Big thanks to Jack, Citylover96, aqua9597, Elbarto4000, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Unknowedz, dvdryms, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Crazyloop8888, No1yet for reviewing the previous chapter!
Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!
YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
Yukiya was in bed, tucked completely under the covers right after he logged out from the network. Yukiya didn't move or even make a sound. He couldn't help it. He was so confused right now. The boy, Yuya, the moment his eyes landed on him, flood of emotions came into him. His mind so suddenly all got flooded by the sudden storm of worry and relief and happiness and content all felt at once that he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from seeing stars of longing.
The boy in his dream was there right in front of him. Does that mean what he thought was a dream was actually not a dream? Had he met Yuya as Zarc somewhere online in the past but he simply forgotten about it? For some reason he felt that wasn't the case. Then what was it? His conscience somehow was telling him that he knew Yuya more than he thought. His head hurt from the many questions that came into him all at once from his brief meeting with the boy.
"Darn it, what's actually happening to me…?" Yukiya clutched his chest. His chest felt warm and tight that he didn't understand himself. Although he was positive he wouldn't be able to sleep, he tucked himself into bed anyway, and tried to close his eyes.
When he opened them again, it was morning, the sun filtering through the window. He smacked his lips, realizing how dry his throat was. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a drink of water...
He sat up in bed with a groan, rubbing at his temples. It took him 20 seconds to realize that his ace card, Cyber Cosmos, once again was shining, and Linkuriboh has materialized itself, sitting on the table beside the glowing card. When Yukiya finally noticed them, Linkuriboh jumped to him, fondly caressing its face to its master. Yukiya rubbed Linkuriboh as usual, realizing the Kuriboh was worried about him. He picked Cyber Cosmos, sensing the same feeling he has last night from the card.
While Yukiya was unsure of what he experienced yesterday, he understood one thing from that brief exchange. Both he and Cyber Cosmos shared this same thought,
"I…want to meet him again…"
PLAZA – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
"Wow! This place is bigger than Neo Domino City!" Yugo commented with sparkling eyes as he saw the view of Den City from the train.
After the Duel yesterday, Yuno decided to take his four descendants to Den City for a tour and learning more about Master Duel and Speed Duel. Den City is a large city located on the western edge of the continent. It was a thriving metropolitan area with a financial district, entertainment facilities, and residential areas. The city where LINK VRAINS originated, and has an innovative data network developed by Aberforth Federation. By connecting computer terminals via the data cable, it is possible for vast quantities of information to be exchanged. Since the city was where online Dueling originally came from, Yuno figured that the best place to start learning more about LINK VRAINS and its Duels is Den City.
Another reason was after Yuya's brief encounter with Zarc, the Supreme King user suddenly logged out without giving any reply for his invitation. From Zarc's expression, Yuno could tell that Zarc logged out not because he refused the invitation, but rather because he was very shocked to see Yuya. He gave a speech to his tomato-haired descendant afterwards, though he understood the boy's feeling. One good thing that came from this was Zarc has left a bit of trace of his whereabouts. Apparently, the shock from meeting Yuya has caused him to make a blunder. While he erased his activity logs like he always did, he didn't thoroughly block his tracking, which allowed him to find out Zarc lives somewhere in Den City.
"Hey! Hey! There's delicious smell from that stall! Let's buy some snacks!" Yugo said excitedly while pointing at the said stall and drooling. He didn't wait for everyone' reply and just dash off by himself, much to Yuto's chagrin.
"Wait! Hold on a second, Yugo! Don't go off by yourself!" Yuto scolded as he followed the Synchro counterpart.
"What a kid." Yuri said with a sigh before following after his two counterparts.
Yuno checked his watch before turning to Yuya. "There are still times before they arrive. I'll give you around the city until then so you can have as much fun as you want." He told the Pendulum counterpart.
Since his descendants' usual clothes would make them stand out, Yuno lent them his casual clothes so they'll easily blend in. Yuya was wearing a yellow jacket with his orange shirt underneath and a deep green-turquoise shade of pants. Yuto was wearing a blue jacket with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans with a belt, and brown boots. Yugo was wearing sleeveless white jacket and a black undershirt and black pants. Yuri was wearing a purple lined pattern long-sleeve shirt and red trousers.
"Yuno-san…about yesterday…" Yuya started as he faced Yuno meekly.
