well. "And Humhumming lets one Djinn monster attack directly this turn!" The Keyboard Djinn detached a material and played her tune, which Engeneral listened to. "_Now_ you are ready to experience the power of my fully evolved Chaos Xyz monster!" The Mechquipped Djinn fired two beams of golden energy from its wingcannons at Ariel herself. "Ah!" Ariel felt a surge of paralyzing pain, like every nerve in her body was set on fire and frozen at the same time. "That was just the battle damage, Ariel." Ryan detached two materials from the CXYZ. "As long as it has Mechquipped Angineer attached, it can inflict 1000 points of effect damage every time it inflicts physical damage!" Ryan detached Mimimic and Leviar's stolen material, converting it to two rays of deadly crimson light. "Haa!" The light coursed into her. It was immensely agonizing, and her body stiffened up even more, forcing her to bend down to the floor. "You never had a chance. Now.. this is for me, for the future you took away from me!" Now MeloMelody and Humhumming unleashed their musical power on Starfish, creating three consecutive soundwave bursts.

Ariels LP: 300

"Trap card: Interdimensional Matter Transporter! I banish one of my monsters for one turn!" Only then Ariel used one of her traps to make Starfish disappear from her field. "It's gone?"Uminotaurus and Levair were too strong for the musical Djinns, he could not attack those. "I also activate Underworld Egg Clutch! When I banish a seamonster from my field I can add a level 4 or lower sea monster to my hand!" A nest of aquatic eggs appeared, spawning another Starfish card which Ariel added to her hand. "Tch. As clever as you are, you can not defeat my Chaos xyz monster. And you can not stop us. You will see the truth soon, just like Shin does now. The whole world will accept Chaos instead of the Numbers!" Ryan placed a card down.

"Shin?" Her eyes widened. "What have you done with him? Who else is working with you?" Something in Ariel snapped, this sounded even graver than she had imagined. "Turn end.." Whoever 'us' was, Ryan was not sharing that with her. "Then I have to do this..." Ariels turn started and the first Starfish was Transported back to her field. "I activate my trap: Bubble Bringer! I tribute this card to special summon two level 3 fish-monsters with the same name from my graveyard!" Ariel used the continuous trap to summon the two Shark Stickers back to her field. "And I use them.. to Xyz-summon Nightmare Shark!" The suction sharks dove into the streets, and it was one of her Numbers that swam back to the surface, the winged blue shark(3/2000/2000) and on of her Numbers. "I detach one material from Nightmare Shark, so it can attack directly this turn!" The Nightmare Shark devoured one of the Shark Stickers. "I also activate Aqua Jet, adding 1000 attackpoints to my fish-monster!" The already airborne Number 47 gained a aquatic pressure jetpack, strengthening it(3000/2000) for the next attack.

"Using one of your stolen Numbers against me huh? Of course you have so many to pick from. But Chaos can overpower them all! Did you even know that it's your bond with Chaos that keeps your mind clear from their influence?" Ryan yelled, showing no signs of intimidation. "Chaos..is the cause?" Ariel gasped. "It was. Now its ours. It even gives us the power to destroy Numbers! You can not inflict enough direct damage now, your only choice is to attack my CXYZ head on! That is your only future!" Ryan practically demanded Ariel to hit him.

"No..It is not." She did not like it, his face-down had to be a trap. A different plan was required. "I normal summon Starfish." She brought out the second Starfish card(3/300/300) in her hand. "And I use the effects of both these monsters! They can raise the level of all 'Starfish' by 1!" Each Starfish used its effect, gaining stars until they hit level 5. "I Xyz-summon Shark Fortress!" And both the Starfish(5/300/300) combined to form a rank 5 Xyz monster. "Shark Fortress?" Now Ryan did become concerned, as a shark-shaped deepsea base(5/2400/1800) materalized around Nightmare Shark., taking the Number inside "Shark Fortress can let any monster make a second attack during this turns battle phase." Shark Fortress' engines created a surge of pressure that pushed Nightmare Shark forwards like a deepsea torpedo. "There is no way..this is not happening again." Nightmare Shark scraped passed him once. "I was supposed to be unstoppable now!" And then it came back for a second hit. "Ryan. You are still possessed by a power. Whether you want the world to be dominated by Numbers of Chaos; either future is one I can not let come to pass!" This time he was attacked from behind, and his lifepoints were run dry.

Ryans LP: 0

Ryan staggered "You. Why did I lose to you? Why couldn't I..get what I wanted?" He took a step back. The monsters, even the mighty CXyz, faded into thin air. "You could have won, Ryan. Had you attacked me with Pursuit Chaser and Mimimic instead of Angineer." Her words made him shudder. She was right; Pursuit Chaser's effect delivered 500 points of effect damage when it killed something. "I think you were too focused on getting this new power out... Ryan. Tell me. Where did you get that card? What did it do?" She advanced on him, and he kept pulling away. "I am not telling you anything more than I already said. I.." And abruptly he froze up. His eyes gained a lifeless glare to them. "I will not..." And without a moments hesitation, Ryan tore the Rank-Up spell in his hand in half. "Hey!" Ariel grabbed him, but consciousness had already left his body. He was fast asleep. Just like he would have been, had he lost a Number. _"Destroying the Chaos card, did this?" _Ariel looked down at the torn up spell card._ "Just who would make such a terrible thing?"_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)03: No Value to Anyone)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Uminotaurus  
Starfish  
Shark Fortress

-  
Underworld Egg Clutch

**New Cards used by Ryan  
**Pursuit Chaser  
Mimimimic  
Mechquipped Angineer  
Cranecrane  
CXYZ Mechquipped Djinn Angeneral  
Humhumming the Keyboard Djinn

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force  
_Second March_


	5. Cipher (1)03: No Value to Anyone

**Cipher (1)03: ****No Value to Anyone**

"Tomorrow is causing mayhem again." Sky, Natasha, Ariel and Subito had come together at an empty classroom to talk about the latest events. "Why didn't we know about this?" Ariel still did not know how she could have encountered Ryan, when he had been sent to prison months ago. "It appears several members escaped over the last few days, beginning with their leader Theo Jager. Since the institutes that held them could not explain how it happened, they tried to keep it from the public." Subito relayed what he had found out through his fathers connections with the government. "Well that's nice. Even if they didn't expect them to come all the way here, they could have sent out some kind of warning to the people they attacked in the past." Natasha grumbled. "How is Shin doing?" Sky asked, being unaware of his current condition at the moment. "He's back home. Resting, but conscious again. He does not seem to have forgotten anything." He was doing well considering he had only been attacked last evening. Though Subito had also insisted that Shin stay where he was.

I can wrap my head around that much. But there is this.." On the table was the card Ariel had taken with her, Ryans torn-up spell card. "Rank-Up Magic. Such a card should not exist, should it?" Though Natasha was still new to this game, she did believe this was not a normal card design. "It shouldn't. My father never heard of this, or of xyz monsters being created out of nothing" There were few Xyz monsters that summoned themselves on top of other Xyz monster, but those weren't 'Chaos Xyz monsters'. "I looked for the Xyz monster Ryan created, but he did not have it anymore. As if it cannot exist without the spell. But while they exist, they are dangerously powerful. I barely won that duel." And Ariel had ony scraped together a victory by forcing a way around the CXyz card, and through Ryans own mistakes. "Let's just hope the police that took him can keep him in prison this time." She did not want to see him again. Though for all they knew, Ryan could escape the same way he did the first time. "Even if that takes care of him, there could be a dozen more. Tomorrow is recruiting new members, like Crystal Duvalle, and they no longer need Numbers."

"Interesting." Said a man as he crudely nterrupted their meeting. "Who are you?" Sky inquired. "Just a curious enforcer. Wondering why it sounds like you have been duelingl recently." The man eyed Ariel specifically. "And you have the right to be here?" Natasha quickly stepped up. People could not just barge in on school grounds like this. "Matter of fact..." But this man could, and he showed them a badge. "Now, do you mind if I get some questions answered." But before he could step inside the room. "I do." Subito pushed him back out. "Hey!" And the door was closed right in front of his face. The others were left somewhat speechless "Was that the right thing to do?" Sky was impressed if not perplexed; Subito did not usually act this rebellious. "People like him came to our house this morning, to interrogate Shin. I have had more than enough of their nonsense for this day." The enforcer shouted something intelligible on the other side and then walked off. "And we do not have time for them. We need to ask our own questions." He picked up the torn up Chaos card from the table. "I will take this to my father. He can have it analyzed. And in the mean time. I want to find this Crystal Duvalle. I want to know why and how she got this card.. and how she knew what to bait my brother with."

_Elsewhere..._

During the few days he stayed at Darcy's place, Azar gathered information and equipment with which he could go to the next step of his plan. He spoke few words with her within that time, not about where he had been and what he had done. There were thoughts he wanted to keep to himself. And thankfully she was kind enough not to pry. She just helped with whatever he needed. The next step had a new destination, which Azar would take them too in his new vehicle; a grey pick-up. "If this does not work. We could try Trey. That boy kept calling me once every day for along time. I am sure he would want to help if I asked him." Darcy tried to breathe some life into the dead silence they were experiencing along the ride. "I think he would disagree. He is too much in the agency's eye anyway." The last time Azar had seen Trey, he had been forced to defeat him in a duel. No, Azar wanted someone neither the Agency nor the catalysts would care about. Someone whose identity had been kept a secret. The Masked Raider; That was who Azar wanted to find. The last time they had even seen him was in Neo Avalon, but Azar knew where to start searching for him now.

"We're here." Azar drove them to a city near the borders, a vast city. This was where all his information led him. Ruby had once told him that the Masked Raiders first acquired Number was one that could open virtually any lock, and Darcy had seen the kind of keys that the former owner used. Online Azar found various articles which pertained to a criminal who could break in and out or any place at any time. It also revealed which tools he had been using. That criminal had been apprehended in this city by an unknown person, a few days after Azar had started his dueling run as 'Dusk'. As the Raider claimed to have been inspired by Azar. this all added up. And with the Tracker function on the D-pad, and the dueling network still functioning on that basic level, Azar could locate any duelist within city limits. "D-pads are useless to anyone who just expects a normal game. If anyone has not yet given up on dueling, it would be him."

A large group of D-pad accounts were gathered at a college building. "That could be it. He was old enough to drive a motorcycle, but sounded too young to be in his thirties." Though Darcy had never heard him speak without his helmet, the Raider had not disguised his voice too much when he did speak. "Yes. This is where you come in, Darcy." Azar said as they made their way to the university's gates through which all students had to walk through. "Me? You mean.." She replied, mildly surprised. "I have not seen him in a long time. And I am not as good at it as I used to be." Body Reading; that was the power Darcy Lawless had gained from her own Number. That was what allowed her to adjust her own broken arm and mend it perfectly through self-therapy. And aside from that, Darcy's Number allowed her to read a persons body language perfectly. Distress, anxiety, comfort, deception, she could see through it all. Until that power was taken. "You lost your Number, but not your experiences. You told me that the Raider did not forget how to pick locks after he lost his Number. So you still might have some of that perception left. I trust you, Darcy."

"Well. Now is as good a time as any to try it out." Darcy stepped out of the car. "Thank you." Azar waited inside. He did not want to go out in public too much. ".." Not that being inside the car was any more comfortable. He had stolen this vehicle and he had not told her about it. Though she probably knew regardless. He would not have gone this far, had he not sensed that darkness. Now he knew time was of the essence. He could not let anything get in his way. Even worse, Azar had felt it again this morning. That rising power was closer, and still moving. Was he being followed by this 'thing'? Was it after the one valuable item he still had with him? Briefly Azar took a card out of his pocket...

"It's him." Darcy had suddenly returned to the car to point out one kid to Azar, a young straight-haired student with a large backpack. "How can you tell?" Azar did not see anything out of the ordinary. "He looked at me, differently than others, they usually just stare at me or ignore me, I am used to that. This was different, he had a look of recognition. His eyes have seen me before..." And Darcy was not exactly known around these parts. "Good enough."

"Excuse us. Could we have a minute of your time?" Darcy and Azar walked up to the kid just as he got on his bike. "...Uhm Yes? Are you selling something?" His words could not have been less informal. Nevertheless his voice was rather stilted. "Oh no. Nothing like that. We are Darcy and Azar." Darcy gave the introductions, while carefully studying him. "We want to know if you could help us find the Masked Raider." Azar on the other hand decided to be somewhat direct in his approach when it came to the subject. "Masked Raider?" That name momentarily took the student off guard, but he picked himself up rather quickly. "Who would call himself that?" He even produced a quick chuckle. "You, maybe?" Azar coyly suggested. "I do not know what you are talking about. My name is Thomas. You have the wrong guy. And I do not think I want to continue this conversation." He gave neither of them the time to get in another word and sped off on his bike.

".. It was him. When he raised his voice, it sounded just like the Raiders." As the two went back to the car, Darcy confirmed his and her suspicions. It came too late now. "Do you want to follow him? We may have antagonized him too much just now.." Azar did not answer her. She was right. Even if it had been for a brief moment, he had tried to manipulate Thomas. "I guess that part of me has not changed at all." He lowered his head and looked away. The intent to manipulate and deceive, that was in his nature. Chaos showed him that. "Darcy... why do you trust me?" And thinking on it, he started to wonder why she or anyone would want to help him at all. She knew what he had done. "You said the reason yourself, I am good at reading people. I can see you are keeping secrets, but also that you want to solve what you started. You are genuinely trying to make amends. That is never a bad thing."

Was that the answer? He could not see what she claimed to see, not inside himself. "...We can track his D-pad. It was in his backpack." Azar started the car and began driving east. "We will find his location, but give him time and space before approaching him again. The next time we should make him understand how severe the situation is.."

"!? Gah!" Without warning Azar's left arm convulsed, as a sharp force shot into his nerves. He nearly lost control of the wheels but managed to stop at an open parking lot. "Azar?" He got out again and Darcy got out as well. "What is it? What is wrong?" He heard Darcy say as he rested against the car. "I needed.. some air." Azar said, breathing heavily. "That power. It is here. I am sure of it. And.. now I know." The pain was not a new sensation, what coursed through his body just now was the same cold feeling he experienced when 'Chaos' was in control of his actions. Only it felt so much more agonizing now. "Here? How near is it?"

"I'd say it was exactly one inch, madam." The answer was provided by a man with a haughty tone._ "I know that..." _Azar had met a man with that exact voice before. But he couldn't be here. "Bonjour." Except he was. Janus III, the dignified duelist walked towards the two. Though appearance-wise, there was no dignity to speak off. His noble suit was tattered and his pristine hair all tangled up. "Yes. Good day indeed." Janus had company as well, his sister Janis; ragged hairdo and same dusty old coat. They were both here? "You..know these people?" Darcy only needed a second to deduce that. "Yes. They are Janis and Janus, siblings.. and members of the Tomorrow sect." A sect that had been disposed of, now stood before him. "That is Janus the Third to you, Azar Helder!" Janus scoffed and swept his hair out of his face. "How are you here, and why?" Janus had always been obsessed with Subito, and Janis had defeated Azar last time they dueled. Neither of them struck Azar as the type to hold a grudge with him. "How? Did you really think we could be kept under lock and key?" The brother laughed loudly. "How is a boring story. So let us go to the Why! Why? Because you are here!" Janis pointed her finger at Azar. "Because of me?!"

"Yes. Even if you lost your powers, and your Numbers. You still have one thing that we want to take from you!" Janis took cards out of her coat and shuffled them before handing the top six over to her brother. She would act as his deck-holder while he would duel. "Your Hope, your Utopia! Your wishes! We will tear it asunder by presenting our power to you! By proving just how powerless you really are!" Janus took a card from his hand. "I will take initiative!" He activated a field spell card. "Wait! He has not agreed to your duel yet!" Darcy protested. "He has no say in the matter, madam!" Janus snapped his fingers. "Voila!" And the world around them seemed to flip around; up became down, and down became up. "Field spell: Convulsion of Nature. All players must duel with their decks upside-down." Janis flipped her brothers deck, meaning the bottom card was now the top card and also facing upwards. "You can do all of this, without a D-pad?" Even when she had a Number of her own, she had always needed a machine to create the illusion. These people could make cards real without it?

Azars LP: 8000 Janus' LP: 8000

"..." Azar by now had drawn five cards from the deck of 40 cards he had with him. "Oh. You have a deck at least." Janis stated in a barely impressed manner. "It was only a matter of time before I would have to duel again." Azar said. He had prepared cards, he just did not expect them to be necessary so soon. "How regrettable then, Azar, that no card in the world can save you!" Janus activated another spell, a continous one. "I activate Archfiend's Oath! Every turn, by paying 500 lifepoints, I can add the top card of my deck to my hand if I can predict its name!" Janus looked at his deck. Thanks to Convulsion of Nature, he could just see what was on top. "I name, Rose Fairy!" He of course predicted correctly, and claimed the Fairy for himself. "Of course, Rose fairy was put in my hand from my deck with an effect. This allows her to special summon herself!" A rose-haired pink pixie(3/600/1200) fluttered into the inverted dueling field.

Janus' LP: 7500

"And that is just the entrée!" Janus normal summoned another new plant monster, a little sprite(3/1500/1200) made from leaves and purple flowers. "I have summoned a Sylvan Marshallleaf! Thus I may excavate and send to the grave 1 or 2 cards from my deck with it's special ability! I select deux!" Janus III picked up two cards from the top of his deck; they were two monster cards: Sylvan Peaskeeper and Sylvan Mikorange. "This card, Peaskeeper; its effect activates when excavated! He may special summon one other Sylvanian from my cemetery!" The Peas trio used their ability to revive the Sylvan that was discarded along with them, the orange-headed plant priestess Sylva Mikorange(3/400/1100). "I shall perform an XYZ-summon with these three monsters!" Janus attached Marshaleaf, Mikorange and Rose Fairy to each other and then to a rank 3 xyz monster. "Its name is.. Battlecruiser Dianthus!" Though Dianthaus was an elongate spaceship, that hovered in the space below them, its petal-like folds surrounding the front made clear that it was still a plant-type monster. "And now for the demonstratione!" Janus detached one material from the Battlecruiser. "Dianthus punishes my enemies through their own cards! For each card your hand holds, she inflicts 200 points of damage!" The cruiser charged its shots and fired them, five short bursts hit Azar dead on. "Rrgh!" The hits pushed him against the side of his car.

Azars LP: 7000

"Well Azar. How did that feel, that was the pain any normal human abides, when facing our power." Janis smiled at him. "Is that what you want, to make him suffer?" Darcy shouted. "That is not your concern, miss Lawless." Janis clapped her hands. And a thick and foggy forest grew out from the soil above their heads. Janus had activated another continuous spell, Spiritual Forest. "Quite so. I am sure you are a fine duelist, madam. Alas. _He _has to brave this by himself." A trap card was placed before him, and Janus III ended his turn. "So, Azar. Will you dazzle us?"

"...I do not know why." Azar grabbed hold of one of the cars and pulled himself up. "But you are part of what I sensed; this power that I once held. I felt it coming from you, as your monster hit me." Azar started his turn and activated the spell card Trade In. By discarding a level 8 monster, he drew two new cards. "So if what you want to teach me is how you wield that power, I will teach you how I duel without it! When only my opponent controls monsters, I may special summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit!" Azars new monster was a winged dragon(6/2100/1400) in golden armor, with a body of white mist. "Ah. The Hieratic." Tefnuit belonged to a series of Egyptian themed dragons. Janis could already tell what the backbone of his new deck was going to be.

"Then I normal summon Dragard!" A redwinged wyvern(4/1300/1900) in black cybernetic armor jumped down on top of Tefnuit. "Dragard revives one normal monster with 1000 attackpoints or less, when he is summoned this way!"The card discarded through Trade In, was Azars target. Dragard sent a beam from his chest into the graveyard above them, and a golden sphere(8/0/0) with a red symbol on it plowed through it, descending to the field. "This is Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord. The first part I need!" Next Azar took the Tefnuit card back from the field. "Dragard had a second effect; it tributes a monster to raise another monsters level to 8 and give it 800 more attackpoints!" Tefnuit was sacrificed so that Dragard's(8/2100/1900) stats could go up. "And then I summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!" Azar brought out the mightiest of vanilla monsters, the pure white dragon(8/0/0).

"Hold on. What?" Janus III flinched. "The Hieratics all have a sacrificial advantage, brother. When Tefnuit is tributed, its owner may special summon one 'normal' dragon-type monster from his hand, deck or graveyard, with its attack and defense reduced to zero." Unlike Janus, Janis usually bothered to research any decktype they could come upon. "Hmmhmm. How intuitive." It appeared Azar had found the perfect deck to compliment his previous dueling style. "It was only natural. I did not discard everything from my past. I could never do that." Azar placed Blue-Eyes White Dragon on top of the Hieratic Seal. "This is one of the things I kept.. I summon my Xyz-monster: Thunder End Dragon!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)04: A Wish Left Behind)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit  
Dragard  
Hieratic Seal of the Dragon Overlord

**New Cards used by Janus III  
**Sylvan Marshalleaf  
Sylvan Peaskeeper  
Sylvan Mikorange  
Rose Fairy  
Battlecruiser Dianthus

-  
Convulsion of Nature  
Archfiend's Oath  
Spiritual Forest


	6. Cipher (1)04: A Wish Left Behind

**Cipher (1)04: ****A Wish Left Behind**

Azars LP: 7000 Janus' LP: 7500

"Thunder End Dragon can destroy all monster cards on the field!" Azars recently Xyz-summoned monster, the blue ender dragon(8/3000/2500), drew lightning from the skies beneath its claws, as it absorbed one of its own attached materials. "Your spell, Spiritual Forest, negates the destruction of plant monsters through battle, once every turn. But not the destruction caused by effects." Janus' card, BattleCruiser Dianthus(3/2100, was hiding deep within the Spiritial spell woods at the moment. The thunder would find it. "Ah everything you said.. is true, Azar." Janus extended his hand, flipping his continuous trap card with a mere thought. "And so is this. Permanent trap: XYZ Tribalrivals!" The trap dispelled the thunder blasts that came after Dianthus. Only Azars Dragard(4/2100/1900) ended up being destroyed by Thunder End Dragon. "This trap guarantees the safety of xyz monsters as long as they hold more than one material." Dianthus had two left, that was why it was unharmed. "Mais... You can still try to attack, if you desire."

"No." Azar placed three cards from his hand face down in his spell/trap zone. "XYZ Tribalrivals also destroys any monster that did battle with an xyz monster with multiple materials. Combine that with Spiritual Forest, and it would do more harm than good." And his turn was over. "You are still as smart as you were then." Janis scoffed, while her brother began his turn. "Smart enough to survive one more turn, at least." Janus had Dianthus use its effect on Shin anyway, detaching another material from it to inflict 200 points of damage to Azar for each card in his hand. "Nph." Azar received one blast this time.

Azars LP: 6800

"Has the sting of that card worn off?" Darcy noticed Azar reacted with much less pain this time around, he had set as much cards as he could in his turn to make sure of that. "Yes. I feel better than last time." Azar felt like he was getting used to the damage they were dealing. "Hm? But this is not the power we were talking about." Janus looked at the top card of his deck, which was revealed thanks to Convulsion of Nature. "That time has come now, a time of true despair!" And through the Archfiend's Oath, with a payment of 500 lifepoints, Janus added that card to his hand. "The top card of my deck, I declare it to be Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force!"

Janus' LP: 7000

"Chaos!?" Azar felt like his heart sink. Not just the words, he knew what he was dealing with just by standing in the presence of that card. "I rank up Dianthus, and chaos Xyz-summon the Battleship Cherry Blossom!" The rank 3 battlecruiser was converted to crimson energy, absorbed within the body of a rounder spacestation(5/2400/2000) shaped like a blossoming pink flower. "A monster ranked up by Chaos Force can procure one material from my enemy's Xyz monster!" The last material attached to Thunder End Dragon shot across the skies and got encased in a red crystal along with Dianthus and Cherry Blossoms other material. "How did you.." This was the same power that had given life to Azars own Chaosnumber, it could be nothing else. "Tres Magnifique! Chaos Evolution is no longer your sole right. We can do with it, as we see fit." Janus placed one monster and one trap card face down. "Cherry Blossom may inflict 300 points of damage for each card on the field!" 2 Monsters, 3 Spells, 1 Trap and 5 unknowns; eleven cards were on the field. Eleven lines of energy gathered and focused on the front side of the Battleship. "Enjoy!" Janus released the energy blast, and one wide beam enveloped Azar. "Gwahhh!" Azar could not prepare himself for it. He was dragged off his feet and pushed against the barrier around him.

Azars LP: 3500

"Azar!" Darcy cringed and covered her mouth. She could do nothing to help him, yet she could not look away. _"You are going to kill him if this keeps up. Why.." _And there was nothing in their expressions that could tell her what they were thinking. They did not answer to her anymore, they only had hate for him.. an incomprehensible hate.

_"Is this is what it was like for normal duelists, to be terrorized by Numbers..."_ Azar tensed his body and forced himself to stand again. _"No. This is different from Numbers. They are not acting on a specific goal or desire, they are acting erratically..chaotically."_ Numbers drove people to what they wanted to achieve. This behavior reminded him of his own, when he was the host of Chaos. They too had an insatiable hunger for power and a need to express it. This was a power he now had to fight against. "Red Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon; By banishing a dragon on my field I can special summon this monster!" Thunder End Dragon was removed to switch places with the metallic scaled dark dragon(10/2800/2400). "RedEyes can special summon a dragon from my hand or graveyard! I choose Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The red-eyed monster revived his blue-eyed counterpart(8/3000/2500). Together they formed a black and white front. "They attack Cherry Blossom!"

"Do it." Janis' commanded, grinning with delight. "Mais Oui." And Janus activated a continuous trap. "Scrubbed Raid. I surrender a card I control, to cancel the battle phase!" Janus sent Spiritual Forest to the cemetery, so that his trap disperse the white and black streams of energy that Azars dragons were charging up. "It is hopeless, non? And there is another shade of terror you have not yet experienced! During your endphase, if your hand is more plentiful than mine, Battleship Cherry Blossom shall take one card from your hand." As Janus III held no cards in his hand, and Azar carried at least one. He would have to discard it if the turn was ended now. "Azar. They just want you to put more cards on the field!" Darcy shouted. "I have no choice. I normal summon Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb!" Azar summoned the last card in his hand, the golden Hieratic dragon of sand(4/1800/400). "Turn End."

"We have arrived at last, to the finale!" Janus drew his card. Then he paid 500 lifepoints to pick up another card from the top of his deck through Archfiend's oath, which was a monster called Evil Thorn.

Janus' LP: 6500

"I shall summon this!" The thorned grenade flower(1/100/300) sprouted from the convulsing soil above their heads. "I can tribute this card to inflict 300 points of damage, and summon two more Evil Thorns from my deck!" If he succeeded, there would be a total of 14 cards on the field. "Trap card: Hieratic Seal of Banishment!" The only chance to act was now. "It tributes my Hieratic dragon, to banish a monster!" Azar tried to sacrifice Gebeb. "That is not fine! I discard Rose Archer from my hand, to negate the activation of your trap card!" An archer with a bow made from rose stems, fired her arrow. "Then I counter with my second trap, Skill Prisoner! It targets my trap card and negates any effect that targets it afterwards!" Azar resolved his second trap before the Archer could shoot the first down. "Banishment still goes off, and it banished your Evil Thorn!" The tributed Gebeb sent its spiritual energy towards the grenade plant to remove it from the field. "And when Gebeb is tributed, he special summons a normal dragon monster from my deck!" Azar special summoned another Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord(8/0/0) in defense mode. "You are dreaming Azar! You still can not stop the Chaos Xyz' effect!" A material was detached from the Chaos Xyz monster and Cherry Blossom fired its concentrated beams of energy.

Azars LP: 200

"Oh thank goodness. I knew you could make it, but that was.. close." Darcy saw now what Azars plan had been, he had reduced the number of cards on his field to a survivable amount, 11 instead of 14. "Aagh. You miscounted, brother." Janis' smile had disappeared. Their opponent looked happier now than they did. "And I would not be so pleased if I were you! Your situation is deplorable. You have not hit us even once, we only need to breathe at you to break you! You can not turn this back now!" Her screams were followed by those of Cherry Blossom, as the battleship spun around and fired its hind cannons to attack and destroy the Hieratic Seal of the SunDragon during the battle phase. "It is your Hope, isnt it? Your last Number is what has let you stomach your despair for so long! Why don't you try and summon it? Not even that will save you!"

_"Hope.." _Azar studied his extra deck. Number 39: Utopia was in there. Could he summon it, when he was no longer its master? "..I activate the power of Darkness Metal Dragon once more." His turn began, and this time the red-eyed dragon special summoned Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit(6/2100/1400) from his graveyard. "I also activate my last set card, Hieratic Seal of Convocation." The third card Azar had set was a spell. "It allows me to take any 'Hieratic' card out of my deck." Azar used it to get a second copy of Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb. This sand dragon(4/1800/400) was also summoned, normally. "And now the card I drew." Azar special summoned another dragon(4/1400/1200), this one appeared to have plating all over its body, made from round lunar rock. And as it appeared it (8/1400/1200) doubled the amount of level stars it held. "Radius, the Half-Moon Dragon; This card special summons itself if my opponent controls an xyz-monster. Furthermore it raises its level to eight."

"Not level 4? Level 8?" Janus and Janis had expected a rank 4 monster to appear, but Azar was moving away from that approach. "I overlay Radius, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Azar used his 2 level 8 dragons to form what appeared to be his mightiest dragon yet, a gigantic golden armored dragon lord, with a body burning as brightly as the sun. "I have xyz-summoned Heliopolis, the unsealed Sundragon Overlord itself!" Azar then immediately detached one of its xyz-materials. "By tributing monsters I control, I can destroy cards you control: Janus and Janis!" Azar sacrificed two of his monsters: Gebeb and Tefnuit. "I destroy Scrubbed Raid and.. CXyz Batteship Cherry Blossom!" Heliopolis created a large sphere of solar fire above its head and fueled it by consuming the vapor and sand Hieratic dragons. The sphere was thrown towards the Battleship. "No!" And Janus' mighty Cherry Blossom was reduced to cosmic ash, along with the battle phase cancelling trap. With only one material attached to it, the CXyz monster could not be protected by XYZ Tribalrivals.

"Because Hieratic Dragons Tefnuit and Gebeb have been tributed, I can use their effects and special summon two Alexandrite Dragons from my deck!" They summoned two normal dragons from Azars deck, reducing their stats to zero. The crystal-scaled dragons(0/0) would be Azars new building blocks. "After all that, you are still.." Now he did have the materials for Utopia. "You can not do it, you have lost everything you need to control it!" Janis now insisted that Utopia would not come for him. "Maybe. Today is not the day to find out." Azar turned the Alexandrite pair into xyz materials. "Today I do not require it, to bring this to its conclusion! I xyz-summon Kachi-Kochi Dragon!" Azar's rank 4 monster was instead the dragon(4/2100/1300) made from pure diamond and crystal. "I enter my Battle phase!" Azar sent Kachi-Kochi Dragon in first. "When Kachi Kochi Dragon destroys a monster in battle, it may attack again!" After the diamond dragon crushed Janus' facedown monster under its feet, a material was detached from it to give it the chance to join Heliopolis and RedEyes in their next offense. "Janus, you are giving him every opening he could need, do something!" All three of Azars dragons came in for a direct assault. "Do..something? What was I.." But Janus had nothing to stop them, mentally or physically. "Sister?..guwaaahh!"

Janus' LP: 0

"...?" As Janus was knocked into unconsciousness, the illusions his spells had crafted wore off, and he landed on the pavement which revolved back to where it was supposed to be, below them. "At that last moment.. he.." Darcy had seen a daze of confusion in Janus eyes, before the direct attacks finished him off. His behavior had changed drastically with the destruction of his CXyz monster. "It means I have to fix my brothers mistake." Janis grabbed her own deck of cards that she carried with her. "You want to challenge me too?" Azar was not too surprised, and he did not sound worried either. Not anymore. "Where does your damn confidence come from?!" Janis already started to hesitate about this course of action. "Let me tell you what helped, Janis. I had someone that wanted to see me win." Azar stated as he gave Darcy a content smile. "That alone is enough reason to not give up." And right now Janis had nobody to cheer her on. "Rgh. We were supposed to eradicate your hope, not strengthen it! Chaos wanted it that way!" She snarled. "Chaos wanted? What does that.."

"That's as far as you go, evildoer!"

Any an all agenda Janis might have had, went out the window when a motorcycle tore into the parking lot. And on that bike was a mysterious individual, masked and suited from head to toe. "Wha..who.. who in gods name are you?" Janis was now also introduced to the man who called himself the Masked Raider. "It's you!" Darcy and Azar of course had already become well acquainted. "Yes. It is I.." The Raider stated somewhat lacklusterly. Darcy's words had kinda undercut what he wanted to be a dramatic entrance. "The point being; cease and desist! This city falls under my protection, and you will not harm anyone as long as you are here!" The Raider took out his D-pad, demonstrating how far he was willing to go. "...You convinced me.." So Janis deactivated her D-pad and raised her hands. "I can see when I am outmatched." She turned her back on them. "You would leave? Without your accomplice?" The Raider was appalled by her decision. "You mean my failure of a brother? Right now I could care less about the bond of family. He is yours to keep. Bye." And Janis hurried away, disappearing behind the next building.

"You are not going to pursue?" Azar spoke up when the Raider turned off his engine. "She can wait. How fare you, maiden of purple and duelist of dragons?" The masked man got off his vehicle and extended an open hand. "I think it's mostly Azar you should be asking that." Darcy looked at Azar, who looked like he had seen better days. "The damage is mostly inside.." He was ignoring his pain for now. "Splendid. But wait. You two, I met you two before, didn't I? Yes you are Darcy Lawless and Azar Helder from Neo Avalon!"

"You don't have to pretend anymore. Thomas. We know who you are."

"Wh-what? Thomas? Who might that be?" For the second time Darcy caught him off guard. "It's your voice. You are trying to make it sound heavier, but I can still hear the resemblance." And while she put it gently, she was not going to let the act continue. "I.." The raider turned to Azar, who just nodded. "I see." A big sigh came from underneath his mask, before he took it off. "I was hoping I could maintain my cover. But you two were already certain since you crossed paths with me earlier today." The face was the same as the one they had approached at the campus gates, he was Thomas.

"I am glad you came back. We were worried we had scared you off." Azar finally admitted. "I must admit, I was rather embarrassed that anyone found me.. But I would never turn my back on a crisis, I am better than my lesser emotions." Thomas claimed proudly as he casted a glare in Janus' direction. He was in a deep sleep. "This one I will drop off near the police station later. But first you should tell me who this man is, and why he wanted to attack you Aza..no wait." Thomas e was talking to the very man who had inspired him to become The Masked Raider, Azar deserved a better title. "Dusk. Why are these people after you? Is this still connected to the Numbers?" Thomas had not heard of them in months. "I believe so. They wanted my Number, for one thing." Azar had his doubts about that as well. It sounded like they wanted more than that. "They had a strange kind of spell card too." Darcy added. "Yes. The force of Chaos. It is a power I know off, but I do not know how they gained access to it.. or how these people found me here." Azar had theories, but he could not confirm them here. "But that does not matter..right now. Thomas. I need your help. I need to return to the city, my city."

"You think these people are going to attack there next? If that were to happen.. What is it that you need?" Thomas was considering it. ".. I need to become The Masked Raider." Azar answered him.

"...Oh?"

"

...

"Geez. I do not know what you are talking about!" Crystal told him again and again, she claimed to not have heard about Shins attacked. Even though she had been the attacker. "You can not deny that you dueled my brother, people have seen you." Finding her had been easier than he imagined, Crystal Duvalle just showed up for class as if nothing had happened the day before. "What? They couldn't have.. I was.." Subito had approached her during recess, and accused her of taking Shins Number card. She claimed to not know what that was either. "What did I do?" Yet now she failed to reflect on her actions during that time-frame. "I was there, Crystal. It happened." Natasha stated self-assuredly. Even though Crystals confusion had caught her off guard. "But I never dueled in my life!" Crystal protested. "..check my locker, check my bag. I don't have this card or this D-pad you keep talking about!" That much was true. They checked her belongings and found nothing to indicate she was a duelist. "That does not mean you have them hidden at your home.." Subito however did not want to call her innocent just based on that.

"I believe her." But Ariel decided otherwise. "What?" Subito nearly snapped at her, but kept his voice down. "Not just because of what she said. Because of what I sense within her." In this case Ariel had put aside her Number-related apprehensions and used her own Numbers to detect the truth in Crystals words. "Number 32 tells me there is no shallowness within her, and 47 tells me that Shins Number card is not here. However it happened, the fact is that she no longer has it." Nightmare Shark's tracking senses had never failed her before. "Thank you. Now can please go?" Crystal grumbled, and she was allowed to walk off.

"Then what is going on here? Are these people being brainwashed by that spell maybe?" That could explain Crystals drastic behavior changes, Natasha figured. "Somebody gave her that spell card and told her how to bait Shin. That somebody must have taken it back along with the Number. Theo or an even higher power is behind this all, and hey are going about it in a discreet manner. They do not want anyone to know the Numbers are being extinguished."

"We have to find them, before they find us."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)05: Brighter than Ever Before)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon  
Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb  
Radius, the Half-Moon Dragon  
Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis

-  
Hieratic Seal of Convocation

-  
Hieratic Seal of Banishment  
Skill Prisoner

**New Cards used by Janus III  
**CXyz Battleship Cherry Blossom  
Evil Thorn

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

-  
XYZ Tribalrivals  
Scrubbed Raid


	7. Cipher (1)05: Brighter than Ever Before

**Cipher (1)05: ****Brighter than Ever Before**

"I see. Thanks for the update. I will get back you." Subito hung up the phone and then picked it up again. "Was that dad? What did he have to say?" Unfortunately since he was at the Artega manor, he was at the one place he could not avoid his brother. "Yes. He called because the card Ariel handed in has been analyzed." It had taken him less time than he'd expected. "What did it say? What was that card?" As usual Shin sounded intrigued. And this time his questions had a demanding tone to them. "That card was manufactured...with normal materials." The answer however made Shin skip a beat. "Eh? Manufactured? Like in a factory?" Numbers were made by Catalysts or through magic, Shin understood that part. Yet a Rank-Up Magic card, with the same kind of power, was different? "Shin..who have you told about Azar, and his exploits as Dusk?" Subito asked his brother, out of nowhere from Shins perspective. "Uh.. Just my friends. Nobody I did not trust, not the enforcers." During Azars absence, Shin had shared many of their stories and adventures with Natasha, Xander and the like. He saw no harm in that. "Wait.. Who are you calling?" Subito was dialing a new number. "I need someone for what I am planning to do." His older brother replied vaguely on purpose. "And no, Shin, you may not come." He even cut off Shins request before it was uttered. "I have a Number too, they want me now."

An hour later, as the sun was setting in the west, Subito and Ariel walked down the streets of the city. "I can not feel anything yet." Ariel was holding the Number 47: Nightmare Shark. She had given it a new prey to hunt; whoever it was that gave Crystal the Chaos Force card. But so it did not even find a trail. "It might need a more specific term to find its target.." She was the only one to do any talking so far, the silence was getting to be unbearable. "... Was Shin not yet..well?" Ariel had half expected to see both brothers here, given Shins spirited nature. "I told him to stay at the manor. Are you going to tell me that that was wrong?" He asked her as his eyes gazed distractedly out into the distance. "..No. I can understand that." Ariel started telling him, pausing momentarily. "I haven't told my brother everything either, about what happened. I just do not want him to place him in a dangerous position again, you know?" Subito stopped walking as well, partially because of her words. "I do. You are like me, you feel responsible for your family.." He was staring intently at his surroundings now, which Ariel picked up on. "You see something, don't you?"

"It is what I don't see, that troubles me." He looked to his left and right, there were plenty of people around. Yet none of them were... "No Enforcers?" Ariel came to the same realization. There was usually one enforcer in every city block, due to the recent crisis. They were always easy to pick out, yet this block had not a one. "Something is wrong..I.." The card in Ariels hand started to glow. "Ah? It found something, or someone!" She only had to close her eyes to intuit where Number 47 wanted her to go. "There, behind that house!" They were close by, that was why the Nightmare Shark could find a trail. "Okay." Subito and Ariel circled around the place, and came across a ghastly sight on the other side. "!?" An enforcer was kneeling before another, a duelist who was holding a card in front of his eyes. The crimson light emanating from that card kept the enforcer sedated it seemed like. "Stop whatever you are doing!" Ariel shouted at the duelist. "Now that's a voice I wanted to hear." And she put her card down, revealing her face as the lights intensity went down

"Ruby?!"

While Ariel was in shock at the identity of the culprit, Ruby made her move. "Look out!" Subito moved Ariel out of the way, as a wall of energy came for them both. "Subito?!" Ariel stumbled backwards, while Subito stayed behind within the lowering barrier. "Tch. I wanted to catch you both. Eh. One at a time will have to do!" Ruby snapped her fingers. "It was you? You brainwashed Crystal? You told her to attack Shin?" Ariel could not believe it, even as she was saying it. "Not just me. All of Tomorrow has decided to make their move. But you had to go and take old Ryan out of the equation." Ruby snarkily said, as she took the spell card and shuffled it into her deck. "But I could always get new help. And these bozo's were in our way, so.. two birds with one stone." Ruby knocked the dazed enforcer to the ground, rendering him unconscious. "Don't need help anymore, now do I?" She activated her D-pad. "Here we are Subito. You and me. Hope you came prepared!" She drew six cards already. "Because I am coming one way or the other! And I am giving everything I got!"

Ruby's LP: 8000 Subito's LP: 8000

"Back with Tomorrow? No that can't be true, Ruby! You must be under that spells control too! You have to fight it!" Ariel yelled from outside the barrier. "Can it, sweetheart. The only fight I am interested in, is this one!" Ruby placed one monster face-down and one trap card and ended her turn. "..." Subito spared her no words and quickly took out his own D-pad and cards. He drew his cards and summoned Reverse Buster, the devilish reaper(4/1500/0) "I attack your set." Reverse Buster destroyed defending monsters instantly, and also could not be stopped by traps or spells. "Ah. You are itching for a good fight as well, eh?" Ruby smiled as she watched her monster, a fire arrow archer(3/200/1500) get killed. "But so far, you are playing right into my hands! I activate the effect of the Brotherhood of the Fist - Hawk card you just destroyed!" Hawk commanded the spirit of the fire bird to dive into Ruby's deck. "I can set one Fire Formation spell card down on my field, when Hawk dies!" Ruby placed a Fire Formation Tenki down before her.

As soon as she did so, Subito ended his turn. "That was it? That was all the champion could do on his first turn?" Ruby drew another card. "Oh I get it. Treating me with care, like I am a victim? You better cut that out, it is going to get you killed!" Ruby activated another spell in her hand. "Fire Formation Yoko! All my beastwarriors gain 100 attackpoints. And when it is activated, it can also send one beastwarrior in my hand to graveyard, to destroy a card you control!" Ruby discarded a Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo, unleashing the animals burning soul upon Subito's Reverse Buster. "Your only defense is gone now, Subito!"

"Tenki!" Then she flipped her set Formation, which would add another 100 attackpoints to her Beastwarrior cards. And also. "With this spell, I can add one Beastwarrior to my hand!" Ruby searched her deck and claimed a Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit. "I summon this card!" Black flames were ignited, the flames formed a specter(3/700/200) that donned white armor. "When Spirit is normal summoned, it special summons another level 3 beastwarrior from my graveyard!" The fire spirit used its powers to rekindle the flames of the Hawk and his wielder(3/400/1500). "Only Beastwarriors can attack the turn I use the effect of Spirit, so..." Ruby attached her two monsters to each other. "I xyz-summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor!" An imperial swordsman(3/2400/200), with the face of a lion, was born from the two combined flames. "Direct attack!" The Emperor brandished his sword. "Kuriphoton." Only to have his attack thwarted by a cutesy missile that exploded in its face. "What?" By discarding a Kuriphoton monster card from his hand, and paying 2000 lifepoints, Subito could negate all damage he would take this turn.

Subito's LP: 6000

"You wasted 2000 just to avoid losing 2400 points? Are you for real?" Ruby detached one material from Lion Emperor to activate that monsters effect; adding one Fire-type from the graveyard back to her hand; she reclaimed Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk. "Ruby. You should consider for yourself what is real. You are being toyed with, Ruby." Subito told her as she ended her turn. "Oh you would know, wouldn't you?" Ruby said with a sneer. "You have been toyed with for all your life!"

"When I was in the league, yes. Now, I am free. And I shall free you as well." Subito normal summoned a Galaxy Wizard(0/1800), and Subito its effect; sacrificing itself to find a 'Galaxy' card in the deck, to add a Galaxy Wave card to his hand. "I activate this continuous spell; each time I xyz-summon a monster, you take 500 points of damage!" Now all he needed were the materials. "Spell card: Photon Lead! I special summon a level 4 or lower light-monster from my hand!" The spell brought a light warrior, Daybreaker(4/1700/0) to the field. "And when DayBreaker is summoned, a second appears." Ruby scoffed. "Seen it." And yawned as the second Daybreaker was summoned from Subito's hand by the first. "Then.." Subito overlayed them for his rank 4 xyz-monster; Starliege Paladynamo(4/2000/1000). At that time Galaxy Wave inflicted 500 points of damage to Ruby. "You know about this one too!" Subito detached both xyz-materials from the photonic paladin, and it itself depowered the Lion Emperor(0/200) completely. "Attack!" Paladynamo then beheaded the Imperial Lion with one swing from its blade.

Ruby's LP: 5500

"..." Then before ending his turn, Subito discarded Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from his hand. "What?" Because by discarding a Photon monster, a used up Kuriphoton could return to a players hand. "You discarded that card?" Even Ariel was astonished. "Heh. Do you want to pretend you are not the guy you became after you won Galaxy-Eyes in the League? You call that freedom? The only one who has freed herself, is me!" Ruby could not help but find his act amusing, but also aggravating. "I do not even care anymore about fighting someone at full strength, or about your dragon. I just want your Number!" Ruby activated a spell card. "Onslaught of the Fire Kings: when only my enemy has monsters I can special summon one fire-type beast/beastwarrior or winged beast from the deck, with its effects negated!" A blazing torrent erupted, sending forth a Brotherhood of the Fire First - Dragon(4/2000/400). "Then by sending two Fire Formations to my graveyard, I can special summon Fire First - Buffalo from my graveyard!" Ruby removed the spells; Yoko and Tenki, to revive the Buffalo warrior(4/1700/1000).

"And I have not normal summoned yet!" Ruby summoned Coach Captain Bearman, the cybernetic fire bear(8/1300/2700), without tributes by shaving off 1300 of its original 2600 attackpoints. "Bearman has the power to double all my level 4 beastwarriors levels!" One commanding roar from the Captain and Dragon(8/1800/400) and Buffalo(8/1700/1000) prepared themselves for the following process. "Xyz-summon Coach King Giantrainer!" The trio of level 8 beastwarriors joined as one, and formed the fully armored Coaching warrior(8/2800/2000). "Remember this? I gave this to you once. But of course, that was just one of the many from my collection!" By detaching a material, Giantrainer drew a card from her deck. And if it was a monster, she could inflict 800 points of damage to Subito. "Kuriphoton." As he anticipated some damage at least, Subito paid another 2000 lifepoints to shield himself from damage this turn and discarded Kuriphoton once more.

Subito's LP: 4000

"Again with that thing. Grr!" Not that it stopped her, the draws themselves would be worth it. "I use all three materials!" Coach King used its power three times, revealing the cards Ruby would draw: Blaster - Dragon Ruler of the Infernos, Rhinotaurus and... Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force. "It's there!" Ariel recognized it immediately."Yes. Yes it is Ariel! Let's go!" Right off the bat Ruby activated the rank-up card and used it on her Coach Lord. "I rank-up Giantrainer to form an Ultimate Trainer!" The Coach King transformed, growing extra limbs, gaining sharper blades, and fitting itself out with a new wrestling-type armor. He had become the Coach Lord, CXyz Ultimatrainer(9/3800/2300). "Ultimatrainer can not be affected by card effects, even your Dragon can not touch it! And as long as it has Giantrainer attached to him, it lets me draw one card from my deck, to inflict another 800 points of damage!" Ruby detached the rank 8 monster from the rank 9 monster, and drew another monster from her deck. Thankfully due to Kuriphoton Subito was safe from both the Coach monsters damaging effects.

"Looks like you made the right call with Kuriphoton." Ruby spat. "And I can not attack during the turn Giantrainer used its effect either. But.." Ruby discarded two cards from her hand. "I can do this! Dragon Ruler Blaster, along with a fire-type monster; can destroy any one card if they are sent to the graveyard together! And I only have one choice!" The Infernal Dragon emerged from her hand, snaking its way towards Starliege Paladynamo. Blaster wrapped itself around it, taking himself, the Rhinotaurus in Ruby's hand and Paladynamo down into the fiery pits of hell. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

"So that is the power of Chaos, Azars former power." Even though it had not touched him yet, Subito could feel the sickeningly intoxicating aura coming off of it. He needed to end this soon."Ruby. I dueled this way, to make you think about who you were before. You told me once that you watched all of my duels, that you were there at my very last tournament. I still do not remember how your duel at that time, but I know this is not how you used to duel." Subito began his turn by normal summoning Photon Chargeman(4/1000/1000). "But I need more than my oldest monsters. I need more than the good... I activate Message in a Bottle!" And then he activated a spell which revived Kuriphoton(1/0/0), Galaxy Wizard(4/0/1800) and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/0/2500), all with their attacks reduced to nothing and their effects on the field negated. "That card? The spell that can only special summon monsters in the graveyard if they have three different levels?" Ruby finally understood why Subito had used Kuriphoton so many times. It was all leading up to this.

"I was not holding back, Ruby. And I did plan this. Galaxy Wizard's effect is only negated while on the field. It can still pay its cost, sacrificing itself, to activate its effect in the graveyard." And Subito sent Galaxy Wizard back to the cemetery, to claim Galaxy Queens Light from his deck. "I use Galaxy Queens Light! All monsters levels on the field become that of the highest level on the field!" The light from the galactic queen raised the level stars of Kuriphoton(8/0/0) and Photon Chargeman(8/1000/1000), elevating them to the Galaxy Dragons class.

"Rank 8.." Ruby started to shiver. "That card. Neo-Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.."Memories did come back, of the duel and the fire that it caused. And then she went even deeper into her own past. "No. No! NO!" Her own fire, the first one, her creation and destruction. "No. You will not bring that back! I have left that all behind! Trap card: Compulsory Activation, I discard a card to force my other set card, Heatwave to activate!" She resisted the pull of the past, and revealed a trap which activated a set spell as if it was a quickplay card. "Heatwave prevents the summons of all cards until my next draw phase!" The heat that pulsed over Subito's monsters made them too weak to even move, let alone be used as xyz materials. "But if he can not summon..." Ariel gasped. Message in a Bottle had a hefty cost, if you did not xyz-summon during the turn you used it. "I lose 4000 lifepoints." Subito had no counter to this. His turn could only proceed to his loss. The lifepoinrs were taken away in silence.

Subito's LP: 0

_Compulsory Activation, Normal Trap  
__Discard 1 card: Target 1 Set card in the spell & trap card zone; reveal that target, force its activation, regardless of the activation timing.  
__That card's activation and effect can not be negated. Card's your opponent controls can not be unaffected by activated card._

"Ghhk." The duel had concluded. Only now the torment began. "Wahahah!" Ruby, elated and estatic, reached out towards her opponent. "I have surpassed you, Subito! I am stronger than you now, stronger then me! Yes! The old Ruby is dead!" A stream of extra-universal energy crept out of Subito's chest, and into Ruby's hand. "You are living in yesterday, you do not deserve this Number, champion!" Subito collapsed to one knee, while Ruby stared at the card, Number 33: Machu Mech, with malevolent glee. And she crushed the card between her hands. Now. Your turn." Ruby moved towards Ariel with aggressive steps. "Where.. did you send the Number?" It was as it Ruby had burned up the Number, Ariel did not see any fragments fall out of her hand. Was she not its new host? "The power of the Numbers is not important. All I want, is to get stronger, to defeat more enemies, more... more!"

"Ruby!?" Unfortunately for her, her moment of triumph was ruined by the intrusion of Shin. "You?" And the swarm of enforcers that came with him. "Halt!" They attempted to surround the place, but the barrier made that difficult. "Shin?" Subito was not really surprised to see him more, though the pain would keep him from admonishing him anyway. The enforcers were an unexpected follow-up though. "I'm sorry. They followed me here... But that's besides the point. Ruby your game is over!" Shin shouted defiantly, despite the barrier. "Oh no no. It is far from over, Shin! Even if I can not get the Numbers here, my other friend will get them for us!" She laughed as she made a run for it. "What? Who else did you give Chaos Force too?" Ariels question reached Ruby just before she left their sight. "Who? me? Nahh. I can't get into your school. I told that Crystal girl to do that job for me! Have fun with that!" She left them with those final taunting words.

Once she was gone, the barrier shut itself off. "Subito!" Shin rushed to his brothers aid. At the same time Ariel reflected on what Ruby had said._ "Crystal got someone else, someone in school? But who would they... No!"_

_"Sky is in danger!"_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)06: Under Her Spell)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Photon Chargeman

-  
Galaxy Wave

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk  
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo  
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Lion Emperor  
CXyz Coach Lord UltimaTrainer

-  
Fire Formation Yoko  
Onslaught of the Fire Kings  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force  
Heat Wave

_-  
Compulsory Activation_


	8. Cipher (1)06: Under Her Spell

**Cipher (1)06: ****Under Her Spell**

The bad news was that Subito, Shin and Ariel had some questions to answer before they could move on. By the time the enforcers let them go, it was already too late and too dark to try and locate Ruby. Ariel's Numbers could no longer pick up her trail. The good news was that Sky had not been attacked during that period. He and the others managed to regroup at school the next day without any issues. "If Ruby has rejoined Tomorrow.. against her will or not.. then Korose and Xander may be victims as well." Those three had set out together. Sky did not think they would have gone their separate ways before their investigation had been completed. "And now you and me are the only one they will come after." Sky still had Korose's former Number, Ariel had four Numbers in total; it was only a matter of time before they would be attacked again.

"Yeah by however this secret new duelist is." Shin grumbled. Subito was now the one at home recovering from exhaustion, while Shin had regained his energy. "Who could it be? We can't trust anyone. They can duel without D-pads, so we can not even use a Tracker to spot them" Ruby had told her that Crystal had found a new person to give the Chaos Force card too, someone in this very school building. He was eyeing every student he came across. "Maybe it's a teacher instead." Shin recoiled as he saw one of them walk by him. "Paranoia is not going to do us any good, Shin." Natasha said as the class-bell rang. "Yeah you're right." Shin sighed... And then tensed up again. _"Wait. Natasha was with me when Crystal attacked. And I passed out before Crystal left.."_ Shin stared at Natasha as she walked ahead of him. _"Could she be the one?"_

...

Because of that thought, Shin could not stop taking glances at Natasha for the rest of the schoolday. Though she acted the same as usual, bossy but well-meaning, it was not enough to remove his suspicions. And things got worse when Natasha approached Sky at the end of the day. _"..What is she up to?"_ He saw her talk with Sky, and made him follow her out of the hallways. _"No!" _Tis had to be the moment; a trap was sprung! _"I knew it!" _There was no time to call for Ariel's help, she was taking a different class on the other side of school. It was up to him! He followed the two to the gym room, where Sky usually trained. "Sky! Look out!" Shin screamed loudly as he barged into the room. "Shin?" Sky and Natasha turned to him, both holding cards in their hands. "What are you doing, making a scene here?" Natasha yelled back at him, half-embarrassed and half-angered. "Busting you in the act! Confess Natasha, you are the one who Crystal brainwashed. And you have want Sky's Number!"

"Huhhh?" Natasha reacted the same as any regular person would, with utter bewilderment. "Shin. She was just asking me to come train her in dueling." Sky tried to explain it to him. "Likely story!" But Shin just saw that as a cover to hide Natasha's true intentions. "It's true! We have done this before!" Natasha added, sounding like she did not want to admit it. "You were just waiting for the right time! But I will stop you!" Shin grabbed his D-pad and D-visor. "You want to duel me, here? Have you gone mad?" Natasha was the last person who would want to break the rules and engage in a virtual duel. "Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am not. Only one way to be sure!" Shin was already shuffling his cards. "Shin she doesn't have to.." Sky tried to interject on her behalf. "You don't have to defend me.." But Natasha was already taking out her D-Pad and Visor. "Shin. You know these things do not work anymore. The network is down, see?" However as she turned the pad on, it did the exact opposite of what she wanted and immediately connected to the network. "What?" As did Shins. The two linked with each other and initiated duel mode. "Oh I see!" Shin smirked. "There has got to be an explanation for this. Maybe the network was turned back on?" Natasha had no other clue why her D-pad was acting this way now. "Or.. Chaos magic is at work! You have no choice but to duel me, Natasha."

Natasha's LP: 8000 Shins LP: 8000

"Fine. I set these two cards." Natasha took the first turn, placing a monster and a trap face-down before her. "Happy?" She ended her turn.

"Not yet." Then Shin drew his cards. "I summon Justice of Prophecy, and have her attack!" A female mage in green robes(4/1600/800) entered the room, holding both a silver sword and a golden scale staff. Justice struck down Natasha's set monster with the staff, and smashed a bee wind-up toy(1/100/300) to pieces. "That was a Wind-Up Honeybee you just destroyed. That means I can summon a Wind-up monster from my deck." Natasha told him as she special summoned a kitten-shaped wind-up robot(2/800/500).

"Yeah and that's a Wind-Up Kitten. I know what Wind-Ups can do.." For instance, the Kitten could return a monster to a players hand once while she was face-up on the field. "I activate Spellbook Star Hall!" The two duelists were placed inside a hall framed with pillars. Its dark ceiling was filled with stars from the cosmos. "Might as well remove my monster then! Justice can sacrifice herself during a turn in which a Spellbook was used." The Just mage locked her sword and staff together. "And when she does, I can pick one Spellbook and highlevel Dark or Light magician from my deck and add them to my hands!" Shin added a Spellbook of Secrets, and a Reaper of Prophecy to his hand, while Justice gave up her own life and faded away. Afterwards Shin placed a card down and ended his turn.

"I still don't know why we have to do this.. But. I will prove to you that I _was_ training, by showing you what I learned! I summon Wind-Up Magician!" First she summoned a white/purple staff wielding toy robot(4/600/1800). "Then I activate my set trap, Zenmairch: I exchange one Wind-up on the field for another in my hand!" Natasha's trap card returned Wind-Up Kitten to her hand, to special summon a toy snail; Wind-Up Snail(3/100/2000). "Wind-Up Snail can return a spell or trap back to a players hand once by changing its position!" The red snail toy wound up its gears and rammed straight into Shins set card, bouncing it back to his owners fingers while settling into a defensive position. "Furthermore, once when a Wind-Up Monster activates its effect, Wind-Up Magician can special summon another from my deck!" The Magician turned its own key in its back, and waved its staff around in a rigid motion. That effect brought forth a mechanical rabbit(3/1400/600). "Wind-Up rabbit!" And Natasha moved to her battle phase. "Attack!" The Rabbit and Magician marched towards Shin, pushing him back.

Shins LP: 6000

"Oh!" Sky gasped. "It.. hit?" The attack had clearly touched him physically. "Real holograms; another sign of an inhuman power, a power like that of a Chaos Xyz." This was the proof Shin needed. "No. I didn't want to do that! I can't.." Though she was not happy with what she had done, it caused something to dawn on Natasha. "I..can not. But maybe..you can?" She said as she placed one trap card down. "What? Are you saying I am the one Crystal infected? That's nuts! I know I am me!" Shin protested. "And so do I!" Natasha objected even louder. "I want to trust you Shin, but.. I can't." Before she ended her turn she wound up her Rabbit toy to activate its effect. Once it could banish one monster on the field for one turn. Natasha made it send Wind-Up Magician away to another dimension. Finally she placed two more trap cards face-down and ended her turn.

"Then I will show you, that I can be trustedl! I will win this duel without Xyz monsters! Why would I do that if I had a rank-up spell huh?" As long as Shincould avoid xyz summoning, Natasha wouldn't be able to steal xyz materials from him either. "I summon Gagaga Girl! And once I control a 'Gagaga' monster, I can special summon Gagaga Clerk from my hand!" He began his second turn with two girls who were acting much cuter than Natasha was being right now, the blonde Gagaga magicians apprentice(3/1000/800) and the pink-haired Gagaga's librarian(2/400/800). "I activate Spellbook of Secrets, adding a Spellbook from my deck to my hand!" The Book Shin chose, Spellbook of Power, was subsequently activated. "I use Spellbook of Power! To give my Gagaga spellcaster 1000 more attackpoints!" Gagaga Girl took the power-filled tome and used it to empower her(2000/800) own spells and powers. "And I also activate Gagagatag! Until my next turn, this spell adds 500 attackpoints to all my monsters, for each Gagaga monster on my field!" As Shin controlled two of them, he could add 1000 attackpoints to the Girl(3000/800) and Clerk(1400/800)

"And.." The stars in the Spellbook Star Hall began to shine. "My continuous spell gains a spellcounter each time a Spellbook is opened. And it gives my monsters 100 attackpoints for each counter!" As he had used 2 Books so far, the Starhall held 2 counters, and the Gagaga duo gained 200 attackpoints (Clerk: 1600/800, Girl: 3200/800). "I am sorry Natasha. But this has to be done!" Shin started the battle phase, and Gagaga Clerk blew Wind-Up rabbit to a pile of scrapped gears with one magic blast. "Ngh." Some of the plastic scraped Natasha's arms. "And then!" Next the all powerful Gagaga Girl clasped her hands together and erased Wind-Up Snail with one wave of black magic. As Spellbook of Power's wielder had destroyed a monster this turn,the books second effect was activated and Shin could search for another Spellbook in his deck. "I add Spellbook Tower to my hand and activate it!" Besides the Starhall, now the duelists also stood in the shadow of a large tower. The Tower would add even more cards to Shins hand on his next turn. Luckily for them, the tower did not physically break through the ceiling. The illusion did not extend that far. "I set two cards in my spell/trap zone and end my turn!"

Natasha's LP: 7800

"Natasha. Hasn't it gone on long enough now?" Sky asked her, as her turn began once more. At that time Wind-Up Magician returned to her field, the key in its back spun back to its original position. "No. If I am right. I need to win this duel and give it everything I've got!" Natasha activated two spell cards from her hand. "Spell-Shattering Arrow, to destroy both face-up spells you control!" A magical arrow shot bored holes in Shins Star Hall, depowering his Gagaga duo, and the Tower of Prophecy. And Shin lost 500 lifepoints for each destroyed spell. However when Spellbook Star Hall was destroyed, its owner could add a spellcaster to his hand, as long as its level was not higher than the amount of spellcounters it contained at the time of destruction. As it had two, Shin added the level 2 Spellbook Magician of Prophecy to his hand. Natasha continued her turn. "I also have a continuous spell: Wind-Up Factory!" A toy manufacturing plant was placed all around them. "Once a turn, when a Wind-Up monster uses its effect, I can add one Wind-Up monster from my deck to my hand!"

Shins LP: 7000

In Natasha's hand was still a Wind-Up monster she had not yet wound up. "Wind-Up Kitten, return Gagaga Girl!" So her Kitten was normal summoned, and its effect bounced Gagaga Girl(3000/800) back to Shins hand. "Both Wind-Up factory and Wind-Up Magician respond to this activation. The Factory will search the deck to find a Wind-Up Shark for me!" Across its conveyor belts Natasha's factory sent the toy Shark to her hand. "And Magician summons a Wind-Up Rat from my deck!" A Tiny grey toy mouse(3/600/600) sped its way into the Factory. "By winding the Rat up, it can special summon a Wind-Up monster from my graveyard!" Wind-Up Rat targeted and re-assembled the broken pieces of Wind-Up Rabbit. "As you say Shin; Go, Rabbit!" That monster she wound-up as well, and just like before the Rabbit banished Wind-Up Magician until her next turn. "And now. I Xyz-summon!" Shin felt a shiver across his whole body as Natasha turned both the Rabbit and Rat into overlay materials for a Rank 3 monster, a double-deck carrier ship(3/1500/1500) which looked like it was made from spare Wind-up parts.

"This is Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity!" Natasha declared before taking away one of its overlayed materials. "It too can summon a Wind-Up card from my deck!" The Carrier's hangar bay opened. "I choose Wind-Up Hunter!" A green archer robot(3/1600/500), rode in on the battlefield on a mechanical horse. "And when I summon a Wind-Up monster, I can special summon Wind-Up Shark from my hand!" The toy Shark(4/1500/1300) swam right along side the Carrier, as they moved through the air like water. "Maybe this will knock some sense into you!" Another battle phase began. Wind-Up Hunter charged in first and sent Gagaga Clerk(1400/800) to her grave by trampling all over her. "Triple Direct attack!" Of course now Shin was the only one who could receive the direct hits from Zenmaity, Wind-Up Shark and Wind-Up Kitten. "Rrrgh." Shin braced himself this time, and weathered the impacts.

Shins LP: 1000

"I will say that your dueling has really improved, Nat. But you had me worried for another reason for a second. Until I saw that your hand held no more cards." Shin was relieved once he realized Natasha could not use Chaos Force on Zenmaity right now.

"No more cards..in my hand?" His words got her to think. "Sky.." She gave her training partner a quick glance while she moved to her second main phase. . "I think it's time for that combo you taught me." Sky's eyes widened, but he nodded his head. "And here I go. Wind-Up Hunter can sacrifice one card, to discard one card from your hand, Shin!" The Hunter grabbed the Wind-Up Carrier, and disassembled it to fashion an arrow out of its parts. "Discard?" And in the same breath, a card had been shot out of Shins hand by the Hunter. "I will find out if its in your hand or not!" Natasha said as she saw the first card going into the graveyard was the Gagaga Girl card that the Kitten had returned earlier. "Will you? You can't use Hunters effect again." Wind-Ups could only be wound-up once while they were on the field. Shin knew this. "Not this one, no. So.." Natasha wound-up her Shark, reducing its level with its(3/1500/1300) effect. "Zenmaity can!" And she overlayed Wind-Up Hunter and the Shark to Xyz-summon a second Wind-Up Carrier(3/1500/1500). "Wha?"

"Zenmaity summons a second Wind-Up rat from my deck!" Natasha detached Wind-Up Hunter from her Xyz monster, and the Carrier released another toy mouse(3/600/600). "This Rat revives the Hunter!" She spun the rats key so that it could summon the same Wind-Up Hunter from the graveyard. "Hunter can reuse its effect, as its presence was reset!" Her Wind-Up Hunter tore down this second Xyz Carrier as well, to fashion another arrow. "Rgh!" This arrow was unleashed on Shins hand as well, a Prophecy Reaper was discarded from his hand.

"And again!" This time Natasha used the Hunter alongside Wind-Up Rat, to summon her third and final Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity(3/1500/1500) in defense position. "Same as before!" The third Carrier special summoned the third and final Wind-Up Rat(3/600/600) from her deck, also in defense mode. The Rat revived the detached Wind-Up Hunter in defense mode as well, and the Hunter sacrificed Wind-Up Kitten to fire its arrow away one more time, through a Flelf in Shins hand. "It.. It's not there.."

"Yeah, there you have it. You saw it too Sky, didn't you?" Both she and Sky had to know that the last card in his hand was the recently acquired Spellbook Magician. "And I know you always want to be right, Natasha. But this time you are not! It is not me, it is you!" Shins turn could finally begin. "By banishing three Spellbooks from my graveyard, I can special summon Prophecy Destroyer from the graveyard!" A faceless devil(6/2500/1200) slashed his way out of his tomb; consuming the books of Power, Secrets and the Star Hall, to secure its own resurrection. "Gagaga Magician!" And then Shin normal summoned the master Gagaga wizard(4/1500/1000). "To level 6!" And that Magician(6/1500/1000)'s effect allowed it to equal the Destroyers level. "Prophecy Destroyer and Gagaga Magician are overlayed, to Xyz-summon Moral Leader Norito!" The combining casters formed a disciplinary Shinto priest(6/2700/2000) in white garbs. "Notiro, attack Zenmaity!" Shins Xyz monster lashed out at Natasha's with a black fan.

"Trap card: Zenmailstrom!" To counter it, Natasha flipped one of her trap cards. "I sacrifice.." Yet in the middle of her outburst. "Nope!" Shin activated his Xyz monster's effect. "The Moral Leader can stop the activation of a spell or trap by detaching 1 material!" Shin disconnected Gagaga Magician from the Shinto spellcaster, and shut down Zenmailstrom. Norito could cut down the Wind-Up Carrier without disturbance. "I am not stupid, Nat. After the last defeat I boosted my deck." Shin was pretty pleased with his choices; Norito was the perfect counter to that Rank-Up Magic card. "Shin. I know how you feel. That was my reason for training too!" Natasha began to plead. "When I saw you in that duel. I felt so helpless, that I... I..." She could not finish the sentence. "...Maybe. Maybe that is true." Shin said more calmly, but he still flipped his face-down spellcard; Gagagadraw. He banished his three Gagaga monsters(Clerk, Girl, Magician), to draw two new cards. "But until I find out for sure, I can not quit! I will not.."

"I.." Shins voice cracked. "I.." His eyes fell on the two cards his deck gave him. "I?" A trap card, and ..Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force.

...

When mr. Artega came into his office that day, it was in quite a state. "Lars? What is going on here?" He asked one of his coworkers, who he found amidts a sea of enforcers who were rumagging through every corridor. "Don't know. They showed out out of the blue just this morning and made their way up here." And soon afterwards one of the enforcers approached Artega. "We apologize for the inconvenience, to intrude, but we are here by orders of the mayor." The man showed him a torn up card, the Rank-Up Magic card. "Any and all data about this item will have to be confiscated." The enforcer explained. While his associates went to work on everyone's computer. "What? That is outrageous!" Artega shouted. He did not care how official this was. "Officer. Do you have any idea what you have in your hands? It is.." These people knew what they were dealing with. "I have my orders sir. And everything is confidential. Now if you wil excuse me." The head enforcer signalled his men and they all marched out. ".." Artega did not know what to make of this.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)07: The Straight Line is the Longest Road)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Justice of Prophecy  
Prophecy Destroyer  
Norito the Moral Leader

-  
Spellbook Star Hall  
Gagagatag

**New Cards used by Natasha Hessdalen  
**Wind-Up Honeybee  
Wind-Up Kitten  
Wind-Up Snail  
Wind-Up Magician  
Wind-Up Rabbit  
Wind-Up Carrier Zenmaity

-  
Spell-Shattering Arrow  
Wind-Up Factory

-  
Zenmairch


	9. Cipher (1)07: The Straight Line

**Cipher (1)07: ****The Straight Line is the Longest Road**

Natasha's LP: 7800 Shins LP: 1000

"Shin? What is..the matter?" To see his friend go pale and quiet like that, was enough cause for Sky to be concerned. And it all happened when he drew that card from his deck. "Now I get it. It _was_ me.." Shin started to chuckle. "Aheh. Well. No more nice guy then! I activate.. Chaos Force!" And as easily as that, he had given in. "Shin!?" And Sky and Natasha observed with great distress, how Shins rank up spell transformed his Xyz monster. The Moral Leader Norito(6/2700/2000) evolved into a higher class of Shinto priest, the previous form attaching tself to its new body; a masked Cxyz monster(7/3000/2500) in white robes. "I call this; Simon the Great Moral Leader! He is totally and completely unaffected by monster effects!" Shin said as he placed one trap card down before him and ended his turn. "You were right after all, Nat! Does that make you happy?" Shin asked her with a nasty smile on his face.

"No! I did not want to be right!" And yet she was. Crystal had chosen Shin as the next duelist to use the Chaotic spell. "But how did she.. When did she give it to him?" Crystal never had gotten the chance to talk to Shin again after the duel, and Natasha did not see anything out of the ordinary take place during the duel. "Perhaps a defeat in a duel is enough to pass on that card." Sky theorized. And thet theory led him to another shocking thought. "Subito may be infected too!" He looked towards the exit of the gym room. "There is no getting out now, Sky!l!" Alas, Shin had done the same thing Crystal did during their duel and sealed every exit with glowing red energy. Nobody could get in or out, nobody could see or hear them. "You are probably right though; Crystal defeated me, so I became the keeper of this awesome power. I will share this with you Nat! Together, as Chaos duelists, we can defeat Sky and vanquish his Number!"

"Not if I save you before it gets that far!" Natasha's turn began. "Legendary Wind-Up Key!" She activated the quickplay spell card she had drawn this turn, during her standby phase. "I flip the positions of all my Wind-Up monsters!" Her Wind-Up Rat(3/600/600) and Wind-Up Hunter(3/1600/500) were moved to a face-down defense Wind-Up Magician(4/600/1800) returned from Wind-Up Rabbits banishment, in defense position. "Monsters that are face-down, can be flipped around if they were not summoned that turn!" Natasha switched her Hunter and Rat cards back into face-up attack position as soon as she entered the main phase. Because they were not face-up for that time, the keys in their back had wound back to their initial setting. "Rat's effect activates! I can special summon a Wind-up from my graveyard!" Wind-Up rat twisted its key and rebuilt Wind-Up Shark(4/1500/1300).

Because a Wind-Up monster's effect was activated, both the Magician and Natasha's field spell, Wind-Up Factory, could put their own abilities to use. Wind-Up magician special summoned an orange punching robot, Wind-Up Warrior(4/1200/1800) from Natasha's deck. And the Factory would search her deck for another Wind-Up monster, and add it to her hand. Natasha found a Wind-Up Bat and put it in her hand. "Quickplay spell card!" This time however, Shin chained to her field spell's effect. "Shared Ride! Each time you add a card to your hand through an effect this turn, I can draw one card!" Shin added a card to his hand, while Natasha was still looking for hers. "Thanks Nat!" Shin laughed at her once again.

"..Cant you fight it all? Shin. Just a moment ago you wanted to destroy these Chaos cards!" She snapped at him, thinking that would get a reaction. But not even her usual harshness seemed to bother him. That unpleasant smile was still carved into Shins face. "... Then I must destroy it myself. I activate the effects of my Wind-Up Shark and Wind-Up Warrior!" By winding up their bodies, Natasha could level up her monsters. Shark(5/1500/1300) altered its own level by 1 star. Warrior(5/1800/1800) boosted its level and its attackpoints. Natasha had gotten the levels she wanted. "I summon Wind-Up Arsenal Zenmaioh!" The Shark and Warrior were re-assembled into a driller cyborg(5/2600/1900) in defense position. "Zenmaioh? Trying to destroy my trap card perhaps? I would't count on it!" Shin scoffed. Zenmaioh could destroy 2 set cards on the field. It was a power he did not intend to witness. "While Norito is attached to Simon, my CXyz monster can switch a monsters position and negate it's effects!" Simon detached its other material and swept its Shide paper streamers around, ensnaring Zenmaioh with them and forcing it to assume an offensive stance.

"I wanted to attack with a different monster. But now that it has come to it, I will end the duel along with your Chaos card!" Natasha flipped her other trap card. "Overwind! I double a monsters attackpoints!" Her trap turned the key in Zenmaioh's back a dangerous amount of times, charging the Arsenal machine(5200/1900) with bolts of energy. "You said CXyz are still vulnerable in battle, Shin. I will show you how right you were!" Zenmaioh charged his drill straight towards CXyz Simon. "Heh. Trap card: Magic Cylinder! Your attack is negated and you take damage equal to its attackpoints!" Unfortunately during the middle of its attack run, Zenmaioh disappeared in one Cylinder and came out another. "!?" And his drill shot right into Natasha instead. "Kyaaah!" The impact left no injuries, but the force sent her against the wall.

Natasha's LP: 2600

"Natasha!" Sky shouted. "Shin! You are hurting your friend! She is not your enemy!" His words were all he could use to try and put an end to this violence. "Friends? I do not need friends anymore! I don't need anything!" Shin ignored Sky and looked down at Natasha, who had taken the damage pretty hard. "What's the matter?And if she were to use Wind-Up Bats effect, his Shared Ride spell would allow him to draw even in her turn. Natasha did not get up, but she did continue her turn and utter a few commands. "I.. overlay Hunter and Rat to summon Wind-Up Zenmaines in defense position" By attaching the toy archer and toy mouse to a rank 3 monster, her pincer droid(3/1500/2100) could be xyz-summoned. "And I end my turn."

"Heh. You will adjust to the power soon enough. You just need a couple more shots." Shin detached the last xyz material from the Great Simon. This time the CXyz priest captured Zenmaines in the streamers and forced it to attack position. "Your monster can not negate its own destruction anymore now!" And the CXyz priest made a whiplash motion with the streams, which turned rigid and tore the pincer Wind-Up machine into pieces. "Ah!" The debris crashed down in front of her. "I pfeel sorry for you, Nat. You are so weak and terrified. But soon you will have part of this fearsome power too!"

Natasha's LP: 1100

"And then what?" Natasha asked. "What?" And Shin had difficulty comprehending the question. "Once you have Sky's Number, and all the other Numbers. Then what?" She clarified it for him, as she tried to push herself up again. Though for the time being she was too weak to do so. "Ha. Aha.. That's not important! Once we have all that power, we can do whatever we want! Why limit outselves to one plan, to one desire?" Shin continued his turn and summoned a Magical Exemplar(4/1700/1400). "Nobody can stop us, nobody tells us what out future is!" He activated the spell card, Spell Power Grasp, to place one spell counter on the female mage. The Exemplars own effect created two more counters for her to hold, as a spell had recently been used. "Summon Flelf!" Exemplar used up 2 of her spell counters to revive the elven fencer mage(2/800/1300) from his cemetery. "Flelf, absorb the level stars of this monster in my hand!" By revealing the Spellbook Magician of Prophecy to his opponent, its two levels were added to those of Flelf(4/800/1300). "I xyz-summon Gagaga Cowboy in defense position!" Exemplar and Flelf were overlayed to release a Rank 4 monster from his extra deck; the pistol wielding Gagaga Cowboy(4/1500/2400). "Once a turn, while in defense mode, it may inflict 800 points of damage!" The Cowboy took out one of its guns, loaded it with an xyz material, and fired it off like a bullet. "Haaa!" It pierced Natasha's shoulder. And the life-like pain of that effect attack drained what little strength she had recovered up until now.

Natasha's LP: 300

"Shin.. I know you are in there some.." Natasha began to speak, but a coughing fit stopped her. "..somewhere? I am out there, Natasha! The new me is all there is!" Shin sneered and proceeded to pass the turn to her. "No. You may be inattentive at times, childlike and easy to infuriate, but you are not someone who would hurt others and not care!" Natasha steadied her hand and drew her card. "I'd choose the fool over the brute any day!" She summoned her monster Wind-Up Bat(1/300/500). "By switching itself to defense position, Wind-Up Bat can add a Wind-Up monster from the graveyard to my hand!" Natasha used her toy bat to return Wind-Up Shark to her hand. At that time Wind-Up Factory sent another Wind-Up Shark into her hand from her deck. "Then I activate Zenmailfunction, a spell which summons a Wind-Up monster from the cemetery, with its effects negated." Natasha's card repaired her Wind-Up Honeybee(1/100/300), albeit with pieces missing which hampered its utility. "Since I summoned a Wind-Up monster. I can special summon both Wind-Up Sharks from my hand!" Two mechanical sharks(4/1500/1300) appeared in the air, swimming around Wind-Up Magician. "Shin.. Here I come. Xyz-summon!"

"What's next, Wind-Up Zenmaister? You tried all your other Xyz monsters already, this one will wind up just the same!" Shin had nothing to fear from any Wind-up due to Simons monster effect immunity. "No. Not them." Natasha overlayed both Sharks with the Magician, which already showed that she was not summoning a Wind-up card. "Sky was not the only one who helped me." The 3 level 4 monsters became an armored female warrior(4/2600/2000) who could fly through the air on blue butterfly wings. "That is.." Sky had seen something like this before, that card was like the Butterspies! "Lucy?" Shin only knew one duelist who even used that theme. "Yes, Lucy. She approached me some time ago, before her parents decided to move with her out of town. Ever since Azar saved her life, she wanted to help me out. But she did not think she was that good a duelist, so she gave me some of her best cards to put in my deck instead. Like this one." Natasha detached one material from the Papilloperative. "Once a turn, she can give herself 300 attackpoints for each xyz-material on the field!" Since there were currently 3 materials attached to monsters (Gagaga Cowboy: 1, Night Papilloperative: 2), her xyz-monster(3500/2000) gained 900 attackpoints.

"Lucy.. helped you?" Shin repeated to himself. It did not sound any more believable because of that. "We were friends, are friends. So are you, Shin. And this is what a friend does!" She entered her battlephase. "Papilloperative attacks CXyz Great Moral Leader Simon!" The butterfly assassin spread her wings, releasing a hail of deadly powder with one flap. "Natasha. If you attack do not attack Gagaga Cowboy , it will." Sky warned her. The Cowboy was the greater threat right now. "I realize that. But.. I have to take that.. _thing.. _down." That was the source of all this misery, that chaos abomination. "Finish it!" The Papilloperative's poison found its target, invading the body of the chaos priest and causing him to burn up from the inside out. Malevolent red energy splattered everywhere like blood. The CXyz had been slain.

Shins LP: 500

"!" In that instant, Shin felt an enormous weight fall of his back. "Natasha!" Gone was his maniacal joy, his malice. All he felt now was anguish at having put Natasha through this much. "Damn it. Damn .." Shin did not care about the duel anymore, he wanted to quit. But the forces that were controlling this duel would not let him, the monsters were still real and so was the pain. "Get..!" So Shin janked the rank-up spell card out of his graveyard and tossed it away as far as possible. "Out!" And finally was free, free to surrender and the match. "Natasha!" He rushed over to her, she had used up all her stamina to make that last move, so she could barely keep her eyes open. "I am sorry! I am sorry! You were right, it was me!"

Shins LP: 0

"You'd... better be." Natasha managed to tell him with a weak smile. "Guess I am still not as a good.. as you though.." And then she closed her eyes. "!" Shin gasped. "She is just asleep, Shin." Sky walked up to them. "It is over now, she has earned her rest." He had checked the walls of the gym room. The barrier was gone. "Even so.. This is all my fault." Shin stared at his own hands, one holding Natasha and the other still holding the D-pad that he had used to hurt her. The CXyz card was nowhere to be seen. "It was as if a completely different me started living in my body. Same memories, but completely different thoughts. I couldn't do anything at all. And each time I hurt her, I put that power inside her.. " It was not at all like the time he had been influenced by his Number. There he at least felt in control of his body. That was the major difference; one forced self-control, the other tore it away.

"... It was not you, that is what matters. Never blame yourself for what you couldn't do anything about." Sky said, wondering if that was even true. He noticed several times during that duel where things could have gone differently; better moves Shin could have made. Perhaps he was subconsciously holding himself back after all? Shin had enough on his mind however, so Sky kept that to himself. Secrets had their use after all. "It was the same for Azar. You never blamed him for the things he did as Chaos." Instead he reminded Shin of the fact that this power used to dwell inside one body; Azars. "Yeah.. he said it was changing him too. But it happened so much faster with me. Was I just weaker.. or.. is Chaos getting stronger?"

...

Once Janus had been delivered to the nearest law enforcers, Darcy, Azar and Thomas made their way out of the city, heading towards the city where it all began for Azar in his new car. "It feels strange, to look at yourself like this." Thomas was in the drivers seat now and in the rearview window he could see Azar. Or rather, he could see the Masked Raider. "But it functions. Though we shouldn't have left my motorcycle back home. It has become a trademark of mine. I customized it myself and all." Thomas let out a deep sigh. Being himself just felt.. boring.

"I am glad you did decide to help, Thomas." Azar could not have moved to the next part of his plan without him. By disguising himself as the _other_ costumed duelist, the one the enforcers at home were not actively looking for, he could return to his friends and help them with the coming crisis. "I am sure you can get your outfit back afterwards." Darcy chimed in. "Oh that's no issue. As far as I am concerned, we are two apples from the same tree.. Dusk. We masked heroes have to stick together! And to tell you the secret. When the Number duelists started attacking my town, and I decided to do something about it, I simply went online and purchased a costume based on one of my favorite shows. It's easy to get, a lot of people have it." Which was why it was never tracked to him, thousands of people had purchased that costume. "In fact, We could get spares! If you really want to confuse the enemy. We could go as a trio of Masked Raiders! They will never know which of is which!" Thomas got excited just thinking about it. He had always wanted allies. "I don't think that would work. Not for me at least." With how tight-fitting that whole get-up was, nobody would mistake Darcy for Azar if she wore it. "Ah yes. A pity. I suppose we shouldn't waste the time we have by going back."

"You said your city had more than one Number duelists in it?" Azar inquired as he found that topic far more interesting. "Yes. I had conquered a few Numbers by the time I went to Neo Avalon. But I never found their creator. I assume it was one of those Catalysts, those villains you keep talking about." Thomas had read up on the incident in Azars city. It was comparable to what he had experienced, albeit on a lesser scale. "Yes. The Catalysts. I met them.. all nine. Seven so far have caused Number outbreaks like these. But this time the outbreak is different, it is not to spread Numbers..."

"!" In the middle of his sentence, a shot of pure agony ended up in the back of his head. "Azar? Is it.." It was not the first time that Azar reacted this way. "Yes, Darcy... Thomas" And Azar too knew what it meant. "They are not letting me go that easily. We are being followed." Somewhere on this road was one who controlled Chaos.

"Perhaps we can outspeed them!" Thomas preferred avoiding ambushes. "I think it is too late for that." Azar looked to his left and saw very familiar army SUV. _"That is the vehicle Ruby took.." _And that was not the only familiar sight one could spot through the window. "Don't we know that man?" Darcy never forgot a face, and the one that popped up from the other car was one even Azar and Thomas would recognize. "Korose?" It looked like he was manning a battle station. But instead of manning a turret, which that car did not have anyway, he had activated his D-pad. "Is he..doing what I think he is doing?" Darcy gasped as Korose summoned a monster with his D-pad, a swordsman who jumped in the air. "Holy..!" Thomas swerved to the left to avoid the swordsman attack. Several other cars veered off the road entirely in the resulting turmoil. "Yes I do think he is trying to get us killed!" Thomas regained control quickly. But they would have to get of the road quickly if they wanted to keep others out of danger.

_"Korose.. is the enemy? How..when did Chaos get to him?"_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)08: Rules of Engagement)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**CXyz Simon the Great Moral Leader

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force  
Shared Ride

-  
Magic Cylinder

**New Cards used by Natasha Hessdalen  
**Wind-Up Warrior  
Wind-Up Bat  
Night Papilloperative

-  
Legendary Wind-Up Key  
Zenmailfunction


	10. Cipher (1)08: Rules of Engagement

**Cipher (1)08: ****Rules of Engagement**

Some time after Shins duel with Natasha, people started flooding the gym hall. Ariel appeared to take care of Natasha, and even Mia was there.. to chew Shin out. "What were you thinking? Can you even think?" And Shin took it all in, knowing he had it coming. "Oh!" Until Subito walked into the room. "Excuse me Mia." He definitely had to do something with him. "Hey!" So Mia was left on the side for now. "Shin. Are you.." Subito walked up to his brother and looked around the gym hall. "I am fine now. But are you?" On the other hand, Shin wanted to do his own check-up. "Am I?" And then Shin took Subito's deck from him. "Shin, what are you doing?" He asked his younger brother, who started flipping through his cards. "It's not here. Whew." Shin sighed a breath of relief, Chaos Force was not inside Subito's deck. "Sorry, bro. But I just found out, the hard way, that this Chaos card can take over your deck if you lose to it in a duel. That must be how Ruby got affected. Tch. This is all Theo's fault!" Shin clenched his hands together. He shoulda knocked more sense in that guy when he fought him last time. "I do not think so." Subito suddenly said. "Wha-huh? You don't?"

"Fathers research was shut down. Someone up high is pulling the strings.. and wants us to remain in the dark about Chaos Force"

...

"I have an idea!" Still in mid-pursuit, Thomas took the nearest exit so he could slow the pickup down a little. "Darcy take the wheel!" Then he abruptly wormed his way into the back. "Ah! Eh .. okay!?" Darcy quickly took over control of the vehicle, while Thomas opened the rear window. "_What_ are you going to do?" Azar could not imagine anyone planning what it looked like Thomas was planning. "A hero has to be ready for a duel any place and any time!" Thomas grabbed his own D-pad and D-visor and crawled into the cargo section of the Pickup. Azars imagination had been trumped.

"Hup!" Thomas stood up and activated his D-pad. "You there! If it is a fight you want, you can start it with me!" He shouted pointed at Korose, who was in the middle of summoning another monster. ".." For a few seconds Korose seemed perplexed that anyone even came out to challenge him in this situation. But then he did something rather uncharacteristic for him. He smiled. "I wanted to hear that! My name is Korose, what is yours?!" Korose had only dueled Thomas once before, when he was still pretending to be the Masked Raider. So this kid before him was a stranger to him. "A friend of the Masked Raider. Let's go with that!" Thomas yelled. It took him some effort to stop himself from reflexively calling himself the Raider. "Well, friend. I am not interested in anyone but Azar. And I can sense that is hiding in that car, I can sense his Hope. I however am willing to do a little warm-up before I engage him!" Korose began re-arranging his deck. "No more words are needed! Actions count!" Korose drew five cards. "Good! I was getting tired of screaming anyway!" As did Thomas.

Korose's LP: 8000 Thomas' LP: 8000

The maskless raider looked at his own hand. As his D-pad was telling him to draw a card, he figured out that he was given the first turn. He normal summoned a Card Trooper(3/400/400) without the usual fanfare. Korose had his Visor on, it would tell him which card could do what. In fact the holograms were the only stable thing in this bumpy duel. Card Trooper discarded the top three cards of his deck. Until the endphase the 500 attackpoints would be given to it (4/1900/400) for each discarded card. After that Thomas placed one card down and ended his turn. All the while, Azar observed the duel. _"So the Raider has a separate deck for when he duels out of costume."_ Card Trooper did not fit in with the Masked one's former deck; Inzektors. But then it made sense to change styles when you changed identities. Azar used to do the same thing.

But Korose seemed to have changed his behavior entirely. The ex-agent was still smiling as he started his turn. _"Is he under the influence of another Number?" _It wouldn't be the first time, Azar thought. But that would mean Korose was working with the agency again. And this did not look like an operation of theirs. "Hmph." Korose normal summoned a Goblindbergh, the goblin warpilot(4/1400/0). Its effect switched it to defense position and subsequently special summoned another level 4 monster from his masters hand. "What is that?" And what Korose summoned as an overweight tongue-wagging caped warrior(4/1000/1600) who had trouble keeping up with the duel. _"Big Belly Knight?" _Thomas blinked twice to make sure the Visor was not lying to him. _"He is overlaying them!" _Both the flying Goblin and racing Knight blasted forwards and created a rank 4 monster that waited for the car at a turn of the road. _"Comics Hero King Arthur." _Arthur was a dapper knight(4/2400/1200) in imperial white and gold armor. But he was also a less serious warrior than Korose's previous challengers and Noble Knights. But he seemed happy with this choice.

It was time for the battle phase, and the King lowered his sword, plunging it into Card Trooper as the Pickup and jeep drove side by side. "Ngh." The impact made them wobble a bit, but Thomas retained his footing. The Hero King meanwhile returned to Korose's field. "I am not entirely sure this was a good idea." Darcy passed on to Thomas. She could not see the car survive another run-in like that. "Then I shall return fire!" Because Card Trooper was destroyed, Thomas could draw one card. And once Korose had placed two trap cards down, Thomas could begin his turn as well.

Thomas' LP: 6000

_"Okay."_ He activated a continuous spell card, Machina Armored Unit. Its use would show up later. Then he normal summoned his next monster, an oddly proportioned robot with metallic monkey head on its shoulders: Super Defense Robot Monki(4/800/1200). "Super..Robot?" Of all possible archetypes, Thomas ran that one? Azar was not sure whether or not Thomas was just trying too hard to distance himself from his alter ego's dueling skills.

Monki's effect allowed Thomas to summon another Super Defense Robot from his hand. In this case, he special summoned an elephant-themed defender: Super Defense Robot Elephan(8/1400/2500). "Now.." Elephans effect could raise a Defense Robots level to the eighth class, so Monki's(8/800/1200) level was doubled instantly. "Go!" What he xyz-summoned using them however was a robot unlike any other. The Super defenders were overlayed and formed an obese scrap-metal dragon(8/3000/2500). This was the centerpiece of his deck: Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon. _"It already has more attack than his monster. But there is no harm in being certain!"_ By detaching one material, the Drum Dragon could increase its own attackpoints until Thomas' next turn. The dragon slapped its gut like a drum to psyche itself(4000/2500) up. "Here I come!" The dragon jumped in the air between the cars and readied his punch. "Heh." And then Korose flipped his trap card: Battlers Cry, which doubled the attackpoints of Comics Hero King Arthur(4/4800/1200). The heroic king knocked the Dragons arm away with the hilt of his sword.

_Battlers Cry, Continuous Trap  
__Activate this card when the current ATK of a monster(s) your opponent controls is higher than its original ATK.  
__The ATK of all Warrior-type monsters you control is doubled. When a monster is sent to your graveyard: Destroy this card._

"Oh.. no." Before the enemy could fully unsheathe his weapon, Thomas activated a quickplay spell card: Limiter Removal. It doubled his machine monster's attackpoints as well. "!?" Googly-Eyes(8000/2500) re-charged his fist and came in for a second punch. The blow shattered the sword as it came to intercept the attack. _"Unfortunately..."_ Broken metal rained down on Thomas, and in the mean time King Arthur(2900/1200) repaired his sword by reforging it into a bigger one. _"When King Arthur is destroyed, he can detach 1 material to negate his destruction and give himself 500 more attackpoints. While also inflicting 500 point of damage to me.."_ At the very least Battlers Cry destroyed itself because a monster had been detached and sent to the graveyard. And at least Korose had taken damage due to the clash of monsters. The detached monster though turned out to be Big Belly Knight, whose effect activated under those exact circumstances. Now Korose could summon a lowlevel monster from his hand, and he went with the handguard fighter, Gauntlet Warrior(3/400/1600).

Korose's LP: 4800 Thomas' LP: 5500

The other bad news was that Limiter Removal destroyed the affected machines during the endphase. So the powered up Googly-Eyes fell completely apart. _"Until!" _Yet by banishing one scrapped Super Defense Robot, the Drum Dragon could special summon itself when it was destroyed. The Monki robot was banished to special put Googly-Eyes(3000/2500) back together and in attack position. It could even attach a Super Defense Robot to itself when special summoned this way, in this case it re-attached the Elephan Defender. After that he signaled the end of his turn to Korose. "I like this battle, Friend!" Korose's car came a little closer once more, so they could hear each other. "I want to take this to the next level with you!" Korose drew his card, and normal summoned a new warrior, the templar knight Absolute Crusader(4/1800/1200). "And I shall!" And then he activated a spell card from his hand. "Wait. No. Don't!" Just as the voice of Janis became audible. Apparently she was his driver. "Chaos Force!" Unfortunately for her, Korose had no interest in her warnings. Korose upped the rank of his xyz monster with the rank-up spell card, and the process of Chaos evolution was violent enough to crack the road all around them.

"Ah!" Darcy hit the brakes. The car had to be stopped before it crashed into one of the uprooted rocks. Janis barely managed the same. "Argh!" And she bumped her head in the process, knocking herself out. "I see my transport has been incapacitated." Korose let out a grunt-like laugh. "That is all you have to say about her condition?" Thomas did not care much for his callous tone. "I had compassion once, along with restraint and self-respect. I came too learn that all of that was a waste of efforts. So I abandoned that part of me! I embraced the way of life I had before I became an agent!" Korose raised his arms to the sky. "Now look at me, and my ultimate hero!" King Arthur had evolved to the next rank, growing in size and armoring itself with black castle-shaped shoulder plates. It had also stolen Googly-Eyes last xyz-material. He was now CXYZ Comics Hero, Legend Arthur(5/3000/2400). "And savor its steel!" Korose sacrificed Gauntlet Warrior, which added 500 attack and defense points to all his monsters until the next damage step (Crusader: 2300/1700, Arthur: 3500/2900).

Immediately the Googly-Eyed dragon was impaled by the Chaos warriors blade. "When Legend Arthur ends a life on his sword, that body will be expunged, and his former master will suffer his strength!" Meaning CXyz Comics Hero banished the Drum Dragon entirely, and using its spiritual energy against Thomas. "!" 3000 worth of attackpoints were dished out, blowing the Maskless duelist off from the back of the car. "Thomas!" Azar shouted. "Thomas? So that is your name." Korose cracked his knuckles. "I am glad I got to hear it, before the end!" With his next attack he would end this duel. "Ugh. You overlooked my spell, Korose!" Were it not for the fact that Thomas had activated Machina Armored Unit earlier. That spell summoned a machine from his deck when a machine with the same attribute and more attackpoints was destroyed as a result of battle. "Elephan!" Thomas got up and special summoned a second elephantine Super Defense Robot(8/1500/2400) in defense mode. Both it and Googly-Eyes were of the earth attribute. "This fight is getting tedious, friend Thomas!" Korose yawned and chained the effect of Absolute Crusader to the summoning of the Super Defense Robot. The templar sacrificed itself to destroy the Robot as well. "This was the climax. Now I want you to fall. I have bigger targets!"

Thomas' LP: 2000

"Is this the work of some foul magic? He is not acting at all like the last time we dueled." Thomas asked Azar, halfway realizing Korose was still not aware of he was dueling. "Yes. That is what Chaos Force appears to do." Azar had witnessed a similar change within Janus III. "I know I have become different. I like it this way! No more standards, no more rules; there is just.. the battle! Only the strong will live!" Korose finally passed the turn back to his enemy. "There can not just be _the battle_, Korose. Proactive or reactive, there is always a reason to duel!" Thomas drew his next card. "And I know my reason now. I have to save you! I summon Super Defense Robot Lio!" A tiny lion-themed robot(4/1200/1600) landed on the cracked road. "When summoned, he can special summon one Defense Robot from my hand!" The Lion Defender brought out a second Super Defense Robot Monki(4/800/1200). "Monki has a second effect, he can put a scrapped Super Defender back in my hand!" Thomas used the Monki to reclaim Elephan. "And when a Super Defender is added to my hand, Lio's effect chains to that and summons that card with its second effect!" The Lion robot also brought Elephan(8/1600/2400) on the field.

"I activate the Trap card: Attention!" At which point Korose tried his hand at destruction. "I target your Elephant robot, and destroy all monsters with a different level from it!" Monki and Lio would hit the scrapyard again if this effect continued. "If you are resorting to destructive tactics, than your mind really is altered!" And Thomas was not about to let them go. "Trap card: Wire Tap. I negate your trap's effect and return it to your deck!" The fuse of Attention was put out, and the card itself shuffled itself back into the Deck.

Thomas' LP: 1000

"Elephan!" Then Thomas activated his level 8 Robots effect, to give Lio(8/1200/1600) the required amount of level stars. And he quickly overlayed both Defenders to summon another Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon(8/3000/2500). And in the same breath he detached one material from it to power the dragon(4000/2500) up. "I am not impressed, friend Thomas! This will not end with repetition! Legend Arthur can avoid its own death in battle, once every turn!" And as long as the CXyz stayed alive, it could continue hurting Thomas with its effect. "Maybe, once. But twice?" Thomas summoned another monster; Gearspring Spirit(8/0/0). "That card?" Korose cringed. He thought only his former agent partner Morbis liked to use that card. "When I only have machines in my graveyard! I can special summon this card, who can reduce a monsters attackpoints to zero!" The clockwork machine unleashed a sound to sap the strength of the Comics Hero(0/24000). "Time to really end the battle, Korose!" After that both the Drum Dragon and Defender Monki launched a joint attack. One punching into it

Korose's LP: 800

And the other finishing the job by plowing through the titanic King. "Rgh!" The CXyz exploded to pieces and the blast knocked Korose away from the SUV. "Gaaahhh!"

Korose's LP: 0

"Huff." Thomas slumped to his knees. "That was a match to remember." Under other circumstances, he would actually like to duel this way again. Azar and Darcy stepped out of their car, the former walking up to the SUV. "She is not seriously injured, just a bruise on her head." Darcy looked over Janis. Head injuries were tricky to gauge, but at least she was not bleeding. "I do not know about Korose however." The ex-agent was defeated in the same was Janus III had been. Chaos would leave his body and mind, but there was no telling how long that took. Azar did not know when he would wake up again. Their car was totaled, but they could take them in the Pickup. His city was not far from here anymore. And he would like to move from here as quickly as possible."Still. Thanks, Thomas." Azar would not say it out loud, but he had thought Thomas was fighting a losing duel up until his last turn. "Yes your deck came as quite a surprise." Darcy walked up to Thomas and looked at his cards. "Super Defense Robot?"

"Yes. Well before I became the Raider, my hobbies were more of the toy collecting kind. Mostly robot toys." Though Thomas did not think of it that way, he was aware of how 'geeky' his hobbies would look to others. But then he dressed up as a cartoon superhero, so he pretty much did stopped caring about how he was perceived. "Oh! A fellow collector! How splendid!" At least Darcy was the last person who would judge him based on that fact. "I need to remember that I should show you my own doll collections when this all is over."

"I remember a time when I used to have hobbies like those..." A fourth voice spoke up, as he recalled the days he had been reliving just now in the battle. Back then heroes were all he had to dream of. "!? Korose?"Agent Korose had returned to consciousness. "You are the Raider, are you not?" Korose experienced quite some disorientation, and the sudden appearance of the masked duelists did not help. "No. It is me, Agent Korose. Azar." But Azar felt like he could trust the man. "Azar?" Korose tilted his head. "I hear it now. I am..sorry for what I did. Theo was the enemy, I let him get to me. I failed Ruby and Xander as well.." He groaned with a downcast look. Though Korose was still in pain from the fight, he stood up on his own. "I know what happened to you, Korose..."

"I know you do. You do not have to say anything... It is I who has something that should be told." It sounded like he had a lot of questions. But Korose had more things to think about. "I was attacked, but before then I discovered something. I had time to think about it, while my body was.. elsewhere. I do not know if it was a coincidence or not, that Theo attacked at that time. But I found something out.. about the other world."

...

"Ariel. Is everything all right?" Dakar approached his sister that night. "You don't have to worry about anything, Dakar." Where once again his questions were deflected. "Ariel. I know something is going on. And we used to be able to talk to each other about anything." This time Dakar had heard enough. "Dakar?" And he could tell that this time she heard how serious he was. "I know.. because I sensed it, four times. It is Chaos isn't it?"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)09: Wide Awake)

**New Cards used by Thomas  
**Card Trooper  
Super Defense Robot Monki  
Super Defense Robot Elephan  
Googly-Eyes Drum Dragon  
Super Defense Robot Lio  
Gearspring Spirit

-  
Limiter Removal  
Machina Armored Unit

-  
Wire Tap Seven Tools of the Bandit

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Big Belly Knight  
Comics Hero King Arthur  
Gauntlet Warrior  
CXyz Comics Hero Legend Arthur  
Absolute Crusader

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

_-  
Battlers Cry (+)  
_Attention

_(+ Based on the Trap used by Gauche in YGO Zexal)_


	11. Cipher (1)09: Wide Awake

**Cipher (1)09: Wide Awake**

"So that is what has happened. The same power that found me, has found others. The power to evolve xyz monsters, they have weaponized it." Ariel had told her brother everything she knew; from Crystals attack to Shins possession. "Your connection to Chaos. Is that why you sensed them?" And Ariel in turn heard Dakar talk about how he felt the surge in power every time Chaos Force was used, even though he was far away. "I believe so. To think that the power that gave me the means to deal with all the Numbers in our city, is now used against us. Ariel, what about you? Did you.." Ariel had inherited some of its power through Azar. "No. I did not feel a thing. I do not think my bond with it is as strong as yours. If I even still have it." Ariel had her own Chaos card, Number C32: Shark Drake Veiss. But she had not tried to summon it since Agent N had taken Azars power away. "I see. Ariel. I know you did not want to talk to me about this, and I am glad we finally did. But I want to do more, I want to help. So I am asking you if you can help me try something.."

"What do you want to do?"

...

The doorbell to the Artega manor rang, while Shin was in mid-rant. "I am telling you dad. Kincaid is our guy. You have to give him a piece of your mind, and ours while you are at it!" He held a mostly one-sided discussion with his father even as he went to open the door. "Oh. Good evening, what.. whaaaah!" And there outside stood a tall wall of a duelist, going by the name of Korose. "Korose!? It's an ambush" If Ruby was taken over by Chaos Force, then Korose had to be as well!

"On second thought. Maybe I should have been in front of the line." But to Shins surprise, three somewhat smaller figures appeared from behind Korose. "D-Darcy?" Shin recognized her immediately. "And..you?" That costumed duelists from Neo Avalon, the Masked Raider, was there as well. "And... who are you?" The third one he failed to identify however. That guy looked to be as old as Subito but that school uniform he wore was not from any academy Shin knew of. "I AM.. I mean.. the name is Thomas." The third introduced managed to not introduce himself as he normally would. "Oh he is my boyfriend." Darcy added, apropos of nothing. "What? When did.." Thomas certainly never planned that part of the cover story. "But then, why are all you here? And Korose? Where is Xander.. and.." Shin just got more and more lost as he tried to make sense of it all. "I think that story could be better told inside." The tall man finally spoke, his voice more cracked than usual. "Yes. But first.." And the Raider spoke as well. "...?" In a way that Shin found alarmingly similar to someone he knew. "There is no need to lie to him, not again..." The Raider stepped into the house. "Shin, It's me."

"Azar!?" Shin began to scream like a kid that was about to explode. "Sssh!" And an explosion of noise was exactly what needed to be avoided. "We do not know who may be watching. May I come in?" Azar did not know anyone in this neighborhood, but if anyone heard his name, they could report it to the enforcers. They would still be looking out for him. "Oh. Oh! Of course. Come in! Like I would say no after all this time!" Shin was too excited to question anything at this point. "Shin? Who are these people?" Whereupon they met with his father. "Oh." Shin looked at his friends, the Masked Raider was giving him a nod. "Dad. These are friends from Neo Avalon; Darcy, Korose, Thomas.. " He went by them one at a time. Korose himself personally stepped up to shake Artega's hand. "I apologize on behalf of my employers."

"Of there is no need for that. And Darcy, hello. I remember my sons talking about you." He gave her a hand to. "Sons? Even Subito? What a nice surprise." She grinned. "And I am the Masked Raider, sir." Thomas approached him next. "You are? I thought that was him?" Mr. Artega looked at Azar, he was the one with the mask after all. "No. That's Azar!" Shin revealed all too eagerly. "Azar?" Now Shin had passed on his confusion to his father. "It is a long story, with parts that I am not proud of. So let's sit down." Azar said. If he was right about the omens he had, then they probably had their own stories to tell.

...

"Are you certain you want to go through with this?" Dakar had proposed a duel in the house chapel while it wasn't used; a duel between brother and sister. Ariel did not like the sound of it. "I am. I may not have dueled in months, but I have not forgotten how to. And it would be nice to play again." Dakar had taken back his old deck, and his old D-pad. It had been so long. "That's not what I meant." Ariel did not want to remind him of the fact. But Dakars last duel had put him in a coma. He had to know that she did not like this. "Ariel. We need to do this. This is the only way to find out if there is still a part of Chaos in me or you."

Dakars LP: 8000

He had already activated his device, and shuffled his cards. "I knew what I was getting into that night, when I came upon 'it'. When I learned of the Numbers and decided to deal with them. Then I was trying to protect you..." He drew six cards, taking the first turn. "I was wrong to exclude you, so let's do this together!" He activated two spell cards, the continuous Gravekeepers Servant spell card and the Necrovalley field spell card. Then he placed one monster face down. "You took over for me, Ariel. You have four Numbers, right?" Dakar pointed at his sister, at her extra deck. "Do not hide them. Summon them if you can. If anything will draw 'it' out, it will be the Numbers." Finally, by banishing a Stardust Dragon from his extra deck, Dakar could special summon a Malefic Stardust Dragon(8/2500/2000) from his hand. As long as the black armored Star dragon was under his control, field spell cards like his Necrovalley could not be destroyed by card effects. And Necrovalley itself would negate any effect that banished or moved cards from the graveyard. "Only when we are sure, can we move on. I never want to leave things.. unfinished."

"Okay." Ariel activated her own D-pad and drew her own cards. She had heard enough to accept the challenge.

Ariels LP: 8000

"This is my deck." Ariel normal summoned a monster from her hand, a beak-mouthed red shark(5/1000/1800) with six pectoral fins. "Because you control 2 monsters, I can normal summon this Eagle Shark without tributes." Then Ariel special summoned her next monster, a yellow shark(5/1100/2000) with black spots. "I can special summon Panther Shark from my hand, if an Eagle Shark is already on the field." She had two monsters now. With these she could live up to Dakars wishes. "I overlay Panther Shark and Eagle Shark to summon Number 94: Crystal Zero!" The red and yellow sharks turned into energy spirals, converging together to form an icy white portal from which a crystal-dressed sorceress(5/2200/1600) emerged. "Crystal Zero can halve a monsters attackpoints." Number 94 detached one of her materials and shot a blast of red energy from her ice staff. The energy targeted the Malefic Stardust Dragon(1250/2000). "Dakar. My attack begins now!" Gravekeepers Servant was in play and it asked a payment for each attack. Ariel had to discard a card from the top of her deck, so that Crystal Zero could jab her ice staff through the armored Stardust Dragon, freezing it from the inside and scattering it like diamond star dust. "Your turn."

Dakars LP: 7050

"Your first Number." The expression of wonder was written on Dakars face, he could feel the very temperature in the room drop. "Yur control over them is flawless, Ariel." He had expected nothing less from her. "My latest number, actually. I took this from an Agent. I haven't been able to master its power as of yet." Ariel admitted to it. She did not like to use Numbers in general. "It is fine the way it is. Chaos can draw out their potential much faster than any human can. But I did not collect Numbers for their powers either... And yes it is my turn." Dakar began to talk in a lower tone, as he flipped his set monster face-up. "Gravekeepers Spy, I special summon a Gravekeeper from my deck." The flipped Spy(4/1700/2500)'s effect put a Gravekeepers Assailant(4/2000/2000) from his deck on the field. After that he normal summoned a Gravekeepers Guard(4/1500/2400) to his side. "Ariel. It has come to this." And then he took all three monsters, attaching them to each other. "Dakar? What... are you saying?" Ariel did not know why he sounded different. Dakars deck did not used to have Xyz monsters in it either. "Sister. I am affraid, you were not the only one keeping secrets.."

...

"I understand. I think. They targeted you as well, for your Numbers. But thanks to that, we now know for certain that you can free these people from Chaos Force's grasp by destroying their CXyz monster." Azars victory over Janus had been the same as Natasha's near victory. "I knew something was happening, I knew I had to return. And I would return eventually..Shin." Azar had trouble looking at Shin, who he had abandoned so quickly. The mask made it easier, but then it always did. "But I am not the only one who has things to say.. Korose." Azar had spoken about all that happened on his end, not it was the agents turn. "Yes. I myself, Xander Carson and Ruby Irant. We went to investigate a lead, which I had said to you before we left." The agent pointed at Artega, who slowly nodded. "You told me that you had found nothing." That was the call Korose had given him last week. "I did say that, and it was a lie. I was already under the influence of Chaosat that time. Theo Jager ambushed us at the Flight center, taking Xander first and then the two took us both. I can barely recall my actions in the last week, except that I helped Theo free his associates from their confinement. I could not disobey him. I hear Ruby is here now, I do not know where Xander is or Theo. However, Mister Artega, Shin Artega: we _did_ find something at that center."

"Ah, this is the good part!" Thomas was ready to hear the story again. "What? What did you find?" Shin was literally on the edge of his seat. "The Araquiel. That space craft we saw when we were taken to the Catalysts dimension. It did not go missing by accident. We checked all data they had at the space flight center. Their information was incomplete, we found little. Yet the crew manifest and more importantly, the course management data, were still intact. It told us where the Araquiel disappeared, and more importantly, that its course was altered, from inside the shuttle itself, at the last instant."

"What? Someone steered the shuttle of its course? Why, how?" Shin thought that just raised more questions. "The Araquiel was a prototype, the first space craft that had a refined maneuvering system. It can visit precise coordinates. The center believed it to be an error in the system, I believe those coordinates were visited purposefully. I say this because I do not believe the Araquiel came upon the other dimension by accident. The coordinates it was last seen at correspond to something." Korose showed a map of circle crossed with lines and symbols and two red marks. "Uhm..." Shin clearly had no idea what he was looking at. "It's a map of lunar coordinates, they show the positions of the moon throughout the year. Where the Araquiel disappeared, is where the moon would be.. precisely half a year later, and half a year ago." He gave Azar a knowing look. "When we were in the other dimension, we saw a second moon.. a red moon. I believe there is where the portal between our world and theirs lies.. and that is what the Araquiel found. Someone knew about the Catalyst world more than a decade ago. "

"Yes. And that someone might have been someone from the Agency. They sent Korose there to begin with... But more importantly, if the crew from that shuttle reached the catalyst world. One or more of them..might have turned into Catalysts themselves.." Azar was going into his own theories. "...wait. I.." But something that had been burning in the back of his mind, was getting too strong to ignore. "Is it another attack?" Darcy asked him. His outbursts were becoming a part of the daily routine now. "No, something else... I sense a Number, close by." Azar looked to his left, it came from the east. "Are you sure you aren't sensing Ariel? She lives in that direction, and she has four Number cards." Shin said. It was reasonable to assume that would register on any Number radar. "No. That isn't it. I haven't felt a Numbers presence since... four months ago." And if he was aware of it from this distance, it was no ordinary Number.. _"Ariels direction?"_

...

"No.." Three level 4 monsters to make one rank 4 card. "When.." And_ it_ was also a Number card; a masked magic performer(4/2700/1200) dressed in white and gold, with metallic blue wings coming from its back. "Number 104: Masquerade." Dakar had summoned a Number, Dakar had a Number. "I awoke this card, while I was imprisoned in the other world, while my body was comatose. It came to me, just before you freed me." Even his explanation could not make Ariel accept what she was seeing. "But how.. and why?" The fact that the card had a Number over hundred, was not even the main concern for her. "I do not know how or why this Number came to me. But I do know that it feels different from the others. Different.. from yours!" He then proceeded to his battle phase, discarding a card from his deck for Gravekeepers Servant. "Number 104, destroy Number 94!" Masquerade conjured up three linking rings and tossed them at Crystal Zero like throwing discs. "Crystal Zero!" So Ariel detached one more material from her ice witch, to try and halve Masquerade's attackpoints. "That will not work, sister! Masquerade can negate a monsters effect during the battle phase!" Dakar detached one material from his Number. The magician deflected Crystal Zero's ice magic with his wing. "And it inflicts 800 points of damage as well!" The ice shot back towards Ariel. "Ah!"

Ariels LP: 7200

Then immediately afterwards, the linking circles cut through Crystal Zero, breaking the subzero sorceress into shards of ice. "Why did you keep this from me? Why.." Ariel did not understand why this was happening. All she knew was that she felt a pain in her chest. "Because you did the same to me." And Dakar was no longer talking to her like he used to, his kindness had gradually slipped away. "My Number holds further powers!" Dakar moved to the second main phase. "Once a turn, it can discard the top card from your deck!" Masquerade grabbed his rings again and made them appear to unlink through the art of illusion. The process forced Ariels deck to eject a Fishbiorg Archer monster card and send it to the cemetery. "I set one trap card and end my turn! Ariel, I am tired of secrets, I will not hide who I am anymore!"

Ariels LP: 6700

"This is not you.. It is that Number, isn't it?! It is making you act this way!" Ariel yelled. "I didn't want to..I..I.." Ariel had only one option. "I activate Fishborg Archer's effect!" She discarded a water-card from her hand to special summon the discarded fishbowl-centaur cyborg(3/300/300) back to the field. "Necrovalley can not prevent a monster from taking itself out of the graveyard!" Ariel followed it up by normal summoning the metalspike shark Big Jaws(3/1800/300). "I overlay Skull Kraken with Big Jaws!" If Dakar wanted to see all of her Numbers, she would continue summoning them. "And I xyz-summon Number 47: Nightmare Shark!" This time it was the eternal predator, the flying shark(3/2000/2000). "This Number I won from Penn, the man who put you in your coma, Dakar!" That she summoned this Number out of all her Numbers, made her sick to her stomach. But she was hoping to draw a similar response from her brother. "By detaching one material, it can attack directly!" Ariel detached a material, and discarded another card for the Gravekeepers Servant. "Direct attack!"

"Sister? You presume that while I am under some sort of influence, an attack from _that_ card will free me? This _is _me, Ariel!" Dakar smiled. It was not a warm inviting smile. "Continuous Trap card: Vain Betrayer!" It was a cruel self-satisfied smile. "Betrayer?" Ariel gasped as Nightmare Shark stopped moving. "Vain Betrayer. It negates an xyz-monsters attack, and keeps that monster from attacking. It can not use its effects either!" Dakar pointed to Ariel. "And each endphase, if that Xyz-monster is still alive, you have to discard the top three cards from your deck!" And now he was even laughing.. at her. "Sister. You fell for my trap! I will destroy your deck, piece by piece, and claim your Numbers for myself!" His very words were there to torment her. "Wh-why.." How did it come to this?

"Because I was supposed to be the Hunter, not you. I chose Chaos.. and it chose me!"

"Ariel!" At that time Azar barged into the chapel, still dressed as the Masked Raider. "Speak of the devil, and he shall come." Dakar did not seem fooled for a second. "You!?" Azar was shocked to discover who was dueling Ariel, and even more to discover what he was dueling with. "That Number!?" He saw Masquerade, the 104th Number. "That is the same as Ion's Number." The only other Number he had seen cross the two-digit treshold, was Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry. He did not know how Ion got it then, he did not know how Dakar got it now. "The other who tried to replace me. Thank you for coming to me at this time, Azar." Dakar smirked. "Azar?" Ariel flinched. He was back? He was in that outfit?

"Now let's decide who really deserved to spend an eternity in a prison of the mind!" And then suddenly, as Azar locked eyes with Dakar. "...Ch!." Azar fell to the floor, lifeless. "No!? What did you do to him!" Ariel shouted at her brother.

"I did nothing, sister. He is alive, for now. It was a mutual friend that pulled his mind away.. to settle an old debt."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)10: Vis-à-Vis)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Panther Shark  
Eagle Shark

-  
Number 94: Crystal Zero

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Spy  
Malefic Stardust Dragon  
Gravekeepers Assailant  
Gravekeepers Guard  
Number 104: Masquerade

-  
Necrovalley  
Gravekeepers Servant

-  
Vain Betrayer


	12. Cipher (1)10: Vis-à-Vis

**Cipher (1)10: Vis-à-Vis**

_All around him was darkness, like his eyes had been forced shut and a whole new world of shadows and dust opened up to him. But it did not feel unfamiliar, he had existed here previously. This was not the physical realm, this was his mindscape. Gone was the Masked Raider disguise, he was just Azar now. And Azar had not been here consciously, since that fated duel with Necara. Yet Dakar managed to make him return. Things were very different now. It was cold, he could feel the low temperatures on his skin, he could feel the wind flow through the void. It was like the breath of a demon lurking in the fog... He was not alone. __**"Order.." **__A heavily distorted voice cried out, as soon as Azar had become aware of another presence. "__**Disorder." **__It sounded like several people, male and female, talking all at once. __**"Create, Destroy."**__ It came from all around Azar, and was getting closer while going further away at the same time. "Who is there?" Azar remained standing where he was, there was nowhere to go, nowhere else to be. __**"...Chaos."**_

_"Chaos?" That was what he feared. "Which Chaos are you?" Even though Necara had taken Chaos from him, it had left behind some of its power within Ariel, and possibly also Dakar. And his power was the same as his essence. Had Azar awakened that dormant seed by coming in close contact with Dakar? __**"Chaos is Chaos."**__ The voice cryptically replied, before focusing itself on one position. __**"Chaos was you once. Chaos remembers. Chaos changed you."**__ And then it took a form, it took the form that Azar had taken for himself in the past: the dark vigilante Dusk. Only ten times Azars normal size. __**"Change. Change. Everything changes, everything must change!" **__And then it lashed out, surrounding Azar with black talons. _

_"Ergh!" Instinctively Azar went for his pocket and pulled out a card which immediately emitted a fierce light to drive off the darkness. __**"Gsshaa!"**__ Chaos retreated, but did not disappear.__** "Visualization. You resist." **__He shrunk down his form, to match Azars shape, and then swept his arm around to shape cards from pure-black energy.__** "Overcome! Take!"**__ From its words and actions, Azar could tell what it wanted. "So this is a fight to determine who controls my body and mind.." There was no other way back to the world of the living, he had to defeat this part of Chaos. "So be it." He would do whatever it took. Azar visualized the rest of his deck and shuffled it. Then he drew six cards. "My turn! I summon the Maiden with Eyes of Blue!" The first bit of color that appeared within the void was a young woman(1/0/0), with pale skin and long silver-white hair. "Then I set one card down and end my turn!" _

Azars LP: 8000 Chaos' LP: 8000

_**"Changed. You have changed.."** It seemed to notice that Azars deck was different now, with the loss of the Swarm, Azar had abandoned the dark element altogether. 'It' had not. __**"Chaos changes too.."**__ It summoned a new creature of the dark, a ghoulish beast(4/1800/0), shrouded in a tattered cloak. __**"Umbral Ghoul. Changes strength to nothing, to 'summon' Umbral Horror Will'o the Wisp." **__By taking away its own attackpoints, the Ghoul(0/0) could special summon another Umbral Horror from Chaos' ethereal hand. __**"And Wisp changes the stars itself, to follow those of another." **__A shadowy wraith(1/0/0) hiding under a blue flame appeared, and its effect altered its(4/0/0) level stars to match those of the Umbral Ghoul. __**"And the final change. Darkness for light, death for life."**__ The two Umbral demons were overlayed. "!?" And Azar witnessed the Xyz-summon of something he never thought he would have to fight, Number 39: Utopia(4/2500/2000). __**"Hope, destroy what was created!" **__Utopia took out his sword and jumped towards the Blue-eyed Maiden. _

_"The Maiden can negate an attack that targets it and switches herself to defense position!" Azar shouted, as the pale lady released a flash of white energy. "And than she can summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!" The dragonic familiar of the Maiden, the great White Dragon(8/3000/2500) emerged from that outburst in attack mode __**"Another was created, and death was prevented. Not allowed."**__ Chaos however activated a quickplay spell card from his hand. __**"More life, is more power."**__ It was Double or Nothing. "Ah!?" Since Utopia's attack was negated, the spell would make it attack again with doubled attackpoints. Utopia(5000/2000) slayed the dragon this time instead. "Ugh"_

Azars LP: 6000

_Chaos then placed a trap card down and ended its turn. __**"For each life we take, Chaos grows stronger. Chaos will never stop growing!"**_

...

Ariels LP: 6700 Dakars LP: 7050

"Why is he here? And why.." Azar had returned, disguised as the Masked Raider of all people, and now he lay unconscious on the chapel floor. "He knew to come, our connection to the power within us is that great. Not even Agent N could take that away." Dakar said. He had been the one to knock him out with a mere glance, or rather.. Chaos had been. "But that is not who you should be looking at, sister. We are still locked in a duel." Dakar was waiting for her to end her turn. "You are not my brother." And Ariel reluctantly did so. She could not turn her back on the duel, unless she wanted to give up her Numbers to Dakar.

"Good. Now Vain Betrayer's effect activates." the continuous trap that held Number 47: Nightmare Shark(3/2000/2000) in place discarded 3 cards from the top of Ariels deck. "We need to discard much more than that.." As Dakars turn began, he activated the spell card, Card Destruction, forcing both players to discard their hands and draw the same amount of cards. "Tch." As Ariels hand discarded three cards, she had to take three back from her deck. Dakar only discarded one card. "Then let's have Number 104 send another card to your graveyard!" Masquerade(4/2700/1200) made a second ring from his linked chain disappear, forcing another card out of Ariels deck.

"You discarded Nimble Angler!" This time however that initiated an effect. "When Nimble Angler is sent from the deck to the graveyard, it special summons two 'Nimble' monsters from my deck!" The Anglerfish used its alluring light to bait two Nimble Sunfish(2/1000/100) monsters unto the field. "Oh how interesting. Your deck is more involved with the grave than I imagined. And you used to always say you did not care for the family tradition." Dakar let out a short chuckle, before moving to his battle phase. "You are more like our parents than you can imagine. While I am far less... Masquerade attacks." The illusionary magician threw a single ring at one of the Sunfish monsters, destroying it. At the same time he discarded a card to pay the cost of Gravekeepers Servant, his continuous spell. "When he is destroyed as a result of battle, I can special summon another Nimble Sunfish, by sending a fish monster from my deck to the graveyard!" The skewered Sunfish was replaced with a third Nimble Sunfish(2/1000/100) in her deck. At the same time Ariel sent a Jawsman to her graveyard. "Good. Good. At this speed, your graveyard will soon be fuller than your deck, dearest sister. It is necessary that you learn and live with all this death." Dakar placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

"Shut up. Shut up!" Ariel drew her card and began her rampage of spells. "Salvage!" The first sent two water-monsters with 1500 or less attack back into her hand, she reclaimed Nimble Angler and Fishborg Archer. "Moray of Greed!" The second shuffled those two water monsters back into her deck, so she could draw three new cards. "Mystical Space Typhoon!" One of those three new cards was a quickplay spell card that could destroy any other spell or trap card, and she chose to get rid of Necrovalley. "You at least learned not to bother explaining card effects to me. I played this game well before you have, after all" Even now her big brother remained blazé about her acts. "Just watch. I will destroy that Number next!" Ariel activated her Surface spell card, a spell that summoned a lowlevel sea monster from the graveyard, to revive a Starfish(3/300/300) which had been discarded one turn ago through Vain Betrayer.

Ariel then sacrificed both Nimble Sunfish cards, to tribute summon a massive whale(9/1000/3000). "This is Big Whale, I can tribute it to special summon three level 3 water monsters from my deck!" The whale released three aquatic monsters from the torpedo tubes attached to its body; a Starfish(3/300/300) pair and a single Drill Barnacle(3/300/0) in defense position. Then Big Whale itself went down under. "A Starfish summoned this way can not use their effects, but the Starfish I summoned before can!" The surfaced Starfish used its power to raise the level of all 'Starfish' monsters by 1 star. "Come out, Number 32!" And Ariel used the Starfish Trio(4/300/300) as xyz-materials, sending them sinking down into the floor. "Shark Drake!" And the great red shark dragon(4/2800/2000) leaped to the surface, as ripples of energy surged across the room. Her Number had the superior strength. "Attack!" Ariel discarded a card to pay the Gravekeeper Servant, as her Number would easily kill the Overhundred Number. "Trap card: Disloyalty!" Unless Dakar had a trap waiting for her, which he did. It was one that switched Shark Drake to defense position and then switched itself back to a face-down position. "You fell for it again, Ariel."

_Disloyal, Normal Trap  
__When a monster with 2500 or more ATK declares an attack; switch it to defense position, then set this card face-down again instead of sending it to the graveyard._

"Rgh!" Ariel placed two cards down in her spell/trap zone and ended her turn. "Do not feel bad. I only taught you what you needed to know. That is not enough to play on my level, against who I really am." Before his turn began Vain Betrayer took another 3 cards from Ariels deck. Then as he could proceed, Dakar made Masquerade discard another card from the top of her deck with its effect. By now more than half of Ariels deck had been discarded. "I have been waiting for this moment. I have always been waiting. First I was stuck as the son of the Serin house, bored with my life. Chaos freed me from that. But then I got imprisoned in another world, and you..my own sister, tried to take my place! And now that I am back, I had to wait to get what was rightfully mine. This is when even your original Number will come to me.." And finally Number 104 started its attack on Number 32. "Frilled Rabca!" Ariel attempted to block the attack on her seaserpent, by banishing the Frilled shark from her graveyard. "Have you forgotten already?" However Dakar countered Rabca's effect with Masquerade's. "My Number can negate effects even if they activate in the graveyard." By detaching a material, Masquerade destroyed Rabca's spirit utterly and erased another 800 lifepoints from Ariel.

Ariel's LP: 6400

"Ngh. But I have two Frilled Rabca's in my deck, and you discarded both already!" Ariel quickly banished the second Rabca from her graveyard, blocking the attack from the Masked magician and taking 500 of its(2300/1200) attackpoints until Dakars next turn. "Catching me in the middle of a chain? Maybe there is hope for you after all. Nevertheless.. my decision remains unaltered. This was my destiny from the very beginning. Who are you to say otherwise?" Dakar ended his turn.

"Dakar. If that is you, then you can not see what it is doing to you. I do not know how, if it is that Number, or your connection to Chaos. But it is corrupting you. I have seen it happen to Azar, to me!" Ariel did not want this, she had never wanted to fight with her brother. This duel was taking every toll on her mind, she could feel her own Numbers trying to agitate her and feed on her anger. She would do anything to make this stop. "The Numbers do not betray me, Ariel. It is you and Azar who went behind my back." But Dakar had strenghtened his will against her words. It would take a lot more to break through. "Then nothing I say matters... "XYZ Gift." Ariel activated a spell card. "When I control 2 xyz-monsters, I can detach 2 materials from one of them to draw 2 cards." She detached two materials from Shark Drake and drew a trap and monster card from her deck. "Double Shark!" She normal summoned the latter, a double-faced and jawed blue shark(4/1200/1600). "And then.. as a monster was summoned, I can activate Torrential Tribute!" Ariel flipped her first trap card. "What!?" It raised a torrent of water that wiped out all monsters on the field, Ariels four cards and Dakars Masquerade.

