Hello everybody and welcome back to the next chapter of Stand Up, the LRIG! Today, we continue into Hitoe and Akira's face off with Kai's deck on the line and look into Aichi's current confrontation with Ruko herself. Hope you all enjoy!
Ruko's School: Inside
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Nightmare ~ Reversing Wish)
Aichi just remained still as he looked on at Ruko as she held Iona's LRIG card towards him. He couldn't understand why she was doing this though. All he knew was that she didn't want him to advance any further in his search for Tama and Ulith. This had only raised even more questions running through his head though. How did she know that Akira had stolen Tama and passed her on to the cruel demanored dual Selector/LRIG before he arrived and why was she trying to stop him? He remembered Kai mentioning that she now distrusted the LRIG for not going through with the oath to conduct her wish, which was to save everyone that had become an LRIG at the risk of her becoming one herself.
However, Kai had also told him that Tama revealed that she did so on purpose to save Ruko from that fate and possibly worse from Mayu herself, unaware that Iona had been waiting for that moment to become the Selector's new LRIG, whilst also bringing Reverse upon her, regardless of whether it was her own intention or not. Noticing that her gaze trailed upon him, Aichi blinked for a moment before looking at the Selector, wanting to get some answers.
"Um... Ruko-san," he began "I know that... things didn't go the way you wanted between you and Tama, but..."
"That is the reason I'm stopping you here and now!" spoke Ruko "You can't get involved in this any further nor can you trust Tama!"
"But she was trying to save you!" Aichi replied "Don't you know what happens if..." At this moment, the Selector held up her other hand, motioning for the Royal Paladin user to stop his explanation, much to his shock.
"Aichi... Hanayo may have told you everything there is to know about the Selector Battles," Ruko continued "But, that is all the more reason for me to stop you."
"Ruko-san..." he murmured. As he gathered his thoughts together on how he should try and approach the situation, believing that he would envitably have to battle her in order to advance, he reached into his pocket to bring out his Royal Paladin deck. Before he could feel the deck case, a sudden high pitched noise caught his attention, causing him to freeze up for a brief moment.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Aichi's eyes suddenly widened in horror. A loud scream echoed throughout the entire school building and the voice that it belonged to was all too familiar. Unfortunately, it wasn't just all too familiar to him either but it was the voice of someone that Ruko had also known all too well. Although she didn't appeared as shocked or horrified as the cardfighter from listening carefully, a part of her for some reason felt it was foolish to simply dismiss this sudden turn of events. Aichi rushed over towards the stairs before looking all around frantically.
"Tama! Where are you?!" he called.
The LRIG's pained scream sounded out even louder, making it apparent that whatever harm that Ulith was presumably inflicting upon her was not even close to being finished. Listening carefully to the noise, Aichi turned back to the stairs that he was right beside and quickly assumed that she was somewhere at the top of the school. When that assumption was made, the scream faded out, leaving only silence in the school building once more.
"Please hang in there Tama!" he cried out. Before he could run off to go and look for the LRIG, he quickly looked back at Ruko, realizing that he was going to have to make a decision on how he should handle the matter. What should I do?! I want to help save Ruko-san like Kai-kun, but right now, Tama is...! His trail of thoughts were interrupted as he saw the Selector turn around with her back to him, much to his and Iona's confusion. The LRIG seemed somewhat miffed by the sudden action, annoyed that Ruko was seemingly avoiding another opportunity for a battle with the cardfighter to try and talk some sense into him.
"If you really think Tama is worth saving, I will do nothing more, until we see each other again," she said "But mark my words. If you put your faith in her as I once did, you will regret it."
Aichi could only look on at Ruko in concern, unsure of whether to take her last sentence just now as the proper truth. He knew Tama seemed harmless enough, considering that she went out of her way to prevent the Selector from turning into an LRIG herself for the sake of her wish. But there was something about the bitterness in her tone that he couldn't help but ponder about. Was there even more to the story that he didn't know about already? Shaking his head, he took one last look at Ruko, though he knew that in the end, it seemed as if his decision was made for him. He ran up the stairs, advancing as fast as he could to the top floor, hoping he wasn't already too late. Meanwhile, Iona who despite being disappointed about Aichi getting essentially a final 'free pass' to avoid a battle, couldn't help but hold her head down, running the current situation through her mind.
"Sentimental fool," she muttered under her breath "Ulith is not like anyone else he could ever imagine." At this point, Ruko could only tilt her head down towards the LRIG's card, somewhat confused as to why she said that.
"What do you mean?" the Selector asked.
"If he truely believes empathy will help him follow through... then he is sadly mistaken."
(End Music)
Meanwhile...
