Hello again everyone! It's moment you've all been waiting for! The endgame for Arc 2 begins... now! Hope you'll enjoy the first of many chapters to cover the entire arc finale.
Dreamscape
"Don't go!"
A young girl with dark brown hair cried out loud as she ran down what appeared to be a very quiet street of the city in the midst of a stormy afternoon. The clouds were a very omnious dark grey and the rain that had been pelting down on her had pratically already drenched most of her clothing. Despite the chill that she was getting from the cold weather, that didn't matter to her in the slightest. Not when she had to talk to the person she had been trying to catch up with. She panted as she eventually came up close towards the person that was walking away from her.
"Mother...!" the young girl cried out loud.
The tall woman, now known to be the girl's mother, stopped for a brief moment, growling under her breath unbeknowst to her pursuer. Then she raised her right arm, that wasn't clutching to the umbrella that had been shielding her from the downpour all around her before smacking it straight into the young girl's face, knocking her backwards in the result. The girl fell backwards to the ground, in shock, pain and partial fear all at once as she gazed into her mother's eyes. Her face strangely enough was obscured from her vision, though she could tell from the two single white glows from where her eyes would be was a hard, sharp and fierce gaze that was now directed upon her, just as a thunderclap went off in the rainy sky above them.
"Stay away from me," she hissed.
"What did I do wrong...?" the young girl whimpered "Why am I scary...? What can I...?"
"You are no longer my daughter! Do not continue to pester me or I can assure you that you'll suffer for it!"
At this moment, a flash of lighting streaked across the stormy sky as the young girl remained still, shocked and horrified by what her 'mother' had to say to her. The tall woman turned her back to the person that had been following her and walked onwards through the empty street, until she had eventually vanished from sight. The young girl remained still as the rain continued to pelt down on her, having felt too cold from the atmosphere around her to notice that she was even drenched from the whole ordeal. She could only look down at her hands, still shaking over everything that she had now been told before closing her eyes and crying out loud.
"Mother... I'm sorry...!" she whimpered "PLEASE COME BACK...!"
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Akira)
Ruko suddenly opened up her eyes, panting a little at what she had witnessed or rather, what had ended up repressing about. She could only look down at the ground that she was sitting on in sadness. The Selector had relived a memory that she had hoped to never see again, the day that her mother had left her and her older brother Ayumu in the care of their grandmother. Until recently, she had never remembered back to that day as it was one where everything changed for her, all because her mother claimed she had scared her. Even to this day, Ruko still had no idea as to why that was the case. As far as she knew back to that time, she never really asked for much so why then?
But... this Reverse, as Kai called it... she thought It does give grandma and my brother a reason to think I'm scary... Regardless of whether they find out or not... It will happen again.
"You seem troubled."
The Selector dug into her coat pocket and pulled out Iona's card in front of her. The dark LRIG's expression remained somewhat neutral from how she had spoken out, with a small bit of curiosity from why Ruko was panting just a few moments ago.
"Don't tell me you've become nerved of their presence?" she murmured.
"It... It's nothing like that," Ruko replied, unwilling to speak of what she had remembered. "Just... a bad dream."
"I see..."
Iona's sharp gaze had slightly nerved the Selector, with a hint of impatience almost visible amongst her expression. Sighing deeply for a brief moment, Ruko first looked up towards the sky, seeing that the evening sunset was about to come into view very soon. Then she glanced down from the top of the building, looking down towards the street that was leading right up to the front of the building's entrance. From there, she could see Aichi, Kai, Hitoe and Ren along with both Naoki and Leon, whom she had not met beforehand. All of them were walking down the road up to their destination, that being the building that she had been sleeping atop of, presumably to confront her at this very moment.
"So he's come back for more..." Iona murmured, catching the attention of the Selector "Very well then. If he wishes to have his will crushed again, then I or rather we will grant that wish."
Ruko said nothing, but kept her gaze upon the group as the afternoon sun behind her was beginning to start setting in the distance.
City Streets
Back on the ground, Kai and the others continued towards the entrance of the building. It was beginning to look much more complete than the Kagero user had last remembered from his previous two visits. A more recent example of this having been the addition of a silver metal plate on the right side of the entrance with the kanji spelling out "Daikichi Apartments" engraved into said plate. With the lack of presence around the ground floors of the building, it was easy enough to assume that the construction workers had already left a while ago, leaving them with hopefully enough time to get to Ruko and hopefully free her from the curse that had a grip on her.