Yuno placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder and smiled at him. "I know. I understand why you did what you did. But next time give a word first. Also, even if you meet him again, the current Zarc is…"
"I know." Yuya said before Yuno could finish. He knew what his ancestor was trying to say. "He is not the same Zarc that I knew a year ago. Yuri already told me that too. I understand that…" But even so, he still wants to get to know him. Even if he doesn't remember Zarc's memories and not the same Zarc he knew, he want to know him. The current him.
"If I'm going to meet him again, it's not because I only want to know him for who he was in the past. I also want to know the person he is now." Yuya told the Oracle with a small smile on his face.
Yuno gave Yuya's head a pat. "As long as you understand then that's okay." He said proudly.
"Don't treat me like a kid." Yuya pouted while blushing at Yuno, making the latter laughed softly.
The two then followed after Yugo, Yuto, and Yuri who have eaten their snacks first (at the Synchro user's insistence). The five of them all seated comfortably on the table provided by the stalls and ready to eat another round of foods Yugo had bought until someone, standing on the stage under the screen at the plaza, spoke. Crowds started to gather as well, their eyes on the screens.
"Are you ready for this, folks?! Now, a series of Duels between the Charisma Duelists will commence in LINK VRAINS!" The MC announced as he pointed at the screen.
"Dueling in Area No. 1 is the Gouki user! LINK VRAINS's toughest and wildest Duelist! GO Onizuka!" The MC pointed at the first screen on his right. It showed a tan-skinned young man with a built and bulky body. He has two-toned hair, fashioned in a flattop/hi-top fade: brown from his forehead down, including a neatly trimmed brown chin beard, and blonde on top of his head, fashioned in the flattop style and featuring red-striped highlights. He was wearing a greenish-grey jacket with a separate collar and a gold, animal-head-shaped necklace. He was shirtless, with only dark pants and a golden belt with a red stone in the centre. His boots are buckled with gold plates on his arms and abdomen. He was also wearing the gold plates and dark, fingerless gloves.
"Dueling in Area No. 2 is the Trickstar user! LINK VRAINS's poster girl! Blue Angel!" The MC moved to the screen on his left. It showed a magical girl, true to her name, she has very long blue hair which reaches her chest and is tied into two long strands with blue ribbons. Her eyes and eyebrows were also blue and she has a green clover tattoo on her right cheek. She was wearing a blue choker and pink heart-shaped winged earrings. Her outfit consisted of a white sleeveless shirt with a blue necktie. Underneath, she was wearing a blue and pink dress with wing-shaped frills, and dark blue thigh-high socks. She was wearing dark and light blue boots with wings attached to each one. Lastly, she has a pair of white wings with pink heart-shaped and lavender clover-shaped patterns on each wing.
"Those of you who can access, come on LINK VRAINS! And those of you, who have come here, keep your eyes on the screen!" The MC encouraged, earning loud cheers from the crowds.
"What's a Charisma Duelist?" Yuya asked while seeing the screens.
"Charisma Duelists are Duelists idols who use stage names and or avatars and Duel in special stages in LINK VRAINS. A Charisma Duelist's Duel is watched by crowds of people who can access LINK VRAINS as well, and are broadcasted through screens for those who can't." Yuno explained, also looking at the screen.
"By the way, when are you going to let us participate in LINK VRAINS? I wanna try this Speed Duel already! Since we're using an avatar, no one will find out our real identities!" Yugo asked Yuno while still stuffing his mouth with a hotdog, ignoring Yuto who scolded him again for it.
Yuno has told them that he doesn't want to reveal to the public yet that they came from the original dimension and also their relation to him. Apophis' group's revival had caused more than enough uproar already, so he didn't want to attract more attention. Also, if anyone else find out about his descendants, someone may try to take advantage on them. While he believes that his descendants wouldn't be so easily being taken advantage of, he prefer to avoid that kind of scenario. However, if they act in LINK VRAINS using avatars, there shouldn't be any problem.
"That's why I brought the four of you here. You'll learn about Master Duel and Speed Duel under my group's guidance. They'll arrive at the mansion in 3 hours. Until then, we'll watch these two Duels."
"We already created our temporary avatars, so we can just enter LINK VRAINS now." Yuri said while waving his new Duel Disk on his wrist. Yesterday, Yuno had upgraded their Duel Disks so they can enter LINK VRAINS anywhere and anytime.
