Planet earth was battling for its own survival.
On almost every street, in every town or city in every country there was at least one Duel going on. Every Duel was between a member of earth and the mysterious slime creatures that were falling from the sky.
"Go, Technobot!" Gizmo Poindexter yelled yelled as his robot fired its missiles at the lesser version of itself, destroying it and causing the slime creature mimicking Gizmo to vanish. "Extraordinary," he staid while adjusting his glasses.
On another street, the Duellists Lyra and Bon Bon were battling their own clones in a double battle. "LET'S GO!" They both yelled as Maiden of the Enchanted Harp and Agent Striker charged forward and attacked the clones directly. The slime monsters vanished as the girls hugged one another, "YAY!"
"Arctic Archer, GO!" Sharp Shooter yelled as his monster fired its bow.
"Power Dog Cerberus!" The three dog brothers yelled as their monsters pounced.
"Laugh Maker!" Cheese Sandwich yelled as his Performapal threw several cards towards the opponent.
"Dread Pirate Nightmare!" Pipsqueak cried as his monster charged and raised its clawed hand to crush the opponent.
"Dark Rebellion Dragon!" Shining Spoon cried as his monster attacked, destroying the opponent. "Nice."
"Sound Striker/Melody Maker!" Vinyl and Octavia said together, "ATTACK!" Their monsters charged forward and unleashed blasts of sound that struck the opponent.
But the place where the most intense Duels were happening was at the Freeze Stadium.
There, all of Flash's closest friends were scattered around the parking lot battling their clones. "Come get it!" Rainbow cried as Wonder Beyond charged forward and slashed at her opponent directly, cutting it in half and destroying it. "Yeah!" Rainbow then noticed another slime creature approaching. "You want some!"
"Trap Summon!" Tempest yelled as her opponent's Scarvolt tried to beat her, only to be blocked by her Trap Monster. "You're not taking me down!"
"ATTACK!" Fluttershy screamed as Kindness Dragonoid silently roared at the opponent, splattering the slime creature to the far wind. Fluttershy panted as another slime creature approached. "I won't let you hurt my friends."
"Go!" Grand yelled as Duel Blade Shinobi spun through the air and slashed at the opponent. Grand looked around and watched as more and more slime creatures approached, the older man letting out a sigh. "They just keep coming."
"Well we can't give up," Trail told him as his dragon incinerated the opponent. "We have to keep fighting, so Flash can focus on defeating Zeronull."
"He's right." The two turned towards the doorway and saw Cold, Misty and Sunset step outside with their Duel Disks at the ready. "Until he can defeat him, we have to make sure he still has a planet to come back too." He spotted a slime creature and stepped towards it, the monster beginning to take shape and mimic him.
Misty and Sunset did the same, Trail and Grand focusing back on their opponent. "Let's not forget," Misty drew her cards. "It's not just our world we're fighting to protect." She looked up at the Shadow Gate.
Divine Sky Angel fired its bow and destroyed the slime creature mimicking it, all the while Sombra charged at slashed the opponent down.
"Keep going!" The former human yelled as he watched Scarvolt fight Storm King while dodging the attacks of slimes.
"I'm trying," the Tempest Rogue panted. "But there's only so long we can hold out for."
"We just need to keep it up a little longer," Grand Emperor announced. "As long as our allies on earth continue fighting, there's no way we can give up."
"No way I'm letting these freaks get me!" Harpie Lady Zephyr explained as she clawed at another one.
"We'll keep fighting no matter what," Orchard Cowboy explained as he fired another shot from his pistol.
"FOR THE SAKE OF BOTH WORLDS!" Many monsters screamed.
"Kneel before the king!" Thorax yelled as Changling King flew forward and bucked its clone with its horns, destroying it.
"That's the way," Starlight cheered as her monster destroyed the opponent.
"Give it everything you've got girls," Adagio stated as the three Ocean Idols unleashed a combined sonic blast that ripped their opponent's apart at the molecular level.
Cold's attention was split between his Duel and watching how everyone else was doing. Despite continuing to win their matches, he knew everyone would soon tire. When that happened, it would be much harder for them to play at their best. Losing was inevitable, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. All they could do was hold out as long as possible.
Cold then looked back to the sky, up at the Shadow Gate where his pupil was about to do battle. "Be careful Flash."
Up in space, where the Shadow Gate stood, the pyramid created using both Harmonica and Zeronull's power floated in the vast vacuum. And on that pyramid, Flash Sentry and Midnight Sparkle stared one another down.
Both humans were protected from the harshness of space by an energy field surrounding the plot of land, supplying them with oxygen and gravity so they could focus on their final battle. The two remained silent as they stared one another down.
"Flash Sentry," Midnight smirked. "I should have known you would be the one that would stand as my final obstacle in my crusade. You, who wields the power of Harmonica's disciple and who helped him banish Zeronull's Doom-Vaders. You, who defeated Storm King and became the most suitable candidate for becoming Zeronull's host. And now, here you stand. Chosen and empowered by Harmonica herself. How proud you must feel. And how heartbroken you'll be once you lose and my ultimate goal will finally be fulfilled."
"Yeah," Flash smiled, "that's not gonna happen. But I do have a question before we start."
Midnight sighed, "very well. What is it you wish to know?"
"Really, it's a two piece question. After you've destroyed my world and the Duel Monster Spirit World, then what? As an outer god, I assume you're pretty much immortal. So what exactly are you going to do then."
Midnight smiled before jumping down off the pillar and landing on the other side of the pyramid. "Once your worlds are destroyed, I will search the vast cosmos and find other worlds teeming with life. And like you, I will destroy them. I will continue to search and destroy, never stopping, never resting until all life is silenced by my gaze. And only then will my mission be complete."
"Oh," Flash nodded, "then what?" She looked at him afterwards.
"What?"
"What will you do once you're absolutely sure no other life exists. I mean, we both know all that stuff the Zealots said about a new world was total baloney. If you destroy these worlds and suck us into those slime things, we're dead, aren't we?" Her silence gave him the answer. "Thought so. So I ask again. What are you going to do once your mission is completed. The mission you have put yourself on since the very creation of everything."
