Lancea, the Constellations' king, appears. Yumi and her unexpected allies unite for the final battle.


This invasion was an unadulterated failure. One by one, the Constellations set out to this insignificant little planet, and one by one, they fell. Primus, Seginus, Meres, and Prima were all gone now, their unending existence finally snuffed out. They'd lost some here and there, be it to hunger or defeat, but never like this. It was unthinkable.

Izar, too, was gone. He'd lost, but by his own hand. It had been his suggestion all those eons ago that they start playing games with those they fed on, so it was more than surprising to find out he'd broken the rules. Regardless, fairness had to be upheld, even if it meant his eradication.

Now he was all alone. Lancea, de facto ruler of the Constellations, now had no one to rule. Alone in the dark space between universes, he pondered what he should do next. Should he leave and give up on this conquest? End the game now and do as he pleased? Maybe he'd simply give up.

No matter what happened, he knew that the end of this game meant there would only be one of his kind left. Effectively, that was already the case, Alramech as good as dead with what little power he still possessed. A king without a people is no king at all.

How was this going to play out? What we he going to do once this ended? He didn't have these answers. He needed to find them before he made his next move.


"Yeah, and I basically broke every bone in my body, but I'm good now," Kazuhiko said, currently far from good as he lay limply in the back seat. There was a lot to catch Hideo up on now that they were all together again.

"Are you just going to perpetually injure yourself every time we go out now?" Sakuya scoffed beside him.

"You're one to talk," he said, wincing as he tried to point a finger at her.

Turning up her nose, she replied, "Once I get used to this leg, I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, seem destined to be mortally wounded during every duel."

"Come on, quit fighting," Yumi sighed, tightening one of Sakuya's bandages. She wasn't the best medic, but her work would hold until they made it back to the facility. "I think everyone did great out there."

"Yeah, we really kicked ass," Kazuhiko agreed, quietly grunting as he forced his body forward enough to fist bump with Hideo, immediately falling back in his seat the moment it was done.

"You really need to stop," Sakuya told him, the others (including their driver) agreeing.

It was comforting to know that, despite all of this, they'd effortlessly slotted back into their normal routine. Out of everything that had happened throughout the war, this was what gave each of them the most hope for the future. It was hard to tell exactly what life would be like after this all came to an end, but they could at least be sure that they had each other again. That was enough for now.

As they pulled into the underground garage, a team of medics rushed towards their car. They'd rightly expected the teams to come back with some injuries, though they still looked shocked at the state of Kazuhiko yet again. Two of them helped him up onto a stretcher, Yumi assisting Sakuya into a wheelchair before they were both taken off for treatment.

She and Hideo began walking with the others, their injuries minor but still needing help. However, Yumi stopped as she saw another car pull up, a motorcycle towed behind it. "Go on without me for now," she said, realizing who it was immediately. "I'll catch up."

Hideo likewise recognized Kyoko in the back of the car but chose to carry on, giving a thumbs up as they went off to monitor Kazuhiko's concerning amount of injuries. He was shockingly lucid despite the chatter from the medics including phrases like, "How is he conscious?" and, "Why is his blood so thick and hot?"

Running over, Yumi jumped onto Kyoko for a hug the moment she got out of the car. "I knew you could do it," she said, feeling her return the gesture by patting her on the head.

"Of course I did it," she said. "Who do you think I am?"

"She really impressed us," Rafael said, slumped over in the passenger's seat next to their driver. Seeing Yumi's look of shock at both his and a sleeping Minerva's injuries, he took on a serious look before adding, "I know you're old enough to know better, but don't stick a fork in an outlet."

Before long, they'd all reassembled in the infirmary, casually chatting about the duels they'd just endured. "And I think if I can get enough people to try it, it might catch on," Kyoko said. "It's a hard sell, yeah, but riding your bike while dueling is rad as hell. Once you try it, you'll want to do it forever."

"That's insanity," Sakuya said bluntly, wincing as her arm was stitched up.

"You're not even old enough to drive," Kazuhiko scoffed, somehow still awake despite breathing in anesthetic for the last five minutes. "I think it's cool, and I'm going to try it."

"That's my guy," Kyoko said, preparing to high five him but thinking better of it at the last moment.