At the school entrance gates, Kai with Naoki holding him up from under his shoulder followed by both Leon and Ren hurried into the open space in front of the building. To their surprise, they found both Hitoe and Akira in sleep like states, indicating that the two were currently engaged in their battle. What made the current scenario more disturbing however was the lack of Aichi's presence within the entrance gates, unaware that he was already advancing through the school building in search of Tama, having briefly ran into Ruko on the way. Kai could only glance over towards Akira, concerned for Hitoe's state and angered about the 'stunt' that she had pulled on both him and Tama earlier in the day.
"I assume that's this Akira you were talking about?" murmured Ren, interrupting the Kagero user's trail of thought.
"Yeah," replied Naoki, growling under his breath before glancing over to the knives stuck in the ground near the front doors "And from the look of things, she's already made one attempt at hurting 'em as badly as Kai. Maybe worse."
"I will see to it they are removed out of her sight immediately," said Leon as he went over and removed the sharp objects from the ground, before hiding them out of sight in a nearby bush so Akira would not be able to wound them directly if she lost her temper after the current battle. Kai glanced over to Naoki, pulling out Amber Dragon, Eclipse's card from his pocket and holding it towards Hitoe, prompting the Narukami user to pull out Big Bang Dragon's card from his deck and hold it out in the same manner. However, Kai suddenly hesitated for a moment, concerned about where Aichi could be and if he was currently alright for the moment.
"Leave Sendou to us," Leon spoke, bringing the two cardfighters' attention to him and Ren, now over at the front doors. "For the moment, you already have your deck to recover from Akira."
"I understand," replied Kai "Keep your guard up." Ren sheepishly smiled in response whilst Leon gave a single nod before they entered the school building, leaving both the Kagero and Naoki outside on their own. Nodding in agreement, the two held out their respective cards towards Hitoe and Akira.
"Open!" they called as a flash erupted from their cards, bringing them to the battle that continued to rage on.
Selector Battlefield
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battle More)
Hitoe could only look on at Dragonic Overlord in bewilderment, curious about the words that the Kagero commander had spoken out towards her and presumably Yuzuki as well. She knew that in order to win back Kai's deck from Akira's clutches, she would have to defeat his avatar all by herself. Even so, Hitoe couldn't help but run over the words that were said to her through her mind, trying to figure out their meaning. Meanwhile, Akira could only stare up at Dragonic Overlord, somewhat curious as to why it had chosen to speak out towards Hitoe like that, even though it was clearly under her control for the battle. Or at least, she thought it was.
"Hey! What's with the riddles for 'Hittoe' over there?!" she demanded. "You are under my command now! Your power belongs to me!"
"Your power?" it growled "If you believe that, then prove it to me, by overcoming the obstacle before you."
"Keh. We'll see about that," replied Akira before glancing back to Hitoe, motioning for her to begin her turn.
Meanwhile, high above in a nearby tower amongst the shadowed buildings in the background, a small glow appeared for a brief moment as Kai and Naoki emerged from the light, now fading out to nothingness. The two quickly made their way to the tower windowsill and looked down onto the field. Kai could only grimace as he looked over towards Akira's table, gritting his teeth under the fact that she already had Dragonic Overlord in play. As he clenched his teeth, he turned his attention over to Hitoe, just in time to see her start her turn by growing Yuzuki up an additional level. Naoki could only look on in worry, knowing that the Selector had barely managed to hang on for as long as possible in her previous battle with Ren and was concerned that she would not stand a chance against one of Kai's strongest units.
Down on the field, Yuzuki could only glance behind her in concern, worried for Hitoe's sake. She had done alright so far in surviving against Kai's units, but Dragonic Overlord's presence had already shaken their confidence, presumably causing their chances of victory to slowly start dwindling away from them. The Selector placed down 3 additional cards in her SIGNI zones, causing the figures depicted to appear. From Yuzuki's left all the way to her right appeared Berserk Dragon along with Hitoe's own Calamity Tower Wyvern and Dual Axe Archdragon. As two cards slid out from underneath the card form of Yuzuki-Three, Hitoe drew another card before two more cards from her Ener Zone moved to her Trash Pile.
Berserk Dragon roared for a brief moment before it launched a pair of fireballs from both heads right at Akira's Calamity Tower Wyvern, banishing it from the battlefield. As the card moved to her Ener Zone, the opposing Selector didn't seem fazed in the slightest at all. Her trademarked sneer from earlier had come back and it was certainly not helping the mood at all. Looking over towards Dragonic Overlord, Hitoe gulped nervously before speaking.
"Um... Overlord?"
The Kagero commander glanced towards her, the fierce glint in its yellow eyes having not left at all. A low growl sounded from under the dragon's breath, almost startling Hitoe in complete fright.
"I... I've been thinking about... your question..." she stuttered nervously "I... might not be the most calm Selector... but I do have a reason for battling!"
"And what would that be?" the dragon asked, a slight hint of bitterness to its tone.
