(no subject)
Darkness spread out, consuming the area, manifesting in a dense fog. The asphalt on the ground became inverted, leaving it the only white in a strange blackness. Saiga's shadow stretched across it, becoming longer, before it simply split off, a second her walking straight out of her. There were some quite noticeable differences, however: The other her wore her hair down, tips barely above the ground. Her outfit consisted of black leather and a trenchcoat, which made her roll her eyes. And, she noted as an afterthought, of course she was wearing that stupid mask.
She turned and faced herself, raising her Duel Disk. The other her smiled wickedly.
"So quickly? I thought you would be talking more." She smirked.
"Not this time." She muttered. "I'm not listening to you. We're going to settle this for good."
"There you go."
"Shut up."
"So, then, little girl, what are the terms this time? We duel, and what happens?" It sneered. "Oh, I know. You want more power. That's all you ever wanted, the power to do what you wanted, because you knew your own powerlessness. So you're going to try to defeat me to take my power for your own, this time?"
"No."
"... no?" It was surprised. "Then, you want to recreate the miracle from before..."
"No."
"Heh... Very well, you've stumped me, little girl. Then what is it?"
"When I win, you will be wiped out."
"Wiped... out?"
"I'll purge you out of me, body and soul. I never should have let you in. A moment of weakness, irrational fear, and a stupid crush overrid my reason. After that, as you said, somewhere inside me I enjoyed having the power. I thought I could use this power to make things right. And every time I did, I let you influence me."
"But if you do that, you'll have no power of your own left!" Arrogance had given way to shock. "Without me, you'll be a weak, normal person again!"
"Oh, I doubt that." Saiga gave a grim grin, despite herself. "I've never really been normal."
"Very well. But you know, that goes both ways. The risk must be equal, to make this happen. If I win, you will be the one purged out, and I will have total control. I will once again put forth my plans, and all duelists will be drawn into my world."
"I know." The grin was gone now, replaced by determination.
"You are serious?"
"Deadly."
"Good choice of words."
"I am going for yours, yeah."
"Then let us begin." The masked Saiga's arm twisted, bulged, and erupted into a fin-shaped Duel Disk. She held out her other hand, and Saiga felt a rush of air as an aura enveloped her, then shot through her and out into the hand of the other one, which she slid into her own wrist...
But in the time it had taken all that to happen, Saiga had already drawn six cards.
(SAIGA: 8000)(DARKNESS: 8000)
If I hold back, there's no way I can win. Saiga looked over her hand. I don't know what tricks are up its sleeves this time, so I had better go out at full power from the start and not give it a chance to catch up...
"I pay 500 life points to activate Double Fusion!" She dumped four cards from her hand into her graveyard straight away, and two Elemental Heroes leaped onto the field. Thunder Giant sparked at the other Saiga, while Wild Jaggyman readied his sword. "Turn end."
(SAIGA: 7500)(DARKNESS: 8000)
The masked Saiga drew and grinned. "You should have saved something. Now you're going to lose that much faster."
"Isn't it too early for posturing?" Saiga muttered. "I've got two fusion monsters out."
"Activate!" The other her threw her card into the air, where it spun, righted itself, and turned into a horrible vortex, sucking in two demonic creatures. "Dark Fusion! Come, Evil Hero Malicious Devil!"
A green figure that may have been considered a stretched, emaciated humanoid, half its body made of blades, emerged from the vortex, as the card spun itself into the graveyard.
"And I'll make it worse for you! Monster Reborn, revive Evil Hero Alterneo!"
The ankh appeared over the field, and out dropped... something. It was twisted, stretched, its stomach emaciated, its chest bulked out, and its arm-fins replaced by scythe blades, its face more sinister with a huge row of fangs, but... it was unmistakably Neos.
"You bastard..." She growled. "How dare you twist Juudai's card that way!"
"I did?" She sneered. "Didn't you see where these cards came from? It's you who gave form to this card. Your desire for my power twisted even your bonds with others..."
"Bullshit it did!" She snapped back. "Don't pretend that-"
"Don't pretend that it was you? But it was! And now these twisted desires will be the end of you! Malicious Devil, Alterneo, attack!"
The two fiends bore down on Saiga's heroes. The heroes didn't have a chance.
(SAIGA: 6500)(DARKNESS: 8000)
A face-down card appeared behind the fiends as they returned to their master's field, as the other her called out a smug "Turn end!".
I need a monster who surpasses that attack... Saiga thought to herself as she placed her hand on her deck. I can do it. "Draw!"
"I activate Fusion Birth!" She triumphantly slammed the card into her Disk. "I send five cards from the top of my deck-"
"Not so fast!" The set card lifted, showing a five-headed dragon being erased in a wireframe. "Paradox Fusion! By removing my Malicious Devil for play for two turns, I negate your Fusion Birth!"
"Tch... Doesn't matter." Saiga resumed taking the cards off the top of her deck. "Sending five cards from the top of my deck is a cost, so Paradox Fusion does nothing to it!"
"Milling your deck was your goal this time, not the fusion, huh..." She growled.
"And now Miracle Fusion!" The destroyed Wild Jaggyman erupted from the graveyard, rocketing up into the vortex. The other, a woman with a long ponytail dressed in black armor, placed a hand on Saiga's shoulder supportively, before leaping after him. Out of the vortex descended a monster of black armor, with blades growing from its back, resembling the monsters on her opponent's field more than any Elemental Hero.
"Fusion Summon, Elemental Hero Escuridao!"
"You're relying on the powers of darkness to save you from me?" She sneered. "You hypocrite."
"It's not your powers, or darkness." Saiga retorted, as Escuridao's blades bristled. "I've got my friends here. They're fighting with me."
The masked Saiga laughed uproariously. "You think that, don't you? You're more foolish than I thought!"
"What are you talking about?"
"We're inside your head, right now!" She explained through her laughter. "There's no one here but the two of us! If your monsters are behaving like that, it's because you want them to, there's no one there but your own expectations!"
"..." Saiga growled. As the other her spoke, Escuridao slowly stopped moving, becoming simply a normal projection of Solid Vision. "Even if that's the case, that won't help you! Escuridao, attack! Destroy that thing!" The blades from the Hero's back shredded the twisted Neos.
(SAIGA: 6500) (DARKNESS: 7100)
"I'll be able to clinch this before your Devil returns. Turn end."
Darkness drew with a chuckle. "Really? I activate the spell card, Material Capture!"
"What?"
"I return a Fusion Monster in my opponent's graveyard to their Fusion deck, and the monsters they fused into it are summoned to my side of the field!" Saiga's graveyard ejected three cards- Thunder Giant, which vanished back into her fusion deck, and Sparkman and Clayman, which materialized, and turned to face her, their eyes glowing a dark crimson. Saiga looked into their eyes, and felt... not the normal fear, the fear that spurs one into action, but a deeper fear. The fear that they were turning against her. And that they were right to.
She shook her head. Like she said, they aren't really here. This is my own thoughts of them. This is just... my own mind. All that is here is what I think there is.