"You're both going to kill yourselves," Sakuya said as she shook her head. "Might as well have just let the Constellations do it for you."

"It should be fine," Rafael said, waving his hand while people tended to his burns. "We were riding on the back of it the whole time and nothing bad happened. Not because of the motorcycle, at least."

"You would all do well to remember that you won't have our medical services once you're out of here," said Dr. Shinkawa as she worked on a snoring Minerva. "Head injuries and broken necks won't heal as well without us around."

"And we're real grateful for the help," Kazuhiko said on behalf of everyone.

She glared in his direction, replying, "Go to sleep before I make you sleep. I can already tell you need surgery again."

"Better do what she says," Yumi whispered, stifling a laugh with Hideo like they'd just seen him scolded by the teacher in front of the whole class. Her expression dropped shortly after, however, as her mind wandered back to thoughts of the future. "I wonder how much longer we're going to be here."

"Not much longer," Shinkawa answered. "Good thing, too, since almost everyone sustained some kind of injury during this last fight." She gestured around the room at the many full beds, the various soldiers and duelists resting after Meres' assault.

"Indeed," they heard from outside the room. "It seems like the last team is returning now," Alramech continued as he walked in. "The circumstances are a bit...odd, but their opponent has been defeated."

"Does that mean it's over?" Yumi asked, trying not to get her hopes up prematurely.

"Not yet," he said sternly. "There should be one more of us left. I don't mean to lower morale, but he's likely to be the strongest of all of us. The last leg of the journey may be the hardest, I'm afraid."

It was probably too much to hope things would just end. The news that there was still more fighting to be done definitely did bring down the mood, but only so much. After all, there was a glimmer of hope in there. "But...that still means there's only one left," Yumi said.

"Very true," Alramech agreed. "We'll start preparations as soon as the last team returns. We don't know when he'll choose to challenge us. Unlikely as it may be, it might be at least a few days." Predictably, things began to rumble around them a second later, hearkening the arrival of their final opponent. "I should have known," he sighed.

"I'll go," Yumi said, having already deduced she was the least injured among everyone here.

"Not without me," Kazuhiko said, straining to get up.

"No you don't," Shinkawa said, brandishing a scalpel. "You're staying here. As are you, you, and you." She pointed to Sakuya, Kyoko, and Rafael in time with this, glossing over Minerva as she continued to sleep.

"I feel fine," Kyoko argued, though she was truthfully ready to drop. She had yet to realize it, but the last battle had greatly taxed her body from the near-constant high speeds. That, plus some severe dehydration, meant she'd have to do as the doctor said.

"I'll be okay," Yumi told them, making sure to nod at a worried Sakuya in particular. "I know I can do this."

"You better," Kazuhiko grumbled, finally starting to yawn.

"Make it back to us," Sakuya said. "You're not allowed to lose this late into things."

Yumi nodded again. "I'll win," she said decisively. At the very least, she wouldn't be tackling this alone. Hideo might not be in perfect shape after the battle, but they were still ready to back her up. After a few more words of encouragement from everyone, Alramech teleported himself and the two to the street outside.

The rumbling grew louder as they waited, the clouds parting to reveal a blazing red sky overhead. "I guess this is it," Yumi said, sighing as she looked over her deck. She didn't have time to rebuild it, only being able to swap between other cards she had on her at the moment. She'd have to trust them with this last duel.

Hideo offered some encouraging words, pointing out that all of them had been beating the Constellations consistently this entire time. That wasn't a guarantee of success, but it was a testament to their skill and resilience. Getting psyched out now wasn't going to help anyone.

"Looks like it's time," Alramech said, breaking their conversation as the final Constellation descended from the sky. Bathed in scarlet flames, he towered over everything like a giant, matching heights to some of the shorter buildings. Long red hair and beard flowed around him, sparks crackling through them as piercing crimson eyes trained themselves on the three figures on the ground.

Landing on legs as thick as redwoods, he bellowed, "Alramech, you didn't hide."

"I see no reason to," he replied casually. "Why should a winner act fearful towards a loser?"

"You've grown weaker," he said, seeming to ignore the taunts. "If you stay too close, you might be destroyed."

"I'm willing to take that chance to watch the finale in person," he told him.