"Everything that should have never been!" Midnight growled, "the Numeron Dragon's birth was a mistake and everything that came after it was also a mistake."
"Does that include you?" Flash asked, "you came after that dragon, so that means you're a mistake."
"Yes. But I know I am a mistake. And for that, it is up to me to correct that mistake. I will destroy everything, then I will destroy myself."
"If you're willing to destroy yourself so easily, then why don't you just do it now and leave the rest of us alone."
"No!" She glared at him, "all life must be silenced. The mistake must be undone."
"Who say's we're a mistake? Who are you to decide whether we should or shouldn't exist?" He pointed at his planet. "Even if we came into existence by accident, that doesn't change the fact we've grown into something so much more then that. We've evolved, grown into beings worthy of existing. All the hardships. All the trials. Everything the universe has thrown at us. Our world has fought and struggled on because we want to exist and even if we were never meant to, we have the right to remain. And nothing you do will take that away from us."
"Then you leave me no choice." Midnight raised her Duel Disk as the generators began to glow, differently coloured light shooting off them and flying into Midnight's hand to form the Zenith Dragon cards. She placed those card onto her deck before it shuffled, the Duel Disk activating. She then held up one final card, "I will defeat you in this Duel and destroy Harmonica's connection to this realm." She placed the card into the Duel Disk, "time will resume and your worlds will destroy themselves."
"Not gonna happen." Flash took out his Duel Disk and placed it on his arm, the device activating. He then took out his Flash Heart and Vail Pixie cards. "For the sake of our future. For the sake of everyone relying on us." He placed the cards in his deck as it shuffled, "let's end this."
The two got into a battle stance and drew their cards.
"ALPHA/OMEGA DUEL!"
Flash: 4000
Midnight: 4000
"Age before bone-headedness," Midnight drew her card.
"I'm pretty sure I'm both older and more bone-headed then you," Flash told him.
"But Zeronull's even older so it still counts," Midnight slapped a card down on the field. "I summon Disharmian of Cruelty, in DEF mode!" In a flash of dark energy, the evil version of Fluttershy appeared infront of Midnight before kneeling down with her arms crossed. (A1200/D1100/L3/P2) "Then I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
"Alright," Flash reached for his deck. "This is it. My last chance to stop Zeronull, once and for all. I draw!" He did so and when he saw the card he got, he smiled. "First, I'll play the Spell Pendulum Trick!" He took a card from his hand and showed it to Midnight, revealing Bright Bounce Magna Bunny.
Midnight raised an eyebrow at the new card, "and this does?"
"It sends a Pendulum Monster from my hand to the Extra Deck," Flash did so. "Now I can't Pendulum Summon for the rest of the turn. But instead, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." He drew five cards before taking one and shuffling the rest back into his deck, then played that card. "Go, Magna Fusion!"
"Another new card?"
"With this, I can summon a Magna Fusion monster by banishing the cards I need from my hand, deck or graveyard." His deck slotted out two cards, which he took and placed in his pocket. "So I'm banishing Shining Fang Magna Wolf and Reflector Scale Magna Snake!"
Midnight watched as the two monsters appeared above Flash before they were sucked into a vortex, merging them together. "Let the raging fury of these two mighty beasts now become one, to give birth to a creature of devastating ferocity!" The vortex exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The light of the explosion faded, revealing Flash's monster. "Magna Beast, Feral Lindworm!" (A2300/D2100/L6) "Then, I'll activate it's skill!" He removed Magna Bunny from his Extra Deck, as Lindworm curled itself up. "I can send a Pendulum Monster from my extra deck to the graveyard and destroy a card on your field." The Fusion Monster rolled forward, turning into a wheel that shot towards Midnight's field and crushed Disharmian of Cruelty.
Midnight frowned while Flash smirked, while Lindworm rolled back over to his side of the field.
"Alright," Lindworm circled around him, "and that was just his ability. Now he can go right in for a direct attack!" The Fusion Monster charged at Midnight, ready to deal her some serious damage. But she simply smiled.
"Trap card open!" The card flipped up to reveal, "Defence Draw!" A force field appeared around Midnight, which Lindworm slammed into and bounced off as the possessed teen drew a card. "Are you done?"
Flash frowned, "I place one card face down and end my turn."
"Then I'll go!" Midnight drew her card and smiled, "perfect." She took the card she had drawn and one from her hand and held them up. "Now I set scale one Disharmian of Betrayal and scale nine Disharmian of Misery, into the Pendulum Scale!" She slapped the cards onto the Duel Disk before the pillars of light appeared on either side of her, with the evil versions of Rainbow and Pinkie appearing within them before the portal began to form above Midnight's head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of dark lights shot out of them, hitting the ground and taking shape before fading to reveal her monsters. "Disharmian, Midnight Archangel!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
"And Disharmian of Cruelty!" (A1200/D1100/L3/P2) "Cruelty's skill!" Fluttershy's evil clone fired a blast of light from her gem, which struck Flash's hand and made the cards heat up.
"Ahh!" Flash hissed at the heat.
Flash: 3700
Midnight: 4000
"And now for Archangel's skill," Midnight held up Disharmian of Deceit before discarding it. "By sending a monster to my graveyard, I can add another monster from my deck to my hand." He deck slotted out a card, which she too and held up.
"Marventus," Flash realised. 'This is just like how she beat Shining.' Flash quickly realised if he wasn't careful, he could end up meeting the same fate as her brother.
"Now for the fun part," Midnight smirked as Archangel flew up and formed a sphere of energy in her hand. "Midnight Archangel now attacks Feral Lindworm!" The Disharmian unleashed her attack, firing a beam that struck Flash's Fusion Monster and vaporised it.
"Augh!" Flash cried, feeling himself skid backwards from the force of Midnight's attack.
Flash: 3000
Midnight: 4000
"Now, Cruelty will attack you directly!" Fluttershy's dark clone shot forward, ready to punch Flash in a very un-Fluttershy way.
