Part 1: Chapter 4 - Righteous Indignation

Ruri had managed to gather a lot of information last night. Between her infiltration of the Executive Council building and the Chief Security Bureau, and Rin's infiltration of the Duel Palace, Penthouse Suit, and underground forced labor facility, she had learned of the enigmatic, anti-Academia force known as The Lancers, of the corruption behind the Friendship Cup as it forced losers to labor in un underground garbage disposal plant for life, of the chief of security, and of Jean Michael Roger's coup against the Executive Council and his plans to rule the city like a king.

More importantly, she had formed a plan to defeat him; it would take her only one day.

The first duel of the day was important for her. According to the announcement from the news reporter, Melissa Clair, the morning duel would be taking place against the infamous duelist crusher, Sergey Volkov, and Yuzu Hiragi, one of her counterparts. This meant that she would not only get a chance to learn more about one of the bracelet girls by watching her duel, but she would be on hand to stop both Roger and Academia if either of them tried to make a move to capture Yuzu.

Turning transparent, she used her wings to hover over the long track surrounding the Duel Palace as the crowds cheered with delight when the duelists lined up at the starting line. There was a lot of support for the Yuzu girl. Quite a number of fans held up signs and cheered for Yuzu while Melissa Clair kept gushing over Yuzu's cuteness. For her part, Yuzu looked serious and determined, seemingly ignoring the crowd while putting all her attention into the duel.

Pulling up next to her in a massive savage looking D-wheeler with chariot blades on the sides of its outer front three wheels, Sergey Volkov looked extremely docile, bored, and subdued… almost like he didn't even want to be dueling.

Ruri continued watching as a new track was created outside the Duel Palace when a network of large pillars sprang from the water and unfolded to connect with track pieces from adjacent pillars. Once the countdown reached 0 and the two duelists began, Ruri flew adjacent to the two contestants and observed their performance.

Yuzu emerged first from the duel palace and took her first turn, summoning a small, 1400 attack power monster before setting a card face down and ending her turn.

Sergey responded to her move by summoning a twisted, thorn-covered demon with 0 attack power in face-up attack position before ending his turn without even setting a card face-down.

The crowd groaned with boredom at Sergey's pathetic play. Melissa Clair wondered if Sergey's talent had slipped since his time as the duelist crusher and it seemed that everyone was in agreement that Yuzu pretty much had the duel in the bag.

Ruri, however, was not so certain.

She watched as Yuzu quickly responded to Sergey's play by quickly assembling a force of three fairy-type monsters with enough attack power to finish Sergey off with just two attacks. However, when Yuzu began her attacks, Sergey countered each one of them with his monster effects, torturing himself each time he did so by paying 400 Life Points with each battle to negate Battle Damage and stop her attacks.

Watching Sergey as he performed his masochistic stall tactics, Ruri noticed something… off about Sergey. There was a strange energy about him… something that looked familiar.

"Hello Ruri."

Ruri flinched as her thoughts were interrupted by Yuu's intrusion.

"What is it you want?" she snapped, wanting to focus on the duel.

"Oh… I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing." Yuu replied. "Did you find my information helpful?"

Ruri smiled. "They were both here just like you said. If all goes according to my plan, we'll have recruited them both and taken control of this dimension by tonight."

"Ambitious!" Yuu exclaimed, sounding impressed, "I knew you would be a great Dark Signer. How's Rin doing, by the way?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Ruri replied, turning her attention back to the duel.

"That's a little impossible for me at the moment." Yuu sighed.

"And why is that?" Ruri asked, feeling just a little irritated.

"When I formed a contract with you," Yuu explained, "we became linked together. While we can neither control each other nor read each other's minds, we gained the useful ability to see through each other's eyes, hear through each other's ears, and have this delightful conversation we're having now."

"Get to the point!" Ruri commanded, losing her patience.

"I had no place in your contract with Rin." Yuu continued, seemingly unfazed by Ruri's irritation. "While you established links with each other, I was left out of the bargain. I can no more see nor speak with Rin any more than she can see or speak with me."

"Which I prefer." Ruri replied, glad to know there were still some things she could keep private from Yuu.

Ruri could almost feel Yuu smile back at her.

"So what are you doing now?" Yuu cheerfully asked, "Did you fancy a bit of entertainment before conquering this dimension?"

"I'm on business." Ruri retorted, "I wanted to see if I could figure out which dimension this girl came from based on her duel."

"Oh… Yuzu?" Yuu laughed. "You only needed to ask me. She hails from the Standard dimension. If you're looking for a fusion counterpart to vent your rage on, look no further than Selena."

Ruri scowled.

"And how is it that you know this?" Ruri interrogated. "Is there anything else you've been keeping from me?"

"You have mastered a great many of your powers." Yuu replied, "Out of the two of us, you know best of the unique privileges that come with being a Dark Signer."

Yuu sighed. "I wish I could fly." he mused.

Ruri rolled her eyes.

"What about this Sergey Volkov?" she asked.

"What about him?" Yuu replied, sounding uninterested.

"There's something strange about him." Ruri observed, "And it's not just his crazy dueling. When I look at him, I sense an energy about him… similar to what I feel when I'm with Rin. Do you know him?"

Yuu let out a prolonged exhale.

"I only once ever briefly met the man… but yes… I suppose I did… I did in fact know him." he reminisced.

"And did you form a contract with him?" Ruri pressed.

"You, Rin, and I are the only Dark Signers in existence." Yuu explained. "Sergey is not special like you are. He had great potential, but he squandered it all when he lost his mind and became nothing more than a petty duel criminal."

"I see." Ruri replied, losing interest in Sergey. What Yuu said seemed true. She could feel a strange energy coming from Sergey, but it was barely a shadow of the energy she felt from either herself or Rin.

"Oh! By the way…" Yuu suddenly seemed to remember, "… I almost forgot to let you know!"

"There seem to be a lot of things you've been keeping from me lately." Ruri snarled, liking Yuu less the more she was with him.

"Have you heard of the Horakhty Agents?" Yuu questioned, acting like Ruri was a contestant on a quiz show.

"Never in my life." Ruri answered, keeping up with the riders.

"I didn't think you would have." Yuu remarked. "They are legends. Little more than rumors for everyone in Academia, save for those in the Professor's inner circle. Supposedly, they are a small team of three duelists that are so powerful that it is said they can win a duel merely be being in its presence."

"And why does this concern me?" Ruri asked.

"The Horakhty Agents generally stay in Fusion, performing the ungratifying task of ensuring the absolute survival of the professor's Arc Area Project at all costs. Basically, guard duty." Yuu seemed to smile. "If even one of them leaves Fusion, it means that there is someone the professor wants dead, and wants dead now."

He paused for a moment to let his words take effect.

"Do you recall that one tragic night in Heartland, when four of your greatest resistance leaders, Gauche, Droite, the Kamishiro twins, Ryouga, and Rio, along with every single individual they led, all mysteriously disappeared within the span of a single night?"

Ruri grimaced.

"Yes… I remember." Ruri hissed, gritting her teeth and clenching her fist.

"That was the work of just one Horakhty Agent." Yuu related. "In and out of Xyz, leaving behind no trace but a ghost story for Academia professors to tell their students at night. But you and Rin seem to have left a much greater impression on the professor than those resistance leaders." Yuu continued, "If my knowledge is correct, not only is the professor dispatching a Horakhty Agent to deal with you, but the entire squad! Congratulations Ruri. You are now Academia's most wanted."

Ruri sighed.

"It doesn't matter who Academia sends." Ruri muttered, "We will crush them all."

"And that is just the reason I chose you, Ruri!" Yuu gushed, "You're so… confident! You truly believe in your own divinity!"

"What!" Ruri suddenly exclaimed, noticing someone following the Duelists as they entered a track-way surrounded by several large skyscrapers.

"Oh… I was just complimenting you and your determination." Yuu hastily replied.

"Not you!" Ruri snarled. "Go back to whatever you were doing before. I think I just spotted one of the professor's rats."

"As you wish…" Yuu replied, fading from her mind.

Ruri swooped down to get a closer look at the duelist that was managing to keep pace with the riders, keeping herself transparent while the boy leaped from rooftops with surprising agility. He was a short kid with blue hair and a lollipop in his mouth, but Ruri instantly recognized the Obelisk Blue school uniform and the shield-shaped duel disk strapped to his arm.

"I see him too." Ruri heard Rin speak through her mind. "Do you want me to take care of him? I could be over there in a flash."

"Keep doing what you're doing." Ruri commanded, "This one is mine!"

It had been difficult for Sora to get to where he was now. After hearing that Yuzu had gone missing after the battle-royal in Standard, he had immediately warped back to Academia in order to find her. Failing to find her after breaking numerous Academia laws by searching the prisons without authorization, he had travelled back to Standard to see if she was really okay.

That's when he had seen the recruitment video for the Lancer Defense Soldiers.

Learning about their mission to find allies in Synchro, Sora had travelled to the Synchro Dimension before finding Dennis and sending him back to the professor with word that he would complete his mission to bring back Selena. If he could just bring the Fusion girl back, he might be able to appease the professor so he would stop chasing after Yuzu.

Sora continued monitoring Yuzu's duel against Sergey, keeping a close watch out for anyone from Academia who might try to capture her. He was overjoyed that he had managed to find her in the Synchro Dimension, but he was well aware that the Professor still wanted her at the moment. All he could hope to do for now was protect Yuzu and hope his plan to placate the Professor by capturing Selena eventually panned out.

Seeing them make a turn, Sora leaped across several more buildings, heading in the direction the riding duelists were racing.

As he landed on top of another building, Sora's path was suddenly blocked by a hooded duelist who seemed to appear from nowhere.

Skidding to a stop, Sora instinctively whipped out his Duel Disk and activated it, glaring back at the interloper. She wore a long black dress with white trimmings, a black cape, and a large black and white hood which concealed most of her face.

"You're in my way." Sora growled, not wanting any distractions. "Get out of here now before I make you!"

"Child of Academia…" the figure called out in a youthful, female voice. From beneath the hood, Sora could see a strange, white light emanated from the left side of her face. "…your sins are known to me." she declared, stepping forward and throwing back her cape from her left arm to reveal a large black and white Duel Disk with a wing-shaped extension and a set of jagged teeth over the deck slot, "Submit to your punishment now… or face my judgment."

Sora was taken aback by the stranger, but he did not back down.

"I'm not interested in speaking with you." he snarled, "Get out of my way now! Last warning!"

The stranger smiled.

"You have made your choice." she replied, activating her Duel Disk. Instead of a plain V-shaped mass of energy, the card field for her duel disk was shaped like a massive white angel wing. "Now suffer the consequences!" she commanded, raising her arms above her head.

Instantly, the roof of the building was surrounded by a massive wall of clear white energy that rose to the sky high above the heads of both duelists. Sora kicked at the energy field, but the wall remained completely unharmed.