With a grunt, the enemy Constellation eyed the two humans up and down. "These?" he asked, something resembling disgust in his voice.

"Yes," Alramech confirmed.

"Then I assume this will be the last game," he said. "If I win this battle, I will win the game. No more after this."

From the sound of things, there wouldn't be any chances beyond this duel. Yumi and Hideo looked to Alramech for an answer, hoping he'd push back on this. Unfortunately, he answered, "Correct." They weren't planning to lose, of course, but knowing that no one else could take up the torch were they to fail added a whole new level of pressure.

"Then we should begin," he said, blue marking glowing across his gold-tinged skin. As he did, a wave of energy unleashed itself from his body. "I am Lancea, king of those you know as Constellations. I appear here now to defeat you and end this game. When you fall, know that you fought a worthy battle. Take solace in becoming part of something greater than your insignificant existence."

His aura was suffocating, Yumi feeling lightheaded after mere moments of exposure. She got off easy, though, as Hideo quickly dropped to the ground. "What's wrong?" she asked them, crouching down and taking their hand.

Unable to lift their arms, Hideo couldn't reply. Whatever damage they'd incurred in the last duel was being amplified, their body giving out from the stress. It seemed like no amount of grit or struggle would be able to change that.

"This isn't fair!" Yumi shouted up at Lancea. "You can't try to take us out before the duel even starts!"

"Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done," he said to her. "I intend to fight at my full strength, as should you. I won't be suppressing any of my power."

"I'd like to help you both," Alramech said, looking uncharacteristically feeble, "but I simply don't have the strength for that. He's stronger than even I thought now."

Yumi grit her teeth, standing back up. "Alramech, take Hideo somewhere safe. I'll fight him on my own."

Hideo objected as best they could, shaking their head and straining to try to stand up. It was of no use, though, as they obviously couldn't duel in this condition. "Are you sure?" Alramech asked her. "You seem to be resisting him, but for how long?"

He wasn't wrong there. The longer she stood there, the more this energy was beginning to affect her. "I can handle it," Yumi told the both of them. "Just get to safety. I won't let him hurt anyone else."

After a bit of hesitation, Alramech nodded. "I'll make it so everyone can watch you remotely. We can't miss that victory, can we?" With a confident smirk, both he and Hideo disappeared and returned to the infirmary. This left Yumi by herself, looking up at the beast before her. Red lightning crackled around him as the energy field only seemed to grow stronger.

As overwhelming as the gap in power felt, she pressed on. "You heard us before," she said. "I'll take you on by myself."

"A foolish choice," Lancea said. "If you want to gamble the fate of your universe on only yourself, I won't stop you."

Yumi was formulating a response (possibly a witty comeback, but she was still deciding), only to grow silent as a strange sound broke her concentration. She looked skyward as it grew louder, now seeming like a clacking noise.

"What is that?" Lancea asked, his aura dying down for the moment.

"I don't know," Yumi told him, growing more confused by the second. "I think something's coming here."

"That sounds inconvenient," he said. His eyes scanned the sky for the source of the noise, seeming to spot it on the horizon. "I'll dispose of it."

"Hey, don't!" Yumi shouted. "You can't just destroy...whatever that is." She looked in the same direction he was, squinting up at the slow-moving shape off in the distance. "Wait, is...is that…a helicopter?"

"I don't understand the purpose of this," Lancea said. "This is delaying the game."

"You're immortal," Yumi scoffed. "This is barely anything to you." He actually didn't attempt to argue with that, letting out a low grunt as they both watched the helicopter fly in closer to them.

Shockingly, it started to descend near them. Was it a media chopper? The EEDF or some other government entity kept things contained up to this point, so that seemed unlikely. Still, most people wouldn't willingly fly into what they'd been told was a massive typhoon, so who could this be?

Shielding herself from the high winds and the dust kicked up by the blades, she squinted towards the helicopter to watch for when someone came out. As the engine died down, she saw the door fling open, someone inside shouting, "Yumi!"

That voice stirred something in Yumi that she'd kept buried up until now. It was a softness that she couldn't allow herself to be for the duration of the war. She tried to speak, but she was already too busy crying. Taking off towards the helicopter, she finally found her voice enough to scream, "Grandma!"