"Dark Fusion!" While she was distracted, the other her had played the spell. "I fuse Sparkman and Clayman to summon the Evil Hero Lightning Golem!" The black vortex sucked in Saiga's monsters once more, and from it, out came a twisted version of Thunder Giant. From its arms, lightning arced, and a stray bolt shattered Escuridao easily.
"And now that your protection is gone... He'll attack you directly!"
Lightning blasted Saiga into the ground. She could feel her body giving off smoke as the attack's effects cleared. She stood up, not unhurt, but still all right- It seemed while she had life points, she wasn't going to die, even if it was a Dark Game.)
(SAIGA: 4100) (DARKNESS: 7100)
Saiga drew unsteadily. She hadn't recovered from the pain yet, but it wasn't going to do her any good to focus on that. She shoved it out of her mind, and played her card.
"Hope of Fifth..." She pulled five cards from her graveyard and put them back into the deck.
"Fusion Birth to send them, and Hope of Fifth to return them..." She shook her head. "What must your monsters feel like that? All you ever do is send them to the grave, then pull them back just to send them again."
"Like I've never heard that lecture before." Saiga muttered, drawing her cards. "By Necro Darkman's effect, I summon Elemental Hero Edgeman!"
"Necro Darkma- Fusion Birth." She growled.
"It's got more uses than you think." Saiga smirked back. Edgeman erupted from her disk, sparing no time in simply cleaving straight through Lightning Golem.
(SAIGA: 4100) (DARKNESS: 6900)
"Turn end."
"Draw." With a smirk, she simply laid down a new card. "Evil Hero Hell Gainer in defense mode. Turn end." The new fiend appeared, but Saiga was busy watching Malicious Devil's return.
Saiga drew silently, then pointed. "For now, I need to do as much damage as I can... Edgeman's effect deals piercing damage! Edgeman, destroy Hell Gainer!"
"Malicious Devil's effect, activate!" She roared. "Devil Influence!"
Edgeman rocketed towards Hell Gainer, arm-blades extended, before he simply... stopped. His eyes glowed, and he turned to Malicious Devil instead, going forth in a reckless charge that had him sliced to pieces in an instant.
(SAIGA: 3200) (DARKNESS: 6900)
"... I set one card and end..." Saiga grimaced, her voice weak.
"You're still planning, aren't you?" She grinned as she drew. "That trap card... You think you can block Malicious Devil's attack, and survive Hell Gainer... You're naive! I'll activate Hell Gainer's effect! By removing it from play for two turns, Malicious Devil gains the ability to attack twice per Battle Phase! Now, Malicious Devil, attack her and let's see what she's got up her sleeves!"
"As you wish! Trap card, open! Soul Fusion!" Saiga called. "I pay 1000 life points to conduct a fusion from the graveyard!" A new vortex, this one purple, appeared and drew in two cards from her graveyard: Edgeman and Wildman.
"Summon! Elemental Hero Rock Mantle! Defense mode!" A solemn-looking woman with dark brown hair, wearing stone gloves and greaves appeared on the field. She held up her hand, and a large cape made of rocks came together above her, which she took and slung around herself.
"Malicious Devil attacks Rock Mantle, then!" She pointed. The devil flew forward, while the hero ducked under her mantle, closing it around her. Finally, as the cloak started to give way, she spun, taking it off as she did, letting Malicious Devil soar through and destroying her cloak, but leaving the hero unharmed.
"By Rock Mantle's effect, when summoned, she gained a Mantle Counter. By removing that, her destruction is negated!" Saiga called.
"Malicious Devil attacks again, then!" She pointed. "This time, there's no escape!" And true to her words, the new hero fell.
"No escape for who?" Saiga drew with a smirk. "Miracle Fusion! Clayman and Necro Darkman become Elemental Hero Gaia!" The gargantuan robotic Hero appeared, rising out of the ground, as the ground under Malicious Devil broke up and became unsteady, the power in the dirt under it flowing into Gaia. "Gaia Crusher!"
(SAIGA: 2200) (DARKNESS: 4700)
"I'm still in the lead! Draw!" The masked her snapped back, suddenly furious. "I activate Legacy of a Hero! I have two or more level 4 or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, so I draw three!"
"That card's your most broken yet!" Saiga protested.
"I activate Material Call! I pay one thousand life points, and Special Summon a monster that was used as Fusion Material!" Alterneo rose from the graveyard once more.
"It wasn't sent there as a Fusion Material monster last time!"
"The card text only says that it was used." She smirked back. "Care to argue the ruling with me?"
Saiga growled.
"Alterneo's effect activates!" She continued with a smirk. "Alterneo returns Dark Calling from the graveyard to my hand. Then it attacks your Gaia! Alternate Wrath of Neos!"
(SAIGA: 1900) (DARKNESS: 3700)
Saiga tore the top card off her deck, before immediately pitching it. "I discard King of the Swamp to add Polymerization to my hand! Which is then activated, fusing Featherman and Burst Lady!"
"Flame Wingman won't help-"
"Summon E-Hero Nova Master!"
The other her growled, as Alterneo was crushed once more.
(SAIGA: 1900) (DARKNESS: 3600)
"It's barely a scratch." She drew.
"Enough scratches add up." Saiga taunted, eyeing her opponent's field as Hell Gainer returned.
"I activate Sacrifice Hero!" She retorted. "By tributing a Hero monster on the field, one can be special summoned from the grave! Evil Hero Malicious Edge is revived!"
"Not good enough." Saiga pointed out. "Their attack is the same."
"That's all I need! Malicious Edge attacks!" The masked her ordered with a crazed grin. Malicious Edge charged, but Nova Master soared above it. Their aerial battle lasted some time, but soon, both crashed to the ground and shattered.
"Now you've got an open field, while my turn is next." Saiga taunted.
"Main Phase 2!" She responded. "Material Capture! Return Nova Master, and Featherman and Burst Lady become mine!" Once again, her bravado from seconds ago flickered out like a candle as her two Heroes faced her, before fusing into a twisted Evil Hero... Inferno Wing.
"Let's see what you can do with only two cards!" She cackled, setting another facedown card. "Turn end!"
Saiga placed a hand on her deck. She had one card in her hand, but it wouldn't do much for her as it was. She wasn't sure she had enough resources to do anything that could save her from Inferno Wing. She checked its effect on her Disk; if it did land an attack, 2100 was the least it could do... In other words, she needed to both recover her life points, and destroy that monster, and what could do that? With two cards?
She thought back. Not just through her own deck, but through every card in the game. Was there anything that could save her? She began to despair.
"I activate Legacy of a Hero! I have two or more level 4 or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, so I draw three!"
That... of course, that could save her, but it wasn't a card she had. There was no way, after all-
"We're inside your head, right now! There's no one here but the two of us! If your monsters are behaving like that, it's because you want them to, there's no one there but your own expectations!"
Her eyes lit up. Maybe... Just maybe there was a chance. If what Darkness had said was true...
Wait a minute. Darkness?
"I draw!" She straightened up triumphantly, a new fire in her eyes. "Activate the magic card, Take Over 5! I mill five cards from the top of my deck! During my next Standby Phase, I remove Take Over 5 to draw one!"