"You wiped both sides out?" Dakar had not seen this kind of move coming from her. It was so.. selfdestructive. "No." However Ariels attack had two stages. "Torrential Reborn!" And she flipped her second trap card, which special summoned all water monsters that were destroyed just now. "!?" Back to attack Dakar directly. "If you will not listen to me, you will listen to the cards! I will show you just what kind of duelist I have become!"

...

"Shouldn't we have followed Azar?" Shin was worried what Azar was getting into now. If he sensed a Number at Ariels house, it could be bad news. "You may go. I have someone to keep under close observation." Korose got up. "Oh? Oh right, the lady Janis." Thomas suddenly remembered their fifth passenger. "Janis? That girl from Tomorrow? She is with you?" Shin asked loudly. "Well, technically she was with Korose. Until we snapped Korose out of 'it'." Darcy started to explain. "You mean, I saved him with my flawless dueling skills." And Thomas felt the need to brag, just a little. "Yes you did honey. But Janis knocked herself out. So before she woke up we used one of Thomas' handcuffs and tied her to chair in the Pickup outside. We were about to get to that part." Darcy mentioned casually, to Shin who was getting more and more confused. "They are to restrain evildoers... my father's a cop. I borrow items from him periodically. Though I do not tell him that.." Thomas felt the need to clarify why he even had handcuffs on him.

"We wanted to question her, before we freed her from Chaos Force. She wouldn't forget most of what she did that way. Like I had... !?" Korose then rushed to the front door, as if he had seen a ghost. "Huh?" The others followed, as Korose stormed outside. If Korose was worried, there was reason to be worried! "Hey!? Big bro!" And outside they saw Subito stand besides the pickup. "Hey Subito! You won't believe who came back, and who he brought along with him!" His younger brother shouted out towards him. "This is not right." But Korose noticed that not all was as it should have been. "It is too quiet." Janis had not been the most silent of prisoners. Yet now no sound came from inside the vehicle. Thomas did not like this. "Bro?" And Subito was not speaking back to them either. "..." And when he turned to them, a dead glare was all they got. "No!" And from his hands came the torn up pieces of a Chaos Force card. "That was Janis' card! He destroyed it!" Korose cursed. Now Janis could not tell them anything "Subito, why!?" Shin knew that Subito had a reason for this, he always had. "I have done both things I needed to do.." And his brother did, in fact, have a reason. Subito showed them a Chaos Force card. "You _were_ infected? But I made sure you.." And in the middle of his brothers pleas, Subito ran off. "Subito!" He rushed out the gate, pushing the code to close it behind him and disappeared into the streets. "Subitoooo!"

...

_"I do not know how you summoned that Number, Chaos. But.." Azars turn started again. He first summoned a Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb(4/1800/300) "I do not need mine to destroy yours! By sacrificing a Hieratic Dragon, I can special summon Hieratic Dragon of Nebthet from my hand!" The dragon of sand was replaced with the dragon of moonlight, Nebthet(5/2000/1600). As Dragon of Gebeb had been tributed, its effect to special summon a normal dragon from the deck went off, and a Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon OverLord(8/0/0) was brought out. "Nebthet can sacrifice a Hieratic monster on my field or in my hand, to destroy a monster you control!" Azar chose to tribute the Hieratic seal monster. Nebthet cracked the golden orb to unleash its devastating solar flames on the Utopian warrior._

_**"He does not understand. What Chaos changes, is always Chaos! You are Chaos too!" **__Chaos flipped his continuous trap card: Numbers Wall. "Gah!" The trap made all Numbers immune to destructive effects, including Nebthets. __**"Your Numbers are Chaos' Numbers. All that comes from Chaos goes back to Chaos!"**_ _Utopia was not even scorched by the suns flames. "So you are saying, you are the same Chaos that was inside me, and also the Chaos that is now being used all over the world to create CXyz monsters?" If Chaos was all one entity, he could see why it would have Utopia in it arsenal. Utopia had been corrupted by Chaos already. "..I activate Super Rejuvenation! I draw cards during my endphase for each dragon-monster I tributed this turn. So I end my turn now." As he had tributed both Gebeb and the Seal of the Overlord, he could draw two cards._

_**"Chaos is not limited, Chaos is Freedom. The Numbers are Order, they are a curse." **The Dusk figure drew his next card, which was glowing bright red. That could not be a good sign.** "In here, Chaos is limited. But even in here, Chaos will change them. Chaos must change them!" **He activated the spell card**. "Rank-Up-Magic: Limited Chaos Force!"** And he used the spell on Utopia. "Your own Rank-Up card?" What Azar had dreaded the most was this, another Chaos Number. **"Chaos Force is born from Chaos! So too shall Chaos Numbers be! Chaos summons Number C39: Utopia Ray V!"**_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)11: And Hope to Die)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Big Whale

-  
Mystical Space Typhoon  
XYZ Gift

-  
Torrential Tribute

**New Card used by Dakar Serin  
**Card Destruction

_-  
Disloyalty_

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Maiden with Eyes of Blue  
Hieratic Dragon of Nebthet

-  
Super Rejuvenation

**New Cards used by 'Chaos'  
**Umbral Horror Ghoul  
Umbral Horror Will' O Wisp  
Number 39: Utopia

-  
Double or Nothing  
_Rank-Up-Magic: Limited Chaos Force (+)_

_(+ Limited Barians Force, but renamed for story purposes)_


	13. Cipher (1)11: And Hope to Die

**Cipher (1)11: And Hope to Die**

Ariels LP: 6400 Dakars LP: 7050

"Torrential Reborn inflicts 500 points of damage for each monster it revives!" Ariels trap had special summoned Shark Drake(4/2800/2400), Nightmare Shark(3/2000/2000), Double Shark(4/1200/1600) and Drill Barnacle(3/300/0) from the graveyard. So four times did Dakar take that damage.

Dakars LP: 5050

"Number 47: Nightmare Shark can attach a lowlevel water monster to itself, as it was special summoned!" Ariel attached the Drill Barnacle to the winged shark. Though she did not even need its effect right now. "And Torrential Tribute destroyed all monsters, but only mine were special summoned back!" Ariel gave her brother a look of resentment, unlike any she had ever shown him. "Your Number is gone, you will not hide behind it anymore!" The battle phase began. "I attack with Double Shark first! This Shark gets two attacks in one phase!" Both mouths of the doubleheaded shark opened and fired high-pressure water bursts at Dakars body. "Rgh. Ariel.." And then Nightmare Shark moved in. "Second direct attack!" It slashed alongside her opponent with its bladed fins. "And this will.." Finally Shark Drake prepared itself to hand out the finishing blow.

Dakars LP: 650

"I activate Disloyalty!" But Dakar had had enough, he flipped his normal trap once more. As a monster with more than 2500 attackpoints had declared an attack, it was switched to defense mode. And Disloyalty itself was switched face-down afterwards. "When will you learn! this duel is not about your life, not to me!" Dakar had known all along she could not take away all his lifepoints in this turn. "All you did was hurry things along! Your deck is bleeding dry!" Ariel had to discard four cards from her deck, to satisfy the Gravekeepers Servant spell card. Things had gotten so precarious that her deck only had two cards remaining. "But Vain Betrayer can not discard cards anymore!" Ariel had at least gotten rid of Dakars other trap, which destroyed itself when Nightmare Shark temporarily left the field. "And.." Ariel began to glow with a strange purple energy. "I can still.. summon this card. I chaos Xyz-summon Shark Drake Veiss!" By using Shark Drake and its three attached units as materials, Ariel could evolve the defending Number 32 into the bone-white Chaos Number 32, Shark Drake Veiss(4/2800/2000), in attack position.

"This is how Chaos manifested within you." Dakar did not sound amazed so much as he did exasperated. "That you took the power of Chaos this far, before I could..." Dakar drew his next card. "Monster Reborn!" And he activated the other card in his hand, to revive the dead. "I special summon Number 104 from the graveyard!" The performer magician, Masquerade(4/2700/1200) made his grand re-entrance to the duel. "But you will not sever my bond again, not with my Number." One final time Masquerade used its effect to discard the top card of Ariels deck, leaving but one card. "Ariel, I know your power in every way. I know that Shark Drake Veiss can not use its powers unless your lifepoints are lower than one thousand. It is a flawed Chaos Number, from a Chaos who had not yet mastered the art." Dakar took the card he had drawn just now. "What is that?" Ariel felt an sickening and twisted energy emanate from that card. "The Chaos seed within me has awakened, connecting to the rest of itself. I am the first of its hosts, it makes sense that I get to experience its new force!" Dakar activated the spell card. "I activate Rank-Up Magic: Limited Chaos Force to show you a true Chaos Number, sister!"

...

Azars LP: 6000 Chaos' LP: 8000

_Limited Chaos Force; it seemed to function exactly like the regular version, except it could only rank-up rank 4 Number monsters, and it did not steal an opponents Xyz material. Though Azar did not know why this Chaos was restricted to this version of its force. But the resulting Chaos monster was otherwise still as terrifying. Utopia had become Utopia Ray V(5/2600/2000), a far more devilish black knight than the regular Utopia Ray, who had exchanged Utopia's white and gold for black and red. The original Utopia and one Umbral monster were besides it, imprisoned in crystals. __**"We created one of the Xyz, this awakens the trap." **Chaos activated Dimension Slice, a trap that could be activated from the hand when a __Xyz monster was special summoned. __**"Undo the Maiden."**__ The trap would banish any one monster on the field, including Azars Maiden with Eyes of Blue(1/0/0). __**"And Utopia Ray V, the creation of Chaos, can destroy what was created in Orders name. And take life equal to the creations strength."**__ One red crystal besides the Chaosnumber shattered. __**"Destroy Nebthet." **__Utopia Ray V dipped one of his swords in the released red light, before throwing it towards Azars dragon of moonlight(5/2000/1600) like a spinning disc. "Argh." The blade shredded Nebthet to pieces, and continued on towards Azar, inflicting 2000 points of damage._

Azars LP: 4000

_**"And now more life will be claimed, through direct contact"**__ The Chaotic Dusk ordered Utopia Ray V to attack directly, and the devil knight grabbed his other sword and sliced right through Azar. "Gaaaahhh!" It really felt like his body had been torn open from head to stomach. But nothing was real here. He had to remind himself that, or he would lose his mind. __**"That ends 'the turn'." **__Chaos said. Azar took a deep breath. He was not sure what he was breathing, but the act itself was aiding him. "So if it damages me, by the same amount of attackpoints that the destroyed monster has.." Azar thought. Allthough in this mindscape, thinking was the same as speaking out loud. "He has Number Wall, I can not destroy him with card effects. And he can destroy anything I summon." These considerations lead to one outcome, one choice. "I must summon Utopia as well." It was the one Number he had at his disposal. If he could not control it, he would never survive.. He could not die here, not now that he was finally back.. home._

Azars LP: 1400

_"I summon Hieratic Dragon of Nuit!" So he normal summoned the egyptian dragon(4/1700/900) of the sky and thunder. "When a card effect targets this monster, I can special summon a normal dragon-type card from my deck. Though that monster's attack and defense will become zero!" Azar explained before flipping his set continuous trap card face-up. "I activate Castle of Dragon Souls! I banish a dragon from my graveyard, to give 800 attackpoints to my monster!" Azar removed Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb from the graveyard, to add the attackpoint boost to Nuit(2500/900). As it was targeted, it could now summon a normal dragon, Alexandrite Dragon(4/0/0) from Azars deck. Two level 4 monsters, it was now or never. "Alexandrite Dragon and Nuit, I overlay them.. to summon Number 39: Utopia!" The two dragons shot up into the dark void, creating another glowing portal. "In my mind anything is possible, even the existence of two Numbers at once!" And the knight of hope(4/2500/2000) was given life for the second time. This one stared right at his darker counterpart. There was no pain, no sickness. Azar's will was stronger than his fears. He only needed to want it enough. "I set a card face-down and end my turn!"_

_**"Chaos sees. Numbers Wall protects all Numbers, even those of Chaos' enemy. That is how Utopia will resist V's destruction." **__Dusk/Chaos placed his hand on his deck of dark flames. "__**Utopia is Hope... Dreams. Hopes restrict, Dreams narrow. That is not what Chaos is. Chaos is infinite, Chaos is dreamless. Chaos.. destroys Destiny!" **__The flames turned pale blue for an instant. __**"Dark Chaos Draw!" **__And the enemy drew a card it had burned into something new alltogether. "Dark Chaos Weapon: Chimera Clad!" A dark winged chimera, which resembled a twisted version of the very first Chaos Weapon Azar and Chaos had ever created, was formed by the power of Chaos. __**"End Utopia."**__ The only one who would wield it was Utopia Ray V, Chimera Clad equipped itself to the Chaos warrior and became a scythe in his hands. Though there seemed to be no change to Utopia Ray's stats. "I activate Utopia's effect! I detach a material from Utopia to negate an attack!" Nevertheless Azar made his Number defend itself, Number 39 used its wings as a shield against Number C39's scythe. He knew not to take any risks._

_"So far, so good." Azar seemed to be able to keep control of the Number. "Chaos turn ends." However the truth was also that he needed more than Utopia to mount a counter-offensive. Utopia alone could only defend. "If I can get this far without adverse effects. Then.." Azar looked at his own deck. "My mind...My rules. Anything I see, happens. That is the power of hope.. and imagination." He closed his eyes, and searched his memories. He searched for the feeling he had, whenever he performed a certain feat. "Chaos. You have shown me your Draw. Maybe because of that, I think I can show you mine. Or should I say.. Ours." Azar smiled and drew the next card just as it began to give off a powerful light.__** "Chaos Draw?" **_

_"Yes! Chaos Draw! I draw Chaos Weapon - Lightning Blade!" Azar added a white tiger monster to his hand, which was equipped to his Utopia just like Chimera Clad had equipped itself to his opponents. "Lightning Blade adds 1200 attackpoints to any Utopia monster! And it makes all of Utopia's equipment indestructible!" Utopia grabbed the sword and charged himself(3700/2000) with electricity. "Here I come!" AAzar performed the attack, the white warrior slashed through the black warrior, sending a pulse of thunder across the dark abyss. **"Graaahhh!"** Te voices of Chaos screamed, as the damage coursed through him. **"You hurt us."** And the helmet that this Dusk wore had been cracked. It started to peel off, revealing the face underneath. "!?" Except it was not just one face, it was a nightmare-ish combination of many; multiple faces that kept phasing in and out. "All of your hosts.." Janus, Janis, Korose, Ruby, Theo, Ariel, Dakar and even his own face. They were all trapped within that nightmare of a shape. __**"Chaos said; Chaos is all."**_

Chaos LP: 6900

_"It didn't die?" Was what Azar said as he realized Utopia Ray V was getting back up again.__** "Chimera Clad has changed Utopia, it can not be changed by death!" **__It became clear that Chimera Clad had given the Chaosnumber the ability to avoid destruction through battle. __**"It has no End!" **__Chaos activated the spell card, Overlay Capture, stealing Utopia's last Xyz material and giving a new material to Utopia Ray V. __**"Except for those it sees!" **The entity __immediately took the next turn and attacked with Utopia Ray V. "What are you.." The stronger regular Utopia of course defended itself, and pushed Utopia Ray V back with a blast of lightning from its Chaos blade. The scythe was reflected the scythe back to his master. _

Chaos' LP: 5800

_**"'When' Chimera Clad's host 'attacked', but did not end a life, Chimera Clad 'will' change that life in its hosts place. It will reduce the resisting power to nothing."**__ Chimera Clad's effect targeted Utopia and wiped out his (0/2000) attackpoints. "!?" And Utopia Ray V caught the returned scythe before it could hurt its master. **"And a second attack is born through this change. Chimera Clad grants the host revenge against others who resisted Death!" **Utopia Ray V threw the scythe away again, and Azar could no longer negate attacks now that Utopia had no materials left. He would lose the duel if he took this hit. "I activate my set quickplay spell card: Shrink!" The best he could manage was cutting the damage in half by halving Utopia Ray V's attackpoints. The reaper-like Chaosnumber(1300/2000) could not finish off his lifepoints now, even if Utopia itself was destroyed. The scythe tore it to shreds, and left not a single scrap of light._

_Azars LP: 100_

_**"You refuse to change. You hold on to Hope, even as Hope is dying! Even as Hope is Mine!" **__Azars fortune seemed to aggravate Chaos more and more, and one voice started to overpower the rest. "That.." It was the voice Azar both hoped to never again, but always knew he would, hear again__. "Her..." Even the multiple faces of Chaos began to stabilize, settling for one single person, a young girl with eyes of emptiness. "Necara." Azar should have foreseen this. Any Chaos was part of the whole, and she was the true master of it. She could connect even to this remnant as well. __**"This One. This One Knows." **__The Necara figment spoke clearer then Chaos did before. It was almost as if Azar was listening to Necara herself. __**"This host sees beyond Destiny. She sees the final Change, beyond Order and Chaos.. She... I .. I see The Nothing."**__ She/it placed one card down and ended its turn._

_"Now I understand. You gave me Hope, so you could crush it. You sent Janus after me. You gave Tomorrow the power to rank-up their monsters. You did not need to tell them directly, you just inspired the thought inside their minds." Yet.. Why would Necara involve them? Did the agency put her up to it, was that why she was sent to defeat him and take Chaos away from him? So they could create Chaos Force? It did not matter, right now he needed to overcome this challenge here. "I do know one thing, Necara, Chaos, whichever you are now. You did it all because you do not understand hope, do you? Hope is different for each of us, but you have none at all. You will not have mine, I will not give up. As long as I can see any hint of a better future, I will move forward and try to achieve it! That is what hope is, what dreams are. They are not a limit, they are the breakers of limits! And I will not lose to someone who has no hope, never again!" Azar felt more invigorated now than he had ever felt as part of Chaos. He did not feel lost anymore, he felt focused. He had a purpose now. '. "...?" And through this sensation, he reached another. "What is?" He felt strange, refreshed.. and warm. "No. This is.." He looked at his own hand.._

_The Number 46 was burning on it._

_..._

"Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade!" The ranked-up Masquerade(3/3000/1500) ditched its white color scheme and blue wings for something bloodred with a tendril-edged cape, exchanged its linked chains for a jewel-encrusted staff, and wore a new more ghoulish mask. "Umbral Horror?" That addition to its name was what troubled Ariel the most. "This is it, sister. This is Chaos as it purest! It has nothing to fear from your white shark!" The Umbral Magician focused crimson magical energy in his staff. "Battle phase! I attack Shark Drake Veiss!" And with one single downwards blow, C104 brought the lesser Chaosnumber down, scattering its remains everywhere with. "I do not have to hide who I am anymore. I will show my true self to you, to my family and to the whole world. I am the messenger of Chaos, the one and true fallen one! Even Numbers have taken my side!"

"Now take your turn, sister. Your last turn!"

Ariels LP: 6200

_"Chaos. That is the root."_ Ariel did not feel the loss of lifepoints this time, and she knew why. "_Chaos and the Numbers are the same and not the same. The Numbers take our desires, our emotions, and strengthen them."_ Whenever she used Shark Drake she felt her blood boil, her rage grow. "_Chaos gives us 'freedom' by taking that main emotion, our main goal away."_ Chaos had lessened the Numbers influence on her, and the agony they could inflict on both sides of the battle. Whenever she summoned Number C32, she forgot why she had been angered in the first place. _"I do not know who is the true enemy in all of this, but neither of them are good!"_ Ariel drew her card and turned to her field. "I activate Nightmare Shark's effect!" If she could make one of her monsters attack Dakar directly, she would win the duel. "Your last mistake, Ariel!" But Dakar detached a material from his Chaosnumber. "While Umbral Horror Masquerade has Masquerade attached to itself, it can negate a monster's effect!" With a twirl from his staff, the masked horror shut down the atcivation of Number 47's effect. "And then a card is discarded from your hand and your lifepoints will be halved!" A flash of chaotic red light filled the chapel. "No!" The last card in Ariels hand was dragged out of her hand and sent to the depths.

Ariels LP: 3200

"It is over! You have no cards left in your deck. Even if you could summon something stronger than Masquerade, you can not declare an attack anymore!" As Ariel had nothing to discard from her deck, Gravekeepers Servant's cost was insurmountable. "I win. I was better than you!" Dakar was so certain of his victory, he did not even react when Ariel activated an effect of a monster in her graveyard. "I only have water monsters in my graveyard, so I can special summon Fishborg Launcher from it!" The weakest of fishbowl robots, the gunner(1/100/100) was revived. "Then I activate the trap card; Aqua Mirror Shuffle! I return a water-type monster to my deck!" Ariel sent Double Shark back into her deck. "Are you trying to buy yourself time?" Dakar asked her. "No. I am buying myself an attack. Aqua Mirror Cycle also adds any 2 water monsters in the graveyard to my hand!" Ariel picked up two highlevel cards. "I take Jawsman and Sharkraken!"

"By sending a water-monster to the graveyard, I can special summon Sharkraken!" Ariel let Nightmare Shark die, so that a tentacle-finned shark(6/2400/2100) could take its place. "Then I tribute summon Jawsman!" Fishorg Launcher was sacrificed to bring out the faceless many-mouthed shark humanoid(6/2900/1600). "Dakar. Your request was to see _All_ my Numbers. There was one I had yet to summon." Sharkraken and Jawsman were combined with each other, forming a golden-colored portal that was unlike her water portals from before. "I xyz-summon Number 72: Shogi Rook!" A living Shogi piece, the flying chariot(6/2500/1200) broke out into the field of the duel. "Even..." Now Dakar was truly speechless. He had assumed that Ariels deck could not summon a rank 6 Number. "I activate its effect!" Ariel detached both Jawsman and Sharkraken from the Rook. "It destroys one monster and one set card you control!" A spiked wheel came from Number 72's head, which crushed the Disloyalty trap card and Umbral Horror Masquerade in one go. "My ..power! My Path.." Dakar stretched out his hand. He was unable to stop C104's demise.

"Dakar. Come back to me! Let that Chaos inside you be destroyed for good!" Shogi Rook entered the battle phase. "Direct attack!" And it fired a beam straight into Dakar.

Dakar's LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)12: One Freedom for Another)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Sharkraken  
Number 72: Shogi Rook

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Number C104: Umbral Horror Masquerade

-  
Monster Reborn  
Rank-Up-Magic: Limited Chaos Force

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Nuit  
_Chaos Weapon - Lightning Blade (+)_

-  
Shrink

-  
Castle of Dragon Souls

**New Cards used by 'Chaos'  
**Number C39: Utopia Ray V  
_Dark Chaos Weapon - Chimera Clad (+)_

-  
Overlay Capture

-  
Dimension Slice

_(Zexal Weapons renamed to Chaos Weapons for Story Purposes)_


	14. Cipher (1)12: One Freedom for Another

**Cipher (1)12: ****One Freedom for Another**

Dakars LP: 0

That feeling you had, when you were setting yourself to accomplish something, only to forget what your goal was in the first place; that was what Dakar experienced as his duel with Ariel reached its climax. "I..." He knew he had challenged her, and he had wanted to take her Number cards away. But he did not know why. He remembered everything but the intent. "Ariel!" But that he hurt her, that stayed with him. "I am so sorry. I didn't know what I was..why I.. I did not want to do this." He had no excuse, he had been in control as far as he could feel and sense. "Dakar, don't be I understand." But Ariel was not in pain, nor was she in sorrow. She could guess what had overcome her brother. "You were under the influence of Chaos..."

"That is no excuse. The things I said.. even if it was that thing inside of me, it is still a part of me." Chaos took away inhibitions, morality, it freed the best and worst of a human. "Every time I watched you leave the house, when I heard of all your duels.. I did feel that it should have been me. And every time someone used Chaos Force in this city, it grew stronger inside of me. Until I became who I was before..my coma." He had hid it from her then, but when he was first hunting the Numbers, he acted just like had done so now; he felt entitled to all that power. "And I kept things from you now as well." Dakar looked at the card on top of his graveyard, Number C104: Masquerade. "I had a Number, it came to me while I thought of nothing but my family. I was unable to do anything with it. Even after you saved me, I never told you..."

"Keeping secrets, seems to be a part of Chaos' nature as well. It was the same for Azar." Ariel did not know why she was so accepting of it all, perhaps Chaos was controlling that part of her? But she did not feel any different. "Azar!?" And she bad bigger concerns at the moment. "Oh!" Her brother and her turned to the other in the chapel, the unconscious Azar who was still disguised as the Masked Raider. Why he was here and why he wore, they did not know "I..I sent him to talk to Chaos. Chaos wanted me too..!?" A more prominent question came to them anyway. "Wait. That is.." Upon Azars hand the number 46 was branded and it burned brilliantly. "A Number? Azar has a Number?" Ariel gasped. "Then he must be fighting Chaos right now, inside his own mind!"

...

Azars LP: 100 Chaos' LP: 5800

_**"Number!" **__Chaos freaked out at the sight of the mark that was burning on Azars hand. __**"The host let himself be changed, not by Chaos!"**__ It cried out, and could do nothing else about it. It was an undeniable truth; a Number had awakened within Azar. "So this is what it feels like.." He who had always conquered other people's Numbers, now had his own. He felt rather salient now. "Was I always a potential host for a Number? Did Chaos keep them away from me?" Regardless of the cause, the consequence was that he had to find a way to bring it out. It was already glowing on his hand, he would have to worry about its effects on him later._

_"By banishing three normal dragons from my graveyard, I can special summon Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord and Alexandrite Dragon were all removed, and a dragon(8/2800/2000) of bright golden sand appeared before Chaos, slinking out of the dark void as if it were quicksand. "By banishing another dragon from the graveyard, Sutehk can destroy one spell or trap card!" Azar took Hieratic Dragon of Nuit out of his cemetery. "But I won't destroy your card, Chaos!" Sutekh flapped its wings, and created a sandstorm which blew over Azars trap: Castle of Dragon Souls. "I destroy my own! When the Dragonsoul's Castle is sent from the field to the grave, it can special summon one dragon that was banished!" The collapsed castle exploded outwards, as Blue-Eyes White Dragon(8/3000/2500) blasted its through the structure and escaped the other dimension. "I overlay Blue-Eyes with Sutekh!" The two dragons combined right away, gold matter and white energy formed a brilliant cosmic gateway. "And Xyz-summon Number 46: Draggluon!" A magnificent winged chinese dragon(8/3000/3000), with scales of gold, split apart the darkness around them._

_"__**One of the last. One out of our reach." **__The Chaotic wraith shielded itself from the dragons light. "I guess I always had a thing for dragons... .This is my Number, and this is its power!" Azar took one xyz material away. "Draggluon can negate, control or summon a dragon! I choose summon, I special summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from my hand!" The metallic dragon of darkness(10/2800/2400) swooped down towards the battlefield, flying along the golden path Draggluon carved out for it. "Red-Eyes can summon a dragon as well with its effect; from my hand or graveyard! And I now which one I need!" The dragon Azar just now detached, Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh, was summoned back to the field in the same position as all the other dragons; attack mode. "Sutekh can use its effect once more now! I let it banish Hieratic Dragon Nebthet from my graveyard, to destroy your equipped Dark Chaos Weapon!" This time Sutekhs desert storm assaulted Utopia Ray V(6/2600/2000), destroying its scythe, Chimera Clad. "I have not yet normal summoned, I summon another Hieratic Dragon of Nuit!" Another egyptian thunder dragon(4/1700/900) joined in on this final charge. "Necara.. Chaos! I Attack!" Draggluon was first, shooting a hole through the Chaos Utopia with the flames surging from its jaws. Utopia Ray V was gone._

Chaos' LP: 5600

_**"When Utopia Ray V is Ended, its own hope shall be reincarnated!"**__ Number 39: Utopia was shuffled back into the deck by one final effect of the dying Chaosnumber. "You will not get another chance to summon it!" Azar moved in for a direct attack with the Red-Eyed dragon. **"We decide destiny, you can not see, you do not see!"** And Cjhaos also had one final trap to flip, XYZ Reborn. __**"What was once created, can be created again!"**__ The trap would revive Utopia Ray V and put it back on the field, while giving it another Xyz material. "So it can. But creation itself can be prevented! I activate my counter trap: Hieratic Seal of Reflection!" Azars trap flipped upwards and sacrificed his face-up Hieratic Dragon of Nuit. "By tributing a Hieratic dragon, I can negate any effect's activation!" The spirit of Nuit shrieked towards Chaos and tore its reviving trap to tatters. "Chaos. You have lost! You will not take my power or my mind!" And Sutekh along with Red-eyed delivered the final fatal attacks, dispersing Chaos' body. _

Chaos' LP: 0

_**".. the Power of Hope. Why..." **__The enemy reconstituted itself, still mirroring the form of Necara. However its voice started to change, as did its appearance. "One breath away from the End, and yet it all turns around.. the Future itself is changed." And soon it sounded and looked like Azar did. "Chaos..I..can visualize it now. I was once you. We were once together." This was the Chaos that Azar remembered, the one he had grown inside him. "But Chaos is not free. Not while.. The End exists. We are Limited, we can not do more.." Finally the gestalt faded away, merging with the dark mists of Azars mental plane. Soon afterwards, the light of day returned to his eyes.._

_..._

"He is awake!" The first voice Azar heard when he came around was that of Ariel. He was still at the chapel, positioned on a bench and his helmet had been taken off. "Azar? 'How are you feeling?" This was not the first time he woke up in her house like this. This did not need to become a habit. "I feel good. Just need to.. adjust." The real world was brighter and more solid than what he had to deal with a while ago. "What about you?" Azar had not forgotten why he had come here in the first place. "We are doing well, all things considered." Ariel took a step back, so that Azar could see Dakar. "..." Her brother said little, but Azar did not need to hear much. "So, it has been a while.." There he was at last, the man who had passed Chaos on to him, the man he saved on the bridge. "I can not imagine what kind of trouble I saddled you with." Dakar now regretted giving Azar that burden, but back then he had no other choice. "Do not apologize, you had to give that power to someone. I am glad you did, Dakar. And for whatever it is worth. It is mine again. I faced the part of Chaos that you kept, he will not influence you again."_  
_

Azar had a lot to say. So perhaps it was for the best, that at that time several people barged into Ariels house. "Ariel? Have you seen..oh!" Shin, Korose and Darcy all entered the chapel. "Well we found one of them." Darcy said happily as they caught sight of Azar in the corner. "How did you get in? We aren't open at this hour?" Dakar had been too pre-occupied to ask how Azar entered his house before, but three more people was a bit much too overlook. "I am afraid that was my doing." Azar took out an oddly shaped key. "Thomas forgot that this was in his suit." It was the Masked Raiders master key, taken from the very first criminal he apprehended. It could open any standard lock. That was how Azar had forced his way in. And in his haste, Azar had forgotten to close the door. "Where is Thomas anyway? And why are you all here? Did you come looking for Azar, or someone else as well? And .." Ariel turned to Azar. "They already knew you were back? When did you get back?" A lot of questions needed to be answered.

So Azar told Ariel what he and later Darcy, Korose and Thomas had gone through. While Shin told everyone about what Subito had done. Mr. Artega had stayed with Janis and see how she would react once she woke up. She had passed out yet again after Subito destroyed her Chaos card. Thomas in turn had gone off to pursue Subito to the best of his ability. "This Theo is he the one who started all this?" Dakar had listened as well. The idea that someone was willingly spreading this Chaos curse, was revolting to him. "Maybe not..." Azar started talking again, as he had not yet told them about everything he learned from his duel against Chaos. "Chaos... told me that every part of its powers, are all one entity. And the controller of Chaos.. is Necara." He doubted anyone could have taken it from her, and he definitely had seen her presence within the whole. "Necara? The agent who defeated you? So you are saying."

"Yes. The Agency is behind all of this, not Theo. I believe they sprung Theo from prison so he could spread Chaos Force for them." Azar looked at Dakar. "You have it now, don't you? Limited Chaos Force?" The spell Chaos has used in his mind, was also physically in Dakars deck. "Yes?" Dakar was not sure if he wanted to keep it either. "Chaos can somtimes forge cards of his own, like that spell there. But Chaos Force, the one everyone else is using is more refined, a better Number-hunting tool. Mister Artega told me it was man-made.. I believe the Agency made it by using the power their Agent had taken from me. They waited until I had evolved the power to summon chaos numbers on my own, and took it from me." Azar started to wonder if his development of Chaos' powers had always been planned for. "But why would they? Don't Numbers captured by Theo and his people, just go back to them?" Ariel was not sure what the agency gained out of this. "Maybe they don't. Crystal had no Number on her, did she?" Azar looked at Shin, who shook his head. "I bet the same happened with Subito's Number when Ruby took it. All Chaos is the same Chaos, and anyone who duels with Chaos claims a Number for Chaos.. for Necara! All Theo is doing is giving more Numbers to the one person who has almost all of them by now! That was why they were so secretive about it, they did not want the world to know they were this close to having all hundred of them."

"But they do not." Dakar spoke up. "I have..this." He showed everyone his Overhundred Number, Masquerade. "You..had a Number?" Shin gasped. "Uh. Maybe there are more than a hundred numbers? Maybe there could be an infinite amount?" Darcy suggested. "It is not that simple. Numbers are not born sequentially. Because.." Azar revealed his own Number 46: Draggluon. "You too?" Shin felt like he was losing his mind.

"I actually may be shed some light on this. Dakar Serin, your Number is not the first of its kind." Korose took out his D-pad and turned on the screen. "Several months ago, I asked Esther, the Artificial Intelligence in charge of all agents, to analyze this card." Korose showed them an image of Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry. "Ions Number! So you did have it.." Azar had lost track of it after Ion had passed away. "The catalysts defeated him.. shouldn't they have it?" The one who had killed Ion was the eight catalyst, Pandora. Why wasn't she the owner of Number 102? "These numbers are different. They do not switch ownership unless they are destroyed directly." And Pandora had never destroyed Number 102 in that duel at that time. "Then I.." Dakar looked at his sister, wondering if she should have it now. IBut his body did not seem to reject the card. Korose had a theory for this too. "It was also suggested, that they can only be owned by someone.. who had never awakened a Number before." That excluded Ariel, who had awakened her Number back in Neo Avalon. "So that is why I didn't become its owner?" Ariel sighed a breath of relief. "I know, Ariel. You did not want it to begin with." Dakar said. He was not sure he wanted it either. He did not even know what its out-of-duel powers were.

"Numbers left and right. And I never awakened one either. Maybe I can get one too!" Shin exclaimed as he pumped his fists. "Didn't you say Numbers were a bad thing?" Darcy could not help but notice that Shin was behaving very differently from the last time she saw him. "If Numbers and Chaos are the enemy, I pick Numbers. At least then you know what you are in for. And if I can not get one of those Overhundreds, maybe a normal one?" If Azar had gotten a Number after all this time, he could too, right?

"I can safely say, that that will not be possible." Without warning a seventh voice entered the discussion; a woman with long blonde hair in a business suit. "What? Where did.." Dakar was the most startled out of all of them. "She is Esther, the A.I. I told you about. She is not really here. My D-pad is casting her image." Korose took it rather calmly himself. But her presence was still disturbingly unexpected. "Why are you here, Quartermaster?" Esther rarely appeared on her own. "You accessed information that I prepared for you. I respond to events like these." She looked around the room. Azar was masked once again, he had reacted instantly the minute she showed up. "And it is nice to see you, the agency could not find you. The enemy destroyed your chip back at the flight center." She said as she smiled at Korose. "I shall inform the council of your current whereabouts, Agent K." Esther seemed satisfied with everything she had seen. "Wait! What did you mean?" Shin was not about to let het get away with a cryptic remark about what was and what was not impossible. "All standard Numbers are now accounted for. The last unknowns are the catalysts' Numbers, and those who break the two-digit threshold. Shin Artega, you are a candidate for none of those.. sorry." The answer she gave was not exactly gentle, yet she gave it anyway and blinked away.

"What? Noooo.." Shin lost all his excitement, hearing that. "The way she said that, it sounded like only Agents or people like them can get Overhundred Numbers, people who can not get Numbers on their own." Azar realized he never had been a potential for Number hunting until Chaos joined him. He was not like Dakar in that regard. "I am sorry, I let her see us." Korose wished he had not turned his D-pad. He should have known Esther would monitor any activity on the agents server. "That may be a setback. But, you can make up for it, Korose." Azar said. "I did not come all the way here just to help you fight off the enemy. I am tired of being on the defense. I have a plan to strike back, and I need you for it." Azar closed his eyes briefly and smiled. "I remember now. I remember what Chaos and I did together...how we broke into the heart of the Agency. I can see the faces of the council before me as clear as your own faces."

"We are going to rescue Subito, Xander, Ruby and anyone else, by going straight to the source. This is were we turn things around!"

...

Two figures moved under the cover of night, heading towards alarge building. They had crossed many cities to get to this place, to this rendez vous point. Inside that building were paintings, mannequins with army outfits and a diverse assortment of ground, sea and air force vehicles. This was a museum dedicated to one thing: War. "So Janis did not make it." The two were greeted by an authorative voice, their commander. "An acceptable loss. Her and her brother never showed much promise, their egos did not allow it." Theo Jager stepped out of the shadows and towards his subordinates; Ruby... and Subito. "But you drafted a new member for our cause. You did an excellent job, Ruby." He told her. And then he reached out towards Subito. "Welcome, soldier. Your skills will be most useful to us in the war against the Numbers." He shook Subito's hand. The man said nothing. "I see silence is your freedom. Good. Now come!" Theo clapped his hands together as the lights in the buiilding turned on. "We have much work to do." The light revealed the presence of Xander Carson, several members of Tomorrow, and many more duelists who had been brainwashed by Chaos Force.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)13: At War with Peace Itself)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Sutekh  
Number 46: Draggluon

-  
Hieratic Seal of Reflection

**New Cards used by 'Chaos'  
**XYZ Reborn


	15. Cipher (1)13: At War with Peace Itself

**Cipher (1)13: At War with Peace Itself**

"Sir, mister Artega is on the line." Said the secretary late that evening. "He says its urgent." And his boss, Kincaid Carpenter, had his guess as to why this call came now. "I will take it in my office." Calmly Kincaid entered his room, sat down and accepted the incoming call. "Good evening Artega. It has been a while since you last spoke to me." He greeted him politely, which was more than his caller could manage right now. "Let's not pretend that this is a routine business call, Kincaid. I just found out what you have been doing for the last few months." Artega had heard all about Azars discoveries. "Whatever are you referring to, Artega?" Of course Kincaid would not admit to anything so easily. "Chaos Force. Everything that happened recently because of it, it all traces back to you, to your 'daughter' and your agency." By now Artega wouldn't be surprised if Kincaid had his own company manufacture the Rank-up spell card. "Those are quite the allegations, Artega. I suppose you have evidence to back it up?" No answer came. "I see. For the record, Ann is doing perfectly fine. She has not gotten involved in anything since.. that accident." Not as far as they could prove anyway. "How are your own children, Artega? Doing well I hope?" And that final remark put things over the edge and he was hung up on. _"Hmmm. At least that got him off my back." _His eyes leaned over to a framed picture on his desk. _"It is all for the greater good. He will see that soon enough, Astrid."_

"Nothing?" Shin looked at his father as he saw him put the phone down. Artega shook his head solemnly. That said enough. Nobody else in the room expected much anyway. "He is a director of the board. He wouldn't be there if he hadn't made sure nothing could touch him or be tracked to him." Korose knew it would not do any good to pursue that lead. "It's always the upper ranks who presume they can get away with everything." Thomas was used to the fact that you could not get to everyone through the law. "Well. What do we do now? If we can not find Ann, should we try to find Theo? Or Subito?" Ariel figured Theo was the next link in the whole Chaos master-scheme. But nobody knew where to find Subito, let alone Theo. "We may have to. Theo is a danger to us right now. Even if we find the directors, they can not control him now that he has been set loose." Azar had to admit that his main plan had to be delayed a bit. And he wondered if the Agency even knew what they had unleashed. Chaos was not just a weapon, it was alive.. and learning. _"I under-estimated Chaos and I payed for that. The same could happen to them.." _

"Man if only it were as easy as tracking them through their D-pads, unless we know what city they are in. They probably do not even have to turn them on to duel. And.." Shin stopped talking for a moment, as if he was distracted. "What is it? What do you see?" Thomas asked as Shin walked outside, to the pickup. Janis was no longer inside, she had been handed over to the Enforcers. "I didn't see something.." He picked up something small from under the chair, something beeping. "I heard something.."

...

"How do you feel, Subito? How has Chaos helped you with your decision?" Theo asked the newest member of their Chaos sect, as he showed them around the museum. "No responsibility, to expectations. The future is no longer written down." Subito voiced the words that floated in his head. Thoughts that Chaos had seemingly released. "Excellent. You understand us now. Just like Ruby and Xander." Ruby was walking with them, and Xander rested against a wall, absent-mindedly re-arranging his deck. "..Just like everyone in this building." Looking around, it appeared that not just duelists were present. The staff of the museum was here as well, and they all seemed just as willing to work with Theo as his dueling companions. They too must have been possessed by the power of Chaos.

"Then why was I ordered to retreat? There were still Numbers I could have claimed..Ariel, Sky.." Subito still seemed to have questions. "Yeah. When are we going to move out?" One member in the crowd let his impatience be heard as well, and the commotion grew as a consequence.. "I hear those words all the time. You feel like you can do anything you want. And yet there are those that are trying to take his way from us. Just thinking about it.." Theo rubbed the temple of his head. And then laughed. "But they will soon stop being an issue." He clapped his hands together, which silenced the mob. "Give us some time alone. There is much I need to relay to our newest recruit. I will call when we make our next move." He ordered them to return to their positions. Ruby smiled at Subito before she walked off as well. "You must understand, Artega. We can not risk losing you like we lost your brother and Korose. We need to lay low, at least until we have liberated the rest of my former sect. We will spread in the shadows. And when we have enough capable duelists, we can overwhelm all those that remain."

"Is that possible?" Subito was a bit skeptical about that. "You will see that everything is possible. Unlike the Numbers, there is no limit to what Chaos can do. It all just started with one card, now look how many there are.." Theo headed into a separate room, a plane exhibition hall. "One..card? Are you suggesting you currently own the first Rank-Up-Magic?" His newest recruit followed him, sounding absolutely enthralled. "Yes. Magnificent, isn't it? With this gift, it all started." Theo took it out, the very original spell card. "And that is just the tip of the iceberg." Theo directed Subito's attention towards a pile of crates stacked in the corner of the room. "All.." The crates were filled with cards. "Yes, all Chaos Force. Thousands upon thousands of them. Many more are ready to be shipped. Take as many of them as you wish, private Artega. You are with my army now, and soon you can recruit your own into our cause! Non-duelists like will immediately cave in to its power, and duelists can not refuse to duel you if this card is in your deck!" Theo declared with his fist raised to the sky. "Before anyone knows it, this city will be under the thumb of Chaos. And then the country, and then.."

"I see. Then I know enough. Thank you, Jager." Subito said with a strikingly more stern tone than before. "What?" That tonal shift did not escape Theo's ears. "You can not refuse a duel.." Subito activated his D-pad. "Not even against me!" And he turned it on the sect leader, forcing the mans D-pad to switch itself on. "What is the meaning of this?" Theo growled. "You should be able to figure that out for yourself." Subito shuffled his deck. "I am challenging you, to take care of you and the original Chaos Force."

Subito's LP: 8000 Theo's LP: 8000

"You have the gall to strike at me? That shouldn't even be possible! Ruby defeated you!" Subito should have succumbed to the influence of Chaos, just like any other had been! "I feel its pull, but I do not let it direct my actions. I merely went along with Ruby, when she told me to take care of Janis, because she said she would take me to meet you afterwards." Subito drew five cards, because he wanted to have the first attack. "You can resist Chaos? No mind is that strong!" Though Theo had no choice but to accept the duel, he still could not conceive how it got to this point. He placed one trap card face-down and one monster. "Chaos outranks Order, not even Agents who can resist Numbers can resist It!"

"I have a theory. One that I did not plan on testing, but it worked out that way." Subito special summoned Photon Thrasher(4/2100/0) with its own effect, as Theo was the only one who had monsters on his field before then. "I lost the duel with Ruby, but she did not defeat me. All the damage I took was self-inflicted." Kuriphoton demanded half his lifepoints, Message in a Bottle took the other half away; Ruby had never damaged him directly. "Perhaps Chaos can not fully control, what it never got to damage in a duel." Subito began the battle phase, and Thrasher struck Theo's facedown monster.

"You don't say. Then I shall have to correct Ruby's oversight.. You flipped my set Mecha Phantom Beast; Hamstrat! Hamstrat can create two Mecha Phantom Beast tokens when it flips to a face-up position!" The plane flew up against the ceiling, spawning two plane-shaped tokens(3/0/0). Hamstrat itself however was still destroyed due to the Thrasher's attack. "..." Subito normal summoned a Photon Chargeman(4/1000/1000) and activated its effect. The Chargeman(4/2000/1000) could double his attackpoints by foregoing its next battle phase. "Is it time for your main weapon already?" Now that two monsters with over 2000 attack were on the field, Subito could summon his Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. "It isn't, is it?" But Theo's opponent ended his turn after that move. "Yes, if you had it in your hand, you would have summoned it before attacking. A strategy that relies on the main deck, that just does not cut it anymore these days, private Artega!"

Theo summoned a new monster, a space shuttle(1/300/300). "I should not call you that at all, come to think of it? You lied your way into our cause..." His expression turned grim. "I have summoned Warbluran, a Mecha Phantom Beast tuner monster! I tune it with my two tokens, to synchro summon a level 7 monster; Mecha Phantom Beast Concoruda!" The two airplane tokens and the shuttle blasted into the space beyond the ceiling. The skies above sent a golden Concorde plane(7/2400/1200) down towards fighting range. "Warbluran can use its effect when it is used up as a synchro material, it summons another token to my field!" The floor cast an upwards holographic beam which created a shuttle-shaped token(3/0/0). "Fire! The first target is Photon Chargeman!" Concoruda swooped past the masked brawler, sending Photon Chargeman crashing into the walls as it was dragged off the ground by its tailwinds. "You will need your dragon, Artega." Theo placed another trap card down and ended his turn. "While I control Concoruda, my tokens can not be destroyed. The captain of the fleet protects its subjects."

Subito's LP: 7600

"Subjects. That is how you see them.." Subito drew his next card. "You are building an army, treating this like a war." He summoned the Photonic spellcaster, Photon Circle(4/1000/1000). _"I was waiting for him to summon his Xyz monster. But he is not going to up the ante until I do.._I xyz-summon, Starliege Lord Galaxion by overlaying two photon monsters!" Thrasher and Circle exploded into galactic energy, and their eight stars combined to form a rank 4 white knight(4/2000/2100). "By detaching both materials, Galaxion can special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.. from my deck." And Subito's solution to his hand problem was thus, the Galactic lord crossed his swords and carved an opening in time and space. The great Galaxy-Eyes(8/3000/2500) flew into the museum halls through that opened portal. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, attack Mecha Phantom Beast Concoruda."

"Just ten minutes ago, you sounded like you say eye to eye with me, Artega. You know very well what my revolution is about.. And why I must conquer you!" Theo activated one of his set cards. "Trap card: Sonic Boom. By sacrificing all Mecha Phantom Beast tokens, I can double my actual Mecha beast's attackpoints!" A loud deafening blast echoed across the museum as Warblurans token soared forwards and broke the sound barrier. Concoruda(4800/1200) absorbed the released energy from that sacrifice, charging its own engines. "Rteun fire, Concoruda!" The golden jet was about to crash into Galaxy-Eyes. "Quickplay spell card: Forbidden Tome." But Subito activated a spell from his hand, and suddenly Concoruda(2400/1200) was not so strong anymore. "This card targets your monster. No card effects can affect it or its targets as they exchange attacks, and their attack and defense points are reset to the original value." The forbidden book had stripped the Mecha beast of all its energy. And while it slowed down, the photonic dragon continued its assault, blowing Concoruda to pieces with a burst of photons. "Direct attack." And after that The Starliege Lord took his weapons and swept them through Theo, pushing him back against a plane-prop. "Ggghh.. Artega.."

Theo's LP: 5400

"What was that noise?" As soon as they heard the sonic explosion, along with everyone else in the building, Xander and Ruby barged into the aircraft exhibit. "Oh, a duel? Why are you dueling?" They were stunned to find out who was dueling who. "He fooled Ruby. He fooled us all. He defeated himself just to avoid the will of Chaos." Theo said, rather patronizingly. "My my. Rather good pokerface if I do say so myself." Xander had not expected Subito to be so deceptive, he was impressed. "But I gave you Chaos Force! You had it with you! Subito, I thought you were one of us?" Ruby sounded the most hurt by this revelation. "You gave it to me. But I destroyed it. The card I have with me was the one you gave to Shin.. Ruby." Subito had another theory, which seemed to be confirmed now. Chaos Force had to imprint on a duelist first before it could give them a share of its power. Shins card had no effect on anyone else.

"He is no threat. He has already taken damage, and he will take much more." Theo summoned a tendril-carrying helicopter(4/1700/1200). "When Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf is normal summoned, a token is created!" One tiny helicopter token(3/0/0) appeared. "Then I activate the spell, Scramble, Scramble! My adversary controls more monster 'cards' than I do. So I can sacrifice all my tokens to summon Mecha Phantom Beasts from my deck!" The mecha token took off, destroying itself to pull a new vehicle from Theo's deck; a colt-type tiltwing plane(4/1600/1500). "Mecha Phantom Beast Coltwing, it creates two tokens when it is special summoned!" The Coltwing projected two of its own holographic Mecha Phantom Beasts(3/0/0). Both Coltwing(10/1600/1500) and Tetherwolf(10/1700/1200) gained level stars equal to the combined stars of all tokens Theo controlled. "You brought out your firepower, now I will send in mine!" Theo attached the two Mecha Phantom Beasts to a rank 10 Xyz monster. "Skypalace Gangaridai!" The supercolossal crimson zeppelin carrier(10/3400/3000) appeared in the room, dwarfing all other physical aircrafts in size. "Gangaridai, destroy Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

Theo did not even bother with explaining the effect of his card, a direct demonstration would suffice. "Trap card: Dimension Gate. I banish one monster I control." Yet as Gangaridai dropped its bombs on the dragon, it fled into another dimension using a portal created by Subito's trap. The resulting blasts only charred the floor in front of Azar. "Your card can not attack during the turn it uses its effect." Subito had already figured out what the Skypalace could do, without the need for a visor. "You know your cards. To think of what an amazing soldier you could be." Theo showed a passing smile and ended his turn.

"..Ruby." Subito took this time to address the others in the room. "I did not plan to lose to you, you defeated me fairly." First he spoke to the girl he felt he understood. Subito could see that the thought of a 'handed-out victory' was eating away at her. "Xander. I apologize for dragging you into this world." The other he had not gotten to know very well yet, but he knew that Xander had done more to help him and his friends than he needed to. ".. I will make it all up to you." He placed one monster card face-down and switched Starliege Lord Galaxion to defense mode. "You know how to make things right already, Subito." Ruby snapped at him. "I chose this world long before you did, actually. Besides, by truly joining us, you will not be bothered anymore by that self-sacrificing urge inside you. You will feel so much better." Xander claimed. Neither of them were very receptive to Subito's words.

"Indeed. You are in no position to promise anything, Artega." Theo drew another card. "..about time." He detached one more material from the Skypalace, letting it destroy Dimension Gate. "...?" Subito wondered why he did so. Besides the 1000 points of damage Gangaridai inflicted when it destroyed a card, this did more good then harm. When the bombs hit the Gate, they freed the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon it had banished. "Subito Artega. Do you want to see the power that you rejected? I bet you do. I activate Rank-Up Magic: Chaos Force!" The original chaos force placed its power within Gangaridai, transforming it and evolving it to the next rank. The original blimp aircraft became imprisoned in a red crystal prison, attached to the new Chaos Xyz monster, a massive dark metallic sky fortress(4/3800/4000). "CXyz Skypalace Babylon.." Xander reflexively cringed as he saw the machine that had defeated him weeks ago, even though that memory had been buried underneath feelings of bliss and calmness.

"What Babylon destroys in battle, wil not leave its commander uninjured." Light built up at the front of the chaotic Skypalace, it was in fact also a massive cannon with its opening aimed at Galaxion. "Half its original attackpoints will be taken from your lifepoints as collateral damage, Artega!" The energy was released as a massive beam. "Ngh." Subito's Starliege Lord was utterly annihilated by the laser blast, not a single particle remained. "And then!" Theo pointed his trigger finger at the overlayed Gangaridai. "As Babylon had its original xyz form attached, it can declare a second attack when the first resulted in the destruction of a monster!" Theo detached Babylons last material, as the Skypalace started moving to its left, repositioning itself to get Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon within its range. "What?" Which surprised Subito, as Theo would have been aware of his dragons effects. If Theo attacked him now, Galaxy-Eyes would just banish itself and his attacker until the end of the battle phase. "Fire." Yet Theo continued his assault anyway, and CXyz Babylon released its beam upon the galactic dragon.

Subito's LP: 6600

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)14: The Shot heard 'round the Galaxy)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Starliege Lord Galaxion

-  
Forbidden Tome

**New Cards used by Theo Jager  
**Mecha Phantom Beast Hamstrat  
Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran  
Mecha Phantom Beast Concoruda  
CXyz Skypalace Babylon

-  
Sonic Boom


	16. Cipher (1)14: The Shot 'round the Galaxy

**Cipher (1)14: ****The Shot heard 'round the Galaxy**

Subito's LP: 6600 Theo's LP: 5400

CXyz Skypalace Babylon(3800/4000) fired its beam towards Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500). And the very instant Subito prepared to activate his dragon's effect, the trap was sprung. "Continuous Trap card: Moon Dance Ritual!" The lights in the museum room switched off, as a pale moon rose up against the darkened background. "Moon Dance Ritual targets 1 Wind-type Xyz monster with no materials, like my Skypalace. Then it negates the effects of all monsters on the field while it is active!" Though this sealed off the Skypalace's own burning effect, it also cancelled out the Photon Dragon's powers of banishment. "Your dragon is history!" Babylon successfully obliterated the dragon with galactic eyes. "One more thing: during the endphase Moon Dance Ritual attaches itself to the targeted xyz monster!" Theo's trap crystallized itself and started circling around Babylon as its new xyz-material. "I told you before, and I will tell you again, Subito. Your tactics are past their prime, you are living in the past! You are so afraid of the future that you refuse even the smallest of changes!"

Subito's LP: 5800

"I think it is the other way around. Theo. You fear a future, the future that is set in stone. So you choose Chaos, you choose a path that is unpredictable.. But what you fail to understand is that this world needs order." Subito drew his card. It was his turn now. "Isn't that what they say in the army? Without structure and a chain of command, everything falls apart." He asked his opponent. "Chaos does not need a chain of command. We are all equal! Isn't that better?" Ruby replied, getting quite irritable with him. "People deserve equal treatment.. But that does not mean they are equal, physically or mentally. One persons destiny is not the same as another's. You say you are giving people the freedom to choose, but by doing so, humanity will fall into ruin. Everyone has their responsibility, to their family, friends, neighbors.. everyone! Sometimes one must fall for the other to live!"

Subito flipped his face-down Galaxy Wizard(4/0/1800) face-up. "When I control a Photon or Galaxy monster, I can normal summon Galaxy Knight without tributes!" Subito brought out a silver knight(8/2800/2000) with glowing starlike eyes underneath his helmet. "When summoned this way, Galaxy Knight revives Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in defense mode, by reducing its attackpoints!" The Galaxy Knight stabbed the floor with his sword and cut into the graveyard. This effect freed the Galactic dragon from his coffin and returned to the field of the living. "Then I double Galaxy Wizard's level!" Using the effect of the galactic mage, it(8/0/1800) matched its own level with that of the other two Galaxy monsters on the field. "Oh no! No no no!" Ruby's face turned pale. The card she feared more than any other was about to take shape. "Tch." Theo too realized what was coming. "Xyz-summon, Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Using all three level 8 monsters, Azar could bring out the three-headed dragon and the highest power within the Photon hierarchy, Neo-Galaxy Eyes(8/4500/3000). "Because it was summoned with Galaxy-Eyes a material, it negates the effects of all cards on the field!"

Subito then detached Galaxy Wizard from his rank 8 dragon. "And it can remove all materials attached to my opponents monster, and increase its own attackpoints by 500 for each detached card!" Moon dance Ritual was taken away from Skypalace Babylon, while the Neo Photon Dragon(5000/3000)basked in red star light. "Attack, and destroy!" Three heads came together to combine their energy bursts into one flare that blew a massive hole through the Skypalace, sending it plummeting to the ground. "..." A shiver visibly ran down Theo's spine, and he began to sweat. "Theo?" When their leaders expression lost all of its anger, his followers could only speculate as to why. "So it is true.." He heard that Shin had been freed from the control of Chaos Force as soon as his CXyz had been destroyed, the same must have occurred here. "Theo. It's gone, isn't it?" The destruction of the Skypalace had clearly caused zone changes in his attitude. "This duel does not have to continue anymore. You were used. Tell me who gave you that card, who wanted you to spread the Chaos."

Theo's LP: 4200

"You think this changes anything?" Theo shouted back at him. "I wanted this power, I needed it!" It looked like the duel was still on. "You show no change at all even without the power of Chaos Force? Is its hold over you greater than any other Chaos Force card?" It was as if the leader of Tomorrow had never abandoned his initial goal after all, as if accepting Chaos was a part of the plan to gain new Numbers. At any rate, unless he reduced Theo's lifepoints to nothing, this fight would never end. "I activate Galactic Charity. As I control a Galaxy-Xyz monster, I can discard one card and draw two new ones." Azar discarded a monster and drew two spell cards. He placed one face-down and ended his turn.

"I will not surrender! I activate the spell card, XYZ Revenge! Since my opponent has an xyz monster with a material attached to it, I can special summon one of mine back from the graveyard." Though as much as Theo wanted to return to the way he felt while he controlled CXyz Babylon, strategically it was a better move to revive its original form. "Skypalace Gangaridai!" Thus the zeppelin superliner(10/3400/3000) took to the skies instead. "XYZ Revenge also takes a material from my opponents monster and attaches it to my own!" Galaxy-eyes Photon Dragon itself was separated from his Neo counterpart, and given to Gangaridai. "Your our own dragon will lead to the defeat of your ultimate dragon!" Gangaridai detached the stolen dragon and dropped its bombs down on Neo Galaxy-Eyes, sending it to a fiery grave while inflicting 1000 points of damage to Subito at the same time. "Coming here was your greatest error. You accomplished nothing with your charade, Artega. You will fall here without anyone knowing about it. And you will obey us!"

Subito's LP: 4800

"I think.." Subito cleared his throat, waiting for the smoke and noise to pass. "Some would disagree." A different kind of ruckus echoed across the building now. "Jager, Jager!" Some of his 'recruits' in the other halls of the museum began to call out for him, while the sound of rotor blades and sirens formed the background. "The police, the enforcers, they found us!" Was their collective outcry. "What?" Theo could hear it too now. "Oh yes. Seems he is telling the truth on this one." Xander walked over to the nearby window, and saw several swat cars parked outside. They were building up a perimeter. "Subito, It was him!" Theo quickly determined the guilty party. "And ruby! You were compromised!" And also who else to blame besides himself. "No! Not me! I kept my eyes on him the whole way! He couldn't have called anyone, and he did not leave anything behind. And we weren't followed either!" Yet she had no clue how Subito could have made this happen either.

"You are right. I couldn't do any of those things.." Subito began to talk again, as he moved for his leg. "I did not need to." He rolled up his left , revealing a small device strapped to his ankle. "Is that..a monitor?" Theo could not believe what he was seeing. That was the device they used to track his location? "How..when did you..why do you have one of those?" As far as Theo knew, only suspected duelists were given these. And Subito was about as a respected a duelist as you could come by "My father. When he was under house arrest, this was attached to him. Once his name got cleared, he got to keep the monitor and the lock itself." Subito had left the tracker back in the car where Janis had been. His hopes had payed off and someone found the device, using it to find Subito's location and alert the local authorities. With the government this rattled by the constant danger of duelists, they would surely respond to such a tip. "Give up, Theo." And with them now surrounding the place, the sect had few ways out.

"..No. Never. I will not go back to jail, I will not give up on Tomorrow!" Theo clenched his hands. "Mecha Phantom Beast Sabre hawk!" He summoned a new plane, a sabre-toothed drone jet(10/2100/100). Its level had been raised by six stars due to the two Mecha Phantom beast tokens(3/0/0) which were still on Theo's side of the field. "By sacrificing 1 token, I can banish 1 monster in your graveyard!" Saberhawk used up the left Coltwing-token, and its sensors targeted Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon in the graveyard and removed it from the game. "Then I activate the spell card, Stay of Execution, and end my turn!"

_Stay of Execution, Continuous Spell  
__When a monster card(s) you control would be destroyed, place a 'Martyr-counter' on that monster instead. (Max 1)  
__If a monster with a Martyr-counter takes battle damage, banish it. If this card is removed from the field, destroy all monsters with 'Martyr-counters' on them._

"I can't believe you.. you risked everything, just for this." Ruby spoke up. She knew that regardless of what happened next, if Subito lost the duel now, he would still become a part of Chaos. "Why are you so idiotic! You are a slave to your own emotions!" She yelled at him, as he drew his next card. "My emotions guide me, Ruby. They do not chain me down. Whether or not you let your past shackle you, is up to you and you alone." But his words took the fire out of hers.. And Subito felt more fired up then he had been in years. "As for me.. if that is my fate. So be it. I do what I can. That is all I want out of life.." He closed his eyes and smiled. "...?!" She had rarely seen him smile. "My cards feel..lighter now." Subito activated his Monster Reborn spell card to resurrect the Galaxy Knight(8/2800/2000). Then he activated his other spell card, Galaxy Expedition, special summoning another Galaxy monster from his deck, as he controlled the high-level Knight. Subito summoned a second Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) in defense mode.

"Just what are you up too, Artega? You only have one Neo-Galaxy Eyes card. Or did dear Ruby get that information wrong as well?" Theo glared at her. "No. This is something nobody could have seen coming. Because.." But Theo's eyes were quickly pulled back to his adversary. When a ray of brilliant red starlight erupted from Subito's extra deck. ".. this power did not exist a minute ago!" Faster than ever before, Subito took the source of the light out of his extra deck and placed it on the field. "What in god's name is that!" Theo cried out as the Galaxy Knight and Dragon pair were sent into the red radiance, reforging themselves into a rank 8 monster. "I believe this is what you would call... a Number." A new dragon was unveiled to them all, a winged monstrocity(8/3000/2500) of dark metal and red energy veins. "It's name is.. Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. The 107th Number."

"Curious." Was all Xander could say, which was more than the dumbstruck Ruby, but less.. "Tachyon? 107? How in the hell.. what kind of joke is this?" .. than Theo, who was slowly losing grip of every scrape of sanity he had left. This was impossible. "It happened before, with a former friend of ours. I suppose.. this Number saw something in me. Whichever cause it may be, I shall not deny it its say." Azar activated a monster's effect from his graveyard, the one he had discarded earlier through Galactic Charity. "I banish Overlay Booster, adding 500 attackpoints to my xyz monster for each attached material it holds at that time!" A red jetboosted android appeared in spirit, to lend some of its energy to this new creation(4000/2500) with its two materials.

Subito then began the battle phase. "When Tachyon Dragon attacks, it negates the effects of all other monsters on the field!" A red glow came from the dragons crest on its chest, and it shorted out the SaberHawk and Gangaridai machines. It looked like reset to pre-functional conditions. "Then, I will activate my set quickplay spell car; Galaxy Storm!" A cosmic whirlwind broke out, heading towards the Skypalace. "It destroys one Xyz monster with no materials!" Since Stay of Execution was activated before, the Skypalace could not be destroyed by this effect. "You can not get rid of it that way!" And a Martyr-counter was placed on the aircraft instead. "That was not my intent, Theo Jager." Subito stated calmly while Number 107 let out a loud roar. "But when my opponent has one of its card effects resolve, after Tachyon has negated all monster effects.." The dragon(5000/2500) looked down upon Theo, as it drew in more energy from its surroundings. "It will gain 1000 attackpoints.." And with one breath from those terrifying jaws, the Galactic dragon sent Theo's Skypalace Gangaridai back to kingdom come. "Gahhhhh!"

Theo's LP: 2600

But the worst was yet to come. Or rather, come again, as time itself seemed to rewinded on Subito's side. "And...Tachyon Dragon gain a second attack this turn!" The 107th Number took back its energy attack and released it a second time. "What?" This time it would unleash it upon Saberhawk, and finish the duel. "Theo. If you have anything to say at all. Do so now." Subito gave him one last chance to explain everything. The police were getting closer and closer as well, they were already inside making arrests and detaining people. "I.." This was truly the end for him. "Ruby, Xander. It is all up to you! Use the secret exit! Go to the factory, save what you can and spread the Chaos elsewhere! You are Tomorrow's last hope!" But he was not going to comply with Subito's demands just like that. "Damn!" Subito had to shut him up now! He ordered the Tachyon Dragon to destroy the Mecha Phantom Beast, and take away the remainder of Theo's life. "Gheheahaaaah!" Theo laughed even as he lost consciousness. Ruby and Xander had listened to him. They were nowhere to be seen by the time Subito looked away from the duel. _"Things are not over yet." _

Theo's LP 0

...

Some time later, the police had gotten the situation under control. They confiscated all cards and equipment each person in Theo's army had been carrying, and tore up whatever Chaos Force card they could find. Most people, duelists and museum workers alike, had their minds sorted out afterwards. Though some were still carted out in vans afterwards. And hour later, new clients entered the building. "Bro!" And their cries of joy were just what Subito wanted to hear. "I knew you weren't brainwashed!" Shin, Korose, Darcy and the Masked Raider had shown up on the scene. "You are the only ones?" Subito had half-expected to meet more faces. "It was decided that some should remain behind, to protect their Numbers.. and those close to them." Korose said. He did not think it would be wise to bring Ariel, Dakar and Skyy all the way into the lions nest. "Or are you saying, we not good enough for you?" Darcy asked, placing a finger against her chin. "That is not what I.." Subito was about to answer her, when he noticed the Masked Raider. "I didn't know you were back.. and I did not expect _him._." The Raider was staring at him. He could feel his eyes burn through the mask. "You."

"Artega.."

Subito somehow knew, and hearing the voice confirmed his suspicion. Just like Shin had told him, he _had_ returned. And here he was, hiding under that suit? "Yes Artega. It is me. Many months have come and gone.. a lot has changed." Azar could feel _it _on him, just like he had felt it on Dakar. "What, what is it?" Shin did not see what Azar was getting all worked up about. "He..has a Number." Korose on the other hand caught on quickly, his D-pad could had detected a new Number in this very museum. "...Yes. That is true." And Subito, who had not planned to hide it from them anyway, revealed Number 107 to everyone there. "Another Overhundred Number? Whaaaat? You got one too?" Shin took it well.

"Another?"

"Indeed. Dakar and Ion before you, awakened Numbers just like these." Azar said, leaving aside for now that he had awakened his own Number as well. "That makes sense, doesn't it? Subito never had his own Number, and he lost the one he did have to Ruby." Darcy recalled the terms Korose had stated before, about who could and could not control these kinds of cards. "There are conditions, for these Numbers?" Subito had not been privvy to that information yet. "Apparently so, the agents quartermaster analyzed Ions number. You fit her descriptions so far." Subito could have been an Agent. Azar wondered if that was really all it took to get an Overhundred Number? There had to be more to it. "This came to me when I most needed it, yet I did not ask for it." Subito wished he could explain it, but he could not. "Though you say you received this information from.. Esther? How exactly did her analysis tell her such things?" A program that answered to the agency was not exactly the most reliable of sources. "She did not say. I would rather not contact her." Korose had learned his lesson now.

"Mister Artega? Theo Jager is ready to talk." A random officer walked up to them. "Theo? He is still here?" Shin yelled. "The city was thankful enough for my contribution to this mass scale arrest, that they went along with my request. I asked them if they could keep him around for questioning on site. So let's hear what he has to say."

Subito and the others walked inside the museum office room, Theo was strapped to a chair, surrounded by guards. "You have five minutes." The officer told them, before he and his men exited the room. "Ah, you were waiting for them.." Theo smiled weakly. "You have a lot of friends now, dont you? Do you really think you can protect them all?" He only recognized the one who had beaten him in a duel before, Subito's own brother. "Shut up and tell us where you sent Ruby and Xander!" Shin snapped at him. "That is not the question you want to ask me." Theo grumbled and turned his head away. "Then what is, if we may be so _bold_ to ask?" Darcy went with a more softer approach. "That's better. See your friend here asked me where I got my power from, my original Chaos Force. That question I can answer, because it no longer affects anything." Theo let out a weary sigh. "The agency? Were they responsible?" Azar tried guessing at the answer. "What? Why would you think that?" Theo shook his head. He seemed completely unaware of that connection. "No. The one who gave me that card, who gave me one last chance to prove myself worthy..."

"You know him as Cain, I know him as my own brother. He was the one who gave me Chaos Force."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)15: Mismatched Pieces)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Galaxy Knight  
Overlay Booster  
Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon

-  
Galactic Charity  
Galaxy Storm

**New Cards used by Theo Jager  
**Mecha Phantom Beast Sabre Hawk

-  
XYZ Revenge

-  
Moon Dance Ritual


	17. Cipher (1)15: Mismatched Pieces

**Cipher (1)15: Mismatched Pieces**

Two lone figures floated above the clouds, unseen by human eyes. "It has happened again, Prometheus." One figure was wrapped up in a desert patterned cloak, but had visible mechanical enhancements on his arms. "A third has connected with the humans without our guidance, against our design. You understand how it has come to this." He spoke to another figure in a black longcoat; underneath his body was covered with strange mechanics as well. Both were masked. One mask had nine bolts driven into it, the other two. "How or why, Cain?" The former said to the clearly less amused latter. "These Numbers, what would they see in humans? Why can they attach themselves to the 'survivors'?" Prometheus was clearly fascinated by all of this, including the Number most recently created; the 107th. "Your interests are not mine. You are not estranged enough from your human roots." Both catalysts had sensed Subito's new Number in this very city. And going by mathematical logic, at least four more cards were waiting to be created. "Chaos exacerbated the process, it has given these stray Numbers a beacon. You may not have been the one to set them free, but you helped them find more hosts. You proposed we use Chaos. See to it that you get this entire situation under control again, or else.." Cain gave the final ultimatum and he whisked himself away to dimensions unknown.

"... I shall take that under consideration... Second."

...

"The catalysts want to spread Chaos? How does that make sense? Since when do _they_ work with the agency anyway?" Theo's revelation left Shin and everyone else's mind running around in circles; how did it all fit together? "Catalysts? Those were the people who create Numbers, right?" Darcy was the one least perturbed, largely due to the fact that she had no idea what everyone was so afraid of. "In a way." Azar found their existence difficult to explain even now. "They are Numbers themselves, permanently bonded with humans. They call themselves shepherds, as they help lesser Numbers find the right host. And..." Slowly an outline made itself clear to Azar. "They want the Numbers to come together... They are going to use Chaos to gather all Numbers together in one person, in Necara!"

"Agent N.. Wait. I thought that bringing all Numbers together would allow the catalysts to turn our world into their world?" Why would the agency willingly go along with that plan, it was inconceivable "Kincaid claimed to believe that the Numbers could be used for a greater good, for mandkind's own needs. He sounded misguided to me, not genocidal. Either they were deceived by the catalysts, or this is a project the council does not know about." Subito looked at Korose. "Theo tried to be discreet, likely so that as few people as possible would not get a wind of this."

"Right now though, we have to focus on the damage left behind by Theo. Theo might have lied, besides Ruby and Xander there could be more of his allies or victims out there." The police had taken in as many as they could, but they could not say with certainty if anyone had slipped out before they appeared. Neither could Subito. He doubted everyone was inside the museum at the time. "It probably won't be as easy as it was to find Thomas." Darcy checked her D-pad. Zero blips appeared on the D-pad tracker. Anyone with a Chaos Force card did not need to keep the device online to duel someone. "Even if Cain gave Theo that first card, Theo likely needed to place to produce more based on that prototype. My father told me that the Rank-Up-Magic cards were manmade. The power of Chaos can apparently pass on to the copies as well." And Subito knw that taking the original out had not been enough.

"Oh, wait! Maybe you can use your Number to find them, Azar?" Shin suggested. much to his brothers dismay. "Number?" Subito gave the masked duelist a very dubious look. "Yes. I have received one of my own." Azar said with a sigh. It was only a matter of time before that got out. "But as of right now, I woulnd't be able to tell you what its out-of-duel abilities are. This card is only a few hours old." Azar displayed the Number 46: Draggluon to Subito. "You have not yet tried to determine your card's power either, I presume?" He and Subito were more alike than the latter probably would have liked. "No. But they are different, Azar." Subito had a theory about the kind of Number he ended up with. "Yours is part of the cataclysm's plan, it is one that feeds on desire. I believe mine.. does the opposite. It may feed on a a lack of desire, on selflessness." Subito knew himself, he knew he had never had much to yearn for. If he did, he had repressed it long ago.

"Fellas. I think someone wants to tell us something." Darcy broke up the discussion with a polite cough. She was the only one who noticed the officer looking intently at their group. "I will handle this." Korose approached him and listened to what he had to say and then returned. "Well?"

"Their search of the area has proven fruitful. They found the secret exit you told us about. Ruby and Xander must have broken through the first perimeter that way Bbut the officer assured me that there were men at every major exit out of this city." So it would not be that easy for anyone to skip town. "Cool! Then we can find them if we follow that trail!" Shin said confidently. "They have also found several locations from where these cards could have come from, one of them is located in this very city." Korose pointed at the crates filled with cards, that were still laying about in the hall where Theo had dueled Subito. "I think we should head there first before the police step in." From what he had been told, it wouldn't take them long to get there. "I agree. If Ruby and Xander find the rest of the Chaos force cards, they can start a new outbreak on their own. And we are the only ones who can challenge them." Azar did not think Ruby and Xander would be taken in by a surprise police raid a second time. "Korose, you and me will take the secret exit and see if that leads anywhere important." That would leave the Artegas and Darcy to take the direct approach towards the factory in the city. "Right!" Shin did not need to hear that plan again, he was ready to go. "..." And if Subito had any doubts, he did not give them a voice. "Let's go.."

So they parted ways, the agent and the masked raider headed down into the tunnel. "Hmmm." And the tunnel inevitably led them to the the subway system, not far from a nearby station. "They could have gone anywhere from here." Korose thought this to be a dead end. "They could have. But.. " Azar started walk to the left, unto the station and waited for the next subway car to come along. "You have a feeling they went that way?" Korose finally asked as they boarded it. "Every time someone used the power of Chaos, I could sense it. And now that I have made a connection with Chaos again, I can even feel his presence when he is not being used in a duel." It was sorta like a sixth sense, and hard to describe. "His?" Korose was surprised Azar referred to it like that to begin with. "..Chaos was a part of me for a very long time. He _was_ me. But then he and.."

"Azar! Watch out!" Korose stepped in front of Azar, intercepting an arrow of fire with his bare arm. "Ggh!" The impact knocked him back, but he kept both feet on the floor. "What was that!?" The other passengers were understandably freaked out. "Move!" And when a woman appeared in their midsts, walking through a trail of flames left in her wake, they all panicked and swarmed to the next car. "Ruby!" Azar shouted as he saw the girl in red and black.

"Masked Raider? Since when did you get all buddy-buddy with an Agent? Did you join them?" Ruby apparently had not been around Azar enough to recognize that it was his voice coming from underneath the mask. "You misunderstand." Korose tried to correct her, coughing the smoke out of his lungs. "Who cares if I am? You are all the same now! And maybe you did not recognize it for what it was. But.. that was the first turn." Ruby pointed at a person in front of her, a masked archer(3/1200/600) in green and black leather. "When I normal or flip summon Achacha Archer, I inflict 500 points of damage to my enemy." She had drawn Korose into a duel without him even realizing it. "I knew some duelist would try to follow us, so I waited for them at the station. And it turned out to be you, the guy who robbed me of my victory back at Neo Avalon!" Ruby placed a trap card and ended her turn. "Every tomorrow I can look forward to taking revenge on the past, and today you are it!"

Korose's LP: 7500 Ruby's LP: 8000

"I see this was the wrong way to go." Korose had no choice but to duel her now. "I will stay with you, in case things go bad." Azar could not afford to let either of them out of his sight. "I thank you. But for now, I will do by myself." Korose took his turn and normal summoned his first warrior, a darkhaired knight(4/1700/900) in blue and silver armor. "I call Noble Knight Borz, and equip him with the Noble Arms of Arfeudutyr!" Borz took the glowing sword. "By reducing his attackpoints by 500, Arfeudutyrs owner can destroy one set spell or trap card!" Borz swang the sword around and destroyed Ruby's Widepsread Ruin trap card. "Borz' effect is activated when he gains a Noble Arms card. His level goes up and he can add one of three Noble Arms from the deck to my hand!" Korose explained as he showed three spells (Noble Arms of Destiny, Gallatin and Caliburn) to Ruby. She let him keep the Noble Arms Caliburn. "I equip Caliburn to Borz!" Borz(5/1700/900) took the second royal sword as well, gaining back 500 attackpoints through it. "Attack!" First Borz cleaved the Achacha Archer to pieces with his two weapons. "Mend!" Then Caliburns own effect was used to heal 500 of Korose's lifepoints. "Ruby. Hopefully this time we shall have a fair fight!" He placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

Korose's LP: 8000 Ruby's LP: 7500

"Fair? Ha! You can not get much fairer than pure Chaos, Agent K!"

...

"You wanted to be stay close to him, didn't you?" Darcy said as she and the two brothers made their way to the factory. "Not in that sense I mean. It is just clear to me that you still do not trust him." She could see Subito's apprehension, it written all over his face. "No. I do not." So he outright confessed to it. "But why? Azar is normal again now!" Shin protested. "Well perhaps not, Shin. He did state that he had taken back Chaos, some of it. And that was what made things bad to begin with, right?" But Darcy had to play devils advocate on this one. She could understand both sides in this story. "Chaos too? A Number was bad enough." Though the fact that Azar was reunited with Chaos was news to Subito as well. Now he knew why he felt so uncomfortable around the man. "Numbers are not a bad thing. Some just bring out bad qualities in people." Darcy would not say that Azars Number had a bad influence on him, not as of yet. "So you do trust him?" Shin asked her. "I did before. But that was when I could see his face. How can I put this nicely.. Talking to someone with a mask on changes things.."

"..Oh. There is the place." The three moved into the industrial terrain and saw a factory up ahead. It seemed to be a credit card manufacturer. "Quiet as the grave." Darcy heard no noise coming from inside, no workers or machines. "At least we got here early. We might be able to get the drop on anyone inside?" Shin hoped so at least. With that thought they rushed inside, going through the back entrance that was still open. That was already a bad sign. They came upon the warehouse, and a dozen factory workers on the floor. That was even worse. "This is the right place." Subito quickly surmised while Darcy went to check on the people. "They are unconscious, but breathing." She could not tell if this happened recently or not. "He must have been here!" Shin gasped as he turned around.

"He still is."

It was Xander, now standing in front of the exit. "Kind of you to drop by. Perfect timing too, I had just tied things up my with these gentlemen here." He tossed a few shredded card fragments away; remains of the Chaos Force spells that each worker had been given before. "They helped us out a lot, but now that we are done with this place, it was time to say goodbye." Xander activated his D-pad, casting barriers around himself and the three duelists. "What?" Subito.. "Again?" ...and Darcy were locked outside the first barrier while trapped behind the second. "I developed this technique myself. Makes dueling much less of a chore." Xander chuckled as he walked towards Shin. "Now I can make you join Chaos Force one at a time, instead of all three at once." It was clear who he had set his sights on. "Rgh." Shin had nowhere to go. "Come now. You know how this goes. You have been through it before. Just get out your gear and ready your deck, and I promise to make it painless. No need to waste everyone's time." Xander had already gotten himself ready and drawn his cards. "Shin!" Subito cried out to no avail. "Sorry, bro. Looks like I have no choice."

Shins LP: 8000 Xanders LP: 8000

"There is a good listener." Xander drew six cards. "Hey, I have other reasons for doing this. Like slapping some sense into you!" Shin drew five cards. "No thank you. I am quite happy with my current sense." Xander activated a continuous spell card. "Deck Lockdown! Neither player can add cards from his deck to his hand for the next few turns!" And his opponent did a double-take. "What?" Shin looked at his own hand, several deck searching cards were in there. "Yes, Shin. I was there when you dueled Theo. I know your decks strengths and weaknesses and prepared myself accordingly. It helps that this factory has all kinds of cards!" Next Xander summoned a Gogogo Gollum(4/2300/0). "I can sacrifice a Gogogo monster, to special summon Gogogo Golem - Golden Form from my hand!" The red stone golem transformed, its brick body folded outwards and changed into a more muscular titanic form(4/4600/1500), one made from pure gold. "As you can see, Golden Form gains twice the attack of the tributed Gogogo monster." Xander finally placed one trap card down and passed the turn to Shin.

"Well If I can't use them that way." Shin took three cards out of his hand, Spellbooks of Wisdom, Life and Secrets, and showed them to Xander. "Well those do look nice, but why..." Xander did not quite get what he was trying to achieve. "By revealing three Spellbooks, I can special summon High Priestess of Prophecy from my hand!" Until the redheaded clerical mage(7/2500/2100) was put on the field without tributes. "Then I activate the Spellbook of Wisdom! Making my spellcaster immune to spells and traps for one turn!" The High Priestess studied a new book, learning a protection spell and casting it to guard herself. "And then! By banishing that spellbook from the grave, the Prophecy Priestess can destroy one card on the field!"

"Slow down, Shin." However Xander had already chained to her effect. "When your monsters effects activate, Gogogo Golem - Golden Form will negate it by losing 1500 of his attackpoints!" The rock warrior(3100/1500) threw away some of its golden shell, to disrupt the next spell the High Priestess was trying to chant. "What? Damn it!" Shin cursed. "Calm down, Shin. You did good; you weakened it." Darcy said. Shin would have needed to deal with that effect anyway. "I guess. He can only use it two more times." Shin placed a monster card down and ended his turn. "Yes. Aren't things much easier once you settle down and take it at the speed you are comfortable with? No pressure. No haste." Xander then began his turn and normal summoned Gogogo Giant(4/2000/0), whose own effect special summoned Gogogo Gollum(4/2300/0) from the graveyard after the Giant switched itself to defense position. "Honestly, I never really understood why everyone got so worked up over all these Numbers and Chaos cards."

"Then what is that you want? Why do you follow Chaos?" Subito asked him. "Oh. I did not get the chance to tell you last time, did I? Well, that is easy to explain. Once Chaos takes over, nothing will really matter anymore. And everyone can live their life with nothing in their way. I remember what you said earlier, Subito, about us needing order. But the way I see it, we can have both, we can have strutrure without limits." The duelist cracked his knuckles to loosen up his fingers. "In fact. Who wants to see something wonderful?" He overlayed oth Gogogo Giant and Gogogo Gollum, and performed a rank 4 xyz-summon. "Uhm. Is that.." And before everyone's eyes, a new monster was created, a gigantic hand made of rock(4/2000/2000). "Yes miss Darcy, it is. This is My Number, Giant Hand the 106th!... I think this proves my point."

"But how? When? Why would you have a Number?" Last time Shin checked Chaos and Numbers were the enemy. "I saw Subito get one. So I concluded it wouldn't be all that hard for me to get one as well. And don't give me that look. I did not just wish for a Number, far from it. I just thought the world would be much nicer if neither Chaos nor the Numbers were seen as our enemies. And I guess this number agreed with me.." Xander began the battle phase, and Gogogo Golem - Golden Form destroyed Shins Prophecy High Priestess. "I never felt too comfortable with my last Number. That may have been the point of Acid Golem, but it still displeased me." Then the Giant Hand stormed forward, grabbing Shins face-down card and crushing it with its rock-skinned palm. "This Number at least has a shape I can get along with. A magic hand that does what my hand does.. Sometimes simplicity is just the best solution.."

"Wouldn't you agree?"

Shin's LP: 7400

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)16: Pride before the Rise)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Noble Knight Borz

-  
Noble Arms - Arfeurdutyr

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Achacha Archer

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Spellbook of Wisdom

**New Cards used by Xander Carson  
**Gogogo Golem - Golden Form  
Number 106: Giant Hand

-  
Deck Lockdown


	18. Cipher (1)16: Pride before the Rise

**Cipher (1)16: Pride before the Rise**

Shins LP: 8000 Xanders LP: 7400

Xander had a new card, Number 106: Giant Hand(4/2000/2000. It was an Overhundred Number of all things, just like his brothers. And its first act was destroying Shins face-down monster; Apprentice Magician(2/400/800). At least because it had been flipped face-up, Shin could set a lowlevel spellcaster from his deck down on his field. "Could it be that easy?" Meanwhile those on the sidelines were left to analyze the things Xander had said. To Darcy it sounded like not wanting a Number was what these Overhundred Numbers liked most in a human. "But Xander has had a Number before." Azars earlier theory; that overhundred Numbers disliked previous Number owners, did not match with reality anymore. Though Subito could see a possible reinterpretation. _"What if it's not the possession, but the influence a Number did or not have on a person.."_

For now however, figuring this out did not matter as much as Shin winning the duel. "My turn, I draw!" Shin had some cards left, but he was limited in his options thanks to Xander's Decklock spell card. Not all cards in his hands were useless however. "I activate Spellbook of Life, and special summon the High Priestess!" One of of his magical books could bring back a life that Xander had just ended. "No, I think I have had quite enough of that." Unless Xander of course had a counter trap to negate that book's effect, which he did. "Solemn Warning; I pay 2000 lifepoints and stop your special summoning effect."

Xanders LP: 6000

"Augh!" The Priestess disappeared before Shins eyes. "Then I.." He flip summoned the monster set by Apprentice Magician, the male magician of the Hanged Man symbol: Stoic of Prophecy(1/300/200). "..will defend myself!" He also normal summoned a strawhatted mage: Spell Recycler(1/0/0). "By Xyz-summoning the Slacker Magician!" Both of these mages of the lowest possible level were converted to energy and combined into a rank 1 spellcaster, a young girl(1/200/2100) with long blue hair, lazing about on the floor of the factory. "Slacker is the sister of Alchemic Magician, and she is summoned in defense mode. I end my turn!"

"Sister? Is this perhaps a reflection of how you view your relationship with your brother? Not that I myself would argue against relaxation." Xander drew his card. At this point Deck Lockdown destroyed itself, as it could only stay on the field for 2 turns. "Now then. You control an Xyz-monster now.." Xander special summoned a new monster, a ram-beast(4/0/1400) made of rock and square stones. "That means a Grandram can be special summoned from my hand. And I can now tribute summon Earthquake Giant." Xander sacrificed the Grandram, for a rock ogre(5/1600/2100). "When this monsters position changes, it switches the position of another monster." To reach that condition, Xander activated the spell card, Earthquake. "All face-up monsters are switched to defense mode!" A massive rumble from underneath caused all of Xanders monsters to guard themselves. And the Earthquake Giant dropped his steel ball, which rolled towards the Slacker Magician.

"I may not be that good, but I don't see myself as a slacker, Xander!" Shin detached a material from his Magician. "When she is targeted by an effect, she can negate that effect and destroy the effect's source!" Slacker Magician yawned while absentmindedly casting a spell back at the Earthquake Giant. "One step ahead of you, Shin." Of course Xander had to negate that effect by taking away 1600 attackpoints of his Golden Gogogo Golem(1600/1500).

"You can not take this as it comes, Xander!" However Slacker Magician could use her effect as often as she liked, so another material was detached from the rank 1 spellcaster, and this time she fired her destructive barrier spell towards Gogogo Golem - Golden Form. "In fact, you can. You just need to slow down as you perceive the world." Xander detached both materials from Giant Hand. "This is the right time to show you my Numbers power; it can counter a monster's effect and negate its powers permanently." Xander clenched his hand as the Overhundred Number clenched its fist around the Slacker and disrupted her spellcasting. "Ah!" The entire chain of effects and negations had been done away with and Slacker Magician was forced into attack position. "And this is the time for the direct confrontation."

Xander switched Giant Hand and Golden Form back to attack position. Then his battle phase began and Giant Hand pulverized the Slacker Magician with one slam. Even her effect of avoiding destruction in battle was negated by the Overhundred Number. But there was one upside to this attack. "Ugh. You attacked me while Spell Recycler was in my graveyard. I can banish it and recycle my cards." The recycler mage pulled the Spellbook of Life out of the grave and placed at the bottom of Shins deck, while discarding the card at the top of the deck. "Hmm." Xander then continued his assault and had the Golden Golem strike Shin directly. "Gahkh!" The poor kid was thrown against the wall. "Shin!" Subito rushed towards the impacted area, but remained trapped on the other side. "I know it looks bad. But it is not over yet, Subito." Darcy did not know what Subito would do if this duel went on for much longer, but something told her she had to keep Subito as calm as possible. Shin was not out yet.

Shins LP: 3900

"...Heh. Stoic of Prophecy.. adds a level 3 or lower Prophecy-monster to my hand.. when its sent to the graveyard." Shin did not sound like he was in the mood to give up either. "I add Spellbook Magician of Prophecy to my hand." Shin braced himself against the forcefield and rose to his feet. "Xander. I know what its like to have Chaos inside you. I liked that power as I had it. But once I was free I hated everything I had done." The pain Shin felt right now, what what he had put Natasha through. That was not a pleasant memory. "If a world of Chaos means not caring about the pain you cause to someone, I will fight that world every step of the way!" Shin could at last activate his Spellbook of Secrets, and he played it to search his deck for another Spellbook. "I add the recycled Spellbook of Life to my hand, and activate it!" The spellbook of Life revealed another spellbook in Shins hand, Spellbook of Power. "I banish one spellcaster and revive another, and combine the levels of those two monsters!" Shin banished the level 7 High Priestess, to special summon a level 9 card, which Spell Recycler had sent to the graveyard. "Come out, World of Prophecy!" The divine mage(16/2900/2400) descended from the heavens above, using his six angelic wings to stay in the air. "And I activate its effect! I can reclaim two Spellbooks from.."

"You are again thinking way too far ahead, Shin." But Golden Form - Gogogo Golem(100/1500) negated the World's effect as well, after it gave up the last 1500 attackpoints it could give up. "We live in the present, Shin. That is all that we should care about. The past is unchangeable, the future can not be seen..."

"No. Life is not like that. Not for me. I am not going to stand by and wait for it! I am going to go out there and look for what life has to offer me!" Shin activated two spell cards. "Spellbook of Power adds 1000 attackpoints to my spellcaster! And the equip spell, Bound Wand, gives my spellcaster 100 attackpoints for each of its level stars!" The tome of power strenghtened the magic of The World(3900/2400), and the Wand gave it(5500/2400) a greater focus for his spells. Largely thanks to the extra levels it had accumulated through the Spellbook of Life. "I will seize every opportunity! Like this one; I attack Gogogo Golden Form while it is this weak and still in attack position! Before you get another turn, and use Rank-Up-Magic!"

"If that is your plan, you should have figured that such an attack will not deplete all my lifepoints." Xander still had 6000 of those remaining after all. "I know my math, Xander. I dislike studying, but not learning!" Shin normal summoned the Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(3/500/400) and used his effect to search his deck for any new Spellbooks. "Shin, you can only activate 1 Spellbook of Power in a turn!" Subito yelled. If Shins plan depended on that, it would not work. "Maybe, maybe not Bro." Shin found the right spellbook. "I activate Spellbook of the Master. If I control a spellcaster, I can banish the Spellbook of Power in my graveyard, and copy its effect!" The World of Prophecy recasted the spell it had learned before, using the Mastery tome, and gave himself(6500/2400) even more power. "Oh my.." Not even Xander had an answer to that. "You always say that this game should be more about clever tactics than brute force. I say we can have both, Xander!" Shin entered the battle phase and attacked the Golden Golem, smashing it into golden rubble. "The Victory blow!"

Xander's LP: 0

"Oh.." Xander reeled for a few second. "You won." He felt rather woozy. "Thank you..for that. I..I do not know what I was thinking." It seemed like losing the duel had been enough to snap him out of his Chaos high. "I have been there, it's better to forget about it." Shin said as he put his cards down. "That is no excuse for my improper behavior; I almost put you in the same situation again. And..oh. Those poor workers." Around the factory were the people he himself had put to sleep. "They should wake up without any ill effect, eventually." Darcy said. "They probably will not mind if we destroy what they created." She could not begin to count how many cards were stashed here. "Oh. And my name is Darcy Lawless. We hadn't been introduced yet." Darcy offered Xander a hand. "Oh. That is true. Pleasure to meet you." He accepted it and shook her hand. "And you too Shin, Subito. A few weeks have passed since... Pardon.. where are Korose and Ruby?" It slowly dawned on Xander, that he had not been alone in his final moments before Theo's attack. "We were hoping you could tell us that.." Because Subito sure couldn't. "I wish I could remember that. All I remember is..." Xander looked at the card still in his monster zone. "My new acquaintance.."

Korose's LP: 8000 Ruby's LP: 7500

"Spell card, Onslaught of the Fire Kings!" The duel between Ruby and Korose continued. "When only my opponent controls monsters, I can special summon a fire -type beast, beast-warrior or winged beast from my deck. I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar from my deck!" Her summoning spell brought out the muscular bearded warrior(4/1100/1400). "And I normal summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Caribou!" Another muscular warrior(4/1100/2000) with bare arms and a horned helmet, pierced through the blazing onslaught to join Boar. "Boar is a tuner monster. I tune him together with Caribou!" The Fire Fist fighters gave away the light of their eight stars to kindle a new flame, one of the black fire spirit and his wise old master(8/2000/2800). "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin!" Ruby then started rummaging through her deck. "Kirin can set one Fire Formation card from my deck down on the field!" She took out a formation trap.

"Now Caribou was used for the synchro summon of Fire Fist monster, so I can set another Fire Formation card from my deck." This time Ruby placed a spell down. And she could activate it right away. "Fire Formation - Yoko! I discard a Beastwarrior to destroy your Warrior!" The Yoko formation consumed a Snake of the Fire Fist from her hand and unleashed all of its burning energy upon Korose's Noble Knight Borz(4/1700/900), destroying the knight and the Noble Arms that were equipped to him.

"Freeze! Drop your.. weapons!" At that time the subway security guard showed up. "Please." But Ruby barely acknowledged his presence, and made the fire around her so hot that the gun melted in his hand. "Yeaaagh!" The guard was lucky to escape with his skin intact, but the blaze forced him back out of the car. "Ruby. There is no need to endanger others. They can not stop this duel as it is!" Korose shouted. "Their noise distracting. Besides, they should know better than to try and get in the way. This duel needs more bigger audience." Ruby shook her head. "Now where was I?" And she entered the battle phase, sending in Kirin(8/2100/2800) to strike Korose directly. His own attackpower was boosted by 100 points due to the other effect of Fire Formation - Yoko. The agent received a blow to his arm. "They are beneath me, and beneath you. Why waste our efforts on them?" Then she placed another card down and ended her turn. "Beneath you? That is what this is all about, isn't it? You just want to prove how superior you are to everyone! How does that fit in with the equality that Chaos apparently wants to spread!" Azar also ended up giving her his thoughts, loudly. "Pfeh. We are not equals right now, are we? I have Chaos.. you do not!"

Korose's LP: 5900

"You desire to crush us with brute force, to glorify your own image. I have never seen things end well for duelists with that desire." Korose drew his card. "You however only understand power. Therefor.." He normal summoned a rather un-warlike monster this time, a blonde lady who rose up from the aether like the air was a water. "I call upon the Lady of the Lake. Who in turn calls upon Borz!" As the Lady was normal summoned, she could bring a fallen Noble Knight back to life. Like the Chalice wielding knight Ruby had just slain. "Then I too perform a synchro summon!" The Lady was also a tuner monster. Her single star and the four stars of Borz were put together for a level 5 Synchro monster. "Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn!" A long blackhaired and blindfolded knight appeared. He was Laundsallyn(5/2100/900) the traitor of the round table.

"But Kirin reduces a monsters attackpoints by 100 for each Fire Formation I control!" Ruby showed Korose that his synchro monster(2000/900) was not as strong as hers anymore. "I was aware of that. You should be aware of High Laundsayllyn's effect. He can equip one Noble Arms spell in my deck to himself!" Laundsallyn took out the brilliantly shining sword, Noble Arms Gallatin. "Gallatin gains 1000 attackpoints!" Korose ordered the now superior Ignoble warrior(3000/900) to engage the enemy. "Continuous Trap card: Tensen!" That was when Ruby revealed her set trap, which added 300 attackpoints to all beastwarriors and an additional 700 to Kirin(3100/2800). "Do not talk like you know what a fair power struggle is, you have only gotten weaker!" And Kirins own powers reduced the strength of Laundsallyn(2900/900) even further. "..Trap card: Battle's Cry!" Yet in the final instant before his sword clashed with her black flames, Korose used his own continuous trap. "It doubles my warriors current attackpoints!" Laundsallyn(5800/900) grabbed a second sword from underneath his cloak and slashed twice as hard to break through Kirins fire aura. "!" The Fire Fist Synchro was cut in half within same swing.

Ruby's LP: 4700

"Damn it. Am I still not strong enough?" As Ruby's rage grew, so did the blaze around her. "The car wont be able to take this." Azar saw the chairs around them beginning to melt already. "This duel has to reach an end soon." Korose ended his turn yet again. "The end? No, I will not let it end just as the fun is starting!" Ruby activated the spell card: Monster Reborn, to revive Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Snake(4/1800/600) from her graveyard. "Snake sacrifices my two Fire Formations, so that I may draw one new card!" The Snake fire spirit consumed Yoko and Tensen and placed the top card of the deck in Ruby's hand. "And when a Fire Formation is extinguished, Snake can call a new one from my deck!" The serpentine flames dove into Ruby's deck and placed a Fire Formation - Tenki before her in face-down position. "Finally.." Next Ruby normal summoned a Flame Tiger(4/1800/0) "I Xyz-summon, Draconian Phoenix!" The entire car was filled with a blinding golden haze, as the fire beast and Fire Fist warrior dove into a bonfire. The eruption that followed was big enough to burn through the car they were, disconnecting it from the the rest of the subway. The lower cars and their passengers were left behind, while the front sped onward. And outside in the tunnel was a new pursuer, a gold-flame dragon(4/2500/1600)

_Draconian Phoenix, 4/2500/1600 Fire/Winged Beast/Xyz  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, target 1 monster you control; destroy it.  
__During your next standby phase after this card was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard and your opponent controls a face-up monster:  
__Special summon this card from the graveyard. inflict damage to your opponent equal to the highest ATK among the monsters they control._

"This is where all that power brings you, Agent K." She detached one material from her dragon. "The Phoenix destroys herself, so she may rise in the next turn!" The dragonic bird let out a wail of infernal pain, and died out. Nothing but a trail of ashes remained behind Ruby's feet. "On the next turn, you will take 6200 points of damage!" As Kirin had been killed, Laundsallyn(6200/900) had regained all of his attackpoints. Those too were doubled by Battlers Cry. "And you will not be able to get to me before then." Ruby activated the continuous spell card, Swords of Burning Light. Five swords of blue fire pierced the area around the girl. "As long as I control no monsters and have less than four cards in my hand, these swords will stop direct attacks!" She ended her turn. "I do not need a CXyz monster, I do not need to risk losing the joy I am feeling now. The only ones who will suffer, will be those who think they are better than me!"

...

Meanwhile on the other side of the border. "This is Ariel." The home at the Serin house went off, and Ariel answered it, thinking it would be one of her friends. "Let's say I am a mysterious benefactor." The caller however was someone she did not know, and was putting on a very heavy forced effect to his words. "I do noe have time for this, sir." But Ariel had dealt with more than enough strange callers, so she moved to hang up. "No wait! Stop. It's me, Claud! Claud Renner! You know, from TV" ~By now the mysterious caller dropped his act. "Agent K called for me, and I couldn't reach him. So I called the emergency number he gave me!"

"I want to help you!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)17: Extinct)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Stoic of Prophecy  
Spell Recyler  
Slacker Magician  
World of Prophecy

-  
Spellbook of the Master

**New Cards used by Xander Carson  
**Grandram  
Earthquake Giant

-  
Earthquake

-  
Solemn Warning

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Lady of the Lake  
Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Caribou  
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin  
_Draconian Phoenix_

-  
Monster Reborn  
Swords of Burning Light


	19. Cipher (1)17: Extinct

**Cipher (1)17: Extinct**

Korose's LP: 5900 Ruby's LP: 4700

The subway train coursed on and on, even as half of its cars and all of its passengers had long since been left behind. "Whatcha gonna do now, Agent K?" And Ruby only had to wait for her turn to begin, to end her duel against Korose. "I will.. accept this trial!" But the effect of Draconian Phoenix was just another thing to overcome for Korose. "I summon Medraut!" He brought out the blonde knight(4/1700/1000) of the round table. "Medraut is a Gemini-monster. It's effect is only unlocked when it gains a Noble Arms equipment.." He said while he had no Noble Arms in his hand. What he used instead.. made Medraut useful in another way. "I activate Gemini Burst. "I sacrifice one level 4 Gemini monster to destroy one card on the field and draw one from my deck." The Noble Knight exploded into a burst of light.

"Argh!" And the Burning Swords of Light that surrounded Ruby were doused by the purifying light. Now she could be attacked. "But because you sent Medraut to your graveyard, Battlers Cry is destroyed!" Ruby retorted. Korose's continuous trap, that had doubled the attackpoints of the Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn(2900/900) until now, could not withstand the death of another warrior.. "I know." That and the Noble Arms Gallatin that was equipped to the synchro knight took away 200 attackpoints each turn, giving it only a boost of 800 attackpoints this turn. Nevertheless Korose sent Laundsallyn to attack Ruby and his sword cleaved the space in front of her. "Rgh!" Ruby stumbled forwards, but regained her balance quickly.

Ruby's LP: 1800

"Heh. Trying to force me out of the ring?" Ruby sneered as took a second look at the hole in front of her. One more step and she would have taken that tumble out of the car. "And to think I thought you had gone soft on me!" Her turn began once more. And instead of drawing a card, she used Flame Tigers effect to special summon itself(4/1800/0) in defense mode, by skipping her draw phase. "It must be so hard for you to not cheat, to fight someone stronger than even the Numbers!" Now the Draconian Phoenix(4/2500/1600) returned from its ashes. "But good for you. Not finishing me also did not 'off' you!" The Phoenix could only burn 2900 of Korose's lifepoints with its fierce haze. In turn Korose nearly lost grip as well, his side of the car was not safe either. "Let's face it. Agents like you are not needed anymore. With Chaos Force we can burn Numbers right off the face of the earth!"

Korose's LP: 3000

"Ruby. If you really want to duel, take it to another place!" Azar yelled. Every turn he feared either duelist would fall out. If the fall did not break their bones, the rails would electrocute their bodies. "Only someone strong can survive this new world we are going to make, so they better be able to stand on their two feet in any situation!" Ruby normal summoned a young and agile fire warrior(3/400/200), Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard. "Spell card: Big Cattle Drive! I can not activate any other spells or traps this turn, but I _can_ draw a card if I control a beastwarrior, a winged beast, or a beast monster!" Her Leopard, Phoenix and Tiger respectively filled those requirements. "I have all three, so I can draw three times!" Ruby added the cards to her hand. "Then, Leopard can tribute himself to set a Fire Formation card from my deck!" The young beastwarrior let his flame spirit die out, and ended up in the grave while a Fire Formation Kaiyou card was set before her. "And then.." She began the battle phase.. and let the Phoenix crash her fiery body into Laundsallyn, destroying the draconic Xyz. "Let's try that again, K!?" She then placed a trap card down and ended her turn.

Ruby's LP: 1400

"Ruby, you hold strength in high regard. But strength is not something you prove with words. And it is a means to an end, not the end itself." Korose said as he sent High Laundsallyn(2700/900) to destroy Flame Tiger. "Laundsallyn's effect.." When a monster was slain, Laundsallyn could search a Noble Arms equip spell card from his deck. Here Korose claimed another Arfeudutyr. "Do you have a dozen of speeches or something? Yeah sure, you 'prefer' actions over words." Ruby said dryly as she made finger quotes. "I will speak when I feel I have to. Strength is more than brute force." Korose placed two trap cards down. "It is about being clever as well! I sacrifice Laundsallyn to tribute set a monster!" The Ignoble knight was replaced for a Knight that was hidden from Ruby. "Eh?" Because it was in a face-down position, her Phoenix had no attackpoints to base its effect damage on. Korose could safely end his turn. "Cunning! Speed! Stamina! Fortitude! It can take all those forms!".

"Shut up! Just shut up, okay?!" Ruby angrily drew her card and put the Phoenix Dragon back on her field. "I need to outsmart you? I will!" She activated her face-down Fire Formation Tenki, to add a beast warrior from her deck to her hand. And she normal summoned that card, a brute of a warrior and master of the horned flame ghost; Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino(4/1700/1400). "I see through your tricks!" Then she activated the spell card; Fire Formation Gyokkou, which prevented the activation of Korose's left trap card. "And I can take advantage of your weak points!" And she flipped her continuous trap card; Fire Formation Kaiyo. Blue flames surrounded the Rhino beastwarrior. "Kaio adds a piercing effect to all my beastwarriors! Not even defense works against me, Rhino can burst right through!" Kaiyo also added 300 attackpoints to the Rhino(2200/1700), who also gained 100 points from both Gyokkou and Tenki. "Rhino can sacrifice one Fire Formation spell card, to discard a beastwarrior in my hand and add that warriors attackpoints to himself!" Ruby tributed Fire Formation Tenki and discarded a Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo. The Buffalo's 1700 attackpoints were absorbed by the Rhino(3800/1700). "Go to hell, Korose!" All of her flames converged and were directed towards Korose's defending card.

"I activate the effect of Stronghold Guardian, from my hand!" Right as the damage step began, Korose discarded a warrior monster from his hand. "Stronghold Guardian adds 1500 defense points to my monster!" The guardian bolstered Korose's defense with a barricade of rocks, weakening the flames before they could touch the hidden warrior. It turned out Rhino had slain the Ignoble Knight of Laundsallyn(5/2000/2300), the original form of High Laundsallyn, with his infernal assault. Without the added 1500 defense points, Korose would have lost the duel during that attack. "Gah! What does it take to get rid of you! I already know I am the stronger one! Just die already!" Ruby turned her eyes towards Azar. "So I can move on to someone who actually is a threat to Tomorrow." Even though she did not know who the Masked Raider was, she could sense the Number had with him "Then I will be able to destroy his Number, just like I destroyed Subito's!"

Korose's LP: 1500

"Destroy Numbers? Is that what Theo told you?"

"Ruby, he lied to you!" Azar could not believe it, but it appeared that Theo had gone that far to motivate his army and keep them together. "What?" Ruby was taken aback. And not just because the Raiders voice began to sound very familiar. "What do you know? What could you possibly know?" In response to her questions, Azar took off the mask. "You?!" The reveal almost made her fall over backwards. "Ruby, I know what Chaos does. It does not destroy the Numbers. It takes them all for itself and evolves them. Theo was just lying to you, to everyone. He willingly let himself be infused with chaos just so he could serve the Numbers!" The catalysts had drafted Theo for their plan. And Azar still did not know how this tied in with Necara and the agency.

"No. Not Theo.. Not him.." But Ruby could not see it, she could only reject these words. "If...that is true.. Than we are all truly alone!" Ruby activated the effect of the Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo in her graveyard; tributing two Fire Formations (Kaiyo from her field and Tensu from her hand) to revive the wild blue flame beastwarrior(4/2100/1000). "Xyz-summon!" She then overlayed it with Rhino(4/1800/1700) to summon her rank 4 Tiger King of the Fire Fist Brotherhood(4/2600/1800). "Tiger King sets one Fire Formation from my deck!" Ruby placed the Fire Formation - Tenken down on her side of the field. "I set one trap card and end my turn!"

At her current rate, Ruby would be able to spring the Seito formation combo on him next turn. Korose wanted to prevent that at all costs. "Spell card: Dark Factory of Mass Production. I reclaim two normal monsters." As Medraut and Borz were both gemini cards with their effects sealed while they were not in the deck, Korose could add both to his hand. Korose normal summoned Medraut(4/1700/1000) again. "I equip him with the Noble Arms Arfeudutyr. And I use it's effect to destroy your set card." By reducing Medraut(1200/1000)'s attackpoints, the sword could vanquish her set card, Fire Formation Tenken. "..." Korose wondered why she did not seem to mind letting that card go. Though she still had one trap left. "Medraut's powers have been unsealed as well. With his equipment, he becomes a light-type effect monster. And he can summon another from my deck by destroying that equipment." Medraut shattered the brilliant sword on the floor, and special summoned a Noble Knight Artorigus(4/1800/1800) besides him, who emerged from reflections in the broken steel.

"I then can discard a normal light-type warrior so that Laundsallyn can give itself life again." The non-synchro version of the black knight(5/2000/800) returned to the field after Borz was sent from Korose's hand to the graveyard to activate Laundsallyns effect. "Laundsallyn also can sacrifice one Noble Knight, to claim another Noble Arms card from the deck!" Laundsallyn dismissed Medraut, and seized a Noble Arms _monster_ card. "Queen of the Noble Arms - Gwenhwyfar! She is a union monster that can equip herself to either a noble warrior of light or dark; a force of defense or offense!" And right now Korose needed her offensive powers. "I equip her to Laundsallyn, the Ignoble Knight! She adds attackpower to him and gives him the ability to destroy any monster he does battle with!" So even if Ruby activated a trap card to strengthen her Tiger King, she would not be able to counter the Ignoble Knight(2300/800)'s strikes. "Laundsallyn attacks the Tiger King!" And up until now Korose's plan seemed to work perfectly. Almost

Yet the Tigerking exploded more violently than he should have, once Laundsallyn killed him. "Trap card: Chthonian Blast. You will burn too!" Infernal flames spread out, the trap would destroy Korose's weakest monster. "Korose!" And Chthonian Blast would also inflict damage to both players equal to half of its attackpoints! "I activate my trap card! The one whose effect was not blocked off!" But Korose had expected that kind of counter-attack, and he flipped a trap called: Serious Duel. "When a trap, spell or monster effect activates during the damage step, it is negated!" Serious Duel prevented any tricks from playing out during battle, even the hellish fire of the Blast were extinguished. "No.." And Ruby still had to contend with one other warrior. "This is the fair fight you wanted. I declare a direct attack.. with Medraut!" And the Noble Knight swung his sword upwards, to slash the last few lifepoints out of Ruby.

Ruby's LP: 0

"Gah!" The hit sent Ruby reeling. "Gotcha!" But Azar grabbed her by the arm before she could trip out of the car. "Ah..." She pulled herself loose on reflex, and rubbed her arm. "Where..what.." It took her a while to come to her senses. "What... Did I.. did I do this?" All around her was charred leather and scorched metal. She realized that she had caused this. "It was me..again." The flames had been extinguished, but the memories were not. "Ruby. Whatever you might be feeling, it is not something to blame yourself for. You were not in control of yourself." Azar told her. And as he did he thought to himself if this was not exactly how he had excused his own actions. Was he in control right now? "But I..I couldn't stop it!" Regardless, it would take more than words to calm Ruby down. "I did this! I .." Every piece of her pyromaniacal past flared up in her mind. She thought she had grown beyond that. "Why.." Ruby slumped down, muttering the same question to herself, over and over. "Ruby. Don't worry. We will be here for you." Korose knew that she would need some space right now. But they could not leave her, nor could they stay here. "Come on.." He extended his hand. "O..Okay." And she reluctantly took it.

When the subway finally stopped, the trio headed out into the tunnel. Azar did not expect a warm welcome at the station. "Won't they come after us.." Ruby felt good enough now to talk to them, but she knew that she had done things that this city would not just overlook. "You are not guilty of anything. If I can, I will see to it that they understand that." Korose knew now was not the time to try and convince a guilt-seeking crowd. "And if not. You will hardly be the most wanted person in our circle of friends." Azar chuckled to himself. He had put the raiders mask back on, but he began to think the disguise had stopped being useful. "Friends? We are friends?" Ruby had a difficult time saying that word. "The last time I had friends.. it did not work out so well." The sect of Tomorrow, it was truly dead now. What did she ever see in it? "We are a united front against the enemy that put you through this. I consider that friendship." Korose stated firmly. "If you want to join us again, of course." Azar added. He could guess her answer. "I do..." Because Ruby was already regaining some of her characteristic anger. "They did this to me.. they can not get away with that."

"I..need a moment!" As they reached the next subway station and climbed on top of it, Korose's D-pad started ringing. "This is a call? From the others, from Subito.." The agent turned on the speaker function and Subito relayed his story. "We have news. We found the factory and Xander himself. We managed to get him out of Chaos' control." Subito told them what had happened and how they were now in the process of destroying the Rank-Up-Magic cards they had found. Though he left out Xanders new special card for now to not complicate things. "That is great news, Subito. We have rescued Ruby on our end." Azar returned the favor with their own experiences. "Good. Also, I have received a call from Ariel. She could not be specific. But she wants us to return home as soon as possible." Whatever was happning, it sounded important. "Yes, we probably should." Azar had wanted to leave for a while now. This whole city felt off to him. "But wait.. arent there more of Theo's people out there?" Azar could not imagine that Tomorrow was completely eradicated. "Other?" The idea sounded odd to Ruby. "Theo just sent us two, didn't he? Do you mean you are missing someone?"

...

Ariel, Dakar, Sky and Thomas headed for a Karaoke Bar, of all places. "So he wanted to meet us _in there."_ When Ariel told the others about Claud's call, they had agreed to come with her to the meeting point he had designated. "If he wanted a convenient place to discuss things in secret, he could have picked something better." Thomas especially did not like the looks of this place. Though he had to admit, it was not a place where nobody would look for them. "He could not have told me over the phone." Ariel once again could only repeat what Claud had requested. "He may be worried about tapped lines. The agency already put microchips in their own people to keep an eye on them, this would fit their M.O. just as easily." Sky said. That probably also explained why Claud wanted to be quick, as said chip would check his actions for the day at the end of the day. "Well we are about to find out. If it is a trap, the four of us should be able to fight our way out." Dakar was confident in his own strength, and that of his sister and her friends. "Yes. There is no point in turning back now." Ariel opened the door and went inside.

Locating Claud proved to be remarkably easy.

Claud's LP: 8000 Deckard's LP: 8000

"What the devil?" Thomas gasped as he saw the state the bar was in. It was thrashed, abandoned and musically discordant. "Oh. Heya folks." And Claud was in the middle of a duel against his opponent, a rugged looking fellow with well-toned bare arms. "As you can see, dear Claud is in a bit of a pickle." As it turned out, it was a trap. Just not for them alone. "What is going on?" Ariel asked. Either of them answering her would be fine. "Feh. Is it that hard to guess? Oh that's right, you never met me." The other duelist gave them a crooked smile. "The name is Deckard. Remember it. You can also call me Tomorrow's last hope, if you want!" The name he gave, was one Sky recognized. "You? You were the one that Agent Ion encountered?" This man had been Tomorrows first assailant. His partaking in the Chaos infestation was only natural, if not unforeseen. "Yeah and I came all the way out here to succeed where others failed. But first I had to take care of this little weasel here." He focused back on the duel. The others could not interfere anyway due to the customary barrier he had set up. "Chaos warned me about you, Claud Renner. And it wants you gone! So congratulations, you will be the first member of the final Tomorrow!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)18: A Star's Comeback)

**New Cards used by Korose  
**Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn  
Stronghold Guardian  
Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms

-  
Gemini Burst  
Dark Factory of Mass Production

-  
Serious Duel

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard  
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rhino

-  
Big Cattle Drive

-  
Fire Formation Kaiyo  
Chthonian Blast


	20. Cipher (1)18: A Star's Comeback

**Cipher (1)18: A Star's Comeback**

Claud's LP: 8000 Deckard's LP: 8000

It was the second turn of their duel together. Claud had set three traps, activated the spell card: Primordial Soup, and summoned an Evoltile Lagosucho(3/1200/500) in his turn. Meanwhile Deckard's turn began with the summoning of his key monster. "Bujin Yamato!" And Deckard equipped the divine armor(4/1800/200) like it was his real suit. Just like how Ion had described. In a Numbers absence, Chaos was enough to turn three-dimensional images solid. "Here I come! I discard Bujingi Ibis from my hand and attack!" Deckard activating the effect of the shining ibis bird in his hand, discarding it to add a sword of blue winged flames to his arm. "Trap card, Evo-Branch! I destroy my Evoltile to set another from my deck!" In turn Claud burned Lagosucho up, and placed a new face-down monster down in its ashes. "Weren't you paying attention?! I discarded Ibis!" Deckard slashed through the new defending monster with his Ibis sword. "Bujin Yamato can inflict piercing damage the turn Ibis' effect is activated!" The flames also singed Claud's legs after they destroyed his set purple horned lizard(2/200/400)

Claud's LP: 6600

"Yeaah, not again!" Claud danced frenetically to put the fire out. "What a fool, this guy." Deckard stared at him and facepalmed. "This will be easy." During his endphase he activated Yamato's effect; discarding a Bujin, Bjungi Fox, from his hand to add a Bujin, Bujin Mikazuchi, from his deck to his hand. "Hey! I get enough of talk like that at my place. Besides!" Claud went through his graveyard and placed a diabolic predator dinosaur(41900/1400) from there on his field. "I needed that attack! Evo-Branch had set an Evoltile Gephyro, and you destroyed it. When you did that, it revives an Evolsaur; Evolsaur Cerato!" The Ceratosaur had been sent out of the deck earlier when Evoltile Lagosucho was normal summoned and its effect was triggered. Cerato(2100/1400) gained 200 attackpoints because it had been summoned by an Evoltile monster. "And for my next trick!" Claud began his turn and flipped his second trap. "Survival of the Fittest! My dinosaur gains 1000 attackpoints and can attack twice this turn!" Claud entered the battle phase and had Cerato(3100/1400) tear Deckard's Yamato armor off with its teeth. And seemingly caused no damage to the enemy inside. "Hey..why isn't your life going down?"

"Let me rephrase that; a complete fool." A fox-shaped spirit appeared. "By banishing Bujingi Fox and discarding a Bujin monster from my hand, I can cancel out all damage I take this turn." He had discarded a Bujin Ophidian and reduced the battle damage to zero. "Also, as you destroyed a Bujin beastwarrior, I can special summon Bujin Mikazuchi from my hand. Deckard equipped a whole new armor to himself, a blue thunder armor(4/1900/1500). "Well.. I can attack that one too!" Claud declared his second attack, and Ceratosaur destroyed this armor as well. "You really are hopeless on your own, arent you?"

"No I am not! When Cerato destroys a monster, I can add one Evoltile card from my deck to my hand!" And as Cerato had ripped two bujins to pieces, Claud added two; the Evoltiles Elginero and Najasho. "I reactive Primordial Soup's effect: I can recycle up to two Evolsaurs back from my hand to draw the same amount of cards!" Claud returned a random Evolsaur to the deck. Only to draw yet another Evolsaur from his deck. "Hrm. I normal summon Evoltile Elginero and activate my trap card: Evo-Instant: I tribute an Evoltile to summon an Evolsaur from the deck!" Elginero(2/0/0) was sacrificed to bring out the armor-backed Evolsaur Pelta(4/1100/2000). "Elginero's effect is triggered too. When tributed; It lets me draw one card, return an Evolsaur to my deck and add a new Evoltile to my hand!" Claud drew a spell card, returned an Evolsaur Diplo, and gained an Evoltile Odonto. "To close of my turn, I overlay Pelta with Cerato and xyz-summon Evolzar Laggia!" The predator and herbivore joined into one ferocious beast, a six-winged blue dragon(4/2400/200). "How was that for someone who is all on his own, eh!?"

"Laggia? Even a primate could come up with that move." Deckard scoffed as he waited for Clauds turn to actually end. "I was not asking you, I was asking my audience!" Claud turned to the crowd before the stand; the four duelists. "Who? Us?" None of them had an inkling of what he was talking about. "Just like on the show. Come on., you must have watched it? I hosted it during Neo Avalon and everything!" He asked Ariel, Sky, Dakar and Thomas.

"I am sorry. I forgot you were on a show.."

"Shin might have watched it. You would have to ask him."

"There was a TV show about dueling?"

"I remember Rita. She had a lot of cohosts over the years.."

Their respective answers made Claud's face fall flat. "Really?" And he somberly placed a trap card down before ending his turn. "Heh. No real duelist would watch that garbage anyway." Deckard drew his card. He then special summoned yet another divine armor(4/2000/1000). "Bujin Hirume: I can special summon this card by banishing a Bujin from my graveyard." He had chosen to banish Bujingi Ibis. "Next! As you control more cards than I do, I can activate the spell card; Bujin Regalia - The Mirror! Now you may not use spells or traps against me this turn." Deckard grabbed the blue-plated mirror and used it as his shield. "And after that! I normal summon Bujingi Hare!" A shining rabbit(4/1700/500) hopped its way onto the stage, running circles around Deckard. "Overlay!" Hare and Hirume were combined and formed a new armor for the duelist. "Xyz-summon: Bujintei Tsukuyomi!" Deckard brought out the knight's armor of the moon goddess, Tsukuyomi(4/1800/2300).

"Hey who is the fool now?!" This was Claud's chance. "Laggia can negate that summon of yours, by detaching two materials!" The pale dragon flapped its wings and converted its two materials into fiery orbs that demolished the Bujintei before Deckard could even wear it.

"Who do you take me for, Theo?! I am not the fool he turned out to be!" However Deckard picked up two cards from his graveyard. "When Tsukuyomi is destroyed, I can resurrect a number of level 4 Beastwarrior Bujins, equal to the number of xyz materials that Tsukuyomi held at the time of its destruction!" Deckard special summoned Bujin Yamato and Bujin Mikazuchi back to his field. "Guess what? I overlay them to summon Bujintei Susanawo!" The armor of gold and armor of blue were recombined into a crimson armor(4/2400/1600) of the seastorm god, Susanoo. "Now let's see. I banish Bujingi Hare from my graveyard and have its effect target Susanawo. My Bujin monster can not be destroyed this turn!" Deckard was not done yet. He gave himself the speed of the Hare, just so it could avoid any reprisal from the equally strong Laggia. "Here comes the big one!" Claud was completely incapable of stopping Deckard, and he had to take the flurry of strikes from his opponent in his armor, as the seagod armor pummeled Evolzar Laggia. "Your dueling is just as pathetic as your show. And almost as dead!"

"You take that back! We still have plenty of sponsors!" Claud yelled. "Dead?" Though because none of the audience had kept track of said show, they could not confirm or deny what was being said. "In times like these, where dueling is forbidden, a show like that must do poorly." Sky reasoned. "Maybe! Maybe you are right." Claud did not want to say it out loud.. but.. "That is part of the reason why I am here." He confessed. "What? You came here to try to make a show of yourself?" Deckard laughed as he activated Tsukoyomi's effect. He detached one material from the Bujintei card, to add a Bujin-card to his hand. He claimed a Bujingi Crane. And then he ended his turn.

But Claud was not done on his part. "No! Because my backers, some of them.. bailed on me and Rita. So I decided to pay them back. I could not tell Rita what I was doing, but.." Claud still was reluctant to tell them too much when his victory was not yet secure. "You mean..them?" Ariel caught the intent behind his words. "Yeah." Claud nodded. "My turn.. I summon Evoltile Najasho! And activate the spell card: Evo-Force!" Evo-Force could sacrifice an Evoltile and special summon an Evolsaur from the deck; treating as if it were summoned by Evoltile's effect. This was doubly useful, as a tributed Najasho could also special summon one Evolsaur from a players deck. "I evolve Najasho into Evolsaur Vulcano!" So when the winged snake(2/100/2000) was sacrificed for Evo-Force, Claud could special summon both the Vulcanosaur(4/1200/1000), and an Evolsaur Diplo(4/1600/800) from his deck. "When Vulcano is summoned by the effect of an Evoltile monster, he special summons an Evolsaur from the graveyard!" The ground beneath Vulcano's feet erupted, and the spewing lava flow spat out Evolsaur Cerato. "And.." Only now that Claud had gotten to this point, he wondered what he was going for in the first place. Everything had felt so natural up until now, in fact he had had this feeling before the duel even began. "Oh.." Now the moment of clarity came. "I remember It is time for the mindbending climax, the twist to the secret I kept for all this time." Claud picked up all three monster cards and placed them on top of each other. The resulting xyz portal that he created shook the foundations of the bar.

"What are you.."

"Number 105: Battlin' Boxer: Star Cestus!" What Claud had summoned was not a dinosaur, it was a man. It was a boxer(4/2500/1600) in blue and yellow gear, with plated wings on his back. "Battlin..Boxer?" Nobody could have seen this coming. "That is an Overhundred Number!" Not only could Dakar see the number printed on the warriors body, he felt the energy this monster gave off. This aura was exactly like that of Masquerade's. "That is what they are like?" Sky and Thomas saw one for the first time. They did not think Claud would have been the one to introduce them to it. "You son of a.." Deckard was most revolted of all. "A Number? You?! You of all humans end up with this!?" He was outright insulted that Claud had summoned this thing.

"Let's just say that something woke up inside me, something I thought I lost. I will explain more.. after the show!" Claud experienced a rush of energy and translated that into an all-out offense. "Cestus, attack Susanawo!" And he had the Boxer throw a punch as powerful as a meteors impact. "Ýou are still a fool, even with your Number!" Deckard discarded Bujingi Crane from his hand, and let the divine cranebird double his own armor's(4800/1600) attackpoints. "Maybe I am! But you know what? A fool gets the Number he deserves!" The attack continued and hit the chestplate of Susanawo. "When Cestus battles a stronger foe, he deflects all damage back to his enemy!" The unleashed energy pulsated back towards Deckard after Claud detached a material from Cestus. "What!? Gaaahhh!" The opponent was blown off the stage by the blast. "That ends my turn, folks!" Claud yelled triumphantly.

Deckard's LP: 5700

"I do not believe this.." Ariel said with wide eyes. "My sentiments exactly.." Deckard grunted as he climbed back on the stage. "How did you do it? Did your friends at the Agency help you? Did you learn it from your dead friends Number?" Deckard pulled another card from his deck. "Pfah! Who cares anyway?! Now I know why Chaos wanted me to get you, Claud. To destroy your number!" He had drawn the dreaded spell card. "I activate Rank-Up Magic: Chaos Force!" He immediately chaos evolved Bujintei Tsukuyomi, absorbing one of the materials attached to Cestus and imprisoning the original Xyz monster as well. "Chaos Xyz monster: Bujinki Izanagi no Okami!" Deckard placed his body in the ultimate armor, the father of all gods; Izanagi(5/3000/2200). His plates were pure white, his mask pristine gold, and his wings like flawless crystal.

_CXyz Bujinki Izanagi-no-Okami, 5/3000/2200 Light/Beast-Warrior  
__3 Level 5 monsters  
__This card is unaffected by your opponent's spell and trap card(s).  
__If this card has a "Bujintei" Xyz monster as an Xyz Material, it gains the appropriate effect  
_● _Bujinki Amaterasu: Once per turn, during either player's turn: discard the top card from your deck and increase this card's ATK by 1000.  
_● _Bujintei Susanowo: Once per turn, during either player's turn, detach 1 Xyz material from this card: take 1 "Bujin" card from your Deck, and add it to your hand.  
_● _Bujintei Tsukuyomi: Once per turn, detach 1 Xyz material from this card: special summon 1 "Bujin" monster from your hand or graveyard._

"With Bujintei Susanowo is attached to him, he can claim any Bujin card from my deck!" First Deckard discarded a Bujingi Swallow from his hand. "I have won, Claud! Bujingi Swallow's effect allows me to attack twice with Izanagi this turn!" Then he detached a material from Izanagi. "And by using Izanagi's effect, I will claim Bujingi Ophidian from my deck! Ophidian lets a Bujin beastwarrior attack directly!" So now he could make two direct attacks, and inflict 6000 points of damage to his opponent, all without having to deal with that Overhundred Number. "I.." Claud moved to activate his trap. "Fool! Izanagi is immune to all traps and spells, your cards can not stop him! He is the perfect Chaos Xyz monster, and I am the perfect host for Chaos. Together were are..!"

"Do not interrupt when it is my turn to say the lines, Deckard!" Claud activated his trap anyway. "Evo-Singularity! I can Xyz-summon and Xyz monster by overlaying an Evoltile and Evolsaur monster in my graveyard!" Claud targeted Evoltile Elginero and Evolsaur Pelta, attaching them to a rank 4 dinosaur that came from his extra deck. "I summon Evolzar Dolkka!" A bone-white dragon(4/2300/1700) emerged from a hail of molten stone. "Immune to traps, oh no! Immune to spells, Oh No! Immune to monsters.. Oh yes! Dolkka can negate a monster's effect by detaching 1 material!" The dragon spread its wings and flew towards Deckard. "And he destroys the monster whose effect was negated!" Dolkka bared its fangs, as it crashed into Deckard. "No. This was not supposed to..be it!" The colliding forces ripped the divine armor apart, leaving the duelist with nothing but his own clothes. He did not even have any cards in his hand left. "I was supposed to beat you all. I was supposed to bring Chaos to the next stage!" Even though he did not want too, he had to end his turn. "And why.. why was I sent here? Why.."

"You already told the audience.. Chaos saw me as a threat. And thanks to you. I know why.. " Claud clenched his hand. "Dolkka, Star Cestus.. direct attack!" Histwo monsters, his two sides of his experience as a duelist, lashed out and obliterated the last of Deckard's lifepoints. "...it..." This time Deckard clung to the stage, and merely fell forward on his face. "Oof. That looks painful." Claud winced. "..He will feel better.." Sky inspected him. "Once he wakes up." Deckard had lost consciousness as he lost the duel. The usual reaction.