"Trap card open!" Flash's face down flipped you before a force field appeared around Flash, blocking Cruelty's attack. "You're not the only one with a Defence Draw," Flash drew his card while Midnight simply smirked.
"Think you're funny, do you?"
"Enough to make you love me. Or...the girl you're controlling love me. Although, I'm betting those feelings are still rattling around in there."
Midnight frowned, "don't be ridicules."
"Why's it so hard to believe?" Flash asked as he remembered what Shining had told him before. "You said it yourself when we first met, you're just as much Twilight as you are Zeronull. And I know that Twilight's love for me is strong enough to protect it from whatever influence Zeronull has on you."
"Blah," Midnight stuck out a tongue, "you're so sickeningly sweet I think I'm gonna throw up."
"Just look at me!" Flash yelled, "look into my eyes and tell me you don't love me!" The two locked eyes, Midnight glaring while Flash tried to look beyond her gaze and see the girl he loved. And slowly, Midnight's expression began to soften. It was only for the slightest of moments, but she seemed different. But before it could set in, Midnight clutched her head and moaned in pain. "Twilight-"
"That is not my name!" Midnight looked back up and shot a glare at him, as angry as ever. "Now just go already!"
Flash glared back at her and drew his card. "I play the Spell card, Starburst Reload!" His Duel Disk slotted out a card, Flash taking it to reveal Magna Bunny before putting it in his pocket. "Now I banish a card from my grave and draw cards equal to its level." He drew three cards, smiling as a plan came together. "Now, I set scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn into the Pendulum Scale!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before the two monsters flew up into them, the portal beginning to form as Flash chanted. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal slowly began to open as Flash yelled out, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
As single light shot out of the portal and struck the ground, exploding to reveal Flash's monster. "Unleash your roar, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7) "Then I activate a Spell card!" Magna Tiger began to glow, "Reverse Polarity. With this, Magna Tiger and Midnight Archangel's ATK points switch."
Midnight frowned as Magna Tiger's light flew off and struck Midnight's monster, powering it down while pumping him up. (A3000/D2100/L7) (A2400/D2500/L8/P5) "Well bully for you."
"Magna Tiger!" Flash yelled while pointing at Archangel, "take her out!" The tiger themed warrior charged forward and slashed Midnight's monster with its giant gauntlet, causing it to explode.
Flash: 3000
Midnight: 3400
"Star Fang's skill!" Flash yelled as his monster slashed the air, creating a portal in front of Cruelty. "Banish one monster on your field with ATK less then the one he destroyed." Cruelty was sucked inside, leaving Midnight's field empty. "I place one card face down and end my turn." He looked down at their scores. He may be behind at the moment, but it was still early. "Don't worry Twilight," he looked up at her. "I'll get you out of this. I promise."
"FIRE!" Soarin yelled as Assault Striker unleashed its all out attack, decimating the slime copying it.
"Go!" Rarity cried as Crystal Rarity fired a beam from its staff.
"Crush it!" Maud yelled, as her Giga-Rock Titan slammed its fist into the ground and crushed the opponent.
"We have to keep fighting!" Tidal told the Duellists around him. "No matter what, our amigo is counting on us to hold down the fort."
"You got it!" Pinkie smiled as her Balloonimal Fusion Monster army charged.
"We won't give up," Sonata cheered.
"No way!" Aria yelled.
"We'll keep fighting," Applejack assured him. "Along with the rest of the world."
"Go!" Mac yelled as Cyber Handyman charged and sawed the opponent in half. The young man was outside his family's home, working to keep his grandmother safe. But with all the approaching slime beasts, it wasn't easy.
Two charged at once. But before they could get too far, a giant foot came crashing down and crushed one of them.
"What?" Mac turned to the foot and saw it was none other then Exodia, who had just stepped out from around his house. "Where did-"
"Well lookie here brother of mine," Mac and Granny Smith turned towards the voices as saw two men stepped into view. Flim and Flam. "We come looking for our old friend Applejack hoping for a rematch and what do we find?"
"Her family in serious danger by the looks of things," Flam smiled while Mac glared at them. "Now don't go getting upset that we're here."
"We've come to help," Flim announced before they turned to the slime beasts. "You're about to find out what happens to those who mess with the Flim-Flam Brothers."
"Rightly said brother," Flame nodded. Mac wasn't sure if he could trust them, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice.
In another part of the city, the Celestic Sisters were leading a bunch of non-Duellists to safety.
"Divine Sun Spirit of Harmony!" Celestia summoned the monster, which unleashed a burst of golden light that incinerated them.
"This way!" Luna cried as she lead the group down an alley, only for the slimes to appear. "Divine Moon Spirit of Harmony!" The monster appeared and unleashed a dark blue light that struck the slime and froze it in place. "Hurry!" They continued down the path as Celestia and her monster brought up the rear.
When they entered the street, several more slimes could be seen. "Sister!" Luna cried as Celestia joined her, the two's monsters coming together and crossing their staffs. They then pointed them forwards unleashing spiralling beam of light and dark energy it struck the slimes and destroyed them, creating a clear path for them.
In Cloudsdale, Spitfire and her students had taken to the streets to help those that didn't Duel.
They were using everything they had learned from Rainbow, Soarin and Gilda to protect the people, the way they knew those three and even the creator of their school had done. But despite the training they had undergone, many of them were struggling from inexperience.
But before any of them could lose, a barrage of lightning bolts shot down from the heavens and destroyed the slimes. Everyone who saw it looked up and saw a giant robotic bird flying above them, the bird beginning to circle a building and they all spotted someone standing there.
"Geez," the girl said, "I just came to settle the score with Rainbow. I didn't think I'd be getting caught up in all this." She looked around and spotted some more slimes appearing on the roof. "Jetstream Thunderbird!" The robotic bird roared as it unleashed more lightning.
"Sick'em!" Timber Spruce yelled as his Dark Timberwolf roared, unleashing a toxic breath the melted the slimes. "Oh yeah!" The teen smirked, "super hero right here."
