World 040: Two Brothers sharing the Grave.

Dharma discovered that getting information would be just as difficult for her as it would be for Madam Blanche. "You cant, or wont?" She and her roommate Dyzanthium had a direct line with the investigation team and the Exeter staff, but neither wanted to disclose to them any information that pertained to the matter of Yoro-Himiko. "You are asking us to give you private information about one of our investors and one of our board members. This cannot be done." They always gave the same excuse. "You mean the Shintaro family. I know who they are. Its not like I cant find anything about them on the internet. I bet you just dont want to admit they were also a part of all your shady projects." Blanche could not believe this. The life of a friend was at stake here and they only cared about their own image.

"Blanche. This man is doing the best he can." Dyzanthium at least reminded her that they were ultimately arguing with at a midlevel employee in a fancy hotelroom while the entire virtual world had gone haywire all around them. Expectations had to be set low. "Yeah yeah, I guess. I just feel like there's dead ends everywhere. Well, can you at least tell me if you got any news about Charles Adami?" The white haired girl grumbled towards a different subject.

"That we can. We could not confirm his identity as 'Void' due to his involvement with Millennium, but the one you call Charles Adami was indeed arrested two days ago. A day before the user you know as Cherry Anise was also taken into custody. However we do not know what happened to either of them beyond that. Nor do we know anything about any testing facility like the one you mentioned." The employee seemed more receptive to this topic, though he still revealed less than Blanche or Dyzanthium would have liked. "They were arrested? Just like that? Do their families at least know?" The fusion champion asked pointedly. "We do not know that yet either. If you want, we can make contact ourselves. We know the addresses of Adami's parents and miss Kelly's foster family."

"Foster?" Blanche blinked, suddenly seeing a lot of reasons for Cherry to be the way she was. "Well that is at least something. So yeah, do it." It may not have been the Shintaro family, but it would be a start. Now she just hoped that those two did not have some bad relationship with their families like she did. Then again, nobody could choose their own relatives.

...

"So, you are two halves of the same coin eh.." Despite Chiaroscura's best protests, she had to give Hydra up as a test subject for Scarlet Fever. But she was content to watch the former doctor perform her tests, while Wagnerok made preparations for her new quarters. "Don't you have anything to say to each other? Because this quiet act is starting to freak me out." She said a lot more than either the captive or Baron Schwarzwald, who had come to glare at his counterpart. "I have nothing to say. I can see now that he and I have nothing in common anymore." The Black Baron finally broke off the stare down, though Hydra maintained his gaze in inscrutable silence.

"That remains to be seen, you are also here as a reference point." Scarlet Fever explained as she walked into the dungeon lab with a virtual cube full of her best analyzing tools. "It may be possible to reunite you two, as well as Khan and his human ego if we locate it." Fever snapped on some gloves, just to try to intimidate her labrat. Hydra did not even flinch however. "I do not even know if I want too..." The barons words on the other hand got a small reaction out of him.

"Well... I am not going anywhere." He whispered. "Hm? You promise?" Schwarzwald chuckled. "Hehheh, that's is the whole point. No hard feelings or anything, 'Hydra', but as far as we are concerned.. I no longer need you." The baron stepped back to watch along with Scura as Scarlet Fever advanced on his human half.

...

Veyron's LP: 5800 Sigment's LP: 6100

While a lot of synchros could evolve through accel synchro summoning, a smaller selection possessed a next stage that rested in the main deck: Assault Modes. "Halberd Cannon Transforms!" Sigment's ultimate delta accel synchro was one of the few with an Assault Mode variant. And while normally Assault Modes could only be special summoned by the trap 'Assault Mode Activate'. His Assault Mode Zero quickplay spell skipped that hurdle by directly tributing the synchro for its new mode in the hand. Though the new Halberd Cannon(12/4500/4500) [Zone 4] retained his orange and black color scheme, his size increased and his hydraulic limbs got more prominent and complex. Spikes appeared on his shoulders, a cockpit on the front of its chest, and the tip of the halberd gained a radial ring for extra power. "Halberd Cannon only stopped one summon each turn. But if you summon in front of this card, he will also banish all other special summoned monsters you control, Veyron. And I wont leave it at just that either."