They hugged each other with smothering force, a missing piece of the world finally falling back into place within their lives. Feeling the warmth of her grandmother's love for the first time in months, all of the determination and seriousness she'd built up was allowed to fall away. For a short time, she no longer had to be a soldier; she could just be the scared, hurting child she really was, safe in the arms of her family.

It was hard for either of them to speak through their sobs at first, but Yumi eventually managed to squeak out, "I'm sorry I left."

Taking a deep, shaky breath, her grandmother responded, "It's okay now. You're safe now." Despite how untrue that was, Yumi could really believe that for a moment.

"How did you get here?" Yumi asked, sniffling while still held firmly in a hug. Blinking away her tears, she finally caught sight of Rio and Fukuro awkwardly watching the two of them from inside the helicopter.

"We didn't want to interrupt," Fukuro said with a small bow.

"They finally brought me to you," her grandmother confirmed. "No one had any idea what was going on. They said there was a typhoon, but I knew that wasn't true. There was a fire at the park you go to, and people got hurt the day of the evacuation, but no one was telling the truth."

"I'm sorry," Yumi repeated. "I'm sorry I ran away. I didn't want you to worry."

"You were doing what you thought was right," her grandmother said. "I can only be so mad at you for that." It was at that point she finally looked upwards, spotting the massive Constellation watching them from a short ways away. All things considered, he was being remarkably patient with them.

"Who is that?" she asked, Yumi turning back to look at Lancea. "Is this who you had to fight?" With a grunt, she picked up her cane off the ground and shook it at him. "Leave my granddaughter alone! And put a shirt on!"

"Are you joining the battle, as well?" he asked.

"No!" Yumi shouted back at him. "Just give me a minute!" She finally pulled away from her grandmother. "I know we have to talk about a lot of things, but I have to duel this guy first. It's all over when I win."

"You can't-" She paused, gripping the head of her cane tightly with both hands. Looking Yumi over, she couldn't stop herself from seeing just how much she'd changed since they last saw one another. Seeing the fire in her eyes, she knew nothing she said could sway her right now.

She took a deep breath, holding it in for several seconds. "I know you have to," she finally said, "but I wish it didn't have to be you."

Yumi smiled, hugging her grandmother tight. "It's going to be okay. I'll win. Then things will be normal again." Pulling back, she looked towards the helicopter again. "Rio, can you take my grandma into the base? You know the way, right?"

Stepping out of the helicopter, she shook her head, walking forward while carrying her duel disk. "I don't think I can. From the looks of things, they've sent you out here on your own. That doesn't seem very fair when you're fighting someone like that. Aren't you supposed to be part of a team of three?"

"We work with what we have," Yumi told her. "I'm the only one who can still duel right now."

"That's not true," Rio scoffed. "After all, I'm here." She held a finger to Yumi's lips as soon as she tried to protest. "Yumi, we both know I have problems listening to other people. And – I hate to point this out, but it's true – my family helped set all of this up, so I don't think you can give me orders."

Yumi blinked several times, dumbfounded at having someone pull rank on her like this. "So, I'll be joining you for this duel," Rio added. "That's that."

Staying quiet for another moment, Yumi finally laughed. "I guess I can't argue," she said. As much as she didn't want to involve other people in this, she really could use the help. Considering the entire world was on the line right now, she couldn't really deny another resident of the world the chance to protect it, either.

"I don't know if your parents would approve of that," Fukuro said, walking up behind her. "However, I, also, cannot argue." Bending to one knee, he looked into her eyes, concern for her safety and pride at her bravery and willingness to help her friend mixing together in his gaze. "Be careful. As careful as possible, at least."

"Of course I will be," she said, nodding. "You and her should get underground. This is probably going to get messy."

With one last look, both of the adults reluctantly retreated into the facility. Now only Yumi and Rio were left, Lancea looming over both. "There's still time to back out," Yumi told her. "I wouldn't blame you. No one would even know."

"Nonsense," Rio scoffed. "If you can do this, so can I. And I can't just let you fight all by yourself. Watching you suffer got boring ages ago."

Yumi smiled, accepting that they were now in this together. "By the way," she said, "thank you for protecting my grandma."