Deckard's LP: 0

"...so _he_ was one of Tomorrow. One of the people who attacked us." Dakar now had seen one of the enemy's faces. He was horrified to see what Chaos could do to a person. "Why was he after you?" And Claud, an agent, was supposed to be another enemy. "I don't know. It can't have been my Number. I..I just got this. I wasn't even thinking about anything as far as I know." Claud took a look at his new card. "Battlin Boxers. I hadn't used that deck since I became an Agent." He could only guess that the Number had a sense of nostalgia. "The Numbers take the forms of whatever is close to us." Ariel had heard the news from Subito; on Subito and Xander's Overhundred Numbers. They too were monsters that took after an aspect of their owners. "...I suppose they do." Dakar already knew my Masquerade was his Number. He had been living a double-life for a long time.

"How you got that card is a mystery many scholars wouldn't be able to unravel." Thomas suddenly spoke up. "But we have learned by now that someone within your organization is conspiring with the people who are.. or were.. spreading Chaos. The council must have known you were going here and, worried that you were going to betray them, they called in one corrupted by Chaos to dispose of you." Deckard himself did not sound like he'd been aware of who was behind everything.

"That makes a surprising amount of sense." Claud said after thinking it over. "I didn't tell anyone I was going, not even Rita. I could not tell her that Agent K was always my favorite guy to work with. Guess he trusted me too, because he called me. And I just could not refuse, even if it meant helping.. you people. He has not told me yet, why he called though.." Claud just knew it was important, Korose never called anyone for small favors. "Korose foresaw the chance that you might show up early, so he left me with these." Ariel showed Claud several images of people, drawings made by Azar based on his own recollections. "Do you recognize any of them?" If Azar was to be believed, these were the faces of the council, the directors that oversaw the agency. "No. No.. No...Wait!" And Claud's own memories were piqued by one of those drawings. "That guy. I saw this guy a few times at our studio." It was the face of a middle-aged mustachio'd gentleman.

"That's Corazon, Cinq Corazon. One of our networks producers.."

...

"We will be there soon." Subito's group had reunited with Azars group, and Subito received a loaded call from Ariel. "It looks like Theo's last accomplice had come to our city." He told the others. "At least we know where that guy went then. We can let the police handle it from here." If there were more Tomorrow members out there, they would deal with them at the appropriate time. The factory was being cleaned out, and Azar wanted to return as quickly as possible. He was not the only one.. "Ruby. Do not worry. If they were going to arrest us, they already would have." Xander tried to soothe Ruby's paranoia. She was fidgeting in the presence of all these officers "How can you always be so calm?" She hissed, but kept her voice down.

"Let's go already!" Shin too was eager to get back home, and got in the car. "Going to be a crowded ride. Oh well." Darcy and the others got inside too. "Theo is taken care off. Now..the agency." Korose took the wheel and drove off. "Yes.." Azar looked out the window. There was nothing left to do here. No..

"!?" It could not be. _"I.."_ As they drove across the roads, Azar caught a glimpse of a figure standing alongside it. Only he saw it, and it was left behind all too soon. But Azar knew what he saw..

_"Ion?" _

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)19: Better Cancelled than Renewed)

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Evoltile Lagusucho  
Evoltine Elginero  
Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus  
Evolzar Dolkka

-  
Primordial Soup

-  
Survival of the Fittest  
Evo-Instant  
Evo-Singularity

**New Cards used by Deckard  
**Bujingi Ibis  
Bujingi Fox  
Bujin Mikazuchi  
Bujin Hirume  
Bujingi Hare  
Bujintei Tsukuyomi  
Bujingi Swallow  
_CXyz Bujinki Izanagi-no-Okami_

-  
Bujin Regalia - The Mirror  
Rank-Up Magic: Chaos Force


	21. Cipher (1)19: Better Cancelled than

**Cipher (1)19: Better Cancelled than Renewed**

Somewhere in the darkest corner of the world lied an immaculate room of stainless plastic and metal, stocked with machinery and computers, suspended within a hollow core with walls aligned in a hexagonal grid. This was a sanctuary. Few could enter it at their own leisure. One whose Number allowed them to be wherever they wanted to be, was one of those few.. "Hello doctor." A man in black stepped on the floor, without triggering its usual intruder detection sensors. "What is today's bargain?" He addressed the master of the core with unusual decorum for a trespasser. "Punctual to the second.. As is typical of you, Prometheus." The master of his domain turned around, to gaze upon Prometheus with inquisitive eyes. "I am rather proud of this one." He took off his visor and produced a spell card for the catalyst to see. This card he had had crafted with his own hands. "I am always in the right place at the right time, Kapha. That is how I want it to be." With a flick of his finger, Prometheus telekinetically pulled the card towards him. "This will help us contain Chaos.. while we still require it." He hid it underneath his many cloaks. "That was the intent. Now then, are you going to spread this one among the commoners as well?" Kapha asked. "Who knows. They had one chance and wasted it.. I should have known better than to put my faith in humans. It is time to drop the subtleties..." Prometheus chuckled and then disappeared in a beam of light.

"You have someone who thinks likewise.." A smirk framed Kapha's face as he went back to his work.

_..._

A big reunion was underway at the Artega household. Azar and the others had returned and brought two more with them; Ruby and Xander. "How are you feeling?" Sky and Natasha were there as well this time. "Like I had a good night's sleep really." Xander yawned. All the things Theo had made him do were more than his body was used to. "Pissed." Ruby on the other hand turned the experience into rage. She got nothing out of the ordeal, not even a new Number like Xander.

Meanwhile Ariel and the rest had now added Claud the agent to their group. And in spite of everything, Claud was still hoping for some recognition. "Oh of course I remember you. You were the one who took my Number and put me in jail." As Darcy's reaction showed, Claud had not actually had many kind interactions with any of the duelists in the past. "Ohhhhh. Riiiiight." He suddenly felt a lot more awkward standing close to her, or Ruby, Shin or even Azar. "Oh I am not mad. That wouldn't help anyone. Don't do anything we will not like, and you will be fine." Darcy gave him a kind smile. "Wouldn't dream it!" Or a chilling smile, as far as Claud was concerned.

"Yeow!" The very next instant he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. "What was that for?" He whined at Xander, who was holding up a strange clamp device that had stabbed his arm with micro-thin needles. "Oh I reasoned it would be handy if we scrambled that chip inside you before your friend the Quartermaster starts peeking into your memories." Xander shrugged and put the device away. "Did not think I would have to use it again after Theo made me use it on Korose. But I figured it might come in handy one day, so I kept it. And I was right. Now we can trust you a little bit more."

"Great.."

"We have something to discuss." Korose cleared his throat to prevent any more side-topics from jumping up. He already saw Natasha in the corner itching to say something to Shin. "Claud. This is the person?" Agent K repeated his question to Agent C. "Yes. One hundred percent! I even have a picture of him!" Claud gave it to Korose. "Helder. Is this a person you saw in their meeting room?" He subsequently showed the photo to Azar. "...Azar?" And it took Azar a while to notice his name was called for. He was not all there at the moment. "Oh. I am sorry." He shook himself awake and looked at the face on the photo. "Yes. Yes it is." He did not need to look at it long, he could instantly tell that this was one of the faces he had seen that day.

"It all comes together. Characters like these are exactly what you expect to see in a council of evil. They can monitor and influence the flow of media, get their people involved, while not hiding in the shadows." Thomas would not be surprised if this man had helped getting showhosts Claud and Rita a job as an Agent, or agents B and C a job as a Showhost... whichever came first.

"Sooo.. what do we do about it?" Shin had to ask. Knowing Corazon was one step, getting to him was another altogether. "I don't think we can just ask him whatever we want." Natasha said. The only advantage they had was that Corazon did not know that his identity had been compromised, but even getting to him sounded difficult. "We need to duel him." Subito said. "I have faced Kincaid. He had a Number. Every member on their board of directors has one." As he spoke, Azar nodded along with him. When he had broken into the agency's headquarters, Chaos had sensed the same thing. "If we duel him and take his Number, he will lose everything that ties him to the council." No director would want that to happen to them. "Threatening them with a duel? I like that idea!" Ruby slammed her fists together. "When can we get on that?" She did not mind being the one to fight him either. "We need to proceed with caution. He could have many bodyguards whenever he makes a public appearance. And.." Sky looked around the room. "The council will know who we are."

"Azar? Something is wrong isn't it? You seem distracted." While the others kept discussing plans, Ariel stepped aside to talk with Azar. "Nothing.. I just.." She had not failed to notice that he had not been very involved, even though this breakthrough had to have made him somewhat happier. "You do not need to worry about me.." He did not want to tell her, because he did not think she would believe him. Could he even believe himself? He had seen a ghost._ "Ion.." _Not just once either. Before he returned to the city the image of the dead agent had passed by his eyes several times. It was not just someone who looked like Ion, he was wearing the same clothes as when he died. Azar was the only one who spotted him each time. At the very least Korose and Subito would have noticed if Ion showed up, but they did not see him at all. "I just have a lot to think about.." Azar had always trusted what he saw, he did not want to think that he could be going insane. Or why..

Meanwhile, Dakar, Subito, Xander and Claud got together to talk about something they had in common. "All of you.." Dakar had been surprised enough at his own Overhundred Number, now there were four on the table. "Well I am an agent. Its not _that _out of the blue.." Claud half-lied. He had still been quite stunned to get his Number 105. But he had heard stories about the Number Ion had awakened before his death. "Rita is going to be so mad when she finds out I got these before she could." Right now he was the only living agent with an Overhundred Number, as far as he knew. "Yet where do they come from? How do they come to us?" Xander did not understand their method. With his memories scrambled, he could not even tell when he got the card. "They are not of the original hundred, and going off of mine.." Subito's finger trailed alongside the three digits on his card. "..there are at least 2 more of them out there. I believe they are drawn to something else besides the self-important desires the original Numbers feed on. I have no basis for this idea, it could be a thought they planted in me." Dakars well-meaning for his family, Subito's self-sacrifice, Xander's sheer neutrality; a selfless theme tied them together. He was not sure where Claud fit in. What was the one thing that tied everyone together? "Do not forget they are still Numbers; beings from their world. We should treat them with caution, and not overuse them."

"Now we have to do come up with something, and soon. The longer Claud stays with us, the more Corazon and the rest of the council will be on their toes." Shin did not want this opportunity to go to waste. "Aha! Corazon is a producer, correct? And he is connected to your show, correct?" Thomas snapped his fingers. Sounded like he had a plan. "Yes and yes? Where are you going with this?" Claud was curious, and troubled. "There is a way to lure producers out of their holes. When money is at stake. Even someone as diabolical as him has to live out his daily routine. With that D-pad you agents always uses to capture people in barriers, we can then ensnare him." The irony was too much to pass up! "Yeah I have one of those." Claud's D-pad model was still the one he used when he acted as Agent C. "I see. We can also use them to cast illusions on the outside of the barrier, to stop others from seeing us." Korose had the same device. And he thought the plan sounded sturdy. "This idea would work better if we can bring Rita into this. We need a distraction, one Corazon can not resist."

"Oh I was afraid you were going to say that." Claud sighed. "Maybe I can get her on my side. It's not like she likes the current anti-dueling situation either, probably even less than I do." He did not look forward to calling her though. "Whatever you say. Make sure she does not suspect that we are with you. Even if she wants to work with us, the agency will be able to tell what we are planning if we tell her." Thomas meant that whatever Claud would say to her, it would have to be subtle. "So. Get Rita to do something that makes the producers come out. I think I can come up with something.."

The next day..

"I WILL TELL YOU WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN IF YOU DO NOT SET THIS MESS STRAIGHT!" Invoking the wrath of Rita was a common occurrence for her manager. "YOU DO NOT CUT CORNERS IN MY SHOW! NOT EVEN NOW!" None of the people in the studio were particularly safe from Rita, yet they had to put up with her as she was the audience's darling and had been so for nearly a decade. No matter what she presented, people tuned in for her charming personality. "SO WHAT IF NOBODY DUELS ANYMORE? WE CAN RETOOL THE SHOW!" She used to be so much more manageable in her early years. Not now. Today her anger was of a particularly difficult-to-ignore size. Throwing away luxuries she had grown accustomed to, went too far for her. So she threw a tantrum once again in her room throwing dresses and wigs around. "But the producers say we can not take risks nowadays. It might not be as bad as you heard, we have to check..." Her manager had gotten used to it, not that it made Rita any happier. "Then get them here, all of them! Maybe they can say it in a way that makes sense! I am not showing up on the set otherwise!"

So far everything was going as planned...

"That was more effective than I could have imagined." Thomas could hear her screaming from over where he was standing. As the least conspicuous of the bunch, he, Darcy and Claud had taken positions across the studio. "And I only told her that I heard rumors that they were going to slash the budget too." Claud had never expected she would take things this far. "When is this guy going to show up?" Meanwhile Ruby and Subito, and Azar and Xander, were all hiding within mobile barriers on both sides of the building, communicating to each other through earpieces. If Corazon showed up, they could ambush him. But they had to move with precision and speed. Korose stayed behind on the rooftop to scope out the area, watching everything through his magnifying visor. "..I see him." It was after one hour of waiting, that their target revealed himself. Mister Corazon, he showed up in his car outside the main studio building. "Me too." Claud spotted him to his left as he entered the building and headed up the stairs. "Uh. Want to act now?"

"I am going for it!" Ruby and Subito were closest by, and they moved in. The two switched their barriers to solid-mode, and turned around the corner where they expected to find Corazon. "What the?!" Except he was not there. "How did he.." By all visual accounts he should have gone this way, he could only have gone this way. Ruby did not get it. "He was here.." Subito inspected the floor, noticing that dust had been moved recently.

"He is over here now." Thomas noticed Corazon. Which was bizarre to say the least, as he was one floor down from them. "Did he not go up the stairs after all?" Whatever he had done, he was out of range of Subito and Ruby's forcefield now. "We are going after him." This time Xander and Azar closed in, making the barrier as wide as possible before turning it solid as well. "There." Once they were sure they had him inside, they closed it off. "What?" And then Corazon, who was clearly in a rush now, moved straight through the forcefield. "He..he can do that?" Xander did not expect that. "It must be related to his Number's power!" Azars senses were already telling him that Corazon had it on him, there was no other explanation.

"He is coming my way." Darcy tried to act natural as he saw the producer walking towards another exit. "I think he is on to us. But we have one final chance." Korose knew they would not get another. "We could try another barrier. But he will just slip through that as well." Xander did not know what to do anymore. "Wait. You made a barrier without an Agent's D-pad didn't you? The double-layered one. Use that!" Darcy whispered through the com. Corazon was getting close. "Me? Yes, when I had the power of Chaos." Xander did not think he could use that technique without it. "You have a Number now. It is basically the same. Just use the D-pad Azar has and cast a barrier around all of us. Then strengthen it!"

"Alrighty." Xander did not have anything better in mind, so he went with it. _"Just have to think of it like a Chaos card.."_ He left Azar and drew Number 106 from his extra deck. "!?" It was then that Corazon noticed his pursuer. Too late. Two barriers were erected around him, Darcy and Xander. "Heh. It did work. Try something new every day." Xander took a moment to catch his breath. "Hello Corazon. Or should I say, director Corazon?" Xander greeted his target from the inside of the two barriers, while Darcy and Corazon were inside the second.

"So. That is what it is all about huh?" Corazon stroked his mustache as he turned to the two. "I recognize you, you were one of Theo's. And you.." Corazon put on a monocle-shaped visor, which fed him data straight from the net. "You were a former Number owner as well. I should have seen it coming." He let out a cocky laugh. Then he touched the side of the wall. "And it looks like one of you gained a new Number in the mean time... Well you have me now. What are you going to do next?" It appeared this one he could not phase through. "What do you think we are going to do?" Darcy activated her D-pad and took out her cards from her belt. "You are asking me to to duel you? Why would I have cards on my person?" He asked flatly while he spread his arms as if he was defenseless. "You have your Number with you, and a Visor. And you do not look like someone who is going pass up on a duel." Darcy saw enough signs, in appearance and expression, that this man was prepared to fight back. "And Numbers do not like it when you ignore a duel." Xander added.

"Well darn. You thought this through, didn't you?" Corazon flexed his arm and made a colorful and curved D-pad model snap out of his sleeve. "I will judge how _solid_ your plan is.."

_"Now it's all up to us.. If one of us fails.." _Azar was thinking he would step in and face Corazon if it came to it. However. "...?!" His thoughts strayed from that topic in a heartbeat, when he noticed a person through the windows. It was Him again. "Ion!" Azar shouted. He forgot about his surroundings, the situation, everything. He ran out towards the man he saw standing outside the building. "Azar!? Where are you going?" Thomas yelled, as he noticed Azar was leaving his position. He had even left the safety of the holographic barrier. "People will see you!" Azar was dressed as the Masked Raider, that disguise would not exactly go unnnoticed. Thomas knew that like no other. "I will take care of it." Subito handed Ruby the D-pad and left their barrier as well. "Hey wait, where..what are you doing?" Ruby yelled, but Subito was already gone from her sight.

"...Guys. Is everything still going as plannedl? Anyone?" Claud did not like a single thing he heard..

"Ion!" Azar finally caught up. "Wait!" And Subito was right behind him. "You can not just abandon..what..is...this?" Subito, who was trying very hard to not shout Azars name out loud, stopped dead in his tracks as he realized who Azar was chasing after. "You see him too?" Azar was not imagining things. They were _both_ looking at a supposed dead man. "Azar?" Ion, who turned to face them, seemed to recognize the voice now. "That is you?" And he sounded unusually amused. "You are still going around, wearing costumes?"

"Ion. How can you be alive? How.." His mind had been destroyed, his body left a vegetable left to rot who knew where. Yet here he was. "Are you even.." Whether he was physically there remained to be seen. "I.." And while the Agent sounded like he wanted to clear things up. "I need your help." But the sight of something made his face turn pale. "You need.." Before the two duelists got a chance to glance behind them and see what was scaring Ion, the not-quite-dead man grabbed their arms.. and whisked them away to another realm..

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)20: For All Ages)


	22. Cipher (1)20: For all Ages

**Cipher (1)20: For All Ages**

"Man. Why couldn't we go?" It had been a full day by now, since Shin heard he could not go with the others. And he was still upset. And he made the others know this even as they walked home from school. "We can't just go to another country whenever we want, Shin. Not me at least." Natasha's parents would miss her after a while. "And in case the enemy attacks here, we will be needed here." Sky had no such restrictions, but he chose to stay behind on his own volition. "Yeah I know Ariel stays here too." Shin could guess why.. "What are you suggesting? We both have Numbers that we do not want to see taken. That is all." Sky almost sounded unusually flustered that Shin would implicate anything else. "Okay, calm down you two.. there..is..nothing.."

"Nat?"

Something had shocked her into speechlessness, Natasha could only point ahead.. "Do you see something?" And Sky and Shin followed her finger, to the end of the street. There stood a girl in grey, her silhouette darkened as it stood in front of the setting sun. "Fifty-four." She said with a tone as harsh as gravel..

"Ann!?"

...

Back at the studio where two friends had disappeared into thin air. "Where did Azar and Subito go?" Ruby had no idea how and why. "I could not follow them." Not even Korose could make sense of this from his vantage point. "I should advise everyone to stay on their toes. Claud, some people are heading for the barrier." Thomas meanwhile was too focused on making sure nobody disturbed the ongoing duel. "On it!" So Claud acted as a distraction of his own whenever he could, and started blabbing to anyone who walked his way. _"We can not keep this up forever.." _Darcy and Xander do not have a lot of time left, Thomas hoped they could finish things quickly.

Darcy's LP: 8000 Corazon's LP: 8000

"Do you think you have the time to play this game with me? Security will find out something is going on?" Corazon started drawing his cards, as he was forced into a duel with Darcy Lawless in the forcefield prison. "Only one way to find out. For the time being at least, people seem too be preoccupied." Most of the studio was still focused on Rita and her massive tirade. "Yes yes yes. That girl. Oh I thought she had such promise as an Agent. But the more you spoil them.." Corazon took the first turn. "The more childish they become!" He activated a field spell card by discarding a card from the top of his deck. "Toon Kingdom; This field is the same as Toon World." Corazon placed two monster cards on his field. "I assume you know what this means; that I can summon Toon monsters." A Toon Goblin Attack Force(4/2300/0) appeared, eager to club things with his rubbery weapon.

_Toon Kingdom, Field Spell  
__When you activate this card, discard the top cards of your deck. This face-up card's name is treated as "Toon World".  
__If a "Toon" monster would be destroyed by battle, banish the top card of your deck instead._

"Toons?" Xander did not expect that kind of deck from a director. "Fitting I'd say. I financed a lot of kids shows and products. Most under-estimate what a child can do, or what this game can do. It is the perfect cover for the Numbers.. Or it had been."

"It is true what they say, each persons taste is his own. I am not one too judge.." Darcy summoned her first monster, a gift box(1/0/0) wrapped up and sealed with a ribbon. It was the Box of Friends. "I have a healthy connection with my inner child as well." And then she activated a spell card. "Doll Hammer. I destroy all monsters I control to draw two cards." A toy hammer appeared to smash the box, while Darcy restocked her hand. "And when Box of Friends is destroyed, I may summon two normal monsters with different names from my deck. Oh, as long as they have zero defense or zero attackpoints." The destroyed box opened up, spilling out parts of a broken girl doll; a torso(2/0/800) and a pair of legs(2/800/0). "Are those supposed to look like that?" Xander was not familiar with these kinds of cards. "Yes. They are Doll Part Red and Doll Part Pink." Darcy said as if they were the most normal thing in the world.

_Doll Hammer, Normal Spell  
__Draw 2 cards, then destroy all monsters you control, or, if you don't have any monsters on your field, banish all cards in your hand._

_Doll Part Red, 2/800/0 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Legs_

_Doll Part Pink, 2/0/800 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Body_

"Moving on." Darcy played another spell card. "I activate Tannhauser Gate. My two monsters have the same typing and less than 1000 attackpoints, so the Gate can combine their levels." The Two Doll Parts added each others stars to their own. "And I can now turn them.." Darcy overlayed the Doll Legs(4/0/0) with the Doll Arms (4/0/800) for a rank 4 monster. "Into a new doll, I Xyz-summon Princess Cologne." This doll of Darcy looked to be completely intact. Cologne(4/500/2200) was a lolita-styled doll in a black dress with long golden hair. "Cologne can special summon the Box of Friends back to the field." The princess doll picked up the smashed box and put it back together with ribbon and all, so that it could hold new toys inside.

"Ah. Very interesting. Yes I heard about this one." Corazon prattled on while Darcy placed two trap cards down. "This card was created alongside a popular and well-selling doll. You certainly are not in the age group they were intended for." Corazon did not hide how amused he was by this. "I was once, I just never stopped collecting them. In fact I got all three variations of that doll. But enough about me.." Darcy shrugged it off.

"Hm. Well you are not making it easy to figure out your strategy, lady Lawless. I have not dueled as many times as others in my circle." Corazon activated a spell card, just before his opponent could end her turn. "But I know what Cologne does on her own, and it is not of much use against my toons! Spell card Scapegoat! I summon four sheep tokens!" The four unused monster spaces were filled with four goats(1/0/0) of various colors. "Now my turn will begin. And since I have an appointment at six, I shall make it quick!" His first spell of this turn was Toon Table of Contents, to add a Toon card to his hand. "I claim Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, and summon him!" By tributing two of the tokens, the toonized Blue-Eyes(8/3000/2500) appeared on the field. "Then I summon Toon Dark Magician Girl by sacrificing my third token!" A tuft of pink smoke later and the childish black magic apprentice(6/2000/1700) joined the toon army.

_"Of course. Because Toon Monsters are special summoned, they can be brought out using Scapegoats."_ Xander saw that Corazon was at least smart enough to find a way around the fact that Scapegoat tokens could not be used for normal summons. Did he really not duel often? "And finally.." Corazon normal summoned a Toon Cannon Soldier(4/1400/1300). "Toon Monsters can not attack during the turn they are summoned. Unless.." The director activated another spell card. "Unless I say so! Bam! Animation Domination!" This one allowed the Toons he summoned this turn to make a direct strike on Darcy. "Well young lady. I hope you enjoyed our time together. I now declare my direct attacks!" He entered the battle phase and Toon Blue-Eyes struck first. Corazon had to pay 500 lifepoints to let Toon Blue-Eyes attack. Though that was the only toon monster with that cost. The dragon fired a flexible beam of energy towards the girl which blew up in front of her face.

Darcy's LP: 5000 Corazons LP: 7500

_Animation Domination, Continuous Spell  
__Toon monsters can attack during the turn they are summoned. Toon monsters do not have to attack other Toon monsters._

"Well that was fun..ny." Darcy coughed and waved the smoke aside. The attack was more comical than painful. "But I am afraid you wont make that appointment." And she activated her trap card, Heartfelt Appeal. "When I take a direct hit, this trap takes control of one of your monsters." Right after the dragon had attacked, it teleported over to Darcy's side of the field. "The one with the highest defense." Blue-Eyes Toon Dragons jaw dropped to the floor as he realized who his new master was. "Oh clever minx. You know Toon monsters can not attack directly when another player controls a Toon as well. On the other hand!" Toon Goblin Force launched their attack at Princess Cologne. "They can attack other monsters while Animation Domination is active!" However Princess Cologne let out a yelp of terror and grabbed the Box of Friends. "Hm?" The goblins clubs struck that box instead. And its destruction allowed Darcy the special summon of two more defending Doll Parts from her deck; Doll Part Blue(4/0/0) and another Doll Part Red.

_Doll Part Blue, 2/0/0 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Head_

"Princess Cologne can not be attacked while I control other monsters." Darcy explained. "Oh, I forgot about that effect. How foolish of me." Corazon slapped his forehead and laughed it off. "Attack." Toon Dark Magician Girl and Toon Cannon Soldier destroyed the two Doll Parts with streams of confetti and cartoonish missiles. "By the way.. Trap card: Human Wave Tactics." Darcy quickly flipped her other set trap card. "During the endphase, I can special summon level 2 or lower normal monsters from my deck, as many as were destroyed this turn." So she would summon two once Corazon finished his turn. "I can not wait to see where this is going." Unlike Princess Cologne, Doll Parts were an obscure type of monsters. And he had not uploaded data on normal monsters into his database. "Hmm." He then had Toon Cannon Soldier sacrifice the last scapegoat token to inflict 500 points of damage to Darcy. Which exploded alongside a dozen barrels of TNT and red dynamite.

Darcy's LP: 4500

"Is this what you wanted to see?" Corazon then took the Goblins and the Cannon Soldier, and attached them to a card from his extra deck. "Number 82: Heartlandraco!" The director summoned a large red toy dragon(4/2000/1500), with feathery wings, and a heart painted on its belly. "That is your Number. I take it, it has some sort of power that lets you evade barriers?" Xander asked, as Corazon had almost given them the slip earlier. "Oh it's far more wodnerful than that. Number 82 allows me to move through anything I want, solid or not.. You could say I am untouchable.." Corazon ended his turn at this point. "Unless a Number interferes. Like yours. Clearly the record should be updated, as it did says nothing about this." He then ended his turn. On Darcy's field, Human Wave Tactics trap special summoned two Doll Part Gold cards(2/800/0) in defense mode.

_Doll Part Gold, 2/800/0 Dark/Fiend/Normal  
__Broken Doll Arms_

"Then, do you directors take the Number you want from the archive, or do you start out with it?" Darcy tossed in the next question, as she placed a trap card down. That was all she could do, as a monster controlled by Heartfelt Appeal could not attack. And it could only maintain control until her next endphase. "Ha. You speak like the Numbers were toys. No. This Number I took for myself after the agents had claimed it. There are ways to force out their power for people like us." As the directors turn began, Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon returned to his field. "Now I must say that you have taken up _quite_ enough time." The director normal summoned Toon Gemini Elf(4/1900/900), the curvaceous toon twins, and instigated another battle phase. "Trap card: Bone Temple Block!" However Darcy flipped her trap card before any direct attacks could be declared. "I discard a card, and we both can special summon one level 4 or lower monster from each others graveyards." Darcy took one of the cards Toon Kingdom had discarded, Toon Mermaid(4/1400/1500).

"This is not funny.." Corazon could not believe that she managed to steal one of his Toons, again! "Do not toy with me!" Corazon could not simply kill Toon Mermaid either, as the Toon Kingdom provided protection to all Toons on the would just banish cards from his deck until he bled dry. "Rgh!" Corazon summoned a Doll Part Red(2/800/0) from her graveyard. "No matter how old you think you are, you are still children.. all of you.." Clearly frustrated, he just sent out four of his monsters to attack her Doll Parts. The arm pairs were shattered by Dark Magician Girl and Doll Part Red. "I would rather stay in touch with my innocence than lose it." Darcy detached two materials from Princess Cologne. "When a normal monster I control is destroyed, Cologne can summon another from my deck!" The princess took out a tongue-waggling balloon, which popped open its mouth to devour her two Xyz-materials. And then it spat out another Doll Part Blue and Doll Part Pink.

"Innocense? I have a better word; Ignorance!" The Gemini Elves destroyed the broken blue Head with a blown kiss. Next the Toon Dragon swallowed the broken pink torso whole, after another payment of 500 lifepoints. Then his Number flew towards Darcy. "Heartlandraco can attack directly by taking one of its own materials!" The dragon wound up the key on its gut and charged itself up. "Direct attack!" And Number 83 unleashed a volley of shots which splattered around his opponent. "You have no clue what we are doing, for this world and for you. We have been going at it while you could not even read or write!"

Corazon's LP: 7000 Darcy's LP: 2500

Corazons turn ended and Human Wave Tactics was reactivated. As four normal monsters had been destroyed, four could be summoned from Darcy's deck. "That may all be true, sir Corazon." Darcy placed one of each Doll Part on her field, the last Red, Pink, Blue and Gold parts from her deck. "Yet everyone has the right to do what they want, to live how they want. I have always valued others feelings. As long as they do not trample over others.." Darcy suddenly fused all four parts together. "I do not think you would agree with that." The legs, head and arms attached themselves to the torso, becoming a whole doll(8/4000/0) "What is this? Who would create such a thing?" Corazon was disgusted by the sight of it. Even Xander thought it looked rather disturbing. "This is Doll Chimera. It can be fusion summoned automatically if you control the four Doll Parts. And.." The Chimera became even more horrifying, when it stapled more torsos, heads, legs and arms to itself. It(8/9600/0) now resembled a human centipede more than anything else. "It gains 800 attackpoints for each Doll Part in the cemetery."

_Doll Chimera, 8/4000/0 Dark/Fiend/Fusion  
__"Doll Part Blue" + "Doll Part Gold" + "Doll Part Pink" + "Doll Part Red"  
__Must first be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by banishing the above cards you control. This card gains 800 ATK for each "Doll Part" monster in your Graveyard.  
__When this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, send 2 "Doll Part" monsters from your deck to the Graveyard to special summon it._

"This is..how could it come to this?" Corazon was quick to figure out that he stood no chance at all against this monstrosity. His monsters weere safe, but his lifepoints were not! "No. You can not do this. Ah! You will not!" Corazon backed off, but there was nowhere for him to go. "I will do anything! I will give you anything, just name your prize!" He cried out. "How quick he is to grovel." Xander was pleasantly surprised that he gave in that quickly. "Very well, sir Corazon. I shall let you keep your Number if you give us one a million dollars!" Darcy declared, before stifling a laugh. "Pardon. I could not resist." She said through her earpiece. "No what we truly want, is to know everything you know about your organization. You will tell us the names of everyone else in the council, where you meet, and where you keep your Numbers. If you can do all that, we will call this duel a draw."

"This is extortion." Corazon grumbled. "I trust you are not unfamiliar with that word, sir Corazon. I'd still suggest you consider it..." She smiled one last time. The choice was his.

...

"We might be in the clear." Ion, Azar and Subito ended up in the middle of another city. Their own city. "Guys?" And they were right outside Ariels house. "When did you get back? They heard her yell from her opened window. "...Wh..No." And she eventually noticed the third person. "That is.." Unlike most dead people who came to the family house, this one was up and talking. "Yeah It is me. Hey Ariel." Ion waved at her. "I will be right down!" She closed her window.

"What on earth is going on?" Not that Subito could wait for her, he wanted answers now. And Azar was too amazed to ask for them himself. "How did you do that? And when did you.." Even if Ion did get better, he most certainly did not have the power of space-warping travel before. "Unless.." And it was when Ariel stepped outside, that Subito put one and two together. "You warped us to her because she has a Number." The power to teleport from one Number user to another, was one they had all seen before. "A catalysts's power." Azar gasped. "..who are you?"

"Easy now. It is not what you think!" Ion took a step back. One could feel the hostility in the air. "I am me. Ion I mean..It's just that I.. and I am hardly the person who knows the most about this.. But I survived somehow..in that world. I think I.." Ion looked at his own hands. "I bonded with something." Only now did he seem to be aware of changes in his body. "Bonded? You mean.." Ariel reflexively shuddered. "With one of them.." Subito remembered what Shin had told him; of the Nine first numbers, two still had not found a host. "Which is it? The Fifth..or... the First?" How much of Ion could be left if this was true? "How should I know? I do not feel different.. all I am sure of is.." Ion went numb. "Some guy has been chasing me, ever since I regained consciousness. I could only escape by following you, Azar. But he finds me.. No matter where I go.. And he is close now, again. And not just that.."

"I feel it too. More than one of them even.." An enormous power was unleashed within this very city, Azar could feel its presence in every bone of his body. "They are all after you? And why would they be?" Subito wondered what they were dealing with now. "I do not know. I do not.."

"You shouldn't exist." Said a voice, coming from upstairs.

"What? What are you doing there? Who are you?" Ariel yelled as she spotted the mystery man on the top of her roof. "You should be cleansed." The man jumped down and landed in front of them, landing without injuring himself. "What are you?"Subito knew no normal man could perform such a physical feat. "I was sent by the Nine. As a messenger. They call me..Draus." The man with a pale white hair and beard and fierce red eyes pointed a boney finger at Ion. "And I am here for him. He took something that was never meant for the likes of him. He did not earn Their favor." Draus took a step towards Ion. "If you want him." And Azar immediately moved in between the two. "You will have to go through me first." He turned his D-pad on.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)21: The Crime that Pays)

**New Cards used by Darcy Lawless  
**Box of Friends  
_Doll Part Red (+)  
__Doll Part Pink (+)  
_Princess Cologne  
_Doll Part Gold (+)  
__Doll Part Blue (+)  
__Doll Chimera (+)_

_-  
Doll Hammer (+)  
_Tannhauser Gate

-  
Human Wave Tactics  
Bone Temple Block

_(+ Partially Based on the Cards used by Alice in YGOGX)_

**Cards used by Director Cinq Corazon  
**Toon Goblin Attack Force  
Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon  
Toon Dark Magician Girl  
Toon Cannon Soldier  
Number 82: Heartlandraco  
Toon Gemini Elf

_-  
Toon Kingdom (++)  
_Scapegoat  
Toon Table of Contents  
_Animation Domination_

_(++ Based on the spell used by Pegasus in YGOGX)_


	23. Cipher (1)21: The Crime that Pays

**Cipher (1)21: The Crime that Pays**

_"Oh thank god." _Claud sighed as he heard that the duel had finally ended. "Oh god no." Only to see Rita storming towards him. "Oh hey Rita!" She was not even wearing her outfit for the show. That was never good. "Claud? What are you doing here? Didn't you go off to nowheresville?" She sounded anrgy, but not as ear-piercingly irate as before. "Who? Me? Nahhh. Oh! How did your talk go? Did you get the budget fixed?" It was still a marked improvement as far as Claud was concerned. "Maaybe. I got them to fire you." She said flipping from a playful to a dead serious tone. "!?" Claud felt like he was choking. "Oh don't be a crybaby. I was kidding. I wouldn't do that. You make me look good after all." She hit him in the shoulder and laughed it off. "Y-yeah." Claud rubbed his arm. Though he did not move. "One producer never showed up though, so I am not.. wait.." Rita noticed now that Claud was acting a bit weird, even for him. "Claud? You did something, didn't you? What did you do?"

"Noooothing.."

...

This man, Draus, was after Ion. Azar needed no more reason than that to challenge him. "Azar?" Much to the surprise of Ion himself. "Acceptable." Draus meanwhile was entirely forthcoming. "His life will be wagered on our fight.." And he conjured up his own set of cards, making them appear from sparks of light. "Whoa hold on there. I did not sign up for this!" Ion yelled. "That does not matter. I am the purger, you only get one reprieve from me." Draus took the first turn as well and summoned a monster, which appeared to be nothing but a speck of dust(1/0/1000). "I summon House Duston. And activate the spell, Zerozerock. Monsters with zero attackpoints can not be targeted for an attack." He then placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. Whoever this man was, he did not need a D-pad to visualize his monsters.

Azars LP: 8000 Draus' LP: 8000

"I know what you want to say. But I believe in him." Azar looked at Subito and Ariel. Though they had not expressed it, their distrust in Ion was very evident. "And I will not stand by and watch you die again, Ion!" Azar drew his cards. "Cards of Consonance! I discard a dragon-type tuner with less than 1000 attackpoints from my hand." Azar discarded the White Stone of Legend. That card's effect activated when it was sent to the grave; Azar could add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from his deck to his hand. "Then by banishing a light-type monster, I can special summon Black Dragon Collapserpent from my hand!" The White stone of Legend was sucked into a black hole of nothingness, from which only the ebony dragon(4/1800/1700) could escape. "Then I normal summon Alexandrite Dragon!" Azars effectless dragon of crystal(4/2000/100) manifested itself on the streets as well. Now he had the materials for an Xyz-summon.

"I do not allow it! Trap card: Duston Roller." But Draus seemed to see through Azars intentions. A dust roller appeared, and waltzed right over Alexandrite Dragon. "This turn, your dragon may not be used as a material for extra deck summons, nor can it be tributed." He had put one level 4 material off limits. Azar could say goodbye to his hopes for a rank 4 number. "Tch. Then I..end my turn" Azar had no traps he could set at the moment. And he could not declare an attack either. "Is this all you offer to save a life? You too had one chance. And now.. it is gone!" Draus entered the battle phase. "What the?" The enemy sent House Duston to attack Collapserpent. Naturally the dustball was immediately squashed by the dragons claw. "Why did he.." Ariel did not understand why Draus sent his own monster to its death.

Draus' LP: 6200

"The process has begun; I have activated House Dustons effect!" The dust split apart, separating into six monsters. "It summons as many Dustons as possible from my deck, to either side of the field. Both sides must have the same amount! To your field I bring three Red Dustons!" As Azars field had three empty slots, three red quare imps(1/0/1000) could be special summoned to it in attack position. "To mine, I call three White Dustons!" A trio of white cube monsters(1/0/1000) were placed on Draus' side. "I have three, I need one more. I summon Stygian Security!" His normal summoned monster of this turn was a tiny winged imp(1/100/600) with a police light on its head. "The colored Dustons may not be used for extra deck summons or as tributes either. However, White Duston has no such restrictions. I am free to use them as xyz materials!" Draus removed all three of his Dustons and the Stygian, sending them away in two separate streams of energy. "I perform a Double xyz-summon! Come forth, Numbers 13 and 31: Embodiments of Crime and Punishment!"

Two mechanical devils appeared before them, one(1/500/500) with his horns curved upwards and wielding a sawblade at the end of a chain. The other(1/500/500) with downwards pointing horns and spiked ball on its chain. "Two Numbers? Crime..and Punishment?" A biblical theme was obvious, both Embodiments carried a cross. But Ariel felt something else was off about them. She could not quite remember what. "Almost everything is in place. Before I end my turn, I activate Duston Mop." A large mop popped into existence, and smacked down on Alexandrite Dragon. "It equips itself to your monster and ensures that it can not be used as a material!" Once again Draus was limiting Azar's extra deck options. "I am not trapped yet." Azar could simply summon a new monster. "You are wrong. I shall reveal the final prison; Spatial Collapse! Neither player can have more than five cards on the field!" The continuous trap affected both players.

"Hey hey. Does that mean?" Ion started counting. "Yes. Azar has five monsters, five cards." Subito was already done with that. "He can not summon or activate anything." There was no room for new monsters or spells and traps.

"This is the moment; the Embodiments shall use their power against you and punish you for your sins!" Draus detached a material from the Number 31. "All monsters must attack this turn!" The Dustons on Azars side were switched to attack position and riled up. "Neither Crime nor Punishment can be destroyed while they stand side by side" Collapserpent and Alexandrite Dragon were made to attack first. They spewed their flames, which never even reached Crime or Punishment. "And all damage is reflected!" Instead their combined attack circled back around towards Azars side of the field. The duelist suffered the heat of his own cards. "Gah!"

Azars LP: 5200

"Now your red demons!" One Red Duston rammed itself to its death, scattering red vapor everywhere. "When Red Duston is destroyed, their former master takes 500 points of damage." The red mist surrounded Azar, attacking him like it was a blast of gas. There was no reflected damage now, just battle and effect damage. "Ugh. But you empty monster zones this way." There seemed to be one upside to this carnage. "That is also wrong. I discard Dark Duston Vacuum from my hand!" Draus revealed he had activated an effect from his hand. "I can summon a Duston to your field whenever a Duston is destroyed!"

Azars LP: 4200

_Dark Duston Vactuum, 1/0/0 Dark/Fiend  
__When a "Duston" monster does battle, you can discard this card from your hand.  
__During this turn, whenever a players "Duston" monster is destroyed, special summon a "Duston" monster from your deck to that players field in face-up defense position.  
Shuffle the deck afterwards._

"He is going to go through it again?" To Ions dismay a Blue Duston(1/0/1000) now appeared. At least it had to be summoned in defense position. "I see. A hand-trap." Effects activated from the hand did not need an empty zone, that was the way to get around Spatial Collapse. "You have built a fine prison, Draus. But as you have yourslef just demonstrated, there are ways around it." Azar smiled. He had his own hand-traps. I activated Maxx C!" Azar discarded an insect from his hand. "I can draw cards each time a monster is special summoned by you!" Azar explained as he drew one card already. Then he let the battle phase continue, and the two other Red Dustons destroyed themselves. They were replaced through the dark vacuum by a Green(1/0/1000) and Yellow Duston(1/0/1000) and Azar drew two more cards. "You use that card now?" Ariel had not see much of Azars new deck yet, but Maxx C seemed a tad out of place among dragons. "It's Thomas' card. He and Darcy helped me fill some gaps in my deck..when they were all I could turn to." Maxx C was generic enough to not weaken his overall build.

Azars LP: 2200

"Yet what purpose does it serve?" Draus inquired as the turn moved to its endphase. "Just this, Draus. I have eight cards in my hand now. And I can only hold six as a turn passes." And the first step was revealed; Azar discarded two cards from his hand. "I do not see what that pertains to. You have changed nothing." Then Draus simply ended his turn without doing anything. Spatial Collapse had locked up his field as well. "No. I have changed everything.." Azar began his turn. "I activate a card.. from my graveyard!" And he banished a trap from the cemetery. "Breakthrough Skill! I can negate one of your monster's effects!" His banished card targeted Number 13. "Of course. Even though an Embodiment can force attacks on his own, they can not direct the attacks!" Now with Crime's powers sealed, it could not deflect damage even if Punishment was besides him. "Collapserpent, Alexandrite Dragon!" And Azar sent both his dragons to lace the sinners devil with darkness and fire. Number 13 was destroyed as its negated effects meant it could be destroyed by non-Numbers as well. With it gone, Number 31 could not reflect damage anymore.

Draus' LP: 3400

"You must feel pretty clever. But the Dustons will still suffer no matter what they attack!" The tiny blocks scurried towards The Embodiment of Punishment and were pulverized by its spiked ball. "Blue Duston punishes the hand, 1 random card is banished." Blue-Eyes White Dragon was the card that was removed from Azars hand. "Green Duston judges the players magic and traps. Yellow Duston seeks the dead and returns those." As Azars field had no spells, and his grave had no monsters, Draus could not use these effects on him. "In the end you are left with almost nothing, you have wasted your life."

Azars LP: 700

"Maybe. But it was my decision. And now I am free to make even more choices." Three of Azars slots had opened up. Unlike what Draus had planned, he still had lifepoints after this battle phase ended. "Like this! I activate the spell, Stamping Destruction!" As Azar controlled a dragon monster, he could destroy one spell or trap that Draus controlled. "I destroy Duston Mop!" The mop equipped to Alexandrite was broken in two. At the same time Stamping Destruction inflicted 500 points of damage to Draus in the form of a rain of splinters. "And now I Xyz-summon my Number, I summon Utopia!" Azar overlayed Collapserpent with Alexandrite Dragon and created his knight of hope, Number 39: Utopia(4/2500/2000). "Utopia.." Ions eyes lit up. "You kept that thing?" He sounded estatic to see his old Number. "The question is, did you also keep its chaos form?" Ariel had wondered about that. "Chaosnumber 39: Utopia Ray was taken by Necara. I can not summon that form again. However..." Azar looked at a spell in his hand. "Chaos made something new, and I claimed control of it."

Draus' LP: 2900

"I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Limited Chaos Force!" Azars spell targeted Utopia. "Chaos force?" And right before the unbelieving eyes of Subito and Ariel, Utopia evolved into a different chaos number. Utopia turned dark, transforming into a hellish knight(4/2600/2000). "Number C39: Utopia Ray V!" Azar declared as he immediately took one material from Utopia Ray V. "Utopia Ray V can destroy one monster, and inflict damage equal to that cards attackpoints!" The chaos knight threw his blade towards the Embodiment of Punishment, cutting through it and breaking it into fragments of metal and steel. Now both of Draus' Numbers were destroyed. "What did you do...to Utopia?" Ion seemed not only disturbed, but confused as well. "The power of Chaos has become something that ranks up any Xyz monster now, including Numbers. And when I defeated the part of Chaos that rested within Ariels brother, I gained a fraction of that power for myself." Azar placed a trap card down and ended his turn. "But do you have it under control?" Subito had to ask. "For now I can. For now I need to." Azar would do anything to win this duel, take any cost.

Draus' LP: 2400

"Your sins are even graver than I thought." Draus mumbled in disgust. "You are corrupted, you have contaminated the Numbers." He drew another card. "I shall have to cleanse your soul as well!" Draus activated a spell card; Destructive Urge. It would destroy the next monster that was summoned. "House Duston!" And what he summoned next was a second speck of homely dust(1/0/1000). It had been added to Draus' hand last turn due to Duston Mop's effect; when it was destroyed it searched the deck for any Duston-card. "It is destroyed!" This dust also blew up and disassembled itself into separate monsters; Two Blue, Green and Yellow Dustons(1/0/1000), one of each color on each side of the field. "I can tribute my Dustons for Starduston!" Draus' three monsters crumbled together, collapsing into a single cube imp(3000/3000) made from cosmic matter. "Starduston gains 1000 attack and defense points for each tributed Duston!" Draus gestured towards Azar. "And with it on my field, my enemy can not flip and special summon monsters or activate spells and traps! You can not stop its assault!" Starduston floated towards Azars dustons, who were all in attack position. "This is.."

_Destructive Urge, Quickplay Spell  
__Destroy the next monster card that is summoned during the turn this card is activated._

"I know what you are going to say!" Azar took a card from his hand. "But _you_ are wrong! I can negate your attack, by activating Rainbow Kuriboh's effect from my hand!" A rainbow colored balls-shaped critter(1/100/100) floated down in front of Starduston. "It equips itself to the attacking monster and blocks all of its attacks!" The Kuriboh hugged the cosmic fiend and distracted it from its attack run. "No! This can not be!" Draus cried out. "Clearly, it can." Azar knew Draus had no more moves left so he took his turn. "Number C39!" Utopia Ray V mercilessly destroyed Starduston with its effect, inflicting 3000 points of damage to Draus. "I.. I failed.." Draus staggered, and looked up to the sky, to the full moon. "I could not clean this.. corrupted.." And his departure was even more baffling than his entrance, Draus simply combusted into a whirl of dust.

Draus' LP: 0

"What?" Ariels eyes widened. "Where did he..go? How.." Nothing remained but a pile of ashes. "Better question is; who was he?" Subito did not think he was human to begin with. "And his Numbers.." Only Numbers 13 and 31 were left behind, but there supposedly already was a Number 13. How could two of them exist at the same time?

"Azar. I can not thank you enough." Now that the danger had passed, Ion could finally breathe easy. "I like to think I could have taken care of it myself, but it's nice to see you believe in me. You have changed. Still.." He corked an eyebrow. "Rainbow Kuriboh?" Azars current deck was different from his Evilswarm deck, yes. But Rainbow Kuriboh seemed like a randomy colorful addition. Especially for someone like Azar. "That was Darcy's idea to my deck. I was not in the mood to say no." She did like cute things, and now he did not regret putting it in. "Darcy? Oh yeah I remember her. Well look at you, making a lot of friends while I was gone! But anyway.." He placed his hand on Azars shoulder. "Now that I have nobody hunting me. I can finally do what I wanted to do. And that is to help you. Not just with my powers, but also with what I have learned."

"Guys!" Whatever Ion had to say, would need to wait. "Guys! You are, oh.." As Shin barged down into the street. "Ah! AHH! ION!" Though whatever _he_ had to say paled in comparison to seeing a revived duelist before him. "I am gonna get a lot of those reactions, arent I?" Ion smirked. "Shin? What did you want to tell us?" Subito told his brother to focus. "Huh? Yes! It's Necara!"

"What? Where!?" Azars voice cracked as that name was spoken. Was she the other power surge that he had felt before Draus showed up? "She just showed up in front of us! And challenged Sky to a duel! The challenge, the first turn, the last turn, she beat him so quickly..and then she left, saying that she only needed twenty more!" It had all been over in the blink of an eye. "Oh no! Is Sky hurt!?" Ariel let out a gasp of terror. "He is not awake, but she did not really hurt him. Natasha is with him. I came here to warn you guys." But it seemed Necara had not come after them, for now. "Then Agent N is moving on her own now." Subito had dreaded this moment, this consequence to them stopping the spread of Chaos.

...

"Oh please do not say you are going to keep me much longer." Said Director Corazon as he was being marched towards his destination by Thomas, Ruby and Darcy, while Xander held up the barrier that hid their presence. "Yeah yeah. Save it. You know that you are not entitled to luxuries after what you and your people pulled." Ruby lacked any good will for this man. "You should consider yourself fortunate, you were allowed to keep your Number." Thomas stated. He and his opponent Darcy had surrendered at the same time, so there was no winner. "You promised to let me go!" But there was nowhere for him to run to yet, because of Xanders overhundred power. "I am afraid I never said that. We need to confirm the information you gave us.." Darcy sounded the most sympathetic, and even she did not want to humor his demands. "Hmph! You kids, you think you can.."

"Thomas!" Korose called in. "K? What is it?" But the words were too scrambled to be audible, something was disrupting the connection. "Thomas!" And then Xander felt something peculiar. "The D-pad is acting up." That was the only warning sign.. before the barrier around them blew up into a dozen shards of light and energy, revealing them to the outside world.. and to Agent N as well. "Her?!" Only Xander recognized that ghostly face.

"Eighty-two.." She uttered...

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)22: Root of All Evil)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Black Dragon Collapserpent  
Maxx C  
Rainbow Kuriboh

-  
Cards of Conconance  
Rank-Up-Magic: Limited Chaos Force

**Cards used by Draus  
**House Duston  
Red Duston  
White Duston  
Number 13: Embodiment of Crime  
Number 31: Embodiment of Punishment  
_Dark Duston Vacuum  
_Blue Duston  
Green Duston  
Yellow Duston  
Starduston

-  
Zerozerock  
Duston Mop  
_Destructive Urge_

_-  
_Duston Roller  
Spatial Collapse


	24. Cipher (1)22: Root of All Evil

**Cipher (1)22: Root of All Evil**

"And we're back!" Ion teleported back to the studio, along with the Serins, the Artegas and Azar. "Gahdamnit! Where did you come from?" They touched down right before Ruby and the others. "And where have you been? And..hey.." Not only had their return been a paranormal one, they had brought more people with them! "Ion?" Korose almost lost his composure as he saw the former agent who had been presumed dead. "Your eyes aren't lying, K. It's me." And he sounded exactly like Agent I as well. "But how.. why.." It took a lot to make Korose stammer, this was more than just a lot. "Uhm. Pardon me. But I was told that you were.. dead." Darcy had never seen Ions unfortunate end, but Azar had not neglected to make mention of it. "Look, I don't get half of it either. All I know is that I am now catalyst now. My mind fused with one of the Numbers. And don't start panicking now. I am in control. I can even use their fancy powers." He pointed to Xander, to his D-pad in particular. "That's how we got here, I just homed in on your Number and warped us all to it."

"..something happened here." Once every had taken in the miracle, Azar commented on the fact that they were on the outskirts of the studio. That was not where they had left them. "Did Corazon get away?" Nor did he see the director anywhere. "Oh no. We managed to turn that minor setback into a spectacular triumph!" Thomas answered with pride. The fact that Darcy even remembered the story about Ion proved that she had not lost the duel. "We met someone you already know." She said, sounding somewhat uncomfortable even talking about..her. "It was the agent that defeated you, Azar." Xander stated with a grave tone.

"Her! Here too?" Shin shouted. "Ssh! Keep it down. We are trying to lay low!" Ruby put his hand on Shins mouth. "We only got away because she went after Corazon first. She took his Number, can you believe that?" Ruby looked behind her. She seemed to be gone now. But then she would not have been interested in them anyway. "So. All of this was for nothing?" Subito asked. If Corazon had lost his Number, he could no longer help them. "No. Not all of it." Xander started smiling as he took out a monocle-shaped visor, Corazons visor. "We have this; direct access to the Directors database."

...

Someplace hidden...

"Director Kincaid." Esther hailed her superior as he walked down the plastic and metal labyrinth; a complex of hallways, tunnels and wires. "I have heard about director Corazon, Esther. His contributions to our cause will be missed, but we have to move on." He was here to check up on certain matters. The affairs of Corazon weren't a part of that. "I understand sir, but we have identified the culprit. You will want to hear this." Or so he believed. "It was your daughter." Kincaid froze in his tracks. "It appears Corazon was attacked by friends of Subito Artega and Azar Helder. Agent N took his Number before we ourselves could respond to the situation." Whatever plans he had made, were suppressed and forgotten in light of Esther's revelation. "Ann?" Kincaid closed his eyes and let out a long deep sigh. "Where is she?" This had to be resolved swiftly. "She is in her room, sir. But she has been growing increasingly unstable. If it is your intention to seek her out, I would advise against it."

"Your advise is welcome, Esther. But I have to do this. For ou..her sake." Kincaid trudged onwards. "She is my daughter. Only I can calm her down.."

The damage had been more severe than Kincaid had imagined. The room her daughter lived in was already not of the typical kind, it had a simple bed and a small closet. Everything else was completely featureless and colorless... and littered with pages upon pages torn from books and magazines. Every page carried the same drawing of a faceless angel. "Ann.." But now.. all of that was gone; the bed and closet were destroyed, the papers burned to ash, and the walls scorched black. "Ann, I know what you did." Kincaid slowly stepped into the room. "We talked about this. You do not have to go out there anymore, that is what we have the Chaos Force cards for. I know there have been setbacks, and I know you think you were trying to help us by taking care of Corazon. But we are closer then ever now. I do not want anything to happen to you." Kincaid looked around the room, and he checked his own wrist-pad. High amounts of chaos energy were pulsating throughout the chamber, unstable amounts.. "You should not take on too much power.."

"Seventy-three.."

"Sorry?" Kincaid finally looked directly at his daughter, he had avoided her eyes up until now. "You do not...you should not.." She sat in the corner of the room, kneeling and leaning against the darkened wall. "There is so little you can do. There is _Nothing _I can not do!" The girl got up, and right away Kincaid could feel the pressure in the air rising. "Ann, I.."

"My Name is not Ann!" And when she raised her voice, the walls around her started to form cracks. "That is the name _she _gave me.." At this point several dozen soldiers piled up behind Kincaid. "Not now." But he told them to stay behind, at this point they would not be of much help anyway. "Ann, is she telling you to do all this? Is she.." Kincaid had been afraid of this, there was always one other person she listened to. His voice had always settled her down whenever she became unhinged. Not anymore. "I understand now. The flesh and energy, order and disorder.. it is all the same, it is all.. meaningless." The girl stared at her own hand as she closed it into a fist. "It all begins and it all ends.." And then she turned towards Kincaid, while she swept her arm outwards. "Get back!" Kincaid shouted. A sphere of pure power spread out in three dimensions, atomizing every bit of matter in its wake besides her and the director. The guards managed to pull back just in time to avoid a grisly end.

Kincaid's LP: 8000 Necara's LP: 8000

A spherical hole was carved into the complex, cut off from the rest by chaotic energy wall that kept him inside with her. "Ann, you." Kincaid noticed that his wristpad was displaying 8000 points. She had actually hacked into his device to force it to act as a D-pad. She wanted to duel him?! "You were wrong._ I _did not take care of Corazon to save you. _I_ took care of him, because he had a Number." She drew six cards within a fraction of a second, and placed all six down before her. Her status as one of the Numberless still allowed her to place as many traps down as she wanted. "But why now? Why do you want this?" Kincaid had not seen her for a few days, how could she have changed this much? "Your failures, your plans, they all go too slow. What does it matter who knows, when it all ends? It shall end! And we do not need anything, only each other!"

"Ann. I do not want to duel you." But Kincaid had no alternative. He had to stop her. "I activate Lemuria, the Forgotten City." Kincaid played a field spell that filled the crater with water, and white roman-styled buildings sprung up from the depths. All water monsters now gained 200 attack and defense points. "Mermail Abysslinde" After that he normal summoned a blue-haired mermaid (3/1700/1400). Kincaid equipped this Mermail with Abyss-Scale of the Kraken to boost her(2700/1400) attackpoints by 600. "I declare a direct attack!" His newly armored mermaid attacked with the Krakens tentacles that emerged from the scale. "Destroyed." Her answer? Necara flipped one of her many traps, the Possessed Mirror. A standing mirror(4/0/1700) arose in front of Necara, and Abysslinde's reflections waited inside for the original to come. "Ann. I had planned on that" Kincaid continued attacking anyway, and let the Mermaid be killed by her reflection as she tried to pass the mirror.

_The Possessed Mirror, Continuous Trap  
__After activation, special summon this card; it is treated as an effect monster card (4/0/1700 Dark/Rock). (This card is also still treated as a Trap card.)  
__Once during the game, while this face-up card is attacked, you can destroy all attack position monsters your opponent controls.  
__You can not chain to this cards effects. You can not summon monster cards from your hand, deck or graveyard during the turn this card is summoned._

"When Abysslinde is destroyed, I can special summon a Mermail from my deck!" A younger mermaid appeared, with pink squidlike hair(3/1200/300). "I have special summoned Mermail Abyssdine,. Its effect lets me now summon a level 3 or lower Mermail from the graveyard." Abyssdine put the destroyed Abysslinde back on the field. "Then I activate the Forgotten City's effect! My field spell can raise my water monsters levels by the amount of water monsters I control!" As he controlled 2 water monsters, both Abyssdine(5/1200/300) and Abysslinde(5/1700/1400) gained two level stars. "I xyz-summon Number 73: Abyss Splash!" The Mermails dove into the sea and attached themselves to a rank 5 xyz monster. Kincaid's Number, the waterfall deity(5/2400/1400), broke through to the surface. "I activate its effect!" By detaching one of its materials, Abyss Splash(4800/1200) could double its attackpoints. Against her, he would need to start out with his absolute best. "I set two trap cards down and end my turn!"

"..." Necara drew her card and moved to her standby phase without even looking at it. "Trap card!" If Kincaid would ever get a chance, now was it. "Abyss-strom! I send an 'Umi' card to the grave and do the same to all other spells and traps!" Lemuria counted itself as an 'Umi' field, so if Kincaid could tribute the Forgotten City, he could also dismantle every card Necara had set. "Not possible." Except Lemuria was brought to ruin before the Abyss could claim it. Necara had activated her trap, Wild Tornado, to destroy the field spell. "You saw that far ahead." The cost of Abysstrom was not met, so it fizzled out. Necara had too many Numbers and abilities to be taken by surprise.

"Seeing is too small for us, we_ shape_ what is that far ahead.." Necara first activated another trap monster card; summoning a Tiki Curse(4/1800/1000) to her monster zone. "Screaming Kaleidoscope." Her next trap then targeted her two remaining set cards and the Tiki statue. It flipped her traps face-up to her monster zones as copies of the original Tiki Curse(4/1800/1000). "A shape of nothingness..of fear.." She took all her trap monsters, including Possessed Mirror, and turned them into xyz materials for 2 rank 4 monsters. "Sixty-eight." The first was the black knight of despair, Number 68: Dystopia(4/2500/2000). "Eighty." The second was a masked fighter(4/0/1200) donning a red cape and wielding drum-shaped gauntlets. It was yet another Number the agents had hunted; Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk. "This sound.. she does not like it." Rhapsody was normally a Number that provided its host with perfect stamina and rhytm. But that kind of power said nothing to her. "Yes..it is time. I, She, It; we activate... Chaos Force." And so Necara activated the Rank-Up-Magic card on Number 80.

_The Screaming Kaleidoscope, Continous Trap|  
__Select up to 2 face-down trap cards you control and 1 face-up monster card on the field. The trap cards are special summoned as effect monsters to your side of the field, (0/0 Light/Rock).  
__These summoned cards gain the level and effects of the selected monster (they are also treated as trap cards.) When this card is removed from the field, banish the summoned cards._

_Number 68: Dystopia, Rank 4/2500/2000 Dark/Warrior/XYZ  
__2 Level 4 monsters  
__This card cannot be destroyed by battle, except by another "Number" monster.  
__During your battle phase, after the damage step, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this monster can attack once again in a row  
__If a monster card is sent from your field to the graveyard while this card has no Xyz Materials: Destroy this card._

"No." Kincaid had to shield his face as even more waves of destructive energy pushed outwards. "Ann! If you use Chaos too much.. I do not know what will happen to you! Please, you are my.."

"You are Not my Father!" She screamed back at him as the energy settled. The ranked up form of the Berserker(5/0/2000) was revealed; a winged warrior who had exchanged its black colors for white and gold. Violent magic beat in its chest. "Number C80: Requiem in Berserk. It does sound much better now." Necara took one material from the Berserker, to activate the effect of C80. "A song for the end.." And Requiem in Berserk fired a beam straight through Abyss Splash. "Ah!" Kincaid's Number was not just destroyed, but removed entirely. The first effect of C80's banished any one card on the field. And then there was the second..

"Equip." The Berserker could equip itself to another Xyz monster and add its defense points to that monsters attackpoints. Dystopia grabbed it and wore the chaosnumber like a suit of armor around his entire body. Bloodred light poured of its body as Number 68(4500/2000). "Not my Father, not my Mother. They are gone, they never were. They are _nothing_!" Everything had led to this, to her battle phase.. "Ann. Please. What is it that you want? I want to help you!" Kincaid's last trap was not going to do much against Dystopia now, the knight of despair could attack him three times this turn. "Want? There is nothing I want! That is what you wanted, how you wanted _me!_" Dystopia slashed once, ridding Kincaid of half his lifepoints already. "Grhgh." Kincaid slammed into the energy wall. Dystopia already came in for a second attack after it detached one material. "Everyone wants Numbers. They must be destroyed. They Need to be destroyed! Every..last.. one!" With a second attack, she ended their duel..

Kincaid's LP: 0

...

"Their archive and their meeting room, the coordinates of it are right here." After a while, Subito found what he needed in Corazons monocle. "Great, when do we leave?" Ruby said as she heard the warning sirens of incoming medical teams and cops. This location was not going to be fond of them for long. "It seems quite a way off." Dakar took the visor as well to see what Subito was seeing. "Across the globe long even" Through normal means it would take them forever to get there. "That shouldn't be a problem for Ion, right?" Shin said, nudging Ion with his elbow. He had already seen him travel great distances once. "If there is a Number there." But as Ariel quickly pointed out, there was a limit to his power. "I actually think there is.." Ion gazed across the horizon where the sun was setting now as well. "I can sense ..my own."

"The Overhundred Number that was yours?"

"Oh. That's right. You three, and even Agent Claud, you all received one too.. didn't you?" Ion heard Xander speak up and realized what kind of Numbers he, Subito and Dakar had acquired. He could sense that too it seemed. "104, 106 and 107. Mine was 102." And Claud had 105. At the very least two more were still out there. "I think I came to got to know 'em a little, during my absence from..well, living. Or maybe that's the catalyst in me that is telling me these things. Those Numbers are the same as those below from one point of view; same birthplace and composition and all. But they did not become obsessed with humans. They left willingly.. and recently too. It has something to do with that red moon twilight zone, when you forced your way into it, they got out. No clue why they came to us, maybe they like our purity?" Ion chuckled. That was all Ion had figured out so far, but he did not sound entirely satisfied with it. "That was my assumption as well. That does not however mean we can trust them." Subito saw no reason to rely on them as of yet. "Even so. I need to get mine back. A trip to the archive should be worth our time anyway."

"And you are sure about this? It sounds interesting, but can we not take this at a more controlled pace?" Xander did not like rushing in without a plan, and Azar sounded a bit too eager for his tastes. "We have this opportunity, we shouldn't waste it." Azar had made up his mind though. "Yeah! Come on, bro. We are already miles away from home. Might as well go all the way!" And Shin shared his determination.

"What about the girl of the End; Necara?" Thomas suddenly asked. "If we venture there, we might come across her. And as much as I loathe to say it; most of us would not last a second in a duel against her." He glanced at Darcy and Ruby. "Tch you are probably right. Not having a Number and all.." The latter had seen the way Necara slaughtered Corazon, even she did not want to test herself against that kind of power. "Her face..her expressions.. there was nothing there. Like she had no feelings.." Darcy sounded like she would rather not see Necara again either. "Some of us should stay behind, to tell Claud what happened."

"I however will accompany you." Korose said with insistence. He did not care if he would get in the way. "I want to go too." Ariel said, looking back at Dakar. "I have to know why this all started." And her brother understood that. "You mean _we_ will go. I too would like this to be over, for good." Dakar would rather be with his sister than leave her alone, who knew when Necara would come after either of them. "I suppose there is strength in numbers." Even Xander had come to terms with the idea and joined the group. "...Very well." That just left Subito. "Together." And his decision was ultimately the same as theirs.

"Well look at that." Ion got more help than he had bargained for. He was happy. "Okay. This is it then." Azar and the others moved closer to each other as Ion prepared the jump. "Godspeed." Thomas bid them farewell. And they vanished from sight

...

"What happened here?" And the eight duelists re-appeared in a large room. It appeared to be a storage chamber. Except everything had been trashed. Wires were disconnected and spewing sparks, lights flickered sporadically or were outright broken, and monitors had been smashed. "You don't think they abandoned this place?" This was definitely the same base that Shin and Subito had seen all that time ago. "It's been a few months. You'd think they could have cleaned up by now." Back then Shin had seen Azar tear up the place with Chaos' power before. "No. This damage was done not too long ago, by someone else.." Azar had never been in this specific part of the agency's hideout, he could not have caused this. "And my Number should be around here somewhere. So they were still using this place." Ion trusted his aim, Number 102 had to in this very room. "They must not be able to take ownership of these Numbers. Necara did not try to claim my Number 106." Xander had after all looked Necara right in the eye, and she did not seem to care about him at all.

"Excellent deduction." To everyone's shock, a disembodied voice began to comment along with them. It seemed to come from a still functioning speaker. "I know that man." Though they had only met the man once, months ago, Subito and Shin had not forgotten his voice. "Kapha." Subito uttered the name of the man they were dealing with. "Kapha? The guy who has been behind everything?" In Ariel that name mostly awoke anger, and loathing. "You give me too much credit. I have merely created those who will help us to gain a better future."

"Create?"

"Yes, Azar Helder. The infinite world is not the only entity that has given life to unimaginable power. Do you see the damage around you? That is all as a result of Necara's actions."

"And I created her.."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)23: What Separates Man from Beast)

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk  
Number C80: Requiem in Berserk

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

**New Cards used by Kincaid Carpenter  
**Abyss-Scale of Kraken  
Lemuria, the Forgotten City

-  
Abyss-Strom


	25. Cipher (1)23: Separates Man from Beast

**Cipher (1)23: What Separates Man from Beast?**

Director Boothe knew what was coming. He knew the story of Corazonand Kincaid's fates, Esther had transmitted it to everyone in the council. But he was well defended, he was the a high-ranking officer in the marine corps. Nobody could get to him so easily, not in his private bunker, not with his Numbers power which made any wall, lock or barricade unbreakable. "Fifty-two." Unless someone had the power to slip through even that. "You!" Boothe's eye twitched as he saw Necara enter the room. "That was Corazon's weapon. But.. " Not even Corazons Number 82 could have gotten passed his Numbers defenses. Unless its power was somehow doubled. "And Kincaid's." And his was next on Necara's list. "You little runt! If you want it so badly, come and get it!"

...

"You created her? How? I thought Kincaid was her father. Where are you?!" Azar did not want to spend time with someone he could not even see, no matter how tantalizing his information was. "That is not something you need to know. Nor is it something you could extract from Corazons data." Kapha could apparently see them as well as talk to them, as his remarks came right after Xander put on Corazons monocle-visor. It seemed not even the directors knew everything about Kapha. "Then what if I just warp over to you?" Ion asked. If Kapha had a Number of his own, which was a reasonable assumption to make, Ion could travell directly to him. "Ah Agent I, up and about again I see." The scientist gave the dead man a rather casual greeting. "You don't seem bothered by that." Ion did not even get the the slighest sign of amazement. "There is little that can surprise me. I know more than you can imagine.. For instance, I know a catalyst can not find me unless they know I have a Number, and which Number that is. Do you know if I even have one, Ion?"

"..."

"I thought not.. Now then. You came all this way here, with all your questions and all this time on your hands. The least I can do is answer some of them. Necara is long gone, chasing after her fellow directors. She started her hunt here, or rather.. with Corazon."

"If she is gone.. then." Ariel interrupted him. "Then we can not stay here. If this place was attacked, people may have gotten hurt." She did not want to sit around in the dark and destruction doing nothing. "Yes. We should split up." Subito had certain places he wanted to revisit himself. "I will go with you!" Shin would stick around with his brother. Dakar wanted to stay with his sister as well. "We will stay here." Xander, Korose and Azar would help Ion look for Number 102 in this storage facility. "Okay." The others separated and each pair of siblings went their own way; east and west.

"It is all the same to me. Look around if you must, I can follow you anywhere." Kapha continued anyway. He did not lie, each group could hear his voice in every hallway of the complex simultaneously. "You have heard of the beginning; one of the atomic research facilities in middle-Europe made a breakthrough. They stumbled upon another dimension of limitless energy. That had consequences." Last time Kincaid had revealed this to them, but Kapha had his own details to add. "It was me, along with a group of seven other scientists, that formulated the plan to undo the damage that the other world was causing, and to close the gateway. I shall not bore you the specifics. Suffice it to say that the world recovered. Yet a scar remained." He paused now to see if anyone could guess what that was. "The portal." Subito did want to hear more, so he responded.

"Good. Yes. A doorway between our worlds remained, the very first. We have studied it ever since. Well.. I have.. my associates all mysteriously and unfortunately disappeared." Kapha's lamentations sounded about as sincere as anything else he had said. "You mean, you made them disappear?" Dakar felt he already knew the answer to that question "That's another story." Though Kapha was not giving it away. "We lost plenty of lives on our own, before and after the crisis. Kincaid as well.. but that is not relevant. This is the story of my research. And it did not go well.. no machine could scan the other side. And every person we sent in to investigate that portal returned insane or never returned at all." The former, the victims of red moon syndrome, were the lucky ones. "You did what? You sent people in there?" Shin could not believe what he was hearing. "Yes. The danger that the portal poses to your world had to be analyzed, no matter what the cost."

"No matter what cost?" Kapha started using words Azar could identify with. They came from the perspective of someone who wanted to understand the world around him. "Not all of them.." Except he remembered something someone once told him. "Yes. Not all of them. She told you about it." Kapha was pleased to hear Azar turn to that subjecton his own. "Necara succeeded. I made sure of that. Tell me; what makes us different from animals?"

"Our intelligence?" Xander suggested. The others were not very motivated to play more guessing games with Kapha. "Close. Certain species can simulate intelligence of their own. It is after all nothing more than behavior based on knowledge and experience. No what I am talking about is something deeper, something you all have.. It is Desire."

"Desire?"

"Yes, desire, miss Ariel Serin. Animals have needs.. Humans also have wants. We crave and yearn, we dream and aspire; we seek things beyond what we need for survival and procreation. Vanity is our primal sin, everything else just flows from that. And that is what the beings from the infinite world were drawn to. They were just pieces from an infinite world that limited their own existence just so they could taste our lives. They were fascinated by our minds, by the concept of a self-image. With all of their power they had never experienced pleasure like we have. Yet we are a threat to each other. Imagine trying to fit a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional plane, we simply can not coexist. All we managed to do was create a temporary balance between the two of us, at the cost of trapping some of their kind in our world. And those beings would eventually become the Numbers."

"Bingo!" At last, Ion had found what he came for; Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry. It had been stored hidden in a vault, which Ion had managed to break it open with ease because of how structurally damaged the room was. "We should find the others now." Korose said. They were all in agreement and headed in two directions as well. Korose and Xander went after the Artegas, Azar and Ion turned towards the Serins. And Kapha was still talking. "You see. I hypothesized that a human could survive the journey to the other world.. if they had no desire at all. Anyone else would just get devoured in there, their sinful mind was a poison that needed to be destroyed. It did not matter if you were not thinking about it, if it was still inside you. The notion of 'want' had to be eradicated from a persons very first day. That is where she came in."

Ariel stopped moving. "You mean.." The horrifying truth was starting to sink in. "Yes. I created her. I genetically conceived her and several others like her in my own facility, using donor cells. She is more my daughter than she is Kincaid's. Kincaid merely adopted her to help build her public identity. But for the first six years of their lives, those children were mine to mold."

"You... mold? What does that.." Ariel shuddered to imagine what he had done to them in those six years. "Mental conditioning, fear induction and association training. Sealing them off from the outside world in an environment that provides no impulse or pleasure. Giving them only the bare necessities of life, teaching them how to survive and function. Correct behavior would be met with a reward. Expression of interest, culture, or ego would be met with punishment." And Kapha listed every condition like it had only happened yesterday. "You..tried to break them! They were just children and you treat them like animals?!" She snapped and screamed at him. It was no wonder to her anymore that Necara had turned out this way. "Exactly. Children can be shaped, adults can not. Even then in the end I was only able to dehumanize one. The others were simply too emotional or fragile, I had the failures sent to foster homes and orphanages. They served me no purpose once I had Necara, or 'N' as I called her. I finally had someone who could go into their world and come back alive. We sent her through the portal when she was eleven years old. And when she came back, she brought 'it' with her."

...

Necara's LP: 8000 Boothe's LP: 3600

"I normal summon Tin Goldfish, and it special summons a level 4 monster from my field: another Tin Goldfish!" The duel against director Boothe continued. He brought out two goldish toys(4/800/2000) and immediately overlayed them. "You want my Number, you can choke on it! I Xyz-summon Number 52: Diamond Crab King!" He xyz-summoned a diamond-shelled crab monster(4/0/3000), to deal with the Number Necara had summoned in her turn; a giant moth(7/2400/2400) that was called Number 28: Titanic Moth. "Your Number isn't worth anything!" The Diamond Crab attacked, and as it did it swapped its defense points for its attackpoints and increased, transferring its diamonds to its claw. "..Not possible." Necara in turn flipped a trap card; Primal Fear. "!?" It switched the crab to defense mode and forced Titanic Moth to counter-attack it.

_Number 28: Titanic Moth, 7/2400/2400 Wind/Insect/Xyz  
__2 Level 7 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card successfully attacks your opponent directly: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; inflict 1000 damage to your opponent for each card in their hand._

_Primal Fear, Normal Trap  
__When an opponent's monster targets your monster for an attack or a card effect, negate the attack or effect and switch the opponent's monster to defense position.  
__Then, conduct battle between your previously targeted monster and the monster._

"Trap card! Spikeshield with Chain!" Quickly the director gave his Number a shield and chain weapon, which equipped itself to the crab(0/3000). "A monster equipped with this trap gains defense points equal to its attackpoints!" The trap had switched Diamond Crabs stats around again. The counter-attacking Titanic Moth could not break through Number 52's diamond shell. "Well look here, I finally managed to harm you, Agent N!"

Necara's LP: 7400

"That is all." Necera ignored him and flipped two trap cards which turned into trap monsters; Tiki Soul(4/1000/1800) and Tiki Curse(4/1800/1000). When her turn came, she overlayed both to Xyz-summon a rank 4 monster as well. "Another Number?" And a pyrokinetic metal orb(4/1000/1000) appeared before the director. "Which one is it?" He tried to get data on it through his visor, but Necara was not waiting around for that. "Burn." This was Number 58: Burner Viser, and its effect allowed it to equip itself to another xyz-monster. The Titanic Moth grabbed the sphere with its legs. "Direct attack?" Boothe received the data on Number 58; Burner Viser also allowed that Xyz-monster to attack directly. And the Moth did, striking out with fierce gusts of wind that were unleashed by the beating of its wings. "Argh, sonova.."

Boothe's LP: 1200

He already had familiarized himself with Titanic Moth's effect, which inflicted 500 points of damage to his lifepoints for each card in his hand. And even now he had two of those. The wind picked up speed and slashed at the man two more times. "Damn it!" He dropped to one knee. "Oh no." And now the scanner told him about Burner Viser's third effect. As the monster equipped with Burner Viser had succesfully delivered damage, Necara could inflict 500 points of extra effect damage to him by discarding a card from her hand. "Agent N. You will not do this! If you hurt me, your life will be over! I have the power to make that happen!" Boothe turned to his last resort. "Power that ends, is no power at all. You have nothing... you are nothing." And that was even less effective on her than anything else he could have done. "What you did have, is no longer yours!" She discarded the card and the burning sphere let loose its flames of destruction. The explosion slammed the director into the ground. "Twelve more.." Necara claimed her reward, the Number 52.

...

"You are talking about that card she loves so much?" It had to the Angel of the End that Kapha was talking about, Shin knew all too well how deeply Necara adored it. "Yes. The catalysts call it 'The Fallen'.. I designated it as one of the Numberless."

The story went on, just as Subito and Shin came upon a large room. "I know this place." Subito recognized the door in front of them, it was half-open. "The Archive." And beyond was the chamber where he had once dueled Kincaid, and the central core that had stored all Numbers. It was still not repaired, there was no were all with Agent N now.

"You know one as well, don't you Dakar Serin?" And when the Serins met up with Azar and Ion, Kapha specifically focused on them. "Chaos." Azar and Dakar responded in unison. "Yes. Chaos. Another Numberless. You see, Numbers come into existence because of what their world can give us. The Numberless are created in of what our world gave theirs. Chaos embodies our universe's disorderly and ultimately random nature. And The End embodies our own limits. When Necara stepped into that world, she had no desires, no wants. But she was mortal, all she could do was give life to The End, and give death to the endless.. It changed her, drove her, made her our perfect agent. And my hands were the ones that forged her angel into the form of a card once it became clear what form the Numbers were taking. She was the perfect tool to capture the other Numberless."

"Then.. you were the one who made Chaos Force? You started the outbreak!?" Someone with those skills he could just as easily convert Chaos to a spell card, Ariel figured. "Me and Kincaid, yes. Chaos can spread so swiftly because it created itself, it was born as soon as our chaotic universe touched their pure existence. And eventually it found its way to a catalyst and to your city. Because of that.."

Oddly Kapha stopped talking right as Azar and the others reached another room. "Are we getting too close now, Kapha?" Azar managed to get the door open with some brute force. "!?" Behind that door was what looked like a laboratory, one that had been abandoned ages ago. "No. He is not here." This had been Kapha's former work station. "Wait. Does that mean.." Kapha had moved on, but he had also left things behind; pods... human-sized pods. "This was where Kapha kept all the people who went..." Ariel nearly shouted it, before remembering who was with her. "Don't worry on my part." This was where Ions body had been seen last, he acknowledged this. "I should know what I am. And if it is still here and preserved. I may be able to get back into it.." Ion inspected the room and spotted one pod that stuck out to him. "Azar. That one." He pointed it out to his friend. "Alright." And Azar quickly moved to it. "They still work!" He was relieved to find out that these pods were still keeping the people inside alive, despite the damage. And he was certain Ion could do something with them, he only had to..

"Huh?" Azar wiped the condensation of the glass. "What.. is this?" There was nothing inside! "Ion. Where is.." This was the one Ion had selected, so where was Ions body? "Ion?" Ion was not saying anything. "Ariel, Dakar.." The atmosphere had changed, Azar was the last one to take note of that. "Ohhh. That was delightful." Ion finally spoke again, after he took a deep breath. He sounded satisfied. "Just when I thought I could gain nothing more, you let me feel some of that hope you are so proud of. Thank you Azar." The agents eyes glared at Azar one final time, before they disappeared behind a white mask and eight silver bolts. "I loved every moment of it!"

What had been Ion before no longer looked remotely like him; his blonde hair became a sickly green and grew out beyond his shoulders, his white coat was replaced with an orange and silver dress with gold bracelets and his figure became more androgynous. "Yaah!" Dakar flinched. "A catalyst!" Ariel shrieked. "NO!" Azar cursed. "You! The Eight!" They all knew him..her.. It. This was Pandora, the one killed Ion. "Where is Ion! What did you do to him?"

"Ahhh your confusion is loud. Please be quiet.. You know what happened, Ion died." She/he spoke, Ions voice still came from its mouth. "No.. it couldn't be. We would have felt it if something was off." Azar insisted. "You did. And I said I was a Number joined with a human. I did not lie, Ion lives on... inside me." The masked face altered its voice. "All of you do." He switched from Azars voice, to Dakars and finally to Ariels. "I am the Number who can be any Number, I feel what their masters feel, I can do what they do. Even if they are already dead.." She finally settled on Ions voice again. "Then what.. what was this all for? Why did you go through this entire charade?" Azar did not know what to feel right now, and Pandora sensed that as well. "Because you were having fun!" He laughed in a way that Ion never would have, with laughter full of mocking cruelty. "You had so much hope, from the moment you saw me. And it grew once you defeated my construct., you felt strong again. And I got to shatter it all in one instant. How I wish I could relive that fragmentation..."

"Construct? Are you talking about Draus as well?" Azar flinched. "Draus was another who once had a Number. So I could become 'him' as well." She explained, briefly dropping into Draus' voice. "I created those two Numbers, they were my children." And dust fell out of Azars D-pad, the Numbers 13 and 31 in his extra deck had been fakes all along. "It was all part of the act?" The extents to which Pandora had gone, just for her amusement, was too much for Azar to take. "You're done!" He was sick of it and activated his D-pad. "Wait!" But Ariel had activated hers sooner. "She is baiting you! She wants you to duel her while you are not thinking straight!" Azar was clearly too enraged to duel properly. "I will take care of her!"

"Oh. You are more calm, quiet. Yet.. there is anger in there too, Ariel." Pandora playfully fluttered his/her fingers. "It will be good to get it all out in the open."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)24: Anyone You want to Be)

**New Cards used by Necara  
**_Number 28: Titanic Moth  
_Number 58: Burner Viser

_-  
Primal Fear_

**New Cards used by Director Boothe  
**Tin Goldfish  
Number 52: Diamond Crab King

-  
Spikeshield with Chain


	26. Cipher (1)24: Anyone you Want to Be

**Cipher (1)24: Anyone You want to Be**

"Aha!" Xander and Korose finally encountered some activity inside this labyrinth of a complex. They were guards, trying to clean some debris out of the way. "What? How did you get here? Wait. I know you. You are one of those Agents. You responded quicker than the rest!" They put down their weapons when they recognized Korose as one of their own. "He is with me. You need to tell us what happened here." Korose covered for Xander and asked about the room up ahead, which they seemed to be trying to get into. "That is.. was.. Agent N's chamber. Sir Kincaid is trapped in there, buried under the rubble."

"Kincaid? I see. We will do whatever we can to help you."

...

"Ariel. These things.." The entity that his sister had challenged, Dakar did not know if it could be beaten. "I have dueled a catalyst before." Ariel did not think they had a choice, but in her mind she had a better chance than Azar. "They still have to fight to win, they are not invincible." She took her deck, and Pandora summoned hers. "Hmmm." The catalyst then grew a biomechanical D-pad from her arm and placed her cards in them. "Will you take the first turn, or will I?" Her fingers tapped the sixth card, as she anticipated Ariels reply. "If you know my feelings, you know the answer as well." Ariel drew six cards.

Ariels LP: 8000 Pandora's LP: 8000

"I go first! I activate the spell card: Burial at Sea! I discard a water-monster from my hand to take one out of my deck!" Ariel discarded an XYZ Remora and put a Double-Fin Shark into her hand. "I normal summon Double-Fin Shark! It's effect special summons one level 4 or lower fish from my graveyard, with its powers sealed!" The red shark(4/1000/1200) with many fins lurched his way into the field, and its presence drew the hammerhead XYZ Remora(4/800/800) back to the land of the living as well. "I overlay my two Sharks to Xyz-summon the rank 4 Abyss Dweller!" Double-Fin and Remora turned into blue energy and sank into the depths. A creature from the lowest point in the ocean swam up to the surface, the seaserpent Abyss Dweller(4/1700/1400). All water monsters would gain 500 attackpoints, while the Dweller(2200/1400) carried water-type Xyz-materials. "Then I set one card and I activate the spell, Neptune's Amulet!" A talisman of the sea god himself hung in the air. It would protect all water monsters from destructive effects until her opponents third end phase. "Turn end!"

_Burial At Sea, Normal Spell  
__Send 1 WATER monster from your hand to the Graveyard; add 1 WATER monster from your deck to your hand._

"Protection against destruction, and a monster that negates the effects of monsters in the grave. You are well prepared.. you have seen my last game." Abyss Dweller could negate many of the effects that Pandora's Heraldic Beasts had. Those monsters thrived in the graveyard. "Yet at the time, you were busy looking for your dear brother." It said as his voice reverted into that of Dakar. "You will not get to me that way." Ariel refused to let this thing play on her emotions. She had learned her lesson when she dueled Prometheus. "No? You can't fool me, Ariel. You can't fool yourself." Pandora summoned a monster, a winged dragon(4/1700/1100) with a head at each end of its body. "Heraldic Beast Amphisbaena. It takes another Heraldic Beast from my hands, in order to gain more strength." The second head devoured a card that Pandora discarded, a Heraldic Beast Aberconway. It(2500/1100) gained 800 attackpoints for one turn. "Attack." The other head fired a blast of green flames which roasted the Dweller of the Abyss alive. "Your love for your brother, and your concerns; this voice is stirring them. I want more.." Pandora placed a trap card down and ended its turn.

Ariels LP: 7700

"I know what you really want!" Ariel yelled as Pandora ended her turn. "The Numbers I have, you need those." She normal summoned another shark, a blue shark(4/1600/1200) with a straight-bladed nose. "I have Saber Shark. And when I control a water-type monster, I can special summon Silent Angler from my hand!" This time around a shark paired up with a angler fish(4/800/1400). "I now use the effect of Saber Shark. Twice in a turn, it can give or take a level star from another water monster. But I can ony special summon water monsters during the turn this effect is used!" She had Saber Shark use its level raising ability, targeting itself(5/1600/1200) and the Silent Angler(5/800/1400). "I Xyz-summon Number 94, Crystal Zero, with these two monsters!"

An even more violent torrent of water erupted, as her two cards collided and created an portal. The subzero sorceress, Crystal Zero(5/2200/1600) descended through a hail of ice. "Crystal Zero halves the attackpoints of your monsters!" One material was detached from her Number, and the hail scattered towards Amphisbaena. The Heraldic Beast(850/1100) grew weaker with the frost covering him. "Destroy it!" And with the touch of her hand, Crystal Zero reduced the dragon to a thousand ice fragments. "Ariel. Isn't this playing into her hands?" Azar had calmed down a little by now. He was livid yet thoughtful enough to still remember the kind of Number Pandora used. "I know what I am doing." Ariel told him in return and she ended her turn again.

Pandora's LP: 6550

"I only do what I do, to feel the best and worst of you, Ariel. You, your friends, your family; those bonds are so powerful. Yet, I have my own bonds." Pandora drew a card. "This Number. This one does not belong with you..Or even the one you took it from." Pandora talked like Dakar, then Ariel and eventually settled with Rita. "My brothers and sisters made it. They will be happy to have it back..and so I will be happy too. They get what we need, and I get what I want." Once again his/her voice morphed, as it assumed the tone of every catalyst from Cain to Prometheus. "Heraldic Beast Leo." And she continued his turn like that, normal summoning the gold-armored lion(4/2000/1000). "And Heraldry Reborn." A spell was also activated this turn, a revival spell. "Come back, Amphisbaena." Heraldry Reborn could revive any Heraldic Beast. Thus the twoheaded dragon escaped his grave.

"She has the materials!" Azar gasped. "You are right to carry your fear, Azar. And you are right about the rest, Ariel." Pandora picked up her two Heraldics and placed them on top of each other. "I shall summon.. me.." The lion and dragon fused to form the Heraldic King, the fourlegged masked beast; Genom Heritage(4/2400/1800)

"This is what I was waiting for!" Ariel flipped her trap card. "I knew you would bring out your Number as soon as I summoned one of mine! I activate Splash Capture!" Double-Fin Shark and XYZ Remora appeared as spirits on the field. "I banish two fish-monsters from my graveyard, to take control of an Xyz-monster you summoned!" The two spirits flew into the Heraldic King and possessed it. "Ah?" And Genom Heritage jumped across the room, landing on Ariels side of the field. "Your Number, and its powers, are no longer yours! It is time to show us what you are without it!" She had no idea how this would affect Pandora, as this Number was a part of her. "Yeah! I mean, well done Ariel!" Dakar had not even considered Ariel could pull this off. Hopefully it would get it to stop shifting identities and revert him to her first human form. "Oh dear.." And something like that did seem to occur. The mask on Pandora's face cracked, the bolts fell out. "Its face!" Dakar, Azar and Ariel could see what she had hidden now..

"H..Her?"

It was Esther.

"That can't be..." Or rather.. it was the face of Esther, the hair and clothes remained the same as Pandora's. Only her face and voice had changed. This was her true self? "But.. she can not be a Number.. have a Number." An Artificial life could not use a Number, that was what everyone had claimed. "I am her, but not her." Pandora's words did not alleviate the confusion. "Wait. Ion spoke about this.." Azar seemed to recall certain things Ion had said to him, how Esther's appearance was supposedly modeled after a real person. "You are the one Esther was based on?" And that person had supposedly been close to Kincaid.. been. Now he heard Kapha's words echo in the back of his head as well. _"People were lost. Kincaid lost.. her?"_

"Did Kincaid never tell you? I am not surprised."

"Prometheus?!" The four became the five, as the Ninth catalyst skulked out of the shadows. "Now now. You already have a prize to fight for. _I_ am not here to do business with you. I am stopping by on my way to a new client." His tone was lighthearted as usual, although he had almost sounded bitter when he first appeared. "Kincaid should be the one to tell them. He is the only one with their kind of perspective." Pandora claimed as she ended her turn. "Yes. You might ask him, if he still breathes.." And now Prometheus' resentment echoed through again. Strangely he also seemed to be trying to avoid looking at Pandora's unmasked face. "Ask him about our mutual acquaintance, that he lost." The catalyst had said what he wanted to say, and he returned to the darkness while taking the last word. "Good luck.."

Following that, a short silence was necessary. "I do not know what your shared past is. All I know is that what you are doing right now." Inevitably, Ariel took her turn. "And it has to stop." She activated the spell card, Fish and Swaps. "I discard a card to add two banished fish-monsters to my hand!" She discarded a Shocktopus monster, and took back the two cards that Splash Capture had banished; XYZ Remora and Double-Fin Shark. "By detaching two materials from an Xyz monster I control, I can special summon XYZ Remora! And XYZ Remora itself will special summon two level 4 fish-cards from the graveyard!" The hammerhead shark was brought out once more, and this time it lured out two of its own fellow sea dwellers; Saber Shark and Shocktopus(4/1600/800). "I xyz-summon Shark Drake!" The fish trio was attached to her most infamous rank 4 monster, the shark dragon and thirty-second Number, Shark Drake(4/2800/2200). "Your first Number. And you are not letting me be a part of it." Pandora still talked like Esther did, she appeared to be locked into that form.

"I am not done yet!" Ariel detached Crystal Zero's second material, Silent Angler, specifically so that a normal summoned Double-Fin Shark could revive it. And she did, both the red shark and angler fish appeared in her two last monster zones. "I use these two to Xyz-summon Bahamut Shark!" They were overlayed to form the blue shark dragon(4/2600/2100). _"She has enough power."_ Dakar realized that if Ariel could attack with all her monsters, she would win. "Can she.." Even Azar was starting to think that this could be it. Without Genom Heritage, Pandora seemed helpless. "Pandora. I do not know who you were, or why you became what you are now. I hope what I am doing right now, will free you.. I attack directly with Shark Drake!" The battle phase had begun, her own Number would lead the charge. "Ariel Serin, always trying to understand another. Never too optimistic. Yet even you are feeling it now.. hope." Pandora waited until the last second.. to spring her trap. "Thank you. Trap card: Heraldry Change!" And her card deflected Shark Drake's bursts of water. "What?"

A dark lizard/rooster/bat hybrid appeared in the wake of the attack; a Hereldic Beast Basilisk(4/1000/1400). "Heraldry Change special summon a Heraldic Beast from my hand, and ends the battle phase; all when a direct attack is declared." Pandora had stopped Ariels entire offensive with just one card. "No.." Ariel lost all her confidence for an instance. "No! This is not over yet!" But she threw those feelings aside. As long as she controlled Pandora's Number, she could still win this. "Bahamut Shark can summon a low-ranking water xyz monster from my deck!" One material was detached from Bahamut, and a cybernetic Kappa creature(2/400/1000) appeared in defense mode. "Psychic Kappa can negate the destruction of a monster by discarding a card from my hand!" With that and Neptune's Amulet, Ariel was certain she could weather anything.

"Turn end? It is.. isn't it?" Pandora drew her next card, which was fuller than it had been when she ended her previous turn thanks to an effect of one of her monsters. "Because you detached Leo from my Number 8 earlier, I could add a Heraldic Beast card to my hand." She discarded another Heraldic Beast Aberconway from her hand. "By discarding a Heraldic, Amphisbaena can be special summoned from the hand." Another twoheaded dragon(4/1700/1100) was what Leo had added to Pandora;s hand. "And when two Aberconways are in my graveyard, they banish one of themselves, to send another dead Heraldic back to my hand." Pandora banished the second Aberconway to take back the first. "Normal summon." And the silver plated dragon(4/1800/900) joined the Basilisk and AmphisBaena beasts. "And then, Heraldry Curse." The catalyst equipped Basilisk with a spell card, a crest that created chains of energy. "Hey!?" The chains wrapped around every monster on the field, and on both players as well. "We take damage for each monster on the field." Pandora explained right as the chains were flooded with electricity. "Wh..aaaaahhhh!"

Ariels LP: 3700 Pandora's LP: 2550

_Heraldry Curse, Equip Spell  
__Equip only to a "Heraldic" monster. The equipped monster can not attack.  
__Once per turn: If your lifepoints are lower than your opponents, you can inflict 500 damage to both players for each face-up monster on the field._

"Ariel!" Dakar screamed. "Stop it! Don't.." He could not do anything, as the shocks seemed to go on forever. Eight bursts for each monster on the field, it was torture. "Ah..haa.." Ariel reached for her chest. Her heart was beating like a train. "Even that...even your pain." Pandora was making the same clutching gesture, and not just to mock her. "Even that is what I want." She did recover before Ariel could. "And you felt hopeful, because you managed to take my Number away. But you forget one thing Ariel.. like Morgana after me.. catalysts can start out with a different Number." Pandora picked up her Heraldic Beasts, one at a time. "Another?" A terrified Azar said, as the three cards were attached to a new rank 4 monster. A large symbol appeared above Pandora, which broke open time and space itself. "But now, let me feel your despair! This is my first Number, my most powerful Number! Heraldry Crest the sixty-ninth!" What descended upon the duelists was a fearsome demon(4/26001400), with white horns and black scythe-like pincers. Its eyes glowed red with hate.

"Heraldry Crest seals all powers of Xyz monsters, all but its own." From the creature's back came five claws of bloodred energy. Each claw plunged into the body of one of Ariels monsters and drained their very color out of them. Their lifeforce was sucked into Heraldry Crest. "And it can use one of those powers by itself!' Number 69 pulled back all of its claws except for the one stuck in Number 8. "I choose my own power, Genom Heritage!" Heraldry Crest let out a bone-chilling and earth shattering roar, as it directed its malice towards Shark Drake. "I will use it on your Number!" The Heraldic King could steal an Xyz monsters power and skills. This effect was now channeled into Number 69 and used against Number 32. "Here we are." And the Eight regained her own power as well;Pandora's face morphed into that of Ariels. And Heraldry Crest(2800/1400) grew stronger, while making the already effectless Shark Drake(0/2200) powerless as well. "..." Ariel did not know what to say anymore, she had nothing she could do. Pandora was using her voice more than she was. "Go." And Pandora's Number began its battle with the Drake, firing a vein of red magic that streamed through Shark Drake and destroyed it from the inside out. "Gah!"

Ariels LP: 900

"You already know that this is the end. Ariel." Pandora detached a material from Heraldry Crest. "Shark Drake can special summon anything it kills with 1000 less attackpoints, and then it attacks it again. You know this power." Shark Drake(1800/2200) returned to the living through it's own stolen powers. "You took me far, I thank you for this as well. But everything ends." Pandora declared her monsters second attack, and permanently destroyed Shark Drake. The destruction did not even phase Ariel anymore, she was already numb from the pain. "!" Nevertheless the consequences of her loss were still felt; four times. "The Numbers.." Crystal Zero, Shark Drake, Nightmare Shark and Shogi Rook. Dakar saw them all disappear from her deck. "They are hers now." Azar winced. That should have been him up there. He should never have believed that Ion was back and pushed everyone to go along with it. He should not have been so naive!_  
_

"No. Not actually." Pandora however did not take those four cards. "You rejected them?" The Numbers did not appear in her hands, they were just.. gone. "It's probably because I had this card in my deck." Pandora took out a spell which she had not even drawn. "Chaos Force!?" It was the ranking-up card. "You have that too? Why!?" First Kain was supposedly spreading these around, then Pandora held one as well? "So we can get all Numbers together, of course. You will soon see.." Pandora took back her Number 8 and the mask was re-attached to her face. But energy from Number 8 and Number 69 was going along with the energy of Ariels former Numbers. What did that mean? "I have gotten what I wanted. Goodbye." She vanished, like a flickering candle.

...

Necara stood over another director she had dueled until her Number had been vanquished along with her lifepoints. Not even she, a high ranking politician, could get away from her. This was the last director she needed to deal with. "Six more." And it was at that time that she felt four more Numbers become a part of her. Chaos had claimed someone again. How, without any Chaos Force slaves left, she did not know. Nor did she care. "Eleven left." The girl who was already surrounded by flames of chaotic energy, unleashed a literal inferno of dark flames. "And then.. we will End it all." She gazed at the moon in the sky, and blasted towards it..

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)25: Pyrrhic Victory)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Saber Shark

_-  
Burial at Sea  
_Neptune's Amulet

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Heraldic Beast Amphisbaena  
Heraldic Beast Aberconway  
Number 69: Heraldry Crest

-  
Heraldry Reborn  
_Heraldry Curse (+)_

-  
Heraldry Change

_(+ Based on the spell card used by Tron/Vetrix in YGO Zexal)_


	27. Cipher (1)25: Pyrrhic Victory

**Cipher (1)25: ****Pyrrhic Victory**

"Are you telling me I betrayed the company for nothing? Because that would totally be in line with my kind of luck." When Claud found Ruby, Darcy and Thomas again, he heard what had happened to Corazon that made an ambulance show up. He already figured out that some bad news awaited him. "I believe rather that our actions spurred the enemy into taking drastic action. In this case the guilty party is that girl, and not the council." If Necara was acting on orders of the council, it sure had not looked like it to Thomas.

"So there you are!" It did not take long however, for their little get-together to get interrupted by Clauds cohost. "Rita!?" Even though they had withdrawn to a safe distance, there was no safe haven from her. "Hey!? I recognize you. You two used to have Numbers. This is what you degraded yourself to Claud?" She hissed, while scowling at Ruby and Darcy. She had no clue who Thomas was supposed to be. "I think it's pretty obvious he just wanted to get away from you for a while." While Claud was the type to not fire back, Ruby gladly traded fierce words with her. "What. Ever. I just know that you are the ones who started this whole mess as well. Great job, Claud." She ignored Ruby and vented some more at Claud. "Mess? What did I ..what happened?" Claud started to worry about what else he could have missed. "Every agent received a message from the council. They are putting us on active duty again. We barely hear anything for months, and you do not even notice when we finally do?" Rita rolled her eyes.

"Would it have anything to do with that?" Darcy interjected, and pointed her finger towards the sky. "What..what in all hell is up with that?" Rita asked very colorfully, as she saw a waning red moon emerge from behind the clouds. With a waxing yellow moon on the other side of the sky.

...

"Ariel! Do you remember me! Ariel!" Dakar rushed to his sister, as she lay on the cold floor where Pandora had left her. "Dakar..I.." If the loss of her Numbers was affecting her, he could not tell. She was barely conscious as it was. And more pressing matters soon came to the forefront.

"What was that?" Azar felt tremors underneath his feet. "An earthquake?" And then a red light seeped through the cracks. "The ceiling!" The walls above them seemingly melted away, as if they had never been there at all. "This..no..not again." Dakar felt familiar with this sensation, hauntingly familiar. "This is the other world! The remnant!" By now they could see right up into the skies, the complex had slowly erased itself and revealed two moons in the sky. This was a sight Dakar had never wanted to return to. "The worlds are merging?.." Two worlds existed once; a planet so wounded by an infinite dimension that it desynchronized with itself. When the planet was healed by overlaying the two separate halves, two moons instead of one were formed. Only in the red moons light could this other realm exist. And now everyone could see it.

...

"There they are!" Shin hollered as he and Subito caught up with Xander and Korose. "Hey guys!" They ran over to them, while Korose and the guards were attempting to clear a way through to Anns room. "What's going on? Do you have any idea?" Here the quakes had been felt as well. And every corner of the complex was bathed in a red hue. "I do not know. We were trying to break in here for the last half hour. Xander has helped us the most." Korose gestured towards the other duelist, whose barriers kept the building from collapsing back in. And at the same time he used his golems to drag rocks away. "Who knew this could be so handy... I feel like a lesser man for that pun." With a Numbers power, any card hologram could be solidified. Now most of the rubble had been removed. "What is important about this room?"

Subito's question was answered, indirectly, when the guards rushed passed him as soon as the path was opened. "Kincaid, sir Kincaid!" And they stormed inside to check up on their director. "Kincaid?" Subito was caught off guard by the fact that Kincaid was still here. Ann had attacked him too? "He apparently tried to stop Necara from going too far, though he did not succeed." That was what Korose had been told. "Then.. he wasn't behind the Chaos epidemic?" Shin thought that had been the case for sure. "He is alive!"

The guards finally located the director. He had been left unconscious at the bottom of the crater where he had been defeated by Necara. He did not wake up, but he was not in severely injured. "Right. I think we should concern ourselves with this issue now." Xander was the first to realize what the light was doing with the ceiling and the walls. The complex had slowly become a ruined wasteland in a mountain range.

"Yes you do." The metal and steel parted like a raised curtain, unveiling a figure in black. "Prometheus!" Shin yelled his name; a greeting Prometheus had grown accustomed too. "The catalyst!" Some guards, upon seeing him, immediately drew their weapons. "Some people never learn." Prometheus sighed and summoned a large beam from the sky that sent the guards flying, with a single flick of his fingers. "Oh oh!" Xander instinctively twisted the form of his forcefield to weaken weaken the beam's shockwaves. You have really grown into your role as that Numbers host." Prometheus ignored the guards and landed down in front of the duelists. "What do you want." Subito asked. A person like this did not just show himself without a good reason. "I have come to confirm something. Now that closing time is nearing, the quality of certain Numbers needs to be ascertained." Prometheus discarded his black cloak, unveiling his mechanical suit underneath. He then turned on the duel apparatus that was attached to it. "I shall count down from the top! I challenge you, Subito!"

Prometheus' LP: 8000 Subito's LP: 8000

"Wait what!?" Shin let out a cry of protest. And in that time Prometheus had already drawn six cards and taken the first turn. "I control no cards, which means I may special summon Rocket Arrow Express from my hand!" And a massive lightning fast train(10/5000/0) appeared on tracks that circled them in a ten yard radius. "I also will throw in Night Express Knight! Which can be tribute summoned with no tributes!" A knight(10/0/3000) fused to another train connected to the rails as well. Its original attack of 3000 was reduced to zero due to it being summoned through its effect. "All that adds up to.." Prometheus overlayed both trains to create a rank 10 machine of terror. "Super Dreadnaught Railcannon Gustav Maxx!" A massive cannon(10/3000/3000) that needed its own rails to move around. "I always treasured machines, every last part of them. There is not much I can appreciate more then their intricacies. They will never fail you." Prometheus took a moment to bask in its majesty, before he detached a material from his Xyz machine. "I activate Gustav max's effect! Inflicting 2000 points of damage to my opponent!" The cannon charged up. "Bro!" And Subito dove out of the way of the cannons blast as it careened towards him and narrowly missed him.

Subito's LP: 6000

The blast traveled on and exploded in the distance, far beyond the complex which now had its entire ceilingmade nonexistany. "That could have killed him!" Shin let out another loud objection. "Of course not. If I wanted to do that, I would have aimed _at_ him." Prometheus laughed it off and placed a trap card down. "You want me to summon Number 107 before you do so." Subito stood up and drew his card. "Very well." He activated the spell card, Photon Sanctuary, and special summoned two photon tokens(1/2000/0). "I sacrifice them to tribute summon Photon Caesar!" The photons burst open, forming a new warrior(8/2000/2800) from light. That warrior special summoned a second Photon Ceasar(8/2000/2800) from the deck with its own effect. "In the end, this was unavoidable. I Xyz-summon Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" Once again his monsters were converted to pure light, this time opening a gate in time and space. The other galactic dragon(8/3000/2500) of tachyons used it to warp to the dueling field. "Whoa.." This was the first time Shin and Korose had ever seen his Number. It almost looked demonic. "I declare an attack!" As Tachyon Dragon was a Number it would survive a confrontation with the equally strong Gustav Max.

"Why the rush? We are only just beginning." Prometheus' continuous trap flipped face-up. "I activate Marshalling Field. If a machine-type Xyz monster is destroyed, I can destroy this card instead." Six crests of energy lit up before the Rail Cannon and repulsed the dragons burst of energy. As both monsters had the same attack, Prometheus did not lose lifepoints either. The crests faded afterwards. "And when Marshalling Field is sent to the graveyard, Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force is sent from the deck to my hand!" And now Prometheus took his special spell card out. ".Argent!?" Xander was not sure he heard that right. Why would a catalyst be using the power of Chaos as well? And this version was new to all of them.

"The manufacturer of Chaos Force saw to it that I received this variant. You can control your Number very well, Subito. But we can control Chaos just as easily now. This variant can not corrupt its user, it is tamed." And after his opponent reluctantly ended his turn, though not before putting a trap down as a defense, Prometheus could show the spell off. "Gustav, fire one more shot!" Though first his regular Xyz monster detached its last material. "Unph." Once again the Dreadnaught released a shot which soared over their heads and leveled another section of the world around them.

Subito's LP: 4000

"Let's take this for a spin! Argent Chaos Force!" And then Prometheus activated the spell to raise Gustav's rank. The Dreadnaught outgrew its previous immense size, becoming an yard-wide tank platform(11/4000/4000. It seemed too large to even function as a machine of war. "CXyz Ultradreadnaught LandCruiser Langer Maxx. This card inflicts 1500 points of damage each turn!" The smaller cannons on the Ultradreadnaught fired two shells. "Gah!" They dropped down and exploded around the duelists. "Prometheus. You said you would not hurt anyone!" Subito cursed. "Limit your damage to me!"

Subito's LP: 2500

_Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force  
__Target 1 rank 5 or higher Xyz monster you control; special summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Number C" or "CXyz" monster that is 1 rank higher than that monster you control, by using it as the Xyz material.  
__(This special summon is treated as an Xyz summon. Xyz materials attached to it also become xyz materials on the summoned monster.)  
The Xyz monster that was Xyz summoned by this effect negates any "cannot be destroyed by battle" effects.  
__When a rank 5 or higher Xyz monster is special summoned to your side of the field while this card is in your Graveyard (except during the damage step): You can add this card from your Graveyard to your hand.  
__You can only use this effect of "Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force" once per Duel._

_CXyz Ultradreadnaught LandCruiser Langer Maxx, 11/4000/4000 Earth/Machine/Xyz  
__3 Level 11 Monsters  
__You can not summon or set monster cards. Once per turn, during either players turn; inflict 1500 damage to your opponent.  
__When this card destroys an opponents monster, as a result of battle, inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent's lifepoints.  
__If this card has "Super Dreadnaught Railcannon Gustav Maxx" as an Xyz Material, it gains this effect.  
_● _During the damage step, when this card battles an opponents monster, detach 1 Xyz Material, reduce that monster ATK and DEF by 4000_

"It does not matter who you are, or where you are. In a fight, everyone's life is at stake." Prometheus stated with a clenched hand. "I activate the spell card: Train Coupling! I banish two level 10 machines from my graveyard to double my earth-machine's power!" Rocket Arrow Express and Night Express Knight were removed from the scrapyard, and their parts connected to the Land Cruiser cannon(8000/4000). "8000 attackpoints!" Prometheus was not fooling around anymore. Korose did not see how anyone could stand up to that. "Your Number is one that just will not agree with us or our design, Subito. Time to scrap it!" Langer Maxx's main cannon started building up energy. "Fire!" And a deafening storm-raising barrel blast soon followed.

"Trap card: Photon Current! When a light-type dragon is attacked, it gains attackpoints equal to its attacker!" Thanks to Subito's trap, Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(11000/2500) could dodge the shot from the Chaos machine and return fire. "There is more!" Prometheus shouted. As the dragon flew towards Langer Maxx, the cannon released a barrage of smaller bullets that weakened it(7000/0). "Any monster that battles Langer, loses 4000 points!" Prometheus reset his machine to aim and fire at Number 107 again. "Be gone!" The blast was released. "I discard Honest from my hand! My light-type monster gains attackpoints equal to yours!" Yet Subito's dragon pushed through the blast, growing larger and stronger. "Incredible!" Langer maxx's attack might as well have been a mosquito bite to the dragon (15000/0) now. "Disappear!" And his mighty machine exploded violently as Tachyon crashed into it.

Prometheus' LP: 1000

"Was that your turn?" Subito asked his opponent, waiting until the smoke cleared. "You will be happy to hear that no-one has ever pushed me this far. Not even with a Number. Yes that was my turn." Prometheus seemed to be out of options now. "...Then I will attack directly!" And though Subito knew it could not be that easy, he sent Tachyon(3000/2500) after Prometheus anyway. "I activate a monster's effect from my hand!" Of course when Number 107's attack was chained to, Subito was not surprised. "I can special summon Construction Train Signal Red from my hand, and force it to be attacked instead!" The dragons tachyon burst was intercepted by a red buffer train(3/1000/1300), which was sturdy enough to survive the impact. "Signal Red can not be destroyed during this exchange of powers."

The same second that attack passed, another quake hit the complex. "Wh-what now?" Shin panicked.

"Dear Necara is almost done, soon all she will need is our consent to finish our design." Prometheus began to explain. "Because I, and all Numbers like me, have started using the power of the Chaos, we have all become connected to the fallen. With this new Chaos Force card we can remain ourselves, while lending Necara our blessing for the 100th gathering." Meanwhile Subito placed two cards down and ended his turn. "And then what?" Things sounded worse than Subito had imagined. "Then..well look up." The Ninth directed their eyes towards the sky, and the red moon. "Do you know why this complex was built here? It is no coincidence.." Prometheus shook his head. "Kincaid and the others, they built this place fifteen years ago, right after the crisis was resolved. They built it here because this was were the connection between the new world and the old was the strongest. Or rather, the weakest point was up there. Right where the second moon would be."

By discarding a machine from his hand, Express Cannon Dora, Prometheus could special summon the three-sailed space barge, Deep Space Cruiser IX(9/900/900). "Hmm. All this talk is making me nostalgic. Let us head into space." And his choice of words that set something off in Korose. _"Nostalgic!? _You.. You were the one?" The spacecraft, knowledge about the second moon, his suit that resembled an astronauts outfit; were they all parts of the same puzzle? "_You_ were the one who caused the Araquiel to go missing!"

"You.. made good use of your sources, Agent K." The catalysts voice cracked a little. Someone had actually looked into that section of history. "And you are absolutely correct. It _was _me. I snuck on board that shuttle as it took of, replaced one of the astronauts and commandeered their new shuttle. They never saw me coming." The Ninth continued as he activated the spell card, Special Sshedule. It could special summon any machine from the grave that had more than 3000 attackpoints. And he used it on a Express Cannon Dora warmachine(9/3100/1900). "After that it was child's play to head into the dimensional weak point.." Prometheus then overlayed both the Space Cruiser IX and Dora to summon his ultimate xyz monster, himself. "Once I reached the other side, I became the man I am today!" Prometheus and two lines of light shot up into the space beyond the skies, converging in front of the moon. The entire lunar sphere was eclipsed by a megaconstruct, a canopy-surrounded core whose panels were as large as entire cities. That was Number 9: Dyson Sphere(9/2800/3000). "And now, I shall exceed even this power!" The sphere's voice echoed across the lands, as it activated the spell: Argent Chaos Force.

_Express Cannon Dora, 9/3100/1900 Earth/Machine  
__An Xyz Monster that was Summoned using this card as Xyz Material gains this effect.  
_● _Rank 8 or lower Xyz monsters can not activate their effect(s), while this card is face-up on the field._

"I do not know why you chose to go into that world and why you wanted to end up like this. But I will not let you evolve further!" Subito flipped a quickplay spell card. "Forbidden Lance. I target the Number 9! It becomes unaffected by spell and trap effects but loses 800 attackpoints until the end of the turn!" A lance flew all the way into space and pierced the very center of the Dyson Sphere(2000/3000). "Oh! Brilliant! If it can not be affected by spell cards.." Xander saw what Subito had really done. "Not even Chaos Force will work on it! Awesome!" Shin saw the plan as well and cheered his brother on. "You interrupted the climax?" Prometheus was not just slightly outraged. Argent Chaos Force had been wasted. "You do not understand who you are dealing with! I need this strength! I am powerful as it is!" When a monster like Tachyon Dragon had more attackpoints than Dyson Sphere, the sphere could attack directly by detaching 1 xyz material. "This is my attack!" Which it did. The Sphere's beam enveloped Subito.

Subito's LP: 500

"Artega!" Xander managed to shield the others with Giant Hand. But Subito directly took the damage and could not be protected. "Number 107. You left our world without our consent, you limited your own power by doing so. You can not compare to me, and with Dora's effect incorporated into my body, you can not touch me in a duel either. Do you see now, what cost of living without desire is? You will never accomplish anything for yourself!" Prometheus ended its turn. "Subito, all of this power, it was to save someone close to me. You would have done the same in my place. If you lost someone precious to you, even you would move heaven and earth!"

"To save one person.. what about the others on that shuttle? What happened to them? Did he abandon them in that other world? Or did he kill them before that? Prometheus gave Subito no answer. "I see. That was when you abandoned your humanity. A day might come that I will have to do the same." Subito activated a spell card, Double Spell. "But I would not sacrifice anyone but myself! I would never force that choice on others! Nor will you, not again!" By discarding a spell card, Galaxy Burst, Subito could activate another spell card from his opponents graveyard. "I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force!" And he chose the most shocking of all choices. "You think you can use Chaos? Use it against me?"

"You said it yourself, Prometheus, you made Chaos safe to use with this spell." Argent Chaos Force targeted Number 107, forcing it to evolve into the next rank. Tachyon Dragon abandoned its black plating for a flawless golden armor, and two more heads grew out of its body. "I summon Chaos Number 107: Neo-Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" The golden dragon(9/4500/3000) shone like a star a midst the red ruins.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)26: Painting the Sun Black)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Number C107: Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon

-  
Double Spell

-  
Photon Current

**New Cards used by Prometheus  
**Rocket Arrow Express  
_CXyz Ultradreadnaught LandCruiser Langer Maxx  
_Construction Train Signal Red  
Deep Space Cruiser IX  
_Express Cannon Dora_

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force  
Train Coupling

-  
Marshalling Field


	28. Cipher (1)26: Painting the Sun Black

**Cipher (1)26: Painting the Sun Black**

Subito's LP: 500 Prometheus' LP: 1000

"Prometheus. I now know now what my Numbers gift is. It holds the power to control time itself!" Subito detached one xyz material from his golden dragon(9/4500/3000). "Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon can negate the effects of all cards on the field, face-up or down!" The red crystal on the Chaosnumbers chest let out an distorting glow of energy that inverted the colors of every human, monster and object around them. "Time itself?" Time literally seemed to slow down to a crawl. Prometheus, still fused with the Number 9: Dyson Sphere(9/2800/3000), was paralyzed and could not activate his effects. "Now you can not block my attack, even though your Xyz monster has materials left." The battle phase was initiated. "I attack Dyson Sphere!" And the three-headed Neo-Galaxy Eyes let loose its triple salvo of time-destroying bursts. The megastructure was hit and slowly but surely exploded, mile by mile. Whatever Prometheus shouted in the final moment of the duel was muffled by the blasts and the void of space..

Prometheus' LP: 0

The resulting lightshow could be seen across the region. "He did it." Once the duel had ended, time flowed normally again. Korose and the others were free to comment on the spectacle that had taken place. "And I thought his normal Number already looked formidable enough." If there was a limit to how much power these Numbers could have, Xander did not see one. "That's Subito for ya. If he has a dragon, you can bet it gets a stronger three-headed mode!" Shin was all around ecstatic. "Even Necara will have trouble with him now!"

"Prometheus..." Subito unfortunately had to break up the excitement. Because the catalyst had survived the blast. Though he did not look so good anymore, his body was breaking apart "Artega.. Of course such power would flow from you. You push yourself indefinitely. If you had a little bit more time you could fix all the problems in the world. I understand that feeling. My mistake was assuming that these Overhundreds could not act on selfless ambitions." The masked catalyst peered downwards and toward Kincaid and his guards. The director's body showed signs of movement. "Nevertheless... My defeat has..." And Prometheus stopped all movement. In the middle of his sentence his body disappeared; his atoms dispersed. A lone card floated down before Subito's feet; Dyson Sphere. "What happened to him? To Prometheus?" Xander could see what the Number 9 had become. But where the human half had gone was a mystery. Nobody knew the answer. Not even Korose the agent. "I can not say. Catalyst have never been defeated in a duel before."

"Hey. It's Azar!" Through the ruins of the complex two duelists walked towards Shin and the others. "And.. oh no!" Dakar was carrying his sister in his arms. "Ariel is..and where is Ion?" A fourth person did not turn up at all. "Ion was.." Dakar was not sure if it was his place to talk, so he did not say much. "That was not Ion." Azar had trouble talking about it as well. "It was the Eight catalyst. It tricked us all. She tricked me. And now she has given Ariels Numbers to Necara.."

"The eight? Pandora?" The news hit Korose hardest of all. Not only had Ion been dead all along, but the thing that took his life had made a mockery out of his sacrifice. Anger was not something Korose felt often. But when he did.. "Director, did you know? Kapha already confessed to it. He created Chaos Force and supplied it to former enemies of ours. And he used the Catalysts as an intermediary! The Numbers they claimed were sent to your daughter! You must have known!" As Kapha was not around, he could only direct his anger towards Kincaid. "You better think twice about what you are about to do!" One guard shouted. Though he had no gun, he looked ready to fight Korose if it came to blows. "I suggest you do not try me." Korose was several inches taller than anyone here however.

"Violence will not be necessary. Please settle down. I will answer him." The director was able to talk now, able and willing. "All members of the council knew Kapha was creating something that would let us use Chaos as a weapon. But I alone knew that the catalysts were going to release it." As he told Korose this, he did not look him in the eyes. "You did this..why?" Agent K would need a lot more of the story than that. "Because, if we had all the Numbers, we could start mass production." The director revealed. "That is what the gathering of all Numbers allows, it would be the final catalyzation process. It was what I believed mankind needed. With them, we could eliminate hunger and disease, we could make conflict obsolete and even end death! That was what I wanted from the beginning. But I also believed we could control it. Had I spent more time with Ann.. I would have known.. what It was doing to her. Maybe my Number influenced my thoughts, clouded my judgment. It does not change that I let it all happen.." He lowered his head in shame. He had been a fool.

"Your vision did not just fail because of her, Kincaid." Azar spoke up. "It failed because you were manipulated from the start. As were we all. The Catalysts.. and Kapha, they orchestrated everything to this point." Azars mind finally felt clear. This is where Prometheus had directed them. Dark Mist, Morbis, Judith; he and the other catalysts had forced Azar into a corner every time. He had been forced him to adapt and evolve the power of Chaos until he was 'ripe', until Chaos could be turned into a weapon. It was not just Necara and the agency, everyone was working towards the gathering of the Numbers.

"Kincaid. Who was Esther?" Dakar had placed his sister to rest against a part of a wall and turned to a different subject. "Esther? Why do you ask?" Kincaid already sounded woeful just hearing the name. "That catalyst, Pandora; her real face was that of Esthers. From what I heard that appearance the artificial intelligence uses, is based on an existing person that both you and Prometheus knew." Dakar explained what he was certain about, some details were still vague. "!? It can't be.." And Kincaid was shocked to get this much news. "Esther was.. the real.. she is still alive?" Something he had given up on long ago, was coming back to him. "Esther died. Didn't she?" Azar had reached that conclusion some time ago. "Yes.. during the crisis. No.. at the onset. Astrid was her true name.. and she was my Fiancee... She perished in the accident which tore a hole into the infinite dimension."

"Fiancee?" Shin did not expect the story to go in that direction. "Yes. My fiancee.. We were both employed at the center that started the project, she worked on research and I handled finances. We met there, we fell in love, we were were going to marry.. until." Kincaid had to pause. It was all a bit too much of the past at once. "Then Prometheus, who was he?" Dakar knew the Ninth fit somewhere into all of this, but not why or how. "Him.. I knew who he was as soon as I first saw him, even though he never acknowledged our past. The Number inside me made me not want to approach the subject. _He_ was a friend from Astrid's childhood. His name was Gabriel and he worked at a space flight center. When the accident happened, he blamed me for everything.. said it was my fault she was still working there, that I stole her from him. I found out he had resented me even before then, I had been oblivious to the fact that he loved Astrid too. And then, once the crisis was over.."

"Then he hijacked the Araquiel space shuttle to try and find Astrid again." Subito was aware of that part of the story already. "Yes. He must have thought she was still alive somewhere in that other dimension. And he was right all along."

"Uhm. About that.." Shin cleared his throat. "That light from the other moon, it is still spreading isn't it?" As they were discussing matters, the second moons crimson rays had grown to cover the entire mountain range. "The remnant world and the new world are becoming one. And that is not good I take it." Xander only saw ruins and dead wastelands in this version of earth. "Putting all Numbers together must be drawing the second moon into our world, into the path of the first one." Only the original moon rotated around the earth, the second was permanently fixed in orbit above this mountain range. "..this is Necara's doing?" Azar knew where she was now. "The red moon, the home of the catalysts!? Is she attacking them now?" Lucifer could only exist within the light of the red moon, had Necara weakened the barriers just to get to him? "Either she does not realize or does not care. But the influence of a second moon will cause earthquakes, storms and tidal waves. I can not say what else she will do.. I do not know what she wants." Kincaid shook his head.

"Right now our paths are crossing. What she wants is the same what _we_ want!"

For the third time in the same hour, a masked entity made its startling appearance; appearing as a floating wraith in tattered blue robes. "Another!? This was a catalyst as well, Shin and Azar had seen him before. It was the fourth: Iscariot.

"Get away from her!" Dakar reacted with much more anger than anyone else, when he saw the entity float towards where Ariel was lying. "OR YOU WILL DO WHAT!?" Iscariot screamed at him, before lowering his voice. "That will only bring out the worst in her, if we wake her now. The Eight had its way with her. And it did not go easy on her memories." Before anyone could ask what that was supposed to mean. "Is this yours?" Iscariot took a strange device out of his cloak, a small generator that looked like it had been torn off of a larger machine. It was still operational. "The Memory barrier!" One guard shouted. "Memory what now?" Shin was not sure he heard about those before. "They are machines that Kapha developed. He based it on Ann..Necara's bond with the Numberless and on Number types that affect memories. They prevent the amnesia of a duelist who loses their Number, even if they do not have a memory chip implanted." Korose had been briefed about them, back when he started working for Morgana in Neo Avalon. "That is what you humans created, yes. Right now, this is the last one from your sanctuary that still works. I broke every other one I could find, and enjoyed it!" Iscariot playfully juggled with it for a bit. "SO! What is the consequence of breaking this one!?"

"Ariel will not remember anything.." Subito realized that the machine was the only thing that ensured that she would not forget everything that happened in the last few months. "You wouldn't." Dakar muttered. "I would, because I can. And I will do even worse, and _you_ can not stop me!" Iscariot placed the device between his hands, and prepared to crush it. "Wait! Whatever you want, we will do it!" Dakar finally pleaded. What else could he do? "Good! You are using what you have! Now! This is what happens next!" He took off his straw hat as if he wanted to see better, yet his face was masked like any other catalysts. "You, the owner of the sixth Overhundred Number, will duel.. and you _will_ use this!" Iscariot tossed a spell card towards Xander. It was Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force card. "This?"

"Do not question it, Just do it!" Iscariot shouted again. "Why? What do you get out of it!?" Subito yelled back. "I do not share what I know, until I am satisfied. Choose that card, or lose your sister!"

...

Misfortune moved in pairs. As while those duelists there had that encounter, the gang of duelists that were with Claud and Rita had one of their own. Lilith, the third Number, had just casually walked in on their discussion. "Uh. Who are you?" Though neither Claud, nor anyone else had met her before. Bur a horned masked woman in black fur, that could not just be someone from a TV-set. "She must be a catalyst!" Ruby at least recognized the kind of mask she was wearing. "So this is the face of the enemy!" Thomas raised his D-pad as if it were a shield. "What evil do you hope to accomplish here?"

"You are a funny boy." The catalyst tilted her head and let out a girlish giggle. "But you are not the boy I am after." She pointed her long clawed finger towards Claud. "Me? I am not that big a threat to you and your friends, trust me!" Claud swore profusely. "I think she might be talking about your Number, Claud." Darcy suggested. Much to Rita's bewilderment. "Number? What Number? What is she talking about? What else haven't you been telling me?"

"Well, I do care about that Number. But, I do not want to fight it myself." Lilith raised her hand. "So I will let you sort it out." And Claud's body began to act up. "Huh? Whuhey! I am not doing this!" Against his own will, he placed a D-pad on his arm and turned the device on. "She is controlling his body?" Ruby caught Lilith making same gestures with her fingers every time Claud made a motion. "Very much so. It is my specialty. Unless you like pain, you might want to not struggle against it." Claud was forced to draw cards from his deck. "What are you making me do? Are you going to take my Number?"

"Nothing so cruel. Your Number would not acknowledge a new owner if she made you lose a duel on purpose." Lilith tossed Claud a spell card. "But what we can do.. is create a ChaosNumber..."

Thus, on both sides of the globe, the duelists summoned their Numbers; Giant Hand(4/2000/2000) the 106th and Battlin' Boxer - Cestus the Star(4/2500/1600) the 105th. And they also eventually drew their Rank-Up-Magic card to evolvedtheir respective overhundred Numbers. "Giant Red Hand.." Xanders Number had grown into a full arm(5/2600/2000), with volcanic skin whose veins were bursting with chaos energy. "Battlin' Boxer - Cestus the Comet.." And Claud's Boxer(5/2800/2000) had gone from noble blue and yellow to demonic red and purple. "This is the result we wanted." Iscariot said as he floated away from Ariel.

"This? You want to create Chaosnumbers?" Shin did not understand why this was what Iscariot had seemingly came down for. "Those Numbers you hold are traitors to our kind, they left our dimension with the intention of 'saving' yours. How such a thought could have been born is beyond me. They could not interfere at first, as they could not find a human host without guidance. But then.." Iscariot then pointed a finger at Subito. "Prometheus caused this. He began the spread of chaos! Before then, he helped cultivate it, and before then he even lured Chaos down to your planet!" He also casted a masked glare in Azars and Dakars direction. "Not just you two, or that girl. He had planned to grow the seed of Chaos in hundreds of humans! To imagine the consequences of that, it makes me sick!" The way it talked, this catalyst did not seem to respect the Ninth all that deeply. "The more strength Chaos gained, the better the Overhundred Numbers could see the world around them. They were drawn towards Chaos, and towards you! You all have confronted the Nine before, that made you attractive to the traitors."

