Chapter 18: Dancho's Darkness
In LINK VRAINS…
"The battle continues!" Dancho said. "Berserker of the Tenyi attacks you directly! Darkness Mixer!" Berserker of the Tenyi teleported right in front of SengokuQueen, before brutally beating her with a series of punches and kicks, causing her remaining life points to drop to zero.
SengokuQueen: 2000 – 4000 = 0
"SengokuQueen!" Raguel yelled.
Berserker of the Tenyi then charged blood-red chi into his fist before hitting her in the stomach, knocking her off her duel board. For a moment, as she was falling, Raguel could swore he saw her soul leave her body.
I'm sorry, Kataru, were SengokuQueen's last thoughts before darkness overtook her, but I failed to save him.
But before she hit the ground, her body landed on what looked like a green, mystical hand.
"I got her, Raguel," a voice said, causing Raguel to turn his head to his right at the voice. Upon seeing Stregone and Go, he was relieved.
"Didn't realize you two were still in LINK VRAINS." Raguel said, as Stregone lifted SengokuQueen's body using green, mystical energy.
"We were getting rid of any remaining Knights of Hanoi in the network." Go explained, as he and Stregone landed on the top of a nearby building with SengokuQueen's body.
"But it turns out there are still a few loose ends that need to be taken care of," Stregone added. Turning to the unconscious SengokuQueen, he shook her. "Hey, you alright? Wake up!"
"That is futile."
Stregone and Go turned around as Dancho landed lightly on the edge of the rooftop. "Our duel resulted in her becoming an 'Another'."
"An 'Another'?" Go repeated. He growled as he looked at Dancho. "Why would you do that? Answer me!"
"A buffoon like you could never understand!" Dancho said back, narrowing his eyes. "I've seen what you did to Dr. Genome. And for that, you will surely pay!"
"If you want to duel me you old geezer, then-!" But before Go could finish his sentence, Raguel jumped onto the edge of the rooftop and placed his sword at Dancho's throat, getting his attention.
"You're not hurting anyone else. Not after what you did to your pupil," Raguel stated, surprising both Stregone and Go upon hearing this new information.
"I can't believe it…." Go muttered.
"This guy was once SengokuQueen's duel teacher? How disgusting." Stregone added.
"And how are you going to stop me?" Dancho laughed, pushing the sword away from his throat. "You clearly saw how much stronger I've become, Raguel. Especially when I delivered the final blow."
"In our previous duel, I saw how much you cared about your Link Monsters." Raguel stated. "I don't know what happened to you, but no one has the right to use the memories of loved ones to hurt others, especially you, Zandaka Ikiagi!"
"You originally wanted to duel us before SengokuQueen intervened, remember?" Herald reminded him. "So, if you want to settle the score with Raguel and I, then let's do it right here and now!"
Dancho thought about it for a minute. "Fine. Should you defeat me Raguel, I will provide you with the method to bring back Gekiryushi. But if you lose, you'll be required to surrender your Ignis to the Hanoi. Understand?"
"Very well. I accept your terms." Raguel replied, pleasing Dancho.
Go growled to himself. He couldn't help Raguel with this. The most he could do was stay with Stregone and keep an eye on SengokuQueen to make sure nothing happened to her.
Turning to Stregone and Go, Dancho said, "As for the two of you…." He then snapped his fingers, causing several Knights of Hanoi to surround them. "I can't let either of you interfere with our duel, so I've given you some friends to play with."
"Didn't see this coming." Stregone said, as he and Go stood back to back against the sudden appearance of the Knights.
"Follow me once you're ready." Dancho said to Raguel, as he jumped on his duel board and sped off through the open air between the buildings.
"Go! Stregone!" Raguel said to them, getting their attention. "Protect SengokuQueen's body. I'll defeat Dancho and win!"
Stregone nodded. He and Raguel understood each other. "Alright. We'll keep her safe."
"Kick that old geezer's ass to next week!" Go added, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Got it." Raguel then jumped onto his duel board and sped off after Dancho.
"Well, Go," Stregone said, "looks like we got ourselves a little party. Shall we give our guests here a show?" Arcanite Magician appeared behind him, ready for battle.
"Of course!" Go answered, as Gouki the Great Ogre appeared behind him. "Let's show these Knights a fun time!"
Raguel, meanwhile, caught up with Dancho, intent on dueling him.
"Are you sure you can win this duel, Yuhiro?" Roxy asked him over his earpiece. "He's gotten far stronger than the last time the two of you duked it out."
"I'm sure, Roxy." Raguel responded. "No matter how strong Dancho is now, I need to win this duel. To save SengokuQueen." He looked ahead of him as Dancho looked back.