"What is this!" he grunted as he pushed against it, not enjoying being trapped.

"I'm sparing you from humiliation." the hooded girl called back. "While we are here, the outer world can neither see us nor interfere with our duel. Your confession…" she continued, holding her arms out to Sora, "…will be kept strictly confidential between you and me."

"Confession!?" Sora gawked, wondering what she was talking about.

"I told you before…" the girl explained, plucking five cards from the top of her deck, "…you would be judged for your sins in this duel. Now…" she continued, glowing white, "…let us begin!"

Sora glanced to where Yuzu was dueling, realizing he had no choice but to face the duelist if he wanted to protect his friend.

"DUEL!" Sora and the hooded girl proclaimed, facing each other.

"The first move is mine." the girl began, gently placing a card in the Field Spell Card Zone.

"I activate the Field Magic, Sanctified Realm!" she declared, spreading her arms wide as the ground beneath their feet transformed until it looked like they were standing on smooth white clouds.

"Next," she continued, "I discard the monster, Salvation Seraphim Acolyte, from my hand to set 1 Salvation Seraphim Magic or Trap Card from my deck."

A girl in a plain, white and blue dress like a shrine maiden's outfit briefly appeared on the duelist's field. A white hood covered her black hair while her arms, legs, and feet were completely bare, save for a few golden bracelets and anklets. From her back, a pair of angel wings with feathers as black as a raven gently unfolded before the girl descended into a black portal and the hooded duelist pulled a card from her deck.

"I set this card face down," the hooded duelist stated, "and next activate the card I just set, Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force!"

A pillar of light burst from the center of the duel field and rose into the air in an endless column. To the left and right of the pillar, a pair of S-shaped marks decorated like angel wings faced each other from opposite directions like a broken heart with twin tails, similar to the spiral pattern of a caduceus.

"Now," she continued, "I Normal Summon the level three, Salvation Seraphim Priestess."

Another black-winged angel appeared on the duelist's field. Similar to the previous monster, this one wore a simple, white dress that left her arms and legs bare. However, this new monster sported blue jewelry and an elegant headdress while carrying a large, wooden staff inset with lapis lazuli. A holographic indicator appeared next to the girl's monster and showed it had 1200 ATK.

"Salvation Seraphim Priestess's effect activates," the girl continued, as the angel stretched out its wings and held up its staff, which began glowing with radiant, yellow light. "I excavate the top three cards of my deck," the girl explained, "and add 1 excavated Salvation Seraphim Monster to my hand while the other cards are sent to my graveyard."

She pulled three cards from her deck and smiled.

"I add the monster, Salvation Seraphim Healer, to my hand and send the monster card, Salvation Seraphim Saint, and the Magic Card, Lost Salvation, to my graveyard.

A black-winged angel covered in a long, white cloak and carrying a scroll in her hand, and a Spell Card depicting the fall of a heavenly castle, briefly appeared on the girl's field before sinking into two black portals.

"Since I control a Salvation Seraphim monster on my field," the girl explained, "I can Special Summon the level three, Salvation Seraphim Healer, in defense position from my hand with its own effect."

A black-winged angel with long, curly blonde hair appeared on the girl's field. Herbs, berries, and pouches hung from her neck and hair like a wreath while she used a thick twig to stir a golden poultice in a small round bowl she held in her left hand.

"I activate Salvation Seraphim Healer's effect!" the girl declared, stretching out her hand. "Once per turn, I can send the top card of my deck to my graveyard in order to Special Summon one Salvation Seraphim Monster from my graveyard."

The girl plucked a card from the top of her deck and slotted it into the graveyard zone of her duel disk before a black portal opened up in front of Salvation Seraphim Healer.

"I use Salvation Seraphim Healer to send Salvation Seraphim Angel from the top of my deck to the graveyard and summon the level three, Salvation Seraphim Saint, from my graveyard!" she proclaimed.

An angel with a white halo, black wings, which radiated golden light, white battle-armor, a long spear, and a round white shield appeared on Ruri's field before bowing to Salvation Seraphim Healer and descending into the black portal. Salvation Seraphim Healer poured her golden poultice into the black portal, scattering golden dust as she did. In response, the angel holding the scroll immediately rose from the portal and flew onto the girl's field, singing a hymn as it did.

"Salvation Seraphim Saint's effect activates!" the girl continued. "If it is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Rank-Up Spell card from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand!"

Salvation Seraphim Saint rose into the air and unrolled her scroll. Chanting in an unknown language, she glowed with light as the girl selected a card from her deck.

"I choose the Quick-Play magic, Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force." she said, adding the card to her hand.

"Rank-Up-Magic." Sora thought, remembering his duel against Shun. "So she must be from the Xyz Dimension!"

"Now it is time!" the girl declared, stretching her hand towards her three monsters.

"Here it comes!" Sora thought, "An Xyz Summon!"

"I overlay my three level three monsters, Salvation Seraphim Priestess, Healer, and Saint, and construct the overlay network!"

A black and gold Xyz Portal swirled to life on the ground in front of the girl's feet as her monsters turned to streams of golden light and drained into the center of the singularity before the girl began a summoning chant.

"Noble heavenly servant clad in the armor of righteousness," she chanted, bowing her head and putting her hands together in a praying position, "take courage now as you raise your holy blade to smite the forces of darkness and bring salvation to this world! XYZ SHOKAN!" she cried, eyes glowing white from beneath her hood, "RANK 3! SALVATION SERAPHIM BRAVE CRUSADER!"

The Xyz Portal exploded in a blast of multi-colored light as an angelic monster with glowing, white wings flew over the duel field. The angel looked youthful and determined, with short blonde hair, hard green eyes, and thin lips compressed into a serious expression. Clad in shiny, white armor, the angel looked like a noble knight from the middle ages. Raising a strait blade with cross-guards shaped like crucifixes, she let out a small, battle cry while three glowing spherical Overlay Units orbited her sword blade in a column of concentric rings. A holographic indicator appeared and showed the monster had 1800 ATK.

"Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader's effect activates!" the girl declared as two black portals appeared on the ground below Brave Crusader's feet. "When it is Xyz Summoned, I attach all Salvation Seraphim monsters in my graveyard to this card as Xyz Material! I use this effect now to attach the Salvation Seraphim Acolyte and Salvation Seraphim Angel that were sent to my graveyard by my monster's effects!"

Two glowing, white spheres rose from the graveyard and stacked themselves above the other three Overlay Units travelling around Brave Crusader's blade in a circular orbit.

"Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force's effect activates," the girl declared, as the pillar of light began glowing even brighter. "When I successfully Xyz Summon a Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster, I can attach one Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck to that card as an Xyz Material! I choose to attach the Rank 3, Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim, to my monster as Xyz Material!"

A girl in a plain, brown hood and shawl rose from the bottom of the pillar of light, using a long walking stick to balance herself while bowing to the hooded duelist with a cheerful smile before spreading a pair of white angel wings and flying up the pillar to where Brave Crusader was hovering in the air. Glowing with light, the angel slowly shrunk into a sphere of white light which zoomed towards Brave Crusader. Instead of orbiting the blade like the other Overlay Units, Wandering Pilgrim circled the body of Brave Crusader in a wider orbit.

"Brave Crusader gains 100 attack points for each of its Overlay Units!" the girl declared as Brave Crusader's ATK rose to 2400, "In addition, my monster gains the effects of each Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster attached to it as an Xyz Material!"

Sora frowned, not liking where the duel seemed to be headed.

"I activate the effect of Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader who has inherited the effect of Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim!" she continued, "Once per turn, I can detach one Overlay Unit to excavate the top three cards of my deck and add all excavated Salvation Seraphim monsters to my hand while returning all other cards excavated by this effect to the top of my deck in any order. I detach Salvation Seraphim Acolyte from Brave Crusader to activate the effect!"

Brave Crusader absorbed an overlay unit into her sword and extended a hand towards the girl, sprinkling gold dust on her. Glowing with golden light, the girl picked up three cards from the top of her deck.

"I add a second copy of Salvation Seraphim Priestess and Saint to my hand," She declared, showing Sora the cards, "and return the trap card, Salvation Seraphim Reconciliation Force, to the top of my deck.

"Next," she continued, pulling a card from her hand, "I activate the effect of Salvation Seraphim Acolyte from my Graveyard. By discarding one card from my hand, I can attach Acolyte from my Graveyard to one Winged Beast Type Xyz Monster I control. I discard the Equip Spell Card, Salvation Seraphim Holy Shield, and attach Acolyte to Brave Crusader as an Xyz Material."

A white sphere of light rose from a black portal in the ground, and rotated around Brave Crusader's Sword as an Overlay Unit.

The girl smiled underneath her hood.

"I now activate Brave Crusader's effect!" she declared, stretching out her hand, "Once per turn, if I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can detach any number of Overlay Units from her to inflict 100 damage to your Life Points for each unit detached! GO!" she commanded as Brave Crusader absorbed all of its Overlay Units into her sword and raised the blade above her head, "DIVINE SLASH!"

Slashing her sword through the air, the hooded duelist's monster created a crescent of yellow light that sped towards Sora, and slashed him in the check, dropping his Life Points to 3400.

Sora recoiled in shock as he felt blood splatter into his left eye and gush down his chin.

"You should be familiar with this tactic." the girl sneered, speaking to Sora in a venomous tone. "It's Academia's standard operating procedure. Damage and discourage opponents with effect damage before they have even begun their first turn."

Sora glared at her, spitting out his blood-covered lollipop and wiping his cheek off with his sleeve before popping another sucker into his mouth. He was not going to let her intimidate him, even if she'd found a way to make the Real Solid Vision even more lethally realistic.

"You did well for a first try," he mumbled, mocking her while sucking on his lollipop, "but it took you so long to do just 600 damage. And now you've only got a small, 1800 attack power monster. Honestly," he continued shaking his head, "I don't think I'll even have to get serious with you."

"That was a small taste of the retribution that lies in store for you." the girl replied with a laugh. "I will give you one last chance… fall down at my knees and beg for forgiveness and I might spare your life."

"End your turn." Sora rebutted, feeling her arrogance annoy him.

"All in good time my child." she purred, pulling another card from her hand.

"I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force I added to my hand and use my Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader as an Xyz Material to Xyz Summon a Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster two ranks higher!"

"Two ranks higher!" Sora gasped, remembering Shun accomplish something similar against Dennis.

A pair of S-shaped Symbols decorated with wing patterns appeared over Brave Crusader before Brave Crusader was sucked up into a black singularity in the center of the Double "S" mark.

"Honorable protector who shines with the light of truth," she chanted, "spread your glorious wings bathed in the glory of heaven and drive back evil with the fury of your unconquerable spirit! RANK-UP XYZ CHANGE!" she shouted as the Double "S" Symbol exploded in a pillar of light, "DESCEND NOW! SALVATION SERAPHIM HONORED CRUSADER!"

