"...mommy..."

When I look back, all I see is regret.

"...why?"

When I remember his face from that day, all I feel is a crushing in my chest.

"...why are you going?"

When I remember the last moments of that day, all I think about is what I abandoned.

"...please don't go!"

When I raise my head and look over my shoulder, that face is etched into my memory.

"...please don't leave me!"

Minoru crying.

"...you promised we'd be together forever...!"

It was my choice to let go of that hand.

"...mommy! Mommy!"

It was my choice to turn around.

"Mommy... don't go!"

It was my choice not to say another word.

"...I won't forgive you!"

So, I disappeared.

"I hate you! I hate you, mom!"

Abandoning my most precious thing in the process.

"I hate you..."

Destroying him in the process.

"...so please, stay..."

Leaving nothing but resentment in Minoru's heart.

"Stay with me, mommy..."

And one single card to remember me by.

Ten years had passed since then.

A decade's worth of distance was placed between me and him.

Despite that, I spent every single day thinking about my baby boy in the back of my head.

I watched his name carefully as it climbed through the ranks.

Secretly, I was hoping for his success.

I wanted Minoru to do well, so that one day, I would have a reason to recruit him.

And finally, that day did come.

I felt proud knowing my little boy had become the strongest Free Agent in our sector.

But at the same time... I felt guilty for feeling this way.

Even though I was his mother, I played no part in helping him grow up to be the man that he is today.

What right do I have to feel proud over such a personal achievement, especially when I hadn't contributed anything towards it?

I wasn't involved in his life at all.

It was a selfish joy.

It reminded me of the decision I made to leave my family behind.

Even then, Tsubasa called it a "selfish choice".

I think... that was the first time his words ever hurt me.

It hurt, not because it was coming from him, but because I knew deep down it was the truth.

If it was between just me and him, I think he would've understood if I wanted to focus on my career.

But because we had a child... because I had Minoru... it was the same as abandoning my responsibility as a parent to look after him.

And for Minoru, who loved me very much... I knew it would be devastating for him.

I was acutely aware of our fractured past.

But that's exactly the reason why I wanted to change the outcome of the future.

I knew he would hate me for it.

I knew he would refuse to come over to my side.

I knew he would despise me if I forced him to join my Wing.

But I didn't have any other choice... it was the only way I knew how to solve things.

I was ready for him to say nasty, horrible, and awful things about me, to make me face the truth of his situation...

"D-don't call me by my first name! I don't want people to know you're my mom..."

But instead, I heard this.

Hearing him call me his "mom" after so long... despite everything we went through...

It made me feel incredibly happy.

It was almost as if... the distance between us shortened by an incredible amount.

It gave me hope that our relationship wasn't completely broken yet...

It felt like even something around me had melted.

"Eh, um... Mika, she's..."

I first noticed it when he called another girl by their first name. Why did I feel so incredibly jealous...?

"On the day my mother left me, she passed this card onto me to remember her. To me, Galaxy Queen represents her! And for that reason, I'll protect her with my life!"

When he said that line while summoning the card I left him with as a child... why did it embrace my heart so much...?

"But... I forgive you, mom. I know the truth now... I know that you don't really hate me... so please, don't feel so guilty for it."

When he snuggled up me like that, why did it feel like all the weight on my shoulders had been lifted off...?

"I don't hate you at all, mom! I only love you!"

When he recklessly confessed those overflowing words... it was at that moment I understood Minoru's true feelings towards me.

"Can we... just stay like this...? For a little bit..."

I thought I'd broken him in the past, when really...

...he was just patiently waiting for me, silently hoping one day I would come back.

So that one day, we could fulfil that promise of being together forever.

But now, that can't ever happen again...

...because Minoru is...

...Minoru is...!

I wanted to desperately scream from the bottom of my lungs, but my throat had clammed up from shock.

All that could escape my lips was a delayed gasp at the unruly sight before me.

...Minoru is dead...

The duel disk hanging over his head fell, smashing him in the back of the head.

Minoru's eyes went cloudy as he slumped forward, blood spewing everywhere.

It trailed to my feet, dyeing my boots in deep crimson red.

I knelt down and grabbed a fistful of it.

"M-Minoru..."

The moment I have him back in my grasp...

I'm losing him again...

A foot stamped in front of me, splashing Minoru's blood onto my face.

I looked up, seeing Mario Enmitsu smile.

"How does it feel—

"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!"