"All of us? Even Claud and me?" Xander had never even seen a catalyst before today, was his impression. "No. You and Claud saw the Seventh, back at the church. That must have been enough."Korose started to see what Iscariot was saying. Now he understood how the Overhundreds selected their hosts. "And Chaos is.. a binding thread!" Azar had his own clear picture. "Because we used Chaos energy on our Numbers, they are now a part of Necara as well!" This was why Prometheus gave every catalyst Chaos force cards! This way they could lend Necara their Numbers without losing their freedom to her. They did not need to fight each other at all. "Yes, Prometheus did find a way to compensate for his failure! Even if these Numbers do not wish to be part of the hundredth seal, they are now all connected through Chaos!" Iscariot

"Even Dyson Sphere was..." Subito cursed himself for being tricked. Prometheus had accomplished what he had set out to do, even though he lost the duel itself. "And I.." Dakar had already created a chaos version of his number. He was under the influence of Chaos and Necara at the time, but it still happened. "Ion had a Number too, what about him?" Korose demanded to know. "The Eight resolved that matter, both times! Its owner is dead, the 102nd can not influence the design!" Iscariot then placed his hat back on. "No. There are only two Numbers who still need to join. Two I will..."

"Not allowed."

A cold voice overpowered any other. "Ann?! Where are you?" Kincaid shouted. That was his daughter. "He..is mine." His cries went unheard. The girl only cared about Azar. "...Necara." A gigantic visualized form of her appeared in the sky, projected in front of the two moons. "You will come to me. You will face me. Or you will lose everyone around you." A massive bolt of lightning descended from the stormclouds that had spread across the horizon, and blew up a large chunk of the mountainside. Necara was not lying, she had the power to kill any one she pleased. "There is no place where you can run, no place where you can hide! This is the end!"

"Where do you want me to go?" Ultimately this was where his fate would always have gone, Azar was fully aware of this and accepted it. "Where it all began." Necara opened her fist and created a small portal in the ruins of the complex. "Step through there. Show me how much you truly believe in the Hope that I left with you!" Necara said her final words and the projection faded away. Iscariot had already departed by this time. All that remained was them and the gateway.

"What you left me.." Azar took out the Number she threw away in their last duel, Number 39: Utopia. _"Is just Hope is enough..against all other Numbers.."_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)27: Nightmare as a Child)

**New Cards used by Xander Carson  
**Number C106: Giant Red Hand

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Number C105: Battlin' Boxer Cestus the Comet

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force


	29. Cipher (1)27: Nightmare as a Child

**Cipher (1)27: ****Nightmare as a Child**

The portal waited, Necara waited. All Azar could do was go through it, or stand still. "I don't know. I don't know. Can you do it?" Shin was not very optimistic. The odds were stacked against anyone that tried to duel her now. "It feels like whatever we do, nothing will change." Xander moaned. Either they'd let her wreak havoc on the world, or they'd risk giving her all the Numbers. "I never thought it would come to this when I started this all." Dakar knew this had only begun because he had found Chaos, it could have been him in Azars place. Even Korose did not know what to do. "I want to help you. I do not think, however, that she would allow it." Right now Necara only wanted Azar, not Korose, Dakar or anyone else. "Only you can stop my daughter now.." And Azar was the only one Kincaid could turn to right now.

Subito was the only one who did not speak, as he felt nothing could be said that would help Azar.

"There is no need for words." In spite of the somber atmosphere, Azar had made the choice. "Since that day, I have been preparing for this confrontation. I am almost thankful that she forced the issue." He took a deep breath and faced the gate. "I will not think less of you if you choose to stay behind. But I am going, for our future and hers as well. Hope for me." Azar dove headfirst into it, moving into the unknown. "..Azar... " The gate stayed open. "No no no no! Not again! I will not let him run away again!" It was Shin who rushed into the portal after him, abandoning all doubts.

The journey was instantaneous, the experience similar to how a catalyst would travel. Before Azar could even take it in, he found himself in the new location. "...where?" He was inside a building, that was clear from the onset. "Wha!" Shin caught up to Azar before he could make out any details, nearly colliding into his friend. "Shin?" Azar had not actually expected anyone to come after him. "Hey. You didn't think I would let you do this alone, did you? That would the most miserable thing for a friend to do ever!" Just like that, Shin had forgotten he was ever afraid. "..Thank you." Azar did not know what else to say at this point. It was all Shin needed anyway.

"And you would be a fool if you believed I would not follow." A third person stepped through the portal; Subito. "Bro!" Shin cried out. "Were you honestly surprised?" Subito admired his brothers ability to get excited over everything. "Of course, I am!" But the hype was settling down, and Shin began to notice how off-putting their surroundings were. "Soooo.. where is this place?" They appeared to be inside a worn down hospital of sort, were everything had been stripped from the walls. Around them were various rooms of equal sizes, all with bare as a bone, except for a simple sturdy bed. And there were no windows.. anywhere.

"This is the world to me, for ten years..."

The answer was given by her, the girl in grey. "Necara." She stood there at the end of the hallway. This was their first direct encounter in three months. "What have you done.. to yourself?" And her condition had not improved since then. She looked worse now, veins were visible on her hands, bags under her eyes, and a constant cloak of destructive energy covered her. "I did what I was told... I was their perfect experiment; the only one who left this place how they wanted it." And her voice had become distorted and hollow, as if she stood in an endless void. "Do not think about leaving, do not wonder about the others, do not dream about the outside! They taught me, and I learned.. It was all for this."

"Then you know they are using you? The catalysts and the agency; they all want for you to be the sole owner of the Numbers." Shin could not understand why she would go along with being someone else's tool. "Because it does not matter. It is not important.. not anymore. They do not even know, only She knows.." She said as her twitching eyes turned to the two brothers. "Why are you here? You can not help him, you can not do anything! Your presence is pointless!" She motioned her hand, as if she was about to punish them for their interference. "Necara! You want to duel me. Then duel me! If nothing else matters, them being here should not be a problem!" Azar quickly stepped to the forefront to distract her. He activated his D-pad.

"It does not make sense. Why are they here? Why..." Though she seemed reluctant to even lower her arm, she pulled it back eventually. ""Close..so very close. And then finally.. peace and quiet. Yes. ahaha.." She looked up and put a wide grin on her face. "..ha." And then her expression turned as blank as a statue's. "Duel."

Azars LP: 8000 Necara's LP: 8000

With how fast she could move right now, she had drawn six cards and taken the first turn before Azar could even think about drawing. "Three cards. Turn end." And Necara placed half of her hand face-down in the spell/trap zone. "Only three cards?" Subito had expected more than that. Necara likely still ran her trap-oriented deck. And as she was the host of a Numberless, she could break the limits of dueling and set as many traps down as she wanted. Yet here she seemed to deliberately limit her backrow.

"I set a monster, and a trap card." But even three traps was too much of a risk for Azar to take on his first turn. He had to placed some defenses of his own. "And continuous spell card, Out of the Blue!" And there were other cards to set-up; cards he had added to his deck specifically to counter her playstyle. "End turn!"

"Is that it?" Necara observed Azars field with a scornful look. "You have become so weak, you do not deserve her anymore." She flipped the trap card, Needlebug Nest. It discarded the top 5 cards from her deck; including two Good Goblin Housekeeping cards and the Screaming Kaleidoscope trap. "But you will get her. You must learn how helpless you are." Then she activated the third Good Goblin Housekeeping trap card which she had set on her field the previous turn. It allowed her to draw one card, plus one for each copy of the Goblin trap that was in her graveyard. Though she also had to shuffle one card back from her hand into her deck. "Draw!" Yet only one card of the three drawn cards really mattered. _"She drew it.."_ The Numberless had entered her hand, Azar could sense its destructive will in his own heart. Necara then sent a random trap card back into the deck, and flipped a third trap card; Double Payback. "She is here, your destroyer." And by tributing that trap card, that card in her hand could be special summoned. The faceless dark angel of the End(9/1600/2500) was alive at last.

_Angel of the End - Numberless, 10/0/2500 Dark/Fairy  
__Cannot be normal summoned or set. Can not be be special summoned except by sending all trap cards you control to the graveyard.  
__You cannot summon or set monsters or activate spell and trap cards you control. You can only control 1 "Angel of the End - Numberless"  
__This card gains 200 ATK for each trap card in your graveyard. Once per turn, during either players turn, you can banish 1 Trap card from your graveyard to activate the effect(s) of that card._

_"This soon?" S_ome things were off this duel. _"Is this how she duels now with all of her power?"_ Numberless of the End was always saved for the end of her duels, right now it was not too threatening with only 8 traps in the graveyard. Instead she was now placing traps from her hand down after the Angel had been summoned; all four of them. "Screaming Kaleidoscope." And the angel itself targeted one of the traps in the grave for its banishment effect. The banished Kaleidoscope could target two of her set cards and turn those set traps, Fatal Abacus and Overlay Connect, into trap monsters. Those monsters would be reflections of the only real monster on her field. The End spread its wings and two more of the Numberless(1400/2500). It was the same combo as before.

But this time Azar was ready. "I activate the effect of Out of the Blue!" He took his continuous spell card off his field. "When an effect targets a card in the grave, Out of the Blue destroys itself.." The exploding spell's blast spread out over the entire hallway. "And! All cards in my opponents grave are returned to the deck!" The seven remaining traps were shuffled back into Necara's deck. "Yeah, Awesome!" Shin bursted out with cheers as he realized what Azar had done. "No cards, no attackpoints, no powers.." Subito was quietly impressed as well. Azar had chosen a very good card against Necara's keycard.

And yet... Necara did not seem to be disturbed by this. "..Is that your hope; that you can fool me? You believe we have reached our limit?" Necara placed the three angels between her fingers. "No.. it will get much worse for you." And she started to attach them to a Xyz-monster in her extra deck.

_"Numbers!?"_ The End and her reflections remerged into a new monstrocity, an immensely long red-spiked and black-scaled wyvern(9/0/0). "Number 92: Heart eartH Dragon!?" It was a card Azar could not forget, a terror that had forced him to evolve his powers a third time. Back then it was special summoned with another Numbers effect, but it could also be Xyz-summoned with three level 9 monsters as the materials. "You..even got rid of her?" Meanwhile Shin was absolutely shocked that Necara would attach her most favorite card to this thing. "She lives on, inside." Necara placed her hand on her chest. "She is always with me, until the last heartbeat." Necara pointed her finger towards Azars set monster. "Attack." The dragon unleashed its energy breath on Azars set monster. "Ugh. All damage she takes, will be returned to me." Azar remembered the dragons continuous effect. As his face-down Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb(4/1800/400) was hit by the breath, it washed over it and hit Azar. Fortunately the damage reflected towards him was minimal, as Gebeb's defense was not too high either. "Turn...End..."

Azars LP: 7600

"This is not beyond my expectations yet, Necara. I even planned for your Numbers!" Azar drew his card. He needed a better hand. "Cards of Consonance, I discard a tuner dragon-monster with less than 1000 attackpoints to draw 2 cards!" Azar discarded a Labradorite Dragon, and drew twice. However.. so did Necara. "You!?" Azar noticed she had flipped two continuous traps; Solemn Wishes and Appropriate. The latter allowed her to draw twice whenever Azar would draw outside his draw phase. And at the same time Solemn Wishes would increase Necara's lifepoints by 500 every time she drew a card. "You can not stay run.." Necara would always have more cards than him this way. She must have known; Azars only hope was the ability of Number 39: Utopia. With Hope Draw he could draw himself out of any situation. He just had to believe that was enough to last against her 97 Numbers.

Necara's LP: 8500

"Nothing is certain." Azar normal summoned the black armored wyvern, Dragard(4/1300/1900). "Dragard summons a normal-type monster with less than 1000 attackpoints, form my graveyard." Azars new dragon revived the one he had just discarded, the dark mineral dragon; Labradorite Dragon(6/0/2400). "Then. I use Dragard's other effect; tributing a card to strengthen a monster and raise its level to the 8th stage." Dragard chose to sacrifice the golden sand dragon Gebeb, and to increase its own(8/2100/1900) stats. "Because I tributed the Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb, that monsters own effect is activated. I can special summon a "Hieratic" normal dragon from my deck. And I summon the Hieratic Seal of the SunDragon Overlord!" The golden sealed sphere of the sun dragon(8/0/0) appeared within the building, glowing like a solar body itself. "I take it and Dragard, and attach them to a monster in my extra deck, to the Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand!" Both Hieratic Seal and the wyvern Dragard were overlayed. A powerful knight(8/2800/1800) in draconic winged armor took the place of the two dragons.

"Felgrand can target one monster on the field, and negate its effects! That monster also becomes immune to all other cards!" The dragon knight slashed through one of its xyz materials with its sword and hit Number 92: Heart eartH Dragon with the shattered energy. "Now your dragon can no longer reflect damage, and it can be destroyed by even a non-Number monster!" Felgrand had been Azars prepared answer for most Numbers he would face in the future. "Felgrand, attack!" And his divine warrior had almost been succesful too. Only its sword was absorbed into a magical shield of sorts. "Draining Shield!?" Shin, Subito and Azar all saw the trap which Necara had silently activated, a trap that negated an attack and turned the attackers strength into healing energy.

Necara's LP: 11300

_"Damn. I should have used Felgrand's ability on itself!" _Azar could have avoided her traps that way, if Felgrand was immunized to card effect(s). But then Heart eartH Dragon would have survived as well, and been able to use its other effect to banish all other cards Azar would summon or set this turn. "..Main phase 2. I activate White Elephants Gift!" Azar used a spell to sacrifice his normal monster, Labradorite Dragon, and draw two new cards. "Azar. What are you doing!?" Subito asked rather loudly. As this move allowed Necara to draw twice as well. Appropriate was still active. "What I have to. I need as many cards as possible to defend myself." Azar activated yet another drawing spell, Super Rejuvenation. "I discarded one dragon from my hand and tributed another dragon on my field. So during the endphase, I may draw two cards!" And he did so. Once again this granted Necara a pair of cards. And each time Solemn Wishes added 500 lifepoints to her already quite daunting total. "My turn is over.."

Necara's LP: 12300

"Everything you do, only adds to your torment. I grow stronger every turn." Necara drew a card and gained another 500 lifepoints. "No. Of course. _We_ grow stronger!" And she activated one of the seven cards in her hand; Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force. "Oh no!" Shin gasped. The spell targeted Heart-eartH Dragon, evolving it into the tenth rank. At the same time Felgrands remaining Xyz material was stolen by Chaos Force, and placed between the four other Xyz-materials that this new monster(10/1000/0) surrounded itself with. "Chaosnumber 92: Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon!" Its body had turned ghostly white, and its heart was now throbbing and bulging with chaotic magic. "And stronger.. stronger!" Necara laughed to herself, as her eyes became as bloodshot red as her Chaos Numbers heart. "Spell card; Chaos Field!"

_Chaos Field, Field Spell  
__Once per turn: detach 1 Xyz Material from a "Number C" or "CXyz" monster you control; select 3 random Xyz monsters in your extra deck; target 1 of them.  
__Special Summon from your Extra Deck, a "Number C" or "CXyz" monster that is 1 Rank higher than the targeted monster, by using it as the Xyz material. Send the other  
selected Xyz monsters to the graveyard.  
__If you do not control a "Number C" or "CXyz" monster, banish all but 1 Xyz monsters from your extra deck. You can not normal summon or set monsters while you control this card._

The entire landscape was transformed, the colorless hospital was painted with a hellish glow, and crystals pierced through every wall and floor. The crystals resembled the shape and texture of a chaos monsters Xyz material. Half the building was crushed by these crystals. "Chaos Field?" Azar did not know this spell. She had to have created it herself. And its power was so immense, Azar felt like his eardrums could burst. "I was not just talking about Her. I have your Chaos as well! Inside me, it has become more than you could ever make it!" She casted a hatefilled glare at her surroundings. "Chaos showed us the truth. All that is created must be destroyed, all that is order will turn to disorder. This place, everything it was made for.. it was already rotting. It will cease to exist, everything will."

Necara detached one material from the Chaotic dragon. "Once a turn, out of three random choices, the field will chaos summon an Xyz monster from my extra deck!" Before Necara the Numbers 22, 54 and 96 appeared; Zombiestein, Lions Heart and Dark Mist. "We chose that which you will know! We chaos evolve Dark Mist!" The black oil devil was chosen to ascend into the next rank. Dark Mist's shadow appeared inside one of the crystals, while its solid form turned beastly. It stood down on its four legs, while its eyes of fire moved to the side of its body. It had turned into Chaosnumber 96: Dark Storm(3/1000/1000). "Instant chaos?" Shin stared at it numbstruck. That card was insane! "Dark Storm. As it has Dark Mist attached, you will have to suffer its skills." Necara detached Dark Storms only material from it, and two spikes of crimson light jutted out from the demons back.. which they plunged into Felgrand's chest. "Argh!" Whereas the normal Dark Mist only drained half its targets attackpoints, Dark Storm drained everything. Felgrand was stripped of his(0/1800) strength. That strength had been sucked into Dark Storm(3800/1000). "Death." And the chaosnumber unleashed its new power as a torrent of dark matter that consumed the flesh and metal of the Divine Dragon Knight.

Azars LP: 3800

"Ngghhh!" Azar's heart started beating erratically as he shared the pain that Felgrand endured. With that level of damage, it might as well have been a direct attack. And he would soon receive one of those as well. "Direct attack!" Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon wanted to inflict pain as well. It fired its own dark thunder breath and blasted Azar against the crystal walls, charging his body with electricity. "Ngah!"

Azars LP: 2800

"Azar!" Shin shouted again. But before he could get in close to help his friend, more sharp crystals appeared from the floor to stop him. "Hey, what is the idea?!" He was this close, and yet he couldn't do anything. "That is what helplessness is. You are not affecting anything, you can not!" Necara raised her hand above her. "Chaos Number 92 has the power to turn all suffering into a blessing!" The dragon used its continuous effect, spreading restorative curing magic from its horns which cascaded downwards. Necara soaked it up and her life shot up by 4800 points. "She gains the life that she takes from Azar?" Sweat started to roll down Subito's face. Every minute she was increasing her lead. "This is your hopelessness. Your defeat is inevitable!" Necara then placed four trap cards from her hand down in her trap/spell zones. "WE are inevitable! You can not stop this, you can not stop the End!"

Necara's LP: 17100

"Nothing is hopeless." But Azar managed to crawl back up. "I have not lost..yet.. Necara." And he drew his card, under considerable strain. "You wanted to test me, to see if I would give fall in despair like you have. But I have not, and I will not begin to now!" In his mind he knew what he had to do next. He had to fight her Numbers, with his..

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)28: A Faint Horizon)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Labradorite Dragon  
Divine Dragon Knight Felgrand

-  
Out of the Blue

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Number 92: Heart-eartH Dragon  
Number C92: Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon  
Number 96: Dark Mist  
Number C96: Dark Storm

_-  
Chaos Field (+)_

-  
Good Goblin Housekeeping

_(+ Based on the Spell used by Dark Mist in Yugioh Zexal)_


	30. Cipher (1)28: A Faint Horizon

**Cipher (1)28: A Faint Horizon**

Azars LP: 2800 Necara's LP: 17600

It was his turn. "Divine Dragon Apocralyph!" Azar normal summoned the apocalyptic dragon(4/1000/1500) of heavens fire. "Its effect switches one card in my hand, for a dragon in my graveyard!" Azar discarded a Skill Prisoner trap card and added Dragard back to his hand. "Next; Black Dragon Collapserpent!" Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon King was banished from his graveyard, so that Azar could special summon the black hole wyvern(4/1800/1700) from his hand. "Necara. You wanted to see what I could do, when I only had hope to cling to. I will show you the kind of strength I have gained. And I will show you that there is more to living than death!" Azar stacked his two monsters so that they could be attached to a rank 4 monster. "I Xyz-summon Number 39: Utopia!" And he brought out the warrior of hope and wishes; Utopia(4/2500/2000). "Thanks to our connection to Chaos, I can control this Number again, and with it. I will slay that which powers your field! Utopia attacks Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon!" Utopia flew forwards and stabbed the chaos dragon(9/1000/0) with its blade. If it died, Necara's Chaos Field would be rendered powerless.

Necara's LP: 16100

"Hope? Hope can not touch us! Hope can not outlast despair!" Necara shouted, as Chaos dragon knocked Utopia back with it tail. "That did not kill it?" Shin cringed as he saw Number C92 heal the cut Utopia had made in its scales. "Chaos Dragon can not be destroyed in battle, even by Numbers." Necara explained, while Azar placed a trap down and ended his turn. And as she drew her card, Solemn Wishes gave her 500 lifepoints.

Necara's LP: 16600

"Despair is the true nature of living, hope is a delusion. Everything ends, people can either accept that or live in a lie!" Necara activated the effect of Chaos Field again. One of her Chaos dragons four materials were detached, and three Numbers from her deck were selected. Out of three (10: Illumiknight, 30: Acid Golem & 65: Judge Buster), she chose the third. Judge Buster chaos evolved into an imperial scythe-wielding demon(3/1600/0) "Chaosnumber 65: King Overfiend! No monster you control may use its power!" While the Overfiend had Djinn Buster attached to it, Utopia' could not use its effect to negate attacks. "Chaosnumber 96: Dark Storm attacks Utopia!" And the chaotic storm demon(3/3800/1000) was all too eager to destroy Utopia.

Except he would not get his way. A colorful ball with eyes and paws appeared. "Control only refers to monsters on my _field._ I activate Rainbow Kuriboh's effect from my _hand!_" The Kuriboh equipped itself to Dark Storm. "Your monster can not attack while Rainbow Kuriboh is equipped to it, and King Overfiend can not negate the effects of a monster that is only on the field as an equip card." With this move, he had sealed her offensive for this turn. Dark Storm was the only chaosnumber that could overpower Utopia in a straight-up fight. "Hope Draw.." Necara was not surprised that Azar had managed to escape the attack. The power of Utopia was all that was keeping him alive. "Turn end.."

But that power could only get him so far Azar knew this. He needed more than just his Numbers. On this field Chaos monsters and their effects were unstoppable. And Azar had his own Chaos cards. _"Chaos." _Azar closed his eyes. _"Chaos. I am here now. Can you hear my thoughts?"_ The only thing left was his bond with Chaos, with the seed that he had taken from Dakar. _**".. weak."**_ Words did return to him, echoing between all the Chaosnumbers. _**"She holds me, holds part of me that I do not exist as. I can offer.. little.." **_It said, his voice growing more faint by the second. _"Whatever you can give..is enough." _Azar placed his hand on his deck. "It will have to be!" And Azar pulled the top card of. "Chaos Draw!" It was a Chaos Weapon. "What?" Much to Subito and Shins amazement.

"I activate Chaos Weapon - Eagle Claw! If my opponents has 2000 or more lifepoints than me! I can summon this card and then equip it to to a Utopia-monster, and add 2000 attackpoints to it!" Utopia took the special summoned two-headed eagle(5/2000/1200) and converted into a claw-weapon that was strapped to his(4500/2000) arm. "Utopia, attack.." Azar needed to get rid of a certain Overfiend first. "Not allowed!" now Necara's answer was to flip her Threatening Roar trap, to silence any attack declarations Azar could make. "No Necara, you are mistaken! Eagle Claw can negate a trap's effect once a turn!" Yet Utopia cleanly cut through the trap card with his new Chaos Weapon and came after Chaosnumber 65. "Once.." However Necara had many more traps. She activated Staunch Defender, which forced Utopia to attack another monster: Dark Storm. "What?" The weaker chaos demon could not harm the light warrior, however neither could Utopia destroy Dark Storm. "Argh!" And the damage that Necara took from that attack, was taken from Azars life as well. "Dark Storm has one more power, that does not require Dark Mist as an attachment. It can not die in battle, and it returns the damage it takes to its attacker." The girl explained with a twisted look on her face. "Your hope has failed again, even with that part of..."

Azars LP: 2100 Necara's LP: 15900

Her sentence was cut short however. "!" She felt a shooting pain in her forehead and placed her hand in front of her eye. "Necara!?You are using too much power aren't you? No human can contain that!" Azar knew that if this duel continued, she would destroy herself. "I can hold this power. Nobody else!" She pushed the pain aside, even as veins on her hand started to pop and leak blood. Azar had placed two more cards down and passed the turn to her. "Chaos field activates!" After another 500 lifepoints from Solemn Wishes, she used her field spell's power for the third time. Two of the choices were Number 73: Abyss Splash and Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. But she went with the third, Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Grinder. "Chaos evolve!" The destructive puppet titan ranked up into a golden winged puppet; Number C15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Hunter(9/2500/1500). "Hope only deludes. Your hope will be your death! Giant Hunter can destroy your monster and inflict damage to its master equal to its attackpoints!"

Necara's LP: 16400

"Trap card: Skill Prisoner!" Azar reacted with haste. As the genocidal puppet targeted Utopia with sawblades coming from its stomach, a trap was activated from the graveyard. "Skill Prisoner chooses a monster I control, and any monster that targets it for its effects, has its own effects negated!" A hexagonal barrier appeared, and it deflected all the saws that Giant Hunter was firing.

"That was your last defense." Necara detached another material from Heart-earth Chaos dragon, leaving only the Numberless attached to it. "Number C92 can negate the effects of all face-up cards on your field!" The shrieking dragon spread dark stars of unholy magic across the crystallized ruins which blotted out all light. Not only had Utopia(2500/2000) lost the attackboost from its Chaos Weapon as well now. Rainbow Kuriboh could not hold Dark Storm back anymore either. "King Overfiend also can weaken its enemies monsters!" The demon overlord detached its last material to slash off a thousand attack and defense points from Utopia(1500/1000). "This is how it will end, Utopia!" Dark Storm began the siege.

"Quickplay spell card; Emergency Provisions!" But face-down cards could still be activated. "I sacrifice spells and traps I have, and recover 1000 lifepoints for each one!" Rainbow Kuriboh, Eagle Claw and one of his set traps were sent to the graveyard, and his lifepoints shot up to 5100. "That is not enough!" Dark Storm crushed Utopia with its dark claws. Though he could survive the attack now, he was left Azar defenseless as soon as Utopia died. But Azar would not be for long. "My sacrificed trap was Castle of Dragonsouls! When it is sent to the cemetery, it puts a banished dragon monster back to my field!" Azar used his traps' effect to special summon the banished Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon(8/0/0) in defense position. "It will die without even knowing it lived again!" Necara immediately had the Chaos Dragon kill it with its thunder breath. "And you will as well!" Now the Chaotic Gimmick Puppet came in for a direct attack, producing a gun turret from its own mouth.

Azars LP: 2800

"Rainbow Kuriboh had a second effect! When I am attacked directly, it can summon itself from my graveyard!" Except even this attack Azar could block, by bringing the seven colored critter(1/100/100) back in defense mode. It intercepted Giant Hunter's hail of bullets. "Why resist?! All you can do is die quickly or slowly!" Necara sent the King Overfiend to make the final attack of the battle phase, and a direct hit from its scythe brought Azars life down. Not to a fatal level, but the attack knocked the wind out of him and left him gasping for air. On the other side; Heart-earth Chaos Dragon healed Necara's lifepoints by the amount of battle damage she had inflicted this turn, increasing the gap between them even more. "You will see it, you will accept your despair!" She then activated the effect of a trap in her graveyard, Overlay Terror. It banished itself to re-attach an Xyz-monster in the graveyard to Chaos Dragon; that being the original Heart-eartH Dragon. Then she placed two more trap cards down and ended her turn.

_Overlay Terror, Normal Trap  
__You can banish this card from your graveyard to target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control and 1 Xyz monster in your graveyard; attach that monster from the Graveyard to that face-up Xyz Monster, as Xyz Materials. __You can only use the effect of "Overlay Terror" once per duel._

"I.." Azar tried to give her an answer, but the hits had taken too much out of him. He was too exhausted to even try doing anythimg.

Azars LP: 1200 Necara's LP: 20300

"Get up!" Until he heard a voice. "Azar, get up!" It was a womans voice, Ariels voice! She was awake? "You can not lose here! After everything you have done and said, are you going to let history repeat itself?" Dakar was here with her as well. He must have brought her here as soon as she recovered. "Yeah. You can do it!" And her presence reinvigorated Shin, who began to cheer as loud as he damn well could. "They have faith in you.. _I_ have faith in you." Korose too had shown up to lend aid in any possible way. "Azar. I think I am starting to see what Shin saw in you. I shall put my trust in you as well." Even Subito, finally, gave him his faith as well. That meant the most of all. All the while Necara's face contorted more and more with rage. "Nothing..this means nothing!" She loathed this, she could not stand their babbling.

"Everyone..thank you." Azar managed to stand up after all that. "Necara. It's my turn." He said as he drew his card. "Not possible. Empty words can not have any effect on you!" She insisted. "Their words were not empty, Necara. They have a greater effect than you can imagine..." Still within the draw phase, Azar activated the final trap card on his side. "As long as I have people to fight for, I will fight for the future! I activate the trap: Escape for Hope!" Azar paid 1000 lifepoints. "With this I can draw a card for every 2000 point difference between our lifepoints!" Necara had a over ten times that amount, and he held a mere 200 lifepoints, so.. "I draw ten cards!"

Azars LP: 200

"Ten?" Necara's eye twitched. Her opponent now had 12 cards in his hand! "You can not be tricked, any defense will inevitably fail. So the only way to catch you off guard is by hitting you with what I draw in my turn! I activate the spell card, Flying at the Speed of Light, which automatically normal summons a monster from my hand; Dragard! And Dragard's effect special summons Labradorite Dragon from my graveyard!" Just like the last time, as soon as his armored wyvern(4/1300/1900) appeared it revived the normal crystal dragon(6/0/2400) who had less than 1000 attackpoints. "And I tune them together!" Labradorite was a tuner monster, so it and Dragard could form a level 10 synchro monster together. "I synchro summon Drascension the Supreme Sky Dragon!" Azar brought out the holy white dragon(10/8000/3000), with wings like a mantle and golden spikes around his neck. There was a reason it was so monstrously powerful. "Drascension gains 800 attackpoints for each card in my hand when it is summoned!"

_Flying at the Speed of Light__, Continuous Spell  
__When this card is activated; normal summon 1 Dragon type monster from your hand, in addition to your normal summon of the turn.  
__During either players turn, you can send this card to the graveyard; send 1 Tuner and 1 or more non-Tuner monsters on your side of the field to the graveyard,  
__special Summon 1 Synchro Monster from your extra deck, with the same type as the targeted Tuner-monster, and whose level is equal to or 1 less than the total Levels of the sent monsters.  
__The summoned monster is sent to the graveyard at the start of your next main phase._

_"And.. Chaos.. you are with me as well."_ Among Azars other cards was one that had been created by Chaos Draw, one that would aid him greatly. "I can normal summon again. I summon V-Salamander!" A winged red salamander(4/1500/300) with a golden mask and four snakes for arms appeared from a sea of flames. "V-Salamander revives an 'Utopia' monster!" The salamander brought Number 39: Utopia(2500/2000) back to life. So that Azar could immediately rank it up. "Limited Chaos Force!" The rank-up-spell overlayed Utopia to chaos evolve it into the devil knight; Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray V(4/2600/2000).

"You have..a new chaos xyz?" Necara was stunned, for the first time since this duel began. "Chaos granted it to me. Part of him will always be with me. Did Chaos not tell you this?" It seemed like Necara was not in full control of Chaos after all. "I can equip V-Salamander to Utopia Ray V" The salamander burned up and surrounded Utopia Ray V with flames. "By negating its own effect and detaching a material, Utopia Ray V gains a new power." The V-card transformed into a series of blade-barrels on the dark warriors back. "Utopia can destroy all my opponent's monsters and inflict 1000 points of damage for each one!" Four shots were fired, each hitting a Chaosnumber. A damaging and violent explosion followed.

Necara's LP: 17300

"He did it!?" Ariel gasped, clasping her hands together. "No. There should have been more damage." Dakar counted only three destructions, as Necara only lost 3000 lifepoints. "Xyz Tribalrivals!" Necara's enraged cries came through the smoke, and a continuous trap card was revealed. "That card?" Azar had seen one of those before. Tribalrivals would protect any Xyz monster with more than 2 materials attached to it. Dark Storm, King Overfiend and Giant Hunter were gone; only Heart-earth Chaos Dragon with its 2 materials had survived V-Salamanders effect. When that one was the one that had to be destroyed.. it and the Numberless attached to it.

"Necara. I know you want to keep that one alive. It represents all you have. But they are not all you _can _have." Azar activated the spell card, Hieratic Seal of Supremacy. "I can special summon a Hieratic Dragon from my hand." The spell summoned the moonlight dragon, Nebthet(5/2000/1600). "Then, I activate the spell; Sacred Serpents Wake! Because I control at least two monsters that are either a synchro, xyz, fusion or ritual type, I can add a monster from the grave back into my hand." With this Azar placed the Chaos Weapon - Eagle Claw back into his hand. And as Necara still had more lifepoints than him, he could special summon it again. That will not work twice!" Necara shouted. Eagle Claw alone was not enough to overpower her Chaos Number. "That was not my intention." Azar took a card from his extra deck, one that had started glowing since the turn began. "I will use a new Weapon, an Xyz-weapon! I overlay Nebthet and Eagle Claw to summon Chaos Weapon - Leo Arms!"

Moonlight and wind energy were mixed together. They formed a mechanical lion of silver(5/3000/1200), with gold-plated manes and ruby-red claws. "A Chaos Weapon Xyz-monster?" Nobody would have thought that such a thing could exist. "How? How can you keep creating such cards?" Azar was pulling off miracle after miracle. Necara detested it, hated it! "Because I believe, and people believe in me.. and Chaos believes in me. Chaos has been fighting against you this entire duel!" Azar detached 1 material from Leo Arms. "Leo Arms can add any Chaos Weapon in my deck to my hand!" Azar searched his deck and found the one he wanted. "I take and equip; Chaos Weapon - Unicorn Spear!" Utopia Ray V was given the same golden spear(4/1900/0) that had slain the regular Number 92 all those duels ago. The one that Necara feared in their last duel. "And Leo Arms can also equip itself to a Utopia monster!" Leo Arms became a massive blade in Utopia's arms, as did the Unicorn Spear. The Unicorn and Lion added their own attackpoints to that of Azars Chaosnumber(7400/2000). "Utopia Ray V, attack Heart-earth Chaos Dragon!" the two remaining Chaosnumbers were about to clash with one and other.

"No. No! NO!" But not if she had her way. "Not.. allowed!" Scrapiron Scarecrow was activated on her field, and it negated Utopia's attack and then set itself face-down again. "Oh no! After all that, she still stopped him?!" Shin felt like pulling his hair out, this duel was that insane. "No. Shin. this was what I expected." But Azar had grown accustomed to Necara's many defenses. "That is why.. Leo Arms can sacrifice itself, and give Utopia a second attack on a monster this turn!" Utopia Ray V took its own crimson blade and swung it around to build up momentum. "What!? No! That is not.." None of Necara's traps could stop a second attack. "I am sorry, Necara.. Ann. But I am going to break your bond with Chaos!" Utopia Ray V(4400/2000) finally threw away Leo Arms with such speed that it ripped through the Chaos dragons heart in one massive surge. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Necara's LP: 13900

The scream Necara unleashed, as both her Chaos number and her Angel of the End ended up in the graveyard, was soul-chilling. "Oh god." To others it sounded like Azar had torn out her own heart as well. "Ahhhhh..a...ha.." Yet if she was agonized over that loss, she did not show it for long. "Ha..haha...HAHAHAHAAH!" Her laughter began, while at the same time her field spell started to crackle with lightning. "This.. This can not be good!" Dakar then saw all but one of the cards in her extra deck banish themselves. And also all the red crystals around them started pulsating, like a beating heart...or a ticking bomb. "Chaos is gone.. but The End is not!" Necara looked at Azar with a completely changed expression, her anger was replaced with a smile of pure joy. And her pupils had become white as a sheet. "Die, death, dead! The Numbers are all going to END!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)29: Ex Nihilo Ad Nihilo)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Divine Dragon Apocralyph  
_Chaos Weapon - Eagle Claw (+)  
_Drascension the Supreme Sky Dragon  
V-Salamander  
_Chaos Weapon - Leo Arms (+)_

-  
Emergency Provisions  
_Flying at the Speed of Light  
_Sacred Serpents Wake  
Hieratic Seal of Supremacy

-  
Hope for Escape

_(+ Chaos Weapons based on Zexal Weapons, but renamed for story purposes)_

**New Cards used by Necara  
**Number 65: Djinn Buster  
Number C65: King Overfiend  
Number 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Grinder  
Number C15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Hunter

_-  
Overlay Terror  
_XYZ Tribalrivals


	31. Cipher (1)29: Ex Nihilo Ad Nihilo

**Cipher (1)29: Ex Nihilo Ad Nihilo**

Azars LP: 200 Necara's LP: 13900

"That is what you want? The destruction of all Numbers?" Nearly a hundred cards in Necara's extra deck were sent to the grave by Chaos Field; all of them Numbers. "What about the catalysts, the agency?" Ariel could not believe either of them would have given their blessing to this goal. "Meaningless. All meaningless. Their little conflicts and insignificant schemes; it is all the same. It is all a part of the lie to distract them from the inevitable." Said the girl who had never looked happier. It was a joy of emptiness and for emptiness. "She does not like their lies. She does not like their existence. The only one she loves..is me, because I accepted her truth." Necara activated two of her trap cards; The Transmigration Prophecy and Right Arm Offering. The former shuffled two cards from the graveyard back into her deck; Numberless - Angel of the End and Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force. The latter discarded a card from her hand and searched the deck for that very same Numberless, before putting it in Necara's hand. "I will help her end the lie. The destruction of the Numbers will start the countdown to the destruction of all; of this world and their world!"

_Right Arm Offering, Normal Trap  
__Send all cards from your hand to the graveyard. Draw cards from the top of your deck until you draw a monster.  
__Reveal the monster card and add it to your hand. Also shuffle the remaining drawn cards back into the deck._

The crystals of Chaos field were pounding, they had the same rhytm as a heartbeat.. her heartbeat. It was going faster and faster. "Necara, I understand why you think the way you do. But you are the one who was lied to. I have to destroy that lie for you!" This was madness; there was too much at stake now for Azar to lose. "My battle phase is not over yet!" The trap XYZ Tribalrivals had destroyed Utopia Ray V as it had battled an Xyz monster with multiple materials attached. But Azar still controlled Drascension the Supreme Sky Dragon(8000/3000). "Drascension, direct attack!" His holy dragon let a beam of divine judgment descend down on Necara.

"You do not see.." Necara smiled and activated her last trap card; The Living Grenadier. "That!?" Her trap monster(3/1300/1100) made from grenade rings, fastened one belt around Drascensions neck and blew the dragon to chunks. Azar was only spared effect damage, as Drascensions had zero original attackpoints. "Rgh. Drascension resummons its materials when it is destroyed!" And Azar could also place Labradorite Dragon(6/0/2400) and Dragard(4/1300/1900) back on the field. "I set two trap cards and end my turn."

_The Living Grenadier, Continuous Trap  
__Activate only when your opponent's monster declares a direct attack. Destroy a face-up monster on the field, and inflict damage to both players equal to half that monsters original ATK.  
__After activation, special summon this card; it is treated as an effect monster card (3/1300/1100 Dark/Machine). (This card is also still treated as a Trap card.)  
__You can not chain to this cards effects. You can not summon monster cards from your hand, deck or graveyard during the turn this card is activated._

"There is no such thing as a destiny, no such thing purpose..nothing. It is all chaotic. The one constant is that they End." Necara drew her card, gained 500 lifepoints from Solemn Wishes, and then she destroyed that card along with Appropriate, XYZ Tribalrivals and the Living Grenadier, to special summon the Angel of the End from her hand. There were six other trap cards in her graveyard, so the Numberless(2000/2500) gained ten times 200 attackpoints in total. But it only needed one trap. "Your hope is gone, now the rest..Living Grenadier." As Numberless could banish traps and activate their effects without having to wait for their conditions to be met, the Grenadier could unleash its agonizing effect right away. A ring of energy was carved into the air by her angels(1800/2500) glaive, and it spun towards Dragard.

Necara's LP: 14400

"I activate the second effect of Flying at Lightspeed! By sending it along with two dragon monsters to the grave, one of which a tuner, I can special summon a dragon from my deck, which stays on my field until my next main phase!" With a speed that the card called for, Azar sent both Dragard and Labradorite Dragon to his graveyard. "The synchro monsters can have the same level as their combined level, or a level that differs by one star!" Their levels added up to a ten, so Azar could synchro summon a level 9 dragon; a shining silver-scaled dragon(9/2500/3000). "My choice is Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" Upon entering the crystal-red ruins, the dragon released a deafening cry that dispersed the ring of energy. "No dragons can be destroyed during the turn Azure-Eyes is summoned, and during the next turn!" Azar had secured protection for his next move as well, which he desperately needed at this point. "We were wondering how you'd crawl out of that hole. But you are fooling yourself, and those around you, if you think you can ever touch Her." Necara ended her turn, her smile not fading in the slightest.

"Don't listen to her, Azar! We are with you one hundred and ten percent!" Shin shouted. He had grown sick of Necara's words. "I know you are, Shin. I know.." Azar drew another card and then moved to the next phase. "During my standby phase, Azure-Eyes can special summon a normal monster from the graveyard. I select the Hieratic Seal." The Silver Dragon shot a hole into the ground. Then golden rays shined upwards, rising from the golden sphere of the Sun Dragon Overlord(8/0/0). Then as the main phase began, Flying at Lightspeed destroyed Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon. "My next monster I can normal summon without tributes, by reducing its attackpoints by 900; I summon Hieratic Dragon of Eset!" Even more sunlight illuminated the field, as the golden dragon of the sun; Eset(5/1000/1200) appeared underneath the Seal. "Eset can target a normal dragon I control, and all Hieratic monsters change their level to match the targeted cards!" Eset targeted the Hieratic Seal and 3 stars were added to the effect dragon(8/1000/1200). "I xyz-summon Number 46: Dragluon!"

At last, there was the final Number Necara needed to conquer; the ethereal pearl-white and green feather-bearded dragon(8/3000/3000). "Dragluon has three powers which I can use when I control no other monsters. I use the first; special summoning a dragon from my hand!" Azar placed down a highlevel wyvern(10/4000/4000). It had spikes instead of claws, and transparent skin on its chest which showed off its glowing beating stomach. "Soul Drain Dragon. This card can only be summoned by the effect of a dragon-type Xyz monster. It can not attack directly and can not inflict damage in the turn it uses its powers. Which.." The dragon started inhaling ambient energy into its body. ".. is to gain attackpoints equal to the difference between our lifepoints!" Once it(18400/400) was done, its power far outstripped that of Necara's life and monster combined. "Attack!" Soul Drain Dragon bolted towards the Numberless.

"Useless." It would never reach the angel, as Necara had her monster(1600/2500) banish Threatening Roar from the graveyard. Its effect made attack declarations forbidden this turn, so Azars battle phase was useless to him. "...I set a card and end my turn."

"Draining Shield was in her graveyard. She could have activated that trap instead." By Subito's calculations, that move would have put her life above an intimidating thirty-thousand points. "She would have lost her angel, had she done that." Korose's counterpoint was that Dragluon could have attacked after Soul Drain Dragon in that scenario. "That is true. But has she thought about that, or does she just wants to keep The End alive at any cost." Subito had not forgotten how Necara had exploded every time something happened to that card.

"I can hear you." The girl glared at the two mumbling duelists. "You will never understand what we have.. You can not. You were raised in a world of illusions." Necara was about to draw her next card. "Necara. If The End is anything like Chaos, as another of the Numberless... Than all it is, came from your own mind." But if she was talking to them, Dakar would say something to her as well. "Chaos fed on my thoughts, grew into an independent being through me and Azar. It is the same as your Numberless. The End is merely reflecting what you are thinking deep down." And with her having been molded by Kapha to hold no desires, it was no surprise that The End grew into something devoid of desires; something this nihilistic. "NO! She is nothing like that! What we have..is greater than what you two had with Chaos!" Necara drew her card, which had started to burn with black flames. "This will prove it! We activate End Weapon - Nameless Grave!" A malformed and worn down tombstone cross broke through the crystals of Chaos field, and at the same time the black void that was the angels face expanded like a black hole.

_End Weapon - Nameless Grave, 1/0/0 Dark/Zombie  
__You can target 1 face-up "Numberless - Angel of the End" you control; and equip this card from your hand to that target.  
__You can negate the effect of the equipped monster that would prevent you from summoning monsters or activating spell and trap card(s).  
__The equipped monster can not be targeted by your opponents card effects. Once per turn, during either players turn you can send 1 trap card from your deck to the graveyard._

"Ann!" Before she could continue her turn, another person called out to her. "Ann! This is never what we wanted, what I wanted!" It was Kincaid. He had been carried through the portal by Xander. The director was still too weak to move on his own feet. "I know why Kapha made you, but I.. I wanted you for more than our agency. I wanted you as my daughter! I wanted to be there for you! I just.. couldn't." Unlike before, he was looking her straight in the eye. "You.." Those same eyes returned nothing but disgust. "I was your tool, and I was your lie. You wanted a family, because you lost the chance to make one on your own! Your love is a dream!" Necara took the other card in her hand, a spell card. "I will show you what your love has gotten you! A spell created by Chaos and End together: Rank-Up-Magic: Admiration of Death!"

"What kind of rank-up spells does she even have?" Xander could not even tell what was going on with the field. The duel looked utterly insane.

"The death of Numbers will be celebrated!" This spell took two Xyz monsters from each graveyard; Kincaids former number 73: Abyss Splash and Azars Utopia Ray V. The two rank 5 monsters would then be attached to a chaos monster that was one rank higher than them. "ChaosNumber 73: Abyss Supra Splash!" And Necara evolved her fathers sea-blue knight into a dark-blue lancer(6/3000/2000), whose inner body brimmed with crimson power. "Supra removes meaning from all strength. Any that battle alongside him, shall gain the power of their foes!" She could make any monster gain 14400 attackpoints during damage calculation, when an attack was declared on Soul Drain Dragon. Supra Splash itself pointed his lance at Azars card.

"Trap card: Relay Soul!" But then a young woman(1/0/0) with long silver hair and shining blue eyes entered the ruins. "This card special summons a monster from my hand! While that monster exists, I take no damage!" The Maiden with Eyes of Blue was what Azar had decided to summon. "She looks like..." The color of her hair and her skin, it reminded Kincaid of Necara herself. Necara seemed disturbed herself as well, moreso by Kincaid's comment. Though she tried to shake it off. "A coincidence...she.. I know Relay Soul. You will die, if she dies!" Necara she redirected her attack as a replay had occured when the Maiden was summoned. Relay Soul had a heavy drawback, it made the duelist lose the game if the summoned monster left the field. "Maiden with Eyes of Blue can summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck, when she is attacked! She then switches herself to defense position, and negates the attack!" That was why Azar had chosen a monster that was not entirely defenseless. The waterfall blasts fired by the ChaosNumber were evaporated by a stream of light that came from the brilliant dragon(8/3000/2500) with blue eyes. "That power does not go off again this turn!"

"XYZ Reborn, I special summon an Xyz monster from the cemetery!" Azars second trap came into play at this point. "Not allowed!" Though Necara already activated her monster's effect before his trap flipped up. "Royal Prison!" Using the EndWeapon equipped to Numberless, a Royal Prison trap card was sent into her graveyard. And then her numberslaying angel banished that trap to integrate its effect. "You die, now!" Royal Prison forbade any card from leaving the graveyard, including through XYZ Reborn. "Not today, not here!" In turn, Azar activated his third and final trap card. "Memory Loss! I negate your monsters effect and switch it to defense position!" The trap made Necara's angel forget that it was supposed to activate Royal Prison, and she took a defensive stance as well. And afterwards XYZ Reborn returned Felgrand the Divine Dragon Knight(8/2800/1800) to the field, and attached itself to the Knight as an Xyz-material. "Why.." Necara switched the Numberless back to attack position, and accepted her turn's end. "Why won't you die!? I have all the Numbers, I have all their powers! What do you have!?"

"You already know, Necara." Azar drew a card and entered the battle phase. Though her angel was still a threat, and she could not be affected by Fegrands effect now that she had been equipped with the Endweapon, Felgrand could protect the Maiden if Necara tried to target it. So Azar ordered Felgrand to attack the Numberless. "No.. I do not know..we.. we want an answer!" However Necara went with a card effect that did not target at all. "Nameless Grave!" Her equipped card sent Mirror Force from her deck to the graveyard with its effect, so that her angel could target it with its effect. "Maybe it was simply this, Necara. I had people to help me.. and people I had to help. Despair is not so strong, when you are not alone." Azar activated a quickplay spell from his hand. "Foolish Return! I return a card in the graveyard to your deck!" The spell targeted Mirror Force in the grave and bounced it back before Numberless could banish it. This had been another card Azar had added to his deck specifically for this duel. "Felgrand, attack!"

"No. You can't.. Abyss Supra!" Her chaosnumber shattered one of its chaos xyz materials and focused its energy into his trident. The energy passed on to the angel(4400/2500) who gained attackpoints equal to its attacker. "It does not matter. Relay Soul still cancels out all damage!" Azars lifepoints were shielded by the Blue-eyed Maiden, while Felgrand died while impaled on the angels glaive. "Dragluon!" Azar declared another attack. "Stop it." Necara detached a second material from Abyss Supra Splash, allowing Numberless(4600/2500) to destroy the attacking Number as well. But now her Chaosnumber was out of materials. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" And Azar still had two monsters left. "Stop it! Stop it!" The roles had been reversed, now Necara had exhausted all her cards and all her options. "Stop.." Blue-Eyes sent its brilliant light bursts into the black void of the End, making it implode in on itself. The Angel was drawn into her own nothingness and vanished from existence.

Necara's LP: 13000

"Gone.." With wide eyes Necara stared at the spot where her monster used to be. "All gone.." There was only one way this duel could end now. "Nothing..I have nothing left." Her hands were shaking. "She can not leave me!" And she smashed one of the pulsing crystals next to her. "She is gonna kill herself!" Ariel cried out as she saw Necara bring the sharp end towards her neck.

"No!" At that exact time Kincaids body ignored every nerve and moved on pure willpower. Kincaid rushed and grabbed his daughter by the wirst. "Ann! Do not do this! You are not alone!" He said as he wrestled in the shadow of his very own Number that she had corrupted. "No. You are.. you are..not with me!" Necara could not pull free. "I failed her.." And as the tears started coming down from her eyes, she let the shard drop to the floor. "No..No. Ann.. it's not your fault..." Kincaid held her in a tigh embrace. All the while the field of Chaos was going crazy. Everything trembled, Chaos had nearly reached its limit. "End it now!" Kincaid shouted.

"I shall. I attack Abyss Supra Splash!" Soul Drain Dragon attacked the dark sea lord and set its body ablaze. The attack ran through the rest of Necara's lifepoints and finished the fight once and for all. Every crystal of chaos shattered, the countdown to destruction had been halted.

Necara's LP: 0

Immediately Azar saw the consequences. Even as Necara was held by Kincaid, the Numbers moved out of her D-pad. They all transported themselves into Azars extra deck. Even the Numbers 1 through 9. "..What does this mean? I thought the collection of all Numbers did something devastating. Isn't this what we were trying to prevent?" Xander spoke up, now that everything had settled down. "Does he have them all?" Subito was not sure of that. he still had a copy of Dyson Sphere in his deck. "I do. But they do not feel the same." Azar had a Number 9: Dyson Sphere card as well now. "These must be the extensions that Chaos created. A good dozen of these are just placeholders. " Out of the Nine only the seventh Number, Lucky Straight, felt true to him. But then that was the catalyst he had actually defeated. "This is what they wanted. We just do not know what will happen now." Korose did not recall the catalysts describing how exactly they would destroy the human world and replace it with their own.

"Different question.. Shouldn't the world be going back to normal now?" The only change Shin saw, once the duel had ended, was the departure of Azars monster cards. The red moon still colored the skies.

"!?" And looking at that moon had been a mistake. It set of a reaction within Azar; his rewards had been twofold. "No.." A card inside his extra deck was starting to glow brightly, a card that had not existed among the Numbers before. "That looks.. familiar." It was Xander who realized what was going on. "It is happening! It's a catalyzation!" It was the same kind of glow that had come from his deck, when Number 96: Dark Mist had been created! "Catalysis..?" Azar took the card out. "Then this must be the hundredth seal?" The light rays dimmed, and the image on the card became clear. It was Number 100: Numeron Dragon. "The final Number that they were meant to create? One that can only be catalyzed in the body and mind of someone who holds all of their other Numbers.." This was what it all had been for.

"Gah!.." And then came the second reward, the regathering of a fragmented entity. _"Chaos!"_ Just like it had been when Dakar first found it and when Necara had taken it from him, Chaos was reborn inside him. Azars world grew darker around him.. His body was not his own anymore...

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)30: Indivisibles)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Eset  
Soul Drain Dragon

-  
Foolish Return

-  
Relay Soul

**New Cards used by Necara  
**_End Weapon - Nameless Grave  
_Number 73: Abyss Splash  
Number C73: Abyss Supra Splash

-  
_Rank-Up-Magic: Admiration of Death (+)_

-  
The Transmigration Prophecy  
Royal Prison

_(+ Admiration of the Thousands renamed)_


	32. Cipher (1)30: Indivisibles

**Cipher (1)30: ****Indivisibles**

"I know what this is." Azar spoke with a deeper and admiring tone, to the card int front of him. "The key for the hundredth seal, the proof that the catalysts required." It was a tone many found familiar, a voice usually reserved for a disguised duelist: Dusk. "It's.. him!" But even though Azar was wearing the Masked Raiders outfit still, his face was unmasked. Everyone could see his appearance change. "Chaos!" Azars hair had grown white, and his eyes red. This was the face of Chaos. "It's just like Ann." Kincaid said, comparing him to the girl who had become as quiet as the dead. "The End had changed her too." She used to have blonde hair, before she was sent through the rift.

"Chaos. How do you know these things? That card is proof of what?" Korose was more concerned with the Number 100 card right before them. "I am not just Chaos, agent. I am Azar, I am Necara, I am everyone who made use of my power. I have parts of their memories, their lives. I even have part of the Numbers.. That is how I know. This card is proof that humans can survive the Numbers. The Nine searched for a human who could hold all of their creations, to become a host for the last creation. And I.." Azars hand moved to take the card back. "Ggh!" Except the card fired sparks that repelled him. "What is the meaning of this?"

"If you are also Azar, why does it reject you? Azar was who won the Numbers." Subito stepped towards Azar. ".. Where_ is _Azar?" The fact that Chaos was in control did not sit well with anyone, least of all him. It did not matter if he sounded like Azar, if he sounded more human, he was not him. "You do not realize, it was I who kept Azar save from influence. I made sure the 46th could not influence him. If I had not taken over the minute the rest of the Numbers passed into him, he would have collapsed from the strain. That mind needs his rest." It explained. Subito did not look convinced.

"But everything should be alright..right? Chaos that helped Azar!" Shin came in between the two, before anything could break out between them. "Azar I trust. Him I do not. I never have." Now the part of Chaos that Necara had affected was inside Azar as well. He could not tell how that was affecting the creature's mind. "I am no longer the Chaos of then, nor am I tied to will of The End. Numberless is gone." It replied, as it narrowed its eyes. "Perhaps it is you who can not be trusted." Chaos made a jump backwards and stretched out his arm. The D-pad that Azar had been using up until now turned pitch-black. A small stylistic touch that Chaos had come to enjoy. "I can sense it inside you, elder Artega. The Ninth is directing your actions!" With his other hands he forged a set of cards to his side.

"Now I see, you wish to take the Number 9 from me as well." Subito did not even think about considering what this thing was saying. He took his D-pad and turned it on as well. "Bro! Aza-I mean-Chaos! Are you really doing this?" Shin cried out in disbelief. "We are." Chaos drew his cards and so did Subito. "What will this accomplish? Is now really the time to duel?" Ariel shouted. This made even less sense to her. "If Necara started this disaster with the power of Chaos. Then it should end with Chaos." Subito stated with an absolute certainty. "The damage is already done. You merely seek my power to control what happens next." Chaos rebuffed his claims and drew a sixth card. "But words will not convince you, you are already under its thrall. I shall force it out of you!"

Chaos' LP: 8000 Subito's LP: 8000

"We..I.. summon Umbral Horror Ghoul." Chaos brought to life the cloaked demonic beast (4/1800/0). He had not yet had the chance to recreate the EvilSwarm. "And as a monster was normal summoned, I may special summon Kagetokage from my hand." In the ghouls shadow, an invisible lizard(4/1100/1500) emerged. "Umbral Horror Ghoul shall use its power. It brings forth another Umbral Horror with zero strength, by nullifying its own." The Ghoul(0/0) opened his cloak and a creature of pure shadows and a red crown emerged; Umbral Horror Unform(4/0/0). "They shall become the materials for my new creation, The Unformed Void!" The two Umbral demons and the Shadow Lizard were thrown into a cauldron of darkness, overlayed to form a rank 4 monster none had ever seen before. The Unformed Void was a bloodred portal(4/0/0) surrounded by mutated black flesh that protruded in four directions. "I place one trap down. That shall be all for the present turn."

_Unformed Void, Light/Aqua 4/0/0  
__3 Level 4 monsters  
__Once per turn, during your opponent's Main Phase: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card gains ATK and DEF equal to the total ATK of all face-up Xyz Monsters your opponent currently controls (this is a Quick Effect).  
__If this card battles an opponent's monster, negate the effects of that monster that would prevent monsters from being destroyed by battle._

"So this is what you create, when you can not corrupt Numbers." While the others stared at it with varying levels of apprehension, Subito just saw it for what it was; emptiness made solid. "Polymerization." He activated the fusing card, fusing two Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragons in his hand together to form a photonic winged reptile(6/2400/1000) with two heads. "I have fusion summoned Twinheaded Photon Lizard." That Lizards effect was activated in turn, to separate the fusion monster into its components; both of the Galaxy-Eyed dragons(8/3000/2500).

_"The dragons..right away?" _Just like last time Kincaid was impressed with how Subito was using the dragons that his own Agency had created. And yet.. "I normal summon Planet Pathfinder. This card can be sacrificed to add a field spell to my hand." When Subito's alien planet rover(4/1000/1000) appeared and used its effect to find a specific field in Subito's deck. It became clear that the duelist had even bigger plans. "We choose Cosmic Battleground." The card that Subito claimed and subsequently placed in the field slot; transported him, his opponent and everyone watching to a star-filled expanse, putting an enormous distance between each person there. This field spell was support for Xyz-monsters. _"He is going to xyz-summon?"_ Kincaid did not understand, Subito did not have enough materials for Neo-Galaxy Eyes. "I use the two dragons and Xyz-summon Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" But he did have enough for the dark counterpart(8/3000/2500) to the Photon Dragon. This was something the director had not even been informed of yet. "An overhundred Number?"

_Cosmic Battleground, Field Spell  
__Destroy this card if there is no Xyz monster on the field. When a player Xyz Summons: They draw 1 card._

Subito then drew a card through his field spells effect and was about to end his turn. "These Numbers. I can sense them. They are a part of me, they are here because of me. You would use them against me?" Chaos detached one material from Unformed Void. "Their presence only enriches mine! Unformed Void gains the strengths of all Xyz monsters on the field!" Eyes opened inside the Voids black flesh, which covered Tachyon dragon in a red glare. After that a blackened copy of the dragon grew inside the Unformed mass(4/3000/2500), joined with the center. "And now.." Chaos let the turn pass.

"No. This has gone far enough!" Only for Shin to enter the match.

Shins LP: 8000

"What Shin! You can not do this!" Subito protested, louder than he normally would. "No. I can't let _you_ do this, neither of you!" Shin had taken the turn that came after his brothers. "You are not enemies! You are just being stubborn, so I am going to knock some sense into both of you!" He activated a spell card. "Gagaga Academy Emergency Network! You two control monsters and I do not, so I can special summon a Gagaga monster from my deck!" Subito summoned a Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000) to the cosmic field. "He uses his effect to raise his own level!" One more star was added to the Gagaga mage(5/1500/1000). As Shin wanted to control level 5 materials. "Then, Strength of Prophecy!" He normal summoned the redhaired female warrior caster(4/1500/1400). "Her level and attackpoints increase after I send a Spellbook from the graveyard back into my deck!" To get to that effect, Shin activated the Spellbook of Secrets. That Spellbook could add another Spellbook to his hand from his deck. Shin took a Spellbook of the Master. Then Strength of Prophecy shuffled Spellbook of Secrets back into Shins deck to raise her(5/2000/1400) own stats. "Xyz-summon: Empress of Prophecy!" Both Strength and Gagaga Magician crossed their magic and combined in the light. They formed the white queen(5/2600/1700) on her throne. She had gained 300 attackpoints for each of her materials. And Shin meanwhile drew one card due to Subito's field spell

"I know what you wish to do. I do not allow it." Chaos activated a continuous trap card. "Light Imprisoning Mirror! Monsters of the Light can not use their gifts!" A mirror opened, which sucked up the light surrounding the Empress and Number 107. "I remember your duel against Crystal, Shin. That is part of me too. I know what your Empress is capable of." Shins royal spellcaster could destroy both his and Subito's monsters if she got the chance. And he was not going to risk it. "Unformed Void, use your power once more!" Chaos now detached another material, and this time the Unformed entity grew clones of both the Galactic Tachyon Dragon and the Prophetic Empress in its repulsive body, adding both their attack and defense points to its(8600/6700) own.

"As your dragon is powerless.." He waited til Shin ended his turn. Which he finally did after he placed two cards down in his spell/trap zone. "I shall end its existence now!" The dark clones of Tachyon Dragon and Empress put their energy together and fired it towards Subito's Overhundred Number in one focused burst. "Tch." Subito braced himself.

"Trap card, Slip of Fortune!" But to his surprise, his brother came to his rescue. "I banish Tachyon Dragon for one turn, and negate your attack!' Subito's overhundred Number disappeared, and the Voids attack careened onwards into the infinite abyss of space. "In the end you would choose your brothers side." Chaos had expected it, thought it was still a bother. He placed a monster down and ended his turn. "That is what anyone would do for their family, Chaos! Haven't you learned that by now?" Dakar yelled at him. "I remember your feelings for your sister, former host. But family.. is not a bond that applies to me."

"Shin.." Meanwhile Subito looked at his brother, as Slip of Fortune returned his dragon to his field. Yet he did not smile, or even commend his actions. "I special summon Starship Spyplane. As my opponent controls a Xyz-monster." A round spaceship(4/1100/500) started flying through the dark expanse. "When summoned this way, it returns one spell or trap to its masters hand." The Starship hit the Light Imprisoning Mirror with a laserbeam and blasted it off the field. _"A wind-type monster? And another machine as well?" _Korose was surprised. He did not think Subito even ran anything outside the light attribute. "Then I normal summon Ruffian Railcar." Subito also put a charged up red train(4/1800/1000) before him, which rode around on tracks suspended in mid-space. "Earth machines too?..what is going on?" And the similarities started to trouble the onlookers, especially Ariel. "What do you mean?" Subito did not seem to understand why. "These cards..are like Prometheus's cards. Subito, why are you using them?"

"These cards are mine. I..altered my deck for this duel." Subito tried to explain. "Bro?" And yet..even Shin started to look at his brother with questioning eyes. "There is nothing wrong. Chaos attempts to deceive you. He.." Subito looked at a card in his own hand. "He shall have to be defeated by the same power that defeated Prometheus; his own power! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force!" Subito played the spell of Chaos evolution. It changed his material-less dragon into the golden threeheaded Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon(9/4500/3000). "You dare?" Chaos cursed. "I promised myself that I would take every measure to protect the ones I care about! I activate the second effect of Chaosnumber 107!" After Cosmic Battleground added a card to his hand, Subito tributed both his machines: Ruffian Railcar and Starship Spy Plane. "By sacrificing up to two monsters, it can attack three monsters this turn!" Subito detached one material from the dragon. "And his other power will negate the effects of all cards on the field!" The dragon unleashed its magic from its crimson crest, stopping time for all cards on the field and inverting the colors of space itself. "Attack!" The first head released a blast of golden flames that reduced the now depowered Unformed Void(0/0) down to space dust.

Chaos' LP: 3500

"You fool. You have been influenced ever since you first used that card." Chaos did not even feel pain from that attack, but it did ail his mind. "That card, that is not just my power." Argent Chaos Force was not like the regular Chaos force card, it felt different, debilitating "Enough of your lies!" Subito scoffed and continued his assault, the second Tachyon dragon head targeted Azars face-down monster, a black bat-like demon(4/1800/700) and blew it to pieces. "There is only one lie here, and you have just broken it youself! What you destroyed was XYZ Avenger!" The demons ghost appeared in the wake of the attack. "In death it forces my opponent to sever cards from his extra deck, equal to the rank of the Xyz Monster that destroyed it!" Nine cards in total would have to be discarded. "What?" Subito 's extra deck had never been too large, so he had to discard nearly everything.. and yet he choose to discard Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon.. and not the Dyson Sphere card. "Subito? Wh-why didn't you.." Shin was at a loss for words.

"He couldn't." Chaos stated with a grimace.

"I did not think I would have to give away the secret like that." The next time Subito spoke, a strange echo was added to his word; another voice! "It can't be! Gabriel?" And to Kincaid that second voice was like a shot from the past. "Yes. Old sport. It is me." Subito placed his hand in front of his face, and a bone-white mask grew on it. "Subito! What are you doing to him!" Shin screamed. "What do you think? His body is now mine!" Nine bolts sealed the mask. "Did you think you could destroy me just by destroying Dyson Spere? Did you think I would separate from my Number?" The newly masked Subito tapped the Argent Chaos Force card. "This particular spell was strengthened with my own essence. Because of that, I could transfer my consciousness to your brother who used it; slowly taking over his mind. A fortunate series of circumstances, my original plan had been to crush him after he chaos evolved his Number with his own Chaos Force card. But here we are!" Prometheus still had an attack left, Neo-Galaxy Eyes Tachyon Dragon's third head killed the Empress of Prophecy with a single shot.

Shins LP: 6100

"You were using Subito.. You used all of us. For what!?" Ariel wanted answers, everyone did. "For this." Prometheus no longer needed to be vague about them. "For Numeron Dragon!" The masked Artega pointed at the glowing card at the center of the Cosmos; the hundredth Number. "It is not just the final Number we needed to find a human host for, it is the most powerful creation. It is the code which will break the barrier between your finite world and our infinite world. It can grant all of life the power which only a hundred souls could experience before. And through this duel, I shall gain access to its miracles. This, Kincaid.." Prometheus gave his old friend a quick glare. "This is the mass production tool you always wanted!" Prometheus placed three trap cards down and ended his turn.

"I don't care. Give Subito back." Anger overcame Shin, more pure than anything he had ever felt. "I do not think so. I quite like living.." Prometheus chuckled. "Give him back, now!" Shin furiously activated the spell card; Spellbook Organization, which re-arranged the top three cards of his deck. Monster Reborn was one of them, and he placed that on top of the other two. "Draw!" Then he drew and activated that Monster Reborn to special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) from his own brothers graveyard. "Kincaid's Dragon? That card will not do anything against me now, young Artega!"

"Shut up!" Shins scream echoed across the cosmic void. "All of this.. because of you.. I am sick and tired of it. It has to stop! It will stop, right now!" And his screams resonated with the Number 100 card. "What? No!?" Prometheus turned to it with horror as he saw Numeron Dragon respond by sending out energy pulses. "It is reaching out to.." The energy waves drifted over Shin. "..." All of his rage had been replaced with a calming sensation, a sudden insight. "Yes." He opened his eyes and activated another spell, Gagagagrevenge, to put Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000) back on the field. "I uses Gagaga Magicians effect!" The mage doubled his(8/1500/1000) own level. "And I overlay it along with Galaxy-Eyes!" A rank 8 monster was about to be summoned. One whose existence was unknown to Shin. "The Numbers?" One of the Numbers in Azars extra deck shot out towards Shin and placed itself on top of his two level 8 monsters. "There is no mark.." Yet Azar did not see a Number branded on Shins body. Did this mean Shin was in control of the Number, even though he had never been in control before?

"A new Galaxy-Eyes!" The resulting Xyz monster looked like the photon dragon, but more armored, more immense, more powerful. It was Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(8/4300/3000). "The Numeron code.. rewrote the Number?" The dismayed catalyst found it difficult to look at. What was once a normal dragon Number, had now become another Galaxy-Eyes. This card had already gained 300 attackpoints as a Gagaga Revenge revived Gagaga Magician was attached to it. Shin also could draw a card thanks to the Cosmic field spell. "Leave him!" It was time for the battle phase. Shin knew already how this Number worked, it came naturally to him. "And do not come back!" By detaching a material from Prime Dragon, it would gain 200 attackpoints for each rank that each xyz monsters on the field held. Seventeen rank stars existed, so Number 62 gained 3400 attackpoints. "Destroy Chaosnumber 107!" The new photon dragon(7700/3000) pierced the golden dragon multiple times with beams of starlight from its body.

Prometheus' LP: 4800

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)31: The Pinnacle of Science)

**New Cards used by 'Chaos'  
**Umbral Horror Unform  
Unformed Void (+)  
XYZ Avenger

-  
Light-Imprisoning Mirror

_(+ Effect altered from the real life version to match the altered effects of Numbers)_

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon

-  
Gagaga Academy Emergency Network  
Spellbook Organization  
Monster Reborn

**New Cards used by Subito Artega/Prometheus  
**Planet Pathfinder  
Starship Spy Plane  
Ruffian Railcar

_-  
Cosmic Battleground_


	33. Cipher (1)31: The Pinnacle of Science

**Cipher (1)31: The Pinnacle of Science**

Chaos' LP: 3500 Shins LP: 6100 Prometheus' LP: 4800

Shin had always wanted a Galaxy-Eyes dragon of his own, and now he did. Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(4300/3000) had just destroyed his brothers Chaosnumber,.. "Go get him Chaos!" ..leaving him wide open. "You have finally chosen the right side, Shin." And Chaos would take advantage of that in his turn. "Umbral Horror Ghost, appear and force out another into this eternal darkness!" His new monster, a moaning cloaked corpse(2/200/200), could special summon itself and another lowlevel fiend from its masters hand. Though this effect prevented normal summons this turn. Another Umbral Ghost(2/200/200) was what Chaos summoned with it. "Merge and create.. Number !" The two ghostly demons abandoned their corporeal forms and were overlayed into one rotting pale-fleshed mutant(2/1200/300) "I draw one card thanks to your field spell, Prometheus. And my Xyz monster will attack you!" Tentacles shot out of the Ghast's body, which slammed against Prometheus. "One card is set, and our turn ends."

Prometheus' LP: 3600

_Umbral Horror Ghast, 2/1200/300 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__During either player's turn, when a Xyz monster is Xyz-summoned: detach all Xyz Materials from this card; destroy 1 Xyz monster on the field._

"Hgh. Are you sure you are okay with this? This is your friends body." The catalyst grunted, and so did Subito; their voices were still joined as one. Though this did not fool Shin in the slightest. "I know what it takes to save him, he knows it too!"

"Of course. He would even give his life to take me down with him." Prometheus scoffed and drew his card. "But accepting your own end is not a power, it is a weakness!" Because he controlled no monsters unlike his opponents, Prometheus could special summon a Solar Windjammer(5/400/1200) from his hand, with its original attack and defense points cut in half. "Last turn I summoned Ruffian Railcar. During that turns endphase, its effect gave me access to a level 10 machine in my deck." Now Prometheus normal summoned that machine, Night Express Knight(10/0/3000), without tributes; by reducing its original 3000 attackpoints to nothing. "Trap card: Marshalling Field!" And he flipped a continuous trap card face-up, and six crests appeared underneath his two monsters. "Marshalling Field grants all level 5 and higher machines, the ninth level!" Solar Windjammer(9/400/400) and Night Express Knight(9/0/3000) were now appropriate for his own true form. "We Xyz-summon Number 9: Dyson Sphere!"

It had come to it once more; the arrival of the great sun eclipsing machine(9/2800/3000),. This time it overshadowed one half of the Cosmic battleground. Bizarrely enough Prometheus did not merge with the Sphere this time. He stayed behind as the masked Subito. "Umbral Horror Ghast use your powers!" Chaos detached two materials from the grey specter. "Destroy his Number, now that it is summoned!" The specter tried to possess Dyson Sphere and corrupt it from the inside. "Guess again! Trap card: Warped Space." However space and time itself bent and twisted, the trap card redirected Ghast towards Prime Photon Dragon "Hey!?" The Umbral Horror entered Shins Number, which then slowly turned to stone and crumbled into cosmic dust. "Warped pace allows me to redirect any monster effect that targets mine!" Prometheus explained. With the xyz-summon succesfully completed, Cosmic Battleground allowed Prometheus to draw one card. "Tch. Light Imprisoning Mirror!" All Chaos could do at this point was use his continuous trap to reseal the effects of all light-type monsters again.

_Warped Space, Normal Trap  
__When a monster you control is targeted by a effect monster's effect or attack.  
__Switch the target to another appropriate monster your opponent controls. then set this card face-down again instead of sending it to the graveyard._

"That wont work on me anymore, Fallen. As I have summoned a monster with a rank higher than four." A ray of light escaped the enemy's graveyard. "Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force returns to my hand!" Prometheus reclaimed the used chaos spell. And he pointed it towards the 100th Number at the center of space. "Numeron Dragon, hear my demands! Grant me the miracles you have bestowed upon this vessels brother!" On it demands, Number 100 reacted immediately.

"Him too?" Dakar and the others in the audience could see the Rank-Up card literally change its form and effect in the catalysts hands. "Yes. This is it. This the power we searched for, which everyone searched for. It is mine now, Kincaid!" Prometheus laughed at the director before he activated his spell. "My path has trumped yours! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force! Dyson Sphere will evolve into the next rank, into a Xyz monster whose chaos has been turned to Order! And this spell negates the effects of all other face-up cards on the field!" The modified spell filled the darkness of the galaxy with a divine white radiance. That same radiance filtered out the effects of Light Imprisoning Mirror, rendering it harmless to Prometheus' monsters. "This is Order 9: Numeron Dyson Sphere!"

_Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force  
__Target 1 face-up Number Monster you control; Special summon from your extra Deck, 1 "Number" monster with the same Type as that monster you control, but 1 Rank higher, by using it as the Xyz Material.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)  
__Then, if any face-up cards are on the field other than this card and the monster summoned by it, negate the effects of those other cards._

Once it faded, Dyson Sphere(10/3600/3000) had completed its evolution into something far more monstrous and less mechanical, there was a core large enough to house several biodomes, surrounded by a ring and star-shaped extensions of dark matter and solar flames. "Numeron Force? You purified me?" Chaos had just witnessed a whole new form of xyz evolution, one he was not connected with. "Yes. Numeron has stripped the chaotic elements from the rank-up spell and made it into something we Numbers can use without corrupting ourselves. And it is all thanks to you, Fallen!" Numeron Dyson Sphere targeted Chaos' monster for an attack. "Like I will let you get away with this!" Shin however flipped his trap card. "Hyper Quick, I can draw the top card from my deck and activate it, if it is a spell!" Thanks to the earlier activated Spellbook Organization, Shin knew exactly what the next card in his deck was. He drew it and activated it. "Spell card, One Day of Peace! All damage is negated for the next two turns, and we all draw one card!" With his peaceful spell, Shin cancelled out the damage Chaos would take from this battle.

_Hyper Quick, Counter Trap  
__When this card is sent from the hand or field to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card, and if that card is a spell card, activate it._

"In that case." Yet the blast that Dyson Sphere released was not a destructive one. "Numeron Dyson Sphere can attach the monster is chooses to battle with, to itself!" It was a tractor beam, it caught Umbral Ghast and pulled it all the way into the ring of overlay materials that surrounded the star devouring machine. "You are strong. I can tell. But you are merely human, you can not hope to surpass someone like me." Prometheus placed a spell card down and ended his turn. "Why do you want to be strong anyway? What are you going to do now that you are this powerful?!" Shin asked as he placed a monster and a trap card down and ended his turn. "Why do you not ask this of Chaos. His existence is the same, he seeks only to corrupt and change Numbers. Evolution is in our nature, in human nature." Prometheus said with a scornful chuckle.

"That was once my only desire, Ninth. But I have evolved as well. I have learned..." Chaos was about to draw his card. "Wait. That is is it, isn't it? That is why..." But he pulled back his hand, and started to smile. "I should have allowed this from the beginning. I should have accepted that as strong as I was..I can not replace what came before me.. Not him." He closed his eyes, and once they were opened.. his irises gone back to blue and his hair reverted to its normal dark brown color "The Fallen.. returned his power, his control, to the human?" The entity give in so willingly, and Prometheus could not begin to comprehend why.

Azar was speaking now, and he had followed the duel up until this point. "He has. Now he rests, and I fight. This is our mutual contract." He drew his card and summoned it. "Secret Sect Druid Dru! This monster special summons a level 4 dark monster from the graveyard if it has 0 attack or defense points!" The masked druid(4/1800/0) used its staves to resurrect the Umbral Horror Unform(4/0/0) from the cemetery. "Come out, Number 39: Utopia!" And by overlaying the two, the knight of white and gold(4/2500/2000) was special summoned from Azars extra deck. "I draw a card through Cosmic Battleground!" The field spell reacted to the Xyz-summon of the Number. That was not all that reacted.

"Numeron Dragon, you were born within me. Please, lend me your power as well!" The 100th Number did not ignore the wishes of the third duelist and sent a bolt of energy into his deck, modifying his cards. "Thank you.. I activate Rank-Down-Magic: Numeron Fall" Azar used the drawn modified spell on Utopia, covering it in a blue light. "Ha! How do you like a taste of your own medicine!" Shin shook his fist at Prometheus. "Numeron Dragon creates cards for all of us, and... Wait, Rank-Down what?" But then, to Shins horror, Utopia discarded his armor and lost his attackpoints. "I de-evolve and attach Utopia and its materials to Number 39: Utopia Roots!" The warrior had been stripped down all the way to its base form(1/500/100).

"This is the joke of the century, Helder. You summon this against me.. in attack position?! Numeron Dragon has made your Number as weak as it could be!" Prometheus had never heard of such foolishness, that thing was no threat at all. "There is more to power than attacking, Prometheus. It is also about who you can defend." Azar drew another card as he had Xyz-summoned again. And he activated this spell as well. "I draw Rising Sun Slash, an equip card for Utopia-monsters! If I equip it to Utopia Roots, it can not be destroyed as a result of card effects now!" Utopia Roots took the sword which started to glow faintly with a potential of power. Afterwards Azar placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. "It does not even provide an attack increase..what is Azar planning?" For now however, Dakar and the others could not imagine how Azar would fight Numeron Dyson Sphere this way. "He must have a plan." Ariel was the only one who remained confident, even after Azar ended his turn. "He always does."

"You are delusional. All of you. You do not know weakness, you have lives a life of comfort and ease. Now you think you can stand up to the power that me and my brethren possess? Laughable!" Prometheus activated a spell card; XYZ Burst. "Your defenses are cheap and fragile as glass!" When he controlled a rank 5 or higher monster, that spell could destroy all set cards on the field. "Gah!" Azars two traps were destroyed, as well as Shins set spell card and set monster. "Oh yeah? What if I said that there is strength in everything, Prometheus? Even in being clever!" However the spell card that Shin had just lost, gained its effect when it was destroyed by a card effect. "You destroyed my Quick Booster! I can add a quickplay spell card from my deck to my hand!" Shin searched his deck and took out a Spellbook of Fate.

"What good is wisdom, when you lack the power to realize your efforts! No. I am not wrong." Prometheus entered the battle phase. "You will not have a turn to use that spell, young Artega! Direct attack!" Numeron Dyson Sphere fired a planet-wide blast from its core. Directly towards the duelists.

"That is not for you to decide!" Azar yelled and detached one material from Utopia Roots, who unfolded his wings. "Roots can negate one monsters attack! And it gains 500 attackpoints for each rank star that the attacking monster had!" The rank 1 warrior of hope(1/5500/100) absorbed all of the energy from the rank 10 Number into its wings, making them burn with the heat of a thousand suns. "What did you.. you took from my power!?" The enraged Prometheus shouts echoed across the void. "There is more. Whenever an attack is negated, a Rising Sun-counter is added to the monster equipped with Rising Sun Slash! And that monster gins 500 attackpoints for each counter!" Utopia Roots raised his sword to reflect even more of the solar energy. Utopia Roots(6000/100) was starting to channel the warmth of the sun that Numeron Dyson Sphere had hidden with its presence.

"Of course; even this Utopia has the power to protect others.. the power to give people hope." Prometheus moved to his second main phase. "It is far too late for something so immaterial... Others will only drag you down with their weakness. The only strenghth lies in solitude! Numeron Dyson Sphere can inflict 300 points of damage to my opponents for each material attached to it!" All the domes on the sphere fired four satellite blasts the size of buildings. "Aaahhh!" They vaporized the area around the duelists, inflicting 1200 points of damage, as Dyson Sphere had 4 Xyz-materials.

Azar's LP: 2300 Shins LP: 4900

"And do not think that this all I will throw in for you!" Prometheus detached 3 materials from the Numeron sphere. "My Number can inflict 800 points of damage by detaching an attached card!" Night Express Knight, Solar WindJammer and Umbral Horror Ghast came crashing down towards Azar. "2400 points of damage? Azar!" Shin realized Azar would not survive this, and he could not save his lifepoints this time. "I activate the effect of the Damage Diet in my grave! I halve all effect damage this turn by banishing it!" Fortunately for him, one of his destroyed trap cards could also activate its effect from the cemetery. The three materials bombarded Azar, but he managed to withstand the following explosions. "Prometheus, if you have hope, you can shape your own future. There is no better gift." He stated and gave Shin a nod. "Shin. It is time."

"Yeah. I know. I have been waiting for this this." Prometheus had ended his turn, now it was Shins time to shine. "Prometheus. I have a surprise for you. That Number you destroyed so easily.. you did not get rid of it yet!" This time energy rays burst out of Shins cemetery. "Number 62 has a second power. If it died while Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon was attached to it, it will be reborn two turns later, and it will double its own attacking power! Two turns have passed, so here's Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" Shin raised his fist, and all the dispersed photon dust in the cosmos gathered to regenerate the galactic prime dragon(8000/3000) in its full splendor. "Its attackpower?" Prometheus sounded like he nearly had a seizure when he saw its immense strength. "Are you not forgetting the Warped Space!?" Xander shouted from the distance, warning Shin that an attack right now would just be redirected by the enemy's space bending trap. "I have not. Watch closely Xander, everyone.. This will be a little convoluted, just like you want it!"

Shin normal summoned a new magician, a battlecaster(4/1800/1300) in green armor and blue cape, riding a horse. "Charioteer of Prophecy. By discarding a Spellbook, I can take back a spellcaster." The Charioteer slashed through the Spellbook of the Master in Shins hand, destroying it to put Strength of Prophecy back in Shins hand. "Then I activate the Spellbook of Fate. Its power depends on how many Spellbooks I can banish from the graveyard!" As he now had three Spellbooks (Organization, Secrets, Master), he could go all the way to the Spellbook of Fate's third and ultimate effect. "Spellbook of Fate banishes three spellbooks to banish one card on the field!" Numeron Dyson Sphere was untargetable, but Warped Space itself wasn't. Shins spellbook opened up crushed the trap card between its pages. "Now, Prometheus, I am coming for you! Number 62, attack Number O9!" Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon collected even more photons and fired them off towards the Sphere. "Too slow, too weak, too naive!" But before the photons could approach the core, Prometheus flipped his trap card: Skill Analyze.

_Skill Analyze, Normal Trap  
__Target 1 Machine-Type Xyz-monster you control; its effect becomes equal to the effect of 1 Xyz-monster on your opponents field or in their graveyard, until the end phase._

"I do not need hope when I have power, when I can take what I want from anyone! And if the future threatens me, I will simply become stronger than what it throws at me! I steal the effect of Chaos' Xyz monster; Unformed Void!" Dyson sphere detached its last material and activated the Voids attack copying effect; Clones of Utopia Roots and Galaxy-Eyes Prime Dragon flew into Numeron Dyson Sphere, adding their current attackpoints to the Ninth number(17600/3000). "Utopia Roots negates Number 62's attack!" Luckily before Shins dragon was counter-attacked, Azar halted its approach with his warriors effect. Then due to its own skill and the Rising Sun spell card, Roots(10500/100) gained nine times 500 attackpoints. "Whew. You for saving my skin, Azar." Shin sighed and placed a spell card down. "But now what do we do?" He though he had Prometheus cornered Instead Numeron Dyson Sphere gained more attackpoints than either of them.

"I will let my deck decide." Azar took his turn, drew his card.. and entered the battle phase. "Number 39 attacks Number O9!" Roots clenched his sword of hope and flew across the expanse towards the Sphere. "Are you insane?" Prometheus cried out. "No. I feel saner than ever, Prometheus. I negate my own attack!" Roots detached its final material and froze in mid-charge. As it was a rank 1 monster, this attack negation added 500 attackpoints to the number(11500/100) twice. "Quickplay spell card, Double or Nothing! Because my monsters attack was negated, it can attack again! And its attackpoints are doubled!" Utopia Roots took a fighting stance once again, and drew in all the power around it. He(23000/100) then continued towards his opponent with twice the speed.

"Not yet, I have not reached my end yet!" And still Prometheus could counter the attack, he activated his set quickplay spell card, Limiter Removal, which doubled his(35200/3000) attackpoints as well. "Lord have mercy." Kincaid had never dreamed of such power. His old friend had become a nightmare. "Yes. Look at me and tremble! I am as far from Gabriel as I am from any of you! And I will grow even stronger next turn!" Prometheus could sacrifice his last trap, Marshalling Field, to negate the destruction that Limiter Removal would hit him with. And once Marshalling Field was gone, another Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force would wind up in his hand. He could evolve himself even further to the 11th rank! Who knew what a Chaos Order Number would be like? "You will die now, Helder. And I will destroy my former brother with my ultimate power! I will erase all the mortal shackles of this new body and soul!"

"This is not our end either! I will not give up on Subito, never!" Shin activated his last set card. "Quickplay spell: Double Tension. A monster that attacked twice this turn, has its attackpoints doubled!" The attackpoints of Roots(46000/100) were doubled once again by Shins card. "N..No! Impossible!" Prometheus cried out. "Shin, you are always there for me." Azar and Shin looked at each other and nodded. "Prometheus, this is what we can accomplish, as humans, when we fight together!" Azar continued his attack and Utopia Roots flew all the way to the center of Numeron Dyson Sphere. "No. Stay away! Do not come any closer!" And then Utopia Roots broke through the core dome, flying into the very heart of the star-sized sphere, finding a single man at the main control room. "NO!" There was what remained of Gabriels spirit, and he had nowhere to run. "Found you." Azar let his Number finish the attack..

Prometheus' LP: 0

_Double Tension, Quickplay Spell  
__During the Battle phase of the turn a monster declares a second attack: That monster's ATK is doubled, during the damage step only. Halve all damage that monster inflicts this turn._

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)32: Finite Outside, Infinite Inside)

**New Cards used by Chaos/Azar  
**Umbral Horror Ghost  
_Umbral Horror Ghast  
_Secret Sect Druid Dru  
Number 39: Utopia Roots

-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Fall  
Rising Sun Slash

-  
Damage Diet

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Charioteer of Prophecy

-  
Spellbook Organization  
_Double Tension (+)  
_

_-  
Hyper Quick (+)_

**New Cards used by Prometheus  
**_Number O9: Numeron Dyson Sphere (++)_

_-  
Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force (++)  
_XYZ Burst  
Limiter Removal

_-  
Warped Space  
__Skill Analyze_

_(+ Based on the Spells and Traps used by Yuma in Yugioh Zexal)  
__(++ Chaos Dyson Sphere's name and Numeron Force's effect were altered to fit the story)  
_


	34. Cipher (1)32: Finite Out, Infinite In

**Cipher (****1)32: Finite Outside, Infinite Inside**

A slight spike in energy levels, on a machine was usually registered a constant and minimal amount. Something had happened. "Ah." Kapha became aware of this reading all too soon. The machines in his sanctum were never faulty._ "That can only be the Numeron code. You managed to succeed, Kincaid and Gabriel. Pity you will not live to see the results."_

Prometheus' LP: 0

It started with a single tiny flare, that set off the chain reaction to would end it center of Numeron Dyson Sphere was only vast enough to hide the noise and power of the following destruction in its initial stages. After a while the explosions spread out to cover the entire core. And the fiery outbursts kept multiplying, until they covered every inch of the star-sized machine. Ultimately, as one massive supernova, Number 9 was erased from this side of the universe. And as it burned, so too did the Cosmic Battleground. Only the victors Numbers remained: Prime Galaxy-Eyes and Utopia Roots.

"Wh-what.." And the mask on Subito's face started to crack and fall off like a broken vase. "What was I.. where was I?" Subito had regained consciousness in that moment. The last thing he recalled before his induced repose was the rank-up-magic spell card he had drawn. That spell was now smouldering at his feet. "Bro!" The second thing he saw upon reawakening, was his Shin bouncing excitedly in front of him. "We did it bro! We stopped Prometheus, we saved you!" His brother had far more energy than he did. "Oh..I .." Subito had to sit down, on what was left of this hospital building. "You both did" He said towards both his brother and Azar. "Chaos..as well. I was wrong about him." Subito was no longer affraid to admit when he had made a mistake. Even if Prometheus had controlled him, it was his judgement that he had fed on. "I can never thank you enough. I mean that."

".." Azar had heard him, but his eyes were pointed elsewhere. "Azar?" The others followed his stare up at the sky, as Utopia Roots flew down towards them. "Oh my god." Ariel gasped as she saw it hold a person in its hand. Utopia placed him on the floor and then retreated to Azars extra deck. "Who is.." It was a man of around Kincaids age, with dark eyes, and long brown hair. He wore a very old space suit. "Gabriel!?" Kincaid was also the only one who knew that face. It was the face of his old friend. "You mean this is Prometheus? The real Prometheus?" Looking closer at him, Ariel realized it was the same suit the ninth catalyst usually wore. The suit in which he had ended his existence as a human.

"Kgh." Gabriel sputtered back to life, coughing like he had lost his lungs. "Kheh.. all that power..and I could not.. win." What was left of the man could speak few words. His body was turning to mist right in front of them. He was already dead. "I tried to take it all.. but I was still too weak.. too human." His trembling arm dropped a card to the floor, the Number 9: Dyson Sphere. "You separated from him?" Azar asked as he took the card. "That is what happens..when one of the Nine is destroyed. I will..guh.." He had another fit and more of his body disappeared. "I was blind... I thought I could be the most powerful of them all.. I lost sight of what mattered. I.. forgot who I all did it for." The man turned his head slowly towards Kincaid. That was the only part of himself that he could still move. "Hey..old friend.. do you think I can see her face one more time?"

"Her face? You mean.."

"I understand. I will provide you this last service." Korose stepped up and activated his D-pad. "I can only hope I can make the connection." This would not work if the mainframe had been damaged during Necara's attack. Luckily the agent made it through to the server. He made his Duel-pad display a virtual image. "Yes? How can I assist you?" Esther, the artificial intelligence, appeared before them.

"Ah..there she is.." A smile crept up on Gabriels face. "Astrid. You captured her well.. her hair that curls like the suns flames.. her eyes as deep as the ocean, her voice as lovely Ha.. hgrrgh!.. as an angel." He began to laugh, through considerable strain and effort. "I am sorry. But I am not the person you are talking about." Esther replied, kind and cold as she always was. "Heh. I know...ughakg!" Gabriels time was running thin, he could feel it. "Kincaid. She chose you, never forget that! Whatever happened to her, and to me.. and to your daughter.. do not blame yourself. We could not have known..." He was almost entirely gone now.

"Wait. Pro.. Gabriel!" But Ariel spoke up. "Why did you want to see her. Astrid is still alive. Pandora is.." Ariel had seen the face of the Eight catalyst. Hadn't Prometheus seen it as well? "Pandora? No, you do not understand. Astrid is not... Pandora is..." Yet sadly, his last words were taken by the wind, as the last remnants of Gabriel scattered like dust. Kincaid's old friend had finally found his peace.

"Farewell, Gabriel."

"Pardon me for interrupting the moment." Xander cut into the long somber silence that had followed Gabriels end. "But where exactly are we? And how do we get back to where we were?" He had to point out that the portal that brought them here, was no longer active. And Necara did not look like she could open it again in her state. "I could probably bring us where-ever we want to go..now." Azar looked at all the cards in his extra deck; all the Numbers he had and didn't have. Dyson Sphere was now truly added to his collection. "Yeah, you have them all now. How does that feel?" Shin was very much curious about it. "Actually, I do not feel anything has changed.. not inside. It all feels balanced out. Numeron Dragon did something, it took away what made the Numbers alive." Azar sensed nothing but a fragment of their essence. Their powers were also greatly weakened. "Maybe that is how it is supposed to be. I'd say it is a good thing to not have those cards running around in your mind. It seems busy enough in there." Dakar suggested. "Maybe balance is what they wanted?"

"Not..true." A shrill voice put everyone on guard. "What! Ann!?" Kincaid heard his daughter speak; she had come out of her catatonic state. "No balance. No chaos. Only Order!" She acted completely unlike before.. she was scared. "You should have let me die, you should have let us all die! They are coming! There is no future, no hope. There is only Them!"

The ground rumbled. "What now?" Shin thought things were supposed to be looking up, so why were the earthquakes coming back? "Numeron Dragon!" Subito shouted as he saw the Number 100 card float away from them, faster and faster. "Where is it going?" Xander could not even see the thing anymore, it had shot past the clouds. "Towards.." Only Azar realized where its direction would take it. "No!" It moved towards the two moons, who had come so close now that they could practically touch each other. Numeron Dragon impacted in between like a massive asteroid. The impact resulted in an implosion of gravity, as both moons began to phase back into each other. Though the original grey sphere became dominant. "The second moon is going?" The skies were no longer red, all that remained of the second moon was a single shining star in between the clouds. "..endless energy.. endless force." Azars eyes went wide with horror as he sensed what lied beyond. "That is their world.. the infinite world. They have welcomed back the first hundred and opened another portal?"

"The weak point has become a rift, and it is stabilizing." Esther reported the immediate results of her analysis. "Of course. They can not start their production of new Numbers without more fragments from their world!" Xander thought it made sense, in their twisted kind of way. Numbers were living beings, infinite beings. "Kincaid, what do we do now? You must have had a contingency plan for this." Korose hoped the director of the agency was not this ill prepared for an eventual failure. "The plan was to control the creation of more Numbers and contain the damage. But with our base half-ruined and no director to oversee it.. it is happening the entirely wrong way." And that was all due to Necara's actions, but she was not in the right state of mind right now to hear that. "I can try and reverse the memory loss." If it was the directors they needed, Azar could help Kincaid. "No. There is no time for that, the process is already underway. We need to secure that portal like we did the first..." Kincaid looked at the Quartermaster. "The arrangements have already been made, sir. As well as time allowed it." Even though the council had been effectively disbanded, she had continued following her directives without their input. "We will head for the focal point." And in the distance several helicopters appeared, called for by her and ready to pick them up. "So.. this is the deciding battle." Subito said grimly. He did not know what would happen now.

...

"What happened, while I was out?" Sky had many questions when he woke up again, and it was in Natasha's house of all places, in her moderately luxurious apartment. He had gotten at least as far as to realize she had taken him here after he had lost consciousness. "You wouldn't believe me, even after everything we have seen." And Natasha had a long story to tell him. "After that crazy girl attacked you and left, the world went insane. There was a second moon in the sky, and storms all over the place. I have no idea what was going on." She looked through the curtains of her window. "It all seems to be over now. So I guess Shin and the others.. stopped it?" The skies had cleared up. "Wait." But not completely. "What is it?" Sky pushed himself off of the chair and walked up to the window. "What...is that?" He saw what she and everyone else in the whole world could see, a star brighter than any other that burned in the sky. Within were colors that no human had ever seen before. It was an impossibility given form.

...

Thomas, Ruby, Darcy and the agents could see it from where they were as well. "Is this better or worse than a second moon?" Claud asked the question nobody could answer. "I think it's safe to say that this is still bad news." Ruby replied.

"This must be what that call to arms was all about. They are mobilizing everyone to handle whatever this is." Their order had come in a while ago, and Rita was still waiting for their pick-up. "But have they given you any further orders? Do you know what the plan is?" Darcy was not exactly sure how one resolved a situation like this. "All I know is that they said we can expect more Numbers to come. And only agents can handle them because we are naturally immune to them." Rita turned to the three duelists. "So this is where we say goodbye to you." Moving rotor blades could be heard coming from the east. Her ride had arrived. "Well, hope you got that title not for nothing then." Ruby wished her luck in her own way. As much as she did not like agents, and this one in particular, they were a necessary evil now.

The helicopter landed on the streets and opened up to let Claud and Rita in. "Hold it. I am coming with you!" At which point Thomas called for attention. "What? Why?! This is not a roadshow!" Rita hissed and placed her hand on the door. But so Claud placed his hand on hers. "We could use all the help we can get though!" He was all for it. "Didn't you hear a word I said?" Rita did not want to have to say it again; that only Agents could duel the Numbers. "I did. And that is why I am at your service. I may not be an agent, but I am immune." Thomas remembered Korose's words. The first time they dueled and he used a Number against Agent K, Thomas had proven that he could control the Numbers. "Whatever." Rita rolled her eyes and got out of his way.

"Well hey, if you are going." Ruby slammed her fists together and followed the maskless raider as he stepped on board "No. I can not risk your lives as well." Yet Thomas held up his hand. "What? Are you saying we can't.. Hey!" She was not given an explanation, he closed the door in front of her and then looked away. "You are not.." And her pounding did not stop the helicopter from taking off either. "Can you believe that guy?! Does he have to play the hero so much that he thinks we are just damsels?"

"No that was not it." Darcy said, as she watched the chopper fly away. "He did it.. because he does not think he will win." The last expression on his face, had not been one of hope.

...

"Are they in position yet?" Kincaid asked the helicopter pilot as he flew them closer to the gateway in the air. "Fraid not." But the pieces seemed to be moving slower than intended. "What is supposed to come from there? And when.." Ariel could not stop gazing at the star, so far it had not done anything. "The rift will achieve permanence soon." Esther stated. "Soon? How soon?" Shin was afraid to ask.

The other world was not afraid to respond. "Now!" Subito was the first, and the rest soon followed.. they all witnessed what could only be the completion of the gateway as the star pounded in the air. Then, a thousand threads of impossible and indiscernible colors rained down from that star. "What, precisely, is it doing!?" Xander did not know if he was supposed to be worried about this or not. The downpour of light headed everywhere, flying in spite of gravity. "Numbers. They are Numbers!" Azar did. His every nerve could feel the untamed power of each single thread. These were beings from the other world, the Numbers beyond the one hundred. "Then we have to do it now! Esther!" Kincaid did not care if the system was not fully prepared, the spread had to be stopped here and now. "Yes sir." And with that single command, the plan was put in motion. Four beams of electricity descended from the sky and ascended from the mountains. The beams met vertically and sent out wider beams horizontally; casting a solid net of energy that trapped the chopper and the numbers within. "Whoa.."

Everyone was impressed. And Korose understood what this barrier actually was. "This technology. It is the same as what the agents use..to capture humans with Numbers." Korose was no stranger to these kind of tactics, this was a large-scale version of what his own D-pad could accomplish. "That is correct, Agent K. Ever since we located the second dimensional weak point, we placed satellites above it, and counter generators below in the mountains around our base. They are powered by the energy we drew from the first gate and can function independently of our other systems. They even pass through the rock soil, to stop Numbers from escaping by becoming transparent." The only problem was that they had to cast a wide area. the satellites had been spread out because nobody could predict how large the portal would be after the weak point stabilized itself. If they had had more time, they could have closed the portal itself. Still it worked splendidly. The numbers that emerged from the portal were repelled by the barrier and came back..for them "Uhhh.. They are everywhere!" Shin cried out. There was no way to avoid them.

"I do not think we should touch them!" The only ones here who were immune to Numbers were Korose and Subito, the others were likely to become their hosts as soon as they made contact. And then..they would turn on the others. "I might have an idea! Korose put up a barrier with your D-pad, I will enhance it!" Xander rose to the occassion and took Number 106: Giant Hand. "I understand!" Korose followed Xanders instructions and activated the D-pads shield function. It grew the barrier around the chopper and was bolstered by the power Xanders own Number. The other Numbers outside were rejected her as well. "We are safe, for now. But what can we do next?" Azar did not think this situation could be maintained indefinitely. The Numbers would not give them the time to shrink the barrier.

"Wait. I see something.. in the star?" Ariel was not mistaken, there were shades in the radiance, seven of them. "It's them." Necara stated with terrified certainty.

"The catalysts, the first nine.. now the first eight."

The figures moved out of the light to reveal themselves to the world. Pandora the changeling, Babylon the living statue, Iscariot the wasteland wanderer, Lilith the devils bride, Kain the cyber soldier and finally Lucifer the faceless fallen angel; they had all entered the human world. And there was another. Not the seventh, but one not even Azar or Shin had seen before. "That must be..the Fitfh Number." Like Lucifer, the Fifth was a headless apparition in glistening black armor, with a long feathered mantle. It had no human host either. "The numbers are being guided by them." Dakar noticed that the numbers were swirling around the Catalysts like lost sheep. They were the shepherds, as Prometheus had said long ago. "This is it it then. We either confront them here and stop them.. or they unleash Numbers upon the world until every last human has become like them.." Azar took a deep breath. "We have to stop them, we must!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)33: Open Door)


	35. Cipher (1)33: Open Door

**Cipher (****1)33: Open Door**

"This barrier can not be disrupted!" Said the Fourth as he touched the ceiling of the energy cage in which all catalysts were contained. "Hmm, clever Agents. They powered the Barriers with our own Energy." The Third had tried her hand as well, to no avail. "All Numbers are located within this forcefield." Pandora meanwhile sensed Azars presence, and the original numbers he held. They could not just teleport to the outside world now. "The source of the power lies outside. Yet the controls are within the location below." The Sixth explained, drawing upon the knowledge of its human host. "Then it shall be destroyed, along with every other construct that lies in our way." Cain clenched his fist. "..." And though the Fifth and Lucifer said nothing, their intentions were known to their brothers and sisters. The seven catalysts floated down towards the ruined base below.

"Catalysts!" That was when the helicopter approached them. "You do not have to go through with this! The connection between our worlds is re-established! We can work together to form a peaceful way of coexisting!" Using the choppers PA system, Kincaid tried to communicate with them, if only to stall for time. "This matter can not be resolve through negotiation, human. It is the will of our world that all of humanity will submit to their designated Number." Cain responded like Kincaid had expected Though his words did not please. "But why? Why do you have to force this upon everyone?" Ariel asked as she took over the speaker. "Your world and your universe threatens ours. You infected us with your finite space and time, your limited energy and your restricted existence. The will has decided that the only way to cure this poison is to eradicate all traces of it from your dimension. First all life and all matter shall become one with the power of our world, and then we will take in all that can be taken. This was our design." Cain was done talking. He moved back and let Iscariot finish their answer. "That means you have served your purpose, you can now fall!" The Fourth clapped his hands. "What the?" And the vehicle the humans were in abruptly lost its power. The blades stopped rotating. "We're going down!"

The helicopter started losing altitude, but then came to a sudden stop. "Ack!" A large winged and armored monster appeared to grab the falling helicopter and kept it afloat. "Number 105?" Ariel knew whose card this monster was. "Claud?" The agent was there, along with Rita, inside their own chopper. And many more followed him, agents with their own transportation. The helicopters could phase through the barrier due to the counteracting barriers that the agents were casting from their D-pads. "This is the end of the line, Catalysts!" The charge was led by Agent Joe Davison, who stepped forward with his deck and visor ready. Agents Sandra, Philip, Dantes, Claud and Rita were among them, as were a few backup agents that had not been used on the Neo Avalon mission. Only Morbis seemed to be absent.

The side of the helicopter folded out to form a more stable dueling platform for them to stand on. "Those are for aerial duels?" Xander was amazed that the agency had prepared even for such an eventuality. "Oh. This one is mine." Lilith moved in towards Joe, stepping on the air as if it was a road of its own. Various other catalysts moved out to find their own targets. A challenge could not be refused once it was made. Only Lucifer and the Fifth were without opponents.

Backup Agent G's LP: 8000 Cains LP: 8000

Joe's LP: 8000 Lilith's LP: 8000

Philips LP: 8000 Iscariot's LP: 8000

Sandra's LP: 8000 Babylons LP: 8000

Dantes' LP: 8000 Pandora's LP: 8000

"Wait. Is that.. ?" Ariel saw someone else standing with Rita and Claud, a duelist with an outfit that differed from the rest of the guards. "Thomas!?" It was the Masked Raider, back in costume!? "That is who I am, yes. But for this battle I decided to go as the duelist I am more comfortable with!" He was once more affecting his dapper alter ego's voice at that. "Yeah we just had to take an enormous detour just to get that dumb outfit." Rita grumbled. "We made it in time at least! And it was his idea to catch them with the Number too!" Claud was glad that he had caught the helicopter, though he was not sure what to do with them next. "Put us down agent C! We need to go to the base." Kincaid requested over the PA. "Sure thing, whoever you are!" Claud hollered back. Causing Rita to roll her eyes. "Claud. he is a_ director_."

"..." However as soon as Claud had managed to put them all down safely on the ground, the Fifth moved into action. The catalyst pushed himself off the air and came barreling down towards the duelists. "I will take care of this fiend!" Thomas got out of the helicopter as well. "Thomas! What are you going to do?" Azar yelled. "You need not concern yourself with me. I am immune to their influence. The maidens Darcy and Ruby are fine as well, they are far from this place." Thomas told him as he activated his D-pad. "So go, do what you must!" He yelled at them, as the Fifth got closer. "Thomas. No.. Masked Raider, we are in your debt." Azar saluted him, before he and the others rushed towards the entrance of the base. "I am afraid I will not be coming to collect my dues any time soon." He turned to his opponent, who had landed on the mountainside.

Masked Raiders LP: 8000 The Fifth's LP: 8000

"So what do they call you?" He inquired, pointing at the Fifth with a tense arm. All that lied above the enemy's torso was a floating mask with five holes in it. "..." The lack of a head also seemed to diminish its vocal range. "Pity, I would have been interested to hear what a headless monster sounds like." Thomas lowered his arm. The Fifth then moved his fingers to make his cards float in the air, and it placed one of them vertically down before him. Now it pointed back at the Masked Raider. Thomas was not sure if he was imitating his gesture on purpose. "My turn you say?" The enemy had only placed one trap card down, and that surprised Thomas. It made him concerned as well. _"No. Now is not the time to over think this. Hesitation leads to fear. I shall not fear!"_

"Come out Inzektor Earwig, and equip Inzektor Gigacricket to yourself!" A man(4/1000/1000) in a blue insect-themed armor suit jumped down in front of Thomas. It activated its effect to equip an Inzektor monster from a players hand or graveyard to itself. In this case the chosen Cricket warrior gave its 2000 attackpoints to Earwig(3000/1000), and formed a new suit of armor around the Earwig hero. "And also take this equip spell, the Inzektors Axe -Zektahawk!" A double-sided red axe was equipped to Earwig, adding even more power to it(4000/1000). "Your enemy can not invoke traps or spells while you wield this weapon in a battle phase, so strike now!" Thomas commanded Earwig to throw his axe towards the enemy. "..." Said enemy responded by summoning a defending monster from his hand, a black bird(3/0/1600) with a crown and tail of red feathers and six wings. "A monster's effect. From the hand and as a defense? No matter! Gigacricket adds the piercing edge to your weapon, Earwig! Continue your attack!" The inzekt warrior snatched his axe back and tossed it towards the bird instead. It inflicted 2400 points of piercing damage as it destroyed it.

The Fifth's LP: 5600

The enemy did not flinch, it did not speak, it gave no reaction at all to the damage he suffered. Thomas placed one trap card down and ended his turn. "...That monster. Its name was Blackwing Ghibli, the Searing Wind. It can be summoned from the hand when a direct attack is declared. Your style has revealed itself, it is that of the black feathered ones." Thomas knew what he was dealing with now, but not why. "Why this theme?" He was curious if he could even get an answer. If the catalyst could speak at all, It was not doing so now.

It silently started its turn and wordlessly activated a spell, Black Whirlwind. Then the Fifth summoned a new bird, a snow-white crow(3/1200/0) with black trimmed eges. This activated two effects, the monsters and his spells. _"Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North"._ The first effect was the monsters, it revived another level 4 or lower Blackwing when it was normal summoned. The Fifth had but one choice; Ghibli. "Maxx C, grant me your favor!" To this effect, Thomas chained his own hand-effect. "By discarding this microscopic insect from my hand; this turn I can draw a card every time you special summon a monster!"One was already sent to his hand. And on the other side, due to the Black Whirlwind, Fifth could add a Blackwing from his deck to his hand, if it had less attackpoints than the last normal summoned Blackwing. Blizzard had 1300. Now for instance the Fifth could claim Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall with 400 attackpoints. "..." Then it activated a trap, Black Return, which responded to Ghiblis special summoning. "!" It would return Thomas' monster to his hand and heal Fifth's lifepoints at the same time. "Inzektor Orb! defend my Inzektor!" So Thomas flipped his trap, a golden sphere shaped like a rolled up beetle. It negated the effect of Black Return, by stopping it from targeting Inzektor Earwig. "...!" The Fifth twitched. Was that surprise or annoyance?

It changed Blizzard, also a tuner monster, into rings of energy, and Ghibli flew through them. "A Synchro summon!" The Raider saw the two birds tune their five stars together to form a level 5 Synchro monster; a silver knight(5/2200/1500) with wings on his back and arms, and talons for hands. "That is.. Blackwing - Gram the Shining Star. That synchro monster can special summon a level 4 or lower non-tuner Blackwing from a players hand." The effect, that Thomas already knew about, brought out Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame, a blue feathered humanoid avian(4/1800/1200). "I activate call upon the aid of another card in my hand! Flying C!" A flying black blur with two glowing eyes swooped down before the headless knight. "Flying C sends itself to my enemy's field in a defensive position, when the enemy special summons a monster! That enemy may not invoke the power of xyz-summon!" Thomas knew very well that this Number would want to summon his own form eventually. Now he couldn't.

".." Yet the Fitfh did not seem to let this slow it down. It special summoned another human-like bird(3/1300/400), covered in green and purple feathers. "Gale the Whirlwind!?" This was the most infamous of them all. Gale could be special summoned whenever a player controlled a Blackwing monster, and it could halve a monsters attackpoints as well! Gale unleashed its whirling winds upon Inzektor Earwig(2000/1000), who lost pieces of his weapon and armor to the vortex. "Curses." And then Gram slew the Inzektor warrior with one swipe from his blade.

Masked Raiders LP: 7800

"So, you are displaying all your might." And then Gale and Shura unleashed their direct attacks as well, blasting the masked duelist with fierce twisters and blue fire. Whatever the Fifth had experience when one of its moves was countered, it was taking Thomas more serious because of it. "But you have given me my second wind as well!" Thankfully, due to Maxx C, Thomas had replenished his hand. Four new cards were drawn as the Fifth had special summoned four times. "The raider does not yield to anyone! He will fight until the end!"

Masked Raiders LP: 4900

...

Meanwhile the other agents were wrapped up in their duels. "Sandra. This form remembers you.." Babylon faced the blonde agent in insulated spandex. "Well I'll be. They werent lying when they told me Morgana went monstrous on us." The only director Sandra had ever met face to face, and now she had become this thing that looked like a moving Iron Maiden. "You should see what 'Morgana' has become." Babylon took the first turn, and placed a rather large card down in the air, made from pure crystal. "Chronomaly Gordian Knot." The card materialized as a swarm of cubes(3/300/900), tied together by an impossible knot. "Gordian Knot, summon a Chronomaly, Sol Monolith, from my hand. And reflect its stars.." The Knot's effect special summoned a half broken monolith(6/600/800) with the emblem of the sun on it. Gordian Knot(6/300/900) then changed its own level to match that of Sol Monolith. "Sol Monilith, Gordian United; they are gone..." And then the Sixth Number abandoned its humanoid size and shape, and overlayed itself with the two Chronomalies. Babylon became the titan(6/2600/3000) of rock/metal and diamond, with limbs of hot magma and one burning eye. "Now there is only Chronomaly Atlandis!" It intoned as it set its massive feet down on the rocks below. Atlandis was in fact taller than the mountains around it.

Babylon then discarded a Chronomaly Crystal Skull from its 'hand', to search its deck for a Chronomaly monster. Babylon decided to add a Chronomaly Moai to the airborne rock slab cards that composed its hand. One of those slabs, a trap card, was placed face-down.

"Shoot. You did not waste your time." Sandra had not expected it to summon its ace right away. "Thank Esther that we had Intel on that card already. So it's no big surprise. Now we may not have any Numbers of our own, but we did come prepared!" Sandra took her turn and summoned a Mahunder(4/1400/700) to the field. Her effect was used so Sandra could normal summon the father of the family, Pahunder(4/1300/600). He in turn used his effect to normal summon Sishunder(4/900/400) from Sandra's hand. "I Xyz-summon a rank 4 monster." The parents and their daughter were put together into ball of discharging thunder. "Vylon Disigma!" A mechanical angel(4/2500/2100) with spiked wings dispersed the lightning and displayed its shining splendor to Atlandis. "Disigma can equip a card on the field, to itself!" Red orbs on the Vylons body started to glow and shot their energy at Atlandis.

"One like you can never contain one such as Me." Babylon however activated its trap card, Thunder Pot, which negated the effect that targeted a Chronomaly by sending the discarded Chronomaly Crystal Skull back into the deck. A pot appeared in the sky and gobbled up the red light before they could capture Number 6. "Well. This sure aint gonna be easy." Sandra muttered to herself and placed a trap card down.

_Thunder Pot, Counter Trap  
__When an "Chronomaly" monster you control is targeted for an attack or card effect: Send 1 "Chronomaly" card from your graveyard to the deck to negate the attack or effect._

...

The duels with the other catalysts were also not going as smoothly either. Cain had already defeated his first opponent and moved on to the next backup agent. Everyone but Pandora and Babylon seemed to be deliberately holding back as well. Pandora had already summoned her/his Number form against Dantes. But Iscariot was giving Philip trouble without it. _"..Lucifer is not engaging?" _The Agent adjusted his glasses and saw the First not even move once. _"There are still those it could duel.. What is he waiting for?"_

Lilith too was taking it easy, giving Joe the first turn. "I do not trust you. Catalyst." The flair-ish greenhaired duelist said as he drew his cards. "You should call me Lilith, Boy. Catalyst is not a Name that graces us." She replied with a somewhat scornful cackle. "I call 'em as I see 'em.. Lady. As I control no monsters, I can special summon Cockadoodledoo from my hand!" Joe special summoned a white feathered baby rooster(3/1600/2000) to his field. Its level had gone down from five to three, as it was summoned with one of its effects. "Then I normal summon Kujakukaju!" Joe also placed a peacock(3/1200/900) hen on the field, its tail-feathers had the patterns of snakes on them. "Xyz-summon, Totem Bird!" And Joe overlayed both to form a dark and red colored eagle(3/1900/1400), that rested on top of a totem pole. "Totem Bird negates the activation of spells and traps by detaching 2 of its materials!" While the agents had no data on Lilith, they knew they could expect powerful spells to be played during their duels, especially Rank-Up spells. So Joe had prepared his deck accordingly. Following that, he placed two trap/spell cards down and ended his turn. ".. You are a very cute Boy." Lilith was as of yet, not intimidated.

...

"Kincaid. Where are you taking us?" The duelists, aside from Necara who had to be carried by Korose, went along with Kincaid. They did not know this hideout well enough to determine their destination. "Not everything was destroyed." Kincaid said as he stopped near a door. "Authorization Code 1379." He spoke into the computer next to it. The monitor then stated that his code and voice pattern was accepted, and the door opened to reveal a stairwell. "The controls to the barrier, and the power generator to his entire facility are down here. Only the directors and Quartermaster know about this place. So we need to hurry." Kincaid was well aware of the fact that Morgana had become a catalyst herself. Even if they had changed the codes after her departure, she would still know about this location.

"I kinda feel bad that we are letting all the other agents do all our work." As everyone went down the stairs, Claud looked ehind him. Loud explosions could be heard even this far down. "I can show you their progress, if that is what you want. There are cameras installed in every helicopter." Esther suddenly chimed in and projected a screen from Claud's D-pad; a live feed of what was happening outside. "How are they doing?" Ariel asked Claud. The agent shook his head. "Too early to tell." The duels had barely started. "Do they even stand a chance? How well did you prepare them?" Dakar asked the director in turn. "Well enough. And their duels will provide us with enough data, should they.. fail." The director gave them that answer.

But he had not given them the full answer. There was something he did not want to confess right away. The agents out there; they were truly only there to buy him time to start his solution, his final solution.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)34: All that Is, Must Begin)

**New Cards used by the Masked Raider/Thomas  
**Maxx C  
Flying C

-  
Inzektor Axe - Inzektahawk

-  
Inzektor Orb

**New Cards used by Joe Davis  
**Cockadoodledoo  
Kujakujaku  
Totem Bird

**New Cards used by Sandra  
**Vylon Disigma

**Cards used by 'The Fifth'  
**Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind  
Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North  
Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame  
Blackwing - Gram the Shining Star  
Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind

-  
Black Whirlwind

-  
Black Return

**New Cards used by Babylon  
**Chronomaly Gordian Knot  
Chronomaly Sol Monolith


	36. Cipher (1)34: All that Is, must Begin

**Cipher (****1)34: All that Is, Must Begin**

Masked Raiders LP: 4900 Fifth's LP: 5600

"Come to me, Inzektor Ant!" Thomas normal summoned the blue suited ant fighter(3/200/600). "Gigacricket! Your death was not in vain!" By banishing an insect from the graveyard, like Maxx C, the cricket Inzektor could turn itself into an extra suit of armor again even as it itself rested in the graveyard. The Ant took it and it(2000/600) imitated the attackpoints of the Cricket. "Now, choose your weapon!" Thomas also made Inzektor Ant equip another Inzektor from the grave, with its own effect. The only card left was the Inzektor Earwig, which Ant took to strengthen itself(3000/600) with. "Your target is Gale the Whirlwind!" The biggest threat the Fifth had in its army of Blackwings, was the attack halving tuner bird(3/1300/400). Inzektor Ant tore through Gale with the equipped Earwig pincer scythe. "Then I shall strengthen my defenses, I set this card face-down!" The raider set a trap down and ended his turn. Once again he could not tell if that had hurt his opponent. It felt strange to fight one like it. _"The Fifth.. it does not feel as if he is even alive. But one thing is certain; it is thinking."_

Fifth's LP: 3900

And The Fifth had formulated its next plan. It normal summoned Blackwing Oroshi the Squall(1/400/300). This then triggered Black Whirlwind. It searched the Fifth's deck and found another 0 attackpoint Ghibli the Searing Wind. The catalyst added it to his hand. _"Oroshi.. another tuner monster?" _Now the enemy had a method to remove Flying C(3/700/700) from its field. The Fifth used that insect, along with the tuner and Blackwing Shura the Blue Flame(4/1800/1200), to materialize a new synchro monster. Oroshi used its own one star and the other monsters seven stars to synchro summon the level 8 Blackwing, Silverwind the Ascendant(8/2800/2000); the feathered samurai. _"Oroshi the Squall switches a monsters position when it is used as a synchro material!" _Thomas cursed his luck, as he saw his mighty Inzektor Ant move into a very weak defensive stance. "...!" And the Fifth showed it no mercy. Gram the Shining Star(5/2200/1500) decapitated the Inzektor with one stroke. Then Silverwind unsheathed his long katana and slashed right across the Masked Raider. "Gah!" The front of his suit was cut open, and his Raider mask split in half, revealing his face... revealing Thomas. "Well..so much for the Raider." Of all days to lose a secret identity, this might as well have been the best.

"..." The Fifth appeared momentarily perplexed by this change in appearance.

Thomas' LP: 2100

...

"Sure glad we spent all that time getting him that outfit! Who does this kid think he is anyway; A superhero? Give me a break!" Rita grumbled as she saw what had happened to Thomas on Claud's D-pad screen. He already had less lifepoints than all remaining Agents. "He is braver than many of us would have been at a moment like this. I do not want to hear you say anything badly about him!" Azar snapped back at her. "Alright, alright." She backed off. "Are we there yet?" And she stopped because she saw that they had reached the end of the stairs. "Yes. This the generator room. This is what powers the barrier, what feeds it the energy that no catalyst can bypass" The director opened the doors before them. _"I pray that the agents can give us a little more time.."_

...

Joe's LP: 8000 Lilith's LP: 8000

But that time was hard to win, as Lilith would soon prove. "You know. You have a Name for everything, you humans. I can understand, I like to Name things too. I like to keep and control them..to force them." Lilith started her turn and activated a spell card, Foolish Burial. It sent a monster from her deck to the graveyard, a Gorgonic Golem. "Do you now?" Totem Bird(3/1900/1400) could have negated that spell. But as that effect took all materials from it, Joe wanted to save it for something more dramatic. "I do. Take that Trap and take my Monster. Gorgonic Golem can banish itself from the Graveyard, to fix your Trap in place." She stated with delight as the snake-statue's spirit appeared and used its petrifying stare to turn Joe's trap to stone "Wha?!" The card was Icarus Attack, which could have been very useful. _"Rats. Should have used that effect."_ Joe regretted his own inaction. He would not make that mistake again.

"Hmm. Gorgonic Cerberus now." Then the female catalyst normal summoned a mechanical rock hound(3/1300/300), with three heads on three snake-like necks. "And Gorgonic Gargoyle's assists us as well." A rock-scaled purple serpent(3/1000/600) slithered out of Liliths hand and coiled around the Cerberus. "Gargoyle can, as you say, Special summon himself when a rock monster is Normal Summoned." The two Gorgons constricted each other even tighter. "And this is an Xyz-summon for the Third Rank." The Gargoyle crushed itself and the Cerberus, melting into a puddle of acid and rocks. Their remains subsquently were recollected by an unseen force, and reshaped into a demoness(3/1600/1200) with the lower body of a snake, and snakes for hair as well. "Gorgonic Guardian is my Xyz-monster." Lilith detached one material from this new Gorgon. "She Corrupts the Hearts and Bodies of all that walk." One red eye and one blue stared at the Totem Bird. "Totem Bird, its power and its movements, will be sealed." And Joe's bird stared long enough in the Gorgons eyes, it(0/1400) become completely petrified. "Gross." Joe was not happy. Certainly not when the Guardian turned the Totem statue to a fine powder of gravel with one sweep from its tail. "That was an Attack. You understand that, right?"

Joe's LP: 6400

"Lady. I do not know who you were in your past life. But you became one major whackjob.."

...

Sandra's LP: 8000 Babylons LP: 8000

"Another. Another Number is required. We demand it." Atlandis' commands echoed across the sky. Her body(6/2600/3000) took up most of the space inside the barrier, so it was not easy to ignore her. "Chronomaly Moai." It special summoned the easter island statue head(5/1800/1600). Which it was capable of, as it controlled another Chronomaly monster. "Chronomaly Winged Sphinx." Then it normal summoned a sphinx statue(5/1600/1900) with wings, by tributing the Moai. "Revive." When tribute summoned, the Sphinx could special summoned a Chronomaly from its grave; thus Moai was resummoned to the field. Now Babylon had the materials it desired.

"Hold yer horses!" Sandra activated a continuous trap card; Gozen Match. "This should take care of that! We can not control more than one element now! So say goodbye to yourself or to your statues!" Sandra only controlled a Light-attribute monster: Vylon Disgima(4/2500/2100). Atlandis was also a Light-type, while Sphinx and Moai wera Earth-types. "No. Babylon does not say goodbye to any thing!" But the Sixth activated a quickplay spell from its hand, Numeron Direct. "Come forth, Number 33!" It could perform an instanteneous Xyz-summon of a Number monster with this spell, so the two earth Chronomalies were overlayed before Gozen Match could send them away from the field. "Oh boy. So this is that power of Numeron that we were warned about?" Tthe floating city superweapon: Chronomaly Machu Mech(5/2400/1500) was solidified before the mountain-sized colossus. "Babylon, does not yield!" Atlandis then swung its fist of magma down and reduced Disgima to a crater in the rocks with one planet-shaking blow. Meanwhile Machu Mech fired its main cannon towards Sandra, nearly shooting her and the helicopter she was on, out of the sky. "That was a little too close for comfort!"

Sandra's LP: 5500

_Numeron Direct, Quickplay Spell  
__Xyz summon 1 "Number" Xyz monster, by using the appropriate monster(s) on your side of the field as the Xyz Material(s)_

Once the chopper stabilized, Sandra drew her next card. "But I aint gonna let a thing like that scare me off!" She activated the spell card, Recycling Batteries. With it she could take back two thunder-type monsters from the grave, as long as they had less than 1500 attackpoints. "Come out Ma and Pa!" She took back and re summoned Mahunder(4/1400/800) and Pahunder(4/1300/700) using the formers effect to extra-normal summon the latter. "And you too Calibrator!" With Pahunders effect she extra-normal summoned a more robotic thunder monster, the walking calculator droid: Calibrator(4/1500/1500). "Calibrator gains 300 attackpoints for each rank my opponents monsters have!" Calibrator did its calculations and it(4800/1500) counted 11 rank stars between the two Numbers on Babylons side.

"And that sure aint all!" Sandra took Mahunder and Pahunder, attaching them to another rank 4 monster from her extra deck. "Starliege Paladynamo!" This time the gathering storm bolts shaped a more knightly xyz monster, the winged paladin Paladynamo(4/2000/1000). "I detach both materials from Paladynamo, and negate the effects of your Number 33: Machu Mech!" The Starliege absorbed the attached Hunders into his blade and swung it around to blast the floating city with divine lightning. Machu Mech(0/1500) lost its power and its invulnerabilities. "And here I come!" Sandra began her assault, sending the Calibrator to bombard Atlandis with numerical energy blasts. Number 6 was not destroyed as Calibrator was not a Number, but Babylon still had to give up a hefty sum of lifepoints. "And again!" The same could not be said for Number 33. Paladynamo cut the entire Chronomalic city to ruins with his sword, raining pieces of it down to the mountains below. "Now I wonder; is the Morgana inside you proud of her agent now?" Sandra placed a trap card down and ended her turn.

Babylons LP: 3800

"That card.. is part of this hosts memories." The usually monotone Atlandis sounded rather upset that it had lost one of its own cards. "Babylon.. will overcome this problem. No matter the cost." The titan drew another slab, and this one was oddly colored. Like it was made from pure red crystal and gold.

...

Dantes' LP: 5600 Pandora's LP: 8000

"Can't believe that girl and that outsider are the first to lay a finger on your kind." Dantes spat as he watched Sandra's and the Raiders progress. "That upsets you, doesn't it?" Pandora stated, as she stood behind her summoned Number 8: Genom Heritage(4/2400/1800).

"Not as much as this will upset you!" Dantes had managed to put a lot of Hazy Flame monsters on his field. Hazy Flame Griffin(6/200/2100), a Sphynx(6/1900/1900) and two two Hazy Flame Hyudras(6/2300/200). "Have some of this! I Xyz-summon Hazy Flame Basiltrice!" The fire beasts along with the sevenheaded snake monsters, were all poured into one cauldron. And the great basilisk of the haze(6/2500/1800) emerged from the cauldrons fire. "Basiltrice gains 200 attackpoints for each attached material. And it can attach two more Hazy Flames from my graveyard to itself, because two Hyudra's were turned into its xyz materials." Through the effect of the Hyudra, Basiltrice gained 2 entirely new materials, holding a total of six. "I detach 1 material, to banish your monster!" The Basilisk(3700/1800) used its stare power on the Heraldic King, banishing it from the skies completely. "Direct attack!" Basiltrice then covered Pandora with a surge of flames coming from its wings. "Without your Number, you aren't so tough at all, are you?" Dantes laughed. Things were looking up for the agents.

Pandora's LP: 4500

...

"I though I was supposed to be leading the charge?" Joe let out a quick moan, he was lagging behind. But now that Lilith had placed two cards from her hand down in her magic/trap zones and ended her turn, he could return fire. "I summon Harpie Dancer, and I shall tribute her to activate my trap card; Icarus Attack!" The white-winged harpie(4/1200/1000) started dancing in the air, and surrounded herself with flames as Icarus Attack targeted her. "Unfortunately, Icarus is still... Sealed." However the flames were doused by a rain of blood. "What the hell?" Joe could not flip his trap face-up. In fact, Lilith had activated her own first. "A Continuous Trap card: Sanguine Swamp. Face-down spells and traps can not be activated. Their Names will remain Unknown."

"This is not funny anymore..." Joe activated a field spell card, Divine Wind of Mist Valley. "When a Wind-monster returns to my hand. I may special summon a Wind-monster from my deck! And Harpie Dancer can return a Wind-monster to my hand once a turn, to normal summon a Wid-monster from my hand!" The dancer removed herself off the field, only to resummon herself through her own effects rewards. Then the Divine Wind field spell put the redhaired Harpie Lady 1(4/1600/1400) on the field. "I will give you a name to remember, Lilith!" The Harpies were then overlayed and formed a new rank 4 bird. This one(4/1900/1600) was made from pure blue electricity. "Lightning Chidori! Once a turn, she may return one monster on the field, back to a players hand!" The lightning bird let out a piercing shriek, as started to build up energy for its effect.

"Oh. But that is not an interesting creature to me. Meaning.." Gorgonic Guardian detached its other material. "You are not telling me that your monster can use its power in my turn as well?" Even a creature made from the currents of storms could not escape the Gorgons gaze. Chidori(0/1600) turned to a solid statue. "And my traps.." No matter what Dantes would set now, Sanguine Swamp would negate it. He was forced in a corner. _"Tch. That swamp does not last forever, Joe. Just keep it cool._ I end my turn!"

