NOTE: Welcome back to another chapter! Sorry for taking so long, been working on my other stories(Which I recommend you all go read) and have been dealing with College.

Review and Enjoy!

Chapter 23: Vortex of Fire and Death

Misaki sprinted down the street, the young woman's mind occupied by thoughts of her previous conversation. "Was I too hard on him?" She said out loud. The lilac couldn't help, but hold some regret over what she had said to Kai. She knows that Kai has had his own problems to deal with in the past, but it was so difficult to ignore everything he's done. "Aichi may be able to easily forgive him, but he's going to have to work for it from now on," Misaki said.

BUZZ BUZZ

Reaching into her pocket, Misaki pulled out her phone. Looking into her messages and saw two, one from Emi and another from Kai. Prioritizing Kai's message first the lilac's eyes grew into the size of saucers. Misaki sprinted down the street, faster than she had previously. She already knew where that park was, but it was the words after that caused her to panic slightly.

"I found him. Hurry."

"Ride! Acquire Deletor, Igor(G0/5000)!"

"Ride! Perdition Dragon, Tinder Spear Dracokid(G0/5000)!"

Kai glared down at Ibuki's forerunner with an intense heat in his eyes. "This is your Deletors, huh?" Kai asked. The Kagero user could feel the rotting emptiness pulsating from those cards and he hated to see that same feeling resonating in strides from Ibuki.

Ibuki answered with a malicious smile. "You've yet to see their true power, Kai. Everything we've ever done has been leading to this day. The day that I finally sever our bond!" Ibuki declared, his cursed Psyqualia shining ever so brightly.

"Go ahead and try, Ibuki. I swear that I'll save you!" Kai responded, his own Psyqualia blazing intensely.

"I'll take the first turn. Draw! Ride! Breaking Deletor, Gatario(G1/7000) and Igor moves to the back row. With that I'll end my turn," Ibuki finished.

"My turn! Draw! Ride the Vanguard! Perdition Dragon Knight, Gia(G1/7000) and Dracokid moves to the back! Next, I'll call Perdition Battler, Maleikoh(G1/7000)!" Kai declared.

"Maleikoh attacks your Vanguard!" Kai yelled.

"No guard," Ibuki responded. He flipped over the damage to reveal no trigger.

"With support from Dracokid, Gia attacks!"

"No guard," Ibuki allowed the attack.

"Drive check(Critical Trigger)! All effects to my Vanguard!"

"Guh!" Ibuki flinched as he was dealt the damage. "Damage check(No trigger/Heal Trigger), I'll heal one damage and give the power to my Vanguard."

"Tch, I'll end my turn," Kai said.

[Ibuki Kouji: Hand: 5/Damage: 2] [Toshiki Kai: Hand: 5/Damage: 0]

"An early lead, Kai. Seems you haven't lost your touch at all. My turn! Draw! Ride! Pursuing Deletor, Egotte(G2/9000)! Call! Rotting Deletor, Izret(G2/8000)!" Ibuki placed down the cards. "I'll activate Izret's skill, when he's placed on the RC, I can give another unit on the field +2000. I chose my Vanguard!" Ibuki said.

"Izret attacks your Vanguard!"

"No guard," Kai said. He flipped over the damage to reveal no triggers.

"With support from Igor, Egotte attacks!" Ibuki declared, smirking.

"Guard(17,000)!"

"Drive check(Critical Trigger)! All effects to my Vanguard!" The card glowed brightly in Ibuki's hand.

"Kuh!" Kai grunted. "Damage check(No trigger/Draw Trigger)!" Kai added a card to his hand.

"With that, I'll end my turn," Ibuki said.

The Kagero user grunted and started his turn. "Stand and Draw! Ride the Vanguard! Perdition Dragon Knight, Ilham(G2/9000)! I'll move Maleikoh to the back and call Perdition Dragon, Menace Laser Dragon(G2/9000)!" Kai yelled. "Paying the cost(2), I'll activate Menace Laser's skill! When my Vanguard is a "Perdition" I can retire my opponent's rear guard in the same column as this unit! Izret goes to the drop zone!" Kai could see it, the Deletor unit being encased in flames and burning to death.

"Next Maleikoh's skill activates, when my opponent's rear guard in the same column as this unit is retired, I can counter charge(1)!" Kai added and flipped one of the damage cards back over. Ibuki's face hadn't changed as he watched Kai go through his turn.

"With support from Dracokid, Ilham attacks!"

"No guard," Ibuki said, unconcerned.

"Drive check(No trigger)! Damn," Kai cursed.

"Damage check(Draw Trigger), I'll draw a card and give the power to my Vanguard," Ibuki said.

"Maleikoh supports Menace Laser's attack!"

"Guard(19000)," Ibuki prevented Kai from dealing any more damage on that turn.

"Turn End," Kai sighed. He was frustrated that he couldn't do more to Ibuki on that trun, he wanted to bring his friend back as quickly as possible.

"DON'T."

Kai looked down at his deck, confused. "What?" His question caused Ibuki to raise an eyebrow in confusion. The white haired teen turned his gaze to Kai's deck and allowed a smile to creep onto his lips.

"Do not rush it, Toshiki Kai. We'll crush them and return Kouji Ibuki back to normal, so do not rush it," Dragonic Overlord warned him.

Kai nodded his head. "Right, I'll win this fight! With my image!" Kai calmed himself down.

[Ibuki Kouji: Hand: 5/Damage: 3] [Toshiki Kai: Hand: 5/Damage: 3]

Ibuki chuckled lightly. "Talking with your Vanguard, huh? Then I'll just have to show you mine. Stand and Draw!" Ibuki reached for Okiszz, but something flashed within his mind. The Deletor user gripped his head in pain as a headache made itself known.

