Dueling is Magic!
Many Futures

Chapter 50

The Truthful Liar

/*********************\

Twilight and Aporia gasped when their eyes saw what was behind Z-one's mask. A bubbling mass of black liquid rippled inside the armored suit, black drops trailing down from between the cracks. Suddenly, the entire form dissolved into black liquid.

Cards began to float up from the puddle that lay on the white floor like bubbles. Dozens of cards and more floated in the air, a shadowy aura surrounding each one. They suddenly converged and took on a humanoid shape. The shadows grew stronger, then faded away to reveal a man dressed entirely in black, orange lines running across his suit to form the shapes of a face-down card. A black visor hid his eyes from sight. A black Duel Disk resembling a dragon's wing was strapped protruded from his left arm.

"Who are you?! What have you done with Z-one?!" Aporia clenched his left hand into a fist.

The man examined his hands and his body. "That form has been broken," he said as he flexed his fingers one at a time. "Perhaps it could not be maintained because I did not know Z-one. Or, should I say, you didn't know him, Aporia?"

"His REAL name. Before he became the last human. Who was he? Who was the man beneath the mask?"

"You never really knew him," said the man in black. "He killed you before you ever learned his true identity."

"So that's it, huh?" Twilight said. "You're able to see Aporia's memories, right? And you're the one who's been showing us those visions."

"Why him and not me? I've won against Aporia twice already... well, I had help the first time, but still, I won. So why go after him and not me?"

"You don't know just how tough I can be," Twilight said with a smirk. "Didn't answer my question either," she added.

"You overestimate yourself, little unicorn. Aporia has already created a strategy designed to defeat you, and I can use that knowledge to my advantage as well."

"You're inside his head but not in mine?" Twilight asked. "Why? Why him and not me? Just who are you?"

"Yes, I suppose I've been quite rude," the man said. "I am the emissary of the darkness. I serve the one who knows the truth of reality. You know my master as Nightshroud. As to my name, many years ago, I chose the moniker Trueman. I am one who speaks the truth. For now, however, you may call me 'Mister T.'"

"Suit yourself," Trueman said with a shrug. "Aporia, I believe it's still your turn."

"At this moment, the effect of 'Grand Crown' ends, and effect damage from other players' cards is no longer converted to life gain," Trueman said, a small smile creeping up his face. "Twilight Sparkle, I never needed to go after you. Your defeat at my hands is assured."

Twilight looked up at Lazion, the Timelord. The bearded face behind the glass glared down at her mockingly.

"I guess this is it," Twilight said. "Aporia, do you think you can handle this guy?"

"Lazion, the Timelord's effect activates!" Trueman announced. "Each time you draw cards during the Draw Phase, you take one thousand points of damage!" Lazion's shoulders rotated so that the flames pointed at Twilight. They shot out as two jets of concentrated fire at the unicorn. Twilight dropped to the floor and covered her head with her hooves.

"Counter Trap, open!" shouted Aporia. "'Damage Polarizer'! This negates the activation of Lazion's effect to inflict damage and allows all of us to draw one card!"

A translucent white barrier appeared above Twilight between her and the flames. The fire struck the barrier but was sucked into it. Fire and barrier soon vanished harmlessly.

"Because, Twilight," Aporia said as he drew a card, "if anyone is going to defeat you, it will be me. Now, stand up and fight!"

Twilight nodded and got up. She drew another card for the effect of Aporia's Trap. "I summon 'Clear Effector' to the field!" A human woman wearing an orange dress and a very large gold headdress appeared. A large green gem was embedded in the center of the headdress. A long golden sash ran from each of her sleeves and formed a big golden bow at the small of her back. She twirled around, the sash waving elegantly after her.

