Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth

by DivadX

Yuhiro Furutani, one of 8 children kidnapped 10 years ago by an unknown group, now works as Raguel, an agent in LINK VRAINS' Black Market. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who becomes his newest assignment. Follow Yuhiro as he now must decide who he wants to become: as both a duelist and as an individual.

43. Chapter 43: An Angel's Origin

Response to Reviews

Thank you to Yuman28, HunterHQ, Anonymous, Ambiguous, ZarcEternal, Noobmaster, Guest, Unknown, Elfin Fan, E.T. 2000, Unnamed, Guest, Guest, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 42 of Obscured Truth.

Hello, everyone! As always, I'm hoping you're safe and healthy wherever you are. Happy to see that you all enjoyed the chapter one way or another. Thanks to your support, I know I'll be able to improve my writing and write even better chapters in the future.

So without further ado, let's get to answering reviews:

Yuman28: Welcome back. I haven't heard from you in a while. Glad that you enjoyed the duels that occurred in the chapter. Just something to point out: Chapters 39-44 occur in the three months between Seasons 1 and 2, so I understand why you may think that they might not have any significance towards the chapter.

HunterHQ: Everyone was so worried about the email because if it was a phishing attempt, they could have lost personal information. As for the second half of the challenge, inspiration came from Jumanji: The Next Level. And mandrills, believe it or not, are menacing. Also, those that failed the challenge only had their avatars erased when the giant snake gobbled them up. Speaking of giant snake, I will make an Ignister monster based off of it. Apologies for the confusion. Herald was surprised at the fact there was another Cyberse Tuner monster, and he didn't forget about the Mathmech monsters. If there are Cyberse Ritual and Fusion Tuner monsters, then they'll be OC ones, and Yusaku won't Pendulum Summon (unless I change my mind later on). Lastly, I couldn't do the Cyberse Clock Dragon and Cyberse Magician lock because you needed a Link monster on the field for it to work.

Anonymous: You'll just have to read on and see to find out the answer to your first question. Speaking of Watchman, once he aided Yuhiro, he managed to stop Speckles from taking his personal information. To point out: Many players tried, and got mauled by the mandrills. It just wasn't shown. As for Yukage, if you want his thoughts on all of this, read Roxy's Reports 20.

Ambiguous: Medusa also has a real-life body, just like Progleo, only she can go back to the duel disk when needed. Roxy can indeed be menacing sometimes, especially the fact she can put fear into Herald and Ai. As for how Yuhiro got his World Chalice deck, that will be briefly touched on in this chapter.

ZarcEternal: Happy you enjoyed the chapter. And seaweed Matou... ha ha. Couldn't help but laugh at that. Fate/Stay Night has some good character appearances to take inspiration from, that's for sure, as it helped me make some OCs for my Arc-V story. If you're curious, then I encourage you to DM me. Also, I fixed that error you pointed out, so thank you very much.

Noobmaster: Kitamura heard about the event from some friends of his. Also, since Playmaker and Raguel were escaping from the mandrills, they had no time to think about it. The reason I had Speckles say 'You had one job!' following his duel against Raguel was because he was beating himself up for losing. As for your other question on more World Legacy archetypes, you'll see them as the story progresses.

Guest: For your first question, read Roxy's Reports 20. I put in post-credits scenes there for a reason. And although Miles has relatives, he chose to live in the shelter and help out. As for the Scarclust clan appearing, I'll think about it.

Unknown: Happy you enjoyed the duels in the chapter. I'm not sure yet regarding Revolver and his new Borrel dragons, but I'll think about it.

Elfin Fan: To be honest, the episodes revolving Blood Shepherd's trap will mostly remain the same because it allowed Soulburner to show that he overcame his trauma a long time ago. Instead, expect two things. One: A total of five duels to occur during those episodes. Two: An episode dedicated entirely to the backstory of Windy's origin.

E.T. 2000: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. To answer your concern on references, I use them to not just add some humor, but to help bring fond memories of those references for people as well. I hope they haven't diminished your enjoyment of the story. As for why Speckles thinks the way he does, look up Monsoon from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and you'll get your answer.

Unnamed: If you recall, Rook appeared in Chapter 28 to speak with Akira. The other chess pieces are still around, and will be antagonists in Season 4. More of the World Legacy will also be addressed later on in the story. Lastly, Rachel doesn't have a crush on Yuhiro. That would be awkward.

Guest: What Windy did, in my opinion, was a reference to the symbiotes. Like I said before. No Ignis will be merging with human counterparts. If the two shadowed bounty hunters appear before Season 2, it will be in post-credit scenes in Roxy's Reports, so keep an eye out for it. I also have an entire chapter dedicated to Windy's origin's backstory, which will be explained later on in Season 2.

Guest: Well, I chose Fortnite and the Jumanji challenge.

Guest: I can touch on that. And the Matsuo family always had a fast-food restaurant business. Also, Kusanagi went after the Hanoi to get justice for Jin.

Now that reviews are answered, its time to proceed with the chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 43: An Angel's Origin

The sky appears, full of clouds. Playmaker races through the clouds on his duel board, followed by Raguel, Soulburner, and then a male individual wearing a black outfit with green accents and a gold, bird-like mask over his eyes. The individual had dark green hair, which was spiked upwards before a medium sized portion of it went over the right side of his mask. Two swords then slice the clouds completely to reveal NEW LINK VRAINS. One of the swords, a katana with symbols inscribed on the blade, crosses downwards to the left. Crossing downwards to the right was a typical western sword, with a golden rain-guard and a blue grip. The sword also had symbols inscribed on the blade as well. The two swords made a shining X, causing the Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS! logo to appear, and underneath it, the words "OBSCURED TRUTH" ominously appear.

Yuhiro and Yusaku are walking down the street to school. Naoki runs past them, a large smile on his face. Aoi walks past them on the other side, smiling lightly and blushing at Yusaku. Then Takeru walks up behind them and wraps one arm around Yusaku. He then wraps the other arm around Yuhiro, surprising him for a few moments before being pulled to the side by Rachel, who's clearly happy to see him. Yuhiro smiles back at her.

Tsubaki and Hideki are shown boarding an airplane as they head to their destination. After sitting down next to each other in their respective seats, Tsubaki looks out in the window, which shows a reflection of Rosetta, while Hideki picks up the airplane guide and reads it. In the sky above them is Ace, a malicious sneer on his face.

Go Onizuka is shown wearing a hoodie as he leaves the waterfront for the last time. Outside of his home, he encounters Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, who are waiting for him. Smirking, the three of them raise their left arms into the air and enter NEW LINK VRAINS, with Go in his new avatar riding beside his new allies. Stregone crosses his arms as he looks down at them, a look of shock and disappointment on his face.

Kusanagi is then shown with Roxy at a nearby picnic table, both enjoying food and laughter while talking about technology. Flame and Ai are shown arguing in Café Nagi, while Herald ends up getting annoyed with their bickering. As a result, he snaps his fingers, causing Progleo to jump onto the desk and startle Ai and Flame.

At SOL Technologies, Akira Zaizen and Hayami are shown in Queen's office, with Queen handing them a signed order regarding Playmaker and Raguel. A look of hesitation appears on Akira's face, but he hides it just in time.

Azrael and Wraith are then shown with Ace and Athaliah standing behind them, shrouded in shadow along with their ace monsters Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed and El Shaddoll Construct. Standing behind Azrael and Wraith though, is a black, bipedal dragon with red sclera, white irises, and black pupils obscured in shadow. The dragon roars before disappearing with Zerrziel and El Shaddoll Construct. Jumping above Azrael and Wraith is a short creature with deep purple skin, red sclera, white irises, and pointed tentacles sprouting above his head. The creature wore black baggy pants with a golden horned buckle. Sporting a demonic expression, the creature extends its right arm forward towards the screen, darkening it completely.

When the screen becomes clear, Playmaker and Raguel are shown riding their duel boards next to each other, with Cyberse Witch and Cyberse Magician in front of Playmaker, and Cyreath Hercules and Cyreath Medusa in front of Raguel. The two are chased by Blood Shepherd, who directs two copies of Battledrone Sergeant to fire at them. Although the two of them are hit by the explosions the missiles caused, they escape unharmed. Suddenly, a young man wearing an elaborate purplish coat with black inner lining and cuffs intricately decorated by red-coloured motifs, as well as grey shirt with crimson leather pants orders a red-eyed dragon with black skin to fire at them. In response, Playmaker and Raguel are shown swerving left and right to avoid the consecutive blasts. Joining the young man in the hunt is another man, with red hair spiked backwards and dark purple eyes, as well as wearing a stylish white coat with yellow lines and a black shirt underneath it. Draped around his lower body is a white waist cape with yellow lines as well. The man orders a male, humanoid monster wearing several components of futuristic armor pieces to attack Playmaker, but Raguel turns his duel board around and activates a card, causing Hercules to glow a bright light before transforming into a colossal, statue-like man with long, shaggy black hair and elbow protrusions. His eyes glowing red, Hercules charged forward with his axe sword and clashed with the male humanoid.

The screen then shifts to the male individual from the opening's beginning watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, while Raguel duels the spiked red-haired man with a white coat and a white waist cape. Noticing Haru, who's also watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, the individual takes a card and summons a white and black dragon covered in white, blue, and black armor, who roared at the boy. The dragon had neon green crystals attached to her body, which acted like wings that shone with bright light. Haru, in response, takes a card and summons Hydradrive Nagini, who hissed at the dragon in the process.

Blue Angel and Rosetta are shown in NEW LINK VRAINS at a picnic table, laughing and enjoying each other's company. The two of them then turn their heads towards the duels going on in the sky, a look of concern on each of their faces.

Watchman's group is then shown, with Percival standing slightly apart from them as he makes a fist with his left hand. Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon appear before a massive, red-skinned demonic looking monster with golden elements, several eyeballs embedded on its body and four tentacles with bladed claws rises from behind them.

The Knights of Hanoi are shown summoning their monsters. Motor Worm Spread Queen, Helixx Necro Darwin, and Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps first appear before fading into the background. Next is Dark Magician, Berserker of the Tenyi, and Lucifer, Condemner of the Burning Abyss, with Sunavalon Dryanome behind them. Borreload Savage Dragon then rises from behind the four monsters and roars loudly.

Akira is shown at Green Park with Emma, Gekiryushi, and Aoi, giving them details on finding the Ignis. Emma proceeds to make a flirtatious gesture at Akira, making Gekiryushi facepalm and comment on how flirting can be useful at a time like this. The two women then begin to argue, with Akira and Aoi trying to break up the argument.

Yuhiro and Progleo are shown with Miyu at the Den City Hospital, trying to help her walk. Miyu, who's using the parallel bars, ends up slipping, only for Yuhiro to immediately catch her from behind and help her stand up. Roxy then runs out of nowhere and starts pummeling Yuhiro, causing Miyu to almost fall backwards again to their shock. Catching her this time though is Medusa, who appears behind her and smiles, much to everyone's relief. Miyu smiles back, grateful for Medusa's help. The screen then flips around before showing Yuhiro on his knees, clasping an unconscious Miyu's hand in sadness and rage.

Cyreaths Hercules, Medusa, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus are then shown in the air, with Turboblaze Dragon racing past them. The five of them prepare to attack alongside Turboblaze Dragon, who unleashes his Desolation Flare attack as well.

Raguel and Herald are then shown on top of a tower, facing off against Azrael and Wraith in a duel. Behind Raguel and Herald is Turboblaze Dragon, while behind Azrael and Wraith is the black, bipedal dragon from earlier in the opening. Both dragons roar at each other. Raguel reeves up his sword, while Azrael unsheathes his katana before the two of them and their dragons charge at each other.

Yuhiro, Roxy, Miyu, Kusanagi, Takeru, and Yusaku are all shown sitting outdoors at a picnic table near the Den City Hospital, all of them eating hot dogs, and Takeru, Kusanagi, and Roxy are laughing. Three duel disks are shown on the table, with Flame lecturing Ai while Herald plays a game on Yuhiro's tablet.

Yuhiro, Roxy, and Miyu are sitting down on a bench outside the Den City Hospital, with Medusa standing nearby them and Progleo on Roxy's lap. Miyu proceeds to rest her head on Yuhiro's shoulder, causing him to blush as she smiles. Yuhiro smiles back at her, while Roxy and Medusa both smile at them, happy they're able to find happiness with each other. The scene then switches to NEW LINK VRAINS, with Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner standing on a building and looking out into the radiant sky.

At the Den City Hospital...

"Are we there yet?" Rachel complained for the third time.

"Patience, sweetie. We're almost there." Greg answered. Right now, he and Rachel were in the car driving to the Den City Hospital to pay a visit to Miyu. This was because Greg learned from one of his colleagues that one of the Lost Incident victims had finally woken up from her coma, and was in the process of going through physiotherapy to walk again.

Rachel wanted to come along for two reasons, even though Greg said she didn't need to come, as today was her 12th birthday. One: Rachel wanted to visit Miyu herself and see what kind of person she was. By doing so, she wanted to determine what made Miyu special in Yuhiro's eyes. Two: If Yuhiro was there helping Miyu, Rachel could poke fun and ship them together. She could also get Yuhiro to spend the day with her if Roxy, Miyu's aunt, was there as well. For Yuhiro will have no choice but to agree to her wishes if Roxy told him to do so, just like last time.

Soon, they arrived at the parking lot, where Greg easily found the closest parking space he could near the Den City Hospital's entrance.

"And here we are." Greg and Rachel then got out of the car and headed towards the entrance of the Den City Hospital, where they walked to the receptionist's desk. "Good afternoon. My name is Greg Ebihara, and this is my daughter Rachel Miyake. I'm not sure if you received my email, but I'm here to visit Miyu Sugisaki."

"Let me see," the receptionist said, typing on her computer and scrolling through her emails. "Ah, there you are, Mr. Ebihara. Ms. Matsuo is currently helping Ms. Sugisaki with her physiotherapy in the recreational area. Will that be a problem?"

"Not at all." Greg assured her. The receptionist then motioned for him and Rachel while she called on a nurse to get them. After a few minutes, a nurse arrived and motioned the two of them to follow her, which they did.

"Ms. Sugisaki woke up about a month ago, and has been here ever since completing her physiotherapy," the nurse explained, as they were walking down the hallway.

"Has she received any visitors?" Greg asked her. "If its confidential, I understand, but it would help my work a long way." The nurse thought it over for a few minutes before responding.

"She's had a total of three visitors, along with one puppy," the nurse recalled. "Yuhiro Furutani, Roxy Matsuo, and Emma Beesho."

