Echo slowly walked toward Adrian, willingly allowing herself to be sacrificed in order for Adrian to claim the power he desires.
Adrian: 'With Echo's help, I will soon control the power of Exodia.'
Aster: No! Echo, stop. You can't let him use your duel energy.
Haru: He's right, Echo. You have to listen!
Crowler: What you're going to do may have dangerous repercussions.
Blair: Don't do this.
Zane: I don't think she's stopping for anybody. Her mind is made up.
Jaden: And it's not changing.
Aster: How could you ask this of your friend, Adrian? Don't you know what will happen to her? Without her duel energy, she'll be sent to the stars. Rgh! Don't you get it? She'll be gone forever! And the only things that you're gonna have left are her memory and Exodia. Is it really worth all that? Is it?
Echo: 'I know that by doing this, Adrian, you will finally have the power you so rightly deserve.' She steps on the shining platform.
Aster: Uh! Suddenly, the arm of Exodia comes out of the sealed gate and grabs Echo, causing her to scream out.
Echo: Aaah!
Aster: Adrian, stop it.
Echo: Aah! Aah!
Adrian: The ritual of the ultimate forbidden lord has already been activated. There is no stopping it now. My destiny is to rule this world, and this duel will deliver me the power I need.
Aster: Then forget it, 'cause as far as I'm concerned, this duel's over, got it?
Adrian: I'm afraid not. You're not back at duel academy. You can't stop a duel. We must continue this battle until one of us becomes one with the stars. As part of my Ritual's effect, I can send all Forbidden One cards in my grave to my deck.
Aster: But my Force of Four Spell put a stop to Exodia.
Adrian: For the time being. Now I'll sacrifice two Forbidden One cards in my hand to summon Exodios, the Ultimate Forbidden Lord.
Aster: Exodios?
(ATK: ?)
Exodios: [Roars]
Adrian: Precisely. Think of him as Exodia's distant cousin.
Aster: Oh, man, now I gotta face a family of Forbidden Ones. Hmm...
Adrian: My Exodios cannot be destroyed, and he's also immune to Spells, Traps, and monster special abilities.
Aster: You're joking.
Adrian: Well, I hope you're ready for the punchline. His ATK's are equal to the number of cards in my grave that have "Forbidden One" in their name, and that number is then multiplied by 1000 With two Forbidden Arms in my grave, Exodios gets 2000 ATK's. (ATK: ?-2000)
Echo: Aah! Aah!
Aster: Her duel energy. Exodia's draining it.
Adrian: Hmm. Now, Exodios, time to power you up. See, whenever Exodios is about to attack, if I happen to have a card in my hand with the name "Forbidden One" in it, I can then remove that card and send it directly to my graveyard, And with that, my Exodios gains another 1000 ATK's. (ATK: 2000-3000)
Echo: Uh! Uh! Aah!
Aster: Echo!
Adrian: Now prepare to feel the wrath of Exodios, the Forbidden Lord. Go, Lightning Fire Flash.
Exodios attacks, sending a wave of electricity imbued fire at Disk Commander.
Aster: Uh!
Crowler: Oh, dear me.
Aster: Uh...uh...rgh.
(Aster: LP: 4000-1300)
Zane: Shake it off and finish what you started.
Jaden: Come on.
Aster: Well, you don't disappoint. Exodios sure is a powerful monster, but, you see, you can't have the monster you really want, can you, and it's all because I played one little Spell card, and as a result, you can't summon Exodia, thanks to Force of Four's effect. Remember what it does?
Adrian: Of course. In order for me to summon Exodia, I need all forbidden cards in my hand, and your Spell only allows me 4.
Aster: That's right. So sorry.
Haru: Wait. Then...why doesn't Adrian seem worried? Ah! Wait, Aster, I think his Exodios
Adrian: Has yet another special ability. When cards with "Forbidden One" in their name are in my graveyard, I can break Exodia's seal, and then it's game over.
Aster: Game over?
Adrian: And with the seal broken, Exodia will be free to absorb the last of Echo's duel energy. Face it. You can't save yourself, which means you can't save her. Once Exodia's seal is broken, Echo's duel energy will enable him to rule by my side. Pity you won't be around to see it 'cause only then would you know why this had to be done.
Aster: You got it wrong 'cause, ya see, I'll be right here. I'm stoppin' you and Exodia. First, I play a facedown and then activate Dunker's special ability. By sending a Destiny Hero in my hand to my graveyard, you automatically take 500 points of damage.
(Adrian: LP: 1800-1300)
Adrian: Ha ha ha! Aster, you can try all you want, but don't you see that in the end, your destiny is hopeless.
Aster: Well, my Diamond Dude will fix that right up 'cause I play his special ability. By removing a Destiny Hero in my grave from play, I can then summon a level 4 or-below Destiny Hero from the same place, and guess who's reporting for duty. Destiny Hero Dusk Commander. And if Disk Commander is summoned from the grave, lucky me 'cause I get to draw two cards. Then I'm gonna sacrifice my Dunker, Diamond Dude, and Disk Commander in order to summon Destiny Hero Dogma.