I got up and grabbed Mario by the collar, staining his shirt red.

"I won't forgive you... for what you've done to Tsubasa... and what you've done to Minoru too...!"

"So you have no intent of surrendering this time, hmm?"

Mario chuckled, ripping my hand off from him.

"How unsightly. The usually dignified and beautiful Saionji Yuuri-sama has been reduced to a bloody and screaming mess because of her precious son's death. Hey, didn't you abandon them for this very reason?"

"To protect them from psychopaths like you! I won't let you lay a hand on any of my family ever again!"

"What family? They're all dead now, aren't they? Tsubasa killed himself, blaming himself for the reason why you left, and Minoru died because you came too late to save him. Face it, Saionji-sama."

Mario leaned in, laughing like a wicked hyena.

"You have nothing left. I've killed your two most precious things. Compared to the weight of those two boy's lives, your Wing is nothing in comparison. If you wish to retain anything you consider dear to you... I'd suggest that it's better to give up and quit Duel Monsters while you're ahead. Otherwise..."

"Saionji-sama!"

A scream came from behind me. I turned around and saw Amanda get slammed into the ground by a man with silver hair and diamond blue eyes.

"...I'll take down your most trusted subordinates down one by one, until you truly do have nothing left to live for. I'll leave a pit of despair so deep in your stomach, the only way you'll be able to free yourself from that mental prison of hopelessness is to tear yourself from the inside out!"

The screens hanging on the ceiling suddenly lit up, showing Dengorou, Grunkle Stan, and Yuuto getting defeated in duels and pinned down by their opponents.

"Saionji-sama... what I wish for is the complete dismantling of the Wings system itself! The only way I can do that is by destroying you, the Queen of Wings and the person who embodies all these unfair and underlying issues the most. For the sake of Alba's future, you must pay with your life for the sins you and Sangria have created!"

Mario slid on his duel disk, snapping in his deck.

"With my very own two hands, I'll make sure that this time... I will exorcise you from this world. You damned cancer."

Even though I thought rage would swirl through my heart after how much Mario had taunted and provoked me, nothing of the sort shook my psyche in this moment.

If anything, I had grown tired of him and his half-hearted attempts at ending me. He had failed three times in the past, so what made him think that a fourth chance would finally work?

This entire time, Mario had never changed. He was still espousing the same rotten ideology as he did the last time we met. He was unwilling to accept his wrong, stubbornly still sticking to his beliefs even after the Mayor exiled him from the city.

I couldn't bring myself to take such a stagnant man seriously.

No... it was closer to say I had stopped caring about him completely.

At first, I was deathly afraid of running into Mario again...

...because he was the reason why I even left Tsubasa and Minoru in the first place.

During his third attempt at getting his revenge on me, he didn't stop at a simple duel between Bosses or a challenge between Wings.

He took things one step further and broke the conduct of basic duel etiquette, which was to never lay a hand on your opponent.

For the sake of his so called "revolution"... he hunted down Tsubasa, forced him into a duel, beat him, drugged him, and dragged him to an abandoned warehouse before torturing him for weeks to get information about me.

...that whole month was the worst period of my life.

Losing my husband and not knowing where he is... feeling helpless to do anything as the days went by without finding any clues... knowing that someone so depraved would resort to anything just to find me...

It was the worst, most gut wrenching feeling in the world.

That's when I realised that, just by being the Boss of one of the most powerful Wings in the sector, I was putting my most precious thing in danger... my family.

Thankfully, we did save Tsubasa, but... deep down, I kept blaming myself for the reason why he got kidnapped.

And as much as he tried to reassure me it wasn't my fault... I kept thinking that it was.

Those thoughts consumed my head and ate away at my rationality, slowly destroying it day by day, piece by piece.

I knew Mario had been exiled and would never return, but I could still feel the aftereffects of his actions penetrate me deeply.

The paralysing fear of being unable to do anything while the people closest to me got hurt was burnt into my brain, traumatising me forever.

It drove me to the point where I thought the only way to keep them safe was to cut all ties with them.

And eventually, I did.

I abandoned my family.

And it was the biggest mistake of my life...

I was a fool.

I let this horrible man's actions destroy a treasured part of my life once.

And now that I have it back together, he's returned from the depths to try and destroy it again.

There's no way I would ever yield to such vitriol...

There's no way I would let him have his way this time.

Revenge, rebellion, equality...