"I... I'm battling to help my friends! Even now... I'm battling to get your card and the rest of the deck back to Kai!"
"Is that so?" it replied "Then show me... what that ideal means to you!"
Yuzuki could only clench her teeth after hearing what Dragonic Overlord had to say. The Kagero commander had its sword pointed towards both her and Hitoe, indicating that it was serious in what it had said to them. The Selector shook her head for a brief moment to gather her thoughts together before looking over towards Akira's table, making a decision.
"W... With the ARTS, Dominating Fury!" she called "I banish Lintwurm!"
As three more cards in her Ener Zone moved to her Trash Pile, a torrent of fire suddenly engulfed Lintwurm, incinerating the SIGNI in an instant as the card moved right into Akira's Ener Zone. The Selector didn't seemed fazed in the slightest, not concerned for the loss of the Dragon Beast SIGNI. Hitoe then turned her attention towards her own SIGNI.
"My Dual Axe Archdragon will attack your Dual Axe Archdragon!"
"Pfft. So it's mutually assured destruction you want," mused Akira "Go right ahead."
The Dual Axe Archdragons that were present on both Selectors' tables glared at each other with a fierce glint in their non-scarred eyes before letting out loud roars from under their breath and charging across the battlefield towards one another. Both dragons swung their axes at each other, matching blow for blow with neither one of them wanting to back down from the other. The fierce clash continued on for several more moments until Hitoe's Dual Axe Archdragon parried away the axe from its opponent's left arm before taking the opportunity to slash down the front, banishing the other Archdragon from the field. As the unit returned back to the table, Calamity Tower Wyvern and Berserk Dragon let out mighty roars of their own before unleashing torrents of fire from their heads right at Dragonic Overlord.
The Kagero commander remained still as the attacks hit it head on, engulfing Akira's table in a large explosion that drew up a lot of smoke for a few brief moments. When it had subsided, her next two Life Cloths revealed Goddra, Phantom Dragon and Gatling Claw Dragon, the second of which had a Life Burst. As Akira drew her single card, Mirurun looked up to the Selector to see that she wasn't fazed in the slightlest from just losing out one of Kai's most powerful SIGNI, though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer as to why.
"Y... Yuzuki attacks!" Hitoe called. As Yuzuki pointed her left cannon towards Dragonic Overlord, Akira sneered before slapping down a card from her hand onto her table. Servant D2 appeared in front of Dragonic Overlord, generating a green circle in front of it to ensure that the attack would not go through to the Kagero commander. As the charge in her cannon died down, Yuzuki growled under her breath as the Guard SIGNI vanished from the battlefield.
"Damn it... Akira's definitely not messing around," muttered Naoki "But what was up with Overlord just then?"
"I don't know..." murmured Kai "But, if Hitoe hasn't got a powerful enough defence, there is no chance of victory for her." Especially since that Overlord is... His trail of thoughts was suddenly brought to a halt as he glanced over towards Akira's table, noticing only Mirurun beside the LRIG deck, no doubt still pouting as she had been since the start of the battle. His eyes suddenly widened as he quietly gasped in realization, loud enough to catch Naoki's attention.
"What's wrong Kai?" he asked.
"Tama's not with Akira..." Kai muttered "But if that's the case..."
"Could this be why Aichi isn't here?" the Narukami user murmured. The Kagero user said nothing, his suspicions only growing worse by the second as he knew that Akira's turn was now coming up. Before Hitoe decided to end the current turn here and there, she had something she felt that needed to be addressed right here and right now.
"A... Akira... I have a question," she said nervously.
"Oh?" Akira mused.
"I... I know it shouldn't be right of me to poke my nose into other people's business... but I wanted to know. Why did you say all of those hurtful things at me in our first battle? And why did you go as far as injuring Kai?" Hitoe asked, biting her lip once or twice as she did so.
"Keh. We're already closer to your demise in this battle and you choose to ask this now?" she spat before smirking "Very well then. Seeing as you asked 'nicely', I suppose I'll tell you. You want to know why I say those things towards other Selectors...? It's because I enjoy seeing them break down before my eyes!" Yuzuki could only clench her teeth as Akira broke out into hysterical laughter.
(End Music)
"So you mean to say Hitoe wasn't the first Selector to be bullied by you?!" the LRIG snapped.
"'Bullied'? I prefer the term, broken by the undeniable truth," Akira replied "Sadly, I no longer possess the luxury of Piruluk's Peeping Analyze for that benefit, but yes. That it is why I continue to battle. As for why I went as far as hurting Kai, it was so I could take his deck, stripping him of his means to enter the Selector Battles and watch him wallow in despair as the dragons that fought alongside him, now serve me!"
Looking down at the table, Hitoe could only run everything that was now brought to light through her thoughts. It was one thing that Akira enjoyed seeing people break down before her, but going as far as injuring Kai and the sudden thought of the same possibility to go about with Aichi and Ruko had her on edge. Taking a deep sigh, she looked back at the opposing Selector, preparing for the worst to come.