Kai's eyes widened in concern. "Ibuki! Are you-"

"Shut up! I don't need any sympathy from you, Kai…" Ibuki grabbed a different card a bit hesitantly. "Ride! S-Squirm Deletor, Lourelou(G3/10000)! C-Call Penetrate Deletor, Iggy(G3/10000), Chewing Deletor, Boroh(G1/6000), and another Lourelou!" Ibuki regained his breath as his headache began to subside. He slowly turned to his hand and glared down at the card of his Vanguard.

"Tsk, Iggy attacks with support from Boroh!"

"No guard! Damage check(Heal trigger)! I'll heal one and give the power to my Vanguard!" Kai yelled.

"With support from Igor, Lourelou attacks your Vanguard!"

"Guard(19000)!" Kai declared.

"T-Twin drive check(No trigger/Stand Trigger), I'll restand Iggy and give him the power!" Ibuki said.

"I can guard that, won't be an issue," Kai thought.

Ibuki could see through Kai's analyzing gaze. "Don't be too sure, Kai. I'll activate Lourelou's skill! When my drive check reveals a Grade 3, I can retire one of my Grade 3 "Deletor" rearguards(He retired the other Lourelou) and then I can delete your Vanguard!" Ibuki shouted.

"What!?" Kai yelled, shocked.

"Docking Delete!" Ibuki's sickening smile made itself known as a purple mist enveloped Kai's vanguard.

The Kagero User flinched as he felt the unit he was occupying be erased from existence, his spirit now standing on its own on Cray. "T-This...this is what Emi felt when she fought him at Fukuhara. Ibuki...this chill…" Kai stood his ground, glaring at his friend.

"Now, Iggy attack his defenseless spirit!" Ibuki yelled.

"GYA!" Kai screamed in pain. The feeling of being pierced by a blade-like claw impaled him in the chest. He stumbled back, grasping his chest in pain. His breath was ragged as he glared instantly at Ibuki's malicious face.

"T-This won't stop me, Ibuki…" Kai slowly walked back toward the table.

"I would hope not, Kai. It wouldn't mean anything if beating you was this easy, just like that worthless Emi Sendou," Ibuki smirked.

"...What?" Kai asked, his voice void of emotion.

"You heard me, Kai. That pathetic little girl thought she could be a hero and replace her girly older brother. I can still remember her screams as I deleted her, I freed her from those shackles. The shackles created by Vanguard, and soon you will be too, Kai," Ibuki explained.

Kai stood there, glaring directly at Ibuki. A feeling of burning anger began to seep into his body like a raging hellfire. "Stand and Draw." Kai discarded a card from his hand to allow himself to ride on this turn. He raised his chosen card into the air and opened his mouth.

Ibuki could see it clearly with his Psyqualia, the distortion in air from the heat that Kai was radiating was suffocating. The Deletor user could feel the difference in the Toshiki Kai glaring at him and the one from before. The one from earlier in the fight was doing his best to reach him, to bring him back. However, this one…

"Lead to destruction with a flaming whirlwind! Ride the Vanguard! Perdition Dragon, Vortex Dragonewt(G3/11000)!" Kai's power exploded as he rode the Purgatory Dragon. The Dragon of Purgatory roared fiercely as he descended onto the battlefield, causing Ibuki to shake slightly at the raw power.

Kai wasn't finished in the slightest. His drop zone began to explode in a brilliant shower of flames as his spirit powered up. "Burn away all sins with the flames of Purgatory! Vortex Dragonewt! Seek the mate! That scream that opens up a trackless path, and those flames burn away everything in this world! Stand together, purgatorial dragons! LEGION!" Erupting through the earth below them, Perdition Dragon, Whirlwind Dragon(G2/9000) soared through the air. He crashed onto the ground, enveloping the earth in a blazing tornado of flames. When the tornado disappeared both Dragonewt and Whirlwind Dragon stood together, glaring directly into Ibuki's soul.

Suddenly Ibuki's eyes were dragged away from the Planet Cray and were brought right back to gaze into Kai's blazing emerald orbs. "Ibuki, I'm going to incinerate every last piece of Deletors! I'll show you the power of Vanguard!" Kai declared.

While the battle between childhood friends rages on, inside of a prison of imaginary fire stood Chrono Shindou. Next to him was the unconscious Shion Kiba. The young Gear Chronicle child was hesitant to approach the fire, scared that it might burn him. "But, I don't feel any heat coming from it. Maybe, it's safe…" Chrono's finger reached for the wall of flames.

"Don't."

"What?" Chrono blinked as he felt something grasp his hand. He looked over next to him to see the small blue and white dragon from his fight with Misaki holding his wrist.

"It's not safe for you out there, Chrono. Do not leave this area, please," The Dragon pleaded for Chrono to listen.

He didn't understand, but he trusted this Dragon. He didn't understand why(He seemed to be feeling this a lot lately), but he felt like he knew this Dragon. Nodding his head, the little Dragon released his wrist.

"Don't worry, Chrono. Everything will be over soon. I promise."

Chapter End

NOTE: Ibuki and Kai are unaware that Emi had returned. Dragonic Overlord had shown Kai, Emi's fight with Ibuki, but they don't know that she had returned. Nor are they aware of her experince in that Shadow World.

I love Purgatory Dragons so much and I hope their introduction was to your liking. Ibuki also didn't ride Oksizz in this chapter, due to the evil Vanguard interfering. The reason? You'll find out next time in "Reduced to Ashes".

Hope you all have a great weekend!