"HELP!" He turned to see a girl getting chased by some slimes, causing him to sigh.
"Can't I get a minute to enjoy my victory," he rushed over and gave the girl a smile. "Hey beautiful! You look like you could use a hand." He turned towards the slime and smiled, "this should be easy." But then he looked around it and saw several more, "maybe not that easy."
"Attack!" Neo Frozen Heart unleashed a burst of cold air, freezing its opponent solid before spinning around and slamming its tail pick into it. Cold sighed as the monster shattered, the man feeling himself growing tired. "Have to...keep going."
"Not alone you don't!" Cold turned to the voice and saw Spike, Scootaloo, Sweetie, Applebloom, Marble, Cadance and Shining exit.
"What are you doing?" Rarity asked her sister, "it's not safe."
"I don't care!" Sweetie held up her Duel Disk, "I'm a Duellist too."
"So are we!" Scootaloo and Applebloom did the same.
"But you're hurt?" Sunburst told Spike and Shining, the two smiling.
"I don't need to stand in order to Duel," Spike sat on the steps on the stadium and activated his Duel Disk.
Shining did the same, "we can't just sit back and let you risk your lives."
Pinkie and Maud turned to Marble. "I helped cause this," Marble activated her Duel Disk. "I'm going to help end this."
"We're all helping," Cadance activated her Duel Disk. The others realised there was no stopping them and just focused on their own Duels.
As they started, Shining looked back up at the Shadow Gate. "Come on Flash. You have to win, soon."
"It's my turn!" Midnight reached for her deck and took a card, "draw." The portal began to form up above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of dark lights shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal her monsters. "Disharmian, Midnight Archangel!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
"And Disharmian of Greed!" (A1300/1700/L4/P9) "Archangel's skill!" Midnight held up Marventus before discarding it, her deck slotting out another card that she took to show Flash.
"Mesmeridiem," Flash whispered. As he said that, something else occurred. The generator holding the Zenith Dragon of Limitless Skies suddenly began to glow, Marventus letting out a mighty roar that was heard on both world. "With every turn she's getting closer and closer to summoning Zeronull."
"Attack!" Midnight yelled as Archangel flew into the air, then brought her hands together to form the dark energy orb that she threw at Magna Tiger. But when the attack struck Magna Tiger, the monster shattered to reveal another Magna Tiger standing behind it.
Flash: 2400
Midnight: 3400
"Sorry," Flash smirked, "but my Reflection Guard keeps Magna Tiger on from being destroyed."
"That's fine," Midnight smiled. "It's not like it can hurt me. And even if you find a way to make it strong enough to beat Archangel, you're just doing me a favour."
'She's right," Flash frowned as Midnight ended her turn. 'If I destroy Midnight Archangel, she'll just summon it back next turn and be one step closer to summoning Zeronull.' He looked down at his hand. 'I don't have anything that can destroy her scale. I've gotta hope for a lucky draw.' "It's my turn!" He drew his card and saw it was Neo Lightspeed Dragon. 'Dang...' "Wait," his looked at his field and smirked, "that could work."
"Would could work?" Midnight asked.
"Let me show you!" Flash summoned Neo Lightspeed Dragon, the robotic wolf appearing besides Magna Tiger. "Now I activate Leghorn's Pendulum Ability!" The star on its stomach glowed before unleashing a light, which struck Magna Tiger and lowered its level. (A2400/D2100/L4)
"What's that supposed to do?" Midnight asked, "neither of them are strong enough to destroy Midnight Archangel."
"Are you sure you've got Twilight's memories?" Flash asked as his monsters transformed into a pair of lights that shot up into the air. "Because she'd know I'm using these two monsters in order to build the Overlay Network!" A black hole appeared infront of him, the two lights flying inside as he chanted. "Shatter the chains forged by the laws of physics and burst open the door to limitless possibilities!" The black hole exploded, unleashing a burst of brilliant light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing Flash's monster. "Reality Buster Dragon!" (A2000/D2000/R4) "ATTACK!" The Xyz monster flew forward and swung its sword at Midnight Archangel, who fired her magical blast at it. "Reality Buster's skill!" One of its Overlay Units flew into its sword, which it used to block the oncoming attack. "When Reality Buster battles a monster that's stronger then it, I can remove an Overlay Unit and negate his destruction!" The sword appeared to absorb the energy Archangel fired, "and you take any of the damage I would have taken."
Midnight growled as Reality Buster swung its sword around and unleashed the energy in a single wave, which struck the possessed and sent her staggering backwards. "AUGH!"
Flash: 2400
Midnight: 2400
"I place two cards face down and end my turn." Reality Buster flew down and landed behind him as he watched Midnight slump forward, panting heavily. "Come on Twilight. You're stronger then Zeronull. Don't let it beat you!"
"Be quiet!" Midnight's head shot up. "How many times do I have to spell it out for you. I'm not your little girlfriend anymore. She's gone and she's never coming back!"
"I don't believe you," Flash told her. "Twilight's not so easily beaten."
"I don't care what you believe," Midnight reached for her deck. "All I care about is finally ending you once and for all, so my master plan can finally come to fruition. And you won't stop me. It's my turn. I draw!" She did so, then reached for her deck again. "Thanks to Disharmian of Greed, I can now draw an additional card." She did so and smiled, "perfect."
Flash didn't like the sound of that. "Reality Buster still has an Overlay Unit, so I should be fine."
"I activate Disharmony Kamikaze!" Archangel flew into the air, a dark aura forming around her. "With this Spell, I can tribute a Disharmian and then destroy a monster on your field with less ATK then it." With that, Archangel shot forward and morphed into a dark meteor that slammed into Reality Buster and exploded.
"Augh!" Flash cried as the explosion knocked him staggering forward, the smoke vanishing to reveal both Archangel and Reality Buster were destroyed. "Great."
