Part 1: Chapter 7 – Devotion

Roger watched with growing displeasure as the rest of the Arrest Corps surrounded Ruri before one of them drew his opening hand. Before the officer could begin his move, Roger stopped him with a more practical order.

"I'm not wasting time with another duel." Roger fumed. "Capture her by force!"

Immediately, the other two-hundred and ninety-nine Arrest Corps officers whipped out a net-gun and fired a web of Solid Vision netting at Ruri while she was still facing the first opponent, wrapping her up in a web-like encasing until she looked like a caterpillar in a chrysalis.

Roger gripped the arm of his chair, waiting for some struggle from the Dark Signer, but nothing happened. "Well…" he nervously laughed, wiping some seat from his brow with his handkerchief, "…that was surprisingly easy. Bring her back to Headquarters." He ordered his officers, "Leave the Dark Signer intact and unharmed, but do not let her escape."

"Escape?" Roger suddenly heard Ruri's voice call from within the netting. Judging by the tone of her voice, she seemed neither upset nor concerned. If anything, she sounded… bored. "Please Roger, I never intended to run away. Those days are behind me now." Suddenly, the encasement of holographic energy began glowing with intense white light. In a blinding flash, the encasement instantly vaporized into nothingness. From the center of the blast, Ruri stepped forward and turned her head until she was directly facing Roger from his computer.

"It's very rude to interrupt a duel, Roger. It would be even more ungracious if I were to try and leave. So please… let's try to settle things amicably rather than like a bunch of wild apes." Roger flinched at her speech, not so much for being compared to an ape, but for the sinking feeling that all throughout her speech, Ruri had been staring at him as if seeing him, face-to-face. She turned away from Roger and faced the Arrest Corps. "Please continue your turn… X-921? Really Roger? They have names you know." She tossed back her hair, "Regardless… I will be more than happy to take you all on. Shall we play by Battle Royal rules again, or do you have something different rigged in your favor this time?

Roger rubbed his forehead in frustration before deciding that it would be best to project strength against the Dark Signer rather than desperation. He pushed a button on his desk in order to project himself on the Duel Field again.

"Why not make things more fast-paced?" Roger's colossal holographic figure offered. "I'm not going to lie, Ruri, you have greatly displeased me. GREATLY displeased me. I have no interest in wasting any more time. I have much better things to do than obsess over you and your pitiful vendetta. Standard rules. The first player cannot attack their first turn, while the rest can. This is your last chance… Kurosaki. I will not be holding back like I did last time! Surrender now!"

"You said you weren't going to lie…" Ruri smirked, "…and yet, right there, you just lied through your teeth!"

"About what?" Roger snapped.

"You said you held back last time." Ruri replied, positioning her head so that she was once again looking directly at Roger through his computer screen, rather than at his holographic projection. She shook her head as if she pitied him. "Please… there's no point in trying to salvage whatever's left of your pride. I would be more worried about what will happen to you once I am through with these men, rather than about your reputation as a, soon to be deposed, ruler of this city."

"New orders…" Roger growled, "…leave nothing left of the Dark Signer when you're finished with her."

Ruri sighed. "Unrepentant to the end then? Well… don't say I didn't give you a chance." She turned once again to the Arrest Corps. "Watch closely, Roger. I have forgiven these men for whatever atrocities they may have committed under your control, but whatever pain you force me to inflict upon them shall be answered on your head tenfold. Continue your turn Roger!" she commanded, "We'll see if you were really holding back in the last duel!"

"I activate the magic card, Fusion!" X-921 declared, holding up two cards. "Using two Goyo Regent from my hand as material, I Fusion Summon! Come forth! Goyo Emperor!"

Ruri's hair was blown back as X-921's Fusion Monster exploded from the portal. Hovering above the duel field on a massive crimson throne, the purple-haired emperor looked extra angry as it clenched its fists and glared down at the Dark Signer.

"Next," X-921 continued, "Since I control a Goyo monster, I Special Summon Goyo Regent from my hand!"

A bluish white portal opened onto X-921's field below Goyo Emperor. From within, another copy of Goyo Regent leaped out before posing in front of Goyo Emperor with his jutte held forward and his fan held out like a shield.

X-921 slapped another card onto his Duel Disk. "I next summon the Tuner monster, Jutte Knight, and since Goyo Regent is always treated as a Synchro monster, I tune it with my Goyo Regent now to Synchro Summon the Level eight Synchro Monster, Goyo King! SYNCHRO SHOKAN! Come forth to suppress all enemies of the state! Goyo King!"

In an explosive pillar of light, Goyo King burst onto the duel field before leveling a massive Jutte-tipped spear at Ruri. "How's that for not holding back?" Roger muttered from behind his desk.

"It's okay for a start." Ruri responded, looking directly at Roger. Roger nearly jumped from his chair. He hadn't projected his voice onto the dueling field.

Ruri smirked at Roger from behind the computer screen. "Unfortunately for you, your best efforts aren't going to be nearly enough to defeat me. Especially if you disabled the auto-shuffle function again in order to ensure that all your Arrest Corps would be able to have the exact same turn."

Roger gritted his teeth. She could not be serious. It was impossible! It was out of the question! Never in a million years could a single duelist, no matter how ludicrously powerful, defeat three-hundred well-trained opponents!

"My turn!" Ruri declared, drawing a card before Roger or any of the other Arrest Corps could respond. She glanced through the cards in her hand and seemed to make some calculations before continuing with her turn. "Since I have no monsters in my graveyard, I special summon the Level 6 monster, Salvation Seraphim Angel, from my hand!"

Salvation Seraphim Angel descended to Ruri's field before pulling out her spear and staring down, with a confident expression on her face, at Goyo Emperor and Goyo King, who glared back at her with a hostile expression on each of their faces.

Ruri held up two cards. "It's time to create a new future. I discard Salvation Seraphim Oracle and Salvation Seraphim Disciple in order to activate Oracle's effect. I can arrange the top six cards of my deck in any order desired." After depositing the two cards into her graveyard, she picked up six cards from the top of her deck, quickly sorted through them, and placed them back on top of her deck. "Next, since I control a Salvation Seraphim Monster, I Special Summon the Level three monster, Salvation Seraphim Healer, from my hand."

An angel with curly blonde hair, which had herbs and berries interwoven within, appeared to Ruri's field. Tugging a few ingredients from the tangled strands of her hair, she crushed some herbs and berries in her hand before depositing them into a mixing bowl and pounding away at the contents with a broad stick.

"Using Healer's effect," Ruri continued, "I send the top card of my deck, Salvation Seraphim Archon, to the graveyard, in order to Special Summon the Level six, Salvation Seraphim Oracle, from my graveyard."

"She's going to summon Nephilim again!" Roger realized. "She probably has that other card in her hand to do it!" he quickly pressed a button on his desk. "Activate Goyo King's effect now! Capture Salvation Seraphim Oracle!"

X-921 stretched his hand forward. "Goyo King Effect! If my opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster, I can tribute one Goyo Monster to take control of one Level eight or lower monster my opponent controls! I tribute Goyo Emperor now to activate Goyo King's effect! Take control of Salvation Seraphim Oracle!"

Goyo Emperor burst into a puff of gold holographic dust. Immediately afterwards, Goyo King whipped out a jutte-tipped lasso and threw it towards Ruri's Salvation Seraphim Oracle. Oracle screamed out in panic and attempted to fly away as the lasso tangled around her body, but Goyo King roughly yanked her forward and held her in front of himself like a human shield.

Roger smiled at this. "Xyz Monsters, and even Dark Xyz Monsters, require monsters with equivalent levels to be used as materials." He thought to himself. "Sorry to disappoint you, Ruri, but I won't be letting you repeat the last duel." He looked at Ruri through the screen but was surprised to find that she looked exceedingly unperturbed.

Ruri extended her hand towards Salvation Seraphim Angel. "I activate the effect of Salvation Seraphim Angel! Once per turn, I can declare a Level from one to six, and if I do, the levels of all face-up Salvation Seraphim monsters I control become the declared Level until the End-Phase! I declare the Level of three in order to equalize the Levels of my monsters!"

Salvation Seraphim Angel spread out her wings and glowed with intense golden light. In a shower of golden sparks, both she and Salvation Seraphim Healer glowed with a golden aura of energy before a holographic indicator showed Angel's Level drop to three.

"With their levels now equal, I use my two Level three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Ruri declared, raising her hands above her head as her monsters transformed into a pair of streams of yellow light before draining into the center of an Xyz Portal. Clamping her hands together and bowing her head in a prayer position, Ruri began her summoning chant:

"Diligent seeker of the truth willing to selflessly sacrifices all thy life to find spiritual enlightenment, journey now through a thousand years of wandering and obtain the divine revelation thou hast sought! XYZ SHOKAN! Come forth to distill heavenly wisdom upon my mind and soul! Rank three! Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim!"

In an explosion of multi-colored light, Ruri's new Xyz Monster flew from the depths of the Xyz Portal before landing behind Ruri and protectively cloaking the Dark Signer in her brown shawl while she held her walking stick out in front of her like a weapon and glared at the surrounding Arrest Corps officers.