"PSI-Reflector can special summon one Assault-support monster from my graveyard with improved levels, if I reveal Assault Mode Activate!" The psychic frogsuited tuner(1/400/300) that started all this would end all this as well. Its power gave new life to Assault Sentinel sniper beast(7/1600/800), and new level stars to boot. "Synchro summon! Stardust Dragon!" Naturally the synchro champion used the tuner and nontuner for one of the many synchros in his extra deck. This time his old favorite would join the battle: the sleek and glittering starlight dragon of Stardust(8/2500/2000) [Extra Zone 1]. So famous was this card, that nobody questioned it when it received its Assault Mode promotion as well. "Assault Mode Zero can banish itself from my graveyard, to set an Assault Mode Activate from my deck. And that one can be used in the same turn! So.." Sigment put the crucial card down on his field, behind its intended. "I activate.. Assault Mode Activate! And special summon Stardust Dragon Assault Mode!"

The transformation that Stardust underwent primarily added more power to the Starblue dragon(10/3000/2500) [Zone 5]. His once slender body became more bulky and gained deep blue armor plating to strengthen its chest and claws. "Two Assault Modes in one turn. That is impressive." Zettai muttered. While Halberd Cannon could negate summons, Stardust Dragon could block any kind of effect once a turn. Sigment wanted to cover every angle before he charged into battle. "Halberd Cannon Assault Mode! Attack Orcustrion!" On the other side of the field, two mechanical monstrosities stood between the two wielders of the World Wand. Orcust Galatea(1800/LINK 2) {Downleft/Upright} [Zone 2] could not be destroyed as long as she was linked to the giant organ Orcustrion(3000/LINK 4) {Downleft/Down/Up/Upright} [Extra Zone 1]. The stronger machine would be the first to go. But a continuous trap stood in the way of Halberd's giant cannon. "Rgh. I can negate my card's destruction by tributing Orcustrated Core!" The tower of Babel used its Core to deflect the blast, causing the trap to shatter instead of Orcustrion.

Veyron's LP: 4300

"Unfortunate, but unavoidable." Orcustrated Core's selftributing effect counted as a continuous power, which meant it did not start a chain for Stardust Warrior/Assault Mode to respond to. Sigment did not want to lose his dragon just yet either, even if it could technically take down Orcustrion by smashing into it. "Attack Galatea!" Instead it and the still active T.G. Trident Launcher(2200 atk) [Zone 3] focused their starlight breath and trident cannon blasts upon the purple-haired Orcust doll. She would not die, but she could not hold back all the battle damage either.

Veyron's LP: 2700

"Is your turn over yet?" Veyron growled with impatience. "It is." Sigment said, realizing that nothing short of a complete victory would snap Veyron out of his obsession. "Good. Then I activate Different Dimension Patrol Plane! I can special summon it at the end of a turn in which it was banished!" And the speed duelist would lash out anywhere he could. "Then I negate that effect!" Sigment had him pinned down pretty well. The Assault Stardust turned itself into a bright comet that slammed into the Dimensional done to cancel out its return. He did not have anything better to negate this turn. "And Stardust Dragon Assault Mode resummons himself at the end of turn!" Both tribute and return could happen within the same endphase, so Stardust was ready to negate even more effects on the next turn. "Now you are falling behind, Veyron."

-TURN 05-

"I wont stay behind, Sigment! I still have not even used my full power! Go, Limiter Removal!" Sigments last comment pushed him once too much, making Veyron use his spell when he should have known what would happen to it. "Argh!" The Stardust Assault Dragon tributed itself again. Spells and traps too were subject to the dragon's negation power, so Veyron's quickplay would not be removing any machine's limits.

"Ha. He saw you coming from miles away! Then again, why did you even think that that would work, Veyron? That spell is the most predictable trick in your book! Maybe he really should have the item, if he is that much better than you!" Khan laughed out loud. "Quiet! I can still win this! I do not need your help!" Veyron shouted. Though with the cards currently in his hand he could hardly counter Sigments setup. He did have a way to destroy the Assault Modes, but doing so to either of them would just special summon their original form back to the field.

"No you do not need us. Because you already have the Legacy." A prideful Wagnerok proclaimed. "The legacy?" Veyron twitched. "Yes, Veyron. You are clearly much more attuned with it. You were the one the item really desired. And its power will always grow, more cards can be created, its legacy is still being written as we speak! You can become a part of it too, do not let this unbeliever stop you! You can become like us, strong and eternal!" Wagnerok wanted this, he wanted to see Veyron join their ranks. And every word of his sent pulses down Veyrons spine. "Still being written? A legacy that all shall remember?" This future spoke to him. "Then.. I should be able to. Yes, I can see it now."