"Turn end."
End of Turn 6
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 4 : 5
Life Cloths - 4 : 2
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-Three : Dragonic Overlord
SIGNI : Berserk Dragon - Calamity Tower Wyvern - Dual Axe Archdragon : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY
Ener - 1 : 9
"It's finally time," Akira spoke sinisterly as she drew her cards before giggling under her breath "Can't you hear it yet? The sound of your end approaching. Keheheheh... Final Turn!"
As Yuzuki and Hitoe could only gasp quietly, over from the tower, Naoki's eyes widened in horror whilst Kai could only clench his teeth, hoping that the timid Selector had a defence set up for what was about to come into play. Akira threw Seal Dragon, Artpique's card from her hand into her Ener Zone before the two Goddras and Blue Ray Dracokid moved from there to her Trash Pile. A circle of flames surrounded the LRIG space as Dragonic Overlord growled loudly under its breath whilst the LRIG deck enveloped itself in a bright orange glow, nearly blinding Mirurun as she was essentially right beside it. Akira's eyes widened in sheer delight as her ever crazed smile only grew wider.
"Flame of the apocalypse, descend here in a fiery tempest and burn everything that is meaningless before you to mere ashes! Crossbreak Grow!"
"Crossbreak?!" gasped Naoki.
"It's here!" muttered Kai.
The circle of fire that surrounded the LRIG space suddenly erupted into a column of fire, obscuring Dragonic Overlord aside from its silhouette from everyone's sight down on the battlefield. As the shapes of the dragon began to change, its arms doubling in number as well as its wings, Akira sneered as she called out the name of the form transcending before her very eyes.
"Dragonic Overlord... the End!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: PSY Qualia tono Tatakai)
As the flames dispersed, Dragonic Overlord the End emerged from the blaze with a much louder defeaning roar to accompany its presence. The force of the roar was much stronger than before, knocking the sidelined LRIG Mirurun onto her knees as she covered her ears whilst Yuzuki struggled to keep on her feet. Hitoe could only look over towards the End in worry, knowing that things were only going to get much harder from here on in. She gulped nervously as she stared up at the dragon, hoping that she was even ready for what was to come.
"The... End..." she murmured nervously.
"Hitoe, we better brace ourselves!" Yuzuki called, bringing the Selector's attention back to reality. Akira sneered as she continued on with her turn by summoning two copies of Kannya, Phantom Dragon to the left and right SIGNI spaces whilst Seal Dragon Artpique appeared in the center space. The 3 dragons all had a bright orange aura surrounding them, their power increasing from Dragonic Overlord the End's Cross Grow bonus.
Kannya, Phantom Dragon x2: 7000 - 9000
Seal Dragon, Artpique: 2000 - 4000
"With Artpique's ability," Akira spoke "I move it to my Ener Zone to give 3000 power to the Kannya on my right!"
The Seal Dragon vanished in a bright orange glow as the card moved to her Ener Zone, in turn bringing up an aura of the same colour around the selected Kannya, powering it up again to 12000 for the turn. The Selector sneered indicating that she wasn't even close to done yet.
"Finally, I'll summon another Lintwurm," she continued "Now my SIGNI power up again!"
Kannya, Phantom Dragon (L): 12000 - 14000
Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon: 7000 - 9000
Kannya, Phantom Dragon (R): 9000 - 11000
"And now... one more copy of One Rule, Two Birds!"
Hitoe gasped in panic as the copy of Barri that she added back a few turns ago began leaking sparks again along with another card in her hand, rendering them useless against Dragonic Overlord for the entire turn. The fact that Akira went as far as declaring this to be the 'Final Turn' had seemingly already sealed both hers and Yuzuki's fates. The LRIG could only look behind in worry, concerned for Hitoe and wondering what was going through her head.
Is this really the end? she thought That can't be...
"Well then, let's start with 'the beginning of the end'," Akira sneered "My Kannyas alone will attack first!" The two Dragon Beast SIGNI nodded in response to her command and flew across the battlefield towards Hitoe's table, easily overpowering both Dual Axe Archdragon and Berserk Dragon with their greater amount of strength from both Dragonic Overlord and Lintwurm. The two SIGNI cards moved to Hitoe's Ener Zone as she could only look on, struggling to maintain her composure. She knew at as long as she couldn't guard the End's attack, she was completely helpless to do anything...
No! I can't start thinking about that! she thought There must be something I can do! I can't give up! For Aichi and Kai!
"The End attacks Calamity Tower!"