"Now I activate 'Spell Absorption' and 'Magical Blast'! The first increases my Life Points by five hundred each time a Spell Card is played, and the second inflicts two hundred points of damage for each Spellcaster-Type monster on my field. I control four, so that's eight hundred damage!" All four of Twilight's monsters pooled their energy together to form a massive swirling ball of magic. It flew forward and struck Trueman, pushing him back across the ground.

"Level Two 'Arcane Apprentice' tunes my Level Two 'Clear Effector' and Level Four 'Milla the Temporal Magician'! Sword of the hero that gives gallant light, awaken now, in a flash of light! Synchro Summon! Transform the soul, Level Eight, 'Enlightenment Paladin'!"

As Twilight chanted, Arcane Apprentice faded and left two bright stars behind. They drew green tuning rings around Clear Effector and Milla, stripping their forms away and revealing the stars within them as well. They lined up perfectly, then stars and rings alike were consumed by a column of light. Twilight's twin-bladed swordsman emerged from within.

"What... what is this?" Aporia said. "Every Synchro Monster ever made is detailed in my memory banks... that monster never existed before!"

"If Enlightenment Paladin is Synchro Summoned using a 'Magician' monster as Material, I can add one Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose 'Magical Blast' and activate it, dealing four hundred damage to you, Trueman, and increasing my Life Points by five hundred through 'Spell Absorption'!"

"In addition to that, 'Clear Effector' and 'Arcane Apprentice' activate their effects. Arcane Apprentice adds 'Assault Mode Activate' from my deck to my hand, then Clear Effector lets me draw one card when she's used as Synchro Material." A card floated out of the middle of Twilight's deck, then Twilight drew a card. Trueman held up two of the cards in his hand.

"From my hand, I activate the Traps 'Empress' Crown' and 'Hermit's Lantern'. The first can be activated if I control a 'Timelord' monster, and can be played from my hand when a Synchro Monster is Special Summoned to my opponent's field. It lets me draw two cards for each Synchro Monster you control.

"The second card, Hermit's Lantern, can be activated when a Trap Card activates while I control a 'Timelord' monster with zero Attack Points, but can be played from my hand if that Trap Card was mine, and while all 'Timelord' monsters I control- a minimum of three- have zero Attack Points. It lets me draw one card for each 'Timelord' monster with zero Attack Points I control."

"We'll see about that," said Twilight. "I Set a card face-down and end my turn."

Trueman chuckled. "My turn! During my Standby Phase, Kamion, Lazion, and Sadion return to my deck. Now, using the effect of 'Endless Emptiness', I Special Summon five monsters from my hand: The Timelords 'Hailon', 'Gabrion', 'Michion', 'Raphion', and 'Sandaion'!"

Four new Timelords appeared in front of Trueman. The first, Hailon, depicted a woman with stone grey skin and burgundy hair, with the screen mounted between a base and top that matched these colors, respectively, all wrapped in ornate gold designs. Four thin arms descended from the "shoulders" of the Timelord, each one ending in a silver hand with long, thin fingers.

The second, Gabrion, was much simpler in design, being thin, wide, and sharp in its angles. A blue-skinned, green-haired man with a serious look clouding his face was depicted inside the short but wide screen.

Michion, the third Timelord, had a taller design, but with the Y-shaped screen almost dead center on the orange upper half of the body. The orange pieces moved downward as they flared out, and while he lacked any arms, six wings ran up and down the sides of its body, three on each side.

Raphion was the fourth Timelord to appear. He seemed smaller than the others, and not as sharp or rounded. Green was the dominant color of his body, and a child-like face was depicted on a diamond-shaped screen. Silver-blue wings extended outward from his back.

The final Timelord appeared behind Trueman and was massive compared to the others, being more than ten times their size. Dark yellow armor formed the upper half of his body, with wide, flat-tipped shoulder spikes moving out to the sides. A solid, square face was shown inside the cross-shaped screen in the middle of its body. A counter appeared next to Sandaion, indicating four thousand Attack Points, but they quickly dropped to zero due to the effect of the "Endless Emptiness" Trap Card.