"Tch... Going for another Miracle Fusion, are you?!" She roared.
"Magic card, activate! Legacy of a Hero!" She shouted back. "Since I have two or more level four or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, I draw three!"
"That was my card!" She screamed.
"You're the one who gave me the key to it!" Saiga returned triumphantly. "If there's nothing in here but us, then everything is what I expect it to be... That includes our decks. So if I expect a card to be there, it will be!"
"You... you bitch!" Her fists tightened.
"Magic card! Miracle Fusion!" Saiga held up the card. "Burst Lady and King of the Swamp fuse into Elemental Hero Steam Healer!"
There was a long pause, before her opponent began to laugh. "I was worried! But Steam Healer? The weakest and most useless E-Hero fusion? That's the only thing you could have brought out that can't help you! It's- What are you laughing at?!"
Saiga simply smirked and pointed at Steam Healer's arm... now equipped with a strange crossbow-like weapon. A Fusion Weapon, to be precise.
"You don't even use that card!"
"I told you, everything in here is what I expect it to be... There's nothing in here but us. But... that's not quite right, is it?"
"What are you talking about?!"
"It's not that there's 'nothing in here but us'. That's what you want me to believe... Maybe that's what you want to believe, too. After all, it's easier than facing the truth, isn't it? You're the darkness, cowering in fear that the truth will come to light."
"Shut up!"
"Once upon a time, maybe you were really Darkness. But now... Look at you. You've got the mask, because that's what I expect. You've got my body, because that's what I expected. But if you really were Darkness, wouldn't you have your own body? Your own effects on what you look like? No, because you've been in my head for too long. You've long since stopped being Darkness. Now you're just an ugly part of me. You've been completely subsumed by my own desires for power. In other words... Whatever you thought, Darkness doesn't exist here. This is just a battle between my own light and darkness. And now that I know that, you have no power over me."
Steam Healer fired a bolt of light from its crossbow. Inferno Wing offered no resistance- It didn't even shatter like the rest of the monsters. It simply dissolved like dust, and faded as the arrow passed through it. It struck the mask right in the red jewel, cracking it... and the entire mask shattered, showing her face- Of course, it was Saiga's own, but twisted into an expression of fury.
"You'll pay for this..."
"I don't know about that." The pipes on Steam Healer's back began to rumble, and a large jet of steam was ejected onto Saiga. "I seem to be doing all right for myself."
(SAIGA: 4000) (D-SAIGA: 2400)
"I will make sure you fall into the deepest pits of oblivion." She growled, drawing. Any signs of her previous mocking nature were gone, now only replaced by anger. "I activate Dark Calling! I remove my Inferno Wing and Hell Gainer in my graveyard from play, to summon the ultimate Evil Hero! Darkness Inferno Wing!"
Inferno Wing returned to the field, altered. Now, it was jet-black, and its wings had been replaced by spiked metallic wings. More telling, its mask had changed, now identical to the one Steam Healer had just destroyed.
"Just like you expect," She spat, "It gains 300 points for each Evil Hero in my graveyard. Destroy Steam Healer! Then make her suffer! Direct attack!"
"It can attack twice?!"
"It was made from Hell Gainer, obviously!"
Saiga barely had time to notice that it was even talking like her now, before a column of black fire hit. It hurt. It hurt worse than anything she had ever felt before, and she had been in ground zero of a horrible explosion in Domino Park once. No, this was an unbearable pain, a fire that didn't just consume the body but attacked the mind and soul.
Saiga thought she must have blacked out. When she opened her eyes again, the other her was gloating. She thought she had won, and now...
She pulled herself to her feet. Like hell she was giving up.
"Don't write me off as dead already." She rasped. "I still have life points left."
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 2400)
The celebrations died in the other her's throat. "Damn it... Just give up! You can't win now!"
"Watch me." She drew weakly. "Take Over 5's effect lets me draw again."
She examined her hand. "In fact... I'll win right now. I activate Time Fusion, banishing a card from my hand... and during my next Standby Phase, Rock Mantle will be special summoned from my graveyard."
"What will a weak monster next turn do for you now?!" She protested incredulously.
"Next turn... nothing. This turn... it removed a necessary card from play."
"You don't mean-"
"Parallel World Fusion." Yet another fusion vortex appeared. "King of the Swamp and Sparkman have been removed from play... so I return them and summon Shining Flare Wingman!"
The glowing Hero of light descended on her field, bathing everything in its gentle glow. The other her, and the Hero's counterpart both recoiled from this light.
"I'll destroy this darkness inside of me with this light." Saiga clenched a fist. "Attack, Shining Flare Wingman! Shining Shoot!"
Shining Flare Wingman launched itself forward, grappling the Evil Hero, as mighty auras of light and darkness fought. But there was never any contest- The Hero gave a mighty shout, and cracks appeared inside the dark figure, as light shone out. Even as the dark monster was disintegrating, the Hero threw the monster's body at the one who summoned it.
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 900)
"This is... I won't allow it!" She began to scream. "I'm not defeated yet!"
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 0)
"I win, you-"
(D-SAIGA: 1)
"- What?!"
(D-SAIGA: 2)
"What's going on?!" Saiga demanded. Even Shining Flare Wingman watched in confusion.
(D-SAIGA: 5)
"I told you I hadn't lost yet." The other her grinned wickedly.
(D-SAIGA: 43)
"How?!"
(D-SAIGA: 79)
"I activated the trap card, Hero Soul." She explained. "When a Hero monster I control was destroyed this turn, and my Life would be reduced to 0, instead my life is... Well, you see."
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 100)
"You've bought yourself one turn." Saiga growled. "But I won't let you win. Turn end."
She drew with a grin. "I don't expect you to let me do anything. But I'll kill you anyway. Because now, I set one card, then I activate the spell, Time Fusion Murder."
"What... There's no such card!"
"Oh, don't tell me you're just now getting that." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, these were cards made just for this duel... Made out of your own darkness. Fitting that this will be the end of you, isn't it? Time Fusion Murder costs me my entire hand and five cards off the top of my deck, but it summons a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck, ignoring the summoning conditions."
"She turned the one card in her hand around: Evil Hero Malicious Edge. Then the five cards from her deck: Three Evil Hero Hell Brats, a third Malicious Edge, and another Hell Gainer.
"Six more Evil Heroes... Then that means..."
"Exactly! And one more thing..."
Shining Flare Wingman suddenly grabbed his chest with a pained grunt.
"If the monster that destroyed the monster I am summoning is still on the field, that monster is destroyed!"
With a final scream of agony, Shining Flare Wingman shattered, as Darkness Inferno Wing erupted out of him, before turning and reaching towards Saiga, licking her lips with a wicked smirk.
Saiga's heart and mind raced. She needed to think of something- What could she possibly do? She only had one chance. If it was a card that the other her had made up, then...
"But!" She shouted. "The turn that card is activated, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase!"
"What?!" The other her looked down at the card... and indeed, it had that line of text on it. "That's cheating!"
"It's printed on the card. Are we going to argue rules now?" Saiga smirked.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!" She screamed. "Even if you've bought yourself a turn, you have nothing! No cards in hand, no field, there's nothing you can do!"