Ruri hugged her monster's arm appreciatively before extending her hand forward. "I next activate Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim's effect! By detaching my Salvation Seraphim Angel from my monster, I am allowed to excavate the top three cards of my deck and add any excavated Salvation Seraphim Monsters to my hand. And since Oracle's effect has already arranged the top six cards of my deck, I add the three monsters, Salvation Seraphim Prophetess, Salvation Seraphim Hierophant, and Salvation Seraphim Priestess to my hand." She plucked three cards from her deck and added them to her hand before the rest of her deck was automatically shuffled by her Duel Disk.

Ruri's marks began glowing more brightly. "And now Roger, It's time to begin your judgment! Using my Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim as an Overlay Unit, I Xyz Summon the Rank one, Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor, from my Extra Deck with its own effect!"

Salvation Seraphim Wandering Pilgrim bent down and kissed Ruri on the forehead before smiling at her and briskly walking away. At the bottom of the Xyz Monster's feet, an Xyz Portal appeared before Wandering Pilgrim descended into the depths and Ruri began a new summoning chant:

"Divinely appointed judge of the Most High, weigh the souls of humanity against thy scales of righteousness, give respite to all the righteous in heart, and condemn the souls of the heretic as thou useth thy authority to decree thy final verdict! RANK DOWN XYZ CHANGE! Come forth to dispense true justice! Rank one! Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor!"

Ruri's new monster slowly rose from the Xyz Portal before solemnly turning its concealed face to gaze at the surrounding Arrest Corps. In comparison with Ruri's other monsters, Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor looked more threatening with grey wings, long black judge robes, a dark, wide-brimmed hat and hood concealing the upper half of her face and most of her grey hair, and a massive iron gavel in her right hand. Smashing her gavel into the ground, she created a shockwave that knocked against the surrounding Arrest Corps before a holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 1000.

"Since I have successfully Xyz Summoned a monster, Salvation Seraphim Archon's effect now activates!" Ruri declared, stretching her hand forward where a black graveyard portal had appeared. "If it is in the graveyard when I successfully Xyz Summon a Salvation Seraphim Monster, I can Special Summon my monster from the graveyard, and if I do, I can Special Summon one other Salvtation Seraphim monster from my hand or graveyard! Come forth! Level eight! Salvation Seraphim Archon!"

In a pillar of radiant golden light, Salvation Seraphim Archon rose from the graveyard before unfolding two pairs of armored black wings, which radiated with even more golden light. Her face was hooded beneath a white cloak, but her skin radiated so much light that the Arrest Corps could see that the angel had emerald green eyes and midnight black hair. The angel was dressed in large white robes and shining golden armor with the double "S" Salvation Seraphim Mark emblazoned in the center of its chest. Unsheathing a pair of golden swords from her sides, the angel gave a mighty battle cry before a holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 2400.

"Archon Effect!" Ruri commanded, "I Special Summon the Level eight, Salvation Seraphim Hierophant from my hand in defense position!"

A pair of white clouds appeared above the dueling field and Ruri's new monster descended in a pillar of light. The new black-winged angel was robed in an elegant white dress with silver trimmings, held a massive silver and gold staff that looked like a shepherd's crook with the Salvation Seraphim Mark on the end, and wore a large silver and gold headdress over her black and grey hair. Gently landing next to Archon, she spread out her arms before a holographic indicator appeared and displayed a DEF of 2900.

Roger gawked at Ruri's field in disbelief, unable to believe she had summoned so many high-level monsters at once.

"You're reaction is a little too soon, Roger." Ruri commented, looking directly at Roger through the computer screen. Roger stared back at Ruri, frozen in fear. She was watching him!?

Ruri smiled back at Roger. "Save that expression for when I actually do something impressive." She turned back towards her Salvation Seraphim Hierophant. "Hierophant effect! Once per turn, if I would Xyz Summon a Salvation Seraphim Monster, I can use one or more appropriate monster from my hand or graveyard as a Xyz Material! Using this effect, I overlay my Salvation Seraphim Archon and Hierophant on my field with the Salvation Seraphim Prophetess in my hand to construct the overlay network!"

The Arrest Corps backed away as the three monsters swooped into a massive Xyz Portal in a blinding flash of white and yellow light before Ruri began her summoning chant:

"Noble spirit with essence distilled from the purest materials of heaven, carry forth the will of the almighty God and lead the hosts of paradise in a glorious crusade! XYZ SHOKAN! Come forth! Rank 8! Salvation Seraphim Glorious Crusader!"

Unfolding two pairs of glowing, armored white wings in an X-shape, Glorious Crusader raised her sword above her head before ascending above the Arrest Corps and driving them back with an array of blinding white light.

"Glorious Crusader's effect activates and Hierophant and Archon's effects each chain to the activation!" Ruri proclaimed, basking in the glory of her Xyz Monster. "If Salvation Seraphim Archon is used as an Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a Winged Beast Type monster, I can attach two monsters from my Extra Deck to the summoned monster as Overlay Units! I choose to attach the Rank six monsters Salvation Seraphim Wise Hermit and Salvation Seraphim Zealous Crusader to my monster!"

Two spheres of light flew out from Ruri's Extra Deck and began orbiting the body of Glorious Crusader. Ruri's Xyz Monster now had three Overlay Units orbiting her sword and two orbiting her body.

"Next Hierophant's effect activates! If she is used as an Xyz Material for the Xyz Summon of a Winged Beast Type monster, I can add 1 Rank-Up Card from my deck to my hand!" Ruri grinned confidently as she plucked a card from her deck and showed it to her opponents. "The card I choose to add is the Magic Card, Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force! And finally, since Glorious Crusader was Xyz Summoned, her effect allows her to attach all Salvation Seraphim monsters in my graveyard to herself as Overlay Units!" Two more spheres of light flew from Ruri's graveyard and began orbiting Glorious Crusader's sword.

The sclera of Ruri's eyes began glowing white while her irises shone against the whiteness with a lurid red flame. "Now the true fun can begin!" she proclaimed, mimicking Yuzu before revealing a card in her hand. "I discard the Level one monster, Fallen Angelic Guide, from my hand in order to activate its effect! If it is discarded, I can add one Field Spell Card from my deck to my hand! With this effect, I add the Field Magic, Sanctified Realm, to my hand!"

As Ruri pulled a card from her deck, a dark, angel-shaped figure descended into her graveyard. The monster was completely concealed in thick black garments that wrapped around every inch of her skin and wings. Over her head and body, the monster wore a large black burka with a thin rectangular screen over the eyes. In its linen wrapped hands it carried a long black pole with a lantern on top. As the monster descended into the graveyard, the Arrest Corps and Jean-Michell Roger, felt a rapid drop in their body temperature.

Ruri held the Spell Card in her hand aloft. "I now activate the card I just added to my hand! The time has come to be judged of me! Witness the power of my field magic, Sanctified Realm!"

The second Ruri slotted the Field Spell Card into her Field Spell Zone, the floor of the building was bathed in a sea of heavenly white clouds. The Arrest Corps stared around at the duel field, dumbfounded by its appearance. Ruri turned towards X-921 and held out her hand towards him.

"X-921…" she began, before stopping and shaking her head. "No…" she sighed, "…let us call you by your real name, Pyotr Ivanov." She smiled while X-921 nervously backed away. "Yes… Pyotr Ivanov. It's the name your family gave you. The one Roger took away when he made you his slave. Now my child, let's see what else Roger has taken from you." She gently touched the clouds beneath her feet with the tip of her finger.

Instantly, the white clouds melted away and were replaced with the interior of a simple, run-down apartment. Next to a small fireplace, an elderly man slept in a wheelchair, while a machine hooked up to some large green oxygen tanks pumped a steady supply of air into the man's nose through a pair of tubes. Next to the man, a broad-shouldered, dark-skinned man with an unshaven face, dark brown eyes, black hair, and a double chin, helped adjust a pair of blankets over the man.

"Your father." Ruri whispered, voice full of sympathy. "The reason you joined the Arrest Corps in the first place. How else were you going to provide for your family?"

A petit girl with Pyotr's same brown eyes and short black hair stepped into the room, carrying a tray with some food and a bottle of pills.

"Your sister, Elizaveta." Ruri sighed, looking through the crowds before stopping once her gaze fell upon a short Arrest Corps officer clad in smaller and more feminine armor. "She's with us right now. You both had no choice but to let your younger siblings take care of the family while you tried to provide for them." She looked directly at Roger through the computer screen with a murderous look in her eyes.

"And yet tyrants like you," she growled, wiping away the scene and restoring the white clouds with a flick of her hand, "give no care whatsoever about such things. Not so long as you can have your cheap, unpaid, private slave army to rule the world." She leaned in closer, "I will not warn you again, Roger. This is your last chance. Stop everything you're doing, remove yourself from your throne and your station, fall down at my feet and the feet of everyone you have wronged, beg for their forgiveness, and I will spare you. Otherwise…" the marks on her eyes and back glowed even brighter.

