"Yumi!"
Momoyo lunged forward, arm outstretched, fingers clawing desperately for his hand. But no matter how far she reached, she was still just a few inches short.
That instant lasted less than a second, yet to Momoyo, it felt endless, a cruel eternity compressed into a single heartbeat.
Suddenly, light burst from Yumi's body.
Raye appeared first, blade in hand. She swung with all her strength, and the steel edge slammed into the back of Spirit Camula's head with a brutal crack.
Before the vampire could even turn, Roze appeared beside her, delivering a spinning strike straight across her face.
And they weren't alone.
From the shadows, Masked HERO Dark Law emerged, his claw hand slicing across the spirit's back in one vicious motion.
Then came Elemental HERO The Earth, his colossal fist crashing into her gut, folding her in half.
A small Kuriboh materialized next, squeaking furiously as it latched onto her leg, biting down with surprising ferocity.
Exosister Gibrine appeared right after, cold, precise. She pressed the barrel of her gun into Camula's open mouth and pulled the trigger.
The gunfire echoed, shaking the air.
Then, Effect Veiler descended, her presence calm, yet colder than ice. Her water wings spread, sealing away the spirit Camula's spectral powers completely.
The motorcycle the siblings had used to get here shimmered, its form twisting back into Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. The dragon raised its head high, eyes glowing with blazing fury, and unleashed a point-blank Photon Stream of Destruction.
The blast hit dead-on.
Camula screamed, her voice twisted and hollow, as the beam ripped through her spirit, shredding her soul. Her grip broke instantly, and Raye brought Yumi back to the other side.
Suddenly, Momoyo reached out, pulling him toward her and clutching him tightly against her chest, so tight it almost hurt. Her heart pounded against him, her breath trembling as she buried his face into her chest.
Camula dropped to her knees, coughing blood, trembling. Every wound her spirit had suffered, she now felt in full. As a vampire, she wouldn't die easily, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel pain.
She lifted her head weakly, her face pale and horrified. Through the faint haze of that quick battle, she saw Yumi, safe in his sister's arms.
"I…"
Camula's voice trembled between rage, confusion, fear, and disbelief.
Her plan, to use Momoyo's brother as a hostage, to force her to surrender, this plan would have worked if her brother wasn't the hidden boss Darkness that the ancient spirits keep rambling about.
Now, the weight of her own choice pressed down on her. There was no way out.
"I use my own soul to Special Summon, The Iris Swordsoul!" she roared, her voice echoing with desperation. Shadows twisted around her as the vampire poured what remained of her soul into the card. The Iris Swordsoul began materializing before her.
But then Momoyo spoke.
Her tone was different, colder, sharper. Gone was the playful confidence she had before. She still held Yumi tightly in her arms, bangs shading her eyes, her fingers trembling slightly from the adrenaline that hadn't yet faded.
"Since a card was removed from play face-up…" she said slowly, her voice chilling the air around her, "I can banish The Golden Swordsoul from my graveyard, and Special Summon one LIGHT monster whose ATK equals its DEF from my hand or grave."
Her graveyard glowed brilliantly, and as her bangs lifted, her crimson eyes burned, not with amusement, but with pure fury.
"Iris," she whispered, voice trembling with restrained rage, "return."
A surge of energy burst from the graveyard as the silhouette of The Iris Swordsoul on Camula's side completely disappeared, reappearing beside Momoyo. The sight made Camula's stomach twist in dread.
[The Iris Swordsoul, 2500 ATK]
Camula staggered back a step, her hands trembling. Her gamble had failed miserably. She had gained nothing but sealed her own doom.
"Chengying's effect," Momoyo continued coldly, her gaze like a blade. "Once per turn, when a card is removed from play, I can banish one card you control, and one from your grave."
A crimson aura flared around her field as Vampire's Cursed and the Vampire Genesis card disintegrated into golden dust.
[Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying, 3800 -> 4100 ATK]
Camula fell to her knees. Her field and hand were empty.
"N-No... this can't... be." Even her voice trembled as she looked up at Momoyo, who stood unmoving.
Momoyo drew her next card, eyes never leaving her opponent. "Draw."
The sound of the card sliding free was the only noise in the suffocating silence.
"Battle," she declared, "Finish this, Chengying!"
Her monster responded in kind, raised his enormous crimson blade, energy condensing into a single, devastating arc.
"GOD FORCE!"
The attack cleaved through the air, descending upon Camula like divine punishment. The vampire let out one final cry before the blast engulfed her completely.
[Camula, LP 2000 -> 0]
The group erupted into cheers, the sound echoing through the decaying halls of the castle. But the celebration was short-lived.