"Stay calm, Twilight," said Aporia. "If we make it through this turn, all five will return to his deck on his next Standby Phase, and then he'll be open to direct attacks."

"But how can we survive five Timelords? They can't be destroyed, no damage is inflicted from their battles, and their effects will all be devastating!"

"Some more than others. Think back and remain calm, Twilight. There must be a pattern to these monsters."

"Yes. Every series of cards like this has a pattern. We simply have to figure out what it is."

Twilight closed her eyes. If there's a pattern, what is it? They're all Fairy-Type and Level Ten, but their elements are different. They have unique effects as well... but do they have a common theme? Wait... none of them destroy cards! Three of them returned monsters to the hand or deck, one returned Spells and Traps, and the last was life recovery. Effect damage, non-destructive removal, and protection of themselves and their controller! That's the theme!

But what's their weakness? They should all have a common weak point. Oh, I know! Their weakness is that their effects are connected to their ability to attack! They don't attack the way monsters traditionally do. They attack with their effects! It's meant to avoid effects that have anything to do with destruction or battle damage! But how does this help us with what these new Timelords do? I can stop one attack. Aporia has three face-down cards, so I have to trust he can stop three more attacks. But if we stop the wrong attack, it's game over for both of us!

Twilight's eyes shot open. But Trueman knows this! If he has anything to do with Nightshroud, then he'll do this logically and the first Timelord he uses won't affect us significantly!

"Battle! 'Michion, the Timelord', attack Enlightenment Paladin!" Trueman said. Twilight planted her hooves firmly and braced herself. Michion's golden wings flapped and launched burning feathers at Enlightenment Paladin and Twilight.

Twilight ignored him. The Paladin merged his twin blades and spun them in front of him to block the attack.

"Aporia, no!" Twilight cried. "Let it through!" Moments later, Michion's feathers struck the ground around Twilight and set it ablaze. The fire spread to Aporia and quickly engulfed him as well.

"If you will not stop the attack, then you will take my monster's effect. If Michion battles, your Life Points are halved at the end of the Damage Step."

"Because I figured out the pattern," she replied. "The Timelords don't destroy anything, they just reset the opponent's field and damage their Life Points directly. They don't attack the way other monsters do. What's more, not all of them are capable of dealing crippling or fatal blows. Since we've been able to stop most of the Timelords so far, I figured Trueman would try to bluff with his first attack."

She looked at Trueman and pointed a hoof at him. "That's your one free shot, Trueman," Twilight said with a smirk. "None of the others will make it through!"

"Continuous Trap, open! 'Grand Shield'!" Aporia's center card flipped up. A massive golden shield appeared on Granel's right side and attached itself to its right arm. "If I control Granel Infinity and exactly one 'Granel Guard' monster, I can equip this card to Granel Infinity. While equipped, you can't attack any other monster!"

"Then Hailon will attack your Meklord Emperor. It makes no difference." Hailon brought her four hands together in a circle. A circle of bright light appeared in front of her. Eight black crystals jutted out of the light and it faded away, revealing they were part of the same structure. It spun wildly in all directions and flew forward at Aporia's monster.

"It makes all the difference! When the equipped monster is attacked while I control a Level One 'Granel Guard' monster, I can negate that attack!" Granel brought the shield around in front of itself and used it to bat away the spinning crystal. It flew off into the distance and shattered against a wall.

"Had Hailon's attack succeeded, you would have taken damage equal to the difference between my Life Points and yours. But the Battle Phase isn't over yet. I now attack with Raphion, the Timelord!" Raphion crossed his arms above the screen displaying his face and took on a wicked smile. It appeared to inhale, then spewed forth a solid white wind at Granel.