"Kai-kun..."
Kai stopped for moment and turned to face Aichi who seemed a little concerned for what was about to unfold in front of him the moment that this confrontation would go down. Hitoe who stood beside him said nothing, but her expression could give away the impression that she too was slightly concerned, only her worries were more directed towards the question of whether Kai would somehow end up being reversed again or not.
"Are you sure you and Tama... are ready?" Yuzuki murmured, her voice coming from the card that her Selector had held out in front of her.
"Right now, there's no telling about what may be going on with Ruko," the Kagero user replied "If Reverse has already eaten away at the last of her willpower, the only thing left of her will be nothing more than a dangerous enemy within. Regardless though, I will not back down until she is freed."
(End Music)
"Tama's ready!" Tama called from the card that he held. "Right, Kai?"
"Yeah," Kai answered as he walked forwards towards the doors, opening them up.
The others nodded in agreement and followed him inside before making the long ascent to the rooftop. The group advanced through the various staircases and elevators that had been completed, steadily progressing towards the top of the building. As they were waiting inside one of the elevators to take them towards the top floor, Hitoe couldn't help but feel concerned about where the scenario for Ruko could be headed. Nervously, she reached out with her right hand and tapped Aichi's shoulder. The Royal Paladin user turned to face her.
"Is something wrong Hitoe-san?" he asked.
"I'm worried... about Ruko," she answered nervously. "I can only hope that Kai and Tama can do what they can to help... but the fact that she doesn't trust us from trusting Tama..." She then bit her lip for a brief moment, having known the possible reason as to why this was. "... I don't know what to think."
"Hitoe..." Yuzuki murmured.
"I understand," said Aichi "Right now, we need to have faith in Kai-kun. I know he's pulled through worse than this and with Tama helping him, I know he'll find a way to help Ruko-san."
"And if that doesn't work?" the LRIG asked.
"Then I'll have to do everything I can," he replied.
Eventually after a long silence, the elevator made it to the top floor allowing the group to advance onwards over to the doors leading to the person that had been awaiting them. Kai reached out for the handle of the right door that was in front of him before twisting it to open it up. Eventually, when the rooftop had come into view for everyone, they could see Ruko with her back turned towards them. Kai made a motion for everyone behind him to keep back as he stepped forwards towards the middle of the roof.
"So you've returned... Kai Toshiki," the Selector spoke as she turned around to face him.
"Indeed," he replied "I told you before that neither me nor your comrades are giving up on you. That goes for Tama as well." He then held out Tama's card out in front of him to make his point clear as the LRIG looked on out to her former Selector. Ruko merely frowned however, turning her head away from Tama herself.
"So neither you or the others have learned anything..." she muttered as she then turned her attention over towards Aichi who had been standing at the far back with Hitoe, Naoki, Ren and Leon. "And those others I haven't seen before. Your names?"
"Ishida Naoki," Naoki replied "And that's Leon. So you're Ruko that everyone's been talkin' about."
"I see... more of you to deal with," Iona spoke out loud, prompting Ruko to reveal the LRIG herself to all. The Selector dug back into her coat pocket and brought out the card, revealing Iona to everyone that was present on the rooftop.
"So I see that you have indeed come back here, Kai Toshiki," the LRIG murmured "I suppose your intention has remained the same as before."
"Iona..." Kai muttered "Aren't you even concerned about the power that Ruko is struggling to keep back?!"
"It hardly matters," she spoke "As long as Ruko continues to battle with me and obtain victory, that is all there is."
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battle More)
As the LRIG finished speaking, the dark red and black aura of Reverse suddenly appeared around Ruko as she cringed in pain loudly, wincing a little as she struggled to keep back the power before said aura had eventually vanished. Everyone's eyes with the exception of Iona widened in shock, but none were more concerned about this turn of events than Aichi, Kai, Tama and the Selector's own friends.
"Ruko!" cried Hitoe.
"Ruko-san, don't you realize that power is only hurting you?!" called Aichi "Please let us help you!"
"... I'm aware..." the Selector panted "But... that is not of my concern!"
"Ru, please listen to Aichi!" Tama called "Kai agrees too!"
The following silence that became apparent a few moments later however had indicated that Ruko had taken no notice of the LRIG's desperate plea, no doubt from still being bitter about her not going through with the oath at the end of their last battle together that led to this. Iona briefly looked up at the Selector before glancing back towards Tama.