"You're wrong. There's one thing left, one thing I can still do here."
"And what's that?!"
"win." She closed her eyes and focused. What's here is what I expect. If I control my expectations, this place is mine to control. This deck of mine... And more than that...
A hand on her shoulder caused her to open her eyes once more. She looked up into the cold stare of Shadow Mist. Beside her, Burst Lady and Featherman watched with serious expressions. The Heat was focusing on the enemy, while Lady of Fire was nudging Shadow Mist away to drape on Saiga herself. Bubbleman tipped his top hat (where did he get a top hat?) to her. Sparkman and Voltic stood side-by-side. In the very back, Necro Darkman watched with worry, while Edgeman extended his blades.
"I told you, even if you posture like that, they're not real!" The other Saiga shouted. "They're just your own imagination-" She was then cut off by a sheet of fire and wind.
"We are the real things." Burst Lady held a ball of fire in her hand.
"If Saiga calls for us, no matter where she is, we will go to her side." Featherman crossed his claws on front of him.
"And if she needs our help when we get there, well..." Bubbleman leveled his Bubble Shot bazooka, pointed straight at the other Saiga.
"Then no matter the enemy, we'll kick their ass back to another dimension!" Lady of Fire tried to mimic Burst Lady, ending up with a full-blown column of fire instead.
"That is our bond." Sparkman loaded a clip into the Spark Gun.
"It's our bond of trust, between heroes and the one we've sworn to protect." The Heat began to rise into the air.
"To the one who brought the weak us, who were trapped in the darkness of a card, into the light." Shadow Mist drew an elegant katana.
"And one with the courage to fight for us, or with us, as we do for her." Perhaps most frightening of all, Blume simply smiled, doing nothing special.
"So you see, even here, even if I'm weak and couldn't defeat you alone... I don't have to." Saiga smiled. "Guys, let's win."
"Let's go, everyone!" Featherman called the order. Each hero turned into a streak of light, streaming into her deck under her fingers. Saiga drew, the card shining brilliantly...
"At this moment, Time Fusion summons Elemental Hero Rock Mantle, allowing me to activate the magic card, the Treasure of Fusing Bonds!" Saiga held the card up high, casting a glow over the entire field. "By removing all Fusion monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play, I draw one card for each!" Rock Mantle lead the path back to her deck, followed by Escuridao, Steam Healer, and Shining Flare Wingman. Saiga drew four more glowing cards.
"Now I activate the spell, Recreated Miracle!" Saiga slid the card into her Disk. "This turn, I may activate the effect of Spell Cards in the graveyard by removing them from play! But during the End Phase, I'll take 1000 damage for each card activated this way!"
"Have you decided to kill yourself?!" She asked incredulously. "Even one card means you'll lose during the End Phase!"
"Yeah... But since if I use one card, that's how it turns out, there's no reason not to just use all of them." Saiga pointed below her. "I activate Legacy of a Hero from the grave! I draw three!"
"Do you need more cards?!" She burst out.
"Yeah, I do. Because there's one last thing I've figured out."
"What's that?"
"This Dark Game... it isn't a Duel." Saiga smirked triumphantly. "It uses a duel, but the game itself is just a mental battle. That's why it's been so flexible about our cards. Our monsters are attacking each other's will. And that's why that Material Call card affected me so badly. Because it's a card to affect your opponent's mind- The perfect card for a battle like this. And that means if there's any doubt in me in the end, you won't really lose. The best that will happen is the game will happen again, later, when you've tried to influence me again."
"So you're-"
"Yeah." Saiga confirmed. "I'm going to crush you so utterly even I can't doubt it. I- No, we will destroy you so completely you'll never return. I'm cutting you out, right now! From the hand, I activate O - Over Soul, reviving Burst Lady! Then I activate Hero's Return, and chain Code Change, allowing me to revive a Pyro-type monster! Come, Lady of Fire!" The first card spat forth a large O, as Burst Lady flew out of the center, while a mirage showing a battlefield shimmered in the air, as Lady of Fire walked out of it. The monsters clasped each other's hands, then looked to Saiga.
"From the graveyard, activate Double Fusion!" Saiga pointed. The card rose out of the ground, shining. "I activate its effects! I fuse E-Hero Burst Lady and Lady of Fire to summon Elemental Hero Rising Prominance!" The two leaped into the vortex together, coming out as a single woman in yellow, whose red hair turned into a halo of fire.
"The second fusion!" Saiga pointed. "I fuse E-Hero Rising Prominance and myself!"
Saiga felt the pull of the vortex, and ran in willingly. She came out once more, this time in a different body: Her entire body was a deep orange-red, glowing like the surface of the sun. Her hair went down, fading into a trail of fire behind her. Her eyes glowed white. But her voice was her own still.
"Elemental Hero Soul of Sol!" She called, the warm glow from before now burning sunlight.
"Reverse card, open!" Her enemy called. "De-Fusion!"
"Priority!" She replied calmly. "As the turn player, I use my effect... I destroy one monster on the field and draw one card."
She floated forward, calmly, serenely, but powerfully. She simply placed one hand on Darkness Inferno Wing... who erupted into fire. The monster screamed, collapsing into a point of light like a star, which she carefully took into her hands and blew out.
Then her enemy's card took effect. Saiga felt herself being pulled apart as she landed back in her own body opposite her darkness. Her field was now empty- A E-Hero Fusion monster like Rising Prominance couldn't be Special Summoned back.
"Now, you're-" She began to gloat.
"Don't forget everything else I've still got." Saiga pointed. All three copies of Miracle Fusion rose from the ground in front of her.
"Featherman and Burst Lady summon Flame Wingman; Rising Prominance and Lady of Fire summon Soul of Sol; Voltic and The Heat summon The Shining!" One after another, the monsters rose up on her field, but she wasn't done- Polymerization rose out of the ground next.
"Flame Wingman from the field and Sparkman from the hand will summon E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Sparkman glowed and became armor, equipping to the green Hero to form the new monster. O - Oversoul rose from the grave, allowing Sparkman to come back, while a Polymerization materialized next to it from the hand, sucking him and Captain Gold in.
"Sparkman and Captain Gold summon E-Hero High Noon!" A blond woman in a black Zorro mask, wearing a cowboy costume, appeared on the field, wielding twin revolvers. But she wasn't done, as the Polymerization that was just sent to the grave rose back up from it.
"High Noon and Prisma summon Elemental Hero Radiance!" The new hero from the vortex was an angel, plain and simple. All white, from her robes to her hair, emitting a soft golden glow.
"And just for kicks... From the grave, Hero's Return. Come back, Sparkman!"
The assembled five Heroes stared the enemy Saiga down. By this point, she was sweating bullets, as she stared them down.
"This... Even this won't be enough to clear me from your mind! As long as you doubt it, I'll survive-"
"With these guys by my side, there's no doubt in my mind at all that you're finished." Saiga thrust a hand forward. "Everyone, all together now! Ultimate five-hero attack- Ultimate Light Array!"
