Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-Vrains: The Circuit Of Smiles

by donkeyboy100

A year after the Dimensional War and the revival of Zarc, and everything in Paradise City had seemed to die down. Until one day a mysterious group called the Arbiters came and invaded the Pendulum Dimension to capture Declan Akaba and Yuya Sakaki. It's now up to Yuya and his friends to travel to this unknown dimension in search for the answers to their questions.

19. Arbiter Assault Part 1

Last time in Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-Vrains The Circuit Of Smiles, Yuya, Zuzu, and Yuji's friend Ena a.k.a Sanctum had her first duel against Charisma Duelist Roselyn a.k.a classmate Lily Gardener and won in triumphant victory. It was a tough duel for Ena, but she pulled through, thanks to her ace monster, Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme. What kind of new adventures awaits our heroes?

In a private network in LINK VRAINS...

It was mostly dark and mysterious, with strange, glowing data streams going in different directions, and it was the only thing that lightened up this strange place.

"Beetrooper Sting Lancer, direct attack!"

A large white, yellow hornet lunged one of its sharp lancers at the opponent.

"Aaaaaah!" A regular Arbiter member fell in defeat as his Life Points went down to zero.

The other members watched as Zekt defeated their fellow members.

"What's wrong with you a lot? Can't handle my new deck! You're all pathetic and weak! You should be all deleted!" Zekt yelled at the defeated Arbiter members, including the ones who were watching. "Next!"

The members on the left and the right sidestepped away as the one in the middle looked to his left and right, surprised to see himself standing alone.

"You in the middle! You're next." He pointed.

"Um…um…yes, sir!" He said nervously as he quickly activated his Duel Disk.

Just before the duel began, someone logged in and interrupted it.

"Zekt…" He turned over his shoulder to see the shadowy humanoid figure.

"You…" Zekt responded before he turned back to the Arbiter members. "You lot leave now! I need to have a moment to talk."

"Yes, sir!" They replied as some of them logged out quickly like a pack of bees while two of them helped the defeated Arbiter, and they logged out with their fallen comrade, too.

"Zekt. While I'm glad that you're enjoying the new deck I gave you, you're too harsh on the new trainees and the old/current ones," Zekt's master said.

"Sorry, but I just want to master this new deck quickly, so I can have my revenge on Maestra sooner than later," Zekt replied.

The figure smirked. "I do understand how you feel, Zekt. When you first lost against Maestra, I was this close to deleting you, but seeing that you lost because I didn't expect Maestra's improved skills. So I decided to give you another chance."

"And I appreciate that sir," Zekt said as he bowed in front of the shadowy figure. "I promise this time, and things will be different."

"I hope so," The figure said. "And to make sure that you keep that promise, I hired some associates for you to work with."

The four snapped his fingers as a ray of lights appeared behind Zekt, causing him to turn around to see four different individuals.

The first one was a tall, fair-skinned cute young woman with long, silver hair, two pure white teeth peeking from within her small lips- giving her a vampiric appearance-, a deep crimson left eye and a sky blue right eye. She wore a black dress with white accents in a Gothic Lolita style, had black nails, and a purple hairband holding her hair in a high ponytail.

The second one was a short, tan-skinned young man with short, blond hair and bright green eyes. He wore dark green armor on his shoulders, torso, crotch, legs, and feet. Under that, he wore a light brown tunic, which covered his arms and formed fingerless gloves for his hands. The armor was decorated with light blue gems and yellow highlights, and he wore an ornate headdress of the same colors. Lastly, he wore a light blue scarf around his neck, which covered the lower part of his face.

The third individual was a tan-skinned man with a built and bulky body, crimson eyes, long and unkempt greenish-brown hair. He wore an unbuttoned, dark blue jacket, leaving his muscular torso bare, a pair of dark blue ragged trousers, brown shoes, a crimson piece of cloth wrapped around his waist, and black gloves. His face and chest were decorated with black, tribal tattoos, further emphasizing his barbarian appearance.

The fourth and final person was a blue-skinned man with white eyes. He wore a black armored jumpsuit that covered his head along with silver wrist cuffs and knee pads. Sprouting from his back were two razor-sharp metal wings that looked like they could cut glass.

"I know that you want to get your revenge on Maestra as soon as possible, so I decided to get the best people for the job," The figured explained.

"I can see that," Zekt said. "I know the first two are Nyx and Drakon; both wanted criminals that SOLTech caught and locked up before being released the same year as me. But who are the other two?"

"You'll find out who they are shortly, but for now, let's focus on what we have planned for today."

The figure then pulled up three screens. One shows LINK VRAINS, one shows SOL Technologies, and the other shows a clip of Sanctum and Roselyn's duel last night.

"Almost about two years ago, there's was a phenomenon known as "The Deleted" caused by the Knights of Hanoi that occurred in LINK VRAINS which prevented all duelists from logging out of LINK VRAINS as well as putting them into an unconscious state in the real world," The figure explained. "Luckily, I replicated the program and was able to install it in your Duel Disks as well as all of the Arbiters."

"So with it, anyone we defeat in a duel will be unable to wake up?" Nyx asked.

"Correct," The figure replied.

"So, what's the whole point in doing all of this?" Drakon asked.

"The point is that tomorrow afternoon LINK VRAINS will be filled with a bunch of people since SOL Technologies received a lot of requests for more duels between the Top 10, and Chevalier and Charmcaster were more than happy to volunteer," The figure answered.

"And because of that, everyone would want to log into LINK VRAINS to see the duel with their very own eyes," Zekt noted.

"Exactly. Which will also be the moment of our attack where each of you will lead of squad of Arbiters to assault every single duelist in LINK VRAINS," The figure said as then pulled up a screen of the Top 10. "Knowing they can't resist protecting the innocent people of LINK VRAINS, SOL Technologies will have the entire Top 10 come and help, which is when the five of you come in and stop them."

"I like the sound of that," Nyx said.

"Me too," Drakon added.

"So once we beat a member of the Top 10, do they suffer the same consequences as everyone else?" Zekt asked.

"Everyone except Ringmaster and Maestra," The figure replied. "If you manage to beat them, your objective is to bring them to me. Understood?"

"Yes!" The five of them responded.

"Good. Zekt, because of your history with Maestra, she's your prime target, as is Ringmaster for Archangel and The Gore for Brawler."

"What? Why do they get specific targets?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah. That's not fair!" Drakon exclaimed.

"The reason for that is because just like Zekt with Maestra, they have a history with them."

"Really? I don't remember seeing any recordings of them dueling Ringmaster or Gore," Zekt stated.

"In due time, it'll become much clearer, and you'll understand," The figure stated. "Anyway, let's prepare for our assault!"

"Right!" The five of them exclaimed as they then proceeded to log out, leaving the shadowy figure alone.

"Soon, I'll have my revenge and finally claim the kingdom that Ringmaster and Maestra robbed from me," He said as then logged out.

The next morning, at Café Yamashiro...

Yuji had a lot on his mind as he ate the chocolate-chip pancakes Ena had made for the two of them. Sure, they were delicious, but after learning that their classmate Lily Gardener was Roselyn, he didn't feel like eating at the moment.

"Mission control to Yuji. Are you spacing out again?" Yuji lifted his head at Ena, saying his name. "You know, for a second there, I thought you were going to fall asleep."

"Sorry, Ena," Yuji said as he stretched his arms. "Even though I got plenty of sleep last night, the thought of finding out that Lily is Roselyn kept waking me up from time to time."

Ena crossed her arms in response. "I know what you mean. I was shocked as well when I first realized it was her, but it's very understandable. After we finished our assignment for class, we went to this sushi bar that, coming by the looks of it, surprises you on how it's still in business, but after you get to know the owners, it's not so bad." She soon took a bite of her pancake.

"I'm assuming that's when you learned more about Lily?" Yuji asked.

"Yep," Ena replied. At first, I just compared to Roselyn because I've seen clips of her duels during the tournament and saw that she use a Plant Deck, meaning she has a relation with plants just like Lily knew so much about them."

"What happened then?"

"She then compared me to my LINK VRAINS alter ego, Sanctum. Saying that we're both strong and confident people that don't let anyone or anything get in our way or bring us down and that she wishes she can be as brave as the both of us."

"I can relate to that. Before we met, I was very shy and had a hard time working or getting along with others, but once we met, you helped me become more social and interactive with others, and I thank you for that, Ena."

"Funny you should mention that because I used you as an example of someone who had difficulty being social."

"Of course you did," Yuji said as he continued munching down the chocolate-chip pancakes.

"Yuji, you usually enjoy my chocolate-chip pancakes," Ena stated, with a worried look on her face. "Even after discussing Lily, something tells me that there's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

Yuji sighed, knowing that there was no point in making a rebuttal against Ena. He started cutting another piece of his pancake. "Yeah. I guess there is." Yuji took a deep breath before saying, "A bit after your duel started and you started having trouble against Lily or should I say "Roselyn," I got worried and logged into LINK VRAINS."

"Seriously, Yuji?" Ena said. "You promise only to come in if I contact you."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Yuji said. "But when I arrived, I saw that Ringmaster and Maestra were also there watching your duel."

At the mention of Ringmaster and Maestra, Ena narrowed her eyes, showing that she was paying attention. "Ringmaster and Maestra? Why were they there?"

"I thought the same thing when I saw them and when I asked, they said they were watching the duel at home and felt like it'd be better if they saw it in person," Yuji responded. "But after hearing their response, it hit wondering on why they decided to log in to see the duel when the other Charisma Duelists didn't."

"That is weird, though," Ena stated. "It's like when Kolter sent us the footage of them being held by The Shepherd, and we logged in to help them." Ena then took another bite of her pancakes. "Anything else regarding them?"

"Unfortunately no," Yuji admitted, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Ena. I wish that-."

"Don't apologize." Yuji's head perked up in response to Ena's comment. "What happened last night may spark suspicion, but not big enough to look in. Maybe they logged in to see Roselyn's skills in action because maybe she might now consider helping us stop the Arbiters, which is our main priority at the moment." As Ena picked up her fork and started cutting her pancakes, Yuji could tell that there was a small smile on her face.

"You're right, Ena," Yuji said, giving off a small smile. "I can't let what happened last night affect me from focusing on what's important, and I want to let you know that it means a lot that you'll help through any situation or problem I'm having. Big or small."

Before Ena could say anything else, Her phone started to vibrate, and she saw that she had gotten a text from Zuzu. "Zuzu just texted me that Yuya and her on our the way to shop? Guess we should get ready for when they arrive, huh?" Ena asked, turning to Yuji.

"And another ordinary school day begins," Yuji commented, as he got up from his seat and put his dishes in the sink as he went to his room to change with Ena doing the same.

The two exited from their rooms, dressed for school as they grabbed their bags from the shelf and their Duel Disks off the counter.

"You know we have Duel Club this afternoon, right? Yuji said as he turned to Ena.

"Not anymore. President Hosoda said that because SOL Technologies got so many requests for another duel between two of the Top 10 duelists, they're hosting an event in LINK VRAINS today, and Duel Club's been canceled. All the members are free to attend the event," Ena replied.

"Really? I can see Shima doing that if he were President of the Duel Club, but Hosoda is surprising," Yuji noted. "But in the end, we get to attend LINK VRAINS without them learning about our identities."

"Great!" Ena called out as she and Yuji left the kitchen and headed towards the door. On the way to Den Academy...

"So, did you guys happen to see the duel between Sanctum and Roselyn last night? Yuya asked his Zuzu's counterparts as they walked down the sidewalk on their way to school, even though he and Zuzu knew they were there.

"Of course we did," Yuji replied. "It was amazing how both duelists gave it their all against each other."

"That's great to hear because I thought after Ena called you to her shop last night, you guys would be busy doing whatever it was you were doing to watch the duel," Zuzu said.

"Nope. We were able to get it done quickly and made it in time for the duel," Ena stated.

"Speaking of which, what were you two doing?" Yuya asked as Yuji and Ena turned their eyes to face him.

"Well, Ena's parents remind her now and then to water the flowers at the shop, and sometimes there's too many for her to do, so she called me to help her out," Yuji answered.

"Oh. Well, if you needed any extra help, Yuya and I would've been happy to come along," Zuzu pointed out.

"Thanks. But the two of us were able to handle it," Ena replied. "What did you two think of the duel last night?"

"We thought it was epic!" Yuya exclaimed. "I had no idea that Roselyn was a Synchro user."