"You are free to try. Jamming your Duel Disk to stop you from logging in is as easy as turning the back of the hand." Yuno replied flawlessly. Yuri clicked his tongue at that. The Fusion counterpart was pleased and at the same time annoyed to have someone like Yuno as his ancestor.
"I told you that Master Duel and Speed Duel rules are different from the normal ones we know. They are far more restrictive for Duelist who mainly using Extra Deck Monsters without Link Monsters." Yuno brought out a Duel Mat from his back and placed it on the table so his descendants could see while he explained.
The rules Speed Duel are as followed:
1. 4000 LP
2. 4 cards in the starting hand
3. 20 to 30 cards in the Main Deck
4. 5 cards in the Extra Deck
5. 2 Extra Monster Zones in each player's Field
Each player has 3 Main Monster Zones, 3 Spell & Trap Zones, and 1 Field Zone. The available Monster and Spell & Trap Zones are those in the second to fourth column.
Like a normal Duel, the first player doesn't draw on their first turn, the hand size limit is 6, both players can have an active Field Spell Card and there can only be 3 cards with the same name in both the Main Deck and the Extra Deck.
1. Follow the Normal Duel's gameplay.
2. There is no Main Phase 2.
"This would be difficult for you, Yuya. I'm sure you know why." Yuno turned to the Pendulum user. He had heard about how Pendulum Summon works even though he hadn't seen it himself, but he knew that it would be difficult to utilize Pendulum Summon in both Master Duel and Speed Duel, especially the former since in Master Duel there's only one Extra Monster Zone for each player.
"I know. I'll try to think of a way." Yuya replied, though he was unsure of himself.
Ever since the discovery of Pendulum Summon, Yuya's Deck mainly focuses on Pendulum Summoning. He prefers to set the Pendulum Scale with his Magicians to Summon monsters of various Levels. While he had accommodated Fusion, Xyz, and Synchro, he still focused more on Pendulum. He could still perform his favorite strategy, but that only worked on the first time he did so since once his Pendulum Monsters are destroyed, they went straight to Extra Deck, and afterwards he could only summon them to the Extra Monster Zone.
"I can't rely too much on Pendulum Summoning in Master Duel and Speed Duel. I have to come up with a new strategy and style…" Yuya thought deeply. It would be hard, but he'll manage somehow. Before Pendulum Summon was discovered, didn't his Deck focused on Effect Monsters? He'll just need to remember the way he dueled before he found Pendulum Summon.
"Do we really need 'tutors' to learn this? Maybe these three needs it, but I'm fine learning by myself." Yuri said confidently.
"Yuri…!" Yuto called out his Fusion counterpart for his rudeness, which the latter ignored.
"Don't be so big-headed, grinning bastard!" Yugo also added, not liking the way Yuri talked.
"Yuno-san knows more about these Duels and this dimension more than any of us. He is also kind enough to guide us this far. Don't say something like that." Yuya said while looking confused at Yuri.
Ever since they arrived, Yuri was more than often in a serious mood. He didn't have that crazed or smug grin on his face like he normally does, and that put him a bit on edge. Is he so worry about Starve Venom and becoming impatient? No. Serena did mention in one of her messages that Yuri had been acting weird recently.
Before they could start an argument, a scream interrupted. It was coming from the crowds. When they turned, the screens were flickering and then three Duelists wearing the same orange-colored cloak that was a trademark of Apophis' group appeared from a large portal that suddenly formed within LINK VRAINS. They were riding on huge black dragon-like monsters that went on rampage, causing several other screens to explode.
"It's Apophis' Duelists!"
"They're attacking!"
"Hurry log out!"
The crowds immediately dispersed and the Duelists who were in LINK VRAINS started logging out one by one. Yuno's eyes quickly focused on the Apophis Duelist who was standing on the center amongst the three Duelists.
"That's…Dante…!" Yuno recognized his enemy immediately.
"Dante?! The one that Zarc mentioned?!" Yugo exclaimed, looking at the screen where Dante's face was zoomed.
"Didn't Zarc say that this Dante has his eyes on him? Maybe he came here to fight Zarc again." Yuri deduced.
"Since Zarc also targeting him, he'll most likely appear at any moment now." Yuto thought.
"Are we…just going to stand by and watch?" Yuya asked. The idea didn't sit well with him. He can't stand and wait until someone else came to fight while he can do something.
"The four of you will, but I'm not. Think of this as the demonstration of Speed Duel for you to learn." Yuno told his descendants while preparing his Duel Disk. However, before he could usher them back to the limo…
"Look! It's Zarc!" Yugo exclaimed while pointing at the screen.
LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION
"Zarc~! Come out now~! I'm here!" Dante called out while looking around for the said grey-haired avatar.
"Dante-sama, I don't think he'll just respond and appear." One of Dante's two subordinates said with a sweat drop.
"Oh, he'll come. I'm responsible for his friend's coma after all." Dante said with confidence before calling out again.
A minute later, a portal appeared in the sky in front of them. From the portal, Zarc came out and then landed on a nearby building before looking up at Dante who was above riding on the black dragon with his subordinates. Dante smiled and decided to jump down, landing at the building across where Zarc was standing.
"It's been a while, boy. How are ya?" Dante asked casually with a wave of hand.
"Better since I'm going to beat you to a pulp this time." Zarc replied bitterly, raising his Duel Disk.
Dante held his hands up. "As much as I want us to have our long-awaited rematch, I have other thing that is more important to do, so you'll have to settle to Duel this Servant." Dante replied while jabbing his thumb at one of his subordinates standing behind him. The said subordinate, the Servant, stepped forward, ready to face against Zarc.
"I have no time to take care of a hoodlum." Zarc replied, dismissing the Servant.
"Hmph. Talk big while you can! You won't Duel Dante-sama unless you defeat me!" The Servant retorted. He was offended.
"Sorry, Zarc. But you'll have to do with him for now. Bye bye." Dante disappeared in a flash with his other Servant, leaving only Zarc and the Servant.
"Let's get this over with then." Zarc said as he jumped from the building to ride on his D-Board, riding the Data Storm, which followed by the Servant.
"Those bastards… He's taking the spotlight from me…!" Go said in frustration as he watched the two Duelists. On another side, Blue Angel was also watching.
[SPEED DUEL!]
"I shall go first! My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in Monster Zone.
"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Work beside the other.
"Watch this! I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Monster Zone.
"I end my turn with this." He concluded.
"Summoning a Level 8 Monster right off the bat, huh. Fine by me." Zarc stated, unfazed by Cracking Dragon's appearance.
"My Turn! First, I set a card." Zarc set a single card facedown.
"From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkrose (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Zarc summoned Darkrose in Attack Position in the Monster Zone.
"When Darkrose is normal or special summoned, I can send a Supreme King Monster from my hand to the Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or lower Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster from my Deck." Zarc discarded Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 7) and then summoned Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4).
"However, they are powerless before Cracking Dragon! I activate its Monster Effect! During this turn, the ATKs of monsters summoned or Special Summoned by my opponent will be reduced by its Level times 200. And they'll also receive damage equal to the same amount! Crack Fall!" The Servant lowered Darkrose's ATK to 800 and Darkwurm's ATK to 1000.
ZARC LP: 4000 = 2400
"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Twin Dragons! When I control two Dragon-Type Monsters, I can change their ATKs to the double of their combined ATKs!" Zarc combined Darkrose and Darkwurm's current ATKs to 1800, and then doubled it to 3600, making both dragons' current ATK 3600.
"Oh yeah! Now their ATKs are higher than Cracking Dragon!" Yugo cheered for the two dragons.
"He can destroy Cracking Dragon with one dragon and then attack directly with another!" Yuto exclaimed.
"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Darkrose!" Zarc declared his first attack with Darkrose. The dragon opened its mouth, shooting purplish flame at Cracking Dragon. However, to everyone's shock, Cracking Dragon has survived the burning flame.
SERVANT LP: 4000 = 3400
"Unfortunately for you, Cracking Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle by monsters whose Levels are lower than its Level." The Servant revealed with a mocking grin.
"Then I attack Cracking Dragon again with Darkwurm!" Zarc made his second attack with his other dragon. Darkwurm also shot its flame, but red-coloured as opposed to Darkrose's purple. Cracking Dragon endured the flame again, but the Servant still received damage.
SERVANT LP: 3400 = 2800
"I end my Turn." Zarc concluded, which reverted his dragons' ATK to normal.
"My Turn! This is as far as you can go. I shall now activate a Skill!"
"Skill? What's that?" Yugo asked his ancestor.
"Right, I didn't get to explain that. In a Speed Duel, there is a special rule that can only be used once during the Duel. That's what a Skill is. For example, you can increase your draws, gain Life, or increase your monster's ATK…And stuff like that." Yuno answered to Yugo's question.