Rio averted her gaze, looking to the street as her face turned red. "It's the least I could do," she muttered. Forcing a cough, she composed herself and said, "We should get on with this."

"I agree," Lancea said from across the field. "This is confounding and uninteresting."

"If you're planning to kill everyone, you can at least give us time to say goodbye," Yumi argued. "You're being a real jerk."

"Honestly," Rio said with a nod. "Are they all like this?"

"They're not nice people," Yumi told her. "They're always talking down to us, and when we start winning, they get all mad and start shouting. And they all start cheating and trying to kill us without even using cards, too."

"That doesn't seem fair," she said. "Bunch of soar losers, it sounds like."

Yumi nodded several times, arms crossed with a stern look on her face. "No dignity."

Lancea's expression changed, nostrils flared as he said, "I won't have creatures like you insulting my honor. When we battle, we do so at our full strength. If your physical forms are too feeble to keep up, that weakness is your fault."

"A likely story," Rio sneered. "It's not your fault someone was stabbed to death; they just happened to be in the spot you were stabbing, right?" She only got more smug after seeing Yumi stifle a laugh at her metaphor.

Lancea blew hot ash from his nose, preparing to say something else before something off in the distance caught his attention. Slumping forward, he just sighed. "Another one?"

"What does that mean?" Rio asked, turning with Yumi to look behind. Both were shocked to see yet another person coming towards them. No matter how much they squinted, they couldn't make out anything besides a tattered brown cloak obscuring the figure from head to toe.

Upon getting closer, however, a strong gust of wind caused the cloak to unfurl, exposing a dark, metallic prosthetic in place of its owner's left arm. Even after all the crying she just did, Yumi still felt the corners of her eyes dampen. "It can't be…"

Finally pulling the hood back, Yuu revealed herself. Walking up to Yumi, she swallowed hard, greeting her with a simple and quiet, "I'm back."

Yumi immediately pulled her into a hug, Yuu returning it a moment later. "You're okay," Yumi said, so overjoyed that she started to laugh in spite of her tears. "How?"

Yuu held her even tighter, smiling contentedly at the feeling of being held in someone's arms. "It's a long story," she said, exhaustion evident in her voice. That's where she left it, mostly because she wasn't sure how to adequately explain what had happened since the last time they'd seen each other.


Yuu did indeed fall into the gorge. Izar had made sure she'd drop, her body smacking against the rocks like a rag doll most of the way down. How she survived this was anyone's guess, though she would have certainly bled to death laying there if no one had intervened.

Fortunately, someone did. Awakening a few days after the fall, Yuu found herself tucked into a strange bed inside a strange house. Her wounds were bandaged, presumably by the man snoring in the chair across the room.

Immediately, Yuu wanted to run, but that wasn't an option given her injuries. While she seemed to have healed to some degree, she was in no shape to leave. Wracked with pain, thirst, and hunger, she seemed to be stuck with this person for the foreseeable future.

Then he began to stir, Yuu instinctively growing quiet and still. Maybe if she pretended to sleep, he'd leave her alone. Eyes closed, she heard him yawn, then stand from his seat. Walking over, he seemed to stop at the edge of the bed, placing a finger against her exposed wrist.

After a few moments, he sighed. "Stronger today," he muttered, letting her go. "Maybe she'll get up soon." Then he walked away, a door shutting after a few seconds.

Yuu opened her eyes, immediately seeing that the man had only pretended to leave the room. "Hey," he said, raising a hand at her like they were friends. Thinking about it, it would have been obvious she was faking given her rapid heartbeat. Hard to believe she fell for such a stupid trick.

"Whoa, relax," he said, watching as Yuu unsuccessfully tried to jump out of bed. "It's good, I'm not hurting you. Just chill. We're good here."

Despite his tattered clothes, unkempt hair and beard, and the untrustworthy way they'd met, he didn't seem to be an immediate danger. After all, if he wanted to hurt her, he could have done whatever he wanted while she was unconscious. Why bother patching her up if he wanted her dead, too?

While he'd hardly earned her trust, Yuu did relax just a bit. She wasn't going anywhere in this state, so she could at least listen to him for the time being.

"Nice," he said, nodding. "You bust anything open? Bandages still good?" She did a quick check of herself on his urging, finding her wounds still closed. "Okay, that's good."