"I see. Thank you very much." Greg replied, making a mental note of the information in his mind. The three of them then walked in silence for a few minutes before arriving in the recreational area, where there were many hospital patients performing physiotherapy activities. Among them was Miyu, who was using a cane to practice walking, with Roxy keeping an eye on her.

"Come on, Miyu. You can do it." Roxy encouraged her, as Miyu struggled to get through the exercise.

"I can't believe this is a part of my physiotherapy..." Miyu whined, taking a few steps forward as per her doctor's instructions. She almost lost balance had Roxy not went over to assist her.

"At least you're not using the parallel bars anymore." Roxy assured her. "In only a month, you're making fast strides. You should feel proud of yourself."

"I guess you're right." Miyu agreed, turning to Roxy. "Let's continue, then."

"Excuse me? There's two people who wish to see you," the nurse interrupted as she knocked on the door, gesturing to Greg and Rachel.

"Thanks for letting me know." Roxy replied to the nurse before turning to Greg and walking towards him. "I am curious as to what the FBI's commissioner wants with me or my niece."

"Nothing bad." Greg responded, offering a hand for Roxy to shake. She shook it momentarily before letting go. "I was just hoping to ask your niece some questions, with your consent of course. That being said-." The next thing he knew, Rachel rushed past him and towards Miyu, eager to meet her. "Oh, and not sure if you remember Rachel, but she wanted to meet your niece, as well as see if Yuhiro was at the hospital today."

"No kidding. Where he goes, she follows. Like a pair of siblings." Roxy agreed. "If you want to talk, lets talk in the lobby."

"Auntie, if you're going, then who will watch over me?" Miyu asked, a look of worry on her face.

"Rachel will." Roxy answered her. "At least until I get back, so be on your best behavior." She then followed Greg outside the recreational area.

"Um, hello." Rachel said, turning to Miyu and offering her a hand to shake. "My name is Rachel Miyake."

"I'm Miyu. Miyu Sugisaki." Miyu replied, nervously shaking Rachel's hand. "So what brings you to the hospital?"

Rachel had a coy smile on her face. "I wanted to see if Yuhiro was here today so that I can spend my twelfth birthday with him."

"Eh?" A small blush formed on Miyu's face, the gears turning in her head. "You know Yuhiro?"

"Yup!" Rachel confirmed. "And judging from your reaction, I'm guessing you know him as well. Though I do wonder. Just what is your relationship with Yuhiro exactly?"

"Its none of your business!" Miyu snapped, surprising Rachel. "I won't let you take Yuhiro away, even if you're a kid!" To Miyu's surprise and shock, Rachel's happy demeanor changed to her being uneasy as she looked down to the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I... I didn't mean to upset you."

"I don't plan on taking Yuhiro from you." Rachel stated. "Its just... he was one of the first people that chose to hang out with me, even though I'm a kid that's smarter than everyone else." She looked at Miyu. "Just like you, I didn't have the best childhood. In fact, because of some really bad people, it was robbed from me."

"I... I didn't know." Miyu replied, having realized that her tantrum was unnecessary. "I also didn't realize that Yuhiro had other friends while I was in that coma."

"Well, at least you know now." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Since I told you about why Yuhiro's special to me, you could do me a courtesy and do the same for me."

"Um, okay. But don't tell Auntie or Yuhiro." Miyu complied, with Rachel nodding in confirmation. She then used her cane to walk to the nearby window, Rachel following in the process. "You see, like Yuhiro, I was involved in a terrible incident. So terrible that I had to leave Den City with my parents afterwards. But just when we thought it was over, someone showed up as we were driving and proceeded to kill us. My parents died from gunfire, and I fell into a coma, where I spent eight years at the hospital as a result." She grit her teeth upon recalling the memory.

Miyu must be talking be talking about the Lost Incident, Rachel deduced. And for her to lose her parents soon after... makes her almost like me.

"I thought I was going to be alone forever, but then I learned that, aside from my Auntie, there was someone who continued to visit me whenever he could." Miyu continued. "While I wasn't sure how he would help me, Yuhiro continued to visit and assure me that whoever did this to me would face justice. At one point, when we were alone in the room, I was able to let him know that I heard him." She smiled as she recollected the memory.

"When I finally awoke from that coma, I was so happy to see him with my own eyes. And as I went through my physiotherapy, Yuhiro was there to help me every step of the way. It was here where I learned more about him, his kind nature, and how he cares about the people around him." Miyu turned to Rachel. "That is why I fell in love with Yuhiro at first sight."

"Love at first sight, huh?" Rachel repeated to herself. A mischievous smile formed on her face as she walked towards Miyu. "I wonder what would happen if I told Yuhiro this information."

"Hey, you promised!" Miyu reminded her. "I'll tell Yuhiro when I'm ready, and it certainly won't be in his hospital!"

"Tell him what exactly?" Roxy interjected, surprising Miyu as she walked back to the recreational area where they were. Oh crap. Roxy had extremely good hearing, and if what she heard was true, then it would result in her teasing Miyu to no end.

Luckily, that wasn't the case, as Roxy knelt down to Rachel's level and pulled her in briefly for a tight embrace. "Happy twelfth birthday, Rachel." She then handed her a slip of paper. "This coupon will get you half off of whatever you want from Café Matsuo. I'll also send a quick text to a guy I know at Café Nagi so that you can get half off for one purchase."

"Thank you, Roxy." Rachel replied, giving a small bow in return. "Is it okay if I try to get Yuhiro to spend the day with me?"

"Of course, sweetie!" Roxy answered, much to Miyu's dismay as her face turned red. "If you like, I'll text him to let him know you're coming."

"That's fine." Rachel dismissed the offer. "I rather surprise him myself." She turned to Miyu. "Well, Miyu. It was nice meeting you. Hope we can talk again." Rachel then ran towards Greg as the two of them exited the recreational area of the hospital.

"Auntie, you promised me that Yuhiro would visit me later today!" Miyu protested.

"I know, but its important for him to spend time with other people as well." Roxy reminded her, who sighed in response. Seeing that Miyu was down in the dumps, Roxy put her hands on her shoulders. "Hey. Yuhiro is one of the most loyal people I ever know. What he did for you over the years is huge proof of that, and if it isn't, then I don't know what is. So trust me when I say this: He'll never abandon you."

"You make a good point there." Miyu agreed. "Still. It was surprising to learn that Yuhiro knows someone who is twelve years old, that's for sure."

"Goes to show that we live in one weird world today, don't we?" Roxy patted Miyu on the head. "Say. Let's continue doing those exercises, and afterwards, we'll get some ice cream together. Does that sound good with you?" Miyu nodded, happy with the idea. The two of them then headed over to a different part of the recreational area before Miyu resumed the exercises.

Meanwhile, Greg and Rachel exited the hospital before heading to the car, having been successful in their visit.

"So. How did you find Miyu?" Greg asked.

"She's an interesting person, just like Yuhiro." Rachel answered. "Not only that, they are also both fun to tease as well!" The two of them entered the car. "You gave Roxy that file, right?"

"The one from the Lost Incident? Yes." Greg confirmed, as he started up the car. "As her guardian, she deserves to know why Miyu was kidnapped." He then exited the parking space and started driving away from the hospital. "Rachel, if you intend on going to spend the day with Yuhiro for your birthday, would you be willing to do me a favor?"

"What favor would that be?" Rachel responded, now curious. Greg then motioned for her to open the compartment in the car, which she did. Inside, it contained one USB stick and two files. One file had Yusaku's name, while the other had Jin's name on it. "Oh, I see. You want me to give these files and the USB stick to Fujiki and Jin's brother Shoichi, right?"

"As thanks for their part in stopping the Hanoi." Greg explained. "Like Roxy and Miyu, the three of them deserve to know of the truth. Of why they were picked for the Lost Incident, as well as about Project: VIII. You can find Mr. Kusanagi at Café Matsuo, which is where Playmaker in the real world works at when he's not on missions." He turned to Rachel briefly before refocusing on the road. "Just promise me you'll be safe."

"Like I told you before, Yuhiro is a good and kind person." Rachel reiterated. "Trust me on this. Oh, drop me off here. I'll walk the rest of the way." Greg proceeded to stop the car.

"Phone with SOS button?"

"Check." Rachel said.

"Lip Stick Taser?"

"Check." Although Greg meant well, there were times where this got annoying to Rachel. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to be in a public area at all times."

Greg sighed in relief. "Okay. Have fun and stay safe." After dropping Rachel off, Greg then drove away.

I wonder what Yuhiro's currently doing right now, Rachel thought, as she started heading towards Café Matsuo. This was going to be a good day.

At Café Matsuo, in the living room...

Yuhiro was with Herald in the living room, turning on some calm music as he sat down cross-legged on the floor beside his duel disk. He would have went with Roxy to visit Miyu at the hospital, but was assigned to man the front while she was away. He also had to take care of a certain Ignis, who became fidgety after playing too much Resident Evil 4. Nearby was Progleo, who was in the middle of a nap.

"Okay, Herald." Yuhiro said, getting his attention. "I'm going to be leading you through a series of meditation exercises. These exercises have calmed me down whenever I have nightmares, and have helped me fall back to sleep afterwards."

Herald rolled his eyes at that comment and sighed. "And yet you can't tell Miyu how you really feel." Yuhiro could feel his annoyance rising at that comment.

"Is that really necessary right now?" he asked Herald. "I'm trying to help you get over your nightmares."

"Very well. Let's get started." Herald complied, sitting cross-legged on Yuhiro's duel disk.

"Good. Close your eyes. Imagine yourself in the one place you feel most at home. Where is that?"

"Sim City." Herald answered, causing Yuhiro to roll his eyes. "More specifically, a replica of the Cyberse World."

Yuhiro nodded. "Alright. You're at the Cyberse World."

"Where in the Cyberse World? The Central Tower? The outlands of the Cyberse World?" Herald asked."

"Wherever you like. Just pick a place so we can continue! I'm on a clock here!" Yuhiro reminded Herald, his annoyance getting higher by the minute.

"Okay, okay. I'm at the Central Tower of the Cyberse World." Herald decided, after contemplating for a few moments. "Oh no."

"What is it now?" Yuhiro tiredly asked, now close to being fed up with this exercise.

"A Godzilla-like monster is approaching the Cyberse World." Herald explained. "The other Ignis and I need to get everyone to safety. Cyberse creatures, this is the White Ignis. Follow me. Leave your belongings behind and get to safety quickly. Oh the simulated horror!" When Herald opened his eyes, he noticed that Yuhiro was gone, having been fed up with his antics. "Huh. Just as I thought. Meditation is nothing but crap." He then stretched over and grabbed the PS4 controller, turning the PS4 on in the process.

"Can't believe I skipped visiting Miyu for this..." Yuhiro muttered, walking downstairs to the counter of Café Matsuo. He grabbed his apron and a pen and paper before gesturing to the steward bot to go to the back. "What can I get you-?" But when he looked at who the customer was, it was someone he didn't expect.

"Good afternoon, Yuhiro." Rachel said, greeting him. "How are you doing?"

"Doing alright, actually." Yuhiro answered. "Anything I can get you?"

"Just some water, please." Rachel replied, before looking down at the ground all of a sudden. "That, and I was hoping I could talk with you. In private." Mustering up some courage, she pulled out Geomathmech Final Sigma from her deck before putting it on the counter. When Yuhiro looked at it, his eyes widened for a few moments upon putting two and two together.

"I see." He then went to the door and opened it, gesturing for Rachel to come inside. "Follow me." Rachel proceeded to enter inside Café Matsuo and follow him upstairs to the living room portion of the second floor.

"Oh, Yuhiro." Herald said, pausing the game he was playing before turning to look behind him. "Didn't realize you finished-." He suddenly stopped talking upon realizing that Yuhiro had a guest in the house.

"Its fine, Herald." Yuhiro told him. "She knows my identity." He then gestured for Rachel to sit down on one of the couches, which she did.

"This is a nice place." Rachel said, looking around the area. "Quite comfortable indeed."

"It sure is." Yuhiro agreed, sitting on the couch opposite of Rachel. "So. You're Numera."

"Yes. And you're Raguel." Yuhiro narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone who you are. And neither will Greg, partly for confidentiality reasons."

"Then what are your reasons?" Herald interrupted, a hand on his chin. "For all we know, you could be up to something sneaky."

"Because I don't intend to, alright?!" Rachel snapped, giving Herald a jump scare. Progleo, having heard this, woke up and walked towards Rachel. After sniffing her hand for a few moments, he sat down, allowing Rachel to pet his head. "Besides. Yuhiro saved my life. It would be unjust if I betrayed him after everything he did for me."

"Calm down, Herald." Yuhiro said to Herald. "What Rachel just told us, combined with Progleo warming up to her, are signs that she can be trusted." He turned to her. "Since we know our identities, I need to know: How are you feeling? You know, after that azure-overcoated man slashed you to bits?"

Rachel shuddered upon recalling that memory. "I'm okay. Although the first few days were rough, I was able to regain my strength afterwards."

Yuhiro nodded. "That's good to hear." His attention was then directed towards what Rachel had in her hands. "Why exactly are you carrying files and a USB stick?" A nervous look appeared on her face being asked the question. "What's wrong?"

"Its... kinda tied in to the reason I came here today." Rachel answered, her face turning red out of embarrassment. "Do you know what today is?" Yuhiro shook his head, unsure of what she was talking about. "Its... my twelfth birthday."

"Oh," was all Yuhiro replied with, causing Rachel to look down at the ground, a downcast look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was your birthday today."

"After what happened to me six years ago," Rachel began explaining, "I ended up becoming traumatized by the hellish abuse, especially with the side effects I told you about a while back. As a result, I spent my birthdays primarily with Greg. Until I met you and Aoi, I thought I was going to be alone forever due to what happened to me."

"You wanted to spend your birthday with a friend..." Yuhiro deduced, paying close attention to Rachel.

"Its something I wanted to do for so long." Rachel continued, her face turning red. "That's why I came here today. To ask if you would spend... my twelfth birthday... with me."

"Rachel..." Yuhiro muttered. He noticed she was trembling out of fear of being rejected. She never had the chance to spend her birthdays with friends because of what happened to her, he thought. As a result, what people take for granted became of Rachel's greatest wishes. The chance to do ordinary things with other people. He then stood up from where he was sitting and walked towards Rachel, having made a decision. "I got it. Sorry for not realizing how much this meant to you." Yuhiro held out a hand to her, causing Rachel to widen her eyes in surprise. "Just let me get a bag to put your stuff in, and we'll go to the shopping district in Den City. I'm sure we'll find ways to have fun together there."