"I activate the Skill, Double Draw!" The Servant drew 2 cards from his Deck. Looking at the cards he drew, his grin widened.
"With this, I can maximize the effectiveness of my tactics! I activate the Magic Card: DDoS Attack! Due to its effect, I'll send two copies of DDoS Attack from my deck to the Graveyard! And for every copy I sent, I can inflict damage equal to the Level of a Machine-Type monster on my Field, multiplied by 100!" The Servant sent two DDoS Attack cards from his Deck and then targeted Cracking Dragon, inflicting 1600 damage to Zarc.
ZARC LP: 2400 = 800
"I set one card facedown. Then, I equip the Equip Magic: Aircrack Storm, to Cracking Dragon! When a monster equipped with this card destroys a monster through battle, it can attack again. The Duelist who has Cracking Dragon is the strongest Duelist! Battle! Traffic Blast!" The Servant extended his hand at Darkwurm, choosing it as his target. Cracking Dragon opened its mouth as green energies accumulated into it before the dragon finally unleash destructive green blast towards the Supreme King Servant Dragon.
"I activate Darkwurm's effect! When this card is targeted for an attack while I control other Supreme King Monster, I can negate that attack!" Zarc declared as Cracking Dragon's green blast was deflected by a transparent barrier protecting Darkwurm, negating its attack.
"Tch. To think your monster has that kind of effect. But this will be the end for you." The Servant calmly told Zarc despite his attack being foiled.
"As long as my LP still remains, the Duel is not finished!" Zarc retorted firmly.
"That's not what I mean." The Servant smirked while pointing up.
Zarc looked up just as the other Servant whom he thought had gone with Dante before suddenly appeared on his D-Board right above him. The other Servant grinned as he moved his D-Board towards Zarc who was late to react. The D-Board clashed with Zarc's body, causing him to hit the wall of a balcony building as Zarc fall from his D-Board.
"That's dirty!" Yugo exclaimed angrily.
"Zarc!" Yuto called out in concern.
Zarc tried to hold onto a side of the building, but his hand slipped from the speed of his fall. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing for the impact…and then something held his hand tight, stopping him from falling and now he was dangling as long as the hands are holding him.
"Hold on!"
Zarc blinked when he heard the familiar voice. He slowly looked up to see a boy. His head was covered in a white hooded cloak. His eyes were covered by a goggle and his mouth was covered by a red mask. He was wearing a red shirt underneath and dark green pants with a brown belt around his waist. Even though his face was covered, Zarc instantly recognized him. He didn't need to see his face to know who the person behind the avatar. He could sense it.
"You're…Yuya…!" Zarc said with a low voice in surprise.
"Call me Phantom here. Wait a second. Here we go!" Yuya pulled Zarc up with all energy he could muster. Zarc held on the cell to help himself reaching the balcony, lessening Yuya's burden. Once the both of them were at the balcony, they sighed in relief.
"Thanks. You're a big help." Zarc thanked Yuya – who goes by the name Phantom as his pseudonym. Yuya simply nodded before tilting his head to the Data Storm. Zarc knew what he was trying to say. The Duel is not finished yet.
"We'll talk later after the Duel!" Zarc promised the boy before jumping back to his D-Board, continuing the Duel.
"Yuya….again…" Yuri said, sighing as he looked at the place where Yuya was supposed to stand a while ago.
"That Yuya…" Yugo sighed at the stunt Yuya pulled, but was glad that the both of them were safe.
"You didn't jam his Duel Disk, Lord Oracle?" Yuri asked accusingly at Yuno.
"He promised he won't interfere directly, so it's fine. Although just in case I have also programmed a force log-out program in his Duel Disk." Yuno revealed without turning to Yuri.
"Can't we go too?" Yuto asked with a plea underlying his question.
"No. Yuya is more than enough." Yuno answered immediately, making the rest of the counterparts feeling down but begrudgingly waited.
"Tsk. To think you have an ally that will help you…! But you won't get lucky this time against the two of us!" The Servant told as he motioned for his partner to appear again and do the same thing to Zarc, but his partner doesn't appear. He looked around to find his partner and finally spotted him…
His partner was ready with his D-Board to do the same stunt, but then a lash of blue energy got a hold around his D-Board, forcing him go down to a building's rooftop. Blue Angel was holding the leash as she stood straight and looked down at the Servant who landed on his back, looking up at her.