(ATK: 3400)
Zane: With that many ATK's, Aster's monster is stronger than Adrian's Exodios.
Aster: And because Dogma was successfully summoned, you lose half your LP's once the next standby phase takes place.
Adrian: Hmph.
Aster: But why wait till then? Let's slice some points off now. Go, Dogma Dagger Dash.
(Adrian: LP: 1300-900)
Adrian: Don't you know that Exodios can't be destroyed in battle?
Aster: He might be safe, but your LP's aren't.
Adrian: We'll see about that. It's my move.
Aster: Not so fast. You lose half your LP's, thanks to Dogma's special ability, remember?
(Adrian: LP: 900-450)
Aster: 'Keep smiling, Adrian, because with one more attack, you can forget about summoning your precious Exodia because this duel will be all over and Echo will be safe. Bring it on.'
Adrian: Exodios, it's time to show him your power.
Aster: 'He's attacking me? But my monster's stronger.'
Adrian: I take it you forgot about his special abilities. Each time he attacks, I can send a Forbidden One card to my graveyard.
Echo: Aah!
Aster: Echo, no!
Echo: Aah aah!
Adrian: And with that, 4 Exodia cards are now in my graveyard.
Aster: But you need 5.
Adrian: That's just to summon the forbidden one, Aster. They also make Exodios stronger. (ATK: 3000-4000)
Aster: 4000? This is bad.
Adrian: Now, Exodios, take out Destiny Hero Dogma.
Aster: Uh! No!
(Aster: LP: 1300-700)
Haru: Aster! The sealed gate began to open, revealing Exodia's eye.
Aster: Exodia. It's coming. 'If Adrian gets one more Forbidden card in his grave, Exodia's seal will be broken, and Echo's duel energy will be drained completely.' Let her go. No.
Adrian: Nothing can be done. Her duel energy is his now, and soon, Exodia will be freed from the binds that hold him within his prison, and he'll be mine to command, and then nothing will stop me from ruling this world.
Jaden: Oh!
Haru: Hmm...
Jaden: Adrian. He's falling to the darkness.
Blair & Sora: Aah!
Jaden: It's just like what I did. All he cares about is power, no matter who he hurts. Adrian, don't do this.
Crowler: Whatever does he mean, Zane?
Aster: I'll tell you what he means. He's saying that darkness corrupts you. It has the power to change who a person is.
Adrian: Nothing's changing me. This is who I've always been. You see, I'm just finally unleashing who I really am.
Aster: Is that right? Did Echo know who you were really were, or did she do all this for the person she thought you were? Are you listening, Adrian? Well, are ya?
Adrian: Don't feel sorry for her. She knew that, in order for me to rule, I had to let this side out.
Aster: Well, guess what? That side of you's going to the stars.
Exodia: [Roaring] Exodia roared as he was eagerly awaiting his release from his prison.
Aster: It's now or never, and I draw the Spell D-Mind, and thanks to this, since there aren't any Destiny Heroes out on my field, I'm allowed to summon a level 3-or-below Destiny Hero directly from my deck, and I choose Destiny Hero Departed.
(ATK: 1000)
Aster: And speaking of leaving, I'm removing the Destiny Hero Malicious in my grave from play so that I can summon another Destiny Hero Malicious from my deck.
(ATK: 800)
Aster: And next, I'm summoning my D-Cubic.
(ATK: 0)
Aster: Now I sacrifice all to summon Destiny Hero Plasma, Destiny's Ultimate Hero. Check it out.
(ATK: 1900)
Aster: And Plasma can then equip one of the monsters on your field, getting half of its ATK's as well as that monster's special ability.
Adrian: Hmm, impressive, but since we're on the topic of monster special abilities, you remember that Exodios isn't affected by them.
Aster: Rrgh!
Adrian: And once I attack you, all the pieces will be in place for Exodia to be released.
Aster: Oh, really? Not if I play my facedown Spell known as Drain Time.
Aster: This cancels out a game phase I chose for one turn, so say good-bye to our battle phase, And guess what, without a battle phase, your Exodios is stuck in neutral, so he can't attack, and you can't send the fifth Exodia card to your grave.
Adrian: That's interesting.
Aster: Darn right, it is. 'And as long as Exodia's still in check, I'm still in the game.' Without a battle phase, there's only one thing I can do. Throw down a facedown and end my turn.
Adrian: Oh, Aster, how stirring.
Aster: Rgh! I'll show you stirring. Go, Plasma Roar.
Adrian: Hmm.
Aster: And because my Destiny Hero Plasma's on the field, I can place a plasma counter on it. Don't forget, you still have to skip your battle phase.
Adrian: I place a facedown. Your turn.
Exodia: [Roaring]
Echo: Ohh!
Aster: 'Hold on, Echo.' Adrian? Guess what. During this standby phase, Destiny Departed's special ability activates, summoning him to your field in ATK. And now my plasma attacks your Destiny Hero. Go, Vengeful Reign.