An angel with white wings, decorated with golden spheres of light, flew from the pillar of light, and pointed a massive, golden sword at Sora. Long red hair billowed in the wind as she gazed back at Sora with a determined expression on her face. A holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 2400.

"Honored Crusader's effect activates, and Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force chains to the activation of my monster's effect!" the girl declared, raising her hands above her head. "I begin by attaching the Rank four, Salvation Seraphim Inspired Crusader, from my Extra Deck to Honored Crusader via the effect of Ascension Force!"

A black-haired angel clad in white armor rose from the bottom of the pillar of light, flew towards Honored Crusader, transformed into a ball of light, and began orbiting the body of the girl's new monster, crossing paths with a second Overlay Unit that was Brave Crusader.

"Next," she continued, "Honored Crusader's effect resolves! I attach all Salvation Seraphim monsters in my graveyard to my monster as Overlay Units!"

Six glowing white spheres of light flew from the girl's graveyard and raced towards Honored Crusader, five rotating in a column of rings around the angel's sword blade, with the last one joining the other two Overlay Units orbiting the angel's body.

The girl grinned even wider, dimples showing on her cheeks.

"I next banish Lost Salvation from my graveyard to activate the effect of my Salvation Seraphim Holy Shield!" she proclaimed, "If it is in my graveyard while I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can banish 1 Magic or Trap Card from my graveyard to attach Holy Shield to a face-up Salvation Seraphim monster I control as an Overlay Unit!"

Another sphere of light rose from the ground, and joined the other spheres of light orbiting Honored Crusader's sword.

"Honored Crusader gains the effects of each Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster attached to itself as an Overlay Unit!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together as Honored Crusader's ATK rose from 2400 to 3300.

Sora flinched as he saw the sudden ATK change.

In response, the girl let out a slow exhale, delighting in the situation.

"Sanctified Realm allows me to add 1 Magic or Trap Card from my deck to my hand if I have no monsters in my graveyard, but I cannot activate or set that card this turn. I choose to add the Quick-Play Magic, Rank-Up-Magic Pilgrimage Force, from my deck to my hand."

She added a card from her deck to her hand before setting another card from her hand on her Duel Disk.

"Finally," she added, "I set one card face down, and end my turn."

She gazed back at Sora from beneath her hood.

"This field is now a judgment hall." she declared, "Your actions during your turn will determine whether you walk away innocent or suffer the fate of the guilty. Now…" she commanded, bowing to Sora, "…show me your dueling and let your monsters act as your advocates as you fight for your redemption from the demands of justice!"

Sora looked back to where the two riding duelists were still playing. He had no clue who this crazy duelist was or how she had found him, but it didn't really matter. He just had to beat her as fast as possible so he could get back to his mission.

"I don't have time for this!" he muttered, drawing a card from his deck. Without hesitating, he began his turn.

"I play Toy Pot from my hand and activate its effect!" he declared, slamming down a Spell Card.

A large, colorful vending machine with robotic arms and a smiling mouth with a long tongue materialized onto Sora's field.

"So childish." the hooded duelist remarked. "Are you trying to convince me that you're nothing but an innocent kid?"

"Shut up!" Sora snarled, wanting to end things quickly. It was bad enough that she had interrupted him when he was only trying to protect Yuzu. Now she had to get on his nerves by acting like some self-appointed judge.

"Toy Pot effect!" Sora declared, "I discard the Furnimal mouse in my hand to draw a card from my deck, and if it is a Furnimal Monster, I can Special Summon it!"

A coin slotted into the vending machine which raised one of its robotic arms before dispensing a plastic, toy container from its long cartoony tongue.

"The card I drew," Sora continued, showing the hooded duelist the card he just drew, "is Furnimal Owl! Using Toy Pot's effect, I Special Summon Furnimal Owl from my hand!"

A plastic container rolled down the vending machines tongue before popping open and dispensing a cute, fluffy, plushy owl wearing a pair of glasses.

"When Furnimal Owl is summoned from my hand," Sora explained, "I can add 1 Fusion from my deck to my hand!"

He snagged a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

"I activate the Magic Card, Fusion!" Sora declared, slotting in the Spell Card while a Fusion Portal materialized behind him.

The hooded duelist visibly grimaced and Sora couldn't help smiling in response after managing to irritate her.

"I use the Furnimal Owl on my field and the Edge-Imp Tomahawk in my hand as Fusion Materials and Fusion Summon!" he declared, assuming a more serious expression as the two monsters glowed with red and yellow light before swirling into the center of the vortex in a blend of color.

"Demonic Axe and eyes of the void…" he commanded, "…blend together in the swirling vortex and become a new power! YUUGO SHOKAN!" he declared, clamping his hands together, "Come forth! Cruel night predator that chops all to pieces! Level 5, Death Toy Tomahawk Owl!"

A mangled and torn-up stuffed animal owl flew onto the duel field. Its ragged wings had so many axe heads poking through the seams that it looked like it was covered in steely feathers. Its bird feet were tipped with chipped axe heads, and the swollen eyes of its torn face bulged out like they would roll off the monsters torn frame any second. From within its open beak, a pair of demonic red eyes glared down at the hooded duelist while a holographic indicator showed an ATK of 1800.

"Hmmm…" the hooded duelist mused, looking at Sora's Fusion Monster, "… could this be a representation of your soul?"

Sora smiled as he continued his move. Most people thought of his Fusion Monsters as freakish abominations, but he always appreciated how empowered they became after merging together from their Fusion Materials, like teammates in a sport.

"Next, I Normal Summon the level three monster, Edge-Imp Needle, and activate its effect!"

A demonic mesh of sewing needles and thread with a single, glowing red eye in its center appeared on Sora's field, poking the air with its needles like it wanted to stab something.

"Once per turn," Sora explained, "Edge-Imp needle can Special Summon 1 Furnimal monster in my graveyard! Be revived!" he commanded, "Furnimal Mouse!"

Edge-Imp needle shot a pair of needles and thread into the ground which retrieved a mess of fabric and stuffing before mending it together into a cute round blue mouse that held a donut in its paws while bouncing onto Sora's field.

"Furnimal Mouse's effect activates!" Sora declared, stretching out his hand, "I summon two other copies of Furnimal Mouse from my deck!"

"They're so adorable!" the hooded duelist exclaimed as another pair of cute mice bounced onto Sora's field. "I wonder," she remarked, "what horribly twisted monstrosity are you going to fuse these poor monsters into?"

"Fusion makes my monsters stronger." Sora retorted, smiling as he looked through the cards in his hand, "And I'll show you how!"

"From my hand, I activate a second Fusion, and fuse two copies of Furnimal Mouse from my field with the Edge-Imp Scissors in my hand!"

A second fusion portal appeared behind Sora as his three cards swirled into the center in a blend of blue and yellow light. Feeling the light of the Fusion Portal radiate against his body with its gentle glow, Sora reveled in the beauty of seemingly unrelated monsters putting all their differences aside and becoming something even better.

"Steel blades possessed by demons and sharp fangs…" he chanted, "…become one in the mystic whirlpool and reveal to us a new form! YUUGO SHOKAN! Mystical beast of the jungle who tears all to shreds, DEATH TOY SCISSOR TIGER!"

A mangled, stuffed tiger held together with a hideous mesh of scissor blades appeared onto Sora's field, laughing like a maniac while a pair of demon eyes stared back from within its gaping mouth.

"Death Toy Tomahawk Owl's effect activates!" Sora declared, holding out his hand, "If I Fusion Summon a Death Toy monster, I can inflict 800 damage to my opponent's Life Points! GO!" He commanded, "Death Toy Tomahawk Owl!"

Tomahawk Owl screeched in a high-pitched demon voice as it shot a shower of axe heads in the hooded duelist's direction.

The girl didn't even flinch.

"Sanctified Realm's effect…" she calmly declared, "…If I control a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and I have no monsters in my graveyard, I take no damage."

"What!?" Sora gasped as the axe blades disintegrated into dust before they even touched the duelist.

She gazed back at Sora from behind her hood.

"It is no use, child of Academia." she explained with a smile. "So long as my graveyard is not defiled by the death of my monsters, I shall be invincible."

"I'm not done yet!" Sora countered. No matter what obstacle stood in his way, he would not let her stop him. Especially if all she managed to do was negate a little effect damage.

"Death Toy Scissor Tiger's effect activates!" he declared, stretching out his hand. "When it is summoned, I can destroy one card on the field for each of its Fusion Materials! I choose to destroy your Salvation Seraphim Honored Crusader and face-down card and my own Toy Pot with its effect!"

From its belly, Death Toy Scissor Tiger stretched out a pair of Scissor blades that slammed down on Brave Crusader and the face down card.

"Sanctified Realm effect." the hooded duelist sighed, lazily stretching out her hand as if to stop the scissor blades. "While I control a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck and there are no monsters in my graveyard, each card I control cannot be destroyed once per turn."

A golden sphere of light formed around Honored Crusader and the face-down card, causing Scissor Tiger's blades to bounce harmlessly off.

"Did I not already tell you?" the hooded duelist asked with a smirk, "I am invincible so long as my graveyard is not defiled."

"That's why I also targeted my Toy Pot." Sora countered, not letting the girl get in his head. "I thought there might be some trick like that, so I destroyed one of my own cards so I could do this."

He stretched out his hand as Scissor Tiger, smashed Toy Pot to pieces with its fluffy blue tiger paws.

"When Toy Pot is sent to the graveyard," he explained, "I can draw one card from my deck!"

He jerked a card from the top of his deck while the hooded duelist seemed to chuckle with amusement.

Sora looked at his hand, determined to not let her powerful Field Spell Card deter him from his mission to protect Yuzu.

"It's here!" he thought to himself, "Noticing one of the cards he had drawn."

Holding out his hand to Death Toy Tomahawk Owl, he continued his turn.

"Once per turn, Death Toy Tomahawk Owl allows me to add 1 Fusion, Furnimal, or Edge-Imp monster from my deck or graveyard to my hand. I use its effect to add my third copy of Fusion from my deck to my hand!"

Death Toy Tomahawk Owl glowed orange as Sora tore another card from his deck and added it to the other card in his hand.

"I activate the magic card, Fusion!" Sora cried, face darkening as he let himself focus on his mission to protect Yuzu, "I Fuse the last copy of Furnimal Mouse and Edge-Imp Needle on my field!"

He spread out his arms and began a fusion chant.

"Infernal doll maker and sharp fangs," he commanded, "merge your combined ferocity into a new force and overwhelm our enemies with your devouring swarm! YUUGO SHOKAN!" he screamed, looking slightly crazier, "COME FORTH! Rabid beast that pierces all! Death Toy Needle Mouse!"