"Playing dirty is the worst in a Duel!" Blue Angel stated to the Servant as she raised her Duel Disk, preparing to take him on.
"If you're going to pull the same thing you just did earlier, then you'll have to go through me first!" Go appeared behind the Servant, crackling his knuckles as to warn him if he tries to run away. The Servant was now cornered.
"Damn it!" The Servant who was duelling Zarc cursed.
"You'll pay for what you did to me, Servant! My Turn!" Zarc began his Turn again.
"I activate Skill: Supreme King's Gathering! When my LP is at 2000 or lower, I can special summon Supreme King Monsters from my hand, Deck, or Extra Deck ignoring their summoning conditions with their effects negated in either Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone until they are filled!" Zarc filled the remaining empty Monster with Supreme King Servant Dragon Verham, while filling the empty two Extra Monster Zones with Supreme King Gate Egret and Supreme King Gate Infinity (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7).
"Fool! Did you forget Cracking Dragon's power? Your Life is 800. And you'll also receive 800 damage! Crack Fall! This is the end!" The Servant reactivated Cracking Dragon's effect, ready to inflict damage to the Supreme King user.
"Trap Card: Supreme King's Soldiers! When a battle or effect damage is declared while I control 3 or more Supreme King Monsters, I can reduce the damage to 0!" Zarc opened his facedown card, negating the damage inflicted on him.
"Persistent. No matter how much you struggle, you can't win against Cracking Dragon!" The Servant exclaimed.
"No. Using my Skill is part of my plan! With this the summoning conditions has been met! Appear! The circuit that lead to the future!" Zarc summoned the Link Portal in above front of him and raised his hand.
"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 4 monsters! I set Astrograph Magician, Supreme King Dragon Verham, and Supreme King Gate Egret on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Four of Zarc's monsters then became one with four of the six arrows. Darkrose went to the Left Arrow, Verham to the Right Arrow, Gate Egret to the Bottom-Left Arrow, and Gate Infinity to the Bottom-Right Arrows.
"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Zarc summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the right Extra Monster Zone.
"Link Monsters do not have Levels! Meaning that the effects of your Cracking Dragon won't work on Cyber Cosmos!"
"I activate Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon's effect! I can target a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link! Also, my dragon's ATK is increased equal to the same amount!" Zarc declared. As Darkwurm was connected to Cyber Cosmos' Bottom-Left Link Marker, Cracking Dragon's ATK was lowered to 1200, while Cyber Cosmos' ATK was increased to 4600.
"This is the end, Servant of Apophis! I attack Cracking Dragon with Cyber Cosmos Dragon! Axis Bomb!" Cyber Cosmos unleashed bomb-like flames of data with particles resembling stars shrouding the attack. The flame hit Cracking Dragon, creating a massive explosion that shook the entire area and blew the Apophis Servant away from his D-Board.
SERVANT LP: 2800 = 0
"He won!" Yuto cheered.
"Way to go, Zarc!" Yugo jumped happily at the Supreme King user's victory.
"Of course. If he lost against that pathetic excuse of a Duelist, he is a shame to our original incarnation." Yuri commented dryly, though Yuno sensed a tinge of relief beneath his tone.
"Zarc…!" Phantom approached the Supreme King user in relief. Zarc has landed on the same rooftop where Phantom was waiting for him. Now that the Duel was over, they finally could talk.
When they were face to face, however, their words were stuck in their throat for some reason. The two of them opened their mouths trying to say something, but they stopped as they became nervous all of a sudden. They were confused from where they should start. They needed to start fast or else Blue Angel or Go will come demanding for a Duel against Zarc. They need to start and finish this quick but everything clear.
"Umm, I–"
Just when Phantom finally spoke, his Duel Disk was bound by a red cord that reminded Phantom of what Edo has. Phantom turned around to see Dante was the one who shot the cord to him.
"Gotcha!" Dante exclaimed as he pressed a button appeared on his Duel Disk. The red cord dispersed into particles that turned into a huge red cage that trapped both Dante and Phantom.
"Yu– Phantom!" Zarc tried to break into the cage, but then strong electricity prevented him from doing so. No one can go inside the cage and no one can escape the cage.
"This is Duel Anchor. Both of us cannot leave or log out until the Duel is over." Dante explained with playful smile while the Phantom was staring at him warily.
"You are Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's owner, right?" Dante addressed the Phantom who didn't reply and simply continue to staring at him. "To lure out Odd-Eyes, I'll defeat you!"