Roger could not believe he was in this situation. How dare she!? How in the world did she have the gall to say those things!? It was outrageous! He could not lose! He would not give in! Not to her, not to Academia, not to anyone!

"Destroy as many of the Arrest Corps as you want!" Roger hissed back at her, looking directly at the computer screen. "Feed your bloodlust on their corpses for all I care! It won't matter! I have more! There will always be more! You cannot defeat them all! You can't even defeat all of these ones! So make your move! Impress me with your little Dark Signer tricks! It will all be futile in the end!"

Ruri looked back at Roger with a cold expression on her face. "Yes, Roger," she agreed, "It will all be futile… for you." She turned back to Pyotr, face softening. "Today, I free you and everyone in the Synchro Dimension."

She extended her hand forward. "I activate the effect of my Fallen Angelic Guide. If it is in the graveyard while I control a face-up Field Spell Card, I can Special Summon it from my graveyard. Come forth. Fallen Angelic Guide."

From a black graveyard portal, Fallen Angelic Guide rose to Ruri's field before raising her lantern above her head while a holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 0.

"Next," Ruri continued, "I normal summon the Level three, Salvation Seraphim Priestess from my hand."

A small black-winged angel in a white robe appeared to Ruri's field and held a wooden staff inlaid with lapis lazuli above her adorned head.

"Priestess effect." Ruri declared. "If it is summoned, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck in order to add one Salvation Seraphim Monster to my hand while all other cards are discarded to the graveyard." She plucked three cards from her deck before adding one to her hand and discarding the others to the graveyard. "Using her effect, I add the Level six, Salvation Seraphim Oracle, to my hand, while sending the monsters, Salvation Seraphim Martyr and Fallen Ardent Missionary to my graveyard."

She paused as two monsters, one a dark-skinned, black winged angel, and the other, a strange angelic figure wearing long sleeved preacher robes, red gloves, and a blank white mask over her face, descended into her graveyard through two black portals.

"I now activate Fallen Angelic Guide's effect." Said Ruri, revealing the Salvation Seraphim Oracle in her hand. "I reveal one monster in my hand and shuffle it into the deck in order to change the levels of all monsters I control to the Level of the revealed monster times negative one."

Sweat beaded on Roger's forehead as he watched her shuffle the card into her deck. "It's coming!" he thought. "A Dark Xyz Monster!"

Fallen Angelic Guide rose into the air and let go of her lantern. Instead of dropping to the ground, the lantern floated in mid-air directly in front of the angelic figure while the angelic figure stretched its hands out towards Salvation Seraphim Priestess. In a flash of movement, the linen around Angelic Guide's arms unraveled and entwined itself tightly around Salvation Seraphim Priestess. Roger and a few of the Arrest Corps gasped in shock as the monster's action exposed its arms. Beneath the linen, the angel's arms were extremely emaciated and disease ridden, with a thin layer of unhealthy skin stretched tightly over the bones. The ends of her fingers were tipped with razor-sharp black talons, and on each of her palms, a blood-red tattoo of an eye shone against her dark skin. Raising its clawed hands into the air, it lifted Priestess of the ground like the bound angel was a puppet while Priestess screamed in agony. Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor dropped her gavel in shock, and Glorious Crusader looked on in horror. Glorious Crusader approached Ruri as if to stop her from continuing, but Ruri held out her hand, arresting the movements of her monster as if she had suddenly gained control over gravity. Fallen Angelic Guide continued to raise Priestess into the air until both she and priestess were level with the lantern. Turning Priestess around, the two monsters stared at the lantern, Priestess's eyes glowing with an eerie yellow light as if she were possessed, before the lantern and the two monsters became translucent and collapsed into a growing singularity while Ruri began her summoning chant:

"Legendary giant who inherits the blood of the divine, open thy all-seeing eyes now, gaze upon the works of humanity, and dispense righteous judgment! Dark Xyz Shokan! Descend now! Level negative six! Earthbound Disciple Geo Nephilim!"

The same Dark Xyz Monster Ruri had used in her last duel appeared to the field. Unfolding a pair of sapphire wings, the monster spread out her arms and revealed a pair of Dark Overlay Units, one resting in her chest while the other rested in her midriff.

"Of course," Ruri continued, placing down another card, "there is more. I activate the Rank-Up-Magic Seraphim Force I added to my hand and use its effect on my Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor in order to summon a monster that is two ranks higher!"

The white double "S" symbol of the Salvation Seraphim appeared above Inquisitor. Flying to the center of the symbol, Inquisitor entered a black singularity before Ruri began her summoning chant:

"Noble heavenly servant clad in the armor of righteousness, take courage now as you raise your holy blade to smite the forces of darkness and bring salvation to this world! Xyz Shokan! Descend now! Rank 3! Salvation Seraphim Brave Crusader!"

Ruri's blonde haired Salvation Seraphim Xyz Monster flew onto the field before raising her sword into the air and summoning a sphere of light from a black portal.

"With her effect, I attach the Salvation Seraphim Martyr in my graveyard to my monster as an Overlay Unit!" Ruri declared as the sphere of light joined the other Overlay Units around Brave Crusader. Brave Crusader's sword had two Overlay Units orbiting her sword blade while two more orbited her body. "Next." Ruri declared, "Since I Xyz Summoned a monster using a Rank-Up Card, I can banish that card in order to Special Summon Fallen Ardent Missionary to my field! I banish Seraphim Force now! Come forth! Fallen Ardent Missionary!"

The masked angel appeared to Ruri's field before pulling out an ancient black book with translucent pages.

"If Fallen Ardent Missionary is summoned with this effect, I can set 1 Earthbound Spell or Trap Card from my deck." she popped a card from her deck and set it face down. "And now," Ruri declared, raising her hands to the air, "the time has come to behold my judgment! Fallen Ardent Missionary's second effect activates! I can banish this monster to immediately use each Xyz Monster I control as a Dark Xyz Material to Dark Xyz Summon a Dark Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck whose rank is equal to the rank of the material times negative one!"

"What?" Roger exclaimed as the masked angel rose into the air before opening her book. From the translucent pages, tendrils of black shadow streamed out before binding Ruri's Glorious Crusader and Brave Crusader. Screaming with agony, the two monsters slowly faded into nothingness before collapsing into two separate singularities while Ruri began chanting:

"Eternal wheel of heaven who carries the throne of the divine god, circle through the sky in an eternal cycle and protect the innocent from the wrath of the evil forces who oppose thee! Rank Down Xyz Change! Descend now! Rank negative three! Earthbound Disciple Geo Ophanim!"

A petit girl meditating in the center of two ethereal circles unfolded onto Ruri's field from the center of the singularity, black crystals shining inside of five ghostly circles. Not even a second after the monster emerged, Ruri threw back her head and raised her arms to the air before beginning another summoning chant.

"LEGENDARY, FALLEN GUARDIAN OF THE FIRST PARADISE!" she roared in a godly voice while her marks shone like supernovas, "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! RANK DOWN XYZ CHANGE! DESCEND NOW! RANK NEGATIVE EIGHT! EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO CHERUBIM!"

The second Ruri slammed her translucent Dark Xyz Monster card on top of Glorious Crusader, a black shockwave emanated from her Duel Disk, knocking back the Arrest Corps while her armored angel unfolded from the singularity and bared its flaming sword at Pyotr. A holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 8000.

"Nephilim effect!" Ruri commanded, "Take two Goyo Regent from the graveyard and augment the power of Geo Cherubim now!"

Geo Nephilim's six eyes glowed beneath her hood before she stretched out her gigantic hand and made a grasping motion, causing two ghostly images of Goyo Regent to rise from the graveyard before they were both compacting into a pair of shiny black crystals which embedded themselves within Geo Cherubim's sword, raising its ATK to 10,000. Pyotr stared at the Dark Xyz Monster, which was radiating with intense black light, and fell to his knees.

"I forgive you Pyotr," Ruri declared, in a gentle voice that made her sound like a godly mother. "and everyone else in this company, but I must still purify you. Once you are free from Roger's control, I promise to give you the justice you seek!"

"Ten-thousand attack?" Roger murmured, staring at the monster in disbelief.

"I told you… child of Academia." Ruri purred, staring at Roger while stretching out her arms as if she wanted to embrace him, "All your resistance will be futile. Now… behold my power and learn why you can never defeat me!"

Roger stared, open mouthed as Ruri stretched her hand towards Pyotr's field. "Geo Cherubim's effect!" She declared, "I banish two of its Dark Overlay Units, Goyo King, and Salvation Seraphim Oracle in order to halve the Life Points of my opponents twice! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!"

Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim disassembled segments of his metallic wings and created a silvery, chrome halo behind his body. Flexing his arms, he crushed a dark crystal in the palm of each hand before bathing the field in deep black light and shooting a cylinder of blinding white light from the edges of his metal halo. The beam of light ripped through Goyo King and Oracle, blasting their bodies into smoking powder.