"Mee too," Zuzu added. "And the way that Sanctum managed to bring out Spectrum Supreme was amazing! I was surprised to see it was a Cyberse Monster.

"So you guys know about Cyberse cards?" Yuji asked.

"Yeah. Kolter told us about them," Yuya answered.

"Should've known it was Kolter," Ena muttered. "So, did you two hear about the event they're hosting in LINK VRAINS today?"

"We sure did," Zuzu replied. "Chevalier and Charmcaster are going to go head-to-head with each other. Wonder which one of them is going to win?"

"It could go either way," Yuji replied.

"Well, whoever wins, the last two Charisma Duelists that fans haven't seen duel each other are Soulburner and Storm Rider, and I can imagine that duel being wildly spectacular!" Yuya exclaimed.

"That would be great to see. "Wouldn't it, Yuji?" Ena asked.

"It sure would, but I doubt Storm Rider would be down for it," Yuji answered.

"What makes you say that?" Zuzu asked.

"Yuji's just saying that while Storm Rider likes to duel, he doesn't enjoy it as much if it's for publicity," Ena answered.

"I guess that makes sense."

"Speaking of which," Yuya said, "are you guys planning on attending the even in LINK VRAINS?"

"Nah," Yuji replied. "Ena are I are going down to the shelter to visit the kids. What about you guys?"

"Unfortunately no," Zuzu answered. "We promised to help Kolter down at the truck."

"Guess we're all too busy to log into LINK VRAINS to watch the duel," Ena pointed out.

"How about this? After you guys are done playing with the kids at the shelter, you can meet us in the plaza at Kolter's, and we can discuss our thoughts on the duel between Chevalier and Charmcaster while we eat?" Yuya suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Yuji said.

"Me too," Ena added.

"Then it's settled. "How does 7:00 sound?"

"Sounds perfect," Ena replied.

"Great! Yuya exclaimed as he and the others continued their walk to school.

At the end of the school day...

Yuya and Zuzu were near the school entrance, waiting for Yuji and Ena to show up so they could share any updates the came up regarding their meet-up later tonight. Yuya checked his watch, which read 3:20 pm. When he turned his head to the entrance, he saw several students still exiting from the entrance. Among them was Shima, who, unlike the other students, was running.

"Move it! Get out of the way! Scram!" Shima shouted as he ran!"

"Hey, Shima! Slow down!" Zuzu yelled, getting the green-haired youth's attention

"What is it, Zuzu? Can't you see that I'm in a hurry?" Shima asked.

"I can see that. But why are you in such a hurry?"

"Aren't you aware of the event that's happening in LINK VRAINS today? Chevalier and Charmcaster are going to duel one another, and there's no way I'm missing that!"

"I see. Well, sorry about stopping you. You're free to go."

"See you!" Shima yelled as he continued running.

"Man, he sure is energetic," Yuya noted.

"No joke."

Yuya and Zuzu turned around to see the comment coming from Yuji with Ena standing next to him.

"Hey, you guys. How long have you been standing there?" Zuzu asked.

"Not long," Ena answered. "We came out right after Shima finally left the building. I assume he's heading home to view the oncoming duel?"

"That's correct," Yuya replied. "You guys notified Mrs. Maxwell about our plans for tonight?"

"Did it at lunchtime," Yuji answered. "What about you guys with Kolter?"

"We notified him during lunch as well, and we're good to go," Zuzu replied.

"Excellent! See you guys later tonight," Ena said as she and Yuji left with Yuya and Zuzu doing the same.

"You think they're telling the truth about going to volunteering at the shelter?" Zuzu asked as she turned to Yuya.

"Maybe Maybe not," Yuya replied. "Either way, it's still good on both ends."

"How so?"

"If they do go to LINK VRAINS, it'll be nice to see them, and if they don't, then at least they're doing something good."

"You do make a point. I mean, Kolter let us have the day off so we can attend the event, and Jin is there to help him when it gets busy, so if you think about it, it's a win-win situation."

"Exactly," Yuya said. "So, who do you think is going to win?"

"Not sure. I've never seen Chevalier or Charmcaster duel before, so it can go either way," Zuzu answered.

"I thought the same thing. Well, no matter who wins or loses, I know the duel will be one everyone will remember."

"Amen."

Yuya and Zuzu continued their walk to Kolter's place and went inside and prepared to log into LINK VRAINS.

At Shima's house…

"Mom! I'm going into LINK VRAINS, OK!" Shima shouted.

"Alright, sweetie!" His mom yelled from downstairs. "I'll have dinner ready when you get back!"

He sat on his bed as he activated his blue Duel Disk. "Time to link into the VRAINS!" He said as his Duel Disk glowed, creating a blue sphere around him.

He turned into his avatar, The Brave Battler, and his eyes instantly widened. "Wow! I'm here!"

He continued moving on, looking at all the shops and venues nearby. He then stopped as two shadows flew over him, making him look up to see what they were.

"Whoa! Those guys are Speed Dueling!" He exclaimed. "While Speed Dueling is cool and all. What's even cooler is the duel between Chevalier and Charmcaster."

As he continued walking, he eventually bumped into someone.

"Oops! Sorry!" Brave Battler apologized but stopped as he looked at who he bumped into. "Ooooh."

"Sorry about that. I didn't notice you," The person turned around, revealing to be Roselyn.

"Wait…Are you…. Roselyn?!" Brave Battler gasped.

"That's my name, well, at least in LINK VRAINS and not the real world," she admitted.

"Whoa! You are Roselyn! Oh my god! I can't believe I'm meeting one of the Top 10 Charisma Duelists!" He couldn't contain himself.

"It's always nice to meet a fan," Roselyn said. "Anyway, are you here to see the duel between Chevalier and Charmcaster?"

"That's right!" Brave Battler replied. "It never would've happened if it weren't for your duel against Sanctum. Sorry that you lost, though."

"No sweat," Roselyn said. "I had so much fun that it didn't bother me that I lost."

"Really? Well, glad to hear it," Brave Battler said.

The two of them then walked together as they then noticed a stage surrounded by a large crowd and stopped next to a guy in blue armor. As she watched, the lights on the stage went out, and lightning struck, causing a bright flash. When the flash faded, Blue Maiden was standing on the stage, holding a microphone.

"Blue Maiden!" Brave Battler shouted excitedly. Roselyn had to restrain herself from joining in.

"Everyone! Are you enjoying LINK VRAINS?" Blue Maiden asked, causing to cheer in response. "Well, good because it's time to party!"

"This is awesome!" Brave Battler shouted in joy while Roselyn once again had to restrain herself.

"Just to remind you, in one hour, the Charisma Duelist Event will take place!" Blue Maiden told the crowd. "As you all know, the two duelists are Chevalier and Charmcaster, both members of the Top, who will put on a special show just for you! In addition, after the duel, the winner of this duel will choose one of you lucky individuals to against!" The crowd cheered at that, Brave Battler too.

"A chance to duel against one of the Top 10 Charisma Duelists? How awesome was that, Roselyn?

"Very. I hope you get chosen. I would love to see your skills in action," Roselyn said.

"Well, believe me when I say that my skills are worth watching," Brave Battler stated.

Meanwhile, at SOL Technologies...

Akira was busy working when the door to his office suddenly opened, revealing to be Hayami. "Your sister has announced the time of the event, Mr. CEO, as well as the prize awarded at the end of the event."

"Perfect," Akira said. "How are our security measures? I would rather not have a repeat incident like before."

"Don't worry, Mr. Zaizen. We've triple security both inside and outside of LINK VRAINS," Hayami explained. "Plus, Gore, Soulburner, and your sister volunteered as well to protect everyone from any threats."

"Excellent. How about the other five members of the Top 10?"

"Both Chevalier and Charmcaster agreed to postpone their duel if any threats happen to occur or show up after agreeing to their services fee, Roselyn was more than happy to help, and I've sent messages to Ringmaster, Maestra, Storm Rider, and Sanctum, but they haven't responded."

"While it only slightly surprises me that Storm Rider or Sanctum hasn't responded yet, it surprises me more than Ringmaster and Maestra haven't, given they've appeared in LINK VRAINS a lot more and shown to care a lot about it ever since they've arrived."

"Well, maybe they're busy," Hayami noted.

"Maybe. But even so, there's no doubt that Ringmaster and Maestra will hesitate if they see something bad happening," Zaizen said. "Anything else to report?"

"Nope. That is all."

"Very well. You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir.," Hayami said as she bowed and then left.

Akira then pulled up a screen showing LINK VRAINS as he stared at it. "I sincerely hope that nothing bad happens again today."

Meanwhile, back in Den City...

"Come on, Yuya! Let's go! "We're going to be late!" Zuzu yelled.

"Sorry. Just found my Duel Disk underneath my bed," Yuya said.

"If you would've just kept track of all of your things, we wouldn't have to walk back to school to check your lockers, making you realize that you forgot to put it in your bag today, making us trek back home," Zuzu pointed out.

"I know. From now on, I promise to keep track of my things," Yuya promised.

"Thank you. So are you ready?"

"Always."

The two teens raised their Duel Disks as they both shouted. "Time to link into the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Ringmaster and Maestra emerged onto a building in LINK VRAINS. Many people were dueling, some testing their skills against others in the hopes of becoming Charisma Duelists one day.

"Glad to see the two of you could make it." Ringmaster and Maestra turned and saw both Storm Rider and Sanctum walking up to them.

"Storm Rider and Sanctum?" Maestra asked. "What are two doing here?"

"Same reason as to why everyone else is here," Storm Rider replied, turning to face LINK VRAINS. "We're here to watch the duel between Chevalier and Charmcaster."

Ringmaster smiled. "Well, the more, the merrier. The last two duelists of the Top 10 are you and Soulburner? Are you going duel him?"

"Not likely," Storm Rider answered. "While I think he's an incredible duelist, and I believe he thinks the same of me, I feel like he wouldn't do it either if it's just for publicity."

"Yeah. I agree."

Before anyone could say anything else, the area suddenly grew dark.

"What the-?" Ringmaster said, turning his head and looking at the sky. "Is that-?"

"An eclipse," Maestra answered him, narrowing her eyes at the sky.

"You know, back in ancient times, solar eclipses were super evil omens," Sanctum said. "They foreshadowed destruction and the end of civilizations. So you got that going for you."

"They're just fables, Sanctum." Storm Rider told her. "But perhaps, there is something to this. Someone may be sending the world a message."

"Like what? Wear sunscreen?" Ringmaster sarcastically asked Storm Rider.

"No, Ringmaster. Not at all that." Sanctum scolded him. "This solar eclipse could be a sign of what's to come."

"But what?" Maestra said.

"I believe that we'll find out soon enough." Storm Rider deduced.

"Great. Even though I love surprises, I prefer if they're usually good ones." Ringmaster said.

"Me too, Ringmaster," Sanctum said.

Storm Rider couldn't help but wonder what the meaning of the eclipse was. If the Arbiters are behind this, Storm Rider thought as he narrowed his eyes at the eclipse, then I have a feeling I'll encounter have to duel them again. He turned to the other three duelists. No. The four of us will encounter them and defeat them. That's for sure.

Elsewhere, at the Charisma Duelist event…

It was 4:55 pm at the LINK VRAINS's Coliseum. People were gathered and filled up all the seats.

"Whoa!" Brave Battler looked over from a VIP seat. "This is so cool! I can see the entire Coliseum arena from here! And thank you for this sweet VIP seat, Mrs. Roselyn!"

"Hey, no problem, and just call me Roselyn," she replied. "It's much fun to see my allies duel each other."

"You personally both know Chevalier and Charmcaster?" Brave Battler asked.

"Not really. I know that in the real world, Chevalier's is some famous actor and Charmcaster, the niece of the guy who played Harry Potter, but that's it," Roselyn said. Even though we interact with each other or hang out, I'll still support them no matter what because that's what teammates do, of course."

"That's a nice thing to say, Roselyn," Brave Battler said.

Before Roselyn could respond, the lights in the coliseum disappeared before reappearing in the center.

"Hello! What's up, everyone?! It's your amazing host, Frog!"

"And Pigeon as well!" He said, with a bit more enthusiasm in his tone.

"The event that you all have been waiting for is about to begin! Let me hear your voices, everybody!" Frog exclaimed.

Everyone responded with a cheer. "Yeah, that's it! Let's introduce our stars to the show! On this corner, he is the 8th best duelist of the Top 10, with her mighty powerful Noble Knight Deck. Give it up for…..Chevalier!" Pigeon announced as the duelist appeared on the stage.