Shrieking like a rat with rabies, a new fusion monster scurried onto the duel field. It's torn, plushy body vaguely resembled a Furnimal Mouse that had been stretched out, torn apart, and twisted to look more demonic. On its back, head, and through its eyes, thousands of needles poked out in all directions like a pincushion. Within its mouth, which was barely held together with a few ragged pieces of thread, a single, red demonic eye stared back at the hooded duelist. A holographic indicator appeared and showed it had 800 ATK.

"When Death Toy Needle Mouse is Special Summoned Successfully," Sora continued, "I can special summon up to two copies of Death Toy Needle Mouse from my Extra Deck or Graveyard! Come forth!" he commanded as Needle Mouse stood on its hind legs and began shrieking into the air, "Two more Death Toy Needle Mouse!"

Two more mangled mouse dolls scurried up next to the original.

"Death Toy Scissor Tiger increases the attack of all Death Toy monsters by 300 for each Death Toy and Furnimal monster I control." Sora went on, spinning the stick of his lollipop while he stepped back to admire the force he had assembled.

Scissor Tiger glowed with a yellow light as it roared and its ATK increased to 3400, Tomahawk Owl's increased to 3300, and each copy of Needle Mouse's ATK increased to 2300.

The hooded duelist smiled. "So your monster's attack power is now higher than Honored Crusader's. Was this your plan all along?"

"I could try attacking." Sora thought to himself. "Problem is, I don't know what her face-down is. I need to make sure nothing stops me so I can end this duel right now." He looked back to where Yuzu was dueling and decided to go through with his plan.

Sora placed his final card on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Continuous Magic, Death Toy Factory!" he declared. "Once per turn," he explained, "Death Toy Factory allows me to banish one Fusion Card from my graveyard to Fusion Summon one Death Toy Monster."

He removed a copy of Fusion from his graveyard. Before extending his hand toward his trio of Needle Mice.

"I fuse three copies of Death Toy Needle Mouse and Fusion Summon!" he declared as the three mice swirled into a Fusion Portal, shrieking demonically as they did.

"Unusual plaything possessed by demons," he chanted, "Destroy and root out the plebeians who dare rebel against you! YUUGO SHOKAN!" He screamed, slamming his hands together, "COME FORTH! A CHIMERIC FUSION OF ALL PLAYTHINGS! DEATH TOY MAD CHIMERA!"

The hooded duelist took a step back as the ground shook with each massive step of Sora's new colossal Fusion Monster. Supported by four heavy anvil feet, the monster's lopsided body consisted of a mangled pink teddy bear with crowbars and other tools sticking out of its seams, a decapitated stuffed squirrel head on a long metallic pole, a ragged sock puppet with needle teeth, and a long green toy snake. With the effect of Death Toy Scissor Tiger, its ATK rose from 2800 to 3700.

"When Death Toy Needle Mouse is sent from the field to the graveyard," Sora declared, "I can increase my Life Points by 800. With three copies of Needle Mouse sent to the graveyard, that's 2400 Life points.

Sora glowed with blue light as his Life Points rose from 3400 to 5800.

"Mad Chimera's effect activates!" Sora declared, "When it attacks, my opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Battle Phase! Go! Mad Chimera! Attack her Honored Crusader!"

Mad Chimera's teddy bear eyes glowed red as the pink teddy bear stretched open its enormous mouth and launched a missile at Honored Crusader.

"Once any of your monsters are in your graveyard, you will no longer be protected by your Field Spell." Sora mumbled, crunching on his lollipop, "Then you will be open for some direct attacks. It's game over for you!"

The hooded duelist laughed as white light streamed out from behind her back.

"Honored Crusader gains the effects of the Inspired Crusader attached to it as an Overlay Unit!" she declared, stretching her hand towards Sora. "If it battles a monster, I negate that monster's effects and decrease its attack and defense by 100 for each Overlay Unit attached to my monster!"

Sora gasped in shock as the girl's monster flew strait towards the missile, sliced it to ribbons with her sword, and slashed a gaping hole into Mad Chimera, dropping its attack power to its original 2800.

"Destroy!" the girl commanded, baring her fangs.

Honored Crusader flew straight into the air before swooping down and slamming her massive sword directly onto Mad Chimera's head, cutting all the way down to the bottom until the entire monstrosity was split into two pieces that exploded into bits of stuffing and scrap metal.

Sora was thrown against the energy wall with the force of the explosion. Struggling back onto his feet, he groaned as his Life Points dropped to 5300.

"Your advocate has failed you, child of Academia!" the girl declared, pointing her finger at Sora. "Not that it would have mattered even if I didn't have Inspired Crusader's effect. Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim also has an effect that prevents herself from being destroyed by battle while I have no monsters in my graveyard."

Sora desperately tried to think if there was something more he could do, but with no cards in his hand, he realized that he had really run out of options for his first turn.

"You have no more arguments in your defense. End your turn and face your judgment!" the hooded duelist growled, baring her teeth like a predator.

Sora clenched his fist in frustration. He had tried everything to damage her. There had been no flaw in his strategy. He had even summoned his ace monster! But it didn't seem to matter. Nothing he was doing was damaging her even one bit!

Hanging his head down, he decided the best thing he could do for now was hold out with his 5300 Life Points and wait for an answer next turn.

"Turn end!" Sora snarled, frustrated by the growing distance between himself and Yuzu.

"Yes…" the hooded duelist smiled. "…it is the end for you."

Darkness seemed to gather around her as she reached for her deck slot.

"My turn…" she murmured, "…DRAW!" she screamed, ripping a card from the top of her deck.

She smiled at Sora.

"Your dueling skills are at the apex level, even better than the Obelisk Force's abilities." she complimented. "You truly are a credit to Academia's strength."

Sora scowled back at her, uninterested in her praise.

"You are also…" she whispered, "…a credit to their brutality!"

"Are you gonna do your turn or what!?" Sora whined, "I have way more important things to do than deal with Xyz scum like you and your revenge!"

The girl clutched at her chest, snickering with glee.

"But don't you see my child?" she asked, sounding more and more like a nun. "This is far more than a duel! This game has put your soul on display to be judged of me!"

She stretched out her hands. All around Sora, the white clouds of Sanctified Realm blackened and began rolling with thunder and crackling with lightning.

"You have shown me your true character as you conducted your turn!" she continued, white light blazing from underneath her hood and from behind her back. "You conducted yourself just as Academia does, sacrificing all your monsters to the cold graveyard just so you can achieve greater power! Your graveyard now writhes with the souls of your monsters, even as you stand with the hideous monstrosities your Fusion Summoning has created! Let this stand as a testament against you as we behold your sins!"

She bent the fingers of her right hand till it looked like a claw and slammed her hand onto the cloudy ground. The black clouds swirled about and clashed against each other in a tempest as lightning crackled all around both duelists from within the energy walls.

Screaming with rage, the hooded duelist raised her hands above her head. Suddenly, the black clouds vanished away, and Sora suddenly saw himself a few meters away, laughing with malicious glee as he had his Death Toy Wheel Saw Lion chase down a few frightened duelists before he carded them with his Duel Disk.

"What is this!?" Sora shouted in panic, recognizing his past battles in the Xyz Dimension.

The girl looked on with clenched fists and bared teeth as more scenes of Sora's past hunting games played out. Scores of men, women, and children were quickly carded by Sora as he wore a deranged smile on his face and laughed with other Academia students as they compared the number of cards they had each collected.

"Monster!" the girl growled, pressing her teeth against each other. "FOUL MURDERER!" she screamed.

The scene shifted, and Sora suddenly saw himself hanging out with Yuya, Yuzu, and the other students of You Show Duel School. He acted just like a friend to them, and even bonded with Yuzu as he taught her how to Fusion Summon.

The girl twisted her lips in a hideous grin.

"A false friend!" she declared, "A deceiver! Just like everyone in Academia!"

"I was not deceiving her!" Sora screamed back, enraged that the girl had somehow managed to find his precious memories and distort them into a picture she wanted to see.

"Really!?" the girl snarled, "Well… why don't we see how you repaid their friendship!"

The scene changed again, and Sora suddenly relived his duel with Shun as he watched himself mercilessly tear apart the holographic representation of Heartland with his Fusion Monsters in an effort to destroy his opponent.

The girl stood silent this time, clenching her right fist harder and harder, until blood trickled between her fingers as she dug her nails into her skin.

The hooded duelist whipped her head around to face Sora.

"Do you know who I am!?" she hissed.

"I don't care who you are!" Sora shouted back. "This is none of your business! You have no right to see this!"

"I have every right to witness the pain of my friends, family, and homeland!" she roared, blasting the scene back into a raging tempest of black clouds with a wave of her bloody hand. "And I have every right to avenge them! Thank you, child of Academia!" she declared with a god-like reverb, "You have shown me all the reasons I am fighting now! You have reminded me how to feel true rage!"

"I summon another copy of Salvation Seraphim Priestess!" she said, slamming down a card, "And now I activate its effect! I excavate the top cards of my deck, adding Salvation Seraphim Oracle to my hand, while sending the cards, Salvation Seraphim Acolyte and Disciple, to the graveyard!"

She shoved a pair of cards into her graveyard while adding the other card to her hand while lightning clapped behind her.

"From my hand…" she continued, "…I activate the effect of Salvation Seraphim Oracle! By sending it and the Salvation Seraphim Saint from my hand to the graveyard, I am allowed to arrange the top six cards of my deck in any order!"

A copy of Salvation Seraphim Saint and a new black-winged angel, Salvation Seraphim Oracle, descended into the graveyard. Salvation Seraphim Oracle wore a black bandage over her eyes like a blind person while running her fingers along the cracks of some burnt bones like an ancient Chinese fortune teller.

The girl picked six cards up from her deck, and promptly put them back on top of her deck without even looking at them.

"Of course…" she mused, "…Oracle's effect does not truly matter now. I only need her to experience the pain of the graveyard before I unleash that pain right back at you!" she proclaimed, pointing her bloody finger at Sora.

Sora winced at the girl's naked rage, feeling something he had felt back when he had dueled Shun in Standard. This time however, it was a lot more intense.

"I next Special Summon the level three monster, Salvation Seraphim Apostle, from my hand with her own effect!" the girl hissed, staining her card with blood as she placed it on her Duel Disk.

A brown haired girl with glowing, white and gold robes and a pair of black, angel wings with golden tassels hanging from the bottom, flew onto the girl's field. From the folds of her robes, she pulled out a thick, ancient tome and began chanting in an angelic tongue, painting yellow lines in the air with one hand while she did.

"When Salvation Seraphim Apostle is Special Summoned," the girl explained, "I can add one Salvation Seraphim or Rank-Up Card from my deck or graveyard to my hand! I use its effect now to add the Quick-Play Magic, Rank-Up-Magic Paragon Force, from my deck to my hand!"