Phantom blinked. "Lure out Odd-Eyes? What are you saying?!" He asked. Didn't the four dragons were already in their possession?
Dante scratched the back of his head. "You see, when we transferred your dragons to our place, someone intercepted and stole them before they arrived, so we don't know where the four dragons are either." He revealed.
"Intercepted?!" Phantom exclaimed in shock. That means his dragon and the others were not in Apophis' possession. Even though this mean he must start from zero to find his dragons, at the very least the dragons are not in the enemy's hands, which means Apophis cannot regain his full power. He was quite relief of that.
"But…if something happened to you and the others, the masters of the four dragons, maybe they'll show up. I have nothing against you, but please endure the pain for the sake of His Excellency." Dante said with his finger gesturing a challenge to Yuya.
"Guess again!" Phantom activated his Duel Disk, accepting the challenge.
"Oh, by the way, the Duel Anchor I programmed will automatically start the Duel as a Master Duel." Dante revealed.
"Fine by me!" Phantom agreed without a second thought. It wasn't like he has a choice in it.
[MASTER DUEL!]
"Please do entertain me, 'Phantom'." Dante told the Pendulum user.
"Yuya…" Zarc thought worriedly for the Phantom.
Blue Angel and Go arrived shortly after. The two of them were ready to challenge Zarc to a Duel, but they stopped when they saw the cage and the Duel that now was taking place with Zarc's attention focused solely at the two Duelists.
"All right! I'll show you the newest summoning that came from the original dimension ARC-V, the Pendulum Summon!" Phantom announced as he began his Turn.
"Pendulum Summon?" Go repeated in confusion.
"With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Yuya summoned Entermate Silver Claw (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4 / PS: 5), Entermate Handsome Liger (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4), and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) in Attack Position.
"W-what is this summoning method?!" Go exclaimed in surprise.
"He summoned multiple monsters at the same time!" Blue Angel was equally shocked.
Outside LINK VRAINS, in the real world, people who were watching all reacted in shock and awe at the summoning method they have never seen before. The Phantom's declaration also began murmurs from the people.
"He said it's from the original dimension. Could it be it has something to do with what the Oracle announced before?"
"Then, he is a person from the original dimension?"
"He came to help us fighting against Apophis?"
"A Duelist from the original dimension…"
"Okay, Yuya has started his debut earlier than scheduled." Yuno remarked with a hand covering his forehead.
"He is trapped! Can't we do something?!" Yuto asked urgently.
"I'm afraid Duel Anchor is a program that even until now we have difficulties to solve. We're going to need to trust Yuya on this one." Yuno replied.
Zarc was looking at the Pendulum Summon Yuya has pulled with hardened eyes. Pendulum Summon. The term was unfamiliar yet familiar. The more he thought about it, the more his vision became that of a swinging blue pendulum. The pendulum was swaying back and forth and slowly it created what seemed to be an arc of light that he felt he had seen before. It was heart-warming simply thinking about it.
The Phantom raised his arms wide at his monsters with a wide smile on his face. It's show time.
"The fun starts now!"
NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:
Chosen Mentors –Yuya and the others decide to become Charisma Duelists. As they are still novice in Speed Duel and Master Duel and LINK VRAINS itself, Yuno arrange training for them under tutelage of four of his closest aides. Meanwhile, Celica has also arranged training for Yuzu and the others under guidance of her guardians.
I actually already finished this chapter yesterday, but I couldn't upload it because rain, thunder, lightning, cut off the wi-fi connection. One thing that I don't like from rainy season…(_ _lll)
I'd decided that Aoi, Akira, and Go are the only characters from VRAINS who appear in this fanfic. I don't want to add too many characters from other series that may cause me to neglect ARC-V characters. I know this chapter was pretty much the same as Episode 1 VRAINS, but I went with this because I thought this is the perfect way to introduce both Go and Blue Angel.
Most Academia is using Antique Gear Archetype, most Security is using Goyo Archetype, and so I thought for the beginning of Speed Duel against enemy I should show him using the same Archetype as the one Knights of Hanoi Duelists are using at least once for introduction, but this doesn't mean all of Apophis' men will be using this Archetype.
In case you're wondering, for the time being, the story will focus on Yuya and the others in the artificial dimension, but I promise you that the ones who are still in ARC-V won't be neglected. They'll appear more in future chapters. Please be patient :D
Please don't forget to review this chapter~!