Yuzuki's eyes suddenly widened in shock as she looked on over towards Dragonic Overlord, taking flight above the table and aiming right at the last remaining unit. She was confused. Why was Akira attacking the SIGNI with Overlord? A horrible feeling in her gut however was telling her that she was about to find out... right now to be precise. Dragonic Overlord roared as it brought down the two guns in its upper right arms before firing a barrage of fiery bullets at Calamity Tower Wyvern, banishing from the field before a sudden explosion egulfed Yuzuki in a cloud of smoke as she cried out in pain.
"Yuzuki!" gasped Hitoe as she suddenly saw her next Life Cloth, another copy of Berserk Dragon enter her Ener Zone. As Yuzuki stumbled back up to her feet from the sudden attack, she glared back at Akira.
"How did...?!"
"Dragonic Overlord's Break Grow ability," Akira interrupted, sneering as she did so "When I attack a SIGNI this turn with the End, not only does it gain Lancer for the one time only, but I can also do this!" Another card from the Selector's Ener Zone moved to her Trash Pile as she revealed Dragon Knight, Gimel from her hand and dropped it into her Trash Pile. Dragonic Overlord the End roared loudly as the card form on the LRIG space suddenly upped itself, to everyone's shock, except for Kai whose frustrated gaze remained fixated on Akira, who was seemingly having the time of her life.
"The End... stood back up?!" gasped Yuzuki.
"That's right," she replied "By attacking this way with the Break Grow ability, I can preserve a copy for the End's Persona Blast, which Ulith generously gave me a few hints about."
"Then... Ulith gave you all of Kai's strategies?!" Hitoe stuttered in disbelief.
"That's correct, a small means to an end to... well, bring the end to the two of you!" Akira answered before entering a brief phase of hysterical laughter. After a few moments passed, she turned her attention back to the LRIG space.
"The End attacks again!"
As Dragonic Overlord charged up the guns it held in its upper arms again, Yuzuki looked back to Hitoe, panic present all over her expression.
"Please tell me you have something to guard with!" she called out. After a few moments of silence however, the LRIG's expression became crestfallen as she turned around just in time to get struck by multiple fiery bullets from the End's guns, screaming out loud in pain. Hitoe shielded her face as several of the bullets flew right past her, just as two more cards entered her Ener Zone, neither of which had any Life Bursts either. They were Dual Axe Archdragon and Komodo, Phantom Dragon.
"Hit," Akira sneered "Counterblast and... Persona Blast! Overlord, stand up once again!"
Dragonic Overlord roared as it brought up the swords stashed up in its lower arms, preparing to strike Yuzuki once again. The LRIG struggled back to her feet, panting heavily after recovering from the Kagero commander's assault. Hitoe could only look up in worry, her composure now edging even closer than before to the breaking point.
"What's wrong?" Akira taunted "Have you run out of options? Then it is decided. You're done for! Now start grovelling!" Her response however was something she was not expecting.
(End Music)
"I'm not giving up!"
Everyone else present on the battlefield, including Kai and Naoki but minus Dragonic Overlord had their eyes widen in surprise after seeing that it was Hitoe who had spoken out for herself in this most dire of situations. Yuzuki looked over towards the Selector and struggled back onto her knees, curious about the expression she was now seeing before her. It was still riddled with nervousness, no doubt from being forced into a corner at this very moment. However, something seemed different about her this time around.
"There's too much riding on this battle!" Hitoe replied "I can't give up... for Kai's sake! And... I'm sure Aichi would feel this way if he was in the same spot!"
"Hitoe..." murmured Yuzuki.
"Hmph. It hardly matters," spat Akira "The End's next Persona Blast will be more than enough to finish you. Now then... prepare to suffer!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Kai's Determination)
Dragonic Overlord the End roared loudly as it dived down towards Yuzuki, bringing up one of its swords down upon the LRIG. She raised and held out both cannons in an attempt to block, but the blow was far more stronger than she anticipated. The force of which ended up knocking her off balance as she stumbled backwards, giving Overlord the opportunity to slash her with the other sword that it carried in its right lower arm. Akira sneered and entered another crazed fit of laughter for a brief moment before gazing maliciously at both Hitoe and Yuzuki.
"And with that, you have no Life Cloths left!" she called "Now it is truely the end!"
Hitoe could only sweat as the final Life Cloth flew up from her table as it went over to her Ener Zone. It flipped face up, revealing Dragon Dancer, Barbara as the final card. The card suddenly glowed, indicating that its Life Burst went off. The top card of the Selector's deck moved to her table face-down, resuming the sudden tension. Akira however was annoyed, to say the least.
"So you lucked out on that card," she spat "But that only prolongs your end for another attack!"
"Alright, enough with 'the End' puns already," muttered Mirurun "We get it." Akira glared down at her for a brief moment, making a mental reminder to herself to shut the LRIG's mouth when she felt like it once the battle was over. In the meantime, she turned her attention back towards Dragonic Overlord, now hovering above Hitoe's table once again.
"Persona Blast!" she declared "And I attack again!"