Adrian: Good thing I have this, my facedown Trap, Defense Seal Wall.
Adrian: If this is played with Exodios on the field, not only is your monster's attack negated, but the current battle phase is ended.
Aster: That may be, but I'm activating this, Destiny Hero Plasma's special ability. It can absorb half Departed's ATK's, making Plasma 500 points stronger. Next I'll throw down a facedown and end my turn.' I just have to last one more round.'
Adrian: A valiant try but fruitless.
Aster: Do you really think so? 'Cause guess what I get. One more plasma counter.
Adrian: Hmm.
Aster: 'Oh, yeah. That's right, Adrian. With two counters, I can send Plasma Roar to the graveyard on my next turn. Then, I can destroy a monster, and you take half its ATK as damage. It won't work with Exodios, but I could destroy my own Plasma. All I gotta do is last one more round.' Rrgh!
Haru: You can do this. I know it.
Exodia: [Roars]
Echo: Huh? Echo looks back and sees Exodia trying to break free.
Exodia: [Roars]
Adrian: And now, my Exodios, attack.
Exodia: [Roaring]
Echo: Aah!
Adrian: End this duel now. Unleash your fury.
Aster: Hold on! I play the Trap card Plasma Discharger. By destroying one equip card on my field, the battle phase taking place is rendered useless, which is a fancy way to say you can't attack.' All Adrian has to do is end his turn, and I can win this. Come on.'
Echo: Aah! Aaaah! She eventually stops screaming and loses consciousness.
Aster: Echo? He then sees something fall. What is that? Her pendant. Oh! Huh?
Suddenly, Aster found himself in some strange space where he saw Echo, or at least what was left of Echo.
Echo: I'm sorry you're caught in the middle of this. All that I wanted was to prove to Adrian that I'd do anything for him. Aster, despite what's happened here, it's all for the best.
Aster: But, Echo, look what he did. How can you say that? Huh? Echo! Echo!
Aster was now back dueling Adrian. He looked up and saw Echo slowly disappearing.
Blair: What's happening?
Zane: She's nearly out of duel energy.
Adrian: As will Aster once I activate the Spell card Rage of the Forbidden One.
Adrian: This spell cancels any effects you activated this turn, and because of that, my Exodios can now attack. Finally, all the pieces will be in place, and Exodia's seal will be broken. By sending this fifth card to my graveyard, this game is over, and my rule shall begin. Ha! Exodia, meet your master.
Jaden: He can't.
Haru: Aster...
Exodia: Aagh! Exodia breaks down the chained gate and was now free. A bright light enveloped everything.
Everyone: Aah!
Exodia: [Roaring] Exodia revealed himself before them. Echo disappeared from his hand, having all of her duel energy taken away.
Adrian: And with the last of Echo's duel energy absorbed. Exodia is mine to command, and my bind to Yubel is broken. And now I am king.
Haru: Exodia. It's even more intimidating in person.
Sora: It is an incredible spirit. But still, the price was too high to summon it.
Adrian: Exodia, destroy Aster and his friends.
Aster: Aah! You can't. 'I have to buy them some time, just enough for them to escape.' Aster tan to them.
Adrian: Hmm. Huh? Aster shields everyone.
Jaden: Aster!
Adrian: What are you doing?
Aster: Saving my friends. Now go.
Crowler: Good idea.
Jaden: And you. You can't stay here.
Zane: He has no choice.
Haru: Aster!
Aster: It's all good here, Haru, I promise, ok? Now get outta here while you still can.
Haru: Are you nuts? We can't leave you here!
Aster: Get outta here. Ya hear me? Now go! There's nothing that you can do. It's too late for me, pal. It's the only way. Now go. There's not much time.
Sora: Haru, he's right. We need to go now! Sora pulls Haru away as they all run for it.
Adrian: This ends now. Attack. Exodia gathers power in his hands and unleashes it.
Aster: Hey, Plasma, what say we go out with a bang?
Plasma fights back with its own attack, but Exodia's overwhelming power was simply too much, obliterating Plasma along with Aster.
Aster: Waah!
(Aster: LP: 0)
Aster: Aaaaaaah!
Jaden: Aster!
With the duel over and Aster defeated and sent to the stars, everyone was now outside, where they were awoken by the sound of thunderous footsteps.
Jaden: Uh!
Haru: Oh! Look! Haru and Jaden look to see Adrian standing on top Exodia's shoulder.
Adrian: Hmph.
Jaden: You. Adrian, how could you do that to Aster?
Adrian: Hmm, is it any worse than what you did to your friends? I don't think so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be going. I have a score that needs settling. With that, Adrian left.
Crowler: Oh...huh?
Blair: [Whimpers]
Jaden: You'll pay.
Adrian: 'Echo, your actions won't be in vain. I'm going to make it all worthwhile right now.' Adrian swore as he headed for Yubel and was planning her destruction.
To Be Continued