"!?" Sigment felt a little alarmed, when a beam of light broke into Veyron's extra deck. "I see that I can still go further than what I already have!" Veyron reached into the extra deck and pulled out a black bordered card that got placed down on top of another monster. "An XYZ-summon?" The synchro champion watched as Galatea turned into an XYZ-material and came to orbit a new Orcust. "I can XYZ-summon this card if I use an Orcust link material as its base! It's called Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star!" If one made a giant robot out of the golden tower of Babel, it would look like Dingirsu(R8/2600/2100) [Zone 2]. The former Longirsu had abandoned all human traits for this winged and mechanical centaur body, and its face had been replaced by a blue screen inside a spiked helmet. "You created a new card out of nothing? But... it was still summoned by its own effect!" Sigment did his best to not get intimidated and opened the chest compartment of Assault Mode Halberd Cannon. Banishing energy exploded outwards across the room.

"Yes I know. But we're going at the same pace now, Sigment! I activate Orcust Crescendo!" Veyron was glad that he saved his countertrap for this. Orcustrion created the Crescendo with its pipes and sent the energy of Halberd Cannon back into its own body. "Your effect is negated, your monster is destroyed!" The mighty Halberd exploded from the inside out. "Ngh. I get to summon the original Halberd Cannon then! Regardless of its summoning requirements!" Sigment would not give up that easily. The explosion blew off the armor, yet left the synchro monster Halberd Cannon(12/4000/4000) [Zone 4] intact. "And I get to destroy it! When Dingirsu is special summoned, I can send one card my opponent controls to the graveyard!" Veyron finally resolved his monster's XYZ-summon and created a burst of light that would erase the ultimate Tech Genus for good. However, the original Halberd Cannon could also special summon a T.G. monster from the graveyard if it left the field. "I special summon Star Guardian! In defense mode!" Sigment chose the synchro tuner android(5/100/2200) [Zone 4], seeing as how a special summon of that card would at least let him draw one more T.G. monster (Screw Serpent) from his graveyard.

"You really don't want to let go, do you Sigment!?" Veyron normal summoned the Orcust Harp Horror(4/1700/1400) and entered the battle phase. "But I am already pulling away!" Dingirsu the Evening Star attacked with a massive golden jousting spear. One jab impaled the Star Guardian with such force that his body scattered in every direction. "And every time you try to overpower me, I get stronger and faster!" The next attack from Orcustrion sent the T.G. Trident Launcher to kingdom come. Finally the Harp Horror could attack Sigment directly, and it did so with its sharp metallic claws. Afterwards, Veyron ended his turn.

Sigment's LP: 3500

-TURN 06-

"And then what?" Sigment loudly asked as his turn began and Stardust Dragon Assault Mode [Zone 5] returned to the field. "What will this do for your brother? This power exists only in the virtual world! Even if you stop this organization, they will still be out there in the real world to threaten your brother. You cannot save him on your own, Veyron! And I want to help you! And I will.." Sigment normal summoned the T.G. Screw Serpent(4/1300/500) [Zone 1]. The mechanical winged snake used its powers to save another Tech Genus from the scrapyard: T.G. Tank Grub(1/0/0) [Zone 2]. "By tearing down this wall of madness piece by piece! Synchro summon: Tech genus Wonder Magician!" The Tank Grub could treat itself as a nontuner for any T.G. synchro summon, and it would create a token after such an event. This way Sigment got two monsters by synchronizing Tank Grub with Screw Serpent: one silver larva token(1/0/0) [Zone 2] and one pinkhaired pixie-winged cyber witch(5/1900/0) [Extra Zone 2] in crimson armor. "Wonder Magician destroys one spell when she is summoned! I choose Orcustrated Babel!"

"You've gone too far, Sigment." Veyron was furious. Not because the tower of babel collapsed behind him due to a magic blast from the Magician. "You will leave Victor out of this! He does not need your help!" But because he dared to mention his own brother. "Maybe not. But you still do!" Thanks to Wonder Magician's synchro tuner status, the synchro champion could combine her with the Grub token to climb the synchro ladder by one more level. Their six stars synchronized into a knight of the stars: the white and blue-armored Stardust Charge Warrior(6/2000/1300) [Extra Zone 2] with wing-like faulds extending from its waist. "When Stardust Charge Warrior is summoned, I can draw one card!" Sigment inspected his new card and set it aside. "Now, Stardust Assault Warrior attacks Orcust Dingirsu!" The battle phase mattered more right now. The Stardust Dragon opened its mouth and released another streak of light towards Veyrons dark machines. The XYZ-Orcust took the hit, yet it did not go down immediately.

