Maiden's Cry
"What can I say about the incident in LINK VRAINS?" Evan closed his eyes for a few moments then opened them again. "It's a tragedy. A tragedy that could have been prevented if actions were taken when the Knights of Hanoi first began to hack LINK VRAINS. But we failed. We failed to protect our children, or teens, our citizens, and for that, I can only express my condolences for all the families hurt by the Tower of Hanoi. But I don't want the citizens of Den City, and the people across the globe using digital software to feel threatened, unsafe in their own homes. That's why we're developing Overseer. A self-updating security system and firewall meant to keep dangerous hacker groups, such as the Knights of Hanoi, at bay."
"Mr. Greyson, can I ask a question?" The hand of one of the reporters appeared on the screen for a moment. "What assurance can you give to the public that this new project of yours will be able to protect Den City? Wasn't your company the one that developed the defense systems of LINK VRAINS?"
"I won't deny that." Evan nodded. "I and my company developed the security system that SOL Technology used to keep LINK VRAINS safe. But like any program, ours wasn't perfect. In time, we knew that a hacker group would find a way to break it, so we were developing new systems and updates to replace it. But SOL never showed any interest in updating or replacing the current security system, which is what leads to Hanoi being able to take control of the network. But unlike SOL, I won't shy away from keeping the cyberspace safe. With the help of Overseer, a program created from the updated version of the program we used in LINK VRAINS, we will be able to not only do this, but also update the systems used by Den City's Police Department, Den Hospital, Den City High School, and so much more. I'll ensure that tragedies like this won't repeat themselves. Not in Den City, and not in any other part of the world. That's a promise I make, right here, to all of you!"
"Your guardian seems to be working hard," Kusanagi remarked.
I looked away from the large screen that was across the park and nodded to him. Evan and Avice were both working hard to fix the city after the Tower killed thousands of citizens. But it was hard for them, for all of us. A few days have already passed since the Tower of Hanoi, and the national day of mourning for the victims of the incident, but things weren't the same. They were never going to be the same again. From what I heard, Den City High School was officially closed due to the number of students that died and Den Hospital was in chaos, filled with people who have lost their consciousness. Firera said that they were brain dead, all of them. There was nothing that could be done to save any of them.
"It's hard for him, probably more than it is for the rest of us." Unlike him, I didn't have to comfort crying parents and siblings every day. "What about you, how are you doing after all of that?"
"As long as Jin is ok, I can handle it." Kusanagi smiled, but I could sense the pain behind his eyes.
Even though the Knights of Hanoi were defeated, he was careful about telling Jin what really happened. He was trying to do it slowly, making his brother understand only the good part, and hide the bad one. And Yusaku… He was taking all of it calmly, typing something down on his laptop with a half-eaten hotdog next to him.
"So, are you looking for Revolver's real-life location?" I sat next to him. "I know that he must mean a lot for you, after all, he was the person who gave you hope during the Hanoi Project, but look at the pain and grief that he caused to everyone else. He deserves to go to prison for that!"
"It wasn't Revolver who fired the Tower of Hanoi," Yusaku said, in his usual calm and uncaring tone.
"How can you be so sure?" I was very careful not to say something that would insult Yusaku. But what proof did he have that Revolver wasn't the one behind it? "You're saying it like you've spoken to him directly!"
"I have."
"You what!?" I can't believe what I'm hearing! He did it. He actually talked with Revolver and trusted his words? "And you trusted him? Why?"
"I didn't at first," Yusaku replied and raised his hands like he was holding something. "I was enraged, when I came out of LINK VRAINS I immediately grabbed him and began to yell. I was going to hit him, knock him out and let the police take him in, but then he said side something that made me think. Why would he do that? His only goal, the wish left behind by his father, was to kill the Ignis. But when the Tower activated, the explosion only affected LINK VRAINS, it didn't spread out to the rest of the network and didn't disable any technology. A blast like that would have never killed the Ignis."
"Maybe the Tower wasn't designed properly!" I shouted at him. "Remember that they were trying to destroy the entire network using only the data of one server!"
This time Yusaku didn't talk back. He turned his attention back to the laptop and continued typing. I knew him long enough to know that this meant he didn't want to argue with me anymore. Unlike Yusaku, I wasn't believing that Revolver was innocent, even if he didn't press the trigger, which is questionable at best, he helped to create the Tower and was planning to use it in order to cause more destruction and chaos.
"Give him time." Firera popped out of my Duel Disk. "Even if Playmaker doesn't show it, this hurt him a lot too. Right now isn't the best time to question each other or to fight. Take a break, calm down, then come back and talk with him ok?"
"I'm sorry," I told my AI, then rubbed my forehead. "It's just… I don't know what I should do from here on and it scares me. The Knights of Hanoi are gone, either brain dead because of the Tower, escaped, or in prison for their crimes. Yet, I don't feel like cheering for our victory. I protected the Ignis, saved the world at large from being destroyed, but I didn't win. I lost, and that thought is eating me."
"Yes, I know how you feel." I doubted that Firera really knew how I felt at the moment. "You also wanted me to remind you that the court will rule on Takuma's trial today. Do you still want to go?"
Ah, right. Rocketeer would be sentenced today. I wasn't very familiar with the law, but from what I managed to dig up on the internet, he was on one hundred percent going to get at least a life sentence. Why at least? Because even though the death penalty was forbidden, with the Tower of Hanoi incident, the families of the victims, both from the regular users and the Knight of Hanoi that died during it, wanted the death penalty to those Knights of Hanoi who returned. Even though the only Knights of Hanoi that the officers were able to arrest were a nurse and Takuma, wishing for their death was still an inhuman act.
No matter how the trial goes, this would be my last chance to talk with him, ask him about the files that he sent to me. I read through all of them at least twice, but nothing made sense to me yet. All of these files were about another girl, who was apparently Evan's apprentice before committing suicide. But the message behind all of these files was still a mystery to me. Was it a warning? I needed to know at least that.
"I have to go," I told Firera. "This is the last time that I'm going to see Takuma. I need to see how he's doing. Even if we were enemies, he was the first person who showed me kindness in LINK VRAINS, and the first friend I made since coming to this world."
"I see…" Firera seemed to narrow her eyes for a moment before nodding. "Very well, I'll be there for you, if you don't mind."
"Thanks." I could use any support I could get, and even though the rest were going to be there, having Firera would help me greatly. "I don't want to make Evan wait for us, so let's hurry up."
"I've already downloaded a map and calculated the shortest way to the court," Firera smirked and retracted into the Duel Disk after which a map appeared in front of me. She was always helping me out, even with the smallest things; I was calmer knowing that Firera was on my hand, watching over me.
The situation in the court was as bad as I expected. Evan and Avice were barely able to get me inside with all the violent protestors outside, throwing things and shouting that the court must sense the criminals to death. It seemed like the entire police force of the city was mobilized to keep these men and women away from the building. Complete and utter chaos, people attacking people, wanting the death of one of their own. The entire situation began even worse when the armored vehicle that was transporting Takuma arrived and the protestors tried to jump on it to serve their own justice.