Behind Camula, the Illusion Gate began to stir once more. Its surface rippled like black water, trembling with malevolent energy before a shadowy claw burst forth, its fingers twisting like smoke as they clamped tightly around Camula's throat.
She gasped, the grip cutting off her voice as it began dragging her backward toward the gate.
"Iris! Chengying!" Momoyo shouted, immediately letting go of Yumi.
The towering Chengying reacted without hesitation, his massive hand reaching down to lift Momoyo to the other platforms. Iris followed in perfect sync, summoning a radiant magic circle between Camula and the Illusion Gate.
The sigils spun, blocking Camula from being fully pulled into the Illusion Gate.
Momoyo stood tall on the platform, her shadow stretching long and thin behind her, cast by the flickering glow of the collapsing castle lights.
Without a single word, she reached up, untied her red tie, and wrapped it tightly around her right hand.
The others fell silent, watching, not daring to interrupt.
Yumi tilted his head slightly, murmuring, "Interesting…"
He could see it clearly, the way she was naturally syncing with her Duel Spirits, commanding them like extensions of her own will. It was just like him.
Zane simply crossed his arms and sighed, muttering under his breath, "May she have mercy on you…."
Then it came, a single, sickening crack. The wet, meaty crunch of flesh and bone breaking under the force.
Everyone froze. Those unfamiliar with Momoyo's… less civilized side could only stare in absolute horror. With one punch, she had shattered Camula's jaw, her fist piercing through skin and bone like paper.
The vampire's eyes bulged. She tried to scream, but only a strangled gurgle came out. Her jaw hung loosely, broken and twisted.
Another blow followed, then another. Momoyo didn't stop or think; she simply didn't care. Every punch landed with a thunderous crack, each one fueled by pure, raw fury.
Her fists came down again and again, splattering blood across the cold stone floor.
Then, like a perfectly timed movie moment, music began playing.
"Standing here, I realize…"
Everyone froze again, turning in confusion toward the source. Raye is standing beside Yumi, holding a boombox above her head.
"You are just like me, trying to make history~"
The dramatic lyrics echoed through the castle. Yumi stood casually beside her, completely unfazed, while the others looked between him and Momoyo with pure disbelief.
To most of them, who couldn't see Duel Spirits without the spirits appearing in physical form, it just looked like Yumi was playing music while his sister was brutally beating up a vampire. Even when his Duel Spirits appeared to beat the shit out of the Spirit Camula, only Momoyo, Jaden, and Chazz were able to see them in action, while the other all saw Yumi suddenly get lifted up.
Zane murmurs. "I can see this happening..."
Celina facepalmed. "Why am I not surprised?"
Jaden smiles. "Wow, sick song!"
Alexis blinked. "Should we stop them?"
Chazz looked at her and asked. "How?"
Bastion added. "I think it's best we don't redirect her anger toward us."
Meanwhile, Momoyo kept punching the vampire without rest.
"That violence breeds violence~"
The sheer absurdity of it left the group speechless.
Finally, the magic circle Iris had maintained began to crack.
The barrier shattered, and the pull of the Illusion Gate dragged what was left of Camula's battered, broken body into the black vortex.
The gate snapped shut with a final boom, the echo fading into silence. And just like that, Camula was gone.
Only Momoyo's ragged breathing and the fading BGM remained.
Roze appeared next to Raye, her expression blank as she reached over and clicked off the boombox.
"You good?" Yumi asked quietly, stepping forward.
Momoyo exhaled sharply, wiping the blood off her knuckles and cheek with his red jacket.
"Yeah…" she muttered, her voice calmer now, though still heavy with adrenaline. "Feeling a bit better now."
Behind them, the doll in Chazz's pocket began to glow before morphing back into Professor Crowler, whose arms were around Chazz's waist, still terrified.
Then the castle began to shake. The floor rumbled beneath them, the walls cracking apart as debris started falling.
"The castle's collapsing! We have to move!" Alexis shouted.
The group scattered, sprinting toward the exit.
But Jaden stopped halfway, yelling after noticed that his AIBO wasn't with them. "AIBO!"
Yumi just smirked, already stepping onto Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's claw with Momoyo beside him. "Just go, we'll see you back in the cafeteria. I think today's fried shrimp day."
"...What?!" Jaden blinked, dumbfounded, as the Photon Dragon spread its wings, roaring before taking off into the night sky with the siblings in tow.
"So. Freaking. Cool!" Jaden shouted, his voice trailing off as he finally remembered to run for his life.
...
At the academy infirmary, Momoyo and Zane stood by the door before stepping inside. The scent of antiseptic hung in the air, mixing with the faint beeping of a heart monitor.
"Zane... Momoyo..." Atticus greeted weakly, lifting his head with a tired but genuine smile. His skin was pale, his voice still hoarse, but there was warmth behind his eyes. "It's… so good to see you two again."