"Be gentle." Ruri commanded. "These ones are innocent."

Geo Cherubim nodded his masked head. Sheathing his gargantuan magma sword behind his back, he disassembled his ring and reassembled his metal wings before balling his metallic right hand into a fist, swooping down, and slamming his fist into the ground. The force of the impact left a massive crater in the ground while intense shockwaves exploded from the impact site, knocking back all three-hundred Arrest Corps officers and reducing the Life Points of each one to 1000.

Before the Arrest Corps could recover and get back on their feet, Ruri had already stretched her hand towards Pyotr.

"Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim!" she commanded, "Direct attack!"

Geo Cherubim leaped forward with supernatural speed and knocked his fist against the top of Pyotr's helmet. Pyotr fell back and lay limp against the ground, knocked unconscious.

"I now activate Sanctified Realm's effect." Ruri declared, "Since I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can add one Magic or Trap Card from my deck to my hand, but I cannot set or activate that card this turn." She plucked a card from her deck and added it to her hand. "I use its effect to add Earthbound Fury from my deck to my hand. With this, I end my turn."

Roger stared back at the Dark Signer as her three Dark Xyz Monsters bared down on Roger's forces. Reviewing the stats, Roger took a deep breath before letting himself laugh with relief. "That's your divine judgment!?" he hooted. "All you managed to do was defeat one officer!" he pushed a button on his desk. "Summon Goyo King and Goyo Emperor and use Goyo Sodegarami to enable Goyo King to attack without Ruri able to activate any Spell, Trap, or Monster effects in response. Once Goyo King destroys any one of her monsters, we'll take her monsters for our own!"

"My turn! Draw!" said an officer with the label, V-285. "I activate the Magic Card, Fusion, and fuse two Goyo Regent in my hand to Fusion Summon Goyo Emperor! Come forth! Goyo Emperor!"

Ruri blinked with boredom as V-285 began a repeat of the last officer's turn.

"Earthbound Disciple Geo Nephilim's effect." Ruri droned. "I attach two Goyo Regent from your graveyard to my Geo Cherubim as Dark Overlay Units."

Geo Cherubim flexed his muscles as two new Dark Overlay Units embedded themselves into his chest, raising his ATK to 10,000.

"I'm not done yet!" V-285 continued, placing another card on his Duel Disk. "I summon…"

"I summon Goyo Regent with his own effect and then normal summon Jutte Knight. With these two monsters, I next Synchro Summon Goyo King." Ruri interrupted. "Tell me if I'm wrong."

V-285 paused for a bit before continuing with his plays, doing exactly what Ruri had stated. "Goyo King." He muttered, as the Synchro Monster burst onto the duel field. "Next," he snarled, "I activate the Equip Magic, Goyo Sodegarami, and equip it to my Goyo King!"

Goyo King's spear morphed into a new weapon with a long spike-covered shaft that ended in a long metal tip with cruel hooks sticking out from all ends.

"Goyo Sodegarami effect!" V-285 declared, "If I attack with the equipped monster, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the damage step! Go! Goyo King! Destroy her Earthbound Disciple Geo Ophanim!"

Goyo King charged forward and slammed his weapon against Geo Ophanim. However, the second the hooks of his weapon were about to touch Ruri's monster, a golden barrier formed around Geo Ophanim, knocking Goyo King back.

"Sanctified Realm's continuous effect." Ruri explained. "While I have no monsters in my graveyard and control a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, each card I control cannot be destroyed once per turn. In addition, I take no damage."

"It's fruitless, Dark Signer." Roger growled, "Goyo Sodegarami has another effect."

"Goyo Sodegarami's second effect!" V-285 declared, "I banish one "Goyo" monster from my graveyard to enable my Goyo King to attack once again in a row! I banish one Goyo Regent in my graveyard to activate the effect!"

"In response to the activation of that effect, I'll activate this…" Ruri declared, extending her hand towards her face down card, "…Continuous Trap, Earthbound Pledge of Devotion." Her face down card flipped up to reveal a scene depicting a hooded individual wearing robes, not too dissimilar from Ruri's, bowing down before a massive ghostly condor with violet markings. "This card can only be activated if the only monsters I control are Earthbound." She explained. "In addition, I cannot summon monsters while this card is active, my Life Points are halved during the end phase of each turn, and I take five-hundred damage immediately after my life points are halved." She smiled. "But of course, for every sacrifice, a blessing comes forth. While Earthbound Pledge of Devotion is active, Earthbound cards I control cannot be targeted or destroyed by my opponent's card effects and cannot be destroyed by battle! So go ahead and attack again. Because your monsters need to destroy one of my monsters to activate their effects, you won't be able to capture my monsters. In addition, no matter how often you attack me, while my graveyard is pure, I will take no damage. You've done it again, Roger. Thanks to your cheating, you've stuck yourself in another infinite loop."

Roger stared back at Ruri in disbelief before reviewing the effects of her trap card. There was no denying it. She had managed to protect her monsters with her card. There was now little Roger could do to damage Ruri. However, the cost of her card was exceedingly heavy, and if what Roger understood about Dark Signer duels was true, Ruri would feel a great amount of pain for every last life point she lost. He pressed a button on his desk and projected himself once more on the Duel Field.

"If you think I'm going to give up from that, then you are sorely mistaken." Roger sneered as his holographic form loomed over Ruri. "There are still plenty of turns to go before you even get your next turn. I wonder… just how long can your body last as you continuously pay the cost of your trap card?"

"Today…" Ruri murmured, "…you shall behold the depth of my conviction!"

Roger snorted. "Let's see how that conviction holds up. Continue attacking!"

"Goyo King!" V-285 roared, "Attack Earthbound Disciple Geo Ophanim!"

The second Goyo King's weapon was about to touch Geo Ophanim, a ghostly image of Ruri suddenly appeared in front of the monster and took the blow in the center of its chest before bursting in a flash of light and knocking back Goyo King. V-285 staggered backwards before shaking himself off.

"Turn end!" he declared, turning to the next duelist.

"Earthbound Pledge of Devotion!" Ruri declared, "My life points are now halved!" Ruri's trap card became enshrouded in thick shadows. As shadows emanated from the trap, a second wing mark branded itself over Ruri's right eye as she screamed in agony and her Life Points dropped to 2000. Gasping, Ruri held out her hand towards her trap. "It's second effect…" she gasped, "…I immediately take five-hundred damage!" The markings over her eyes and back suddenly blackened and started crackling with purple electricity, but her Life Points remained unchanged. "Fortunately…" she groaned, "…Sanctified Realm shall forever protect me from damage… but that does not stop…" another gasp, "…the demand for my physical sacrifice!" In a final spark of lightning, Ruri collapsed to her knees before her marks returned to normal.

"Keep going!" Roger ordered, "Hold nothing back!"

"My turn!" said another officer, drawing a card. He rapidly repeated the previous turn. "I equip my Goyo King with Goyo Sodegarami!"

"Geo Nephilim effect!" Ruri declared. "I attach two cards to Geo Cherubim as Dark Overlay Units!" A pair of cards transformed into two crystals which embedded themselves in Geo Cherubim's knees, raising his ATK to 12,000.

"Attack her Geo Ophanim!" V-285 ordered, stretching his hand towards his Goyo Sodegarami armed Goyo King.

"Earthbound Pledge of Devotion!" Ruri roared, "My monsters cannot be destroyed!" Just like with the previous turn, each time Goyo King attempted to destroy Ruri's monster, an image of Ruri stepped forward and took the attack instead.

"Turn end!" the Arrest Corps officer declared, watching as a marking shaped like a pair of angel wings connected to a circle appeared in the center of Ruri's forehead before all her markings turned black and drained her Life Points to 1000. In another surge of dark electricity, Ruri felt pain that was so intense, that it forced her down to her hands and knees. However, once it was over, she quickly got back up and stared back at Roger with defiance in her eyes.

"I will not be broken!" she declared, daring Roger to continue.

"You cannot last!" Roger roared. "Keep going!" he ordered, "Do not stop! Keep attacking!"

The Arrest Corps continued attacking, repeating more or less the same turn two-hundred and ninety-seven more times.

"Attack her monster!"

"Pledge of Devotion effect!"

"Goyo Sodegarami!"

"I pay half my Life Points!"

"YUUGO SHOKAN!"

"I TAKE FIVE-HUNDRED DAMAGE!"

"GOYO KING!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Two-hundred and ninety-seven turns later, Ruri peeled her face from the ground, and slowly staggered upright, body crackling with dark electricity. Shakily tossing her hair back, she held up her head proudly before triumphantly bearing her Duel Disk at her oppoenents.

"Bakana!" Roger stammered after the last Arrest Corps officer completed his turn. "BAKANA!"

With the combo he had prepared, each of his Arrest Corps officers had been able to summon one Goyo King and one Goyo Emperor. Forty-nine had their Goyo King equipped with Goyo Sodegarami, fifty had equipped their Goyo King with Goyo Sasumata, fifty had set a copy of Storming Mirror Force, fifty had set a copy of negate attack, fifty had each activated a copy of Goyo Checkpoint, and the last fifty kept a copy of Jutte Lady in their hands. And yet, despite such a defense, Roger felt exceedingly uneasy that they hadn't managed to take down the Dark Signer.