"It would seem Ruko's decision has been made," she spoke "I would have liked to have faced Sendou Aichi before this very moment, to make our strength known as a reminder to those who dare stand before us. But now that Kai has brought you all the way here... this is a perfect opportunity for me to settle the score with the girl of white, once and for all."
At this point, everyone remained silent, wondering what exactly Iona had meant from her words. None were more confused than Hitoe or Aichi who could only ponder as to why she said so whilst Ren and Kai respectively had a feeling that they knew exactly what the LRIG was talking about.
"Settling the score...?" murmured Yuzuki "What could she be talking about?"
"It would appear it may have been from a previous confrontation with Tama when she was still with Ruko," Leon spoke "But... something feels different from the way she has spoken out."
"Ruko-san..." Aichi said nervously. As he finished speaking, Ruko first glanced over towards Tama who remained worried about her former Selector's state, then to Kai who kept his serious gaze upon her and finally the Royal Paladin user that had been watching everything with everyone beside him. As she did so, the sky above them had began to darken, evidenced by the sun that was beginning to set behind her in the far distance.
"Sendou Aichi, Kai Toshiki..." she began "I never intended for things to be this way... but, I will make both of you turn back at once."
"Both of us... at once...?" Aichi murmured in confusion. Kai merely sharpened his gaze, believing that there was more to what she was saying than first glance was appearing to let on.
"That's right," Ruko replied "You will both be my opponents for this battle!"
Everyone could only stare at the Selector in confusion, curious as to why this sort of challenge had been issued out to the two cardfighters in particular.
"A two on one battle...?" Hitoe murmured.
"What is Ruko even thinking?" Yuzuki muttered.
"You will both be paired as one team against me and Iona alone," Ruko explained "As your lone opponent, I will begin the battle with 7 Life Cloths, but will regain that same amount with the cards from the top of my deck the first time my total becomes 0 or as many as possible if my deck has fewer than 7 cards at that time. I can only normal Grow once every two turns and both of you will take turns attacking us. You cannot use Quintet Walls to guard for each other, but you may share the cards in your Ener and use any ARTS that your teammate has in reserve."
As a harsh breeze whilsted across the rooftop of the incomplete Daikichi Apartments, it soon became evident to everyone else that there was only one way that this was going to be settled and that was through the terms that Ruko had laid out before them. Whilst Tama could only stare on at the Selector in worry, Kai merely closed his eyes, now having drawn up the conclusion to this sudden declaration.
"I see... In your desperation to force both of us to turn back at this very moment, that's why you've set up this battle," he muttered before looking up at the Ruko. "I assume that you've played under those conditions before?"
"That's right," Iona answered "Ruko has battled several times under this sort of Battle Royale a while back before we met Sendou Aichi for the first time. Given how our last confrontation ended, I'm certain that even yours and his combined strength will mean nothing to us."
"I see now," Kai spoke before he then glanced to the group behind him. Aichi nodded in compliance before walking over to join him and Ruko, prepared to go through with the conditions that she had laid out for them.
"I'll accept your offer, Ruko-san," he replied "Kai-kun, Tama, my Royal Paladins and I will do everything we can to save you!"
"Tama agrees!" Tama called "Tama will save Ru from Reverse!"
The rooftop fell silent once more as Iona held a smirk on her lips before glancing up at Ruko, who appeared as ready as she ever wanted to be. She turned around the LRIG's card and held it towards both Kai and Aichi. As the sky darkened slightly more, the Selector knew exactly what she intended to do at this very moment.
"Open, Battle Royale!" she called.
A large black flash erupted from the card towards the group, engulfing Kai and Aichi as they shielded themselves before a dark red aura suddenly flowed through that same flash. The rest of the group could only watch as they too were eventually engulfed, bringing them to the battlefield that would await for all of them. This was now a sign that the battle for the Selector, Kominato Ruko, despite the conditions that had been laid out, had now finally begun.
(End Music)
...
When Aichi eventually opened his eyes, he could gasp in horror as to where exactly they were. All around him, he could see nothing but a vast and seemingly empty black void, littered with stars in various places. As he glanced down as to what exactly was in front of him, he could only realize that his worst fears had indeed come true. Right in front of the Royal Paladin user was a single transparent red board that hovered in front of him where all of his field, the card Advance Party Seeker, File being face up with seven white dots littered around it, his seven Life Cloths already face down with both his Black and White Decks in place along with his starting hand being fanned face-down at the far back.