During that entire, I watched from inside the court with Evan, Avice, and Vermilya beside me. And in case you were wondering how Vermilya was back, so did I. During the Tower's explosion, something seems to have saved a few of the consciousnesses that were trapped inside the Tower. Yes, that felt awfully like an impossible miracle, I wasn't buying it either, but both Vermilya and Takuma were alive, which was the only thing I was thinking about.
Beyond the violent protests, there wasn't much that I had to say about what happened in the court. Takuma pleaded guilty for the crimes that he was accused of, which included terrorist and mass murder. Because of that, the trial didn't last long, with the judge sentencing him to life. News that visibly displeased the protesters outside who began to throw things and the sound of glass breaking followed by screams echoed through the entire building.
Guards had to surround Takuma to make sure the crowd wasn't going to get to him. Unlike my hopes, I wasn't able to reach out to him, talk with him, but he still looked at me as the police officers dragged him out of the room. It was just for a moment in which our eyes met, but it gave me answers to all the questions I had for him. There was no fear or despair in his eyes, there was a spark of hope. It was a look that told me 'I trust you to do the rest'. There was no malice in his eyes, no anger or desperation.
His look made me question what I was doing. Why was I standing there, watching as the guards pulled him away instead of being home, reading through the documents he gave me – look for the true meaning behind them? You could say that it was simple. He was either trying to warn me about something, or he was trying to manipulate me into turning against Evan and Avice. But deep inside, I knew that there was something else, something that I have missed when I viewed them before. A single detail that changed the entire meaning. The card he gave me, all of the files and newspaper articles that he sent me, it all made sense now!
"It's over." Evan sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "After everything I made to try and help him out, to see him like this, using all of the training and power I gave him to destroy peoples' lives. I'm disappointed, but more than that, I'm hurt."
"I never really got along with him." Vermilya sighed. "Even when we were still just apprentices training together, I and he never got along. But I never expected, never wanted, to see him like this. Handcuffed, pulled away by policemen to root in a cell while the people are chanting that he has to be killed. It's horrifying to see what hunger for power can turn people into."
I didn't have anything to say, while Avice looked away. Deep down, I knew that Takuma wasn't that type of person, there was good inside him, and I was sure about it. Going out of the court was harder than entering it, mostly because now that the trial was over the protesters were more furious and vicious than before.
"Let's go." Evan opened the door of his car. "I'll first drop you, girls, home."
"Will you come home with us?" Avice looked her brother in the eyes.
"I have work." Evan gave a smile, one that even I could tell was forced, then leaned to kiss his sister's forehead. "There's still too much that has to be done, but I'll be home for dinner. That's a promise."
Avice nodded and walked into the card with Vermilya following her. But I stood outside, standing next to Evan, looking him in the eyes. I didn't want to believe that everything would come down to this, but it had to. Even though I still had a duty in this world, I wanted to at least learn the truth, to learn how I came here, why I came here. Was I accusing Evan? No, I would never do something like that. But after all of the data I was given, the card, and the entire ordeal with Takuma, I found out one important thing.
"Is something wrong?" Evan asked me.
"I was thinking…" I gulped, feeling worried about saying what was on my mind. But I had to! "Who was Sereny Blanc?"
Evan's response didn't come immediately, of course. First, he just looked at me, narrowing his eyes. He then averted his eyes, placing his hands behind his back.
"Where did you learn that name?"
"With help from Takuma."
"I see." He took a deep breath and turned back to me. "Sereny was my second apprentice. I first gave the BrioGear to her, but she suffered from depression. I tried my best to heal her, went to the best doctors in the country, but in the end… If Takuma was able to find out about the past, he must have told you what happened to her, right?"
"She committed suicide, I know." It was a sad end for someone who would have been at my age if she was able to survive. "Ever since I came to this world, I was trying to find a way back, to return to my family and friends. I still haven't found anything, a part of me is starting to give up on it. But now I think that I found a clue."
"You did?" Evan asked me, but there was no surprise in his voice. "What is it?"
"I… According to Takuma, The truth behind how I came here was linked to Sereny, which means that you know what happened, don't you? You were the person who looked after me before I even know who you are." It was just an assumption, but that was the only logical answer. The BrioGear deck, our meeting, everything was arranged by him. But why would he go so far to do things so discreetly? Was he… trying to fill the hole left by Sereny by using me as her replacement?
"Are you suggesting that I kidnapped you?" Evan raised an eyebrow.
"I don't suggest anything, just asking. Do you know what happened? How from being hit by a card I suddenly woke up in a world completely different from mine?" It was weird to ask if what I said was true, but I wanted to hear it, and I knew that he would say it. He had to!
"I'm sorry, but I got no idea what you're talking about."
I took a deep breath. What I was about to do next would be crazy, but I needed answers, I wanted to hear something that wasn't just bad news. And if Evan was involved in this the way I thought he was, then the only way he would accept to walk would be...
"Then how about a duel?"
"You'll duel me just for that?" Evan raised an eyebrow.
"No, I want to duel you for more than just to hear the truth," I replied and pointed at him. "Since I came to your house; since you made me a part of this family and trained me to be the best that I can be, I was wondering, how could I repay you back for everything you did for me. You've been like a fatherly figure to me, so that's why I want to duel you. I want to show you how much stronger I have become since you took me under your wing. I want to prove to you that all of the time and effort you put into training me wasn't a waste! So, please, allow me to do so!"
Evan looked away from me, his fingers rubbing against the side of his car. A few moments passed like this, with the two of standing in silence, until I saw his head nodding. He then turned back at me and spoke up.
"So be it. But LINK VRAINS is destroyed, so how do you plan to duel me?"
"Umm, on a table?" I suggested. For once, we could drop the over the top holograms and have a normal card game on a table, sitting against one another, couldn't we?
"You want us to go back to the dark ages or something?" I- I didn't know how to respond to that.
"You probably don't know, but before LINK VRAINS, people used these old model Duel Disk that we're using right now to duel in the Real Life." Evan tapped my Duel Disk, while he explained to me. "Of course even since LINK VRAINS was created, people have stopped using that function and current architecture of buildings and cities isn't designed with Duel Monsters in mind. So why don't we duel at the docks instead? Tonight, at nine o'clock. I'll go there directly from work and Avice can lead you, since I imagine that you aren't familiar with Den City yet."
"Thank you." I smiled.
After Evan drove us home, I ran to my room and quickly activated my computer while also connecting my Duel Disk to it. Firera popped out of the screen and stretched out.
"You really went ahead and challenged him to a duel, huh?" She looked up to me.
"I had to." I didn't like tricking people, but I knew that Evan's pride as a duelist wouldn't allow him to lie during a duel. "But I'm actually glad that he gave us time until tonight to prepare for this duel. We'll be able to finish it in time, right?"