Ruri, on the other hand, couldn't have looked more confident. Her life points were reduced to a decimal so low, that Roger's computers had to use a negative exponent to display the result. And yet, after all Roger's attacks, after collecting so many hundreds of marks on her body that she looked like a Native American shaman, after going through so much pain, Ruri stood before the Arrest Corps like an omnipotent god.

Roger reviewed the stats for Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim, which Ruri had continuously been powering up with Geo Nephilim.

"Six-hundred and six thousand attack?" Roger asked, unable to believe such a monster could exist. "It's impossible…"

"Nothing is impossible." Ruri replied as her multitude of marks glowed with radiant light, "Look upon it and see for yourself."

Roger looked down at Ruri's Geo Cherubim. Sure enough, a holographic indicator next to the monster showed an ATK of 606,000. So many Dark Overlay Units had embedded themselves within her monster, that Geo Cherubim looked like a translucent ghost stuffed with watermelon seeds.

"Bakana!" Roger repeated, still not comprehending what he was seeing.

"If that's all you have to say." Ruri replied, "I think I will begin my turn." The light from Ruri's body and monsters intensified as she began her turn.

"My turn! Draw!" the second she drew her card, the screens of Roger's computers went completely white as the room of the building was bathed in light. When the light had dimmed just a little, Ruri looked at her card, which was shining with white light like a fragment of a star.

"So you've come." Said Ruri with a smile. "My god, Jatun Waqar." She looked back at Roger and held up the card she had drawn, turning it around so Roger could see its face.

"REMEMBER THIS CARD!" Ruri boomed in a godly voice. "FOR ONCE OUR MARK SHINES IN THE SKY, THOU SHALT KNOW THAT THY REIGN COMETH TO AN END! FOR IT WILL BE THIS CARD THAT TEARS THY REGIME ASSUNDER!"

Roger stared open mouthed at the card, the one he had heard so much about from his interrogations with Sergey. An Earthbound God.

Ruri looked down at the card thoughtfully. "I could use this to win… but I think we both agree that it is unnecessary."

"Our wills are in alignment." a voice in Ruri's head agreed. "I do not wish to be wasted on this rabble."

Ruri smiled before her eyes glowed with pure white light. "The time to behold our true power is not yet, Roger." Said Ruri in the same god-like voice. "But rest assured, we are more than capable of destroying our opponents this turn." She stretched out her hand. "First, although redundant, in order to teach thee just how limitless our power is, we activate Earthbound Disciple Geo Nephilim's effect to attach two Dark Overlay Units to our Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim!"

Geo Cherubim roared within his mask as his ATK rose to 608,000.

Roger tried to keep himself calm and focus on the duel stats. True, Ruri had an extremely strong defense and an exceedingly powerful Earthbound Disciple monster. Fortunately, she could only attack one player at a time. Roger had two-hundred and ninety-nine Arrest Corps officers at his disposal. Geo Cherubim's effect enabled it to banish up to 608 of his cards, but between the two-hundred and ninety-nine Goyo Emperor, two-hundred and ninety-nine Goyo King, Forty-nine Goyo Sodegarami, fifty Goyo Sasumata, fifty Storming Mirror Force, fifty Negate Attack, and fifty Goyo Checkpoint, Ruri wouldn't be able to banish everything. At most, if she skillfully removed the necessary cards, she'd be able to direct attack three players. Once that was done, all Roger had to do was hold out and wait for his officers to draw at least two Mystical Space Typhoon. If he could just destroy Sanctified Realm, then Ruri would be done in with her own Trap Card. All he had to do was wait.

Ruri smiled at Roger as if reading his thoughts. "It is pointless Roger. This is the last turn of this duel." She unfurled a pair of angel wings from her back and rose into the air before placing down a card.

"We activate the effect of the Earthbound Fury we added to our hand during our previous turn!" Ruri declared in a godly voice that sounded like two people speaking instead of one. "We target our Earthbound Disciple Geo Cherubim in order to enable it to attack once per battle phase this turn, up to the number of monsters our opponent controlled at the time of this card's activation! With five-hundred and ninety-eight monsters on your field, that's five-hundred and ninety-eight attacks! However…" Ruri smiled, "…as in all things there is a cost. Any damage our monster inflicts that is greater than one-hundred, becomes one-hundred."

Geo Cherubim roared with anger as the black light shining from his body intensified.

"Our judgment commences!" Ruri declared, spreading out her hands. "EARTHBOUND DISCIPLE GEO CHERUBIM, SMITE OUR ENEMIES WITH THY POWER NOW! WE BANISH FIVE-HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT DARK OVERLAY UNITS, FORTY-NINE GOYO SODEGARAMI, FIFTY GOYO SASUMATA, FIFTY GOYO CHECKPOINT, ONE-HUNDRED FACE-DOWN CARDS, AND TWO-HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE GOYO KING IN ORDER TO HALVE THE LIFE POINTS OF OUR OPPONENTS FIVE-HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT TIMES! FEEL OUR ABSOLUTE JUDGEMENT! RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!

Geo Cherubim rose off the floor and hovered next to Ruri before disassembling his wings once again. Instead of forming a halo behind his back, Geo Cherubim arranged the metal segments of his ring until it orbited around his, Geo Nephilim's, Geo Ophanim's, and Ruri's body like the ring of a planet. With the crunching sound of hundreds of crystals getting compacted into nothing, Geo Cherubim crushed five-hundred and forty-eight Dark Overlay Units all over his body. As black light emanated from his body, Roger's screens suddenly went pitch black. Suddenly, in a flash of light, the screens were once again illuminated, as Geo Cherubim's ring shot a column of light through the roof and floor of the building. Slowly, the column of light expanded outward, vaporizing everything in its way. Roger watched in horror as two-hundred and ninety-nine Goyo King and all his Spell and Trap Cards faded into non-existence on contact with the wall of light. All two-hundred and ninety-nine Arrest Corps officers were thrown back several meters as their life points were reduced to an even smaller decimal than Ruri's own diminutive Life Points. All that was left on the field were two-hundred and ninety-nine Goyo Emperor, who wore uneasy expressions on their faces as they hovered in their thrones.

When the column of light faded away, Geo Cherubim unsheathed his sword as a holographic indicator appeared and showed an ATK of 60,000.

"Go my servant!" Ruri whispered in her normal voice, grinning from ear to ear. "Smite all our enemies! Give the tyrant, Roger, a glimpse of what shall happen to him!"

Geo Cherubim roared with fury, and charged at the army of Goyo Emperors with demonic speed.

Fifty officer's stepped forward. "We activate the effect of the Jutte Lady in our hands!" they roared, throwing their cards into the graveyard. Immediately, the ATK of fifty Goyo Emperors rose to 302,300 before each of the powered up Goyo Emperors put their fist to their mouth and blew an inferno of flame at Geo Cherubim, stopping him in his tracks, and blasting him down several floors.

Ruri laughed like a maniac. "IT IS POINTLESS, ROGER!" she roared. "I take no damage, my monster is not destroyed, and I still have five-hundred and forty-eight attacks left! Continue the battle my servant! Show Roger the fate of tyrants!"

Geo Cherubim emerged from a flaming hole in the floor. His chrome armor glowed with red hot light and burned with flames from the attacks of the Goyo Emperors. Rather than damaging Ruri's monster in any way, the flames seemed to have only made the monster more threatening and aggressive. With an ear-splitting roar, Geo Cherubim hoisted his gargantuan magma blade into the air and let loose a raging inferno of flame from the blade before closing the distance with a group of fifteen Goyo Emperors in a single bound. With just one swipe of his blade, Geo Cherubim, bisected all fifteen Goyo Emperors and vaporized them in an explosion of flame before the monsters could even register their injuries. Nanoseconds later, Geo Cherubim had beheaded another twenty Goyo Emperors as he wielded his ludicrously massive blade with superhuman prowess. Spinning around, Geo Cherubim punched his clawed arm through a stack of four Goyo Emperors before tossing their corpses at another group of Goyo Emperors, knocking the group back before they were brutally sliced to ribbons by his blade. Goyo Emperors began desperately flying away on their thrones, but Geo Cherubim was too quick. With a slash of his sword, he sent a hailstorm of magma at the fleeing Goyo Emperors, vaporizing half of them as they were caught in the flames before pouncing forward, cutting several of them in half with his blade, and another several in half with his claws in one fluid motion. After just five more seconds of slicing, dicing, and burning the army of Goyo Emperor, just one Goyo Emperor remained, cowering on his throne and holding out his hands as if begging to be spared. Geo Cherubim flew over and stared down at the cowering emperor with his emotionless mask. Goyo Emperor crawled out of his throne and bowed to Ruri's monster, holding up his hands in a begging gesture. Without a second of hesitation, Geo Cherubim swiftly lifted the monster off the ground by its purple hair, and beheaded it in one swift stroke. As the last Goyo Emperor exploded in a shower of sparks, the final Arrest Corps officer fell to the ground, joining the other three-hundred and eight unconscious Arrest Corps Officers whose Life Points had all dropped to 0.