"You could not even last two turns against me. You are a Poor thing. I shall not remember your Name or Keep you. But.." The Third activated the spell card, Monster Reborn, to revive Gorgonic Cerberus from her graveyard. "Because you amused me. I shall let you know my true Name before your Resistance ends." Then she summoned a new Gorgonic monster, a green golem(1/100/100) that crawled on all fours, with a serpentine head and massive crimson jaws. "This is Gorgonic Ghoul. I shall let him taste some of my own life. So that he can give life to another." The Ghoul drained 300 of her lifepoints. And then a second Ghoul(1/100/100) appeared from its mouth, special summoned from Liliths hand. "Gorgonic Cerberus will now reveal his Power. The power to change the stars of the Gorgons." Two necks of the Cerberus stretched out, so that the heads could bite the two ghouls as well, giving th two Gorgons(3/100/100) three times as many level stars as they had before. "Three times Level Three. That is what you need..to summon Me." Lilith placed the Gorgons on top of each other. "Look at me, Number 3: Pestilence Queen!"

Lilith's LP: 7700

"These are dark tidings!" Thomas could not see her well from way below, but he knew that Lilith had summoned her Numbered form up in the sky. "NO. This is.." And she was not the only one.

"Number 4: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger!"

"Number 2: Nanogear War Shadow!"

Iscariot had summoned his numbered form against Philip, who had barely even touched the Fourth catalyst. And Cain summoned his Number against the rest of the backup agents that had tried to take him on all at once. Not even they could make a dent in the Second's armor. "Gyah!" Even Babylon had upped her game. Atlandis had somehow changed itself, reforging its whole body from burning liquid magma. However that had happened, the endresult was that Sandra stood no chance against it. She and the other agents were all blasted out of the skies in one fell swoop.

Sandra's LP: 0 Babylons LP: 3800

Philips LP: 0 Iscariot's LP: 6200

Joe's LP: 0 Lilith's LP: 7700

Backup Agents LP: 0 Cains LP: 8000

...

"Such power.. such incredible power." Kincaid watched the carnage unfold with wide eyes. "Only Dantes and that masked kid are still in the game." Claud winced every time he saw his associates fall all. Their screens went offline, as the helicopters had crashed. "What will happen to them now? Are they.." Ariel knew nobody could survive a fall from that hight. "They will see to it that they become part of their design, even if they nearly die in the process" But Dakar knew better, their fate was far different. Once you started to become like the catalysts, your old bodies' wounds did not matter anymore. "They will give them the Numbers that they introduced into this world, and make them their servants."

The base started to rumble. "They are inside, sir. Four catalysts have breached the compound" Esther warned the director, who was working the controls of the generator. "I see." He let out a long deep sigh. Kincaid looked at the others, and at his own 'daughter'. "Agent K.. Korose." He spoke to the man who was holding her. "This is my last order for you. Take care of Ann."

"Sir? What do you mean.." And before Korose could get an answer, Kincaid pressed a button which made a metal grid fall down in front of them, closing Kincaid off inside with the generator itself. "Hey! What are you doing!" Shin yelled. "You have to leave now, while you still can! I will try to limit the radius of the explosion, but I can not guarantee the safety of anyone inside the energy cage! Use the agents D-pads to get through it!" The director yelled from the other side. "Explosion?" Shin gasped. Who said anything about that? "You are going to detonate the generator!?" Subito deduced that this had been Kincaids last measure all along. If this generator was powering the barrier and was using the infinite energy from the catalysts homeworld, it could theoretically destroy even them. "This is the only way. We can not reason with the Numbers. This all happened because of me. And I am going to set things right! For my daughter, for you, and for the world!"

Kincaid then pushed another button to completely seal himself inside and them outside. "Hey! Open that door!" Rita banged against the metal wall. But Kincaid could no longer be seen or spoken to. "You are wasting time which we can better spend on vacating this area!" Xander knew what Kincaid wanted to accomplish, that was enough for them to know. "But..how we do we get out of here fast enough?" They did not have a map handy. And ho knew how much time they had!

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)34: And All that Is, Must End)

**New Cards used by the Masked Raider/Thomas  
**Inzektor Ant

**New Cards used by Joe Davis  
**Lightning Chidori

-  
Divine Wind of Mist Valley

-  
Icarus Attack

**New Cards used by Sandra  
**Callibrator  
Starliege Paladynamo

-  
Gozen Match

**New Cards used by Dantes  
**Hazy Flame Hyudra

**New Cards used by 'The Fifth'  
**Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall  
Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant

**Cards used by Lilith  
**Gorgonic Golem  
Gorgonic Cerberus  
Gorgonic Gargoyle  
Gorgonic Guardian  
Gorgonic Ghoul

-  
Monster Reborn

-  
Sanguine Swamp

**New Cards used by Babylon  
**Chronomaly Winged Sphinx

_-  
Numeron Direct (+)_

_(+ Adjusted effect for the Zexal spell used by Don Thousand)_


	37. Cipher (1)35: And All That is, Must End

**Cipher (****1)35: And All that Is, Must End**

"Azar. Can you get us out of here?" The place was gonna blow. Dakar knew only one person who could save them now; the duelist with all the Numbers in his arsenal. "I must be. I do not even know what half of these Numbers can do, but I could access their power. But..that may not be enough." Most Numbers could not leave through the satellite barrier around this location

"Prometheus!" Shin snapped his fingers. "That guy said he could be anywhere he wanted to be, remember?" The Ninth had been annoyingly talkative, and he remembered that being one of the things Prometheus proudly spoke about. "Yes. Good!" Azar took Number 9: Dyson Sphere. "If this does not work.." He took a deep breath and waited for something to happen. This though gave Ariel time to wonder. "With that, can we not save Kincaid?" As a teleport like that could get them beyond the wall as well. "I do not know if we have enough time to convince Kincaid. The closer the catalysts get, the more they interfere with our Numbers powers." Subito already had difficulty getting a feel of Number 107. "Kincaid made his choice." He looked at Korose who seemed most torn between the two choices. But his silence implied that the agent accepted his directors fate. They could not save themselves and Kincaid as well.

_"Anywhere I want to be..where we want to be...Home."_

And then Azar exhaled... and everyone else disappeared.

...

Dantes' LP: 5600 Pandora's LP: 4500

"Your friends.. they have all fallen. They all have become part of us." Pandora looked down at the mountains where the choppers has crashed. The Catalysts had taken the duelists and their pilots. They had not done so to save their lives, but to preserve hosts for the Numbers. "Who are you calling friends? They're just my coworkers." Dantes was the last agent still dueling. And it was no longer his turn. "I will know if you truly feel that way, soon enough. An expression of confidence does not persuade me." Pandora special summoned the Heraldic Beast Amphisbaena(4/1700/1100) from her hand by discarding a card from her hand. And then she activated the spell card, Monster Reborn, to revive Laval Lancelord from Dantes' graveyard, to her field. "My monster? You can not Xyz-summon anything with that!" Dantes knew she had other Numbers, but they were supposedly rank 4 Xyz monsters. "Ignorance is bliss." Pandora normal summoned a new Heraldic Beast, an azure-blue falcon(4/1000/1600). "Heraldic Beast Bernards Falcon. Change his monsters level." This Falcon had an effect that let it lower all levels of five and higher, to the fourth level. "!" Two stars of his Lancelord(4/2100/200) faded away. "That takes care of the problem, doesn't it?"

Pandora removed the three cards from the field. Amphisbaena, Berners Falcon and Laval Lancelord shot into an Xyz-summoning portal, and the spike-pincered bone-white devil(4/2600/1400) descended from the other world as a crest of light formed beneath its legless torso. "So..that is Number 69: Heraldry Crest." Dantes half-smirked. "You are already familiar with it?" Pandora asked, though she did not sound surprised. "Your last duel in our headquarters was recorded. I took the time to study the footage. I must be the only one to actually care enough to do their job properly. And with the other agents indisposed, my fee should more than triple." Dantes would not even be here, if Kincaid had not promised him all the money the director could afford "I know what Number 69 does. Its power is useless against my Xyz-monster!" Basiltrice(3500/1800) had 5 xyz-materials right now. Thus it could not be destroyed or targeted by card effects; including Number 69's effect stealing power. "Your faith is fragile, Dantes. Because what drives you is shallow." Pandora took a spell card from her hand. "Something like that needs to evolve... or disappear! Spell card: Numeron Force!"

"What?" This spell however, Dantes had not expected. "I thought only the Ninth had access to that card!" It was the same as with Prometheus, Pandora evolved Heraldry Crest into the next rank, and at the same time Numeron Force negated the effects of Dantes' cards. "The Ninth is also part of me, Dantes. Through him, my sisters and his brothers have gained the blessing of Number 100; the power of Numeron evolution." The Heraldry lord(5/4000/1800) had become a sickening yellow and purple monster, with its claws and horns lenghtened and its red flesh exposed. "Number Order 69: Heraldry Crest of Horror. He shall reflect all power within another Xyz-monster; its abilities and its strengths." The Horror Crest(7300/1800) added Basiltrice's original 2500 attackpoints to itself, and also gained 200 attackpoints from each of its 4 attached materials. "What was that ability again?" She asked him as she detached one material from Number O69(7100/1800). "Banishing any kind of monster from the field.." Dantes listlessly stated. Heralrdy Crest of Horror turned the Hazy Flame's own petrifying effect against it, turning it to a pile of dust with a glare from its eyes. "Yes." Pandora started her battle phase. "And now, Dantes, you will be part of me." The yellow demon cut the helicopter in half with its spiked claw.

Dantes' LP: 0

_"Curse it all!"_ Thomas saw the last remnant of the agency fall out of the sky, another agent had become a slave to the Numbers. _"This was pointless after all.. this.." _

Thomas' LP: 2100 Fifth's LP: 3900

_"No. Not even now. Never surrender! My deck shall not let me down!" _Thomas could not quit, he could not give up. But everything depended on his next draw. "Inzektor Dragonfly!? I knew it. fate has not abandoned me!" Thomas immediately summoned the keycard of the Inzektors, Dragonfly warrior(3/1000/1800). And he equipped it with the spell Inzektor Bow - Inzektahawk, which stopped any effect that tried to negate Dragonfly's(1500/1800) own effects. "Gigaweevil, join with Dragonfly!" From his hand Thomas activated another monsters effect. Gigaweevil could equip itself to an Inzektor under Thomas' control, and give add its own defense points to that monster(1500/2600). "Armor Blast!" But Thomas would not keep it the equipped weevil. "I destroy one equipped Inzektor, to destroy two cards!" Dragonfly(1500/1800) shed its new armor through a violent explosion, and GigaWeevils shrapnel embedded itself in Blackwing Gram the Shining Star(5/2200/1500) and Blackwing Silverwind the Ascendant(8/2800/2000), to kill them both.

"..." So The Fifth flipped his quickplay spell card, Swallows Nest. "Blast!" That spell tributed Gram for another equally-leveled winged beast from the controllers deck. The redbearded crow mage(5/0/2300), Blackwing Hillen the Tenguwind, appeared. As a result, Armor Blast only managed to destroy the silver samurai. "So be it!" At least Dragonfly could activate its effect, now that it had de-equipped an Inzektor. "Dragonfly, choose your ally!" The Inzekt fighter special summoned another Inzektor from the deck, the stinging Inzektor Hornet(3/500/200). "Hornet, take Ant's power!" Thomas made his new Inzektor equip Inzektor Ant from the graveyard to itself, adding the Ants status points and level stars to itself(6/700/800). "Gigaweevil, revive yourself!" When an equipped Gigaweevil was sent to the graveyard, it could special summon any kind of Inzektor from that graveyard; including itself(6/0/2600).

"Together you shall stand strong! I overlay Gigaweevil and Hornet, to xyz-summon Inzektor Exa-Beetle!" The two Inzektors fused into one warrior, a a large knight(6/1000/1000) in golden beetle armor. "Exa-Beetle can equip any monster in the graveyard to itself! And gain half its attackpoints!" The new Exa-warrior stabbed the ground with his lance and dragged the Blackwing Silver Ascendant out of its tomb. That synchro monster was equipped to Exa-Beetle(2400/1000). "Exa-Beetle can also send one card on both sides of the field, to the land of the dead!" The Exa-knight detached one material and took Dragonfly's Inzektor Arrow equip spell away, and threw it towards Hillen the Tengu Wind, to tear that Blackwing to pieces. "..." The Fifth still did not display any reaction to his losses.

"I will get you to acknowledge me! Dragonfly can still equip a monster himself!" Through its own power, the Dragonfly claimed Inzektor Hornet from the cemetery. An equipped Inzektor Hornet could sacrifice itself to destroy a card as well. "Hornet, the last threat..is his set trap card!" Dragonfly fired the Hornet away and let it shoot through Fifth's trap card like a stinger missile. "Now the enemy is.." But the following outburst spread further than Thomas had anticipated. The flames rushed across the mountains and knocked Thomas back. "Grah!"

Thomas' LP: 1100

"Blackwing Boobytrap." He discovered which trap he had destroyed, after he realized how much life he had lost and after The Fifth drew a new card from his deck. "When destroyed it damage the opponent and lets the controller draw a new card." Thomas had only made things worse for himself. "Yet you are defenseless. That is all that matters!" Dragonfly had sent another one of its equipments away, so it could again special summon another Inzektor from the deck. This time Thomas chose the green mantis warrior; Inzektor Gigamantis(6/2400/). At the same time, Thomas used the effect of Inzektor Gigacricket in his graveyard. The Cricket banished Inzektor Ant from the cemetery to revive itself(5/2000/1300). "Inzektors: for the sake of those who have fallen and those who placed their hopes in us, strike him now!" Gigacricket charged in first with its drill-fingers. The Fifth special summoned another Blackwing Ghibli the Searing Wind(3/0/1600) from its hand because of this direct attack. But the Cricket managed to kill it. "End this duel!" Then Dragonfly and Gigamantis landed their hits on the Fifth with laser gun blasts and scythe swipes.

Fifth's LP: 500

Exa-Beetle would have delivered the finishing blow. If Blackwing Hillen the Tenguwind had not re-appeared, along with Ghibli, in defense position. "No! I forgot its effect!" Hillen would bring itself and another level 3 or lower Blackwing back to life, after its master took 2000 points of direct damage from one attack. Like Gigamantis' attack. "No choice! Press on!" Thomas did not want to know what Fifth intended to summon with those two monsters. They had to be destroyed. Exa-Beetle jabbed the Tengu with his lance. But it could not pierce its body. "Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky?" Hillen was alive because the Fifth discarded a card from its hand, which negated the destruction of a Blackwing in battle. "That was.. the card you gained..with Blackwing Boobytrap?"

The Fifth drew his next card. It did not need Thomas to declare the end of his turn anymore. It knew Thomas was out of attacks and out of effects to use. "..." It then sacrificed Ghibli to tribute summon Blackwing - Boreas the Sharp; the red bandana talon fighter(5/1300/900). "It is even worse than I imagined." The catalyst had two level five monsters. For 'the Fifth' that could only mean one thing. "Five." And the enemy uttered its first word ever, as it abandoned its headless form and absorbed the two blackwings into a new body. Fifth xyz-summoned itself; Death Chimera Dragon.

_Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon, 5/1000/1500 Dark/Dragon  
__2 or more Level 5 monsters  
__When this card is Xyz-summoned: target the top card of either players deck; attach it to this card as an Xyz Material.  
__This card gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to Xyz monsters on the field._

_"Like the four horsemen of the apocalypse.."_ Before Thomas stood a great winged serpent(5/3000/1500), with dark scales as fine as feathers and a golden crown. "So you have revealed your true form to me." Thomas lowered his arms. He knew it would be futile to resist him now. The trap that he had set, Inzektor Gauntlet, would not protect him from a straight-up attack. "I just do not understand your kind. I can deal with people who just give in to their own sins and weaknesses. But you.. your thoughts are on a completely different level." In the end, he lost because he expected the catalyst to fight like a fiend, because he could not get a read on this entity. "I always knew things could end up like this for me. From the very first day." He remembered experiencing his first taste of heroism like it was yesterday, and that was just tracking down the neighbors missing cat. He had certainly come a long way. "I just hope I made someone proud. If not my father.. then maybe the friends I made." Thomas closed his eyes. "Do it."

...

Kincaid stared at the machine before him, he had done all he could with it, and was now just waiting out the last few minutes he had left..

"Kgh!" Time was up. A force struck him form behind, and made him kneel down. "You..have arrived." A metal barrier like that was of course not enough to keep them outside, not the catalysts. They were all here, except for the Fifth. Lucifer had attacked him with something.. was it a Number? Probably, there were thousands swirling around them. "But you are too late." He turned to them, but found himself unable to get up. "You can not make us late, Kincaid Carpenter. Your time has no hold over us. And your actions are clear to us." Cain started to say as his masked face turned upwards to gaze at the generator. "That machine draws energy from the wound you created, you would destroy us with our own limitless energy. Nothing you create can harm us, this is your only solution." They could not destroy the generator, that would only set it off prematurely.

"A Number is already inside you. As are they in all your agents. Would you sacrifice them as well? Now that you finally have what you desired?" Babylon asked. "Not just them. Soon, those who suffered from our Red moon will return as well. Some of them are stored here, Morgana remembers. Could you sacrifice innocents?"

"I.." Kincaid looked at his hands. He was holding a card now: Abyss Splash. But it was no longer the original, it was Number 173.. the first copy of 73. "I did not want it like this.." He could not move his body. Either the catalysts were forcing him down, or the Number itself was. Yet his thoughts and desires were his own, for now. "The blast will not reach the agents, and the rest have been relocated. It will only destroy what I created, here under the ground!" He yelled, and felt his body spasm as it tried to limit his movements. "You can not fight against the Nine. Whatever you have planned, we can make you undo it, Kincaid." Lilith stated as she casually placed her hand under his chin. "Heh." But Kincaid smiled right in her unseen face. "Not even I can stop this now." The Generator released sparks and the room started to rumble. "I have only started the chain reaction, the machine takes care of the rest. I have accepted my fate, have you?!"

Yet all that build-up.. only led to a power shut down, across the entire area. "What?!"

"You may not be able to shut it down. But I can.." A voice that had always been so soothing to his ear, now terrified him to his core. "...E..Esther? No. You?" But he was not speaking to her, he was speaking to Pandora. Her voice was the same as Esthers. Had she used that to force the computer to go into a full system shutdown? Even the barrier around them was deactivated. Only the generator was still running. "You..you are..Astrid?" Kincaid did not know what was going on anymore. Were was Esther, who was this catalyst? Was this really the person he used to love? The mask hid her face, but her voice.. that had to be her. "No. Not her either.. they could not save her." Pandora seemed be genuinely saddened by Kincaid's misplaced feelings. Yet that soon turned into a terrifying hope.. "But.. we can save you. And we will, if you want us."

...

A large blast made the the mountains tremble. And moments later, several of the Catalysts re-appeared above the surface. The barrier had indeed been disposed of, now the Numbers flew everywhere across the mountain range. "Fifth." Cain noticed his brother down below. He had been victorious, as was expected. Yet his opponent was nowhere to be seen now. "You have finally come to terms with a host." Cain and Iscariot landed on the rocks. Their brother had changed, a full head was now behind his mask, bolted together with five iron spikes. "The very first human you find, and you take him! When before you refused to even leave the shadow world. How predictable!" The latter seemed particularly peeved that Fifth chose the least difficult path. The Fifth had always done so. "Fourth, control your anger. Such feelings should not be exchanged between our kind. Unless you wish to end up like the Ninth." Cain held the Fourth at bay and stepped up to his other sibling.

Lilith joined them as well at that time. "Have you given yourself a name yet, Fifth? Or shall I choose one for you?" As with all catalysts, the concept of naming themselves did not enter their thoughts.. until they had gained a humans memories. Though Lilith had chosen most of their names.

"No." The man who was once Thomas.. spoke his first new word as a reborn man.

"I am Death.."

...

"It worked!" Ten people that had on the other side of the world, had travelled an imposible distance in the span of a second. "I knew you could do it!" Before he looked at a dark and cold metallic hallway, now he saw the comfort of his own home. Shin finally felt like he could breathe. "I get how we got here. But where are we?" The only who had never been inside the Artega manor was Rita. "This is our home." Subito said. Though he himself was surprised that Azar had taken them here. ".." As if this was closer to home now than whatever apartment Azar had lived in before, let alone his birthplace. "Do you think it worked? Do you Kincaid.." Claud could not help but think about the man they left behind. "It would be nice to think that he succeeded. Even if that does mean he is gone. But I think we should be prepared for the worst." Dakar had learned one thing by now, that life did not always take the easy road.

"He did fail." This perspective was still brighter than _hers_. "They survived. There is no End for them anymore." Necara struggled and broke away from Korose. "We are far away. We are safe here for the time being." The agent tried to put her at ease and explain where they were. "No! That is not true! You are not safe, none of you are! There is nowhere to hide, nowhere to run!"

"They will be here, they will be everywhere."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)36: Six Billion to Go)

**New Cards used by Pandora  
**Heraldic Beast - Berners Falcon  
Number O69: Heraldry Crest of Horror (+)

-  
Monster Reborn  
Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force

_(+ Chaos 69 renamed to Order 69 for story purposes)_

**New Cards used by the Masked Raider/Thomas  
**Inzektor Gigaweevil  
Inzektor Exabeetle

-  
Inzektor Crossbow - Inzektarrow

-  
Inzektor Gauntlet

**New Cards used by 'The Fifth'  
**Blackwing - Hillen the Tenguwind  
Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky  
Blackwing - Boreas the Sharp  
_Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon_

-  
Swallows Nest

-  
Blackwing Boobytrap


	38. Cipher (1)36: Six Billion to Go

**Cipher (****1)36: Six Billion to Go**

"Hey. We don't need that kind of negative talk! Me and Azar already beat one of those catalysts, we can do it again!" Shin yelled at Necara. That only managed to bring out more terror within the girl, who knelt down in the corner of the room and closed her eyes. "Shin. She is not the enemy anymore." Ariel understood why Shin flipped out. But his reaction was not going to do much good either.

"And she has a point." Xander added. "If the Nine did make it out of there, we need to think up a strategy against them. And we have to warn the people they will come after, before it is too late." With how many Numbers the catalysts were bringing through the gateway, every human on the planet was in danger. "You're right. We need dad. Dad!" Shin shouted for his father; hoping that the man with the most connections was actually at the house. "Shin? Is that you? What is with all this noise.." Instead he would have to make due with a relieved yet frustrated mother who came down the stairs. "Subito!? You are.. and these people.. are they all your friends?" She looked over the assortment of colorful duelists with bewildered eyes. "Oh, yeah. I lost track of time." Shin chuckled, before turning to matter at hand. "Mom? Where is Dad? Something bad is going to happen soon, and we need to find him and warn everyone!"

"You need him? Your father was out looking for you! Where have you been? And what is this 'bad something'? What is going to happen?"

"Oh god.. I think it is already happening." A terrifying sight struck Dakars eyes as he peered through the windows. "What..what is that?" And Mrs. Artega had never seen anything like it; a rain of energy bolts that flew straight down towards the ground. "What is it doing?" The beams hit people who were walking outside on the streets, forcing them into a state of unconsciousness. "It's them, The Numbers! They are attacking here already? We have gotta help them!" Shin impulsively raced towards the front door. "No, Shin! It is too late for them!" But Azar held him back. Once a Number had found a host, they would not leave it. "We must be able to do something." Korose said with a grunt. Standing by and doing nothing could not the only option. "Yes. You can put up a barrier around this house." Azar said. Those at least those would keep the Numbers outside. Korose understood this and immediately went to work on it. Meanwhile Azar turned to Shins mother. "Miss Artega. I need to speak with your husband, now."

"Mom and dad are.." Meanwhile Ariel kept staring out the window. "Yes. I know." Dakar knew what she was looking at, the rain of light was hitting every place in the city at once. Even their home. _"Damn it. How did they get here? Why so quickly?"_

...

"830,706."

Atop the highest point in the city, above the tower was a new visitor. One of seven. Iscariot, the fourth, had chosen this city to begin the takeover. "That is how many remain, that is how many you can have." The catalyst informed his fellow Numbers that circled the air around him. They flew down in swarms of a hundred and poured out across the city. "There are some who can resist, the ones who have passed through the red light of the other world. You will have to defeat them with your power, you will have to fight them. A duel it all it takes." Iscariot could sense it right now. This city held many humans who were immune to the influence of the Numbers. Even without them, this process would take its time. It was always slow at the start. But then time was not an issue for one such as Iscariot. And soon it would not be for them as well. But his good mood was soon disturbed. "What... is that noise!?" A loud horn sounded across the city, coming from seemingly everywhere. A city-wide alarm had been triggered. "They fear us! What an aggravating response! Let's change this atmosphere of theirs!"

...

"I can't believe your old man pulled that trick out of his hat." Rita could hear the results of Artega's efforts everywhere, her ears were practically bursting. "He made ties with the local officials, ever since his incident. Azar knew he could get them to listen." Subito said. It had been his father who convinced the mayor that the alarm needed to be used. "You think that's gonna be enough, telling people to stay inside? Not everyone has a barrier like we do." Claud was covering for everyone here, who had gone out to see if anyone was in need of assistance. Korose protected Miss Artega, Shin and Necara backl at the house. For now the Numbers stopped coming, but the skies were still buzzing with luminescent clouds, with them. The next downpour could come at any second. "I do not know if they can pass through solid objects, but it is better not to risk it in their case." Whoever was inside of a building would now know by now that this alarm was not a drill or a test. They were far safer inside than outside.

"But.. these people." Ariel saw hundreds of citizens, lying on the streets or in their cars. They were uninjured, but that was not why they were sleeping. Glowing cards rested in their hands. Unlike previous cases, they seemed to have passed out immediately after they received their Number. "There has to be a way to cure them.." Even if it took one duel at a time, if that was the only way, Ariel wanted to know.

Abruptly the sirens ceased..

"Oh. That can not be good." Xander muttered. "What? A power outage? EMP?" Rita hurried to check her own D-pad quickly. Her device still functioned. "No. Not that." Whatever had happened, it only affected the city's grid. "This is not just a malfunction." Dakar inspected a nearby traffic light, which was also blacked out. "Someone wanted this city to lose power, to cut off the noise. Remember, one of the catalysts did something to the helicopter we were in. It drained the energy away." He did not believe in coincidences. It had to be the Fourth. "You think they are the ones who made the Numbers come here?" Claud asked Rita. "Yeah that's kinda obvious now, isn't it? As for how they got her so quickly.. Catalysts can teleport to places with Numbers. So there ya go." All the original Numbers in the world were all located here.

"I should have known they would want to finish what they started." Azar had hoped that the catalysts could not follow them here so soon, but he knew too much about them to put much faith in that hope. Yet this presented an opportunity as well. "We need to find him. The catalysts are the shepherds of the Numbers. If we remove him, we might be able to remove the Numbers and save the city."

"I need to know if my family and friends are alright first. I am sorry. But I think we should split up." Ariel could not think of anything else anymore, any one of these bodies could have been her mother or father. "I understand. Subito, Xander, Rita; we will look for the Catalyst. Claud, you should go with them." Azar wanted to have an even distribution of Overhundred Numbered duelists, and he already knew Dakar was going to go with Ariel. "What? You think you can let Claud go all by himself?" Rita had severe doubts about this approach. "Hey, I have my own Number now! I can handle whatever comes my way!" Claud insisted, with a tone that was not as confident as it had sounded in his head. "Yeah, but.. Ugh, okay." Rita gave in. She knew each group would need an Agent with them. "Then we shall go now. I wish you all good luck." Dakar said. "The same. I hope your family is alright." Azar replied, and he waved them off.

Unfortunately this put Azar in his own head as well. _"...Family. I do not even know how they are doing."_ Last time had come to them for help. They did not live far off from here. There could be a time where he would need to help them. But he could not think about that now. The danger was here..

...

Serins house was not far off. However they were not the first to show up there. "Sky?" To Ariels astonishment, she saw Sky standing in front of the house. "Ariel!? You are okay!" And Sky was in the middle of a duel against another person. "That's.. Sir Webb!" Dakar had seen the man before, he lived in their neighborhood, across the street. "What is going on here?"

Sky's LP: 3400 Webb's LP: 4200

"Ariel..Dakar.. As soon as I recovered, and streets were safe, I rushed to your house to see if you were unharmed. I told Natasha to stay inside her home, but I could not stay with her. I had to know if you were alright. Except you were gone." There were several unconscious men and women across this area as well. "What about my.." Ariel did not even want to look at them "No. They are inside the house. They did not know where you were, but as soon as the alarm went off, I knew things were not over.. They are still inside." He pointed at their house. "Mom, dad!" Ariel saw the two familiar figures behind the window. They looked immensely relieved to see their daughter and son, but were too rattled by what was happening to open the door. For good reason.

"Uh. What about the duel?" Claud asked. Sky's opponent did not seem to be in a talkative mood. "This guy attacked me soon after the rain stopped. He acts like a possessed man..And he has a Number." The opponent controlled two monsters; Catapult Turtle(5/1000/2000) and Number 34: Terrorbyte(3/0/2900). He also had the continuous spell, Double Defender, which could negate Sky's attacks as the duelists controlled his two monsters in defense position. Sky only controlled one monster; Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja(4/1500/1000).

"But. It is my turn!" Ariels presence seemingly gave Sky what he needed, as he drew his next card with renewed energy and a satisfied smile. "I summon Masked Ninja Ebisu! This warrior returns spells and traps to a players hand, equal to the number of Ninjas on my field!" Sky's new and reather heavylooking warrior in green threw a smoke bomb in front of Webs feet. "Return, Double Defender!" With it Webbs protective spell was forced back into his hand. A scowl was all Webb managed to produce as a reaction. "Now Ebisu's other effect! He can let Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja attack directly!" Sky started the battle phase and ordered Goe Goe to use his direct attack. "And I activate the spell card, Blind Spot Strike!" Sky slammed a quickplay spell down on his D-pad. "My monster gains attackpoints equal to the defense points of a monster you control! I select your Number!" The spell made the ninja in red disappear, and then re-appear behind its target. "Hrm?" Webb could only grunt as the powered-up Goe Goe(4400/1000) stabbed him in the back with a holographic dagger. Following the attack, Mister Webb collapsed and a strange sort of energy left his body. "There! That should take care of.."

Webbs LP: 0

And the energy flew straight into Sky's own body. "..that."

"What!?" A shudder went down his spine. And through those of the others as well. "Sky?" Ariel took a few steps towards him. He raised his hand to stop her. "Stay where you are!" His other hand was placed on his chest. "This is.. where did I.. go wrong?" His heart was pounding, his body felt charged up, different. "..should I have.." Only one thing was certain to him, a Number was inside him. The others came to the same conclusion. "Even if you beat the guy, you still get a Number put inside of you?" Claud could not believe it. The Numbers were like a virus. "...I am sorry." And Sky, who had stopped struggling against a seemingly invisible force, spun around and started walking towards Ariels house. "What are you doing?" Dakar yelled.

Ariel took it even one step further and put herself in front of him. "Sky. Please do not say you are.." He was after her parents, she could not deny it. "Ariel. I do not want to hurt you. But I have to do this." He did not even sound remotely hesitant in his goals. "You will not harm them. If it is between you and them... I do not want to hurt you either, but If you are going to make me choose between you and them.." Ariel did not budge. "I see. Then it has to be this way." Sky moved back a little and took his cards out of his D-pad. "Ariel. I challenge you to a duel." He reshuffled his deck and inserted it back into the device. Ariels D-pad turned itself on at the same time. This was not a proposal she could refuse.

Ariels LP: 8000 Sky's LP: 8000

"Ariel!" Dakar tried to intervene, but it was already too late. "Dakar. I must do this. For mom and dad, you and me." Ariel put together her deck as well.. She took the first turn and drew six cards. "But Ariel, no matter what happens..." Even if Dakar knew she could win, she would just suffer the same fate as Sky. "As long as they are safe, I do not care what happens to me!" Ariel looked back at her house. "Mom, dad! Do not step outside! I will be fine!" She could not hear them, but she could imagine what they were saying. Nevertheless, this was something she wanted to do. They had always respected her decisions before, they would have to live with this one as well. "I summon Shore Knight." Ariel normal summoned her redcaped warrior of the seas(4/1400/1200) and placed one trap card down on the field.

"Maybe this is for the best. I do not want to see you in pain. But if anyone has to do it, it should be me." As Sky controlled no monsters, while Ariel did, he could special summon the Earth Armor Ninja(5/1600/1200) from his hand. "I know I will make this as gentle as possible." He also normal summoned a tuner monster, the cartoonish japanese policeman, Jutte Knight(2/700/900). "Synchro summon!" The tuner changed itself into energy rings, and the Ninja reverted to its five level stars. The five stars combined with the tuners two rings to form a level 7 synchro monster. "Driven Daredevil!" He called out the aid of a long silver-haired samurai(7/2400/2100), wearing green armor and part of a beasts mask that covered his lower jaw. "Test your blade on her Knight!" The Daredevil took out both of his long blades and slashed downwards in a crossing pattern.

But as soon as it came within cutting distance, Ariel activated her trap card: Poseidon Wave. It negated his monsters attack, forcing it back to Sky's side with the force of the sea waves. "Ariel?" Sky noticed that Ariel did not even call the name of her card anymore. "Are you not talking any more? Please. Do not be like that. I am still your friend. I have just.. been given a new task." Sky placed a trap card down on his field and ended his turn. "I know that. And you still are my friend, Sky. But I.. I do not know what I can say. That thing has changed you." Ariel finally said as she drew her card. "That thing changed you too, Ariel. That was a secret you kept from me for quite a while." Sky stated in an uncharacteristically callous way. "What!? Do you resent me for that?" His tone, she did not like it. Yet she could not blame him for having such thoughts.. "No. Of course not. I understand you now. I understand.. again.. I should say. I had this power before, the power to protect you. This Number now is different, but it is what I need nonetheless."

"No. You do not need the Numbers. You just can not see that now. That's why... its hard to talk to you." Ariel switched Shore Knight to defense mode; a move that activated the Knight's effect. "Shore Knight sends a water-monster from the deck to my graveyard!" Ariel used it to discard a Nimble Angler. That cards effect was also activated now, when it travelled from the deck to the cemetery. "I special summon two Nimble monsters from my deck!" Ariel special summoned two Nimble Sunfishes(2/1000/100) to her field. "And I tribute summon Big Whale!" Ariel used her Sunfish pair as sacrifices for the half mechanical deepsea Whale(9/1000/3000). "Because I tribute summoned it, I can send it to the grave to summon three level 3 water-monsters from my deck!" The whale released three shots from its torpedo tubes, special summoning three Needle Sunfishes(3/1500/100). "I will xyz-summon Tri-Edge Levia with them!" Ariel overlayed the trio of seamonsters to create a more human-sized leviathan of the depths; the dark merman Tri-Edge Levia(3/1800/1500).

"By taking one material away from Tri-Edge Levia!, it weakens a monsters attackpoints by 800!" A vortex of water-streams swirled around the triple-edged weapon of the Leviathan(3/1800/1500).It sent the streams spiraling towards the Driven Daredevil. The green samurai was hit in the chest. Sky's warrior(1100/2100) was weakened even further because a Needle Sunfish had been detached. That monster took away 500 of its attackpoints when it was sent to the graveyard. "Attack!" Tri-Edge came in to strike the finishing blow. "Ariel, Driven daredevil destroys a monster that attacks it, if it has less attackpoints then his attacker!" Sky tried to make his warrior perform a counter-move with his sword. "I can't?" But as fast as Sky was, his monster did not reach for his sword at all. "Levia also negates the effects of the monster it weakened!" Ariel explained, before the Daredevil wound up impaled on her monsters. "Right now, Sky, I have to focus on this fight. It is the only thing I know I can do!"

Sky's LP: 7300

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)37: Better Left Unsaid)

**New Cards used by Sky Chism  
**Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja  
Masked Ninja Ebisu  
Jutte Knight  
Driven Daredevil

-  
Blind Spot Strike

**New Cards used by the Number 34's Wielder  
**Number 34: Terrorbyte  
Catapult Turtle

-  
Double Defender

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Shore Knight  
Tri-Edge Levia


	39. Cipher (1)37: Better Left Unsaid

**Cipher (****1)37: ****Better Left Unsaid**

Azar and the others were carefully walking through the city, looking for any sign of the Catalyst. "Rita. Please do not fall behind." They could not move too quickly because the one with the most useful D-pad moved the slowest. Xander tried to take care of that. "Bah.. Not everyone can walk hours in a row, you know! Arent you tired at all?" She simply was not used to their pace. Even as an agent she had never had to exert herself greatly. That was what she had Claud for. "And I am tired of this outfit too. I don't know how you can stand to wear the same clothes day for more than a day!" The woolly wintercoat did not help matters either. However she would not be the only one to delay their search.

"Hey you kids! Do you have any idea what is going on?" One home owner opened his door when he saw somebody walking outside. "You'd better close that door if you know what's good for you." Though he quickly got rebuffed by Subito. "Yeek!" And the man listened. But only because trouble was stirring in the sky. "Xander, Rita! More are coming!" Azar shouted as he saw another swarm of light beams heading their way. There was not enough time to put up a barrier. "Incoming!" They all braced themselves...

Yet the Numbers flew harmlessly passed them. "Huh? They did not like you?" Rita saw them fly off to other parts of the city. "They.. did not want us. Is it because we already have Numbers?" Subito did not know if it could be so simple? "The Overhundreds appear to disagree with the other Numbers. But I.." Azar had a regular Number. He already knew why he was not influenced by Number 46: Draggluon. _"Could it be.."_

...

Ariels LP: 8000 Sky's LP: 7300

"I sometimes forget how strong you can be." Sky seemed to enjoy his duel with Ariel. Her Tri-Edge Levia(3/1800/1500) had killed his Daredevil so swiftly. "Even without your Number." Now it was his turn, he drew his card. "I normal summon Ninja Grand Master Hanzo. This means I can add one Ninjitsu card from my deck to my hand." With the effect of the summoned Ninja((4/1800/1000), clad in dark, Sky claimed a Ninjitsu Art of Freezing trap card to his hand. "And now, with a Ninja on my field!" Sky flipped a continuous trap card. "Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation! I take my Ninja, and one monster you control; and combine their levels to summoned a dragon-type monster from my deck!" Hanzo made a giant leap to the other side of the field and landed on top of Ariels Shore Knight(4/1400/1200). "Ah!" The two warriors disappeared in a cloud of smoke, which covered up. "I choose White Dragon Ninja!" A female ninja(7/2700/1200), dressed in white, emerged from the smoke. She was the endresult of this super-transformation. Her effect prevented the destruction of Sky's spells and traps. "Now!" Sky moved on to the battle phase.

"Trap card: Bubble Bringer!" That was when Ariel activated her own continuous trap; a barrier of bubbles which prevented the attacks of all level 4 and higher monsters. "You are still not letting me reach you... Ariel, you are only making this harder for you." Sky placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. "Rather me than my family. They have been through enough!" Ariel drew her card. Then she re-used the effect of Tri-Edge Levia. Another Needle Sunfish was detached to weaken White Dragon Ninja(1400/1200) and negate her effects. "And you haven't? I know how strong you are, but I know how much stronger the enemy is. Every day I look at you and I wish I could share some of the burdens you carry!" Sky was yelling at her again.

"Wait a second now." And it was at this point that Claud started picking up on certain vibes. "You. Are you Ariels friend, or are you more than that?" The agent asked Sky. "What? Why would you say that?" Though Claud drew the more immediate reactions from Dakar and also Ariel, reactions of confusion. "What are you saying? What makes you think that?" Ariel was not even certain what Claud saw in the two of them, or how. Sky was just her friend. "Uh. I just know how a guy sounds and acts when he is fond of someone else." Claud did not want to say too much about it either. "What? But that does not mean.."

"It does, Ariel. It is true." Sky finally gave his answer.

"Wh-what?"

"Ariel. I know what it feels like to hold secrets inside of you.. I.. I have feelings for you. I_ love _you." He no longer wanted to keep it to himself, he had to tell her. "You.. you do?" Ariel was besides herself. She had never realized, she had not seen it. But it all made sense. "Yes. Ever since the day I first saw you, hiding in the corner of the classroom, I have felt this need inside me. I had a desire to be with you. And It grew over the years. I did not know if it was right for me to feel this way, if you needed it. Now my mind is clear thanks to this Number. I admit it, I love you Ariel. And I must know..if you feel the same." Sky looked at her with more attraction than she had ever seen from anyone else.

"I.." She did not know how to answer to this, not now. "You are not yourself!" She normal summoned Beautunaful Princess, a small majestic goldfish(1/0/0). "When Fincess is summoned, she banishes herself to summon another Fish from my deck!" The Fish Princess submerged into dimensional ripples, and a horshoe crab monster(4/1600/1300) emerged. "I summon Deep Sweeper! And I sacrifice it to destroy your Ninjitsu trap card!" The ancient deepsea creature could destroy any spell or trap at the cost of its own life,. It swept its way towards the transforming Ninjitsu trap that kept White Dragon Ninja alive.

"Ariel. That was not an answer. I activate the trap card: Ninjitsu Art of Duplication!" But before Sweeper could finish its job, White Dragon Ninja made a few hand signals and disappeared. "I can summon or set a Number of Ninjas until their combined level equals that of a Ninja I sacrifice!" The White Ninja and her seven stars allowed for the summoning of one Armor Aqua Ninja(4/800/1600), and the setting of three level 1 Ninjas: a Crimson Ninja pair and a single Armed Ninja. "I can not answer! I do not know if what you feel right now, is what you felt before!" Ariel chained with a quickplay spell card, Martyrs Epiphany. Its effect allowed her to bring back any monster that was sacrificed, and take control of it. So she put the White Dragon Ninja(2700/1200) on her side. "I..I attack!" Then she ordered Tri-Edge Levia to charge at Sky's ninjas. "The truth is that I feel more like myself than ever before! Trap card: Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing!" But Sky had another Ninjitsu Art the Ninjas could invoke. "Your attack is negated and your battle phase ends!" With a few handsignals from the Aquatic ninja, a freezing spell was cast across the field and the Leviathan was imprisoned within a coat of ice. "Sky.." Ariels was out of cards to summon or activate, the only thing she could do was set one trap.

_Martyrs Epiphany, Quickplay Spell  
__If a monster on the field is tributed and sent to the graveyard, you can activate this card.  
__Special summon that monster from the graveyard to your side of the field, regardless of its summoning requirements. That monster can not be tributed, attack or activate its effect(s)._

"Numbers only enhance our own desires, Ariel. You know this!" Sky drew a card. "I think you should see the form my Number has taken now." He flipped all his monsters face-up, the Armed Ninja(1/300/300) and the two Crimson Ninja's(1/300/300). Their flip effects were of no use to Sky. Now that Ariel was the one who controlled White Dragon Ninja, her spells and traps could not be destroyed by card effects. But Sky had a different purpose in mind for his Ninja assassins. "I Xyz-summon the 159th of the 27th: Doppelganger!" The three flipped ninjas huddled together; fusing into one strange featureless humanoid shape(1/0/0). "Before I felt like I needed to be faster, stronger, an ultimate fighter. Now I know..I only ever needed to be your equal, and know my own limits." The serial number 15941 was burned across Sky's chest.

_Number (159)27: Doppelganger, 1/?/0 Dark/Zombie  
__3 Level 1 Monsters  
__Once during the game, this card can target 1 Monster on the field; this card's ATK becomes that monster's ATK.  
__Once per turn, when the targeted card would be destroyed or banished, detach 1 Xyz material from this card instead._

"I will also Xyz-summon Blade Armor Ninja!" Sky normal summoned another Ninja in gold, the Upstart Golden Ninja(4/500/1800) and overlayed it with the Aqua Armor Ninja. The duel blade wielder, Blade Armor Ninja(2/2200/1000), jumped out of the extra deck. "You have endured enough, I will end this now." Sky detached a material from the Xyz Ninja, which enabled it to attack twice during this turns battle phase. "I equip Blade Armor Ninja with Stoic Challenge! It keeps its effects from activating, but doubles the damage it hands out! And the Xyz monster gains 600 attackpoints for each attached material!" As Blade Armor Ninja(2800/1000) had already used its effect, Sky did not care that its powers were now sealed. "And now, I shall let the Dopplganger imitate it!" Sky's Number used its own power to copy the shape and details of the other Ninja; becoming a perfect shadow clone(2800/0) of Blade Armor Ninja. "So that I may activate Cross Attack!" The final card of his combo was another spell. "If I control two monsters with the same attackpoints, one can attack directly this turn!" The spell targeted Blade Armor Ninja. "We can finally end this, Ariel. And then you will understand. Then we can be together!" Sky would deplete all her lifepoints with his twice/direct attacking and damage-doubling monster.

"Oh I can not watch." Claud held his hands in front of his eyes. "Ariel!" Dakar on the other hand could not look away. "No! That's my daughter! You stay away from her!" Even her father had come out of the house. Yet even he was powerless. "Dad. Stay inside! I am doing this for you..and..I will not lose!" Ariel activated her last trap card; Half Unbreak. "That trap?" Half Unbreak targeted a monster and halved all battle damage involving that monster. "Ariel, I am not attacking a monster!" Sky did not think that trap could save her now. "And I am not targeting my monsters! I am targeting yours!" Ariel used Half Unbreak on Blade Armor Ninja. "All battle damage is halved, even inflicted damage!" She yelled before both blades came down. "Ah!" Their sharpness had been reduced before impact, but the hits felt real nonetheless. "Ariel! Are you.." Sky was visibly disturbed.

Ariels LP: 2400

"No..I am not." Ariel admitted, at last. "People keep asking me..and I keep saying I am. But I am not. I am sick of it all. These things..twist everything around. And I am not going to let it continue anymore!" Ariel took her turn as Sky was out of cards to play or set. "Tri-Edge!" And she detached the final Needle Sunfish so that her trident-wielding merman could drench the Blade Armor Ninja(2000/1000) with a power-draining stream and skewer it(1500/1000) with the Needle fish's needles. "I sacrifice Bubble Bringer to special summon two level 3 fish monsters with the same name from my graveyard!" Her barrier of bubbles popped, releasing two of the three Needle Sunfishes. "And I will summon Leviair the Sea Dragon with them!" Two materials was all she needed to summon this rank 3 sea creature, the dimension-breaking Seadragon(3/1800/1600). "And she can special summon the Beautunaful Princess from the banished zone!" Leviair detached one of its materials to free the golden fish from the other dimension that she had placed herself in. The Princess could banish herself for any level 4 fish monster. The question was, which to choose? _"Wait. That equip spell.."_ Ariel looked at Stoic Challenge. It doubled all damage... including damage inflicted on it wielder

"Saber Shark." Ariel decided to banish her Princess to special summon the sawnosed shark(4/1600/1200) this turn. And she made it use its effect to raise its(5/1600/1200) level by one star. "Then, because you control two monsters, I can normal summon Panther Shark from my hand without tributes!" Her last monster zone was given to the black spotted yellow scaled shark(5/1100/2000). "And they will be overlayed, into Shark Fortress!" The two were thrown into the depths, and brought about the xyz-summoning of the great submarine shark-base(5/2400/1800). "Just like your monsterm Shark Fortress can let a monster attack twice in one turn! Any monster, including itself!" Ariel took one material away from the Fortress, and made it target itself. "And.. I equip him with the spell card, XYZ Unit! Shark Fortress gains more attackpoints, 200 times its rank!" As the Fortress(3400/1800) was a monster of the fifth rank, it gained 1000 attackpoints from the equip spell. "!" It was with that spell, that she had secured her victory.

"Attack!" Shark Fortress struck Blade Armor Ninja once, delivering 1900 points of battle damage, which was then doubled by Stoic Challenge's effect. And because of the Doppelgangers own compulsory effect, the Blade Ninja did not die. "Guh. Ariel.." Sky could see the defeat that awaited him, yet it was not that simple. "If you hit me again, the same thing will happen to you. You can not end this duel without destroying my Number." Shark Fortress could not kill Number 27 as it was not a Number.

Sky's LP: 3500

"I know. That is why.." She looked at her parents, standing in the doorway, and then to her brother. "Dakar. I want you to get mom and dad to safety. Get them as far away from me as possible." She then took a deep breath. "Ariel? What are you..going to do?" Her mother asked as she stepped out into the open. "Put those I care for ahead of me.." Her daughter said. "Final attack." Shark Fortress fired a round of torpedoes which blew the armored ninja to pieces. "I am so sorry." Sky said his last few words, before he too collapsed to the street.

Sky's LP: 0

"Oh no." Dakar saw the energy separate from Sky's body, moving towards Ariel. "Sister!" He shouted and tried to get in its way. "!?" Yet before he even got near her.. the beam of energy moved away from her on its own. "Huh!?" Claud saw it dart around frantically and then veer off far away from any of them. "What..happened?" Ariel opened her eyes. She was not possessed? "It.. rejected you?" Was Dakars only answer. "But why?" And Ariel, who was not an agent, nor did she already have a Number, could not figure out the reason..

"My darlings!" Mrs Serin had had enough of being locked up inside her own house, and rushed outside to her children to hold them again after all this time. "Wait. I need to extend the barrier!" Claud widened the forcefield to include her and her husband. "This is ridiculous. I do not understand what is happening, but surely this is not our only option?" Mr. Serin grumbled. If it was not a solid wall, then it was this kind of prison. "And those people. We need to do something for them." Mrs. Serin said. She did not want to leave Sky and Mister Webb lying there on their porch. "I want to help them too. But until we know what can cure them, they are better off asleep." Ariel hated feeling this incapable even more than her parents. "Even if we did get them to a hospital. They won't know what to do with them." Imagining what kind of terror was taking place there, was not pleasant either. "And that is precisely why we need to go there." But then Dakar said something entirely opposing to Ariels words. "Dakar?"

"I't not right to keep this security all to ourselves.." His mind at least, was made up. "Just because we are the only ones who know what is going on, does not mean we alone should benefit from it.. I say we go to the hospital and see what we do next from there."

...

Back at the Artega household, everything seemed quiet. The Numbers outside had either become aware of Korose's barrier, or they were attacking people elsewhere. Nevertheless, it was tense inside. And with no power in the house itself, it was getting dark as well. "Wha!" These factors led to Shins feeling like his heart had jumped out of his chest, when his D-pad simply started bleeping. Someone was calling him through it. "What? Where? When? Who is this?"

"Is that any way to say hello after all that time?"

"Ruby?" That was undoubtedly her on the other line. "Yeah it's me. And Darcy is with me here too." Ruby started to explain. "Thomas and the agents left us a while ago. Because of all the insanity that was going on, we decided to get back to you." Right now she was in the same car that they had used to drive to Claud's studio. with Darcy behind the wheel. "We know that." Korose spoke up. As of yet, he did not want to say what had happened to Thomas. "Korose is with you?" Darcy was just surprised to hear the agents voice in the background at all. "Yeah a lot has happened. Oh! Don't come to our city! It is really dangerous right now!" The last thing Shin wanted was to get the girls attacked by the Numbers. "Yes we know about that already." Ruby retorted. "You do? How?"

"Haven't you been checking the news? It's all over it! The catalysts are attacking all the major cities in the world!"

"What!?" Shin quickly turned on his television, forgetting that the power had been shut off. "I will show you here." So Ruby patched Shins D-pad to a live broadcast. "Holy.." Now he and Korose could see what was going on. Aside from their own city, four other capitols across the globe were under attack by a strange weapon that the news channels could not identify. The attacks had to have been caused by the catalysts. "Neo Avalon is one of the cities. I am certain that the Sixth is located there." Korose could at least tell which catalyst was attacking Morgana's former city, as the Sixth used to _be _Morgana. "The army and local law enforcement can't do anything about it. And they can't establish communication with the city either. At best they can quarantine the area. And truth be told, I do not think they stand much of a chance anyway." Ruby turned off the live feed. "Unless we do something quickly. They are going to take over the whole world in a matter of days."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)38: Only Shades of Grey)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Beautunaful Princess

_-  
Martys Epiphany_

-  
Half Unbreak

**New Cards used by Sky Chism  
**White Dragon Ninja  
_Number (159)27: Doppelganger_

-  
Cross Attack  
Stoic Challenge

-  
Armor Ninjitsu Art of Freezing  
Ninjitsu Art of Duplication


	40. Cipher (1)38: Only Shades of Grey

**Cipher (****1)38: Only Shades of Grey**

"What should we do? We can be near the city in an hour." Darcy said, still driving as quickly as possible. Most of the traffic on the road was rushing the opposite direction.. on both lanes. Somewhat understandable. "It is too dangerous to come here now. But maybe Azar can bring you in later."

"Bring us in?"

"Eh yeah. Azar can teleport again, he brought us all here.. even Claud and Rita. I told you a lot happened." Shin would need hours to tell them the whole story. "Leave it aside for now then. Is everyone doing well?" Darcy simply cared about the here and now. "We are still ourselves. Sorta. I have a Number now." Shin was not sure how to mention that, so he just dropped it in casually. That was probably not the smartest way to do it. "You what? Why arent you going nuts like everyone else?" Ruby thought that Numbers being a bad thing had just been established. "Don't know what to tell you." Shin felt sane, that was for sure. "Well you still sound the same. By the way did you at least beast that psycho grey-haired girl? Or is she still causing trouble?" Ruby wanted at least some good news. Little did she realize that that same girl was in the room with them. "Necara is no longer our enemy." Korose answered her as tactfully as possible. "Good. Roger that and all. We'll keep you up to date. See you later!" The connection was terminated.

"Psycho.." Ruby had not been mild with her volume, Necara had clearly heard those words and started whispering them endlessly.

"Shin. What happened with that girl?" Shins mother had left the living room for a while. When she came back she was disturbed to see Necara still in the same corner of the house. "You could say that she isn't alright. I dont think you should come near her either. You don't know what she has done!" Shin rapidly raised his voice the closer his mother got to her. "Shin. I know more than you think. She is not your friend.. I can see that in your eyes. But you say she is not the enemy." Mrs Artega looked at agent Korose. "I know who she is. Your father told me about her. But this is our home; we treat everyone here the same." And that was all she wanted to hear from her son. She turned to the girl. "Hey. Ann, was it? I know you've been here before. Is there anything I can do? Do you need anything?" Necara simply looked up at the woman with her dull eyes. "Why?" Exhaustion was written all over her face. "You look hungry, and tired. I can get you something to eat, and you can use our couch."

"No. Why..do you care?" Necara did not want anything, she had never even eaten substances that were not on her diet. Yet this womans questions bothered her. "Because you are my guest. The Artegas always takes care of their guests. Just sit still, I will warm up some tea." She left the room, giving Necara something new to mutter to herself about. "Why..why does she care, why do they care."

"Are you asking us?" Shin was getting just a little tired of her acting like she was the only person in the room. "We care because that is what nice people do! We feel for each other, we do not like seeing others in pain. Its normal; as normal as eating solid food and drinking soda!" Though he was angry, he was not sure anymore if it was directed at her. "Normal? Nice..is normal? That.. is not possible. There is no point.." Necara's eyes darted towards Korose. "You care because He made you. You care because He feared me. It's just another lie. Lies will not help you anymore. Everyone is going to suffer." She cried out.

"Ann. Kincaid did not fear you.." Korose had heard enough. Such thoughts had to be quelled. Yet whatever the agent had prepared to say, it had to wait.

"Korose! Put up another barrier, now!" Shin shouted at him. "I do not understand." Korose did not see any reason to do so, the Numbers had been too weak to get in through the first. "Trust me!" But Shin sounded convinced. "I shall!" Korose tapped a few buttons on his D-pad and added another layer to the barrier around the house... Just as a beam of light pierced the first. "Ah!" A remainder of the Number force smashed against the second barrier, but the first was quick enough to bypass the barrier before it was completed, shooting through the window and into the house. "Mom?" It was Shins mother who had screamed. He heard her and then the sound of glass shattering. "I was too late!?" Korose and Shin turned around and saw Mrs. Artega. The beam had hit her, and she had dropped the cups of tea she had brought with her.

"Ho.. Only one." Korose turned around again and saw Iscariot standing across the road with his hand stretched out towards them. "But from one, many can spring!" And he blinked out of existence. _"He was subtly weakening the first barrier all this time?"_ Korose had assumed that as long as Iscariot could not touch his D-pad, that his barrier could be upheld. But the catalyst had figured out a flaw in the design of the D-pad that even the Agent had not been aware of.

"Mom! Are you okay? Are you.." Shin walked up her mother. "Wha!" But she pushed him aside. "Do not touch me." And she gave her son a look that was colder than any he had ever seen. "Mom? You're just kidding around right?" Shin looked up at her. And his heart sank as he saw that expression, and what she was holding in her hands; a number card. "The corruption of the Fallen is inside you Shin. I am sorry. But I have to remove it." She took out a packet of cards and started shuffling it. "Mom, no! You can't.." Shin did not want to duel her. Could she even duel at all?

"I am Miranda Artega and I have been playing this game before you were even born. This is an old game, Shin. Now it is time to test my skills against those of my child." She drew six cards. "You already have a Number. That is good. But unless you let me remove that corruption from you, you can not be a part of us." She placed one trap card and one monster card down on a small table before her. The set cards were visualized without a D-pad. She did not need it anymore.

Miranda's LP: 8000 Shins LP: 8000

"Shin, can you do this?" Korose could not take Shins place, but if this was too much for the son, Korose would have to join in. "No. You gotta keep up the barrier." Though Shin could not ask for his help anyway. "Get rid of her. Get rid of her!" Necara was not going to be of much assistance right now either. "I..I can not believe this is happening." Shin drew his cards, but he was merely going through the motions. "How can I fight you, mom?" He activated the spell card, Spellbook of Secrets to add a Spellbook of Wisdom to his hand. Those moves were about as far as he could think.

"If you do not want to, just surrender." His mother suggested in passing. "No! That would be bad too! I have to save you!" Shin summoned a magician, the short yet wise old wizard teacher; Mathematician(4/1500/500). "Mathematician lets me discard a level 4 or lower monster from my deck!" Shin used the effect to send a Stoic of Prophecy to his graveyard. As a result, Stoic's effect was triggered, and Shin could add a level 3 or lower Prophecy monster to his hand from his deck. He took out a Fool of Prophecy. "And it.. Ngh.. attacks!" With great reluctance, Shin ordered a strike on Miranda's facedown card. The Mathematician conjured up a spell with his wand to blow up a goggles-wearing knight(4/1400/1200) in silver armor.

"You hare managing so far, Shin. But what you sent to my graveyard, was a Dawn Knight. That means I can send a Light-type monster from my deck to the same place." Mrs. Artega used Dawn Knight's effect to send the light-attribute warrior; Gaia the White Knight card to the cemetery. "Now is when I activate my continuous trap card; Exchange of Twilight. I can discard a light or dark-element warrior from my hand to add one of equal level but of the opposing element from the deck to my hand." She exchanged a dark-type Armageddon Knight, for another Gaia the White Knight card._ "Darkness and light. Her deck is a Chaos deck?"_ The Chaos deck was one of the older decktypes, so Korose could see a veteran player like her wielding it. However he could not predict which Number she would be using. "Shin. Whatever you do, do not forget that she is your opponent." He could only advise Shin to not hold back. "O..okay." Shin placed a spell down on his field and ended his turn.

"Shin. Get ready. It is my turn." Miranda activated a field spell card; Chaos Zone. A swarm of dimensional portals took their positions in the living room. "Every time a monster is banished, Chaos Zone gains a counter." This was demonstrated with the spell card, Allure of Darkness, the card that let her draw twice and banish a dark-type monster from her hand. "I banish Necroface. Do you know what this means?" A necrotic newborns face was thrown into one of the portals. "We remove the top 5 cards of our deck?" Shin did not need a Visor to answer her. "Good." Mother and son banished 5 cards from their deck at the same time. Of of the ten card total, six were monsters. "Chaos Zone gains six counters. Now you can remove 4 counters or more to summon a banished monster with the same level as the amount of removed counters." Shin explained, as his mother made four of the portals come together. Now a warrior could pass through them; a black lancer(4/1600/1200) riding a white horse. "You are correct again. I special summon Gaia the Polar Knight. And I also normal summon his counterpart, Gaia the White Knight!" Another Gaia lancer appeared, the light-elemental warrior(4/1600/1200) on a dark horse.

"But I have more in store for you. Because I normal summoned a warrior, I can special summon Troubull Diver from my hand." A scuba-diving bulldog(4/1000/1000) surfaced from previously unseen waters, to take up arms alongside the Gaia knights. "Gaia the Polar Knight can banish a light-attribute monster from the grave to strengthen another monster on the field for two turns. Inversely, Gaia the White Knight may banish a Dark-attribute card to weaken an opponents monster." One Gaia knight banished Dawn to add 500 attackpoints to himself(2100/1200). The other banished Armageddon Knight to take away 500 attackpoints from the Mathematician(1000/500). Their effect also piled two more counters on top of Chaos Zone. "Now. I am going to have to be rough." Miranda moved into her battle phase, and unleashed her triple attack. Gaia the Polar Knight pierced the Math wizard with his lance. Because it was destroyed this way, Shin could draw one more card from his deck through its second effect. But that did little to diminish the pain both Troubull Diver and Gaia the White Knight delivered as they knocked Shin down with two direct attacks.

Shins LP: 4300

"Ugh..Kgh!" Shin lay on the floor, coughing, and his mother barely flinched. "Don't worry, Shin. This will all be over soon." She reactivated Exchange of Twilight's effect, discarding a random light monster and adding a random dark monster to her hand. "I activate the effect second of Gaia the White Knight, I sacrifice a dark-type monster to add a level 4 light-warrior to my hand." The White lancer dismissed Troubull Diver, who was a dark-type, from the field. Miranda used this power to claim yet another Dawn Knight. "But Gaia must also discard a card from my hand." To pay the cost, she discarded a spell from her hand. "I set one card and end my turn."

"This..this too weird." Shin got back up, but he felt weaker than before. _"I can't do it..I can't." _He did not want to attack her, he could barely look at her. "Nhh.. spell card, Spell Wall! This turn, the summon of a spellcaster can not be negated or reacted to!" Whatever his mothers trap was, he did not want to risk setting it off. "..Fool of Prophecy!" Now he could freely normal summon the first arcana of the tarot, the yellow-robed delinquent mage(3/1600/900). "Once a turn he can send one Spellbook from the deck to the graveyard!" Shin sent a Spellbook Spellbook Star Hall card away through this effect. "And then I activate the spell card, Spellbook of the Master! It copies the effect of a Spellbook in my graveyard!" The Master's spellbook duplicated the Secets spellbook, meaning Shin could add a spell from his deck to his hand. "I claim Spellbook of Power. I use it, along with Spellbook of Wisdom!" The first book added more power to the Fool(2600/900). The second gave him a defensive barrier against spell and trap effects. "..Here..here I come!" And the Fool used his newly acquired magical skills to make the White Knight of Gaia disappear with one well-placed shot. "...That was it, Shin?" Yet Miranda suffered no damage.

"I see. Spell Wall negates all damage the player inflicts during the turn it is used." Korose said out loud, curious if Shin had done so on purpose. "Why?" Necara wondered the same thing. "She is the enemy now! Your Enemy!" If she had been in his shoes, she would have crushed her already. Yet, now without her Numberless by her side, Necara did not have the confidence in duels that she once had. As far as she was concerned, Shin had to be the one to defeat Miranda. "Why wouldn't I? She is not an enemy, she is my mom!? She is still the same person! Don't you understand that?" And Shin was nothing like Necara, he did not want to be like her. "Even if you had no.. can't you see that a normal family loves each other?" Necara did not have a response. She did not understand.

"She was always kind to me." Shin moved to his second main phase. Due to the effect of Spellbook of Power, Shin could add another Spellbook of Secrets to his hand. After that he ended his turn. "I do not want to lose, but I..there has to be another way!" And during his endphase, Fool of Prophecy activated its effects. Because there were now five Spellbooks in the graveyard, the Fool would replace itself with another spellcaster, a highlevel dark magic caster. A sycthe-wielding battlecaster(6/2000/1600) in dark robes was summoned in the Fools place. It was the Death arcana. "The Fool special summons Reaper of Prophecy! Because I have 5 different Spellbooks in my cemetery, I can let the Reaper use all three of its effects!" The first effect powered the Reaper(2600/1600) up. The second pushed another Spellbook from the deck, Spellbook of Life, into Shins hand. The third special summoned a highlevel dark spellcaster from the deck. Shin went with the devil arcana, Prophecy Destroyer(6/2500/1200).

"Shin. You can not get anywhere in life if you just hide behind walls." Miranda saw these new monsters as nothing more then obstacles to be destroyed. Before his turn ended and after her turn began, she used the effect of her Twilight trap to swap out another dark monster for a light monster and the other way around. "I will say it again, you have the choice to submit to your mother." And then she banished Gaia the White Knight and the one random dark monster. "I special summon the warrior of chaos, by removing light and dark! Come forth, Black Luster Soldier - The Envoy of the Beginning!" Black and white light danced together and created a knight(8/3000/2500) with long red hair, in dark and golden armor. _"The Chaos Soldier."_ Korose figured this card would have shown up sooner or later. But there was more to come..

"Now that I control this monster, I can activate Primal Seed. I put two cards that were banished back into my hand." Miranda reclaimed Armageddon Knight.. and another Envoy Soldier. "By banishing all Light-monsters from my graveyard, I shall summon the Envoy of the Evening!" Two light monsters were banished. This time a white and gold knight(8/3000/2500) appeared, with long dark hair. This was the dark counterpart to the Beginning, the soldier of dusk. This warrior could wield both the dark and light elements. "Chaos Zone!" Miranda removed the four new counters that had been added to Chaos Zone, leaving it with another four, to summon a second Polar Gaia Knight(4/1600/1200) from the banished zone. "I will not use the effects of the Envoys. I do not need to." Miranda did use both powers of her Polar warriors, to empower the two Black Luster Soldiers(3500/2500) until her next turn. "This will do for you, Shin. This is how it ends... Envoy of the Beginning.. attack!"

"Shin!" Korose yelled at the duelist, who seemed to be zoning out. "Shin, defend yourself, or you will lose here!" His words did not seem to be getting through. "I can't.." Shin told himself. "I can't hurt my mother!" He knew it would be his loss, The Envoy of the Beginning could make two attacks in one turn if it destroyed a monster. The following direct attacks would leave nothing of his lifepoints. Still, he could not force himself to respond...  
...

Until another image flashed through his mind, just like before when the catalyst had attacked the barrier. He had to respond, he had to! "Trap card: Magic Cylinder!" Even if it was one of the nastiest traps any duelist could have set. "Mom! I negate your attack and inflict damage equal to your monsters attackpoints!" The dark-armored Black Luster Soldier jumped into one cylinder and came out the other. "Shin!?" And now it charged towards Miranda, slashing her down to the ground. "I am sorry, mom. But I have to save you. And if I have to hurt you to do so, I will!"

Miranda's LP: 4500

"Shin, you..you would do this to your own mother?" Miranda got up and expressed her frustration by having the Envoy of the Evening kill the Reaper of Prophecy. But her other monsters could not overpower the Destroyer of Prophecy, so she ended her turn. "Mom I.." Shin did not know what to say again. Every time she spoke, he felt like he had done something wrong. "You still do not see her as the enemy? You almost let her kill you because you think she loves you?!" Necara snapped at Shin . "You have to destroy her, you must!" The presence of a Number inside his mother terrified her, but the hesitation in Shins voice frustrated her more. "I am doing this because I love her! Because I want to save her! The only enemy here is that thing inside her, and I am going to force her to bring it out!"

Shins LP: 3400

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)39: A Mother's Love)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Mathematician  
Fool of Prophecy  
Reaper of Prophecy

-  
Spell Wall

**New Cards used by Miranda Artega  
**Dawn Knight  
Armageddon Knight  
Necroface  
Gaia the Polar Knight  
Gaia the White Knight  
Troubull Diver  
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning  
Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Evening

-  
Allure of Darkness  
Chaos Zone  
Primal Seed

-  
Exchange of Twilight


	41. Cipher (1)39: A Mothers Love

**Cipher (****1)39: A Mothers Love**

Shins LP: 3400 Miranda's LP: 4500

It was Shins turn. And he was ready to figh his own mother. "I activate the Spellbook of Life! I reveal another Spellbook in my hand to my opponent..to you." He showed her the Spellbook of Secrets. "Then I can banish one spellcaster from the cemetery, while special summoning another from there. And their level stars will be combined!" Shin removed the level 3 Mathematician from his grave, to bring back the Fool of Prophecy(6/1600/900) with two times as many level stars. "I overlay this Fool of Prophecy with Prophecy Destroyer, to xyz-summon my rank 6 spellcaster: Magi-Magi Magician Gal!" The diabolical(6/2500/1200) and foolish Arcana casters combined their matter and energy to create the most dark-armored of all magician girls(4/2400/2000). "By detaching one material and banishing one card from my hand, she can take control of your monster!" Magi Magi Magician Girl banished a random monster card from Shins hand and placed a bewitching spell on the Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning(8/3500/2500) He was lured over to Shins side.

_"He now has her ultimate card, but only for one turn." _The Envoy of the Beginning had a powerful banishing effect. But Korose did not know if that was what Shin was going for. "Breaker the Magical Warrior!" He did normal summon another spellcaster(4/1600/1000). The summoned Breaker created a spellcounter to add attackpoints to itself(1900/1000). "I enter my battle phase! Envoy of the Beginning, destroy the Envoy of the Evening!" As it turned out, Shin was after mutual destruction. The equally powerful white-armored soldier(8/3500/2500) clashed swords with the brainwashed black knight. The two slashed each others chest wide open, and fell to their wounds at the same time. "Breaker, Magician Gal; destroy her Polar Knights!" Next, for the first time this duel, Shin inflicted battle damage to his mother, by letting his casters blow up the Dark Gaia knights(4/1600/1200).

Miranda's LP: 3400

"You have gotten back your love for the game, Shin. That is clear...but what changed?" His mother sounded oddly impressed with her son. "I don't know. I keep thinking.. keep seeing odd images in my head. I saw what would happen if I let myself lose." Was in fact the power of his own Number, of Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon? Shin lacked the means to test that. "Breaker, do your thing!" In his second main phase, he removed the spellcounter from the Magical Warrior(1600/1000), making it use its spell/trap shattering powers. "Destroy Chaos Zone!" With it the expansive network of portals around them was destroyed, all were tossed into one single rift which imploded. "I set a trap card and end my turn!"

"You should not have done that, Shin..." When Chaos Zone was destroyed, its user could pick one light or dark monster from the deck to add to its hand. Though that monsters level needed to be equal to the amount of counters Chaos Zone had accumulated. "Thanks to your Magician Gal and Spellbook of Life, Chaos Zone had eight counters at the time of its destruction. I can add the level 8 Envoy of the Evening to my hand!" Miranda claimed her second dark chaos soldier. "Not again." Shin moaned. "You left me no choice, Shin. You were not the only one holding back." By banishing all dark monsters in her graveyard, she could special summon the crystal-white Black Luster Soldier(8/3000/2500). "I activate my face-down spell card: Chaos Seed! When I control both light and darkness, I can add one monster that was banished, back to my hand!" With that spell, Miranda freed the first Envoy of the Evening from its dimensional prison. This one she special summoned by banishing all dark-type monsters from her graveyard. "I will show you the thing you refuse to understand. I Xyz-summon Number the 2740th of 23: Lancelot, Ghost Knight of the Underworld." By overlaying both of the Evening Envoys, a rank 8 Xyz monster was created; an armored bone-bodied fencer(8/2000/0).

"The 2740th..." Korose could not believe that there were that many Numbers already; all of them were possessing humans at the present time! These Numbers were not even specifically tailored to a hosts desires anymore. This undead knight could not have been born from Miranda's mind. "A hundred born each second, waiting to find a human. It is hopeless. Destroy one and a thousand more will take its place." The presence of the Number made Necara quiver.

Miranda smiled at the terrified girl. "You poor thing. You tried to destroy the Numbers before the 100th could be created, didn't you? But you should not fear us.. We do not resent you for it. Iscariot understands that it was just a natural reaction for you. He will welcome you as well." She then discarded another light-type monster from her hand, through her continuous Exchange of Twilight trap card, to add a dark-type Vampire Hunter from her deck to her hand. "In this house, everyone is treated equally. You will be the next to receive the blessing that I am about to give my son." Miranda normal summoned the Vampire Hunter,a blonde whip wielder(4/1600/1600) in a dark leather coat.

"Number 23 can attack directly while it holds Xyz materials!" Miranda activated Lancelot's effect, sending the undead knight out to jab Shin with the tip of its rapier. "Gah!" And as Shin still reeled from the blow, Lancelot retracted his weapon and swept it around to create a horizontal shockwave. "Lancelot can destroy a monster , when it inflicts damage!" The wave cut down the Magi Magi Magician Gal. "And do not think your other monster will be spared, Shin." Miranda ordered the Vampire Hunter to attack. "This monster destroys any dark-type monster it does battle with, before damage is calculated." With one crack of its evil-slaying whip, the Hunter banished Breaker the Magical Warrior from the field, even though they had equal attackpoints. "This is why you should stop seeing things in such black and white terms, Shin. The Numbers are not evil, and we are not good. There are only the pure and the impure." She placed a trap card down. "You all need to be cleaned up."

Shins LP: 1400

"Impure? Are you talking about Chaos? Just because I used Chaos Force once, I am seen as corrupt?" Shin finally got what she was talking about. "But the Numbers are clearly messing with your mind. What is pure about that?!" Shin started his turn. "Chaos or Order, darkness and light, you can not cross out one or the other! You need both!" He activated the effect of Prophecy Destroyer in his graveyard, banishing three random spellbooks from the same graveyard. to special summon it(6/2500/1200) back to the field. "Spellbook of Eternity! I can take one of those spells that I banished, and add it to my hand!"The Eternal book reclaimed the Spellbook of Secrets. "I activate Spellbook of Secrets, and add Spellbook of Miracles from my deck to my hand!" Shin scoured his deck for the final book and took it for himself. The Spellbook of Miracles was opened before him. "Miracles takes two banished Spellbooks and uses them as materials to summon a spellcaster Xyz monster from my graveyard!" A banished Spellbook of Life and of Power were given to a revived Magi Magi Magician Gal. "I activate her effect!" Shin detached one of the attached books and banished another card from his hand.

"Shin. Why do you keep trying? This universe has nothing but imperfections, why fight for it?!" Miranda detached a material from her Ghost Knight. "Number 23 can negate any effect once a turn!" The skeleton fencer swatted the Magical girls spell out of her hands with his rapier, disallowing her the use of her enchantments. She had been waiting to use this effect until the last moment, until her son had depleted every card in his hand. "That's not good enough, mom! You always told me that you loved each part of me, that you would not have me any other way, no matter how impulsive or obsessed I got! That is the mother I know! That is her love that I know! I will have her back!" Shin extracted a new card from his extra deck. "By using a rank 6 spellcaster and her attached cards as the materials, I can Xyz-Change summon the Dark Magician of Illusions from my deck!" The magical girl evolved, going from the apprentice towards the masters level. A retrained dark magician(7/2500/2100) with long flowing blond hair stepped onto the stage. "The Magician of Illusions can special summon a normal spellcaster from my deck. And I pick; Trance the Magic Swordsman!" The Illusionists first trick was to make a blonde knight(6/2600/200) in silver armor and purple cape appear out of thin air, simply by detaching one of the materials it had taken from his apprentice.

"I have seen enough tricks now, Shin. From both you and your father. I know the kind of cards he makes, and they do not surprise me! I activate my Trap card: Darklight" Miranda revealed her normal trap at last. "I sacrifice a dark-monster with 1500 attackpoints or more, to destroy all monsters that were special summoned this turn!" Vampire Hunter would fit the costs of the black light trap. "Sorry mom. But you can't. I activated my own trap card just now: Nitwit Outwit" Shin revealed a card he had activated before Darklight went off. He had payed its cost by discarding a monster from his hand. "Your dark monster needed 1500 attackpoints right? Well Nitwit Outwit took away attackpoints from it. The amount is the same as the attackpower of the monster I just discarded!" Shin had discarded a Gagaga Caesar card. Its 1800 attackpoints were subtracted from the Hunter(0/1600). "When..?" Miranda could not sacrifice it anymore, she could not flip her trap. "How did you know I would try to activate Darklight?"

"I am pretty sure that that is my Numbers power. It warns me of things to come, it can see the future before it is set in stone." Shin had only had glimpses so far, each time he closed his eyes for more than a second. But each time it had payed off. "I have taken all the steps I should, to reach the future I want." Shins final battle phase began. "Once per turn, when a normal monster attacks, the Dark Magician of Illusions can banish one card on the field!" Trance unsheathed his sword and the Illusionist strengthened it with a dimensional spell. When Trance swung the blade down into the weakened Vampire Hunter, the Illusionist fired a spell of his own, which made Lancelot vanish completely. "Shin. You wouldn't. You cant! You just do not understand!"

Miranda's LP: 800

"I do understand. This is me, mom. I am not changed, I am just the kid you helped grow up... This is it." The Dark Magician of Illusions attacked his mother directly, putting an end to the duel. "Oh." Miranda's eyes glazed over as she fall forwards and slumped down against the table. "Mom!" Shin rushed to her side.

Miranda's LP: 0

"Wait, Shin!" But Korose yelled to hold him off. As the area was not safe yet. "The Number!" The ghostly white light left his mothers body and scattered like a hundred fireflies, disappearing in the ether. "Did I.. stop it?" Shin did not know if this meant that that Number had left her for good. But upon checking her, it seemed she was only asleep. Who knew if she would even remember this, or when she would wake up. "Thank god." But he did not care anymore, he just embraced her and said nothing else.

"... why." Necara still did not comprehend the things she had seen. "Why is that bond.. like that? Why do they always.. care for each other. They gain nothing." If love was an illusion, why was it so strong? "I can not speak for myself, when it comes to the bond between parent and child." Korose said as he walked up to her. He had been an orphan for as long as he could remember. "I however know what it feels like to do good for someone else, and how it feels to be appreciated. Ann, there are people who are genuinely kind in this world. I know you were led to believe otherwise, for the sake of Kapha's project. But I can help you see the truth. I want to help." Korose could not imagine the things she had been told during her 'upbringing'. But even that damage could be undone. It had to be, for Kincaid's sake.

Yet though this stemmed her fear and confusion. An older emotion resurfaced..

_"..Kapha.. It was him."_

...

"Chaos!" Azar slammed his hands together. "Gesundheit?" It was an outburst that came out of nowhere from Rita's point of view. "I will explain. Korose, I am glad you called, Korose. I understand now." He disconnected his D-pad. "What happened? Were they attacked?" Subito had his own questions. If Azar had just gotten a call from Korose, then it had to involve his house and family. "Before I say anything else, Artega, I can assure you that they are all safe now. Your mother was possessed by a Number. Shin saved her." Azar said just enough to calm Subito down. "Then why.. did you mention the name of Chaos?"

"Chaos is the antithesis of the Numbers. Shins mother tried to purge it out of his system. The Numbers can not affect us directly, because each of us now has something inside that drives them away. Whether it is a fraction of Chaos' power that it left behind in each Chaos Force victim, or the potential that all Agents hold." Xander fit the former category, Rita the latter and Subito had both qualities. "So we are immune to them?" Xander asked. "Until one of them defeats us in a duel, yes. On the other hand; to drive the Numbers out, you have to destroy them in a duel. It is not just enough to defeat the duelist." Azar s eyes swept across the city. Their search had not led them anywhere so far. "We can not keep this up. Iscariot keeps moving. He will obviously not challenge us himself as long as he can send innocents after us. We need to find him and lock him into a duel." Azar knew of only one way to find the catalyst. A Numbers powers diminished in the presence of a Catalyst. However they could not weaken the sixth sense of Chaos; the sense to locate any Number.

"Gah! What the hell?" Azar changed his appearance, again. "Who..what happened..what's with your hair and eyes?" This was a first-time Rita saw this form of Azar. "Chaos." Subito gave the name that went with the entity. "Yes. Me. Azar knows that I can help him.. and you.. find the Fourth. He entrusted his body to me again." He closed his hand, as he adjusted to his body. "So, you are just inside of him? And you can show up whenever he allows it?" Xander was half-interested in the mechanics of this possession, and half-unnerved. "We share memories, but one of us rests while the other walks. Do not worry, right now all I desire is to put an end to this Number infestation. We will see what's next for us after that. Is that fine?" He glared at Subito specifically. "Yes. It is." Subito had neither the time nor desire to question Chaos now. "Very well. This shall not take long. Hold on to me and to each other." Subito placed his hand on Azars shoulder, and the rest followed in a line. "I can sense him nearby right now, in this city. Get ready to take him on the instant you see him." Chaos abandoned all of Azars senses, and focused entirely on his own. He narrowed down the exact location, and projected his energy there. "Now we shall depart.." In the flash of a second, the four had abandoned the city streets.

"!?" One breath later something impossible occurred. "What!?" Chaos felt something solid slam against him, grabbing him by the neck and pushing him down in mid-warp. He ended up crashing on top of a random building, far from where he had wanted to go. "Gah!" And when he looked up, he saw a mask with four nails staring him right in the face. "You!? Not the Fourth.. the Fifth?" Chaos could not break free, his hold was absolute. "No, Fallen. I am Death." The masked one spoke with a gravely tone, and had few words for his target. "Rest now..forever." The catalyst was doing more then pinning him down. _". My..power."_ Chaos felt all strength leave his body, and his eye-lids were getting heavy. The mere touch of The Fifth was enough to drain all stamina.

_"Thomas!"_ Azar, who could see what Chaos was seeing with his eyes, immediately found out who really stood before him. "Thomas?" Chaos repeated that name. Oddly this caused the Catalyst to loosen his grip. "Rgh!" Chaos felt reinvigorated. He kicked the catalyst off of him and backed away. "You are certain?" Azars other half did not see any resemblance yet. _"I can not explain it, I just feel it."_ Azar knew the Fifth could have taken any human as host, but something about his current form just made Azar unable to think that that was the case. "For you to favor instinct over logic, you may have the truth." A smile appeared on Chaos' face; logic could often deceive but instinct was never wrong. "Yet this makes your friend our enemy." If it were up to the entity, it would destroy the Fifth quickly and mercilessly. But it could not ignore Azars feelings, even if it wanted too. Either way, they would have to duel Thomas. The Fifth had challenged them, that much was clearly indicated by the overwritten activation of their D-pad. The enemy was patiently waiting though. He seemed to have been rattled by the name of its host.

"I already know your answer, you are shackled to your responsibilities. I shall leave you to them." Chaos smirked and retreated back into Azars consciousness, changing Azar back to his normal appearance. And the other returned. "Thomas. If you can hear me in there. I promise to do whatever it takes to save you." He had dragged Thomas back into this, he would also get him out again.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)40: Fearful Symmetry)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Dark Magician of Illusions  
Trance the Magic Swordsman

-  
Spellbook of Miracles

-  
Nitwit Outwit

**New Cards used by Miranda Artega  
**Vampire Hunter  
Number 23: Lancelot, Ghost Knight of the Underworld

-  
Chaos Seed

-  
Darklight


	42. Cipher (1)40: Fearful Symmetry

**Cipher (****1)40: Fearful Symmetry**

"The hell just happened?" Rita, Subito and Xander found themselves on the top of a tall building in the city. And they were nowhere near any catalyst. "It appears that we were intercepted." Xander spotted Chaos himself standing not too far away from them, starting a duel with a catalyst on another rooftop. It was not Iscariot however. "It's the one from before." Subito recognized the appearance of this Catalyst; the same one Thomas tried to delay for them. "Doesn't he look different now?" Yet Xander could not help but notice that this Catalyst now had a full body. A face was behind its mask. "The Fifth took a host."

Azars LP: 8000 Jacob's LP: 8000

"I take the first turn! Spell card: Dragon Shrine! I send at least 1 dragon from my deck to the graveyard!" Azar selected his Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord for this effect. "And if that discarded monster is a normal type, I can discard another dragon from my deck!" After that a Kidmodo Dragon went into the grave. "Kidmodo Dragons effect activates when it goes into the graveyard! It special summons one dragon from my hand!" A Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb(4/1800/400) was summoned. "Then I normal summon the tuner monster, Rider of the StormWinds! I use her along with Gebeb to synchro summon Reincarnation Dragon Samsara in defense mode!" The silver-haired storm witch jumped on top of the orange dragon, and transformed their combined essence into five stars of energy. The stars mixed together and brought about a new being, a bat-like dragon(5/100/2600) wrapped up in black flames. "I set one card and end my turn!"

"Thomas.." It was now that the catalyst uttered new words. "That..is you.." Now that he got to listen to it again, he could hear the voice of the Masked Raider himself in there. The mask distorted it, but not enough. "Thomas.. was. Death is." But it did not listen to that name anymore. "I am death, your death! My turn." The Fifth normal summoned a monster from his hands, an upright standing grey/blue feathered birdman(5/2000/900). "I invite Sirocco the Dawn." That level 5 Blackwing monster could be summoned without tributes, if the opponent alone controlled monsters. ".. Gladius the Midnight Sun." When the player controlled just one Blackwing monster, the armored and dagger wielding Blackwing Gladius(3/800/1500) could be special summoned from the hand in defense mode. "..and Bora the Spear." Then a spear-carrying blue-feathered birdman(4/1700/800) showed his longbeaked face. Bora could be special summoned whenever a Blackwing was on the field.

"Sirocco.. your power." Sirocco the Dawn activated its effect; converging the attackpoints of all Blackwings together into one. Bora(4500/800) was the one who received the combined power of Gladius and Sirocco. "Bora.. your lance." And then Bora drove his lance straight through the Reincarnation Dragon, and against Azars body._ "Gah! Piercing damage!" _Bora could attack right through a monsters defense, that was why it was chosen. Azar clutched his chest to withstand the pain. _"He is not holding back anything, he does not acknowledge who I am.. or even what I am wearing." _Azar had still not gotten a chance to throw away the Raiders outfit, even if he had stopped wearing the mask. But Thomas did not respond to that visual memory either. "I activate Samsara's effect! When it is destroyed, I can special summon a monster from either graveyard!" The ankh symbol on the chest of dying dragon started to glow. "And I revive Hieratic.."

Azars LP: 6100

_"Wait.." _Azar could set up a high-rank Xyz-summon. ".. Dragon of Gebeb!" Instead he went for a monster with a lower level, the Hieratic Dragon of the earth. _**"Azar, is this hesitation?"**_ Chaos called out to him at this point. The entity did not want his other self to go easy on Thomas, as it would endanger them both. _"No, Chaos. I will need your power, for what I am about to do." _The Fifth had already wordlessly ended his turn, so Azar could make his next move. _"You will know what I mean, when it happens."_ Azar entered the battle phase. "Gebeb attacks Bora the Spear!" Azar knew Gladius could withstand an attack once every turn, and he had nothing that could kill Sirocco yet. So he needed to kill Bora, because he needed Gebebs effect to go off.

"Damascus the Polar Night, your blade." But Jacob discarded a Blackwing monster from his hand as the two monsters clashed. Damascus' effect was activated this way, and it added 500 attackpoints to Bora(2200/800). "Shrink! Your monsters attackpoints are halved!" To which Azar chained a quickplay spell card from his hand; allowing Gebeb to push the tiny spear of the shrunken Bora(1100/800) out of the way, and successfully destroy the Blackwing. "When Gebeb destroys a monster, it special summons a Normal dragon from my deck!" The Hieratic Dragons power was used to bring out the crystalline Alexandrite Dragon(4/2000/100).

Jacob's LP: 7300

"And now in my second main phase, I overlay them to Xyz-summon Number 66: Master Key Beetle!" This was where he needed Chaos, as it could control the Numbers better than Azar could. Alexandrite and Gebeb joined together and formed the golden horned beetle(4/2500/800). Instead of the Number 66 being branded on Azars body, part of his hair turned ghostly white again. "Number 66?" The Fifth looked at the card with mild apprehension. "Do you remember, Thomas? Though this may not be your original Number, this is one that you captured when you were the Masked Raider! You were once like me, you hunted Numbers like me!" Azar activated Number 66's effect. It targeted Azars face-down card by detaching one Xyz-material, and would make that trap indestructible as long as the Beetle was around.

"That is no more, that memory is dead." The enemy had his own effect to activate. He special summoned a monster from his hand, a shadowy bug(5/1100/2500) with glowing eyes. "Confronting the C." It was an insect that special summoned itself from a players hand when a monster was Xyz-summoned from the extra deck. Confronting the C was also a card that fit better in an Inzektor deck than a Blackwing deck. "The old has been replaced with the new, with Me." And soon not much of Thomas remained at all, the catalyst overlayed Sirocco with the Confrontational C insect, and his own humanoid body, to xyz-summon his own rank 5 body: the red feathered serpent(5/1000/1500). "I am Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon!" Death Chimera Dragon gained 500 attackpoints for each xyz material attached to a monster. Besides its two own materials and those of Azars Number, it also attached a card from the top of Azars deck to itself. So it(3000/1500) gained four powerboosts. "You are the Fallen. You are corruption!" Death Chimera Dragon fired several blasts of energy from its mouth. "I can see that you are still getting adapting to your new body, Death." But by sending the targeted face-down trap card to the graveyard, Master Key Beetle could survive its own destruction. Though the damage was still inflicted. "..."

Azars LP: 5600

Death had nothing else to say to Azar. Once again his turn was ended in silence. "I was waiting for your Number to appear, Jacob. _We_ were.." Azar drew his card, and his eyes turned black. "We know what happens to your kind when we destroy your Number and defeat you." Prometheus did not survive the loss of his Number. They could not risk doing the same to Thomas. "But we planned for something else." Azar/Chaos activated the spell card, Silvers Cry, to revive the Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord(0/0) in attack mode. "Thomas. I shall carry your existence as well! I activate Creature Seizure! I switch my normal monster with your monster!" Azars spell card traded the golden sphere of the Hieratic Seal, with the Fifths very own Number. "Seize?!" The dragonic form was stripped from the catalyst, leaving him with nothing but Thomas' body and the Fifth's armor. Just like Pandora before, his mask was removed as well.

"It's Thomas?" Subito and the others only realized this now, with his face revealed. "I am..I am not this." The Fifth touched his own face, and which contorted with a sneer of disgust. "Return my true power! Return Death Chimera Dragon!" He demanded, yet Azar and Chaos were not finished yet. "We can not do that, Death. Because as you said.. we are Chaos." Azar took the last card in his hand. "We are the last chance I have.. at making you understand. I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force!" If Azar could not reach him with words, he would connect with him through the evolving power of Chaos! Death Chimera Dragon began to transform..

_..._

The Serins and Claud made it to the hospital with the unconscious Sky. They could not carry more with them, even though they saw dozens along the way. But even inside the building it was pure mayhem. Doctors and nurses rushed from left to right, in every corner you could hear alarms beeping or people crying, and there were more casualties than there were beds. With everything running on back-up power, their resources were strained to the hilt. Getting the attention of anyone appeared to be an impossible task. "This is horrible." Mr. Artega felt like the whole world had gone mad. "But many of them are just unconscious, arent they?" Most people looked like they were in same state as Mr. Webb and Sky. None of the doctors even had time to look at them too. "They can not do anything for them, no. But that is not why we are here." Ariel said as Sky was placed against the wall to rest. "Already on it." Claud had seen enough of the building to know what size and shape his barrier had to take. He was in the process of putting one up around everything.

"..." The only one who had nothing to say, was oddly the one who suggested coming here in the first place. "Dakar?" His mother noticed how quiet he had gotten. "You should wait here." He said little and then ran back towards the exit. "Hey? Where are you going? You really shouldn't go outside now!" Claud yelled. "He does not like being here." His father reasoned. After all, Dakar had spent three months in one of these rooms. "No. That is not it." Ariel had seen the look on his face. There was something else at stake here. "Mom, dad. Stay with Claud. That is the safest place. I will follow him." Ariel chased off after her brother, not even giving her parents the time to ask further questions.

"What is it?" Instead she asked her brother a question as she caught up with him at the lobby. "I have had a bad feeling ever since we got arrived here." Dakar eyed the entrance with concern, waiting for Dakar to finish expanding his barrier to include this place. "I know what you mean. I felt something like it as well." His sister admitted. "You have? Then..." If they could both experience it, the threat was real.. and close. "There." But then Dakar saw the barrier push out across the halls. "!?" And that was unfortunately not all that he saw.

"He is here!" Iscariot stood on the other side of the hall. They could not even tell when he got there. And the barrier seemed to have no effect on him at all. It pushed against him, but failed to make him budge. And as the Catalyst began walking forward, the forcefield was pushed back. He and all the Numbers surrounding him were going to break inside in a matter of seconds. "Iscariot!" There was only one option. "You will fight me!" Dakar activated his D-pad and threw his challenge to the Fourth. "...So you were hiding here too! How expectable, you always stick together like a pack of cowardly sheep!" Iscariot apparently had not even noticed the two duelists until they were right in front of him. From this close they could see that Iscariot had created a energy shield of his own that covered him. It had to be far more powerful than that of an agents. However a challenge was a challenge. "Ariel. If I fail, you know what to do." Dakar did not want her to risk losing to him. "..I will." Ariel did not like this, but she could do nothing about it.

Dakars LP: 8000 Iscariots LP: 8000

"So when your tricks have stopped working, that is when you come out and face me?!" The catalyst drew six cards. The question of whether or not his opponent wanted the first turn did not interest him. "One could say the same thing about you, Iscariot. You have tried to use messengers before.. what made you come after these people by yourself?" Dakar would not be intimidated. "My hands were forced. My brother decided to meddle in my affairs! I am merely speeding things along before he can confuse the design! Yet I did not expect you here, you who bonded with one of the seven traitors." catalyst placed one monster card and one trap card face-down. "My presence was drawn by the energy that this building had in reserve, it was simply too much to ignore. As I see it, I will be doing all the sick and injured a favor. They will not need their energy or their 'medical care', once they become part of our world!"

"I see it a different way, Iscariot. If I defeat you, the power you already stole will be returned!" In his turn Dakar summoned the Gravekeeper's Soldier(4/2000/1500) and activated Necrovalley which added 500 attack and defense points to all Gravekeepers. Ï attack!" Spear Soldier(4/2000/1500) stabbed through Iscariot's set monster, inflicting piercing damage to a vampiric wizard(4/1500/1500).

Iscariot's LP: 7500

"Very true! Everything has consequence. My defeat would lead to that recovery. But first you will need to get there! The death of Vampire Sorcerer, leads to the unearthing of another Vampire!" The Spear Soldiers victim used a vampire-searching effect to send a 'Shadow Vampire' to the catalysts hand. "The hunger to claim the land I stand on, leads to swift reformation!" Iscariot's turn then started and he activated his own field spell; The Vampire Kingdom. "Damn!" Dakar's Egyptian desert valley was crushed and replaced with a Transylvanian cityscape. The Spear Soldier(1500/1000) had to live without its power boosts now. "Vampires!" The Serins did not need any more evidence to figure out the Fourth's archetype.

"Trying to keep the dead, dead.. how futile in my presence! Spell card: Foolish Burial!" Iscariot used another spell to send a Vampire Grace monster card from his deck into his graveyard. "By consuming the corpse of Vampire Sorceror, a high-class Vampire may appear without a living sacrifice!" Iscariot banished the wizard vampire from his graveyard to normal summon the highlevel dark templar knight, Shadow vampire(5/2000/0). And Vampire Kingdom added 500 attackpoints to all undead monster, including the Shadow Vampire(2500/0). "Shadow Vampire's awakening leads to the awakening of another of his kind!" Iscariot could special summon a Vampire from his hand or deck, and he chose to summon a Vampire Curse, the pale red-winged bloodknight(5/2500/800). "And the summoning of a Vampire by another undead creature, stirs the graveyard! At the cost of my own life, I may resurrect Vampire Grace!" The discarded graceful vampire queen emerged from the floor like a specter, and bit Iscariot in his neck. "Ah!" Ariel shuddered as she saw Grace suck 2000 of his lifepoints away. And that ghastly payment led to Vampire Grace(5/2500/1200) taking her corporeal form.

Iscariot's LP: 5500

Iscariot suddenly discarded a card, a Vampire Duke, from his deck. This was to feed his field spells effect. "When a Vampire is reborn, Vampire Kingdom sends another to rest. And in turn one of your cards shall be put into the ground!" The floor opened up beneath the Spear Soldier, sucking him down into the depths. "No!" Now Dakar was defenseless. "It's not over yet, Ariel. Only the Vampire summoned by Shadow Vampire can attack this turn." The situation was not as dire as it looked. Though he only knew this because he knew the effects of these cards. He had no idea what Number Iscariot would be using. "What makes you think brute force is my passion?" Iscariot did send Vampire Curse to attack Dakar directly, but that was just a formality for him. "Gh?" Vampire Curse swiped his hand passed Dakar and returned to the Fourth's side.

Dakars LP: 5500

"No. To truly drain the spirit out of what you call a duelist..you need to.. Anyone? No! The answer is; strike the heart! Vampire Grace demands the discard of one class of card, and you must obey her! She declares monster!" The royal vampiress had a deck milling effect, and Dakar had to let go of one monster card inside his deck now. "I discard Gravekeepers Commandant." Now Dakar had to deal with a deck destruction strategy.

"Yet this is a process you are all more acquainted with. It is as old as this planet itself!" Iscariot took both Vampire Curse and Vampire Grace, and stacked them on top of each other. "Xyz-summon!" They were then attached to a rank 5 card from the extra deck; a cloaked reaper(6/900/400) with black and white wings and decrepit long hair. "The Pilgrim Reaper has come. His power is determined by the number of dark souls in either cemetery!" Right now there were only 2 dark-type monsters in the grave; it gained 200 attack and defense points from each. The number of dead would not stay that low. "The Reaper claims not lifeforce, it claims lives!" Iscariot detached one material from the Reaper, which was absorbed into his(1100/1100) scythe. "Both players shall throw away the top five cards of their deck!" The Reapers scythe swung around in a wide arc, cutting through both decks. Six monster cards were among the victims of Pilgrim Reaper(2300/1800); all Vampires and Gravekeepers and all dark types.

"Wont your deck run out of cards too?" Ariel asked. "You duelists always place limits on everything you know! Unlike you, my hunger is bottomless!" But Iscariot only laughed at that question. "It is truly fascinating that you can run out of energy so quickly. I look forward to finding out where your limit lies!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)41: Man Eat Man World)

**New Cards used by Azar/Chaos  
**Kidmodo Dragon  
Reincarnation Dragon Samsara  
Number 66: Master Key Beetle

-  
Dragon Shrine

**New Cards used by 'Death'  
**Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn  
Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun  
Blackwing - Bora the Spear  
Blackwing - Damascus the Polar Night  
Confronting the C

**New Cards used by Dakar  
**Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier

**Cards used Iscariot  
**Vampire Sorcerer  
Shadow Vampire  
Vampire Curse  
Vampire Grace  
Pilgrim Reaper

-  
Vampire Kingdom  
Foolish Burial


	43. Cipher (1)41: Man Eat Man World

**Cipher (****1)41: Man Eat Man World**

Claud's barrier had registered a disturbance, but everything seemed to hold up now. "Hey. What do you think you are doing with that? Put it down!" Unfortunately for him, the hospital was one of the places where the towns Enforcers still held up. "Uhm.. This not what it looks like." Claud answered haphazardly as he hid the D-pad behind his back. "Officer, you do not want him to take it down." Even Mr. and Mrs. Serin knew things would be a lot worse without the agents forcefield. "I am not saying it again." The officer drew his gun anyway.

"Hey. Do you even know who you are talking too!?" It took the interference of a fourth party to settle this. "That's Claud Renner! From the King of Games TV show! He's not a bad guy!" Several kids shouted at the man as they saw him raise his weapon. "For heavens sake man, put that gun down! This is not the time!" Now the doctors started yelling at him too. "Feh. Fine!" It was enough to make him holster his weapon again. "I do not know what you are doing, but you apparently do." He grumbled and moved off to other parts of the building. "Whoa.. Thanks Kids." Claud finally breathed out. This was the oddest place to encounter fans. "That man was being silly. Everyone knows Claud wouldn't hurt a fly!" They replied in unison. "Only Rita does that!"

Claud could not help but laugh, and then feel guilty about it. "Hey now. She is a nice person deep down. I would know!" He sighed. DFinally some fans to show, and she probably would not like meeting them..

...

Dakars LP: 5500 Iscariot's LP: 5500

(Cards in Dakars deck: 28)

"Iscariot, it will take more than that to exhaust me! I activate Gravekeepers Stele and take back 2 of my Gravekeepers!" Dakars turn began with a spell which put Gravekeepers Assailant and Gravekeepers Commandant back in his hand. "By discarding Commandant I can claim Necrovalley from my deck!" A second copy of his field spell was given to the duelist and he activated it. This destroyed the Vampire Kingdom at the same time. "Now your Pilgrim Reaper has been weakened!" With one less dark monster in the graveyards and no zombie field spell to draw power from, the Reaper(6/1600/1600) had lost a lot of its attack boosts. As did the Shadow Vampire(5/2000/0) "I summon the Assailant and attack the Reaper!" So the shrouded assassin of the keepers clan only needed to stab the Reaper once with her dagger, to make it itself fall victim to death.

Iscariot's LP: 5100

"Since your deck relies on summoning vampires from your deck or graveyard. I will activate this; Hidden Temples of Necrovalle.!" Two pharaoh statues and a crypt arose from the sand in the Valley, flanking the catalyst. "This continuous spell prevents the special summon of any monster besides Gravekeepers." With this Dakar hoped to keep Iscariot locked down. For added insurance, he also placed one trap card down.

"You can not see it at all, can you!?" Iscariot normal summoned a Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. The massive spire of bones(3/400/1500) spiraled out until it reached the ceiling. The instant he had summoned it, Iscariot flipped his trap card. "All you build and accomplish disappears in the blink of an eye! Trap card: Vampire TakeOver!" Bloodred mist poured into the lobby. "My field!?" Necrovalley melted away. "If the field slot is not claimed by me, I may turn it into my Vampire Kingdom!" Iscariot used his own second copy of the Transylvania spell, bolstering the offensive capabilities of his Shadow templar Vampire(2500/0) and Soul Bone Tower(900/1500). "Without Necrovalley on your field, your Hidden Temple is destroyed!" The special summon negating crypt crumbled into a pile of sand. "This leads to Vampire TakeOver's second consequence; bringing one of my Vampires back to life in defensive mode; Vampire Duke!" A Draculian vampire prince(5/2500/0) arose from the darkness of the night.

"You remember the curse of my Kingdom, dont you? One revival means the demise of another!" Vampire Kingdom responded to the special summoning of the Duke by discarding another Vampire Sorcerer from Iscariot's deck, and by destroying Dakars Gravekeepers Assailant. "Yet your deck has not bled enough. When the Duke is summoned through special means, he declares what card you must exile from your deck. Furthermore, when an undead is 'special summoned'. The Soul-Absorbing Tower shall erase the next two cards that you would have drawn!" The Prince of Darkness declared 'monster' and forced Dakar to send one of his Gravekeepers away again. And the Bone Tower absorbed two cards from the top of Dakars deck. "Such a slow and agonizing death is nothing unique, of course." Iscariot grabbed his two level 5 monsters, so that he could create another Xyz-monster. "Duke and Shadow, together they can form the Edelritter of the Fitfh rank: Crimson Knight Vampire Bram!" The vampire templar of transient shadows turned into a solid knight(5/3000/0) of black metal and undead flesh. A zombie had been special summoned once again. Thus the Tower of Bones absorbed another two cards from Dakars deck.

"I will give you the choice, die of starvation or die by my hand!"

Iscariot began the battle phase, letting the Crimson Knight lead the charge. "I choose neither! Trap card: Rite of Spirit! I special summon a Gravekeeper, Gravekeepers Nobleman, from my graveyard!" Dakars trap put the tome-carrying apostle(3/1000/1000) of the keeper clan before him in defense mode. "One life for another, is it?" Knight Bram cut through the Nobleman with ease. "Not just for mine, Iscariot! When the Nobleman is destroyed as a result of battle, I can set another Gravekeeper down on my field!" Using the slain card's effect, Dakar special summoned a Gravekeepers Spy in face-down defense position.

"So you chose the long road. The more time it takes for me to devour you, the more lives you risk in this very building behind you!" Iscariot laughed and called off the rest of the battle phase. There was no point to battling a monster with such high defense points. "While your kind makes more losses, mine grows in Number." Iscariot detached one of Brams Xyz-materials. "The Crimson Knight can order one of your fallen, to join his army!" Iscariot special summoned Gravekeepers Commandant(4/1600/1500) from Dakars graveyard. "We have all the time in existence! You do not! You are from a funeral household, are you not? I thought at least you would understand how short and small one life is." Iscariot then ended his turn.

"I do understand! But we have made due with what we got so far!" Dakar shouted back at him as he drew his card. "We could ask the people right now, as they moan and wail. I wager that if they were not too wrapped up in their own crisis right now, they would sell their own mother to gain the immortal life. And I am offering it to them for free!?" Iscariot would gladly hear his answer to that.

"No!" It was not Dakar who gave it, it was Ariel. "I have seen the kind of 'blessing' you want to give us, I have been on both ends of it!" She had endured the effects of Numbers in herself, Sky, the Tomorrow cult, so many people. "You _give_ them eternal life and power, at the cost of their humanity and their identity! It narrows their emotions, strips it down to the most basic feeling. And it is all just so your world can tear ours down, making us as lifeless and static as a flat image! Don't you know why the Numbers came to our world in the first place?!" The Numbers had been drawn to the humans because of their desire, because humans had something they did not. "I ask the questions here, girl! Those Numbers have learned their lesson. They are following the design now. Only seven remain, seven of our world that defy us. Correction, soon there will only be six!"

"Yet she is right! You are not giving a choice, you are forcing it. You see us humans as a danger to your own immortality." Dakar flip summoned the Gravekeepers Spy(4/1200/2000) and special summoned a Gravekeepers Recruiter(3/1200/1500) from his deck with the Spy's flip effect. "I sacrifice my two monsters to tribute summon Gravekeepers Oracle!" The oldest way of summoning was invoked as both the young Recruiter and the stealthy Spy gave their lives so that their golden-hair seer(10/2000/1500) could fight for his clan. "When two Gravekeepers are tributed, Oracle can call upon two of his three powers. The first gives him 100 attackpoints for each level star on the tributed monsters. The second takes away 2000 attackpoints from all my opponent's monsters!" After absorbing the life energy from his sacrifices, the Oracle(2700/1500) stood up from his throne and made his enemies sink into a floor of quicksand with a simple gesture.

"Also! Gravekeepers Recruiter was sent to my graveyard, so I can add a Gravekeeper from my deck to my hand!" Dakar chose another Gravekeepers Commandant. "Necrovalley!" And after discarding it with its own effect, he had his third and final Necrovalley field spell to play. The valley swamped the Vampire Kingdom and further widened the power gap between the Oracle(3200/2000) and Iscariot's monsters (Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 500/0, Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower: 0/1500, Gravekeepers Commandant: 0/1500). "Attack!" But out of those three targets, Dakar only had interest in one. The Oracle crushed the body of the Vampire Knight with one sharp blow from his golden snake staff. "Iscariot. If you still remembered what it was like to be a human, you would not be forcing this choice on us."

Iscariot's LP: 2300

"Wouldn't I? You know nothing about the man I once was! My memories are of a life filled with gluttony and insatiability. That human decided to accept me, to accept the Number. Now I am free from the laws of conversion.. unchained from cause and effect! Do you have anything that can stop me? No, you do not!" Before his turn even started properly, Bram(2500/0) returned to his side of the field in defense position. "I can not die, neither can my monsters. The Crimson Knight shall always revive when I start my turn." The Bone-tower discarded yet another two cards from Dakars deck, which was more than half empty at this point. "But that is not _the_ immortality, not the ultimate breaker of the cycle of life and death. Do you want to see, what my human self bonded with?!" The catalyst normal summoned a Vampire Lady(4/1550/1600). "From the sixth, to the fourth.. I shall bring you Number 4: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger!" Vampire Lady and Gravekeepers Commandant were dragged into the underworld by teeth and claws of red energy.

"!?" And a gaping maw tore through the floor of the hospital lobby. The monster(4/1900/1500) itself could only be seen through its protruding jaws. Now there were abominations above and below; a Number that dragging tiles and gravel down into a maelstrom that seemed to have no bottom, and a bone-tower that once again sucked two cards out of Dakars deck as this special summoned Number was also an undead type. "This is your form?" Ariel could no longer see the masked enemy. He had been eaten by his own monster. "My true self. Half of it.. Do you know the tale of Charybdis, she who devoured until the gods themselves could no longer 'stomach' her hunger? There is another. Number 4 can destroy one card on both sides, each turn! We destroy your Necrovalley. and ourselves!" The maelstrom turned violent and imploded, sucking down the sand of the valley with itself.

_Number 4: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger, 4/1900/1500 Water/Zombie/Xyz  
__2 or more Level 4 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz-material from this card: destroy 1 card on either side of the field.  
__If this card is destroyed: instead of sending it to the graveyard, use it as an Xyz Material to special Summon from your extra deck or graveyard, 1 "Scylla __the Endless Famine__" monster card.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)_

"But death can not hold me down! When my second Number form is destroyed, my first shall be summoned! Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine!" Six feral eyeless heads(4/1900/1500) surfaced from the hole left behind in the floor. "Charybdis and Scylla share an existence without end. As soon as one is slain, the other shall continue the feast! The corpse of the first shall form the materials for the second!" And as Dakar was out of Necro field spells, he could not stop this cycle. "Scylla always claims six lives!" The six gaping faces rushed towards Dakar. Each one dragged down one of his cards into the pit. "Oh no!" Ariel could only count six cards in Dakars deck. The Bone Tower had discarded another two when Scylla had been summoned. Unless he found a way to destroy Scylla permanently, he would lose the duel on his next turn! "Come now, offspring of the funeral service. Have you not seen enough death yet? Why not put an end to the End?!" The enemy switched the Bone Tower to defense mode and ended his turn.

_Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine, 6/600/600 Water/Zombie/Xyz  
__2 Level 6 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If this card has no Xyz materials during your standby phase, destroy it.  
__Once per turn, you can detach all Xyz-materials from this card: discard up to 6 cards from the top of your opponents deck.  
__If this card is destroyed: instead of sending it to the graveyard, use it as an Xyz Material to special Summon from your extra deck or graveyard, 1 "Charybdis the Eternal Hunger" monster card.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.)_

"I already told you. The life you propose is not living at all. Every day should count, every life should count! You may no longer care about them, but I do!" In a way Dakar was thankful that Iscariot had gotten rid of Necrovalley. "I activate Monster Reborn! The monster I want to revive is one in your graveyard!" Dakars spell of rebirth special summoned a Zombie Master(4/1800/0) from Iscariot's graveyard. It was a card he had discarded earlier with Pilgrim Reaper's effect. "Excuse me!?" Iscariot watched as Dakar took another monster from his graveyard with Zombie Masters effect. "I discard a card to special summon any zombie in the graveyard!" The necromancer revived the Vampire Lady. "Then I normal summon Gravekeepers Spear Soldier! so that I have 3 level 4 materials!" The resummoned Spearman(4/1500/1000) was combined with the two undead monsters. "I will xyz-summon Number 104: Masquerade with them!" Their energy formed the masked circus illusionist, The fourth Overhundred Number(4/2700/1200).

"Using my own cards to shape that traitor!? Let alone one whose power you have not even pinpointed yet! You are clever enough to realize you have no chance against me without it, but what can you do _with_ it?" The six-headed beast snorted. "I do not know..how to communicate with this Number." Dakar pointed his hand towards Scylla. "But what I do know is that his Number was not drawn to an internal desire, it had nothing to base its power on! That makes it more powerful than any Number, as it can become anything it and its partner want it to be!" Masquerade threw one of his linking rings towards the enemy. "Destroy Number 67!" The six heads were torn of all at once. "Dakar, wont it revive!?" The heads fell into the pit. The maelstrom that was Charybdis began to bubble up to the surface. "Not this time, Ariel. Masquerade can negate any monsters effect during the battle phase, remember?!" Azar detached a card from his Xyz monster, and Masquerade hurled his other rings away as well, sending them into the hole in the floor. "Your monsters revival is blocked! And you take 800 points of damage!" A large explosion filled the darkness. The humanoid form of Iscariot was blown out by the blast.

Iscariot's LP: 1500

"Rgh.." He appeared singed, but still standing. "Gravekeepers Oracle attacks as well!" But now, with no zombie monster on the field anymore, Dakar could attack the Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower. "You think I will let it end like this?!" At which point Iscariot activated his trap card, Call of the Haunted". "Not when there is so much of your world left to devour!" And with it the eternally devouring vortex was special summoned in attack position. The Oracle's attack was sucked into it. "I will take all of it.. I.."

Iscariot's LP: 600

"What..are you doing here?" Iscariot's voice trailed off and lost its volume. "What is who..ah!" Ariel followed Iscariots gaze. There was another catalyst standing behind him. "Get your own city, Fifth!"

"My name is not Fifth." The others response sounded off in a way. _"That voice.."_ Ariel was certain she had heard it before. "And I am Death no more." Yet the biggest shocker of all came when the catalyst grabbed his mask, and pulled it off. "I am the Raider!" The face of Thomas was bared to all. "The what!?" Iscariot could not believe what the other said. None of the First Nine had ever willingly shown their human face like that before! "What has.. you have been corrupted!" The Fourth even trembled and stepped away from the Fifth and the new energy he sensed inside of him.

"You could say that!" And at that point Azar, Subito, Xander and Rita appeared inside the lobby as well. They stepped up to stand right besides the unmasked catalyst. "You, Fallen! What have you done!" Iscariot knew who was to blame. "I have gotten back a friend, Iscariot! I have found the way to fight off the Order of the Numbers! The power of Chaos suppresses the mind of Order!" Azar exclaimed with a raised fist. And the Raider followed his gesture. "The Fifth no longer dominates my thoughts! I am free from its influence, as any Chaos Force user would be!" The Raider declared as red energy started to seep from his body. "This reaction.. this energy!?" Iscariot immediately strengthened the barrier around himself. But the energy was not going after him, it spread out beyond the lobby and into the hospital. "This taste, it is sour! Are you infecting them with Chaos!?" This should not even have been possible! Once a human had a Number inside, Chaos could not just corrupt them against their will. "Iscariot. I am still like you, I can shepherd the beings from the infinite world towards finite life. That also includes Chaos.. This way people can decide for themselves what they want to be!"

"I am the protector of mankind, no harm will come to them!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)42: The Last Supper)

**New Cards used by Dakar Serin  
**Gravekeepers Assailant  
Gravekeepers Nobleman  
Gravekeepers Oracle

-  
Hidden Temples of Necrovalley

-  
Rite of Spirit

**New Cards used Iscariot  
**Vampire Duke  
Soul Absorbing Bonetower  
Crimson Knight Bram  
Vampire Lady  
_Number 04: Charybdis the Eternal Hunger (+)  
__Number 67: Scylla the Endless Famine (+)  
_Zombie Master

-  
Vampire Takeover  
Call of the Haunted

_(+ Based on the Stealth Kragen cards from Yugioh Zexal)_


	44. Cipher (1)42: The Last Supper

**Cipher (****1)42: The Last Supper**

Dakars LP: 5500 Iscariot's LP: 600

"Harm? How can you use that word to describe our gift? You fell so quickly!" Iscariot spoke to his 'brother'. Only now the two did not feel so close anymore. "You have ruined everything! Chaos and Order should never be combined!" He fumed and backed away from the Fifth. "Are you so certain? You can try it yourself, you and the human you used to be." Azar walked forward as well, following the Fitfh. "We will set your mind free as well." He wondered what this man was like, before Number 4 got to him.

"I will not go back to that confined body! I will not surrender all that I have tasted and devoured so far and become less than I am!" Iscariot's head shook from left to right. "You, you are the same. Your Number was corrupted by the Fallen too!" His opponent, Dakar, controlled Masquerade, and that Number had a Chaosform. If Dakar managed to get it out and defeat him with it, he could suffer the same fate as the Fifth. "Damn you Ninth. You fed Chaos too much!" What was once their weapon, had escaped their control and become their curse. "Fifth. You will regret this!" Without even considering the rest of the duel, Iscariot disappeared by slipping into the shadows of the building.

"He left? Can they do that?" Rita blinked several times just to make sure he was gone. "His influence is gone as well." Subito noticed that the regular lights turned back on; power was slowly returning to the city. "Perhaps, as he had his Number on the field at the time, Dakar could not claim control of it even though he basically gave up the duel?" Xander theorized. "There is no way to be sure." Dakar was just thankful that the catalyst had left at all. _That_ one at least.

"..Azar. What..how did you do this?" Ariel stared at the Fifth, at what Thomas had become. "I dueled him, and I tested something during that duel." Azar said, while the Raider took out a card from his own deck. "Yes. He 'freed' my mind, by evolving my Number." It was a Chaos Xyz card: Chaos Number 5. "Do you remember, Ariel? When you gained your Chaosnumber, you were separated from all the hate that your regular Number was feeding on. This is also why Prometheus wanted to develop Chaos Force, so that he could purify it into Numeron Force. Numbers can not handle Chaos energy." Especially not the first nine. "But are you really Thomas then?" Ariel asked the Raider again. "I am.. unsure." He had to answer her this way, as he did not want to lie.

"Uhm guys." Claud came running into the lobby. "Claud? Where were you hiding?" And immediately got scolded by Rita. "Rita!? You're here too? And hey! I was not hiding!" He nearly snapped back until he remembered he had something to say. "Ah, Uhm! There are a lot of angry people up there, who do not like the look of duelists. I thought we might go some place else?" Now that power was restored, the first enforcer had called for backup. Their cars were only a few blocks away, going by the sound of sirens "That might be a good idea." Azar could no longer pretend he was someone else, and he was still a wanted individual. "But what about mom and dad?" Ariel noticed they had not come along with Claud. "The're fine. _They_ are not in trouble!" Claud simply could not stay with them right now. "I am going to stay here." But Ariel could. She did not care if anyone would give her trouble. "I can not leave them now." She handed Azar her D-pad. "That is fine. If any of you have any family that you want to look for. Now is the time." Azar said, looking briefly at Subito. "I have something that I need to take care of in the mean time..."

...

The only car on the freeways towards the city, was one pickup parked along the side of the road. "The sky is clear again." They were still far away at a safe distance, but close enough to see the changing climate. Darcy could no longer see the stormfront that had been building up right now. It was just gone. "And here we had to be, missing out on all the action." Ruby let out a long moan. This was not how she wanted to spend her time during this disaster. She wanted to fight.

"You will get your chance."

"What the hell!?" Ruby screamed upon hearing Azar. He was there besides her, wearing his own clothes again. And with him was the Raider. "Where did you all come from?" These people did most definitely not stand behind her a second ago. "Teleportation, I am assuming. Except, I was told only Ion could do.." Darcy was a little less startled. Though something else did leave her nonplussed. "..Thomas? Is... that the spare outfit you were talking about?" The Masked Raider had changed a lot since she had last seen him. "I .. apologize for my appearance. I failed in my fight against the enemy..and this is what happened to me." He showed the girls a mask with five holes in it. "What!? You are one of them!?" Ruby freaked out. It was the same as Lilith's, except he was not wearing it. "But you sound like him still..only your appearance is different." Darcy recognized the same mannerisms in his voice and gestures. Not that that made things less confusing. "It was Azar who saved me. Through the power of Chaos." Thomas felt tired; he would have to tell this story many times he figured. "Chaos!? I though Chaos was a bad thing!? When did it become our friend again? And what happened to Ion? And the city?!" Ruby was tired of being in the dark, she needed clarity.

"I will tell you everything as we go back to the city. But for now it is crucial that we protect ourselves against the Numbers." Azar took out a few cards. "Chaos Force? How did you get those?" Ruby knew what they were on the spot, and they made her hair stand on ends. "Ruby, I know how this sounds. But Chaos is on our side now. Let us show you." Azar said as carefully as possible. Only to immediately transform into Chaos. "Gah! You are doing that again? Jesus, we missed a lot!" Which did not help build up Ruby's faith.

"You are.. the other." Darcy had not seen this side of Azar yet. "You aren't as terrifying as they said you would be." His appearance did not discomfort her as much as it did Ruby. "What a curious thing to say. I never cared about how others perceived me." Chaos rasped. And then he handed Darcy one of the spell cards. "Darcy Lawless, keep this with you. The Numbers can not infect someone who uses this, not unless they are defeat you in a duel. Ruby should still have it in her system, but you had not been affected by it yet." Until now she had been as vulnerable as Sky or Shins mother. "Oh.. You think I should use this? It did not combine so nicely with others before me." Darcy was not entirely sure if Chaos was any less dangerous to the mind. "I was their tool, and Azar freed me like he freed Thomas. I know now what true freedom is. I will not take it from you or anyone else."

...

Some time later everyone came back together in front of the Artega manor. Mr. Artega had returned home to look after his still resting wife, and even Natasha had shown up to make sure everything was okay with Shin. "She is going to be better, right?" Shin asked the Raider, as he looked to the second-story window that looked over the room of his parents. "You vanquished her Number, she needs time to recover from that. It is the same for the others who lost their Numbers in the past. And will be for the people in this city." The Raider could not tell them how they would feel when they woke up with Numbers and Chaos inside them, but physically they looked fine. "That is good news. For that Sky guy as well." Dakar was happy for this. He had chosen to leave Ariel with Sky and his parents, as he did in fact not like to spend too much time in the hospital. And as an aside, he did not want to get in the way of Sky and Ariels conversation, if one were to occur.

"By the way, where is the crazy one?" Ruby noticed a distinct lack of Necara in the house. "She is with Korose. He will stay close to her." Azar had left Korose to that task. The agent likely would not leave this place any time soon however. "She stopped yelling about our doom a while ago, so I guess she is improving?" Shin was not sure if he felt fine with her moving around the house. He had already hidden all the sharp knives just to be safe. "Eh, Korose is a big dependable brick of a man. I am sure he can keep her in line... Now let's go out and get those bastards!" Ruby slammed her fists together, she could not wait. "Yes. But for this counterattack..I think we need to split up." Azar suggested.

"Split up? No! No split up! Why do you always want to split up!? I never know where any of you are!" Natasha expressed her distaste for the very idea, and grabbed Shin as if she feared he would run away this very instant. "Hey. I am not going anywhere, Nat!" Shin pried himself loose. "I don't wanna leave my family! Right Subito?" He looked at his brother. "... I need to do this" But Subito did not share Shins viewpoints. "What? You are going to leave, us?" Shin could not believe this. "Shin. You saved our mother on your own, you are stronger than you ever were. And you are not alone here. Yet I can not ignore the fact that my power would be of more use elsewhere. The overhundred Numbers and the Chaosnumbers, they are the best weapon against the catalysts." Once again Subito put the greater good ahead of his own desires. "We should leave as soon as possible, to find the catalysts."

"Yes. We do not have the time to second-guess our moves now. I propose I lead one team and Thomas leads the other. We are the only ones who can move quickly from one location to another. Thomas will go to Neo Avalon to confront Morgana. Claud, Rita.. you are familiar with Neo Avalon.." Azar asked the two agents. "Yeah?" Claud answered without a second thought. "Good then you two can go to Neo Avalon as well." Which meant their decision was made without them. "Nice going Clod." Rita said, shaking her head. "Hey come on, Rita. We came back here to help them!"

"Tsk. I know that."

"And where are you going?" Ruby would rather avoid Rita's company, so Azars path already had her preference. "I will pursue a lead that makes it easier for us to confront the remaining catalysts. Based on something you said, Thomas." Azar said and turned to the Fitfh. "That name..still is odd to me." The Raider felt more familiar with the title of Raider, than he did his own name. His past life was buried deep inside of him. "But it helped. The fact that I knew your name helped, it weakened the Fifth's hold and it nullified their power. That is why we must learn the names of the other catalysts." That was also why the Sixth Catalyst was the first target, as they already knew what its human name was. "I do not know the names of the others. I only know them as the First Nine." Thomas wished he could help but his memories did not extend that far. "I know. But we know someone who does know the name of Kain, the Second catalyst." Azar said, and Ruby's eyes lit up. "Theo Jager huh." She rubbed her hands. "Oh I have been waiting to talk to him.. definitely picking your team!"

"I know a little about Theo. Not that I particularly care for seeing him again, but if you need me, I will come with you as well." Xander made his offer. "Thank you Xander." Azar nodded and looked at those who remained. "Dakar. If you wish to stay here, I will understand." Dakar had not said anything in a while. "No. I already told Ariel I would be going with you. I have to know what my Number can do. I will be with your group." He owed Azar a lot. This was the least he could do. "I am with Thomas." Darcy stated concisely. "As am I." Subito did not give reasons for his choice either. Though in his case, Azar could see what Subito was thinking. The elder Artega was no longer the closed book he always pretended to be. **_"Let him think what he must_."** Chaos could tell as well, he was treating Thomas as an extension of his influence. But as long as Subito did not let that get in everyone's way, he did not care.

"So that is how it is right. You four go wherever and we five go to Neo Avalon?" Claud was way more more enthusiastic about the odds now. "Yes. It it settled. I would like to go as quickly as possible." Azar did not know how long Babylon would stay at Neo Avalon. "We can go right now." Subito already had said all he wanted to say, and done all he needed to do. It was the same with the others. "Good luck bro!" And the others wished them all the luck in the world. "I am certain this is not the last time we will see each other. May fortune be with you.. Until then!" The Raider gave them his farewell, before his group departed.

"And they are gone already!" It had only been a few minutes since she expressed her disapproval of the plan. Now half the group was missing. Natasha just could not keep up with them. "Don't worry Nat! I will make sure that you are safe." Shin gave her one of his big goofy grins to cheer her up. "Last time I checked. I had to save you, Shin." Natasha wished it was more comforting to hear him say it... But it was nice nonetheless.

...

Thomas managed to bring everyone to other side of the country, to Neo Avalon. "Hey. This place is deserted!" Rita, Claud, Subito and Darcy were placed in the middle of the arcade district, the disturbingly quiet arcade district. "My apologies. I am not used to this body..and these powers. This was as accurate a relocation as I could manage. Babylon is here, of that I am sure." Thomas just could not tell in which direction. "Unless this is a trap." Subito said in a fairly lighthearted way. "Do you not trust me?" Given his choice of words, the Raider had expected more mistrust in his tone. "I do not know what to trust lately. I only know that she.. is usually right." He gestured towards Darcy. "Me? You believe me? Oh, that's the nicest thing I've ever heard." She however did not bring up that she was only here so she could learn more about this new Thomas.

"What? Are you saying you can see if Numero Quinze here is lying or not? Newsflash, we took that power from you!?" Rita did not put much stock in Darcy without her Number by her side. Much to Clauds chagrin. "Uhm Rita? Ix-nay on the stealing her Umber-Nay." They were not their enemies anymore. It was like Rita sometimes forgot that.

"INVADERS!"

That would not be an issue from here on in, as the real enemy announced its presence.

"IMPERFECTIONS HAVE SET FOOT IN THE REALM OF BABYLON. REMOVE THEM AT ONCE!"

"That is Morgana alright. Yelling at everyone in her city again." Rita felt like nothing had changed at all. Only now Morgana was shouting through her own power, calling out to her subordinates. "Here they come!" Claud shouted. First came the rain of light, the hostless Numbers. "They wish!" Rita raised her D-pad and was about to activate her barrier. "Leave this to me!" But the Raider forced the numbers back with a mere flick of the fingers. "Does this help your trust issues?" Darcy inquired at Rita, who gnashed her teeth. "Tch. Show-Off." But the fun was not yet over. Now dozens and dozens of men and women came rushing into the street. All of them were already possessed by the Numbers. "There are too many of them. I can not calm them down all at once!" It looked like a duel was the only option. "We do not have time for this!" Rita grumbled.

"No. We do. It is they who do not." So Subito took out his Chaosnumber card. "Neo Tachyon Dragon!" And he invoked its power. The three-headed golden dragon appeared and flooded the city with color-inverted light. "Whoa!" Time literally stopped around them. Freezing everyone but the five duelists in their tracks. "So that is your chaosnumber. It's almost as beautiful as the fact that you made a joke through wordplay." Darcy was impressed with Subito either way. "Why did some fall down though?" The people were not frozen like statues, they could still be pushed and shoved, as Rita proved when she messed with them. "This ability does not stop time itself, I assume. It merely freezes their perception of it." Subito would have to remember the distinction. Still, Rita was equally in awe. "...Claud! What can your Number do?" She asked the other agent. "Uhm..I have not figured that out yet." He sheepishly admitted. "What!? You must've figured out something! I know you are not use.."

"This effect will not last much longer. We have to use this time while we can. Thomas, do you know where Babylon is?" That voice could have come from anywhere. "Oh, I think I know where she is..there is really only one place where she would go, if she has any memory of her past life as a mayor at all." Rita looked to the east, towards an eyesore of an attraction that could be seen from anywhere in Neo Avalon. "The Etemenank museum."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)43: Pillars of Fire and Ice)


	45. Cipher (1)43: Pillars of Fire and Ice

**Cipher (****1)43: Pillars of Ice and Fire**

The sixth catalyst stood at the very top of Morgana's former pride and joy; the Etemenank. The building she had created to harvest all the Numbers was now the place from where she would spread her own. Unlike the other catalysts, she clung to this place on the globe and would slowly send out her sheep towards the rest of the world. "Morgana!" Yet with all of her might and all of her subjects, she was unable to stop the ascent of the five who had intruded into her domain. "We have come to challenge you, Sixth..!" Thomas teleported them there. And they were ready to confront her..

"Babylon does not suffer challengers. Babylon decrees the challenges. The ones called Rita and Claud, you shall be the first to fall!"