Rachel took Yuhiro's hand and stood up from her spot on the couch, a smile of gratitude on her face. "Okay. Please take care of me for the day, Yuhiro."

At the Den City Shopping District...

For the next few hours, Yuhiro took Rachel to various places in the Den City Shopping District. From the bookstore to the video store, to the produce market and the district's central area, Rachel clearly enjoyed looking around the different areas of the district. If Yuhiro had to be honest, he enjoyed spending the day with her, as getting her perspective on various topics was pretty interesting. That, and it was nice to act like regular people every now and then.

There were one stop, however, that both Yuhiro and Rachel would remember for a long time.

"Yuhiro! Yuhiro!" Rachel said, pulling his arm and stopping him from walking. "Look! An adorable stuffed black bunny!"

He turned in the direction that Rachel was looking at. Sure enough, she was right. There indeed was a stuffed black bunny in the Den City Arcade. "Its inside the Den City Arcade. If you want, I can take you there." As if in confirmation, Rachel pulled him along to the arcade. "Hold on. If you want to go in there, I need to get you a Power Play card."

"A Power Play card? What's that?" Rachel asked, as she and Yuhiro walked inside the arcade.

"It lets you play all the games that are inside here." Yuhiro explained. "You pay yen for a card loaded with a specific amount of chips, and then use that card to play the game." As they walked towards the counter, Yuhiro couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he let Herald loose here. From shooters to claw games, to driving games and games of chance, he'd have a real blast. Once the two of them reached the counter, they noticed a familiar face rush there holding a Power Play cards.

"I'd like one collectible coin each of Deva, Ragnarok, Miss Chief, Krystal, and Astro please." Naoki said to the person there.

"That'll be one hundred-thousand tickets please," the man at the counter replied.

"Done and done." Naoki complied, giving him the card. "After coming here so many times and playing the games, I can finally complete the set of the Top 10 Charisma Duelist coins, along with Playmaker, Raguel, Blue Angel, Go Onizuka, and Stregone!"

"Collectible coins?" Yuhiro questioned, giving Naoki a scare as he turned behind him in shock.

"Oh, look. It's the Neanderthal again." Rachel amusedly added, much to Naoki's dismay.

"Furutani? Miyake? What are you two doing here?" Naoki asked before turning to Rachel. "And for the record, I am not a Neanderthal!"

"Says the Neanderthal." Rachel replied, chuckling to herself.

"What coins are you talking about?" Yuhiro interjected.

"These ones!" Naoki answered, grabbing them from the man at the counter and showing them to Yuhiro. "This one is Deva, the Number 3 Charisma Duelist in all of LINK VRAINS. She uses a summoning method that's just as forgotten as Pendulum. And this one is Ragnarok, the Number 4 Charisma Duelist who calls upon the Nine Realms to aid him in winning duels. This one right here is Miss Chief, the Number 7 Charisma Duelist. She may look goofy, but watch out, or else she'll turn your strategies upside down."

"Isn't collecting pro duelist memorabilia a little excessive?" Yuhiro raised an eyebrow. There was nothing wrong with being a collector, but if it reached the point where it took over someone's life, then some intervention would be required.

"Hey, I'm just a simple guy, Furutani." Naoki replied. "A simple guy who immediately buys something related to the heroes of LINK VRAINS when it becomes available!" Suddenly, Naoki's duel disk beeped, causing him to look at the notification that popped up. Upon doing so, his eyes widened in surprise. "Gotta run! The set of posters I saved a month's worth of allowance for has arrived!" He then sped out of the Den City Arcade and ran all the way home.

Rachel sweat dropped after witnessing the scene. "The Neanderthal's a peculiar guy, isn't he?"

"Yup." Yuhiro agreed. He then got a Power Play card for himself and Rachel at the counter before they headed towards the game that had the biggest amount of tickets offered as a top prize. "Space Rangers? Seriously?"

"It says that if I defeat the evil Insectoid Queen and get the high score, I'll win thirty-thousand tickets!" Rachel squealed, hopping into the seat with the controls. "A shame this isn't a two-player game. Then you could be my co-pilot."

"I'm sure you can get the jackpot prize." Yuhiro assured her. "Good luck." He and Herald (who emerged out of the duel disk) then watched as Rachel swiped her card and began taking on the various levels of Space Rangers. Even though there were a total of eight levels, the game proved to be hard because the player only had one life to get through all of them. And unfortunately, she lost on Level 3, which involved slaying a giant space-insect crab hybrid.

"Aw man!" Rachel said. "But I'm not giving up!" She ended up swiping her card five times, and each time, she managed to get a little further to the final level. Sadly, Level 7 proved to be too hard for her, as not only were there too many targets, Rachel was also up against a massive space insect-beluga.

"No, no, no, no!" She realized that all the chips on her card were used up. "I was so close to killing that space-insect beluga hybrid!"

"Check it out! That little girl couldn't beat Space Rangers!"

Yuhiro turned around, only to see a group of kids from Den City High approach them.

"Hey, cut her some slack. She did her best." Yuhiro told the leader of the group.

"You got a problem, Furutani?" the leader questioned. He then motioned Yuhiro to look at the leader score. At the top contained the name Exterminator, and beside it was a score of 1,000,000 points. "You see that score? Its proof that I aced Space Rangers, which means respect here at this arcade." He then turned to Rachel. "Maybe you should tell your friend here that this game isn't for her. Uh-oh. Somebody's got a frowny face. Better luck next time."

The leader and his posse started laughing as Rachel turned to Yuhiro, giving him sad puppy-dog eyes.

There's no way I'm letting these guys bully Rachel. Not on her birthday, he decided. "Okay. My turn," Yuhiro told the leader and his posse, as he walked over to the seat and sat on it, winking at Herald in the process. Knowing what to do, Herald disappeared from Yuhiro's duel disk momentarily after Yuhiro swiped his card to start up the game. To the leader and his posse's surprise, Yuhiro proceeded to beat each level of Space Rangers, racking up tons of points in the process.

"What? There's no way you can be reaching my high score!" the leader exclaimed. "You must be cheating!"

"Nope. I just have more experience in video games." Yuhiro replied, as he battled against the Insectoid Queen and destroyed every single one of the enemies there. Using the final powerup in his arsenal, he then destroyed the Insectoid Queen, finishing the game with a high score of 10,000,000 points and making him the top player in the game. "Aced it."

"Impossible!" the leader stated, furiously grabbing Yuhiro by the collar of his shirt as he stood up. "I'm the top player of Space Rangers, and no one-." His speech was cut short as Yuhiro headbutted him with enough force to break his nose.

"Boss!" one member of the posse said.

"This is what's going to happen." Yuhiro told the leader and his posse. "You're going to surrender your Power Play cards to Rachel and I before leaving. You will also never tell anyone of what happened today. If you don't, we'll report all of you to the local authorities for bodily harm."

"Like the authorities would believe you and a little girl!" the leader declared.

"My guardian's the FBI commissioner." Rachel explained, scaring the leader and his posse. A smirk formed on her face. "If he were involved, then it would get a lot worse for you. After all, I wonder what the charges are for threatening to hurt a girl like me." Afraid of what might happen, the leader and his posse to immediately grab their Power Play cards and drop them to the ground in front of Yuhiro and Rachel.

"Let's get out of there!" one of them said, as they ran out of the arcade.

"Okay, Rachel." Yuhiro said, turning to her. "With that out of the way, which game do you want to play next?"

Two hours later...

Despite the scuffle with the group of kids from Den City High, Yuhiro and Rachel ended up having a lot of fun inside the Den City Arcade. Herald even had his chance at obtaining the top spot at various other games there. Once they were finished, they proceeded to acquire the stuffed bunny for Rachel, as well as a little something for Roxy before leaving.

"Its so fluffy!" Rachel said, hugging the bunny to her chest as they left the shopping district. "Thank you so much, Yuhiro! You showed those mean bullies who's boss!"

"No prob, Rachel." Yuhiro replied, happy that Rachel was having a good time.

"I conquered so many video games at that place!" Herald happily said with joy as they turned the corner. "You could say I was turbo-tastic!"

"Turbo-tastic?" Yuhiro repeated, an eyebrow raised. "Isn't that a line from a movie?"

"Uh, maybe?" Herald hesitantly answered, causing them to laugh. "Hey, its not a bad one!" Suddenly, they heard Yuhiro's stomach rumble.

"Hee-Hee." Rachel covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. "Looks like someone's hungry." As if on cue, her stomach rumbled as well.

"Guess I'm not the only one." Yuhiro responded, amusement in his voice. "I know a good food truck if you want to grab a bite to eat."

"Yeah, sure." The two of them then proceeded to head to the public viewing plaza, or more specifically, Café Nagi. Unlike last time, there wasn't as much people ordering food. Rachel's eyes widened upon seeing someone sit at a chair right outside the van. "Hey, Yuhiro. Isn't that-?"

"Yes it is." Yuhiro replied. "And since you likely know that Fujiki is Playmaker, its only fair that you tell him your identity." He then walked up to Yusaku. "Hey there, Fujiki. Didn't expect you to be here today."

Yusaku looked up in response. "Same here." He then turned to Rachel. "Its good to see you as well, Miyake." Rachel then walked forward and bowed in front of Yusaku, surprising him.

"Please forgive me!" she said, pulling out a card from her deck.

"What for?" Yusaku asked, clearly confused.

"The truth is, I know that you're Playmaker, and to make things right, I want to tell you my identity." Rachel quietly answered, showing him the card. After Yusaku looked at the card in Rachel's hand, he narrowed his eyes.

"I see. So you're Numera." Yusaku said. "How were you able to figure out my identity?"

"She knows your identity?!" The three of them turned to Kusanagi, a look of surprise on his face as he was grilling hotdogs. "Aw crap. This isn't good!"

"Wait! I have something to give both of you!" Rachel told them. "They're gifts from my guardian as thanks for stopping the Hanoi!"

"Gifts?" Yusaku repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Hold on." Rachel motioned for Yuhiro to give the bag for her. After pulling out the files and the USB stick, she gave them to Yusaku and Kusanagi respectively. "One file contains information about you Fujiki, while the other has info about Kusanagi's brother Jin. The USB stick, on the other hand, contains information the FBI has Project: VIII."

"Project: VIII?" Yusaku and Kusanagi said at the same time. They would have said more had Yuhiro not interrupted.

"Guys, cut her some slack," he told them. "She's trying to set things right. Hell, she even revealed her identity and gave the both of you confidential information. Could you let her off just this once?"

Kusanagi let out a sigh before speaking. "Well, considering what you brought and told us, I think its worth calling it even. What about you, Yusaku?"

Yusaku thought it over and said, "Its fine with me. If I may ask: How did you get your hands on this information?"

"My guardian's the FBI commissioner." Rachel explained to Yusaku. "He has access to this type of information."

"I see." Yusaku responded. "If you're willing to provide your guardian's phone number, it would go a long way." As if on cue, Rachel typed some buttons on her phone before sending a text to Yusaku and Kusanagi.

"Done and done." Rachel told them.

"Well, glad that's over with." Kusanagi wiped his forehead as Yuhiro and Rachel walked to the counter. "Miyake, Roxy said today was your birthday, so I wanted to wish you one as well by providing you with a discount here. Half-off for one purchase. Speaking of which, is there anything you want today?"

"I'll have a cheesedog with some French fries and a water." Rachel replied. "I would like to use the discount today if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Kusanagi responded before turning to Yuhiro. "And same order from before, right?" Yuhiro nodded in confirmation as Kusanagi started grilling the hotdogs.

"Pardon me for interrupting," Herald said, emerging from the duel disk, "but is that your setup back there?"

Kusanagi blinked and looked behind him at the cabinets. "You were able to tell those were fake, huh? Yup. That's the setup."

"Interesting. If you like, I can provide you with all the recent updates we have back at Café Matsuo." Herald offered. "After all, Watchman recently updated the systems shortly after Speckles attempted to steal our information."

"Herald, we aren't here for that." Yuhiro reminded him.

"It's alright, Yuhiro." Kusanagi assured him. "I've been meaning to update the systems for some time, and having the assistance of an Ignis would be quite helpful." He headed to the side and opened the door, after which Yuhiro and Rachel walked in, followed by Yusaku. After Kusanagi acquired Yuhiro's duel disk, he pulled out a cord and attached it to the duel disk. Yusaku then led Yuhiro and Rachel to a table nearby the van, where the three of them sat down in separate chairs. Later on, Kusanagi went over and brought hotdogs for the three of them, sitting down at the empty chair beside Yusaku.

"You know, there's something I've always wanted to ask the both of you." Yuhiro said to Yusaku and Kusanagi. "How exactly did the two of you meet?"

Kusanagi blinked, looked at Yusaku, and smiled. "We met in LINK VRAINS," he answered. "After Jin was released, I vowed to uncover the truth about the Lost Incident. To do this, I scoured every textbook I could find and taught myself how to code. Once I found out that the Knights of Hanoi had a connection to the Lost Incident, I went into LINK VRAINS to track them down. But to tell you the truth..." Kusanagi sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't the best duelist around, as I got my butt kicked by them. Luckily, Yusaku ended up saving me, and I returned the favor later on when they cornered him."

"As I returned to the real world, Kusanagi told me to meet at Café Nagi." Yusaku continued. "He started up the place in order to earn money and make a living, as well as acquiring necessities for the missions in LINK VRAINS. Once I met him, we formed an alliance to stop the Hanoi and uncover the Lost Incident together. That was over a year ago." Yusaku then turned to Yuhiro. "What about you? When did you and Roxy meet?" Rachel also turned to Yuhiro, now curious about what he going to say.

Yuhiro frowned to himself. "Five years ago, when I was living in the Den City Shelter. Roxy adopted me there and took me home to live at Café Matsuo. I'll admit, the first few years there were rough because I was so used to life in the shelter. You could say it was a big change for me at the time."

Yusaku thought this over before responding. "And Raguel?" he asked. "How did he became to be?"

Rachel looked up to Yuhiro as he thought of the right words to say. "Because I wanted to repay a debt," he replied slowly. "But I'm not sure if it's the right time to tell it..."

"You should," Rachel said, getting Yuhiro's attention. "At some point, you'll have to, so why not now? Besides, no one here will judge you."

Yuhiro looked at Rachel for a moment before sighing. "Very well," he decided. "The truth is, I've been Raguel for three years now..."

Flashback: Three years ago, in LINK VRAINS...

"You know how I said the first few years were rough living with Roxy? Well, they were. I didn't understand at the time why she would adopt a person who went through the Lost Incident. It just didn't make any sense. As a result, I felt alone because no one could ever understand what I went through.