"There's more," Midnight held up the card Flash knew was her Zenith Dragon. "With her destroyed, I can now summon her back to the field." The portal formed above her head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of dark lights shot out and struck the ground, exploding to reveal both her monsters. "Disharmian, Midnight Archangel!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
"And Disharmian of Inequality!" (A1100/D1500/L4/P3) The dark version of Starlight appeared on the field besides Archangel, both smirking at Flash as his field was completely empty. "Now for Archangel's skill!" Midnight turned her card around and showed it was Mesmeridiem, which she discard before a card slotted out of her deck. As she did, the generator holding the light dragon lit up as the beast roared.
Flash watched her take it and hold it up before turning the card around, revealing the Zenith Dragon of Endless Inferno. "Not good," he whispered. "Now she's only one turn away from summoning Zeronull."
"Not like you'll survive long enough to see it," Archangel raised her hands and formed the orb. "Such a shame. All that talk and I didn't even need to summon my ultimate beast." She pointed at him, "ATTACK!" The Disharmian fired the blast right at Flash, Midnight laughing as it struck. "YES!" But then Midnight noticed something, or a lack of something. No scream of pain. "What?"
It was then that a light suddenly appeared at the point the beam struck, the girl flinching at it. The light formed a dome around Flash, originating from a monster that suddenly appeared around him. The one that Midnight swore she would never see again.
"Flash Heart Dragon?" The white version of Flash's ace stood infront of him, unleashing the a light that formed the dome around them. "How?"
"My Beacon of Hope Trap!" Flash explained. "When you attacked me directly, it let me draw a card. Since it was a monster, I got to summon it. And it's the best monster in my entire deck. One born of Harmonica and imbued with her power. "Flash Heart Dragon...Alpha." (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)
Midnight growled, "so what? It's not strong enough to beat Midnight Archangel."
"Maybe not," Flash said. "But before he's destroyed, his abilities activate." A portal appeared behind Inequality. "The weakest monster on your field is banished!" Starlight's dark clone was sucked inside. "And now for his other skill," Flash reached for his deck. "Whenever a monster's banished, I can draw a card. If it's a monster whose Level is lower then the one banished, I can summon it." He drew his card but frowned, "luck's not on my side." He added it to his hand before the dome of light cracked and shattered, Archangel's attack hitting Flash Heart and destroying him. "AUGH!"
Flash: 1900
Midnight: 2400
Midnight smirked at the teen as he managed to hold his ground, though the blast had pushed Flash back a few inches. "I place one card face down and end my turn."
"And that means it's my turn!" Flash reached for his deck, "I draw!" As he did, the portal formed above Flash's head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a single light shot out and struck the ground, revealing Flash's ace. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...ALPHA!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill!" A portal appeared below Disharmian of Greed, causing her to fall and be removed from play. "Now for his other ability!" Flash drew his card and smiled before slapping it onto the field. "I summon Aura Pulse Magna Rat!" In a flash of light, the robotic rodent appeared in front of him. (A300/D200/L1)
"Ha!" Midnight chuckled, "those cards can't stop me. You realise the second I summon Zeronull, it's all over."
"Which is why I'm gonna beat you before that happens," Flash explained as a portal appeared above Flash's head. "Starting with Magna Rat's skill!" The Magna Rat leapt into the portal and out of the other side, Magna Wolf jumped out and landed besides Flash. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Then, I activate the Spell card Lightspeed!" Flash Heart began to glow as its power rose. (A3500/D2000/L7/P4) "Time to end this. Flash Heart, GO!" The robotic dragon's boosters ignited and sent him rocketing towards Midnight Archangel.
Midnight watched as Flash's monster sucker punched hers, causing the fiend to explode and push her backwards as she cried out.
Flash: 1900
Midnight: 1900
"And now Shining Fang Magna Wolf will take a bite out of you!" The wolf growled as its body began glowing. "And thanks to his skill, his ATK goes up by a hundred points for every card removed from play." He let out loud howl as his power went up. (A2100/D1200/L4) Flash let out a whistle and the wolf shot forward before he bounced, ready to make Midnight's life points hit zero. "TWILIGHT!"
"Stop calling me that!" The girl screamed before her face down flipped up, "Trap card open!" Pink portals opened up before a bunch of dark green vines shot out, several wrapping around Magna Wolf's legs and stomach. "My Venom Ivy Trap card equips to any monster that attacks me directly. It prevents them from attacking and during each of my turns, they lose eight hundred ATK points until it hits zero and destroys it."
Flash frowned, "dang it."
"You had your chance," Midnight announced. "If you had foreseen my face down, maybe you could have destroyed it. But now there's nothing you can do except end you turn."
Flash didn't want to admit it, but she was right. As he brought his turn to an end, Flash Heart and Magna Wolf's ATK returned to normal. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) (A1500/D1200/L4)
"Such a shame," Midnight stated as she reached for her deck. "All that hard work and you weren't able to pull it off." She drew her card, "now all you can do is watch as your world comes crumbling down." As she said this, the vines around Magna Wolf began to constrict him.
Flash frowned as his friend howled in pain, while the Trap's effects kicked in and caused Magna Wolf's ATK to drop by eight hundred. (A700/D1200/L4) "Just hold on," Flash told him. "I'll find a way to save you."
"Save him?" Midnight laughed again, "you can't even save yourself. Not with what I have in store for you." The portal began to form above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a single light shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding as Midnight's monster appeared one last time. "Midnight Archangel!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5) "Archangel's skill!" She discarded a card, right as the dragon within the fire generator roared at the same time it began to glow. "I discard Perfignis in order to add another monster to my hand." A card slotted out of her deck and she took it before holding it up. "Now, the time has come."
Flash stared at the cards as a dark aura appeared around it and Midnight. "This isn't good."
"With this card, I put everything on the line." The light grew brighter and brighter. "Should I lose this Duel, every card in my deck will be destroyed. Including my Zenith Dragons and this card itself." She then raised her Duel Disk as a green, yellow and red light exploded out of it, Flash barely managing to keep his eyes opened and look through it to see three cards fly out of her Duel Disk and shot towards the generators holding their dragons. "In order to summon my ultimate monster, I must first banish three Zenith Dragons from my graveyard." As she said that, the three dragons roared before the light from the generators shot off and struck the cards. The cards glowed before shooting towards the Shadow Gate.