"So, you've arrived at last." Dancho said. "I will give you one chance. Surrender your Ignis, and I will spare both you and Gekiryushi. But if you continue to resist, then you will have to share her fate."
"I refuse." Raguel immediately responded. "For three reasons. One: After what you've done, I can't just stand by and ignore it. I will fight to save SengokuQueen. Two: As I said before, deep down, you still care about the memory of your loved ones. That is why you have Link Monsters resembling them. I will therefore also fight to help you find what good remains in your blackened heart. Three: You may have gotten stronger, but I won't let you harm anyone else in LINK VRAINS!"
"Very well, then. So be it." Dancho said with resignation.
"Speed Duel!" both Raguel and Dancho said at the same time.
Raguel: 4000 LP
Dancho: 4000 LP
"I think I will go first." Dancho said.
"Oh no!" Herald replied. "We saw what your strategy was. You're not one-upping us, got it!"
Dancho looked ahead and saw a skyscraper with a LINK VRAINS flag. He soon got an idea. "How about this? You see that building up ahead with that flag? Whoever makes a right turn at that building can decide whether to go first or second. Does that sound fair to you?"
"Alright. Let's do it!" Raguel replied, speeding up his duel board to reach the building. Dancho did the same. After Raguel got ahead of him, Dancho surprised him by jumping off his duel board and landing on a building close to the building with the flag. He then performed a wall run before wall jumping off it, landing on his duel board and making the turn first.
"WHAT?" Herald said, his eyes widening in shock. "I can't believe he…"
"Did that." Raguel finished for him, also in shock at what Dancho did, as he made the turn, catching up to the older Hanoi member.
"As I made the turn first, I think I shall make the first move." Dancho said, looking at his hand. Interesting, he thought. "I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Nahata from my hand! Since I control no effect monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A misty green serpentine dragon appeared on Dancho's field and roared at Raguel.
Tenyi Spirt – Nahata ATK: 800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"Now, appear! The circuit of mystical chi!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of Dancho. "The summoning conditions are one non-Link 'Tenyi' monster! I'll set Tenyi Spirit – Nahata in the Link Markers!" Nahata went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Join your master! Link 1! Monk of the Tenyi!" A young teenage male, wearing what looked like to be a brown Gi with a dragon symbol on it and a red belt, appeared on the field in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Monk of the Tenyi ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ️
"I Set one card. Then I activate the Spell card, Vessel for the Dragon Cycle! I can send a Wyrm monster from my deck to my Graveyard. In addition, should I control a face-up non-effect monster, I can add a 'Tenyi' monster from my deck to my hand, as long as it has a different name!" Using Vessel for the Dragon Cycle's effects, Dancho sent Tenyi Spirit – Mapura from his deck to his Graveyard, and then added Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda from his deck to his hand.
"That ends my turn," he concluded.
"My turn! I draw!" Raguel declared, drawing the top card of his deck.
"Judging from his last duel," Herald recalled, "his 'Tenyi' deck is about non-effect monsters, and how they collaborate with monsters in his Graveyard."
"That's pretty much how his deck works." Raguel replied. And I almost got screwed over because of it in our last duel, he thought.
"We must beware of three cards in this duel." Herald added. "One: Berserker of the Tenyi. With 3000 attack points, as a Link 3 monster, it can be deadly if not dealt with immediately. Two: Fists of the Unrivaled Tenyi. If we accidentally destroy it with a card effect on our turn, he can Special Summon it and catch us off guard. Three: Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit. That hand trap can be used during either of our turns, so we must be careful."
"I know." Raguel said. "Which is why all my moves will be strategic instead of impulsive." Also, I don't want to harm the Link Monsters he cares about, he thought. That's why I'll strike precisely instead of wildly.
"Here I go, Dancho! Since you control a monster and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Cyreath Satyr from my hand!" A creature with the upper body of a man and the horns and legs of a goat appeared on Raguel's field. The creature had bronze pieces of armor on its head, arms, and legs, as well as long claws on its hands.
Cyreath Satyr ATK: 2300 DEF: 1400 LV: 5
"Not smart!" Dancho suddenly said. "Because you Special Summoned a monster, I can activate my face-down Quick-Play Spell card, Demise of the Land! This card lets me take one Field Spell card from my deck and activate it!"
"He can activate a Field Spell card during our turn?" Herald said, as a card popped out of Dancho's deck.
"That's correct, my little friend." Dancho answered. "I activate my Field Spell card, Flawless Perfection of the Tenyi! Now all non-effect monsters I control are unaffected by monster effects!"
"Seriously?" Raguel said. Regaining focus, he continued his turn. "I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Treasure! This card allows me to draw 2 cards, in exchange for discarding 1 'Cyreath' monster from my hand!" Raguel discarded Cyreath Wandering Soul from his hand and drew two cards.