"Continuous Trap, 'Grand Anchor'! 'Granel' monsters I control can only leave the field by being destroyed. Also, I activate Grand Anchor's second effect and target Enlightenment Paladin! Once per opponent's turn, I can target any face-up Synchro Monster Card and it has the same protection until the end of the turn." A large anchor manifested itself in the end of Granel Guard. Granel pointed its right arm at Twilight's Paladin and fired the anchor at him. Enlightenment Paladin swiped his arm up to grab the chain, allowing it and the anchor to wrap themselves around his arm.

"Raphion returns the monster it battles to the hand and inflicts that monster's Attack Points on the field as damage to my opponent," Trueman said. "You are proving quite stubborn. I now attack with Gabrion, the Timelord." Gabrion positioned his right hand face-up in front of himself, and the left hand face-down above it. His right hand began to glow blue and a single drop of water fell from the tip of his finger. It struck the ground beneath him and unleashed a massive torrent of water.

"I play a Trap: 'Card Defense'!" Twilight shouted. "I discard 'Assault Mode Activate' from my hand to negate your attack and draw one card!" A wall of cards appeared, crisscrossing in front of Twilight and Aporia, blocking the water.

"Gabrion would have returned all cards on your fields to your decks. Grand Anchor would have protected your monsters, of course, but it hardly matters. I still have one Timelord left. Go, Sandaion, the Timelord! Attack Meklord Emperor Granel Infinity!" Lightning struck Sandaion's shoulders as they rotated forward. A massive ball of electricity formed between them and then shot forward at Aporia's monster.

"I activate 'Grand Core Level Three' from my hand!" Aporia revealed a monster then slid it into his Graveyard. "If I control Granel Infinity and four other Level One 'Granel' monsters with different names, and if there is a Synchro Monster on the field with double or more Attack Points than my Life Points, I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard during anyone's turn to destroy all Granel Parts I control and upgrade them to Level Three!" The four extensions of the robot detached from the body and exploded. Four new monsters appeared around it and attached themselves to it. Each machine resembled a marine or aquatic animal. The first, Granel Top 3, bore close resemblance to a stingray. It flew up into the air, then descended tail first onto the center body of Granel. The tail was inserted into the upper slot, vanishing into the darkness until the body of the stingray had almost made contact with Granel. The stingray's body split in half from top to bottom, each half sliding open and revealing a black, upturned oval. Red lines appeared on the oval, giving the impression of a fierce, battle-ready face.

The machine on the right resembled a sea turtle. The shell was nothing more than a gold octagon resting atop its body, connected to its back by a line of silver circles across the middle. Four more circles were placed in each of the upper and lower corners. The fins of the turtle were silver-white and bladelike. Its plug-shaped tail extended into the right side of Granel's body. A red energy field appeared within and around the shell as it turned sideways to face any threats.

On the left was a piranha-shaped machine. White fins extended from its sides and top. Its tail fell off as the armor covering its back half extended backwards, then connected to the left side of Granel's body. The tail then reconnected on the left side. Its inner jaws, lined with sharp teeth, opened and revealed a rectangle-barreled cannon inside.

Beneath the robot, a giant orange octopus "swam" through the portal onto the field. The undersides of its body and tentacles were silver. Two metal-grey pipes jutted out from either side of its bulbous body. It flipped itself over and folded its tentacles together to form a long spike. The spike was inserted into the underside of the Meklord's body. The body of the octopus split in two and rotated upwards, the stalks of the tentacles bending as they did, revealing a number of jets inside. Each one ignited and smoke poured out of the pipes on the sides.

"'Granel Carrier Three' allows Granel Infinity to gain the Attack Points of its attached parts during your turn only, putting it at four thousand Attack Points!" The fire from the jets underneath Granel intensified as its Attack Points changed to reflect its parts rather than its master's life.

"Sandaion's effect activates at the end of the Battle Phase," Trueman said. "Each of you will take four thousand points of damage!" Sandaion held up his hands and created another ball of lightning that he drew out into a long bolt. Like the Greek god Zeus, Sandaion threw the bolt down at the ground between Twilight and Aporia.