Everyone cheered when Chevalier appeared as he waved to the audience.

"Wish me luck, everyone!" Chevalier yelled at the crowds.

"Yeah! Go, Chevalier!" A fan cheered.

"Woohoo!" Brave Max cheered, too.

"And on the opposite corner, she is the master of magic, the devious diva, and a wizard at dueling. Please welcome the 10th best duelist of the Top 10, with her amazingly incredible Invoked Deck. Charmcaster!" Frog announced as Charmcaster entered from the opposite side of the stage.

"People of LINK VRAINS!" Charmcaster shouted. "Today, I, the beautiful Charmcaster, will face off against Chevalier!" She turned his gaze on Chevalier. "Tell me, Chevalier; do you think a Knight can challenge a skilled sorceress?"

"God?" Chevalier repeated, frowning. "Are you that full of yourself?"

Charmcaster smirked. "Whatever you think about me is unimportant. As long as you're able to provide a challenge for me, this duel will be fun for me," She said. "I have faced the Devil himself; I am not afraid of God!"

Roselyn sweatdropped. "Does she have to be this dramatic?" Sadly, no one answered her.

Chevalier smiled at Charmcaster. "I'm more than capable of being a worthy opponent. Remember, I hold the 8th place spot in the Top 10 while you're at the bottom!"

Charmcaster narrowed his eyes. "Feeling confident, are we? Then how about we make things a little more interesting?"

Chevalier smirked. "Interesting, huh? "You got my attention. What did you have in mind?"

"She pointed at Chevalier dramatically. "Galahad! If I should happen to win this duel, then you swapped our ranks!"

"Oh!" Frog commented. "A duel where if Chevalier loses, then he'll lose his title as the 8th best duelist in LINK VRAINS to Charmcaster!?

"Now that's a risk I definitely wouldn't take!" Pigeon stated.

Chevalier smiled. "Are you sure that's the one you want? I mean that the stakes are very risky, but not enough to slow me down."

"That's why I brought it up," Chevalier said. "As I said, I wish to defeat you here and show everyone that I deserve the 8th place spot and that between the two of us, I'm the better duelist. So, Chevalier, do you accept my challenge?"

Chevalier pointed dramatically at Charmcaster. "I do! I will defeat you using the power of my Deck! And you, little miss sorcerer, will fall before me!"

"So this challenge means if either of them loses, they'll swap ranks with each other?" Brave Battler asked.

"Correct," Roselyn answered. "I see recordings of their duels before and during the tournament so that it could go either way. But Chevalier does hold the No. 8 spot, so he has the advantage in skills, but Charmcaster is known for her unexpected tricks, so as I said before, either of them could win this duel."

"Well, no matter who wins this duel, I'll still be a fan of theirs regardless of their rank," Brave Battler said.

"That's very sweet, Brave Battler," Roselyn said as she returned her focus to the upcoming duel.

LINK VRAINS: Unknown location…

The shadowy figure was looking at the monitor showing LINK VRAINS when an Arbiter member logged into the room alert popped up.

"Master," The Arbiter said. "It was tough, but we managed to break through LINK VRAINS's security and weaken their firewall. It's already dropped by more than 50%."

The figure smirked. At last, time for us to put our plan into motion. "Nyx, Drakon, Zekt, Asura, Archaangek!"

Immediately, Zekt, Nyx, Drakon, Asura, and Archangel appeared, bowing behind the figure.

"Yes, Sir," the five of them said. "How may we serve?"

"It time's for us to unleash our assault on LINK VRAINS once again." The figure answered them. "Approach and defeat every single duelist you can, and make sure to keep the Top 10 out of our way, and most importantly, kidnap Ringmaster and Maestra!."

"Affirmative," all five said. "We will not fail." The five of them logged out of the room soon after.

Back at the Charisma Duelist event…

"Alright!" Frog shouted. "If both our duelists and everyone else is ready, let the duel beg-"

"RRAAAAWW!" Suddenly, the light of the Coliseum flickered several times. The spectators looked around, trying to see where the roaring was coming from.

Just then, behind Frog and Pigeon, both Nyx and Drakon appeared behind them.

"Hello," Nyx said.

"Mind if we join the party?" Drakon rhetorically asked.

"What!? Who are two!?" Frog screamed.

"Yeah! I don't remember being told that two more people would be a part of this duel!" Pigeon complained.

"Sorry, but we prefer it if we were," Nyx said as she snapped her fingers as a huge portal appeared above her and many Arbiters riding several Cracking Dragons.

"Holy Kuriboh! That thing is a monster!" One of the spectators shouted.

Everyone panicked as they all tried to log out of LINK VRAINS, but nobody could.

"Hey! I can't log out!" A man said.

"Me neither! What's going on?" A woman wondered.

"It's no use. We broke through LINK VRAINS's security and weakened their firewall," Nyx explained.

"So try to log out all you want. It won't make a difference," Drakon stated.

"Cracking Dragon! Traffic Blast!" An Arbiter commanded.

The mechanical dragon opened its mouth, and a massive inferno of blue flames aimed right at the innocent people.

"Rose Gardna! Protect them!"

Rose Gardna appeared in front of the blast as it blocked it with her shields before bursting into particles.

"Hey! You!" Roselyn jumped off from the VIP area into the arena and stood in front of Cracking Dragon. "Leave all these innocent people alone!"

"Grrrrrrgh!" The Arbiter growled like a mad dog. "So you think you're strong to handle all of us alone?"

"This is bad, Roselyn! Let's get out of here!" Brave Battler stated.

"Not until someone teaches these guys a lesson!" Roselyn said. "Plus, I feel a bit of itching for a duel!" She then activated her Duel Disk.

"Well, don't leave us both out and let you have all of the fun," Chevalier said as he and Charmcaster joined Roselyn with their Duel Disks activated.

"Chevalier? Charmcaster? Are you two helping me?" Roselyn asked.

"Of course," Charmcaster replied. "These guys interrupted my chance at beating Chevalier today, so it's only fair for them to the price.

"I agree with you, Charmcaster on how, they made a mistake disrupting our duel, but you beating me is something that only happens in your dreams," Chevalier stated.

"Um. I don't mean to interrupt your guys' banter, but if you're done, we have an enemy in front that we have to deal with," Roselyn pointed out.

"Right. Sorry," Chevalier and Charmcaster said as they returned their focus to the Arbiters and charged towards them.

"Looks like our team got this handled," Nyx said.

"Seems so. So let's join the others and help track down Ringmaster and Maestra," Drakon stated as he and Nyx jumped as their D-Boards appeared, and they landed on them as they left the arena.

Meanwhile, in another area in LINK VRAINS...

Ringmaster, Maestra, Storm Rider, and Sanctum were riding on their D-Boards as they headed to the Coliseum.

"I can't believe the Arbiters attacked LINK VRAINS again and even disrupted the vent," Ringmaster said.

"How did they even get in? Didn't SOL Technologies strengthen their security?" Maestra asked.

"They did," Storm Rider answered. "I checked their security after Akira notified us about the incident, and I saw that their firewall was weakened by some virus program they created."

"Maybe that's the reason for the eclipse in the sky," Sanctum pointed out.

"Could be. But right now, our main focus is to get to the Coliseum as fast as we can!" Ringmaster stated.

"Sorry. You won't get the chance to!"

The four of them looked ahead and saw a group of Arbiters with several monsters blocking their way.

These guys," Maestra complained.

"Sorry, fellas, but we don't have time to deal with you right now," Sanctum said.

"Well, too bad," an Arbiter said. "Because if you want to get to the Coliseum, you're gonna have to go through us first!"

"Then I guess we'll help deal with you for them!"

Coming down from the sky was Soulburner standing on top of Salamagreat Heatleo and Blue Maiden with Marincess Marbled Rock and Gore with Gouki the Great Ogre.

"Gore, Blue Maiden, Soulburner!" Storm Rider exclaimed.

"Seem like you guys needed some help, so we thought we'd stop by," Gore said.

"You can let Soulburner and me this while Gore shows you a faster way to get to the Coliseum," Blue Maiden added.

"Awesome!" Ringmaster exclaimed. "Let's go, everyone!"

"You're not going anywhere! Botnet Hydra! Eraser Cannon!" The Arbiter commanded as Botnet charged up a bright-green energy sphere at the group of five.

"I discard Marincess Mandarin to activate Marbled Rock's effect!" Blue Maiden declared.

A blue barrier formed, shielding the group from Botnet's attack as they continued onward.

"They're getting away!" An Arbiter shouted as they tried to leave but were blocked by Soulburner and Blue Maiden.

"If you want to get to them, you'll have to go through us first," Soulburner stated.

"And we assure we, we can be quite the challenge," Blue Maiden added.

"Alright then. But don't get upset when we kick your butts!" The Arbiter stated. "Everyone, attack!"

The Arbiters monsters charged at Soulburner and Blue Maiden as they ready themselves.

Elsewhere…

"So where is this shortcut that supposed to take us to the Coliseum, Gore?" Ringmaster asked.

"Zaizen and his team are creating a program that'll open up a portal leading us to the Coliseum instantly," Gore answered.

"Like that one up ahead?" Maestra asked.

The quintet looked up at Maestra's words. A light blue portal was floating in front of them.

"It looks like that's our ticket to the Coliseum," Ringmaster said.

"Then let's pick up the pace and hurry," Gore stated. Ringmaster and Maestra nodded in agreement.

Storm Rider frowned as they got closer. "Something about this… feels off."

"What do you mean?" Sanctum asked.

"I'm not sure. But I have a bad feeling about that portal," Storm Rider said as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, causing a screen to appear as he typed in some combinations.

"Uh-oh," Storm Rider's eyes widened underneath his mask. "I think we have a problem." At the same time, a "Caution" alert appeared on one of SOLTech's screens.

"Wait. This isn't the gate we created?" Akira said before realizing what it could be. "Gore, get you and everyone else out of there! It's a trap!"

Before Gore could warn the others, the gate suddenly started to act like a wormhole, sucking them in.

"Hang on, everyone!" Gore told them.

"Hang on to what?!" Ringmaster and Maestra replied, obviously knowing they couldn't grab anything near them. They then noticed three different silhouettes inside the portal.

"The Arbiters must've set this trap!" Storm Rider informed the others. "We need to-!" The winds generated by the portal increased, pulling Gore, Ringmaster, and Maestra in.

"Gore! Ringmaster Maestra!" Sanctum exclaimed, concerned for her allies. Speeding to where they were, she and Storm Rider were about to knock them out of the way before noticing an energy blast heading towards them, causing them to dodge. Sensing that their efforts failed, the suction increased, preventing their teammates from escaping and even pulling them off their duel boards. They screamed as they were pulled through the portal.

"No!" Storm Rider and Sanctum shouted. They watched in shock as the portal disappeared and replaced a large sphere crackling with blue lightning.

"Great! How are we going to rescue him now?" Sanctum asked.

"I wish that I knew..." Storm Rider responded as he and the others orbited around the sphere.

"Well, we can help you with that."

The duo turned around to see Nyx and Drakon.

"Were you two responsible for this?" Storm Rider asked.

"Yes and no," Nyx replied.

"We were the ones who planned the assault at the Coliseum, but our teammates were responsible for creating the portal," Drakon answered.

"Let them free this instance!" Sanctum demanded.

"Sorry. But the only way to free them is with the help of this." Nyx said as she and Drakon raised their hands, and blue orbs of data were formed.

"If you want to rescue your friends, then you'll need to beat us in a duel and retrieve our Code Keys," Drakon said.

"So, what do you say?" Nys asked.

"I say I'm down," Storm Rider said. "You in, Sanctum?'

"Hands down," she replied. "They trapped our comrades, so it's only fair for them to pay the price."

"Such big words. Let's see if your speed skills can back them up," Drakon said as he and Nyx's D-Boards appeared as they then hopped on them and left.

"Let's follow them!" Sanctum declared.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Storm Rider replied as he and Sanctum followed the two bounty hunters.

In LINK VRAINS Private Network…

The shadowy figure was staring at two screens. One of Nyx and Drakon and the other with the trapped Gore, Ringmaster, and Maestra.

"Looks like everything is going according to plan. Let's see if my associates can complete their missions, or else they'll face severe punishments.

Back in LINK VRAINS…

"Come on! You have to be faster than that!" Nyx exclaimed.