Looking right out in front, he could see File himself and was surprised. In this space, he was now at his regular size compared to the time where he started out in the previous confrontation with Ulith where the normal Selector Battlefield had downsized him to fit onto the table. Now it seemed that wherever he was battling in had slightly different properties than that of the battlefield. Aichi then turned to his right to see both Tama and Kai who were seemingly perplexed as to this sudden turn of events considering that they too appeared to be somewhat familiar with their surroundings.
"This is..." Aichi murmured.
"There's no other explanation," Kai muttered "This is... the Link Joker fight field!"
Aichi then looked over to his left to see everyone else in the far distance, who were also surprised to see that Yuzuki was now back to her normal size due to the field's differentiating properties. She knew though that despite the change in scenery from what they were normally used to, she and the others would unable to do anything but watch as the battle would play out before their eyes before then turning his attention forwards towards Ruko and Iona in the far distance who didn't seem the least bit fazed by this sudden change. The LRIG like Yuzuki was now the size of a normal human being in this space as was Tama. The darker LRIG was as tall as Kai whilst Tama was around a little shorter than Aichi. Ruko's former LRIG glanced around her surroundings in wonder, but had a hint of fear present on her expression, as if she had been here before.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"
Tama suddenly glanced towards Iona, who had spoken out for herself, much to the LRIG's surprise and Ruko's sudden interest.
"I know all about your clash with 'The Clown'," she said "It's partially the reason you lost all of your memories."
"W... What does Iona mean?" the LRIG asked nervously.
"If you last long enough," Iona replied "I may be willing to tell you. It might interest your former Selector in the slightest, before you can say goodbye to her, forever."
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Might of the Star-vaders)*
Ruko said nothing in response before glancing over towards both Kai and Aichi who in turn had already picked up the cards that were laid out as their starting hands. Then a creaking noise was heard as everyone, the spectators included looked up above them to see the roulette that would normally be seen in the Selector Battles appear above their heads and began spinning. After a short while, it eventually landed on a black square. Iona seemed rather pleased with this result as she turned over towards Kai, Aichi, File and Tama who all tensed up, awaiting Ruko's decision that would be made.
"I will go first," the Selector spoke "Kai will follow afterwards, then back to me, then over to Aichi and so forth. Are there any objections?"
"Fine by me," Kai replied.
"Here we go!" Aichi called.
Over on the far side of the field, Hitoe, Yuzuki, Naoki, Ren and Leon all remained tense as Ruko began the first turn of the battle by drawing her single card.
"Iona, grow!" she called.
In a flash of a black and red aura, Iona's appearance changed as her grey costume suddenly turned pitch black as a small fireball suddenly materialized in her right hand. She opened her eyes and glanced towards Tama, who could only feel slightly nerved from the outlook of the situation at hand. Kai glanced at the LRIG, noticing her slight nervousness at this point as he begun his turn.
"Tama, I understand how you feel," he spoke "But if we are to save Ruko, I need your strength!"
"T... Tama understands!" she called in reply as she briefly turned around in an attempt to reassure the Kagero user. He nodded in compliance as he placed Energe, Original Spear from his hand into his Ener Zone before picking out one card from the White Deck on his table and placed it on top of Tama's base form, Zero of Tamayorihime.
"Grow!" he called "Tama, Waxing Crescent Moon Miko!"
A brilliant white glow enveloped the white LRIG as the only change that was present of her for the very moment was the addition of some chest armour to the front of her white dress, a pair of white gloves with sleeves that went up as far as the full length of the lower halves of her arms and the extended lengths of her boots going up as far as her knees. She took a fighting stance as she eagerly awaited for Kai's command to make her first attack of the battle. Needless to say, she would get her wish a lot sooner than she anticipated.
"Attack!" Kai declared as he downed the card on his table.
Tama nodded in response and dashed across the space towards Iona who remained simply motionless as did Ruko who did nothing in response to the oncoming attack. With a thrust of her right fist, Tama dealt a large blow down the front of the dark LRIG who seemingly remained unfazed from the damage that had now been dealt. Aichi watched on as the white LRIG returned over back to Kai, now that his turn had immediately come to an end.
"Well done, Kai-kun, Tama!" he called.