"Just leave it to me. That's me that you're trying to create there after all." Firera nodded before going back into the Duel Disk.
Wondering what I was doing, are you? It was just a side-project, something that I and Firera wanted to create together. Usually, when it came to designing new cards for my deck that was done by either Evan or Aqua. Since I have no idea how to code and Firera wasn't an Ignis, we were incapable to create cards on her own. That was why, we choose to join forces and try to create a card together, using her code and ability as an AI, along with my… um… other skills.
"Hey, can I walk in?" I turned around and saw Avice standing outside, leaning against the door's frame with a wary expression.
"Yeah, that's your house after all." I pointed out, then leaned my head back. "Did something happen? You don't look so good."
"Nothing has happened," Avice walked in and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs. She looked around the room and turned back to me. "I just… I want you to give up on your duel against my brother."
"What? Why?"
"You're not ready Roxy," Avice told me. "I know, you might think that you are ready to duel against him, so did my sister a long time ago, but he's only going to hurt you. He won't be pulling punches, every hit is going to be critical. Do you understand that?"
"Don't worry about it." I walked over to her. "I'll be careful, ok?"
Avice looked away. "I only want to warn you, if you accept this duel, if you go there and activate your Duel Disk, things will never be the same again. The life we had together until now, it won't be the same! You won't be the same."
I was starting to worry with her cryptic messages. There was something that I wasn't supposed to learn? I just didn't know, and seeing how hard Avice was trying not to give me any specific details, I felt that I couldn't expect any explanation from her. I sat down next to her and placed my hand over hers. Avice… If Evan was the one who taught me how to duel, how to survive, then Avice was the one who watched over me, like the other sister that I never had, she was always there for me, never betrayed my trust.
"I know, you only want to protect me, because you're worried. And if you're worried, then I know that something will happen. But I can't give up. You don't know what it is to be away from your family, your friends, while also having no answer to the question: How did I get here? I won't leave, I promise that. There were still things on this end that have to be done before I can go home. All I wanted is to know if you've got any information on how I ended up here."
"There's no stopping you then, is there?" Avice looked at me with a bitter look.
"There's no stopping me." I shook my head. "I'm going to see this to the end, no matter how much it's going to cost me. I owe, at least so much to both myself and to you two for taking me in, training me and showing me my destiny."
"You're just as stubborn as my sister was." Avice smiled. "Can I ask for something from you before I let you go back to preparing yourself for the duel?"
"Of course, anything!"
Avice's smile only grew bigger at those words and then, she leaned forward. Her face moved right in front of mine, not even an inch away and I suddenly felt something. It was soft. Wait… Was she… Was she actually… But she was… And I was… My eyes widened and I felt my entire face getting red due to embarrassment. This wasn't right! It wasn't supposed to happen! We were girls!
I wasn't sure how long she kept me like this, but once she let go, she immediately stood up and ran off the room, leaving me alone. I touched my lips and turned around to look at Firera, who was staring back at me. I wanted to ask her if this was a hallucination because I knew better. No mind tricks would recreate that type of feeling, it was real, it really just happened.
"Don't worry, I've studied carefully what to do in a situation like this one!" Firera declared.
"What?"
"Congratulation on your first kiss."
"That's not helping me at all!"
My first kiss was stolen by Avice. I won't lie and say that I never had fantasies of falling in love with someone, of what my first kiss would be like. But in those fantasies, I have always expected it to be a boy, a handsome and carrying boy, kissing me while he carried me in his arms. What I least expected it to be like was a sudden kiss on my bed in another world, by a girl.
"Can I come in?" Vermilya asked me as she knocked on my open door.
"Please, tell me you aren't here to steal my second kiss!" This time I wouldn't give it without a fight!
"A kiss…" Vermilya was surprised for just a moment before her curiosity turned into a mischievous smirk. "So that's why Avice came running out of your room like that?"
"Please, don't talk about that." I was getting embarrassed only from remembering about it.
"No worries, I'm not interested in these things anyway," Vermilya said. "I just came to give you these."
As she said that, Vermilya took something from her pocket and threw it at me. I caught it without trouble, it was a card. She then sent a second on my way and a third! I caught all of the cards she threw and once she finally stopped doing that, I turned them around to look at what she was giving me. It was…
"That's your NitroGear cards!" I showed them to her.
"Yeah, I already know that." She chuckled. "Since you're going to duel against Evan, I thought that maybe you could use a little boost, to your deck if you're hoping to beat him. I won't be able to be there and watch you kick his ass personally, but I wanted to give you these as a sign of my trust in you."
"Thank you!" Even though we didn't have the best start, Vermilya has been helping me at every corner, doing her best to keep me safe when Avice wasn't there to look out for me herself.
"You know…" Vermilya said as rubbed her nose. "I was grown in a poor family, my father was always drunk, spending all the money we had on gambling, and beating the rest of our family when we were unable to get him enough money. He hated me the most because I was the first child. He thought that I ruined his career or something, so he made sure to remind me of his hatred every day. But one time, I had enough of it, of starving and being beaten by that bastard. So I ran. I ran as far away from home as I could and began to live on the streets, free from the pain and torture I had to endure every day while I lived inside that cursed house."
It felt like the room was getting colder with every word she said. I wasn't stupid, I knew that life didn't have the best to everyone, many children have to grow without a parent, or in a household of people who hated their very existence. But knowing that there was evil somewhere in the world wasn't the same as listening to someone who has experienced it firsthand.
"But I was wrong." Vermilya continued. "I didn't escape him. One day, my father came to me, beating me and asking for all of my money. I was alone, in an alley, believing that this would be the end of me. Of course, by some miracle, Evan came, saved me from my father and reached out for me. He was beside me in the hospital while I recovered, he leaned me to this house and gave me a new life, taught me all sort of things and for the first time in my life, I felt like there was a purpose in my life."
"But I never tried to look for my mother and siblings after the police arrested dad," Vermilya admitted. "I was too scared to look for them. Afraid that my father coming for me, to want money from me, meant that they were gone. I was afraid of even thinking about such a possibility, so I tried to forget about them, to forget all of my past life and move forward. I know that our relationship didn't have the best start. I'm terribly sorry that we had to meet each other for the first time the way we did. It might be out of place to say it here, but as time went on and I spent more time with you, I began to see you as a little sister. I began to see all of you, Evan and Takuma included, as the family that I didn't have before – a second chance to have a good life, surrounded by people I love and care about."
"Thank you." Knowing that she felt this way, made me feel a lot better. "I promise to you, that I'll use every inch of my strength in that duel!"
"I know." She smiled and turned to leave. "I believe in you, Roxy."
The night came fast and with it, my duel against Evan. But it didn't come too fast, as I and Firera were able to finish the card that we were working on. Sadly, there wasn't any time to test it, but I hoped that it would all work properly. Once the agreed time was near, Avice took me and led me to the docks of Den City.