Yuzuki could only look up from her feet as Dragonic Overlord began charging the energy it used in the guns that it carried in its upper arms. She looked back to Hitoe in worry, knowing that an additional Persona Blast from the End was just enough to end the battle and there was very little chance in hoping that the new Life Cloth was another copy of Barbara.
"Hitoe... I'm sorry..." she muttered under her breath "We've failed..."
"W... We haven't lost yet," said Hitoe, taking a few deep breaths to regain her composure. "All you need is a little confidence... in me."
Yuzuki could only stare at her in concern, knowing that if she lost, they would be seperated from one another again, only this time, possibly for good. That was when it suddenly hit her from what her Selector was trying to say. Before she could speak out the answer, she could only look up towards Dragonic Overlord the End. It roared loudly as it brought down both of the guns it held in its upper arms, firing a larger and more faster barrage of fiery bullets at the LRIG who was quickly engulfed in a large explosion that forced Hitoe to shield her face from the impact. As the smoke cleared, the last Life Cloth revealed Gatling Claw Dragon, another Life Burst, albeit different from the last one.
"W... With the effect," Hitoe said nervously "I draw 1 card!" As she eyed the deck and reached out her hand towards it, her sudden anxiety from before suddenly returned back to her, causing her to hesitate and freeze up. Panic was running through her mind, causing her to second guess her chances of surviving the battle now one attack away from being over. As she was about to start breathing hectically, a familiar voice rang through her head, suddenly quelling her doubts from before.
"You're a really kind person, but you need to have some more faith in yourself."
That's right! she thought I wanted to step in for Aichi so that I could help him out in the best way I could and right now, I'm doing my part to help out Kai. Even if I have no chance, I have to try for them!
Placing her hand on the top card of the deck, Hitoe closed her eyes as she pulled it towards her ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath, she moved the card out to her right, obscured from the view of everyone else, including Kai and Naoki up from the tower. As she opened her eyes and looked towards it, her eyes could only stare in wonder and amazement. This however had caught the attention of Akira.
"What are you smiling about?!" she barked "You have nothing left to protect you! This time... this time it is over! Persona Blast!"
Dragonic Overlord roared loudly as it hovered down into the view of both Hitoe and Yuzuki, the latter of whom was now struggling onto her knees to brace herself for the worst to come. A small fireball was beginning to take shape in the Kagero commander's mouth as the Selector could only look on at the dragon, seemingly staring right into the face of defeat.
"It all ends here!" declared Akira as she held out her arm in a commanding gesture. "Eternal... APOCALYPSE!"
"Damn it! I can't watch!" cried Naoki.
Kai could only grit his teeth, assuming that the worst was to now fall over Hitoe and Yuzuki and that there was nothing they could do to stop it. Dragonic Overlord the End opened its large jaw, unleashing a large inferno from the single fireball that erupted into a blaze of scorching flames. The blaze was so large that it ended up covering across the entire top half of the table, engulfing both Selector and LRIG, leaving nothing to be seen within the raging fire that now obscured them from sight. Upon seeing that her final attack had seemingly won her the battle, Akira let out a hysterical laugh, more sinister and in a sense, far more insane than the previous few that she had done throughout the battle.
(End Music)
"Yes! I have done it!" she called "Now wallow in despair as I take Yuzuki as per our agreement and suffer the wrath of Kai's... WHAT?!"
Mirurun looked up in confusion to see what the sudden change in the Selector's reaction before looking over to Hitoe's table to see a blinding white flash emerge from the inferno that was still present. It disappated the flames, blinding her, Akira, Kai, Naoki and Dragonic Overlord itself before the flash died down to see Yuzuki, barely standing up from the ordeal, shielded by a familiar Guard SIGNI whilst Hitoe was panting from enduring most of the dragon's attack, evidenced by the scorch marks present on her shirt and the fact that she was wearily holding the card that saved her from defeat. It was Servant D2, a SIGNI with just a high enough Level to bypass the effect of One Rule, Two Birds.
"Ngh... You drew into that card?!" growled Akira "That's impossible!"
"Yes!" called Naoki "She withstood it!"
"Yeah," replied Kai "With no more copies of the End in the LRIG deck, Akira can no longer harness Overlord's full potential. Hitoe has done well to endure the relentless attacks from my avatar."
"Grr, don't get your hopes up or anything!" snapped Akira as she glared over toward Hitoe who placed Servant D2's card into her Trash Pile. "As soon as you pass the turn, any attack will be enough to finish you off! As long as I possess that which once belonged to Kai, you are nothing!"
"That is where you're mistaken."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock and surprise to hear that Dragonic Overlord had chosen at this very moment to speak out loud for itself. As it hovered back towards Akira's table, it looked back at her, with a fierce gaze present in its green eyes.