Salvation Seraphim Apostle, chanted a hymn before completing the drawing in the air. It was the same pair of S-shaped markings decorated to look like Angel wings that had appeared on the girl's other cards. The Salvation Seraphim mark condensed into a mass of gold dust till it transformed into a small card that flew into the hooded duelist's hand.

"I next activate the Magic Card, Rank-Up-Magic Pilgrimage Force, which I added to my hand the previous turn! With it, I use my monster as an Overlay Unit to Xyz Summon one Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck that is up to two ranks higher!"

A golden, Double-S symbol appeared above Honored Crusader's head. Flying towards the center of the symbol, the Red-headed angel condensed into a stream of golden light which emptied into the symbol before the symbol exploded in another massive pillar of radiant light.

"Unyielding guardian whose devotion to the gospel of salvation knows no bounds," she chanted, "unleash your righteous fury upon all the works of the evil one as you commit your heart to a life of consecrated service! RANK-UP XYZ CHANGE!" she roared, "DESCEND NOW! RANK 6! SALVATION SERAPHIM ZEALOUS CRUSADER!"

Burning with flaming armor, the new Salvation Seraphim Monster bathed the black clouds in red light as her wild, auburn and orange hair billowed in the wind. The tops of her white wings were clad in crimson and gold battle-armor and the center of her red-hot chest plate blazed with the golden Double-S mark of the Salvation Seraphim. In one hand, she carried a massive, crimson and gold shield while the other hand hefted an enormous, shiny Zweihander with serrated edges.

"Ascension Force Effect activates!" she proclaimed, holding her hand toward the pillar of light. "I attach my Salvation Seraphim Wise Hermit to my monster as Xyz Material!"

An elderly angel with short grey hair, a burlap hood over her face, and a large wooden staff in her hand, rose from the bottom of the pillar of light and flew towards Zealous Crusader until it shrank down into a sphere of light which orbited Zealous Crusader's body.

"Zealous Crusader's effect activates!" she declared, "Bring salvation to my monsters now!" she commanded as another swarm of glowing spheres of light rose from her graveyard and approached Zealous Crusader until five spheres orbited its body and another ten orbited its sword.

"Next," she continued, "I banish Pilgrimage Force from my graveyard to activate its effect! I can attach two Salvation Seraphim monsters from my hand, side of the field, or graveyard to a Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster I control as Overlay Units! I use this effect on the Salvation Seraphim Priestess and Apostle I summoned!"

Salvation Seraphim Priestess and Apostle rose into the air, joining the growing column of rings orbiting Zealous Crusader's sword.

She pulled another card from her hand.

"Now that my graveyard is purified," she explained, "I can activate the Magic Card, Rank-Up-Magic Paragon Force!"

A massive, pure white Salvation Seraphim Symbol appeared over Zealous Crusader's head. Unlike the previous symbols, the wing patterns on the upper, heart-shaped section of the double S's was more stylized, with larger, silvery wing patterns and a set of ten, shining orbs embedded within the lines. On the bottom half of the double S's, a second pair of smaller wings decorated the serpentine ending of each "S." Zealous Crusader glowed with silvery light before merging itself into the symbol and exploding into a pillar of blinding white light.

"With Paragon Force, I can use my monster to Xyz Summon a Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster whose rank is up to four ranks higher."

She bowed her hand and placed her hands together in a prayer.

"Noble spirit with essence distilled from the purest materials of heaven," she chanted, "carry forth the will of the almighty God and lead the hosts of paradise in a glorious crusade! RANK UP XYZ CHANGE! BEHOLD!" she declared, "RANK 8! SALVATION SERAPHIM GLORIOUS CRUSADER!"

Sora shielded his eyes as the entire field was enveloped in an infinitely bright white light that banished the shadows of the dark storm clouds. Tossing her long grey-and-white hair behind her head, the new angel spread out two, massive pairs of white wings, clad in silver and gold armor, in a large X-pattern. The Salvation Seraphim marked blazed on her chest-plate, and massive shield, while the hilt of her gargantuan sword was styled to mimic the shape of the symbol. As the angel raised her sword above her head, Sora could hear angelic choirs singing in the background, proclaiming the arrival of the hooded duelist's new monster.

"Ascension Force effect!" she commanded, raising her arms to the Angel, "I attach the Rank one, Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor, in my Extra Deck to my monster as an Overlay Unit!"

An angel with dark grey feathers arose from the bottom of the pillar of light before making a quick bow to Sora. Her short grey hair was pulled into a tight bun which she kept mostly covered with a deep black hood and a wide brimmed black hat that concealed most of her face. Beneath the folds of her dark black judge robes, she held a massive iron gavel in one hand while her other hand held a small grey iron scale. Ascending the pillar, she shook her head at Sora before transforming into a sphere of light that orbited the body of Glorious Crusader.

The Xyz duelist stared back at Sora with an iron hard glare from beneath her hood.

"Glorious Crusader gains the effects of each Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster attached to it as an Overlay Unit. With seven Xyz Monsters as Overlay Units and twelve other cards as its regular Overlay Units, Brave Crusader's ability raises Glorious Crusader's attack and defense by 1900."

Sora gasped in Shock as a holographic indicator showed Glorious Crusader's ATK rise from 3000 to 4900.

"As my monster is," the girl remarked examining the angel with a scowl, "I could destroy you right now."

She looked back down at Sora and smiled.

"But that would not be enough." she murmured, "It's not enough to merely beat you." she held out her arms like she wanted to embrace Sora, blood still dripping from her right hand.

"I am here to cleanse you, child of Academia!" she proclaimed, "I will purge your soul of each of your iniquities, every bit of them!"

"Stop calling me that!" Sora muttered, trying to maintain a little dignity even if it looked like he was about to be defeated.

"All the people of Academia are nothing more than wayward children to me." she smirked, "Including your dear professor. They need to be punished before they can be purified. But don't worry, I will see to it that you all are thoroughly cleansed before I redeem your dimension." She extended her hand toward her face-down card. "Let's start with you!"

"I activate my face down!" she declared, "Rank-Down-Trap Judgment Force!"

"Rank-Down!?" Sora cried, never hearing of a card like that before.

Her face-down card flipped over, revealing a picture depicting a set of large scales weighing a cluster of glowing white Overlay Units on one scale, against an equally large pile of pitch black crystals on the other scale.

"Rank-Down-Trap Judgment Force allows me to target 1 Xyz Monster I control in order to Dark Xyz Summon a Dark Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck whose Rank is equal to the Rank of the targeted Xyz Monster times negative one using the targeted Xyz Monster as the Dark Xyz Material."

"Dark Xyz Summon!?" Sora exclaimed, growing even more confused.

The girl smiled coldly back at him before turning to her monster as a set of black chains poured from the Trap Card and bound the angel.

Salvation Seraphim Glorious Crusader gasped in shock as she struggled against the dark bindings. Looking down at the girl as if she had been betrayed, she seemed to plead with the hooded duelist to release her from her bondage.

In response, the girl held out her bloody, right hand and slowly clenched it in a crushing gesture.

Glorious Crusader screamed in agony as her overlay units slowly compacted and condensed until they formed small compressed shiny black crystals, which hovered in place instead of orbiting her body and sword. As Glorious Crusader gasped for breath, the sound of her screams suddenly faded from existence as her body slowly became colorless and translucent. When she was almost completely invisible, her body suddenly collapsed in on itself, sucking the nineteen black crystals into an infinitely tiny point of space. The center of the singularity warped the fabric of space as the surrounding area seemed to bend and stretch till it was sucked inside. As the singularity grew in size, Sora felt himself being pulled toward its center as he struggled against the sudden surge of gravity.

Seemingly unaffected by the anomaly, the hooded duelist raised her hands high above her head and began chanting like she was saying a prayer.

"LEGENDARY, FALLEN GUARDIAN OF THE FIRST PARADISE!" she called in a voice that sounded like a god's, "THE TIME HAS COME FOR THEE TO EXECUTE DIVINE PUNISHMENT UPON THE WAYWARD SOULS OF HUMANITY ONCE MORE! UNSHEATH THY FLAMING SWORD OF VENGEANCE AND SMITE THE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS WITH THY RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION! DARK XYZ SHOKAN!" she screamed as the fabric of space seemed to unfold from the singularity and a new monster stretched out from the center. "DESCEND NOW!" she commanded, "RANK NEGATIVE EIGHT! EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO CHERUBIM!"

From her extra deck, she pulled out the most unusual card Sora had ever seen. The card was slightly translucent so that Sora could see the girl's fingers though the card as she held it above her head. Unlike the black stars on the left side showing the rank of the Xyz monster, this card had a set of eight, cream colored stars on the right side somewhat similar to a regular monster level. The instant she placed the card on her Duel Disk, Sora was blasted back as shockwaves emanated from the hooded duelist and the new monster landed on her field.

Sheathed in thick, shiny steel armor, the girl's new monster looked like a cross between an angel and a living metal statue. Each of its wings were broken into three massive separate hovering segments, which were each completely sheathed in shiny chrome armor. Its armor was thick, sinuous, and tight against its skin, with literally millions of steel segments flexing against each other like muscle fibers. Its face was covered in an ornate steel helmet with seven spikes poking from the top like a crown and a steely mask with an emotionless expression. A primitive looking pattern of white lines covered the angel's body and glowed with a ghostly white light against its solid body. In its massive clawed hands, it held a gargantuan two-handed sword that was twice its own height and looked like it was made of pure red-hot magma as it blazed with uncontrollable flames. Instead of a multitude of translucent, spherical Overlay Units, Sora could see several small circular regions of its body that were translucent, allowing him to see into the monster like an X-ray and notice a shiny black crystal hovering in place within the monster. The monster had a crystal in each of its wing segments, one in each ankle, one in each upper leg, one in its navel, one in its chest, a single crystal in each bicep and in each of its wrists, one in the center of its forehead, and three embedded within its massive sword.

"Geo Cherubim's original attack and defense are each equal to the number of Dark Overlay Units it possesses times one-thousand." the girl coldly remarked.

Sora froze, open mouthed with terror as the angel rose into the air, unfolding its massive metallic wings and detaching small, metal pieces from them until each metal piece hovered in place to form a gigantic steel ring, which glowed with immeasurably intense light, behind the monster while the monster's sword blazed with a fiery inferno and its ATK rose to 20,000.

"This is bad!" Sora thought to himself. "Very bad!"

"Geo Cherubim's effect activates!" the hooded duelist declared. "I can banish one of its Dark Overlay Units and one card on the field or graveyard to cut my opponent's life points in half!"

"What!" Sora gasped.

The girl smiled back at him.