"One day, however, Roxy took me with her to the Den City Hospital to visit her niece Miyu Sugisaki, who was in a coma at the time. She took me there to show that I wasn't the only one there during the Lost Incident, as well as to help me lighten up a little, for people had their own problems to deal with. Upon seeing Miyu for the first time, I felt that I owed Roxy for everything she did for me. The best way I could repay her back was to make sure that Miyu would wake up one day, smile, and enjoy life once again with Roxy.

"When I got home, I searched up ways on how a thirteen-year old can make a quick buck, and eventually, I stumbled across the Black Market Forum. There, it contained jobs from the various branches in terms of difficulty. I'll admit, the rewards were rather nice, even for the low-danger ones. At the time though, only the Omega branch was accepting applications for new hires. So when I saw the opportunity to help Roxy, I leapt at the chance. However, I had to be careful because compared to a thirteen-year old boy, there were plenty of experts, and I had no one to guide me. So I ended up purchasing my first equipment on the Black Market to aid me, which included my Duel Anchor.

"I still remember the initiation I went through. Monty, the leader of the Omega Branch, assigned me to remove a man named Chainslaver from his job position as the owner of a data material mining company. This was because Chainslaver planned to break ties with Monty after agreeing to a new contract with the Alpha Branch. As such, I went and gave Chainslaver the message, which he wasn't too happy about. It led me to chasing him while fighting off his goons at the same time, but I eventually found him..."

"Chainslaver!" the man's chaser shouted. "For betraying the Omega Branch, your time's up!" Chainslaver, a large-rounded man with orange combed-back hair, light skin, and a white tuxedo, made the mistake of turning to look back. Seizing his chance, Chainslaver's chaser fired a red cord from his duel disk, which wrapped itself around Chainslaver's wrist and stopped him from running.

"Who are you?" Chainslaver demanded, turning around to face his pursuer. Said pursuer wore a black skin-tight outfit with blue circuitry. He also wore a black helmet that also had blue circuitry, along with a mask that covered his face. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Chainslaver.

"My name is Agent," the young man told Chainslaver. "If you surrender to Monty's authority with a formal acknowledgement, he'll probably give you some mercy."

Chainslaver growled. "Like I'll ever return to working for Monty! With the contract I've signed, my company will be one of the richest in the Black Market! Besides, aren't you a little young to be working on the Black Market?"

"Why yes, yes I am." Agent admitted. "But it doesn't change the situation you're in, doesn't it?" When Chainslaver raised an eyebrow in confusion, Agent continued. "I caught you with my Duel Anchor, which means you can't leave until you beat me in a duel."

"Is that so?" Chainslaver responded, readying his duel disk. "Then it looks like I'll have to send a personal message to Monty in the form of your dead corpse!"

"So be it." Agent replied, also readying his own duel disk.

"Duel!" Agent and Chainslaver shouted in unison.

Agent: 4000 LP

Chainslaver: 4000 LP

"I'll go first." Chainslaver huffed, looking at the cards in his hand. Not bad, he thought. This will be the prelude to crushing this kid and getting Monty off my back for good. "I activate the Field Spell card, Iron Chain Forge!" The card showed a massive, underground forge, with lava flowing down the lake above and into a pit. Various Iron Chain Repairmen were acquiring depots of lava and transferring it through minecart, while others worked at nearby workshop tables. "Now all 'Iron Chain' monsters I control gain 100 attack points times their levels. Next, I summon Iron Chain Repairman!" A fat, pink-skinned man wearing green overalls appeared on Chainslaver's field in attack position. He wore a red cap on his head, along with orange safety goggles over his eyes. In his right hand, he carried a massive hammer.

Iron Chain Repairman ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

Iron Chain Repairman ATK: 1600 + (100 X 4) = 2000

"I'll follow that up by activating the Continuous-Spell card, Poison Chain. If I don't attack, then at the End Phase, you send cards from the top of your deck equal to the combined level of all face-up 'Iron Chain' monsters on my field. But before you react, I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Paralyzing Chain. If a card is sent from your deck to the Graveyard by a card effect, you take 300 points of damage for each one!" Chainslaver then laughed, his combo slowly coming together.

Agent narrowed his eyes. So this guy plays a Mill and Burn deck, he theorized. That means he has three possible routes to defeat me. Either through sheer force, deck out, or effect damage. But if I can shut those options down immediately, I can bring this fat douchebag before Monty and pass my initiation.

"I'll Set one card face-down and end my turn." Chainslaver concluded, as a Set card appeared in his Spell & Trap card zone. "At this point, the effects of Poison Chain, Paralyzing Chain, and Iron Chain Forge now activate. First, you have to send cards from the top of your deck equal to the combined level of all face-up 'Iron Chain' monsters on my field. Since Iron Chain Repairman is Level 4, you send four cards." Agent gritted his teeth as he took the top four cards of his deck and sent them to his Graveyard.

"Second, as a card was sent from your deck to your Graveyard, you take 300 points of damage for each one. Last I checked, four cards were sent, which means you take 1200 points of damage!" A blast of lightning fired out of Paralyzing Chain, which hit Agent and struck him, causing him to scream in agony.

Agent: 4000 – (300 X 4) = 2800 LP

"Third, because you took damage this turn, Iron Chain Forge lets me send one 'Iron Chain' monster from my deck to my Graveyard to draw one card." Chainslaver added, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard before drawing another one from the top of his deck. "Alright, kid. You're up. Or did you change your mind about challenging me?"

Agent ignored him, and instead looked at the cards in his hand to form a counter-strategy. Chainslaver formed an interesting setup regarding his deck, but there were obviously weaknesses to the setup. And Agent would exploit them!

"My turn! I draw!" Agent said, drawing the top card of his deck. Yes. This was perfect. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Twin Twisters. By discarding one card from my hand, I can target up to two Spell and Trap cards on the field and destroy them. I target your Poison Chain and Iron Chain Forge!" As Agent discarded a card from his hand, two twisters emerged from Twin Twisters, which destroyed Poison Chain and Iron Chain Forge, much to Chainslaver's irritation. As a result of Iron Chain Forge no longer being on the field, Iron Chain Repairman's attack points dropped to his original amount.

Iron Chain Repairman ATK: 2000 – 400 = 1600

"How dare you!" Chainslaver exclaimed. "I was going to go nice, but you're in for it now, you pathetic runt!"

"Nice?" Agent repeated, a bored expression on his face. "I find that hard to believe. Where was I? Oh yeah. I summon Lee the World Chalice Fairy from my hand." A small, white fairy with long hair and silver wings flew onto Agent's field, her blue eyes twinkling in the process.

Lee the World Chalice Fairy ATK: 100 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

"When Lee is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'World Chalice' monster from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which Agent took and added to his hand. "Next, I activate Double Summon, which lets me perform an additional Normal Summon this turn. Therefore, I summon Chosen by the World Chalice." A young blonde teen wearing golden armor parts on his right calf and upper body appeared on Agent's field. He had blonde hair that flowed back, even though it wasn't gelled. Around his head were a pair of golden googles, while around his neck was a long red scarf. The young teen swung his short sword, ready for battle.

Chosen by the World Chalice ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"I'll now build my circuit!" Agent declared, as a Link Portal appeared in the sky above him. "The summoning conditions are two 'World Chalice' monsters. I'll set Chosen by the World Chalice and Lee the World Chalice Fairy into the Link Markers!" Lee went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Chosen by the World Chalice went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both arrowheads red respectively.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Auram the World Chalice Blademaster!" The young male teen from before reappeared on Agent's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, with many differences. First, there was a blue crown that rested on the top of his head where his goggles once resided. Second, he wore shining blue armor all over his body. Third, he carried a shining blue sword in his right hand, while his left hand held a medium-sized shield.

Auram the World Chalice Blademaster ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

Chainslaver had a shocked expression on his face upon looking up the monster on Agent's field. "That monster's a Cyberse monster," he realized. "How'd you get one of those?"

"I'm not obliged to tell you." Agent coldly answered. "I activate the Spell card, World Legacy's Heart. This card lets me target two 'World Chalice' monsters in my Graveyard with different names and add them back to my hand." Two cards popped out of Agent's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "Battle! Auram the World Chalice Blademaster attacks Iron Chain Repairman! Shining Slash!" Auram charged forward and raised his sword, which shone with blue light.

"Continuous-Trap card, activate!" Chainslaver interrupted. "Soul Anchor! When this card is activated, I can equip it to one monster on my field. I equip it onto Iron Chain Repairman!" The hammer Iron Chain Repairman carried disappeared as he carried a glowing anchor with a chain on it, which he used to clash with Auram, forcing him to retreat back to Agent's side of the field. "And while Iron Chain Repairman is equipped with Soul Anchor, he can no longer be destroyed in battle! However, he can't change his battle position!" Chainslaver grunted as his life points dropped.

Chainslaver: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"In that case, I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Agent concluded.

"A pathetic runt like you dares to damage me?!" Chainslaver exclaimed, getting furious. "I'll make sure to pay you back in spades! My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck, and upon looking at it, he grinned. "Iron Chain Repairman's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Iron Chain' monster from my Graveyard back to my field. However, Iron Chain Repairman cannot attack the turn he uses this effect. Resurrect, Iron Chain Coil!" A small robot whose hands were attached to chains, as well as stubby legs, appeared on Chainslaver's field.

Iron Chain Coil ATK: 1100 DEF: 1600 LV: 3

"I'll now activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my deck." Chainslaver drew the top two cards of his deck. "I summon Iron Chain Snake from my hand." A long chain that was in the form of a snake slithered onto Chainslaver's field.

Iron Chain Snake ATK: 800 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"I tune the Level 3 Iron Chain Coil with the Level 3 Iron Chain Snake!" Chainslaver declared, as a grey lightning bolt struck him and the world greyed out before his two monsters disintegrated into particles. Two rings, one orange and one grey, appeared before turning blue and merging. Six blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to "6" as light surged through the rings.

"Draconic beast of chains, awaken and deliver my wrath onto my enemies!" Chainslaver chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Iron Chain Dragon!" A large, blue dragon with chains all over its body flew onto Chainslaver's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Although it had no legs or arms, it had a large wingspan, as well as a long tail. Its orange eyes glowed as it eyed Agent, hungry for battle.

Iron Chain Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 1300 LV: 6

"I activate Iron Chain Dragon's effect! It gains 200 attack points for every 'Iron Chain' monster in my Graveyard!" Iron Chain Dragon roared as it powered up.

Iron Chain Dragon ATK: 2500 + 400 = 2900

"Battle!" Chainslaver declared. "Iron Chain Dragon attacks Auram the World Chalice Blademaster! Chain Blast!" Iron Chain Dragon fired a blast of energy at Auram, but...

"Trap card, activate!" Agent said. "Card Defense! By discarding a card from my hand, I can not only negate your attack, but also draw one card from my deck as well." Agent took a card from his hand and sent it to his Graveyard, causing a swarm of cards to surround Auram and protect him from the blast of energy. As the energy dissipated, Agent drew the top card of his deck.

"Tch." Chainslaver grit his teeth. "You got away for now, punk. I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!" One of my Set cards is Fiendish Chain, he thought. If he brings out his strongest monster, I'll use this card to prevent it from attacking or activating its effects. And just in case, I have Draining Shield, which negates one attack and increases my life points equal to the attacking monster's attack points. After this turn, he's finished!

"My turn! I draw!" Agent said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of World Legacy – World Chalice from my Graveyard! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can add one 'World Legacy' card from my deck to my hand!" He took the card that popped out of his deck and added it to his hand. "And to ensure there's no nasty surprises, I also activate the Spell card, Hey Trunade! This card returns all Set Spell and Trap cards on the field back to their owners hands."

"What?!" Chainslaver's eyes widened in surprise as a huge gust of wind blew his two Set face-down cards off the field and back to his hand. Damn it, he thought, before regaining his bearings. Even though I don't have my face-down cards, I still have two strong monsters on my field to defend my life points with.

"I activate the effect of World Chalice Guardragon in my Graveyard." Agent continued. "By banishing him from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Normal monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone a Link monster on my field points to. I banish World Chalice Guardragon to Special Summon Crowned by the World Chalice to my field." A young female teen with long, purple hair with a ribbon tied into it, as well as green eyes appeared on Agent's field, in one of the Main Monster Zones Auram pointed to. She wore pieces of ornate robing on her arms, along with a small skirt around her waist. Covering her upper body was a sash with an ornate jewel in the center. In her hands was a scepter.

Crowned by the World Chalice ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 2

"I now activate the Field Spell card, World Legacy's Discovery." Agent added. "This card increases the attack and defense points of all 'World Chalice' monsters by 300." Auram and Chosen by the World Chalice were surrounded by a blue aura as both of them powered up.

Auram the World Chalice Blademaster ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

Crowned by the World Chalice ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 2100 + 300 = 2400

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Mini-Guts. By tributing one monster on my field, a monster on your field has its attack points reduced to zero until the End Phase. Also, if its destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to its original attack points! I tribute Chosen by the World Chalice and target your Iron Chain Dragon!" Chosen by the World Chalice turned into particles that went into Mini-Guts. Within moments, a blast of energy fired out of it and towards Iron Chain Dragon, causing it to roar in pain as its strength was reduced to zero.

Iron Chain Dragon ATK: 2900 – 2900 = 0

"My dragon!" Chainslaver said in shock. Without his two face-down cards, he'd soon lose the duel!

"Battle!" Agent declared. "Auram the World Chalice Blademaster attacks Iron Chain Dragon! Shining Slash!" Auram charged forward and raised his sword, which shone with blue light as he slashed Iron Chain Dragon, destroying it in a massive explosion. Chainslaver raised his right arm to shield his eyes from the explosion as a result, his life points dropping in the process.

Chainslaver: 3600 – 2300 = 1300 LP

"Since your monster was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to its original attack points. In other words, you lose!" Chainslaver could do nothing but stutter as an explosion began enveloping the ground underneath his feet. It then consumed him, dropping his life points to zero as he dropped to his knees.

Chainslaver: 1300 – 2300 = 0

"Like I'm surrendering to you!" Chainslaver growled, as he got up by his feet. He then charged at Agent, only for him to easily evade it and respond with a punch in the gut.

"Sorry, but your time is up." Agent told Chainslaver, as the bigger man dropped to the ground. He then dragged Chainslaver to a nearby flagpole and tied him up using a nearby chain. Its not the best, Agent admitted to himself, but this should keep him restrained until Monty sends a new manager for this place. He then pressed a few buttons on his duel disk and called Monty, waiting for him to respond. After a few seconds, Monty's voice came up on the com.