Veyron's LP: 2300

"Dingirsu has another power, Sigment! I can use its XYZ-materials to negate the destruction of one of my cards!" Veyron detached the orbiting Galatea-material and prepared to absorb it into his Evening Star knight. However, the Assault Mode dragon could still negate effects even during the damage step. "I wont let you keep that either, Veyron! I tribute Stardust!" The dragon, having done the damage it needed, vanished into the graveyard temporarily to destroy Dingirsu twice over. "And Stardust Charge Warrior will take another Orcust!" Sigment aimed his next attack at Orcust Harp Horror, letting the Star warrior blast it wide open with the cannons on its wings.

Veyron's LP: 2000

"I still have one piece left, Sigment. You haven't won yet!" Veyron was starting to breathe heavily and his fury kept piling on. Regardless, as long as he had Orcustrion he would not give up. "I do not want to win! I want you to come to your senses! What would your brother say if he saw you now? Would he think that this can help either of you?" Sigment asked and placed two cards face down in the spell/trap zone. "Victor was no saint, Sigment. None of us were. If anything he would want to be my new partner. But it is too late for that too now." The speed duelist gazed into his graveyard. With Stardust Dragon out of the way, for the time being, he could safely activated the next Orcust Crescendo from his graveyard. "But I can do the next best thing! Orcust Crescendo adds Gizmek Orochi the Serpentron Sky Slasher to my hand! And I will special summon it by banishing the next eight cards in my deck!" There were more DARK machines in his deck than just the Orcust. Ths selfbanishing countertrap claimed a card that could be special summoned during either turn: the Serpent Dragon Mech(8/2450/2450) [Zone 3] of three heads, three cannons and twin blades.

-TURN 07-

"Ah. The apple does not fall far from the tree." Khan found it darkly humorous that Veyron would summon one of his brothers favorite cards. "A card is just a card, is what he would say." Veyron locked eyes with the Stardust Dragon [Zone 4] that returned as soon as his turn started. "He would also say this: Gizmek Orochi can banish three cards from my extra deck, face-down, to destroy one card you control! Either I remove that card, or you will!" Either way, Veyron would do to Sigment what he wanted to do to him: break his board one monster at a time.

"I choose the third option! I activate Assault Mode Reboot!" If Sigment would lose his monster regardless, he would make sure he gained something in return. "I can tribute one Assault Mode to special summon another from my deck! Regardless of the summoning demands!" His trap came in the nick of time. Stardust transitioned into a shape of pure light, letting the Serpentron's cannonfire pass right through him. "Tch!" The light expanded further into another shape that Veyron would recognize: Tech Genus Halberd Cannon/Assault Mode(12/4500/4500) [Zone 5]. "Another one?" The hydraulic giant cyborg towered over the other machines in the room, and all of its effects were once more in play. "Veyron. Stop now, before its too late." Sigment pleaded one last time.

"No. Keep going, Veyron. There is always an answer. What does the Legacy tell you?" Just like last turn, Wagnerok pitched in. And Veyron only had to check his hand to see which duelist he agreed with more. "That this duel is already over." He smiled and played the spell sent by the Legacy Item. "Sigment, your great monster cannot stop this kind of special summon either! I activate World Legacy Succession to link a monster in my graveyard with a link monster on my field! And that is Dingirsu, of course!" The XYZ-Orcust [Zone 2] found its way back to the living, landing on the zone marked by Orcustrion. "So he can send Halberd Cannon down to its brothers! AHaha!" The special summoned Dingirsu located a victim remarkably similar to its first, the red light of the evening star incinerated the mighty Tech Genus and sent it straight to the scrapheap. "Gah." This hurt the synchro champion a great deal more, because the Assault version of Halberd Cannon only special summoned its synchro counterpart if it died due to a destruction effect.

"But this is not enough, is it? I know you better than that!" There were only so many traps a duelist would put in their deck, and by now Veyron had seen the weirdest ones. That would leave just a few classics. "Harp Horror activates!" And he could overcome those with sheer brute force. He'd start by banishing the harp Orcust to special summon the Orcust Cymbal Skeleton(3/1200/1500) from the deck. "Then I will link summon Longirsu! The Orcust Orchestrator!" Dingirsu kept itself out of this link circuit. It only watched as Gizmek Orochi and Orcust Cymbal Skeleton transformed into another Orcust Automaton: Galatea(1800/LINK 3) [Zone 2] {Downleft/Upright} "And Cymbal Skeleton activates too!" The already destroyed Galatea [Zone 5] also arrived on to the field in one piece, and she positioned herself at the very edge for a singular reason. "Now Galatea points at your monster, Sigment! Which means Orcustrion's effect works on it!"