"I'll then activate the effect of Cyreath Wandering Soul in my Graveyard!" Raguel said, thrusting out his right hand. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath Wanderer' token to my field." A small ball of mist in the form of a ghost appeared on Raguel's field.
Cyreath Wanderer Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" Soon, a Link Portal appeared in front of Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set the Cyreath Wanderer token and Cyreath Satyr in the Link Markers!" Satyr went into the bottom arrowhead, while the Wanderer token went into the right arrowhead, turning both of them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Minotaur!" A creature with the head and tail of a bull, as well as the body of a man, appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a fauld around his waist, and on each of his wrists was some armor. Minotaur swung his axe at Dancho, ready for battle.
Cyreath Minotaur ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ➡️⬇️
"My Field Spell's effect activates!" Dancho said. "Once per turn, if you Special Summon an effect monster while I control a face-down or non-effect monster, I get to draw two cards from my deck!" Immediately, Dancho proceeded to draw the top two cards of his deck.
"I activate the Equip Spell card, Boots of Hermes!" Raguel said in response. "A monster equipped with this card can attack directly, but all battle damage inflicted is halved. Also, while equipped, it can't be targeted by card effects once per turn." Dancho grit his teeth upon hearing that.
Immediately, a pair of boots with wings on them appeared, which Minotaur grabbed and put on. Unfortunately for him, he had to stretch them to put them on, thus making his big feet look uncomfortable.
"I Set two cards face-down." Raguel said. "Battle! With the Boots of Hermes, Cyreath Minotaur attacks you directly, Dancho!" Using the Boots of Hermes to fly, which took more strength than usual, Minotaur flew over Monk of the Tenyi and slashed Dancho using his axe, decreasing his life points.
Dancho: 4000 – (1800 / 2) = 3100 LP
"Ah. I see now." Dancho said, chuckling. "You intend on winning the duel without bringing harm to my Link Monsters."
Raguel's eyes widened. "How did you-?"
"In our previous duel, you used a similar technique, when you used Cyreath Hercules to deliver the final blow without harming my son, yes?" Dancho asked him. Raguel was silent, as he couldn't respond. "I will take your silence as a yes, then. While that is an interesting strategy," Dancho said, before narrowing his eyes at Raguel, "it won't help you win!"
"We'll see whether it works or not." Raguel replied. "The effect of Minotaur activates! As it inflicted battle damage, I can draw one card from the top of my deck!" Using Minotaur's effect, Raguel drew a card from the top of his deck.
Knowing there was nothing more he could do for now, he said, "I end my turn."
"Yuhiro, do you believe you can win without harming Dancho's Link Monsters?" Roxy asked him through his earpiece. "I understand if it's your choice, but-."
"I have to try, Roxy." Raguel answered firmly. "I'm not simply giving up on him. Not after what I learned."
"Alright. Then I'm with you all the way." Roxy affirmed, as she looked at the monitors. She understood what Raguel was going to do. Good luck, Yuhiro. And be careful, she thought, as she watched the duel resumed in LINK VRAINS.
"My turn! I draw!" Dancho said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda from my hand! Since I control no effect monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A blood red misty serpentine dragon appeared on Dancho's field and roared at Raguel.
Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda ATK: 1500 DEF: 2500 LV: 7
"Appear, once again! The circuit of mystical chi!" A Link Portal appeared ahead of Dancho. "The summoning conditions are two Wyrm monsters! I'll set Monk of the Tenyi, which is a Link 1 monster, and Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda in the Link Markers!" Monk of the Tenyi went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Vishuda went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Grace the field with your presence! Link 2! Shaman of the Tenyi!" A young woman, wearing magenta colored robes and high heels, appeared on the field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had long-purple hair, and in each of her hands was a sharp fan.
Shaman of the Tenyi ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ↙️↘️
"It appears that monster represents SengokuQueen, Raguel." Herald said, looking at Shaman of the Tenyi.
"Before she became a bounty hunter." Raguel realized.
"I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Shthana from my hand!" Dancho continued. "Once again, as I control no effect monsters, I can Special Summon this monster from my hand to my field!" This time, a misty light-blue serpentine dragon joined Dancho's field and roared at Raguel.
Tenyi Spirit – Shthana ATK: 400 DEF: 2000 LV: 4
"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of mystical chi!" A second Link Portal appeared ahead of Dancho. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters, including a Link Monster! I'll set Shaman of the Tenyi, which is a Link 2 monster, and Tenyi Spirit – Shthana in the Link Markers!" Shaman of the Tenyi went into the top and upper-right arrowhead, while Shthana went into the bottom-right arrowhead.
"It's coming!" Herald said.
"Shit!" Raguel cursed under his breath. Dancho Link climbed to his strongest monster already, he thought. Now that he brought it out, it would only get harder for him.