Mario could say all the buzzwords he'd like to justify his decisions, his actions, his thoughts, his beliefs, and his hatred...

But at the end of the day, he's a criminal.

A despicable criminal who murdered an innocent child.

My innocent child.

"Minoru... my beautiful baby boy..."

I knelt down and hugged Minoru's limp body tightly. I placed my head on top of his and squeezed his small hand, stroking the back of his head gently. I pulled him closer, so the two of us became one.

I wanted to feel the last remnants of his warmth. I wanted him to know I was here for his final moments. I wanted him to pass away peacefully, here in my arms.

As long as I held onto him like this, I would never let go.

There's no meaning in fighting Mario when my own flesh and blood was dying before my eyes. Any reason for me to duel him was lost the moment I saw Minoru.

The most important person in the world to me was about to disappear, again...

If there's a God... please spare mercy on my son.

I don't want Minoru to die...

Not when I haven't even fulfilled my promise to him...

"Saionji-sama, I'm up here you know."

Mario loomed over me, waving his duel disk in my face. I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my head into Minoru's.

"Tch... clinging onto him like that won't save his life, you know? But you know what will? Winning in a duel against me."

Lies. I know those are lies. Mario is lying to me.

"I'm not kidding. Even if Minoru-kun ends up in the shadow realm, I can bring him back."

Lies... lies... I know those are lies...

"Because I am the owner of XX."

I looked up at Mario with widened eyes.

"Heheh... that caught your attention, didn't it?"

"...proof."

"What?"

"...show me proof! That you're the one bonded with XX."

"This enough?"

Mario grinned as he showed me the markings carved into his hands. They were glowing a soft luminescent indigo.

"Minoru... mommy will save you."

I kissed his forehead and placed him down flat. Then, I put on my duel disk and faced Mario.

"Hiryuu-san, are you getting this all on tape?"

"...yes, Mario-sama."

Tying up and binding Amanda, the white haired and blue eyed man got up to record our fight.

"Good, good. Then let's show the world the downfall of the great Saionji Yuuri-sama!"

Mario cackled maniacally, throwing his head back and laughing into the sky like he had already won.

<[Sunglow] Mario Enmitsu (8000) vs [Sangria] Saionji Yuuri (8000)>

"How would you like to decide who goes first, Saionji-sama?"

"Rock paper scissors."

"Sure thing. On shoot?"

"On shoot."

I balled my hand into a fist and started rocking it up and down.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

I shot out scissors.

Mario shot out rock.

"I'll go first."

While I would've preferred going first, I had two hand traps ready to deal with his Phantom Knights deck. One for Tour Guide and one for Rusty Bardiche.

"Let's see... I'll start things off by activating my spell card, Emergency Teleport! This lets me special summon one level 3 or lower Psychic monster from my deck. Awaken, Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin!"

Using the P.U.N.K. engine was unsurprising since they could easily get two level 3s on board through one card, making it perfect to Link into Cherubini and kickstart his plays that way.

"Ze Amin's effect, I pay 600 LP (8000 > 7400) to add a P.U.N.K. from deck to hand, Noh-P.U.N.K. Foxy Tune! Foxy Tune's effect, I send her and one card from my hand to the GY to special summon a non-level 8 P.U.N.K. monster from my deck! Awaken, Joruri-P.U.N.K. Madame Spider! Then, I'll normal awaken Sangan!"

I guess Mario isn't using a Phantom Knights deck anymore. If he was, he would've linked off those level 3s straightaway into Cherubini to send Graff and start his combo.

"This activates the effect of Kagemucha Knight in my hand, special summoning him in defence position. Tear open the circuit to infinity! The summoning condition is two monsters with different names! I set Sangan and Kagemucha Knight in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link awakening, Artifact Dagda!"

"Sangan's effect, when he's sent from field to the GY, I add a monster with 1500 or less ATK from deck to hand. Come to me, Crusadia Arboria! Arboria's effect, I special summon her to the zone Dagda points to in defence position! Next, I activate the spell card, Rite of Aramesir, and to that I chain Dagda's effect! When an effect of another card on the field activated, I set an "Artifact" monster from my deck to the field! Slumber, Artifact Scythe!"

His deck may be different, but the tactics are still the same. Mario's still relying on extra deck locking me with Scythe to win, just like in the past. However, having played through it countless times, I wasn't scared one bit by its appearance.