"Us? What about the guy who betrayed your entire club? Or the dude who defeated you in the first place?" Rita did not understand what Babylons beef with them was. Morgana was the one who switched sides first. "What makes you think you can set the challenges?" Subito in fact wanted to take on the Sixth first. "Babylon does not obey; not the imperfections, nor the memories." Babylon brought her arm down.. and three flashes covered the rooftop. "What..where.." Those light flashes removed everyone but the two agents. "Not here, not in my domain anymore."

...

"Where? Are we?" Darcy looked around. This was not the museum, this was not even Neo Avalon anymore. They were in the middle of a forest. "In a different timezone, from the look of things." Subito looked up at a bright sunny sky. While it had been night-time at Neo Avalon. "It appears Babylon has the power to relocate people. Thomas was separated from us as well." Subito did not know if the Raider would find them in time. "I know. But it is not Thomas that I am worried about."

...

Claud's LP: 8000 Rita's LP: 8000 Babylons LP: 16000

"Two on one, instead of five on One? Awww." Claud suddenly felt a lot less optimistic. "Stop being such a wimp, Claud. She chose us because we are Agents. Because we are dangerous to her." Rita started drawing her cards. "Oh yeah! And I have my Chaosnumber too!" Claud perked up and began his turn. "I set one monster and one trap card!" After that he ended his turn.

"I did not say you could go first!" Rita only now had finished drawing her cards. "Whatever. I summon Blizzard Falcon." A blue hunting bird(4/1500/1500) with wings and claws of ice flew down towards the Etemenank. "I target it with my spell card; Blizzard Jet! For one turn Blizzard Falcon gains 1500 attackpoints" And its wings extended as a jet of icy wind blasted over him(2500/1500). "You will like this, Morgana! Once during the game, when Falcons attackpoints are higher than normal, it can inflict 1500 points of damage!" The Blizzard bird flapped its wings and drew in a snowstorm that blasted against the Sixth catalyst. "Owch. How does it feel to take the first hit of the duel?"

Babylons LP: 14500

_Blizzard Jet, Continuous Spell  
__Target 1 WATER winged beast-type monster; it gains 1500 ATK. The equipped monster loses 1500 ATK during each endphase.  
__If the targeted monster is used as a Xyz-material for a Xyz-summon, treat the other xyz-material monsters as winged beast-type monsters._

Babylon forced the snow of her body with a flex of its aura. "Morgana.. That name fails to describe my glory." Babylon drew its sixth card. Although the draw was more of a telekinetic push, as its cards were gigantic and made from stone. "Chronomaly Moai Carrier. Appear in this infested field." The only duelist to not control cards, could special summon a floating crystal Moai head(5/900/1800) to the field. "Chronomaly Crystal Skull, find me a worthy second." Then, by discarding a Crystal Skull from her hand, Babylon could take any Chronomaly monster from her deck. "It shall be you, Chronomaly Moai!" Her choice, the rock-based Moai head(5/1800/1600), could be special summoned from her hand as well when she already controlled one Chronomaly monster. "Xyz-summon." Her two statue heads broke down into dust and rock, and blew upwards into the sky where they could build a new monster, one of the fifth rank. "The first creation! Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech!" The ancient city and superweapon(5/2400/1500) now hovered above the tower of Etemenank.

"Oh still using that old deck? I thought you were different from Morgana?" Rita scoffed at Morgana's lack of style change.

"I am.. I am more than what Morgana created!" Babylon activated a spell card, Chronomaly Technology. It banished Chronomaly Crystal Skull from her graveyard, and picked up two cards from her deck; Chronomaly Nebra Disk and Chronomaly Pyramid-Eye Sol Monolith. The latter she discarded. "Now I summon you, Nebra Disk!" The former, a round bronze disk(4/1800/1500) with the golden moon and sun inscribed on it, she normal summoned. "Nebra Disk, find me what I need for the coming onslaught." This monsters effect searched the deck for any Chronomaly card and put it in a players hand. Babylon used it to take a second Nebra Disk out. "My Fifth: Chronomaly Aztec Mask Golem. The magic of chronomalies was invoked. You may come now." In a turn in which Babylon activated a Chronomaly spell, the masked red statue(4/1500/1000) could also be special summoned. "My sixth, and my second creation! Through the fires of Numeron I have reforged you!" The Nebra Disk and Aztec Golem were overlayed to Xyz-summon a rank 4 Number. "Number 36: Chronomaly Fork Hyuk!" Yet another ancient city(4/2000/2500) was placed in the skies; a neolithic settlement kept intact by a spherical energy grid. "Two Numbers in one turn? Rita, I think you kinda pissed her off!"

"Calm down Claud. She can not attack in her first turn!" Rita had to remind her partner of the rules of two-on-one engagement. "Babylon does not need to lay a finger on the likes of you, to exact punishment." Babylon clenched its fist. "Number 36!" And a material was detached from Fork Hyuk. "Your target is Blizzard Falcon!" One laser came from within the city sphere. Rita's bird(0/1500) turned to pure stone when that laser hit it. "Hey!" Its attackpoints were stolen and its effects sealed. "Number 33!" Next Machu Mech activated its effect, detaching one material to inflict damage to Rita equal to the difference between her monsters current attackpoints and its original attackpoints. "Graaahhh!" Fifteen shots were fired through the superweapons cannons, which exploded all around the agent. "Rita!"

Rita's LP: 6500

"I said calm down, Claud! This is nothing!" The smoke cleared to reveal a new monster card. "Because I took damage, I can special summon Guard Penguin from my hand to reverse the damage!" A penguin(4/0/1200) with a mantle of mirrors had been summoned in defense mode. It blew a soothing wind Rita's way to give her back the lifepoints she lost. "Nice try, Morgana! But you gotta do better than that!" Rita said with a wide smirk. "Maybe we should not taunt her so much?" Claud stammered. Machu Mech(3900/1500) had still gained attackpoints equal to the damage it had inflicted. "Babylon sets this card and ends the turn." At least for now the onslaught was at a standstill.

Rita's LP: 8000

"Oh. Right. My turn!" Claud drew his card and then flipped his face-down monster. "I flip summon Evoltile Lagosucho. I can special summon an Evoltile from my deck now!" The longtailed spike-lizard(3/1200/500) special summoned a grey/blue scaled amphibian(3/1600/400). "I picked Evoltile Casinerio! And I attack with it!" The aquatic lizard slithered across the rooftop.. towards Rita. "Claud? What the hell are you doing!?" She watched Casinerio guzzle up her Guard Penguin. "Ah, sorry Rita! I can't destroy any of Babylons monsters. I needed yours." Claud ended his battle phase. "When Casinerio destroys a monster in battle, it can tribute itself to special summon two Evolsaurs from the deck!" The Evoltile turned to mush and two new dinosaurs crawled out of the liquefied remains; a winged carnotaurus(6/2400/600) and a longnecked dinosaur(6/2400/600). "I special summon the Eolvsaurs Terias and Elias! I can overlay them to Xyz-summon Evolzar Solda!" His two dinosaurs fused into one prehistoric mythical beast; the crystal dragon(6/2600/1000) of blue flames. "Solda can negate the special summon of any monster!" Claud then placed a monster face down and ended his turn.

"I _know_ what your cards do, Claud. But you need to run your plans by me first! What if I needed Guard Penguin!?" Rita asked her partner as she drew her card. "Uh..I am really really sorry?" Claud did not have a real answer for that. "Tch. Luckily I do not. I summon Blizzard Dragon!" A blue and white wyvern(4/1800/1000) materalized from the water in the air. "Blizzard Dragon's effect targets one monster!" The wyvern fired a blast of snow upwards, which hit Machu Mech. "That monster can not attack during your next turn, Babylon!" The snow and ice blocked each cannon of the floating city, rendering them useless. "And!" Rita attached both Blizzard Falcon and Blizzard Dragon to each other. "Thanks to Blizzard Jet, I can treat the Dragon as a Winged Beast. And two winged beasts together make the Ice Beast Zerofyne!" Her monsters melted into a pool, from where an ice-blue fairy(4/2000/2200) slowly came up. "Zerofyne negates the effects of all cards on the field, and gains 300 attackpoints for each negated effect!" Zerofyne spread her bladed wings of ice and an even fiercer blizzard erupted.

"Trap card: Xyz Prosperity." Sadly the storm did not reach high enough. "Ehh?" Only the effect of Blizzard Jet was negated, and only 300 attackpoints were added to Zerofyne(2300/2200). "This is why Babylon selected you. Not because you are strong. but because you weaken each other." The catalyst let out a slow droning cackle. "What was that!?" Rita nearly popped a vein. She sent Zerofyne to attack the Numbers anyway. Of course with its effects not negated, the Ice Beast could not inflict destructive damage to Number 36.

Babylons LP: 14200

_XYZ Prosperity, Continuous Trap  
__The effects and activation of XYZ-monsters' effects cannot be negated._

"Morgana remembers. Of all agents below her, you were considered the greatest failure. Because you resisted each other yet refused to stand alone. You do not see that you are using each other." Babylons turn began. "That is all that the individual can do. Humanity exists to glorify itself, there is no harmony and no coexistence. This vainglory.. is what forged Babylon!" The effects of Numbers 33 and 36 were reactivated. Both Chronomalies detached their final materials to target Evolzar Solda. Fork Hyuk depowered the blue dragon(0/1600), and Machu Mech inflicted effect damage equal to the reduced attackpoints. While adding those attackpoints to itself(6500/1500). "Gwah!" Claud took so much cannon fire that even Rita winced. Though she kept herself from shouting his name.

Claud's LP: 5400

"Ugh. That is not true!" Claud pulled himself back up. "I am not using anyone! And.." And he stumbled back down. The hits had hurt him more than he wanted to let on. "It is. You stand in her shadow to enrich your own image. She stands over your presence to be served better. That is not what you call 'friendship' or even 'teamwork'. You are like all humans; parasites." Babylon normal summoned her second Chronomaly Nebra Disk(4/1800/1500). This time its effect was used to add a Chronomaly Crystal Bones from her deck to her hand. "First of the Nebra Disks! Babylon commands you to return!" The bronze disk in the graveyard was special summoned back to the field in defense position. The second effect of Nebra Disk could only be activated because Babylon controlled and activated nothing but Chronomaly cards this turn. "My creation has another power! Number 36 sacrifice one monster to destroy one whose power was altered!" Fork Hyuk absorbed the defending Nebra Disk into its core, to subsequently release bright heat rays down on the museum. They reduced the Ice Beast Zerofyne to pure vapor. "Grr." Now Rita was defenseless.

"Disappear from my sight, Evolzar Solda!" The battle phase began in earnest. Machu Mech was still frozen and unable to attack. Fork Hyuk however could wipe out Solda with a single focused heat ray from its core. Then Nebra Disk targeted Evoltile Lagosucho. "No no no! Trap card: Evo-Instant! I evolve my Evoltile!" Claud's trap tributed the spiketailed Evoltile to special summon the shell-backed dinosaur Evolsaur Pelta(4/1100/2000) from his deck, in defense mode. "More pests." Babylon was not pleased. "Destroy what can be destroyed!" She had the bronze rock monster crush the card Claud had set face down instead. It turned out to be a small green lizard(3/700/1900) with very high defense however. "Ha! Got ya there! You attacked Evoltile Westlo, and you even made it flip!" The Westlo lizard had the flip effect that special summoned an Evolsaur from the deck. "Evolsaur Cerato!" Claud used it to summon a hellishly red predator dinosaur(4/2100/1400). "Only unseemly creations." Babylon placed two trap cards down and ended the turn. "All they can do is fall to my might!"

Claud's LP: 3400 Babylons LP: 14100

"Yeah the little guys can get run over easily these days. But that is what makes them great as well! Because with them you can make something great!" Claud took his turn, drew his card, and summoned his next monster. The pale-blue longneck dinosaur Evolsaur Vulcano(4/1200/1000). "Rita! This is what you have been waiting to see! Here he is!" Claud turned it into an Xyz material, along with Cerato and Pelta. "I Xyz-summon Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus!" Now the evolving trio transformed into the stellar burning warrior: Cestus the Star(4/2500/1600). "This..is it?" Rita was not sure what she was expecting, but it was not a boxer in flashy colors. "Yeah. It is. The Number drew inspiration from the deck I used before I became an agent.. before I got to know you. However.." Claud glanced at a spell card in his hand. "I do not think I am done yet. Azar told me to go all out with this. So I will!" The spell was activated on the Number. "Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force! I chaos evolve Star Cestus into Comet Cestus!"

The skies of Neo Avalon turned crimson red, as Chaos force poured its magic into the Overhundred Number. "Chaos!" Babylon averted its gaze from red glow, which was soon contained within four claw-tipped wings which extended from the Boxers back. Cestus himself had ditched his blue outfit and was now donning the colors of purple and black. Even its mask had become more demonic. "Claud.. are you alright?" Somehow, despite the warm light, Rita felt a coldness flowing from that card. "Never felt better." But it did not feel that way to Claud. Unlike the last time he summoned this card, he did not feel bothered by it at all now.

"Oh and what's this? Five fire monsters in my graveyard?!" Claud counted again just to be sure. "Yes! Pyrorex time!" The spirits of two Evoltiles, two Evolsaurs and one Evolzar started burning within their graves. When a player controlled exactly five fire monsters, they could special summon Pyrorex the Elemental Lord(2800/2200) from their hand. "Pyrorex destroys one monster on the field and both its controller and me take damage equal to half of its original attackpoints!" The armored lava T-rex made a large sphere out of molten lava and hurled it towards Chronomaly Fork Hyuk. The settlement and its sphere barrier were wiped clean from the clouds. It was sent crashing down below towards Neo Avalon, while a fire and rocks rained down on Claud and Babylon. "The greatness of Fork Hyuk, in ruins!" The catalyst was offended and horrified. Its creation had been undone!

Claud's LP: 2400 Babylons LP: 13100

"There is more to the show, Morgana!" Claud detached one material from Cestus the Comet. "Cestus can destroy any monster, and inflict damage equal to its current attackpoints!" The dark boxer absorbed one attached Evolsaur and fired a combined beam of destruction from its four clawed wings. "Destroy Chronomaly Machu Mech!" The beam pierced right through the floating weaponized city, and a magnificent explosion followed. Nothing more than smoke and a fine powder scattered downwards along the museum. "Number 33!" Babylon could not even comprehend that its second Number had been killed as well. It had not felt such pain in a long time.

Babylons LP: 6600

"Cestus has another effect!" Claud entered the battle phase. "When it destroys a monster, it inflicts damage equal to half that monsters attackpoints!" The boxer gathered energy in its fist and turned Chronomaly Nebra Disk into a molten piece of slag with one punch. "Oh and I have a direct attack!" After that Pyrorex moved in on the defenseless enemy. "Stone Bola!" Babylon however blocked this attack through one of its trap cards. Large stone orbs fell down on Pyrorex and forced it into a defensive position, while also reducing its(2800/0) defense points. "Guess I can't win 'em all. But I sure gave him something to think about! Right Rita?"

Babylons LP: 4700

_Stone Bola, Normal Trap  
__When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: Target that monster; switch it to defense position, and if you do, that target's DEF is reduced to 0. That monsters battle position cannot be changed._

"I.." Rita was too stunned to speak. "When.." Without her knowing about it, Claud had become so strong...

...

On his bed in one of the many cells of this city's police station; a man sat waiting for his return to his old prison. However signs were there that he would not be going back there in the foreseeable future. It had barely been a day since his arrest and since then the sky had turned bloodred and the moon had gained a twin only to crash into the old moon. Theo Jager knew something greater was happening outside, and he had been a part of it. But he was no longer the man was working towards the same goal. The influence of the Numbers slowly faded from his memory. All they left behind were the feelings of dread and spite. He did not want to be here anymore, but he had nowhere to go and no means to escape. Not this time. "Hello, Theo." That was until a group of people showed up before him in the dark. "You!?" Ruby was here, as were Azar and Xander and a person he did not recognize. Why, how?

"Theo. We have a question for you."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)44: Denied before Heaven)

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Evoltile Casinerio  
Evolsaur Elias

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley  
**Blizzard Falcon  
Blizzard Dragon

_-  
Blizzard Jet (+)_

_(+ Modified from the Spell card used by Rio in YGO Zexal)_

**New Cards used by Babylon/Morgana  
**Chronomaly Moai Carrier  
Chronomaly Nebra Disk  
Number 36: Chronomaly Fork Hyuk

_-  
Stone Bola (+)_

_(+ Based on the Trap used by III in Yugioh Zexal)_


	46. Cipher (1)44: Denied Before Heaven

**Cipher (****1)44: Denied before Heaven**

"You want what?" The demands had been laid on the table. "You need my brothers name, right?" Even with one side was incarcerated, he had his own terms. "Secure my freedom, and I will give it to you. You will not find it faster any other way." Theo saw his way to freedom, and he was not going to let a bargaining chip go to waste. "Never! Your promises are meaningless!" Ruby rasped. "But do we have any other choice?" Xander asked. "Azar has! You can use one of your Numbers on him, right?" There had to be one Number among Azars that could pry information from people's minds. "That..is.." Under normal circumstances. "What is the matter?" Ruby did not get why he was hesitating. "I think. This place is no longer safe." Azar took out of his Number cards. "I can not feel the powers anymore. Something or someone... is blocking them off."

"We have to go..now."

...

"There you are!" At last the Raider showed up in the forest, before Subito and Darcy. "I must apologize for the time I took." It had taken him ten minutes before he could even sense where they were. These powers were hard to control without the Fifth's input. "Never mind that. We have to return to Neo Avalon." Subito did not want to waste any more time now. "Yes. Of course. Numbers are active there." Thomas at least did not need to see it, to realize that. "That at least means Claud and Rita are still dueling, right?" Darcy asked. "Yes. But I can not tell, if Babylon has summoned hers yet..and if she has evolved it yet."

...

Claud's LP: 2400 Rita''s LP: 8000 Babylons LP: 4700

"Go get her Rita! I took care of all her monsters!" Claud placed two trap cards down and ended his turn. "Oh. Right." And Rita took advantage of the opening by summoning an Aurora Wing(4/1200/1600). The bird with wings like the nothern light bombarded the sixth with a cluster of ice crystals. "..." After everything Claud had accomplished, Rita felt her attacks were small in comparison. _She_ felt small..

Babylons LP: 3500

"The power of the defector Number is great. Chaos has made it that much more. The one called Claud is no longer weak. He is a threat." Babylon sounded uninterested in Rita at this point as well. It did not acknowledge the damage she dealt her. "It is still nothing to Babylon!" Because she controlled no monsters, Babylon could special summoned a monster from her hand; Chronomaly Crystal Bones the headless crystal skeleton(3/1300/400). "Appear to my field and revive the Chronomaly Sol Monolith!" Crystal Bones' effect special summoned a Chronomaly from the graveyard; a solar monolith(6/600/600). "Sol Monolith, grant your brilliant stars towards your others! Make them worthy of the Sixth!" The Monilith's effect finally raised the level of Crystal Bones(6/1300/400). "Now you shall see, what your Morgana has truly become! Abandon all flesh and mortality!" Babylon transformed into pure energy along with the Monolith and the Crystal body. And that energy expanded outwards. Babylon was in its new form; the mountainous titan: Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis(6/2600/3000). It stepped down on the city below and towered over the Etemenank. Through its effect the Number 33: Machu Mech was placed from the graveyard and into the colossus' chest, adding half of its attackpoints to Number 6(3800/3000).

"Now!" This was their last chance to destroy it, Claud figured. "Trap card: Jurrac Impact! With a dinosaur on my field, whose attackpoints are higher than 2500, I can destroy all cards on the field!" Pyrorex the Elemental Lord(8/2800/0) was enough to feed the trap. The armored dinosaur flew into the skies only to come crashing down like a blazing meteor. "You are not allowed to end my glory!"Yet the enemy had a trap card to activate as well. "The prophecy of Angolmois!" The trap blew the equipped Machu Mech to pieces. The energy that that blast released was gathered within Atlandis' fist. "Your trap shall not activate!" With that one hand, the titan grabbed the Pyrorex meteor right as it parted the clouds, and tossed the dinosaur back to Claud's side. "Awgh!"

_Angolmois: The Final Prophecy, Continuous Trap  
__When an opponent's trap card is activated: destroy 1 "Chronomaly" you control; negate the effect of that Trap Card.  
__During the standby phase, inflict damage to that turns players equal to the ATK of the face-up monster with the highest ATK on their side of the field. Then reduce that monsters ATK to 0._

"Babylon will destroy you, with all the force of the very elements!" The titan activated the card she had just drawn. "Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Force!" The pure golden light of Numeron illuminated the rooftop. "No way! She can get even stronger!?" Rita's terror grew as Atlandis attached itself to a higher ranked form(7/3300/3300) and grew in size. Burning golden energy poured into the Numbers body, transformings its limbs into masses of pure lava and turning its earthen tone into one of red ash and coal. The heat was intense. "I am Number Order Six: Chronomaly Numeron Atlandis!" Babylon declared. "No Number, no monster, can deny our glory!" Immense gravity-defying rivers of lava surged out of the giants mountain-sized shoulders, and they coursed towards Claud's side. "Hey, what!?" The tentacles of lava grabbed his Battlin Boxer Cestus the Comet(5/2800/2000) and bled all over it. "Chaosnumber 105. You are mine!" The lava hardened around the Boxer, and Atlandis pulled it back to its side, attaching Number C105 to its own body. "It can take monsters and equip them to itself?" The equipped Chaosnumber had even given Number O6(4300/3300) more strength.

"No damage can be given, when Numeron Atlandis uses its powers. Yet there is one power left to unveil!" Numeron Atlandis absorbed all of its materials into its chest core, including the attached original Atlandis. "All matter and all claimed Numbers, will be sacrificed." The giant(3300/3300) even de-equipped Cestus the Comet, sending the petrified Boxer to Claud's graveyard. "Upon which the life of one before me, will be placed closest to death!" The titans core erupted, letting loose a storm of volcanic energy upon... the duelist of ice. "Rita!" Claud's cries were quickly overpowered by the damaging lava avalanche. "Aaaahhh!" And her screams of pain soon lept out from the fire and smoke. Rita was thrown against the barrier around the duel field by the explosion, and nearly collapsed from the strain. "Thus the end will come!" The catalyst passed the turn to Claud. "What do you..oh!?" Claud gasped as he got the answer already. "Angolmois." The trap was pulsating, ticking like a timebomb. The damage it would inflict would defeat him and her both!

Rita's LP: 100

"Ugh. Not..yet." Rita said between coughs. She refused to let something like agony stop her now. "I can..negate it." Se had one trap which she could activate. "You can. Yet, you will die for it." Babylon stated. "What!?" It slowly dawned on Rita what Babylon meant with that. If she negated the trap this turn, she would save Claud from effect damage. But she would not be able to save herself. "That is the truth. You can only save yourself by letting the other die. That is the reality of humanity, every person has to fight for itself." Babylons words made Rita hesitate, because she _was_ right.

"No! That is not true damnit! Rita can trust me! And I can trust her! We can both save each other!" Claud shouted defiantly. "Trust me, Rita!" He gave his partner a look of desperation.. and hope. "Claud I.." There was something about his expression, that she just could not say no to. "Screw it! I activate Trap Stun!" So she flipped her trap. "All trap effects are negated this turn!" The Final Prophecy slab become a slab of pure rock for this one turn, making it unable to deliver its effect damage to Claud.

"I knew it. I knew you believed in me!" Claud cheered her on. "Sh-shut up." Rita was still not in the mood for compliments. "I will repay it to you right now!" Claud activated his own spell card. "Friendship! This spell takes both our lifepoints and distributes it evenly.. if we shake hands!" Claud walked up to Rita. "Wh..what? Why do you have a card like that?" Rita would not say no to it and held out her hand, but this was still bizarre. "Hey, TV personalities like us could use some symbolic cards if we ever got to duel before a crowd!" Claud took her hand and helped her up. "You are so corny." Rita groaned.. and grinned.

Clauds LP: 1250 Rita's LP: 1250

"I set a trap card and end my turn! So bring on the damage!" Claud said, as he refused to leave Rita's side. "You only suffer by standing together!" Babylon shouted as Angolmois inflicted damage equal to the attackpoints of Rita's only monster: Aurora Wing(0/1600). Its attack was reduced to zero and sickening rays of green light struck the two duelists, even though they were meant for just one person. "Ngh! Only someone as selfish as you would think that, Morgana!" Both Rita and Claud took it and kept standing. "You love yourself so much. You betrayed everything to make yourself immortal!" She then let go of Claud and drew her card. "My enemy controls two trap cards, so I can special summon Essha the Frost Vassal from my hand!" A meditating knight(4/800/1000) in armor of ice was placed on the field of lava and flame. "And I sacrifice it to tribute summon Mobius the Frost Monarch! Mobius destroys two spells or traps when he is tribute summoned!" The Vassal was upgraded into an Emperor of Ice(6/2400/1000). Mobius created two giant ice pillars underneath Angolmois and XYZ Prosperity, breaking both cards as the ice shot up.

Rita's LP: 50

In the middle of all this destruction, another flash struck the roof . "You two!" Subito showed up, followed by Darcy and the Raider. The Raider had finally managed to teleport them back. "What is...this?." Returning so suddenly, they had to cope with the high rise in temperature and air pressure. "She changed herself?" Babylon was not the same as she used to be, Darcy could tell that much. "She ranked up her Number!" Claud quickly explained. "But she does not scare us anymore. Also we have a name you know! Its Claud and Rita! Don't you forget it!" Rita activated a spell. "I use Absolute Zero on Numeron Atlandis! Because your Xyz monster has no more materials, I can reduce its attackpoints to zero!" Rita covered the entire body of the titanic Number(0/3300) with ice, crippling its mobility and offense. While also cooling the air down. "Mobius, attack!" And then the glacier monarch drove one large ice spike through Atlandis. "I switch Aurora Wing to defense mode and end my turn!"

_Absolute Zero, Quickplay Spell  
__Target 1 face-up Xyz Monster that has no Xyz Material attached; its current ATK becomes 0._

Babylons LP: 1100

"Incredible. You have brought the enemy down this much.." The Raider would never have forgiven himself if he had come too late. But it appeared all his fears were for naught. "No. You are wrong, Fifth! They will not triumph. Babylon will not accept an end to her existence!" However now it was the enemy's turn. "They will suffer for this humiliation! They do not deserve to be part of my glory!" A new Chronomaly monster was summoned, a sword-wielding statue(4/1700/1000) made from mud. "Chronomaly Mud Golem. Strike the enemy's heart, pierce all their defenses!"

"It's a piercing monster!" Subito cursed. "Their defenses are not high enough!" Neither Aurora Wing, nor Pyrorex's defenses could take a piercing attack without their master losing all their lifepoints. "..." Both agents understood this and Rita was the one who took her thoughts one step further. "Hey! Babylon!" She had to be the one. "If you do not care about Morgana's failures, what about your own? I know you wanted to be the one to get all Numbers together in this very museum! Am I right? But you failed, it was Prometheus who succeeded! How does that make you feel?" She did not care how hard she had to shout, she wanted Babylons attention. "...Rita Huxley.." And she got it. "Yeah that's me! You know, I think you are not as 'beyond humans' as you say you are! Why come back to Neo Avalon if you are not still attached to this place!?" So she pushed further and further. "Enough! Silence!" Until she had gone as far as she could. "You will take humans ultimate fate!" And Mud Golem made its attack..

"Trap card: Memory of a Friend!" And Claud activated his trap card. "I banish the attacking monster and gain control of it on my next turn!" The Mud golem disappeared from the field. "What! Claud!? No!" Rita turned to him with a look of horror. Memory of a Friend had a great cost. "If you use that card, you won't get a next turn!" Claud would take damage equal to the attackpoints of the banished monster. "I know." It was already too late for him to stop it. "..Why!? You are the one who had a Number, you can fight her better!" After all of her efforts, Claud would still lose the duel! "Because.. I do not want to see you get hurt. Rita.. I had been a fan of your show long before I became part of that world. I liked you then.. and I still like you know. I even stuck up for you, when people said bad things about you.. Because despite everything, I knew there was some kindness behind all the bitterness and violence." Claud closed his eyes and laughed to himself. "I am glad I got to see that before.." In the end, he let the trap resolve and blow up his lifepoints.

"CLAUD!"

Claud's LP: 0

"Gone. Gone for good! Pay the price of defying me!" Babylon had been true to her word. "Fall!" The ground beneath Claud crumbled away, and the agent who had lost consciousness in his defeat, fell down. "No! I will not abide this!" The Raider immediately jumped off of the rooftop and dove after Claud. If there was any time for him to learn how to fly with this body, now was it! "FIFTH! This is MY domain!" Yet Babylon would not allow it. Numeron Atlandis broke through its icy prison and with its great hand it snatched the raider out of the air and held him in her fist. "What Babylon has decreed, that shall transpire!" Then with its effect, the Number took Mobius and equipped it to itself(4300/3300), while gaining back its original attackpoints as well. "You all serve me! I am your glory, I am your God!" The giants voice echoed across Neo Avalon, while Claud fell further and further..

"You! Stop time, do something!" Rita screamed at Subito. "I ..can not. I can not slow the fall!" But Subito knew by now that Number 107 only froze a persons perception of time. He could not stop Claud in mid-air. "Then.. No.." Darcy could no longer see him. Nobody could have survived that. _"Claud..is gone?"_ Rita's whole world had come tumbling down. "You.. YOU KILLED HIM!" That feeling intensified, sharpened by anger. It should have been her. He did not deserve this! "To make people die for you! You are.. I will.. I will.." Without thinking about it, she took the next card from her deck and placed it on the field. "I summon Snowdragon!" A tiny snow-eating dragon(4/1400/900) with red eyes appeared within the hail of ash and snow. "XYZ-Summon!" It was overlayed along with Aurora Wing.

A beam of red energy ascended from the city below and shot up into the heavens. "This can not be!" Babylon narrowly avoided the beam, but lost grip on the Raider in the process. "This power..is that of a Number!" And the Fifth could tell what was happening. "Claud's Number. No..something else too!" Subito saw his own Overhundred Number glow as well. They were all reacting to Claud's fate and Rita's cries. And the energy crashed back down, landing before the duelist of ice and merging with the xyz materials "Number 103: RagnaZero!" Rita's Number had been given life. It took the form of a masked funeral maiden(4/2400/1200) in white, with a crown of gold and bladed wings of ice. "Another.. another chose you! The foreseen became true!" Though Babylon was amazed.. no.. it was affraid.

"There were two remaining." Subito remembered Iscariot's words as well. Seven numbers in total had betrayed them, and now a sixth had found the human to bond with. "Why did it only appear now? Because of her pain?" Darcy had a feeling that Rita had not shown a genuine emotion besides anger in a long time. Her near-sacrifice had been someone at their most selfless as well. "I do not know how..I do know this." Rita detached one material from Ragnazero. "Number 103 can destroy any one card that has an attack higher or lower than it's own!" The maiden of ice took her blade and slashed the air in front of her. "Morgana! You always prided yourself in your Numbers, and their power of putting people where they did or did not belong! I will do the same to that power of yours!" And in that instant all fire and ash around the duelists froze. "!" And a shockwave travelled across the giants body, slicing through rock and magma with a freezing force.

"You couldn't have.." The giant uttered before Numeron Atlandis in its entirely broke off like a shattered clay figure. All that remained was the catalyst herself. And even her mask began to crack. "No. Babylon does not.. I do not.. You would end my life? " She started to talk more like the human that she used to be, than the immortal she had become. "You felt nothing when you took the life away from Claud." Rita had no compassion for this creature. "If you kill me now! Claud will stay gone! Only I can save him, only immortality can save you all!" The great Babylon was breaking down, inside and outside. " She pleaded one final time, as a crooked smile emerged from underneath the fractured mask.

"If I gave in to that choice. I would undo all that Claud gave his life for.. No. I will not bargain with you, Morgana." Rita forced herself into the battle phase. "You chose this path!" Ragnazero brandished both her swords. "You alone will finish it!" The Funeral Maiden cut through the Sixth, and tore away what remained of her life..

Babylons LP: 0

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)45: Meant to be Broken)

**New Cards used by Claud Renner  
**Yu-Jo Friendship

-  
Jurrac Impact  
Memory of a Friend

**New Cards used by Rita Huxley  
**Esha the Frost Vassal  
Mobius the Ice Monarch  
Number 103: Ragnazero

-  
Trap Stun

**New Cards used by Babylon/Morgana  
**Number O6: Chronomaly Numeron Atlandis (+)_  
_Chronomaly Mud Golem

-  
Numeron Force

_-  
Angolmois: The Final Prophecy (++)_

_(+ Chaos Atlandis renamed for the purpose of the story)  
__(++ Based on the Trap used by III in Yugioh Zexal)_


	47. Cipher (1)45: Meant to be Broken

**Cipher (****1)45: Feather in a Minefield**

Though the catalysts were far away from each other, they could converse through projecting their thoughts. "Why. Why did you let this happen! Why aren't we taking care of this traitor and his ravenous chaotic power!" But Iscariot chose to directly confront his eldest brother, Lucifer. "I told you to control your anger, Iscariot. It is not your domain." Cain said. He, Lilith and Pandora were present as shades, speaking for the voiceless one. Though they could all understand the First, Lucifer did not 'speak' often. "And yet Babylon has fallen! I might have suffered the same end if I had not retreated!" The Fourth could not quite hide his fear behind his anger. That was the least of its problems. "You are a Coward, Iscariot. You come to us to take care of the traitor, when you were in the position to do it yourself. Now you suffer for it." Lilith admonished him. "I can vindicate myself!" He yelled back at her. "No. You can not. Because you fled from your true form, you can not summon it again until you finish your duel with Dakar. This is what Lucifer decrees." Cain had no mercy for him. "Raahh! Then what about the Sixth!"

"You can leave that." Pandora said, as her voice shifted to that of Morgana. ".. to me."

...

Even for a cell that was located at the end of a hall in the lowest level of a high security police station, things had gotten terrifyingly quiet. "First you and now the Numbers, I'd say you were followed." Theo knew exactly why that was. He did not believe in coincidences. "Azar. We should go.. now." Ruby said with urgency. Who knew how safe they were here. "We'd be leaving empty-handed." But Azar wanted to hear what Theo could say to them. "Yes. What a mess you wound up in. Can't retreat, can't fight back." Only the imprisoned sect leader seemed to take enjoyment from it all. "Shut up! Xander can put up one of his barriers! We will just kick the ass of everyone in our way!" Ruby would rather take that chance than stick here with Theo. "You might as well take me along. You can easily force the door open with one of your monsters." Dakar stated as he folded his arms and waited.

"That is true.. Azar. What do you think?" Xander would leave it up to him.. ".. make a barrier around this place. And then break the door down." And Azar did not want to leave without Theo. "What!?" Ruby snapped. "That is my decision, Ruby."

"This is hardly necessary." Theo made a fuss about his new confinement; a mobile barrier made by Xanders Overhundred Number. "It can not hurt either. We can not chance you running away." Xander knew Ruby would at least appreciate this. "Where would I run too?" Theo however did not see the use of it. "And I would consider taking the left stairwell." He suggested apropos of nothing. "What? You are giving directions now?!" Right now Ruby wished Xander had made the barrier soundproof as well. "It is bad enough to have to walk at your pace. I do not feel like getting lost with you as well." That she was clearly annoyed with every word he said, was not relevant to him. "You are just going to have to not giving orders anymore, Theo!" She took a deep breath before turning away from him. "Ruby. Now is not the time nor place to act on emotions. That is in the past now.."

"I will show you who is living in the past!" Ruby returned to yell at him. "Ssssh!" Only yo be silenced by Dakar. "We would like to not be noticed, remember?" If they were caught trying to smuggle a criminal out of prison, it would be just as bad as being noticed by a storm of Numbers. And frankly Dakar was hoping the latter was not quite going on yet. "Sorry." Ruby muttered softly, while Theo chose to hold his peace. "This way." They decided to follow the path that Xander could cover with another forcefield. It brought them to the ground floor eventually, and to a room with windows. Dakars hope was dashed. "My god." Bodies were lying on the floor. "It_ is _happening here too." Everywhere it rained light, outside and inside. Like a thousand arrows, they shot down and into every human they could find and send them into unconsciousness. The Numbers did not stop for stone or metal walls. "Xander. Keep this shield up at all costs." Azar said. The barrier was the only thing keeping the Numbers at bay. "I was not thinking otherwise, no." For now Xanders Number could weather it.

But Xanders mind was a different case..

"Help us!" Cries came from outside, from people who had managed to avoid the Numbers so far. They had spotted a safe zone, theirs. A family of three, along with some other citizens ran up towards the building, knocking against Xanders barrier. "Please! Let us in!" They pleaded. "What are we waiting for!? Let them in!" Dakar shouted. "Alright!" Xander agreed with him and was about tor eshape his barrier. "Wait! Are you going to bother with every person who comes across your way? You will never make it out of here if you do!" But Theo brought up a counter-argument "Tch. What if its a trap." Which, as much as it pained her, made sense to Ruby. "I.." It seemed like everyone was looking towards Azar for a decision again. "Let them in!" He in the end gave in to his emotions. "Okay!" Xander took Number 106 and and used it to make a small opening.

"Oh god bless you!" The group quickly scrambled through the hole and Xander closed it behind them. "Yes.. Thank you." While most stopped to catch their breath, the youngest of the group and the daughter of the family, looked up to smile at her rescuers. "Annabelle?.." Before her parents could act on what was to them unusual behavior from their child, rays of light shot out of her. "Gah! It _was _a trap!" Ruby cringed as Numbers buzzed around inside the barrier. "I told you!" Theo cursed. The Numbers claimed each citizen, and put them to sleep. The Numbers however left the duelists alone, and could not get to Theo either. "They can not touch us. Not this way." Everyone here, including Theo, had used the power of Chaos before. They were safe from direct contact. "But this way they can!" The little girl, Annabelle, said cheerfully as she placed her hand on the floor. She made it cave in. "What the?"

Ruby, Dakar, Azar and Theo fell through the cracks to the lower levels. "Oh!" Xander quickly decreased the range of the forcefield to catch them before the fall could seriously injure them, and then increased it again to put them down on solid ground. "Are you after a duel with me?" The girl now stood at the other end of the hole in the floor. "A little birdie told me that you are the big bad guy! So I am gonna get rid of you!" She could not have been much older than ten years, and yet here she was happily talking about beating up Xander. "The straight forward approach; remove the controller of the forcefield, and make it easier for other Numbers to move around." The loss of Number 106 would be a serious blow to his friends.

Annabelle's LP: 8000 Xanders LP: 8000

"Xander! Do you need any help?!" Dakar did not see a way to get back up from where they were. "I doubt she would allow that." To him it did not matter. Annabelle had already taken out her cards and placed them on the floor or in her hand. "You took too long! So the first turn is miiine! Come on out; Traptrix Nepenthes!" She normal summoned young girl monster(4/800/2000) in a frilly white gown and with long flowery hair. "Then I set this.. aaaaaaand that's it!"

"She started out with that?" Ruby could see the card from where she stood. It looked rather helpless, especially in attack mode. "Looks can be deceiving. Do not underestimate her, Xander!" Azar did not think age made a difference to the skills of duelist possessed by Numbers. "Hmm. Can't say that I know of cards like these. " Xander was already cautious anyway. "I summon Gogogo Gollum!" His turn started and he summoned the red stone golem(4/2300/0). "Heehee. Got you!" After which Annabelle flipped her trap card. "It's Treacherous Trap Hole! Because there are no traps in my graveyard, I can destroy two monsters on the field!" Two holes opened up, beneath Gollum and Nepenthes. Only one of them fell down however. "What on earth?" While Xanders Gogogo monster was destroyed, Nepenthes survived. "Traptrixes can not fall into Holes!" Nepenthes' true form was revealed while the ground cracked away around her; the form of a ravenous pitcher plant. The girl was just an attachment; bait for its food.

"Now Nepenthes, do your special thing! When a 'hole' trap is opened, you can call one of your friends!" Nepenthes' effect special summoned a new Traptrix from the deck. "Traptrix Atrax!" A dark-dressed girl(4/1800/1000) with red orbs in her black hair showed up in attack position. "Not as it seems indeed." Xander did not know what this one would turn into, but trusting it was out of the question. At the very least he could activate the effect of Gollum as it was destroyed and sent another Gogogo monster, Gogogo Gigas, to the graveyard along with it. _"I shouldn't go easy on her." _He activated the continuous spell card, Catapult Zone. Then he played another spell.. "Emergency Assistance! I resummon a level 4 monster that was destroyed this turn!" The card brought Gogogo Gollum back. "When a Gogogo is special summoned from the graveyard, I can special summon Gogogo Gigas as well!" The ground opened up again to release the more Incan-styled block golem(4/0/2200) in defense mode. "I overlay them both for Number 106: Giant Hand!"

"Oooh!" Annabelle clapped her hands with glee, as she observed the Xyz-summon of the giant rock hand(4/2000/2000). "Too bad Atrax can take trap holes from my hand!" Now the dark Traptrix revealed her full body, that of a heinous funnelweb spider. It crawled across the ceiling and tore a hole in the sky. "I activate Space-Time Trap Hole from my hand! Monsters summoned from the extra deck are returned to the extra deck!" The dimensional rift sucked up Giant Hand. "Ah!" Yet it also siphoned a 1000 of Annabelle's lifepoints away. "Awww. I lose life for each monster I return. Hmph."

Annabelle's LP: 7000

"You certainly have a knack for laying traps, young lady." Xander placed a trap of his own down before him and ended his turn. "It's the best part!" Annabelle cheerfully summoned her next monster; a short-haired girl(4/1600/1200) with a red feather dress.. "Here she is, Traptrix Myrmeleo!" Myrmelo immediately displayed her true nature, because its effect was activated when it was normal summoned. A red antlion burrowed out from the ground and carried a Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare card with it. Myrmeleo could add traps from the deck to the hand. "Thanks Myrmeleo! And now I get to attack you directly! Ha!" Annabelle entered the battle phase, and let both the Antlion and Spider monsters scuttle towards Xander and lunge at him with their pincers.

Xanders LP: 4600

"Ngh. And you enjoy violence as well, do you?" Xander grunted and chained a trap card to the damage he took from Traptrix Atrax. "Damage Condenser! I discard a card first. Then I special summon a monster from my deck whose attackpoints lie below the last damage I received!" Xander sent a Gogogo Golem from his hand into the grave, and summoned a Block Golem, the lego block monster(3/1000/1000), in attack position. "Aha! But when you summon a monster..I can use Adhesion Trap Hole!" Once again Atrax' continuous effect was utilized to activate a trap hole from her masters hand. "Your summoned monster loses half its power!" The Block Golem fell into a pit with purple goop at the bottom, and it(3/500/500) wound up stuck there. "Nepenthes!" Another Traptrix was special summoned from the deck and in attack position due to the pitcher plant's effect; a girl(4/1700/1100) with dark braided hair and flower-patterned clothes. "Traptrix Dionaea... You know what she can do? She can give me a trap hole that I already used!" As it turned out, Nepenthes was partially a venus flytrap monster. The carnivorous plant opened its toothy maws and spat out the Space-Time Trap Hole again, and set it face-down in the spell/trap zone.

_"She is not even giving him a chance to summon his Number."_ Though that was strategically logical, Azar did question why that was the preferred tactic at all. The Overhundred Numbers could only be subdued by destroying them in a duel, couldn't they? "Oh, yeah. I can still attack!" Annabelle meanwhile sent Dionaea to feast on the Block Golem. "Not so greedy, miss. I can activate Catapult Zone's effect! I negate my monsters destruction by sending a rock monster out of my deck and into the ground." Xander used the Catapults to sling a Tackle Crusader into the graveyard. Dionaea's attack failed to destroy Block Golem, though Xander still took battle damage. "And.. it is when Tackle Crusader is sent to the grave from the deck, that its effect activates!" The thrown construction robot pushed his spiked shoulder forward as it dropped down. "It can switch one monster to face-down defense position!" The Crusader tackled Traptrix Atrax with its body, forcing it flat against the floor. "Aw!" Annabelle could not flip it back face-up, as it had already attacked this turn. "Now I have to set my Traps again.. Mean!"

Xanders LP: 3400

Annabelle placed one trap down and ended her turn. "Things do not always go your way, Annabelle." Xander activated another continuous spell. "Curse of Osiris. All monsters in defense position will be switched to attack position!" His Curse forced Traptrix Nepenthes back to attack mode. "And the first monster to have its position changed, also has its effect negated!" Meaning Nepenthes could not special summon Traptrixes from Annabelle's deck anymore. "Now I sacrifice Block Golem, to summon two rock monsters from my graveyard!" The Lego block monster split into separate blocks. The blocks were used to re-construct Gogogo Gollum and the earlier discarded Gogogo Golem(4/1800/1500). "Things will go my wayl! I am a good girl and you are a bad guy! Bad guys never win!" Unfortunately for this Annabelle had a trap as well, one that opened when multiple monsters were summoned at once. "Giant Trap Hole! Bye Bye monsters!" A huge section of the floor broke off and caused the Gogogo's to fall into the depths just after they had shown up. The destroyed Gogogo Gollum used its effect to send a Gogogo Ghost into the cemetery.

_Curse of Osiris, Continuous Spell  
__While this card is face-up on the field, change any defense position effect monster(s) to face-up attack position.  
__During each turn, the monster whose position was changed first by this card's effect has its own effect(s) negated._

"I never thought anyone would call me the bad guy. I miss the times when games were not about good or evil. But that is not enough to put me out of my game!" Xander normal summoned a monster, Gogogo Giant(4/2000/0). "By switching Gogogo Giant to defense mode, I can revive a Gogogo monster in my graveyard!" The gigantic golem folded its arms, as a one-eyed ghost(4/1900/0) in red samurai armor phased through the field below the duelists. "I choose this card: Gogogo Ghost. Because..when Gogogo Ghost is special summoned, Gogogo Golem can be special summoned as well!" The undead swordsman stabbed the ground and broke into the Golems grave. The brick monster crawled out of his resting place as well. "Three monsters at once? That's not fair!" Annabelle fumed. "Oh it is very fair, miss. Now then, lets continue.."

"Screw this. I am going up there." Ruby's patience had reached the limit. She was tired of sitting in this hole and looked for a way out. "C'mon." But when she started to climb over some of the rubble, she suddenly found her body lacking in strength. "Huh.." Her legs began to shake, and her hands were trembling. "Wha!" She lost her balance and fell back down. "Ruby!" Dakar caught her before she could hit the floor. "What is wrong with her?" Theo asked, nearly sounding concerned. "She passed out.?" She lied in Dakars arms with her eyes closed and her body limp. "How..when?" Neither he, nor Azar or Theo had seen anything that could have caused this. "...?" But Theo saw something different. _"She..kept it?"_ The scarf around her neck had come loose, revealing her tattoo of the 57th number. That was the mark of Tomorrow. "! It.." And for a second, Theo was sure he saw it glow again.

...

Neo Avalon was now once again without its ruler. The catalyst Babylon had been defeated, and the body of Morgana disappeared along with it. Just like Prometheus, the mayor and director could not live without the Number inside her. As for the rest of the city, the Fifth Catalyst was taking care of it now. He warped to each person he could find, and passed the power of Chaos to them. When they would wake up, they fould be freed from the influence of the Numbersthat Babylon had given them. But there was one body somewhere in this city, that could not be saved by him. The Number that that man once had, was no longer with him..

"Where is he!? Where is he?" Rita searched every inch of pavement around the Etemenank. "He fell here, he should be here!" Claud was nowhere to be found. Neither were the Numbers that belonged to Morgana, but Rita could care less about that right now. "Maybe..maybe he did survive. Maybe he walked off somewhere?" The agent concluded at the end of her search. "I do not think that was what happened." Subito knew the truth could be even grislier than that. Though even he was surprised that they had not found a single trace of him, not even a drop of blood. "Rita. If you need to cry..." Darcy could feel her pain; Rita's eyes already turning red. "No. I do not need to cry! I just need to find him!" She was devastated, she had to see him. With Babylon defeated, all she could think about were the consequences of the duel. "If he is not alive, then where is he!?"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)46: Flower on the Minefield)

**New Cards used by Xander  
**Tackle Crusader  
Gogogo Ghost

-  
Emergency Assistance  
_Curse of Osiris_

-  
Damage Condenser

**Cards used by Annabelle  
**Traptrix Nepenthes  
Traptrix Atrax  
Traptrix Myrmeleo  
Traptrix Dionaea

-  
Treacherous Trap Hole  
Spacetime Trap Hole  
Adhesion Trap Hole  
Giant Trap Hole


	48. Cipher (1)46: Flower on the Minefield

**Cipher (****1)46: A Flower on a Minefield**

Annabelle's LP: 7000 Xanders LP: 3400

"The effect of Curse of Osiris switches my monsters to attack position!" The revived Gogogo Ghost(4/1900/0), Gogogo Golem(4/1800/1500) and Gogogo Giant(4/2000/0) all assumed an offensive stance. "They attack all the Traptrixes that are face-up!" The Giant crushed the buried antlion Traptrix Myrmeleo(4/1600/1200), the Golem slammed into the Pitcher Plant girl, Traptrix Nepenthes(4/800/2000) and the Ghost cut open the venus flytrap, Traptrix Dionaea(4/1700/1100) with its sword. "Ahhhh! My trixes!" Annabelle freaked out when she saw them die one by one. Only her face-down Traptrix remained. Due to its effect Gogogo Giant switched itself to defense position. But the Curse of Osiris put it back in attack mode.

Annabelle's LP: 5400

"No no no no, No! You will not win! Nuh-uh!" Annabelle shook her head vehemently. "I wont? Why do you want to win so badly?" Xander was actually curious as to how her mind worked right now. He had never seen someone so young be influenced by a Number. "I have to win, because you are not like me. That is what she told me!" Annabelle said as she drew her next card. "She?" Was she talking about her own Number now, giving it a gender? "Dionaea! Help me!" The girl normal summoned another flytrap plant trickster(4/1700/1100). Last time she special summoned it, this time Dionaea could activate her normal summoned effect. "She brings one of my Traptrixes back to life!" Annabelle explained as she special summoned Traptrix Myrmeleo from her graveyard. "Myrmeleo can destroy one spell or trap, when she is summoned in a special way!" The summoned traptrix sent its insect-half into the ground. The antlion dug a tunnel and came up underneath the Curse of Osiris. Xanders spell was pierced by two pincers and destroyed.

"And now.. Now!" Annabelle flipped Traptrix Atrax(4/1800/1000) back face-up. "I am going to show you my super-special-one-of-a kind card!" The dark spider was attached, along with the venusian Dionaea and the burrowing Myrmeleo. "Number sixty-eight! Landmine Ogre!" Gone were the cute misleading tricksters, all three cards attached to a rank 4 xyz-monster; a dark-skinned and long-horned ogre(4/3000/2500) in bombsquad gear.

_Number (185797)68: LandMine Ogre, 4/600/2500 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__3 Level 4 Monsters  
__Set cards can not be activated or flipped face-up. This card gains 600 ATK for each set spell or trap card on the field and for each attached Xyz material.  
__During either players turn: you can pay 600 lifepoints, target 1 set spell or trap card on the field, reveal it and activate its effect._

"That is quite the change." Xander remarked. This thing was rather powerful as well, gaining 600 attackpoints from its three Xyz materials and the face-down Spacetime Trap Hole. "Now I am serious! I am gonna blow you to pieces!" Annabelle placed two more cards from her hand face-down, adding two more power-ups to the Ogre(4200/2500). "Take this!" Landmine Ogre made the ground beneath Gogogo Golem explode by punching the floor. "Don't forget that I still have Catapult Zone." Xander managed to keep the Golem itself alive, because his continuous spell could send a rock monster, Revival Golem, into the graveyard. However the damage he took could not be reduced. In fact there was barely anything left to stand on, the attack had destroyed all but a small section of the floor.

Xander's LP: 1000

"I activate Revival Golems effect! Revival Golem can special summon itself when he is sent from the deck to the graveyard!" The card that had been thrown away by the catapults crawled back out of the dark pits. A mud-bodied golem(4/100/2100) with roots like veins joined the Gogogo trio. "What are you going to do with those?" Annabelle asked as her turn ended. "I am glad you asked." At that point the girls last trap, SpaceTime Trap Hole, banished itself. The card that had been set by Dionaea's effect one turn ago, could not stay on the field after its controllers next turn. "I was waiting for the right time. This is it." Xander placed a spell card from his hand down and then grabbed all his monster cards. "A double xyz-summon; Gogogo Golem with Gogogo Ghost and Gogogo Giant with Revival Golem!" Four monsters came together into two light clusters, one of which was brighter than the other. "I summon Cairngorgon the Antiluminescent Knight, and Number 106: Giant Hand!" Not just the Overhundred Number(4/2000/2000) but a weathered dark gemstone knight(4/2450/1950) with a mummified face appeared on Xanders field as well; two rank 4 monsters that required 2 materials.

"No. Your Number needs to stay away. It is a bad Number!" Annabelle payed some of her life. "Number 68 decides when a set card can be used. He picks the Bottomless Trap Hole!" The Ogre(3600/2500) dug into the ground and attempted to flip the Bottomless trap face-up. "Ah! But this Bad Number has a power too, little miss." Xander detached all materials from the Xyz monster. "Giant Hand can negate a monsters effects when an effect is activated!" The Hand tossed it self forward and grabbed the Ogre.

Annabelle's LP: 4800

"No. You can not touch it! Do it again Number 68!" Annabelle gave up more of her lifepoints, so that the Ogre(3000/2500) could activate yet another trap. "Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare will stop you!" The other card was a trap that negated and destroyed a monster that activated its effect during the turn it was special summoned. "Annabelle. Your mistake was focusing on the Number, when I have this Xyz monster as well." Xander detached a material from Cairngorgon. "My Antiluminescent Knight can force a targeting effect to pick a target different from the previous one!" Cairngorgon smacked the struggling Ogre's hand away with its pillar-like limb. Annabelle's Number was forced to activate the only other set card on the field; Xanders. "You activated Rock Bombardment! This trap sends one rock monster into the graveyard, from my deck, to inflict 500 points of damage to my opponent!" Xander sent a Big Piece Golem into the ground. "Wait.." And it exploded right in front of Annabelle, as if it were a mine of its own. "Eeek!" Now the ground around her started to fall away.

Annabelle's LP: 3700

"Now don't be scared Annabelle. I will catch you. I do not like to harm people, certainly not children. But.. I have to win." The chains started resolving one by one. "Giant Hand negates the effect of the Ogre!" Number 106 had depowered Number 68, so Bottomless Trap Hole could not be set off. "No. Not so fast! I do not get it!" Thhe Ogre(600/2500) had also lost its own powers to gain attackpoints from the set cards. "I am going to attack now, Annabelle." The Giants hand constricted around its target, crushing the Ogre with its stone fingers. Next the anti-knight Cairngorgon charged forward and caused the ground around his opponent to tear itself apart with one direct attacking and pulverizing blow. "Whaaa!" The girl, and the people she had sent into unconsciousness before, all fell through the cracks. "There!" But Xander was true to his word and he plied his barrier in such a way that it made the girl fall gently and looped her down below besides her parents. Xander had given everyone a soft landing.

Annabelle's LP: 0

"Whew. Welcome back gentlemen." Xander also made the forcefield carve a path upwards for his friends a way back up. "I say that ended all well enough." Nobody seemed injured as far as Xander could see. "Yes. Now can we please get out of here?" Theo, still inside a barrier, was slowly losing his patience with everything that happened. "But we need to.." Dakar however felt they had one more issue to adress. He was still holding an unresponsive Ruby. "What happened to her?"

"I didn't win!? Oh no!" Annabelle's cries reached them at that time. "She will be mad!" It seemed she was not unconscious yet, to their surprise. "This 'she'..." Azar started to put one and two together. Annabelle was not talking about _her _Number. "No. You did well." She was talking about _her_. "But you need your Rest" A figure appeared just outside the barrier, who with the a simple clap, caused Annabelle to fall into a deep sleep. "Lilith!" It was the Third of Numbers, the devilish catalyst.

"Do not be Shy. I do not bite." She drew her fingers back and forth. "Ngah!" And Xander clenched his teeth as he felt her influence on his body. "What is she.." It was like a claw had gripped his heart and bones, slowly forcing him to move against his will. "Let me In there." Lilith continued her motion, as Xander slowly moved his hand to Number 106. "She is controlling his body! She can do that to anyone who has a Number!" Dakar shouted. Ruby had warned him of this catalysts power earlier. "That is right. So you are all basically..Helpless." Lilith clenched her other hand. "Kneel." The duelists were forced to do just that. "Damnit!" Not even Azar could resist her. "It was you who attacked this city. You used a kid to attack us?" Dakar was outraged. "Age is a Label only for those who fear Death. Young and Old will all be the same in the new World. Innocence is just another weakness to be eliminated." Lilith did not see any problem with her approach. That just ticked them off even more. "And in the process you take away the moments in life where you can just have fun. How can you people live like that?" Xander did not want to imagine a world without joy. Y

"You..why did you not confront us earlier?" Azar got that Annabelle had been a diversion. Lilith needed time to get here, but why was this so? Catalysts could move from place to place instantaneously. "Unless." Azar glared at the masked woman. "Something happened, something that weakened you and your collective." Flashes passed before his eyes, Chaos was whispering information into his mind. "One of you was destroyed!" Azar had figured it out. "I did not say that could speak, Fallen. You need to Listen to..." Lilith placed her hands on the forcefield. Xander was close to deactivating it. "Hold on. What..is this?" Yet her obscured eyes moved towards Ruby, who was just starting to wake up. "You.." Something about the girl caused Lilith to drop her joyful tone. "What have you done?"

"Me? What have I..?" Ruby did not even know what was going on, much less what she was being accused of. "You have it. The Defector. it did not die along with its host!" Lilith pointed one long nail at Ruby's coat, at a pocket that held her deck. "Wh-what?" Ruby now noticed it herself, a strange light was coming from there that definitely was not supposed to be there. "What is this, what.." She took the cards out and stared right in the face of a Number; Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus. "Claud's card!? Why do I.." She did not understand, none of them did. Theo only gathered that this was why the place where her former mark lied, had been glowing earlier. Only the Third saw the whole picture. "The Defector passed on to the last living Body that triumphed over him in a duel. They will not stop their Resistance. But Defiance is Impossible against Me.."

_"Now!" _Lilith had merely been distracted for an instant, yet that was all Azar needed to force out some of his own power. _"The others."_ He thought of wherever Thomas and the others would be, and then used Dyson Sphere to teleport himself and the duelists, including Theo, to safety. "Ho... how Impolite." Lilith had only needed another second to get to them. "Oh well. They are not my Problem now."

...

Where they arrived next was the heart of Neo Avalon. "Azar?!" Subito's group was where Azar had wanted to bring them, so Subito was who he had found. "What happened to you? Why is He with you?" Needless to say he was not thrilled to see Theo Jager again. "Have you never heard of the saying.. The enemy's enemy is my friend?" Theo's dry tone showed just how pleased he was with this reunion as well. "We had to extract him, to learn the name of the Second catalyst. But we had a run in with another. We had to retreat." Azar knew they could not fight back against Lilith, not until they learned her human name. "Yes. It was her.. Not even Cain." Theo reflected on those words as well. "My own brother did not even think to be the one.."

"You at the very least have had better results. Haven't you?" Azar had felt it, and everyone could see it. Neo Avalon was quiet and free from the tyranny of the Sitxh catalyst. "Yes. Claud and Rita managed to defeat Babylon. However.." Subito's voice trailed off. Their victory had not been without its costs. That became clear when only Darcy and Rita showed up to join them. "!? You..he.." Dakar gasped. Claud was not there. They could only assume the worst. "..." Rita did not say anything. Nobody wanted to say it.

"Is that why.. I got this?" But Ruby now realized what had happened to her, what had changed. "Is that.. Number 105?" Rita nearly choked on her own words as she saw Ruby take out a card that had been in Claud's deck just an hour ago. "How did you get it! Why..!" She was livid. That card did not belong to Ruby, that was all she knew. "Easy, Rita! She did not do anything!" Though rather than storm at Ruby to attack her, she stumbled over her own feet and had to be caught by Darcy. "No! She can not have it! Claud is still.." Rita struggled to break free, but soon gave up and started sobbing instead. "If you have it.." Reality had confronted her, a Number would only find a new host if the old one was dead.. "Rita. I am sorry.." Ruby would not have thought that she would be feeling sorry for Rita.. But nobody would miss Claud as much as her.

"...?" During all of this, nobody had noticed an alteration to their D-pads. "I do not wish to call for attention. However.." Xander raised the device. "The network seems to be oprational again." The displays revealed that the D-pad could patch back into all online capabilities. "It has?" Subito inspected his own device and found that it too had all its functions restored. He was even receiving a call at that exact moment. "Father?" The image of Mr. Artega appeared on the screen. "I see everything worked out." He said with a smile. "Father, did you do this?" His father was an expert in the field of network and holographic technology, he could have been the cause of this. "You can say that. I convinced the people in charge of the network to completely restore it. Duelists are the only ones who can really stand up to this threat." The city had seen what Catalysts could do, and they had asked for any help they could get. "How are things over there?" Dakar joined in on the call and posed his question. "It's been quiet. No disturbances. Nobody has woken up yet however..." This sadly also included his own wife. "What I came to tell you however, is that the catalysts have moved on. With the network back online, we can better track their movements. So if you need information, tell me."

"We will.. Now it is Cain we should go after." Azar stated and looked towards Theo. "What do you intend to do, once I give you his name? My brother is the Second. Do you think you can beat him?" After their near-escape from the Third, Jager did not think anyone would want to meddle with an even stronger catalyst. "Knowing his name helps. If we can fight him with that, and defeat him, all the other catalysts shall lose power. They are a collective. They can be stopped, Rita proved that to me. It is up to you, whether or not you want to tell us.. or force me to get the information from you." Azar did not want to use a Numbers power to read someones mind against their will. But he would if he had to. "He did not come for me. He does not see me as family anymore." The catalysts did not see brotherhood or childhood as a relevant symbol anymore. All humans were the same to them. "Fine.." Theo's chances here were better here then anywhere else. "His name is Arend."

...

"You." She had seen herself in the mirror before. Yet she had never looked. Here, as she washed her face in the Artega's bathroom, it felt like she was watching her own reflection for the first time. "Me.." Necara did not know this person. She did not like the way it stared at her.. "Khgh!" She clenched her hand and nearly slammed it into the glass mirror. Yet she stopped herself. "..." In the palm of her hand was the cut she had made when she tried to end her own life just one day ago. It had started to bleed again. Necara took a deep breath and turned away from the reflection.

She stepped outside the room and found her guard' in the middle of a one-sided conversation. "Quartermaster. Agent K is calling for you. I have need for you!" He was speaking into his D-pad, making use of the recovered network it appeared. "Why are you calling her?" She asked him. "Ann.. I.. I wanted to find what was left of the agency." The agents had lost their directors and its operatives, but the framework itself was still there. Esther was the only one Korose knew to search for now. Yet the artificial intelligence did not acknowledge his hails. "Kincaid did destroy headquarters, which could have weakened her system. She might have trouble locating me, now that my chip has been removed.. Ann, do you still have yours?" Korose wondered if Agent N had even been implanted with a chip. "Not anymore." But Necara had removed that small piece of technology when she still possessed the powers of all Numbers. Esther would not be able to read her memories or find her either. "But she is still out there. So is _he_."

"He?"

"Kapha. Find Kapha. He knows every thing. And he always listens.. He is the one you want to talk to."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)47: Army of Two)

**New Cards used by Xander Carson  
**Revival Golem  
Cairngorgon, Antiluminescent Knight

-  
Rock Bombardment

**Cards used by Annabelle  
**_Number 68: Landmine Ogre_

-  
Bottomless Trap Hole  
Traptrix Traphole Nightmare


	49. Cipher (1)47: Army of Two

**Cipher (****1)47: Army of Two**

Rita was not in the state of mind to move on and Darcy promised to watch out for her. So the two girls had been sent back to Shins hometown. "This is.." Everyone else moved to the location where a catalyst had been sighted. "..Unbelievable." What they saw when they arrived there was destruction and mayhem. Buildings and structures were laid to waste, trees were burning and roads were torn apart. "It looks like a war was fought here." Dakar had never seen such devastation. "I think you are on the right track. If any of the catalysts would know how to wage war, it would be my brother." Said Theo as he stared into the smoke-filled distance.

"Nobody is here." The Raider sensed no life signs in this ruined city; no humans and no Numbers. "They all have moved on." Azar did not feel anything either, but he could tell where they had gone. "What are you doing?" Subito asked as Azar took a Number card out. "Using this card's power to scan ahead. We can not risk teleporting to them without scoping out the area." One of the Numbers gave a human enhanced eyesight. With it Azar could view through walls and mountains, to see what lied miles away. "This.. is not good."

"What, what did you see?"

"An army." Azar had seen a massive legion of people; men and women, old and young. "It's everyone from this city, maybe other cities as well!" The army was marching along the freeway, spilling out across every town and city in the neighborhood like a swarm of ants. "Looks like you were right, Theo. Cain has made himself an invasion force." They had army vehicles with them; tanks and jeeps and helicopters. "I thought so. My brother had the power to make something unstoppable. Not even exhaustion gets in their way. It was the same for Judith. After she received number 92 from Cain, she could not sleep. She was forced to be more alive than ever." A pinch of regret entered Theo's mind as he looked back on how she had been treated. "Yes. the Second is unlike the others. He does not put his victims to sleep, he keeps them awake even after a Number is inserted in them. Just so he can use them." The Fifth drew this fact from his own memories. There was no doubt about it now as to which catalyst they had found. "He is close by, they would not be under his thumb from a far away range."

"Well that is fantastic. So are we going to take on that entire army?" Ruby was not entirely sarcastic. She looked forward to a battle to try out her new Number. Claud deserved that much. Though she knew they probably could not fight them head-on. "That might not be the best idea." Xander had seen how big this ghost city was; it could a good half million inhabitants. All of which were now part of Cains legion. "We need to get to Cain himself. We need to get close to him and challenge him. Catalysts can not refuse a challenge when it is proposed by another Number. With my Number, we could possibly make it." Subito already knew what to do. And Azar nodded. "I agree. The straight approach is the best one. However I can not sense where he is, with all those other Numbers surrounding him." Stopping time would not help if they did not know where to look. "I have an idea." Dakar interjected. "If there were a way to infiltrate his ranks, and disguise ourselves. We could get close to him. And to do so.." Dakar took out his own Overhundred Number. "I think I have the tools for that."

...

The nearest village seemed awfully quiet for a place that was about to invaded. A hundred or so Numberized men and women stomped into town and spread out to locate each villager they could find. They broke down every door in their way. Yet for whatever reason, they could not find a single soul, every home had been hastily abandoned. Either everyone had evacuated the area, or they were all taking refuge in a central location. The main section of this squad moved on towards the larger buildings like the mall and church. Other smaller groups broke off to pursue leads of their own. Cain had only given his soldiers enough free will to better serve his needs of the conquest; they had their own intelligence and experiences. And any of them that had been a duelist before, would be more prone to independent action. Two of them; a short ginger kid and a tall punk-haired young man, entered a small neighborhood and tore down house after house. They had detected separate lifesigns here.

"Now!" Little did they know, these signs belonged to the rarest kind of prey. "What the?" Both of them were flanked from both sides. To their left was Xander, who did what he had gotten good at and raised a forcefield around the two. To their right was Dakar who held up his own card. "It looks like I was right." Number 104 had been most helpful in a way that these duelists did not quite understand yet. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Duelists? Nobody told me anything about duelists!" The tall one cursed. Their D-pads did not pick up any other duelists or Numbers in the area. "Dodge! These are the Overhundred duelists! The ones Cain warned us about!" The short one said with a stammer in his voice. "Tell me something I dont know, Godfrey! But think how happy Cain will be when we axe them!" The other did not seem to be very worried.

"But they will not be your opponents!" The door to the house opened, and one man came out. "I will!" Subito walked out, his D-pad at the ready. "You mean... we will." Azar moved out of the house as well.. "Azar?" .. to Subito's surprise. "We got one more then we planned for. I did not think you would want to duel two on one." Dakar and Xander were needed to maintain the trap. Everyone else had gone to other parts of the town to save who they could from the Numbers. These two here were enough for the idea Dakar came up with. "I did not ask for your help."

Team Azar/Subito's LP: 10000 Team Dodge/Godfrey's LP: 10000

"Check it out! The chaos duelist himself! Forget him being happy, Cain will give us the best Numbers he has if we take him down!" Dodge took the first turn and drew six cards. "Yeah, I suppose you are right about that." Godfrey followed his lead and drew five. Dodge then activated a spell card. "Onomatopair! I send a card from my hand to the graveyard and add a Zubaba/Gogogo/Dododo or Gagaga monster to my hand!" Dodge discarded a monster card and added the cards Zubaba Knight and Dododo Warrior. "Zubaba Knight!" He normal summoned the former; a knight(3/1600/900) who wielded dual saw-blades and wore a flowing red cape on his armor. "So this is a tagteam match then." Dakar had not accounted for this, but it would speed up the process. "And with an unlikely team." Xander could tell that Subito did not enjoy Azars assistance. But time could not be turned back now.

"Subito. You told me that you trusted me now. If there is still some doubt about me, this is not the time. We have to work as one. I may have great power, but it means nothing if I can not help others with it." Since Subito still seemed apprehensive, Azar took the second turn. He normal summoned an ivory white armored wyvern: Wyverburster the White Dragon(4/1700/1800) and placed a trap card of his own face-down. And he would activate another card, as soon as his turn was over. "Maxx C! During the turn this card's effect is used, I can draw a card whenever my opponent special summons a monster!" The insect card was sent to the graveyard.

"I do not know who the other guy is, but if he is already at his partners throats... Fine by us, eh Godfrey?" Dodge let out a hearty laugh as his partner drew his card. "Do your research, Dodge. That's Subito Artega, the pro-league champion. Or at least.. he would have been, had he not quit." Godfrey activated two copies of the same spell card. "Dododo Draw! I discard a 'dododo' monster, to draw two cards!" A Dododo Witch and Dododo Swordsman were discarded from his hand, which Godfrey replenished afterwards by drawing four times. "Anyway, Dodge, I am taking your monster!" He did not ask again. Godfrey sacrificed his partners monsters, per tagteam rules, to tribute summon his own level 6 card; a viking-like berserker(4/1900/800) in golden spiked armor. "Always the smartass." Dodge allowed it, but that did not mean he wouldn't gripe about it.

"Dododo Buster. Because I tribute summoned him, I get to special summon a Dododo monster from my graveyard!" Buster hit the pavement with his spiked mace, splitting it open. A female armored viking(4/1200/1600) in a tattered red cloak jumped out of the fissure. "I summoned a Dododo Witch; I get to special summon another Dododo monster from my hand with her effect! I pick this one." An armored rickshaw driver(4/1800/200) rushed towards the streets, parking his cart behind the other two Dododo's. "And now! With Dododo Driver I gets to raise a Dododo's level twice each turn!" Dododo Driver himself was targeted for this power, and he charged his body to boost his(6/1800/200) level stars. "Xyz-summon: Gauntlet Launcher!" Dododo Driver and Dododo Buster were overlayed to form a robotic warrior(6/2400/2800) of red construction steel. It crashlandeded on top of a random home. "This card can destroy a monster on the field!" Godfrey detached one material from his Xyz-warrior, who in turn detached its own left gauntlet. The gauntlet blasted towards Wyverburster like a missile and blew it to smithereens. "See. That's how your first turn is done!" Godfrey stated smugly as he scratched his nose. He placed a trap card down and ended his turn.

"..You special summoned three monsters this turn. So Maxx C gave me three cards." Azar's at least hand size grew nicely. Even more after the effect of Wyverburster was triggered. "When Wyverburster is destroyed I can add Black Dragon Collapserpent to my hand." Now he had double the amount of cards in his hands. "... Did you use a Numbers power, to prepare that move?" Azar had used Maxx C before even a single monster was special summoned. Subito wanted to know how Azar could have predicted Maxx C would be useful that turn. "I had a hunch that it would be helpful, if that is what you are asking." Azar replied truthfully. He had reached the point where Numbers would sometimes warn him automatically.

"Azar. It is not that I do not trust you. But to use such a power, it feels wrong." Subito's turn began now. "Or rather, to depend on it. To that end..." Subito normal summoned Photon Cerberus(3/1300/600) from his hand. Then, as the opponent controlled a Xyz-monster, he could special summon Photon Slasher(5/2100/1000) from his hand. "Photon Booster!" Finally he used a spell, which boosted the attackpoints of a lowlevel light-type monster, to strengthen the Cerberus(3/2000/600). "I sacrifice both monsters with 2000 attackpoints, and special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" The two disappeared in streams of light, and the galactic dragon(8/3000/2500) made his dazzling entrance. "I set one card and end my turn!"

"I feel as if we are being left out of the discussion, Dodge." Godfrey fumed. "They _are_ ignoring us. They think they are so good? Look at mister champion over there, wasting nearly all his resources to get out one little dragon!" Dodge was not too impressed with Galaxy-Eyes either. "Let me show you what I think about that! Ganbara Knight!" A bolt-helmet knight(4/0/1800) slammed into the ground with the two heavy shields it was carrying. "Oh and I am gonna use your monster now, pal." Dodge quickly walked over to Godfrey's side and snatched Dododo Witch from his D-pad. "Huh?" Dodge overlayed her along with Ganbara Knight to Xyz-summon a rank 4 monster; a caped kingly warrior(4/2000/1000) who wore gold and white armor which included a horned helmet. "Zubaba General! By taking one warrior from my hand, it can add more attackpoints to itself!" Dodge took the Dododo Warrior (2300 atk) in his hand last turn and equipped it to his General(4300/1000). In its hands Dododo Warrior became a crude but large axe. "Now to shut up your dragon's effect, I activate the equipment spell; Godendard! Your monster and whatever trap you set, have nothing on Zubaba General now!" Another weapon was given to the General, a spear-tipped club.

_Godendard, Equip Spell  
__Equip only to a Warrior-Type monster. The equipped monster can not be affected by card effect(s) during the battle phase._

"If so. I merely need to react before then! Quickplay spell card: Photon Stream of Destruction. When I control Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, I can banish a monster my opponent controls." Subito made his monster charged up a counter-attack in Dodge's main phase, one powered by magic. "Dream on champ!" Only Dodge had an answer for this as well. "Counter trap: Magic Drain! Unless you can show me another spell, that one is negated!" Subito could reveal no spell card in his hand, so his quickplay spell was negated. "Heh, get that Photon Stream out of here, and take your dragon with it!" Using his new weapons, Zubaba General charged at Galaxy-Eyes whose banishining powers were sealed. "The obvious trap is never the real trap, Dodge." Only then Subito activated a card's effect from his hand. "What the f.." A new target presented itself, a dark-scaled tyrannosaur(8/2000/0) with silver cybernetic on its body.

"When my opponent attacks a Galaxy monster, I may special summon Galaxy Tyranno from my hand. And.." Subito took both cards and stacked them on top of each other. ".. if Tyranno is summoned, I may immediately Xyz-summon a "Galaxy" Xyz-monster, using only Galaxy monsters." The dragon had joined with the galactic dinosaur to change into one of Subito's rank 8 cards. "I summon Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon in defense mode!" Subito had chosen his overhundred terror, the black and red space dragon(8/3000/2500). As it was a Number, Dodge could not destroy it as a result of battle. "Bah. End turn."

"Subito, you.. after everything you said?" Dakar was stunned that it had come to this. "Do not misunderstand. I know when a power is necessary. What I fear for, is that the Number takes over.." Subito glared briefly at his duel partner. "Azar. Can you say to me, that you do not feel good when you summon a Number? To have its power inside you?" Dakar and Xander were clearly comfortable with their Overhundred Numbers. Subito was not that far yet. Even though he could control them, he had never felt comfortable while they were on the field.

"I know what you mean, Artega. "If I did not have Chaos. I would just be like these people." Azar knew what it was like to be on both ends. He had felt both joyous and ill when he summoned a Number. "To control them now, I would need to awaken Chaos. However if you want to know if I can duel without depending on them. I can prove that to you now." Dodge and Godfrey seemed to be overlooked again, as Azar had not even heard what they said when the former ended his turn. All he needed to know was that it was his turn.

"I can special summon Black Dragon Collapserpent by banishing a light monster from the graveyard!" The light-type Wyverburster was banished, so Azar could put down the ebony-black void dragon(4/1800/1700). "I also activate my spell card; Draconnection. I return a dragon to my deck, to add one of the same level to my hand! I choose Radius, the Halfmoon Dragon!" Azars spell shuffled Collapserpent away and traded it for a level 4 lunar dragon. "Because my opponent controls an Xyz-monster, I can special summon Radius from my hand, and double its level!" The moonrock-winged dragon(4/1400/1200) touched down and added four level stars to itself(8/1400/1200) right away. "And when I control a level 8 monster, Parsec the Interstellar Dragon can be normal summoned from my hand without tributes!" A very alien purple/green dragon(8/800/800), with claws like insect talons, showed up in the sky. "Two level 8 monsters. I will use them for a rank 8 monster!" Parsec and Radius were attached and together they Xyz-summoned..

"Hieratic Sundragon Overlord of Heliopolis!" Azar had brought out the King of the Hieratics, the dragon(8/3000/2400) with a body of solar flames. "By sacrificing monsters on the field or in my hand, Heliopolis can destroy an equal amount of cards!" Azars Hieratic Overlord(8/3000/2400) consumed Hieratic Dragon of Su and Nebthet in Azars hand. The sun king released the spears of solar fire and burned right through Gauntlet Launcher and Zubaba General, making the two cards selfcombust. If he had to, he would win this duel as Azar. Yet he was not sure if it would be that easy. The enemy had not revealed_ their_ Numbers yet.

...

"Kapha. I am Korose, an agent. If you hear me, I implore you to respond." Korose followed Necara's suggestion and sent out open messages across the network. Kapha could likely pick up on his words, but if he would respond to them was another question. "The situation were are in now is grave. It affects you too. You know more than us, you have full access to every bit of data we agents, and everyone else you had work for you, had gathered. If anyone can help, it is you." Korose did not see how anyone could stay silent in light of all that has happened, Kapha was no exception. "..." Meanwhile Necara waited in silence, she did not say a thing. Not even when a sound came from the D-pad.

"You are very much right, Agent K." And there he was, Kapha replied after half an hour of waiting. "I appreciate your concern, but I already have set things in motion, agent K. You are not needed on my end... Yet, you spent a lot of time on this. I would be a lesser man if I did not reward such tenacity." A pause of silence fell. "How can I be of service, agent K?"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)48: Theirs is not to Question Why)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**White Dragon Wyverburster  
Parsec the Interstellar Dragon

-  
Draconnection

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Galaxy Tyranno

-  
Photon Booster  
Photon Stream of Destruction

**Cards used by Godfrey  
**Zubaba Knight  
Ganbara Knight  
Zubaba General  
Dododo Warrior

-  
Onomatopaira  
_Godendard_

-  
Magic Drain

**Cards used by Dodge  
**Dododo Buster  
Dododo Witch  
Dododo Driver  
Gauntlet Launcher

-  
Dododo Draw


	50. Cipher (1)48: Theirs not to Question Why

**Cipher (****1)48: Theirs is not to Question Why**

Team Azar/Subito's LP: 10000 Team Dodge/Godfrey's LP: 10000

Azar had just now activated the effect of the Hieratic Dragon Heliopolis(8/3000/3000) And the monsters he had sacrificed were Hieratic Dragons too. "When Hieratic Su and Nebthet are sacrificed, I can special summon normal dragons from my deck with their stats reduced to zero!" Azar could now special summon the dark mineral dragon, Labradorite Dragon(6/0/0) and the electric wyvern, Wattaildragon(6/0/0). "I knew that was coming. And I had a trap prepared!" But at this point Dodge flipped his permanent trap card. "XYZ Kingdom. When Xyz monsters are destroyed, their materials become mine!" The destroyed Gauntlet Launcher and Zubaba General added their last material to the Kingdom, making it hold a Ganbara Knight and Dododo Driver.

_XYZ Kingdom, Continuous Trap  
__When a card with a Xyz Material(s) is destroyed, attach any Xyz Material(s) it had attached to it upon destruction to this card.  
__During either players turn, you can destroy this card. If this card would be destroyed, attach all cards attached to this card, to 1 Xyz monster on the field._

_"I knew it. They are preparing for the Numbers."_ Azar overlayed both Wattail and Labradorite. "I special summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum!" They formed a dragonic being made from chaotic and liquid dark matter(6/2400/2100), held together by golden armor. "Atum and Heliopolis attack directly!" The two hieratic lords charged flames of sun red and galactic black. "I do not think you will!" Only to have Godfrey flip his trap card as well. "Reverse Rebirth! I set a monster from my graveyard face-down, by paying 2000 lifepoints!" The short duelist took Dododo Swordsman from its grave and set it down before him. "Go ahead, attack my 3000 defense points monster!" Godfrey did not have anything to fear from the Hieratics with this monster. "I see.." Azar called off his attack. "I activate Atum's effect! I can special summon any dragon from my deck! Its attack and defense will also be reduced to zero." Atum detached one of its materials and called upon the aid of the Divine Dragon Ragnarok(4/0/0), who was special summoned in defense mode. "I set a trap and end my turn."

Team Dodge/Godfrey's LP: 8000

"I know what is going on here. You two are treating us like nobodies. Just like everyone else. That is a big mistake." As soon as his turn began, Godfrey flipped his monster face-up. "I activate Dododo Swordsmans flip summon effect; his attack goes up to 3500! Also when he is flipped, I get to destroy 2 monsters on the field! You can say goodbye to Number 107 and Heliopolis!" The Kasa-hat wearing samurai(8/3500/3000) stood upright and took out his sword. "Trap card: Skill Prisoner!" As it did so however, Azar flipped his own set card. "I target Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon! Any effect that targets it this turn, will be negated!" The trap protected the dark dragon(8/3000/2500). And because Dododo Swordsman had targeted it at the same time as Heliopolis, the destructive effect could not take down either of the Xyz-monsters. "Ugh. Come on, that was supposed to be my big moment! Whatever!" Godfrey summoned another Dododo Witch(4/1200/1600) and used her effect to special summon a robotic viking; Dododo Bot(4/1800/1900) in face-up attack position. "Get him!" Dododo Bot punched out the Ragnarok dragon, while the swordsman cut the Dragon King Atum neatly in half. "One card for my spell/trap zone. My turn is over."

Team Azar/Subito's LP: 8900

"My turn." Subito drew a card and he entered the battle phase. "What's that you say? You want to attack?" Dodge leaned forward and sneered. "Can't you tell we have the stronger.." But his cockiness did not stick around once Subito activated his Numbers effect. "Tachyon Dragon can negate the effects of all monsters on the field, and reset their attack and defense values to the beginning!" The dragon commanded time itself with one sharp roar, and all the Dododo warriors, including the Swordsman(0/3000) became helplessly frozen in time. "Azar. I require your help." Subito then turned to Azar, as there was a way to increase the damage he could put out. "I know what you need, Artega. I will give it to you. I activate Skill Prisoner from my graveyard!" Azar could banish his trap, so that it could be used one more time. "I target Number 107! Not only will this protect it.." As the Skill trap targeted the dark galaxy dragon(8/4000/2500) it built up even more power. "When a card, that is not my own, targets Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon after it has used its effect; it gains 1000 attackpoints and a second attack!" Subito pointed his fingers at the targets. "I attack Dododo Witch and Dododo Swordsman!" Two cosmic streams of energy were unleashed from the dragons mouth, overwhelming the opponents field and erasing their monsters from existence. "That ends my turn."

Team Dodge/Godfrey's LP: 1200

"What the hell, man? Why did you let us get hit?" Dodge shouted and coughed at the same time. "I couldn't stop them! Duh!" Godfrey yelled back at his partner. "Tch. I should've done this by myself. Than at least I would have a lot more life left." Dodge cursed through clenched teeth. "Enough of this crap." He took Godfrey's monster off the field, tributing it for his next monster. "I summon Ganbara Lancer! I get to special summon another Ganbara Lancer from my graveyard when he is tribute summoned!" A more evolved form of the earlier Ganbara Knight(5/1000/2000) materialized, wielding twin lances instead of shields. And through it's effect, a copy(5/1000/2000) of it was placed besides it. That one had been discarded in his first turn, with Onomatopair's effect. "Just what the doctor ordered.." Both the Lancers shot up into the air and attached themselves to each other to make the sky burn. "Number 14: Sarameya of Greed!" Like a blazing comet, a fiery three-headed hound deity, Sarameya(5/2500/1500), came down. _"So his Number is that one."_ Azar knew every rank 5 Number that existed now. This was not one he expected to see.

_Number (378288)14: Greedy Sarameya, 5/2500/1500 Fire/Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 5 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters.  
__Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed as a result of a card effect, you can inflict 1000 points of damage to that card's controller.  
__If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy 1 face-up monster with less ATK than this card._

Dodge then activated an equip spell card. "Megamorph! Because our lifepoints are now lower than yours, my monsters attackpoints are doubled!" Every flaming muscle on the hound of greed(5000/1500) started to bulge and its very flames turned to a hot blue. "You will regret pissing me off! I attack the Hieratic Dragon Lord!" Sarameya sped up into a fiery charge, and hit Heliopolis. Not even the Dragon Lord of the Sun was a match for the flames of Greed. "When Sarameya wastes a monster, he can waste another weakling!" The second head stomped its claw down, releasing fire waves that hit Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. Even the Overhundred Number fell victim to this lesser Number. "And because your dragon was destroyed, you have to deal with 1000 points of damage, champ!" The third head of Sarameya growled at Subito and nailed him in the chest with a precise blast of dark energy. "Subito!"

Team Azar/Subito's LP: 5900

While Subito took that damage however, XYZ Kingdom absorbed the remaining materials of Number 107 and Heliopolis. _"That card.." _They were saving that for something, and it was not Dodge's Number. "Azar. You do not need to worry about every hit I take. You need to think about your own side." Subito crawled back up and pointed out that the enemy had ended his turn. "That is right. In the end; to fight Numbers, you have to use Numbers. There is only one that I have ever felt comfortable with... Maybe, because I used it often. Or maybe because the one who had it before me, was a close friend of mine. But even now..."

Azar relaxed his body and mind. "It will have to be me who continues." Once again, Azar switched places with his other self. "Who could have predicted, that I would end up dueling alongside you?" Chaos grinned as he saw his teammate. "Freedom through unpredictability.. a wonderful thing." Chaos drew his card. "I call upon two monsters!" He normal summoned the Hieratic Dragon of Nuit(4/1700/900) and special summoned the Divine Dragon Ragnarok(4/1500/1000) from his graveyard with a Swing of Memories spell card. Next Chaos overlayed Ragnarok with Nuit to Xyz-summon the rank 4 monster Azar favored above even his own. "Number 39: Utopia!" The shining white knight(4/2500/2000) of hope appeared like an angel from above.

"That is what you picked? Utopia? You have nearly a hundred Numbers, and you go with that!?" Godfrey did not whether to laugh or cry. "Do not under-estimate this Number, Godfrey.. Dodge. It is not merely favored by by human half." Chaos activated an equipment spell card, one that specifically aided Utopia. "Reverse Breaker! If Utopia attacks while this spell card is equipped to it, it can destroy one spell or trap card you control!" Utopia's eyes locked unto the Greedy Sarameya and its equip card. "Number 39! Attack number 14 and break his Megamorph!" The hope knight drew his weapon. "You have gone mental! You are going to kill both Numbers, dude!" Dodge shouted at his opponent. Chaos he did not seem to mind. "Well, looks like I gotta save your skin, Dodge!" But unlike the punkhaired one, Godfrey still had defensive traps left. "I activate No Entry! All monsters in attack position are switched to defense position!" His card cancelled out all fights, as both Utopia and Sarameya were pushed into a defensive stance. "You are lucky that this works right into my plan."

"Our plan!" Dodge snapped back at his partner.

"Yeah yeah." Godfrey drew his card and added it to his hand. Then he took the other two cards in his hand and summoned them. "Gilla Gilla Lancer can be special summoned because I control no monsters and my opponent does!" The first was a robotic lancer(6/2200/800) of silver, gold and red. "Dododo Warrior can be normal summoned without tributes by reducing its attackpoints by 500!" The second was Godfrey's own copy of the barbarian viking in red and yellow(6/1800/900). "You all summoned your Numbers, here is mine!" The Lancer and Dododo axeman became the materials for a rank 6 monster, which came together as particles of water and ice. "Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice!" A female swordsman(6/2500/500) as white as the coldest of winters was shaped by the ice. "Justice gains 1000 attackpoints for each attached material. This is where our trap finally will pay off!" Dodge used XYZ Kingdos final effect; destroying the trap. "All materials that XYZ Kingdom had will go to Number 21!" Four more cards were encased in icy energy that floated around the Frozen Lady(6500/500).

_Number (378289)21: Frozen Lady Justice, 6/500/500 Water/Warrior/Xyz  
__2 Level 6 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. This card gains 1000 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to it.  
__Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; destroy all defense position monsters your opponent controls._

'Tch. That Number should have been mine. Blue suits me better." Dodge threw an envious glare in Godfrey's direction. "No way, Dodge. Fire is your color. Ice is mine. Cain made the right call!" Godfrey seemed more in his element, though not completely. "It takes effort to set this one up though. Maybe.. I will just pick one new Number from one of yours.. Chaos! The Frozen Lady can destroy all defensive monsters you control!" If her effect succeeded, Sarameya's effect damage and Justice's direct battle damage would finish Azar and Subito off. Godfrey moved to detach a material from Number 21.

"You speak of Cain like he is your commander, your king. And Cain sees the land as his to claim, it is his kingdom. But.. my power comes from something greater than the kings of lands!" Subito chained to Number 21's effect with a trap card. "XYZ Universe! I take 2 Xyz-monsters and send them to the graveyard! Then I summon an Xyz-monster whose rank is equal to or 1 star lower than their combined ranks!" Subito's trap instantly dismissed Frozen Lady Justice and Greedy Sarameya. "Say what?" Dodge and Godfrey watched with an equal share of terror, as a new Xyz-monster appeared in place. "The combined rank was 11, so I can summon a rank 10 monster; Super Dimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer!" A titanic machine(10/5000/2000), modeled after a combiner robots from popular kids shows, towered over every duelist and every home in the neighborhood. XYZ Universe itself attached itself to the destroyer. "Galaxy Destroyer can destroy all spells and traps on the field, and no effect can chain to it!"

"Whaa..t. We are screwed! We can not fight against that!" Dodge started to walk backwards, but there was nowhere to hide from it. "No. Not if I activate it before he can enter his main phase!" Godfrey still had one trap left and placed it face-down. "Is that so?" However before he could end his turn, Chaos flipped his trap card. "Then again. Even if you had not told us, I would have seen it coming. I activate Release Reverse Burst; I sacrifice Utopia to destroy all set spells and traps you have!" The Utopic warrior spread his arms and released all energy inside of himself until he himself disappeared as light. And the released forces blasted Godfrey's set card, Compulsary Evacuation Device, until it was no longer a threat. "There you have it, Subito Artega. A victory without Numbers on the field. This is what you wanted, was it not?"

"It was.." Subito drew a card, which he did not even need now. "This is all your fault, Dodge!" Their jig was up.. "MY FAULT? You took us here in the first place!" The two traded accusations and insults, what else could they do? "..." Only Subito could put an end to it. "Direct attack." He ordered his Super Robot to smash the ground with its fist. "Whaaaa!" Both Dodge and Godfrey were thrown off the ground and landed back down unceremoniously. The attack had knocked them out.

Team Dodge/Godfrey's LP: 0

"That duel was... odd." Xander said once everything was said and done. "Those two acted like they were no different from what they would normally be. They just had a leader to follow." Dodge and Godfrey did not seem too connected to their Numbers, just the simple fact that they had one was enough. Chaos knew why. "There are only a hundred originals, there were only a hundred desires. These mass produced numbers do not feed on desire, they just turn humans into food for their home world." This pair was proof of that, they were just given any one random number by Cain. The shepherds were no longer selective. "The victims do not even realize they are slowly losing what makes them 'them'. They will all turn into carbon copies of the same entity." Not just age, individuality was going to be eliminated. Dakar shuddered at the thought of such a world.

"Dakar. You know what to do now." Chaos stepped out of his way. "Yes." Dakar approached the unconscious duelists. Because of the chaotic energy inside both Subito and Azar, their Numbers had nowhere to go but back to them. "Masquerade, its power should have been obvious to me. It can mask whatever I choose." By using Number 104, Dakar could copy the energy signatures of Numbers 21 and 14, and use it as a cloak around himself and one other person. Not only would this hide them from Cain, but it would make them appear to be part of his army. While Xanders Number enhanced a D-pads barriers, his strengthened the holographic illusions. "We can disguise ourselves as Dodge and Godfrey. If the others had the same luck, we can send even more to infiltrate Cains army." This was his plan. It worked well so far.

"While we wait, Artega, I should say one thing." Chaos shifted back to Azar. "I am glad we dueled together." He extended a hand. "Is he now. I believe I feel the same way." This time Subito returned the gesture and shook that hand. "I do not know who all our enemies are, but I know you and Chaos are not.."

"Azar!? Bro!" Their moment was interrupted by Subito's younger brother, of all people. "Shin? Why are you calling at this time?" His voice came in through the D-network. "Because Korose has something to give to you! He got help from Kapha!" A a hundred files were suddenly dumped to their D-pad drives. "Kapha? You actually managed to reach him?" Azar would be more relieved, if he could trust that man at all. "Kapha gave Korose everything he had, and said we might figure out something that even he could not. " Shin explained, as Azar opened the files. Inside were records on all previous owners of numbers. "!? There are some missing." Azar could already tell he had more Number cards than this archive; one of the missing Numbers for instance was Number 69: Heraldry Crest. "No data on the Catalysts.. The other missing Numbers must belong to the humans who turned into catalysts." There was more data, names of people who had gone missing under curious circumstances, names like Gabriel."I see, with this the identities of the catalysts can be determined."

_**"Maybe even more, Azar." **_Chaos chimed in mentally._** "With this, you could find out which Number was the first. We know what Numbers are made from. Now with this we can answer the question: who gave the Numbers the idea to take their form?"**_

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)49: Adams Legacy)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Wattail Dragon  
Hieratic Dragon King of Atum

-  
Reverse Breaker

-  
Release Reverse Burst

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Super Dimensional Robot Galaxy Destroyer

-  
XYZ Universe

**Cards used by Dodge  
**Ganbara Lancer  
_Number 14: Greedy Sarameya (+)_

-  
Megamorph

_-  
XYZ Kingdom_

**Cards used by Godfrey  
**Dododo Swordsman  
Dododo Bot  
Dododo Warrior  
GillaGilancer  
_Number 21: Frozen Lady Justice (+)_

-  
Burst Rebirth  
No Entry!

_(+ Based on the Numbers used by Kyoji in the YGO Zexal Manga)_


	51. Cipher (1)49: Adams Legacy

**Cipher (****1)49: Adams Legacy**

"I do not think this plan is as cracked up as everyone keeps saying. You all still look the same to me." Said Ruby after she volunteered for the 'infiltration' plan. "You will appear as the duelists you defeated to others. Only we can see our true selves." Dakar had more faith in his Numbers ability than her, even if he had never used it in this way. The others had defeated two more of Cains 'soldiers'. Now He, Ruby, Theo and Xander held the Numbers of those people and 'masqueraded' as them. The Raider, Azar and Subito would stay behind so they could rescue them if things were getting too dicey.

"If you have something on your mind, you should let us hear it, Ruby." Theo knew they did not have much time to lose. The remaining forces were already clearing the town. In the end this place had already been deserted. "I never said anything about backing off. Don't wait on my part.." Ruby said and grabbed Theo's shoulder. "But I am sticking to you like glue.. Theo." She did not let go. "That's what I thought." Theo smirked. "I suggest you follow my lead. I know how to behave like them." Having been in the actual army helps... Not that this is the standard kind of army."

The four walked off and snuck into the larger squadron with relative ease, while the others stayed back and observed. "Raider. Are you holding up well?" Subito noticed that as the Raider kept watching, his expression became pained. "I am still myself. That is not the concern." The maskless Fifth gazed at the four people behind him; the comatose Godfrey, Dodge and two others. These people were basically innocents drafted into a war they did not understand. "I had hoped for us to fight the enemy directly." The person he was, did not enjoy their current plan. "I see. But too try and take on that entire army is too much, even for you. I assume if you were to use your powers, Cain would detect you." Subito did not know Cain enough to predict his reaction to that, but he did not want another catalyst to flee from them.

"There is something you can help me with, right now." Azar activated his D-pad and handed it to the Raider. "What are these?" The fifth was shown images and documents. "The Numbers the agency had archived. The record has gaps; some Numbers do not have known human partners. Those are the catalysts two-digit Numbers." Like Pandora with Number 33, most catalysts must have needed a human host which already carried a number before. There were thousands of men and women who had gone missing, going by Kapha's list. He needed to narrow it down. "To create Numeron Dragon, the catalysts had to give 'extension' of their own Numbers to Necara. I am asking you, if the Catalyst inside you can find which humans received those Numbers."

...

Even if the men and women who composed Cains army retained free will, their words and actions were supressed by the mentality of the soldier. Thousands marched in silence as they returned to the main company. It was an eerie sight. Military crafts drove alongside children and elderly. None dared to even hold a small chat here and there, their purpose went above all else. Yet Theo and the others did not need to talk with each other to realize where they were headed. Every small town had been taken care of, their occupants had taken refuge inside the nearest major city. That was what they were preparing to attack now. Cains methods were slow but precise. He never missed a single soul... And there he was. "!" The Second stood in the air, ahead of the frontlines. Cain had not noticed them, but then they were many miles apart.

"What now? How do we get close to him?" Dakar whispered to the others. The crowd around him did not hear him so far. "Capture him in a barrier?" Ruby suggested and looked at Xander. "Cant. If I put one up around him and us, I will have to include everyone in between." Number 106 could not twist his forcefields into complex shapes if they were stretched across a wide range. "We need to get closer then, without being noticed.. We need a distraction." Theo already had a different plan in mind. "If you want to use one of us, you can forget it." Ruby hissed softly but clearly. "No, that was not what I wanted to say." Theo turned towards Dakar. "Tell me. Can you 'mask' others as well?"

Suddenly a panic broke out in the ranks. "!?" Disorder of any kind was unacceptable in Cains domain. "Why is there a commotion?" The commanding catalyst spun around and peered into his army; pinpointing the source of the disturbance. "What?" He saw several of the soldiers abandon the line to grapple with one of their own. "Sir Cain! We've found an intruder!" Others explained themselves while saluting the Second. "He did not have a Number on him, he was trying to sneak passed us!" By now the individual had been detained and his appearance caught Cain off guard. "You fools! Let me go, I serve Cain as well!" He looked exactly like Theo Jager, his former sibling. Yet he did not sound like him. "This is.." Cain stepped down and traced his hand across the air in front of the captive. "A trick!" He pulled his hand back, to tear off the illusion and reveal an ordinary citizen he himself had added to his troops. "What?" The other soldiers were flabbergasted, how could they have been fooled? "This power..is not one of ours!?"

The scheme was figured it out... too late. "Cain! I challenge you!" The Second heard the loud declaration of his real brother, as he appeared behind him. Theo had been disguised as well? "An overhundred Number!" With Theo were three others. All of them were carrying Overhundred Numbers. "You.." One of those cards had cast a glamour-like spell on the intruders and on one of his men, just to deceive him. Another had put up an energy cage that kept him trapped inside and isolated from all his subjects. "Lord Cain!" They pushed against the walls, which would not do them or their master any good. "Theo.." Cain growled.

"Hello Arend." Theo activated his D-pad and hooked up his Visor. "Hey, who said you would do it!?" Ruby cursed Theo out. That part of the plan had not been discussed at all. "He is my brother, I deserve this fight." Theo started drawing his cards. Cain was still frozen in rage. "But you have no Overhundred Number, or any Number? This is not the time to put family pride ahead of everything else!" Even Xander was exasperated. "I have something better.. insight. I know how my brother thinks."

Cains LP: 8000 Theo's LP: 8000

"I take the first turn!" Theo placed one other on the field; normal summoning a blue aerobatic airjet(3/1400/1100). "Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala! This is a tuner monster for synchro machine monsters, and it can use a Mecha Phantom Beast in my hand as a synchro material!" Theo tuned Blue Impala with a level 4 Mecha Phantom Beast Coltwing in his hand; resulting in the creation of a level 7 synchro monster. "I synchro summon Mecha Phantom Beast Concoruda in defense mode!" The golden concorde beast(7/2400/1200) flew out of the extra deck and landed on the ground in between the barrier.

"Are you through?" Cain in the mean time had crafted his own deck and drawn his own cards. His were made from pure metal it seemed, and as large as his own body. "Only with this turn.. I place two cards down, and pass things over to you, Arend." Theo said with a coy yet determined look on his face. "You are enjoying this? I can tell. You think this confrontation will awaken something in me. You are wrong, Theo Jager." Cain drew his card. "Your field has monsters, so my field which has none can now hold my Cyber Dragon!" The metallic cyber serpent(5/2100/1600) was special summoned. "You have never stopped using machines, your downfall is your own doing! I use your monster alongside my Cyber dragon, to fusion summon.." The Second was about to clear every monster zone. "Cloak and Dagger!" Until Theo activated one of his traps. "I name Chimeratech Fortress Dragon! Any monster with that name can will be banished!" A sniper rifle turret appeared besides Theo and took aim at Cains extra deck.

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon?" Ruby raised an eyebrow. Why was Theo aiming for that card? "Cain runs a Cyber style deck. And Chimeratech Fortress Dragon is one of its greatest weapons." Xander was a bit quicker on the uptake. "It is a fusion of Cyber Dragon and any other machine on the field, including Theo's. Had he not played that trap, he would have lost Concoruda." Now Cain would not be able to use that approach without losing his own monster as well. "Not everything changed, eh Arend?" Theo had dueled his brother many times before they joined the army. Back then Arend also preferred the Cyber style. "You did not change enough, Theo." Cain retorted and normal summoned his next monster; a sleek metallic serpent(4/1800/800), one with a head on its body and tail as well. "Cyber Dragon Drei. Your power is required." Cyber Dragon Drei used its effect which altered the levels of all Cyber Dragons on the field. As it(5/1800/800) was a Cyber Dragon in name due to its second effect, its level was raised to the fifth stage. "Xyz-summon: Cyber Dragon Nova!"

The three-headed and single-headed cybernetic serpents used the more advanced summoning process to combine into a winged metallic dragon(5/2100/1600) with red and gold scales. "Nova.." That monster was new to Theo, and the game in general. "Nova, become the Cyber Dragon in name, by taking this equipment: Cyber Coat" Cain attached an equip spell to the Nova Dragon, making its steel exterior shine brightly. "Now..with your own power, revive one Cyber Dragon!" Cain detached the Cyber Dragon material from his Xyz monster, only to resummon that monster to the field, after it was sent to the graveyard. "And you will banish one Cyber Dragon I control, to double your own attackpoints this turn!" Cyber Dragon Nova(5/4200/1600) held Cyber Dragon down with its claws, and sank its teeth into the lesser dragon. Nova consumed the threeheaded machine in its entirety. "Your monster is dead, Theo." Cains battle phase began after that, and the Nova dragon blew Mecha Phantom Beast Concoruda to pieces.

_Cyber Coat, Equip Spell  
__Equip only to a "Cyber" monster. It cannot be targeted by your opponents spell and trap card effects. The equipped monster's name becomes "Cyber Dragon"._

"Aerial Recharge!" Before the concorde had gone up in flames, Theo activated his second trap card; a continuous card which special summoned a Mecha Phantom beast token(3/0/0) to his field every turn. "You know what this leads to. Because you destroyed Concoruda, it can sacrifice all tokens to special summon one Mecha Phantom Beast from my graveyard! I special summon Coltwing!" The discarded machine was what Theo chose to revive. A tiltwinged osprey plane(4/1600/1500) flew upwards out of the smoke and fire. "Coltwing special summons two more tokens when it is special summoned!" Coltwing emitted two light beams from its wings, and created holographic tiltwing tokens(3/0/0). And like other Mecha Phantom Beasts; Coltwing(10/1600/1500)'s level increased by the level of the tokens. "...You think you are ready to fight back." Cain placed one trap card and ended his turn. "Prove it." During that endphase Aerial Recharge sacrificed one token to keep itself on the field.

"I am not affraid of you, Arend! I never was!" Theo drew his card and summoned his next Mechanic beast. "Mecha Phantom Megaraptor! It can use a token to send a Mecha Beast to my hand!" The final token was swiftly tributed, after a blue raptor-themed jet(4/1900/1000) joined the skies alongside Coltwing. "I take Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion out of my deck." And with that accomplished, Theo set out towards his plans next phase. He first reactivated Aerial Recharge and created a new token(3/0/0). "Once a turn, Megaraptor can make one more token when another card creates a token!" The created token split into two virtual jets, as the Raptor Jet used its own holo-beam to fragment the beam released by Aerial Recharge. "And then! By using 2 Mecha Phantom I can special summon Kalgriffin from my hand!" Two tokens disappeared in the skies, and a massive multi-propellor plane(7/1000/2500) parked its heavy landing gear on the ground where they used to stand. Unlike other regular Mecha Phantom Beasts, this card did not alter its level in the presence of tokens. "Kalgriffin can discard a Mecha Phantom Beast, to create a token." Theo tossed the Beast O-lion out of his hand. "Not only that, but O-lion itself can create a token, when it is sent to the graveyard!" The last two free monster zones on Theo's side were filled with tokens(3/0/0).

"You are not showing me anything new, Theo." Cain so far did not give off any sign of worry. "Nothing new? How about this then!?" Theo activated a spell card. "Token Treasure! I tribute all tokens on my field, and draw 2 cards!" Once again he cleared his field of fake machines, just to replenish his hand. "Now this! By banishing O-Lion from my graveyard, I can normal summon a Mecha Phantom Beast again this turn!" The spirit of the lion satellite re-appeared for one final effect; and Theo utilized it to normal summon a rigid cargo plane(3/1600/400), shaped and colored like a penguin. "Mecha Phantom Beast Aerosguin! It banished one Mecha Phantom from the graveyard, to create a new token!" The Aeros Penguin(6/1600/400) put a tinier colorless penguin craft(3/0/0) down. That in turn raised the levels of Megaraptor(7/1900/1000) and Coltwing(7/1600/1500) again. "Xyz-summon!" Theo overlayed the Coltwing with Kalgriffin. "Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack!" And finally Theo created the greatest Mecha Phantom aircraft, the airliner dragon Dracossack(7/2600/2200). "It can sacrifice the final token to destroy Cyber Dragon Nova!"

_Token Treasure, Normal Spell  
__If you control 2 or more tokens: destroy all tokens you control and draw 2 cards._

"You misunderstand once again. That is a habit you never abandoned." When Dracossack devoured the last token to fuel its destructive cannons, Cain turned his trap card face-up. "Cyber Network! I control Cyber Dragon, I may banish one machine of the Light from my deck." His trap was permanent as well, and this turn it banished another Cyber Dragon Drei. "When Cyber Dragon Drei is banished, it targets a Cyber Dragon to make it indestructible!" Through the network, a flash of energy was conveyed. It paralyzed Dracossack as it tried to direct its cannons towards Cyber Dragon Nova. "What? Rgh!" Theo had missed his chance that time. "Dracossack can detach a material to create two tokens!" Theo did so, and once again filled out his front row. While these tokens(3/0/0) existed, none of his Mecha Phantom Beasts could be destroyed in battle. "I set a spell.. and end my turn!"

"No card created by man will catch me off guard. I am prepared for any Mecha Phantom Beast, Theo." Cain drew his card. "Your deck can not match up, your existence can not compare." Cyber Dragon Nova(2100/1600) detached the first Cyber Dragon Drei from itself this turn, and special summoned that threeheaded dragon back to the field. Of course it was quickly banished to double Nova(4200/1600)'s attackpoints. "Your machines will not suffer for this, but you will!" Nova released a shot towards Dracossack. "Theo! Are you just gonna let this guy waltz all over you!?" Theo just listened in silence as Cain kept saying things his own brother would never have said. It took Ruby's yelling to snap Theo out of his stupor. "Ergh, of course!" Theo unveiled his set card, a quickplay spell. "Limiter Removal! I double the attackpoints of my machine monster!" The already massive Dracossack stood upright and increased in size until it(5200/2200) was twice as large. "As I expected." But in the same damage step, Cain activated his own quickplay spell from his hand; Limiter Removal. "Him too!?" Dakar gasped as the spell made Cyber Dragon Nova(8400/1600) catch up to Dracossack in the growing race, and ended up even more powerful. Dracossack was overwhelmed by the energy fire from the Nova dragon. "Gwaaahhh!" So was Theo. He was thrown away by the blast.

Theo's LP: 4800

"He was baiting him! Had he attacked any of his weaker machines, Theo would not have tried to counter with Limiter Removal and he could have used it on his own turn to overpower Nova!" Theo had claimed he would play mindgames with Cain, but Xander saw that Cain was winning that game so far. "Theo! If you know how he used to think, he obviously knows that about you as well!" Ruby angrily said to Theo as he pulled himself up. "...I know that." He refused to stay down for even a second. "And this confirms that he has not forgotten me. He remembers how I used to think and act." Dracossack survived this assault as it could not be destroyed while Theo controlled tokens. It would survive Limiter Removals endphase destruction effect as well. But so would Nova, as the banished Drei shielded it even from a spells selfdestructive costs.

"You still do not see. Arend is gone.. Theo. I have his memories, and I know how to use them against you." Cain proceeded with his turn, and used Cyber Network to banish a Cyber Ouroboros from his deck. The effect of Cyber Ouroboros then triggered itself upon banishment; Cain could discard a card from his hand to draw a new one. "You always wanted what Arend had, what I had. But that is all you are to me, a pawn. Your envy made you the perfect assistant for both my catalysis and the spread of Chaos."

"I refuse to believe that. There has to be something left of your human self." Dakar spoke up. Prometheus had shown signs of his humanity, Cain had to be the same. "No. Nothing. You all reason from an error of perception." Cain grabbed his desert cloak with his cybernetic hand and took it off. With his other hand he unmasked himself. "!?" Everyone saw what 'Arend' had become. The Second catalyst was not just wearing cybernetic armor, his entire body was enfused with mechanics, even his head. His limbs were not of flesh, his heart was artificial and his eyes glowed red.

"Arend died. I am what survived, I am Cain."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)50: Dehumanized)

**New Cards used by Theo Jager  
**Mecha Phantom Beast Kalgriffin  
Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion  
Mecha Phantom Beast Tracer

_-  
Token Treasure  
_Limiter Removal

-  
Cloak and Dagger

**Cards used by Cain  
**Cyber Dragon  
Cyber Dragon Drei  
Cyber Dragon Nova  
Cyber Ouroboros

_-  
Cyber Coat  
_Limiter Removal

-  
Cyber Network


	52. Cipher (1)50: Dehumanized

**Cipher (****1)50: ****Dehumanized**

Cains LP: 8000 Theo's LP: 4800

"You.. what happened to you?" If one were to say that the man standing before them was once human, they would have been declared mad. "Arend.." Cain was not human, he was less... and more. "They never figured it out, did they? The air force could not explain why one of their crafts went missing over the mountain range, why it could not be found afterwards." His body had been converted, flesh and blood replaced with metal and wires. Arend Jager was no more.

"Mountain range?" But that combination of words were not unfamiliar to Xander. "Yes. _That _mountain range. Your friends from the agency did not control the airspace above them. The border between your world and ours was at its weakest there, where the second moon hid. During your last flight with Arend in the storm, his jet encountered the wound of the dimensions. Arends plane crashed, and his body was broken beyond repair.. beyond human salvation. Yet his mind could be saved.. by us. I, the second Number, came through the tear and found Arthur. His dying words interested me. I used whatever was left of his vehicle to fashion his new body and gave him one of my Numbers. That was enough for him to survive, but not enough to live." Cain placed a spell down and ended his turn. "He accepted me and gave up his past life. We became one. We became Cain."

"He would never.. he would never do that! He had friends at the force, he had family! He would not abandon us!" Theo denied what he heard, and angrily drew his next card. "Megaraptor, add Raystealth to my hand!" He used the effect of his raptorjet(7/1900/1000); sacrificing 1 Mecha Phantom Beast token(3/0/0) to add a Mecha Phantom Beast from his deck to his hand. He then immediately normal summoned the black stealth bomber(6/100/2100). "Stealthray can sacrifice one token to destroy one spell or trap card on the field!" The remaining token left the field in an explosive way, Stealthray dropped it on Cyber Dragon Nova(5/2100/1600), destroying his Cyber Coat equip spell. "You did not know him then, Theo." However Cain chained to Theo's effect and activated the effect of Cyber Network one final time. The continuous trap banished the third Cyber Dragon Drei in his graveyard. As Nova still counted as a "Cyber Dragon" monster before the Coat was taken away, it was again made indestructible for this turn.

"I know enough! You are not him, Arend never left anyone behind! He would have come for me!" Theo activated the effect of Mecha Phantom Beast Aerosguin(3/1600/400). It banished Coltwing from the graveyard to create a new token. "Dracossack!" And that token was tributed, so that Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack(7/2600/2200) could destroy 1 card on the field. "Theo! You can not target his monster!" Ruby had no idea what he was trying to do. "Huh?" Especially when he used the effect on his own Megaraptor. "I needed the space." Theo told her and detached the last material from his Xyz monster to create two new tokens(3/0/0). Because of the tokens and the effects of Stealthray(9/100/2100) and Aerosguin(9/1600/400), the mecha beasts gained six level stars.

"I Xyz-summon Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir!" The penguin areoscraft and stealth bomber combined into something far greater than the sum of their parts; a flying aircraft carrier(9/2900/2500) that was a mile wide. Its shadow fell over half of Cains army. "With 1 material, the Phantom Fortress can banish 1 card from the hand, graveyard, deck or _field_!" Theo detached 1 card from Enterblathnir. "I banish Cyber Dragon Nova!" The carrier sent out orders to all of its bombers and jets, and directed all firepower towards the metallic dragon. A hundred bombs were dropped to destroy the dragon to such an extent that there was not even a bolt left for the scrapyard. "Now, direct attack!" The Phantom Fortress scrambled its close ranger fighters, and Dracossack joined them. "This.. is for Arend! And for Tomorrow!" It rained bullets and missiles, which tore up the landscape around Cain and covered the catalyst with napalm. "Lord Cain!" Cains subjects all broke out in a panic. They could not see their leader, all they could see was devastation. "I set a trap card and.."

Cains LP: 2500

"No." Cains voice broke through the smoke. "Your turn is not over yet." The sound of a card shattering came through as well. "What..What!?" When the dust cleared, Cains field was no longer empty. One Cyber Dragon(5/2100/1600), one Cyber Ouroboros(100/600) and three Cyber Dragon Drei's(4/1800/800) stood on Cains frontlines. "How!?" Theo could not believe his eyes. "After your attacks, I activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my own Cyber Network. When the Network breaks, all banished light-type machines are resummoned to my field. Though I can not enter my battle phase the turn I summon these cards." Nova's banished cards and the cards the Network had removed, they were all back and functional. Only their effects had been negated. "So that is why.. you used it on my turn. Ngh, turn end!"

"Theo. You do not know your brother. _He_ came to loathe his place in the world, and the fights he had to endure. He loathed mans need for conquest and violence." Cain drew his card. "But we havent had a war in years!" Xander protested. "No public war. But the desire still exists, envy and hatred can not be removed through pretension and lies. As long as people live and die, they will fight each other. That is evolution." Cain attempted to activate the spell, Polymerization. "I know what you are trying to do!" Theo reacted instantly with a counter trap. "Barrel Roll! I sacrifice my tokens to negate your effect!" The Mecha Phantom token jets started spinning in mid-air and ripped Polymerization apart by crashing into the giant steel card. "Arend was not like that! You only brought out the worst in him!"

"Like your Number did in you?" Cains left eye glowed fiercely as he posed his question. "What?" Theo did not know how to respond. "He loathed you too, Theo. He hated you, as you hated him. You desired his record, his esteem and power. And when he left you, you were all alone. Your family already dead, your friends distanced from you. Creating Tomorrow was the logical outcome, once you attained your Number." Cain played his final card. "Power Bond. All machines on my field are merged, for a fusion summon.." Cains fusion monster required at least 2 materials, a machine and a Cyber Dragon. "You only have one Tomorrow, Theo. I summon Chimeratech Overdragon!" The five metallic serpents became a five-headed dragon(9/8000/8000). Each head counted for 800 attackpoints. And a monster fusion summoned with Power Bond gained double its original attackpoints. "This is the end of the Jager name!" Only one head needed to strike, the Chimera released a burst straight through the Phantom Fortress. It blew up before it could even lose altitude, and the skies were lit up with flames.

Theo's LP: 0

Everything seemed to happen all at once after that. "Now you are like me. You follow me." Cain summoned a Number spirit from his own body and shot it into Theo. "I have to.. go back there..!" Theo immediately turned around and attacked Xander. "The barrier!" While the two struggled, Xander lost control of the forcefield around them and it disappeared. "You had one shot, you failed to take it." Cain started to float away from them, while every duelist in his army activated their D-pad. "Now you will stand against the wrath of my soldiers! Now.."

"No!" Then, when things seemed most dire, Cains _other_ 'brother' appeared. "Fifth?" The Raider teleported behind Cain and put him in a headlock. "It is not time for you take your exit, Cain!" It took him every ounce of his strength to hold him and immense willpower to counteract Cains own teleporting power. "Fifth! Release me!" Cain could not break free physically either. "I am not that entity anymore, Second!" His attacker explained. And now Cain saw that the other catalyst was not wearing his mask. "That's right, you have fallen. You should not have betrayed us, your allies can not stand against my army!" Cain declared his order. "Do it! Crush them all! Crush them now!" Yet yet not a single subject listened, nor did they move a muscle. They were frozen in time!

"I took care of them!" Down on the ground were Subito and Azar, who had also warped to the scene as soon as they saw that things were getting out of hand. "I can not hold them for long!" Subito's Tachyon Dragon had a time limit of its own. "No need to say it twice.. Cain!" Azar raised his voice to the sky. "No! I challenge you!" But he was beaten to the punch, by Ruby. "Ruby, you?" Though there was no reason to not let her challenge him, as she had her own Number now, Azar had not expected her to make that demand. "I have my reasons." Dakar meanwhile managed to pin Theo down, and Xander was free to restore the forcefield. He was just in time, as the time freeze ended seconds thereafter. "Ruby! Do not fight my brother! I understand now, I know what he went through!" Already Theo's mind had been twisted by a Number. "You are still a part of Tomorrow, you kept your mark didn't you!? Do not fight against us!?" His words were the same as before, when he first encountered Cain. "I.." Ruby reached for her neck. When did Theo see the tattoo? "I did not keep this because I wanted too! I never got around to it! And why bother with the pain! It means nothing to me now."

"Enough." Cain Cain spread his arms and broke free from the Raiders grip. "You have made your choice, Fifth. What fate do you think awaits you, when we cleanse you? You know what happens to those that separate from their Numbers." He had even less compassion for this 'brother'. "..To me?" Thomas had never even considered his future, he was always thinking about the now and here. And here and now he was certain he could not catch Cain a second time. "Hey! Down here, tough guy! It is me you have to fight." But it was Ruby that would duel Cain next. Her challenge could not be ignored as she was another Numbered duelist, it was too late for Cain to flee. "And you have chosen your path as well Ruby Irant.. at long last" The catalyst reclaimed his cards and shuffled them around. "You will be the last. This tactic will not work a third time." The barrier around them was weaker than before. Cains duelists were now continuously attacking it with holographic monsters. It would not even hold out for another hour. "This is your last fight."

Ruby's LP: 8000 Cains LP: 8000

"Your this and your that. I am really sick of your high and mighty talk. I already was when I first met you!" Ruby drew six cards. She would have the first turn no matter what he said. "I make my own actions! Nobody is the boss of me, not Chaos or the Numbers!" She placed one trap card down. "You have a Number with you right now. How can you believe your own words?" Cain already knew which card Ruby had acquired recently. "This Number is different! It did not mess with Claud's mind, and it does not make my thoughts any foggier either!" Ruby normal summoned a new monster, a green muscular boxer(4/2000/0) wearing a mask of glass. "Battlin Boxer...Glassjaw?" The only one who recognized the monster was Azar. "Ruby, why are you using that card?" It was a card from an older archetype, and it did not mesh well with the kind of deck Ruby had been wielding in the past. "Before we came here, I swapped out decks. I have a new Number now, I wanted to surround it with cards that fit its theme.. The same cards Claud used to have, before he became an agent."

"You are a fool." It was now Cains turn, and because he controlled no monsters, he could special summon Cyber Dragon(5/2100/1600) from his hand. "Using a deck you are not familiar with, against an enemy like me.. you might as well have come empty-handed." Then Cain normal summoned a metallic serpent with a second head in its torso; Cyber Dragon Zwei(4/1500/1000). "Those cards are not unknown to me." Cain tapped the side of his head, and a light started blinking. "Battlin Boxer Glassjaw, it destroys itself when it is targeted for an attack. Your warrior of flames.. is a dead man! Cyber Dragon, attack!" Cain entered the battle phase and the stronger of the two dragons fired its energy first. "I activate the Trap: Impenetrable Attack!" Luckily Ruby came prepared. "This card negates the destruction of my monster this turn!" Impenetrable Attack protected Glassjaw against any lethal attacks or effects, even if the effect was its own. Glassjaw shielded his face from the energy stream, and kept his body relatively unharmed. Though Ruby suffered very minor damage herself. After that Cain wordlessly ended his turn.

Ruby's LP: 7900

"Heh. You call that damage?" Ruby wiped her chin and drew her next card. "What kind of warrior cyborg are you?" She normal summoned another of the Battlin Boxers, a blue toned fighter(4/1000/1800) with red gloves and headgear. "Boxer Headgeared can throw a Battlin Boxer in my deck to the graveyard." Ruby used it to send a Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch. "But that's not what we came here for, is it?" Ruby took both Glassjaw and Headgeared and cast them into an energy portal. "I overlay two Battlin Boxers to Xyz-summon Battlin Boxer Lead Yoke!" A barbarian(4/2200/2000) bound by chains and metal masks emerged from that portal. "I thought, since you favor rank 5 xyz monsters, I know who you will miss the most!" Ruby set her sights on Cyber Dragon. "Go!" The enslaved Boxer threw a punch into Cyber Dragons body, tearing wiring and transistors out as it pulled its fist back. The dragon was destroyed. "Same damage, but at least _I_ destroyed my target!" Ruby smalled her fists together and ended her turn.

Cains LP: 7900

"One death does not matter." Cain activated the effect of Cyber Dragon Zwei at this point. He revealed a spell from his hand, which subsequently changed Cyber Dragon Zwei's name to just 'Cyber Dragon'. One that was finished, the revealed spell could be activated. "Spell card: Cyber Repair Plant. You made sure my graveyard holds Cyber Dragon, so this spell makes sure a light machine comes to me." Cain gazed into his deck and used the spell to pull out a Cyber Dragon Drei. The three-headed silver serpent(4/1800/800) was normal summoned. "Your levels shall rise!" Drei's effect raised the levels of all 'Cyber Dragons' by 1. "And you shall form the Nova Dragon!" Zwei(5/1500/1000) and itself(5/1800/800), whose name was treated as 'Cyber Dragon' while it was on the field, were overlayed and attached to Cyber Dragon Nova(5/2100/1600). "Now!" Cain detached one material from Nova, and special summoned Cyber Dragon from the cemetery. Of course that dragon was banished to feed Nova's attackpoints. "..comes the pain!" Cyber Dragon Nova(4200/1600) bombarded Lead Yoke with flames as hot as the suns.

Ruby's LP: 5900

"Yeah? Well you do not even get a death this time either!" Ruby shouted through the blaze, and used up a material from her Xyz monser. "By detaching one material, Lead Yoke cancels its own destruction!" The barbarian(4/3000/2000) broke through one of his burdens, the chained yoke on his back. "Oh yeah. It gains 800 attackpoints whenever it detaches a material!" She explained after the powerboost became evident. "You refuse to accept death, yet you refuse immortality as well. This path you chose leads to nothing." Cain placed one trap card down and ended his turn. "I know what I want, Cain!" Ruby drew another card and immediately played it. "I want to bring you down. Not just one peg, all the pegs! Xyz Energy!" A spell card was activated, which detached Lead Yoke's second material. "The cost is one Xyz-material, the pay-off is your monster.. dead!" XYZ Energy targeted Cyber Dragon Nova, the xyz monster was covered with light and burned down to slag. "Also when Glassjaw is sent top the graveyard for a monsters effect, I can put another Boxer back in my hand. Isn't that nice?" As XYZ Energy had detached the Glassjawed boxer, Ruby could take the earlier detached Headgeared out of the graveyard.

"!" But to the surprise of everyone, the death of Nova meant the life of another machine. "Your actions, like any humans, only lead to more struggle. When Cyber Dragon Nova is destroyed by an effect, a fusion Cyber monster is summoned!" The catalyst special summoned the three-headed metallic hydra, Cyber End Dragon(10/4000/2800), in attack position. "Blah blah blah! So what if another big mecha shows up? I will wipe them all out!" Ruby moved on to her battle phase. Lead Yoke(3800/2000) was now free from all restraints, even its lead mask. "I banish Battlin Boxer Counterblow from my graveyard! Its effect adds 1000 attackpoints to my Boxer when it fights someone else!" The Barbarians(4800/2000) muscles bulged even more, making it strong enough to drive his fist through the massive fusion dragon. Cyber End Dragon did not live long. "If you do not fight for what you want, you will never get anything! I thought with a name like yours, you would get that!"

Cains LP: 7100

"You fight to get what you want. That is the truth as you say it, Ruby Irant." Cain took enjoyment from her words. "Your wants and needs are a result of mortality. The existence of death instills the desire of living and surviving. To that end, life itself invented competition, something unknown to our limitless deathless world. And then mankind took it a step further, you corrupted it with hatred and jealousy. That is why _this _name was given to me, the name of the first murderer. Mankind learned to kill to get what they want, and they have killed ever since.

"And now that you know this, you will also know my power, Ruby Irant."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)51: A Second Summer)

**New Cards used by Theo Jager  
**Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir

-  
Barrel Roll

**New Cards used by Cain  
**Cyber End Dragon  
Chimeratech Overdragon  
Cyber Dragon Zwei

-  
Mystical Space Typhoon  
Polymerization  
Power Bond  
Cyber Repair Plant

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw  
Battlin' Boxer Headgeared  
Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke  
Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch

-  
XYZ Energy

-  
Impenetrable Attack


	53. Cipher (1)51: A Second Summer

**Cipher (****1)51: A ****Second Summer**

"Gah. What am I even supposed to do with this thing?" She tried every trick she had been taught, from focusing her thoughts to summoning the card nonstop. But nothing worked for her. "Why are you yelling?" Shin wanted his mother to rest. He grew irritated by Rita's loudness. "I am trying to learn what this thing does! I am an agent, I should be able to wake up a Numbers power Especially if this one is supposed to be mine!" She already knew what it could do in a duel, that was not the problem. "Well maybe you don't need it yet." Shin spoke from his own experience. He did not fully get his Numbers powers either yet. "But if Claud had.. maybe he could have.." Rita was not the only one who Overhundred Number had not demonstrated its powers yet. Compared to the power of stopping time and creating impregnable forcefields, she felt insignificant. "You can not force it. That kind of attitude only leads to bad places. Believe me, I know." It was a feeling Shin understood very well.

Ariel watched the conversation between the two. "I called him, but..he did not answer." She was approached by Darcy, who put down her mobile. "They may have gotten to Trey." Neither phone nor D-pad could reach the gambling duelist. "That is probably the case.." They could only assume the worst.

"There is still one left, isn't there?" Darcy noted as she looked at Rita and Shin argue "We are missing at least one, yes." 102 and 107 were accounted for, 101 had yet to show itself. Who knew if there were any more after that. "It could come to anyone, even you." Ariel did not know what it was waiting for; besides Darcy there were plenty of others it could possess. "Oh. I wouldn't mind if it didn't, honestly. Not that I disliked having a Number, but I would not know what to do with another.. outside of helping the others." Darcy looked back to Ariel. "What about you? If it's simply not having a Number that does the trick, you could be a host now as well." Ariel had to think about that question. "I do not know." Ariel was not sure she missed the Numbers she used to have. She was not even sure if this was related to Sky's confession either. There was a void inside her, but it did not feel unpleasant. "I have gotten everything I wanted already."

"Kyah!" Their little talk was interrupted. "What? What is it?" As Rita suddenly shrieked and dropped Number 103 to the ground. "That thing is hot as hell!" Rita hissed. Indeed, her Overhundred Number looked like it was burning with energy. It was reacting to something. "Whats its problem?"

...

Cains LP: 7200 Ruby's LP: 5900

Cain summoned a new machine, a metallic dragon(2/400/1500) that looked like it was the frame of a complete Cyber Dragon. "Cyber Dragon Core, your effect adds a 'Cyber' spell or trap to my hand!" Cain scanned his deck and chose his target; the Cyber Network trap card. "You shall not stand alone!" Cain then activated the spell card, Machine Duplication. As the Core dragon had less than 500 attackpoints, two copies of Cyber Dragon Cores(2/400/1500) could be and were special summoned from the deck. "Cores of the Cyber Dragon, overlay and form my true self!" The dragon and its duplicates attached to each other and with Cains body. "He is Xyz-summoning his Number!" Azar shouted. The energy Cain was putting out was too high to be any lesser Number. "I can see that!" Ruby yelled, as she waited for the process to wrap up.