"Hello?"

"This is Agent." Agent said. "Chainslaver has been defeated and restrained."

"Excellent job!" Monty responded. "As per my word, I'm sending you a reward for your efforts." When Agent looked at the cheque he got, he smirked.

"Does this mean I pass the test?" he asked.

"Yes it does!" Monty answered. "It is my humble pleasure to welcome you to the Black Market's Omega Branch! I look forward to working with you in the future, my boy!" He then hung up, ending the call. Having completed his business, Agent went over and scanned Chainslaver's duel disk. A message saying "FILES OBTAINED" appeared on his duel disk, confirming that the transfer was a success. He then proceeded to walk away and log out, only for Chainslaver to speak up.

"Stupid kid. Do you have any idea what you've done?" he asked, getting Agent's attention.

"Of course. I kicked your ass, obtained your files, and am one step closer to helping someone in need." Agent answered, turning his head to Chainslaver. "Enjoy being chained up and at Monty's mercy." With a smirk on his face, Agent then logged out, causing Chainslaver to curse in the process.

Flashback End: Present Day...

"After I passed Monty's test, I ended up doing more missions for him." Yuhiro said, with Rachel, Yusaku, and Kusanagi listening closely. "With each mission successfully completed, I sent the money to the Den City Hospital for Miyu's care. That is, until Roxy found out what I was doing and put two and two together."

"She wasn't happy, was she?" Kusanagi asked, a frown on his face. If he were in Roxy's shoes, he obviously wouldn't.

Yuhiro shook his head, confirming Kusanagi's suspicions. "Nope. She was happy I wanted to help, but told me to focus on school and to let her handle the finances for Miyu's care." He gave himself a small smile. "However, when I told her how much I wanted to help after seeing Miyu in that coma for the first time, Roxy relented, on the condition that she observe me the entire time. To prepare me for my black market missions, she told me of her time working on the Omega Branch, what to watch out for, and dueled me so that my skills wouldn't become rusty."

"Wow." Kusanagi stated. "So she was like your drill instructor, huh?" Yuhiro nodded, chuckling in the process. "I wonder. Did Roxy already know how to program, or did she have to learn it on the job?"

"Its actually one of the things you're required to learn." Yuhiro pointed out, taking a bite out of his hotdog. "Luckily, Roxy and a family member who worked in computers helped me learn how to program. Thanks to them, I was able to become a top-notch programmer."

"If you don't mind me interrupting," Yusaku said, "you said you worked for the Omega Branch of the Black Market. Exactly how many branches are there?"

"Seven." Yuhiro answered. "Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, Epsilon, and Omega. Together, they form the black market. Perhaps I can explain it better if I had a pen."

"Sure thing." Kusanagi said, getting up from his seat and walking over to Café Nagi. By the time he acquired a pen and exited the food truck, Herald returned, giving him a jump scare. "Oh, you're back. You better not have screwed up my systems."

"Now, now. I didn't screw anything up." Herald assured him, as Kusanagi took the cord out of the systems before picking up the duel disk and bringing it back to the table with him. "If you want, you can check the improvements I did for your systems." He turned to Yuhiro. "And what did I miss? Nothing important, right?"

"Not really." Rachel replied, taking a bite out of her cheesedog. "Aside from missing Yuhiro kicking a fat man's ass on his initiation to being a black-market agent."

"Moving along." Yuhiro said, acquiring the pen from Kusanagi before drawing what looked like a heptagon on his napkin. He then cut it into seven pieces, labelling them the first letter of each branch. "Each of the branches own a separate piece of the black market, and have an agreement to not engage in war with one another, nor enter their territory. To keep the peace intact, the black market leaders elect an Overseer, who observes all activities on the Black Market."

"So in other words, a regulator?" Yusaku deduced, causing Yuhiro to nod in confirmation. He would have said more, but Kusanagi spoke up.

"Damn..." Kusanagi muttered, surprised at what he was seeing on his tablet. "Herald, I'm not sure what you did, but you updated the systems to their latest versions, and without shutting them down to! Heck, you even put up more firewalls for the system, as well as improved processing speed. Thanks so much!"

"Your welcome." Herald replied, happy with Kusanagi's reaction to his improvements. He turned to Yuhiro. "I'm curious, Yuhiro. How exactly did you obtain the Cyreath deck?"

"I'm interested as well." Yusaku added. "In your first hunt, you used a World Chalice deck. Where did you get your Cyreath deck?"

"...A video game competition." Yuhiro reluctantly answered, as everyone paid attention to him. Herald, on the other hand, couldn't help but contain his excitement. "Which led to me meeting Hercules in person..."

Flashback: Three years ago, at Café Matsuo...

"So let me get this straight. You believe a Fate/Grand Order Singularity Event will lead me to finding the Cyreath deck?"

"Of course, you doofus! When I completed the event, it gave me a set of coordinates for completing it. I ran some keystrokes, and found it was one-hundred percent legit! If this doesn't help you find the Cyreath cards, then I don't know what will!"

Yuhiro scowled. He and Roxy were in the living room portion of the second floor, staring at Roxy's tablet. A week ago, Roxy learned about a singularity event on Fate/Grand Order with an interesting prize. Complete the Olympus Lostbelt, and you could win the chance to obtain Cyberse cards called Cyreaths. While Yuhiro couldn't believe that the chance to obtaining the Cyreaths was connected to a mobile game of all things, there were still three logical reasons why Roxy participating in the event would help him in the long run. One: Although Yuhiro was proficient in his World Chalice deck, he believed he would need a secret weapon in completing harder assignments, and Cyberse cards were the answer. Two: There were rumors going around in the Black Market about a group called the Knights of Hanoi, who aimed to eradicate all Cyberse cards as possible. Not only could Yuhiro keep the cards safe, he could also take some Knights down and allow the Black Market to operate as usual, which would allow him to continue his work. Three: Yuhiro wasn't sure how, but he knew deep in his gut that he was meant to retrieve the cards, and the sooner he obtained them, the better.

"Regardless, the Cyreath cards better be worth it." Roxy huffed. "If its nothing more than a prank, I'll track down whoever wasted my time and clobber them to death!"

"Lets not do anything we'll regret." Yuhiro told her, sweat dropping in the process. "I'll go investigate the coordinates in LINK VRAINS myself. If anything happens, I got the woman in the chair to back me up." Roxy started laughing upon knowing that reference.

"Okay, you got me there," she said, as she stood up and started walking to the staircase, with Yuhiro following after her. The two of them then headed towards Café Matsuo's backroom, with Roxy sitting in her spot, while Yuhiro put on his duel disk. "But in all seriousness, be careful out there."

"Don't worry, I will." Yuhiro assured her before going into the closed-off space. After closing the door, he put his deck into his duel disk. "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Agent landed in a forest-like area of LINK VRAINS. Looking around, he saw that there were lots of trees, which were tall in height. He also heard the sounds of various wildlife in the area.

"Looks like I have to move forward..." Agent muttered, taking a few steps forward. As he kept walking, he felt the wind touch his face. Its windy here too, he thought. Didn't realize it could be cold here. After walking for ten minutes, he eventually reached the end of the forest, where he heard a scream.

"GAAH!" a man shouted, as he was flung back by an attack that resulted in his life points dropped to zero. "So close too. But now that I know what to do-."

"You are not worthy," the man's opponent, a colossal, statue-like man with long shaggy black hair and elbow protrusions, told him. Soon, several wolves appeared from behind the trees as the man got up, eyeing their prey. As the man got up and began running away, the wolves pursued him. Agent, having witnessed this, hid behind a nearby tree.

"Roxy, is that-?" Agent asked.

"Yup. Its Hercules. In his Berserker form." Roxy answered. "He must be the one who's guarding the Cyreath cards."

"Maybe." Agent whispered back, as he heard several screams before they died down. "I think the previous challenger got mauled by wolves."

"Who goes there?!" the colossal, statue-like man shouted. "I know you're there, so come out and face the trial of Hercules!"

"Wish me luck, Roxy." Agent said before stepping out from where he was and walking to face his opponent. "I take it you're Hercules?"

"You are correct, boy." Hercules confirmed. "If you wish to obtain the Cyreath cards, then you must defeat me in a duel. But know that if you proceed with this challenge and lose, you'll forever lose the chance of obtaining them."

"So its an all-or-nothing duel, huh?" Agent concluded, a hand on his chin. He then activated his duel disk. "I'm Agent, and I didn't come this far just to give up. So I'm ready when you are!"

"In that case, let us begin." Hercules readied his own duel disk.

"Duel!" Agent and Hercules said at the same time.

Hercules: 4000 LP

Agent: 4000 LP

"I will go first." Hercules said, looking at the cards in his hand. "I summon Cyreath Barbarian from my hand." A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and a mustache appeared on Hercules' field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Appear, my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are one Level 4 or lower monster. I'll set Cyreath Barbarian into the Link Markers!" Barbarian went into the bottom-arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion with large pincers and a long tail appeared on Hercules' field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Barbarian's effect!" Hercules continued. "Since it was used to Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster gains 500 attack points!" Scorpius was surrounded by a red aura, powering it up.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Scorpius' effect! Once per turn, if I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard. Return, Barbarian!" At Hercules' command, Barbarian reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Appear, for a second time, my circuit!" A second Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are one monster. I'll set Cyreath Barbarian into the Link Markers!" Barbarian went into the top arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Pseudo!" A watery spirit with one eye, two long arms, and a tail appeared in the Main Monster Zone Scorpius was pointing to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬆️

"The effects of Barbarian and Pseudo both activate!" Hercules added. "First, Pseudo gains 500 attack points because Barbarian was used to Link Summon it. Second, Pseudo gains attack points equal to the monster it points to. As it points to Scorpius, it gains 1500 attack points!" Pseudo then morphed its body into a watery version of Scorpius as its strength increased.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 + 500 + 1500 = 2000

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Hercules concluded, as two Set cards appeared face-down in his Spell & Trap card zones. "Now. Let us see the strength of your fortitude."

"My turn! I draw!" Agent said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the Field Spell card, World Legacy's Discovery. This card increases the attack and defense points of all 'World Chalice' monsters by 300. Next, I activate the Spell card, Card Destruction. We now must discard our hands and draw cards from our decks equal to the number of cards that were previously in our hands." While Agent discarded four cards and drew four new ones, Hercules discarded two cards before drawing two cards from his deck. "I'll then summon Chosen by the World Chalice from my hand." A young blonde teen wearing golden armor parts on his right calf and upper body appeared on Agent's field. He had blonde hair that flowed back, even though it wasn't gelled. Around his head were a pair of golden googles, while around his neck was a long red scarf. The young teen swung his short sword, ready for battle.

Chosen by the World Chalice ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LV: 3

Chosen by the World Chalice ATK: 1600 + 300 = 1900 DEF: 0 + 300 = 300

"I'll now build my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Agent. "The summoning conditions are one Normal monster, except tokens. I'll set Chosen by the World Chalice into the Link Markers!" Chosen by the World Chalice went into the top arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Imduk the World Chalice Dragon!" A green dragon with blue eyes, medium-sized wings and four legs appeared on Agent's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had medium-sized black horns, and white fur around his neck and on his medium-sized tail. On the dragon's collar, as well as his thighs, were small pieces of armor. Imduk let out a growl, ready for battle.

Imduk the World Chalice Dragon ATK: 800 ⬆️

Imduk the World Chalice Dragon ATK: 800 + 300 = 1100

"Imduk's effect allows me to Normal Summon one 'World Chalice' monster in addition to my Normal Summon or Set." Agent added. "Therefore, I summon Crowned by the World Chalice from my hand." A young female teen with long, purple hair with a ribbon tied into it, as well as green eyes appeared on Agent's field. She wore pieces of ornate robing on her arms, along with a small skirt around her waist. Covering her upper body was a sash with an ornate jewel in the center. In her hands was a scepter.

Crowned by the World Chalice ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 2

Crowned by the World Chalice ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 2100 + 300 = 2400

"I'll now build my circuit for a second time!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Agent. "The summoning conditions are two monsters. I'll set Imduk the World Chalice Dragon, which is a Link 1 monster, and Crowned by the World Chalice into the Link Markers!" Imduk went into the left arrowhead, while Crowned by the World Chalice went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning both arrowheads red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Lib the World Key Blademaster!" A young woman with long, purple hair, green eyes, and a small tiara on her head appeared on Agents field. She wore a long brown scarf around her neck that had ornate patterns on it. She also had gold and black armor pieces on her forearms and calves as well. Covering her upper body was a purple breastplate with a jewel on it. Last but not least, she wore a purple skirt to complete her attire. In her right hand was a sword with a golden handle that rapiers usually had.

Lib the World Key Blademaster ATK: 2000 ⬅️↙️

"A Cyberse monster..." Hercules muttered in surprise. How did this opponent in front of him have a Cyberse monster? Perhaps this one would be different out of all the others he defeated in combat.

"I activate Lib's first effect." Agent continued. "Once per turn, I can Set one 'World Legacy' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Spell & Trap card zone, but I can't activate it this turn if I have no 'World Legacy' monsters in my Graveyard." A card popped out of Agent's deck, which he took and Set to his Spell & Trap card zone. "I now activate World Chalice Guardragon's effect from my Graveyard. By banishing him from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Normal monster from my Graveyard to a Main Monster Zone a Link monster on my field points to. I banish World Chalice Guardragon to Special Summon Beckoned by the World Chalice from my Graveyard." A young blue-eyed man with violet hair to the back of his neck and wearing a light-brown headband around his head appeared on Agent's field in the Main Monster Zone Lib pointed to. Around his neck was the same long brown scarf that Lib wore, only it was tied up around various areas. Like Chosen by the World Chalice, he wore pieces of golden armor on his forearms and legs. His attire also consisted of brown clothing, along with multiple sashes around his waist. In his right hand, he wielded an elaborate blue lance.

Beckoned by the World Chalice ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

Beckoned by the World Chalice ATK: 1800 + 300 = 2100 DEF: 0 + 300 = 300

"Time to battle! Lib the World Key Blademaster attacks Cyreath Scorpius!" Lib leapt forward, intent on striking Scorpius with her sword. However, it wasn't going to be that easy.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Rebound." Hercules said. "Since you declared an attack with a monster you control, I can negate that attack and inflict damage equal half of your monster's attack points." As if to prove his point, a barrier emitted around Scorpius, protecting it from Lib's attack and pushing her back to Agent's field. The barrier then fired a blast of energy at Agent, pushing him back as punishment.