It was an empty area. There were no workers or civilians around, just us and the metal container around us. The sun has already started to set down, giving the sky an orange color. Evan hasn't appeared yet, so for the moment, it was just me and Avice, standing there and waiting in an awkward silence.
"I'm sorry that I won't be able to be beside you for this fight." Avice apologized out of the blue.
"Um, ok then." I wasn't sure how to respond, but I accepted her apology. "I know what you think will happen, maybe not entirely, but I promise you, I won't lose. I'll prove to both of you, that the time and energy you spent training me weren't wasted."
"No one doubts that," Avice told me. "But…"
"You can't say it, I get that." I didn't like that she had to keep secrets from me, but I was willing to oversee that fact.
"I hope that I didn't keep you waiting for long." Avice jumped, startled by Evan's sudden appearance.
The older Greyson stepped from behind a container. He was no longer wearing his business suit, having replaced it with a black leather jacket that barely reached below his chest with two red lines running down the side of his sleeves, two sinister red eyes were drawn on its pockets and many strange white plates covering the shoulders and upper chest of the jacket. Underneath, he was wearing a simple red shirt, black pants with the same white plates on his knees, as well as black and red military boots.
"Wasn't this jacket in your trophy room?" I remembered seeing it there. "It looks a bit short on you."
"I haven't worn it in ages." Evan shrugged. "It's tighter than I remember, but it feels good to be inside this old jacket one more time."
"I can't believe that it came down to this," I admitted. "True, I have wanted to duel you before, but after everything that happened in the past few days, I'm not sure if I could be happy about it anymore."
"I understand how you feel," Evan said back. "The things that happened were far more than a child like you would be able to handle."
"But I did. That's the part that surprises me the most." I never thought that I could possibly have enough will power to go through that hell without breaking down at least once.
"Don't be. There's a lot of potential in you." Evan told me. "But now, shall we finally begin?"
"The ultimate duel," I said. "The strongest oGear Duelist against the weakest. I sure hope to be able to surprise you!"
"Duel!"
『Roxy LP: 4000, Hand: 5 (VS) Evan LP: 4000, Hand: 5』
"I'm going to take the first turn!" I declared and looked at the cards in my hand. With this, I would be able to do it. "I activate NitroGear Trust to discard BrioGear Wave Crusader and Special Summon a Nitro Tuner monster from my deck, whose level is half the discard monster's level! Since Wave Crusader is Level Four, I'm able to Special Summon the Level Two Nitro Synchron (Lv. 2, DEF: 100)!"
"NitroGear and Nitro Synchron," Evan muttered before narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me that Vermilya gave you her cards for this duel."
"You're a powerful opponent," I admitted. "Even after all the things I went through, all the duels I won, I know that my strength is nowhere near yours. But unlike you, who fights on his own, I fight together with everyone else! My biggest strength comes from the people I share a bond with. That's why Vermilya entrusted her cards to me."
"Getting power from bonds?" Evan tilted his head to the side and rubbed his chin, smirking. "Interesting idea. Come then, show me what power the bond between you and Vermilya carries."
"Gladly!" I nodded and took two more cards from my hand. "I discard BrioGear Drifting Bichir to Special Summon BrioGear Sailflying (Lv.3, ATK: 200)! And now Drifting Bichir's effect activates, since it was discarded by the effect of a BrioGear card, I draw a card!"
"Come forth, the circuit of life!" I cried out summoning the large white mirror-portal with flowers. "Arrowheads confirmed! Summoning requirements is a WATER monster with a level! I set BrioGear Sailflying in the Link Marker! Link Summon! Link One, BrioGear Lotaxol (ATK: 600, Link-1)!
"Lotaxol's effect activates! Since it was Link Summoned, I revive one Level Two or lower WATER monster from my Graveyard. Come back, BrioGear Drifting Bichir (Lv.1, DEF: 0)!" the young blond-haired woman appeared behind Lotaxol and took a defensive stance.
"Drifting Bichir's effect allows me to revive a monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position, but with its effects negated and attack halved. Revive, BrioGear Wave Crusader (Lv.4, ATK: 1700/2 → 850)!" My signature warrior raised on the field, leaning against its broadsword.
"Appear, the circuit of life!" A new circuit opened before me. "Arrowheads confirmed! Summoning requirements are two BrioGear monsters! I set BrioGear Lotaxol and BrioGear Sailflying in the Link Markers! Link Summon! Link Two, BrioGear Enhance Mermail (ATK: 1700, Link-2)!"
"Let's show your teacher the strength of bonds, Roxy!" Firera looked back at me.
"Right!" I nodded and threw my arms to the sides. "I tune the Level Four BrioGear Wave Crusader to the Level One BrioGear Drifting Bichir!"
A bolt of green lightning fell from the sky to my field and the two monsters turned into differently sized rings made of water with pieces of ice shaped like the numbers '4' and '1' floating next to each ring. The rings overlaid with each other, creating a tunnel of ice with a beam of blue light shooting out of it as I began to chant.
"To the deeps of the ocean, I call for the strength to protect this world! Synchro Summon BrioGear Howling Guardian (Lv.5, ATK: 2400)!"
I had to admit, so far I have been so focused on bringing out either Serene or Firera that I completely forgot my deck's capabilities. I had more than Link Summoning at my disposal, much, much more than it.
"That's the Synchro from the deck that you gave me, it was the first Synchro Summon that I performed," I explained before looking at Howling Guardian. With this card, I defeated Gloomy Ruby when she was infected by the Hanoi's virus and fought Blaze Rose. And now, it was going to be the stepping stone to my evolution. "I tune the Level Five Howling Guardian to the Level Two Nitro Synchron!"
"Five and two…" Evan paused for a moment. "You can't be…"
"That's exactly what I'm going to summon!" I declared.
A bolt of red lightning fell onto my field and created a shockwave as the two monsters turned into rings of fire, two yellow rotating inside one another and five blue rotating below the first set. The numbers '2' and '5' appeared burning next to each couple of rings and then they all overplayed creating a gate of flames. Inside the gate, seven red rings appeared one after another and fire emerged from within.
"Gathering the burning souls of molten warriors will combine to call forward a new force of nature! Become the path that lights the way! Synchro Summon! Burn it all! NitroGear Warrior (Lv.7, ATK: 2800)!"
Vermilya's ace flew through the flames and landed in Howling Guardian's place. This was her ace monster that I was using, the monster she depended on the most to during her duels. Vermilya, I promise to use the power that you gave me. I won't let the flames of hatred burning inside your monster's soul be extinguishes!
"When Nitro Synchron is used as Synchro Material for the summoning of a Nitro Synchro Monster, we can draw a card," Firera told me, and I did so. "There's a card in your hand that you can activate, right?"
"Yeah," I took the Spell Card from the remaining cards and placed it on my Duel Disk. "I activate the Continuous Spell – BrioGear Lost State!"