"Who are you?" Yuu finally asked, inching her way closer to the wall.

The man sighed, scratching the back of his blazing red hair. "Well, I'm no one, honestly. Just a guy who shouldn't be here." It was obvious by the unenthused look on her face that Yuu wasn't happy with this answer. "Just think of me as a fan of your friend Yumi."

Yumi's name got her attention. "Is Yumi okay?" She had no idea if he would even know, but she had to ask.

"Yeah, she's alright," he told her. "She should be back at that underground place now. Probably resting up after...after all that."

Assuming he was telling the truth, that was good news. Yuu felt a sense of relief wash over her, falling back into the pillow underneath her. Her actions hadn't been a waste. They had beaten Izar's game. Yumi was safe now.

"I'm going to go get some food for you. Electricity and water still work here, so that's good." He really did leave the room this time, banging around in what had to be the kitchen for the next several minutes. When he finally returned, he was carrying some rice and yakitori from a can he'd tossed into a pan. Also a glass of water, which the severely parched Yuu drank in seconds.

It was during these moments that Yuu realized her prosthetic was in far from working order. The fingers barely moved and the outer shell was halfway stripped off. She couldn't even imagine how damaged the internals must be. Doing maintenance on it was always the facility staff's job, so she had no idea how to fix it.

Noticing this, the man pointed to her arm with his thumb. "Yeah, it's kinda banged up. I'm not the greatest at this stuff, but I can try to fix it a little while you're here. Just depends on if I can find a toolbox. No idea who owns this house."

While the idea of someone touching her arm was skin-crawling, she didn't have much of a choice. She had to recover from this, and that meant being able to use both arms to at least some degree. Slowly, she nodded, then dove into her food.

Over the next several days, Yuu proceeded to get stronger. On the man's insistence, she "borrowed" some clothes from the original occupants of this home to replace her tattered outfit. It was a welcome change given she was still wearing what Izar had gifted her. Being able to toss those away for good felt almost as good as the second hot shower of her entire life.

Despite the wealth of options on hand, she settled on white t-shirts and black pants, all of them at least a little too big for her. While monochrome had been a decision made for her by the people that owned her before, she couldn't deny she'd grown fond of it. Maybe not the most exciting color choices, but they were what she wanted, "wanting" being the operative word now.

As her body recovered, her arm did, too. The man's reservations seemed to have been unfounded, as he was managing to work out the technology much faster than anyone could have predicted. By the end of day three together, she could once again grasp things, if weakly. A few days after that and the only digit lagging behind was the pinkie. The exterior, while dented and scuffed, was once again intact.

Neither of them talked much during this period. Though each clearly had a lot they'd like to ask of the other, they chose silence instead. How would they even begin these conversations? For the man's part, there was also the distinct sense that he had something to hide. That was obvious given he wouldn't even share his name, but this secret seemed like something he was afraid to say, not something he simply didn't want to share.

Exactly how many days they spent together wasn't clear. Neither of them was exactly concerned with watching the clock, and the sky overhead was so tumultuous that tracking day and night was a difficult task. By the end, though, Yuu was feeling much better, no longer bedbound and sporting a variety of new scars instead of wounds.

It was in the middle of what they figured was lunch that they felt the world around them shake. "Which one is this?" the man asked, holding onto the countertop in the kitchen. "I didn't think they went all out on just the introduction." They'd heard plenty of chaos over the last several days, but this was the first time something like this had happened, especially without any accompanying shouts or monster sounds.

In her head, Yuu figured this must be the beginning of the end. The final Constellation – Lancea, if she was remembering right – must have appeared. If these assumptions were correct, it meant the others were no more, Izar included. Hopefully, that meant Yumi had made it all this way.

And if Yumi had made it all this way, she must be tired. She must need help.

Standing up from the table, Yuu went for the door. "Hey, what are you doing?" the man asked behind her.

Pausing at the door, Yuu looked back to him, a new sense of determination evident on her face. "I have to help Yumi," she said.

"Help how?" he asked. "You don't have a deck. Besides, you're walking, but you're not healed up yet."

"I have to go," Yuu insisted. "Yumi needs help."