"I activate Granel Guard Three's effect! Once per turn, when you activate a monster effect, I can negate it!" A translucent white barrier in the shape of a sea turtle's shell appeared around the two duelists. The lightning struck the barrier but could not penetrate it.

"Your persistence will get you nowhere. I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Aporia drew. "Twilight, if we can make it to his next turn, all five of those Timelords will return to the deck. Trueman has no cards in his hand, so if he doesn't draw a Timelord, we can win this."

"Neither of you will survive this duel!" Trueman shouted. "I send 'Endless Emptiness' to the Graveyard to activate 'Infinite Light'! It has the effect of letting me Special Summon Level Ten or above monsters from my hand, and 'Timelord' monsters cannot prevent this. However, Infinite Light also prevents my Timelords from returning to the deck in my Standby Phase, and does not change the Attack Points of my monsters to zero. Because of this, Sandaion's Attack Points return to their original amount!"

"So what? Aporia can just attack you directly with 'Grand Scope'! You only have fifteen hundred Life Points left, but 'Granel Attack Three' has eighteen hundred Attack Points!"

"I can't, Twilight," said Aporia. "Grand Scope self-destructs if ever I do not control exactly one 'Granel Attack' monster. When I destroyed 'Granel Attack' with 'Grand Core Level Three', there was a moment when I did not have an appropriate monster on the field, so it was destroyed as well."

"We'll do better than that," said Aporia. "I activate 'Purity of the Grand Emperor'! So long as all monsters I control are 'Granel' monsters and the non-'Infinity' monsters among them have the same Level, the effects of my opponent's monsters are negated during the Battle Phase, but you take no damage from their battles. Because I played a Spell Card, Twilight also gains five hundred Life Points from 'Spell Absorption'. I Set one card and end my turn. Twilight, you're up!"

"My turn!" said Twilight. She brought the card she drew closer to her. Diffusion Wave-Motion! she thought excitedly. I can use this to destroy most of the Timelords since Aporia played that other card. But I need a way to deal with Sandaion next turn. "I activate 'Magical Planter'. This lets me send 'Spellbinding Circle' to the Graveyard to draw two new cards. I also gain five hundred Life Points from Spell Absorption's effect." Twilight drew, glanced at the cards floating next to her, and grinned. "I activate the Spell Card 'Union Attack'! This increases Enlightenment Paladin's Attack Points by the Attack Points of every other monster on my field, but he's the only one that can attack this turn."

"Now I play 'Diffusion Wave-Motion'! I pay a thousand Life Points and choose a Level Six or above Spellcaster-Type monster I control. This turn, only that monster can attack, but it can attack all of your monsters, once each!"

"Enlightenment Paladin's effect activates!" said Twilight. "When it destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to its Attack Points on the field! Take Sandaion's power yourself!"

"From my hand, I activate the Counter Trap 'Scales of Justice'! I can activate this card when an effect that inflicts damage is activated, and I can play it from my hand if it was the effect of a Synchro Monster. You must choose an effect to apply, Twilight Sparkle: Either all three of us take the same amount of damage, or none of us take any damage but I draw one card."

Twilight grit her teeth. "Draw your card, Trueman," she spat. "I Set a card and end my turn."

Trueman laughed as he drew a card. "I activate the final effect of 'Infinite Light'! If I have summoned at least ten different 'Timelord' monsters, I can send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon the most powerful Timelord of all from my hand, deck, or Graveyard." A card slid out the side of Trueman's arm. He took it and placed it on his Duel Disk. The three rings that made up Infinite Light separated and moved into a stacked position. A massive beam of ight, swirling like a vortex, erupted from within the rings. The light engulfed the rings and began to branch out. Eight circles appeared on the branches, four on each side, and two more appeared at the top and bottom. The light dimmed and took on the appearance of a massive tree. The ten 'Timelord' cards appeared, one in front of each circle, and the tree morphed into a structure made of three columns, with three circles occupying the left and right columns, and four on the center column. The circles and Timelords remained, but now brightly colored rods connected many of the circles together.