Roger gaped at the computer screens, unable to even speak. He quickly started searching through his databases, trying to see what other squadrons of Security and Arrest Corps officers were available.

"It's pointless, Roger." Said Ruri as her monsters and extra markings faded away as the duel came to an end. "You cannot defeat the Dark Signers, no matter how many men you throw at us. Don't try to make things worse for yourself, you're already in enough trouble as it is. Keep standing against us like this, and you'll only dig your own grave deeper."

Roger quivered with rage, momentarily forgetting his fear. "Now listen here, Kurosaki!" he hissed at the computer screen, "You may have won this battle, but the game isn't over! I still have many pieces yet to play. Believe me, Kurosaki, there are other ways to get to you!"

"Everything you try to do to us will be turned upon your own head." Ruri countered before raising her hand to the air. "This conversation is over, Roger. Frankly, I'm sick of you watching me."

Ruri's eyes and marks began glowing white. Suddenly, the screens of Roger's computers blackened before displaying a pixelated image of Ruri's white heron mark. Roger leaped out of his chair as the terminal started sparking with electricity.

"If I were you, I'd leave my office." Said Ruri, voice emanating from the computer terminal. Roger had just enough time to rush to the door and open it, before the computer terminal exploded behind him, knocking him out of the room.

Once she had dealt with Roger, Ruri turned her attention to the unconscious Arrest Corps officers. "It's time for you to be free." She whispered as she stretched her hand towards the officers.

Slowly, the bodies of each officer became transparent, revealing a blinking red chip inside each of their brains. "Be ye purged!" Ruri commanded with a wave of her hand. Instantly, each chip vanished away before the bodies of each officer become opaque once again.

With several hundred loud groans, each officer slowly got up off the ground before noticing Ruri, and cowering back, some putting their hands over their heads protectively.

"Peace." Said Ruri, gently stepping towards one of the officers and helping him off the ground. "I intend none of you any harm."

The other Arrest Corps officers began muttering to themselves, looking very confused.

"What the heck happened to me?" one groaned. "Why do I feel like a semi-truck hit me in the head!?"

"Am I dreaming?" another quivered, "Or was I really doing those things?"

"What am I doing here? I promised my family I'd be back home!"

"What's the date? What's going on?

Why is this building wrecked!?

"ENOUGH!" one of the Arrest Corps officers, Pyotr, screamed, quieting everyone down. He approached Ruri and tore off his helmet. Beneath the mask, his hair and eyes were dark, just like what Ruri had seen in the Field Spell. His facial hair, however, had grown into a small beard, which concealed his cleft chin. Kneeling before Ruri's feet he looked up to her in awe.

"Who are you?" he asked. Without his mask, his voice had lost its robotic tones and now had a rich Russian accent.

"Stay away from her!" a petit officer admonished, tearing off her own mask. Like Pyotr, her complexion and hair were dark, but her skin was less rugged and her chin was rounded.

"Elizaveta, she helped us!" Pyotr protested.

"We don't know anything about her!" Elizaveta snapped, activating her Duel Disk. "She could be the real enemy for all we know!"

"Are you kidding me!?" another officer exclaimed, ripping off his own helmet to reveal a youthful, freckled face with a scar over the left cheek and a couple buck teeth like a mouse. "Don't you get it! Roger had us brain controlled! That makes him the bad guy!"

"That doesn't mean she isn't just as bad, Garret!" Elizaveta snarled, advancing on Ruri. Ruri maintained her stance but did nothing to provoke Elizaveta.

"You've got to admit…" another Officer muttered, ripping off her own helmet to reveal a larger girl with bright red hair, intelligent eyes, and piercings on her left eyebrow, nose, cheek, and lip. "…if she did want to get rid of us, she could have easily taken us out during that duel, not to mention when we were all unconscious on the ground." She smiled at Ruri, "Officer, Mita Takeda, a pleasure to meet you." She got up from the ground and walked up to Ruri before shaking the Dark Signer's hand. Compared to Ruri, Mita looked like a tower as she loomed over both Elizaveta and Pyotr. "I'd thank you for freeing us, but I'm guessing you've got a reason for doing so. So… not to sound like Elizaveta, but what is your agenda?"

Ruri bowed to the officer. "I thank you for your trust…"

"Don't push it, lady!" Another officer growled before tearing off his own helmet to reveal a handsome man with tan skin, green eyes, and black hair. "We don't even know who you are, much less if we can trust you. Frankly, you pretty much look like a gangster to me. What's the deal with those eyes and those tattoos?"

"Officer Guevara." Said Mita, introducing the new officer. "He was my unit leader at one time. He has something against body peircings and tattoos." She whispered in Ruri's ear.

"MITA!" Officer Guevara roared.

"Oh come on!" Mita snapped. "What's she gonna do with that information?"

"I don't know!?" Guevara roared back, "But I sure as heck don't feel comfortable with her knowing it! We have no idea what she's after or what she wants from us!"

"I require nothing from all of you!" Ruri shouted back, silencing everyone.

"Nothing?" Elizaveta asked, looking suspicious.

"Yes." Ruri nodded, "Nothing. I am here for one purpose and one purpose only. To liberate this dimension from the grasp of Roger and the threat of other invading forces. Even if I were alone, I have the power to accomplish this task."

Mita glared at her. "Then why go to the trouble of freeing us? Was that all just altruism?"

"You are free to believe whatever you want." Ruri replied, folding her arms over her chest. "I understand that freeing you from Roger's mind control does not give me a free pass to earn your trust or service. Nor is it my desire that you all should be freed from one slave master just to join another. The only thing I really do wish to know is what you all want? You have all seen what Roger is doing to this dimension and will continue to do. If any of you go back to Roger now, he will most certainly put you under his control again. Any of you who try to defect will be hunted down and arrested. And that's only the half of it. Roger will use as many people as he can against their will in order to carry out his agenda. The Synchro Dimension will become a police-state dystopia, with Roger as the Chief of Police. I ask you all… is this what you want?"

Crowds of officers began muttering amongst themselves until Pyotr finally raised his voice.

"No!" he roared, "Roger has betrayed the city! I cannot speak for everyone here, but I absolutely will not stand for his oppression!"

"I'm not going back to Roger." Elizaveta muttered, "But that still doesn't mean I can trust you!"

"Elizaveta still has a point, regrettably." Mita mused. "How do we know what you're offering is any better? You're an impressive duelist… scratch that… you are a CRAZY AWESOME duelist… but I just don't see you running the city any better than Roger, even if you probably can defeat him singlehandedly."

Ruri nodded her head, understanding Mita's point. It was honestly still disconcerting for Ruri that she could be in her position right now, holding an authoritative presence like a queen or goddess against so many Officers of the law.

"I don't expect you all to take my word for it." Ruri explained, "But know that I am more than just a fourteen year old girl with a big dream."

"She's fourteen?" Garret whispered to another officer.

"The way I see it," Ruri continued, "these are your options. You can go back to Roger and become his mind slave, or you can defect from Roger. I'm not going to lie. I would be overjoyed if any of you would stand with me in fighting against this tyrant, but I do not wish to compel you like Roger would. If you choose to fight with me, I welcome you with open arms. If you choose to flee and escape from Roger's wrath, I only wish to provide you the necessary protection so that no harm comes to either you or your loved ones." Ruri breathed in before extending her hand to an empty section of the floor. Over the section of floor, a white heron mark matching the one on her back blazed to life.

"I extend this offer to you." Ruri proclaimed, "If you wish to join me in liberating the Synchro Dimesnion from tyranny, I ask only that you stand in that mark that I may grant you powers to fight against the oppression. If you wish to escape, you are all free to go. I promise that as long as I am here, no harm will come to either you, your friends, or your family. The choice is yours. I won't hold you back either way. Choose."

Mita looked back at Elizaveta before both of them looked at Pyotr. Pyotr looked at Guevarra and Garret who both nodded their heads. All five officers stepped forward and leaped into the mark.

"I don't know if I like you," Elizaveta muttered, "but you are right. If I want my father to live, there's only one option for me now."

"Any leader who respects the opinions of their followers is a leader I can trust." Mita grunted, patting Elizaveta encouragingly on the back.

"I made an oath to uphold the security of the city." Guevara growled, cracking his knuckles, "If that means keeping it secure from my commanding officer, so be it."

"We are with you." Pyotr declared.

Hundreds of other officers looked at each other before advancing towards the mark, casting away their helmets and revealing their true faces. As more men and women poured into the mark, the mark expanded until everyone but eight officers stood within.

"You may go." Ruri nodded to the other eight officers. "I know your names and faces. No matter what happens, I promise I will not let Roger harm you."