If anything, I was disappointed that he hasn't learnt from his mistakes and let go of this strategy yet. Ten years have passed since then, but he really hasn't evolved one bit. It made me wonder, what exactly has he been testing against to make him stick with it?

"Then, resolving Aramesir, I awaken an Adventure Token before placing place a Fateful Adventure from deck! Tear open the circuit to infinity! The summoning condition is two monsters, including a Tuner! I set Link 2 Artifact Dagda and Crusadia Arboria in the Link Arrows! Circuit combine! Link awakening, Cryston Halqifibrax!"

"Halqifibrax chain link 1, Fateful Adventure chain link 2! Since a monster was summoned, I add a Dracoback, the Rideable Dragon from my deck to my hand! Then, Halqifibrax lets me special summon a level 3 or lower Tuner from my hand or deck in defence position!"

"I activate the effect of Effect Veiler from hand, sending it to the graveyard and negating Halqifibrax's effect."

"As expected. You always did the same to my Rusty Bardiche..."

"It's your fault for running such staple cards. Everyone knows to block Halq or else your opponent gets to pop off."

"No matter. Fateful's effect, I add a Wandering Gryphon Rider from deck to hand and discard Dracoback as cost. Dracoback's effect, when sent to the GY, I equip it to the Adventurer Token. I chain Gryphon Rider to it, special summoning him in defence position. Now, my level 3 Noh-P.U.N.K. Ze Amin tunes level 7 Wandering Gryphon Rider! O chivalrous knight who rides on the petal winds, turn your steed towards oblivion and submerge in sin, level 10! Synchro awaken, Baronne de Fleur!"

Now that Fleur was up, it was pointless to use my other hand trap. Mario would negate it with her effect.

"Next, I'll use Baronne de Fleur's effect to pop my set Artifact Scythe, sending him to the graveyard!"

My eyebrows raised in surprise. I didn't expect him to so suddenly destroy it with Fleur, especially since Halqifibrax can tag into T.G. Wonder Magician on my turn to proc it. Was he not aiming for the Scythe lock after all...?

"What's with the puzzled look on your face? Don't tell me, does the great Saionji-sama not understand what I'm doing?"

Mario gasped in fake shock, putting a hand over his mouth before revealing he was smiling nefariously the entire time.

"Look at how low you've fallen."

It was infuriating that he was right, but I didn't let it show. I simply chuckled, shrugging my shoulders.

"Fu fu... I wonder. How about instead of concentrating on my lovely face, you continue with your turn? I'm already certain what your end board will be anyways."

"Heh, you think so? Tell me then Saionji-sama, what will I end on?"

"If I tell you, you won't do it then. But at the very least, there's one obvious thing both of us can see. You've already used Baronne de Fleur's ability, meaning you won't be using Madame Spider and the Adventurer Token to make Yazi to pop it. Instead... you'll be tuning them into Shooting Riser Dragon in order to dump Snow."

Mario put a hand to his face and cackled boldly.

"Oh how I wish I could go into F.A. Dawn Dragster just to spite your prediction... but you'd be right! My level 3 Joruri-P.U.N.K. Madame Spider tunes level 4 Adventurer Token! Shine, level 7! Synchro awaken, Shooting Riser Dragon!"

"His effect activates, letting me send a monster with a lower level than him from deck to graveyard, which then reduces his own level by that monster's level! I'll be sending Fairy Tail - Snow, a level 4, turning him to level 3! And with that, my turn ends."

He has two disruptions, an omni-negate from Fleur and a Book of Moon from Snow. If I can play through these two, I'll be fine.

Mario:
Hand: 0
LP: 7400
EMZ: X
XOOOX
OOXOO

Saionji:
Hand: 4
LP: 8000
EMZ: O
OOOOO
OOOOO

"Draw for turn."

"During your standby phase, Baronne de Fleur's effect activates! I target a level 9 or lower monster in my graveyard, return Baronne to the extra deck, and special summon that monster. I choose Artifact Scythe!"

My blood ran cold as I finally understood what the purpose of destroying Scythe was now. He was playing around me.

"Any response?"

Usually, I would negate Scythe's enablers during my main phase in order to continue my turn without problem. However, Mario was aware of this from our past duels, and figured out a way to prevent that from happening.

He shifted the timing of summoning Scythe to be even earlier than that, before I could even interact with his board. This meant I could only respond with quick-play spells to stop him, essentially forcing me to have Forbidden Droplets just to be able to out it.