"We'll get nowhere if both of us are tracking them," Sanctum noted.

"Very well. How about I take Drakon, and you take Nyx?" Storm Rider asked.

"Sounds goods, but how are we going to split them up?"

"I have a program which creates a Duel Anchor which will prevent the both of us from escaping or leaving until one of us wins a duel," Storm Rider explained. "I'll send you a copy of it."

Within moments, a voice on Sanctum's Duel Disk said the following:

DATA TRANSFER COMPLETE

"Thanks. Time to test it out."

Both Sanctum and Storm Rider released red cords from their Duel Disks that snared Nyx and Drakons's wrist.

"What the heck is this?" Drakon asked.

"It's known as a Duel Anchor. Meaning neither of us can leave or log out until one of us loses a duel," Storm Rider explained as he then yanked Drakon away from Nyx.

"Drakon!" Nyx shouted.

"Forget about him. You should be more worried about me because I'm going to defeat you!" Sanctum stated.

"You'll eat those words!" Nyx shouted back.

"Speed Duel!" they shouted.

Sanctum: 4000 LP

Nyx: 4000 LP

"Since I'm front, I'll start us off!" Nyx told as she glanced backward at her opponent. "My turn! I set a monster face-down. Then, I also set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"A set monster?" Sanctum narrowed her eyes. "Better be careful. My turn! I draw! From my hand, I activate the Field Spell Card: World Legacy Scar! Through its effect -"

"Sorry to interrupt you, little angel, but I activate my Trap Card!" Nyx cut her off. "Shadow Strings of Pinion!" The card depicted Pot of Greed, Monster Reborn, Change Of Heart, Polymerization, and Swords of Revealing Light caught in a web of strings being drained of their power. "When the opponent activates a Spell Card, by discarding one "Shaddoll" card from my hand, like Shaddoll Beast, the activation and effects of that Spell are negated, and I can add one. "Shaddoll" Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose to add Shaddoll Fusion!"

"What!?" Sanctum gasped as Nyx destroyed her Field Spell. "Tch... to think you would get rid of my Field Spell already... moreover, you added a "Fusion" card to your hand, meaning you specialize in Fusion Summoning."

"Correct," Nyx grinned. "However, I wasn't done activating effects. Since the card I discarded was Shaddoll Beast, its effect activates when sent to the Graveyard by a card effect. I get to draw a card!"

"So there was more to your move..." Sanctum muttered. "But that doesn't mean I'm done. I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse!"

A silver machine with a circle around its body and blue crystals embedded in its armor appeared, summoned in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Indigo Eclipse ATK 2400 DEF 2400 LVL: 8

"What?" Nyx said, surprised. "How did you summon a Level 8 monster without Tributing any monsters?"

"Indigo Eclipse's monster effect," Sanctum explained. "If there are two or more cards in the same column, I can Special Summon it to that column."

Nyx looked at her Duel Disk and scowled. She'd placed one of her set cards to the same column as her set monster, so Sanctum had summoned his monster to that column.

"Guess I shouldn't have underestimated you," Nyx said.

"No. You shouldn't have," Sanctum said as she gestured to her field. "Indigo Eclipse's additional effect! Once per turn, I can move one 'Mekk-Knight' monster I control to another Main Monster Zone. I move it to the column to its left!"

Indigo Eclipse moved, leaving room for another monster. Nyx scowled.

"I now Special Summon Mekk-Knight Blue Sky to both you set cards' column!"

A mechanical warrior in gold and blue armor, wearing a blue cape and wielding two curved silver swords, appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Blue Sky ATK 2000 DEF 2500 LVL: 5

"Blue Sky's monster effect! If it is Summoned from the hand, I can add different "Mekk-Knight" monsters from my Deck to my hand, equal to the number of cards you have in its column. There are two cards, so I add Mekk-Knight Red Moon and Mekk-Knight Green Horizon to my hand."

After Sanctum took the cards from her Deck, Nyx muttered to herself, "The rest of his Mekk-Knight monsters probably all have the same Special Summon effect. This duel is going to be tricky."

"I set one card face-down. Battle! Blue Sky attacks your set monster!"

The monster with two swords charged towards Nyx's face-down monster, revealing a hedgehog creature with strings attached to its body before it exploded in light particles.

"I activate Shaddoll Hedgehog's Flip Effect!" Nyx abruptly stated. "I can add any "Shaddoll" Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand. I choose Nephe Shaddoll Fusion!"

"Another card from your deck... moreover, you use a Flip Deck?" Sanctum narrowed her eyes. "Although, it doesn't matter! You control no monsters Battle! Indigo Eclipse attacks you directly!"

Indigo Eclipse released a blast of blue energy from its chest at Nyx.

"There are more ways to stop an attack!" Nyx said. "When a "Shaddoll" Monster I control is destroyed by the opponent, by banishing Shadow Strings of Pinion from the Graveyard, all monsters the opponent controls cannot declare an attack this turn!"

Sanctum scoffed. "Huh. I end my turn then."

"Don't sound so angry and bored," Nyx stated. "After all, my turn's next, and be ready for some top-notch plays!"

Meanwhile, at another area of LINK VRAINS...

Drakon smiled after viewing a clip of his teammate's duel and seeing that she managed to escape a direct attack. Sanctum thought she had the lead for a second, he thought, but this is all part of Nyx's plan. After all, she and I are some of the best hacker criminals ever known, even though we have little differences in our skills.

"Uh, excuse me?" Drakon's attention shifted towards Storm Rider after hearing his voice. "How about you quit focusing on your friend's duel and start focusing on me? Since I'll be beating you soon."

"Is that so?" Drakon replied, now ticked off by Storm Rider. "Well, if that's the case, let's see you put words and skills to the test!"

"Right back at you!" Storm Rider said as he and Drakon activated their Duel Disks

"Speed Duel!" Drakon and Storm Rider said in unison.

Drakon: 4000 LP

Storm Rider: 4000 LP

The two duelists looked at their hands before Drakon said, "I'll take the first turn. I summon Dragunity Aklys!"

A thin red dragon wearing white armor with a spear attached to its head appeared and roared at Storm Rider.

Dragunity Akyls ATK 1000 DEF 800 LVL: 2

Storm Rider blinked. "Dragunity, huh? Given how your name is Drakon, that Deck fits you well."

"Thanks. But flattery won't save you," Drakon teased Storm Rider before gesturing to his field. "Aklys's monster effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon another "Dragunity" monster from my hand and then equip Aklys onto it. Come, Dragunity Militum!"

A humanoid in blue armor with blue wings wielding a sword and dagger appeared in Defense Position.

Dragunity Militum ATK 1700 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"And now Aklys equips itself to Militum!"

Aklys glowed with energy before turning into a spear that replaced the sword in Militum's right hand.

"I set one card and end my turn."

Storm Rider narrowed his eyes. "He… didn't do what I expected."

"Militum's effect lets her Special Summon a "Dragunity" monster that's in his Spell Trap Zone, and Aklys is also a Tuner monster, meaning he could have Synchro Summoned with Militum's effect but didn't. "Why wouldn't he Synchro Summon? Aren't Synchro Monsters the ace monsters of the Dragunity Deck?"

"They are, so her not using Militum's effect is strange. Unless she's going for Aklys's effect." Storm Rider thought that when the equipped Aklys is sent to the Graveyard, Drakon can destroy one card on the field. That's certainly one reason to keep Militum and Aklys around.

"Are you going to make a move, Storm Rider?" Drakon addressed him, looking back at him with amusement. "Or is this your way of saying you surrender?"

Storm Rider scowled and placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Looking at his card, he played it. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I'm allowed to Special Summon Cycode Recon from my hand!"

Cycode Recon ATK 1200 DEF 1000 LVL: 3

Drakon was in shock after seeing the monster. "It can't be. Is that a "Cyberse" Monster?"

"After getting a feel for LINK VRAINS and learning of a type of monster that's only in LINK VRAINS that's known as the Cyberse, I began dabbling into creating his own Cyberse." Almost all attempts failed due to it summoning to the field or Vrains didn't generate the card for a monster," Storm Rider answered. "But on my 437th attempt, I succeeded in creating a Cyberse card that he tweaked and changed to create the "Cycode" Archetype. Hopefully, one day I can create more Cyberse cards, so I bring them back to the people.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts because once I'm through with you, I'll eliminate the rest of your pathetic little friends!" Drakon stated.

"You say that now, but let's see how the duel will end." Storm Rider said, holding his arm out towards his monster. "When Recon's summoned, I can add 1 "Cycode" card from my Deck to my hand." A card slid out from his deck, which he then showed to his opponent. "I add the Field Spell Card: Cycode Zone, and then activate it!"

It shows the world of the Cycode Monsters, similar to our own but more digital and advanced with the sky coursing with digital data. "Thanks to its effect, I can add another "Cycode" monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose my Cycode Assassin, which I'll then summon!"

Appearing next to Rider was a one-eyed tall slim black metal skeletal robot with six arms, each holding a red blade energy dagger.

Cycode Assassin ATK 1500 DEF 1400 LVL: 4

"Now, by using the second effect of Cycode Zone, if I use a Cyberse monster on my field to Link Summon, I can treat one "Cycode" monster, like my Cycode Knight, as Link Material."

"What?" Drakon gasped as a cybernetic knight in blue and white armor appeared on his field.

"Link Arrows authorized! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect monsters. I set Cycode Recon, Assassin, and Knight in the Link Arrows!"

His monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Cycode Talker!"

A monster resembling Decode Talker, with the difference being its armor is green and white as he wields an energy-bladed katana as he emerges into the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Cycode Talker ATK 2300 LINK-3

"Cycode Talker? Didn't Playmaker use a ton of them in his duels?" Drakon asked.

"Why yes, he did. Which gave me the idea to create one of my own," Storm Rider answered. "Since I used Recon as Link Material for the summoning of a "Cycode" Link Monster, I'm allowed to add a "Cycode" Spell or Trap to my hand. I choose Cycode Datasword."

A card ejected from his Deck as he grabbed it and placed it in his hand.

"Next, I activate Cycode Talker's effect! When he's Link Summoned, I can summon a Cycode Token next to his Link!"

A tiny creature resembling a computer arrow appeared next to Cycode Talker's bottom-left Link Arrow.

"Cycode Talker's effect activates! For each monster it points to, all your monsters lose 500 attack points!

"What?" Drakon yelled."But from that position-!"

"Since Cycode points to your Miltum and my Token, your monster loses 1000 attack points. Go, Power Degradation!"

Dragunity Miltum ATK 1700→700

"I activate the Equip Spell Card: Cycode Datasword!" Storm Rider declared. Cycode Talker's katana began glowing as it changed shape. It remained curved, but it also became slightly longer and more jagged on the sides. Blue data streams were embedded in the blade's center, one near the tip and the other near the hilt. Said hilt also became longer and changed color to gold and silver with a black tassel at the end. "While Datasword is equipped to a monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and when it attacks a Special Summoned monster, it gains attack points equal to its Level times 200!"

"Eh?" Drakon gasped. "That's a good card! But even so, I'll still have Life Points left."

"No, you won't," Storm Rider pointed out. "You see, when Cycode Talker destroys a monster in battle, by Tributing a monster it points to, you take damage equal to Cycode's ATK, meaning your Life Points will drop to zero, and this duel will end!"

"Are you sure about that?" Drakon asked while smirking, surprising Storm Rider. He gestured to his field. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card: Dominance Link!"

"What? Dominance Link?" Storm Rider asked as Drakon's Trap flipped up. The card showed Agave Dragon watching over a line of other monsters in chains. "What does that do?"

"Quite a bit," Drakon said. "Since I don't control a monster in the Extra Monster Zone, I can target your Link Monster for its effect. And while Dominance Link is active, that monster cannot attack, its effects are negated, and it cannot be used as Link Material."

Storm Rider's eyes widened. "An anti-Link card? Seriously?"

"You think I didn't see your duel against one of the Arbiters," Drakon told Storm Rider. "If I want to defeat you, then I need to restrict your Link Summoning." He smirked at him again. "I target Rapid Revolutionary with Dominance Link's effect!"

A red glowing circle appeared underneath Cycode Talker. The monster roared as an invisible pressure was placed on it, forcing it to one knee. Storm Rider grit his teeth.

"Since Cycode Talker lost its effects, your Miltum's attack points return to normal."

Dragunity Miltum ATK 700→1700

"I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Just to let you know, Storm Rider, that this is just the beginning," Drakon said. "This will be your first loss and the last duel you'll ever have once I'm done with you!"