"Power is not merely for enjoyment," it spoke, a fierce tone to its voice "It is something that you must grasp with your own hands. Stealing it from others to abuse for your own entertainment is not the true means to achieve it." Akira was not pleased to be spoken to by the Kagero commander, her temper rising by the second.
"You... You dare to lecture me?!" she barked "I possess your card! Everything you do in these battles is to my command!"
"Pitiful girl," replied Overlord "It seems even as I'm battling under your banner instead of that of my Vanguard, unlike a certain few*, you've learned nothing. You are not even worthy to even call yourself a wielder of the Aerial Assault Unit, Kagero."
"You...!" she growled before glaring back at Hitoe, wanting to deal with her first, angrily crossing her arms and turning her head away in stubborness. "... Turn end!"
End of Turn 7
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 4 : 2
Life Cloths - 0 : 2
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-Three : Dragonic Overlord the End
SIGNI : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY : Kannya, Phantom Dragon - Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon - Kannya, Phantom Dragon
Ener - 9 : 0
Hitoe took a deep breath before sighing in relief in the fact that she managed to get the battle under control again. But after looking back at her hand, she knew things weren't looking good for her.
I managed to hang on she thought But because the power of Akira's SIGNI is below 12000, I can't use my See Through the Fiery Ambition ARTS to have the weaker SIGNI I have attack Dragonic Overlord directly. I'll just have to hope I can draw the SIGNI I need here and now.
Before she could begin the turn, Yuzuki who had now managed to get back onto her feet, standing tall and ready to continue the battle, looked over to the Selector with a weak smile on her expression.
"This is our last chance..." she murmured "Hitoe... just as I have always counted on you to see through our previous battles, don't forget who's also counting on us."
"Y... Yes," replied Hitoe as she looked on towards Dragonic Overlord who gazed back at her, awaiting a sign that it and Yuzuki would clash again soon. "And... I don't want to let them down either! So... Yuzuki, please lend me your strength!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Seek the Mate - Overlord)*
Before the LRIG could nod or say an upbeat "Yes!" or something similar along the lines, a sudden orange glow circled around the LRIG space, catching the two by surprise. As Akira and Mirurun could only stare on in confusion, several bright orange glows that almost blinded them, resonated with some of the cards on their table. More specifically, the cards depicting Lizard Soldier, Conroe and Embodiment of Armor, Bahr from the LRIG Trash and Dragon Knight, Nehalem whose card was stacked beneath Dragonic Overlord the End's card on the LRIG space.
"W... What the hell is this?!" gasped the Selector.
Meanwhile up in the tower, Naoki could only look down at the battlefield in awe, wondering what exactly was going on at the floor right at the bottom of the space. Before he could mutter a question to himself, he turned over to Kai and suddenly gasped.
"K... Kai, your pocket!" he called.
Realizing that was where he kept the spare deck containing the Amber Dragon series, Kai quickly dug into his jacket pocket and brought out the source of the bright orange glow. He could only look on in shock as Amber Dragon, Eclipse's card was covered in the exact same aura that was already occurring at the battlefield beneath the tower from where he and Naoki were currently standing.
"This is..."
His murmur was interrupted as the aura suddenly left the card in a wisp-laser beam like pattern that soared out through the tower windowsill and went straight towards Yuzuki on the LRIG space of Hitoe's table. The auras from the Kagero LRIG cards, barring the Dragonic Overlord cards, had left those same cards in the exact same manner, much to the shock of Akira and Mirurun, who remained still with dumbfounded expressions as the streaks of orange light suddenly struck Yuzuki all at once, almost knocking her backwards to the ground. The same aura that had struck her was now surrounding her and the LRIG deck that Hitoe had on her table. It felt all so strange and yet, it seemed just... right. As she suddenly realized what this could be all about, she turned back to her Selector. Hitoe looked towards the LRIG deck, seeing the strange aura amongst the remaining cards before looking back at the LRIG.
"Hitoe, declare Grow now!" called Yuzuki.
"I... I understand," she replied before she looked back towards Akira. "Grow!"
At the moment that incantation was declared, a fiery column suddenly erupted from the aura, engulfing the LRIG in another torrent of flames. Unlike Dragonic Overlord's previous attacks on her however, this was different. A Vanguard circle suddenly flashed briefly in front of the column of flames, catching the said Kagero user's attention as it gazed upon the inferno that stood before it. As Hitoe looked at the column of fire, upon staring at it for long enough, she suddenly realized that this was not the Fourth Warning form she had used in practice battles against Kai and Ren. One thing was for sure, the name of this new emergence, now became clear to her in an instant as she spoke it out loud in an instant.
"Yuzuki-Four... Combustion of Perdition!"