Any other quick-play spell wouldn't be good enough, since he could just use Baronne de Fleur's other effect to negate it. It had to be Droplets specifically, because it couldn't be responded to. Mario had essentially stripped all routes to stopping him, save one.

And I... I was unlucky enough not to draw it.

"...no response."

Mario's face squashed and contorted with sick twisted joy.

"Oh my... oh my, oh my, oh my, what's this?! Don't tell me... the great Saionji-sama didn't draw into any Forbidden Droplets?! I can scarcely believe it! Please, tell me this is a cruel joke! Or that you're not going easy on me, are you? Oh, doth thou play with minest own heart, don't pity me like so!"

"As if. No matter who my opponent is, I always go all out. It's common courtesy to give it your everything in a duel. I'm not kind enough just to put a brake on myself for the sake of my opponent, especially when they're as despicable as you."

"Then I'll make sure to thoroughly carve this rare moment into your, mine, and everyone else's brain... this will go down in history as the moment the great Saionji-sama lost everything! Awaken to reap everything, Artifact Scythe!"

"You really haven't changed at all since ten years ago..."

"Heheh... if it's not broken, then don't fix it. Since Scythe was special summoned during your turn, you can't special summon monsters from the Extra Deck for the rest of this turn!"

When he slammed Scythe onto his duel disk, Mario shrieked with unequivocal and sinister joy. He was enjoying watching my demise a little too much...

"I guess there really is a skill difference between and you, Saionji-sama! Because I'm good enough to continue my combo despite negating Halq, but you're not good enough to draw into the out! Not even a measly Effect Veiler can stop me this time!"

He leaned forward and laughed in my face, his spit flicking everywhere.

"Saionji-sama, face reality! This is your loss! This is your complete and utter loss! Because you couldn't play through a Scythe lock, your precious baby boy is now going to die here in the sewers, right in front of your eyes! How's that for an ending? Not only will this duel be your most pathetic yet, but the person you love most will also die due to your inability to draw a single spell card! Are you mad yet? Are you feeling absolute despair yet, knowing that you can do absolutely nothing to save him? Savour this feeling, you damned cancer!"

Mario snapped, no longer laughing.

"Because this frustration... this hatred... this anguish... is what you made me feel. Every single time we fought, it was my loss. I did everything right, but you...! You were there to take me down before I could bring a new dawn to Alba City... oh, the misery I've endured is nothing that you've experienced! The past twenty years fighting you have been hell, and it doesn't even come close to the vague madness you're experiencing right now... and I know I'm not the only one who feels this same way. Everyone in this Wing, everyone in this Sunglow, has a vendetta against you! You've ruined countless people's lives with your sadistic and ruthless duelling, Saionji-sama! Tell me, how does it feel to be on the receiving end of this insanity?"

A demonic smile crept up on Mario's face, twisting and squeezing and collapsing all at once.

"It's only right that you pay for your sins with the greatest cost... your son's life. An eye for an eye... a tooth for a tooth... a heart for a heart... I'll make this whole world go blind if I have to if it means getting revenge on you, Saionji Yuuri-sama."

I slapped Mario across the face.

"Be quiet."

Mario's eyes widened as he stumbled back. His face went red as he clutched his cheek with an inverted grin.

"I set a monster in face down defence position."

All I can do now is... set what little cards I can, and pray that it'll be enough to get me through to next turn.

"In response, I activate Halqifibrax's effect! I banish him to special summon a Tuner Synchro monster from my deck! Shine, level 5! Tag Synchro awaken, T.G. Wonder Magician!"

"Wonder Magician's effect, since she was Synchro summoned, I destroy a spell or trap on the field! Destroy, Fateful Adventure!"

The effect was mandatory, so he didn't have any other choice. However, what concerned me more was the fact he had two level 5s on the board now. With Wonder Magician's second effect, he could use them for the synchro summon of a level 10... or in other words, he would simply tune them away back into Baronne de Fleur.

"Then, I'll chain Wonder Magician's other effect to Accel Synchro summon using material on my side of the field! Level 5 T.G. Wonder Magician tunes level 5 Artifact Scythe! The legendary sword which can turn the tides, swing into the direction of the red moon and descend into frenzied madness, level 10! Synchro awaken, Swordsoul Supreme Sovereign - Chengying!"

"Chengying? Here I thought you'd bring back Baronne de Fleur."

"While an omni-negate is always appreciated, it's unnecessary for next turn. That's because I'm going to win, right here and now."