The card showed the shadows of multiple water creatures assembling at the deep of the sea as they starred at an open chest filled with gold coins.
BrioGear Lost State (Spell) Continuous
At the start of your Draw Phase, if you have 1 or less cards in your hand, draw 2 cards instead of 1 during your normal draw. If you Link Summon an "oGear" Link Monster while this card is on your field, you can Special Summon 1 "BrioGear Token" (Aqua/WATER/Level 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) in Defense Position. If this card is in your GY, you can discard 1 "oGear" card from your hand; add this card to your hand. You can only use each effect of "BrioGear Lost State" once per turn.
"Due to Lost State's effect, if my cards are one or less at the start of my next turn, I'll be able to draw two cards during my Draw Phase instead of one," I explained my card's effect. "With this, I end my turn."
"You said that you wanted to show me how stronger you have become since I began to train you." Evan shook his head. "If that's the best field you were able to establish in a single turn, then I'm truly disappointed in your growth rate. A field like that one? I can crush it in just a second! And so I will. My turn, draw!"
『Turn 2 [Evan] LP: 4000 Hand: 6』
"Argh!" Firera's body began to glitch and she collapsed, holding her head.
"What's wrong?" I reached to hold her, but a spark suddenly shot out of her body, zapping me. "Hey!"
"I have never felt such a hostile presence before," Firera said, her voice trembling more with every word. "There's something evil in his deck. A pulse of Cyberse so powerful that it could only be a God Card!"
A God Card… This was the first time I heard this term being used, but I guess it meant that the monster Evan had was very powerful. Hence why Firera called it a God. But I felt my anxiety raising because of Firera's words. If Evan had a card that could rival God itself, then I was fighting a losing battle. Just like Avice warned me.
"I activate ChronoGear Emergency Launch! This card's effect allows me to Special Summon a ChronoGear monster straight from the deck! Come forth, ChronoGear Steam Ogre (Lv.8, DEF: 2600)!" A large gear appeared rotating in front of Evan and the giant cyborg stepped out of it, roaring at me. "Steam Ogre's effect activates! I destroy NitroGear Warrior to draw a card!"
A black aura surrounded NitroGear Warrior. Vermilya's monster roared in pain and then exploded, covering my field in flames while Evan took another card from his deck and placed it in his hand. Sorry, Vermilya, I got your ace destroyed in a single turn.
"Steam Ogre's additional effect! Since it was summoned by the effect of a ChronoGear card, I can Special Summon two ChronoGear monsters from my deck! Come forth, ChronoGear Blue Plague (Lv.2, DEF: 200) and ChronoGear Berfomet (Lv.4, DEF: 1800)!" Steam Ogre roared and fired two clock gears into the air. The gears exploded and portals opened in their place summoning a ghost possessing an old set of armor and an undead demon cyborg.
"He summoned three monsters in an instant!" I gasped. His hand was also still at six cards. This meant that he destroyed my Synchro and summoned three of his own monsters without using any cards!
"Berfomet's effect now activates! When it's Special Summoned from the effect of a ChronoGear card, I can add a ChronoGear card from the deck to my hand. I choose ChronoGear Reborn!" He was already at seven cards… "Due to Blue Plague's effect, I gain Life Points equal to the attack points of one monster. I choose Steam Ogre!"
『Evan LP: 4000 + 2600 → 6600』
"Now tremble before the sight of true strength! Appear, the circuit of the past and future!" Even though this was the reality, riffle began to form in the space behind him and then it exploded, revealing a dark abyss. "Arrowheads confirmed! Summoning requirements are two oGear monsters! I set ChronoGear Blue Plague and ChronoGear Steam Ogre in the Link Markers! Link Summon! The wild spirit dancing over fading ages! ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty (ATK: 1700, Link-2)!"
"Kitty has the ability to gain half the attack points of one monster it points to during battle," Firera commented. "So why would he get rid of Steam Ogre?"
"It means that he's not aiming for big damage." I guessed. It meant that he wanted to end it all this turn!
"I activate Time Tamer Kitty's effect to revive ChronoGear Blue Plague!" the haunted armor appeared on his field. "Appear again, the circuit of past and time!" the dark abyss didn't even have to reappear as it remained permanently located behind Evan. Just what sort of hologram was that? "Arrowheads confirmed! Summon requirements are at least two DARK monsters! I set Blue Plague and the Link Two Time Tamer Kitty in the Link Markers! Link Summon! Diabolic Phantomus the Hollow Slayer (ATK: 2300, Link-3)!"
And another thing that I didn't know about showed up. I don't remember seeing this monster before, but it looked so much lighter than Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer.
"Diabolic Phantomus the Hollow Slayer's effect allows me to revive a Link Three or lower DARK monster from my grave, so come back, ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty(ATK: 1700, Link-2)!" A portal appeared behind Hollow Slayer and Evan's Link 2 monster appeared out of it. "Appear, the circuit of past and future!"
"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are at least two DARK monsters! I set ChronoGear Berfomet and, the Link Two, ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty in the Link Markers! Link Summon! My dark soul, Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer (ATK: 2300, Link-3)!" There it was, the original Phantomus jumped out of the dark abyss and landed behind the Hollow Slayer, co-linking with it. "Due to Hollow Slayer's effect all monster it points at gain five hundred attack points, but Link Slayer gains the effects of all monster it points at, so Hollow Slayer gains attack as well!"
Diabolic Phantomus the Hollow Slayer, ATK: 2300 + 500 → 2800
Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer, ATK: 2300 + 500 → 2800
"Now I'll activate Link Slayer's new effect to revive Time Timer Kitty from my grave!" His Link Monsters just kept coming back, and because of Kitty's effect being copied, Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer now had the power to increase its attack points all the way up to 4200 and deal double damage to me!
"I know what you're thinking," Evan said. "You're thinking that I will attack you like this. Truth be told, I already have what I need in order to defeat you, but this duel is about more than just victory. Rather than just beat you, I'm going to show you the absolute power of my deck! Watch! As I call forth the very God to fight on my side! Appear, the circuit of true darkness!"
Evan raised his arms and black bolts of lightning shot out of them, flying into the black vortex behind him. Red energy began to swirl inside the portal and purple lightning shot from it, striking everything around us. Dark clouds formed in the sky and the ocean raised into large waves that slammed against the coast of Den City.
"The energy readings are off the charts!" Firera screamed. "It can't be…"
"Supreme Being masqueraded in the shadows, follow my guidance!" Evan chanted. "Our resurrection is imminent! I set Time Tamer Kitty and Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer in the Link Markers! Link Summon! Link Five! Transcendent Devil Emperor Satanel – The Absolute Paradox (ATK: 3200, Link-5)!"