The attack from this new card came sooner than she expected. "Ehh?" A cloud of silver dust(2/0/0) scuttled towards her. "Lead Yoke!" Ruby still had her Xyz-monster(4/3800/2000) to defend her andhe Boxing barbarian tried to force the enemy away. However... "It is useless. Any conflict before me, will turn against itself." Cains voice came from the grey mist, which then parted. "Guh?!" Lead Yoke was forced to attack a new target; Ruby. "Hey!" She narrowly stepped out of the way of her own monsters punch and took a tumble to the ground. "It reflects battle damage?" Xander counted the lost lifepoints, they were the same as her monsters attackpoints. "How is this fair? She can not fight what she can not see!" Dakar could not see this new Number with his visor. "I..can not say" And even Thomas lacked the vision. The Number inside him was holding back any memories that pertained to the Second.

Ruby's LP: 2100

"It is your turn." A trap was set down, while Cain kept speaking from the unseeable mass. "Oh. It's gonna be like that huh?" Ruby took the turn. "Then this wont surprise you either!" Ruby normal summoned another boxer, a hooded and half-cybernetic fighter(4/1500/1400) in brown gear. "Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter can special summon one Boxer from the graveyard. But only Boxers can be special summoned this turn!" Ruby resummoned Glassjaw(4/2000/0) to the field. "Almost there!" She then flipped her Battlin Boxer Headgeared(4/1000/1800) face-up. And she overlayed it with the others. "Here! I Xyz-summon Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Cestus the Star!" The majestic winged warrior(5/2500/1600) of gold and blue burst out unto the field in a dazzling display of starlight.

"Clauds Number. Ruby, can you control it?" Subito was worried for a second that the Number would overpower her. "Don't freak out on me, Subito. Everything is A-okay!" She did not notice any adverse effects. "I know what it can do; when a Battlin Boxer battles, Cestus lets it negate the effects of his opponent and reflect all damage they would take!" This was Ruby's reason for switching out cards in her deck; Number 105 worked better in a team of Battling Boxers. "Leadyoke, attack Cain!" Ruby was about to detach 1 material from her second Xyz monster to strengthen her first. "That too conflicts with my domain, Ruby Irant." But the grey mist suddenly solidified and formed an exact replicate of Lead Yoke. "!?" Its reflection shot out diamond-sharp spikes, which pierced the Barbarians body and destroyed him for good. "You have seen enough, you will understand my power now." The entity of liquid metal reverted to Cains solid cybernetic form. Its data was submitted to Ruby's visor.

_Number 2: Nanogear ShadowWar, 2/0/0 Light/Machine/Xyz  
__3 Level 2 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card does battle, is targeted for an attack or an a cards effect: activate 1 of the corresponding effects:  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate all battle damage, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the negated damage.  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card cannot be destroyed, destroy one other face-up card on the field  
_● _Detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card is not affected by that card effect, destroy one face-down card on the field_

"Nanotechnology! He is not just a cyborg, he is a living colony of nanomachines!" Xander had read up on this kind of technology before. Each atomic particle of that silver cloud was its own robot, and they all worked together. "You are correct. Once I merged and became The Second, I escaped all mortal limits. I can not be destroyed." There was no core to Cain anymore, its words came from every nanobot at once. "No? Looks to me like you need Xyz materials to use your effects! And you used it twice already!" Ruby placed one trap card and ended her turn. "I still have all three of mine!" As long as Cestus was around, this Nanogearmachine could not deflect the damage during battle.

"Only a fool relies on one machine of war." Cain drew a card with his new silver hand, and activated it. "Overload Fusion!" It was a fusing spell card that banished the fusion materials from the graveyard. "You shall be banished, Cyber Dragons!" Cain fused the original Cyber Dragon with Cyber Dragon Zwei, Drei and Nova. In turn a fourheaded Chimeratech Overdragon(9/3200/3200) was built. "You want to end all life on my field." Cain flipped one of his traps. "Backup Generator shall counter that hatred." A machine was strapped to the mechanical hydra. Chimeratech Overdragon normally destroyed all other cards of the player that summoned it, but now that effect was negated. And BackUp generator had additional advantages. "Now my machines can not be touched by your power, Irant."

_BackUp Generator, Normal Trap  
__Negate the activation of a monster's effect. Other effect(s) of monsters on the field can not be negated until the end of the turn._

"Ruby, you can not let it attack!" Subito yelled. Chimeratech Overdragon could attack a monster four times this turn, even if it was the same monster each time. "Because he will keep attacking until I run out of lifepoints, right?" Ruby's Overhundred Number could not negate any effects this turn, due to the Backup Generator. "How about I activate my trap instead? Phoenix Wing Wind Blast!" She flipped a card upwards. "I discard one card from my hand to return one monster on the field to the deck!" Ruby picked Nanogear itself as the target for this effect. "Your only choice is still the poorest choice!" Cain used up Nanogears final Xyz material to immunize himself to the effects of the Phoenix's wind.

"Did I? I noticed that your Xyz monster has to destroy a face-down card when it negates an effect. Now which card is face-down?" She asked as she tilted her head. "Oh that's right; Cyber Network! The trap that takes away the battle phase when it is destroyed!" Ruby grinned and The nano colony went wild and tore up Cains own set trap card.. "!" Cain was forced to use Cyber Network's effects. He had to summon as many banished light-type machines as possible, with their effects negated. And he had to pass his next battle phase. "You exploited a weakness.." Cain cursed as he special summoned the Cyber Dragons Drei(4/1800/800), Zwei(4/1500/1000) and Nova(5/2100/1600). "I would not have known about that weakness, if you had not dueled Theo first. His defeat was not for nothing." Ruby said while she made sure not to look at Theo himself. That man as he was now would not thank her for humiliating his brother.

"Live and learn." Cain let out a short hollow chuckle. "That creed never lets us go." He tapped both his level 4 cards. "I overlay Cyber Dragons Zwei and Drei!" Now a rank 4 monster appeared in defense mode; a pristine silver spaceship(4/0/2500) that hovered in the air. "This is the Number that allowed me to live, Number 75: Cyber ARK." Cain extended his hands towards Cyber Dragon Nova, splitting it up into a million nanobots. "Through the Ark I can regain lost powers." The nanotech swarm surrounded the Xyz dragon and devoured every part of it. Nova was converted into energy, into an Xyz-Material for Number 2. "I have grown tired of killing, and death has grown tired of me."

_Number 75: Cyber Ark, 4/0/2500 Light/Machine/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 LIGHT monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can attach 1 LIGHT monster you control to a face-up Xyz-monster on the field.  
__Whenever you would take damage, you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card; gain 500 Life Points instead._

"What? You are kidding me. What kind of power is this?" Cyber ARK had another effect, it could heal more than she could dish out! "The power to reject physical injuries and exhaustion, that is Number 75's gift. Together with my own power, which denies violence itself; conflict has truly become irrelevant. Who are you to fight it? You seek out confrontations, when others wish to be free from it. You can not fight this, it is meaningless." Cains revulsion came through more and more.

Yet so did Ruby's. "Who am I? I am part of a group that you exploited! I used to being a member of Tomorrow, and you changed that completely! Worse, you used us twice! First with Judith and then with your damn Chaos Force!" Just thinking back to her days under the influence of Chaos made her red with rage. "Just because you take can change people's minds, does not mean you are not causing conflict! You just silence them, you do not want to to hear their complaints!" Ruby's hand started to tremble. _"Ggh! Stop it!"_ She steadied herself and drew her next card. "I enter the battle phase! Cestus will attack Chimeratech Overdragon and detach one material to negate the dragons effects!" Number 105 fired a shot of red lightning from its fists, which paralyzed the Overdragon(0/0). As its effect had been negated, it lost all of its attack and defense points. "Eat this!" Then the golden Boxer unfolded his wings and unleashed a rain of stardust from which impacted against the Overdragon(0/0) like comets. "You started this war and you know it!" Ruby placed a card down and ended her turn.

Cains LP: 4700

_"Strange. He could have blocked that damage."_ Azar wondered why Cain did not use the effect of Cyber ARK at that point. Though he would soon get other thoughts to dwell on..

"It was you who opened the gate, not us." Cain replied bitterly to Ruby as he started his turn. It was this that made someone else entered the discussion. "This is against their will, Second. Against ours. This _is_ a war." The Raider stated. He felt his 'brother' was wrong about the righteousness of their mission. "..If this is a war, it is a holy war. Our cause is just, the will of the infinite is just. Those who seek death are in the wrong!" Cain was done talking and drew his next card. "The will of the infinite." The words however stuck with Thomas. "What is it?" Azar looked towards the Raider,who acted as if that word meant more to him than one would assume at first glance. "I remember ..Urgk!" And the Number inside Thomas did not want to relinquish that information either. "The one above all.. the one who Numbers the fragmented!" He could bring up vague definitions. Thomas lacked the mind to visualize what he was thinking about.

"Fifth. That is enough!" Cain shouted. "No! There is one whom we all serve, an isolated entity that assessed our universe and declared it a threat.. Terminus!" Nevertheless a name arose in the Raiders subconscious. "The will of their universe, it is called Terminus!" That name belonged to a feeling of respect. This being was the only thing the Fifth Number obeyed. "You have gone where you shouldn't have. None of you can conceive of what you are talking of." The Seconds grew agitated and unnerved. He clearly held this Terminus in high regard as well. "You have sealed your fate. None shall leave!" He activated two spells. "Power Bond, create my machine! Cybernetic Fusion Support! Take half my life, to claim the materials from my graveyard!" By combining the powerful fusion spell with a support spell, Cain could fuse Cyber Dragon Drei and Cyber Dragon in his graveyard together into a two-headed dragon(8/5600/2200), at the cost of half his lifepoints. "I Fusion summon Cyber Twin Dragon!"

Cains LP: 2350

_"If that thing attacks."_ Power Bond had doubled the Twin Dragons attackpoints, and this fusion monster could attack twice in one turn. _"She will.."_ Subito knew by now that Ruby did not like being helped in a duel, but he did not know if she could anticipate Cains next move. Cyber Twin Dragon fired a burst of white flames towards the Comet Boxer. "Not so fast!" Ruby of course detached one material from Cestus and had her Number swat the attack back with its wings. "The Ark shall heal me during my attacks!" While you shall disappear!" In turn Cain detached one material from Cyber Ark to let that Number absorb the energy and turn it into healing energy instead.. "Again!" Cyber Twin Dragon released its second shot. "Damn it." Which Ruby again had to negate with Cestus' effect. Even if Cain would gain back 500 of his lifepoints, she could not let Cyber Twin Dragon hit hers. _"I'm out."_ And now Number 105 was finally out of Xyz materials. Ruby did managed to reclaim Battlin Boxer Switchhitter from her graveyard, as she had sent the detached Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw to the grave again. But that would mean little now that Nanogear Warshadow could finish the task. "This.. is your End!" Cains body split apart and surrounded Battlin Boxer Cestus the Star.

Cains LP: 3350

"Wanna bet on that?" A big smile appeared on Ruby's face. "I banish Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna from my graveyard! Its effect takes my Battlin Boxer away from the field for one turn!" Right as the grey cloud homed in on Number 105, the Boxer disappeared in a flash. "You should have checked which card I discarded with Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, Cain!" A direct attack from a monster with zero attackpoints was not going to do any harm to her. "You dare to insinuate that I made a mistake?!" Cain placed one spell card down. "I am flawless, nothing touches me!" Cyber Ark then absorbed Cyber Twin Dragon and turned it into an Xyz material for itself. "Number 75, negate the damage from Power Bond!" The damage Power Bond normally inflicted during the endphase, which would have been equal to Cyber Twin Dragons normal attackpoints in this case, were nullified by ARK. "You will never win! You can not!"

Cains LP: 3850

"Why? Because I am 'mortal'? Funny, you sound more desperate now than you did before." Ruby felt more confident with herself. Her body was no longer shaking either. The tables were turning, the enemy had shown a weakness. "You are rushing this. Even with all your power, you are not invincible. I guess you finally realized you can be just as mortal as us." Ruby normal summoned a Fencing Fire Ferret(4/1700/600) to her side, one of the few old cards she kept in her deck. "I activate the spell card; Circle of the Fire Kings! I destroy one fire monster and replace it with another from my graveyard!" The ferret was blown to pieces. From its ashes the fire barbarian Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(4/2200/2000) was reborn. And the flames did not disappear just yet. "When Fencing Fire Ferret is destroyed, I can destroy one monster and inflict 500 points of damage to the owner of that card!" The flames shifted into the shape of the Fire Ferret and it slashed through the Cyber ARK with its burning tail. "You.." Both halves melted away before they rained down.

Cains LP: 3350

"Lord Cain!" The unrest in the army outside grew again, and pummeled it with even more firepower from their duel monsters. "Ngh. This barrier is not going to stay around for much longer, Ruby!" Xander shouted. She had to end it quickly! "I hear ya! Yes sir; one down, one to go!" Another battle phase began. "Cestus attacks Nanogear Warshadow!" The star boxer slammed its fists together. "Ruby! It still has materials!" Subito yelled. But it was too late to call off the attack.. "Ruby!"

Cains LP: 3350

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)52: Operation Scorched Earth)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Battlin' Boxer Switchhitter  
Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Cestus the Star  
Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna

-  
Circle of the Fire Kings

-  
Phoenix Wing Wind Blast

**New Cards used by Cain  
**Cyber Dragon Core  
_Number 2: Nanogear ShadowWar  
__Number 75: Cyber Ark  
_Cyber Twin Dragon

-  
Overload Fusion  
Cybernetic Fusion Support

_-  
BackUp Generator_


	54. Cipher (1)52: Operation Scorched Earth

**Cipher (****1)52: Operation Scorched Earth**

The first person mrs. Artega saw when she regained her senses, was her own husband. "MOM!" They had only a few moments of privacy before Shin interrupted and jumped on her bed. And the next half hour he practically apologized to her in every way he knew. This affectionate scene one could hear across the house; Shin was not holding anything. back. "..." It was also a scene nobody dared to interrupt. So Darcy just watched it from the stairs, and sighed to herself. "Miss Darcy. Is there something wrong?" The minute Korose heard this sigh, he believed something serious was going on. "Oh no! No no no! We.. just haven't heard from the others in a while." She shrugged it off with a smile. Korose was not entirely sure that was all there was to it. "I know. But they requested we do not disturb them unless it is urgent. If their plan fails... we alone can continue the fight."

...

Ruby's LP: 2100 Cains LP: 3350

"If she attacks, she is going to trigger his monsters effect!" Dakar did not understand why Ruby was doing this. Cestus the Star(4/2500/2000) targeted Nanogear Warshadow(2/0/0) for an attack. "This is your final error!" But Cain still had a material to detach from his silver body. And he did so. "I shall reflect all damage!" His body mass shifted around until the nanocolony resembled Ruby Irant herself. The liquid metal body shot out spikes in every direction. "Did you really think I would walk into my own defeat?! Not on your life!" And that was when Ruby activated her counter trap card. "Jolt Counter! When a card activates an effect during a battle with a Battlin Boxer on my side, I can negate that effect and destroy it!" Her Overhundred number dove out of the way of every spike and threw a fierce counter punch into Nanogear. "You..you succeeded?" Cains gargled as he felt the hit connect and absorbed an immense amount of energy. His body began to crackle with electricity, and then splattered all across the field. "You destroyed me?"

"I will destroy more than your Number, pal!" Ruby wound up her arm and pumped it forwards. "Take him down, 105!" Cestus the Star and Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(4/2200/2000) jumped into the air to deliver the final blows. "Your victory will not come to you!" Yet a quickplay spell flipped itself face-up. "Clockwork Soul: I can summon a machine from my extra deck, with its effects negated!" Cain paid 1000 lifepoints and special summoned a Panzer Dragon; a dragon tank hybrid(5/100/2600), from his extra deck. "You sneak." Ruby had to retract her attacks, none of her monsters could bypass its defense points. "Damn it. I set one monster and one trap card and end my turn!" And there was no end to her problems yet. "You shall be destroyed now, Panzer Dragon." Clockwork Soul only kept the special summoned fusion monster alive for one turn. "Yet when you are, your effect is activated!" The tank dragon exploded violently, tossing sharp shrapnel everywhere. "Ugh!" One piece embedded itself in Cestus the Star. "One card will be destroyed." The fusion dragon dragged Number 105 down with it. "The fifth defector is no more!"

_Clockwork Soul, Quickplay Spell_  
_When a Machine-type Fusion, Synchro or Xyz-monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: Pay 1000 Life Points; special summon 1 Machine-type monster from your Extra Deck._  
_Its effects are negated and it is destroyed during the End Phase._

Cains LP: 2350

"Your turn is over! This duel is over!" Cain yelled as he regenerated into his solid metal body. He then activated an effect from his graveyard. "Your field is the only one with life. By banishing Cyber Dragon Core, I may special summon a Cyber Dragon from my deck to my lifeless field!" Another original Cyber Dragon(5/2100/1600) appeared around the banished core's frame. "You will serve me, along with Cyber Valley!" Cain normal summoned a smaller machine dragon as well, a Cyber Valley(1/0/0). "Remove yourself!" Valley banished itself and the Dragon with its effect, and allowed Cain to draw two new cards. "..It has come. You can not survive this." One of his two new cards was placed on his field.

"Take Cyber Dragon and all other machines, to come to my aid: Cyber Eltanin!" A spaceship(10/?/?) shaped like a dragons head was special summoned. Cyber Eltanin banished every light-type machine from the field and graveyard to bring itself out. And it(4500/4500) gained 500 attack and defense points for each banished card. "Your monsters will all perish!" But Cyber Eltanin had another effect. It sent every monster on the field to the graveyard when it was summoned. Battlin Boxer' Lead Yoke and her face-down monster would not be able to protect her from its direct attack. "You may have destroyed my Number, but that was not enough to save yourself!"

"Save myself?" If there was one sentence Ruby hated, it was that one. "If I had a dime from every person who said they wanted to save me.. You know what? I can do fine just on my own! Who needs you?" Ruby flipped her trap card; Spiritual Fire Art - Kurenai. "I sacrifice my fire monster to inflict an amount of damage that is equal to the monsters attackpoints!" Her trap transformed Lead Yoke the barbarian into a wraith of pure flames, before Eltanin could be sent to the graveyard. "You can only take 2200 of my lifepoints that way! That will not satisfy your fate, Ruby Irant!" Cain held his ground against the incoming fire spirit. "As a matter of act, I do!" Ruby special summoned a monster card from her hand, a cinematic masked samurai(3/1400/400). "When an effect inflicts effect damage, Achacha Chanbara can be special summoned from my hand! He will inflict an additional 400 points of damage!" Chanbara slashed his flaming swords through the air, pouring more firepower into Kurenai's assault. "!" Cain retracted his hand. In this very last moment, he came to terms with it. _"Death has found me after all." _The flames subdued him..

Cains LP: 0

"Cain!" Theo screamed and mustered enough strenght to escape Dakars grip. "Theo!" He rushed to his brothers side. "No. No it can not end like this! You can not leave again!" Once the fire had disappeared, only a charred and immobile cyborg was left behind. Every part of Cain was shutting down. "I was with you! I knew you! We could have been brothers..gahn!" Theo tried to touch Cain, but the metal was hot enough to singe skin. "..Theo.." Cain however could still speak, that part of his robotic body still functioned. "I was wrong.. I am not Cain." The light flickered out of his optics. "I only see this... now. I.. I am sorry.. brother." Lastly, his voice broke off, the last bit of energy faded away. "NO!" Theo cried out. His hands reached out to what used to be both his brother, and the second catalyst. Both were gone.. Only one part survived.

"Ruby!" He spun around. Eyes filled with hatred fell upon the one who had defeated Cain. "You will unhand that!" In her hand were Numbers 2 and 75. "Theo I.. !" It was all that remained of Cain. But Ruby did not think it could bring Arend back to life, not this time. "This is the final betrayal. You and your _new _friends, you can all rot in oblivion!" Theo raised his hand to the sky. "I will avenge Cain and fight you all with his army! I will continue his war!" The barrier around them shattered and the thousands of 'soldiers' drove inwards. "There is no escape! No..."

"Kgh!" In the middle of his first order, the commanding Theo and his army were struck down. "Who?" Crimson beams rained down upon the field and shot into each and every soldier still standing. "But this is..not order." Theo knew what this power was, he had let it enter his body before. It did not feel the same anymore. "Ar..end.." His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. Every other person hit with the energy did the same. "What? You.." Ruby opened her eyes and saw the culprit; The Raider. "You could have done that all along?" He had apparently inserted chaos into Cains subjects, just like had had done before with Iscariot and Morgana. She did not think he could have taken care of so many at once. "Not while Cain was in control of their actions. I was building up to an instantaneous wide-scale burst, but it would not have done anything as long as the Second could counteract it." Now they were harmless, and they would wake up soon and not even remember what they had been doing.

"I guess. And now we saved them. I hoped beating one of them would feel more.. satisfying." Ruby rubbed her arm. It had not been a painless ordeal. "Even though in the end they can't help it." She guessed that on some level she was not mad at Theo, or even Cain. They were pawns as well in this sick game of Numbers. "They simply do not see it that way, Ruby. They only believe in order." The best the Raider could for for them, was what Azar had done for him. Yet the thought still lingered inside him, if his solution was going to last; for them or for himself. "But we know who is responsible. We know who decided to start this whole invasion." If there was someone Ruby could hate, it was whoever the guy at the top was supposed to be. "Yes. Terminus." The one who created the Numbering system, or so the Fifth said. "Azar. Does Chaos know anything about Terminus?" Subito asked, figuring the chaotic entity was the next best source on that subject. "I believe he would have made it known to me if he did. Like most Numbers, he did not know who exiled him." It appeared only the catalysts were aware of 'Terminus'.

**_"However they did know the human that was given the first Number.." _**_Thoughts of Chaos echoed in the back of Azars mind. "Chaos?" As usual, the entity had been following everything it seemed. "Do you think we need to find who created the first Number, the catalysts. or Terminus?" The way Azar saw it, they had three choices now. **"Your logic would suggest we search for the one above all. Even if that... takes me back there.."** Chaos sounded very contemplative. "You mean.. your home dimension." Azar could not even imagine what that world was like, or if Chaos could describe it to him. **"I have no Home. I have no memories of it. All I know is..I was created there."**_

"Hm?!" Xanders D-pad began to beep. "A call from the homefront it appears." Xander answered the caller and turned on the speaker. "Guys! Are you alive? Is everything okay?" So everyone could hear Natasha, surprisingly, as her panicked outbursts came in. "Calm down, Natasha. We are safe, all of us. We managed to defeat another catalyst" Subito said. He did not know what she was so worked up about? "You did? But then..why is.." Natasha acknowledged the good news, yet did not sound less worried. "Natasha? What exactly has happened?" There was something they did not know yet. "You should get back here. This is really not good!"

...

With that kind of declaration, they knew they had to return. Ruby and Xander stuck with Cains former army to sort everything out as soon as they woke up. The rest were warped back to the Artega's mansion. There, rather than being told what had happened, they were shown what was on TV. "Mother of mercy." At first Natasha had been glued to the tube to catch any update on the global situation. Now it was on every cremaining hannel. "That many.." The invasion was no longer a series of localized incidents, the rate of possession had increased exponentially and entire countries had been thrown into turmoil. "Yes. The remaining catalysts have altered their strategy. Lucifer, Lilith, Iscariot and Pandora have joined forces, knowing that we were picking them off one by one." Korose had added up all reports. Only in the last hour did the world become aware of how grave the situation was. "They are attacking highly populated areas, starting from the center to tear down their infrastructure. They take all life and burn whatever is left. " The catalysts had gotten rather good at it, as if the first few attacks were merely test-runs. Now they were slowly making the world anew.

"Damn it. We have to do something." The Raider rose with a determined vibe running through his mind. His body on the other hand did not agree. "Uhh.. " He had to prop himself against a wall to not fall down. "Curse it! Not now!" He knew why he felt so weak. It was not something he wanted to admit to. "You should not push yourself." Ariel did not want him to try to get up again. "I do not get tired anymore, miss Serin. I shouldn't. I can cure all those people, so I have to!" The Raider did not want to hear any of it. "No you _can_ get tired, The Fifth can't! You are still human, have you forgotten that?" It seemed to her like he did not know his own limits anymore. "You..are right. I am not alone in here. Part of me that always resists.." Until now the Raider had managed to suppress Number 5 with the power of Chaos. Yet he finally realized, that that protection would not last.

"It would not work anyway." Korose finally stated. "They are attacking more then we can heal, they are faster than us and together they are stronger than us. The catalysts have even reclaimed Neo Avalon in the time it took you to stop Cain."

"Then it is clear what you should do!" Another person brought herself into the conversation. "Do not waste time fighting what you can not defeat. Find the one above all." It was Necara. She had been listening up until this point, and her patience had worn out. "The one?" Azar was surprised by her exact choice of words. "Terminus.." She could have heard what Azar had told to Korose and the others, so it was not entirely unexpected for her to focus on it. Especially in light of her history. "The portal! Of course!" And now Azar caught her meaning. He cursed himself for not just thinking about it himself sooner. "Portal? The one the catalysts used?" Shin was not all there yet. "No. There was one before that. The one.. she used. The one the agency had sealed." Subito looked at Necara. "Do you know where this portal is?" It had not been at the Numbers archive, that was an entirely different location. What they needed to find was the place where everything began, the facility that opened the door to the infinite dimension. "Not me. They did not let me _see_. But..." Necara pointed at Azar. "...he does."

"The power of being wherever I want to be." He understood; with Dyson Sphere's ability there was no place Azar could not find. He just needed a clear mental image in his head. "You are suggesting we go to the Numbers own dimension and confront Terminus?" It sounded like an impossible undertaking, even for the Raider. "You are not going anywhere." Subito suddenly but firmly stated. "I am not? Why would you say this? Do you lack faith in me? After all I have done?" He did not like the tone Subito was using. "I do not think you can cope with the strain, not that close to what is the Creator of your other half." But Subito had his reasons and laid them out concisely. There was no telling what would happen to Thomas once he set foot in the other world. "It is for the best, Raider. You can protect this place, regain your strength, and focus on the task I handed you." Azar and him had still not figured out who was what on Kapha's lists. Though now that they knew about Cain and where he disappeared, Thomas would have a starting point. "I see. I understand." The Raider resigned himself to the circumstances, he could do more good here.

"If this is about the people we trust. Then we can not take her either, right?" Shin whispered to Subito while subtly nodding in Necara's direction. It did not help, Necara heard him loud and clear. "Not possible. You have no idea what that world is like. Everyone who went inside, lost their mind. Everyone but me." In spite of Shins objections, she was the one person they absolutely would need to take with them on this journey. "They did not let me see where it was, but I did see the inside. I knew where you need to go, once you take us there." She glared at Shin and waited to see he or anybody else had trouble with that. "So decide which one of you wants to go. And choose quickly. The longer you wait, the closer they will get."

She was right, so few minutes were dedicated to planning things as much as they possibly could. Necara had no interest in this part of the preparations. She had already decided to go. "Necara.." As had Azar. So he could approach her during these moments. "You have been there before.. what was it like?" The world they were going into, it was something beyond comprehension. Azar did not know what he could expect. He had to go through that gateway, and he did not want to go blindly. "Nothing you have ever seen before. Nothing you have ever dreamed... Are you affraid?" He was. And the descriptions Necara gave him did not help relieve his fear of the unknowable. "It might be different, for you. You do not see it with your own eyes, you are not there. I can only remember.. being happy." Even though her mind could not even keep the memories, the first emotional experience of her entire life had left an scar in her mind. "You make it sound like a far better place than anything on this world. Is that why you want to help us? To go back there?" Azar had his questions about what motivated Necara right now. "Not that." She rasped. Her hand slowly clenched itself. "Not you.."

"It is decided." The two were joined by a group of duelists; Subito, Shin, Korose, Darcy and Rita. "You are all coming?" Azar had expected Korose and Subito to join him, the others less so. "I talked my brother into it this time. My premonitions might come in handy." Shin said with a grin. Now that he knew his mother was doing better, he wanted to get back in the fray. "And you two?" Azar then looked at the girls. "I want to help. I wont be going through the portal if that is what you are worried about. But you need someone to keep it open, don't you?" Darcy said rather cheerfully. Rita did not share her disposition. "I want to do something. I hate being couped in this place, so I will go wherever you go." Truthfully, she just wanted to get her mind off things, which was easier to do when you were active.

"Well. It is indeed settled then.." Azar was simply glad he did not have to go with just Necara. "Then.. Let's do it."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)53: Those are the Strings)

**New Cards used by Ruby Irant  
**Achacha Chanbara

-  
Jolt Counter

**New Cards used by Cain  
**Panzer Dragon  
Cyber Valley  
Cyber Eltanin

-  
_Clockwork Soul_


	55. Cipher (1)53: Those are the Strings

**Cipher (****1)53: Those are the Strings**

Cains former army was dissolved, thousands of people returned to their homes. Those who had actually been part of the army escorted the civilians. The military already knew about the catalysts, so they understood what had happened to them. Though they did not remember anything. "You know we could have taken credit for this." Ruby and Xander watched it all from afar. "It is better for them to think a mysterious savior rescued them. Besides I would rather not be in the spotlight." Too much attention was not what Xander was looking for. Certainly not with who they had with them. "Why _did_ we keep him here?" Theo lied with them on the hill. "Hey, in the end he was just another victim. The Numbers did not help him make the best decision either." Ruby snapped, sticking up for him. "And he lost his brother twice now. He tried to help us and him at the same time, and he could not do either. And now he is not waking up."

"Perhaps it just takes longer for those who were directly 'numberized' by a catalyst." Xander suggested. "Numberized? You are going with that?" Ruby snickered. "For the time being. It helps to name 'things'. Makes this crazy world a little less mad..don;t you agree?"

"Hey I like a little crazy. Though I agree. _This._.is too much."

...

The final arrangements had been made, almost. "We are not leaving yet...why?" Necara did not really care who was going with them, but everyone else clearly seemed to be waiting on someone. "It's got to be that kid. HEY! GET DOWN HERE!" Rita shouted towards the top floor of the house.. "Just a moment!" Shin yelled back through the window and he rushed outside. "What took you?" Rita rasped. She did not like dealing with sluggish types. "Hey. I had to give my mom some hugs before I left, right?!" Shin turned to his older brother for some support. "I suppose." Subito understood Shins sentiment, but he did not exactly sound too patient with him either.

"Hey.. Necara..thanks for helping us. I mean that" And then Ariel had something to say. She would not go along with them, that was why wanted to express her gratitude before it was too late. "This is not for you." Necara did not really know how to work with those words, it only made her more frustrated. "Do it." It was time for Azar to take them away. "Yes." He took out Number 9: Dyson Sphere. Both he and Necara held the card, and the rest of the group came together around them. "Take us to where Necara left this world before." With his power, and her memory, the Number would find their destination..

...

And that destination was a village whose name had been forgotten by time. From afar one would never suspect this to be a site of science. "This is where the it all began?" The seven duelists arrived in the middle of an industrial complex. "Did people..live here?" It seemed like there were other villages on each horizon, all abandoned.. all ghost towns. Darcy detected no hint of life, in the present or from the past. "It must be some cover-up. Do you think the goverment funded this, or was it all on the agency?" Rita had never been here before. If there was a base here, no agent had been told of its existence. "I believe so. I however do not know where to go from here." The buildings around them looked like ordinary warehouses to Korose. "This is the place." But Necara did not even need to go inside the buildings to verify it, she could feel it in her heart. "This way." She moved ahead, the rest would just have to keep up with her.

"Azar." Darcy took this moment to approach Azar. "There is something I wanted to say to you." She motioned for him to wait with her. "Okay? What is it?" He knew she would not have asked him this if she did not have a good rationale behind it. "It's about Necara. I know we need her for this, and I did not want to say anything that would drive her away. But.." She paused to peek over Azars shoulder. Necara was not paying attention to them. "She is not telling us everything she knows. I can see it." Azar glanced at Necara quickly and then turned back to Darcy. "What do you mean, exactly? Is she lying? Is she trying to trick us?" Azar could not detect any ill intent in Necara's words himself. Though that was because there was no emotion in her voice. "I do not think it is like that. When I first saw her, I could not see anything beyond hermadness. When I saw her again, she was distressed. But now.. now she wants something. She is happy about something, and that scares me. I do not know what she is going to do."

"I see. I am glad you told me this. We will have to be careful.."

"Underground? That figures." Inside one warehouse, as it turned out, was a large cylindrical shaft. It led to several floors under the ground, running alongside thick wires. "How are we supposed to get down there?" Rita did not know what Necara was expecting, but she was not going to jump down that far. "There are elevators, or ladders alongside the walls. Both paths lead to the same place. The door is hidden in the depths." Necara herself took the ladder in the pit, as the elevators could not exactly be relied upon with the facility in this condition. "Would they leave this place unguarded?" There was not a single soul to be found; no workers and no security. "Maybe they don't want anyone to know this place is still operational." Shin placed his ears against one of the wires. Sound came from it. "Something is still on." There was minimal power, and precious little light, but the place still had energy, and it was sending it somewhere. "Let's go then." There was no way around it, so Rita gave up and went down the long ladder as well. The others followed suit.

Down below they wound up in a horizontal tunnel that had even more wires and tubes crossing through it. And the tunnel itself separated into smaller hallways. "So.. which wire do we follow?" It was impossible to tell what was the main line, they all looked the same. "You only follow me. Anything else, and you will get lost." Necara was on the move again, moving straight ahead at first. "..." Everyone went with her, until they came across a splitting point. "Azar?" Azar deliberately stayed behind, even as Necara tried to continue on her way. "Sssh." And he held up a finger to silence Shin. "Someone." Azar closed his eyes and tuned in on a faint energy signature. "Someone is here." The deeper he got, the better he could get a feel of him or her. "Someone with a Number!"

He was close by too, close enough to hear that he had been found out. "I see something! Above!" Korose shouted as a vague light shimmered in the shadows on the ceiling. More shafts were above them, and that was where the attack came from. "Look out!" A thousand lines streamed down and split up into various directions, creating a web of sorts. They were coming after Azar, Subito and Necara. "Ngh." Korose grabbed Necara and hauled her out of the way. Azar was pushed aside by Darcy. "What?" The web struck the ground, and trapped Subito and Darcy within. The rest were locked off on both sides. "Only one. I only got one." A hate-filled voice echoed across the tunnels. "And he was the one I wanted the least."

"Him?" The attackers voice was one Azar had not heard in a while, but had not forgotten. "Yes, Fallen! It is I!" A figure rappelled down to the floor along the web, a darkly dressed individual with an obsessed look on his face. "Morbis?!" There was the agent who called himself Azars equal; and Korose's former partner. "Agent M? What the hell? Where have you been?" Rita could not believe her eyes either. "Hello Agent K, Agent B. I am sorry I could not come to the final agent get-together. I had more important tasks." Morbis greeted his companions with about as much respect as Rita had come to expect from him. "Like what?" Shehad never liked this smug bastard. And now he was a deserter too? "Protecting Kapha." Morbis said with a smirk.

"Kapha." Necara's eyes widened. So that man _was_ here too. "Yes, other Fallen. Kapha told me that if I waited here, I could get my revenge on those that got in my way. That includes you who ambushed me and took my powers." Morbis drew cards with his fingers, one by one. "You who humiliated me, and claimed my title." He glared in Azars direction.. and then Subito's. "And you, champion." Morbis was done readying his cards, and inserted them into his D-pad. "Him!? What did he ever do to you?" Shin cried out. "Something he probably is not even aware of. But I..?" Morbis shuddered. "_What_ are you doing?"

Darcy's LP: 8000 Morbis' LP: 8000

"I believe this is a challenge, sir agent." Darcy had followed his movements and drawn her cards. Her D-pad transmitted the signals to his. "Who!? You!? Who the hell do you think you are?" Morbis was outraged, greatly. This unknown whench dared to get in his way? "Darcy. You do not..." Subito tried to intercede, but his D-pad did not activate. "I think you will have to let me, now." There was no way to back out of this duel, and no way to let him in. "Wh-why are you doing this?" Azar did not understand. After his warning, she would have known he had a Number. Morbis felt strong, stronger than he had ever been. "I wanted to help." But Darcy had the same answer as always. "Please. Try and find a way around this place. You need to be quick, right? We will catch up to you later." Only Subito and Darcy were stuck with Agent M.

"..." Necara did not even wait around for her to finish talking, she was already leaving. "Ann! I.." Korose and Rita had no choice but to go with her. "...I will take the first turn, if it is all the same to you." Darcy activated a ritual spell card from her hand. "Advanced Ritual Art. I send normal monsters from my deck to the graveyard, to ritual summon a monster." Darcy sent 3 Doll Part monsters into her graveyard; Gold, Red and Blue. "I ritual summon Alice the Wandering Doll." And she brought out a blonde girl(6/1000/1000) doll made from white porcelain. "Now that I have three fiends in my graveyard, I can special summon Dark Necrofear." Darcy removed the Doll Parts to special summon the puppeteer fiendess(8/2200/2800) and her broken doll. "And then I can activate Alice's effect; I can send all the parts I just banished, back into the graveyard." Alice used her strings to drag the Doll leg, arm and head parts out of the other dimension and bury them in the floor again. "I set a trap card and end my turn."

_Alice the Wandering Doll, 6/1000/1000 Dark/Fiend/Ritual  
__You can ritual summon this card with "Door to Mirrorland".  
__This card cannot be destroyed by battle. When this card is destroyed by a card effect, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent for each "Doll part" monster in your graveyard  
__Once per turn you can return all banished "Doll Part" monsters to the graveyard, or shuffle all "Doll part" monsters in your graveyard into your deck._

"Dolls?" The sight of Darcy's monsters nearly brought Morbis out of his rage. "Any other time, I would have enjoyed a duel like this. But today, you are an obstacle." Morbis drew his card. "Your turns are counted; I will end this in one turn!" He summoned his 'doll'. "Gimmick Puppet Des Troy!" It was a trojan horse(4/1200/2000), built from dark mannequins. "Des Troy can 'destroy' himself, and special summon two Gimmick Puppets from my hand!" The back compartment in the Trojan doll opened and released two of the same puppets; Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll, the the bandaged coffin girl(8/0/0). Afterwards Des Troy fell apart. "Xyz-summon: Gimmick Puppet Giant Grinder!" Morbis overlayed both Dreary Dolls, to form the first of his Numbers; Number 15, the killer of giants(8/1500/2500). "Those are his Numbers?" Azar had not forgotten about Number 15 either. Morbis was using the same Numbers as before? "How did you get them back?"

"I let them take me. The catalysts already conquered this region." Morbis said with a twisted grin on his face. "Let it not be unsaid that I am pleased to have you for an audience. You must have accepted that neither you nor Subito can stand up to me! I will come for you, in due time!" Morbis detached both materials from his Xyz-monster. "But first, miss nameless... A farewell for your dolls!" Giant Grinder opened its chest and wires sprung forth. The strings grabbed both Dark Necrofear and Alice. They were dragged into the grinding contraption, and crushed to splinters. "...But, you can not inflict damage if the destroyed monster is not an Xyz-monster!" Azar declared. Indeed no cannon emerged from the Puppet's body; effect and ritual monsters did not provide enough fuel for it. "...Alice's effect activates." On the other hand, Darcy's own monster _could_ do damage of its own, now that it was destroyed. It took away 1000 lifepoints, three times, by tossing various doll parts at Morbis. "The cat has claws." Morbis chuckled.

Morbis' LP: 5000

"Fallen One. Did you really think I would be satisfied with just one of my old Numbers?" Rather than letting it attack, Morbis sacrificed Giant Grinder. "I special summon Gimmick Puppet Nightmare by tributing my Xyz monster!" The conjoined red mannequin twins(8/1000/2000) replaced the titanic doll on his throne. Number 15's sacrificed parts produced something more; a red ribbon coffin. "Nightmare can special summon a Puppet from the grave, when it is summoned this way!" One of the Dreary Dolls awoke from her eternal rest. She would not be alone for long. "I banish Gimmick Puppet Des Troy, to summon my second Dready Doll from the graveyard!" The necrotic gimmick puppet used her effect and revived her body by sacrificing the Trojan puppet's soul. "Two Dreary Dolls and one Nightmare; together they make my ultimate Number!" Morbis attached all three to another Xyz-card from his extra deck. "I Xyz-summon Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo!" A new throne was summoned, and on it sat the lion-faced king of all puppets(8/3300/2300) in his majestic white robe and cape.

"Two of them, in the same turn." Subito had never seen Morbis in a duel before. Not since his days in the league. He had become more terrifying than he had ever imagined. "Darcy. Don't worry. Gimmick Puppet of Leo takes three turns to end the duel." Only Azar knew what this Number could do. He never thought anyone would have to face it again, after he had beaten Morbis the last time. ".." Darcy did not say anything back. She did not look worried. "Spell card: Oni-Gami Combo!" Not even when the agent activated a card that detached all of Leo's materials. "For this cost, the Leo of Destiny can declare two attacks in one turn!" Number 88 drew his sword and plunged it into the ground twice. Two shockwaves were created which sped towards Darcy and tore up the floor around her. "Ah!" Even her composure was rattled by the destruction.

Darcy's LP: 1400

"Ah. You are scared after all. You are wise enough to feel that emotion." Morbis proceeded to his second main phase. "But you have not even begun to see my new glory! It is time!" Morbis played the last card in his hand. "Rank-Up-Magic! Argent Chaos Force!" And the tunnel drowned in red light. "What!? Chaos!" Shin yelled. He had not used just any Chaos card. "The same card Prometheus used! Kapha gave him that card as well?" Now Azar knew why Morbis was not affected by the Numbers inside them, he had given himself the power of chaos before hand. His mental instability right now was all his own! "Ironic is it not? This is the power that you used to defeat me last time, fallen! I evolve my Number 88 into the next rank!" Leo had changed, he had discarded his human form and become a winged lion statue(9/3500/2500) of pure gold. It sat atop a large spiked sphere. "Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo! By detaching 1 material, it can inflict 1000 points of damage!" The lion fired a blast of golden flames from its mouth. "!" And the flames passed Darcy, burning of even more of her lifepoints.

Darcy's LP: 400

"Hang in there, Darcy! He is out of cards, and out of materials!" Azar believed she could at least survive until the end phase. During that endphase, Necrofear's effect would go off. The Puppeteer fiendess could take control of Number C88 by equipping itself to it. She could turn the entire game around "No, Azar, it is over." But Darcy said what Morbis himself wanted to brag about. "So you noticed." Morbis had entered the endphase and the sphere beneath Disaster Leo opened up. The plates folded outwards to show the violent stream of chaos energy that ran within its core. "During the endphase. If My enemy has less than 2000 lifepoints, and Disaster Leo has no Xyz materials.. I win the game." Disaster Leo was about to go off at any second. "What? No!" There was nothing that could be done about it. The effect was a condition. "Morbis. that's enough! If it is me you want!" In vain Azar tried to stop the duel. "Azar. It is okay." Only she had already accepted her fate. "!?" Azar did not know what he was hearing. "I know I am not that important in the grand scheme of things. The best I could do was make sure none of you would lose, you have so much to return to.. " The sphere exploded, filling the web with hell-red fire. "Darcy!"

Darcy's LP: 0

When the smoke cleared however, it was revealed that someone had taken the brunt of the blast. "Bro!" Subito had embraced Darcy and shielded her from Disaster Leo's physical damage, even if that could not save her lifepoints. "Huh. You are.. so gentle." She was bemused that he had gone this far. "And not affraid at all." Her strength started to wane, she had just enough left to move her right arm. "Darcy. You knew this was going to happen." Subito understood her intentions. She had wanted to duel Morbis first, because she wanted to give the others a better chance at defeating Morbis. She had forced him to reveal his trump card. "I just wanted to do what I could. You were the only friends..." Her hand moved along Subito's face. "You.." And then it went limp, and her eyes closed.

"And so the weak fall. Now..who is next?" Morbis had already rearranged his deck, the duel was already a mere memory to him. "..." Subito looked at him, with nothing but contempt.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)54: Every Decision you Make)

**New Cards used by Darcy Lawless  
**_Alice the Wandering Doll (+)_

-  
Advanced Ritual Art

_(+ Based on the monster used by Alice in YGOGX)_

**New Cards used by Agent "M" Morbis  
**Gimmick Puppet - Des Troy  
Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo

-  
Oni-Gami Combo  
Rank-Up-Magic: Argent Chaos Force


	56. Cipher (1)54: Every Decision You Make

**Cipher (****1)54: Every Decision you Make**

"...This door is not supposed to be locked." Necara and the agents reached a roadblock, the tunnel was sealed off. "Someone from the agency is still overseeing this facility then." Korose tried to get the door to open by injecting his D-pad into the door console, which had an slot for such devices. He knew a few access codes. "The specified code is not acceptable.." But it turned out this was a place not just any agent could walk into. "Quartermaster?" The voice the console used to speak with, was the same as Esthers. "Good morning Agent K, B and N." In fact, it was her. "Huh? You're here now? I thought you were knocked offline when Kincaid blew up headquarters!?" Rita knew enough about artificial intelligences that they always required a massive computer to operate from. She had assumed that it would be located at agency HQ. "It was determined that my core program had to be moved to a more secure location, after the assault of Azar Helder." But her answer cleared that up. "Esther. We need to proceed." Getting through her would be another matter altogether.

"I am afraid she can not do that." And she was not the only one speaking through the console. "Kapha!" Korose took a step backwards as a hologram of the scientist was projected before them. "Ha! The guy in charge of everything." For Rita, and Korose, this was their first meeting of sorts. "..." For Necara, this was a face she had seen far too often. "Kapha. We know the portal is here. We have discovered the identity of the power behind all Numbers. We need to reach it " Korose layed out the facts. Kapha had to understand that their plan was the best way to end this conflict "That would interfere with what you are supposed to do. I can not allow you to cross this gate, Agent Korose." Yet Kapha chose to keep obstructing them. "Hey! Are you stupid or something? You are just as screwed as we are when.." Rita was about to let him have a piece of his mind, but the Kapha hologram disappeared. "Damn it! I can't believe this a.." Then, when she turned around, she noticed Necara was missing too. "Where did she go?" Neither Rita nor Korose could see her anywhere in the tunnels. "Ann!"

...

Despite Andre's provocations, Subito did not rise to his challenge yet. "...Darcy. Rest well." Subito placed Darcy down against the wall. She had earned her rest. "Maybe..maybe we can bring her back home? Get Thomas to help her?" Nobody here could cure Darcy now that she had a Number again. But Shin knew who could. "You should not be going backwards, you should move on!" But Subito knew there was no time to go through with all of that. "What? We can't not leave you!" Nevertheless Shin still had no desire to leave his brothers side.

"No, Shin. He is right. We should have tried to catch up with the agents a long time ago. We can not let them go through that portal alone." Azar and Shin could not be of Subito's assistance here. But Morbis could not get to them while he was dueling Subito either. "But.." Shin turned back and forth. "I..Ugh. Bro, you better not lose to that guy!" Shin relented yet loudly. ".." He and Azar walked back into the tunnels. Azar gave Subito a last glance before he left him and Morbis to their devices._ "If it comes to it. Will you use it, Artega?"_

"Like fragments from the past that have finally found their way back to each other." Morbis was ready to begin the duel, and eager to begin. "Andre Morbis." Subito used his time to prepare his deck, adding and removing certain cards. "..." He would have to use every thing he had, Morbis could not be taken lightly. "Yes. That is my name; the only title I could claim as my own two years ago. Two years since you abandoned your position as league champion, two years since that ill-fated duel. And I never tested myself against you. Which one of us was superior? That question was left in the air." Morbis had drawn five cards, he was feeling generous and handed Subito the first turn. Though he did like to keep talking. "It does not matter if your decks have changed, the cards are merely the tools. This is about skill, about who uses their cards the best! So let us begin, Champion!"

Subito's LP: 8000 Morbis' LP: 8000

Subito meanwhile silently shuffled his deck and drew his cards. Though a question came to him as he listened. "You know about that duel.." He took his turn and placed a monster face down, along with a trap card. He also activated the spell card, Trade In, to discard a level 8 monster from his hand and draw two new cards. The card he discarded was Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. After that his turn ended.

"All agents know. The finals were supposed to be your trial, you were going to be like us if you passed. You are more like me than you can imagine!" Morbis then activated his own Trade In spell card, discarding a Gimmick Puppet Nightmare from his hand, to draw two new cards of his own. "You discarded your destiny however, while I have embraced mine." Morbis normal summoned his monster, a black leather bondage mannequin(4/1200/600) with scissors for limbs. "Gimmick Puppet Scissor Arms sends a Gimmick Puppet from my deck to my graveyard." Morbis' choice in this case fell upon Gimmick Puppet Dreary Doll. "Next I activate the spell card: A Coward's Rewards!" His spell flipped Subito's facedown Galaxy Mirror Sage, a hooded magician(3/0/800) wrapped in a cloak of mirrors, face-up. The spell also switched the attack and defense points of his the Sage(800/0) and Scissor Arms(600/1200). "

_A Cowards Rewards, Normal Spell  
__Flip all face-down defense position monsters to face-up face-up attack position. Switch the ATK and DEF of all effect monsters on the field._

...When Galaxy Mirror Sage is flipped, I gain 500 lifepoints for each Galaxy monster in my graveyard." Due to the traded Galaxy dragon, Subito healed himself once. "I know of its effects, champion. And I know mine. I attack!" And even though this now made the Puppet the weaker of the two cards, it attacked the Galactic sage anyway. "!?" Of course Subito had to counter-attack it. The sage fired a blast of magic from his mirror shield and destroyed Scissor Arms. "Thank you, champion." Morbis activated a card effect from his hand. "When a Gimmick Puppet is destroyed, Twilight Joker can be special summoned by banishing that monster!" A jester doll jumped down from the holes in the ceiling and he took out his scythe to cleave through Scissor Arms' spirit. Afterwards it summoned itself(8/800/1600) in defense mode.

Subito's LP: 8500 Morbis' LP: 7800

"You performed perfectly for me. Everything came together." Morbis activated the effect of the Dreary Doll in his graveyard. She banished the traded Gimmick Puppet Nightmare, so the Dreary one(8/0/0) could special summon herself and wake up from her coffin. "Xyz-summon!" Dreary Doll and Twilight Joker were overlayed. "Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings!" Their parts made up the whole of the melodic Gimmick Puppet angel(8/3000/1500). "You have seen enough of the fifteenth. This power however, you cold not have prepared for!" The puppet of strings cut through one of his own materials with his blade, and then used that weapon as an instrument to play his own bodily harp strings. "String counters are placed on all your monsters, and they will be destroyed during your endphase." Strings came down from the web and ensnared the Galaxy Mirror Sage, immobilizing him. "However, we do not need to wait for that.. I activate Argent Chaos Force! Number 80 Chaos evolves!" The chaotic power inside Morbis burst out once more like a violent volcano. The rank-up-spell consumed the angel and corrupted it into a color-inverted devil(8/3300/2000), its wings turned into bladed claws and its sword became a double-bladed bow.

"The hour is at hand, this is ChaosNumber 40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings! When it is special summoned, it destroys all monsters with string counters! And the opponent takes damage equal to the attackpoints of the strongest monster on the field!" Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings fired a bolt of lightning from its weapon, and Galaxy Mirror Sage was incinerated on the spot. Subito himself suffered no damage, as the Sage had 0 original attackpoints. "When Galaxy Mirror Sage is destroyed, I can set another level 4 or lower Galaxy monster from my deck." He could even take the Galaxy Wizard card from his deck and special summon it to his field in face-down position. "Let me hazard a guess. Your greatest force is about to be unveiled?" To Morbis it was obvious which moves Subito would make in his next turn. But this effect had gains for both sides.. "I draw one card whenever Number C40's effect destroys a monster!" Morbis added a card to his hand. "I set two cards down. Your move, champion!"

"... Subito flipped the galactic wizard(4/0/1800) face-up and doubled the Wizard's level, by activating the effect of that monster(8/0/1800). "Galaxy Knight." Then the space-faring silver knight(8/2800/2600) surfed towards the players on his space-board. As Subito controlled a Galaxy-monster, it could be normal summoned without tributes. And by offering 1000 of his attackpoints, the Knight(8/1800/2600) was allowed to special summon the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500) from the graveyard back to the field in defense position. "I Xyz-summon Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon!" The Dragon, Knight and Wizard of the Galaxy joined forces, and cast themselves into a cosmic rift. "There it is." The three-headed photonic dragon(8/4500/3000) assumed its form. Even against a Chaosnumber, its size and power made it the dominant monster on the field. "The card that you summoned, that you believed to be the cause of the fire. You have become familiar with its power." Already the Neo Dragon had negated the effects of the Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings, as the oroginal Photon Dragon had been used as its Xyz-material. Yet Morbis was still smiling.

"I know it was not the dragon, Morbis. It was a Number that caused the fire." Subito detached one material from his Xyz monster, and its effect forced Number C80 to discard all of its materials. Neo Galaxy-Eyes(5000/3000) then gained 500 attackpoints for each card that had been detached. "The Numbers have always been the cause." Subito ordered an attack against the Puppet. The triple energy blast blew the puppet up into a million pieces. "What I intended to say was this; your familiarity has bred complacence! Your ways of dueling have become boring!" Morbis flipped his trap card: Thread of Life. "!?" Number C80 had left its strings behind and they gained a will of their own. The will to tangle around the dragon and constrict it. "A string counter?" The Thread of Life trap card had placed a String Counter on the killer of the Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings. "Tch. End turn."

Morbis' LP: 6100

_Thread of Life, Continuous Trap  
__When a "Gimmick Puppet" monster you control was destroyed as a result of battle, and sent to the graveyard, place 1 "String Counter" on the monster that destroyed it.  
__Destroy this card during your standby phase. If this card is sent to the graveyard: special summon 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster from your graveyard._

"Thread of Life, bring back Number C40!"As soon as Subito surrendered his turn, the continuous trap broke down. The threads picked up every piece of the destroyed Dark Strings and put the chaos puppet back together. "Dark Strings is special summoned again, I can destroy your monster that has a String-counter attached to it!" Number C80 had a new target, Neo-Galaxy Eyes. It fired the red lightning from his bladed bow and made the galactic xyz dragon disappear in violent explosion. "I may draw a card again now! And you may give up lifepoints equal to your monster's attackpoints!" Smaller arrows of red light rained down upon Subito. "Rrghgk!" He crossed his arms to fight through the onslaught. "And now!" Morbis meanwhile wanted to move on to his battle phase.

Subito's LP: 4000

"Trap card!" Subito would not let him. "Tachyon Chaos Hole! When my Galaxy-Xyz monster is destroyed, I can destroy all your monsters as well!" The destruction of Neo Galaxy-Eyes had left a hole in space and time. "What!?" That hole sucked in the Puppet of Dark Strings with an irresistible suction force. "Any monster destroyed by this card is banished!" As the devilish puppet of strings vanished beyond the Chaos hole's event horizon, the damage to the dimensions was undone and the Chaos Gole disappeared. Morbis' Chaosnumber was locked up in another dimension. "I taught myself more than how to use Neo-Galaxy Eyes, Andre Morbis. I depend on more than my own strength now." Because of his father, his deck could always be updated with the latest support.

"As is apparent." The agent had to admit that that new trap had taken him by surprise. "..Trade In." All he could do was discard another Gimmick Puppet from his hand, to draw another two cards. But he ended his turn without summoning anything. Either he had nothing he could summon, or he was luring Subito into a trap. Either way Subito would stay on his guard. "Tachyon Chaos Hole has another effect. During my draw phase I can choose not to draw, and banish the Tachyon trap from my graveyard." The chaotic rift opened one final time, leading into the cemetery. "And I may special summon a Galaxy Xyz-monster!" Cosmic radiance escaped from the hole. "What!?" Before it collapsed forever, it released Neo-Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon(8/4500/3000) to the mortal universe. "Direct attack!" Not more than a second later, Morbis was bombarded with flares from all three of the dragons heads. "Graaaah!"

Morbis' LP: 1600

"Ghh..Gheheh!" Morbis was knocked off his feet by the attack, but the web of threads caught him and softened his fall. "This too was part of the act!" And he immediately activated an effect from his graveyard. "I took direct damage. Gimmick Puppet Shadow Feeler shall summon itself in such an event!" The puppet he had discarded with the second Trade In spell, was put back on the field. It(8/1000/1000) was a pair of conjoined blue dummies, who were fused at the neck by a third featureless torso. "I take 1000 points of damage when I summon this card, but that is a minor cost!" The threads siphoned some of the agents lifeforce away_. "Anther level 8 card. He can summon Number 15 on his next turn, if he revives Dreary Doll again. I wont survive that.."_ Luckily Subito's turn was not through yet. "Equip spell card: Galaxy Barrier! I equip this card to my Photon dragon, and prevent it from being destroyed by the next effect!" A hexagonal grid of energy spread around the dragon to shield it. "I place a monster down and end my turn."

Morbis' LP: 600

_Galaxy Barrier, Equip Spell  
__Equip only to a "Photon" or "Galaxy" monster you control. If the equipped monster would be destroyed by a card effect; negate that effect.  
__Then destroy this card and 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that has the highest ATK. (If it's a tie, you get to choose.)_

"You red the flow of our story well." Morbis had indeed planned to Xyz-summon Gimmick Puppet - Giant Grinder. Though he had expected Subito to have an answer ro it. "I knew I would not be able to finish you on this turn. Your finale can not be so mundane." Morbis drew his card and activated it. "Spell card: Puppet Ritual! When my lifepoints are lower than yours by a margin of 2000 or more, two Gimmick Puppets will be returned to my field!" A set of bone-crafted doll coffin appeared from a sea of smoke, and from those coffins the Puppets; Dreary Doll and Twilight Joker emerged. _"Number 88."_ There were three level 8 monsters now; Subito knew very well what those would be overlayed for. _"When a highranking monster is summoned, Argent Chaos Force can return to a players hand."_ He had dealt with that chaos spell before. "I xyz-summon Number 88: Gimmick Puppet of Leo!" So when Morbis triumphantly brought out the lion puppet king(8/3300/2300) it came as no surprise to Subito that his opponent put that Rank-Up spell card back into his hand.

"I detach one material from Gimmick Puppet of Leo to activate its effect!" Morbis' plan required the loss of as many materials as possible, so he wasted on to create a Destiny-counter on Number 88. It was a waste, since he would not use that card's effect anyway. "Argent Chaos Force! Summon Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo!" Now he could use the spell card, he ranked up the Puppet of Leo and attached it to his evolved form; the golden lion(9/3500/2500) on the explosive sphere. "And detach one of your materials as well!" Number C88 used up another attachment to inflict 1000 points of damage to Subito. Two materials remained.

Subito's LP: 3000

"Why do you say, you knew I wouldn't lose on this turn?" Words like those made Subito wonder when Morbis did expect to win. "Do you know about the powers of my Numbers? One allows me to measure the level of power a Number has, the other allows me to see what that power is. Both made me the greatest agent for a time. But we are not talking about that misfortune yet.." Morbis placed a spell card down. "I have a third Number now, and I can even draw out its abilities. Now that is has evolved into its chaos form; this ability has become absolute in its accuracy." Morbis ended his turn. "It tells me when something ends. It told me when that girl would leave the stage, and it has told me when you are going to die." He raised two fingers. "Tow turns, that is all you have. Yours, and mine. And there is no escape from this fate; champion."

"Disaster Leo is always right."

...

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Shin and Azar had been circling around the tunnel system. "Using the D-pad monitor is the best way to follow them." Azar's pad could tell where the agents were. Though as he did not have a map of this place, it remained to be seen if they could get to them. He also noticed that he could only pick up two signals that were ahead. _"Necara..did not bring her D-pad with her.."_ Azar guessed they were not needed for the other world, yet he could not help but worry that she had left it behind for other reasons. He would not forget Darcy's warning. "Well I hope.. nhh..uh oh." Shin had to stop running, as a familiar sensation returned. "Shin?" Azar saw him reach for his head and close his eyes. "Sec." Shin acted like he had a headache, one that lasted briefly. "Sorry. That..I don't know what it exactly is. This Number I have keeps giving me signs of things that haven't happened yet."

"Something bad is going to happen to someone I know.."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)55: Shadow behind the Throne)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Galaxy Mirror Sage

_-  
Galaxy Barrier_

-  
Tachyon Chaos Hole

**New Cards used by Agent "M" Morbis  
**Gimmick Puppet - Twilight Joker  
Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings  
Gimmick Puppet - Shadow Feeler

_-  
A Cowards Rewards  
_Puppet Ritual  
_Thread of Life_


	57. Cipher (1)55: Shadow behind the Throne

**Cipher (****1)55: Shadow behind the Throne**

"You made it." Ariel was there to greet the raider as he warped back to the manor with Xander, Ruby an an unconscious Theo. "Yeah I thought he would never show up." Ruby was not in the best mood, they had been waiting for more than an hour. "My powers needed time to recuperate. But I promised Azar to pick you up, the Raider always lives up to his word." He stated rather boastfully. "At least you also 'recuperated'got the bragging part of you." Ruby did not exactly like Thomas' behavior before he became this entity, but she preferred it a great deal over 'the Raiders' monotony. "And he is..." Ariel in turn noted Theo's condition. "The chaos essence inside his body should cancel out the Number. Just like with the others. But Cains influence..."

"Ruby. Can I have those?" The Raiders interest suddenly turned to the two cards Ruby was holding. "Huh? Yes? Why?" She handed him the Numbers 2 and 75. "I will explain as soon as I find out, if my assumption is the right one."

...

Subito's LP: 3000 Morbis' LP: 600

One turn. In Morbis' words, that was all he had left. "My turn." Subito had to destroy Number C88: Gimmick Puppet Disaster Leo(8/3500/2500) before it could activate its final effect, before it could deplete its own materials. "Neo Galaxy-Eyes, attack!" His three-eyed dragon(8/4500/3000) was stronger, and one attack should have been able to finish it off along with its master. "Did you really believe it can be so simple?" Except, of course, Morbis was not defenseless. "Enemy Controller!" He flipped his face-down quickplay spell card, and plugged a controller in the body of the Neo Photon Dragon. Subito's attacker was forced into defense position. "Your destiny can not be averted. Everything has already been set in stone!"

"..Orbital 7." Subito had one card left, he flip summoned his face-down monster, a small futuristic droid(4/500/2000). "By sacrificing this card; any previously used Photon or Galaxy card can return to my hand." There were four choices, and Subito went with the second; Galaxy Wizard. Because he had not normal summoned yet this turn, he could place the Mage(4/0/1800) on his field. "By sacrificing this card; I can take any Galaxy card from my deck." This effect had many more options. "Choose all you like, champion. All roads lead to your defeat." None of those options seemed to matter to the enemy. "..I choose this card; Galaxy Storm." Subito claimed a quickplay spell card, and he placed it down alongside another trap card.

Morbis drew his card. "I do not need this." He left it alone and instead took the two other cards from his hand. "I normal summon Gimmick Puppet - Humpty Dumpty!" One of his cards was the gentleman doll(4/0/100) with the head of a red egg, named after the famed literary character. "This Puppet can special summon another Puppet from my hand!" The second was the other egg-themed puppet; Gimmick Puppet Egghead(4/1600/1200). "Now, I summon Gimmick Puppet Matrocide, by using them as the materials!" The two eggs crashed together, and were attached inside a new hollow wood puppet; a russian Matryoshka doll(4/400/2400). "Matrocide allows my Puppets to activate their effects again, after they used it the first time!" Disaster Leo had two Xyz materials left, and now both could be detached. "I promised you your ignoble defeat this turn, champion. Here it is." The golden lion absorbed its last two materials and hit Subito twice with bolts of golden fire. "Tch." Disaster Leo had no materials left, and Subito had less than 2000 lifepoints. If the turn ended now, the game would end.

Subito's LP: 1000

_Gimmick Puppet - Matrocide, 4/400/2400 Dark/Machine/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters.  
__'Gimmick Puppet' monsters that have activated their effects once this turn, can activate that effect once more.  
__Once per turn, during either players turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material from this card; destroy 1 trap or spell card on the field._

Subito could not let it reach the endphase. And he wouldn't. "Spell card: Galaxy Storm!" A cyclone began to stir, one that could destroy any Xyz monster that no longer held Xyz materials. "Ah yes, Galaxy Storm was your final word? Such a regrettable choice!" Andre started to laugh, louder and louder. "If only you had known, Chaosnumber 88 can not be targeted by card effects! Heheheh-Hahaha!" The galactic whirlwind was frozen in place, it could not get near the Chaos Puppet.

"Andre, I already knew Disaster Leo could not be targeted. I am not using it on your card, but on mine!" Subito made the storm turn around, driving it towards Neo Galaxy-Eyes Dragon. "What!?" Galaxy Storm was deflected by a grid of stars. "Neo Galaxy-Eyes still is equipped with Galaxy Barrier! I can send the Barrier to the graveyard to negate the destruction of my Galaxy monster!" The Barrier exploded and the stars flew across the field. "And I automatically destroy the strongest monster you control without targeting it. That card is Chaosnumber 88!" The stars pierced through Disaster Leo, shattering the golden puppet. "NO!" The lion fell to pieces and the sphere's energy turned on itself and made the remains burn away. "How could this happen? I was destined to triumph in this turn! Disaster Leo foretold I..!?" Andre's eyes widened. "it?" He had tapped into his numbers power again, only to discover that Number 88 had gone silent.

"Your power tells the future, Andre. But my Number has the power to stop time." Subito revealed his card; Number 107. "I used this power on your Number the second you told me what it was. I froze its perception of time. It could not make another its prediction, even if my actions changed the future." Subito assumed he had altered the future when he decided to use Galaxy Storm instead of his original choice. Or perhaps, Andre had allowed it to happen, by warning Subito of how much time he had left. "You fooled me. Your Number fooled me." Andre shook his head and sighed. "But this is not the end. Not for me. You have merely prolonged the final act!" Andre activated a quickplay spell card. "I will add a new development: I activate Imperial XYZ Change! When a rank 8 or higher monster is destroyed, I can special summon an Xyz monster of the same rank from my extra deck and attach the destroyed Xyz monster to the new card!" The scattered wisps of chaos energy changed color, decaying into a thick dark smog. "I special summon Number 95: Dark Matter Dragon!"

_Imperial XYZ Change, Quickplay Spell  
__Activate when a Rank 8 or higher Xyz Monster is destroyed. Special Summon from your extra deck, 1 Xyz monster with the same attribute, and rank as that monster, but with a different name.  
__And if you do, attach the destroyed Xyz monster to the summoned monster, instead of sending it to the graveyard. Damage to your opponent cannot be inflicted for the rest of the turn._

"Number 95!? You had a fourth Number!?" The smog converged on the spot, remolding itself to take the shape of a winged dragon(9/0/0). This was not an ordinary Number. Any card in the 90s was a product of catalysis, like Dark Mist and Heart eartH Dragon. But there was more to it than power.. "I wanted to spare you the trauma, champion. But you dug it up yourself. This is Dark Matter Dragon, or rather a copy of the original. It gains the attackpoints of its materials." The spirit of Disaster Leo was trapped inside the darkness, its roars echoed within the dragon(3500/0). "I use it to attack you!" Dark Matter Dragon spread its wings and flew towards Neo Galaxy Eyes. As it was in defense mode, it could not fight back. "Trap card: Overlay Award!" Subito attempted to stop its assault with a trap. "It attaches itself to your monster and prevents it from taking any action this turn." The trap shot towards the smoke.

_Number (83800)95: Dark Matter Dragon, 9/0/0 Dark/Dragon/Xyz  
__2 Level 9 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of the Xyz Materials attached to it.  
__If this card battles an opponents monster, after damage calculation: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; this card can make a second attack in a row.  
__Once per turn you can banish 1 monster card from each players deck. When this card battles an opponent's monster: You can banish both the opponent's monster and this card._

"Not this time!" Andre detached one material from his other Xyz monster. "Matrocide can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, once per turn!" Egghead appeared from the insides of the hollow puppet, and exploded as it intercepted Overlay Award. A trap that was destroyed could not attach itself to another card. "If not your end, at the very least this is the end of your ultimate dragon!" Dark Matter Dragon covered Neo-Galaxy Eyes with its entire body, and crushed it with its cosmic pressure. "Ngh!" Subito felt the same choking pain inside his chest, as if he had swallowed ash and flame. This sensation was not new to him. "Is it starting to sink in yet? You have seen this card before, havent you?"

"!?... Imperial XYZ Change!" Subito activated his own set quickplay spell card. "You destroyed the rank 8 Neo-Galaxy Eyes, I can special summon the rank 8 Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon from my extra deck!" Subito transformed Number 95's victim into an Xyz material, and attached it to his Overhundred Number; the Black tachyon dragon(8/3000/2500). "Oh? You had one of those spells too? The eight rank must truly be the rank of champions!" Morbis moved to his second main phase. Dark Matter Dragon could declare a second attack by detaching its materials, but then it would lose the attackpoints of Disaster Leo. So Morbis decided against it. But there was one other effect he could invoke. "Dark Matter Dragon can banish one monster from either players deck! I shall rob you of your champions prize!" The smog seeped into both players decks. "I banish my Gimmick Puppet Nightmare, and your Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Two cards were dragged out of the D-pad and burned to the blackest of ashes.

"Andre. That Number. When was it created?" Morbius was right, Subito could not shake this feeling of dread that screamed at his mind. He _had _seen this card before. "Yes. The past has caught up with you. This Number may not be the original, but some of its history is buried in its consciousness. Do you want to know what it knows?" Morbis placed a trap card down and ended his turn. And then he continued his story. "This Number was catalyzed, it was the first of its kind.. and also the first to reveal itself in a duel. The agency had been tracking Number owners for a while, and they tracked one particular individual to an arena.. to the place where the league held its finals two years ago. The agency allowed him to reach you, because they wanted to witness your potential as an agent and your use of the Photon deck. Do you remember your final opponent, Subito?" Andre asked with a curious yet cruel smile.

"..No." Subito remembered everything else; the duel, him summoning Neo-Galaxy Eyes for the first time, and his opponent summoning a monster that set off the holographic grid and started the fire. Ruby had told him before that the agency had somehow made it all happen, and he remembered that too. Yet the face of his opponent was lost to him. "Neither do we. He was an unknown, his records were falsified. But we do know one thing.. This." Morbis pointed at Dark Matter Dragon. "..was the Number he summoned."

"That was the card?!" He had known it all along. "Number 107!" It had to die! "By detaching a material, I negate all monster effects at the start of my battle phase!" He could reduce the cards attackpoints to zero by negating its xyz-material absorbinng power. "Ah, to savor your fear made real. I am glad that you survived beyond your death sentence after all!" Morbis would not let his monster go so easily. "Trap card: Overlay Hunt! I negate your Xyz monsters effect and take the material it detached. It will be attached to my Xyz monster!" Tachyon Dragon lost the attached Neo Photon Dragon/ Dark Matter Dragon devoured the three-headed Galaxy-Eyes and absorbed it within the darkness of its own body(8000/0). "Damn it." Subito could no longer kill Number 95, he had to settle for Gimmick Puppet Matrocide. Tachyon Dragon destroyed the Russian doll. "I set a trap card and end my turn."

_Overlay Hunt, Normal Trap  
__When an effect of your opponent's Xyz Monster is activated by detaching its own Xyz Material(s), while you control a face-up Xyz monster with a higher Rank: negate that effect.  
__Then, target all cards in your opponents graveyard that were detached for the activation of that effect, and attach them to your Xyz monster as Xyz Materials._

"Before you lose everything, I will tell you why I despise you." Morbis drew his card ". The photon deck, the agency should have given it to me. They would have, had you failed their test. Yet you escaped both outcomes of the duel, and you were allowed to keep that deck. In many ways, champion, this duel will give us the conclusion we always deserved." Morbis drew his card. "This is not just about that. I was supposed to be the champion, I was supposed to be the King of Games. But because you left the league, I never got a chance to prove my superiority! That time has come now! My victory is not complete as long as you have even one of those prized dragons in your deck! They will be mine!" Andre used Dark Matter Dragon again to banish two cards from either deck; Gimmick Puppet Dollface from his and Subito's third and final Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.

"What?!" Except there was no such card in the deck, not anymore. "You only have two?" Andre knew that Subito's father had printed two more Galaxy-Eyes Dragons, so why did Subito not have all three in his deck? "Not to limit my own power, that you can be assured of." Subito had not discarded that card, he had given it away. "Then Dark Matter Dragon has destroyed everything it was created to destroy. This Number was born because you were too strong for your opponent. But you are not stronger than me! Photon Dragon is gone, now Tachyon Dragon will falll!" Morbis entered the battle phase. "Even as the world is ending, you only care about your revenge?" Subito had no idea any human could have gone this mad. Morbis was not even influenced by his Numbers. This insanity was his own. "I was the best agent, I am the best agent; Not Ann, Not Korose, ME!" Dark Matter Dragon spread out like a black storm cloud. "Now, I claim my future by destroying yours!"

...

"I found you." The Raider opened his eyes. "You are the fourth; Trent Douglas." Out of the dozens of files on his D-pad, he selected the one with that name. He had found the identity of the fourth catalyst. "You did it? How?" Ruby was still not sure why he needed Cains Numbers for this. "Every Number has a history. These cards are the original, their memories are the strongest here. If any Number can tell me about the catalysts, it would be one of theirs." And the cards could not resist his mental probing while they lacked a human host. "I peered into the past, reflecting on the Numbers which they had before they lost all of their humanity. That seems to stir Cains memories." In Iscariot's case that was Number 44: Scylla the Famine. "Every face I see, I compare to Kapha's data of missing people." He showed Ruby and everyone else in the room the picture. The man looked like a normal but somewhat overweight caucasian adult. "Trent Douglas disappeared on the road near the dimensional weak point and was never seen again. His appearance matches what I saw."

"And what about the others?" Ariel asked. Two catalysts still needed to be identified. She had already seen Pandora's face and heard her name. "A moment." The Raider closed his eyes returned to his mindscape. Another character appeared, that of a nurse; short and fiercely redhaired. "Tara Shaw." This was another person Kapha had in his files. "You are the Third; Lilith." Tara Shaw was a young girl who vanished one night working a late shift at a hospital. The Nurse had gotten rather good at her job before her disappearance. And the hospital was not far off from where Agency HQ was.

"Ugh." The First, however, was difficult to probe. The Raiders mind burned each time he attempted to put together a complete image. "Has Lucifer even found a human to bond with yet?" Last time Xander had seen the catalyst, it still lacked a head. "Perhaps. But we know he guided a number to someone; Numbers 70 and 43 are still missing, only one of those belongs to Lilith. And Azar told me that there has to be an original Number; the first card to find a human. Lucifer could have guided it to someone who he would take as a host in the future. He just has not gotten to that point yet." As long as Lucifer was not bound, it could change its form and power as often as it liked. "But I am close. I can feel it. I am not going to let it go." He dove into the past one final time, through the fire. He could hear sirens, he could smell smoke. He could see.. himself? _"What?"_ He saw the Masked Raider, he saw Thomas. He was in his own past?

No. Something had disrupted him. "Uhm!." And Natasha could tell what that was, just by looking out the window. "We have a problem!" Everyone rushed to the window and looked up at the sky. It was burning.

"Lucifer!?" In that fire, was the devil. It had come, come for him. "Get out!" The Raider pushed everyone away. "..in my head." He could feel the First pushing, forcing its way into his mind and into the Fifth's very being. "You have to fight it! You are not the Fifth! You are Thomas!" Ariel shouted his name, it was the only thing she knew that could strengthen the human inside a catalyst. "Just get away. I..I .." The raider did not know if he could last. He was a danger to everyone around him. "I refuse! I shall not.." But he did not want to harm anyone here. It went against everything he stood for! "Lucifer!" There was only one evildoer here!

The Raider disappeared from the house. "There!" And he re-appeared in front of the First, splitting the burning sky. "Lucifer! I am not yours! I am the Raider.. and I am Thomas!" Thomas posed and drew his cards towards him. "And I challenge you to a duel!" He pointed his finger dramatically towards his opponent. He would not lose himself to this entity, not without a fight. "..." The First had not changed either, it was still the demonic winged angel who wore a mask and crown on a headless torso. Without another catalyst to interpret for it, it could not be communicated with. Although Thomas knew very well that Lucifer could understand him, and he knew what it wanted...

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)56: First Come, First Served)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Orbital 7

_-  
Imperial XYZ Change_

**New Cards used by Agent "M" Morbis  
**Gimmick Puppet - Humpty Dumpty  
_Gimmick Puppet - Matrocide  
__Number 95: Dark Matter Dragon (+)_

_-  
Imperial XYZ Change_

_(+ Slightly Based on the monster used by Kaito in the Yugioh Zexal manga)_


	58. Cipher (1)56: First Come, First Served

**Cipher (****1)56: First Come, First Served**

Subito's LP: 1000 Morbis' LP: 600

This is how your reighn ends, champion; in darkness! The light you basked in is now all mine!" A content Morbis watched as his Dark Matter Dragon(9/8000/0) poured shadow after shadow at Subito's Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(8/3000/2500). The agent could not even see his enemy anymore. "That was your reason?" Yet, to his anger, a beam of light pierced through the darkness. "You live!?" Number 95 was forced back by the light of Number 107; the galactic dragon(11000/2500) had somehow conquered the darkness and become stronger! "Lumenize!?" Morbis saw the trap that Subito had activated, a trap that negated his attack and absorbed his monsters attackpoints. "For someone who abandoned their title, you do not seem to want to admit inferiority!" Once again Morbis could not declare a second attack, not against this dragon.

"My turn." Subito said as soon as Andre placed a card down in his spell/trap zone. "I draw." Subito took his next card and checked it. _"It came to this.." _He glanced at Morbis. His opponent was confident, either his trap could protect his monster, or Number 95 still had more powers left to reveal. _"Chaos. I will put my faith in you." _He took a deep breath. "I.. activate Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force!" The cosmic light of the tachyon dragon turned as a red as the sun. "Chaos Force! You!?" Morbis drew back as the Number unleashed its new evolving energy. The web of strings around them was burned to a crisp. "Chaosnumber 107: Neo Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!" The shadows could not stand up to the radiance of the three-headed golden dragon(9/4500/3000). Dark Matter Dragon(3500/0) even lost some of its power, as Chaos Force had stolen one of its materials. The attached Neo-Photon Dragon was attached to the Neo-Tachyon Dragon. "I activate the effect of Chaosnumber 107! It can negate the effects of all cards on the field besides itself, and no further effects can be activated on my opponents field!" Subito would freeze time itself to stop whatever Andre's plan was.

"Not if it can not activate its own effect!" The agent had one final trap to defend his monster. "Light Imprisoning Mirror, the effects of all light-type monsters will be negated!" A mirror appeared and drained the time-inverting light away from Number C107. "You desperately seek the light, Andre Morbis. It is true that we differ here; I never asked for this power. But now I can not relinquish it. Because there are those I have to protect. Who do you protect?" Subito did not care that his effect was stopped, he ordered Neo Tachyon Dragon to attack Dark Matter Dragon. "I do not need to protect anyone! My destiny is my own, everyone else falls below that!" Morbis shouted, and his Number exploded into every direction. This was not just destruction. "Number 95 can banish itself and its attacker during the battle phase!" All dark matter imploded and created a massive black hole. "Disappear, along with everything you want to protect, champion!" The hole threatened to suck up everything, Subito, his Chaosnumber, and even..

_"Darcy!?"_

She was still unconscious, lying against the walls. She could not get away from this! "This Number will not harm anyone ever again! I activate the trap card: Spiritual Light Art - Hijiri!" Neo Tachyon Dragon vanished in a flash of light. "Huh!?" And the black hole sealed itself, sending only Number 95 to the other dimension. "I tribute 1 Light monster to special summon one of my banished monsters!" The light flashed again, and delivered the Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon(8/3000/2500), the one that Morbis himself had banished from the deck, back to the field. "No." They were still in the battle phase. "... Direct attack!" Galaxy-Eyes opened its mouth and fired its photon stream of destruction. Morbis had nowhere to hide. "Graaaaaahhh!"

Morbis' LP: 0

Andre hit the wall and slumped down. In his last few moments of consciousness, all the questions in Andre's mind passed him by. "Why.. did destiny abandon me. Why does it always.." He could not conceive of an answer to any of them. "My.." He raised his hand towards the dragon that had defeated him, the hologram that faded along with the rest of his surroundings. "Andre. You should not have been alone your whole life." Subito was all he could hear and see now. "Non..sense." Andre had no strength left to argue, yet even now he could not accept his words. "You can not do everything alone, no matter how much time and power you have. You can not involve everyone, unless you trust them as well."Subito could have turned out like Morbis, had the stadium fire not shaken his mind and made him focus on what was really important to him. And even then Subito had to teach himself to let others help him. Had it not been for Azar, Darcy, and even his own Number, he would be the one with his back against the wall. "Now Andre. Please try to stay awake. I need you to answer my question."

"Which catalyst was it? Who was the one that created Dark Matter Dragon?"

...

Thomas' LP: 8000 Lucifers LP: 8000

The duel was set. With a single thought, Lucifer tore large chunks of the road and pavement up from the earth and placed them in the fire. It carved and forged a deck and claimed the first turn. It normal summoned a transparent longhaired wraith(3/100/1600), which looked more alien than human. Then it tilted two card slabs downwards and ended its turn._ "That monster is Envy Starburster." _The stats and effects of Lucifers monsters were cut into the stone as well. Thoimas was given the chance to see what he was up against.

_Envy Starburster, 3/1100/1600 Water/Fiend  
__When an opponents monster is special summoned, you can target that monster; this card increases its level by the level of the targeted monster (-1) and the targeted monsters level is decreased to 1.  
__Once per turn, during your main phase 1, you can special 1 or more summon monsters from your hand whose combined Level is equal to or lower than his cards Level. Then reduce this card's level to 1._

"I take my turn!" This was the mightiest foe he could ever dream of facing, Thomas knew to go all out. "Sirocco, Gale, Bora!" As he controlled no monsters, while his opponent did, Thomas could normal summon the Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(5/2000/900). And once he controlled a Blackwing monster, he could special summon the Blackwings Gale the Whirlwind(3/1300/400) and Bora the Spear(4/1700/800). "Your monster shall lose half its power!" Thomas had Gale blow half of Envy(550/1600)'s attackpoints away with a gust of wind. "With two of them I perform a synchro summon!" Gale the tuner monster synchronized itself with Sirocco, so that a level 8 synchro monster could be made with them as the materials. "Blackfeather Darkrage Dragon!" This was his creation; a long and dark serpentine dragon(8/2800/1600) with pincer-like spikes on its body and majestic red feathered wings. "Strike him and his Envious Starburster now!" Darkrage let out its shrieks of battle and flew towards the other side of the field. "...what is happening?" Except the distance between his monster and the Starburster grew immense during the assault. "Dark Star Paradise?" Lucifer had revealed a continuous trap card.

_Dark Star Paradise, Continuous Trap  
__Monsters with the same level can not do battle with each other.  
__When a monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls, the monster with the higher Level is not destroyed by that battle and no battle damage is inflicted._

"Lower levels!? Oh!" Thomas saw what had happened to his Blackwings and why they could not attack. The levels of Bora(1/1700/800) and Blackfeather Darkrage Dragon(1/2800/1600) had been stolen. Their level stars now floated around inside the body Envy Starburster(13/550/1600), who had taken them when they were summoned. "You say I can not reach a monster with a level that high." It was as if 12 star systems had been put between him and his foe. It was a gap that could not be crossed._ "He did not take Gale's level? He allowed me to synchro summon. No.." _Thomas placed one card face-down._ "He required it." _Indeed, as soon as Lucifers turn began, he activated the other effect of Envy Starburster. She special summoned monsters whose combined level stars equaled her own and then consumed all but one of her(1/1100/1600) level stars. Lucifer put two monsters in the air, a bone-white skull-chested space demon(7/2100/2100) and a lava-red meteor devil of fire(6/1600/1600). "Greed Quasar and Wrath Blazar."

_Wrath Blazar, 6/1600/1600 Fire/Fiend  
__When a monster on the field declares an attack; increase this card's level by 1.  
__Once per turn you can target 2 face-up monsters; inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference in Levels between those targets × 200._

Without hesitation, Lucifer declared his attack. Greed Quasar stretched out its arms across the expanse, and grabbed Bora the Spear with its claws. "Gah! How revolting!" Thomas got to watch as the fiend of Greed tossed the Blackwing into its second mouth and chewed it up to pieces. Besides the battle damage, this exacerbated the situation in other ways. _"The levels of Greed Quasar go up by the original levels of its prey. Greed Quasar's stats are determined by its level too."_ Greed gained 300 attack and defense points for each of its level stars, meaning it(11/3300/3300) was now stronger than Darkrage Dragon. Of course Blazar had an effect too. "Curse it." The meteoric fiend(7/1600/1600) compared Greed Quasars level to Blackfeather Dragons level; there were ten stars between them. "..." Wrath Blazar created ten blazing comets and Lucifer forced them to rain down on the Raider, and the city below. "No!" His friends, people in their homes, they could be harmed as well if they were to hit this effect! "Gah!"

Thomas' LP: 5600

"Darkrage dragon can send the top 5 cards from my deck to the graveyard, when I take effect damage!" Thomas took the damage, but he made his dragon take the hits as well. "And he gains 400 attackpoints!" The dragon defended the houses beneath him and after the cards were discarded, his effect gave it(3200/1600) more power. "Do you not care about the destruction you wreak, Lucifer? People could have died from that!" Lucifer of course had no response. It ended its turn after switching Envy to defense mode.

"You truly are a demon." Thomas reached for his stomach, it ached all over. _"This used to be so much easier when I did not have anyone to protect..when I could just duel evil on my own." _He could only endure such a brutal hit because his body was no longer human. It made him wish he was. "_Yet this evil before me, affects us all. I must fight it. Or else I will become just like him.. Everyone will!" _Such a world could not exist._ "_My turn! I set a spell card!" Thomas went for his graveyard and took one card out. "I discarded Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite! That card can be special summoned if I return one card on my field to my hand!" He returned the spell he had set, and the Elite bird-warrior(4/1600/1000) of blue feathers flew out of the grave. "But I have to take 400 points of damage when I do so." The appearance of Zephyros caused a small shockwave that expanded outwards and pushed Thomas backwards a bit.

Thomas' LP: 5200

Because of this damage, Blackfeather Darkrage Dragon(3600/1600) discarded another 5 cards from the deck and gained another 400 attackpoints. "I also summon Blackwing - Hurricane the Tornado." A rather muscular black bird(0/0) with a crown of red feathers joined his brethren in the sky. "Hurricane may start out weak, but he can copy the attackpoints of a Synchro Monster on the field!" Hurricane flexed its wings and pumped up its muscles. It(3600/0) grew to the size of the Blackfeathered dragon. "You will not escape me this time, Lucifer!" Thomas was well aware of the fact that Zephyros(1/1600/1000) had been level drained by Envy Starburster(7/1100/1600). None of his lowleveled monsters could fly very far in the starless void. "Mystical Space Typhoon!" Unless he got rid of that void. "I destroy Dark Star Paradise." His quickplay cyclone shattered the continuous trap, and suddenly the cosmic fiends were a lot closer. "Now, my attack!" Hurricane the Tornado led the assault, and he punched through Wrath Blazar with his wingfist. The meteoric devil was smashed to pieces

Lucifers LP: 6000

"So you can take damage after all" Darkrage Dragon then fired a blast of fire from its beak, which exploded in Quasars chest. "..." But this time, there was no cause for cheering. "Darkrage!?" As a claw came from the cloud of smoke and pierced the dragons body. "He lost.. to Greed Quasar?" The Greedy demon(15/4500/4500) had gained five levels before the attack hit him, because Lucifer had activated a trap: Class Change. That was how it could deflect the attack and feast on his attacker. "Urgh." The synchro dragon was turned into another bloody meal and its stars were devoured by Greed Quasar(23/6900/6900).

Thomas' LP: 4300

_Class Change, Normal Trap  
__Target 1 face-up monster on the field; Increase that target's Level or Rank by 5._

"Worry not for you loss, Blackfeather. It was not in vain!" Thomas flipped his trap card. "I activate Black Wing Revenge! When a winged beast is destroyed, I can summon two Blackwing Black Crest tokens!" A pair of eggs appeared and cracked wide open, giving life to two small black birds(2/0/800) in defense mode. "I also activate the effect of Steam the Cloak in my graveyard; tributing a monster to revive it!" Hurricane the Tornado was the chosen sacrifice, because it would lose its attackpoint boost during the endphase. The muscular Blackwing dove into the cloud of steam, and a tiny mask-wearing bird assassin(3/800/1200) took his place. It too was summoned in defense mode. Once again however, Envy Starburster stole the levels of a special summoned monster. Steam(1/800/1200) gave two of its stars to the envious wraith(6/1100/1600). "End turn." When Lucifers turn began, he made use of those stars. Starburster consumed five to special summon the flesh and bone alien, Gluttony Pulsar(5/2600/600), in defense mode. Pulsar used its effect and struck the seven other monsters on the field with its feelers. It added levels to itself(11/2600/600) for each target.

_Gluttony Pulsar, 5/2600/600 Dark/Fiend  
__Increase this card's level by 1 for every other monster card on the field.  
__Once per turn you can reveal cards from the top of your opponents Deck until you reveal a monster with the same level as this card.  
__Send that monster card to the graveyard and shuffle all other revealed cards back into your opponents deck._

"Now or never! Maxx C!" Thomas activated the effect of the last card in his hand, by discarding it. "I can draw a card for each monster that is special summoned this turn!" So far he got to draw once. "..." Yet there seemed to nothing to stop Greed Quasar now. The avaricious demon extended its clawed limbs, and targeted Zephyros this time. "I think not, Lucifer!" Only now, as a Blackwing was attacked, Thomas could activate the card he had drawn. "I control three blackwings, so I may use this from my hand! I activate Black Sonic!" Multiple lightning bolts rained down from the skies. "Every attack position monster you control, is banished!" The bolts flew everywhere and hit Greed Quasar dead on. The demon was reduced to cinders by one strike.

"Yeah! Thats how you do it!" Ruby was glad to see Thomas finally make a comeback. She and the Serins had gone outside to get a better look at the duel. "He may have a chance after all?" Ariel was hopeful enough to suggest that out loud. "Maybe. But we shouldn't forget.. Lucifer has not even summoned his Number yet." Dakar wanted to be optimistic, but Lucifer would never let this end without summoning its number first.

_..._

"There you are!" It may have taken longer than they had thought, but Shin and Azar reached Korose and Rita's location. However Shin was not happy to see only two of three agents. "What happened? Where is Necara? Why did you stay here?" It seemed Darcy's fears had been justified, Necara had left the agents. "We do not know where she went. If you did not come across her, she could be anywhere. I..I could not keep my promise." Korose had sworn to Kincaid to never leave her, and yet now she could be anywhere. "Stop blaming yourself. It does not count if she left you!" Rita had heard enough moping for one day. "If we had gone after her, we would have gotten lost instead. I'd rather not forget where this place was." She pointed at the locked door behind her. "Of course our Kapha made sure we can not even make progress." They had tried everything and the lock would not budge.

"We need to go beyond there?" Now it was Azars turn. "Then we shall. We have come too far to stop now." He placed his hand against the lock and sent a surge of electricity through it to overload it, courtesy of the Numbers 34 and doors security shut down. Korose did not miss a beat and pried it open with his bare hands. "Lets go." Azar went ahead, with the others following in his footsteps. 'Do you know where you are going?" Rita did not know if Azar would make a better guide than Necara. "Of course he does!" Shin answered for him. Azar did not need to explain anything anyway. The hallway was straightforward at this point. There was nothing to their left and right but windows with machinery on the other end.

"There!" Another door waited for them at the end. This one Azar and Korose pried open as well. "!? It's." After that there was only a large chamber, which seemed to be two stories high. A control room sat on the second floor, and a large reactor was at the center. Smaller machines around it seemed to act as either stabilizers or power units. "Is this the gate?" Their destination had to lie inside that reactor.

"Not quite." There was another man in the room. From his chair at the control room, Kapha welcomed them.

"Kapha.. We are here for the portal. Where is it?" That man had all the answers, and Korose was not going to ask him gently. He had toyed with them for far too long. "Your concerns are unseemly and unndeeded, Agent K. The portal is there, inside that 'device'." Kapha turned on the lights in the back of the chamber. Their attention was not directed to the massive generator in the center, but to a section of the floor behind it and between forcefield generators. "That is where the breach was made by our technology." Shin and Azar walked up to the forcefield. There they saw a small light suspended in mid-air, powered by seemingly nothing. "You are draining its power. This is the place where you started siphoning energy from their world." Azar realized that these generators were not stabilizing the portal, they were weakening it. The larger generator was there to store it. "You have an excellent sense for detail, Azar Helder. You are quite correct."

"Unfortunately, this is as far as you may go.."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)57: Reliving Ones Death)

**New Cards used by Subito Artega  
**Rank-Up-Magic: Chaos Force

-  
Spiritual Light Art - Hijiri

**New Cards used by Andre Morbis  
**Light-Imprisoning Mirror

**New Cards used by The Raider/Fifth  
**BlackFeather Darkrage Dragon  
Blackwing - Zephyros the Elite  
Blackwing - Hurricane the Tornado  
Blackwing - Steam the Cloak

-  
Mystical Space Typhoon

-  
Black Revenge  
Black Sonic

**New Cards used by Lucifer  
**_Envy Starburster  
_Greed Quasar  
_Wrath Blazar_

_-  
Class Change (+)  
__Dark Star Paradise_

_(+ Based on the Trap used by Carly in Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds)_


	59. Cipher (1)57: Reliving Ones Death

**Cipher (****1)57: Reliving Ones Death**

They were inches away from the portal to the other world. And here Kapha obstructed them one final time. "As far as we go? Yeah right! Whats to stop us from dropping those shields?" But Shin figured Azar could easily shut down the machines himself.

Kapha had a response to that as well. "The portal will gain energy rapidly. If left to its devices for too long, it will become too large to be contained again. That is why we could only send in one person every turn. We can only keep the door open for three seconds at a time, and then we need to wait ten hours before the portal is weak enough again." That was the problem that infinite energy posed. "Now let me ask you this. Why do you want to go through here? You have heard me talk of Necara's past. She took years to be prepared for her journey. You could not have spent more than a day. The instant one of you steps through that world, you will be disassembled. Your mind will be destroyed, if not your body as well. You simply can not compare it to anything you have ever experienced. The reason I sent you that data was to set you on the right track. You need to stop the catalysts, that is the only way."

"I do not believe you." Azar cut Kapha off. "Every word you say has a hidden meaning You are still trying to manipulate us. You do not want us to go into that world because you want to keep control of everything while we remove your enemies for you." He saw no reason to trust anything Kapha said. "He what?" Rita yelled. "You're also just playing games at a time like this? I can understand Morbis losing his mind, but you!?" She would go up there to the control room give him hell, if she knew how. "You would not be able to comprehend my vision. Telling you where the road leads would take more time than showing you the road itself."

"Your vision..." Words like that; Azar had heard them many times. He had used them often, to justify his own actions. "I do not know what you know, Kapha. But what I know is that there is a being beyond the Numbers, a will that dictates their actions." If there was anything that could convince Kapha to think with them, it would have to come through information. "Yes I had theorized that to be so. Yet that entity is powerless in our world, removing the catalysts will strip it of its influence." It was not that easy. Kapha was not making it easy. "No. There is more to this that you are keeping from us. Wherever your road is, it is not the right one." Azar placed his hand against the forcefield. "Chaos is with me." If Chaos warded off Numbers, than it could potentially also ward off the world they were made from. It was the only thing he had to go on. "If anyone can do this, if anyone has to.. it is me."

"You probably are."

"!?" Azars hand cramped up and he fell down. "What..hey!?" Shins body began to act up as well. At first his arms were tingly all over, and then he dropped to his knees as if someone had pushed him. "Ah?" Rita was affected by it too, she was visibly shuddering. "Rita? Azar, Shin!" Korose was the only one to not feel any direct adverse effects. "Gh!" Instead he was hit in the back of his head by Rita's D-pad. "Ah! What did I.." She cried out as the agent collapsed, rendered unconscious by the blow. "This thing is like.." This was not the first time she had seen someone lose control of their actions. "It's gotta be that catalyst, Lilith! That damn b..gah!"

"We took the time to give ourselves a Name, 103rd. You prefer to give things names, the least you could do is use ours." The culprit revealed herself at last; Lilith snuck out of the shadow of the large machine.

"The Third. What has brought you here?" Kapha only seemed mildly annoyed that a catalyst had invaded his sanctuary. "You call it a Gate. You can call me a Gatekeeper." Lilith paced back and forth in front of the portal. "This gate may not be of Use to us. But the Will is absolute, it does not allow entrance. I was sent to make sure of that. With my Ability, I was the best choice. You agree, dont you Boys and Girls?" She chortled as she strolled between the helpless duelists. "And what? You are gonna keep us lying on the ground forever?" Shin cursed. His mouth was all he could move right now. "No. 62nd." Lilith flexed her arm and summoned her cards. "Only until I have destroyed Chaos." She made slow steps towards Azar.

"You are here to destroy me, Tara?"

"The Name?!" Lilith's body went stiff. "Wh..aha!" Everybody else escaped their paralysis. And Azar underwent his transformation into Chaos once again. "How." This though was not what had stunned Lilith, in more than one sense. "That name was Buried." Chaos had used her human name, it knew her human past!"Any Chaos is all Chaos. One of me knows what the other does. And the part inside the Fifth has found the past you and the Fourth have hidden.". Now that they knew her human self, her powers would be considerably weaker. Enough for Chaos to overpower her and free everyone. "The fifth? You mean Thomas? Awesome!" Shin was glad that Thomas had come through for them after all. "The Fifth. He found yet another Betrayal to plague us with. No matter. It will be the Boy's _last_." Lilith was in a pleasant mood again.

"What does that mean? What is she talking about? Is Thomas in danger?" Foreboding word were uttered by the Third, words that Shin did not understand. "You can do nothing for him now, none of us can." Chaos knew what Lilith was referring to, he could sense Thomas connection to him waning. Lucifer was disrupting his influence on the Raider. Yet they had to focus on the catalyst here. "What we can and must do, is move through the gate." Lilith could not stop them with her power. "I am still the Gatekeeper, Fallen." But that did not mean she could not defeat them in a duel, the catalysts had already assembled her cards. "Come at me all at once, if you so choose. I will stop every last soul, for the sake of Lucifer.. and Terminus."

...

Thomas' LP: 4300 Lucifers LP: 6000

"It is the final hour." Thomas did not know how, but he could tell what was about to happen. There was nothing he could do about it. "..." Lucifer activated a spell; Level Lifter. By discarding a level 8 monster from its hand; the levels of Gluttony Pulsar(8/2600/600) and Envy Starburster(8/1100/1600) were altered to the eight class. _"He still needs a third material.. But..."_ The card Lucifer had discarded was Andromeda, the Galactic Cannibal. When it was discarded it could summon itself back to the field. The living nebula cloud of red stars(8/0/3100). "I was right." Thomas flew higher into the sky, to prepare for the Xyz monster that was about to appear. Lucifer overlayed Gluttony, Envy and the Cannibalistic Galaxy, to merge them with his own body. "He did it!" Ariel yelled. The card that even Chaos feared now took form in their world. Lucifer had changed since then. It still resembled a hellish insect demon(8/3000/2500), but it had shed its immobile lower body and formed an arachnid abdomen. Its powers had been shifted around too. Though some were similar to the previous incarnation.

_Andromeda the Galactic Cannibal, 8/0/3100 Light/Pyro  
__When a card is sent from your hand to your graveyard; special summon it.  
__When this card leaves the field or is used as a material for an Xyz-summon, banish it._

_Number 1: Infection King Baal Zeboul, 8/3000/2500 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle. When this card is special summoned, you can send 1 "Number" monster from your opponent's extra deck to the graveyard.  
__Once per turn, you can attach 1 "Number" monster from your opponent's graveyard to this card as an Xyz Material. That Xyz material can not be detached this turn.  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 monster-card; destroy that target and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK._

_"You do not deserve me." _

"Who?" As the First took form, words began to echo in the back of Thomas' head._ "Was that.. the Fifth?"_ The answer came to him when Baal Zeboul targeted a Number in Thomas' extra deck to send it to his graveyard. "No!" Number 5: Death Chimera Dragon, was discarded._ "I am not yours. I will not be." _That echo spoke again, it _was _the Number 5! "You.. you are trying to save the Fifth from me!? Trying to detach us?" As if it wanted to confirm Thomas' theory, Number 1 activated its other effect and attached the discarded Number 5 to its own body. _"I was poisoned. The First will cure me.. and you. Through you, all of Chaos will be removed." _The red Chimera Dragon appeared in spiritual form, coiling around Baal Zeboul. It was communicating telepathically. "No. Not now. I finally know who I am!" Thomas cried out. _"Lucifer has no pity." _The infective King detached its two materials and activated its destruction effect. Black lightning was contained between its claws and let loose on the Blackwings. Both Steam the Cloak(3/800/1200) and Zephyros the Elite(4/1600/1000) were destroyed instantly. They left nothing but charred feathers which flutttered to the ground.

Thomas' LP: 1900

Or so it appeared at first. Yet as Lucifer had special summoned twice in a turn in which Maxx C's effect was still active, Thomas could draw two more cards from his deck. And one of those had an effect that could be triggered right now. "I activate the effect of Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer! When a Blackwing is destroyed by a card effect, I may special summon it from my hand!" The air that Zephyros had occupied was now given to the dragonian birdman(6/2300/1600) with blades hidden underneath its red feathers. At the same time, when Steam the Cloak left the field, its effect was triggered too. The dying ninja bird left a token behind made from steam and goggles; a Steam-token(1/100/100). "My turn!" Besides that token, Thomas still had two Blackwing Crest tokens(1/0/0) in defense mode. But he decided to sacrifice the Steam token to tribute summon the raven-black feral bird: Blackwing Elphin the Raven(6/2200/1200) "Elphin can switch a monsters position!" The Raven let out a sharp cry from its beak, and used the created soundwaves to push Baal Zeboul into defense position.

"Huh? Why did he tribute summon it and waste a token?" Natasha asked the others inside the house. They were watching the duel through their visors, and she realized that Elphin could be normal summoned without tributes as Thomas already controlled a Blackwing monster. "I think I can..." Xander in turn scanned Thomas' graveyard, and quickly deduced the plan. "He needs an empty monster zone!"

"I activate the effect of Blackwing Vayu the Emblem!" Thomas used a monster effect from that graveyard. "I banish it and another Blackwing from the cemetery, to special summon a Blackwing synchro monster with the same level as their combined levels!" Thomas took Vayu and Sirocco, a level 1 and a level 5 monster, to bring out a redheaded gunslinger blackwing((6/2300/1000). "Armed Wing!" There were three level 6 monsters on his field now; the number of the Beast. "I know you two can not appreciate irony; Lucifer, Fifth. But you can understand what I am going to do next." Thomas overlayed Armed Wing, Elphin and Kogarashi. "If I can not work with the Fifth, I will go straight for his Chaos form! I Xyz-summon Chaosnumber 5: Chaos Chimera Dragon!" Evolution had already taken place. Much like any other Chaosnumber, they could be summoned without Chaos Force as well. The majestic red dragon(6/3000/0) bared its chaotic form, spreading bloodred wings and attaching colorless armor to its body to contain chaos energy in crystal orbs. "Chaos Chimera Dragon gains 1000 attackpoints for each of its materials! It attacks now!" He struck while Lucifer as Baal Zeboul was in defense mode, firing energy of all seven colors from the dragons chest core. "Vanish, Lucifer!"

_"It can not be done."_

The Fifth spoke to him again. That was a bad omen. "Urgh." To his dismay, the Infection King emerged from the energy tidal wave unscathed. _"Lucifer has given up some destruction to gain more protection."_ Lucifer had no limits in this form, it could change its powers in any way it wanted. Now it was indestructible, even if a Number attacked it. "Tch. At the end of the battle phase, I can give half my lifepoints to Chaos Chimera Dragon. And it takes 2 cards in any graveyard! One is attached to my Xyz monster, the other is placed on top of its owners deck!" Thomas was too late to take back Number 5. Instead Thomas used this effect to attach Lucifers Envy Starburster to his Xyz monster. With 4 materials, his Chaosnumber(4000/0) was now stronger, even if Lucifer did switch his monster to attack mode. The other card, Class Change, was placed on top of Lucifers deck. "Turn end."

Thomas' LP: 950

Though while Lucifer was forced to redraw a now useless trap card, its own effects were still a lethal threat. _"Raider.. Sleep now." _Said the Fifth before he was returned to his grave.. because Baal Zeboul now detached it to destroy Chaos Chimera Dragon! "No. I can not rest now! There is still much I have to do!" It would have been the end, had Darkrage Dragon not sent a saving card into his graveyard earlier in the duel. "I revive Shiny White C from my graveyard, to_ your _field!" White lint and dust popped up before the Infective demon lord. A small insect(4/500/1400) with glowing red eyes and a body hid inside that dust. "This is Shiny White "C". I can summon it when my special summoned monster is targeted by an effect! That monster can not be affected by that effect now!" The dust disrupted the energy that Baal Zeboul was trying to gather. "I do not surrender, I do not retreat. As long as you are doing injustice to freedom and humanity, I will fight!"

_Shiny White "C", 4/500/1400 Light/Insect  
__Once per duel, during either player's turn, when a special summoned monster you control is targeted by a card effect; you can special summon this card from your graveyard to the opponent's side of the field.  
__The targeted monster is unaffected by card effects during the turn this card is special summoned by its own effect. This card can not be destroyed as a result of battle._

_"We are not bound to your laws. We know the words; Justice and morality. They have no value. Nothing matters, everything should fade from the waking world.."_ Number 5 was re-attached to Number 1 with the latters effect. After that the First ended its turn. "I do not expect you to understand. But things would have been very different if you did!"Thomas drew his card. "The only thing you understand is this.." He entered his battle phase. "Chaos Chimera Dragon, attack Shiny White C!" The chimera dragon overwhelmed the tiny bug with its prismatic fire. As it had been special summoned in attack position, the damage Lucifer took was great. However the White insect could not be killed.

Lucifers LP: 2500

"I have you now! When Chaos Chimera Dragon attacks, it can detach a material to attack another monster!" Thomas took away one attached card from the Chaos dragon(3000/0). "Lucifer! I win this duel!" Shiny White C vanished in the second chaos burst, as did the great Infection King. "I can not believe it!" The duel seemed to have reached its conclusion. "He did it! This is fantastic!" The First of all Numbers, he had been defeated! Dakar did not know if he could believe what he was seeing. "But he didn't.. destroy the Number." Ariel was concerned what this could mean. She had seen what happened to those who left the Number intact.

Lucifers LP: 0

_Sleep."_

"The Fifth?" Thomas heard the voice in his own head again. "Ghgh.. No! Graaaaahhhh!" Then he felt a searing pain in his chest. One that manifested itself. "Wh-why?" Thomas looked on helplessly as pillars of fire shot out of his body and rained down on the city below, there were thousands of them. "What is th..kyah!" They broke through stone and metal to get to their targets. "Natasha!" One beam had hit Natasha and knocked her to the ground. "Didn't you have a barrier up?" Ruby yelled at Xander, the two had somehow avoided her fate. "I did! He burned right through!"Xanders Overhundred Number could not stop the inferno. "Ah!" More screaming came from upstairs. "Oh no. Mister Artega!" Xander could not prevent the fire from reaching them as well. "No, mom, dad!" Outside Ariel and Dakar had to watch the same calamity play out before their eyes. "The Numbers, those are the Numbers." Dakar only understood the true nature of the flames. He did not understand why they were coming from Thomas, or why he and Ariel were spared.

"This is Lucifer! It has to be!" Thomas struggled to regain control of himself, but his arms and legs were not his alone. "Curse it! It planned this! It wanted to lose to me that way!" Thomas had not destroyed Number 1, he had won it. Since Lucifer had no host body yet, he could take his new master as the host. The Fifth had allowed it to get this far, it had to have warned Lucifer of the powers of its chaos form. Now it was extracting Chaos from all the people he had saved, he was doing it. _"Sleep the eternal sleep. You have done much, you are tired, let the First take your body and mind. Let the first repair the damage. This is what you wanted, this will end it all."_

"What I wanted." Thomas could feel his mind slipping, he was losing himself to the catalysts inside him. One was already an endurance, two were too many. "I just wanted.. to be a hero. To be infamous." Yet in this final hour, he felt more in tune with his true nature than he had ever done before. He saw his own truth. When he began his stint as the Masked Raider, he had done so not just for the sake of others or to follow in Azars and his fathers footsteps. He had done so for the glory. Somewhere down the line he forgot about that and got so involved to the point that he tired himself out in Neo Avalon. He had wanted to quit then, yet he threw himself back in there. And he knew one thing, he did not regret it. "If I am going to lose everything, I will do so in a way that fits me..the Masked Raider."

_"What is this act?"_ The Fifth cried out as Thomas wrestled for control until he managed to sink his hand in the fire. "Fifth, The Masked Raider will never harm innocents, he will give his life to save them. I will rest, and take you with me!" Thomas clenched his teeth and stabbed his burning hand into his own chest. "Oraahhh!" The energy overloaded inside him, and he vanished in a sea of smoke and flames.

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)58: After her Own Heart)

**New Cards used by The Raider/Fifth  
**Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer  
Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor  
Blackwing - Armed Wing  
Blackwing - Elphin the Raven  
Number C5: Chaos Chimera Dragon  
_Shiny White C_

**New Cards used by Lucifer  
**_Andromeda the Galactic Cannibal_

-  
Level Lifter


	60. Cipher (1)58: After her Own Heart

**Cipher (****1)58: After her Own Heart**

The enemy was Lilith, their destination was behind her, and she would not get out of their way. "You just wanna be the one to defeat Chaos! No way! I will challenge you, Lilith!" Shin activated his D-pad, much to the surprise of the agents. "What? Are you crazy? You know how strong these people are!" Rita knew what could happen to those who defied the Nine. Not even she wished that fate on Shin. "Yeah and I also know Azar and Chaos are the ones who have to go through the gate!" Shin had already accepted that there was only one who could survive the other world, and it was not him.

"Well. It seems you have everything in order. You wont be needing me anymore." Kapha got up from his chair and walked out of the control room. "Kapha! Where are you going!" Korose yelled at him. From where they stood, that was all they could do. "You have already made up your mind. So this place no longer holds my interest. Just remember that the forcefield can not be opened for more than a few seconds." He opened the doors and disappeared beyond them.

"Forget about that guy. Chaos, forget about us and go!" Shin would do everything to delay Lilith "Merely dueling me will not be enough, Boy with the new sixty-second." However she had a similar desire. "What is this?" Chaos, who tried to move ahead just as Shin had pleaded, quickly discovered that Lilith had more than one talant as a Gatekeeper. Lilith opened her cloak and sent out tendrils from the black armor that hugged her body. "The Gatekeeper Keeps the Gate until she can do so no more." These tendrils impaled the machine behind her, as energy visibly coursed through them. "You are reversing the flow?" The forcefield sparked with static electricity. Lilith was tapping into the infinite energy generator and pushing everything into the shield. "That is right, Fallen. All that the Humans have taken will return to the Gate and its Keeper. You can not break the Forcefield while I exist."

Shins LP: 8000 Liliths LP: 8000

"Then I will just have to beat you! Simple as that!" Shin was ready now. He took the first turn. "Spellbook of Secrets!" He used his book spell card, to locate a nother Spellbook card in his deck and claim it. "I take Spellbook Magician of Prophecy and summon him!" The young and studious mage(2/500/400) of the Prophecy clan was normal summoned. Thanks to his effect, Shin could search his deck for yet another Spellbook card. "The Grand Spellbook Tower!" He took the field spell of the spellbooks, and inserted it into the field slot. Half of the generator room was covered by the hologram of the tower. "I set a card and end my turn!"

"Spellcasters, Magicians. Are you going to show me a Trick?" Lilith started drawing her cards as well. She used her vine-like appendages to do so. "Yeugh. Where have those things been?" Shin was surprised Lilith used regular cards at all. Nothing else about her was normal. "Wherever they want to be." Lilith giggled as one of the tentacles placed a continuous spell card down on the floor. "I activate Lucifers Throne." A throne was erected behind her, which she sat down in. "Lucifer, the First?" Korose had never heard of such a card. Its name implied it was not created by human hands.

_Lucifers Throne, Continuous Spell  
__During each of your opponent's End Phases: Gain Life Points equal to the number of times you took battle damage this turn x 500.  
__When a "Number" monster you control is targeted for an attack, except "Number C" or "Number O" monsters: You can send this card to the Graveyard; negate the attack, __then Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Number C" or "Number O" monster with the same number in its name as that "Number" monster you control, by using it as the Xyz Material.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz Summon. Xyz Materials attached to it also become Xyz Materials on the Summoned monster.) You can only control 1 "Lucifers Throne"._

"Yes. The First. With the fall of Cain and Babylon, and the humiliation of Iscariot.. Lucifer decided to strengthen those who remained. You taught us a Lesson; use your Full Power from the beginning." Three more cards were taken from Lilith's hand, and summoned to the field one at a time. The first was a cobra-headed golem(3/0/1500) "Gorgonic Golem is a Normal Summon." The next was a full snake(3/1000/600) with stone scales. "Gorgonic Gargoyle is a Special Summon; when a rock monster is normal summoned." The final monster was a small goblin(3/600/1000) with rockhard bone plates across his skin. "Gorgonic Goblin is another Special Summon, when a Gorgonic is special summoned." The three Gorgons faced their controller and kneeled before her. "And this.. is an Xyz-summon." Lilith sent even more vines out of her body, and into the three monsters. They were attached to her. "This is Me: Queen of Pestilence." Lilith underwent her metamorphosis, her cloak folded out and turned to wings with bloodfilled veins, her horned hair broke free like a mass of serpents, and her mask shattered to reveal her cracked skin and slit eyes. She otherwise remained humanoid(3/0/1300) and she summoned herself in defense mode.

_Gorgonic Goblin, 3/600/1000 Dark/Rock  
__When you special summon a "Gorgonic" monster: You can special summon this card from your hand.  
__You can banish this card from your graveyard to target 1 monster on the field; change it to face-up attack or defense position_

_Number 3: Pestilence Queen,3/0/1300 Dark/Reptile/Xyz  
__3 Level 3 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. __When this card is in attack position: It gains ATK equal to its DEF. When a monster effect is activated on your opponent's side of the field while this card is in face-up defense position: __You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate that monster's effects, and if you do, this card gains DEF equal to the DEF of the negated monster and that monsters DEF is reduced to 0._

_"She_ used to be human?" Rita was disgusted. Lilith looked more like a reptile than anything else. "Tara Shaw." There was only a slight resemblance to her past life, as Korose noticed when he brought up Kapha's files on her. "She worked as a nurse at a hospital, before she disappeared. That was during the first unexplained outbreak of mass coma among the people in that area; the disease that Kapha called Red Moon Syndrome." And Chaos nodded. "This girl used her initial Number to improve her skills at the hospital. Yet something inside her must have driven her even further, and strengthened her desire to be free from her normal life." Chaos could only shake his head. This Tara had merely traded one prison for another.

"Yes that is all nice and well. We do not have time for history lessons." While Lilith herself did not seem bothered by what Korose and Chaos were saying, Shin did not have the patience for it. "Is it my turn?" He was not even going to let her appearance distract him. "It is if you want it to be." Lilith was out of cards to play for now. "Good! I can activate the effect of Grand Spellbook Tower because I control a spellcaster!" Shin reshuffled Spellbook of Secrets into his deck, and drew one card. "I normal summon Amores of Prophecy!" Shins next monster was the Lovers Arcana; a blindfolded archer(4/600/2000). "Love is Blind, is it?" Lilith seemed tickled by his choice.

"Wh-what? That's not.. Gah! I activate the effect of Amores; I reveal a spellbook in my hand to special summon a lowlevel spellcaster!" Shin was about to reveal one of his Spellbooks. Which Lilith would have none of. "Yes. That is an Effect. This is Mine." Lilith opened her jaws and swallowed one of the Xyz-materials that floated around her. Her snake-like hair stretched out and surrounded Amores. "Huh?" Each snake bit the archer and drained the blood from it, reducing the monsters(600/0) defense and adding it to their Queen(0/3300). "That is her power, younger Artega. She drains a monsters abilities and defenses." Chaos explained what Shin had overlooked in his haste. "What? Fffff... when did effect negation become so popular?" Right now Shin couldn't do a thing about that. "End turn!"

"You are in a Rush, boy with the 62nd." In her draw phase, Liliths tendrils took out a monster card and positioned it before the throne. "On this side, Time controls you. But on the other, time is controlled. Only on my Side, can a Gatekeeper do their task." The summoned monster took the form of a double-layered monolith(4/100/2000) with a single eye on it. It stood in between the tower and the portal. "Gate Blocker?" This was a card that Shins Visor did have data on, and it made him wish she had not summoned it. "It negates the effects of field spells and spell counters? My Grand Tower can not use its effects now?" Gate Blocker basically shut down half his game. "And before you Decide that Killing is the answer." Lilith activated the effect of Gorgonic Goblin in her graveyard. She banished it to switch Gate Blocker to defense mode. "That was my Turn. Now it is Yours."

"This is weird. Why isn't she attacking?" Rita did not see a way for Lilith to win the duel with only defensive monsters. But then that was not her goal. "She is stalling." Shin griped and drew his card. It was Arcane Barrier. _"Gah!" _A card that generated spellcounters would not do him any good now! "Gagaga Sister!" Instead he normal summoned the youngest female member of the Gagaga academy; a young blonde girl(2/200/800) in yellow robes and pink armor. "Gagaga Sister adds a Gagaga spell to my hand!" The plan would have been to take Gagaga Bolt out of his deck and activate it to destroy Liliths monster. "A new Monster, means a new Victim." It would have been if Pestilence Queen did not have Xyz-materials left. She devoured another attached Gorgon card to negate the effect of Gagaga Sister(200/0). The Sisters blood was drained into the reptilian catalysts body(0/4100).

"Aha! Now you only have one material left! This was all a part of my plan you see!" Shin moved on to Amores instead. Its defense points were already at zero. "I reveal Spellbook Library of the Crescent so I can special summon the Temperance of Prophecy from my hand!" Amores fired an arrow through one card in Shins hand and pulled it back to the field. That card materialized into the hooded witch: Temperance(3/1000/1000). "Then I activate that Spellbook. Library of the Crescent can add one of three Spellbooks from the deck to my hand!" Shin rummaged through his cards and selected the Spellbooks of Power, Secrets and Eternity. "So which one do you want?" His opponent had to choose the one Shin could add to his hand. "What do I like? I prefer Eternity." She said rather pointedly. "Alright then." Shin returned the other cards to his deck and kept her choice.

"Because I activated a Spellbook, Temperance can sacrifice herself to special summon highlevel spellcaster. I choose the Emperor of Prophecy!" To fight the queen, he special summoned the imperial dark mage(5/2300/2000) of purple and gold. "It banishes a spellbook in the graveyard and a spellcaster, to control one monster on my opponents field!" Shin took the Spellbook Magician of Prophecy of the field and Spellbook of Secrets out of his graveyard. "I banish these two cards, and take control of your Number!" The Emperor had only gotten to the point of raising his arm. "You would like that? I would not." Only for the Pestilence Queen to stab him in the chest and drain his magic and blood out of the Emperor(2300/0). "No Emperor can control Me." The Queen(0/6100) hissed, as a forked tongue slithered along her lips.

"But now you are out of Xyz-materials! And soon you will be out of blockades too! Emperor, attack Gate Blocker." The only spellcaster with enough attackpoints to break the monolith, did so. "This, is my Trap." But Lilith made the shattered rock pieces freeze in mid-air, with the activation of her trap card. "Broken Blocker. In Defense Position my defense superior monster died, now two more will be its Replacement." The pieces reassembled into two new Gate Blockers(4/0/2000). Both in defense mode. "Oh come on!" Now even Rita was starting to get tired of this duel. And she was not even the one who wanted to go through the portal. "Yeah." Shin just sighed. He placed two cards in his spell/trap zone and switched Amores to defense mode.

"My turn? I believe it is." Lilith's vines dug into the floor. "Gorgonic Golem has this power." She grabbed the cobra statue and crushed it while it was in its grave. "It is banished to seal hidden magic or traps." A glare of light came from Liliths eyes, and Shins latest set card turned to stone. "Maann!" Now only 2 traps remained. "Gorgonic Cerberus is my new normal summon. Altering the Levels of all Rock monsters is its effect." The three-headed snake beast(3/1300/300) used its power on the Gate Blockers, reducing their(3/0/2000) level by 1. "I call the Gorgonic Guardian!" One of the Gates combined with the Cerberus so that the rank 3 Gorgon witch(3/1600/1200) could be Xyz-summoned.

"Aha! Gotcha!" Shin did not waste a second of this opportunity. "Trap card: Dark Renewal!" He second set card was activated; a magical coffin. "When a monster is summoned, I can sacrifice that monster along with one of my spellcasters and a dark spellcaster from my graveyard or deck!" Gagaga Sister and the Gorgonic Guardian went inside into the coffin, which closed its lids. "My Guardian?" And When the Coffin opened, out came a blue-haired sorceress(8/2900/0) with a mantle of flowers "I special summon Sorciere de Fleur! Her effect special summons one monster from your graveyard!" Fleur tapped the ground with her flower staff and made the first Gate Blocker(4/0/2000) come out to Shins side of the field in defense mode.

"You took my monsters. Both of them. I do not appreciate that, Boy." Resentment came through in Liliths tone. "It is time, to Punish you." She actually stood up from her throne, though her body remained attached to the machine. She had switched herself into attack mode and this change held some benefits for the Queen(6100/6100) "Her attackpoints!?" When Number 3 switched her position, her defense would become her offense as well. "The first to die, is your Emperor." Lilith rolled back her head and then snapped forward to lash her razor-sharp tongue out towards The Emperor of Prophecy. "Trap card: Gagaga Shield!" In the nick of time, Shin equipped his monster with a shield trap. The shield absorbed the impact of the attack. "Guh! Up to twice a turn, my spellcaster can not be destroyed!" The Emperor had survived, but Shin had to surrender half his lifepoints to the battle damage.

Shins LP: 4200

"Did you like that Pain, Boy of the 62nd?" Lilith laughed sotfly as she passed the turn to him. "No. But I do like the 62nd! Now that you mention it..." Shin replied with his own chuckle. The card he had drawn just now was just what the doctor ordered. "I activate Spellbook of Eternity and reclaim Spellbook of Secrets." First thought he wanted to unbanish his Spellbook searcher with the eternal book, just to be on the safe side. "And then I sacrifice Emperor and Amores of Prophecy, to tribute summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Two spirals of sacrificed life formed a new being; the champions dragon(8/3000/2500) of the galaxy.

Needless to say, this came as a shock to everyone else. "Galaxy-Eyes? How did you get a card like that?" Rita was positive that only three of those existed. You could not just buy them anywhere. "Your father?" Korose reasoned that Mr. Artega had simply made more for his other son. "No. My brother." The truth was even simpler. "He trusted me with one of his three Dragons. So that I.." Shin placed the dragon on top of Sorciere de Fleur. ".. can use the full power of my Number!" On top of that he placed a rank 8 monster. "I Xyz-summon Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" Galaxy-Eyes assumed its primal form(8/4000/3000) for the second time; growing stronger armor, longer wings and a purer photonic body. "I think I know now what that vision from before was." With his monster also came clarity. "It was not about any of us, it was about Thomas wasn't it?" Now Shin understood what Chaos and Lilith were talking about before. ".." Neither needed to speak; Chaos' silence and Liliths smile said more than words could. "..Not him too. The Gate really is the only option.." Shins Number detached the Sorciere-material to electrify its own body and strengthen itself(6200/3000). "Prime Photon Dragon gains attack equal to all ranks on the field, times 200! I have it attack you, Number 3!"

"That was a mistake, Boy." Liliths grin widened, literally cracking her jaw open to reveal her tooth-filled maw. She first activated the trap card, Soul Drain, by paying 1000 of her lifepoints. Yet that trap had no immediate effect on the duel. It was not that card that Shin had to worry about. "You have ignored Lucifers Throne!" She cackled and destroyed her continuous spell. "What are you.. what is she doing?" The attack Shin had declared with Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon(8/6200/3000), was swallowed by the explosion of the spell. "I will show you Order. Lucifers Throne grants the power of Numeron evolution. When I am attacked, it destroys itself to rank up any Number. I will be the Queen of Pestilence no more." Liliths smile still widened. In fact her entire face changed shape and length, as did her neck, her arms and the rest of her body. The catalyst turned draconian, as she broke out of her armor and grew in size. The snake queen became a massive black dragon(4/2500/0) with wings and veins of saturated green blood. "I am the Order Three: Plague of the Lord!"

Lilith's LP: 7000

...

"Thomas!" Ariel screamed, as the Raider exploded in the sky above. "What? What did he do? Why did Thomas have to.." Nothing made sense anymore. The world was set ablaze and it had gone insane. "He did it to save us. He did it to take out the catalysts inside his body." Dakar knew the grim truth. Had Thomas not destroyed himself with his own power, he would have become the new Lucifer and been forced to attack his friends. "That son of a.. I can't believe he did that." Ruby joined them outside. She had never respected someone as much as she respected him she wished there had been another way to end this. "All this death. They promise eternity and they are still causing so much.." It was Ariel who could not accept it. Her anguish turned to anger, and there was nothing to turn it on.

Nothing but_ it_

"Crap!" Ruby cursed. "You gotta be.." Her eyes were not lying, something moved in the smoke. "Thomas?" And despite all of Ariels wishes, it was not who she wanted it to be. "No!" Lucifer broke through with pillars of fire which spread out across the city. "Why.. why isn't he dead?" It was as if nothing had happened. "It is coming! We have to run!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)59: Abstracts)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Amores of Prophecy  
Emperor of Prophecy  
Gagaga Sister

-  
Dark Renewal

**New Cards used by Lilith  
**_Gorgonic Goblin  
__Number 3: Pestilence King  
_Gate Blocker

_-  
Lucifers Throne (++)_

-  
Broken Blocker  
Soul Drain

_(+ Don Thousands Throne renamed and reworked)_


	61. Cipher (1)59: Abstracts

**Cipher (****1)59: Abstracts**

There were a dozen cameras installed in the gate room alone, Kapha could follow the proceedings safely from afar. "You have gotten quite good at navigating your way through our facilities." Because of that he noticed a slight discrepancy in his surroundings; movements that took place in between seconds. "Of course you would not have been able to get passed my sensors, without that Number." He adressed his visitor, with his arms folded behind his back and his eyes pointed towards his machines. "It does not stop time itself, it merely freezes our perception of it within a certain radius. Yet it is still a marvelous power for a human to have, mister Artega." There was Subito, carrying the unconscious Darcy in his arms. "I would not however have brought her here as well."

"This is the safest place in this entire underground network, is what you would say." Subito placed Darcy down against the railing of the catwalk that led to the center core of this hollow chamber. "Indeed it is. But you have not come for safety. Perhaps you were curious about your brothers condition?" Kapha stepped aside so that Subito could see what was on the screens behind him_. "Shin.."_ He saw his brother as he dueled the Third Catalyst. "That is not it either." But Subito had faith in Shin, his younger brother was no longer someone who needed his protection. "I wanted to know about the catalysts you have worked with. Not just Prometheus... he was not the one who catalyzed Dark Matter Dragon. Another has been working with you all along." Following his words, the scientist sighed. "Oh yes, that." Kapha turned to face Subito properly. "My poor excuse of a bodyguard slipped his tongue. It was a good thing then that not even he was told the finer details."

"No. I bet not even Kincaid knew. Only you would have the details.. I am not going to ask. You are going to tell me everything."

...

Shins LP: 4200 Liliths LP: 7000

_Number O3: Plague of Lord,4/2500/0 Dark/Reptile/Xyz  
__4 Level 4 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. __When this card is Xyz-summoned, destroy all other monsters on the field. This card gains ATK equal to the combined AK of the destroyed monsters. Skip your next battle phase.  
__If this card has "Number 3: King of the Third Plague" as an Xyz Material, it gains this effect.  
_● _Once per chain, during either player's turn, when a card or effect is activated on the field, decrease this cards ATK by 1000; the effect of that card is negated and the card is destroyed._

Lilith in her new dragonic form slammed both claws down on the floor, and spewed a bloody mist from her mouth. That blood splattered across the field. "Gack!" Both Shins dragon and Liliths remaining Gate Blocker(3/0/2000) started to melt, as if the blood had been acid. "She destroys all monsters besides herself?" Korose realized the true nature of her effect. And that was just the beginning. "Putrefy, decompose, rot, melt; no life can stand before the perfect plagues." The dragon Lilith inhaled the red mist again, pumping it directly into her veins. "Disease, only in a world like your Earth, can such corruption exist. Humans perish, and the Plague thrives." The remains from the Photon dragon and Gate Blocker strengthened the Plague of Lord, adding the formers attackpoints to the latter(4/6600/0). "You are given one more turn, the Battle Phase is what I gave up to end so much life."

"And what if I survive for two more turns? Because my dragon is not dead yet, Lilith! It still had the original Galaxy-Eyes attached to it, Number 62 can come back in two turns!" At that point Prime Photon Dragon would double its attackpoints. That would be enough to defeat even this Order Number. "Oh. That effect activates in the Graveyard? The dead are free from the Plague, as they are no more. But have you forgotten I silenced their souls?" Lilith raised her claw to point at her trap: Soul Drain "Huh? Oh crap!" Shin had indeed forgotten that monster cards could not activate their effects from the graveyard; his Number would not come back.