A new circle appeared on the center pillar, in the space just beneath Metaion at the top.

"Timelords emerge from ten lights. Beyond the lights are hidden wisdom that only the chosen saint can use, the secret Da'at that is the unity of all, and the final key to the embodiment of God! Emptiness becomes infinite, and the infinite light gives birth to the ultimate Timelord. From the Graveyard, I Special Summon 'Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord'!"

Lightning flashed and the tree disappeared, replaced by a golden circle with two very ornate and very tall wings surrounding the edges. Lightning flashed again and a new Timelord's body appeared in front of the ring. It was dark blue, massive even compared to Sandaion. Gold arms swung out and silver hands curled into fists around green balls of energy. A tall, thin helmet floated above its body, with a golden halo floating around the top. The bearded face of an old man appeared inside the screen on the Timelord's chest and let loose an earth-shattering war cry.

"He must have sent it to the Graveyard when he activated 'Dark Archetype's' effect," Twilight said. "Has he been planning to summon Sephylon for this long?"

"If that's his only monster, it won't matter," Aporia responded. "During my opponent's turn, Granel Carrier Three acts as a power converter and changes Granel Infinity's original Attack Points to those of its parts and absorbed Synchro Monsters. Plus, I still control 'Purity of the Grand Emperor'. Any effects it has are worthless in battle!"

"From my hand, I activate the Trap 'Hierophant's Scepter'!" said Trueman. "I can activate this card from my hand on my turn if I control a 'Timelord' monster. It lets me destroy one Spell or Trap Card for every 'Timelord' I control, but I must destroy that exact number. I control only Sephylon, so I will destroy 'Purity of the Grand Emperor'!" A lightning bolt struck Aporia's card and shattered it.

"When 'Purity of the Grand Emperor' is destroyed, I can draw one card," said Aporia.

"I activate Sephylon's effect!" Trueman announced. "Once per turn, I can Special Summon as many 'Timelords' as possible from my hand, deck, or Graveyard, and their Attack Points all become four thousand. I Summon 'Metaion', 'Gabrion', 'Sadion', and 'Sandaion, the Timelords'! In addition to that, Sephylon gains the Attack Points of all other 'Timelords' on the field!"

"Twenty thousand Attack Points?" gasped Twilight. "Aporia, I think we're in trouble."

"Battle! Sephylon, attack! Rend Granel Infinity into scrap metal! Akashic Storm!" Sephylon's face glowed and a stream of yellow-white energy erupted from his screen. Dark blue energy formed a monstrous and ghostly face at the front of the energy as it rushed toward Granel Infinity.

Aporia sighed. "Twilight, there is only so much that I can do," said Aporia. "Against a god, a true god, even we are nothing. We cannot win."

"Sitting around doing nothing won't get us anywhere. Trueman's no god, he's just the messenger of a demon who thinks of himself as one. And you're just gonna let him get in your head and push you around?"

"What are you talking about? Even if I were to stop this attack, there are still the other Timelords!"

"Stand your ground, Aporia! Get ready to fight back, and don't let anyone put you at a disadvantage, not even me!"

"Not even..." Aporia's eyes widened "I activate the effect of 'Grand Crown' from my Graveyard! During either player's turn, I can remove it from play to protect my 'Granel' monsters from non-'Granel' effects!"

"Do you honestly think that will save you from me?" Trueman laughed as the Akashic Storm engulfed Granel Infinity.

"No, but this will!" Twilight yelled. "Go, 'Forbidden Scripture'! During damage calculation, all other effects on the field are negated, and this battle uses the battling monsters' original Attack and Defense values!"

"Since 'Grand Crown' is protecting my monsters, Forbidden Scripture does not negate Carrier Three's effect, and Granel Infinity can defeat your monster in a draw!"