The monster that appeared was so gigantic with bolts of lightning hitting the top of its head. Its skin had the look of purple goo, despite being hard as armor with pitch black bones covering it. The bones making up the monster's ribcage and pelvis rested outside the body creating a second lair of armor. Its arms had similar bone-armor plates covering them with two arrow-shaped blades jutting out of its forearms. Instead of hands, the creature had large animalistic claws. Instead of legs, the monster hand four extremely long bones which formed four arcs. Two large wings speared out behind the monster's back. They were covered by black scales on the outside while their insides had a stained glass pattern with the most prominent colors being black, red, purple and blue. Its head was an exposed dragon-like skull with two red horns jutting out the sides of its head and a prominent purple spike hanging from its chin. Its bloody red eyes stared down at me with purple flames escaping its mouth every time it breathed out.
I felt that my stomach curled into a ball from only looking at the sight of the demonic creature. I was scared to the core, all about this monster's appearance was just… off. It was like I wasn't looking at a monster but at something far worse. Something so wrong and twisted that it terrified me.
"It was you…" Firera looked at Evan. I wasn't sure what she was talking about, but I was too scared of his monster to ask.
"Did you sense it back then?" Evan asked.
"Yes, we did." Firera nodded. "You're the one who stopped the time in LINK VRAINS during the battle for the tower. The human who managed to harvest the strength of one of the two most powerful Cyberse monsters that were ever created. The monster you use has the ability to adapt to its user, but why does it feel so wrong?"
"You would like to figure that one out, wouldn't you?" Evan smirked. "But I'll tell you this: Your third sentence was wrong, and I'll prove it to you. Satanel's effect activates! When it's co-linked, I can activate its effect to give all co-linked monsters effects to all co-linked monsters I control. In order words, Satanel will now use Hollow Slayer's effect to revive ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty (ATK: 1700, Link-2) once more!"
"He keeps reviving them…" Firera narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry Roxy, but I don't think that I'll be able to give you advice on how to defeat Satanel. This monster… It's the peak of Cyberse's evolution. I'm nothing compared to it."
"Don't say that," I told her. "You're my ally, my partner. We'll find a way to overcome it, together."
"Touching, but I plan to end this before your next turn comes." Evan took another card from his hand and showed it to me. "I activate AstroGear Gebrochen! I banish ChronoGear Berfomet from my Graveyard to Special Summon one AstroGear monster from my deck with half that monster's level!"
AstroGear!? I looked over to Avice, who turned away after noticing that I was looking at her. Was that why she wanted me to give up on this duel? Because she knew that if it came down to choosing sides, she would have to stand beside her brother and give him the strength to beat me?
AstroGear Gebrochen (Spell) Normal
Banish 1 Level 2 or higher "oGear" monster from your GY: Special Summon 1 "AstroGear" monster from your Deck whose Level is less than, or equal to, half the banished monster's level. During your turn, except the turn this effect is activated: You can banish this card from your GY to target 1 of your banished Level 4 or lower "oGear" monsters; add that target to your hand. You can only use 1 effect of "AstroGear Gebrochen" per turn, and only once that turn.
"I Special Summon AstroGear Malnehmen (Lv.2, DEF: 300)." A white disk appeared on the field and floated before Evan. "AstroGear Malnehmen's effect: When it's Special Summoned, I can summon any number of copies of it from my deck! I choose to summon two more! Appear for me once more, the circuit of past and future!"
He was going to Link Summon using the AstroGear monsters? But I thought that his deck worked only with DARK monsters!
"Arrowhead confirmed! Summoning condition is one Level Two or lower oGear monster. I set one copy of Malnehmen in the Link Marker. Link Summon! EgoGear Spectrum!"
A humanoid creature came out of the circuit. Its body was slim and long, made from a white wood-like material with multiple branches stretching out of its back, holding six spheres of different colors, while other branches were stretching out of the sides of its body, creating arms and legs, which remained immobile. Its head was shaped like a bird's but without any distinctive traits such as a mouth or eyes.
EgoGear Spectrum
Attribute: VOID/Type: Monarch/Link/Effect
L-Markers: Bottom Left
ATK: 0/Link-1
1 Level 2 or lower "oGear" monster
Effect: (This card is treated as part of every "oGear" archetype.) This card's Attribute can be treated as every Attribute. Once per turn, you can target 1 "oGear" monster on the field: Change that target's Attribute to your choice. If you would Link Summon, you can use this card in your GY as one of the materials, but banish it.
"An EgoGear…" I never knew such an archetype existed, and those stats…
"This is the first time I hear of the Attribute Void and the Type Monarch!" Firera shouted.
"That's because Spectrum is nothing like the trash the rest of the world calls Duel Monsters. He's the key to my strategy. Spectrum, activate your effect! I target Time Tamer Kitty and change her Attribute from DARK to LIGHT! Spectrum Change!" The branches on Spectrum's back began to move and rotate until the one holding the yellow sphere stopped over the rest.
ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty, Attribute: DARK → LIGHT
"Appear, the circuit of past and future!" I couldn't understand his moves. Why would he change the attribute of-! Oh. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are at least two LIGHT monsters! I set AstroGear Malnehmenand, the Link Two, ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty in the Link Markers! Link Summon! The holy heart piercing through despair, Exotic Sola the Link Seraph (ATK: 2300, Link-3)!"
So he had Avice's ace in his deck after all. This was getting really bad.
"For the sixth time, appear the circuit of past and future!" A sixth Link Summon!? "Arrowheads confirmed! Summoning requirements are two oGear monsters! I set AstroGear Malnehmenand EgoGear Spectrum in the Link Markers! Link Summon! The holy machine of destruction! AstroGear Das Unknown (1800, Link-2)!" the Link 2 appeared on the right side of Satanel.
"I activate the effect that Exotic Sola now shares with Hollow Slayer, reviving Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer (ATK: 2300, Link-3), then Link Slayer will use the same effect to revive ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty (ATK: 1700, Link-2)!" All of the Link Monsters were now together, and worse than that… "Due to the effect of Hollow Slayer that all of my monster share, all of my monsters are going to give five hundred attack points to every monster they point toward, and due to the effect of Das Unknown that all of my monsters now share, all of my LIGHT monsters are going to gain five hundred attack points!"
Diabolic Phantomus the Hollow Slayer, ATK: 2300 + 500 → 2800
Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer, ATK: 2300 + 500*2 → 3300
ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty, ATK: 1700 + 500 → 2200
Transcendent Devil Emperor Satanel – The Absolute Paradox, ATK: 3200 + 500*3 → 4700
Exotic Sola the Link Seraph, ATK: 2300 + 500*7 → 5800
AstroGear Das Unknown, 1800 + 500*5 → 4300
"What's with this power…" It was almost frightening. How could a single person be so powerful?
"Let's see if you'll be able to survive this, Roxy! Due to Exotic Sola's effect, any non-LIGHT monster you control in the same column as a monster she's co-linked to has its effects negated and its attack points halved!" A golden snake appeared from Sola's wings and flew over to Enhance Mermaid, wrapping its body around her.