At Sanctum's duel…

"My turn! I draw! I activate the Spell Card: Shadow Circuit of Strings from my hand!" Nyx stated as the card depicted Puppet Master lifting Shaddoll Squamata and Dragon through a portal. "Through its effect, if I control no Link Monsters on my field, by paying 500 Life Points, I can Special Summon two "Shaddoll" monsters from my Graveyard with their effects negated! Revive, Shaddoll Hedgehog and Shaddoll Beast!"

Nyx: 4000→3500 LP

Shaddoll Hedgehog ATK 800 DEF 200 LVL: 3

Shaddoll Beast ATK 2200 DEF 1700 LVL: 5

"And after this effect resolves, I can immediately Link Summon using the monsters Special Summoned by this Spell's effect!"

"What?" Storm Rider gasped.

"Time to create my circuit!" Soon, a Link Portal appeared above Nys's head. "The summoning conditions are two "Shaddoll" monsters! I'll set Shaddoll Hedgehog and Beat into the Link Arrows!"

Hedgehog and Beast were surrounded by several strings, becoming spheres of energy that entered the bottom and bottom-left arrows, turning them red.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Come to me, El Shaddoll Core!"

A monster with a knight's helmet, and a body made of countless dragon heads made of strings, emerged from the portal as it appeared in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

El Shaddoll Core ATK 1950 LINK-2

"What an eerie-looking monster..." Sanctum whispered. "But why didn't you Fusion Summon?"

"All in good time, dear Sanctum," Nyx told her. "Because of the rules, monsters summoned from the Extra Deck can only be placed on the Extra Monster Zone or zones where Link Monster's Link Arrows point to. Is it obvious I would prepare my field before doing my big plays, right? I said this turn would be full of top-notch plays, starting from here! I activate my Trap Card: Shaddoll Core! This Trap is Special Summoned to my field as an Effect Monster.

A monster that was similar to El Shaddoll Core but without a body appeared.

Shaddoll Core ATK 0 DEF 1950 LVL: 4

"Then, I equip my Core with the Equip Spell Card: Nephe Shaddoll Fusion!" Nyx stated. "When activated, I have to declare an Attribute, and the equipped Monster becomes said Attribute! I choose Fire!"

Shaddoll Core gained a red aura, indicating its attribute has been changed.

"Finally, I activate the Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion! Thanks to its effect, I can Fusion Summon one "Shaddoll" Fusion Monster by using monsters I control or in my hand. However, if you control a Special Summoned monster, I can also use monsters from my Deck as materials!"

"What!? From the deck!?" Sanctum gasped. "Such an effect…."

"The monsters I choose to fuse are Shaddoll Falco and Shaddoll Dragon from my Deck!" Nyx stated as both her monsters merged in the vortex.

"With these meshed dark energies, the Construct gives you renewed life as its envoy." Nyx chanted. "I Fusion Summon! Appear, El Shaddoll Winda!"

A dark, purple Chinese dragon with purple strings on its claws and feet emerged from the black puddle and onto Athaliah's field in the Main Monster zone El Shaddoll Core's bottom arrow was pointing to. Each of its eyes looked in different directions before being directed towards Sanctum. On the dragon's back was a teenage female sorceress with light-green hair tied in a ponytail. In her right hand was a long staff.

El Shaddoll Winda ATK 2200 DEF 0 LVL: 5

"The effects of Falco and Dragon activate from the Graveyard!" Nyx stated. "When both are sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, Falco can be Special Summoned to my field in face-down position. With Dragon, I can destroy one card in your Spell and Trap Zone. I choose to destroy your only set card.

"Before you do, I'll activate it! Go, Damage Diet!" Sanctum declared. "Thanks to its effect, all damage I take this turn will be cut in half!"

A spectral image of Shaddoll Dragon appeared as it released a roar, destroying Sanctum's Trap Card.

"Don't think I'm done just yet. I activate Nephe Shaddoll Fusion's other effect, letting me use the equipped monster and other "Shaddoll" monsters in my hand or field to perform a Fusion Summon! I fuse Core and Falco on my field!"

The Fusion Vortex appeared once again as both her monsters swirled inside it.

The strings which lurk in the sweet darkness gain the power of infernos and become the flaming darkness of despair! Fusion Summon! Come forth! El Shaddoll Grysta!"

A monster resembling El Shaddoll Core, but with crimson armor, red strings attached to it emerged from the portal and stood under El Shaddoll Core's Bottom-Left Arrow.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK 2450 DEF 1950 LVL: 7

"The effect of Shaddoll Core activates from the Graveyard," Nyx continued. "With it, I can return Shaddoll Fusion from my Graveyard to my hand."

"Now she'll be able to Fusion Summon on her next turn," Sanctum muttered.

"It's time to battle!" Athaliah declared. "El Shaddoll Winda attacks Blue Sky!"

Winda fired several stringy blasts of energy from her staff, while her dragon fired a more concentrated blast alongside it. Together, both blasts hit Blue Sky, destroying it in the process.

Sanctum: 4000→3900 LP

"Next, Grysta attacks Indigo Eclipse!"

Grysta glowed hot with energy before unleashing its crimson strings at Final Sigma, wrapping them around several parts of its body, overheating it, and destroying it.

Sanctum: 3900→3875 LP

"Finally, El Shaddoll Core attacks you directly! Madness Twister!"

El Shaddoll Core extended its hand towards Sanctum as its fingers united, creating a giant tornado. The Link Monster used it as a weapon, throwing its arm to the side and letting the tornado collide with Sanctum, gritting her teeth as she took the damage.

Sanctum: 3875→2900 LP

"I end my turn. Let's see if you can bounce back," Nyx said.

"Oh, I will. My turn! I draw!" Sanctum declared as she drew her card. I activate the Spell Card: Graceful Charity! It allows me to draw three cards, at the cost of discarding two."

She drew her three cards, then discarded Card of Compensation and Mekk-Knight Green Horizon.

"Card of Compensation's effect activates! As I sent it from my hand to the Graveyard, I get to draw two cards." Sanctum drew her two cards, then said, "I now activate the Spell Card: Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Next, I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Red Moon via its effect to El Shaddoll Core's and Winda's column!"

A red and silver machine carrying a large ax appeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Red Moon ATK 2300 DEF 2600 LVL: 7

"Next, I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Forbidden Chalice! It gives your Winda 400 extra attack points but negates its effects until the end of the turn!"

A wave of sparkling water washed over Winda, giving and taking her power.

El Shaddoll Winda ATK 2200→2600

"With Winda's effects negated, I'm now allowed to Special Summon more than once! I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Senet Switch!" Sanctum continued. "Once per turn, I can move a monster I control to an adjacent Main Monster Zone. I move Red Moon to the column to its right. And now I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall via its effect!"

A mechanical warrior carrying a spear and wearing a purple cape appeared in Attack Position in the same column Red Moon had vacated.

Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 8

"I activate Red Moon's effect! By banishing a "Mekk-Knight" monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy a face-up monster in Red Moon's column!"

"What!?" Nyx gasped.

"I banish Green Horizon to destroy Grysta!" Red Moon's ax glowed before it drove it into the ground, creating a blast of energy that struck Grysta, destroying it.

"Grysta's effect activates, letting me retrieve Shaddoll Core from my Graveyard and add it to my hand!" Nyx stated.

"No, you won't!" Sanctum exclaimed. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Forbidden Graveyard! For the rest of the turn, card effects that activate in the Graveyard are negated!"

"No!"

"Now, you can't retrieve any of your cards to complete your combos," Sanctum pointed out. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Solidarity! So long as I have one original Type of monster in my Graveyard, all my monsters with the same Type gain 800 attack points. The only monsters in my Graveyard are Psychic monsters, so all my Psychic monsters, like Red Moon and Purple Nightfall, gain 800 attack points!"

Mekk-Knight Red Moon ATK 2300→3100

Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall ATK 2500→3300

"Battle! Red Moon, attack El Shaddoll Winda!"

Red Moon brought its ax down and cut Winda in half, destroying it in an explosion. Nyx winced and brought her arm up to shield her face.

Nyx: 3500→3000 LP

"Next, Purple Nightfall attacks El Shaddoll Core!"

Purple Nightfall twirled its spear before impaling the Link Monster on it, causing it to explode and Nyx to wince.

Nyx: 3000→1650 LP

Sanctum narrowed her eyes and gestured to her field. "I activate Purple Nightfall's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can banish a "Mekk-Knight" monster until my next Standby Phase and add a new 'Mekk-Knight' monster from my Deck to my hand. I banish Red Moon to add Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset to my hand." Said monster disintegrated as Sanctum took the card from her Deck. "With that, I end my turn."

At Storm Rider's duel…

"My turn! I draw!" Drakon grinned at his new card before gesturing to his field. "I activate Dominance Link's second effect! Once per turn, while it's on the field, I can Link Summon a Link Monster from my Extra Deck with a lower Link Rating than your monster. Cycode Talker is Link-3, so I Link Summon the Link-2 Dragunity Knight – Romulus!"

A large green-scaled dragon with blue and green wings appeared on Drakon's field. A silver-armored figure armed with a spear rode on its back. The dragon roared from the Extra Monster Zone.

Dragunity Knight – Romulus ATK 1200 LINK-2

"A Dragunity Link Monster…" Storm Rider muttered, narrowing his eyes at the dragon.

"Romulus's effect activates! When it is Link Summoned, I can add a "Dragunity" Spell or Trap Card, or the Field Spell Card: Dragon Ravine from my Deck to my hand." Drakon took a card and added it to his hand before picking a new one. "I summon Dragunity Phalanx!"

An orange and blue dragon appeared and roared.

Dragunity Phalanx ATK 500 DEF 1100 LVL: 2

"Level 2 Phalanx tunes Level 4 Militum!" Drakon declared as threads of orange energy spread outwards from his body. His monsters disintegrated into green data before reforming into two rings, one green and one darker green. The rings turned blue and merged before splitting into six blue rings in a stack. Several blue-green rectangles circled the rings as a screen appeared in front, saying "2 4" before changing to "6." A stream of light went through the rings as Drakon chanted.

"Dragon of war! Embody the hero's spear and impale your enemies! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg!"

A large white-armored dragon with purple skin and wings emerged from the rings. Its rider also had white and purple armor and wielded a gold and white trident. The dragon roared from Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2000 DEF 1100 LVL: 6

"So he finally decided to Synchro Summon," Storm Ridermuttered. "At least it's weaker than Cycode Talker."

"Aklys's monster effect!" Drakon declared, surprising Storm Rider. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard while equipped, one card on the field is destroyed."

"Did you forget that can't destroy my Cycode Talker as long as it's equipped with Datasword?" Storm Rider asked.

"Which is why I'm destroying Datasword," Drakon replied as Datasword exploded.

"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Dragunity Divine Lance! By equipping it to Gae Bulg, my monster gains attack points equal to its Level times 100 and is unaffected by Trap effects!" Gae Bulg's trident turned into a massive golden lance with dragon wings in the middle.

Dragunity Knight Gae Bulg ATK 2000→2600

"Now it's strong enough to beat Cycode Talker," Storm Rider said.

Drakon gestured to his new card. "I activate Divine Lance's effect! During my Main Phase, I can equip one Dragon "Dragunity" Tuner monster from my Deck to Gae Bulg. I equip Dragunity Brandistock to Gae Bulg!"

A blue armored dragon appeared before changing shape into a spear. Gae Bulg took hold of Brandistock in its left hand.

"While Brandistock is equipped to Gae Bulg, Bae Bulg can attack twice!"

Storm Rider's eyes widened. "What?"

"Battle! Gae Bulg, attack Cycode Talker!"

The dragon rider charged Rapid Revolutionary, with Storm Rider narrowing his eyes.

"This guy was smart enough to have a countermeasure to Link Summoning. There must be more to his plan than just two attacks."

Drakon gestured to his field. "Gae Bulg's monster effect! If it attacks or is attacked, I can banish a Winged Beast monster from my Graveyard to increase Gae Bulg's attack points by that monster's attack points!" Storm Rider gasped. "I banish Militum to increase Gae Bulg's attack points by 1700!"

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2600→4300

"Continue your attack, Gae Bulg! Spear of Ulster!"

Gae Burg's lance and spear lit up with yellow energy and fired at Cycode Talker. Storm Rider gestured to his field.

