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Boring.
“You’re all boring!” Zarc cried. Duelists littered the ground, bodies too weak and exhausted to follow their struggles to stand. Was this really the best the four dimensions had to offer him? Lancers near dead, the ‘King’ near dead, even the so-called ‘villains’ were near dead!
“In the end, you’re all weak.” The words were almost remorseful. Sure, these duelists had given him more of a challenge than anyone from the Original World had in what felt like eons. But now that they were defeated, the adrenaline rush and sheer exhilaration were quickly dying down.
What was the fun in destroying the world when everyone who dared to challenge him was so weak? It would just be a mere chore.
But there was one more person he had to defeat. Yellow-lit eyes widened in realization. Surely she would give him a challenge. She had defeated him so easily before, but now that he had Pendulum Summoning at his disposal, they were now on even ground.
Yes, Ray would indeed be a fun challenge to overcome.
The problem was, however, that she wasn’t here. She was nearby, Zarc could feel it in his very core. He would remember the presence of the one who tore his power away for the rest of eternity. Even now, just thinking of her sent waves of hatred rushing through his veins. Waves of hatred interwoven with threads of fascination and want.
A selfless martyr sounded boring. But if his counterparts’ memories and Akaba Leo’s words were to be trusted, she was anything but selfless. And looking back at his own memories, the beautiful fire in her eyes would be such a delight to see once again. What fun it would be to snuff it out and watch that fierce determination go cold.
Zarc’s monsters whispered in the back of his mind, reacting to his desire. Her spirit had been revived when her counterparts were fused, but her body hadn’t. The machine didn’t have enough fuel. Enough lives. It was almost there, just at the edge, but it needed one more push.
He just needed one more life.
His gaze flickered about, looking upon his defeated opponents almost absentmindedly. He couldn’t choose one who was too badly injured. He needed someone who still had enough energy for their new purpose. Zarc walked amongst them, eyes coldly bouncing around as he recited a counting rhyme in an almost bored manner.
“I…” The Fusion children stared up at him as he passed by, eyes exhausted and dull.
“Wonder…” The XYZ children glared with a burning hatred.
“Which…” The Synchro men were near death and definitely wouldn’t suit his needs.
“One…” The Pendulum users perhaps? They certainly seemed full of energy.
“To…” Zarc paused, staring into light-colored eyes. This one had the same fire as Ray and the tense line of his jaw was quite reminiscent of her as well. Logical, considering the fact that they were of the same flesh.
“Choose,” he finished. This one. Lips widened into a delighted grin, teeth bared in an animalistic glee. This one would do just fine.
After all, who better to sacrifice for Ray’s revival than the very one she had been trying to protect?
Not that it mattered. He’d make as many sacrifices as it took to get what he wanted. Claws sank into cloth, fingers holding on tight while Zarc bodily dragged Akaba Leo away. Protests sprang up, loudly demanding as to what he was doing.
“Dad!”
“Stay back, Reiji!”
It was amusing, how fake it all seemed. Separated from his son for three years, by his own choice no less, and they were still pretending that they cared for one another. Zarc’s strides ate up the distance, though their stroll hardly passed in silence, punctuated as it was by the sounds of Leo’s struggles against his grip. But the man was beaten and weak and with the additional help of his claws, the Supreme King easily held on.
“Where are you taking me?” Leo demanded. Zarc hummed dismissively in answer. There was hardly any need to answer a soon-to-be dead man. Although, he did glance back at the man when the machine came into view. Seeing those eyes widen in confusion and with a glimmer of hope, he had to snicker. What did he think, that his disembodied daughter would jump out of the thing and save him?
It would be a shame to let such unwarranted hope go on.
The two reached the edge of its mouth, Zarc easily bounding up those tall walls. His grip shifted and Leo found himself being dangled over the opening by the throat. Hands scrabbled at rough skin in an attempt to both escape and hold on for dear life. The demon smiled at his fear-laden eyes.
“You must really love her,” he said, “to abandon your family and bring about such destruction. It’s impressive.” Zarc’s smile widened into a sneering grin.
“So why don’t you be a good father and die?”
Leo’s lifeline snapped as Zarc’s clawed grasp finally let go, yellow staring into horrified blue until the cause of it all disappeared into the yellow-green light. The device exploded into action. Light shot into the air in a concentrated beam, gears whirring faster and faster. The walls warped and the very air cracked until the room around him swirled in a hypnotic motion, just like how Zarc knew the world outside did the same.
The world snapped back into place, finally back to how it was, and Ray fell into ready arms. ARC-V, its purpose at long last fulfilled, fell silent.
Zarc shifted the unconscious girl until he had a firm grip, her body cradled comfortably against his chest. A pleased murmur of satisfaction escaping his lips, he rested his cheek atop her head and nuzzled almost lovingly against that soft hair.
“It’s time to wake up, Ray. The fun has just begun.”