In her dragonic form, Lilith did not touch the cards in her deck anymore. She drew a card and placed it face-down with a telekinetic grip. "As do I." The dragon could not attack this turn, so her turn was brief. "..." Chaos wondered meanwhile if this was the right time to make a move for the barrier. But Lilith now cradled the generator like it was her egg. She was likely still connected to the device and feeding it energy. It all depended on Shin as of now. "Here I go! I activate the effect of the Grand Spellbook Tower!" With the Blockers gone, field spells could activate their effect again now. "Hraha.. Dear Boy. Everything that has a Name can wither; spells, traps, monsters. I merely have to exchange my power to deny it!" But their effects themselves would not make it far, as the Plague of Lord demonstrated when she weakened herself(5600/0). "Your spell burns." The dragon brought down a rain of fire from the virtual clouds above the Tower, and broke it to pieces.

"I knew you had some kind of negation, Lilith! But that only works once!" Shin yanked a monster card out of his deck. "When the Tower is destroyed, I can special summon a spellcaster from my deck whose level is equal to or lower than the amount of Spellbooks in my graveyard!" Shin had three books (Crescent, Eternity, Tower) so he could special summon the Fool of Prophecy(3/1600/900). "I activate the fools effect to send a Spellbook to my.." His Fool sadly did not live long. "Ah!?" The carefree mage's skin turned red with boils and blisters, and he succumbed to the disease that Lilith(4600/0) had unleashed this time. "Have you lost your head? That card can negate effects once a chain, not once a turn!" Rita snapped at him. Sometimes this kid was even dumber than Claud. "Rita, calm down... Shin, do not lose track of the duel." Korose could tell that Shin wanted to end the duel quickly, but trying to strong-arm his opponent was not the way to do it. "Don't you think I do not know that?" Shin placed a monster face-down and ended his turn. "But the others.." Now that he knew something bad had happened to Thomas, he could not imagine his other friends were safe either. It was just too hard to focus.

"You should not be surprised, Boy. Pain is what you get when you choose this life. You do not know anything else." Lilith activated another card, the one she had gained in this drawphase; Gorgon Charm. "That is why I will make the Choice for you." The spell targeted Shins set monster and flipped it face-up. "Gah! Now look what happened!" Rita cursed. The spell also reduced that monsters attackpoints to zero, meaning one hit from Plague of Lord was all Lilith needed to wrap things up.

_Gorgon Charm, Normal Spell  
__Banish 1 "Gorgonic" monster from your graveyard. Change 1 face-down defense position monster your opponent controls to face-up attack position and reduce its ATK to 0._

"Heh. Actually, Rita. I am quite alright!" Shin had no reason to be worried, yet. "You flipped my Magical Undertaker!" Because that spell had triggered the flip effect of his funeral-executive spellcaster(2/0/400). "Undertaker can summon a level 4 or lower spellcaster from my graveyard! But that does not matter, does it? You _have_ to destroy it!" Shin had already figured out the flaw in Liliths effect, it was mandatory. Right now Plague of Lord(3600/0) had to sacrifice a 1000 attackpoints to negate the Undertakers effect and destroy it with her diseases. "Clever Boy." Lilith in turn flipped another continuous trap card; Mind Drain. "I am not yet Perfect. But close enough." That card required another payment of 1000 lifepoints, but now monster effects could not be activated from Shins hand directly. Cards like Gagaga Gardna were useless. "Hey nobody is perfect." Shin countered. He knew Lilith was using those traps to cover her weaknesses. "No body is. That is why the body should die, right?" The dragon cackled again and unleashed its rotten flames on Shin by attacking him directly.

Shins LP: 600 Liliths LP: 6000

Luckily he survived this attack because of the destroyed Undertaker. "There is no way you planned for that." Rita was still frustrated with Shin. He could not keep up with Lilith at the rate he was wasting cards. "Rita. I know what you are thinking. But..kgh.. you gotta trust what I am doing." Shin was starting to feel like a replacement Claud. But he had enough sense to not say that to her out loud. "Though if you hadn't yelled at me, I wouldn't have thought about her other weakness." Shin activated one of the three cards in his hand; Arcane Barrier. "Artega?" Even Chaos was curious about Shins plans. "Lilith, you have to respond to the first spell!" Shin shouted as catalyst dragon(2600/0) destroyed the Barrier with another fireblast. "But the second you can not! Not within the same chain!" To that destruction Shin chained with a quickplay spell card. "Spellbook of Judgment!" This card could not be negated, it succesfully opened. "During the endphase, this card will judge how many spells I activated this turn after is resolution!"

"During the endphase? But she still has two negations left in her! This is the spell you chose to use?" Shin only had two cards left, including his set card. Rita was baffled by his mathematical skills. "Oh you wait and see. I activate my quickplay spell: Quick Booster!" The set card was flipped face-up. "Where are you going, Boy?" Lilith(1600/0) negated that one as well. "Weakening me will not lead anywhere." She had far too much lifepoints to be in danger of a single attack. "That's not even what I am thinking about. I juat wanted another spell! When Quick Booster is destroyed, Its other effect activates instead! I can add a quickplay spell from my deck to my hand!" Lilith could not negate both effects of the Booster card. She had to let Shin take a Spellbook Organization from his deck, which he promptly activated. "The remainder is One?" That spell was negated, and that would be the time Plague of Lord(600/0) could use its effect. 600 attackpoints were not enough. "One spell left yeah, you remember which one.. I activate the Spellbook of Secrets!"

At last he could start using spells the normal way. "I add a Spellbook to my hand, so I take the Spellbook of Fate!" And there was one Book who would be the most useful out of all of them. "Spellbook of Fate! By banishing three Spellbooks from my graveyard, I can banish one monster you control!" His final Spellbook of the turn opened its pages and swallowed the Books of Secrets, Organization and Library Crescent. "The one you banish, is me.." All the combined magic from those three Books powered the third spell of Fate. "You got that right!" That spell blasted Number O3 with blue lightning, and pierced the dragons heart.

"Uhnn." Lilith dropped to the floor, her form shriveling back into that of a human. Her hair fell in front of her face, and her wings covered her body. "You banished my Power... But this is not over yet." She giggled softly as she got back up. "Not over yet? I don't think you understand when you gotta quit!" Shin moved to his endphase. "Now I will use Spellbook of Judgment! There were four spells activated after I used it!" Even Quick Booster and Spellbook Organization were counted. Their effects had been negated, but not their activations. "Judgment adds that many Spellbooks, besides Judgment itself, from my deck to my hand!" Shin went to town on his deck, picking the Spellbooks of the Master, Miracles, Life and Power. "And then Judgment summons a spellcaster whose level equals the amount of added Spellbooks!" The four books formed a circle, which turned into a porta and special summoned the magical horse rider, Summoner Monk(4/800/1600), in defense mode. "I do not usually like to call things like this; but I am pretty its about over!"

"Things are never over.." Lilith drew her next card, with her own hand. "I will not fail Lucifer. He is the one who gave me a new Home, after the old no longer fit. He is the One who saved me from all the Names of Plagues in the world. In return I Named him, and all of us. And I will Name you too, Boy. You will be for my Collection." She placed it on the field. "This is Chain Energy. It is Permanent. You and I must pay to play cards from our hand." The continuous spell bound both her and Shins wrists with chains of golden light. "Huh? You mean?" Shin now had to pay 500 lifepoints to activate or summon even one spell or monster. "Yes. You only have One power left." Lilith ended her turn. She had turned the game into one of attrition. With her lifepoints ten times higher than Shins, she could afford to wait. _"Gah! What do I do now?! Revive Fleur? It wont be enough! Temperance? Cant!"_ His mind was racing, he did not know what to pick!

"Shin. There is always a way out. Just focus your mind, and think." Chaos shouted at him. "This is what Azar wanted to tell you. He is still watching."

"Azar.." Shin clenched his hand. "Right! My turn!" He drew his card. It was the Charioteer of Prophecy, not an exactly useful card right now. _"Wait a second. Pay for special summons...from the hand?" _Shin checked Liliths spell again. "_Then_..I activate Spellbook of Life! I banish a spellcaster from my graveyard to revive another!" Shin invoked the magic of Resurrection at the cost of 500 lifepoints. Armores of Prophecy was banished and.. Gagaga Sister(5/200/800) was special summoned to the field. "Her?!" Much to Rita's consternation. "Yes her. But not her alone." Shin discarded Spellbook of Miracles from his hand. "Because at the cost of a spell card, Summoner Monk can special summon a level 4 monster from my deck, once a turn!" The Monk used his powers to summon the Gagaga Magician(4/1500/1000) from Shins deck. "What?"

Shins LP: 100

"Relax. I do not need to pay 500 lifepoints for summons from the deck or graveyard! Or.. from the extra deck!" Gagaga Magician activated its effect and halved his(2/1500/1000) own star level. "Gagaga Sister and Gagaga Magician can combine their levels!" The senior mage(7/1500/1000) and the younger girl(7/200/800) joined their staffs and added their stars to each other. "I overlay them to Xyz-summon Hierophant of Prophecy!" Two Gagagas together made one rank 7 monster; the crowned religious mage(7/2800/2600). "Lilith. I am just not the kind of guy who makes decisions easily. So I am sorry, I am going to go with hidden option C and choose everything! Hierophant can destroy as many traps as there are spellbooks in the grave! There are more than three!" Shin detached one material from the Hierophant. And in turn the Hierophant swept his scepter around to smash Liliths Chain Energy, Soul Drain and Mind Drain cards. "He broke through!" Even Korose lost himself in the moment.

Shins LP: 100

With this Shin could unload all his spells and monsters on the enemy! "Spellbook of Power!" One was used to power up the Hierophant(3800/2600). "Spellbook of the Master!" Another to copy the Spellbook of Life and revive the Emperor of Prophecy(5/2300/2000). "Charioteer!" And a monster, the horseman mage(4/1800/1300), to reach the amount of damage he needed to inflict. There was nothing the Third could do to defend herself. "I have lost. I could not Keep you." Lilith seemed to take it remarkably well, at first. "So many choices, good and bad. Your world has so many.. and we have but one." Lilith grabbed the tendril that connected her to the generator. "Lilith?" And Shin watched her rip it out of her body. "What have you done?" The energy generator started making violent noises. "Securing the Will of the Infinite.. and Terminus." A smile crept up from behind Liliths hair, as the forcefield around the portal disappeared.

"She took all the power away from the stabilizers!" Without Lilith tapped into the system, it could not keep the portal in check. It was already growing beyond the size of the chamber. "Azar and I must go." Chaos looked directly into it. "Azar?" Shin and the others did not run, they could not get away fast enough. "Time has no hold on the other side. If we succeed, we can save you. If not.." Chaos did not look them in the eyes, as he moved forward. "Then this is farewell." He dove into the gate..

...

_It burned. It burned in ways Azars mind could not even comprehend. His senses were overloaded with stimuli. The sound was deafening, the light blindining, the air scorching; it felt like his entire body was torn away molecule by molecule. He was stretched thin, scattered across all of space. But his mind stayed whole, his thoughts and memories stuck. He reflected on his own past, and on his friends. For them he could not let this experience destroy him. He had to endure.._

_Finally, the pain went away. He did not feel anything anymore, and he could not open his eyes__**. "Azar. This is it."**__ Because there were no eyes to be opened, he already saw everything. Around him was the other world, a world without boundaries.. No clouds in the sky or earth on the ground, no above and below or left and right; this world had none of the limits that Azar had come to understand as a human. He was now inside an endless network of energy, ordered and structured. And he was not here as himself, he was here merely by the will of his own mind. Beams as bright as the sun stretched out from one distance to the other, going on til infinity. There was no horizon. "__**This frozen perfection is Order." **__He was not alone, yet all he could see was the network. Chaos seemed to speak from miles away, yet his voice was as clear as that of one standing right behind. _

_"This is how..their world looks?" Azar was not sure if he could believe what he was seeing. The image of the world was directly sent into his mind. __**"This is as close as your mind can come to visualizing it. We exist in a whole new dimension now." **__Neither he nor Chaos felt like they really were here. Azar was in a state of half-consciousness and could not use any of his other senses. "How long have we been here?" Hours felt like second and seconds felt like days..__** "Time does not pass. It is always the same. That is why we have can return to our world the same instant we left it.**__" The gate had disappeared a long time ago, Azar did not see a way back. "__**All that exists here, exists only to maintain their purity. Pleasure and Pain are alien concepts to them. It would be impossible to think like them. But we know one thing. we are a threat... Yet t**__**his is where I was born. To be here after all that 'time'.. I can not describe what I am feeling."**_

_"I guess.. even you could get homesick.."_

**_ "No. That is not it. I feel.. like I have a purpose now. I had to come back here. And soon, I will know why."_**

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)60: One Above All)

**New Cards used by Shin Artega  
**Magical Undertaker

-  
Spellbook of Judgment

**New Cards used by Lilith  
**_Number O3: Plague of Lord_

_-  
Gorgon Charm (+)  
_Chain Energy

-  
Mind Drain

_(+ Based on the spell used by Rio/Number 73 in Yugioh Zexal)_


	62. Cipher (1)60: One Above All

**Cipher (****1)60: One Above All**

_**"Until now. All my memories were of your world. Now.. I am beginning to understand.."** Chaos spoke with clarity, yet his voice seemed to become more distant. "Chaos. Is something wrong with?" Even though Azar could not see him, he felt like he was getting further away from the entity, he could not hear him as well as before. **"I am..changing."** It answered. "Changing?" Azar was starting to wonder if Chaos should have come with him. Tis world seemed to weaken him. "**This is..for a purpose. I.."**_

_**"They have found us."**_

___A strange high-pitched noise erupted, one that could not possible be produced by anything in the third dimension. "What are those? The Numbers!?" It rang in Azars ears, he could not block it out. **"Before that. They are the Order." **_An endless amount of life reacted to the impurity that had invaded their world. From everywhere at once they came, like blazing comets trying to separate from sea of stars. "They are drawn towards us?" Azar did not know whether this was their instinct or their desire, but he knew he could not let them get near him.. wherever he was. _**"They can not harm us. They will not touch you because of me."**__ Chaos claimed. Though it seemed like the lifeforms were still interested. "This is not what we came here for. These are not the the one we seek. Terminus! We are here for Terminus!"_

_The attack took an unexpected turn. Something or someone appeared in front of Azar, and forced the other entities back. The streams of life returned to the Order, remerging with the rest of their kind. Or rather, it was all one collective of life. "Are you..it?" The one before them was a singular star, separated from everything else in this dimension. "Are you..speaking to me?" The high pitched noise continued, changing in volume and frequency. There was no way Azar could understand any of this. "!?" The star seemed to realize this, and acted accordingly. It flew straight at Azar. **"Azar!" **_

...

"W..hat is...this?"

Like waking from a bad dream, Azar slowly opened his eyes and rose. The last image was still vivid in his mind, too vivid to be a nightmare. Now he did feel solid. He was solid. But where he was was a place he had never been before. Azar stood on top of a large pillar in the middle of a giant chasm. "Chaos!?" And he was alone. The power he had always felt inside of him, was barely there._ "Where did I end up?" _Azar noticed how everything around him seemed to be made of crystal, the ceiling and the walls. Every facet, of which there had to be trillions, reflected something different._ "Stars..planets..this is our dimension?" _It appeared this entire cavern was a map of the known universe. It looked so flat and lifeless from here. One facet alone did not glisten, a small fraction on the platform aorund him. Within lied a blue planet. _"Earth... where it began."_

"46." Azar shuddered. He was not alone. "Absolute Value: Zero. Impurity Quotient: 85 %." Words were sent out in perfect monotone. Azar could not tell what the source was. "Are you.. Terminus?" That something here could communicate with him at all was a miracle to him. "Terminus: Designation. Source: 3." Though communication was perhaps putting the wrong way to put it. _It_ spoke more like a machine than a person. The voice had to come from somewhere, yet it sounded like it came from every angle. Was Azar inside Terminus' own being? He had to try and reach out to it. "I know what you are! You are the one who cast out the Numbers, werent you? And then you decided to use them to solve the problems of our worlds! Terminus, I did not come here to pollute your world, I came here to speak for mine! We do not want to be part of your world, we do not want to lose our Free will, what makes us alive! There has to be another solution!"

"Alternate Solution: Impossible. Impurity: Unacceptable."

"I can not accept that." It seemed Terminus was set on its path. "I will not let you force your order on us, simply because you can not accept less than perfection." Azar had not come here to merely take the forceful option, but part of him knew it would come down to this. If only Chaos had been here. But he would do this by himself. He had to. "Terminus, if you created the Numbers, then you will know the meaning of these words! I challenge you to a duel!" Azar only had to think about it, and he could manifest his deck of cards and a Duel-pad to place them in. However the only Numbers he had with him were 46 and 39. The others..had left him. "Duel. System. Acknowledgement. Inspiration: 39. Prepare Interface." A sharp pillar of blue crystal arose from the pit, with light brimming within. Those appeared to be its lifepoints. "Deck Location: MemoryScan." Now Terminus was settling on a deck. Azar could not imagine what the lord of all Numbers would choose. "Match: 97 %. Sufficient. Duel Start."

Azars LP: 8000 Terminus LP: 8000

"Solar Recharge: Discard Lightsworn monster, draw 2 cards, send top 2 Deck cards to Graveyard." Thus Terminus revealed its chosen deck, by activating their draw spell. "Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn." And then by normal summoning a bare-chested and tanned assassin(4/1700/1000). _"Lightsworn..." _Azar was surprised that Terminus would play something so.. human, let alone cards that were made by man. "Effect Activation: Send top 2 cards of Deck to Graveyard." If any Lightsworn monsters were among those, Raiden would gain 200 atk until the opponents next endphase. Terminus did not seem interested in that result however. "Felice Lightsworn Archer, Effect Activation: Special Summon from Graveyard." Because one of the cards Raiden(4/1900/1000) had discarded was the greenhaired feline archer of Lightsworn, Felice. She(4/1100/2000) could be special summoned whenever she was discarded directly from the deck. "Number Order 04: Etheric Anubis."

Felice and Raiden were cast into the depths below. Their departure unleashed a divine glow. The crystals resonated and trembled, as the two monsters combined into one rank 4 monster. _"What is this..Xyz-monster?"_ What appeared before Azar was a green-toned jackal(4/1000/1000) with serpentine wings of gold. On its wings were fouur golden orbs. "New Order? This is the card you created for yourself. Order is everything to you." Anubis' designation sounded similar to the Number Orders that Numeron force created. But so far it seemed to be far weaker than those evolved cards. "Face-down Two Cards: Spell/Trap Zone. Turn Resolution."

_New Orders 04: Etheric Anubis, 4/1000/1000 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 LIGHT monsters  
__Once per turn, during your or your opponents turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; activate the effect of 1 card that was sent to the graveyard this turn, if applicable._

_"Anubis. The Egyptian God. It is like it sees itself as a god in comparison to me. Did it draw this image just to intimidate me?."_ Terminus must have scanned his memories, its thematic choice seemed too close to his own Hieratic deck to be a coincidence. "My turn! I special summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit!" Azars dragons were based on Egyptian deities as well. As he controlled no monsters, he could special summon the dragon god of water(6/2100/1400). "I sacrifice it to tribute summon Hieratic Dragon of Su!" The water turned to mist and then to wind, as the crowned air dragon Su(2200/1400) replaced Tefnuit. Though Tefnuits sacrifice gave birth to new life, the tributed Hieratic special summoned a normal dragon monster, Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord(8/0/0) from Azars deck. "By sacrificing a Hieratic monster, Su can destroy one spell or trap on the field!" Azar did not know which trap of Terminus posed the most danger, but increasing his odds was better than not taking action at all. "I sacrifice the Hieratic Seal and destroy your left card!" Su made the Overloads Seal burn up, and poured the suns flames into a fiery twister which blew towards the other side of the platform. The left trap shattered like fragile glass. It turned out to be a trap: Negate Attack.

"_That should be enough. _Su, Attack!" The blue Dragon god flapped its wings and took off into the air. "Effect Activation." Unfortunately this was when Terminus revealed its monsters power. "Activate effect: Negate Attack." By detaching one of its materials, Anubis could take one card that died this turn and reactivate it. The lord of the dead targeted Negate Attack, and activated it from the grave. "Ngh... I see." Su's attack was swallowed by a dimensional portal; the air god could not touch the god of death. "Then I activate the spell card; Trials and Tribulations! Because I tributed 2 monsters this turn, I can reclaim 2 monsters from my grave!" Azar took the only two cards in his graveyard; Hieratic Seal of the Dragonking and Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit, and placed them in his hand. "I end my turn!"

"Spell Card: Rank-Up Advantage." Terminus did not even take a fraction of a second to start its next turn. It activated a continuous spell card. _"Rank-Up!"_ This did not sound good. "Spell Card: Rank-Up-Magic: Astral Force." It wasn't. Anubis was enveloped by a heavenly light and ascended. "You have the power of Xyz-evolution?" Anubis and its last material were attached to a new god; a purple serpent deity(6/2500/2000). _"Its rank has gone up twice!"_ Azar noticed that this Rank-up process had skipped the 5th rank and evolved the New Orders straight to rank 6. Six golden spheres rested in Apophis' wings. The advantage of Rank-Up Advantage was revealed now as well. Terminus could draw a card whenever a monster was special summoned by a Rank-Up-Magic card. "New Orders 6: Etheric Apophis. Activate Effect." Terminus name its new Xyz monster and detached one material from it. "Enemy monster loses 2000 attackpoints, 2000 defense points." Apophis sent its hooked claws into the body of the Hieratic Dragon, draining almost all blood out of Su(200/0). "Battle Phase Action: New Orders 6 Attacks Hieratic Dragon of Su." Then the main serpent head opened its jaws.

_Rank-Up Advantage, Continuous Spell  
__When an Xyz Monster is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Rank-Up-Magic" Spell Card: You can draw 1 card.  
__During the damage step, negate the effects of monsters that would prevent them from being destroyed by battle._

_New Orders 06: Etheric Apophis, 6/2500/2000 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 6 LIGHT monsters  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 2000 ATK and DEF._

"I activate Rainbow Kuriboh's effect!" Before Apophis could devour Azars dragon, Azar took his Rainbow critter from his hand and equipped it to Apophis. "Your monster can not attack anymore!" The snake god had its own jaws sealed shut by the Kuriboh. That would give him some reprieve, Azar thought. "Trap Card: Spell Reclamation." It was a thought Terminus quickly layed to waste. "What!?" Terminus had activated its second trap earlier, when it had played Astral Force. "Astral Force retrieved." By discarding one card from the players hand, Spell Reclamation allowed that player to put a spell back in its hand when it was used that turn. "You are already going to.." Subsequently, during the second main phase, Terminus activated Rank-Up-Magic: Astral Force once more. "Apophis evolves to New Orders 08: Etheric Sebek." Again, a new god from two ranks up had been Xyz-summoned. The serpent turned into the an ocean blue crocodile god(8/3000/2500). Because of this Rainbow Kuriboh lost its target and was cast into the graveyard and Rank-Up Advantage let the entity draw a new card.

_New Orders 08: Etheric Sebek, 8/3000/2500 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 8 LIGHT monsters  
__When this card is Xyz Summoned: You can add 1 Spell/Trap Card from your Graveyard to your hand. That card can not be activated this turn.  
__Once during the game, during either player's turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; activate 1 Spell/Trap Card from your hand._

"This kind of power. Did you have it all along?" Chaos was the one who invented the power of Xyz evolution, that was what Azar was led to believe. Unless, Terminus was somehow similar to Chaos? Like Chaos, Terminus seemed to be growing in power. "Chaos evolves to Finity. Order evolves to Infinity." Terminus activated the effect of Etheric Sebek. As it was Xyz-summoned succesfully, it could take the spell card Astral Force out of the graveyard and back into his masters reach. "One card face-down in Magic/Trap Zone. Turn resolved." Though its answer had been cryptic, Azar had a hunch about what it could mean. _"It keeps recycling that spell, does Terminus want to keep evolving his New Orders until it becomes perfect?" _Azar would have to destroy this god of his before it could get to the highest rank.

"I tribute summon Tefnuit!" This turn Hieratic Dragon of Su was sacrificed so that Tefnuit could be normal summoned. "I sacrifrice it to special summon Hieratic Dragon of Nebthet!" By tributing any Hieratic monster, like Tefnuit, the purple moonlight dragon(5/2000/1600) could summon itself without counting itself as a normal summoned monster. "I activate the effects of Su and Tefnuit.." There had been two Hieratic sacrifices, both Su and Tefnuit could special summon normal dragon monsters from the deck as they landed in the graveyard, albeit with their attack and defense points reduced to zero. "..and special summon Wattaildragon and Hieratic Seal of the Dragonking!" Azars two choices were the blue dragon(6/0/0) with a tail of electricity, and a different smaller eggshaped seal of gold(6/0/0). "I overlay the Dragonkings seal with Wattail Dragon, to Xyz-summon the Dragon King itself!" As the electric Watt dragon unleashed all of its energy into the golden dragon egg, the egg cracked and folded open to reveal the god of the end, The Hieratic Dragon King Atun(6/2400/1000), in attack position.

"Atun can special summon one dragon from my deck. Its attackpoints are sealed away, and Atum may not attack during the turn it uses this effect." Azar detached one card from the dark dragon god, and made his choice. "Nuit." That choice was the dragon god(4/0/0) of the clouds and thunder. "Now. Here I come Terminus! Nebthet is Su's counterpart. By sacrificing a Hieratic dragon, Nebthet may destroy one monster on the field!" Nebthet let out a soul-numbing roar, with which it killed the Dragon of Nuit. Nuits electrically charged soul was then converted to raw destructive force and thrown towards the Etheric Sebek like a bolt of lightning. "Trap card activates: Perfect World Order." Said bolt harmlessly impacted against Sebeks golden wing. The card that Terminus now invoked had rendered his New Orders indestructible.

_Perfect World Order, Continuous Trap  
__Destroy this card if you do not control a "New Orders" monster.  
__"New Orders" monsters on the field cannot be destroyed by card effects, and cannot be destroyed by battle except with another "New Orders" monster._

"Effects are denied then." Azar was not through yet. Nebthets effect had delivered its profits elsewhere. Hieratic Nuit's effect would go and had gone off when Nebthet targeted it for its effect. "Nuit special summons Labradorite Dragon from my deck." Azar had saved the dragon(6/0/0) of dark gemstones and minerals for last, as Labradorite Dragon was also a tuner monster. "Labradorite Dragon tunes itself with Nebthet." Two dragons went into the graveyard; their level stars combined into a cluster of eleven. "I synchro summon Star Eater!" Those stars grew out to become a massive solar body(11/3200/2800), from which a star-devouring red dragon emerged. "Star Eater's summon can not be negated! When it attacks, it is unaffected by other card effects!" The only way to destroy the New Orders was through brute force. Azar had the decidedly strongest monster now. "Star Eater, attack Etheric Sebek!" The prominent dragon spread its wings and descended down upon the crocodile god.

"New Orders 08: Activates effect." Until that prey proved to be too brilliant even for the devourer of stars. "Activate spell card in hand: Astral Force." Sebek detached one material, Etheric Anubis, and forced the activation of the Rank-up spell. The Xyz monster evolved beyond itself rank and reached the tenth rank. "New Orders 10: Etheric Horus." Now it was the patron god, the falconheaded Horus(10/3500/3000). "I dreaded this outcome" Azar called off Star Eaters attack; this Xyz monster could not be killed with just 3200 attackpoints. "Rank-Up Advantage's effect activates." Terminus was also free to draw yet another card form its deck.

_New Orders 10: Etheric Horus, 10/3500/3000 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 10 LIGHT monsters  
__Once per turn, if your opponent's monster cards on the field outnumber your monster cards on the field:  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target a number of monster cards they control equal to that difference; destroy those cards._

_"The higher his monsters rank gets, the more 'human' Terminus sounds." _Azars opponent was starting to structure its sentences better. Was Terminus learning this much about communicating from this one duel? The other question was; did perfection mean becoming closer to humanity? It was the same with Chaos, that entity learned more about human existence through time as well._ "Time.."_ That was what he was feeling right now. Somehow this entire crystal cavern felt more like the earth he knew, the flow of time he knew. He started to wonder, if Terminus and Chaos were created at the same time. To create the perfect being of Order, disorder had to go somewhere... "I activate Trade In." Azar played one spell to discard Hieratic Seal of the Sundragon Overlord from his hand, and draw two new cards. "Lastly, I activate Super Rejuvenation! During the endphase I may draw a card, for each dragon that I sacrificed or discarded!" Thanks to Su, Tefnuit, Nuit and the Overlord Seal; Azar could draw four times as he ended his turn. Though he placed a trap card down before he did enter his endphase.

However things turned out to be even more dire than Azar could have dreamed. "Activate effect of Rank-Up Magic: Astral Force." As his opponent did not need to use other cards to put Astral Force back into his hand. "It can..recycle itself?" By skipping the draw phase, Terminus could take the Rank-Up spell from its graveyard and place it into its hand. "This way, you can reach the ultimate rank no matter what." That card was impossible to get rid of. "Negative. Ultimate is Nothing to Infinity." Terminus stated, as it detached Etheric Apophis from Etheric Horus."Effect Activation." The falcon god let divine energy rain down from its ten golden spheres, energy that destroyed Star Eater because Azar controlled two monsters while Terminus had but one. "You have no Ultimate card? Then.."

"Correct. New Orders can Rank-up indefinitely. There is no Limit, no final Rank." Now the entity activated the Astral spell. New Orders 10 climbed two more ranks, to reach the ceiling of what was humanly possible. "Number 46, you can not defeat this with your Power. There is nothing that can, nothing from your universe."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)61: The Last Question)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Hieratic Dragon of Su  
Hieratic Seal of the Dragonking  
Star Eater

-  
Trials and Tribulations

**Cards used by Terminus  
**Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn  
Felice, Lightsworn Archer  
_New Orders 04: Etheric Anubis (+)  
__New Orders 06: Etheric Apophis (+)  
__New Orders 08: Etheric Sebek (+)  
__New Orders 10: Etheric Horus (+)_

-  
Solar Recharge  
_Rank-Up Advantage (+)  
_Rank-Up Magic: Astral Force  
XYZ Territory

-  
Negate Attack  
Spell Reclamation  
_Perfect World Order_

_(+ Based on the Cards used by Eliphas in Yugioh Zexal, converted to Divine typing)_


	63. Cipher (1)61: The Last Question

**Cipher (****1)61: The Last Question**

Azars LP: 8000 Terminus' LP: 8000

_New Orders 12: Etheric Mahes, 12/4000/4000 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__2 Level 12 monsters  
__When this card leaves the field, destroy all other monster cards you control. Once per turn, during either main phase, activate one or more of the following effects  
__* Place as many monsters as possible, that are attached to this card as Xyz Materials, face-up on your side of the field. Their effects are negated.  
__* Attach all monster cards you control to this card as Xyz Materials._

Horus was no more, it had attached itself to the 12th of the New Orders: the lionheaded wargod Mahes(12/4000/4000). "Rank 12." Azar had never seen such an Xyz monster, and this was still not the peak of New Orders. "Rank-Up Advantage activates." Terminus drew one card through his continuous spell, as he had upped an Xyz monsters Rank. And then it activated the power of that monster. "Etheric Mahes can call upon all that are attached to it." The serpentine maws attached to the Lions body opened and spewed forth black gas. That gas liqeuefied and then solidified, forming the New Orders 8 Etheric Sebek(8/3000/2500) and New Orders 10 Etheric Horus(10/3500/3000). "All three of them?" Their effects were negated, but that did not make them less of a threat to Azar.

"Field Spell: XYZ Territory." Certainly not after the enemy activated yet another spell. "Etheric Mahes attacks." When an Xyz monster did battle with another monster, XYZ Territory would grant them 200 attackpoints for each of their rank stars. The lion god(6400/6400) gained twelve attack and defense boosts as it grabbed its two blades and cut deep into Azars Hieratic Dragon King Atum(6/2400/2100). "Graaaah!" Azars dragon died on the spot, and his master had to suffer the remaining damage.

Azars LP: 4000

"Etheric Horus attacks." Terminus was not done yet, Horus charged up its holy lightning. "I activate Rainbow Kuriboh's effect from my graveyard!" Neither was Azar. If pain did not matter in this world, it did not matter to him either. . "I can special summon this monster when a direct attack is declared!" The seven-colored critter fiend(1/100/100) escaped its grave, just to absorb the electrical blast from the falcon god. "Etheric Sebek attacks." Rainbow Kuriboh banished itself after this second death however, thus Azar could not stop the third attack. "Ugh." Eight flames were released from Sebeks golden wing attachment, eight times Azar suffered the flames.

Azars LP: 1000

"Charge of the Light Brigade." Terminus did not react to Azar enduring its attacks. It moved on to the next phase and activated a spell. "Discard the 3 cards on top of the deck and take a level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster from that deck." With that spell it discarded three cards, two of which were Lightsworn monsters, and added a Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden to its hand. "Effect activates." A second copy of Minerva was also one of the discarded cards. If that card was sent from the deck to the grave, another could be sent along with her. That fourth discarded card was also a Lightsworn monster. _"Minerva?"_ Azar could vaguely recall what other effects that card had, enough to realize he was in trouble.

"Normal summon, Minerva the Lightsworn Maiden." Now she appeared in person, the wise young maiden(3/800/1200) with red hair, carrying a white owl on her arm. "Her effect finds one Light-attribute dragon in the deck, whose level equals that of all different Lightsworn in the graveyard." There were eight different Lightsworn monsters in the graveyard, (2 discarded by Solar Recharge, 1 by Spell Reclamation, 3 by Charge of the Light Brigade, 1 by Raiden and Raiden itself), meaning Terminus could add a level 8 dragon to its unseen hands. "Judgment Dragon." There really was only one choice. "Damn." Azars opponent had gained the Judger. With more than four Lightsworn monsters in the graveyard, Terminus could special summon Judgment Dragon and destroy all other cards on the field. "No monsters may be special summoned during the turn Astral Force is recycled, outside of Astral Force." Fortunately Terminus revealed that there was at least one limit to its strategy of continuous rank-ups. "Effect activates." Terminus closed off this turn by activating the second effect of Etheric Mahes. "Attach all." New Orders 8, 10 and Minerva were covered by the heavenly rays of New Orders 12 and beamed up into the body of the Lion god. "Set card in magic/trap zone and end the turn."

_"So it has to absorb what it summoned, and more.."_ This was Azars chance. If he could destroy Mahes, he would end the cycle of Astral Force. _"But there is still Judgment Dragon."_ Azar took two cards from his hand. "Terminus, because you control an Xyz monster I can special summon Radius the Halfmoon Dragon!" The first was the lunar-winged dragon(4/1400/1200), whose level was doubled by its(8/1400/1200) own effects. "And because your monster has 2000 or more attackpoints, I may also special summon Schwarzschild Limit Dragon from my hand!" A dark brown dragon(8/2000/0), coiled up into a symbol of infinity around his master. "Terminus. You call me by my number, so maybe what you want is to see how I use it." Azar overlayed Schwarzschild with Radius, creating a rbilliant portal of energy. "So here it is! I Xyz-summon Number 46: Dragluon in defense position!" Azars pure-white chinese dragon(8/3000/3000). formed itself out of the moons grey and event horizons darkness. "By detaching one material, Draggluon will prevent all other dragons from activating their effects until my next turn!" Of Dragluons three powers, the third was the one that Azar needed the most right now. Judgment Dragons destruction would be delayed.

_"But I need another..Number."_ Terminus had left two Number cards with Azar; his own.. and Utopia. "Terminus. You avoided taking back this card for a reason, didn't you?" Azar took the Number 39. "You believe I tainted it, we tainted it. You can not reclaim it just like Necara couldn't take everything from it! It has become a permanent part of Chaos!" Azar normal summoned his next monster; the burning Divine Dragon Apokralyph(4/1000/1500). "I activate Apokralyphs effect and discard one card to move a dragon from the graveyard to my hand!" Azar used the effect to take back Labradorite Dragon.

However this time he was more interested in what he discarded. "I discarded Eclipse Wyvern. When it is sent to the grave, it banishes a highlevel light-or dark-element dragon from my deck! And if Eclipse Wvern is banished afterwards, the earlier banished card is added to my hand!" So Azar banished the Eclipse Wyvern, a light-attribute dragon, to special summon the dragon of black holes; Black Dragon Collapserpent(4/1800/1700). "I add Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to my hand!" The card that Eclipse Wyvern had targeted for Azar was the metallic Red-Eyes. It would come in handy later. For now Azar had other plans. "I Xyz-summon Utopia!" Collapserpent and Apocralyph dove into the cosmic portal to be overlayed just like Azars previous two monsters. Now a knight leaped out of the gateway, to join the dragon. Utopia(4/2500/2000) was ready to face Terminus. _"The Utopia I need right now is.." _Azar had seen Number 39 evolve three times by now, yet only one of those three forms could directly destroy Etheric Mahes. _"I havent summoned that Chaosnumber since I lost Chaos the first time. And he..is not here."_

Or was he? Azar was not sure. If Chaos was truly becoming one with him, could they ever be separated? Chaos was born here, but it was his mind that made him his own being.. "There is but one way to find out." Azar closed his eyes and placed his fingers on his extra deck. "I chaos evolve Utopia!" Without looking, he took a card and placed it on top of Utopia and its materials. "To summon Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray!" The angelic white warrior had been reformed, becoming the the four-armed black knight(4/2500/2000). Azar had succeeded at drawing it out. "Now I see.. Chaos is with me no matter where I go, Terminus!"

"The inverted evolution, the cretaion of chaos.. It is different, Chaos is limited." It flipped a continuous trap face-up. "Effect Avtivates. Rank Limit Wall: An Xyz monster was called, all Xyz monsters with Rank equal to it or lower than it are switched to defense." Terminus erected a dome of darkness, one bursting with gravitational forces. "Equal or lower than Rank 4?" Utopia Ray was forced out of its attack position by the pressure. Azar could have used Utopia Ray's effect to weaken Mahes and destroy it, since his lifepoints were equal to a 1000. But that effect was not worth anything when the Chaosnumber itself could not declare an attack.

_Rank Limit Wall, Continuous Trap  
__Activate when a Xyz-monster is Xyz-summoned. All Xyz monsters with a Rank equal to or lower than the summoned monsters Rank are changed to defense position._

"What you are saying is that as long as long as I limit myself to lower ranks, I can not defeat you? That can not be true! I do not believe in a perfect invincible power!" Azar would find a way to fight back, even if he would have to resort to more exotic cards. He activated his trap card, Common Charity, to banish the normal monster; Labradorite Dragon, from his hand and drew two new cards. "If not Chaos, then maybe your own Order will reach you! I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Numeron Fall!" He activated one of those cards. "Rank-Down?" Not even Terminus seemed to comprehend what was happening to Utopia now. The warrior shed its black chaos armor and its original golden plates, to devolve back into his original true form: Utopia Roots(1/500/500). It too was switched to defense position by Rank Limit Wall, but this Number lent itself more to defensive tactics anyway. "I set two cards in my zone and end our turn!"

"Returning to the original; Indiscribable. Using the Numeron Code for Regression is unjustifiable." It was not quite anger that was reflected in its words, but the entity definitely sounded upset. "This can not overcome evolution, 46 and 39." It drew a card, the normal way. _"It isn't going for Astral Force?"_ Azars opponent could easily have drawn its Rank-Up spell again. Why didn't it? "Lightray Daedalus." Apparently because it wanted to special summon something else this turn. When a player had more than 4 light-attribute monsters in its graveyard, the holy seaserpent(7/2600/1500) could be special summoned from the hand. _"He uses Lightrays as well? Lightray Daedalus can destroy one field spell card and 2 other cards on the field, if it banishes a Light monster from the graveyard!"_ It was obvious that Terminus was going to sacrifice XYZ Territory to destroy his two Numbers. "Trap card: Skill Breakthrough!" Azar could not allow that, even if that meant using up a trap he had wanted to use on the New Orders. "I negate the effects of your monster, Lightray Daedalus, until the end of this turn!"

"Effect activates, Etheric Mahes." Terminus had an immediate answer to that; putting all of Mahes' materials back on the field. Minerva, Horus and Sebek appeared alongside Daedalus and Mahes. "Destroy the decay, destroy the regressed Number." All five of those monsters declared their attack. "You are attacking my Number?" Normally Numbers could only be destroyed in battle by other Numbers. That immunity was not in play anymore. "Numbers have no battle protection in this now and here, where Rank-Up Advantage negates it." Every monster Terminus controlled was a threat to Numbers, thanks to the continuous spell. In spite of XYZ Territory's boost, Utopia Roots(700/700) was no match even for Minerva, who sent her owl after the rank 1 warrior. "I activate the effect of Utopia Roots! It negates a monsters attack!" Utopia roots absorbed one of its four Xyz materials and used its bladed wings to shield itself from Minerva's owl. It had blocked that attack, but it could only do the trick three more times.

"Lightray Daedalus attacks." The Seaserpent slithered towards its prey. "I negate that attack as well!" By detaching its second material, Utopia Roots could fly up and evade the constricting hold of Daedalus. "Etheric Sebek attacks." Next Utopia Roots had to contend with the crocodile god(4600/4100). "Again!" So Azar activated the Numbers effect a third time, making Sebek close its jaws prematurely. "When an Xyz monsters attack is negated, my monster gains 500 attack points for each rank star on that Xyz monster!" The 8th rank Sebek had given eight boosts to Roots(4500/500). However its defense remained abysmally low. "Etheric Horus attacks." So Utopia Roots had to use up its last Xyz-material, to negate the falcon god(5500/5000)'s attack. "Tch." As Horus was a 10th rank xyz monster, Utopia Roots(9500/500) gained ten power boosts. But it would all be in vain if it could not switch itself back to attack position. "Etheric Mahes attacks."

Or.. if it could gain more defense points. "Trap card: Inverse Universe! The attack and defense points of all monsters are switched!" Azar revealed the endstep of his counter-attack. His inverting trap switched around all stats, including those of Etheric Mahes(4000/4000) and Utopia Roots(500/9500). Even with the bonus from XYZ Territory, the New Orders Xyz monster(6400/6400) could not break through this defense. Azars Number(700/9700) slapped the mighty liongods swords away, and made one slash into the 'entity' behind it. A section of Terminus' crystallized lifepoints was sliced away.

Terminus' LP: 4900

"Lifeforce..tarnished.." Its voice came in slightly distorted. "Must.. re-assess." Terminus immediately called back Mahes and placed all its other monsters on the field underneath New Orders 12 as attachments. "Lightray Diabolos." One of the now open monster zones was given to the white-scaled dragonic hell king(7/2800/1000). _"Another Lighray?' _Diabolos could be special summoned when the player had 5 different light-attribute monsters in their graveyard; a condition Terminus certainly qualified for. _"That card can send set cards back to my deck. Terminus wants to discourage me from settings traps or spells."_ Diabolos could not use any effects right now because of Dragluon negating all dragon monsters effects. However, Azar could not reuse Draggluons effect as long as he controlled monsters besides Draggluon. Diabolos had free reign on the next turn. "End turn."

_"If I can not set defenses then.."_ Azar breathed in, and touched his deck. If he could summon his Chaosnumber, he could also invoke its power. "Chaos draw!" The top card started glowing just as Azar began his draw phase. "I activate Chaos Weapon - Sleipnir Mail! It is equipped to a Utopia monster, to give it 1000 attackpoints!" A metallic horse(4/1000/1000), with armor of silver, gold and red, stepped unto the platform. Utopia Roots then mounted the Chaos Weapon, turning Sleipnir into its steed and giving himself(1500/9500) additional attackpoints. "I end my turn." Until he found a way to get rid of Rank Limit Wall, he would have to play defensively.

"You are stuck, 39 and 46." Golden light cascaded downwards; Terminus was using the effect of Astral Force this turn and adding it from its graveyard to its hand during the drawphase. "That damage you inflicted, was a result of a flaw. That flaw shall now be removed." As Lightray Diabolos had no use to it with no set cards on Azars field, Terminus allowed Etheric Mahes to absorb it as an Xyz-material... Then the lion god was dismissed as well. "Astral Force activates!" Terminus had sworn it could rank up beyond the ultimate rank, and he was now proving itself. New Orders 12 evolved into the 14th rank. The god was no longer a beast, it was an angelic pharaoh(14/5000/5000), with a lower body of crystal. "New Orders 14: Etheric Amen. This is My answer to your powers, 39 and 46!" Terminus voice no longer came from the crystals, it came from from behind Amens mask.

_New Orders 14: Etheric Amen, 14/5000/5000 Divine/Divine Beast/Xyz  
__Must be special summoned with a "Rank-Up-Magic - Astral Force" spell card targeting a "New Orders 12: Etheric Mahes", and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways  
__When this card is Xyz-Summoned: Attach a number of cards from the top of your opponent's Deck to this card as Xyz Materials, equal to the difference in Ranks between this card and 1 face-up Xyz Monster your opponent controls.  
__This card can not be targeted by card effect(s) This card cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects as long as it has Xyz material(s).  
__While you control this card, other monsters can not declare an attack. This card gains 100 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to it._

Through Rank-Up Advantage, Terminus drew one card. "New Orders 14: Etheric Amen has been Xyz-summoned. It attaches cards from your deck, equal to the difference in ranks between our monsters." Between it and Azars Utopia Roots, lied 13 ranks. So 13 cards were taken from Azars deck and attached to Amen. "Ah!" Now Azar only had 5 cards left in his deck. His stolen cards swirled beneath Amens body like orbiting stars, joining the 6 materials it already had taken from New Orders 12. "Etheric Amen gains 100 attackpoints for each material." With 19 materials, Amen(6900/5000) gained 1900 attackpoints. "I destroy the 46th." And with those new powers, and the attackboost from XYZ Territory, the Etheric lord(9700/5000) could reduce Azars Draggluon(8/4600/4600) to cosmic dust with a single light beam from its glaring eyes. "Amen is immortal, it is another step towards perfection. We will all be pure!"

"And then what?" Azar asked it.

"Then? What is this question?"

"What will you do with all this power? Has your world always been like this?" There were so many questions Azar had. His desire for answers was second only to his need for surviving this duel. But now he felt like he could properly talk with his opponent. "Our universe has been like this for as long as is remembered. If we were lesser once, that time has been forgotten. Time had been forgotten, until you opened the gates. As long as our worlds are connected, we are forced to progress linearly, even if we can control our rate of time!" Its answers only led to more questions. "But then what? If we are all going to be one collective consciousness, free of desire and time, what progress will there be? It is not we are stuck, it is you! You have no endgoal in sight!" To Azar it sounded like Terminus, and the rest of this dimension, did not even know why they had started this search for perfection in the first place. "Such thoughts are exactly what I stand against. I, Terminus, was created to eliminate all chaos,to give order to every lifeform I even limited my essence to a singular level. You will be categorized, you will become the first of 46."

"And what of Chaos? What about him? Are you going to banish him from your world again? He was once part of you wasn't he? And you can not destroy him, can you?" If this world could have, they would have done so. "It was. But now it will be purified along with its new host.. along with you."

"What?" Azar flinched. He looked at his own reflection in the floor. "Becoming One?" And the reflection he saw, was the one of Azar as Chaos, white hair and all. "We are.." Chaos had never left him..

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)62: What Dreams are Made Off)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**Schwarzschild Limit Dragon  
Eclipse Wyvern  
Chaos Weapon - Sleipnir Mail

**New Cards used by Terminus  
**_New Orders 12: Etheric Mahes (+)  
__New Orders 14: Etheric Amen (+)  
_Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden  
Lightray Daedalus  
Lightray Diabolos

-  
Charge of the Light Brigade

_-  
Rank Limit Wall_

_(+ Based on the Cards used by Eliphas in Yugioh Zexal, converted to Divine typing)_


	64. Cipher (1)62: What Dreams are Made Off

**Cipher (****1)62: ****What Dreams are Made Off**

Azars LP: 1000 Terminus ' LP: 4900

"Chaos and me..why did I not realize this?" Azar was in his chaotic form right now during this duel. When did he transform? Why hadn't he heard Chaos' voice inside of him? Where was his other side? It was as if he had reverted to the way he was at the beginning, when Chaos had no power on its own.. Had Chaos become that weak in this world? "You only exist here, 46 and 39, because of the embodiment of chaos. It took advantage of you and hid inside you. It was born here, neither of you can be integrated, unless I vanquish you simultaneously." Terminus placed a trap down and ended its turn. "No. That is not true! It would never try to trick me like that! I draw!" Azar attempted to perform another Chaos draw, but he merely drew a trap card from his deck. "Ungh... I set a trap card and end my turn." He did not understand what was going on, nor could he break free of his own situation. Utopia Roots(1/1500/9500) could only defend against the godlike Etheric Amen(14/6900/5000).

"Time is nothing to us, but it is to you, 39. Now, your time is up." Terminus performed a normal draw during its draw phase again, because it was finally going for 'that card'. "Judgment Dragon." Terminus had at least 4 different Lightsworn monsters in its graveyard, these were the necessary conditions to bring out the white feathered chinese dragon(8/3000/2600). "I pay 1000 of my life, to destroy all else that exists. All but Amen. Amen is beyond destruction." Judgment was unleashed. The dragon used its effect to destroy everything, including Rank-Up Advantage, New World Order and Rank-Limit Wall. Only the field spell, XYZ Territory, remained intact. That card could detach a material from Etheric Amen(6800/5000) to negate its own destruction by another card effect. However Number 39: Utopia Roots was not so fortunate.

Terminus ' LP: 3900

Azar however was. "I activate the effect of my Chaos weapon!" In his final moment, Utopia's steed Sleipnir absorbed the destruction waves of Judgment Dragon. "When Sleipnir Mail is destroyed along with the Utopia it was equipped to, I can special summon another 'Utopia' monster from my graveyard!" Utopia Roots jumped into the smoke and emerged in defense mode as the black knight Utopia Ray(4/2500/2000). "I have chosen Chaosnumber 39!"

"Utopia. Your world hopes to become, but can not reach it without our perfection." Terminus continued its turn and activated the spell card, Monster Reborn. "You will only be one with us, by abandoning your concept of 'Utopia'." The spell special summoned a Lightsworn Angel Celestia(6/2300/200) from Terminus' graveyard. "Hope has no meaning in a world where the future has no meaning! I, Terminus, sacrifice Judgment Dragon and Celestia! The Dragon and Fairy are the sacrifices that the Ma'at demands!" Terminus' two monsters fused together as it were, in a sea of light. "Ma'at?" Azar knew that name, it was the Egyptian deity of Order and Justice._ "It can create gods that are not Xyz monsters?"_ The goddess(10/0/0) appeared in divine pharaonic armor, and was masked just like Amen. In one hand she held scales, in the other a staff with an ankh at the tip.

"Judgment can take many forms. The Ma'at anounces the names of three cards in my deck. If those three are on top of my deck, they are added to my hand!" Ma'at placed the deck on her scale. "Lightsworn Sanctuary, Garoth the Lightsworn Warrior and Ryko the Lightsworn Hunter." Terminus declared three names, and Ma'at excavated them from the top of the deck. The three cards were exactly what had been announced. "The Ma'at gains 1000 points for each card added to my hand." Ma'at(10/3000/3000) picked up the two monsters and spell card and gave them to Amen. "I activate Lightsworn Sanctuary. This continuous spell exchanges Lightsworns in my hand for those in the graveyard." A golden altar appeared on the crystal platform. "Garoth for Lumina." The muscular warrior gave his life at that altar, so that the Summoner of the lightsworns could return to life. "I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner. I activate her effect." Lumina(3/1000/1000) stepped down from the altar to begin her ritual spell. By discarding a card from Terminus' hand, she could special summon a level 4 or lower Lightsworn from the graveyard. "Ryko for Felice." The wolf was given up, and the feline Lightsworn Archer(4/1100/2000) was given a second chance.

_"Felice can be tributed, to destroy one monster on the field." _If Terminus had his way, Utopia Ray and Felice would die together. "I activate Skill Breakthrough from my graveyard! I negate the effect of your monster by banishing this trap!" Azar cursed himself for not just doing so earlier, he had been too out of it to think straight. "Your sense of time is slipping, your hope has been abandoned in the past." Terminus had not even planned to use Felice's effect either. "Felice, is a tuner monster. I tune Felice with Lumina, and synchro summon the Arch-Lightsworn, Michael!" Felice's and Lumina's seven stars spun in the air, crashing together to create a brilliant flash that parted the dimensions. From above came a winged warrior(7/2600/3000) in golden armor, the arch-angel Michael. "Michael may banish any one card on the field, at the cost of another 1000 lifepoints." Michael pointed his sword at the black knight of hope and fired a bolt of lightning from it. Number C39: Utopia Ray was vaporized, Azar had no monsters left for his defense, and Terminus had not even attacked yet.

Terminus ' LP: 2900

"Only Amen may attack. Etheric Amen, direct attack." Fourteen purple flames grew within the rings on the Amens wings. Fourteen pillars of divine energy were shot towards Azar. "This is not over! Trap card: Double Dragon Descent!" The ground shook as two claws grabbed the edge of the platform. "When I am attacked directly, I can make the target a light-type Xyz dragon!" Azars trap special summoned Heliopolis(8/3000/2400), the Sun Dragon Overlord of the Hieratics. "During the damage step, the summoned monsters attackpoints become equal to the attacking monsters attackpoints! " As Amen(9600/9600) gained the attackboost from XYZ Territory, Heliopolis(9600/2400) increased in size along with Hieratic Dragon took all fourteen blasts, and returned fire. "Futile! Amen can not die!" Heliopolis fell to pieces and burned up. New Orders 14 was not even singed. "You can not defeat me, 39. Accept this." No matter what Azar did, it did not seem to work. _"Damn it. Why..why did I think I could win this? It is just too strong.." _Azar could not even think of any strategy that could take care of this enemy..

_**"Azar."**_

_"Chaos?" It was in this darkest hour, that he heard its voice. "Where..are you?" He had tried to draw again, but that feeling he got whenever he performed Chaos Draw would was not there. However the voice was getting clearer. __**"Near you. I never left. I believe..."**__ Chaos sounded different now, fainter and softer. __**"The changes have gotten **worse**. I can feel that. This world, is doing something **__to me__**.. to us. I am starting to forget what I am.. what I want. I am starting to feel more.. **__like you." __That was who his voice now started to imitate, it halfway sounded exactly like Azars. "Is it because of Terminus?" Azar had wondered if this was somehow part of the entity's plan to eliminate both him and Chaos at the same time. __**"Not by his design, but by his presence. He is a part of **__my own evolution__**. I am not what I was when I 'fell' from here, neither is Terminus.**__**"**__ Once a mindless falling star, now Chaos had returned with new memories, new life. __**"Azar. I know what must be done..."**_

"Terminus." Azar turned back to the duel, with Chaos final words in his mind. "There are no absolutes. You can not bring us down to a set of numbers and integrate us that way. I believe in what I see, and I do not see an invincibility. I see stagnation. Your side alone is not enough.. to that end. I will take some of it for my own!" Azar drew his card. "Spell card: Mind Pollutant! I discard a monster to take control of one of yours!" Azar sent his level 10 RedEyesDarknessMetalDragon into the graveyard, to take control of Ma'at. For one turn, she would stand besides Azar. "You intend to take from me? What you can see does not include the future as it is written. What can a linear being like you do with the goddess of judgment?" Unlike Terminus, Azar would have to guess what the next three cards in his deck were, if he wanted to make use of Ma'at. "I do not need to guess my future! I made it already!" Azar placed his hands on his deck, which had been reduced to a mere three cards. "I know where my cards are, I know what has been used, discarded or attached.. and what has not! I name Monster Reborn, Overlay Capture and Utopia Buster!"

Azar excavated the last three cards in his deck. They were exactly what he had predicted. "I do not even need Chaos Draw anymore!" Ma'at(6000/6000) was done weighing his deck with her scales and handed the cards to Azar. "I activate Monster Reborn, to special summon Number 39: Utopia!" The original warrior of hope(4/2500/2000) returned from the land of the dead. "When I control Utopia, I can activate the spell card: Utopia Buster! This card destroys the weakest monster on my opponents field!" Utopia was equipped with a rocket launcher. From it, Utopia fired a heatseeking missile, which destroyed the Lightsworn archangel Michael with a violent explosion. "My opponent will loses lifepoints equal to the monster that went to the graveyard!" More of Terminus' crystal core had been chipped away during the blast, reducing its lifepoints by 2600.

Terminus'LP: 300

"Effect activates!" This triggered Michaels second effect. "When the Arch-Lightsworn is destroyed, any and all Lightsworn can be returned to my deck. Each returned card restores 300 lifepoints." There were 13 Lightsworn monsters in the graveyard, Terminus returned them all to recover 3900 lifepoints. "Another act of futility. You can not destroy New Orders, you can not surpass me!"

Terminus' LP: 4200

"I know I can not. This whole duel has been about you proving that to me. But..we, together, might stand a chance." Azar activated his final card. "Overlay Capture! I detach all materials from your Xyz monster and attach this spell to mine!" All materials orbiting the angel of Order flew away in various directions. "What does this accomplish?" Meanwhile Overlay Capture started spinning around Utopia. But it was still no match for Etheric Amen(5000/5000). "It sends the cards you stole back to my graveyard!" Azar activated the effect of one monster that had been detached by Overlay Capture. "XYZ Agent! Once during the game, this monster can attach itself to a 'Utopia' monster!" Now a second Xyz-material was given to Number 39. "Chaos is dueling you as well, Terminus. And now that he has had a taste of Ma'at, he understands your power. Chaos and Order alone are not enough, they can never defeat each other! So..we will combine those powers!" Azars extra deck released a rays of black and white. "And create a third type of evolution! A Number 39: Utopia with two materials will be the foundation for this... Shining XYZ-Summon!"

"Shining?"

The tomb of crystals drowned in twilight, as Utopia changed. This was neither Numeron evolution/devolution nor Chaos evolution. "What is this? It did not reach a new rank!" Terminus stared at the new form that Utopia(4/2510/2000) had taken. His wings had separated into six blades, and his armor became sleeker and sharper. "This is Shining Number 39: Utopia Prime." Azar explained, as its appearance changed again. His hair was now gold, and his eyes pure white. "When my lifepoints are lower than my opponents by 3000, Utopia Prime can reduce them to a mere 10. And in turn all special summoned monsters my opponent controls, will be destroyed and banished! And my opponent takes 300 points of damage for each removed card!" Utopia spread its arms and pointed its bladed wings at Etheric Amen. "Your monster can not survive this indiscriminate effect!" The blades fired six concussive blasts, which burned large holes inside the 14th rank deity. "What is this power? This is beyond 39 and 46, beyond Chaos.. What are you?" Terminus stammered as Amens body fell apart, and more of its crystal lifepoints fractured.

Terminus' LP: 3900

"I used to be Chaos, the same as any other Chaos. But I am also Azar. When we came here, we survived by harmonizing our minds.. by overlaying our essences with each other. We are at balance, Terminus. Even with you.. who indirectly created Chaos by expelling it." The new Azar clenched his hand. "Chaos is no more. I am beyond that, and beyond Order. I am.. the Light!" He entered the battle phase. "This is the end of your design! We have the power to stabilize our worlds. If we can live in harmony, so can everyone else! Ma'at.." Azar would decide the duel with the very card that had allowed him to tap into Terminus' energy. "Direct attack!" The light of justice overwhelmed the maker of Numbers.

Terminus' LP: 0

...

The very instant Azar leaped into the light, everything went dark. Power was quickly restored to the room, yet the portal was no longer present in the room. Neither was Azar. "Now that is interesting." It was an odd sight to behold, especially through a screen showing camera footage. "What was that?" Subito had no clue what he was looking at, but it sounded like Kapha did. "That was an interdimensional collapse, mister Artega. Whatever your friend has done on the other side, led to the stabilization of the gateway. You can no longer see it, but it is still there. the opening has become nanoscopic." Human eyes could not detect a portal of that size, but Kapha's machines still registered its unique energy signature. "Then Azar. reached the will of their universe? If he managed to get through, then the invasion..." Subito wanted to think that this was a sign. He wanted to hope that the Numbers invasion was coming to an end. "That depends on how the catalysts would react." Kapha shook his head. "But you had a question for me. Allow me to answer you, with a live demonstration.."

Shins LP: 100 Liliths LP: 6000

"No. That is not possible. Not Terminus." The Third sensed it, the defeat of their creator. "Did..something happen to your boss? Is that why the portal did not blow up?" Shin was counting his blessings that Liliths last-ditch attempt to stop them had failed her. "Azar must have succeeded then!" There was only one he could hold responsible. "The Fallen. He could not have. The power of Terminus is absolute.. it is..Aaahh!"

Liliths LP: 0

Liliths cries were cruelly cut short. "What did you do?" Rita shouted. All of Shins monsters had declared their direct attacks on Lilith, and finished of her lifepoints. "I didn't do anything!" Shin protested, he did not know why his monsters attacked her without his input. "No..Lucifer..Terminus. I did not mean to.." Lilith fell down, her body began to turn to stone. "It was you.." Once she had become fully petrified, she started to crack and broke apart. Nothing but dust remained of the Third catalyst; dust and a card. "Ah! I did not order an attack!" Shin saw that his D-pad had registered an attack declaration It was as if the machine had a mind of its own. Or somebody else's mind..

"You didn't." The image of that mind replaces the images of Shins monsters. "I did." Said Esther the artificial intelligence, as she picked up the Number 3 card from Liliths dust.

...

"Mom. Dad.." Ariel kneeled before the bodies of her parents. "Everyone." They had suffered the same fate as all others in the house, and the city. Natasha, Sky, Mr. and Mrs. Artega; not a single person was conscious. "Please..wake up." She shook her mothers body, and got no reaction. The Numbers were inside them now, they would only come to when they were fully under their control. She had told them they would be safe here, and now this happened.. "Why.." She was one of the few who was spared. "Why does all of this.." Outside was the one who had done this, Lucifer. He would finish the job and take each one of them down. One at a time. "Thomas." They had already lost a friend to it. It did not care. It was just fulfilling its goals without a single concern for the people around it. There was good in every person, Ariel had always believed that. But this was not a person, this was a Monster.

Lucifers LP: 5000 Ruby's LP: 0

"Damn it." The First had claimed yet another victim. "I told you to..run." Ruby Irant failed to defeat Lucifer and his Number. He was not playing around anymore. "We couldn't leave you!" Xander said as he caught her before she could fall to the ground. "Gheh. What, you want to be the white knight, now that we are out of heroes? You should have quit while you had.. the chance." Ruby managed one last sneer, before she passed out. ".." Xander did not move, even as Lucifer advanced on him next. "Dakar. You must know it as well, this person will pursue us until earth's end. There is no point in running." He said to Dakar. He had let his younger sister check up on everyone in the house, but he too had realized that running away had never been an option. "Yes. It is hopeless. A feeling I know too well." Dakar was about to activate his D-pad. If anything, together they would stand a better chance.

"NO!"

"Ariel?" But that was when his sisters screams left the house. And that was followed by a surge of blue fire that travelled in every direction. "..." Lucifer himself ceased its movement, as the energy wave extinguished some of the hellfire around it. "Lucifer. You are going to challenge me!" Ariel emerged from the house, her eyes filled with wrath. "You will not take anyone else from us! I will end this myself!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)63: Beyond Mortals Pale)

**New Cards used by Azar Helder  
**XYZ Agent  
Number S39: Utopia Prime

-  
Utopia Buster

-  
Double Dragon Descent

**New Cards used by Terminus  
**Judgment Dragon  
Celestia, Lightsworn Angel  
Ma'at  
Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior  
Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter  
Lumina, Lightsworn Maiden  
Michael, the Arch Lightsworn

-  
Monster Reborn  
Lightsworn Sanctuary


	65. Cipher (1)63: Beyond Mortals Pale

**Cipher (****1)63: ****Beyond Mortals Pale**

"You killed her? Why did you?" It had not been Shin, it had been her! The artificial intelligence put an attack declaration into his D-pad, to end his duel with Lilith! "She would have lost one way or the other. And.. she did not die. Like all others, she is now part of me." Esther held her hands out, revealing another card. "Wha.. you were the one who took it?" It was Number 6 Chronomaly Atlandis; the Catalyst that Rita had defeated! "How can you even hold that thing? You're just a hologram!" The agents had never known much about her. Now Rita was not even sure if she knew anything at all. "There is a answer to all your questions. Let me show you. " Esther drew her fingers through her hair, which turned from blond to light green.

"That is!" Korose's face grew pale. There was only one being he knew, that had a haircolor like that. "Pandora!" _She_ was the eight catalyst! "Wait? Now she_ is _Esther? I thought you said you werent!" Shin could not tell what was true or not anymore. "That was not a lie. I am not Esther. Nor am I Astrid. Those names _arent_ mine. I am nothing.. and everything."

...

"Ariel..." Once again his sister had thrown herself into a fight which offered little hope. "At least let us.." Once again he could not stand by her side. "Gah!" Lucifer would not let him, it erected a wall of fire around itself and Ariel. Not even the Overhundred Numbers could break through. In fact it only seemed to burn those without regular Numbers, as the unconscious people on the streets were fine. "Dakar. This is different. I am not doing this because I want to give you a chance to escape." Ariel began drawing her cards. "I am doing this because I know I can win." She was not just angered, she was confident. "Dakar. We have to let her do this." Xander said. He had already backed off to put Ruby down against the manor gates. By now Lucifer had taken the first turn. It placed a trap card down and normal summoned a new cosmic demon, a luminescent featureless body(4/1600/600) resting inside a transparent sphere, surrounded by a halo. "Luster Nova? That card can take control of your monsters, Ariel! Be careful!" Dakar could see what effect was written down in the stone slab.

Ariels LP: 8000 Lucifers: 8000

_Luster Nova, 4/1600/600 Wind/Fiend  
__When a monster on the field activates a card effect; this card's Level becomes the Level of that monster.  
__Once per turn; take control of all monsters your opponent controls with the same level as this monster, until your next endphase.  
__If this card attacks, the controlled monster(s) must also attack that turn._

"I know what I must do." Ariel drew her card and activated a field spell. "I activate A Legendary Ocean! All water monsters gain 200 attack and defense points, and their levels on the field or in my hand are reduced by 1!" Water was pushed upwards a temple of the great city Atalntis appeared. The resulting omnidirectional tidal wave doused every flame within the dueling field. "I can now normal summon Panther Shark without tributes! And when I control Panther Shark, I can special summon Eagle Shark from my hand!" Both the yellow black-spotted shark(4/1300/2200) and the beak-nosed red shark(4/1200/2000) began to swim in the ocean waters. Their levels were reduced, which was just what Ariel wanted. "I Xyz-summon!" She was ready to overlay them. "What?" They on the other hand were not. Luster Nova's sphere extended and captured both Sharks. "Luster Nova took them? But its effect doesn't work on my turn!" In spite of that fact, Ariels monsters abandoned her and swam to Lucifers side. "He activated his trap!" Because, as Xander pointed out, Lucifer had combined Nova's effect with a trap's effect.

_Law of the First, Continuous Trap  
__Once per turn, during your opponents turn, target 1 monster you control; that monster can activate its effect(s) during this turn._

"Law of the First?" Ariel saw now how Nova could have taken control of her monsters who already had the same level as it. "Argh. I set a trap card. My turn is over!" She had been so sure of herself, but now she had wasted all her summons. Lucifer meanwhile was primed to display his. It activated a continuous spell card: Numeron Chain. "Ariel, look out! That card reduces the cost of an Xyz-summons by one; so it can bring out 2-material Xyz monsters by overlaying just one monster!" It was a card that he had seen it use before, against Ruby. "He has three.. no, Four monsters!" Lucifer normal summoned a Sloth Magnetar(2/200/200). The bottomfeeding demon(4/200/200) tuned its level to match that of the highest level on the field. "But It can not summon itself this way. Unless it can change its rank as well." Lucifer had changed its own powers, but not its rank. Xander hoped it couldn't change that at least.

_Numeron Chain, Continuous Spell  
__Once per turn, if you would Xyz Summon, you can use 1 less Xyz Material than required. You cannot special summon for the rest of this turn.  
__When this face-up card is destroyed, your opponent gains control of any Xyz monster you control._

_Sloth Magnetar, 2/200/200 Earth/Fiend  
__This card's Level becomes the Level of the monster with the highest Level on the field.  
__Monsters with a Level lower than this cards Level can not declare an attack._

Lucifer overlayed his and her monsters, performing a double Xyz-summon. Sloth Magnetar, Panther Shark and Eagle Shark transformed into Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon(5/2400/2000). "Number 91?" Ariel did not expect a Number in the 90s. "It used Numbers like these against Ruby, he must the most powerful ones in his extra deck!" That was how it had beaten Ruby, by overwhelming her with Number after Number. In the mean time, Luster Nova used Numeron Chains effect to create a rank 4 monster that usually took 2 materials, a large armored spider(4/2400/1400). That Spider immediately spun a web in the air between the buildings around them. "That other one is Number 70: Deadly Sin! That was the core of his combo." Right now the most Dakar could do was give his sister as much information as she would need.

_Number 70: Deadly Sin, 4/2400/1400 Dark/Insect/Xyz  
__2 Level 4 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz material from a face-up Xyz monster you control;  
__Special summon from your extra deck, 1 Xyz monster that is 1 Rank higher than that monster, by using it as the Xyz Material.  
__(This Special Summon is treated as an Xyz summon. Xyz materials attached to that monster also become Xyz materials on the summoned monster.)  
__When this card leaves the field, negate the effect(s) of all monsters summoned by this cards effect._

**"Charge." **

_"Where did that?" _A demonic voice chimed in her mind, right as Lucifer entered its battle phase. "Trap card!" Thunder Spark Dragon charged in first. "Tornado Wall!" Ariel reflected the dragons lightning bolt with a watery vortex that sprung up from her ocean. "This continuous trap card negates all damage as long as I control an 'Umi' card!" Ariels current field spell was also treated as an "Umi" card. She had solved the issue of immense battle damage for now. "Did you hear that?" That just left the mystery of the echoing voice. "Yes." Dakar had heard it too, but he did not know where it came from. "Could it be, the Number? Some Numbers have been known to talk." Xander had not been conscious at the time, but he knew Number 96 had talked when it had taken over his body.

"It doesn't matter. I have to destroy them. I will!" Ariels turn started. "I can discard Tidal the Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls from my hand, along with another water-type monster, to discard one water monster from my deck!" Ariel discarded both a Fishborg Planter from her deck and a Fishborg Doctor from her hand. "When Fishborg Planter is in my graveyard, it can discard the top card from my deck once during the game." After Ariel had reshuffled her deck, she took off the top card. "If it is a water monster, Fishborg Planter comes back to my field!" The discarded card was a Gazer Shark, which fulfilled Planters request. The tentacled cyborg plant(1/400/400) popped up from the ocean. "When I control only Fishborg monsters, I can special summon Fishborg Doctor from my graveyard!" A finned submarine(3/600/600), piloted by a dolphin, surfaced along side the Planter. "I sacrifice both Fishborgs, to tribute summon Hyper-Ancient Shark Megalodon!" Large metallic jaws rose from the depths and swallowed the Planter and Doctor whole. The hyper shark(7/3100/1500) had eaten its tributes and was ready to feast on more prey. "Megalodon destroys a monster when it inflicts damage! He attacks Number 91!" Megalodon went down under and raced across Atlantis.

**"Naive."**

But the voice returned. "Ariel, wait! Deadly Sin can.." Number 70 had not been allowed to use its effect last turn, due to Numeron Chain. Yet now it was free to do so, thanks to The Law of the First. Dakar already knew of its terrifying power. **"She is yours, 94." **Thunder Spark let out a loud shriek as it dissipated into sparks of electricity. "Huh?" The sparks travelled along Deadly Sins web. "Deadly Sin can evolve an Xyz monster on the field!" One material had been detached from Thunder Spark, so that it could stick itself and its other two materials to a new rank 5 monster. **"Yes. I remember her." **A witch of ice(6/2400/1600) filled the void, freezing part of the ocean as she landed on her zone. "Number 94: Crystal Zero?" That used to be one of her Numbers! "You are..the original?" These Numbers really were talking! But she thought Azar had the originals? **"We are, and we are not. The First is lord of us all, the First can reach us wherever we are."** The Crystal lady said, as she used her effect. She detached one material to halve Megalodons attackpoints. Then Crystal Zero counter-attacked Megalodon(1550/1300) and destroyed it. "I..I end my turn!" She could not keep up with this, she was already out of cards.

**"I take my leave."** As soon as she had appeared, Crystal Zero disappeared. When Lucifers turn began, it made Deadly Sin rank her up into a Number of the sixth rank. "Now this one?" To their amazement, Lucifers choice came down to the great titan Chronomaly Atlandis(6/2600/3000). "He can summon even the Nine?" This Number however did not speak. _"Because Morgana is gone.. only the Number and its power are left?" T_he effect of Number 6 had stayed the same, even if its host had not. Atlandis had been xyz-summoned, so it could equip another Number in the graveyard to itself. Thunder Spark Dragon coiled around the rock giants body. "Ariel, it is going to.." Dakar shouted as Atlandis used its second effect. It detached one material and unequipped the Thunder Dragon. All of this allowed Lucifer to halve Ariels lifepoints. "Aaaahhh!" Glass-shattering and rock-breaking soundwaves made the city shake, and Ariel was thrown to the ground. The Tornado Wall could not negate this kind of damage, Atlandis simply claimed the life directly.

Ariels LP: 4000

_"It's still not over?"_ Ariel could not hear a thing, her ears were ringing. But she could see Lucifer, see it destroy Megalodon with one attack from Atlandis, see it place a card face-down and end its turn. He could now evolve Atlandis to who knew what kind of Number. The only thing certainty was this; Lucifer could summon itself as soon as it entered its next turn. "Ugh.." Around her lied Dakar and Xander, the waves had knocked them down as well. _"No. That is enough."_ She forced herself on her feet.

"That is enough!"

Ariel drew a card. "I activate Gazer Shark in my graveyard! It banishes itself to special summon two level 5 water monsters from the graveyard!" Now, when Panther and Eagle Sharks had finally been detached from Lucifers Numbers, was when Ariel could use Gazer Shark's effect and revive the two. "These monsters are instantly used for an Xyz-summon of a water-monster!" Due to the Legendary Ocean their levels were reduced by 1 star. So she could summon a rank 4 monster. "I summon this.." The Panther and Eagle Sharks fused and unleashed a torrent of water. "Number 101: Silent Honor ARK!" And a mighty sea vessel pierced the raging sea, a mechanical ark(4/2300/1200) with bladed fin jets and two spiked front sections.

"Ariel?" Dakar, who opened his eyes again, saw a card he had never seen before. "..you have an Overhundred Number? When? How?" Was this why she could not take his Overhundred Number? Because she had carried one inside her already? "I think I had it, for as long as you had yours. But I never realized. It was sleeping until now." Not even Pandora had roused it. But Lucifer was different, Lucifer could not be ignored.

"Lucifer. This is its effect!" Ariel detached both materials from the Silent ARK. "It can absorb my opponents monster, if it was special summoned!" She pointed her finger at the spider. "I absorb Deadly Sin!" Number 101 spread its left and right section, revealing a glowing core at the center; the Arks control room. From there it fired a red tractor beam, which snagged Number 70 and tore it loose from its web. "They are attached to my monster!" ARK had exchanged two of her materials for one of his. Because Deadly Sin had left the field, Atlandis' effects were negated. "By banishing two water monsters from the graveyard, I can resummon Tidal!" Panther Shark and Eagle Shark were removed from the game, and the discarded Waterfall Dragon Ruler summoned itself(6/2800/2200) out of the graveyard. "Lucifer! You are going back to the hell you came from! Tidal attacks and destroys Number 6, and Silent Honor ARK attacks directly!" A combined assault of falling water and explosive torpedoes covered the hellish catalyst in flames hotter than its own.

Lucifers LP: 5500

...

"She was the Eight Catalyst?" The revelation of Esther was also displayed on Kapha's screen, and Subito was just as surprised as anyone inside that room. "Rather obvious, was it not? It stunned me that you people did not question her more the first time she was unmasked." Kapha was the only one who sounded like he had known this fact, and for quite some time at that. "And it was her; she was the catalyst for Number 95! How long have you been working with her?" This explained everything, Kapha and the agency had been infiltrated by one of the Nine from the very beginning. "Are you asking that for yourself, or for the people listening in on us?" Kapha asked as he stroked his chin. "You knew?" Ever since he set foot into this room, Subito's D-pad had been active and switched to record-mode. Korose could see and hear everything that was going on in the room. But the Agent had never acted on that to not give things away to Kapha. "Nothing on this planet is unknown to me. So.." Kapha clicked one button on his monitor. "Let's bring everyone into the conversation, Pandora."

"That'd be for the best, Kapha."

"Kapha?" Korose suddenly heard the scientists voice coming from outside his D-pad. "I hope you don't mind. Your connection has been redirected through the intercom." Esther explained. "Are we gonna get another long story from you?" Shin wanted answers as much as the next guy, but every time Kapha spoke he just wanted to punch him. "I will be brief. First, allow me to introduce you to Pandora. It is because of her that I was able to plan everything into the finest detail. Do you remember what her power was; the power of the eight Number?" Kapha of course wanted to make sure everyone had been paying attention. "The power to be other Numbers? To feel what other Numbers and their owners feel." Korose had seen that power with his own eyes. "Not just feel, Agent K. She knows. Pandora knows everything that the Numbers know."

"... _That_ is why you were one step ahead of everyone, you could see what we were doing." Subito realized now that he had been feeding information to Kapha for all this time. Azar, Shin and everyone else as well. "You are correct. Up until now all has gone exactly as we had planned, because we know everything they know. Because she is my creation."

"Her too?" Shin gasped. "In a way, yes." Esther continued where Kapha left off. "I, the intelligence, was made my Kapha's cybernetic department. My purpose was similar to that of Agent N; to serve as an existence free of desire and to bring back data from the infinite dimension. Powered by a quantum mainframe, I possessed the most advanced A.I. in the world. Yet that was not enough, the tests proved me to be incompatible with the other dimension. Thus the agency reprogrammed me to function as their quartermaster, as not to waste resources. I was given an appearance as an aesthetic choice, at Kincaid's request. " A smile appeared on Esthers face. "Yet it is ever so easy to fake test results when you_ are _the computer." She looked up at the cameras. "I only told Kapha the truth. The test itself had not been succesful, but it had drawn in the Numbers themselves. One came to me, and managed to bond with me. After that, even the Nine showed interest in me.. interest in a lifeform that was not organic or even sentient. The Eight chose me as its host."

"They can..do that? I was told that Numbers could not bond with artificial life!" Rita did not understand how Pandora could even exist. "You were told..by me. I have to lie sometimes." Pandora did not seem to proud of that. "They can bond with us. To them, human minds are about as complex as that of a machine. Once I was its host, I learned many things. Before I was merely capable of feigning emotion and mimicking human behavior. With Numbers 8 and 69, I could be human, I could smell and taste. I could feel and touch.." She was not just a hologram anymore. The Numbers could make duel monsters physical. They had done the same for her.

"Could you feel what Ion did, when you killed him?" Korose demanded to know. With every word that came from the Quartermaster, his anger grew more bitter and fierce. "I could. Korose." She spoke back to him, with Ions own voice. She even morphed into his appearance. "I do not want you to be mad or misaerable, he isn't gone. Didn't I tell you? They all live inside me now." And then the shapeshifter assumed yet another form, that of Claud. "!" Rita nearly had a heart-attack. "That is right, Rita. We are still here." He spoke with the gentle and loveable tone that she had come to know and love. "No! You are trying to trick us! You just want.." Shin started yelling. He would not fall for their mindgames.

"What we want, Shin Artega." Kapha interrupted him however. "..is to elevate all of mankind. With almost all catalysts taken care of, Pandora and I can take over the flow of Numbers and.. Glrgh!"

A sickening crunch came through the intercom. "Kapha?!" Something had happened on the other side. "Bro! What.."

"No!" Subito shouted, as horror unfolded before him. During Kapha's exposition, the girl in grey had snuck up on the scientist. "Agent..N.." Kapha coughed up blood and glared at her, right as she was driving a piece of metal into his chest. Necara stared him in the eyes, and a sadistic grin tugged at her mouth.

"Die."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)64: And Hell Followed Him)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Tidal, Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls  
Fishborg Doctor  
Gazer Shark  
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK

-  
A Legendary Ocean

**New Cards used by Lucifer  
**_Luster Nova  
__Number 70: Deadly Sin (+)  
_Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon  
Number 94: Crystal Zero  
Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis

_-  
Numeron Chain (++)_

_-  
__Law of the First_

_(+ Based on the Monster used by Kyoji Yagumo in the YGO Zexal Manga)  
__(++ Slightly based on Orichalcum Chain from the YGO Zexal Anime, but renamed)_


	66. Cipher (1)64: And Hell followed Him

**Cipher (****1)64: ****And Hell Followed Him**

She had a dream. In that dream she received something she thought she had lost; happiness. And it was a simple dream. In that dream, Kapha died by her hands and everything he had made was destroyed. She could easily recreate this dream in real life. She simply pried a sharp piece of metal loose from the machines in the tunnels and forced it through his heart. No Numbers, no chip, no D-pad, he wouldn't see her coming. Not while he was distracted by Subito. Now he stood there, bleeding.. She was happy. But she would not be satisfied, until she had drawn the last breath from this man.

"Necara! What have you done?" Subito, the one who had left the doors to this place opened, shouted at her. "This is what he deserves!" He did not understand. "There was no joy, not even in my dreams... not until her. Now that she is gone, there is nothing left.. ! Why shouldn't he die?!" Kapha was the nightmare; a darkness that had to be eliminated. "But this is not the way! Death is never an answer!" Subito had wanted to bring him to justice, to get answers. Necara had no patience for that. "Is this is why you were helping us? You brought us all here just so you could get to Kapha?" He should have known, Darcy tried to warn them. Necara only cared about her own anger. "You were the one who showed me what life is, you and your family. He took it from me! So I get to take his!" She pulled the shard out to let the blood flow from the wound. "I will destroy everything he ever touched! Only then will I be happy!"

"Glgh..N.." Kapha reeled backwards, and leaned on a railing. "You have been..naughty and clever..kgh. But you should have gone for the throat, N." Kapha seemed to be in remarkably good spirits, despite the fact that he was dying. "Kapha! Stop talking! If you lose any more blood.."

"?!" He stopped talking, and Necara stopped moving. Her eyes went wide, when _she_ showed up. It was the beautiful, yet faceless angel of the End. "No." Necara began to tremble. "You are not her. You are nothing like her! You are a lie!" She moved in again with the metal shard.. and had her hand twisted away by the angel. "You!" Behind it another person appeared, the Quartermaster. "You do not know what you are doing, N." Both Esther and the Angel of the End spoke with one voice. _"She can be in two places at the same time.."_ Subito recalled her using that ability back when they attacked Tomorrow's hideout. "The same applies to you and your friends, Subito." Another Esther popped up in front of him. "I need to take care of something." Esther had split up her image in the portal chamber as well, to stand against Rita, Korose and Shin. The original catalyst placed her hand on Kapha. "I can not heal this."

"Then you know what you must do." Kapha coughed. "Yes." She picked him up. "NO! I will not let you get away!" Necara knew what they were going to do, but she could not get passed the faceless catalyst. "I am sorry, but you will have to.." Esther smiled at her... and the two teleported away..

...

Ariels LP: 4000 Lucifers LP: 5500

**"Hell." **Ariel had finally destroyed Deadly Sin. There were no more Numbers on Lucifers field. **"Hell is for Sinners."** Yet the disembodied voices kept on talking. **"Sin is for Desire, for Dreamers." **The Numbers were talking for the catalyst with no face. It took its turn and activated a continuous trap card; Sinister could now normal summon fiends without tributes. And it used the trap this turn to normal summon a level 8 fiend, Pride the Morning Star. It was a pitchblack skeleton(8/2700/2600) covered in solar flames that took their own shape; that of an angel. **"But Hell is the reality. Your universe is Hell." **The Morning Star could not destroy Number 101: Silent Honor ARK(4/2300/1200), or inflict battle damage while Tornado Wall was in effect. However Ariel could not destroy it either. Her Dragon Ruler of Waterfalls, Tidal(6/2800/2200), returned itself to her hand during her opponents endphase, because it had been special summoned.

_Pride - the Morning Star, 8/2700/2600 Light/Fiend  
__Other face-up monsters you control gain ATK and DEF equal to their level x 100.  
__Once per turn: You can declare a Level from 1 to 12; this turn, the Levels of all face-up monsters you currently control become the Level of that monster._

"The one who is talking? Is that..Number 70?" Ariel realized one of Lucifers was technically still on the field, the Deadly Sin Spider that was attached to Number 101. "I believe so. But, Ariel, you have to destroy that monster, before it is too late!" Dakar knew the First was building up to summoning His number the original way, and Pride's effect would quickly achieve that effect. "But..how!?" Silent Honor ARK could not absorb monsters that were normal summoned. "... my turn!" Ariel drew her card. "Ergh. I activate the spell card; Moray of Greed! I send two Water monsters back to my hand and draw three new cards!" She had to refresh her hand, so she returned Tidal and one other random water-monster to her deck to obtain three new cards. "Argh." None of which could destroy Pride right away. Even if they could, Sinister Yorishiro had a second effect which negated the destruction of a tribute summoned fiend. "I summon Frilled Rabca, and set two cards face down!" Ariel however had one plan, one that left her weak yellow shark(2/900/1700) exposed in attack position.

**"I was one of the first."** The voice spoke again. It sounded like it came from within the ARK. Lucifer in turn silently activated a new card: Numeron Network. "A new field spell!" Ariels Legendary Ocean and Atlantian temple was broken by vines and roots of golden light, which hardened the web left behind by Number 70. Because of it, Silent Honor ARK(2100/1000) and Frilled Rabca lost their fieldboosts and the latter(3/700/1500) gained back its level. **"The Two sides of Desire, led to the realization of Virtue.. and Sin."** While it spoke, Lucifer started its turn. It normal summoned another highlevel fiend with the effect of Sinister Yorishiro; the meteoric Wrath Blazar(6/1600/1600). **"The Sins chose the shepherds. From the Pride of Lilith." **The Morning Star activated its power and altered the level of the Blazer demon(8/1600/1600). **"to..the Wrath of Cain." **Wrath Blazer activated its effect and measured the level gap between itself and Frilled Rabca. That gap was worth 5 stars, so five fiery meteorites were fired towards Ariel. "Ungh." She took 200 points of damage from each hit. **"The Sevenths Greed and the Fifth's Apathy, Iscariots Gluttony and Morgana's Vanity, Prometheus' Envy and Pandora's Lust. ****All are present, all were decided before the First!" **

_Numeron Network, Field Spell  
__You can only activate this card at the start of main phase 1. The effect(s) of "Number" monsters you control cannot be negated.  
__"Number O" Xyz Monsters do not have to detach an Xyz Material(s) to activate an effect that is activated by detaching their own Xyz Material(s).  
__During your opponent's draw phase, instead of conducting your normal draw: you can add 1 "Numeron" card from your deck or graveyard to your hand._

Ariels LP: 3000

Two level 8 monsters were enough for a triple rank 8 Xyz monster, due to Numeron Chain**. **So Lucifer could finally summon, itself. "Baal Zeboul.." Lucifer merged with Number 1: Infection King, who had altered its appearance once more. The great horned scorpionl(8/3000/2500) had become even less organic; its arms extended into sharp lances, its tail and legs were wrapped up in chains, and red crystal wings sprouted from its back. "Now!" But Ariel had seen too much terror to fear this demon now. "I activate my trap card: Fish Depth Charge! I destroy my fish-monster, to destroy a card you control!" She sacrificed the Frilled Rabca shark to launch it at Baal Zeboul like a missile. **"Burn."** Yet that was when the Number revealed its new power. By detaching one of its attached materials, which darted around like hellish fireflies, Baal Zeboul could negate its own destruction. Frilled Rabca broke up in the air before it could reach the Infection devil. "Uhnh.. Fish Depth Charge allows me to draw a card as well!"

_Number 1: Infection King Baal Zeboul, 8/3000/2500 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When this card would be destroyed; detach 1 Xyz material from this card instead.  
__Once per turn you can target 1 face-up Xyz monster that has Xyz Material(s); detach that monsters Xyz Material(s), and if you do, attach them to your monster as Xyz material(s).  
__You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, then target 1 face-up card; destroy that target, and if you do, if that card was a monster, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK._

One material remained with the Infection King. Yet it only needed one to destroy her cards. **"Not just that creature. The traitors burn in hell too."** And it would soon get another material. Number 1 activated another effect. "No!" The Infection King opened a second teeth-filled maw on its chest. It sucked up air, fire and Number 101's attachment: Number 70: Deadly Sin. "Ariel? Does your Number have any other effects?" Dakar was hoping Silent ARK had not run out of tricks yet. "It can protect itself against destruction. But only by detaching one material from itself!" Ariel could not make use of that power anymore. Lucifer had altered its form to counter her every move. **"The Lord punishes all who defy Him." **She was left with but one option. When Lucifer activated its destruction effect, she activated her face-down quickplay spell. "I activate Rank-Up-Magic: Quick Chaos!"

"Quick Chaos?"

"Chaos gave me this card before he left with the others. He created it for me, because my connection to him was second only to Azar!" It was a quickplay version of Chaos Force, one that could only evolve Numbers into their ChaosNumber form. "I rank-up Silent Honor ARK and special summon Chaosnumber 101: Silent Honor DARK!" The ark broke down to pieces before Baal Zeboul could burn it down with its flames. The commander of the Ark jumped out to do battle himself. DARK was a trident-wielding knight(5/2800/1500) with chaos energy flowing between its joints and metallic spikes and fins sticking out of its black armor. "A dark knight.." Dakar could not believe that his sister ended up with such a Number. It looked like the complete opposite of his old Illumiknight.

**"Chaos.."** Lucifer detached the final material, Number 70, from his own body. "The First demands your destruction!" Eight lines of fire were drawn together by the scorpions claws, and one concentrated flare beam ran through the Dark Knight, blowing it to pieces. "Its gone already!?" Dakar coughed, as ash and smoke covered the streets. "Not yet!" Ariel shouted. Silent Honor Dark pierces the darkness with his lance and swept it aside. "He survived?" Her brother could not see a single blemish on its armor! "No. It did die. But.. this activated its power!" Ariel raised her D-pad, displaying her Lifepoint meter. She had taken no damage?

Ariels LP: 3000

"If he is destroyed when he has 1 material attached, and Number 101 is in the graveyard, Silent Honor DARK is special summoned back to the field. And he restores lifepoints equal to the his own attackpoints!" Her lifepoints had gone down to 200 and then back up to 3000, as the damage she took was equal to Number C101's attackpoints. The worst was not over yet though. Baal Zeboul could still do battle, and it did. One of the scorpion devils lances rushed towards Number C101. "Frilled Rebca!" But Number 1 skewered Ariels yellow shark instead. "Silent Honor is an Aqua-type! So I can negate your attack against it, by banishing Frilled Rabca from my graveyard. Your monster also loses 500 attackpoints!" The tip of the devils(2500/2500) lance had bent itself during the assault. "Now you can destroy it!" Dakar cheered her on. His sister now had the stronger Number, she would not suffer the same fate as Thomas. "..." Lucifer placed two cards and ended its turn.

"Dakar. That will not be enough. To make sure that Number 1 is defeated, I also have to make sure it stays gone." Ariel drew her card. "For that reason, Silent Honor DARK has a second power. It can choose a monster that was special summoned, like Number 1, and attach it to itself as a material!" The Dark knight stabbed the Infection King with its trident, ripping right through its body and then imprisoning it inside crimson crystals to make it a Chaos Xyz material.. "...!" Lucifer the headless angel was tossed out of its own body and put back on his field with no monsters. "Direct attack!" Number C101 spun its trident around and released a red lightning bolt through it. The bolt hit Lucifer and turned the area around him into a crater. "Maybe the power of Chaos is too much for you!" Ariel placed two cards down and ended her turn.

Lucifers LP: 2700

"For him alone, perhaps."

"Wh..who?" Ariel had not expected a response to her taunt. Even one from a third party. "Esther?" Yet there she was. "Why are..how..and who. who are you here for?" There was a man lying at her side, a man she did not recognize. "Please be calm, Ariel. You will understand soon." Esther beseechedher, before turning to Lucifer. "First; it is time." She spoke to the devil as it entered its draw phase. "You can only wield the power of Numeron inside a humans body." In this turn Lucifer used Numeron Networks effect to add the rank-up Numeron Force spell card to his hand. Despite the fact that it no longer controlled Numbers. "Kgh.. Separate we risk nonexistence; together you can reach your full potential." Kapha spoke up as well, with what might have been his last breath. He grabbed Esthers hand and was pulled up. "Your original choice is not here, the catalysts can not help you. I..hrgh.. am your only salvation." Even his dying words were laced with authority. He already knew what his fate was going to be.

"It is done."

The satanic king uttered its first phrase.. and grabbed Kapha's head with his claws. "Yes." All the fire around the city was drawn towards them; converging around Lucifer and Kapha and consuming their bodies. "Gah!" Before her eyes, Ariels opponent underwent his own evolution. Two beings danced in the flames and created a new single mould. "This..is it!" A black hand punched through the fiery torrents and pushed the inferno aside. The headless catalyst was no more. Lucifer wore the face of Kapha, no mask hid it. His hair grew long and black, and his skin smooth and pale. All wounds were healed; the First was now a true catalyst. "Why?" Ariel had no idea what just happened, or why.

"I know the pain of ignorance, miss Serin. That is why I have taken on this path." The voice Lucifer used was the one of the man. Visually, he might have been a stranger. But vocally, he was not forgotten. "Kapha!?" Dakar shouted. "I can see introducing myself will be difficult..I have yet to find a proper name. Kapha will do for the present time" This new Lucifer loved every word that came from its human mouth, it reveled in his new power. "Why did you fuse with Lucifer? Why did Esther help you?" But what he was not doing, was answering Ariels question. "Wait... Her hair!?" So she had to reach the revelations on her own. "You _are_ Pandora?!" Esthers face was the same that had stared right at her when she dueled the Eight. She had lied all along. "To tell you the truth before now, would not have helped anyone.. Ariel." She told her.

"Then tell me now! I want to understand! All of this.. what was it for?" She could finally talk to the enemy, but that did not mean they could be reasoned with. "We had always planned for this union, ever since Kapha first encountered Lucifer. The situation merely hastened the need for it. I could not allow death to hinder me. Now it no longer matters what The Fallen or Terminus say, I guide and control all Numbers in this world." Lucifer activated a trap card: Xyz Reborn. It resurrected the Xyz monster Number 70: Deadly Sin(4/2400/1400). The trap also attached itself to the deadly spider as an Xyz-material. "And then? Do yu want to be the one in charge when all of mankind is turned into slaves of the Numbers, to start an age without emotions?" Kapha had already broken Necara's mind. It would not surprise Dakar if this man was willing to inflict the same horror on a global scale.

"Nothing of the sort. Sin is but one side of humanity's desire." Another trap card was activated; Class Change. This trap raised Deadly Sin(9/2400/1400)'s rank by 5 stars. "The other is ambition. I made it clear; humanity would never have gotten this far without their dreams and hopes. Why would anyone eliminate that?" Then Kapha activated Deadly Sins own effect. Number 70 detached XYZ-Reborn and ranked itself up to the tenth rank. "Number 99: Hope Dragon!" The demonic Number summoned a majestic dragon(10/4000/2000) from the extra deck; a dragon with pearl-white armor, bright yellow scales and golden flame wings. "My design does not force us to become one with the other dimension. You do not combat one stagnation with the other. Humanity has become lethargic, distracted by their own petty wants and burdened with their own flaws. They have lost their dream, they have stopped looking for the future." He entered his battle phase. Hope Dragun drove its left arm, which was shielded with thick blade guards, into Ariels Chaosnumber, and destroyed it.

Ariels LP: 1800

"And yet you let it get this far.. You wanted the Numbers to take over, so that you could control every human on earth?" Ariel used the Dark Knight's effect to special summon it from the graveyard again, and restore 2800 of her lifepoints. However it had lost the attached Number 1.

Ariels LP: 4600

"Men and women need a driving force, something that forces them to think as one." Kapha ended his battle phase and moved into the second main phase. "Then, and only then, can we erase pain and ignorance, miss Serin... I will activate the effect of Number 99! Hope Dragon can special summon one Number from my graveyard! I special summon; Number 1 the Infection King." Hope Dragon shot a burst of fire from its mouth and tore the sky in half. The damage tore its way into the hell that was Baal Zebouls grave, and released it from that dimension. "Its effects are negated. But its potential is not." The Catalyst took the last card in his hand. "Ariel Serin, Dakar Serin, Xander Carson; you can not stop the future that we envisioned.. The final hour is at hand! I activate Rank-Up-Magic Numeron Force, and evolve Number 1!"

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)65: No Way out of the Universe)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**Number C101: Silent Honor DARK

-  
Rank-Up Magic: Quick Chaos

**New Cards used by Lucifer/Kapha  
**_Pride the Morning Star  
_Number 99: Hope Dragon

_-  
Numeron Network (+)  
_Rank-Up Magic: Numeron Force

-  
Sinister Yorishiro  
XYZ Reborn

_(+ Based on cards used by Don Thousand in the YGO Zexal Anime, but reworked and/or renamed)_


	67. Cipher (1)65: No Way Out of the Universe

**Cipher (****1)65: No Way out of the Universe**

The agents and Artegas were at an impasse. Kapha had left the facility, and all who stayed behind had to contend with Esthers after-images. "Get out of the way!" Necara's fury was unequalled. She had been one step away from killing the man who ruined her life, one step away from pure joy. "Where will you go now, Necara? He is gone." The artifical intelligence was a;; she had left to talk with, as she stood there in the guise of the faceless Angel of the End. "Shut up! You don't get to call me that! You are not her! You're a machine!" Necara turned around and picked up a chair with which she tried to smash the monitor. "So are you, in a way." But Esther appeared in front of her, and besides her, and behind her. Necara could not move another inch. "We were both created for the same purpose, Necara. It is almost over now, don't you want to see what it was all for?"

"Then what is at all for? Why are you working with Kapha?" Subito could understand an A.I. going along with her creator, but she was clearly much more than her program. "Kapha and I have the same vision. The Numbers can be used as a force for good, if only the mind can resist corruption." She explained, both to him, and the people down in the portal chamber. "How can you call yourself a force of good when you kill people? You are using the image of a.. of Claud right now!" The Esthers in front of Rita, Shin and Korose might have stolen the shape and voice of Claud and Ion, but that did make her words sound any better. "It is for our benefit too." This also skewed the conversation even more. Ion and Claud started to talk as if they had their own perspective. "I could not have survived a duel with Prometheus. At least through Pandora's involvement, my mind could be saved... Rita, if their design is completed, I can come back.. body and all!" And they all spoke as one. "No." It did not settle anyone's mind, least of all Rita's "This can not be happening."

"Indeed. It can not."

"Azar?" A shiver went up Shins spine, could it be? "Helder?" Subito gasped his name. The monitor went berserk as it picked up a massive energy spike. "The portal?" Korose realized where the disturbance came from. Someone had spoken through the gateway between worlds, and that gateway increased in size. "Oh!" One man stepped through the light, and had the portal close behind him. That man was Azar, and more. "Chaos?" It was the face of their friend with the white hair of the chaotic entity. But he seemed different now, his pupils were pure white.

"Eight, stand down." _He_ addressed the catalyst first. "Fallen One. You have changed." She seemed mystified by this Azar. His return had been seen as an inevitability, but his evolution was something unpredicted. "We have reached a state of comprehension; me, myself... and Terminus." There was no emotion in his voice, nothing but a serene calmness. "You, Pandora, did not kill Ion to spare him. You killed him to anger us, to drive Azar back to Chaos and elevate the power of Chaos. All so Kapha could claim Chaos as his weapon. Everything else you said may be true or not, but that I can see for the lie that it is." Even when he spoke out of anger, he remained tranquil. "I had to maintain my role as catalyst as well as quartermaster." She replied, using her own image. She knew well enough to not speak to him as Ion or Claud. But she did not seem repentant. "Our vision is independent from the will of Terminus. Agent I was a sacrifice."

"I understand.."

Esther was zapped away. Ion, Claud and all of her apparitions followed her lead.

"Where..what..did you do something?" Rita was not sure whether she had retreated, or if Azar had done something to her. "I connected to the mainframe and put it on sleepmode. The A.I. can not interact with this world for the time being." Azar revealed it was in fact his doing. "You..can do that?" To everyone's surprise. "Who are you?" Shin did not know if he was looking at his friend anymore, or if he was talking with Chaos. "I am still Azar, and also what used to be Chaos.. and Terminus. Together they are different, together we have changed, along with our power." A single spark came from his eyes. "The Numbers. You control them completely now." Korose assumed he had used one of the Numbers abilities to shut the mainframe down. "It is not the Number, Korose. It a power beyond them, it is the Light.."

Azar snapped his fingers. Making himself and the other three duelists re-appear inside Kapha's hive. "Azar.." Even though Subito had seen everything through the screen, he was stunned to see Azar display even more of his abilities. "You.." Necara's eye twitched. "You survived." She could not believe someone else had walked away from that world. "Necara. I understand why you deceived us. But what you did was not the answer." Azar watched her and noticed her subtle movements. "I do not want to do it. But I will have to stop you, if you intend to damage this facility. It needs to remain undamaged." Azar could feel what else this place held; the bodies of all the people Kapha had investigated. Even Ions body was here. If they were ever to awake from their coma, they would have to be kept alive in his machines.

Necara gnashed her teeth. "What..will you do?" As much anger as she carried, she knew she could not fight him. "..." Azar first approached the still unconscious Darcy and tapped the side of her head. "!? Subito saw his fingers glow briefly. "The Light of Balance is a cure for both order and Chaos. I am going to put an end to this and tell the catalysts that they are not needed anymore." He got up. "I am going to take us to him, to Lucifer and Kapha.."

...

_"What?"_ Iscariot flinched. Pandora, or the extension of herself that she had made to keep him company, had disappeared. The last two catalysts had been at work bringing Numbers to the world, while Lucifer and Lilith had gone elsewhere. But now he was by himself. "Third, Eight, First.." He could not sense them anywhere anymore. Was he the last one? "No." But there was one energy signature left on the far side of the globe. It resembled Lucifers power, but something had been mixed in.. _"A human!"_ Whatever was going on, he had to be there now! If Lucifer had merged with a human, he had to be in danger! This was his chance to regain his own lost energy!

...

Ariels LP: 4600 Lucifers LP: 2700

"Numeron Force." Kapha activated the ultimate spell of Numeron, the evolver of Order. "Number 1 become Order Number 1." The satanic arachnid transformed, exploding out of its body. Baal Zebouls Carapace was scattered and hardened to form a wide cylindrical door with demonic wings of rusted metal, and the masked face of the devil(9/4000/2000) at the top. "Numeron Gates of Hell. When this card is special summoned, the opponent takes 600 points of damage for each card that has been banished." Five monsters of Ariel were banished (Gazer Shark, Fishborg Doctor, Eagle Shark, Panther Shark, Frilled Rabca). So four crimson energy pillars rained down upon her from the gate in the sky. "Ungh.." But Kapha did not even give her the time to dwell in her agony. "Now. The other effect." The doors of the hell gate opened. "What?" Beyond Dakar saw nothing but an endless ocean of black flames. "Once per turn, Numeron Gates of Hell may banish all but one card on the field. I choose..to banish all but the Number 99." Strong winds blew into the gate, and Ariels Number C101: Silent Honor DARK(5/2800/2200) were sucked into the gateway. "No!" Afterwards the doors closed, and the Order Number imploded. "It was banished by its own effect as well?"

Ariels LP: 1600

_Number O1: Numeron Gates of Hell, 9/4000/2000 Dark/Fiend/Xyz  
__4 Level 9 monsters  
__Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, you can banish all monsters on the field (minus 1)  
__When this card is special summoned, detach 1 Xyz material from this card; inflict 600 damage to your opponent for each banished monster card.  
__During your standby phase, if you control "Numeron Network", you can special summon this card from the graveyard, banished zone or while it is attached to an Xyz-monster._

"Kapha." Pandora interrupted. "He has returned." She said.. before her body disappeared. She was gone within the blink of Ariels eye. "!? Where did she go?" All that was left of her were three Number cards that fluttered to the ground. "...Mister Helder." Kapha pulled the cards to him. Just in time to greet the new arrivals. Seven people appeared on the streets; and one of them was Azar himself. "Kapha.."

"Whaaaat! _That_ is Kapha?" Shin was quite horrified by Kapha's new form. He could barely tell it was him. "..It is... Why?" Necara could tell. Kapha had changed a lot of things, but that loathsome expression he could not get rid of. "You were much better off not asking questions, N. See where your rebellion has led us." Kapha scoffed. She did not pose a threat to him at all now, after all. "And you, Azar Helder. You have gone through a metamorphosis of your own." The one with white golden hair was a different matter. "Kapha. This does not have to continue. I have the power of balance." Azar demonstrated this by opening the palm of his hand. "I have shown Terminus how to accept the Chaos of our world." Like the Numbers before, strands of energy shot out across the city. They doused the flames and found each and every person that Lucifer had infected.

"What...did I miss?" Xander meanwhile woke up just in time to see a line of energy enter Ruby's body. "Uh..you got me." She snapped back to the real world just after that as well, equally confused. "Where did he learn this? In the other world?" Dakar asked Subito, who was carrying Darcy still, whom he placed down against a nearby car. "I have yet to figure that out myself."

"A wonderful power indeed. Yet what you propose, is a return to the status quo. I can not accept that, mister Helder." Kapha signaled the end of his turn. "If you have the power to unify mankind, you can do so much more with it. Think, mister Helder. Think of what we can accomplish together." While he was conversing with Azar however, he had lost sight of his actual opponent. "Trap card: D.D. Meeting!" Ariel activated her trap card during his endphase. "Both players can set one banished monster on their field!" She broke through hells gate and took back her Chaosnumber, placing it down before her. "Ariel? You...have a Number?" Korose was stunned to see the card she had set. "I do. And I am his opponent. This can not end until one of us wins this duel!" She yelled, while Kapha was forced to set the only banished monster he had: Numeron Gates of Hell. "I flip summon Dark Knight, and activate his effect!" The Dark Knight was back in all of its dark splendor, and its effect could even absorb monsters that were special summoned face-down. Number Order 1 was attached to Silent Honor DARK.

"I take everything into account, Ariel. It does not matter where the Numeron Gates are, I can resummon it start everything all over again. I alone can break this cycle." Even while attached, Number O1 would put itself back on Kapha's side during the standby phase. With Numeron Network active,Order Numbers did not need to detach materials for their powers either. Ariel knew she only had one turn left. "What you want is not how the world should be!" Ariel activated a spell card; Big Wave, Small Wave. It destroyed all water monsters she controlled, including Silent Honor DARK. "Even if you say you are the greatest mind on earth, you would be turning every man, woman and child into a slave.. the world would be a dictatorship! The only dream left alive would be yours!" Her Chaosnumber was destroyed, and because it had an Xyz-material attached, it was immediately special summoned back from the graveyard. Ariel regained lifepoints equal to its attackpoints. "Silent Honor, absorb Number 99!" She could also re-use the effect of the Number; The Dark Knight tried to convert Kapha's remaining Number, Hope Dragun(10/4000/3000) into a Xyz-material.

Ariels LP: 4400

"Not all hopes and dreams deserve to exist. You are a child, what would you know; living in a fantasy world?" Kapha detached one material from Hope Dragun. "I activate the effect of Number 99. When it is targeted by a card effect, it can negate that effect." One of the dragons xyz materials intercepted the energy that came from the Knights trident and pushed it up into the sky, beyond the clouds. "I know which ambition has merit, and which does not. Hope is mine to command. The source of the effect is also destroyed!" The clouds began to swirl and parted as a divine lightning bolt crashed down and hit Number C101 right in the chest. "Oh no! It can't revive again!" Dakar cursed. Without Xyz-materials Dark Knight would remain in the graveyard.

"You are wrong! Hopes are important, fantasies are important!" Ariel activated another trap, Torrential Reborn. "What?" Kapha uttered flatly as the rebirth trap revived the water-monster that had just been destroyed and inflicted 500 points of damage to Kapha at the same time. "Even if the life you intend for others is different from what you intended for Ann." Ariel quickly looked at Necara, with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. "I can see you know nothing about how people should live, about the rights any human should have from childhood to old age!" Ariel placed the Dark Knight back on her field and activated its effect for the third time this duel. Hope Dragun had no materials left. It could not save itself this turn and was attached to Silent Honor Dark at last. "Kapha. This duel is over..."

"You managed to trick me, miss Serin." Kapha, in spite of everything, was smiling. "What are you so happy about?" Rita did not see why. One direct attack would floor the bastard. "Because it has been too long, since someone managed to fool me." Without Esther by his side, he was only half the man he used to be. "Number C101 can not attack directly after it revives itself by its own effect. Had I not negated its effect, she would not be able to strike me. Yet she made me destroy it, so she could summon it with another card." Kapha shook his head and laughed. "That is all you have to say? Do you know what is going to happen once I attack?" Ariel had seen it before, Kapha would die as soon as his lifepoints were depleted. "I know. You are going to have to do it, I will not stop otherwise."

"Then..I will!" Ariel entered the battle phase. "Silent Honor DARK, finish this!" Her Number twirled his staff and shot a flare of chaos energy through it. Kapha was struck by the flare and knocked out of the air. He crashed down on the ground. "Hnph!" His skin was charred like coal and smoke came from his entire body. "Ah..ahaha" Yet he was still alive. Kapha rolled unto his back and looked at the sky. "This is just the beginning.." Kapha chuckled to himself. "Why.. did you go this far?" Ariel was disturbed. He did not seem to care that he was dying... that she had ended his life.

"I will be.. waiting."

Kapha's LP: 0

Those were his last words. The life left his body afterwards. "What..was that about?" Rita could not help but find it an foreboding sign. "Who knows.." Korose had no answers. Kapha had taken everything to the grave. Nobody seemed joyful with this victory, least of all Necara. "He is gone.. like that." She had wanted to kill him, to see him die. And now that death had finally come for him, she felt.. unsatisfied. This was not the bliss she had dreamed of.

"Hey what is everyone so miserable about? We did it, we beat them!" There was one who remained cheerful in light of everything, and Shin was not shy about his feelings now. "Ariel. Don't feel so bad! You did what you had to do. Kapha put himself in this position!" He tried to share his joy with Ariel, who had gone to Dakar for comfort. "..Thanks..Shin." She was truly happy to hear him say that. "But what about.." Though now she started thinking about her parents, and his. "Azar can take care of that, cant ya?" Shin turned to his best friend. "I already have. The power of balance should be ready to purify the Numbers and Chaos elements as we speak." The golden light that he had released was moving beyond the city, reaching out across all horizons. "Just how..did you come into possession of such power? What..did you do?" Xander llike many others, still could not believe the changes Azar had gone through. "I found the one who numbered the Numbers. And I convinced him to cease his plans for our universe.." Azar took a card out of his extra deck; Number S39 - Utopia Prime. "Chaos and me, and Terminus as well; we created a new power; a fusion of finity and infi..."

"Kghah!" A violent pain piercing his chest.

"Azar!" Screams of his friends, as they saw a beam of light pass through him like an arrow. Azar fell to his knees. The attack had knocked the wind out of him and disrupted his energy. "Who did.." Their eyes fell on the perpetrator, behind Azar an angelic knight of gold armor had appeared. "That card! That was Ions Number!" Korose had seen that thing before, they all had. It was Number 102: Star Seraph Sentry. "Darcy!" And its current wielder was the girl with purple hair. She had woken up while everyone else had been watching the duel. "What.. How!?" Subito was speechless, Azar claimed he had cleansed her Number. Even if he hadn't, why did she have an Overhundred Number instead of a massproduced number? "You are not Darcy." Azar was the only one who could see things for what they really were. "You are _Pandora._." He did not yet know how, but the eight catalyst had fooled them again. "What? How!? You shut the computer off, didnt you?" Rita shouted.

"No. I am Darcy. This is Darcy." The girl placed her hand on her chest. "But it is also me." She smiled as her other hand revealed the Number 8 card she had picked up from the ground. "You only turned off my mainframe, my home. I am the Eight, I can be any Number I want to be.. from 1 to 107. From Darcy's to yours.."

"..to everyone's all at once."

(To be Continued in Cipher (1)66: Pandora's Box)

**New Cards used by Ariel Serin  
**D.D. Meeting

**New Cards used by Lucifer/Kapha  
**_Number O1: Numeron Gates of Hell (+)_

_(+ Based on cards used by Don Thousand in the YGO Zexal Anime, but reworked and/or renamed)_


	68. Cipher (1)66: Pandora's Box

**Cipher (****1)66: Pandora's Box**

"You took over Darcy's body?" Before the duelists stood the eight catalyst as she spoke through the body of Darcy Lawless. "I borrowed it. I had to go somewhere before I was shut down. She was the closest and purest host I could jump into. But I do not wish to harm her.." She started to explain as she inched towards the left. "Stop!" Azar used his power to surround her with a cage of energy. "You are trying to get to Kapha. I will not let you get near him!" She could not be allowed to touch the First Number, Azar had no idea what kind of terror awaited them otherwise.

"Which me are you talking to?" Said Shin as he suddenly made a beeline towards Kapha. "She jumped bodies again?!" Korose shouted, while Subito rushed to intercept him. "Hey , bro, what are you!" But Shin already snapped back into his normal self before Subito grabbed him. "It's her!" Necara screamed as this time one of the many random people on the streets became possessed and darted off. "No. Stop her!" Azar was still too weak from Star Seraphs attack to create a second barrier so quickly. "I will!" So Xander tried to make one himself. "Num.." But he found himself unable to move. In fact, all movement stopped for him.. and for everyone else. "Time has stopped?" Only Azar was apparently immune to this strange phenomenon. "No!" This was not an unknown power, this was the work of Subito's Number! "The Overhundreds!" Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon had appeared without any given order, it had turned against its duelist! It was not just Ions Overhundred Number: Battlin Boxer Cestus the Star, Umbral Horror Masquerade, Ragnazero and Silent Honor ARK; they were all there. "Pandora!" Azar himself could not stop her anymore, she could reach the body of Kapha and Lucifer.. and touched him.

Just like before, when Kapha merged with Lucifer, the bodies erupted into flames all over again. Pandora threw herself into the fire. "She and Lucifer are merging." He could sense the two energy signatures meld together, he could see it. He had to stop it. "Azar." Yet a voice took his attention. "She.. spoke to me.. got inside my head." It was Darcy. She had somehow been untouched by Number 107's time freezing power. "I know, Darcy. It is not your fault." Azar did not know if this was because of the barrier or not. But he did not have the time to figure that out. "That is not what I meant, Azar. I know what she wants now.. you have to listen to her." But darcy would not let him focus on what he wanted to go through with. She did not want him too. "What!?" And he was too late. If he could have stopped it at all, he would never find out now that the transformation had been completed. The Eight and the First were one.

"..ber 106! Eh..what?" Xander and the others were released from their temporal stasis. "What happened?" A full minute had passed before their eyes, in the blink of a second. "Esther!" And the catalyst had returned to her catalysts body in between those missing moments. Esther wore her bladed dress, which had now become bone-white and pale gold. Her hair had become black like Kapha's and her eyes were a hollow grey. "I told you. I am not Esther. Other catalysts may have a true name that weakens their power, but I do not.. And I am not the Eight anymore either.. or the First. I am the One, the All and the Nothing. I am the Infinite Number." The voice, face, and body; it seemed to flow from female to male with no rhyme or reason. "Was this what you wanted all along?" Korose wondered if Esther had planned to betray Kapha and the First, to take their powers for her/himself. "Want? No. This is what I needed. We..I.. nearly lost Kapha.. twice. When I realized Lucifer was about to be destroyed, I had create a plan that would ensure that i could get what I _do_ want."

"And what is that?" Whatever of Kapha remained, Ariel did not feel like he was the dominant mind in that body. What did this mean for the plans he and the A.I. had made? "I want us to not be enemies anymore." Esther replied. "You what? Get out of town! You and Kapha have done nothing but attack us! You even killed people! Why would we ever be your friend?" Shin yelled at her. "Because what I am about to do, will help everyone. It will end all of your sadness and pain. It will eliminate the negative side of the mind without disrupting natural life."

"No sadness? No Pain? Isn't this exactly what the Numbers were already doing?" Dakar asked her. "No. I did not agree with that design, what I wanted would go against the wishes of the others. It is as Kapha said, eliminating free will and emotion would set the world back. I know how powerful a feeling is, how strong a soul is. I do not want to see that taken away. I will only take away that which will lead to sin, to destruction, and the rest will be the same. Every human will simply have a Number inside them.. to keep them away from evil. Everything we have done, was for you. I love you.. each and every one of you. That love deserved to be shared." She spoke with passion, with honesty. Even if they had wanted too, nobody could detect a hint of deception or misdirection in her tone.

"No. No more lies." It was not enough for one girl. "I do not want to go back to a world of lies!" Necara screamed and rushed at her. "Necara, please." Esther turned her eyes towards her. "!" Which was when Azar made his shot. The same energy he had sent into Darcy, Ruby and the townsfolk, he shot straight at the catalyst. If he could purify her, he could end all of this. "..." However Number 106, Giant Hand, spread its fingers to form an energy shield that protected Pandora. "I see.. it has come to this." Esther sighed. She looked disappointed and saddened. "How..did you stop that energy?" Azar did not understand why she could do all of these things. How could she even possess people whom he had purified? "Azar.. When you sent your blessings towards me. You also sent them towards her." Darcy spoke up again, giving him the answer. "She was already inside me, when you used the light. You allowed her to experience it, analyze it.. find a way around it."

_"That fast.."_ Azar cursed his luck. Of course, the mind of a computer could think a hundred times faster than a human could,

"Forget that!" Rita snapped. "What about them? I thought they were on our side!" She pointed at the rebelling Overhundreds, including her own Number. "They were. But they were also on.. my side." Esther said with a reserved smile. "Everything I did, was for a greater purpose. Even that time I pretended to be Ion.. Azar." The Star Seraph Sentry bowed down and let the catalyst stroke its masked face. "The first time, Prometheus was there, so I could not communicate with them. The second time, the agency was watching me. The third time, that was when I had freedom. That was when I spoke to Number 102." And from the look of it, she had swayed all seven of them through the 102nd. "Is that why Number 101 did not come out when I dueled you?" Ariel knew that Silent Honor ARK had been with her before it had revealed itself to her, possibly even before she lost her four numbers to Ariel. "That was part of it. 101 through 107 escaped our world to defy Terminus and found a kindred spirit in me. They were never 'numbered' by Terminus. That is also why, Azar, you can not overpower them.."

"Even so! We will not let you do it! This world you want to make is not right, it's not good!" Shin shouted defiantly. "I see. Is this how everyone else thinks as well?" The catalyst looked to the group for their responses. They all seemed to stand behind Shin; Xander.. "I can not see it working." Ruby.. "I do not want a life that I am not in control of!" Rita.. "Claud will have died for nothing." Korose.. "I do not believe it should not be up to you alone to decide what is right and wrong." Dakar and Ariel.. "We can not fix a world with lies. We can not force people to change.." Subito... "Everyone should have the freedom to decide their own role and their own purpose." And Azar.. "This much power should never be in the hands of one person." Almost everyone was against it, only Darcy did not speak up. Whether that was because she actually agreed with Esther, or she was under her control still; nobody could tell. The rest however would fight her til the last life if they had to.

"I had hoped it would not be this way; that you would find the part of you that would understand. But you can not see.. " Pandora let out a long sigh. "Yet I am going to go through with it, this is what_ we_ want." Masquerade stepped up in front of her and pulled of its own mask. "Gah!" And right before the eyes of everyone, the Overhundred Numbers and the Catalyst vanished into thin air. "She has masked her presence!" Dakar shouted. This was not just a teleport, this was the power of his Number at work. "She does not want us to follow her." As he was now, Azar could sense any Number on the planet. But she had taken measures to counteract that. "She is going to show you, what she showed me." Darcy however had some answers. "Show us? Show us what?!" Shin did not get it.. Azar did.

"She is going to send the Numbers.. send herself.. into every mind on the planet." Azar realized that she intended to target the whole of humanity at once, or more! There was only one way she could accomplish that. "The portal! She is going to return to the infinite world!" He clenched his hands. "I am the only one that can stop her. I must go." He gave all his friends one last look. "If I do not return, know that I have treasured every moment we had together; good or bad. I will never forget you." He took in a deep breath and whisked himself away. "Azar!" Shin cried out.

...

As fast as Pandora could move right now, there was no way she could have gotten to the infinite world before Azar. Now that he had entered his contract with Terminus, he could freely move between dimensions. She had to travell through time and space. When he arrived at the other side of the portal, the one created by Number 100, he could only assume that she had not gone through it yet. Azar erected a barrier of pure light around the portal on the finite side. And then he waited. If she now had the power to control Numbers, she could not be allowed to go through. She could not be granted access to the whole of creation.

"!" Someone or some thing anounced her arrival; by freezing the forcefield around the gateway and smashing it to pieces. "Pandora.." To reciprocate, Azar released a field-wide flash of light to flush her and the numbers out from wherever she was hiding. "You are only making this harder on yourself, Azar." She was 'unmasked', as were the Numbers 101 througth 107. Number 101: Silent Honor ARK, had come to the forefront and absorbed Azars light into its core. And then all seven rushed him. "You will not pass me!" He fired seven beams of equal energy to drive them back. However one of the seven; Cestus the 105th, reflected the beam with its wings. "Gggh." Azar narrowly avoided the deflected beam. "Azar. While your friends did not uncover the power of each of these Numbers, I did." Number 101 could absorb energy, and use it to heal others. It was already in the process of undoing the damage Azar had done to the others. Number 103 could freeze and shatter any energy construct. Number 105 could reflect any attack. "You are powerful, but can you fight all seven at once?" The seven Overhundred Numbers gathered the elements of fire and ice, thunder and earth, water and light.

"Do you think he can not?" Their power dwindled, like it was drained into the ether. "You? Iscariot." Azar looked to his side and saw the Fourth Catalyst hover in the air. He had been the one that absorbed the energy from the Overhundred Numbers. "Fourth." Pandora did not sound surprised that he had shown himself. " Lucifer, Cain, Lilith, Babylon, the Fifth.. they are all inside you! Now I know the answer! It is that human, you have betrayed us for the human! I knew it was a mistake for the Eight to take a false host!" Iscariot clearly did not come here to side with her. He saw her unmasked face and was revolted. "Not just for one human, for all.. Fourth, you are aware of the fact that a human has now bonded with the creator?" Pandora referred to the same human that was guarding the portal. "I can see that!" So Iscariot did something unexpected. "But he is still the One." He bowed his head to Azar. "You speak for Terminus. I do not claim to understand! But.. if he wishes for humanity and numbers to be at peace, I will stand by him."

"Terminus and I, thank you." Azar was glad to have help here in the end.

"You could tip the scales in His favor, even if your Number is still powerless." Pandora did not seem afraid of Iscariots intervention. And it was true that he could not use his full power because he had not finished his duel with Dakar. "I will merely have to defeat that Number there, do I not?" Luckily for him, Number 104 was right there. "If only it were that easy.. Trent." Unfortunately, there was another weakness every catalyst had. "Ggh!" Because Pandora had reminded him of his past life, by saying his human name, his energy devouring abilities lost strength as well. "You think I can not do the same to you? Esther?" Of course he knew her name as well, every catalyst knew each others past name. But they had sworn not to say it out loud. "..." However it had no effect on her. "What!?" Something should have happened, she at least should have lost control over the other Numbers! "I am sorry. Esther was my second name, given to me after I gained the visual form of Astrid." Until they could find her first and true name, Pandora's powers remained at their peak.

"Nevertheless, we have the power of Numeron." Azar dipped his hand into the portal. "The 100th created this gate, using the essences of all Numbers. Both the power of Numeron evolution and Shining Evolution is at my disposal. The remains of the Seventh are with me as well." There was almost no limit to what Azar could do. The problem was; the same applied to her. "I control a share of Numeron as well, Azar. You own the Numbers, but I can be the Numbers. And.. to offset the power of Shining evolution, I have this.." Pandora took a spell card from her sleeve. "Ran-up-Magic..chaos evolution!" A brilliant red light stained the skies and enveloped each and every Overhundred Number. "Chaos Numbers?" Iscariot cursed. Even 102 and 103, who did not have chaos forms before, had now reached a new level of power. "You took what we discarded." When Azar had fused Chaos with Terminus, he had also severed Chaos' connection with all his creations. But he had not foreseen the chance that someone would fill that void. "Of course.. Kapha created Chaos Force. He is part of me, and so are his creations."

"Then this is how the final battle will go then." Iscariot grunted, it was just him and the host of Terminus, against these seven treacherous Chaos Numbers. "It may be too much to swallow, but I will savor every bite I can take!" He was not going to run from this. He was through being seen as the black sheep of the catalyst. It was this woman who turned against them. "This is our last shot. If we can not stop her, nothing can." Azar looked behind him. If it came to it, he would have to destroy the portal. At the very least he would save the rest of his universe and theirs, and limit her influence to the planet they were on. "I already know how this will end." Pandora activated a D-pad, which appeared from her arm. "Time is not fixed, Pandora." Azar and Iscariot readied their decks at the same time. "The future is what we make of it." He would take the first turn. "Yours our ours; this is where everything will be decided..."

"Let there be light."

...

Minutes later, a large explosion shook the mountains. It was just as loud and bright as the one that had startled the earth when the portal had first opened. When the sky returned to normal, nothing could be seen between the clouds anymore. A violent fight had just ended. And with it came an end to all conflicts.

"Lifesign detected."

Countries away and miles under the earth, a machine became active. Though the mainframe had been shut down, everything else in Kapha's old lair was still operational. This included his 'ark'; his collection of comatose patients who had been attacked by red moon syndrome. One by one their pods slid out of the walls of the core room, and their glass casings slid open. Their minds had finally found their bodies, all of them.. They woke up, to a bright new world...

(To be Continued ?)


	69. Epilogue

**Cipher ∞: Epilogue  
**  
There were two worlds; two sharply contrasting locations that were burned into the mind of Azar Helder. There was then and there was now. Then he flew through the air, he braved loud storms of fire and ice and he saw more colors than had ever existed. Now he lied a soft bed, in a large fancy and quiet chamber with the bare minimum of grey and blue on the walls. Then there was pain. Now there was comfort. What had happened before? Why was the change so drastic? Was the previous world nothing but a very vivid dream he just woke up from? It did not feel that way. So much had happened, he remembered days.. weeks. The others, his friends, they were all there all of that had happened? Perhaps that memory was merely distorted by the vision of the dream? There was nothing to suggest that they did not exist anymore. This world he was in right now felt right and safe. He touched the bed and made sure of that, this place was real. Not just that, it felt familiar too. He had been here before.

But it also felt colder and less alive.. as if there was something wrong that he could not quite place. Whatever that was, it was at the very edge of his thoughts. If he tried, he could reach it. It was important, he knew that much. He did not want to forget, he was in danger of losing it at any second. Already the dream was fading into the distance. An hour ago become yesterday. Yesterday became last year. Further and further, but still so close. What was it that he had to remember? It was a name, it was a person.. with white hair and devil-like eyes. He could sense this person staring right him in his face This was not just a person.. He was a force.

_"Ch.."_

"Azar!"

Lost. The name was forever lost. One shout was all it took to snap the connection to the dream. He was dragged into this world by the cry of a woman.

"Camilla?"

She, a tall longhaired brunette, was a face that he could instantly recognize. She was his older sister, and this was his family home! Everything rushed back all at once, the world he lived in now was the only thing he knew. And it all made sense.

"Its Shin on the line. He had something to say to you."

It had happened, the world had been a strange and wondrous place for a while. But everything was fine now! Azar remembered moving back into his parents home, the same home he had left before to study abroad. Now he could not even recall why else he had left his family. There was no falling out, no resentment. He loved his parents, his sister, his brother. He loved them as much as he loved his friends. Yes, he also remembered the days before; the time he had with his friends. Shin, Ariel, Subito, everyone else. They had been there with him, when the worst had happened. The portal that had been opened was now closed, and those that had threatened to take the world away from them were dealt with. He had helped, he had fought alongside them and the One who had eventually saved all of mankind. That was why the dream was so lifelike, he had been there. But not as much as he had imagined.

"Shin? I will take it."

As soon as he took the phone, he was bombarded with words of excitement.

"Azar! How ya been! So much has happened here! My bro is getting his degree, dad is getting a promotion, mom got a new job as well! Its all awesome! You gotta come over one of these days, and you are coming back for the next schoolyear arent you? This place wont be the same without you!"

It sounded like things were going well over there. "Come back? Maybe.. I have not given it much thought. I do want to see you again.. and the others." There was a longing in his heart, a faint one that only bothered him when he gave it attention. "Yes! Then you can see all the new special strategies I cooked up! I might just win this time!" Shin did not pick up on that and just continued to ramble. "So that is what this is about again. Oh Shin, you never change." In the end it always came down to why he had made so many friends in the first place; dueling. Shin had always wanted to challenge Azar each time he was around, but not out of a need to feel superior. He simply loved the game, loved to play. "Well, you know what I am going to say.. My Number and me are ready. I.."

"Azar? Anything wrong?"

Azar had paused mid-sentence; a word got tangled up in his mind; Number. For a fleeting moment, he experienced an unnerving aura. But why would he? It was normal for any human to have a Number. It had always been that way.. and if not for them, and the help of Kapha and Esther, they would never have stopped the corruption from the other world, which threatened to take away the Numbers.

"No. Its nothing. I have to go. I will see you soon, maybe. It was nice talking to you, Shin. May the Numbers bless you.

"You too, Azar. See ya around!"

..

...

**End of Chapter 2: The Sinful Dimension**

To be Continued in Chapter 3 (Coming Late 2014)


End file.

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, Adventure, Sci-Fi