Agent: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"You may have negated one attack, but lets see you stop this." Agent responded. "Beckoned by the World Chalice attacks Cyreath Scorpius!" Beckoned by the World Chalice leapt forward and slashed Scorpius using his lance, causing an explosion as he returned to Agent's field. Hercules, on the other hand, just stood in place as his life points dropped.

Hercules: 4000 – 600 = 3400 LP

"Since Pseudo no longer points to a monster, it loses all of its attack points." Hercules stated, as Pseudo morphed back to its original form.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 2000 – 1500 = 500

"I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Succession. If a 'Cyreath' monster I control leaves my field, I can Special Summon a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard that is not a Link monster, in exchange for negating its effects! Return, Barbarian!" Soon, Barbarian reappeared on Hercules' field for the third time.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

At least Barbarian can't use his effects, Agent thought, looking on the upside as he looked at his field and then his hand. The setup he had would be good for now, as he can build off of it later on. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn," he concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Hercules said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the Field Spell card, Cyreath Grand Hall. Now all 'Cyreath' monsters on my field gain 200 attack points." Pseudo and Barbarian were surrounded with an aura as they powered up.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 500 + 200 = 700

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700

"Appear, my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll set Cyreath Pseudo, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Barbarian into the Link Markers!" Pseudo went into the top arrowhead, while Barbarian went into the bottom arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Chariot Commander!" A ghostly skeletal figure whose entire body was made up of blue flames rode onto Hercules' field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It wore a helmet with jagged, uneven horns, and had an outfit consisting of gauntlets, a pauldron over its left shoulder, a tattered gladiator's skirt, and broken-down metallic boots.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

"I activate the second effect of Grand Hall." Hercules continued. "Once per turn, I can target one 'Cyreath' Link monster I control and shuffle cards from my Graveyard into my deck up to its Link rating. I target Chariot Commander, which is a Link 2 monster. That means I can shuffle Cyreath Rebound and Cyreath Scorpius into my deck and Extra Deck!" He took two cards from his Graveyard and put one into his deck, letting it shuffle before returning the other to his Extra Deck. "I summon Cyreath Icarus from my hand." An angelic warrior wearing a white tunic and brown sandals flew onto Hercules' field.

Cyreath Icarus ATK: 1200 DEF: 1100 LV: 3

Cyreath Icarus ATK: 1200 + 200 = 1400

"When Icarus is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard. I bring back Barbarian once again!" For the fourth time, Barbarian reappeared on Hercules' field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700

"Appear for a second time, my circuit!" A second Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll set Cyreath Barbarian and Cyreath Icarus into the Link Markers!" Icarus went into the top arrowhead, while Barbarian went into the left arrowhead, turning both arrowheads red respectively.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Serene Butler!" An elegant, lanky man with pointed white hair and a long mustache to match appeared on Hercules' field in the Main Monster Zone Chariot Commander pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. He wore a black suit adorned by golden clasps and a golden brooch affixed to the chest area of the suit. He also wore white gloves, pointed shoes, and a monocle on his left eye.

Cyreath Serene Butler ATK: 1900 LINK-2 ⬅️⬆️

Cyreath Serene Butler ATK: 1900 + 200 = 2100

"The effects of Barbarian and Chariot Commander both activate!" Hercules added. "First, Barbarian increases Serene Butler's attack by 500 because he was sent to the Graveyard for the Link Summon as Link material." Serene Butler was surrounded with an aura as he powered up.

Cyreath Serene Butler ATK: 2100 + 500 = 2600

"Second, once per turn, when a monster is summoned to a zone Chariot Commander points to, I can destroy one card on your field. I choose to destroy World Legacy Discovery."

"Not good..." Agent muttered, as Chariot Commander threw a fireball right at World Legacy Discovery, incinerating it completely. Without that card, Agent couldn't bring back his monsters from his Graveyard. "As World Legacy Discovery left the field, Beckoned by the World Chalice's attack points revert back to normal." As if to validate Agent's point, a red aura surrounded Beckoned by the World Chalice, returning his strength back to normal.

Beckoned by the World Chalice ATK: 2100 - 300 = 1800 DEF: 300 - 300 = 0

"Battle!" Hercules declared. "Cyreath Chariot Commander attacks Beckoned by the World Chalice!" Chariot Commander lit up in blue flames and fired a burst of fire at Beckoned by the World Chalice, turning him into particles as Agent's life points dropped, much to his irritation.

Agent: 3000 – 400 = 2600 LP

"The battle still continues. Cyreath Serene Butler attacks Lib the World Key Blademaster!" Serene Butler leapt forward and proceeded to deliver a dropkick at Lib.

I have to use it now, or else it'll be a pain in the butt for me later on, Agent decided in his head. "I activate the Trap card, World Legacy Bestowal! When this card is activated, I can activate one of two effects. I choose the first effect, which lets me send one Link monster on your field to your Graveyard. I choose Serene Butler!" World Legacy Bestowal fired a blast of energy, which hit Serene Butler and turned him into particles before disappearing from Hercules' field.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Hercules concluded. "Lets see how you get past this now that your field's been weakened."

"Just watch and see!" Agent told Hercules, putting a hand on top of his deck. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate my other Trap card, World Legacy Landmark. By banishing a 'World Legacy' monster from my hand or field, I can target two monsters in my Graveyard and Special Summon to my field. However, they can't attack this turn. I banish World Legacy – World Chalice in my hand to bring back Imduk and Beckoned by the World Chalice!" As a card disappeared from Agent's hand, Imduk and Beckoned by the World Chalice reappeared on his field.

Imduk the World Chalice Dragon ATK: 800 ⬆️

Beckoned by the World Chalice ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Lib's effect! Once per turn, I can Set one 'World Legacy' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Spell & Trap card zone, but I can't activate it this turn if I have no 'World Legacy' monsters in my Graveyard." A card popped out of Agent's deck, which he took and Set to his Spell & Trap card zone. "I'll now build my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Agent. "The summoning conditions are two or more Link monsters. I'll set Imduk the World Chalice Dragon, which is a Link 1 monster, and Lib the World Key Blademaster, which is a Link 2 monster, into the Link Markers!" Lib split into two tornadoes of energy that went into the left and right arrowheads, while Imduk went into the top arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior!" The young blue-eyed man with violet hair and a long brown scarf around his neck from before reappeared on Agent's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, with many differences. First, like Auram, there was a blue crown that rested around his head. Second, he wore white and black armor, with blue highlights all over it. In his hands was a long lance that glowed with blue light.

Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️

"At this point, Lib's second effect activates!" Agent continued. "Since she was sent to the Graveyard as Link material, I can shuffle one card on the field into the owner's deck. I therefore shuffle Chariot Commander back into your deck." A silhouette of Lib appeared beside Ningirsu as she leapt forward and slashed Chariot Commander, turning him into particles.

"Since Chariot Commander is a Link monster, he returns to my Extra Deck." Hercules explained.

"I already know that." Agent responded. "I now activate Ningirsu's effect. Once per turn, I can send one card from each player's fields to their Graveyards. I'll send Beckoned by the World Chalice on my field to my Graveyard, along with the face-down card on your field!" Ningirsu spun the lance in front and behind him before slamming it to the ground, causing a surge of energy that went towards Beckoned by the World Chalice and Hercules' face-down card, sending both of them to their owner's Graveyards.

"Battle! Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior attacks you directly, Hercules! Shining Lance Slash!" Ningirsu leapt forward and slashed Hercules using his lance before he retreated back to Agent's side of the field. As a result, the giant had to take a step back as he got his bearings together.

Hercules: 3400 – 2500 = 900 LP

"I end my turn here." Agent concluded. "You're up."

"Well done." Hercules said, getting Agent's attention. "It is clear that you are not like the other duelists I faced before. As such, I will no longer hold back."

"Hold on. You were holding back?" Agent questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Whatever you're planning, it better be worth it, especially regarding your legend and all."

"Prepare yourself!" Hercules declared, placing a hand on top of his deck. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Card of Adversity. Since I control no monsters and you control a Special Summoned monster, I can draw two cards from my deck." Hercules drew the top two cards of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Link Reborn, which lets me Special Summon one Link monster from my Graveyard! However, it can't attack for the rest of this turn! Come back, Serene Butler!" Chariot Commander reappeared on Hercules' field in the Main Monster Zone that pointed to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Serene Butler ATK: 1900 LINK-2 ⬅️⬆️

Cyreath Serene Butler ATK: 1900 + 200 = 2100

"I summon Cyreath Archer from my hand." A female archer with pink hair and a light-green cloak also appeared on Hercules' field.

Cyreath Archer ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

Cyreath Archer ATK: 1400 + 200 = 1600

"Appear, my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I'll set Cyreath Archer into the Link Markers!" Archer went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Ceryneian Hind!" A female deer with light-brown skin appeared on Hercules' field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Unlike other deer though, she had male-like antlers made of gold and hooves made of bronze. She also had a dappled hide as well.

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 + 200 = 1200

"When Ceryneian Hind is Link Summoned, I can draw one card from my deck." Hercules explained, drawing the top card of his deck. "Appear, for a second time! My circuit!" A second Link Portal appeared in the sky above Hercules. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll set Cyreath Ceryneian Hind, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Serene Butler, which is a Link 2 monster, into the Link Markers!" Ceryneian Hind went into the bottom arrowhead, while Serene Butler split into two tornadoes of energy that went into the top-left and top-right arrowheads.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The strongest warrior chosen by the gods leads the charge to victory! Link 3! Cyreath Hercules!" A tall, muscular warrior wearing a brown tunic around his waist appeared on Hercules' field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore shoulder guards resembling lion paws and a helmet resembling a lion's head with a plume forming a mane. He also carried a massive gauntlet with a lion face on each arm.

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

"I now activate the Equip Spell card, Nine Lives!" The card showed a massive axe-sword that was made out of rock, with a long blade portion that was around the edges of the weapon. "I equip it onto Hercules!" Hercules dropped the gauntlets in his hands before picking up the massive axe-sword. "When this card is equipped onto a 'Cyreath' monster, it gains 900 attack points." Hercules roared as his strength increased.

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2700 + 900 = 3600

"That's a lot of attack points..." Agent muttered.

"Battle!" Hercules declared. "Cyreath Hercules attacks Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior! Nine Lives Blade Works!" Hercules charged forward at Ningirsu, intent on destroying him with nine consecutive strikes.

"I activate the Trap card, World Legacy Devotion." Agent said in response. The card showed Ib the World Chalice Priestess placing her hands on each side of Auram the World Chalice Blademaster's face, as if to assure him that everything was going to be okay. It also looked like Ib and Auram were close enough to lean in and kiss each other for the first time. "By targeting one Link monster on my field, it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn." Ningirsu blocked each of Hercules' strikes using his lance, pushing him back a bit before he regained his footing.

"I activate the second effect of Nine Lives!" Hercules responded. "If it is equipped to a 'Cyreath Hercules' monster, all damage inflicted is doubled!"

"What?!" Agent exclaimed, as Hercules hit Ningirsu with enough force from Nine Lives that it flung him back towards Agent. As a result, he was sent flying off the ground before landing on it.

Agent: 2600 – (1100 X 2) = 400 LP

Agent then slowly got up on his field, bruises clearly all over his body. "Since I took damage this turn, the second effect of World Legacy Devotion activates. I can Special Summon one Link monster from my Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to the damage I took. Return, Lib!" At Agent's command, Lib reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Lib the World Key Blademaster ATK: 2000 ⬅️↙️

"I end my turn." Hercules concluded.

"My turn! I draw!" Agent said, drawing the top card of his deck. Perfect, he thought. "I activate the Spell card, World Legacy Succession. This card lets me target one monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it a Main Monster Zone a Link monster points to. Come back, Imduk!" Soon, Imduk reappeared on Agent's field in the Main Monster Zone Lib pointed to.

Imduk the World Chalice Dragon ATK: 800 ⬆️

"I now perform a Contact Fusion!" A Fusion Portal suddenly appeared in the sky above Raguel, which glowed various colors. "The summoning conditions are three Link monsters. I'll therefore tribute Ningirsu the World Chalice Warrior, Lib the World Key Blademaster, and Imduk the World Chalice Dragon in order to Fusion Summon!" Ningirsu turned into blue particles, Lib turned into red particles, and Imduk turned into green particles, which went into the Fusion Portal before swirling into a vortex. A massive tornado of energy then shot downwards from the portal to the ground on Agent's field.

"Young dragon amplified by the power of life, unveil your strength to protect those you care about!" Agent chanted. "Fusion Summon! Emerge, Level 9! World Chalice Guardragon Almarduke!" A massive green dragon standing on his hind legs appeared on Agent's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had blue eyes and a set of two whiskers on each side of his face, one of which was longer than the other. He also had large black horns, and white fur on his head, neck, and long tail. Almarduke spread his large wings wide and roared, ready for battle.

World Chalice Guardragon Almarduke ATK: 3000 DEF: 2600 LV: 9

"To make sure victory is certain, I also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand. This card lets me target one Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it. I target Nine Lives!"

"...!" Hercules gritted his teeth as a gust of energy erupted from Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying Nine Lives in the process. "Since Nine Lives is no longer on the field, Hercules' attack points revert back to normal."

Cyreath Hercules ATK: 3600 – 900 = 2700

"Battle!" Agent declared. "World Chalice Guardragon Almarduke attacks Cyreath Hercules!" Almarduke was soon surrounded with a green aura as he flew forward at Hercules. "At this point, I activate Almarduke's second effect. If he battles a Link monster, I can banish one Link monster from my field or Graveyard with the same Link rating as that monster to instantly destroy it."

"What?!" Hercules exclaimed in surprise.

"I banish the Link 3 Ningirsu to destroy Hercules, whose Link rating is also Link 3!" As Agent banished Ningirsu from his Graveyard, Almarduke was bathed in a fiery blue aura before hitting Hercules, turning him into particles in the process. Almarduke then proceeded to suddenly fly away from Hercules before gathering energy in his maw. "I now activate Almarduke's final effect! Since your monster was destroyed by his previous effect, you take damage equal to his attack points! Hercules originally had 2500 attack points, which means you take 2500 points of damage!"

"..." Hercules fell silent upon hearing this. To think that someone would finally beat him at last brought... peace in his mind. For there finally was a duelist ready to wield the Cyreath deck.

"Virtuous Testament!" Almarduke then fired a green blast of energy at Hercules, who withstood the blast as his life points dropped to zero, his task finally over.

Hercules: 900 – 2500 = 0

After the duel concluded, Hercules fell on one knee as Agent walked towards him.

"I defeated you in a duel, which means I passed your test." Agent told him.

"Yes. Yes you have." Hercules agreed. "However, you have just one final test."