As Tama nodded with a smile in response to the Royal Paladin user's words of compliment and encouragement, Kai's voice suddenly brought her senses back to reality as she faced both Ruko and Iona again.
"Here she comes!" he called.
"You better brace yourself!" File called from in front of Aichi's table.
Ruko then drew her two cards to begin her next turn before reaching out for two of the eight cards in her hand, showing one of them to be Darkness Revenger, Rugos and throwing it into her Ener Zone alongside Drei=Capsule, the first damage that Iona had suffered as a result from Tama's recent attack.
"I summon Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter!" she called as the Shadow Paladin appeared in the field to the right of Iona and blew loudly into the trumpet that she wielded. After the brief sound had ended, a single Freezing Revenger had appeared to the far right, indicating that Ruko had superior called him from her deck after paying the cost for Dark Bond Trumpeter's skill.
"Attack!"
With a blast of sound from her trumpet, Dark Bond's single long note forced Tama down onto her knees as she clutched her ears in pain. When the noise had stopped however, the LRIG looked up just in time to recieve a brutal fireball to the stomach from Iona who had launched it from her right hand right at her. Tama cried out loud as she fell backwards from the explosion that occurred from impact whilst the dark LRIG had remained still, a smile hidden beneath her expression from everyone else. On Kai's table, his second Life Cloth revealed itself to be Yggdrasil Maiden, Elaine, the card glowing as it entered his Ener Zone slightly on top of the previous cloth, Hastall, Medium Spear.
"Heal Life Burst!" he called as he moved his hand to the top card of his deck "I recover 1 Life Cloth!"
"How boring..." Iona muttered as she then glanced over towards Aichi and File.
"Turn end," Ruko spoke.
As Aichi began his turn, he looked over towards the Selector's field before glancing down at the cards that were currently present in his hand. Coming to a decision, he searched through his White Deck for the card he needed and placed it on top of File's card on the LRIG space.
"I grow Marron!" he called.
A brilliant blinding white light enveloped File as he vanished from the battlefield as the Litte Sage arrived to take his place. Immediately, right in front of him and to his left appeared Cynric who had already taken up a stance to attack and a dragon with several yellowish scales along with gleaming blue eyes. It flapped its wings upon appearing in the field, hovering a little in the air.
"Cynric and Hallowed Breath Dragon attack!" Aichi declared.
The Royal Paladin units nodded in response and took aim at both Iona and Freezing Revenger respectively. Cynric shot several light beams from his small crossbow like weapon which struck the ground almost in alignment with each other until the final beam struck the Shadow Paladin unit, causing it to vanish from the battlefield. Hallowed Breath Dragon roared and unleashed a torrent of azure blue fire right at Iona who remained motionless as she merely held up her right arm to shield her face from the flames, as did Ruko as part of the attack went around her. Her next Life Cloth revealed another copy of Freezing Revenger, the card glowing to indicate its Life Burst going off. She drew 1 card as per the effect.
"Marron!" Aichi called.
"Mac Lir!" Ruko responded by revealing the Shadow Paladin Perfect Guard from her hand.
The unit appeared in front of Iona, shielding her completely, much to the annoyance of Marron who closed his book to cancel the offensive spell he was about to cast. Aichi could only clench his teeth as he was forced to end the turn right there. The Selector begun her turn by placing Healing Revenger from her hand to her Ener Zone before moving Rugos' card from there to her Trash Pile.
"Iona, grow!" she called.
Iona herself was surrounded by the same black and red aura that had previously changed her appearance, only it didn't seem to do as much this time. The only noticeable change was the green wisp like smoke that emitted from the sides of her outfit. Before anyone could comment just now, the colour of the smoke suddenly changed to an eerie dark red as an all too familiar aura began flowing through the LRIG, much to the shock of Tama. Suddenly, she clutched her head in pain as another image suddenly flashed before her eyes.
"What's wrong?!" called Aichi.
"T... Tama remembers something...!" she answered "When Tama faced 'the Clown'... Iona was there!"
"So Blaster Blade wasn't kidding when he said you faced Chaos Breaker," Marron replied.
"If Reverse is already flowing through her this early..." Kai muttered to himself. His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Ruko summon Skull Witch, Nemain to the far right where Freezing Revenger had previously been.
"With Nemain's skill, I draw and summon Triumph!" she called as the white SIGNI appeared between both Nemain and Dark Bond Trumpeter. "Triumph's skill, I discard and add another Mac Lir to my hand!"