The other eight officers bowed their heads before removing their helmets and exiting the building. Once they had left, Ruri turned her attention to the three-hundred and one officers standing within her mark.

"I thank you all for accepting the call!" Ruri proclaimed, eyes tearing up with joy. "You will be the first of many heroes to bring salvation to not only this city, but the entire universe! Your courage shall be recorded for all eternity! Now… accept new strength, give place in your souls for the Earthbound to enter! Lift up your heads with gladness, for you shall accomplish greater things than man has ever known! Cast away your identities as slaves and be reborn now! Be reborn as… Earthbound Disciples!"

All three-hundred and one officers gasped with astonishment as each of their eyes glowed and a white heron mark blazed to life on their backs before it faded into their skin and their eyes dimmed. The mark on the ground vanished away and Ruri's disciples stepped forward.

"Wow!" Mita exclaimed, flexing her arms, "This is something! I feel like I've been living on nothing but protein shakes and steroids my entire life!"

"You're telling me!" Guevara gawked, gripping his helmet. "I feel like I could crush this thing in one hand!"

"It's not just our muscles!" Elizaveta remarked, "I used to be deaf in my left ear!" she tapped her ear, "But now… now it feels like all my senses are sharper!"

"Our decks are different, look!" Pyotr instructed, holding up his deck.

All the former Arrest Corps officers pulled out their decks and examined them.

"Sweet!" Garret cheered. "This was actually my old deck, but now it's even better!"

Ruri smiled at them all. "Each of you have been given gifts from the Earthbound. There should be at least one special card in each of your decks.

Elizavata skimmed through her deck. "Earthbound Disciple Geo Thunderbird." She murmured, looking at a card that looked vaguely like an Xyz Card, but had blue stars on the right side and was labeled with the words, "Dark Synchro," over its card text.

"I have one too…" said Pyotr, holding up his own card, "…Earthbound Construct Geo Domovoi."

Each of the officers pulled out their own cards and began comparing them with each other's.

Ruri nodded her head. "These decks have been given to you in order for you to carry out your divine mission. And yes… that mission is indeed divine. You no longer serve a mortal man, and you most certainly do not serve a mortal fourteen-year-old girl. You and I both serve mighty gods who wish to build a better universe. Together, we will accomplish this task!"

"What are your orders… Kurosaki-Sama?" Officer Guevara asked.

Ruri smiled warmly at him. "Please… there's no real need for that. You are all my friends, and my friends can call me Ruri as far as I'm concerned. But yes, I do have orders for you." She walked down the line of disciples, looking each one in the face as she spoke. "Roger will no doubt be coming to check on you all. He doesn't know that you have been freed and I intend to keep it that way. I need you all on the inside of his regime so that when the revolution begins, we will not be fighting to break through Roger's outer defenses."

"That sounds smart." Mita agreed. "With us on the inside, we'll be able to give you information and sabotage any of Roger's plans should the need arise."

Ruri nodded her head. "Each of you are mentally connected with me. I can see through your eyes and hear through your ears. In addition, if any of you have the need to communicate with me, you can mentally speak to me and I will hear you."

"IS IT WORKING!?" Garret mentally shouted at Ruri, causing Ruri to flinch.

"Yes…" Ruri muttered, "…just… turn down the volume a bit."

"Sorry." Garrett mumbled.

"So what do you want us to do?" Elizaveta asked, "Act like brain controlled zombies the whole time until given further orders?"

Ruri chuckled. "In a way… yes. I do need you all to maintain your cover. Unfortunately, it will mean following every one of Roger's orders implicitly. Should a concern arise, feel free to contact me, but don't disobey any order of Roger unless I tell you. By tonight, once my plans are complete, Roger will see just how little control he truly has over this city."

"So what are your plans?" Elizaveta asked. "How do you plan on overthrowing Roger?"

Ruri examined her bracelet. "There is only one piece left." She thought to herself before turning to Elizaveta.

"There are two others like me who will be working alongside us. When all is said and done, I intend to recruit one more. With our combined power, we will be able to become an overwhelming force capable of sweeping Roger off his throne with ease."

Pyotr shrugged his shoulders. "Well… I can't say I understand it. But then again… I'm not really understanding anything that's been going on today. If you say you're going to walk on water before striking Roger with a thunderbolt, I think I'd believe you at this point."

"Don't tempt me." Ruri grinned before letting out a sigh. "And now comes the somewhat unpleasant part. I need this to be realistic, so… if you all could put your helmets back on… I'm afraid I'll have to knock you all out for a little bit. Long enough to be believable."

"Knock us out?" Garret asked, looking nervous.

"It will be painless." Ruri assured her disciples. "I guess the easiest way to explain it is… I'll be using magic."

"Works for me." Garrett shrugged before everyone else began putting on their helmets and walking back to where they had been knocked out. Laying down, each disciple tried to mimic the position he/she had been in when they were knocked out.

"Sleep." Ruri commanded, extending her hand towards the former Arrest Corps operatives. Instantly, all three-hundred and one officers collapsed to the ground, a couple of them snoring loudly.

Ruri smiled when they had all fallen asleep. Turning transparent, she unfurled her wings and leaped out the hole in the building.

"I hope I'm not too late." She muttered to herself as she sped towards the Duel Palace Stadium. "I was actually interested in seeing some of the duels today."

Roger slowly picked himself off the ground and rubbed his sore head. A couple medical officers were rushing towards him, but he angrily pushed them aside and marched strait to the main control room where a large group of surveillance officers were monitoring the city and the current duel featuring the Lancer, Yuya, and his opponent, Shinji Weber. Normally, Roger would have been intrigued by the performance of the Lancer, but right now the duel was irrelevant to him. Taking his seat next to a chess board, he punched a few buttons on a computer and began broadcasting a message throughout Security's Headquarters.

"In light of recent events regarding the security of this city, it is with solemn regret that I must initiate directive, Alekhine's Gun. This city is now under Martial Law. All male citizens of the city age eighteen and older are now required by law to work a minimum of eight volunteer hours per day as Public Security Officers. All female citizens age nineteen and older are required to work a minimum of four hours as volunteer surveillance officers. All citizens currently laboring in the underground waste processing facilities are to immediately cease all activity and assist in safeguarding the city. All citizens are required by law to report any strange activity directly to Security. All citizens are to immediately report to the Bureau of Public Security should they encounter any one of these individuals!" A holographic image of the Dark Signers, Ruri, Rin, and Yuzu appeared in multiple areas around the building. "Resistance to this directive will not be tolerated! Any found in non-compliance with the law will be subject to immediate arrest and imprisonment without a trial! Any attempts to uphold the security of this fair city will not go unrewarded. Any attempts to subvert the security of the state will not go unpunished! All Security Officers are to ensure that these directives are carried out immediately!"

Roger slammed his finger against a button when he was finished. Wiping some sweat from his brow, he examined his chess board.

"You're an aggressive piece, little queen. But I have far more pawns to spare!"

SPECIAL OFFER 1: ACCEPT THE CALLING

Citizens of the Synchro Dimension! The regime of Jean-Michell Roger is crumbling! Who will stand with the forces of the Dark Signers as they seek to liberate us from his tyranny!? The time to rise up in rebellion is now! Pledge your allegiance to the Dark Signers now, and join us in building a paradise upon this world!

The Dark Signer's forces are growing, and now you, my dear readers, have the opportunity to take part in the Dark Signer's glorious crusade. I have already created the outline for the story, but there are many segments of the outline which say things like, "The Lancers duel these minions." I don't know about you, but frankly, I find faceless minions to be rather boring antagonists. That's where you come in! During the course of my writing, I will be accepting original characters and decks submitted by you, the readers! A special shout-out needs to go to ghost83 who submitted his own original character and LOTS of cards long before this offer was extended. Here's how this will work. Simply PM a message containing information on an original character of your design, one or more of your own fan-cards, or both! I will go through these cards and characters, and in a future chapter, you could see your own character and/or card(s) appearing in "Signs of Renewal." Currently, I am mainly accepting character designs for Earthbound Disciples (the servants of the Dark Signers) or members of Roger's Security regime, but you are free to submit other ideas. I have already figured out everyone who is going to be a Signer and Dark Signer, in addition to their ace monsters and all the Earthbound God Cards. If you want, you can still submit to me ideas for Signers, Dark Signers, or their Ace Monsters, but I will not be incorporating those cards into the plot. However, in special sections of my story, I will be featuring all fan contributions whether or not they made it into the plot of the final story. Credit will be given to the creators of characters and cards in the Featured Fanfic Card section of each chapter in addition to the fan-contribution sections. When submitting a character and/or cards, please follow this format:

1. Include some info on the character. (Name, physical description, personality, Alliegance (Dark Signers, Roger, Academia, other), History, and relationships.)

2. When submitting the fanfic monsters, please follow this format:

Card Name/ ATTRIBUTE/ Level or Rank/ Monster Type/ Card Type (Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, etc./ Other information (tuner, Gemini, union, etc.) ATK/ DEF/ Effect Description/ (Optional physical description of the monster, i.e. what does the monster look like when it is summoned?).