"Where are they going?" Flash asked as the three cards entered the void. As they did, they suddenly exploded with a light that was brighter then any Flash had ever seen before.
Back on earth, everyone continued to Duel only for a bright light to catch their eye and look up.
There, they saw something happening within the Shadow Gate. And whatever it was, they knew it wasn't something good. "What is that?" Rainbow asked, turning to Cold who didn't look like he had any clue.
"I...don't know." Slowly, the light began to take shape and form and image everyone was beginning to dread that they recognised.
Shining looked up from his own Duel, turning to look up at the figure and announce what everyone was scared it might be. "That's Zeronull."
"ARISE!" Midnight slapped the card onto her Duel Disk, "OMEGA DEITY OF DESTRUCTION! ZERONULL!"
The light exploded off of the figure and reveal the dark outer god in all his might, the three Zenith Dragons sitting within his wings. Its eyes glowed and stared down at Flash, then passed him towards his planet. A look of disgust was evident.
"So this is him in all his glory," Flash whispered.
Midnight laughed at Flash's face. "Behold, the last monster you'll ever see before your end. With powers the likes of which you'll never be able to stand against. With three Zenith Dragons removed from play, he gains one thousand ATK and DEF points for each of them. (A3000/D3000/L12) "And, of course, it can't be destroyed in battle. Nor are you able to destroy it with Spells, Traps or Monster effects."
"Okay," Flash sighed, "I get it. He's really strong, almost indestructible."
"There's no almost about it," Midnight announced. "It is indestructible and with it, this match's fate is set in stone." She pointed at Flash, "all you can do now is wait for your inevitable destruction by its hands."
"Well you'll have to wait for that destruction," Flash explained. "Since you banished a monster, I can draw a card and if it's a monster whose Level is lower then your Zenith Dragon, I can summon it." He drew his card, but alas it wasn't a monster.
"You're certainly using your Flash Heart Dragon effectively," Midnight smiled. "But it's power is nothing compared to Zeronull's. Although, I might not even have to use it." Midnight Archangel too to the air. "After all, one attack from Archangel and your Magna Wolf will be obliterated...along with the rest of your life points."
Flash watched as Archangel formed the orb between her hands, then threw it at the trapped wolf and unleashed a beam of dark magic. All the while, Flash Heart turned to his partner and nodded.
Flash nodded back before pressing the button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap!" The card flipped up as Flash Heart leapt in front of Magna Wolf, "Interception!" The blast struck Flash Heart Dragon and destroyed him, Flash grunting in pain as his life points dropped.
Flash: 1400
Midnight: 1900
Midnight smirked, "you're a real sucker for punishment, aren't you. Could have let yourself lose the easy way, but instead you've only forced yourself to face a worse end." As she said that, Zeronull's central orb began to glow. "I attack with my Omega Deity of Destruction." As she said that, a card slotted out of her deck. "And whenever it attacks, I must banish one monster from my deck." She threw the card into the air as the Fabulaqua unleashed a roar while is generator glowed brighter.
That light flew off and struck the card as it flew into the Shadow Gate and phased into one of the three remaining empty orbs. The Zenith Dragon of Bottomless Oceans appeared within the orb, causing Zeronull's ATK and DEF to rise up. (A4000/D4000/L12) As this happened, Zeronull unleashed the laser from out of the Void.
It shot out of the portal and flew through space before striking the tied up Magna Wolf. Flash's eyes went wide as the beam exploded and unleashed a shockwave that slammed into him. "ARRRRRHHHHH!" Flash cried as he hit the ground and rolled for several seconds until he went over the edge of the upside-down pyramid. "WOW!" He cried, grabbing the edge and barely managing to get a grip.
He groaned as he pulled himself back onto the patch of rock, right as the light from the explosion vanished to show Magna Wolf still on the field and Flash's Life Points were unchanged. "Due to Zeronull's ability, your monster remains and you take no damage. But once I have all six Zenith Dragons removed from play, this Duel will end in my victory"
Flash let out a sigh as he stood up and walked forward. "That still gives me three more turns to end this."
"Please," Midnight stated, "nothing you do will end this Duel any way other than with my victory."
"We'll see," Flash looked up at her. "That's the beauty of this game. It never turns out the way you think it will. Anything can happen. With a single draw of a card, the whole game to be turned on its head."
"Well I know exactly how this Duel will end," Midnight announced before playing a card. "First, I'll play De-Spell in order to destroy a monster in your Pendulum Zone." Flash looked up at watched as Magna Leghorn glowed, the robotic bird crying out before it exploded. "Then, I'll continue to banish more and more Zenith Dragons while you pointlessly struggle to try and destroy Zeronull. But eventually, you'll be forced to accept that there is nothing you can do against this overwhelming power and I will end this Duel in my victory. After that, your connection to Harmonica will be lost and nothing will be able to stop me from finally completing my ultimate objective."
"No," Flash shook his head, "I won't let that happen." He then looked up at Zeronull as it stared down at him, the teen only now seeing just how hopeless everything seemed to be. But no matter what, Flash would find a way to win. For the sake of both his worlds, his friends and the people he loves, he would find a way to win.
Love the return of the Brothers FlimFlam and Lightning Dust and a possible redemption (not a reformation) for the trio.
I do have a couple or critics.
1) There is not enough defeat on the side of the heroes, we are being told that this is their final battle, that they are in the fight for their lives... well they need to lose members we care about to show it.
2) A much better retort on Midnight's part, like "I am an outer god of destruction, destroying everything is my purpose, including myself once the rest is clear." I get the want to portray Zeronull/Midnight as straight up evil... well chaotic evil at that... but really they are neutral in the order/chaos, good/evil spectrums but is squarely in the destruction part of the creation/destruction spectrum, in other words Midnight/Zeronull... and Harmonica too, need to have an orange/blue morality not the black and white we do. Sure Harmonica will side with the heroes more often than not, but creation is not inherently good, ever heard of necromancers and their ability to make undead nor is destruction inherently evil, paladins and their smite evil ability
10577184
the problem with that, is that it needs a massive fuse... which at this point appears to be lacking
10584977 You realise if any of them lose, they and their Duel monster will die, right.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! And somehow we haven't even gotten to the biggest one yet. Dang!