(End Music)
"No way... she's managing to get access to her Guards this early?!" Naoki exclaimed.
"This happened the last time Kai face Ruko," Hitoe murmured "But with the extra lifeline she and Iona will get the first time they run out of Life Cloths, doesn't it seem a little strange to do it early?"
"She could be ensuring that she has them conserved for later, when she feels its necessary," Ren spoke "After all, when a Selector's deck runs empty, all the cards in the Trash Pile reset as new deck in exchange for taking 1 damage."
"Even so," Leon interrupted "I can sense a strange wind from Ruko. One that I haven't sensed in a long time."
"You don't mean Reverse?" asked Yuzuki "Even now, it feels like Iona has been emitting it and its not even at her most powerful form."
"I'm not entirely sure," he replied "But... I can tell that there is more to her dillema than just holding back that cursed power."
The rest of the group remained silent and turned their attention back to the battle, just in time to see Skull Witch, Nemain obliterate Cynric with a strike of purple lightning from the crystal skull she held whilst Dark Bond Trumpeter played a loud note that caused both Marron and Aichi to cover their ears in pain. The noise went on for several more seconds as Aichi's first Life Cloth revealed Knight of Silence, Gallatin. The cardfighter looked on to see Iona charging on towards Marron, preparing to strike the Royal Paladin unit.
"Shiron!" he called as he revealed the card from his hand.
Shiron appeared in front of Marron, creating a barrier in front of him just in time to deflect a nasty punch from Iona. As soon as she felt the recoil from hitting the Defending Seeker's barrier, she muttered under her breath before retreating back to Ruko's side of the field, prompting the Selector to end her turn there.
End of Turn 5
Aichi and Kai vs Ruko
Hand - 4 : 6 : 6
Life Cloths - 6 : 6 : 5
Current LRIGs - Little Sage, Marron : Tama, Waxing Crescent Moon Miko : Iona, Uranus/Maiden
SIGNI : EMPTY - Seeker, Hallowed Breath Dragon - EMPTY : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY : Revenger, Dark Bond Trumpeter - Code Maze, Triumph - Skull Witch, Nemain
Ener - 1 : 3 : 2
"Both of them have 6 Life Cloths to 5," Naoki murmured "And yet... it's only the end of the fifth turn."
"The extra turns that Ruko picks up from being the lone player on her own side has brought an extension to the length," Yuzuki spoke "And with what Iona's Ultima/Maiden form is capable of..."
"Or if that LRIG is really Iona."
Everyone else with the exception of Leon amongst the group turned their attention towards Ren who had spoken out whilst he had been glancing carefully over towards Ruko's side of the field. His attention mainly focused on the LRIG that she was battling with.
"W... What do mean Ren?" asked Hitoe.
"There's only one Urazoe Iona and that's the one that's with Ruko," Yuzuki spoke "Ulith's the one in control of her body."
"You're probably right," the Shadow Paladin user bemusedly replied whilst shrugging his shoulders. "Though from what I've found out today... that fact could very well be changed. All we have to do is wait and see if that's the case."
"I still don't really get all of this anyway..." Naoki murmured "I mean... why would someone go out of their way just to be an LRIG to battle with a Selector they like?"
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Belief)
No one spoke in response to the Narukami user's pondering question, unsure of the answer to that themselves. Back on the main part of the field, Kai began his turn by drawing his two cards before moving Elaine's card from his Ener Zone to his Trash Pile.
"Grow! Tamayorihime, Shooting Star Miko!" he called.
A brilliant bright light engulfed Tama as both her boots and gloves became slightly shorter as a result of Growing to this form. In exchange though, she now wielded a long sword with a golded hilt, the length of which measured up to half the height of both the Blaster Blade itself as well as Blaster Dark's own blade in comparison. Tama looked over towards Ruko, who was cringing after having to restrain another burst of Reverse that had just flowed through her. The LRIG gasped as she could see what appeared to be beads of sweat dropping onto both the table in front of the Selector and the floor of the space that they were battling in. That is, if it could be called a floor in the first place.
"Ru!" she cried "What's wrong?!"
"Quiet!" Ruko replied "All of this... all of this is your fault!"
"But..."
"It's because of you that no one was freed from the cards..." the Selector spoke "If you had only went through with the oath... I... We could have saved everyone from Mayu!"