"But what help can you offer?" he said. "You run out there now and you're just as likely to get yourself killed. How's that going to help anyone?"

Yuu huffed, balling her fists up. "I'll think of something," she said. "I will. I have to. I can't…" She inhaled sharply, shaking from the intensity of her feelings. "I can't let her go alone. I can't let Yumi go alone. She needs help, and I have to help. I can't… I can't…"

She placed a hand on her chest and shouted, "I have to make it up to her! For everything I've done...everything she's done for me...I have to help now!"

Her feelings at their peak, her wrist took on a white glow. This distracted them from their argument, both looking to her prosthetic for answers. Moving the hand down, the light appeared to be coming from the deck slot inside of it.

Reaching inside, Yuu pulled out...something, that something quickly taking the shape of a card. The longer she held it and the harder she looked at it, the more it revealed itself, text inscribing onto its surface as an image faded into existence. She could say with confidence it was not a card she'd seen before.

"I didn't own this," Yuu said, the man looking over her shoulder and observing the card. "Where did this…"

"Wow," he murmured. "This is...I've only seen this once before. Damn."

Yuu looked to him for answers. "What is it?" she asked.

"The way I understand it," he said, "this card is...you. Don't ask for an explanation since I don't understand the hows or whys, but sometimes, some people can manifest a card. It's like their soul. Your soul, in this case."

The concept of the soul had little meaning to Yuu, so this was more of a shock than just ("just") the knowledge she could materialize a Duel Monsters card from thin air. Looking it over again, Yuu still wasn't sure what to make of all of this. She knew better than to have doubts at this point given her entire life had been based around the idea of alien gods destroying the world. Still, to think she was capable of this – that she was special enough to do this – was hard to accept.

Explanations didn't matter, though. The rumbling had stopped, which meant the duel would begin soon. Placing the card into her arm, she opened up another compartment closer to her elbow. Officially, this was for things like emergency rations or medical supplies. Unofficially, it was her hiding spot for important things. In this case, all it contained was a single card – Angel Trumpeter.

Placing it with the other, she turned back to the door. "I'm going now," she said, grabbing the knob.

"With just two cards?" the man questioned, not even seeing what the second was. "That's a bad plan."

"I don't care," Yuu said, determination even greater than before. That card had to be a sign. It was a sign that she had to go to Yumi now. Outgunned as she might be, she had to do something. There must be something she could offer her this time.

"Hold on," the man said. "I mean, like...you'll probably have better luck with this." Reaching into a back pocket, he pulled out a well-worn deck of cards. As Yuu's eyes went wide, he explained, "It's my deck. Well, what's left of it. I've lost a lot over the years and had to augment with what I could find. It's not very good at this point, but it's at least got the minimum number of cards." With a sigh, he added, "Not sure what you can do with it, but someone like you can probably bring out their potential."

Yuu reached forward, then hesitated. "Is this okay?" she asked. Though she still couldn't say she understood it, she'd come to learn how much duelists valued their cards. Was he really okay with her taking these?

With a nod, he told her, "Use them however you want. I've got no use for them anymore. They're better off in your care."

Yuu swallowed hard. "I'll take care of them," she said, finally picking them up to look over. He wasn't lying when he said there wasn't much here, most of them being a random assortment of cards with no real synergy mixed with several she'd never seen before. They were in Japanese, but perhaps they came from a foreign country given they weren't even in the logs the EEDF provided her during training.

She placed them into her arm with the others, the man adding, "And take that with you," pointing towards the brown cloak hung up on a coat stand. "It's a little cold."

Yuu stopped yet again, looking to the cloak, then to the man. Thinking over what she wanted to say and everything this man had done, she finally asked, "Why did you help me?

He grunted, scratching the back of his head. "Well…" He sighed, seeming unsure of it himself. "Well, I saw your duel that day. The one with Takano Yumi. And at the end, all I could think was… 'There's no reason she has to die.' That's what I thought, at least."

Was it really that simple? Was there really someone out there who would go to all of this trouble to save someone's life just on a whim? The idea seemed impossible to Yuu. Then again, not everything that seemed impossible really was. She was standing here alive now, so that was proof enough.

Holding back grateful tears, Yuu bowed as deeply as she could to this man – this stranger – who'd done so much for her without reason. Something in her said that this would be the last time they'd ever meet. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for everything."