"I activate the Trap Card: Half Unbreak!" Storm Rider declared, surprising Drakon. "Not only does it protect Cycode Talker from being destroyed in battle, but the battle damage from attacks involving it is halved!"

A bubble surrounded Cycode Talker, who cried out in pain but remained on the field. Storm Rider, in turn, winced from the attack.

Storm Rider: 4000→3000 LP

"Don't think you're out of the woods yet. Here comes the second attack!"

A repeat of Gae Bulg's previous attack occurred as Cycode Talker withstood the attack, but Storm Rider suffered from the damage.

Storm Rider: 3000→2000 LP

"I end my turn," Drakon said. "And Gae Bulg's attack points return to normal."

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 4300→2600

My turn! I draw!" Storm Rider drew, then took another card from his hand and played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure Ticket!" The card showed Decode Talker and three cards flying away from it. "This card targets a Link Monster on the field. I then draw cards equal to that monster's Link Rating, but I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard. I target Cycode Talker to draw three cards in exchange for sending three afterward."

He drew his cards, then sent Cycode Soul, Cybersal Cyclone, and Parallel Port Armor from the top of his Deck to the Graveyard.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Cynet Crosswipe! By Tributing a Cyberse monster, I can destroy a card on the field. I Tribute Cycode Talker to destroy your Divine Lance!" The two cards shattered, and Drakon grunted in frustration.

"Since Cycode Talker's no longer on the field, Dominance Link's effect destroys itself," Drakon said as his Trap Card shattered. "Also, Gae Bulg loses 600 attack points since it's no longer equipped with Divine Lance."

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2600→2000

"Next, I summon Cycode Rescue Unit!"

Four human-sized robots with light military gear with red crosses on their chests appeared on Storm Rider's field.

Cycode Rescue Unit ATK 1600 DEF 1200 LVL: 4

"Rescue Unit's effect activates! "When it's Normal or Special Summoned, I'm allowed to add a "Cycode" monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose Cycode Assassin, which I'll then use as Link Material thanks to Cycode Zone's effect along with Rescue Unit and my Token to Link Summon!"

The portal appeared above Storm as Assassin appeared on his field before it, along with his other two monsters, became whirlwinds of energy before entering the bottom-left, bottom-right, and bottom arrows.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Link-3! Cycode Fortress Golem!"

A massive, muscled humanoid figure appeared from out the portal. It wore a massive black-gray plate of armor with blue designs that resembled data streams. It also had a cannon for an arm as it landed in the Left Extra Monster Zone.

Cycode Fortress Golemn ATK 2200 LINK-3

"I now activate the Spell Card: Link Recovery!" Storm Rider continued. Its effect allows me to Special Summon one Link Monster from my Graveyard! Come back to my side, Cycode Talker!"

The green and white armored Cyberse monster returned to the field next to Fortress Golem's bottom Link Arrow.

"Then, Link Recovery's second effect activates! If the number of monsters my opponent controls are less than the Link Rating of the Monster summoned by its effect, my opponent draws equal to that difference."

"I have two Monsters on board, while Cycode Talker is Link 3." Drakon pointed out. "The difference is one, so I draw one card."

"Fortress Golem's effect activates! Whenever a monster is summoned next to one of its Links, it gains 400 attack points, and one you control loses 800 attack points, in this Gae Bulg until the end of the turn."

Golem clapped his hands together, and Cycode Talker roared, which sent a huge shockwave towards Gae Bulg, lowering its ATK and increasing its own.

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2000→1200

Cycode Fortess Golem ATK 2200→2600

"Not only that. But thanks to Cycode Talker's effect, your monsters lose 500 attack points since it points to Fortress Golem! Power Degradation!"

Cycode Talker roared, causing another shockwave to hit Drakon's field, draining both his monsters of their power.

Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 1200→1700

Dragunity Knight – Romulus ATK 1200700

"I set one card," Storm Rider said before pointing to his monster. "Battle! Cycode Talker attacks Gae Bulg! Cycode Catastrophe!"

Cycode Talker unsheathed its katana and charged at Romulus, slashing it in half and causing an explosion. Drakon winced as he took damage.

Drakon: 4000→2400 LP

"Next, Fortress Golem attacks Romulus! Cyber Knuckle!"

Fortress Golem's fist glowed purple as it slammed into the blue dragon, destroying it in an explosion and making Drakon wince.

Drakon: 2400→500 LP

"With that, I end my turn. And since it's the End Phase, Golem's ATK returns to normal," Storm Rider said.

Cycode Fortess Golem ATK 2600→2200

"If this is your best, then I have to say I'm very disappointed."

"Well, don't you worry, Storm Rider, because soon enough, I'll show you that my best will be your worst nightmare!" Drakon declared.

Back at Sanctum's duel…

"My turn! I draw!" Nyx declared as she started her turn. "During my Standby Phase, by sending a "Shaddoll" card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can resurrect El Shaddoll Core from the Graveyard and place him on my Extra Monster Zone through his effect! Neverending Nightmare!"

Her monster reappeared with an inhuman roar.

El Shaddoll Core ATK 1950 LINK-2

Since I discarded another copy of Shaddoll Beast, its effect lets me draw a card," Nyx continued. "Next, I activate the Spell Card: Shaddoll Fusion and use its effect to use monsters in my Deck as Fusion Materials since you control a Special Summoned Monster. I fuse Denko Sakka and Reeshaddoll Wendi!"

Appearing in the fusion vortex was a samurai woman clad in light-colored armor with glowing blue eyes and a glowing blade and a blonde girl with multiple shades of hair colors, with a purple outfit that exposed her belly and holding a staff before swirling together.

"With these energies of wind and light, the sinister Construct is finally born!" Nyx chanted. "I Fusion Summon! Behold! El Shaddoll Construct!"

A colossal being with the appearance of a nun erupted from the black puddle and appeared on Nyx's field next to Core's bottom arrow. The being's body and armor were mostly colored purple, with golden elements appearing all over. Thousands of purple strings were attached to its back, signifying its authority as the puppet ruler.

El Shaddoll Construct ATK 2800 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

"Construct's effect activates! When she is Special Summoned, I can send a "Shaddoll" card from my Deck to the Graveyard. I'll send another Shaddoll Core to the Graveyard and use its effect to retrieve Shaddoll Fusion and then use Wendi's effect to set Noel Shaddoll Ariel."

As Nyx added a card to her hand, a set monster appeared on her field.

"With Shaddoll Fusion back in her hand, that means another Fusion Summon is coming," Sanctum muttered.

"I now activate Shaddoll Fusion once again!" Nyx declared. "This time fusing El Shaddoll Core and Noel Shaddoll Ariel that are on my field!"

The vortex appeared once again. This time with El Shaddoll Core and a pale-skinned, blue-haired girl wearing a witch hat colored purple and orange, she was surrounded by a glass cage, and inside, she wore a black dress with baggy sleeves as they swirled together.

"Servants of Construct merge yourself to form a being that will make my enemies cower in fear!" Nyx chanted again. "I Fusion Summon! Appear now! El Shaddoll Apkallone!"

Her new monster was quite similar to Ariel. A loosely humanoid figure standing atop a large fish thing, Both wore purple and black clothes and scales, with gold details on finds and wings, as well as the rider's staff appeared in the Extra Monster Zone El Shaddoll Core had vacated.

El Shaddoll Apkallone ATK 2500 DEF 2000 LVL: 6

"Apkallone's effect activates! When this card is Special Summoned, I can target one face-up card on the field and negate its effects! I target Solidarity!"

Apkallone fired a beam at the Continuous Spell causing it to grey out.

Mekk-Knight Purple Nightfall ATK 3300→2500

"Blast it!..." Sanctum said to herself.

"I set two cards. "Battle! El Shaddoll Construct attacks Purple Nightfall! Sinister Nightmare!"

The woman sent her strings twisting towards the Mekk-Knight.

"When El Shaddoll Construct battles an opponent's Special Summoned monster, it can destroy it immediately before damage calculation! Unholy Deliverance!"

Nephilim's threads darkened following Nyx's words, piercing through Purple Nightfall and destroying it.

"Now, El Shaddoll Apkallone, attack Sanctum directly!"

The giant fish swam forwards, striking Sanctum with ease as she yelled in pain.

Sanctum: 2900→400 LP

I end my turn." Nyx narrowed her eyes. "This will be your last turn to make a comeback, but against my Construct, your chances are low."

"Yosh..." Sanctum sighed, realizing she was panting. This Duel was intense, just like the one she had with Roselyn. In that one, she won, and in this one, she'll win again! However, in this situation, she needs to draw a good card. If not...she loses.

"My turn!" Sanctum said. "I draw!" She drew, looked at her card, and widened her eyes in surprise.

"I activate my face-down!" Nyx declared. "The Trap Card: Baton of the Hero! This card lets me select the targets of your attacks!"

"Likely, she'll make me attack Construct since its effect will destroy my monsters," Sanctum noted. "But that won't matter. "As it is my Standby Phase, the effect of Purple Nightfall activates, letting me Special Summon Red Moon to my field!"

The red and silver machine reappeared in Attack Position.

Mekk-Knight Red Moon ATK 2300 DEF 2600 LVL: 7

"As Construct and Apkallonet are in the same column, I Special Summon Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset to their column!"

A silver, black, and orange warrior with two shields appeared on Sanctum's field.

Mekk-Knight Orange Sunset ATK 800 DEF 3000 LVL: 6

"I now activate the Spell Card: Emergency Recharge! Normally, it lets me draw two cards, but when my hand is empty, I'm allowed to draw four!"

Sanctum drew and smiled at her cards. "Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: World Legacy's Memory, which I'll use to Special Summon Mekk-Knight Avram from my Deck!"

A warrior in gold armor carrying two curved swords appeared in Defense Position.

Mekk-Knight Avram ATK 2000 DEF 0 LVL: 4

Nyx gritted her teeth. "Three monsters," she muttered. "Is she-?"

"Appear, the circuit of illumination!" Lightning shot from Sanctum's hand and created Link portal. "Link Arrows authorized! The summoning conditions are two or more "Mekk-Knight" monsters. I set Avram, Red Moon, and Orange Sunset in the Link Arrows!"

His monsters entered the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.

"Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme!"

The monster that looked liked an amalgamation of all the Mekk-Knight monsters' weapons emerged from appeared in the Right Extra Monster Zone.

Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme ATK 3000 LINK-3

"A-A 3000 attack point Link-3 monster?" Nyx said, her eyes wide. "I've never faced a monster like this before…."

"And it'll be the last one," Sanctum informed her. "For my third move, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Megamorph! Since my Life Points are less than yours, the equipped Spectrum Supreme's attack points become equal to double its original attack points!"

Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme ATK 3000→6000

"6-6000 attack points!?" Nyx muttered, her eyes wide. She then sneered, but it was clear she was twitching. "S-So what? It doesn't matter how powerful your monster is. Thanks to my Trap Card, I'll have it attack Construct, which will destroy it with its effect!"

"You're right," Sanctum said. "And wrong." On seeing Nyx's confusion, she explained, "Spectrum Supreme's effect lets it attack directly as long as there aren't any cards in its column, but thanks to your Baton of the Hero's effect, you prevented it from doing so, meaning you can have it attack Construct so it can use its effect to destroy my monster. So I just have to change that."

"Huh?"

"I activate the Spell Card: Altar of Restoration!" Sanctum declared. "By banishing the top two cards of my Deck, I can return Forbidden Chalice to my hand and then use to negate your Construct's effect at the cost of increasing its attack points by 400!"

El Shaddoll Construct ATK 2800→3200

"Now, I can't use its effect to destroy your Link Monster," Nyx noted.

"Exactly. Battle! Spectrum Supreme attacks El Shaddoll Construct! Ultimate Rainbow Burst!"

Seven lights gathered around Spectrum Supreme's body before being launched at Construct.

"I won't lose to you!" Nyx exclaimed. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Battle Fusion! When a Fusion Monster I control battles, it gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster it's battling. In this case, all 6000 of Spectrum Supreme's attack points!"

El Shaddoll suddenly grew in size as it towered over Spectrum Supreme.

El Shaddoll Construct ATK 3200→9200

"This duel is mine!"

I beg to differ!" Sanctum rebutted, confusing Nyx. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Battle x 2! Since Construct has at least double the original attack points of Spectrum Supreme, my monster's attack points are doubled!"

This time, Spectrum Supreme grew in size, towering over Construct.