"Then why are you not letting your comrades help you in your efforts?!" Kai demanded "As long as you continue to battle with that power leeching at your willpower, you won't be the only Selector in danger!"
"It's just as I told you," Iona interrupted, much to the Kagero user's shock. "If Ruko doesn't wish to abide by your request, then she doesn't need to."
"Even so... if you're the source of the Reverse that's within Ruko..." Aichi murmured "Then why are you allowing this?!"
"It's merely a minor inconvinience," the LRIG replied "If Ruko refuses to accept it for herself, that is not of my concern. What matters is the victories that we will continue to gather. Failure can never be tolerated in Selector Battles, therefore weakness is a sin."
Kai and Tama merely gritted their teeth in response, angered by the fact that not only did Iona not seemingly care about the state that the Selector was currently possessing her was in, even with the danger that was greatly involved, the only thing that mattered to the LRIG was seemingly victory and nothing more than that, even if she had to make her wish at that time a reality as a Selector to do so. The Kagero user placed down Bonya, Small Bow, Kukri, Small Sword and Flamber, Medium Sword as the three SIGNI appeared in front of and alongside Tama. After peeking at the top three cards of his deck via Bonya's effect and reassembling them in the order he desired, Kai turned his attention towards the SIGNI and the Shadow Paladin units in front of Iona as Tama readied her sword.
"Let's go!" he called "We don't have much time!"
"Tama's got it, Kai!" Tama replied as she and the SIGNI around her charged forwards towards Ruko's field. All of them glowed as the LRIG's current ability powered up the SIGNI around her by a small amount, just enough to overpower each of their opponents.
Bonya, Small Bow: 1000 - 2000
Flamber, Medium Sword: 7000 - 8000
Kukri, Small Sword: 3000 - 4000
When the Shadow Paladin units and the White SIGNI on Ruko's field had vanished, that had cleared a straight path for Tama to rush on through to Iona. The LRIG let out a loud battle cry as she did so, swinging her sword right at Iona who effortlessly weaved left and right for a few times until Tama brought down the sword in a vertical slash, knocking her backwards as she did so.
"I must say... you haven't changed a bit, Shiro," Iona muttered, smirking a little as she did so. Tama's ears perked up at the sound of her 'real' name being ushered again before retreating back to Kai's side of the field.
"So she also knows your real name..." Kai murmured, the LRIG immediately nodding in response. "And the fact she was present at your clash with Chaos Breaker on her own... Just what does all of this mean?"
(End Music)
He snapped out of his thoughts as he turned his attention back to Ruko who began her turn by immediately summoning from her left to right, Dark Bond Trumpeter, Darkness Revenger, Rugos.
"Then I use Swift Advance!" she called as she revealed the colorless Spell from her hand. "Iona, Superior Grow!"
The same aura from before engulfed Iona as four white feathered wings appeared on her back which were immediately dyed jet black with a hint of dark red, indicating the influence of Reverse that was still flowing through her. Drei=Capsule appeared in the last SIGNI space that Ruko had available before she then suddenly launched out a beam of dark purplish energy that struck Flamber right in the chest as the white SIGNI felt even weaker than she was before.
Flamber, Medium Sword: 8000 - 3000
She didn't have time to look up however as Rugos was immediately upon her, slashing down upon the SIGNI with the largest of the two blades that he had carried, banishing from the field. Dark Bond Trumpeter's trumpet emitted another loud note as Bonya fell to her knees before vanishing as a result of not being able to withstand the noise. Iona then summoned two black rings from within the palms of her hands and hurled them right at Tama. As the LRIG could only brace for the worst, a sudden bright flash appeared in front of her.
"Shiron!"
Both Tama and Kai turned over to Aichi who had decided to step in and Guard for them, feeling it was necessary to do so at this point in time. The Defending Seeker once again appeared in front of Iona who merely gritted her teeth, annoyed to have been stopped two turns in a row from the same unit, from the same cardfighter no less. She glared sharply towards Aichi whose determination remained unfazed as she retreated back to Ruko's side of the field. The Selector made no response as she simply ended the turn right there. The Royal Paladin user sighed in relief that he was able to help both Kai and Tama the way hoped to do so.
"I see now," Iona spoke, grabbing Aichi's attention right over to her. "That fierce determination, no wonder you were able to overcome someone like Ulith. I already knew from my time around her that she would be a more than capable Selector, but it seems I slightly miscalculated from our last encounter."