In the real world, Saiga finally opened her eyes and looked around. Her spirits- Her friends, her longest and truest companions- Nodded to her with a smile. A smile played around Saiga's own lips as she closed her eyes once more, leaned back against the wall, and fell into the most peaceful sleep she'd had in years.
She turned and faced herself, raising her Duel Disk. The other her smiled wickedly.
"So quickly? I thought you would be talking more." She smirked.
"Not this time." She muttered. "I'm not listening to you. We're going to settle this for good."
"There you go."
"Shut up."
"So, then, little girl, what are the terms this time? We duel, and what happens?" It sneered. "Oh, I know. You want more power. That's all you ever wanted, the power to do what you wanted, because you knew your own powerlessness. So you're going to try to defeat me to take my power for your own, this time?"
"No."
"... no?" It was surprised. "Then, you want to recreate the miracle from before..."
"No."
"Heh... Very well, you've stumped me, little girl. Then what is it?"
"When I win, you will be wiped out."
"Wiped... out?"
"I'll purge you out of me, body and soul. I never should have let you in. A moment of weakness, irrational fear, and a stupid crush overrid my reason. After that, as you said, somewhere inside me I enjoyed having the power. I thought I could use this power to make things right. And every time I did, I let you influence me."
"But if you do that, you'll have no power of your own left!" Arrogance had given way to shock. "Without me, you'll be a weak, normal person again!"
"Oh, I doubt that." Saiga gave a grim grin, despite herself. "I've never really been normal."
"Very well. But you know, that goes both ways. The risk must be equal, to make this happen. If I win, you will be the one purged out, and I will have total control. I will once again put forth my plans, and all duelists will be drawn into my world."
"I know." The grin was gone now, replaced by determination.
"You are serious?"
"Deadly."
"Good choice of words."
"I am going for yours, yeah."
"Then let us begin." The masked Saiga's arm twisted, bulged, and erupted into a fin-shaped Duel Disk. She held out her other hand, and Saiga felt a rush of air as an aura enveloped her, then shot through her and out into the hand of the other one, which she slid into her own wrist...
But in the time it had taken all that to happen, Saiga had already drawn six cards.
(SAIGA: 8000)(DARKNESS: 8000)
If I hold back, there's no way I can win. Saiga looked over her hand. I don't know what tricks are up its sleeves this time, so I had better go out at full power from the start and not give it a chance to catch up...
"I pay 500 life points to activate Double Fusion!" She dumped four cards from her hand into her graveyard straight away, and two Elemental Heroes leaped onto the field. Thunder Giant sparked at the other Saiga, while Wild Jaggyman readied his sword. "Turn end."
(SAIGA: 7500)(DARKNESS: 8000)
The masked Saiga drew and grinned. "You should have saved something. Now you're going to lose that much faster."
"Isn't it too early for posturing?" Saiga muttered. "I've got two fusion monsters out."
"Activate!" The other her threw her card into the air, where it spun, righted itself, and turned into a horrible vortex, sucking in two demonic creatures. "Dark Fusion! Come, Evil Hero Malicious Devil!"
A green figure that may have been considered a stretched, emaciated humanoid, half its body made of blades, emerged from the vortex, as the card spun itself into the graveyard.
"And I'll make it worse for you! Monster Reborn, revive Evil Hero Alterneo!"
The ankh appeared over the field, and out dropped... something. It was twisted, stretched, its stomach emaciated, its chest bulked out, and its arm-fins replaced by scythe blades, its face more sinister with a huge row of fangs, but... it was unmistakably Neos.
"You bastard..." She growled. "How dare you twist Juudai's card that way!"
"I did?" She sneered. "Didn't you see where these cards came from? It's you who gave form to this card. Your desire for my power twisted even your bonds with others..."
"Bullshit it did!" She snapped back. "Don't pretend that-"
"Don't pretend that it was you? But it was! And now these twisted desires will be the end of you! Malicious Devil, Alterneo, attack!"
The two fiends bore down on Saiga's heroes. The heroes didn't have a chance.
(SAIGA: 6500)(DARKNESS: 8000)
A face-down card appeared behind the fiends as they returned to their master's field, as the other her called out a smug "Turn end!".
I need a monster who surpasses that attack... Saiga thought to herself as she placed her hand on her deck. I can do it. "Draw!"
"I activate Fusion Birth!" She triumphantly slammed the card into her Disk. "I send five cards from the top of my deck-"
"Not so fast!" The set card lifted, showing a five-headed dragon being erased in a wireframe. "Paradox Fusion! By removing my Malicious Devil for play for two turns, I negate your Fusion Birth!"
"Tch... Doesn't matter." Saiga resumed taking the cards off the top of her deck. "Sending five cards from the top of my deck is a cost, so Paradox Fusion does nothing to it!"
"Milling your deck was your goal this time, not the fusion, huh..." She growled.
"And now Miracle Fusion!" The destroyed Wild Jaggyman erupted from the graveyard, rocketing up into the vortex. The other, a woman with a long ponytail dressed in black armor, placed a hand on Saiga's shoulder supportively, before leaping after him. Out of the vortex descended a monster of black armor, with blades growing from its back, resembling the monsters on her opponent's field more than any Elemental Hero.
"Fusion Summon, Elemental Hero Escuridao!"
"You're relying on the powers of darkness to save you from me?" She sneered. "You hypocrite."
"It's not your powers, or darkness." Saiga retorted, as Escuridao's blades bristled. "I've got my friends here. They're fighting with me."
The masked Saiga laughed uproariously. "You think that, don't you? You're more foolish than I thought!"
"What are you talking about?"
"We're inside your head, right now!" She explained through her laughter. "There's no one here but the two of us! If your monsters are behaving like that, it's because you want them to, there's no one there but your own expectations!"
"..." Saiga growled. As the other her spoke, Escuridao slowly stopped moving, becoming simply a normal projection of Solid Vision. "Even if that's the case, that won't help you! Escuridao, attack! Destroy that thing!" The blades from the Hero's back shredded the twisted Neos.
(SAIGA: 6500) (DARKNESS: 7100)
"I'll be able to clinch this before your Devil returns. Turn end."
Darkness drew with a chuckle. "Really? I activate the spell card, Material Capture!"
"What?"
"I return a Fusion Monster in my opponent's graveyard to their Fusion deck, and the monsters they fused into it are summoned to my side of the field!" Saiga's graveyard ejected three cards- Thunder Giant, which vanished back into her fusion deck, and Sparkman and Clayman, which materialized, and turned to face her, their eyes glowing a dark crimson. Saiga looked into their eyes, and felt... not the normal fear, the fear that spurs one into action, but a deeper fear. The fear that they were turning against her. And that they were right to.
She shook her head. Like she said, they aren't really here. This is my own thoughts of them. This is just... my own mind. All that is here is what I think there is.
"Dark Fusion!" While she was distracted, the other her had played the spell. "I fuse Sparkman and Clayman to summon the Evil Hero Lightning Golem!" The black vortex sucked in Saiga's monsters once more, and from it, out came a twisted version of Thunder Giant. From its arms, lightning arced, and a stray bolt shattered Escuridao easily.
"And now that your protection is gone... He'll attack you directly!"