Mekk-Knight Spectrum Supreme ATK 6000→12000

"12000 attack points!?" Nyx shouted in shock.

"Now hit 'em with Ultimate Rainbow Burst!"

Spectrum Supreme began to glow brighter and brighter as it crashed into Construct, who tried her best to endure. But she couldn't hang on as the Mekk-Knight's light destroyed her.

Nyx: 1650→0 LP

Unfortunately for Nyx, the attack caused her to lose control of her Duel Board, causing her to fall into a rooftop pool. Sanctum managed to find her moments after as she tried to get up.

"Tell me who you're working for and what their endgame is!" Sanctum demanded. "If you do, I'll let you log out peacefully, provided you surrender to the authorities."

"As I'll talk," Nyx replied as she fell over. "Just because you defeated me doesn't mean you've won. The Arbiters will come for anyone they declare an enemy, and they'll-."

Soon, Nyx clutched her chest and started screaming. She then turned into black data, which dissolved until nothing was left but the program needed to free Gore, Ringmaster, and Maestra.

"Darn it." Sanctum said as she retrieved the blue orb. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion, causing Sanctum to turn his head to the right. "That explosion came from Yuji's duel. I better check on him." She then sped off on her Duel Board to the scene of the explosion. Hope that you're okay, Yuji, Sanctum thought. Because if you lose this duel, I will avenge you, no matter what opponent I'm facing.

At Storm Rider's duel…

My turn! Draw!" Drakon looked at his card, then said, "Ooh, lucky me! I got the same card you played. I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure Ticket! As you already know, this card lets me draw cards equal to Fortress Golem's Link Rating, but then I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard."

He drew three cards then sent three cards to the Graveyard. "Next, I activate the Spell Card: Extra Monster Reborn!" The card depicted Monster Reborn hovering above several Extra Deck Monsters. "With this, I can Special Summon a monster from either of our Graveyards that was originally in the Extra Deck to an empty Extra Monster Zone. Return to me, Dragunity Knight – Romulus!"

At Drakon's command, Romulus reappeared in the Left Extra Monster Zone and roared at Storm Rider.

Dragunity Knight – Romulus ATK 1200 LINK-2

"But since I control Decode Talker, your monster loses 500 attack points," Storm Rider pointed out.

"No, it won't!" Drakon rebutted. " By banishing the Trap Card: Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard, I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target Cycode Talker!"

Storm Rider gritted his teeth in anger as Cycode Talker greyed out, indicating that its effects were negated.

"That must've been one of the cards he sent to the Graveyard through Link Treasure Ticket," Storm Rider concluded.

"Next, I summon Dragunity Dux!"

A bird-headed warrior with white and purple wings wielding a whip appeared on her field.

Dragunity Dux ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Dux gains 200 attack points for each "Dragunity" card I control," Drakon continued. "I control two, so it gains 400 attack points!"

Dragunity Dux ATK 1500→1900

"Furthermore, when Dux is Normal Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster from my Graveyard to Dux. I equip Phalanx from the Graveyard to Dux."

Phalanx reappeared, granting Dux 200 more attack points. Dux itself leaped onto Phalanx's back.

Dragunity Dux ATK 1900→2100

"I activate the effect of the equipped Phalanx! Once per turn, while it is equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon it!"

Dux dismounted from Phalanx as Phalanx moved to the Main Monster Zones in Attack Position.

Dragunity Phalanx ATK 500 DEF 1100 LVL: 2

"He's doing it again, isn't he?" Storm Rider asked, his exasperation evident.

Drakon smirked as he said, "Level 2 Phalanx tunes Level 4 Dux!" His monsters disintegrated into green particles before reforming into two green rings, one of which was larger and a darker shade. The rings turned blue and merged before splitting into six rings in a tower, circled by blue-green rectangles. A screen displayed "2 4" before changing to "6" as light surged through the rings.

"Spear of the heavens! Transform into the dragon of lightning!" Drakon chanted. "I Synchro Summon! Descend, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana!"

A large orange-armored dragon with purple skin emerged from the rings. Like Gae Bulg, it had a rider, but its rider wore orange armor and wielded a spear instead of a trident. The dragon roared as it appeared from Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana ATK 1900 DEF 1200 LVL: 6

Storm Rider narrowed his eyes as Drakon kept talking. "Vajrayana's effect activates! When Synchro Summoned, I can equip Vajrayana with a Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster from my Graveyard. I equip the Dragunity Partisan I discarded with Link Treasure Ticket!"

A purple-skinned dragon with a sword attached to its head appeared that morphed into a spear with a blade for a tip. Vajrayana's rider wielded the spear in its left hand.

"Romulus's monster effect!" Drakon continued. "Since a monster from the Extra Deck was Special Summoned to Romulus's Link Marker, I can Special Summon a Dragon or Winged Beast monster from my hand in Defense Position with its effects negated until the end of the turn. Come forth, Dragunity Senatus!"

A humanoid bird in black, pink, and white robes with four large white wings and green staff appeared on Drakon's field.

Dragunity Senatus ATK 1800 DEF 600 LVL: 4

"Hmm. Why would Drakon summon that monster if its effects are negated, and it's in Defense Position?" Storm Rider wondered before thinking it over. "Vajrayana is Level 6… and Senatus is Level 4…" Storm Rider's eyes widened in realization. "Could it be? Does Partisan-?"

Drakon frowned. "Ah, you spoiled the surprise, Storm Rider." His frown morphed into a smirk. "But yes. While Partisan is equipped, Vajrayana is treated as a Tuner monster!"

"Eh!? Seriously?" Storm Rider asked, wide-eyed.

"Level 6 Vajrayana tunes Level 4 Senatus!" Drakon declared as his monsters disintegrated into green particles. Two green rings, one larger and lighter than the other, appeared before turning blue and merging. Ten blue rings then appeared, stacked in a tower as small blue-green rectangles circled them. A screen displayed "6 4" before changing to "10" as light surged through the rings.

"Weapons of the gods! Reside in the golden dragon and ignite the future!" Drakon chanted. "Synchro Summon! Take flight, Level 10! Dragunity Knight – Ascalon!"

A massive serpentine golden dragon emerged from the rings. It had eight massive wings and a humanoid bird on its neck, wielding a spear. The dragon's body was so long Morningstar had to swerve to avoid hitting it before it settled behind Drakon at Romulus's left Link Marker in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 3300 DEF 3200 LVL: 10

"Level 10?" Storm Rider said, surprised at such a powerful monster.

Drakon gestured to his monster. "I activate Ascalon's effect! By banishing a "Dragunity" monster from my Graveyard, I can banish one of your monsters!"

Storm Rider's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"I banish Militum to banish Fortress Golem! Vanishing Force!"

Golden energy gathered in Ascalon's mouth, firing it at Fortress Golem. The monster cried out in pain before disintegrating into nothingness.

"Also, FYI, the effect of Ascalon isn't a "once per turn" effect. So I use it so long as I have "Dragunity" monsters in my Graveyard."

"What?" Storm Rider gasped

"So let's do this again! I banish Dux from my Graveyard to banish Fortress Golem! Vanishing Force!"

Ascalon fired another burst of golden energy, this time at Cycode Talker, who disintegrated from the force of the blow, leaving Storm Rider defenseless.

"Looks like things end here, Storm Rider," Drakon said. "I set two cards face-down. Battle! Romulus, attack Storm Rider directly!"

The Dragunity Link Monster gathered blue energy in its mouth, firing it at Storm Rider. He cried out in pain as the attack hit him and knocked him back a few feet.

Storm Rider: 2000→800 LP

"Your turn, Ascalon! Attack Storm Rider directly and end this duel! Imperial Turbulence!"

Golden energy gathered in both the dragon's mouth and in the tip of its rider's spear. The two fired at the same time, with the energy intertwining. Storm Rider, gritting his teeth, gestured to his field.

"I activate my Trap Card!" Storm Rider declared. "Cycode Shield!" The card showed a dragon with its wings curved in front of it it. "By paying half my Life Points, I take no damage from this attack!"

A blue barrier appeared around Storm Rider, blocking Ascalon's attack.

Storm Rider: 800→400 LP

When the barrier disappeared, and Playmaker said, "Cycode Shield then lets me add a Level 4 or lower "Cycode" monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cycode Valkyrie to my hand."

Drakon narrowed his eyes. "That was a clever way to evade my attack. However, your Life Points are now lower than mine." Storm Rider didn't react to his statement. "I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Storm Rider drew his card and then played it, "I activate the Spell Card: Final Offguard! As my Life Points are lower than yours and you're the only one with a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can draw two cards."

Storm Rider drew and smiled at his cards.

"I activate the Spell Card: Cycode Emblem!" The card showed a crest with blue data streams mixed in the middle, one red, and one blue orb at each top corner. "By sending a "Cycode" monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, I can then Special Summon a "Cycode" monster from my Deck in Attack Position, so long as it has the same Level as the sent monster. I send the Level 4 Cycode Supporter to the Graveyard to Special Summon Cycode Strider!"

A medium-sized robot with semi-bulky armor wielding a futuristic rifle appeared on Storm Rider's field.

Cycode Strider ATK 1700 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"And when Strider's special summoned, its effect activates! I now get to check the top card of my Deck, and if it's a monster, I get to summon it. So let's see if luck is on my side. I draw!"

He drew and looked at his card, causing him to smile.

"I drew the monster Cycode Updater, which means I can summon it!"

A humanoid alien-like creature with streams of digital energy coursing through its back-like jet back with sharp claws that also have the same current of energy too appeared next to Strider.

Cycode Updater ATK 1900 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"And since I control two or "Cycode" monsters, I Special Summon Cycode General from my hand!"

A large male humanoid blue digital-like knight with white lining appeared next to Updater. His cape is pure energy as he wields a massive energy blade.

Cycode General ATK 2600 DEF 2300 LVL: 7

Storm Ride then gestured to his field. "Lastly, I'll use Cycode Zone's effect to use Cycode Valkyrie along with my three other monsters to Link Summon!"

A Link Portal appeared above Storm Rider.

"Link Arrows authorized! The summoning conditions are two or more Cyberse monsters, including one "Cycode" monster. I set Cycode Valkyrie, Strider, Updater, and General in the Link Arrows!"

The monsters entered the top, left, right, and bottom arrows."Link the Circuit! I Link Summon! The new wind that flows throughout this world gives the mighty creature that connects the past and future! Appear, Link-4! Cyber Tech Link Dragon!"

The dragon that emerged from the portal had a blue body, white and yellow lining, and silver claws. It also had a spiral-like tail and jet-like, energy wings with white and blue-lining eyes like a circuit board. Two large horns on its head faced forward, with a smaller horn placed on the back of his head. Placed on the "elbow" of the wings were three small spikes that resembled claws. The dragon's red eyes glowed as it released a powerful roar from the Extra Monster Zone.

Cyber Tech Link Dragon ATK 2500 LINK-4

"What?" Drakon member said in surprise." A dragon? Your Cyberse Deck's ace monster is a dragon?"

"Shocking, right? And with this monster, my victory is assured." Storm Rider stated before gesturing to his field. "I activate Cycode Soul's effect from my Graveyard! I can summon a "Cycode" monster from my Graveyard by negating its effects by banishing it! Return, Cycode Supporter!"

A single-eyed human-sized robot carrying a scopeless heavy blaster rifle appeared at Cyber Tech Link Dragon's bottom Link Arrow in Attack Position.

"He must've sent that card to the Graveyard through Link Treasure Ticket's effect," Drakon noted.

"I now activate Cyber Tech's effect! Once per turn, I can Tribute a monster it points to and then targets one Special summoned monster on your field that's in Attack Position, and until the end of this turn, I can place that monster in a zone it points to and take control of it!"

"WHAT!?" Drakon said in shock after hearing the effect.

"I Tribute Supporter to take control of your Ascalon. Go, Cryptic Corruption!"

Supporter disintegrated into energy and traveled to the electronic circuits on Cyber Tech's wings, which lit up with swirling blue energy. The orbs released tendrils of said energy, which fired at Ascalon.

"I don't think so!" Drakon abruptly stated. "I activate the Trap Card: Shift! When you target exactly one monster, I control an attack or a Spell or Trap card effect. I can target a monster I control and change the target to it instead! I change the attack target to Romulus!"

Shift fired a beam at Cyber Tech that caused it to fire its tendrils at Romulus instead, transferring it to Storm Rider's field.

"You're not taking my dragon on my watch!" Drakon exclaimed.