"I was able to save Tama from Ulith because of my friends and comrades fighting alongside me," Aichi replied "And with Kai-kun, Tama and my Royal Paladins, we will do the same for Ruko-san!" He then looked over to Ruko who had her eyes closed off to him. "Isn't that why you came so close to trying to save everyone?"
"You would know nothing about deceit," the Selector spoke "Just like Kai... the two of you and those others, you were able to enjoy the game you played in wherever you came from and had nothing to worry about. Because of that... you could never understand what everyone has had to go through!"
"Ru's wrong!" Tama called.
"What?"
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Tachiagare! Boku no Bunshin!)
"Kai and Aichi have had their own share of problems in their own world," the LRIG continued "Ren and Leon also went through something like that on their own. Right now, the evil Kai accepted once before is trying to get a grip on Ru!"
The entire field remained silent after everything that Tama had to say to her former Selector, wondering if it would at least be enough to knock some sense into her mind about what was happening with her. However, Ruko had seemingly remained unresponsive, her eyes having remained closed off from everyone around her. This was enough to tell them that she had no intention of listening to what they said, no matter what. Tama stared on in worry as Aichi slightly tensed up, beginning his turn as he did so.
"Stand up, my Avatar!" he called as the card he picked from his white deck was held high into the air before he placed it down on top of Marron's card. "Blaster Blade!"
The Little Sage vanished in a bright column of white light as the Swordsman of Light himself had descended into the space to finally join the battle. His green eyes opened up as he gazed towards Iona, his blade having been pointed right in her direction. Aichi then glanced over to Kai, who nodded in agreement having already anticipated what he planned to do next.
"I borrow two of Kai-kun's Ener to use Blaster Blade's skill!" he called "Pass final judgment on Drei=Capsule!"
"Understood!"
Blaster Blade held his weapon high into the air before striking it right into the floor of the space as a white shockwave erupted across the field until it reached Drei herself. Upon striking the Black SIGNI, she fell to the ground, vanishing from the battlefield as her card moved straight into Ruko's Trash Pile. The Selector remained unfazed by this sudden manuever, though Iona had glanced over towards the Swordsman of Light himself.
"The Swordsman of Light," she spoke "So the final one has shown up."
"So then... what Junos* said then was true," he muttered as he kept a sharp gaze upon the LRIG. "What do you want with me?"
"What do you mean?" asked Aichi.
"The three heroes of the Planet Cray," Iona interrupted "Dragonic Overlord, Blaster Dark and Blaster Blade who now stands before me... Once I have overcome the last of that triad, I am certain that my strength will finally be enough to overcome that of the girl of white."
"I see now..." Kai muttered "The reason you took so much interest in Dragonic Overlord in our last battle and according to Ren, why Blaster Dark was suspicious about you... You were seeking to defeat them along with Blaster Blade so you believed you would have the strength to overcome Tama."
"That is correct," the LRIG replied "Though this experience has proved to be beneficial for Ruko as well, given that I've fought those battles alongside her."
At this point, Ruko had finally opened her eyes to see the Swordsman of Light for the first time, standing in front of Aichi with their gazes directed towards her and Iona. After cringing for a brief moment in order to hold back Reverse once again, she gazed upon them.
"Sendou Aichi... Kai Toshiki... Tama and Blaster Blade," she spoke "No matter what you may do... you cannot change anything for me!"
(End Music)
And the final battle of Arc 2 has begun! In her desperation to make everyone turn back from the Selector Battles and to make them see that there is nothing that can be done for her, Ruko challenges both Aichi and Kai at once. Whilst the Royal Paladins and Tama begin to take the upper hand, the Selector appears to be far from finished. Meanwhile on the sidelines, everyone else that is watching learns about what Blaster Dark had told Ren and Leon in the previous chapter and likewise begin to suspect if Iona is who she really is. What will unfold from this fierce clash? Find out next time on Stand Up, the LRIG! Feel free to follow, favourite and/or leave a review. For those that are still curious about the poll on my profile, it will still remain open until the next time I will update on this story. For now, until then.
*This first plays in Episode 186 when Neve and Aichi begin their fight.
*Now before anyone jumps to any conclusions, this is Blaster Dark's real name as officially translated on the English Version of the card "Swordsman of Light, Junos" which depicts him prior to his Shadow Paladin days. The original translation in the lores before this (and one portion of Cray Wars) was Yunos, just to clear up any confusion.