"Yours will be destroyed as well," Trueman countered, "and then my other Timelords will fall on you and destroy you!"

"Granel Carrier Three also protects my monsters from being destroyed twice per turn each," Aporia said. "Go, Granel! Grand Slaughter Cannon!" Granel aimed its piranha-shaped cannon at Sephylon and fired a burst of energy that tore through the Akashic Storm.

Trueman snarled and took a card from his hand. "I activate 'Wings of Temperance'! This Trap can be played from my hand when control at least as many monsters as I do, and prevents my monster from being destroyed!"

A pair of massive red wings appeared and enveloped Sephylon. Granel's attack hit the wings and dispersed almost instantly.

"I still have my other Timelords, Aporia! Metaion, Gabrion, Sandaion, Michion, attack!"

"I use the effect of 'Grand Shield'! Since I control 'Granel Guard Three', the shield's effect negate three attack each turn and gain five hundred Life Points each time! And now I know what all of Z-one's Timelords do, so I know which ones to stop. I negate the attacks of Metaion, Gabrion, and Sandaion!"

"I end my turn. You are at the end of your rope, Aporia," Trueman said. "Z-one was always your god, and thanks to you, Paradox and Yusei, Nightshroud now has his power as well. Soon, darkness will cover this world and all of reality! Every living being will be at peace."

"What you call peace..." Twilight groaned as she stood up. "That's not... real peace. Not so long as you have to force it on others!" There was a flash of light from her horn. Aporia glimpsed two shining wings on her back, but only for a moment. They vanished almost as soon as they appeared. He clenched his fists and stood up.

"She's right," he said as he rose to his full height. "Yusei would never want this kind of peace. It's not what he fought for all those years ago. It's not what I came to believe in when I confronted my friend."

"It seems I am once again fighting on the wrong side," said Aporia. "But I can't just abandon it. Not this time."

"Because I don't know if you're strong enough to win," said Aporia. "I don't know if I'm strong enough. And because I don't want Yusei to think that I betrayed him the way Z-one must have."

"The real Z-one understood why you turned against him," Twilight said. "He must have, because Antinomy told me that Z-one had originally turned himself INTO Yusei."

"Yeah. He was the red D-Wheeler you heard so much about. He'd recreated Yusei's deck and D-Wheel, then used a machine to become Yusei. He did it so he could recreate Accel Synchro and the Clear Mind technique, and use them to lead humans toward peace and cooperation."

"He did, but not completely. After Yusei defeated him, Z-one sacrificed himself to stop the Ark Cradle. On some level, he still believed in Yusei and his friends. Because of that, I think Z-one understood why you changed sides. And when we save Yusei, he will too."

"How can I save anyone when I've never been able to save myself?" Aporia asked. "My parents, my beloved, my friends, my species... I couldn't save anyone. And after losing to Yusei, Jack, Z-one, and even you, I now know that it's because I was never strong enough."

"Not with that attitude!" Aporia looked at Twilight with one eyebrow raised. She grinned at him. "Prove you've gotten stronger than Z-one. Finish him in this turn!"

Aporia stared for a long time before nodding and drawing a card. "My turn!" he announced. He looked at his card and smiled. "I equip Granel Infinity with 'Grand Converter', allowing it to draw power from its Meklord Parts instead of my Life Points!"

"Now I activate 'Grand Emperor Storm'. If I control five different 'Granel' monsters, I can pay half my Life Points so that a Granel Infinity among them can attack all of your monsters once each! And if it destroys a monster by battle, I gain Life Points equal to Granel Infinity's Attack Points!"

"You're a fool if you think you can beat me with that," said Trueman. "Each Timelord other than Sephylon has four thousand Attack Points and cannot be destroyed by battle."