"It didn't matter if my target was Romulus or Ascalon," Storm Rider said, confusing Drakon. "Thanks to Cyber Tech's other effect, it gains attack points equal to the monster I just took control of."

"What?"

"So Cyber Tech gains Romulus's 1200 ATK! Processor Boost!"

Cyber Tech's eyes glowed blue while the same colored aura formed around its body, increasing its strength.

Cyber Tech Link Dragon ATK 2500→3700

"Now it's stronger than my monster," Drakon noted.

"Battle! Cyber Tech, attack Dragunity Knight – Ascalon! Digitized Burst Stream!"

On command, Cyber Tech flew up above Ascalon and roared directly at it. All the circuits on Cyber Tech's body lit as dark blue energy traveled across its skin. The energy then gathered in its mouth, released in a massive burst towards the dragon, destroying it in an explosion and causing Drakon to wince.

Drakon: 500→100

"My dragon won't go down that easily," Drakon said. "I activate the Trap Card: Miracle's Wake! Thanks to its effect, I'm allowed to revive one monster destroyed in battle this turn. Return, Dragunity Knight – Ascalon!"

The massive golden dragon reappeared on Drakon's field.

Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 3300 DEF 3200 LVL: 10

"On my next turn, you're done!"

"There will be no next turn. And I'll show you why!" Storm Rider stated. Burial from a Different Dimension! It lets me return up to three banished monsters to the Graveyard. I return Cycode Fortress Golem and Cycode Talker."

"What was the point of doing that?" Drakon asked.

"The point was so I can do this. Then, I activate the effect of Parallel Port Armor in my Graveyard!" Storm Rider declared. "By banishing itself, Golem, and Talker from my Graveyard, one of my Link Monsters can attack again!"

"What!? It can attack again!?" Drakon gasped. "But you never played that card. So how did it get in your Graveyard?"

"I sent it along with Cycode Soul when I used Link Treasure Ticket," Storm Rider answered.

"That would mean you had this planned from the very start."

"Exactly. Go, Cyber Tech!" Storm Rider cried out. "Digitized Burst Stream!"

A replay occurred of Cyber Tech's last attack as it blasted Ascalon again, destroying it and striking Drakon, causing him to fall off his D-Board and straight to the ground below.

Drakon: 100→0

"Curse you..." Drakon muttered as he tried to get up. However, Storm Rider quickly leaped from his D-Board to where the Drakon was and grabbed him by the collar.

"Tell me what you know!" Storm Rider demanded.

"Like I'll talk-!" Storm Rider gasped in surprise as Drakon dissolved into black data, which reduced him until there the second key needed to free his comrades.

"Everything alright, Yuji?" Ena, a.k.a., Sanctum asked as she descended from her D-Board. "I saw an explosion, and-."

Storm Rider put a hand on her shoulder. "I won. I got the key." Hearing this made Sanctum sigh in relief.

"Glad to hear it."

Storm Rider and Sanctum were both stunned after hearing Kolter's voice from Storm Rider's Duel Disk.

"Kolter?" They both said.

"The one and only," Kolter replied. "Jin's here too."

"Hey Yuji and Ena," Jin said.

"I assume the two of you saw our duels?" Sanctum asked.

"Correct," Kolter answered. "But I assume there's more to the stories than just the dueling part, right?"

"Great to hear. Me too," Sanctum said. "Now, let's go rescue our friends.

"Right," Storm Rider answered as he and Sanctum hopped on their D-Boards and headed towards the orb their allies were trapped in as they explained everything to Kolter and Jin.

And that's Chapter 19. Shoutout and Credit toward DragonKnight15, who created the Cycode Archetype for Yuji. Bold cards are OC's, and shoutout to SakushiRyu for creating the oc villains. If you guys had read Chapter 4 before this, you've probably remembered that Yuji's Cyberse Cards were originally called "Cytech" and not "Cycode." Still, I decided to change it since LINK VRAINS mostly deals with coding rather than technology so I feel the name fits more, leading to the change. Remember to review, favorite, and follow. Don't be afraid to send me a PM, and remember that part 2 will also include two duels, so let me know what you guys thought of the duels in this chapter. Also, I'll be starting to do card memos. I won't do ones for the previous chapters since that will take too long. So I'll start for this one going on forward. So until then. Also, see you guys next week.

OC Card Memo:

- Shadow Strings of Pinion

Normal Trap

When your opponent activates a Spell Card, discard one "Shaddoll" card from your hand to negate its activation and effects. Then, you can add one "Shaddoll" Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate one "Shadow Strings of Pinion" per turn. When the opponent destroys a "Shaddoll" monster you control, you can banish this card from your GY, and if you do, all Monsters your opponent control can't attack this turn.

- Shadow Circuit of Strings

Normal Spell

If you control no Link Monster, you can pay 500 LP and target two "Shaddoll" Monsters in your GY: Special Summon them by negating their effects. Immediately after this effect resolves, Link Summon uses those Monsters. You can only activate one "Shadow Circuit of Strings" per turn. When your opponent attacks a Link Monster, you control; by banishing this card from your GY, change the attack target to any "Shaddoll" Monster you control, and if you do, the ATK of the opponent's Monster is cut in half.

- El Shaddoll Core (Dark/Fiend/Effect/ATK: 1950/Link 2: Bottom-Left, Bottom)

2 "Shaddoll" Monsters

During your Standby Phase, if this card is in your GY, by discarding one "Shaddoll" card from your hand, you can Special Summon this card to any Monster Zone on your field you want. Monsters this card points to can't be destroyed by battle and are unaffected by the effects of Special Summoned Monsters your opponent controls. If this card is used as Fusion Material, you gain 1000 LP, and you can send one "Shaddoll" monster from your Deck to the GY.

Dominance Link Continuous Trap Card
If you do not control a monster in the Extra Monster Zone: Activate this card by targeting 1 Link monster your opponent controls; It cannot be used as Link Material. Also, it cannot attack, and its effect(s) are negated. Once, while face-up on the field: You can Special Summon 1 Link Monster with a lower Link Rating than the targeted monster's Link Rating from your Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone (This Special Summon is treated as a Link Summon). When the monster targeted by this card's effect leaves the field, destroy this card.

Cycode Recon
Attribute: EARTH Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1200 DEF 1000 Level: 3
If your opponent controls a monster and you don't, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Cycode" card from your Deck to your hand. If this card is used as Link Material for a Link 3 or higher "Cycode" Link Monster, you can add 1 "Cycode" Spell or Trap Card from your Deck to your hand.

Cycode Valkyrie
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 2100 DEF 400 Level: 5
If you control a "Cycode" monster: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). A "Cycode" monster that was Link Summoned using this card as Link Material cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.

Cycode Assassin
Attribute: Dark Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1500 DEF 1400 Level: 4
If you control no other monsters: You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; destroy it. You can not conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect.

Cycode Rescue Unit
Attribute: EARTH Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1600 DEF 1200 Level: 4 If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Cycode" Monster from your GY to your hand.

Cycode Knight
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1800 DEF 0 Level: 4 You can banish this card from your GY to return 5 "Cycode" cards to your Deck to draw two cards.

Cycode Soul
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 0 DEF 0 Level: 1
You can banish this card from your GY to target one "Cycode" Monster in your GY; Special Summon it with its effects negated.

Cycode Strider
Attribute: EARTH Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1600 DEF 1200 Level: 4 If this card is Special Summoned: Reveal the top card of your deck, and if it's a Monster, Special Summon it; otherwise shuffle it back into the Deck. You can pay 1000 LP; Target one "Cycode" monster you control, Special Summon one "Cycode" monster with the same level as the targeted monster from your hand.

Cycode Supporter
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1800 DEF 1400 Level: 4 You can target two "Cycode" monsters on your field; Halve the ATK of the first target and the second target gains ATK equal to the ATK the targeted monster lost.

Cycode Updater- Level 4, ATK: 1900, DEF: 1000, ATT: WIND, Type: Cyberse/Effect

Effect: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) in Attack Position to your zone a Link Monster points to. If this card is Special Summoned while you control a ''Cycode'' Link Monster: Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower ''Cycode'' monster from your Deck but with a different name from monsters on your field and GY. You can only use the effects of "Cycode Safeguard" once per turn.

Cycode General- Level 7, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2300, ATT: WATER, Type: Cyberse/Effect

Effect: If you control a ''Cycode'' monster; Normal Summon it without Tributing. This monster can perform battle-piercing damage. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this face-up monster you control, then target 1 Cyberse monster(s) that was summoned from the Extra Deck: It can attack twice and perform piercing damage. This effect applies while that monster is face-up on the field. You can only use the effects of "Cycode General" once per turn.

Cycode Talker- Link-3, ATK: 2300, ATT: WIND, Type: Cyberse/Link/Effect, Arrows: Top, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right

Effect: Effect: 2+ Effect Monsters

If this card is Link Summoned: Special Summon 1 ''Cycode Token'' (Cyberse, WIND, Level 2, 0 ATK, 0 DEF). Monsters your opponent controls lose 500 ATK and DEF for each monster that this card points to. If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, Tribute 1 monster you control, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to this card's ATK. You can only use each effect of ''Cycode Talker'' once per turn.

Cycode Fortress Golem- Link-3, ATK: 2200, ATT: Dark, Type: Cyberse/Link/Effect, Arrows: Bottom, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right

Effect: Effect: 2+ Effect Monsters, including a "Cycode" monster

Each time a monster is Summoned to a zone, this card points to You can make this card gain 400 ATK; if you do, target one monster your opponent controls, it loses 800 ATK. Your opponent can only target this monster for attacks and effects.

Cyber-Eyes Link Dragon- Link-4, ATK: 2500, ATT: LIGHT, Type: Cyberse/Link/Effect, Arrows: Top, Left, Bottom, Right

Effect: 2+ Cyberse Monsters, including a "Cycode" monster

If this card is Link Summoned using at least one Link monster(s): Negate the effects of all face-up monsters your opponent controls. Once per turn: You can Tribute one monster this card points to, then target one Special Summoned Monster on your opponent's field in Attack Position; until the end of the turn, take control of it and place it in a zone this card points to, and if you do this card gains attack points equal to that face-up monster's while you control it. Monsters you control cannot attack the turn you activate this effect, except Dragon monsters with 2500 or more ATK.

Link Treasure Ticket Normal Spell Card

Target 1 Link Monster on the field; draw cards equal to its Link Rating, then send an equal number of cards from the top of your Deck to the GY. You can only activate 1 "Link Treasure Ticket" once per turn.

Extra Monster Reborn Normal Spell Card

Target 1 monster in either player's GY that was originally in the Extra Deck. Special Summon it to your field in an unoccupied Extra Monster Zone. You can only activate 1 "Extra Monster Reborn" once per turn.

Cycode Emblem Normal Spell Card
Send 1 "Cycode" monster from your Deck to the GY; Special Summon 1 "Cycode" monster with the same Level as the sent monster from your Deck in Attack Position. You can banish this card and 1 "Cycode" monster from your GY; Special Summon 1 "Cycode" monster from your GY whose Level is equal to, or one higher or one lower than, the banished monster's. You can only activate one effect of "Cyspirit Emblem" per turn and only once per turn.

Cycode Datasword Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a "Cycode" monster. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects. If an opponent's card effect targets the equipped monster: You can send this card to the GY (Quick Effect); negate the activation of that effect, and if you do, your opponent cannot target your "Cycode" monsters with their card effects until the end of the turn. If the equipped monster attacks an opponent's Special Summoned monster, it gains ATK equal to its Level/Rank/Link Rating x 200 until the end of the Damage Step.

Cycode Shield Normal Trap Card
When your opponent's monster declares an attack: Halve your LP; you take no damage from this attack, then add 1 Level 4 or lower "Cycode" monster from your Deck to your hand. If you control no monsters, you can activate this card from your hand. When your opponent targets your "Cycode" monster with a card effect: You can banish this card from your GY; negate the activation of that effect, and if you do, "Cycode" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects until the End Phase. You cannot activate this effect the turn this card is sent to the GY.

Cycode Zone- Type: Field Spell Card

Effect: If this card is activated; Add 1 ''Cycode'' monster from your Deck to your hand. If a Cyberse monster you control would be used as Link Material for a ''Cycode'' Link Monster, you can also treat 1 ''Cycode'' monster in your hand as material. If this card leaves the field: You take no damage until the end of your opponent's turn. You can only activate 1 ''Cycode Zone'' per turn.