3. For Spell/Trap Cards, Please follow the format:

Card Name/ Spell/Trap Type/ Effect description. / (Optional: What does the card look like and what does it do when it is activated?)

There is no limit to how many ideas you can submit, and no time limit (other than the end of the story). I look forward to seeing your ideas and promise to give you full credit for your creations even if I make some slight modifications in the final version. Thank you all for your continued support. If you have any questions, please PM me, and please DO NOT post any submissions in the review section. Until next chapter (which is coming VERY soon), this is Donjusticia signing out. God bless you everyone!

FEATURED FANFIC CARDS

Arrest Corps Monsters

Goyo Regent/ EARTH/ Level 6/ Warrior/ Effect/ ATK 1800/ DEF 1600/ (This card is always treated as a Synchro Monster). If you control a "Jutte" or "Goyo" monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand).

Jutte Lady/ EATH/ Level 3/ Warrior/ Effect/ ATK 0/ DEF 1800/ If a face-up "Goyo" monster you control battles an opponent's monster, you can discard this card at the start of the Damage-Step: Increase the ATK of that "Goyo" monster by 1000 for each "Goyo" monster you control until the end of the Battle-Phase.

Arrest Corps Spell/Trap Cards

Goyo Sasumata/ Spell/ Equip/ Equip only to a "Goyo" monster you control. The Equipped monster can attack your opponent's LP directly.

Trivia: Like the jutte, the sasumata was a special weapon used by imperial Japanese police during the Edo period. Its unique U-shaped end was exceedingly useful for grabbing the limbs of opponents and suppressing them from a distance.

Goyo Checkpoint/ Spell/ Continuous/ While you control a face-up "Goyo" monster, your opponent must pay 1000 LP to declare an attack.

Goyo Sodegarami/ Spell/ Equip/ Equip only to a "Goyo" monster. If it attacks, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage-Step. Once per turn, if the equipped monster attacked an opponent's monster, you can banish 1 "Goyo" monster on your side of the field or graveyard: The equipped monster can attack once again in a row.

Trivia: Together with the Sasumata and Tsukubo, the Sodegarami was issued to Edo Period police as one of the three tools for arresting. Its hooked ends were designed to grasp the clothing of suspected criminals and suppress them in a non-lethal manner.

Pyotr Ivanov's Extra Deck

Earthbound Construct Geo Domovoi / Stats unrevealed / Effects unrevealed.

Elizaveta Ivanov's Extra Deck

Earthbound Disciple Geo Thunderbird / Stats unrevealed / Effects unrevealed.

Ruri's Monsters

Salvation Seraphim Disciple/ DARK/ Level 1/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 100/ DEF 100/ Effects unrevealed.

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 Martyr/ DARK/ Level 3/ Winged Beast/ ATK 300/ DEF 1800/ If this card is sent to the graveyard by battle or a card effect, you can Special Summon this card from your graveyard. (You can only Special Summon "Salvation Seraphim Martyr(s)" once per turn with this effect. An Xyz Monster that was Xyz Summoned using this card as a material gains this effect:

If it is Xyz Summoned, you can target 1 card in either player's graveyard: Attach that target to that monster as an Xyz Material.

Salvation Seraphim Angel/ DARK/ Level 6/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 2000/ DEF 1400/ You can send this card from your hand or side of the field to the graveyard: Add 1 "Rank-Up" Spell Card from your deck to your hand. If you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can declare a Level from 1 to 6: The Levels of all face-up "Salvation Seraphim" monsters you control become the declared Level until the End-Phase.

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.

Salvation Seraphim Archon/ LIGHT/ Level 8/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 2400/ DEF 2400/ If you Xyz Summon a "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster while this card is in your graveyard, you can Special Summon this card, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Monster from your hand or graveyard. A Winged Beast Type Xyz Monster Xyz Summoned using this card as a material gains this effect:

If it is Xyz Summoned, attach up to 2 cards from your Extra Deck to that card as Xyz Material.

Salvation Seraphim Hierophant/ LIGHT/ Level 8/ Winged Beast/ Effect/ ATK 1600/ DEF 2900/ Once per turn, if you would Xyz Summon a "Salvation Seraphim" Monster, you can also use cards from your hand or graveyard as Xyz Material. A Winged Beast Type Xyz Monster Xyz Summoned using this card as a material gains this effect:

If it is Xyz Summoned, you can add 1 "Rank-up" card from your deck or graveyard to your hand.

Salvation Seraphim Prophetess/ LIGHT/ Level 8/ Winged Beast/ ATK 3000/ DEF 2800/ If you would take damage while this card is in your hand and you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can activate this effect: Special Summon this card from your hand, and if you do, that damage becomes 0. You take no damage while you have no monsters in your graveyard. You can banish this card until the End-Phase of this turn: Until the end of this turn, the Special Summon of "Salvation Seraphim" monsters and the activation of their effects cannot be negated. (This is a quick effect).

Fallen Angelic Guide/ LIGHT/ Level 1/ Fairy/ ATK 0/ DEF 0/ You can discard this card from your hand: Add 1 Field Spell Card from your deck or graveyard to your hand. If you control a face-up field Spell Card, you can Special Summon this card from the graveyard. (You can only use this effect of "Fallen Angelic Guide" once per turn). You can reveal 1 monster in your hand: Shuffle that card into the deck, and if you do, the Levels of all monsters you control become the Level of that monster X -1.

Fallen Ardent Missionary/ LIGHT/ Level 1/ ATK 0/ DEF 0/ If you Xyz Summon a monster using a "Rank-Up" card, you can banish that card from the graveyard: Special Summon this card from your hand or graveyard, and if you do, you can set 1 "Earthbound" Spell/Trap Card from your deck. Once per turn, you can banish this card: Each Xyz Monster you control is immediately used as a Dark Xyz Material for the Dark Xyz Summon of a Dark Xyz Monster whose Rank is equal to the Rank of the Xyz Monster being used as a Material X -1. (Xyz Materials attached to each monster become Dark Xyz Materials on each respective monster Dark Xyz Summoned with this effect).

Earthbound God (Jibakushin) Jatun Waqar / Stats unrevealed. / Effects unrevealed

Trivia: Jatun Waqar is the Quechua word for "Heron."

Ruri's Extra Deck

Salvation Seraphim Inquisitor/ LIGHT/ Rank 1/ Winged Beast/ Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1000/ DEF 300/ 2 or more (Max. 5) Level 1 monsters

You can also Xyz Summon this card using 1 "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster you control as the Xyz Material. Xyz Materials attached to that card also become Xyz Materials on this card. This card gains the effects of each "Salvation Seraphim" Xyz Monster attached to itself as an Xyz Material. If your opponent would Special Summon a monster(s) while you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can banish 3 Xyz Materials attached to this card: Negate the Special Summon of that monster(s), and if you do, destroy it.

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 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/ 3 or more (Max. 5) Level 8 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. While you have no monsters in your graveyard, this card is unaffected by your opponent's card effects.

Earthbound Disciple Geo Ophanim/ LIGHT/ Rank -3/ Fairy/ Dark Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 1200/ DEF 2400/ 2 Level -3 monsters

If your opponent activates a monster effect or declares an attack while you have no monsters in your graveyard, you can banish 1 Dark Xyz Material from this card: Negate the activation of that effect or attack, and if you do, your opponent cannot declare an attack until the end of this turn.

Trivia: "Ophanim" refers to the wheels seen on the chariot by Ezekiel. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Ophanim are an actual race of angels, who, with the Seraphim and Cherubim, keep an eternal watch over the throne of God. The monster's wheel design for this story was inspired in part by the witch, Walpurgisnacht, from the anime, Madoka Magica.

Earthbound Disciple Geo Nephilim/ LIGHT/ Rank -6/ Fairy/ Dark Xyz/ Effect/ ATK 2800/ DEF 2600/ 2 Level -6 monsters

Once per turn, during either player's turn, you can attach cards from the top of either player's deck, either player's graveyard, or that are currently banished to an Xyz or Dark Xyz monster on the field (except "Earthbound Disciple Geo Nephilim" as Xyz or Dark Xyz Materials, up to the number of Dark Xyz Materials attached to this card.

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.

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).

Earthbound Fury/ Spell/ Normal/ Target 1 "Earthbound" Monster you control: That target can make 1 attack during each Battle-Phase of this turn for each monster your opponent controlled at the tie of this card's activation, but other monsters you control cannot attack this turn. During the turn this effect was activated, any battle damage your opponent takes that is greater than 100 becomes 100, unless you control a face-up "Earthbound God" Card.

Ruri's Traps

Earthbound Pledge of Devotion/ Trap/ Continuous/ You cannot activate this card unless the only monsters you control are "Earthbound" monsters. You cannot Summon Monsters. "Earthbound" Cards you control cannot be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects or be destroyed by battle. During the End-Phase of each player's turn, pay half your LP, and if you do, you take 500 damage. If you do not control a face-up "Earthbound" Monster, destroy this card.