Lightning blasted Saiga into the ground. She could feel her body giving off smoke as the attack's effects cleared. She stood up, not unhurt, but still all right- It seemed while she had life points, she wasn't going to die, even if it was a Dark Game.)
(SAIGA: 4100) (DARKNESS: 7100)
Saiga drew unsteadily. She hadn't recovered from the pain yet, but it wasn't going to do her any good to focus on that. She shoved it out of her mind, and played her card.
"Hope of Fifth..." She pulled five cards from her graveyard and put them back into the deck.
"Fusion Birth to send them, and Hope of Fifth to return them..." She shook her head. "What must your monsters feel like that? All you ever do is send them to the grave, then pull them back just to send them again."
"Like I've never heard that lecture before." Saiga muttered, drawing her cards. "By Necro Darkman's effect, I summon Elemental Hero Edgeman!"
"Necro Darkma- Fusion Birth." She growled.
"It's got more uses than you think." Saiga smirked back. Edgeman erupted from her disk, sparing no time in simply cleaving straight through Lightning Golem.
(SAIGA: 4100) (DARKNESS: 6900)
"Turn end."
"Draw." With a smirk, she simply laid down a new card. "Evil Hero Hell Gainer in defense mode. Turn end." The new fiend appeared, but Saiga was busy watching Malicious Devil's return.
Saiga drew silently, then pointed. "For now, I need to do as much damage as I can... Edgeman's effect deals piercing damage! Edgeman, destroy Hell Gainer!"
"Malicious Devil's effect, activate!" She roared. "Devil Influence!"
Edgeman rocketed towards Hell Gainer, arm-blades extended, before he simply... stopped. His eyes glowed, and he turned to Malicious Devil instead, going forth in a reckless charge that had him sliced to pieces in an instant.
(SAIGA: 3200) (DARKNESS: 6900)
"... I set one card and end..." Saiga grimaced, her voice weak.
"You're still planning, aren't you?" She grinned as she drew. "That trap card... You think you can block Malicious Devil's attack, and survive Hell Gainer... You're naive! I'll activate Hell Gainer's effect! By removing it from play for two turns, Malicious Devil gains the ability to attack twice per Battle Phase! Now, Malicious Devil, attack her and let's see what she's got up her sleeves!"
"As you wish! Trap card, open! Soul Fusion!" Saiga called. "I pay 1000 life points to conduct a fusion from the graveyard!" A new vortex, this one purple, appeared and drew in two cards from her graveyard: Edgeman and Wildman.
"Summon! Elemental Hero Rock Mantle! Defense mode!" A solemn-looking woman with dark brown hair, wearing stone gloves and greaves appeared on the field. She held up her hand, and a large cape made of rocks came together above her, which she took and slung around herself.
"Malicious Devil attacks Rock Mantle, then!" She pointed. The devil flew forward, while the hero ducked under her mantle, closing it around her. Finally, as the cloak started to give way, she spun, taking it off as she did, letting Malicious Devil soar through and destroying her cloak, but leaving the hero unharmed.
"By Rock Mantle's effect, when summoned, she gained a Mantle Counter. By removing that, her destruction is negated!" Saiga called.
"Malicious Devil attacks again, then!" She pointed. "This time, there's no escape!" And true to her words, the new hero fell.
"No escape for who?" Saiga drew with a smirk. "Miracle Fusion! Clayman and Necro Darkman become Elemental Hero Gaia!" The gargantuan robotic Hero appeared, rising out of the ground, as the ground under Malicious Devil broke up and became unsteady, the power in the dirt under it flowing into Gaia. "Gaia Crusher!"
(SAIGA: 2200) (DARKNESS: 4700)
"I'm still in the lead! Draw!" The masked her snapped back, suddenly furious. "I activate Legacy of a Hero! I have two or more level 4 or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, so I draw three!"
"That card's your most broken yet!" Saiga protested.
"I activate Material Call! I pay one thousand life points, and Special Summon a monster that was used as Fusion Material!" Alterneo rose from the graveyard once more.
"It wasn't sent there as a Fusion Material monster last time!"
"The card text only says that it was used." She smirked back. "Care to argue the ruling with me?"
Saiga growled.
"Alterneo's effect activates!" She continued with a smirk. "Alterneo returns Dark Calling from the graveyard to my hand. Then it attacks your Gaia! Alternate Wrath of Neos!"
(SAIGA: 1900) (DARKNESS: 3700)
Saiga tore the top card off her deck, before immediately pitching it. "I discard King of the Swamp to add Polymerization to my hand! Which is then activated, fusing Featherman and Burst Lady!"
"Flame Wingman won't help-"
"Summon E-Hero Nova Master!"
The other her growled, as Alterneo was crushed once more.
(SAIGA: 1900) (DARKNESS: 3600)
"It's barely a scratch." She drew.
"Enough scratches add up." Saiga taunted, eyeing her opponent's field as Hell Gainer returned.
"I activate Sacrifice Hero!" She retorted. "By tributing a Hero monster on the field, one can be special summoned from the grave! Evil Hero Malicious Edge is revived!"
"Not good enough." Saiga pointed out. "Their attack is the same."
"That's all I need! Malicious Edge attacks!" The masked her ordered with a crazed grin. Malicious Edge charged, but Nova Master soared above it. Their aerial battle lasted some time, but soon, both crashed to the ground and shattered.
"Now you've got an open field, while my turn is next." Saiga taunted.
"Main Phase 2!" She responded. "Material Capture! Return Nova Master, and Featherman and Burst Lady become mine!" Once again, her bravado from seconds ago flickered out like a candle as her two Heroes faced her, before fusing into a twisted Evil Hero... Inferno Wing.
"Let's see what you can do with only two cards!" She cackled, setting another facedown card. "Turn end!"
Saiga placed a hand on her deck. She had one card in her hand, but it wouldn't do much for her as it was. She wasn't sure she had enough resources to do anything that could save her from Inferno Wing. She checked its effect on her Disk; if it did land an attack, 2100 was the least it could do... In other words, she needed to both recover her life points, and destroy that monster, and what could do that? With two cards?
She thought back. Not just through her own deck, but through every card in the game. Was there anything that could save her? She began to despair.
"I activate Legacy of a Hero! I have two or more level 4 or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, so I draw three!"
That... of course, that could save her, but it wasn't a card she had. There was no way, after all-
"We're inside your head, right now! There's no one here but the two of us! If your monsters are behaving like that, it's because you want them to, there's no one there but your own expectations!"
Her eyes lit up. Maybe... Just maybe there was a chance. If what Darkness had said was true...
Wait a minute. Darkness?
"I draw!" She straightened up triumphantly, a new fire in her eyes. "Activate the magic card, Take Over 5! I mill five cards from the top of my deck! During my next Standby Phase, I remove Take Over 5 to draw one!"
"Tch... Going for another Miracle Fusion, are you?!" She roared.
"Magic card, activate! Legacy of a Hero!" She shouted back. "Since I have two or more level four or higher Hero monsters in the graveyard, I draw three!"
"That was my card!" She screamed.