"Ugh." Sigment could not outspeed the effect this time. Orcustrion returned the three banished machines (D.D. Patrol Plane, Orcust Harp Horror, Orcust Cymbal Skeleton) as the fuel for its energy drain. All opposing linked monsters lost their attackpoints. In this case that would just be the one: Stardust Charge Warrior(0/1300) "Orcustrion! Attack Stardust!" Now the speed duelist could attack up to four times, and he prepared for two possible obstacles. Sigment could not even afford more than one. "I activate Scrapiron Scarecrow and negate the attack!" Yet he used it in spite of its pointlessness. He flipped the trap of the metallic scarecrow and intercepted the first blast from the Orcust army. Alas, the Scarecrow could not activate itself again. "I knew it! The Scarecrow, Sonic Stun: You only ever use defensive traps! You would have won this duel if you had just been more aggressive! That's why you are weaker than me, Sigment!" Dingirsu bulldozed right through the champions monster as if it were made of paper. And the twin Automatons reaped the last shred of life with their golden scythes. "The Wand goes to me!"

Sigment's LP: 0

"Veyron.. Juan!" Defeat cost Sigment everything including his time on this virtual world. He felt his avatar weaken as he lost ownership of the Chalice. And since he had long since exceeded his usual time limit, he would be called back by the real world. "Juan is gone. And so are you. Goodbye, Sigment." The speed duelist respected Sigment enough to not entirely destroy his avatar, but the damage forced him to log off regardless. The champion vanished, leaving his former partner with new friends.

"You have transcended, finally." Zettai sensed the same power within him that coursed through her own body. Little by little, Statics influence had won him over just like it did Wagnerok during his duel. "I have. Now I see what you have gone through, and why you wanted me to join you." Veyron felt better than ever. Nothing could hold him back in this state. Not the champions, not the faceless, not even his own family: every emotion they awoke in him fell of his shoulders like an old unwanted cloak. "Now, I will duel only for me. Only for my glory. My Legacy!" He looked towards a brighter tomorrow, with them in it as well. And with the seventh item. "What if the wand still requires two owners?" Zettai inquired. "Then we can wield it together." Veyron pointed out. Seeing as how Wagnerok controlled the shield already, he could only think of one partner: the duelist that started him on the path towards a purer self. "We need nothing else." He reached down to the floor of the conference room to grab the treasured item.

All hell broke loose at that time. "Now!" Three figures emerged from the aether: Cierze and the Fire Princess. The latter even came in blazing. "You again?" Zettai instinctively dodged to the side and dragged with Veyron and Wagnerok along to evade the immense wave of flames that she showed up with. The fireblast tore half of the walls around them down and blew the wand away from Veyron. "No!"

"Nice try!" Unfortunately they were up against the wielder of the world shield. Wagnerok slammed the item down to create a shockwave across the room. He took control of the flames and smoke and sent them back towards their caster. "!" The Princess lost too much control, she could only send in more fire to cause a massive explosion that shattered all the windows on the entire floor. They were both knocked back and temporarily incapacitated. "Time for you to leave, Veyron. I do not know where they came fro, but there is no need for us to waste time on them." Wagnerok commanded. The item he had on him was too valuable to risk losing in a duel. However this surprise attack still waited on a third ally to reach a conclusion.

"Going so soon, Veyron!?" Tycho landed down on the scorched floor, his dueldisk and cards ready for a challenge. "Gah!?" Tycho however did not expect to be blasted in the face however. He narrowly ducked under the laser fired by Zettai and her railgun. "You should leave too, Wagnerok. I will end these creatures." The ace duelist would not take no for an answer. And though Wagnerok did not see how he could lose here, he did not want to risk angering Static either. He did not particularly care about Zettai's fate either and simply teleported away without a word. Veyron lingered a little longer, but he too escaped the room before Tycho could crawl back up. "Damn it. There goes that trophy."

"Wait. You are not artificial. Who, are you?" The flames made it hard to tell at first, but she eventually noticed a human had joined the two ADIs. "He's Alpha! The Salamangreat duelist!" Though Cierze and the Fire Princess were certainly on his side, which meant he was an enemy. "Alpha?" And enemy she remembered. "Tycho is my name now. And you're Zettai, arent you? Guess I am stuck with you..."

(To Be Continued in World 041: A Different Expression of Justice)

New Cards used by Veyron GT
Gizmek Orochi the Serpentron Sky Slasher

-
Dingirsu, Orcust of the Evening Star

-
World Legacy Succession

New Cards used by Sigment
T.G. Halberd Cannon/Assault Mode
Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode

-
Stardust Dragon
T.G. Wonder Magician

-
Assault Mode Activate
Assault Reboot
Scrap-Iron Scarecrow