"Okay...things just got more creepy.", Shadow said as he took note of the group's surroundings. The next area was completely dark save for the ghostly blue flame that hung on what looked like the ceiling.
"I've got a bad feeling about this...", Ace said. "I can feel two powerful shadow auras in this room."
"Your instincts serve you well.", a voice said in the darkness. Soon the room was lit up by more flames that seemed to just hover in the air. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Bram. The Crimson Vampire Knight. And since you pose a threat to my mistress, I must eliminate you."
"If you wish to harm master, you'll have to get by me!", Blueblood said as he activated his duel disk.
"I've got your back Blueblood!", Steel said.
"Count me in!", Mercury said.
"Hmph. I respect that you have warriors' spirits as I once did. So I shall indulge you with a duel.", Bram said with a smirk. "But you shall soon fall."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 24000
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 24000
"My move.", Bram said. "I play Cost-Down to summon Shadow Vampire at no cost! Now that he's on the field, I special summon Vampire Duke! Now I overlay my monsters to xyz summon myself!" Bram then stepped onto the field. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."
"I draw!", Blue blood said. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman! Then I'll play Mask Change! I target Sparkman, and send him to the graveyard to special summon Masked Hero Koga! Now I'll activate his effect! I banish one Hero monster from my graveyard and target one monster my opponent controls! It loses that hero's attack points! Also, Koga gains 500 attack for each monster on my opponent's field! And last time I checked, you were on the field! Attack with Shine Blade Strike!"
"ARGH!", Bram hissed as the light hit him and he was forced off the field.
"I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 24000
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 21600
"Impressive. But I have far worse in store.", Bram said with a wicked grin. "I summon Chthonian Soldier in attack mode!"
"I special summon Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight since I control no monsters! Attack Chthonian Soldier! Spiral Spear Strike!"
Bram grinned as Chthonian Soldier was destroyed. "You fell for it. Any damage done to me while Chthonian Soldier is destroyed is also done to you!" Steel winced as the force of his own attack hit him!
"I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 22900
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 20500
"I'll activate my face-down card now! Curse of Darkness! This deals 1000 points of damage to whoever activates a spell card! I play Double Summon to bring out Plaguespreader Zombie and Dark Blade! Now I'll tune them to synchro summon Doomkaiser Dragon! Destroy Lord Gaia! Doomkaiser flame!" Steel's monster was gone in a sea of flames! "I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 22800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 19500
"My turn!", Mercury said as he drew a card. "I summon Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman! Now I'll tribute him to special summon Buster Blader from my hand! Then I'll play Monster Reincarnation! I discard one card to return a monster in my graveyard to my hand! Take out Doomkaiser! Buster Slash!" With one slash, Doomkaiser was destroyed. "I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 21800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 19300
"I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"My turn!", Blueblood said as he drew a card. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Curse of Darkness! Now I summon Elemental Hero Shadow Mist and activate Mask Change 2! This lets me discard and select one monster on my field! I can then send that target to the graveyard to special summon a Masked Hero with the same attribute but a higher level from my extra deck! I summon Masked Hero Anki! His special ability lets him attack you directly, but the battle damage is halved! Then I'll play Mask Charge to return one change card and one hero card to my hand. I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 20800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 17900
"I can't believe I'm being pushed back by the likes of you!", Bram growled. "And all the monsters in my hand are high level! I end my turn."
"My move then.", Steel said as he drew a card. "Just what I needed! I play the spell card Harmonic Ritual! I'll send monsters whose levels equal eight from my deck to the graveyard to ritual summon BLS-Ultimate Soldier! Attack him directly! Blade Beam!" Bram was knocked back from the blast generated by BLS's sword!
Blublood, Steel, and Mercury: 20800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 14400
"Not again!", Bram growled as he looked at his hand. "Where's that blasted card when I need it?! I end my turn!"
"My move then!", Mercury said as he drew a card. "I summon Buster Whelp of the Destruction Swordsman and tune him with Buster Blader! I synchro summon Buster Dragon! Now I'll use his special ability! Since I don't control a Buster Blader, I can special summon one from my graveyard! Now both of them attack you directly!" Bram shielded himself from the wall of flames and furious slashes from both monsters! "That's all for my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 20800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 10000
"Now things will go in my favor!", Bram sneered as he looked at the card he drew. "I play Soul Charge to revive two monsters from my graveyard and pay 1000 life points for each in defense mode! You might destroy them, but my life points will be safe!"
"Time to start finishing this! I play Fusion Substitute! Now I fuse Masked Heroes Koga and Enki to summon Contrast Hero Chaos! Now I play the spell card Heated Heart! I can target one monster I control and he gains 500 attack! And he inflicts piercing damage! Contrast Blast!" Chaos fired off a blast of light and dark energy that destroyed one of Bram's defense mode monsters! "Too bad your zombies aren't smart enough to defend themselves!"
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 20800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 6500
"You got lucky. But I've still got one living wall defending me!"
"Not for long! BLS destroys your monster, and since he did he can attack again!"
"AGH!"
"I end my turn."
Blueblood, Steel, and Mercury: 20800
Crimson Knight Vampire Bram: 3000
"This isn't possible!", Bram screamed as he was on his last legs!
"Time to end this!", Mercury said. "You two with me?" Blueblood and Steel nodded.
"Warrior's Spirit Shockwave!", they cried together as a massive shock-wave of energy was sent out from their monster's fighting spirit!
"I failed!", Bram screamed as he faded away!
"Wait. I thought there were supposed to be two guardians!", Inferno said.
"Yeah. Fighting really isn't my thing.", Shadow Lich said as he oozed out of the shadows and turned on the lights. "I just kinda wanna chill and sleep. Now that Buz-kill Bram's gone, I can head back home. See ya." And with that Shadow Lich returned to the monster realm. The final barrier had dissolved, and the final showdown awaited them.