BrioGear Enhance Mermail, ATK: 1700/2 → 850
"It's showtime, Roxy!" Evan yelled and raised a finger to point at Satanel. "Let's see if you're going to be able to withstand even one of my attacks! Battle! Erase Enhance Mermail from history! End of Time!"
Satanel roared and purple flames engulfed its right fist as it threw it toward my monster. But it wasn't just flames that I saw surrounding Evan's monster as it charged at me. There were silhouettes. The silhouettes of thousands upon thousands of people, screaming, crying as their bodies were burned by the ashes. It was their dying moments… a recording of the lost souls moments before time ended for them!
"Sorry, but I won't be taking this damage!" I declared. "I activate the effect of BrioGear Bubble Sea from my hand! By discarding this card and BrioGear Madoor I can reduce an instance of battle damage by their combined defense! Bubble Sea has twelve hundred and Madoor has three thousand, combined that's forty-two hundred points of negated damage! Far more than what you would have inflicted to me!"
"Did you forget about Diabolic Phantomus the Link Slayer's effect! Any monster co-linked to it deals double the damage! Go, Satanel, destroy her will with blinding hate!" Suddenly, Satanel's attack doubled in density as it flew toward me.
"If the damage is doubled, we're going to take seventy-seven thousands point of damage!" Firera shrieked. "By reducing it with Bubble Sea's effect, the damage would fall to…"
"Thirty-five hundred…" Only five hundred points away from completely wiping me out.
The attack connected and Enhance Mermail screamed as her body was evaporated from the intense energy that hit her. Even though those were supposed to be just holograms, I felt the full impact of the attack. Not just that, the power knocked me back. I lost the feeling of solid ground under my feet as my body was flung back and slammed into a metal container that was no less than ten feet behind me. A scream tore out of my throat and my body collapsed on the ground, gasping from the intense pain that rendered me immobile.
『Roxy LP: 4000 – 3500 → 500』
"How could you!?" I only heard Firera's screamed while I lied on the ground, my body completely numb from the pain. "She only wanted a friendly duel with you, to show you how much she has improved!"
"There are no friendly duels here, you either fight like your life depends on it, or you lose it." Despite the meaning of those words, I couldn't help but chuckle, an action that sent a new jolt of pain through my entire body. If I'm going to lose my life, then doesn't it really depend on it?
"Why you-" Well, Firera didn't seem as amused as me, which was weird given which one of us took a ride on pain train.
"D-don't hold it against him." I managed to say, turning my head a little to look at the AI. "He… was holding back."
If he attacked me with Exotic Sola instead, the difference between our monsters' attack would have been 4950, which doubled would make 9900 points of damage. My monsters would have negated only 4200, leaving 5700 to past through and finish me in a single hit. This was a test. He was testing me.
"I'll now go to my Main Phase Two." Wait, he won't be attacking me with his other monsters? I tried to look at Evan, wondering what he was thinking to do next. Did he figure out that I was planning to use Madoor's effect to negate his attack and end the Battle Phase, so he didn't risk giving me a monster?
"Roxanna, now I'm going to do something that I haven't done while dueling," Evan told me. "Starting now, I will no longer fully restrain myself. I'll use a bit of my strength, will you be able to take it?"
"Wait, he was fully retraining himself so far!?" Firera cried out, then looked back at me. "We must forfeit! You don't have a chance against him! If you push yourself any more, you're sure to die!"
"Heh, you think that I don't know that?" Since I challenged him to a duel, I knew that he was going to do something unbelievable. I was terrified, every cell in my body was screaming for me to run, to escape death. But the card that Takuma left for me, that single card… I was starting to see it now, he must have really foreseen this sort of outcome. Thanks to him, I now know what Evan was truly capable of!
"I'll end this duel right now. Ego Spectrum's effect, if I'm going to Link Summon, I can use it as material from my Graveyard!" Evan said and raised his arms. Yellow lightning fell from the black clouds over us and hit the void behind him. Yellow energy began to swirl inside the portal and two bolts of green lightning shot out, forming angelic wings behind Evan for a moment before disappearing. "I told you, Firera, that you were wrong about something with our observation from before!"
"No, it can't be…" Firera muttered. "You're not telling me…"
"I'm capable to control both of Cyberse's God Cards! Appear, the circuit of true light!" the energy inside the portal started becoming more intense as four green eyes opened inside it. "Supreme Being hiding in the brightness of stars, kneel in servitude!" It can't be… "Become the avatar of my triumph! I set ChronoGear Time Tamer Kitty, AstroGear Das Unknown and EgoGear Spectrum in the Link Markers! Link Summon! Link Five! Transcendent Angel Queen Adriela – The Ultimate Destroyer!"
A pillar of light erupted from the portal and eight wings made from blue energy formed, with riffles forming through the space around just from their presence. After that, the light died down revealing a monster whose size was the same as Satanel's. It was robotic in nature without any arm leg structures. The body itself was designed to look like a golden robe with several golden lines running down the sides and the edges. Its chest was opened to reveal thousands upon thousands of golden gears and machinery, moving without rest to keep the creature alive. Three large spheres attached in the center in the shape of an upside down triangle. The two smaller spheres were yellow in color while the big one was blue and pulsating like a heart, with a humanoid silhouette floating inside of it. Its face was more feminine, without a mouth and with four green eyes. A golden headpiece was placed on the monster's forehead with several small blades jutting to the side. A radiant light shone underneath the monster as it floated over the field.
Transcendent Angel Queen Adriela – The Ultimate Destroyer
Attribute: LIGHT/Type: Cyberse/Link/Effect
L-Markers: Top Left, Left, Bottom, Right, Top Right
ATK: 3300/Link-5
3+ "oGear" Link Monsters
Effect: Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can move 1 monster your opponent controls to a different Main Monster Zone on their side of the field. Banish all opponent monsters that this card is linked with, face-down. While this card is Extra Linked: If a card or effect is activated that target card(s) on your side of the field, you can change the target to another card on the field or in either player's hand, and if you do, treat it as an appropriate target for the effect. While this card is Extra Linked: Link Monsters you control cannot be Tributed, destroyed or removed from the field by your opponent's cards and effects. Once per turn, if your opponent activates a card or effect while you control this co-linked monster (Quick Effect): Negate the activation and effect of that card, then choose one of the following effects:
• Shuffle the card into your opponent's deck, then activated/Special Summon 1 card from their deck with the same type (Spell/Trap/Monster) as the negated card.
• Shuffle the card into your opponent's deck, then activated/Special Summon, or Set 1 card from your deck with the same type (Spell/Trap/Monster) as the negated card.
"Chaos Extra Link: Complete!" I gulped at the sight of the five monsters that stared down at me. If that was just a fragment of what he was capable of, just a small amount of the power that he had, I hope to never learn what the rest of his power was like.
"I believe that there might be a fool who would call an Extra Link the ultimate battle formation surpassing human intelligence," Evan spoke with a smug grin on his face. "But this… This isn't surpassing anything human related. Witness! The ultimate field that surpasses God itself!"