Momoyo crossed her arms, pouting dramatically. "Tch! How could you skip class for two years without inviting me?"
She huffed before setting down a fruit basket on the table beside his bed.
Atticus let out a weak laugh. "Sorry, things just… happened so fast."
Zane pulled out a chair, sitting down next to him with a faint smirk. "As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
The atmosphere softened. For a while, the three old friends shared light conversation, catching up on the years they'd missed, laughing about the old days, teasing each other, and pretending, even for a brief moment, that the world outside wasn't spiraling into chaos.
Then, the tone shifted.
Zane's expression hardened, his voice low. "Atticus… can you tell us what really happened that night? The night of the incident."
The room grew still.
Atticus lowered his gaze, his fingers tightening around the bedsheet. "Sorry…" he murmured. "I can't remember much… not clearly, anyway."
He paused, his voice trembling slightly. "But I do remember one thing, you both should be careful from now on. The one who possessed me…"
His hand began to shake. "That thing… it wasn't human."
Momoyo's playful look vanished, her tone serious now. "Can you tell us more?"
Atticus nodded slowly. "My memory's… foggy. But in the darkness, I saw him. A shadow surrounded by miasma, and yet, his features burned into my mind."
He swallowed hard. "Menacing golden eyes… and bright pink hair. He was a sick, twisted individual. He enjoyed tormenting his victims… like he lived for it."
Zane: "..."
He blinked, processing the description.
Momoyo: "..."
She stared blankly.
Zane coughed lightly into his fist. "Atticus, buddy… are you sure your memory isn't a bit mixed up?"
Atticus frowned, confused. "No, I'm serious! That look, those eyes, he was pure evil!"
Momoyo pulled out her phone, scrolling for a second before turning the screen toward him. "Do you mean this little guy?"
On the screen was a photo of her and Yumi, grinning, peace sign up, bright magenta hair unmistakably visible.
Atticus's eyes widened. "A-A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
He let out a scream that echoed through the entire infirmary, flailing back into the bed.
Zane sighed, facepalming while Momoyo laughed.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Chancellor's Office, the atmosphere was tense yet oddly calm. The faint hum of the air conditioner and the rustle of papers were the only sounds filling the room.
Yumi sat across from Chancellor Sheppard, one leg casually crossed over the other, flipping through a stack of documents the older man had handed him. His golden eyes scanned the text with mild disinterest at first, until a few words caught his attention.
"Missing persons?" Yumi murmured, brow slightly furrowing as he turned to the next page. "What's this about?"
Sheppard exhaled quietly, the weight of the situation clear in his expression. "I need your help on this matter, Yumi Uzushi."
That got his attention. Yumi looked up from the papers, curiosity flickering behind his eyes.
"I already heard from Professor Midori," Sheppard continued, tone serious, "that when it comes to anything concerning Duel Spirits, your knowledge even far surpasses hers, and perhaps even that of others who have spent their lives studying the subject."
Yumi leaned back in his chair. "She is exaggerating things. I'm just a simple regular student."
Ignoring his casual dismissal, Sheppard reached for his own copy of the report and flipped it open to a certain page. He turned the document around so Yumi could see a photograph of a dorm room blanketed in thick spider webs, strands glistening eerily.
"There have been… incidents," Sheppard said grimly. "Several female students have gone missing in the past week. But this started around the same time as another incident was going on..."
Yumi tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as he studied the photo. "This doesn't look like a work from one of those Riders..." He said, and Sheppard wasn't even surprised by the fact that he basically knew everything about the matter with Shadow Riders.
Sheppard folded his arms. "How are you so sure that this wasn't related to them?"
"Simple, those Riders are after the keys, not regular students. If students are the target here, then it can only be the works of evil Duel Spirits, which directly attack humans, to drain their life force and strengthen themselves."
"I see..." Sheppard nodded. "Professor Midori already told me her theory about this being related to Duel Spirits."
Sheppard then looked back up at Yumi before asking in a serious tone. "Then, do you mind helping us out with this? I know I shouldn't be asking a student to help with this, but besides you, currently the strongest Duelist in the Academy. I don't have many options."
Of course, he could still call the other key holders to help with this, but since they are already tasked with protecting the keys from the Shadow Riders, it's best not to add more stress to their mission.
Yumi gave a small hum of acknowledgment, finding this side quest pretty interesting.
"Alright," he finally said, shutting the file with a soft thud. "I don't mind helping."
With this world going off-script. turning from GX to a mash-up universe of multiple Yu-Gi-Oh series. This surprised side quest is both new and exciting to him.
"I see…" Sheppard gave a resigned sigh before offering a faint smile. "In that case, I'm grateful for your help. I'll inform Professors Midori and Lyman about your involvement."