Hold on. Next week is...Christmas Eve. And the week after that is New Year's Eve. Okay, I have no idea how long this Duel is going to draw out, but assuming that the Duel ends on either of those days, wow! Talk about ending the year with a bang.
On another note, that extra ability can't be all Flash Heart got from Harmonica, can it? Then again, Flash hasn't brought Vail Pixie out yet, so maybe whatever Flash needs to do to win this Duel involves using both of them together. Good gracious, what could you possibly be planning?
10584991
I am very much aware of that fact, however that neither addresses my argument nor counters my point, you are TELLING us that they are in the fight for their lives but you are not SHOWING us that and if you want us to believe that they are in the fight for their lives, you need to do less telling and more showing
10584977
Foxhelm, I think you might be overthinking this again. Zeronull and Harmonica aren't like the outer gods from Dragonball Super. For starters, Zeronull is basically Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda 2 with outer god powers and without the tragic, sympathetic backstory. He destroys because it's the only thing that gives him any semblance of pleasure, and he takes pleasure in destruction because he willfully refuses to see anything good or beautiful about life, kinda like what that demon/goblin mirror does to Kai from the original Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen."
Looking over what I've just written, maybe I'm starting to overthink things a bit too. Let's just buckle up and let Banshee take us for the ride. The story is already pretty crazy without us picking it apart and analyzing it.
10584998
Maybe he's gotten so attached to the characters he's put on the heroes' side that he can't bring himself to kill them. Did that ever cross your mind? Besides, the heroes already spent quite a bit of the beginning of the story on a pretty bad losing streak. I can't speak for every reader, but for a while, I was starting to lose hope that Banshee was going to end this on a happy ending. Now that I've brought it up, maybe Banshee got tired of writing about the heroes losing and the villains getting away with stuff. I know I would if I had to write a story like this.
"breathe" Okay, sorry, if I'm coming off a bit angry especially at the beginning, but you're basically asking for Banshee to add more drama and more complexity to this story, which is exactly what I don't want. Gosh, hasn't 2020 given us enough of that?
10585010
A more accurate comparison I am making would be either the Spirits from Avatar: The Last Airbender (not so much Legend of Korra) or the inhuman beings of Howard Phillips Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. These beings exist in a moral system out side of ours.
Again this would be a much more nuanced answer that Midnight could have given that would have been in character and show how insufficient Zeronull/Midnight see Flash, that not even his concept morality is something worth factoring, and also show how much Flash is going to have to work to break Twilight free from this.
10585021
No offense, but this story has already sent me pretty far down the darkness-induced audience apathy hole. The added complexity you want would probably only send me farther down that hole, and I want out of it already.
10584991
Now if Harmonica were to give up her live to restore all the damage done and lives lost to Zeronull (and I do count Gaia Maiden Lady Marble in that), that is a premise that my only response is:
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/113/201/ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney.jpg
not only is it in her character but it will address the vacuum that will be caused after Zeronull's destruction and restore the balance there in, these two are meant to be like yin and yang, destroying one throws everything out of whack without destroying the other, again balance
10585026 I couldn't do that. Being silences, doesn't mean getting killed. It means getting wiped from existence. The Zealots that were absorbed by the slime weren't killed, they were erased. Not even a soul exists. Sure, Harmonica might be able to revive dead people, but she can't bring back something that's been completely wiped from existence. The best she could do was recreate them and even then, it wouldn't be the same person. Just a copy.
10585034
If that was what you were trying to convey in the text, then you have failed to convey that in the text, because it didn't come off like that, merely that the on longer existed in the physical realm.
Again, I can believe that all can be stored should Harmonica sacrifice her existence,
So the final battle officially begins. And just as we thought, Zeronull never had any intention of giving its followers the world they desire. It only intends to destroy everything in existence. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I can’t fathom how Flash can beat that monster within three turns. There better be at least one more trick up his sleeve or everyone and everything is done for.
10585034
Wait. So then, Glorianna, Ouravas, Hellfire, Rhodos, Gaia-Maiden, Draconequus... they’ve all been killed off for real? No resurrections? So that thing has just wiped its own followers from existence after everything they’ve done in its name. If that’s really the case, then Zeronull really is just as evil as I thought.
10585034
Wait. You mean... Oh gosh, I'd hate to be Amphitrite in this story.
10585037
Really? He showed Spike actually getting slowly erased, and the only thing that saved him was his bond with Draconic Blazelord, which I doubt would work a second time. Granted, it wasn't clear that more than just his physical existence was being affected, but still.
10585295
I know. She caused so much pain to Flash and all of his loved ones, but she did so to ensure a better life for her people. And now when she finally realizes her whole crusade was based on a lie and that she’s only damned her own people to oblivion, she loses her own daughter to the very being she swore total allegiance to. That has to hurt.
Wow this is awesome. Seeing everyone come together and fighting against the slime reminded me a lot of when they were destroying Sombra's crystals at the climax of Shadow Gate. Speaking of which, I was surprised by the sudden appearance of the Flim-Flam brothers and Lightning Dust, and glad this time they are on our side. Finally seeing Celestia and Luna again was nice too, since I half-expected they wouldn't show up at all due to the absence of tournaments in this story.
Flash and Midnight's duel is intense, worthy of being a "final battle". It looks like Flash is getting through to Twilight just a bit, but he needs to find a way to stop Zeronull. I have a feeling the source of its strength, the Zenith Dragons, are also its greatest weakness. If Flash can somehow un-remove them from play then Zeronull will be powerless!
Looks like it is clear that Zeronull lied to the Omega Zealots now. It was never going to keep its word to them about a "perfect world". But now it will pay!