The man laughed. "It's nothing," he said. "Come on, now. You've got places to be. Your friend's in trouble."

"My sister," Yuu corrected, smile wide on her face.

"Gotcha," the man said with another laugh, extending his fist out to her. As Yuu bumped it back with her own, he said a final, "Take care of yourself, Yuu."

She nodded to him, taking the cloak like he'd said and throwing it over her shoulders. With that, she set out, heading towards the supernatural disturbance she could see not too far away from the house they'd set up camp inside.


"I can tell you more later," Yuu said, urging Yumi to release her hug. "We have to fight now."

"Are you finished with this time-wasting excess?" Lancea said. "Does this one care about punctuality? A first for this species. I won't allow anyone else to interrupt our battle."

"He sounds mad," Yumi said, though she couldn't find it in herself to feel any fear at that. She no longer felt alone in any sense. With these two by her side and everyone else there to support her, she knew without a doubt she could win.

"Then let's not keep him waiting," Rio said, turning towards the Constellation. "Yumi, are we all doing this?"

"Yeah," Yumi confirmed with a nod. "And we're going to win. Together." As they all took places equidistant from each other across from Lancea, she spoke again to say, "And Yuu, take this," while tossing something towards her.

Yuu caught it, eyes widening as she realized that she'd just been given Yumi's old goggles. Looking towards their original owner, she got a nod in response. "They're a little banged up," Yumi said, "but I thought you might still be able to use them. I kind of wanted to give them to you for a while."

Yuu nodded quickly. "Thank you," she said, smiling as she put them onto her head, then pulled them over her eyes. "I'll take good care of them." So much kindness from everyone lately. She hardly knew how to process it.

"Then it looks like we're ready," Yumi said, plugging in a reda crystal as all of them finally activated their duel disks.

Lancea scoffed, his aura once again expanding out to encompass the entire field. It took a toll on all three humans, but they managed to resist the crushing influence. "Now, come! Fight with all your strength!"

"That's only natural," Rio said. "We won't lose to someone like you."

"We'll protect everyone and everything we care for," Yuu added.

"And end this war!" Yumi declared.

With no further delays, all four of them began what was set to be the final battle with a booming, "Duel!"


Cards Used in Order of Appearance

Angel Trumpeter
EARTH
Level 4
Plant/Tuner
1900 ATK/1600 DEF


Minerva just sleeping through the entire chapter. King shit.

This one's been a long time coming. I've had this team set up in my head for a long time. They're not really characters that would interact as a group under normal circumstances, but they're brought together because of their bonds with Yumi. I like that, as well as how their decks are going to both clash and synergize.

Lots of guns on the mantle going off now. Most of you probably forgot about stuff like Yuu having that Angel Trumpeter and the mysterious man from the market who's responsible for Chaos. I'll be straight up and say that the full reveal on this guy isn't going to come for a while. As in, keep him in the back of your head because it's going to be a plot thread left hanging until sequel series start up. Is it bad writing or just playing the long game? I genuinely don't know. Kind of feel like I get more leeway than traditional media since this is a longform fanfiction posted on the internet, but I'm also keenly aware most of you aren't going to follow from one series to the next to get the full payoff.

After a whole series of writing Yuu as sad, quiet, deferential, and hurting, it's extremely cathartic to finally get to a point where she can find her own voice and fully act for herself and what she cares about. I've said before how she's one of my favorite characters, so I've been waiting for this for a long time. Going from a deck of cold machines that ended with her encased in a nigh-impenetrable shell that Yumi manages to crack open to one full of grotesque, raging horrors with an ace that smothers her under the tendrils of Izar to something wholly new built from the kindness of people around her headlined by a new card that truly represents her. I was not subtle when it came to planning her cards.

Depending on how things shake out, we're about six or seven chapters away from the end with the current plans. Adjustments may need to be made depending on how long certain duels last, but the important part is that we're closer to the ending than I thought we'd actually get. It's been a ride.

I could probably talk for longer, but I have to finish work so that I can write the next chapter. Might be out late again because there's another wild duel for this one with four participants. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for reading. Share if you're enjoying. Always remember to express your love for the people you care about in life.