"I told you…" she whispered, "…I would purify every wretched sin from your soul before sending your miserable self to the afterlife." she pointed her bloody finger at him. "Your field and graveyard are stained with the hideous crimes of your Fusion Summoning." she hissed. "But now…" she grinned, "…now I will make your field and graveyard pure as the wind-driven snow!"

Sora stared back at her in stunned disbelief.

She raised her hand to her monster. "Geo Cherubim's effect!" she snarled. "I banish one Dark Overlay Unit and Death Toy Scissor Tiger to halve your Life Points!"

Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim began flexing his right arm, muscles bulging beneath his metal armor as he did. With the sound of intense cracking and shattering, the black crystal in his wrist slowly compacted into a tiny speck until it disappeared entirely and the skin over where the black crystal once stood became opaque. Geo Cherubim's body began radiating a deep black light before the ring behind its body lit up the entire duel field as it shot a cylindrical ring of light into Death Toy Scissor Tiger, burning the hideous demonic stuffed animal away until not even dust remained.

"For invading our city and destroying our homes," the girl chanted, "feel the destruction you inflicted upon us! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!" she called out as the angel plunged his massive sword into the ground, ripping a massive fissure into the earth and sending fiery magma strait at Sora.

Sora screamed in agony as the magma seared his flesh and knocked him back till he slammed against the white force field and his Life Points dropped to 2650.

"For the thousands you killed when your destruction forced us to suffer disease, drought, and famine!" she shouted, "I banish another Dark Overlay Unit and Death Toy Tomahawk Owl to cut your life points in half! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!" she commanded.

The Angel flexed his left arm, crushing the Dark Overlay Unit on his left wrist into a singularity till it vanished away. In another blazing column of light, Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim vaporized the screeching stuffed owl monster before plunging his sword into the ground once more and slamming Sora back into the wall with another wave of magma, reducing his Life Points to 1325.

Struggling back onto his feet, Sora looked up to see tears streaming down the girls cheeks.

"For taking everything from me," she wept, "for tearing my life apart and ripping me from everyone I loved. For sending me to my grave!" she screamed, "I banish another Dark Overlay Unit and your Death Toy Factory! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Sora screamed as his Spell Card was disintegrated and another wave of magma blasted him against the wall, dropping his life points to 662.5.

Shockwaves from the blast blew against the girl's face, blowing off her hood and exposing her face.

Sora gasped when he saw her. Other than a pair of coal-black eyes with glowing blood-red irises and a white wing tattoo over her left eye, the girl looked completely identical to Yuzu.

"I AM KUROSAKI RURI!" she proclaimed, "AND YOU CANNOT OPPRESS ME ANYMORE!"

Ruri raised her hands above her head.

"FOR MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY, AND ALL THE VALIANT FATHERS WHO DEFENDED THEIR LOVED ONES!" she screamed, "I BANISH THREE DARK OVERLAY UNITS AND YOUR FURNIMAL MICE! FEEL THEIR PAIN NOW AS YOU BURN IN THE FLAMES OF VENGEANCE! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Geo Cherubim flexed his muscles, crushing the three Dark Overlay Units on his right wing into nothingness. A ghostly after-image of Sora's three Furnimal Mice rose from the grave before getting ripped into smoke by the blast from Geo Cherubim's ring. Swinging its sword above its head, the angel fired a blast of magma at Sora from its sword blade, flipping Sora ten meters into the air before he landed with a thud and his life points dropped to 82.8125.

"FOR THE INNOCENT MOTHERS, CHILDREN, AND NEW-BORN INFANTS!" Ruri roared, veins sticking out from her neck and forehead, "I BANISH THREE DARK OVERLAY UNITS AND YOUR THREE DEATH TOY NEEDLE MICE! EXPEREINCE THEIR HORROR AND KNOW THAT YOU CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Geo Cherubim crushed three Dark Overlay Units on his left wing.

Sora didn't even know, or care how many Life Points he had left. All he knew was that they were low… very low. As the angel blew away the Needle Mice in his graveyard and used its sword to continuously beat Sora against the wall of light, Sora felt agony rip through his body as his bones crunched against each other, his flesh burned, and his gashes bled.

"Feel every pain we endured as you beat us down with your violence!" Ruri hissed, tears dripping from her chin. Geo Cherubim crushed a Dark Overlay Unit on his right bicep. "RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!" she commanded.

Geo Cherubim fired another beam of light into Sora's graveyard, annihilating Sora's Edge-Imp Scissors before slicing into Sora's left shoulder with another fiery blast of magma.

"Tremble in fear as you face the horrors you made my people experience." Ruri whispered, quivering with agony and rage as Geo Cherubim Crushed the Dark Overlay Unit in its right bicep. "RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!" she roared.

Geo Cherubim blew Edge-Imp Tomahawk into a powdery mist with another beam of light before slashing Sora's right shoulder with more searing magma.

"For all these things…" Ruri snarled, "…I will never forgive Fusion! I banish two Dark Overlay Units and both copies of Fusion from your graveyard! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Sora didn't even manage to stagger to his feet before a wave of magma sliced into his left leg.

"FOR TAKING AWAY OUR HOPES!" Ruri screamed, scattering blood as she slashed the air with her right hand, "I BANISH ANOTHER DARK OVERLAY UNIT FROM MY MONSTER AND THE TOY POT FROM YOUR GRAVEYARD! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Sora struggled to maintain consciousness as a shard of flaming magma stabbed into his left arm, scattering sparks before Sora managed to beat it away with his right arm.

"FOR TAKING AWAY OUR DREAMS!" Ruri wept, face burning red hot as her expression twisted into one of pure rage, "I BANISH A DARK OVERLAY UNIT FROM MY MONSTER AGAIN, ALONG WITH THE WRETCHED EGE-IMP NEEDLE FROM YOUR GRAVEYARD! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Sora let out a scream, tears streaming down his eyes as yet another blast of magma slashed into his right arm.

"FOR TAKING OUR JOY!" Ruri mourned, closing her eyes as a fresh stream of tears gushed out, "I BANISH A DARK OVERLAY UNIT AND FURNIMAL OWL! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!

Sora lost hearing as a blast of magma blew into his right leg, knocking him back against the wall and leaving a dull ringing in his ears.

"For every last sin Academia has committed against the universe…" Ruri whispered, slowly approaching Sora, "…I punish thee now… child of Academia."

Ruri looked into Sora's eyes with pure loathing, irises glowing with a blood-red flame against her coal-black sclera.

"Righteous Indignation." she murmured as Geo Cherubim crushed a Dark Overlay Unit in its sword.

Geo Cherubim's ring glowed with intense light as it shot a final massive, cylindrical ring of light into Sora's graveyard, ripping through the ghostly image of Sora's Death Toy Mad Chimera like light through shadow.

Sora managed to shield his chest and face with his wounded arms and hands, before a final wave of magma slammed into his body, slamming him against the wall of light so hard, that he stuck to it for a moment before sliding down to the ground.

Ruri approached Sora's broken body and picked him up from the ground by the collar with her bloody right hand. Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim slowly descended from the sky, holding his fiery sword like an executioner's blade above Sora's head while a holographic indicator displayed a still-massive attack power of 3000. Barely able to keep consciousness, Sora managed to glance at his Duel Disk and see he had a measly .040435791015625 Life Points left. Normally, the emergency forced return function on his Duel Disk would detect his critical injuries and warp him back to Academia, but Sora had made sure to disable that function before he left the island.

"Before I destroy you…" Ruri whispered into Sora's ear, "…I want to hear you beg for my forgiveness! I want to hear you plead to every single person you've tormented as you whimper for your pathetic life to be spared. Now…" she commanded, "…appeal to my mercy!"

Sora barely managed to lift his head before his eyes widened with shock when he noticed something happen on the Friendship Cup track.

"YUZU!" he screamed, forgetting about his pain.

"What!?" Ruri exclaimed, whipping her head around to see what Sora had witnessed. Noticing a holographic screen displaying the Friendship Cup duel, she watched as Sergey slammed his massive bike into Yuzu's tiny pink D-wheeler, sending her flying off the track.

"FLOWER BLOOMING UPON THE BATTLEFIELD…" Ruri heard Sergey scream, "…SCATTER!"

A massive wheel of twisted vines and thorns slammed into a beautiful fairy bound to a sphere of thorny vines, slicing it to pieces before the shockwaves from the blast knocked Yuzu into the side of a massive skyscraper.

"YUZU!" Sora screamed again as a violent explosion burst from the side of the skyscraper. He could not believe what had happened. If it hadn't have been for his duel against Ruri, if he had of just been able to beat her during his turn, he could have been watching Yuzu. He could have saved her!"

Ruri dropped Sora on the ground and deactivated her Duel Disk, running in the direction of where Yuzu had crashed. As Sora slowly lost consciousness, he felt himself hallucinate as Ruri inexplicably grew a pair of angel wings from a glowing white heron mark shining beneath her clothes and flew away towards the skyscraper before disappearing entirely.

Ruri flew as fast as she could to the burning crash site, rushing past helicopters and holographic screens as she flapped her wings. Swooping down into the smoking hole in the side of the building, Ruri slid onto the floor before folding her wings back into her mark. Tossing aside D-wheelers and rubble, she cleared away a path for herself before spying Yuzu's burnt body lying underneath a pile of burning D-wheelers and rubble.

Ruri pounced on Yuzu's unconscious body, wrenching her free from the flames before raising her right hand into the air.

"Disperse." she commanded.

Immediately, the flames and smoke cleared away in a fifteen meter radius around her.

Cradling Yuzu in her arms, she removed her cracked pink helmet and wiped soot and hair from her face before closing her eyes, making it look like she was only sleeping.

"Why does this have to happen to us?" Ruri mourned, kissing Yuzu's forehead before gently laying her body on the ground.

Ruri's eyes and mark glowed with white light as she raised her arms above her head, forming a circle of black fire around them.

"I'm coming for you… Yuzu." she whispered before laying down next to Yuzu and closing her eyes, letting her spirit drift into the Underworld.

"Yuzu…Yuzu!"

Yuzu awoke when she heard someone calling her name. Lifting her head, she gasped when she beheld her body suspended in an infinite, black mist.

Swimming against the shadows, she struggled to stand upright as she tried to take in her desolate environment and recall what had just happened to her. She remembered dueling only moments before. She remembered winning against her opponent, Sergey, before he was suddenly badly injured when a piece of the track tore open his right arm. She had tried to stop the duel so he could get care and medical attention rather than just get dropped into the underground force labor facility the second he lost to have his wound get infected till he died from disease and over-work. She had tried to convince the audience to cancel the duel, but nobody was listening to her.