"You're half right," Aporia said. "Your monsters have four thousand Attack Points thanks to Sephylon, but they CAN be destroyed by battle! I activate the last effect of 'Grand Diversion' in my Graveyard! By removing it from play during my turn while I control Granel Infinity, I can add a 'Grand Emperor' Spell or Trap Card from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose 'Purity of the Grand Emperor!'"

"You will never defeat Sephylon!" shouted Trueman. "I play the Trap 'Emperor's Throne'! If I control a 'Timelord' with more than zero Attack Points, I can activate this card from my hand. It makes one monster I control unaffected by your card effects for the rest of the turn. Sephylon is the target and becomes invincible!"

"That won't matter when Granel has destroyed you and your false god." Aporia slid a card into his Duel Disk. "I activate 'Purity of the Grand Emperor!' The effects of your monsters are negated during the Battle Phase, but you take no damage from a battle involving a monster with a negated effect. Battle! Meklord Emperor Granel, attack Michion, the Timelord! Grand Slaughter Cannon!"

Granel fired massive waves of energy at each of the four other Timelords, eliminating them one by one. Each time one vanished, Aporia's Life Points doubled. After the second one, Aporia's "Grand Converter" was destroyed, but Granel Infinity kept destroying the Timelords.

"When my Life Points become four thousand or more, 'Grand Converter' is destroyed," said Aporia. "Without it, Granel Infinity's Attack Points are equal to my Life Points!"

"It seems gods are only as strong as the number of their servants," Aporia said. "Granel Infinity, destroy Sephylon once and for all! Grand Slaughter Cannon!"

"An emperor is nothing to a God! When Sephylon battles a monster, that monster's effects are negated!"

"A god is nothing to a nonbeliever. 'Purity of the Grand Emperor' protects Granel Infinity's effects from negation during my turn."

The last thing Twilight saw was the flash of light as a blast bigger than anything she'd seen before erupted from Granel's left arm, then the light consuming Sephylon and Trueman.

* * * * *

Twilight and Aporia awoke in the lobby of the Kaiba Corporation building. No one else was around.

Aporia sat up slowly and shook his head. "I think we won," he said. He stood up. "Thank you for your help, Twilight, but we have escaped the darkness now. We are enemies again."

"It is not Yusei that truly needs salvation, my little pony. It's the human race. Unless something is done to prevent Zero Reverse from ever happening again, my people will go extinct. Yusei was a symbol of hope for Neo Domino City for two centuries before I became what I am. He is the only one who can find a path to survival, and he believes Nightshroud's way is that path. I still believe in Yusei. You're not strong enough to defeat him on your own."

"Find your friends, Twilight. I will find Yusei. We'll meet again at the reactor."

Aporia turned and walked away. Twilight hung her head, turned around herself, and walked away.

/*********************\

Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures

Antinomy and Paradox begin their rematch, and Rainbow Dash joins the fray! But even determining who gets the first move is dangerous. Paradox and Antinomy engage in a deadly race along the highway at incredible speeds, and Rainbow Dash can barely keep up. Who will get the first turn of this tag-team Turbo Duel? Will they even survive to find out?

"You were never a pro D-Wheeler like I was, Paradox. You can't keep pace with me!"

Chapter 51

Knife's Edge

/*********************\

Featured Card

Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord
LIGHT
Level 10
Fairy/Effect
Cannot be Special Summoned, except by "Infinite Light". Once per turn: You can Special Summon as many "Timelord" monsters as possible from your hand, Deck, and/or Graveyard, and their ATK becomes 4000. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all "Timelord" monsters you control, except "Sephylon, the Ultimate Timelord". Negate the effects of any monster that battles with this card. If this face-up card would be destroyed, you can banish 1 other face-up "Timelord" monster you control instead, and if you do, if this card would be destroyed by battle, you take no Battle Damage from that battle.
ATK / 4000
DEF / 4000

Dueling is Magic! Many Futures

by Wolfgang

Chapter 50: The Truthful Liar