When the name was called out, the fiery column suddenly burst apart into smaller embers, revealing the newly changed form of Yuzuki. Her clothing as an LRIG remained nearly unchanged, but there were now several additions to her appearance. The red bandages covering the lower half of her arms had now been replaced with spiked armour, resembling that of dragon hide. The same could also be said for the stockings covering her legs, they too also covered in scaly armour. Her crystal wings were no more, now replaced with what appeared to be black coloured natural wings, but unlike Iona's wings in her higher level forms, they looked more organic, much like that of dragon wings to be more precise.
The cannons had also undergone quite the change, now single barreled and coloured in gunmetal grey with golden trims at the end. The scrunchie that Yuzuki had used to tie the back of her hair from when she was previously a Selector remained unchanged whilst the top front half of her head was covered by a small metal headdress, giving off the impression of streaks of fire. In the circle at the centermost part of the headdress on the forehead, a strange symbol was emblazed upon it. A symbol that was all too familiar to Kai as he looked down from the tower onto Hitoe's table.
"That's... the Kagero clan symbol?*" he murmured "Could it be that... they lent their strength to Yuzuki?"
Naoki said nothing, too amazed to see what had now emerged before him and the Kagero cardfighter. All that he and Kai knew for the moment now was thanks to this sudden turn in events, Hitoe's chances to overcoming Akira may have just increased, regardless of whether she had already realized that or not.
(End Music)
Ruko's School: Rooftop
Aichi stepped out onto the roof through the door that he exited from the top floor. He panted for a few moments to regain his breath after running up the stairs and frantically searching through all of the classrooms on said top floor for Tama before finding himself where he was now. The night air was eerily silent, the dark sky above almost like a black void smothered by the clouds that were present. As he took a few steps forward onto the floor present before him, the door that he opened suddenly closed behind him because of a sudden, but brief gust of wind that stirred up for a short moment. The sudden moment had Aichi feeling nervous, but he knew that he had other things to worry about.
"At last, we finally meet in person, scum," a voice spoke cooly " Or rather... Sendou Aichi."
He looked on ahead towards the source of the voice, stepping out of the shadows from the small shelter in front of him at the far side of the roof. Ulith emerged from the darkness previously obscuring her and walked out until she was a considerable distance from the cardfighter.
"Um... Are you Ulith?" Aichi asked nervously.
"That is correct," the Selector replied "I believe I have something that you and Kai want back."
"Then... you have Tama's card?" he pondered.
"Or rather, Shiro?"
Aichi blinked in confusion. He couldn't understand exactly what Ulith was telling him right now, referring to the LRIG Tama as this 'Shiro'. He had a feeling that with everything that had come to light over today's events, he was going to find out right this instant.
"My, I suppose the rumor I've heard so much about from the 'girl of black' was true," Ulith spat "Shiro, or rather Tama as you call her, did indeed lose all of her original memories."
"Then... the reason Tama doesn't know anything about herself before meeting Ruko-san..." murmured Aichi.
"That is correct," she replied before holding a brief sneer "In fact... why don't I just show you, the true Shiro."
The cruel demanored Selector dug into her blazer's right pocket and pulled out an LRIG card, evidenced by its white backing. She held the back of it towards Aichi before turning it over to reveal the LRIG in question. The Royal Paladin user could only look on in shock, concerned about what he was now seeing before him. There in that very card was Tama herself or 'Shiro' as Ulith had preferred to call her. But she was not in her usual cheery and upbeat mood. Instead she stood still inside the card frame, holding her head down and obscuring her expression from Aichi. A few moments later, she tilted her head upwards, revealing that her eyes had gone completely dull, almost lifeless in appearance, to which the cardfighter assumed was from the pain he was hearing her suffer from earlier. She opened her mouth, speaking 3 words that would only confirm his fears.
"Are you... strong?"
And there we go! With a little bit (and by that, I mean a lot) of luck and endurance on her side, Hitoe manages to survive the relentless attacks of Dragonic Overlord the End to buy herself one more turn to try and turn the battle around in her favor. Accepting the power granted by the other Kagero units (barring Dragonic Overlord), she grows Yuzuki to a brand new form and looks to get on the counterattack immediatly. Meanwhile, Aichi dodges another battle with Ruko so that he can go and save Tama, on the condition they will face off on their next encounter. But when he finds the LRIG in possession of Ulith, he is shocked to find her in this state, seemingly worse for wear. What will happen from all of this? Find out next time on the next chapter of Stand Up, the LRIG! Don't forget to follow, favourite and/or leave I review and I'll see you all again next time!
*Dragonic Overlord references back to his past encounters and battles with Dragonic Burnout and Blast Bulk Dragon in their lores.
*If you're unsure of what this symbol is exactly, it's the Kagero clan symbol depicted in Cardfight! Vanguard G. You can find a clear view of it at the top of the Kagero page on the Cardfight! Vanguard wikia.
*This first plays in Episode 192 when Kai declares Final Turn against Gaillard.