After that… things became blurred. She remembered Sergey suddenly laughing at her. Taunting her like he wanted to be in pain. He started muttering something about the beauty of crushing her just when she thought she had won. He sped away on his bike, laughing like a maniac before pulling out a Fusion card and Fusion Summoning a monster nobody saw coming. She remembered gasping in shock when his 0 ATK monster suddenly raised its ATK to 4600 with its own ability before reducing her own monsters ATK to 100 and increasing its own ATK to an even greater 4800. He declared an attack on her monster, preparing to wipe out her Life Points in one go, when she had suddenly spotted something on the track… an Action Card! She raced her bike forward to grab the Action Card and turn the duel around before she suddenly saw Sergey swing his bike around and slam into her. She went flying into the air as his monster smashed into her Bloom Prima, and then… and then…"

Yuzu's head suddenly ached as she strained to remember what happened next.

"Yuzu… can you hear me!?" a voice called from the darkness.

Yuzu whipped her head around, trying to find the speaker.

I'm here!" she called into the shadows, hoping that someone had come to rescue her.

Immediately, Yuzu was enveloped in gentle white light as a girl stepped towards her from the distance. Adjusting her eyes to the glow, Yuzu managed to make out a silvery bracelet with a gold gem on the girl's right hand. Looking up, Yuzu saw that the girl's face looked exactly the same as her own.

"Who are you!?" Yuzu gasped, shocked by the visitation of one of her counterparts.

"I am Kurosaki Ruri," the girl explained stepping towards Yuzu, "we haven't ever met before, but I know your name… Hiragi Yuzu."

"RURI!?" Yuzu exclaimed, recognizing the name.

The girl blinked.

"Yes." she replied, "Have you heard of me before?"

"I've met your brother, Shun, and your friend, Yuto." Yuzu explained, head buzzing with questions. "They've been looking for you! I'd heard you'd been kidnapped by Academia! How did you escape!?"

The girl hung her head.

"I died… Yuzu." she murmured.

"Died?" Yuzu questioned, wondering what she was talking about.

Ruri nervously pulled at one of her pony tails.

"I wish there were an easier way to explain it," she said, "but it's probably better to not beat around the bush. You and I have both died, Yuzu." she explained, "You perished when Sergey Volkov slammed your bike off the track and into a building. This place is the Underworld, a realm designed to receive souls like yours and mine."

Yuzu gasped in shock, before looking around at her dark surroundings, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No…" she gasped, "…you can't be right! This can't be real!"

"I wish it weren't real." Ruri replied. "But ignoring reality will change nothing."

Yuzu gazed into the black space and began taking in the utter emptiness of her new world. Other than her glowing companion, she was alone… terribly alone.

"Daddy!" she cried, "Tatsuya! Ayu! Futoshi! Gongenzaka! YUUUYAAAAA!" she wailed, collapsing into a ball and shaking with uncontrollable tears.

Ruri knelt down and enveloped Yuzu in her arms, letting herself shed a tear as she empathized with the Standard girl's suffering.

"Let it out." she whispered, patting Yuzu on the back. Not knowing what else to say, Ruri patiently let Yuzu weep into her chest, using her long, black and white sleeve to periodically wipe tears from Yuzu's cheek.

When Yuzu finally exhausted herself with crying, Ruri let Yuzu rest her head on her shoulder while she whispered in Yuzu's ear.

"I know you're scared," she whispered, "and confused about why this happened to you. But I promise you, I know what happened to you is wrong, and if you let me, I can help you make things right! I can save you from this fate and help you return to the ones you love!"

Yuzu's ears perked up after hearing the last part of Ruri's promise.

"What do you mean?" Yuzu asked, pulling away from Ruri. She was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that she was not only speaking to the Ruri she had heard so much about, but a Ruri that apparently was as dead as she was. For that matter, Yuzu still hadn't decided if she had come to terms with her own death!

Ruri contemplated the situation for a moment, remembering when she was in the exact same position Yuzu was in.

Ruri removed her hood and cape and turned around. The back of her long dress, down to just a few inches above her tailbone was bare, with just two black straps around her shoulders holding it up. Blazing on her back and neck with white light, a massive heron mark gently glowed against the darkness.

Yuzu gazed at the mark. "What happened to you?" she asked, wondering if Ruri was the one who actually needed her help rather than the other way around.

"I was given a special power." Ruri related. "With it, I was able to return from the dead and come to you. I wish to share this gift with you now."

She turned around and offered Yuzu her left hand. Glancing at Ruri's right hand, Yuzu noticed a deep bleeding gash against her palm.

"Are you hurt?" Yuzu asked, rushing forward to examine Ruri's hand, before silently thinking to herself that asking a dead person if she was hurt was normally considered pretty stupid by the vast majority of humanity.

"It is nothing…" Ruri replied, closing her palm, "…you don't need to worry about me."

"But if you're injured…" Yuzu stammered, searching her pockets to see if she had a bandage. Pulling out the handkerchief Yugo had given her, she silently asked Rin to forgive her before clamping it down on Ruri's hand and tying it tight against her palm.

Ruri noticed Rin's Kanji embroidered on the folds of the handkerchief.

"This is Rin's!" she exclaimed as the fabric staunched the bleeding.

"You were in Academia together." Yuzu pondered before suddenly looking concerned, "Is Rin alive? Did Academia kill both of you!?"

Ruri paused, thinking how to answer Yuzu's questions.

"Yes and no to the first question… and yes and no to the second question." she replied, realizing how confusing her response must have sounded to Yuzu.

Sure enough, Yuzu stared back at her with a bewildered expression.

"I know you must have a lot of questions, Yuzu," Ruri explained, pressing Rin's handkerchief against her palm, "but they will have to wait a little while until I know you're safe. Just know that Rin and I were both given extraordinary powers that let us escape from Academia's imprisonment… including the imprisonment of the grave. If you and I use this power together," she continued, "I believe we can create a new world. A world where wars and murders like this one never occur. A world filled with smiles."

"A world filled with smiles?" Yuzu asked, recognizing Yusho and Yuya's line.

Ruri nodded her head.

"It was an ideal shared with me by my friend, Sayaka." she told Yuzu, wearing a bitter-sweet smile on her face. "I wished to achieve this ideal and bring smiles to others with my dueling."

She looked down on the ground with a scowl.

"But that ideal cannot be achieved in a universe ravaged by the threat of Academia." she said, turning to face Yuzu while her irises glowed red. "Do you know of the Fusion Dimension?" she asked Yuzu.

"I've heard what they did to your hometown." Yuzu replied, taking Ruri's hands in her own. "I'm so sorry!" she whispered, "My pain is nothing compared to what you've gone through!"

"You are kind." Ruri murmured, pulling Yuzu into another hug while letting a few tears of sorrow and gratitude trickle down her cheeks.

She let go of Yuzu and stood at her full height.

"I wish to end this destructive war." Ruri declared, marks glowing with intense light. "Will you help me do this?" she asked Yuzu.

It was a lot to take in. Here was the girl Yuzu had been hoping for the longest time to rescue from Academia now offering to save her from the imprisonment of the grave. She claimed to have some kind of miraculous power that could fix everything. Yuzu hadn't ever met Ruri before, but Yuto and Shun had devoted their lives to finding her. She had heard nothing but glowing praise for Ruri from everyone that had known her, even from psychos like Yuri who complemented her determination. Why would Ruri go to all the trouble of visiting Yuzu in the underworld just so she could lie to her? What if what she was saying was true and there was a way Yuzu could end the inter-dimensional war with Yuya and the other Lancers?

Yuzu approached the Xyz duelist, face hardening into a determined expression.

"Yes," she replied holding out her hand, "I share your wish. I only want to stop the inter-dimensional war and go home."

Ruri gave Yuzu a warm smile.

"Then I will help you do that!" she cried with pure joy.

Ruri grasped Yuzu by the right arm and looked into her eyes.

"This will hurt a little," she warned, "but when it's over, it will all be worth it!"

"What do I have to do?" Yuzu asked, looking at where Ruri was grasping her arm.

"You will need to be prepared to accept some dramatic changes." Ruri explained, "But if you can do that and help me achieve my goals, I promise to give you everything you desire. Now brace yourself." She commanded, grasping Yuzu's arm a little tighter.

Yuzu closed her eyes as a circle of black flames formed around them and Ruri began chanting.

"Hiragi Yuzu!" she cried, "You have been chosen by the gods to plant the seeds of change in this afflicted universe and build the ideal world of your desires! Raise your voice in singing the divine hymns of renewal! Silence the foolish tyrants who wish to oppress the innocent with the words of your holy song! Bring joy to the hearts of the victim as you call them forth to join your choir! Become a goddess, clothed with power and glory! Be reborn, Yuzu! Be reborn as a Dark Signer!"

Yuzu shrieked in pain, ripping her arm away from Ruri's grip as a crimson, flower-shaped mark with six circular petals, a spiral center, and a long rectangular stem burned into her right arm. Clutching her left eye in agony, she felt something sear itself over her left eyelids and cheek as she momentarily lost vision. Shadows gathered around her, congealing into a thick ooze, which covered her clothing and warped her attire until she was clothed in a short back top that was trimmed with red markings and that left her midriff exposed, a medium length red and black cape, a pair of black and red shorts with a thick leather belt, black and red shoes, a pair of black stocking that came up past her knees, and a set of black fingerless gloves that stretched past her elbow.

As Yuzu staggered to her feet, Ruri took a step forward to examine her face.

Over Yuzu's left eye, a crimson flower mark with six highly detailed petals burned against the darkness like red-hot lava. Down the left corner of her cheek, a single veiny red leaf mark glimmered like a single tear-drop. Her sclera had blackened and her blue irises shone like brilliant sapphires. Recovering from the shock of her pain, Yuzu gazed upon the change of her appearance with wonder.

"What's happened to me?" she asked.

"You have become an almighty goddess, Yuzu." Ruri replied, smiling proudly. Taking Yuzu by the hand, she walked with her through the shadows, slowly leading her out of the underworld.

"Welcome Yuzu." Ruri proclaimed, "Welcome to the Dark Signers!"

To say that Barrett was lucky to be standing in the professor's presence was an understatement. As Barrett contemplated his colossal failure of not only permitting Selena to visit another dimension, but also lose Selena shortly after arriving in Standard, Barrett marveled at Professor Akaba's extreme mercy in not only allowing him to live, but find redemption by successfully completing a mission to retrieve Selena, and possibly, Hiragi Yuzu. Were the roles reversed, and Barrett the professor, Barrett was certain he wouldn't have been so lenient.

Bowing low to the ground, Barrett showed the utmost in respect as the professor briefed him on his assignment.

"Dennis has returned and confirms that both Selena and Hiragi Yuzu are residing in the Synchro Dimension's City. As soon as the Obelisk Force finishes their preparations by tonight, I want you to accompany them." the professor ordered, sitting on his throne.

"Yes." Barrett replied, bowing his head with gratitude. "I thank you for giving me the chance to redeem myself."

"Yuri will also be there soon." the professor continued, "Make sure you work with him."