"You have no cards in hand, and the total ATK of all your monsters is 5200. You're short by 2800."

"We can easily solve that, my dear Saionji-sama. Fairy Tail - Snow's effect in the graveyard! I banish seven other cards from my graveyard to special summon her! And since she's not once per turn, I chain her own effect to herself to banish another seven cards from my grave! This then forcibly triggers Chengying's effect! When a card is banished, I can banish one card each from your field and graveyard! Your Effect Veiler and face down card will become fodder for my sunrise!"

So this was his hidden form of disruption, huh? I'll admit... I was a little impressed. Perhaps it was me, who failed to evolve...

"You set Rokket Tracer, eh? What a pity. Now that an additional sixteen cards are in the banish zone, Chengying will gain a further 1600 ATK! (3100 > 4700) This, combined with Snow's 1850 ATK, puts me well over 8000 damage. The moment you end your turn, it's over!"

I hate to admit it, but...

Staring at my hand, Mario was right.

...there was no way for me to win now.

Next turn, he'd move straight into his battle phase and beat me senselessly with his monsters.

I've failed...

Both as the Boss of Sangria, and as a mother...

I wasn't able to protect anything in the end...

I wasn't able to save anyone...

I wasn't... strong enough...

All things precious to me would be crushed under the palm of that man's hand.

Everything I held dear to me would be lost forever, to Mario Enmitsu.

For the first time in my life...

I, Saionji Yuuri—

Have been humiliated.

"Turn... t-turn end..."

Mario:
Hand: 0
LP: 7400
EMZ: O
XOXOX
OOOOO

Saionji:
Hand: 4
LP: 8000
EMZ: O
OOOOO
OOOOO

"In hindsight, I should've played Floowandereeze, your deck's worst matchup."

"...hurry up and get it over with, already."

"Hmm, I could... or, I could enjoy your face of agony a tiny bit longer."

Mario grinned, squeezing his thumb and index finger together.

"There's no reason to draw this out..."

"And why's that?"

"Because... because..."

"Go on, Saionji-sama. Say the line."

Mario smiled.

"...because...!"

The words were ripped straight out of my throat.

"You'll win... Mario..."

"Mmm... that's like sweet music and soft honey to my ears. Let me hear it once more."

"I refuse to degrade myself further for your entertainment."

"Ehh? But you know, the faster you follow my orders, the sooner I'll let you out. I've already gotten what I've achieved. However, you still have something desperate you need to attend to, don't you?"

Mario walked over to Minoru's limp body and pulled him up by the roots of his hair.

"If you're quick enough, you might be able to bring him to a hospital and save him, but that's only if I end this duel. The longer you stay here with me, the closer to death Minoru gets."

I clenched my fists.

"He's on the edge of life, yet you're selfishly prioritising preserving your own pride instead of throwing it away for the sake of your dying son. Some kind of mother you are."

I know that already...

"If you care so much about him, then get on your knees and beg to lose. If you do that much, I might consider attacking you."

I know that I'm the worst mother.

"Time is ticking, Saionji."

I'm sorry, Minoru... I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you... protect you... or even be there for you...

"Mario Enmitsu..."

I dropped to my knees and keeled before him.

"...please, kill me."

If I had one regret...

"With pleasure. Chengying, Shooting Riser, and Snow, finish her! (8650)"

...it was not being there for you sooner, Minoru.

"DAWN OF A REVOLUTION!!!"

The days I spent with you in my arms were my happiest...

"...grrr! (8000 > 0)"

...and now, I'll never get to have those days again.

Mario stomped on my head, pushing my face into the floor.

"Eat dirt, bitch. For a damned cancer like you, this is where you belong. Right here, squashed under my shoe."

I heard him giggle as he dug the heel of his shoe in deeper.

"If you want to join your son, I can make arrangements. After all... the duel disk I'm using right now is the same one which killed Minoru. Ask nicely, and I'll be glad to drop this on your head."

I could hear the unfastening of velcro and the sound of metal rustling.

"Actually... scratch that. You don't have to ask."

Mario lifted his foot up, kicking my chin to make me look up at him.

"Isn't this what you always wanted, Saionji? To have a happy family? You should be thankful that I'm granting that wish."

Mario dropped the titanium duel disk.

"Too-da-loo, my dear. It wasn't a pleasure meeting you."

As it hurled towards me, everything went black.