"Another test?" Agent groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "I thought this was the last one."

"The Cyreath deck will only serve the one who recites the chant." Hercules explained. "For by doing so, they prove their virtue of heart."

A chant? Seriously, Agent thought, as Hercules waited for him to begin speaking. What chant would satisfy him? And why was this even required? It then hit Agent as his eyes widened in realization. Oh boy, he thought. Roxy better not record this, or else she'll find a way to put me as a Servant in Fate/Grand Order. Agent then put his left arm to his chest, showing Hercules his duel disk as it glowed a white light.

"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny," he began chanting. "If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer me. I hereby swear. I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat all evil in the world."

"Yes. I accept your offering." Hercules responded. "I will fight alongside you in all your battles, and be your trusted ally through thick and thin, Yuhiro Furutani." Hercules then exploded into particles, which, along with the Cyreath deck, went into Agent's duel disk.

"He knew my real name..." Agent muttered. He then got his bearings together. "I got the cards, Roxy. I'm coming home." Agent then logged out of LINK VRAINS, having successfully completed his mission. However, unbeknownst to him, a swarm of orange cubic particles appeared, forming into a featureless figure colored in brown, murky energy.

"Well done, Yuhiro," the figure said before dissipating into orange cubic particles once again.

At Café Matsuo's backroom...

Yuhiro opened his eyes and let out a sigh as he leaned to the side of the closed-off space.

"That was awesome, Yuhiro!" Roxy cheered, going over and helping him walk over to his seat beside hers. Once they both sat down, she continued talking. "You alright? I can't believe you dueled against a Berserker-Class Servant!"

"Me neither." Yuhiro agreed, tired from the ordeal. "But check this out." He connected his duel disk to the computer using a cord, enabling it to show the entire Cyreath deck. "We got the Cyreath cards."

"Oh yeah! Well done, Yuhiro!" Roxy praised Yuhiro, patting him on the back for his efforts.

"Thanks." Yuhiro replied. Looking at the screen, he then got an idea. "You know, looking at the cards, I just noticed they were digital, like most cards these days. If we were to turn them into physical ones, it would be easier to keep them safe."

Roxy nodded in agreement, having listened to what Yuhiro just said. "Its actually not a bad idea." Another thought then entered her head. "But if we're going to do this, we'll need to order a pizza for strength."

Three hours later...

After three hours of work (with a pizza dinner in-between), Yuhiro and Roxy were able to turn the entire Cyreath deck from a digital deck into a physical deck. The two of them then went upstairs to the living room portion of the second floor and looked at the various cards.

"To think that we'd be holding the Cyreath cards in our actual hands right now..." Roxy muttered, looking at some of them. She then noticed Yuhiro having narrowed his eyes as he looked at the card in his hand. "What's up?"

"It doesn't make sense." Yuhiro said. "Why is the Cyreath Hercules card in my hand different than the Hercules I dueled? Was he just there for nostalgia purposes? Or is it something else?" He sighed as he directed his attention at Roxy. "If I'm being honest, it would be awesome to have Hercules as a Berserker in this deck. Then it would be like Fate/Grand Order, where I would have a Servant to aid me in battle against my enemies."

"One can only dream, Yuhiro." Roxy told him. "And by the way, I recorded your speech to Hercules. You definitely have the markings of a Master, that's for sure." She then laughed as Yuhiro groaned in embarrassment.

"Well, good thing its just a game." Yuhiro replied. He then got serious. "Putting that aside, with the Cyreath deck, I'll be able to help you take care of Miyu."

"...Okay." Roxy crossed her arms. "If you're going to do this, I'll support you all the way. However..."

"However what?" Yuhiro paid close attention to Roxy, as whenever she talked like this, it was important.

"Whatever happens going forward, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but..." Roxy pointed at Yuhiro with her index finger. "A good man."

Yuhiro nodded. "I promise," he vowed. "No matter what." Roxy was pleased with hearing this answer from him.

"Then lets go kick some ass together," she replied, offering Yuhiro a fist bump, who reciprocated it in response.

Flashback End: Present Day...

"Thus concludes the story of how I became Raguel." Yuhiro finished, eating several French fries at once.

"Hold on." Herald interrupted. "You forgot to tell us how you chose that name."

"Oh yeah." Yuhiro remembered, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Roxy and I ended up researching names until I found one that fits for my avatar, which was Raguel."

"Furutani, were you able to track down the person who set up that challenge?" Yusaku asked. In response, Yuhiro shook his head. "So whoever created it was able to eliminate any trace of its existence once someone completed it successfully."

"I got another question if you don't mind me asking." Kusanagi said. "Your World Chalice deck. How did you get your hands on it?"

Herald's eyes widened. "That's right! Auram the World Chalice Blademaster and Lib the World Key Blademaster are Cyberse cards. How exactly did you get them?

Yuhiro thought it over before replying. "It was a gift from Quinton." Both Kusanagi and Herald blinked. "And that's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Hmm." Yusaku frowned, thinking this information over.

"Something wrong?" Yuhiro asked.

"I'm trying to figure out how Quinton acquired the World Chalice deck." Yusaku answered, trying to gather his thoughts together.

"I know you're curious buddy, but I think we can deal with that another day." Kusanagi told him.

"Seems fair." Yusaku then glanced to Rachel, his own curiosity getting the better of him. "Since Furutani and I know how we got the Cyberse cards for our decks, would you mind sharing your story of how you got yours?" Unfortunately, it was the wrong time to ask that question, as Rachel had a downcast look on her face. She then stood up from her seat and walked over to Yuhiro.

"Please take me home," she requested. Seeing that she wanted to leave, Yuhiro got up and retrieved his duel disk from the table before attaching it.

"Sorry guys." Yuhiro told them. "Its getting late, and Rachel just asked me to take her home. I hope you understand."

"Nothing wrong with that." Kusanagi replied, as Yuhiro and Rachel started walking away from Café Nagi. "See you both next time!" He then turned to Yusaku. "I don't think today was the right time to ask Miyake about how she acquired her Cyberse cards."

"Perhaps." Yusaku agreed, having realized that he crossed a line unintentionally. "But she'll have to tell us eventually."

"She will. Just not today." Kusanagi then motioned Yusaku to follow him to the truck. "That being said, why don't we investigate those files and the USB stick Miyake gave us? If what she said is true, we may have hit the jackpot."

Elsewhere, Yuhiro walked Rachel home, her fingers grasped on his hand. To the world, it looked like a big brother and his little sister were walking home together. Yuhiro wasn't sure why Rachel looked upset, but judging from the look on her face, it must have involved how she obtained the Cyberse cards in her possession.

"There's no one else around," he told her. "You can tell me if you want. I won't judge you." Hearing this gave Rachel the courage to speak.

"It was six years ago, during Project: Apotheosis," she began. "The purpose of that project was to prepare a chosen human being to become the Construct, whose purpose was to unite the Ignis and humans together in reaching the Root of all Knowledge.

"Athaliah, the woman who ran the project, kidnapped people of different ages to find the one who would become the Construct. After endless searching, she chose me, and proceeded to put... things in my forearms and legs." Tears flowed through Rachel's eyes.

"From there, she brought me into a white room, where I was forced to synchronize with a group of Cyberse cards called Mathmechs." Rachel continued. "By linking my nervous system with the Cyberse cards, it would allow for reflexive and instinctive control, as well as communication without physical contact. The procedure proved to be a success, and I... became something else entirely, losing my childhood as a result." The two of them stopped at a nearby park, where Rachel walked forward before turning to face Yuhiro.

"Greg may have shut Project: Apotheosis down, but the aftereffects and trauma continue to haunt me everyday!" Yuhiro's heart broke upon looking at Rachel, who was trembling in sadness. "It hurts, knowing that I'm forever... marked by that project. On some days, I even worry whether Project: Apotheosis made me more machine than human due to the tests they ran on me!"

"You are one-hundred percent human." Yuhiro assured Rachel, causing her to widen her eyes as she paid attention to him. "You survived something that you should have never experienced in your life. Plus, you're able to show human emotions If anything, it makes you similar to one of us."

"Really?" Rachel said in disbelief. "Then... can I be like your little sister?"

Yuhiro's eyes widened in surprise as he thought it over. Ah. So that was it. Rachel wanted something similar to a big brother or big sister, as she never had a role model in her life until now. Growing up, Yuhiro wasn't sure if he had siblings, as most of his childhood memories were destroyed after that horrific night. The closest thing he had to a sibling was a childhood friend named Yukage. At that moment, he remembered something Roxy told him before he left to hang out with Rachel for the first time. This girl could learn a thing or two from you that she can use when she's older.

Perhaps Roxy was right after all, Yuhiro thought to himself. Even after everything he went through, he was still willing to help others, as well as use his experiences to do so. That meant there was only one answer. "Yeah," he finally said. "Having something like a little sister sounds nice. After all, the closest I had to a sibling when I was a younger was a childhood friend named Yukage. Is that okay for you?"

"YES!" Rachel cried with joy, tackling Yuhiro to the park bench and hugging him the process. "If you say it, I'll believe you!" After gathering his senses, Yuhiro hugged her back, patting her head in the process. The two of them then talked to each other at the park for a half hour. It was about ordinary things rather than anything in particular. Yuhiro felt himself enjoying the conversation, as though a heavy weight was lifted off everyone's shoulders for the time being. Before either of them could continue talking, Rachel's phone vibrated, causing her to walk a distance away so she could read it in privacy. When she got back, she noticed Yuhiro standing up.

"That was your guardian, wasn't it?" Yuhiro deduced.

"He wants me to head home now, as its getting dark." Rachel confirmed. "Do you mind continuing to walk me home?"

"No, not at all." Yuhiro responded. "Lead the way." The two of them then proceeded to exit the park and head towards the residence where Rachel lived at, which was at a tall building housing several apartments. When they got inside, they immediately headed for the elevator, where Rachel pressed the button for the fourth floor.

"By the way." Rachel said, getting Yuhiro's attention. "I met Miyu earlier today."

"You met Miyu?" Yuhiro asked, with Rachel nodding in confirmation. "How did you find her?"

"She's a nice and interesting person." Rachel answered, a coy smile forming on her mouth. "I can definitely see why you treasure her. In fact, you two would totally make a cute couple, if you ask me."

"Not again..." Yuhiro groaned, as Rachel laughed at his misery. Soon, they reached the fourth floor, where the two of them walked to Apartment 425. When Rachel knocked on the door, Greg answered it, a disapproving look on his face.

"Rachel, honey. Come inside." Greg told her. "I need to talk to Yuhiro in private." Knowing this was important, Rachel went inside of the apartment before Greg closed the door behind him.

"Um, sir." Yuhiro began. "I made sure Rachel was not only safe, but that-." The next thing he knew, Greg pulled him in for a hug, stopping him from talking.

"Thank you for saving her." Greg said, pulling away from the hug. "You have no idea how much Rachel means to me. After what she experienced in Project: Apotheosis, I adopted her myself, hoping to give her a better life. I'll admit, I had doubts when I first learned about you. However, you helping her not just in the network, but in real life too has washed my suspicions away. So I want to apologize, and thank you for giving her a chance at life again."

"You gave her something too." Yuhiro replied, getting Greg's attention. "You gave her a home and comfort, as well as someone she can trust. What you did for her in shutting down that project saved not just her life, but the lives of many others as well."

Greg wiped his glasses. "Thank you. It helps assure me that what I do as FBI commissioner makes a difference in other people's lives. Hold on." He then went inside the apartment, and when he returned, Greg had a file and a USB stick, which he gave to Yuhiro. "These are for you. I gave the file on Miyu Sugisaki to your guardian earlier today."

"Ah. So that's why Rachel was at the hospital today..." Yuhiro realized. He knew that the file in his hands contained his information, but the USB Stick... "Is it true that the USB stick contains information the FBI has on Project: VIII?"

"Yes." Greg confirmed, extending a hand out to Yuhiro. "I hope that the information will help in bring some comfort and understanding in why you were chosen. I also hope you and Miyu find peace and happiness with each other as well."

While Yuhiro would usually be annoyed with people shipping him with others, he found that he wasn't with Greg. This was because the way he said it was sincere, with an intent not to tease, but rather to wish someone well. As such, Yuhiro shook Greg's hand. "Thank you, sir. This means a lot."

"You can call me Greg." Greg told him, a smile on his face.

"Bye, Yuhiro!" Rachel said in the apartment, waving at Yuhiro. "Thank you so much for today!"

"Have a good night, Rachel." Yuhiro replied, waving back to her before heading to the elevators. Once he reached the main floor, he exited the building, where he then proceeded to walk home. It took him about an hour, but eventually, he finally reached Café Matsuo.

Man, what a day, he thought, as he took out his key and opened the front door. When he went upstairs, he found Roxy in the living room, reading a magazine. Yuhiro also noticed a file on the table in front of her

"Hey," she said, noticing him arrive. "Its dark outside. You know that, right?"

"It was a long day." Yuhiro told her, going over and sitting on the couch opposite to her. "I'm guessing you met Greg as well?"

"Rachel told you, huh?" Roxy sighed and put down the magazine before facing Yuhiro. "The file you see before me is information on Miyu during the Lost Incident. Before you say anything, don't worry. He won't tell anyone about your identity as Raguel in LINK VRAINS. He's rather grateful for the fact you saved Rachel's life. Speaking of Rachel..." She let out a chuckle. "I let her talk with Miyu for a bit before she and Greg left."

Yuhiro couldn't help but chuckle as well. I wonder how that went, he thought. He then put his file down on the table, getting Roxy's attention. "As I was taking Rachel home, she told me how she got her Cyberse cards." He then proceeded to tell Roxy what Rachel told him. About Project: Apotheosis, and how it was close to being similar than the Lost Incident. By the time he was finished, Roxy had to cover her mouth with her hands out of shock

"My God..." was all she could say. "Poor Rachel. She didn't deserve to be subjected to that Hell. Athaliah's going to pay for doing this to her."

"There's something else." Yuhiro continued, showing Roxy the USB stick in his hand before handing it to her. "Project: Apotheosis, along with the Lost Incident, are a part of Project: VIII. On this USB stick is information the FBI has on Project: VIII. In other words, why they were started, what their purposes were, and more."

"In other words, we found gold here." Roxy looked at the USB stick in her hand. "As much as I want to run this over with Watchman, I think it would be a good idea to do it when Miyu comes home. She deserves to know the truth, just as much as you and I do."

Yuhiro nodded, knowing that it was the best decision for now. "In that case, I'm turning it in for the night." He was about to head upstairs when Roxy spoke up.