"You're the one who gave me the key to it!" Saiga returned triumphantly. "If there's nothing in here but us, then everything is what I expect it to be... That includes our decks. So if I expect a card to be there, it will be!"
"You... you bitch!" Her fists tightened.
"Magic card! Miracle Fusion!" Saiga held up the card. "Burst Lady and King of the Swamp fuse into Elemental Hero Steam Healer!"
There was a long pause, before her opponent began to laugh. "I was worried! But Steam Healer? The weakest and most useless E-Hero fusion? That's the only thing you could have brought out that can't help you! It's- What are you laughing at?!"
Saiga simply smirked and pointed at Steam Healer's arm... now equipped with a strange crossbow-like weapon. A Fusion Weapon, to be precise.
"You don't even use that card!"
"I told you, everything in here is what I expect it to be... There's nothing in here but us. But... that's not quite right, is it?"
"What are you talking about?!"
"It's not that there's 'nothing in here but us'. That's what you want me to believe... Maybe that's what you want to believe, too. After all, it's easier than facing the truth, isn't it? You're the darkness, cowering in fear that the truth will come to light."
"Shut up!"
"Once upon a time, maybe you were really Darkness. But now... Look at you. You've got the mask, because that's what I expect. You've got my body, because that's what I expected. But if you really were Darkness, wouldn't you have your own body? Your own effects on what you look like? No, because you've been in my head for too long. You've long since stopped being Darkness. Now you're just an ugly part of me. You've been completely subsumed by my own desires for power. In other words... Whatever you thought, Darkness doesn't exist here. This is just a battle between my own light and darkness. And now that I know that, you have no power over me."
Steam Healer fired a bolt of light from its crossbow. Inferno Wing offered no resistance- It didn't even shatter like the rest of the monsters. It simply dissolved like dust, and faded as the arrow passed through it. It struck the mask right in the red jewel, cracking it... and the entire mask shattered, showing her face- Of course, it was Saiga's own, but twisted into an expression of fury.
"You'll pay for this..."
"I don't know about that." The pipes on Steam Healer's back began to rumble, and a large jet of steam was ejected onto Saiga. "I seem to be doing all right for myself."
(SAIGA: 4000) (D-SAIGA: 2400)
"I will make sure you fall into the deepest pits of oblivion." She growled, drawing. Any signs of her previous mocking nature were gone, now only replaced by anger. "I activate Dark Calling! I remove my Inferno Wing and Hell Gainer in my graveyard from play, to summon the ultimate Evil Hero! Darkness Inferno Wing!"
Inferno Wing returned to the field, altered. Now, it was jet-black, and its wings had been replaced by spiked metallic wings. More telling, its mask had changed, now identical to the one Steam Healer had just destroyed.
"Just like you expect," She spat, "It gains 300 points for each Evil Hero in my graveyard. Destroy Steam Healer! Then make her suffer! Direct attack!"
"It can attack twice?!"
"It was made from Hell Gainer, obviously!"
Saiga barely had time to notice that it was even talking like her now, before a column of black fire hit. It hurt. It hurt worse than anything she had ever felt before, and she had been in ground zero of a horrible explosion in Domino Park once. No, this was an unbearable pain, a fire that didn't just consume the body but attacked the mind and soul.
Saiga thought she must have blacked out. When she opened her eyes again, the other her was gloating. She thought she had won, and now...
She pulled herself to her feet. Like hell she was giving up.
"Don't write me off as dead already." She rasped. "I still have life points left."
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 2400)
The celebrations died in the other her's throat. "Damn it... Just give up! You can't win now!"
"Watch me." She drew weakly. "Take Over 5's effect lets me draw again."
She examined her hand. "In fact... I'll win right now. I activate Time Fusion, banishing a card from my hand... and during my next Standby Phase, Rock Mantle will be special summoned from my graveyard."
"What will a weak monster next turn do for you now?!" She protested incredulously.
"Next turn... nothing. This turn... it removed a necessary card from play."
"You don't mean-"
"Parallel World Fusion." Yet another fusion vortex appeared. "King of the Swamp and Sparkman have been removed from play... so I return them and summon Shining Flare Wingman!"
The glowing Hero of light descended on her field, bathing everything in its gentle glow. The other her, and the Hero's counterpart both recoiled from this light.
"I'll destroy this darkness inside of me with this light." Saiga clenched a fist. "Attack, Shining Flare Wingman! Shining Shoot!"
Shining Flare Wingman launched itself forward, grappling the Evil Hero, as mighty auras of light and darkness fought. But there was never any contest- The Hero gave a mighty shout, and cracks appeared inside the dark figure, as light shone out. Even as the dark monster was disintegrating, the Hero threw the monster's body at the one who summoned it.
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 900)
"This is... I won't allow it!" She began to scream. "I'm not defeated yet!"
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 0)
"I win, you-"
(D-SAIGA: 1)
"- What?!"
(D-SAIGA: 2)
"What's going on?!" Saiga demanded. Even Shining Flare Wingman watched in confusion.
(D-SAIGA: 5)
"I told you I hadn't lost yet." The other her grinned wickedly.
(D-SAIGA: 43)
"How?!"
(D-SAIGA: 79)
"I activated the trap card, Hero Soul." She explained. "When a Hero monster I control was destroyed this turn, and my Life would be reduced to 0, instead my life is... Well, you see."
(SAIGA: 500) (D-SAIGA: 100)
"You've bought yourself one turn." Saiga growled. "But I won't let you win. Turn end."
She drew with a grin. "I don't expect you to let me do anything. But I'll kill you anyway. Because now, I set one card, then I activate the spell, Time Fusion Murder."
"What... There's no such card!"
"Oh, don't tell me you're just now getting that." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, these were cards made just for this duel... Made out of your own darkness. Fitting that this will be the end of you, isn't it? Time Fusion Murder costs me my entire hand and five cards off the top of my deck, but it summons a Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck, ignoring the summoning conditions."
"She turned the one card in her hand around: Evil Hero Malicious Edge. Then the five cards from her deck: Three Evil Hero Hell Brats, a third Malicious Edge, and another Hell Gainer.
"Six more Evil Heroes... Then that means..."
"Exactly! And one more thing..."
Shining Flare Wingman suddenly grabbed his chest with a pained grunt.
"If the monster that destroyed the monster I am summoning is still on the field, that monster is destroyed!"
With a final scream of agony, Shining Flare Wingman shattered, as Darkness Inferno Wing erupted out of him, before turning and reaching towards Saiga, licking her lips with a wicked smirk.
Saiga's heart and mind raced. She needed to think of something- What could she possibly do? She only had one chance. If it was a card that the other her had made up, then...
"But!" She shouted. "The turn that card is activated, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase!"
"What?!" The other her looked down at the card... and indeed, it had that line of text on it. "That's cheating!"
"It's printed on the card. Are we going to argue rules now?" Saiga smirked.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!" She screamed. "Even if you've bought yourself a turn, you have nothing! No cards in hand, no field, there's nothing you can do!"
"You're wrong. There's one thing left, one thing I can still do here."
"And what's that?!"
"win." She closed her eyes and focused. What's here is what I expect. If I control my expectations, this place is mine to control. This deck of mine... And more than that...