The professor rubbed his forehead, looking slightly agitated.

"You have heard the reports regarding the escaped prisoners, Ruri and Rin, right?" he asked, looking down at Barrett.

"Right!" Barrett confirmed with a nod.

"Our intelligence believes that they will both be working in the Synchro Dimension, possibly trying to recruit others to their cause." the professor explained. "Under no circumstances," the professor commanded, "are you or the Obelisk Force to engage with either of them without support from Yuri."

"That will be unnecessary." Barrett proudly replied, gazing back into the professor's face with his one, unwounded eye. "I will personally see to it that Selena-Sama, Hiragi Yuzu, Rin, and Kurosaki Ruri are brought to Academia!"

"The Dark Signers are out of your hands." the professor sternly admonished, silencing Barrett's boasting. "I am sending a specialized team to handle the situation."

From the shadows, a trio of duelists wearing emotionless masks and metal helmets strolled in front of Barrett and stood at attention. They wore capes and sleek, light armor that was pure white and covered every inch of their skin. Similar to the Obelisk Force's helmets, the helmets of these soldiers were styled to look like one of the legendary Duel Monster gods, but theirs completely concealed their faces and looked like the face and helmet of The Creator God of Light Horakhty.

"These duelists are tasked with engaging the Dark Signers directly." the professor decreed, indicating the masked individuals. "Your only task is to make sure you and the Obelisk Force stay out of their way."

Barrett bowed his head.

"Yes professor… I understand." he humbly acknowledged as the three masked duelists turned their backs to him and faced the professor.

The duelist in the center stepped forward before all three bowed to the professor.

"The Agents of Horakhty are at your disposal!" the center one called out in a filtered, robotic voice that disguised his real one.

"We are grateful to perform this valuable service for Academia." the one on Barrett's left contributed with an identical robotic voice.

"The path to Academia's victory… is clear." The one on Barrett's right droned with a rhythm that slightly distinguished his robotic pitch from the others.

The professor leaned forward.

"You will stay together and engage the Dark Signers as a team." he ordered, fixing the three duelist's with a hard gaze. "Do not separate and do not underestimate their power. Use whatever force is necessary to subdue them, but bring them back to Academia alive."

"You have nothing to fear, professor." the center one replied, standing up. "We will carry out your orders with perfection as we have always done!"

The professor leaned back in his throne, placing his left hand against the metal plate on his head.

"I'm counting on you," the professor warned, "Hell Kaiser."

FEATURED FANFIC CARDS

Sora's Monsters

Edge-Imp Needle/ DARK/ Level 3/ Fiend/ Effect/ ATK 600/ DEF 300/ Once per turn, you can target 1 "Furnimal" monster in your graveyard: Special Summon that Target.

Sora's Extra Deck

Death Toy Tomahawk Owl/ DARK/ Level 5/ Fiend/ Fusion/ Effect/ ATK 1800/ DEF 1600/ Furnimal Owl + Edge-Imp Tomahawk

Once per turn, you can add 1 "Polymerization", "Furnimal", or "Edge-Imp" card from your deck or graveyard to your hand. Each time you Fusion Summon a "Death Toy" monster, you can inflict 800 damage to your opponent's LP.

Death Toy Needle Mouse/ DARK/ Level 3/ Fiend/ Fusion/ Effect/ ATK 800/ DEF 600/ Furnimal Mouse + Edge Imp Needle

If this card is Special Summoned successfully, you can activate this effect: Special Summon up to 2 "Death Toy Needle Mouse" from your Extra Deck or graveyard. (You cannot Special Summon monsters from the Extra Deck the turn you activate this effect except Fusion Monsters). If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can activate this effect: Increase your LP by 800.

Ruri's Monsters

Salvation Seraphim Acolyte/ DARK/ Level 1/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 200/ DEF 100/ You can discard this card from your hand: Set 1 "Rank-Up" Spell Card or "Salvation Seraphim" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck. During either player's turn, if this card is in your Graveyard, you can discard 1 card to target 1 Winged Beast Type Xyz Monster you control: Attach this card to that target as an Xzy Material. (You can only use this effect of "Salvation Seraphim Acolyte" once per turn).

Salvation Seraphim Priestess/ DARK/ Level 3/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 1200/ DEF 1000/ If this card is Normal or Special Summoned, you can excavate the top 3 cards of your deck: Add 1 excavated "Salvation Seraphim" monster to your hand and send all other cards excavated by this effect to the graveyard.

Salvation Seraphim Healer/ DARK/ Level 3/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 100/ DEF 1000/ If you control a "Salvation Seraphim" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. (You can only Special Summon "Salvation Seraphim Healer" once per turn with this effect). Once per turn, you can send the top card of your deck to the graveyard: Special Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" monster from your graveyard.

Salvation Seraphim Apostle/ DARK/ Level 3/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 1600/ DEF 100/ If you control a "Salvation Seraphim" monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. (You can only Special Summon "Salvation Seraphim Apostle" once per turn with this effect). If this card is Special Summoned, you can activate this effect: Add 1 "Salvation Seraphim" or "Rank-Up" card from your deck or graveyard to your hand.

Salvation Seraphim Saint/ DARK/ Level 3/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 1400/ DEF 700/ If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can add 1 "Rank-Up" Spell Card from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand. Once per turn, you can send the top 3 cards from your deck to the graveyard: Destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field, up to the number of "Salvation Seraphim" monsters sent to the graveyard with this effect.

Salvation Seraphim Angel/ DARK/ Level 6/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 2000/ DEF 1400/ Effects unrevealed.

Salvation Seraphim Oracle/ DARK/ Level 6/ Winged Beast/ ATK 0/ DEF 2500/ You can discard this card and 1 other card from your hand: Arrange the top 6 cards of your deck in any order desired. If there are no monsters in your Graveyard, you can Normal Summon this card without tributing. Once per turn, you can excavate the top 3 cards of your deck: Special Summon 1 excavated "Salvation Seraphim" monster and send all other cards excavated by this effect to the graveyard.

Ruri's Extra Deck

Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor/ LIGHT/ Rank 1/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1000/ DEF 300/ Effects unrevealed.

Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim/ LIGHT/ Rank 3/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1600/ DEF 2000/ 2 Level 3 Monsters

Cannot be destroyed by battle while you have no monsters in your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to excavate the top 3 cards of your deck: Add all excavated "Salvation Seraphim" monsters to your hand and return all other cards excavated by this effect to the top of the deck in any order.

Salvation Seraphim Wise Hermit/ LIGHT/ Rank 6/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1800/ DEF 2800/ Effects unrevealed.

Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader/ LIGHT/ Rank 3/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1800/ DEF 700/ 2 or more (Max 5.) Level 3 monsters

If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard to this card as Xyz Material. This card gains the effects of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster attached to itself as Xyz Material. This card gains 100 ATK and DEF for each Xyz Material attached to itself. Once per turn, if you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can detach any number of Xzy materials from this card: Inflict 100 damage to your opponent's LP for each card detached for this effect.

Salvation Seraphim Inspired Crusader/ LIGHT/ Rank 4/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2000/ DEF 1400/ 2 or more (Max. 5) Level 4 monsters

If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard to this card as Xyz Material. This card gains the effects of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster attached to itself as Xyz Material. If this card battles a monster, negate that monster's effects and decrease its ATK and DEF by 100 for each of this card's Xyz Materials at the end of the Damage Step.

Salvation Seraphim Honored Crusader/ LIGHT/ Rank 5/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2400/ DEF 1800/ 2 or more (Max. 5) Level 5 monsters

If this card is Xyz Summoned successfully, attach all "Salvation Seraphim" monsters in your graveyard to this card as Xyz Material. This card gains the effects of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster attached to itself as Xyz Material. If this card destroys a monster by battle, you can banish 2 Xyz Materials attached to this card: This card can make an additional attack on a monster your opponent controls.

Salvation Seraphim Zealous Crusader/ LIGHT/ Rank 6/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2800/ DEF 2100/ Effects unrevealed.

Salvation Seraphim Glorious Crusader/ LIGHT/ Rank 8/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2800/ Effects unrevealed.

Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim/ LIGHT/ Rank -8/ Fairy/ Dark Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 0/ DEF 0/ 3 Level -8 monsters

This card's original ATK and DEF are each equal to the number of Dark Xyz Materials attached to this card X 1000. You can banish 1 Dark Xyz Material attached to this card and 1 card on the field or in either player's graveyard: Halve your opponent's LP.

Ruri's Spells

Sanctified Realm/ Spell/ Field/ This card's effects are not applied to players who do not control a monster(s) that were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck or who have a monster(s) in their respective graveyard. Player's take no damage. Each card a player controls cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn. Once per turn, the turn player can add 1 Spell/Trap Card from his/her deck to their respective hand, but that card cannot be set or activated the turn this effect was activated.

Salvation Seraphim Ascension Force/ Spell/ Continuous/ If a "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster is Xyz Summoned to your side of the field, you can activate this effect: Attach 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck to that card as an Xyz Material. If you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can tribute this card to target 1 Xyz Monster you control: Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is up to 2 Ranks higher than that target's Rank, using that target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target become Xyz Materials on the summoned monster).

Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Target 1 Xyz Monster you control: Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 or 2 Ranks higher than that target's Rank by using that target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target become Xyz Materials on the summoned monster).

Rank-Up-Magic Pilgrimage Force/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Target 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster you control: Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is 1 or 2 Ranks higher than that Target's Rank by using that Target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target also become Xyz Materials on the summoned monster). You can banish this card from your graveyard: attach up to 2 monsters from your side of the field, hand, or graveyard to a "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster you control as Xyz Material.

Rank-Up-Magic Paragon Force/ Spell/ Quick-Play/ Activate only if you have no monsters in your graveyard. Target 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster you control: Xyz Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is up to 4 Ranks higher than the Rank of that Target by using that Target as the Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target also become Xyz Materials on the summoned monster).

Salvation Seraphim Holy Shield/ Spell/ Equip/ Equip only to a "Salvation Seraphim" monster you control. While you have no monsters in your graveyard, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects and you take no damage from battles involving that monster. If this card is in your graveyard while there are no monsters in your graveyard, you can banish 1 Spell/Trap Card from your graveyard: Attach this card to 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster you control as an Xyz Material.

Lost Salvation/ Spell/ Continuous/ Effects unrevealed.

Ruri's Traps

Salvation Seraphim Reconciliation Force/ Trap/ Normal/ Effects unrevealed.

Rank-Down-Trap Judgment Force/ Trap/ Normal/ Target 1 Xyz Monster on the field: Dark Xyz Summon 1 Dark Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck whose Rank is equal to the Rank of that Target X -1, using that Target as the Dark Xyz Material. (Xyz Materials attached to that target become Dark Xyz Materials on the summoned monster).