Delete that ending quotation.
end
know
I think you mean "me" or "her".
end; than
10585311
okay... but Spike didn't die, now if in the next chapter let's say Sombra does dies, I will retract this particular critic.
10585548
It's 2020. Aren't you sick of people dying?
10585617
I want to believe that the stacks of the story are as high as Banshee is trying to convey them, as it stands I have a hard time believing that they are at this point. I am tired of being 'Told' that they are in the fight for their lives, I asking the author to 'Show' it. One of the most critical rules of writing 'Show, don't tell',
Say what you want about G.O.T. Season 8, even D&D knew that in order to make the Battle of Winterfell believable named characters the audience grew to care about had to die.
I don't frankly care which named character we have come to know and care meets their end in this battle, I just want to be able to justify suspending my disbelieve that this is a battle on the level of 'End of the World', and that means losses on both sides, heck not even the Spartans had all 300 men still alive at the end of the first day of fighting of the Battle of Thermopylae.
10585645
I know it's totally unrealistic for all those characters to still be alive especially when the stakes are so high, but what's wrong with a little break from reality now and then? We're all going to have to go back to it once we're done reading.
10585715
Nothing is wrong with a break from reality every so often, the issue is, and I can't believe I have to keep hammering it, that Banshee wants us to believe that the heroes are in the fight for their lives, that this conflict can be compared to The Battle of the Morannon (The Return of the King), to Ragnarok, The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia), the end of days, The Battle of the Hill of Megiddo (armageddon), etc,. Given that, the best way to convey what he wants and for us to justfy believing it is for him to show protagonists we have grown to care for and love bit the dust, not uncommonly in grizzly manners.
He doesn't need to off that many, I will find it in me to suspend my want of disbelief/ buy the premise, if 1 character on the hero team dies in the battle in the manner that we fear, just 1, that's how low the threshold is. 1 and when D&D wrote the Battle of Winterfell, they killed off at least four, Lyanna Mormont, Jorah Mormont, Theon Greyjoy and Eddison Tollett, there are more but they come to mind.
10586339
Okay, okay, one, I think you're the only one who has that problem. Everyone else seems fine with how well things are going for the heroes.
Two, I don't know what you think Banshee is trying to convey, but I think he's trying to go for a Shadow Gates 2.0 vibe, and he seems to be conveying that pretty well in my opinion.
Three, in The Last Battle, technically everyone died, but when the main characters "died," it was portrayed in such a way that you don't feel sad when you read about it. In fact, you actually kinda end up feeling happy for them.
Four, if Banshee were to give into your demands, he's probably going to choose to off Timber. I'm not saying that he will, but if he does and you start complaining, you better be ready for a lot of people, including me, to be very angry with you.
Five, you're just giving me more reasons to not like Game of Thrones.
Six, it's possible to resolve a high-stakes, "the world is about to end" situation without killing off any of the major cast. Ducktales (2017) did it in season 2. If you want something less bright and colorful, Avatar the Last Airbender's series finale had some incredibly high stakes, and none of the major characters died. I mean, both of those examples had some pretty close calls, but no one the viewers cared about died.
10586399
That may be true, but the accurate statement is that I am the only one that is voicing this issue. You are making an argument from silence logical fallacy
Okay... but again this is spose to be the final battle, just some random unnamed duel spirits that are allies to the heroes dying don't really count.
You're missing the point, butafter I read it I actually didn't feel happy for them, I didn't feel much of any emotion for them, All I could really feel was sorrow for Susan, because she just lost all her family in one accident, she'll have to burry her family, and be lost in her more material world.
I frank don't care which character bites the dust, I just want to have a reason to justify suspending my disbelief, it could be Timber, but I'd suggest Sombra, again, I don't care who bites the dust, I am asking for a better justification to suspend my disbelief over the story then what Banshee has given, which I believe would be 1 named character that is on the hero team biting the dust
That is neither relevant to the topic nor a valid counter point if it was
While I can dismiss the Ducktales 2017 example, as I have not seen it, I would be deliberating missing you point, however I do have this counter, it's a 2010's Disney kids cartoon using iconic and nostalgic Disney characters, Disney, in the last decade, is notorious for playing it too safe, they aren't killing off anyone that matters, as for why it might work or might not, I haven't seen it so I can't tell.
As for Avatar the Last Airbender... you can't tell me that Suki coming back like Boomerang to save Sokka and Toph wasn't an @$$-pull (and I love that she was able to do that, but it was still an @$$ pull), as for the battle between Aang and Ozai, it was never about will Aang defeat Ozai, it was about can he do it without killing Ozai... and the energy bending things at the end was also an @$$ pull, the only battle that really matter in the finale was the Final Agni kai between Zuko and Azula, and Zuko only survived because it was established all the way back in Book 1 Water, that Katara could heal peopl. What worked in that finale in fact worked because of all the ground work that was laid back in the two previous Books, what didn't work is what was introduced that season, namely in that four part episode,
Banshee, I would hate to drag you into this argument Foxhelm and I are having, but I'm tired of it. I can't speak for him, but I'm personally willing to let you have the final word on the matter.
1. Do YOU think killing off one of the main or supporting named characters is necessary to convey the fact that this is a battle for the world?
2. Do you actually want to kill off any of the named heroic characters?
I won't hold it against you if you answer no to either question. I won't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do.
10586629 No and no. Honestly, there's no way I can win with that scenario. If I did kill someone off, it would only end in two ways. One, Harmonica brings them back making their death entirely pointless. Or two, she doesn't bring them back and Flash spends the rest of his life hating himself because he wasn't able to save them in time. I hate both of those options.
10587403
I understand.
Hey, Banshee is this battle going to be a three-parter? If it is, would it be alright if I skip this week's chapter and save it and next week's chapter for New Year's Eve? Your multiparters have a tendency to leave your readers on edge, usually in a good way, and I'd rather spend Christmas relatively edge-free.
10593329 The Duel will end in the next chapter, though the outcome of the Duel takes place afterwards. No way I could stretch three turns for Flash between two chapters.
10593333
In that case, (pause) MERRY CHRISTMAS!