"He had both of them under his command…" Firera muttered. She was staring blankly at the distance like she has fallen in some form of catatonia just from the sight of Evan's monsters.
"Satanel's last effect activate! If this card is Extra Linked, I can move the duel toward my next turn. World Rewrite!" Satanel spread out its wings a red ring appeared in front of each, draining the color from the world until only black remained. Space pulsed in response to the monster, color returning back to the world as it began to accelerate. I looked at my Duel Disk; as Evan said, my Duel Disk was rapidly jumping past the Duel Phases.
『Turn 3 [Roxy] LP: 500 Hand: 0』
『Turn 4 [Evan] LP: 6600 Hand: 6』
"And now Satanel' use your other effect to negate the effects of all cards on my opponent's field, in their graveyard and hand. Emperor's Restriction!" Now I could no longer use Madoor's effect to protect myself from his attacks! "Battle! Adriela, attack Roxy directly! Death of Universe!"
Adriela's eyes turned from green to blue and blue energy shout out of the core in its chest, connecting the other two in a triangle of wild energy. A loud heartbeat echoed through the empty docks and Adriela blinked. At that moment, all of the energy that the Link 5 had generated was blasted toward me, tearing the ground without even touching or being close to it.
So that was how it would end? The blast was tearing through the ground, moving toward me. There was no running away from it, my body was in too much pain to even try and roll out of the way. At moments like this, one would think about 'ifs'. What would have happened if I didn't do this? If I did this instead? If I trusted this person?
Those ifs are followed by regret. But not in my case. I wasn't strong. I wasn't smart. I had the chance to obtain both of those things, to compromise my beliefs for more power, and I choose not to. If I accepted everything that Evan had to offer me, I would no doubt have become stronger than the person I ended up being today. But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to look him proudly in the eyes, knowing that I came so far with my strength. I'll always be the weakling, but that was alright.
"Trap Card activate! Requiem of the Maiden!" Because my biggest strength was my heart, my power to bond with others and see the best in them!
"What!?"
Adriela's beam split in two, flying past me, while Requiem of the Maiden appeared on my field. The card glowed and then fired a blue beam that pierced through the dark clouds above us. The full moon showed up in the dark sky, illuminating our fields that have sunk in darkness. It was my biggest trump card, my beacon of hope.
"How?" Evan shouted. "Satanel stops you from activating any cards of effects from anywhere but the banished zone, and even then, I have the freedom to choose which cards you activate!"
"I just found out the one thing I have over you," I said back. "Evan, you're strong, since you took me under your wing, I looked up to you, like an idol I wanted to reach. But you have a flaw. You've never opened your heart to anyone, have you? Always keeping us at arm's length, you always see the worst that we can be, the worse that we are. But unlike you, I always try to give those close to me a second chance! I never stop believing that there's good in them! You hated Takuma for betraying us, for betraying you. But I wanted to believe! And I was right! This Trap that he gave me, it's his whole his story with you, it has everything that he knows about you, your style of dueling, your power. This card is the strength that he passed down to me!"
"So he actually…" Evan narrowed his eyes.
"Requiem of the Maiden is a card that can only be activated from my deck if my opponent attacks me directly while they control an Extra Link with at least one Link Five monster!" I declared. "It's effect negates the effects of all linked monsters you control and makes them unable to attack! And if it leaves the field due to a card's effect, your monsters will all be banished face-down!"
Requiem of the Maiden (Trap) Continuous
This card can only be activated from your Main Deck when your opponent declares a direct attack while they control a Link 5 or higher Extra-Linked monster. This card's activation cannot be denied or negated. Negate the effects of all monsters your opponent controls, also they cannot attack. If this card leaves the field because of an opponent's card effect, banish all monsters your opponent controls face-down. Destroy this card if there are no Link Monsters on your opponent's field. You can only activate 1 "Requiem of the Maiden" per Duel.
"I'm calling bullshit on this!" He roared.
"Oh, really?" Firera crossed her arms. "Are you the one using all sorts of insane shit, and have a Link Monster whose effect could be summarized with the line: 'If summoned, win the Duel.'?"
"Have it your way then." Evan sighed, then he smiled. He was actually smiling in this situation!? "It seems I was right when I choose to duel you here. You're ready, Roxy."
"What… are you talking about?" I tried not to scream as I lifted my body off the ground. The pain was still intense, my legs were trembling and my ears were ringing, but I could still hear and see the opponent standing in front of me.
"You proved your will to me. Your strength." Evan told me. "I always knew that there was light in you, you have the ability to see something I couldn't. It was that thrust of yours that gave you the edge in this duel. So, it's only fair if I give you a reward for all you were able to accomplish in such a short period of time."
I wasn't sure how I should react to his words. Give me a reward? What was he going to do? I couldn't get a read on him, and that smile of his, it looked so normal, so genuine, but at the same time, it made something inside me feel scared.
"What will you give me?"
"The one thing you want the most!" Evan shouted loudly. "I'll give you the truth! I'll then you who brought you here, how, and why! I'll tell you the whole story from start to finish! You were right, I knew who did this to you! I did because, surprise or not, it was ME! I was the one who took you, I was the one who placed you in that hospital and gave you that deck!"
His voice then died down, becoming quieter as he looked down at his Duel Disk. His crimson eyes then raised to meet mine and he continued. "I'll start from the beginning. The day it all started. Two and a half years ago…"
And with this, the two-part finale of the first season of Destiny Gears has begun! With a duel between Evan, the strongest character in this entire story, and Roxy, a newbie who was able to quickly rise from a weakling to a sidekick capable to stand up next to Playmaker in the face of one of the strongest villains in LINK VRAINS, who do you think would win?
It might look cheap that Vermily and Takuma came back when more than 99.9% of the rest of the Tower's victims were killed off, but I promise you that the reason behind their survival will be explained in due time.
Also, a personal thing I want to share, but letting Evan use both the ChronoGear and AstroGear archetypes for this duel feels great. The main reason for that would be because him using these two decks at once shows why Evan is the strongest character. Since every oGear deck is made to reflect the user's personality and their biggest strength, this duel is the first one who shows what Evan's true strength is as a person. Could you guess what it is? Because Roxy will have to do that next chapter if she wants to even hope of defeating her teacher.
Now to respond to the reviews!
SoulMatter: Don't worry, what happened at the end of the last chapter was nothing compared to the twisted and fucked-up things that are about to happen from here on. After all, what's the fun in seeing the heroes always win, always got through a situation without any consequences?
Guest: In all seriousness, the idea of Playmaker getting killed might actually happen. Since I won't force myself to follow the anime's direction, you can never tell which characters are going to win, and which ones are going to lose.
As always, thanks to everyone for reading this chapter. I hope to see you again next when Evan and Roxy will have their ultimate clash!
Diabolic Tracer out!