"Thanks for being a good person these past few years," she told him. "There aren't many people in the world who can remain good after going through a life-changing experience."

"I promised, remember?" Yuhiro reminded her. "I always keep my promises." He then walked upstairs to his room. When he went into his room, he walked over to the desk and opened one of the drawers. Inside the drawer contained the World Chalice deck.

"Ah, so this is the World Chalice deck." Herald emerged from the duel disk and picked up the deck. "Looking at it, I can see how you managed to survive your early days on the Black Market." He turned to Yuhiro. "Something the matter?"

"Just thinking about what Fujiki said." Yuhiro told Herald, taking his World Chalice deck from Herald before grabbing his Cyreath deck from his duel disk. He then walked over to his bed and sat on it, looking at both decks. "He said that the Knights of Hanoi will return, stronger than before. With Ace, Athaliah, and the azure-overcoated man out there as well, I have a feeling I'll have to return to LINK VRAINS if I'm to keep the people I care about safe. That being said, it wouldn't hurt incorporating some cards from the World Chalice deck into the Cyreath deck."

"Its actually the smart thing to do." Herald pointed out. "When the enemy shows something you've never seen before, it is only logical to adapt by incorporating new strategies, improving the old ones, and creating new cards to address the weaknesses of the deck. This way, you'll be prepared for the next time." He turned to Yuhiro. "What's more, if there's any cards that don't work right now, they'll have a home in a special server I made. A replica of the Cyberse World, if you will."

"Really?" Yuhiro asked, with Herald nodding in confirmation. "I'm guessing World Gears is powering it?"

"Of course." Herald replied. "So in a way, it works out for everyone."

Knowing what to do, Yuhiro walked over to his desk and put both decks down on the flat surface. "Then tomorrow, let's get started."

Meanwhile, in LINK VRAINS...

Monty backed up against the wall, his heartrate increasing. He was in an alleyway in LINK VRAINS, far away from the major areas of the Black Market. He was backing away from Azrael, who was pursuing him.

"Please, give me another chance!" Monty begged Azrael. "I've always been faithful to my clients, and haven't failed them."

"I hired you to get me Playmaker's Ignis." Azrael reminded him. "You told me that you knew the best man who would get the job done, but what do I get after waiting for so long? Nothing."

"Raguel reported that Playmaker's Ignis sacrificed itself to help him get a new monster from the Data Storm! It was out of our control!" Monty stated, taking a step forward to get his point across.

"If that's the case..." Azrael unsheathed his sword and quickly stabbed Monty in the chest. "You have failed me for the last time." Monty couldn't help but react in shock upon seeing the chest wound as his body fell backwards to the ground. "But fret not. Even the useless have their uses." Azrael pulled out a test tube from his pocket, which contained a purple liquid. "Fervor Mei Sanguis." He then poured the liquid onto Monty's body and took a few steps back, causing Monty to begin screaming in pain as he clawed at his skin to get the pain out.

"AAAAAHHHHHH! WHAT IS THIS PAIN?!" Monty cried out in pure terror. He would have said more, but then his body began seizing, preventing him from talking any further. The next thing Monty knew, his body burst open, a small arm with deep purple skin coming out of his stomach. The rest of the creature then followed, cracking Monty's bones and ripping his flesh apart in the process. Upon appearing fully into the world, the creature that emerged was short with deep purple skin, red sclera, white irises, and pointed tentacles sprouting above his head.

"Ki-Kiki, kikikiki-." His first cries sounded like those of an insect. After inspecting Monty's body, the creature proceeded to feast on his flesh and bones. Once he was finished, the creature wore Monty's pants as a trophy before letting out a triumphant roar, with Azrael being the only witness.

"Creature." Wraith said, emerging from Azrael's duel disk and getting its attention. "I hereby christen you as Malf, or Malicious Adapting Life Form."

"Malf?" the creature repeated, saying his first word as he approached Azrael and Wraith cautiously. "Me like the name. Are you me masters?"

"That is correct." Azrael confirmed. "You will obey our orders without question. Is that clear?" Malf bent before Azrael, pledging his allegiance to him and Wraith. "Excellent. Your first task is to feast on as many people in the network as possible to gain knowledge."

"I also made you this to help you." Wraith added, a ball of data in his right hand, which contained a deck. He then pushed it over to Malf, who integrated the data into his body. "Now go and fulfil your mission for your new masters." Malf then let out a shriek as he leapt upward into the sky before landing on a building, intent on finding unsuspecting humans to feast upon.

Having completed his task, Azrael then left Monty's body in the alleyway and walked away from the scene. As he kept walking, he pulled out a white-sapphire pendant that was wrapped around his neck. "It. Has. Begun."

"GAAAAH!"

Yuhiro screamed as he woke up, having just experienced a nightmare. Breathing heavily and looking concerned, he pulled out the white-ruby pendant that was wrapped around his neck. "The hell was that just now? Was it a premonition, or something else?" Suddenly, Hercules materialized by his side, giving him a small scare.

"That you, Hercules? For real?" Yuhiro said, recognizing the same, colossal statue-like man he fought for the Cyreath cards three years ago.

"It is." Herald whispered in confirmation, appearing in eye form as he woke up. "I wanted to show you in the morning, but considered how you just woke up now, I thought I'd show you now. Say hello to Cyreath Hercules – Alpha Mode. In other words, his evolved form as a Berserker in Fate/Grand Order."

"Wow..." was all Yuhiro could whisper back. "Thanks Herald." Turning back to Hercules, he saw that the gleam of Mad Enhancement was not in his eyes, which made him look like a regular person. "Thank you for fighting by my side as well, Hercules." Hercules smiled in response as Yuhiro, having been comforted by the appearance of his ally, lied down and fell back asleep.

A light shines and the letters spelling out VRAINS light up the screen before a network is formed and several cards are drawn in towards a pillar of light. Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner are shown with their respective Ignis and stats, along with real-life forms that across the backgrounds that match their Ignis' colors. The screen then shows each of them being shocked while wearing VR sets as kids, along with a kid with light-green hair that flowed backwards and curled at the back. The kid also had dark-green hair spikes on the sides of his head, with light-green spikes at the back of his head as well.

The screen gets swallowed with darkness at it reveals a young Yukage huddled up and crying, his shadow shrinking behind him before taking the form of Wraith and comforting him. Yukage looks up with a menacing and soul piercing glare before the darkness consumes him and he's replaced with an older version of himself. Azrael and Wraith are then shown in NEW LINK VRAINS, as they look out into the digital sky. The scene then shifts to Bohman standing tall above NEW LINK VRAINS and holding the earth in his hands with Haru by his side. Malf grins in the shadows behind them, his red eyes shining bright in the process.

A drop of light falls down, and as it explodes, it reveals Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner, standing on buildings watching over the network, alongside the male individual wearing a black outfit with green accents and a gold, bird-like mask over his eyes as well. Blood Shepherd is shown commanding a trio of Battledrone Sergeants before the screen shifts to a young man wearing an elaborate purplish coat with black inner lining and cuffs intricately decorated by red-coloured motifs, as well as a grey shirt with crimson leather pants commanding a red-eyed dragon. The screen then shifts a third time to another man, with red hair spiked backwards and dark purple eyes, as well as wearing a stylish white coat with yellow lines and a black shirt underneath it. Draped around his lower body is a white waist cape with yellow lines as well. Above the man was a male, humanoid monster wearing a black and white suit that had electricity crackling from his wrists and head, as well as several other monsters that resembled futuristic armor parts. The screen then shows Go Onizuka, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle, Gouki the Blade Ogre, and Gouki the Solid Ogre behind them ready for battle.

Blue Angel, Ghost Girl, Numera and SengokuQueen are then featured together riding their duel boards across the night sky with shooting stars flying across them. Trickstar Holly Angel was with Blue Angel, while Numera was with Geomathmech Final Sigma. Ghost Girl was with Altergeist Dragvirion, while SengokuQueen was with a male shinobi wearing grey robes and armor pads with neon-yellow lines running over them. The man had a red scarf around his neck, along with a face-mask and face visor on his head. He also had spiked-brown hair and a ponytail as well. In his right hand, he carried a Sai, while the brass knuckle on his left hand emitted four translucent blades.

The screen then changes to Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner riding on their duel boards with Cyreath Medusa and Cyreath Hercules in his new form, Cyberse Magician, Cyberse Witch, and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Following the trio is the male individual from before, with a white and black dragon covered in white, blue, and black armor, as well as neon green crystals attached to her body, which acted like wings that shone with bright light. The four of them join together with a fist bump and smile in the real world as the wind blows, with Kusanagi, Roxy, and Greg watching them from Kusanagi's truck. Rachel then runs toward the quartet, and more specifically, Yuhiro, a look of joy clearly on her face. Unbeknownst to everyone, they're watched from the shadows by a cloaked person who glares at them, biding his time.

Card Gallery

Chainslaver:

Iron Chain Forge (Field Spell card)

Effect: 'Iron Chain' monsters on your field gain 100 ATK X their levels. At the End Phase, if your opponent took damage this turn: You can send 1 'Iron Chain' monster from your deck to your GY; draw 1 card.

Raguel/Agent:

World Legacy Devotion (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 Link Monster you control; it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. If you take damage: You can Special Summon 1 Link Monster from your GY, with ATK less than or equal to the damage you took. You can only use each effect of "World Legacy Devotion" once per turn.

Hercules:

Nine Lives (Equip Spell card) (credit to Helios Darkus)

Effect: Equip only to a 'Cyreath' monster. It gains 900 ATK. If this card is equipped to a 'Cyreath Hercules' monster, it gains the following effect:

Any battle damage this card inflicts is doubled.

QOTC

If Yuhiro's main deck was the World Legacy deck instead of the Cyreath deck, how do you think the story would have been affected? How do you think it would have affected Yuhiro as a character?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 44: Cage Match. Grateful to Yuhiro for saving her life during the Tower of Hanoi event, Emma sends him and Roxy a lead that can get them information on Project: VIII. But in order to get it, the two of them have to head towards the Black Market's most dangerous section: Gamma Branch. Unfortunately, when negotiations go awry, Raguel ends up in a duel for both the information and his life...

Chapter 45: LINK VRAINS' Grand Reopening. Three months have passed since the Tower of Hanoi was shutdown, and after a long time of hard work, SOL Technologies has opened their newest version of LINK VRAINS yet. To celebrate this joyous occasion, the company is hosting a special Charisma Duelist event as well. While Rosetta participates in an attempt to spread her message to the people there, Miles logs in for the first time as Phoenix, hoping to carry his mother's legacy forward...

Author's Notes

Alright! Another chapter is done! I hope you enjoyed how Yuhiro not only passed his Black-Market initiation, but how he obtained his Cyreath cards as well. While this chapter was a flashback chapter, there were a few other things that I included as well, which will be discussed below.

First off, we had Rachel and Greg going to the Den City Hospital to speak with Roxy and Miyu. As Miyu and Rachel didn't have a chance to interact with one another yet, I thought it would be a good idea to put it at the beginning of this chapter (with Rachel obviously teasing Miyu about Yuhiro). Meanwhile, Greg gives Roxy a file on Miyu as thanks for her help in taking down the Tower of Hanoi. Once the visit was done, Greg asks Rachel to give files to Yusaku and Kusanagi, as well as a USB stick containing information on Project: VIII if she intends to spend her twelfth birthday with Yuhiro.

Speaking of birthdays, the second thing that occurred in this chapter was Yuhiro spending the day with Rachel for her twelfth birthday. I didn't get a chance to write a scene where the main characters just hang out and have fun, so I hope you enjoyed it. Naoki also appears in his chapter briefly at the arcade, where he's buying Charisma Duelist coins. I'll just tell you now: Deva, Ragnarok, Miss Chief, Krystal, and Astro are five Charisma Duelists that make up the Top 10 Charisma Duelist in the network. But who else makes up the Top 10? I'll give you a full list once Chapter 45 is released, so stay tuned.

Then we have Yuhiro's past as Raguel, and how he obtained the Cyreath deck. As such, there were a total of two duels. The first duel was Yuhiro's initiation into the Black Market's Omega Branch, which involved dueling against the owner of a data material mining company named Chainslaver, who uses the Iron Chain archetype. I'm just going to make this clear so that everyone understands: In the Black Market, there are a total of seven branches. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Zeta, Epsilon, and Omega. Two branches have been mentioned so far, with Gamma branch being explored next chapter. Will the other branches be looked at? You'll just have to read on and see.

That aside, we have the second duel, which was Yuhiro against Hercules, aka Berserker from Fate/Stay Night. Credit goes to Helios Darkus for his card submission called Nine Lives, which is based off the most trusted of all of Hercules' Noble Phantasms from Fate/Stay Night, aside from God Hand. I had to make a few changes because the card was a bit overpowered, as destroying all other monsters on the field following battle would have been broken. Following the duel, Yuhiro had to say a chant to prove the virtue of his heart. After all, as Hercules said, the Cyreath deck would only lend its power to the one that knew the chant (that, and I put it there for nostalgia purposes as well).

Next, we finally learn how Rachel acquired the Mathmech deck. During Project: Apotheosis, Rachel was chosen to be the Construct, whose purpose was to unite the Ignis and humans together in reaching the Root of all Knowledge. To do this, they would need to synchronize with Cyberse, and the closest thing Athaliah had on hand was a deck of Cyberse cards. As a result of linking Rachel's nervous system with the deck, she was the only person who became able to use the deck. The tests would have continued had Greg not shut down Project: Apotheosis and rescued Rachel along with the others.

The last thing to happen in this chapter was Azrael confronting Monty for his failure to bring him Ai. For people who were wondering who Monty's client is, I'll tell you now: It was Azrael. After all, who else had a sword to cut Monty's cheek with as a warning? Having had enough, Azrael kills him before pouring a purple liquid on his body, resulting in the birth of a new creature: Malf, or Malicious Adapting Life Form. And just to make something clear: Monty is dead. He won't be coming back. What role will Malf play in the story going forward? You'll just have to read on and find out.

Lastly, Chainslaver is a one-shot character, which means he won't be appearing beyond this chapter. Also, for those who are curious about what the phrase 'Fervor Mei Sanguis' means, it means 'Boil my Blood'.

Next up will be Roxy's Reports 21, and then Chapter 44. Once that's done, there will be one more update to Roxy's Reports before Chapter 45. At that point, the main story will be updated with new chapters until the next Roxy's Reports.

Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 43 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? Was it learning about Yuhiro's past? The duels? The interactions between the various characters? Or something else?

That's all for now. Stay tuned, as we're one chapter away from the grand reopening of LINK VRAINS!