A hand on her shoulder caused her to open her eyes once more. She looked up into the cold stare of Shadow Mist. Beside her, Burst Lady and Featherman watched with serious expressions. The Heat was focusing on the enemy, while Lady of Fire was nudging Shadow Mist away to drape on Saiga herself. Bubbleman tipped his top hat (where did he get a top hat?) to her. Sparkman and Voltic stood side-by-side. In the very back, Necro Darkman watched with worry, while Edgeman extended his blades.
"I told you, even if you posture like that, they're not real!" The other Saiga shouted. "They're just your own imagination-" She was then cut off by a sheet of fire and wind.
"We are the real things." Burst Lady held a ball of fire in her hand.
"If Saiga calls for us, no matter where she is, we will go to her side." Featherman crossed his claws on front of him.
"And if she needs our help when we get there, well..." Bubbleman leveled his Bubble Shot bazooka, pointed straight at the other Saiga.
"Then no matter the enemy, we'll kick their ass back to another dimension!" Lady of Fire tried to mimic Burst Lady, ending up with a full-blown column of fire instead.
"That is our bond." Sparkman loaded a clip into the Spark Gun.
"It's our bond of trust, between heroes and the one we've sworn to protect." The Heat began to rise into the air.
"To the one who brought the weak us, who were trapped in the darkness of a card, into the light." Shadow Mist drew an elegant katana.
"And one with the courage to fight for us, or with us, as we do for her." Perhaps most frightening of all, Blume simply smiled, doing nothing special.
"So you see, even here, even if I'm weak and couldn't defeat you alone... I don't have to." Saiga smiled. "Guys, let's win."
"Let's go, everyone!" Featherman called the order. Each hero turned into a streak of light, streaming into her deck under her fingers. Saiga drew, the card shining brilliantly...
"At this moment, Time Fusion summons Elemental Hero Rock Mantle, allowing me to activate the magic card, the Treasure of Fusing Bonds!" Saiga held the card up high, casting a glow over the entire field. "By removing all Fusion monsters on my field and in my graveyard from play, I draw one card for each!" Rock Mantle lead the path back to her deck, followed by Escuridao, Steam Healer, and Shining Flare Wingman. Saiga drew four more glowing cards.
"Now I activate the spell, Recreated Miracle!" Saiga slid the card into her Disk. "This turn, I may activate the effect of Spell Cards in the graveyard by removing them from play! But during the End Phase, I'll take 1000 damage for each card activated this way!"
"Have you decided to kill yourself?!" She asked incredulously. "Even one card means you'll lose during the End Phase!"
"Yeah... But since if I use one card, that's how it turns out, there's no reason not to just use all of them." Saiga pointed below her. "I activate Legacy of a Hero from the grave! I draw three!"
"Do you need more cards?!" She burst out.
"Yeah, I do. Because there's one last thing I've figured out."
"What's that?"
"This Dark Game... it isn't a Duel." Saiga smirked triumphantly. "It uses a duel, but the game itself is just a mental battle. That's why it's been so flexible about our cards. Our monsters are attacking each other's will. And that's why that Material Call card affected me so badly. Because it's a card to affect your opponent's mind- The perfect card for a battle like this. And that means if there's any doubt in me in the end, you won't really lose. The best that will happen is the game will happen again, later, when you've tried to influence me again."
"So you're-"
"Yeah." Saiga confirmed. "I'm going to crush you so utterly even I can't doubt it. I- No, we will destroy you so completely you'll never return. I'm cutting you out, right now! From the hand, I activate O - Over Soul, reviving Burst Lady! Then I activate Hero's Return, and chain Code Change, allowing me to revive a Pyro-type monster! Come, Lady of Fire!" The first card spat forth a large O, as Burst Lady flew out of the center, while a mirage showing a battlefield shimmered in the air, as Lady of Fire walked out of it. The monsters clasped each other's hands, then looked to Saiga.
"From the graveyard, activate Double Fusion!" Saiga pointed. The card rose out of the ground, shining. "I activate its effects! I fuse E-Hero Burst Lady and Lady of Fire to summon Elemental Hero Rising Prominance!" The two leaped into the vortex together, coming out as a single woman in yellow, whose red hair turned into a halo of fire.
"The second fusion!" Saiga pointed. "I fuse E-Hero Rising Prominance and myself!"
Saiga felt the pull of the vortex, and ran in willingly. She came out once more, this time in a different body: Her entire body was a deep orange-red, glowing like the surface of the sun. Her hair went down, fading into a trail of fire behind her. Her eyes glowed white. But her voice was her own still.
"Elemental Hero Soul of Sol!" She called, the warm glow from before now burning sunlight.
"Reverse card, open!" Her enemy called. "De-Fusion!"
"Priority!" She replied calmly. "As the turn player, I use my effect... I destroy one monster on the field and draw one card."
She floated forward, calmly, serenely, but powerfully. She simply placed one hand on Darkness Inferno Wing... who erupted into fire. The monster screamed, collapsing into a point of light like a star, which she carefully took into her hands and blew out.
Then her enemy's card took effect. Saiga felt herself being pulled apart as she landed back in her own body opposite her darkness. Her field was now empty- A E-Hero Fusion monster like Rising Prominance couldn't be Special Summoned back.
"Now, you're-" She began to gloat.
"Don't forget everything else I've still got." Saiga pointed. All three copies of Miracle Fusion rose from the ground in front of her.
"Featherman and Burst Lady summon Flame Wingman; Rising Prominance and Lady of Fire summon Soul of Sol; Voltic and The Heat summon The Shining!" One after another, the monsters rose up on her field, but she wasn't done- Polymerization rose out of the ground next.
"Flame Wingman from the field and Sparkman from the hand will summon E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" Sparkman glowed and became armor, equipping to the green Hero to form the new monster. O - Oversoul rose from the grave, allowing Sparkman to come back, while a Polymerization materialized next to it from the hand, sucking him and Captain Gold in.
"Sparkman and Captain Gold summon E-Hero High Noon!" A blond woman in a black Zorro mask, wearing a cowboy costume, appeared on the field, wielding twin revolvers. But she wasn't done, as the Polymerization that was just sent to the grave rose back up from it.
"High Noon and Prisma summon Elemental Hero Radiance!" The new hero from the vortex was an angel, plain and simple. All white, from her robes to her hair, emitting a soft golden glow.
"And just for kicks... From the grave, Hero's Return. Come back, Sparkman!"
The assembled five Heroes stared the enemy Saiga down. By this point, she was sweating bullets, as she stared them down.
"This... Even this won't be enough to clear me from your mind! As long as you doubt it, I'll survive-"
"With these guys by my side, there's no doubt in my mind at all that you're finished." Saiga thrust a hand forward. "Everyone, all together now! Ultimate five-hero attack- Ultimate Light Array!"
In the real world, Saiga finally opened her eyes and looked around. Her spirits- Her friends, her longest and truest companions- Nodded to her with a smile. A smile played around Saiga's own lips as she closed her eyes once more, leaned back against the wall, and fell into the most peaceful sleep she'd had in years.