"Circuit combine!" Dancho chanted. "Link Summon! The fallen student shall raze everything in his path to obtain the ultimate power! Link 3! Berserker of the Tenyi!" A muscular, shirtless, humanly looking ogre wearing pants with dragon symbols emerged from the Link Portal and appeared in the right Extra Monster Zone. The ogre had granite like skin on his hands and shoulders, which gave him a corrupted appearance. He had long billy goat horns on his head, and long, bushy blue hair that went down to the back of his waist. Upon looking at Raguel, Berserker of the Tenyi roared at him.
Berserker of the Tenyi ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ⬆️↗️↘️
"I Set two cards face-down." Dancho said. Thrusting out his right hand, he declared, "Battle! Berserker of the Tenyi attacks Cyreath Minotaur! At this point, I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirt – Nahata from my Graveyard! Since an attack is declared involving my 'Tenyi' monster and your monster, I can banish this card from my Graveyard, and if I do, your monster loses 1500 attack points!" Berserker of the Tenyi punched his right hand forward, releasing Nahata, which went straight through Minotaur's chest, creating a hole where his stomach should have been.
Cyreath Minotaur ATK: 1800 – 1500 = 300
"Darkness Mixer!" Berserker of the Tenyi teleported right in front of Minotaur, surprising the weakened creature, but before he could deliver his barrage of punches and kicks…
"I activate my Trap card, Cyreath Counter-Shuffle!" Raguel interjected. "Since you declared an attack with a Link Monster, I can negate the attack, and then return that monster right back to your Extra Deck!"
"I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda from my Graveyard!" Dancho said in response. "Since you activated a card effect while I control a non-effect monster, I can banish this card from my Graveyard, and by doing this, I can negate the activation of that card and return it to your hand! I therefore negate and return Cyreath Counter-Shuffle to your hand!"
"Crap!" Raguel said, as Berserker of the Tenyi gathered blood-red chi into his fist and fired it, releasing Vishuda, which turned the card into yellow particles upon impact, returning it to Raguel's hand.
"Resume your attack, Berserker of the Tenyi!" Dancho commanded Berserker of the Tenyi, who obeyed by brutally pummeling Minotaur with a barrage of punches and kicks, destroying him. The attack also caused an explosion that pushed Raguel back.
Raguel: 4000 – 2700 = 1300 LP
"Damn it!" Raguel muttered, caught off guard by how Dancho responded to his Cyreath Counter-Shuffle.
"Yuhiro, are you okay?" Roxy asked him, checking on his well-being.
"I'm fine, Roxy." Raguel responded. "But in terms of life points, we're behind."
"On the bright side, Roxy," Herald said, "we got our Trap card back."
"Do you realize the folly in your strategy, Raguel?" Dancho asked him, getting his attention. "In order for you to defeat me, you must be willing to cast aside your beliefs and fight as though your life is on the line! Even if that means walking down the path of darkness!"
"I won't!" Raguel shouted. "Dancho, the Link Monsters you have represent important people that you still care about deep down, such as your son and SengokuQueen. I will not fall to your level by destroying something precious such as those who represent loved ones!"
"A brave declaration, but a futile one, Raguel." Dancho lamented. "No matter what you do, one day, you will fail, and turn into a shadow of your former self. I'll give you an example. My Berserker of the Tenyi represents one of my students named Arakan. He thought he could challenge the darkness head on to become worthy of Sahasrara's power, but he failed. As a result, he turned into a creature that represented the dark desires of his heart. As I learned on that day, no one can escape the inevitability of failure. And on my next turn, I'll drive that point home by defeating you!"
"You seem so confident that you'll end this duel on your next turn." Raguel said. "So why don't you tell me what caused you to fall from the righteous path you once walked as a sensei of the Shinpi-Tekina dojo."
Dancho sighed. "Very well. Considering how I'll defeat you next turn, I will tell you what happened."
Flashback: Eleven years ago…
"A long time ago, at the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, I trained several students in the way of duel monsters. Of my students, three of them were at the top, and two of them had the potential to obtain the power of Sahasrara."
Arakan exited from the destroyed remains of the dojo, dragging the body of Kataru with his left hand, as he went to confront Gekiryushi and Zandaka.
"One of them, Arakan, sought the power of Sahasrara. But all I saw in his heart was darkness. Upon being denied, he left for the forbidden caverns of Vishuda, in the hopes of overcoming it to prove himself. Unfortunately, he succumbed, and attacked the village in order to take the power of Sahasrara by force."
He overheard Gekiryushi cry out upon seeing the destroyed dojo. He also overheard his former master, Zandaka, mutter words as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Arakan knew that, to obtain Sahasrara's power, he had to eliminate everyone who stood in his way. So, to do that, he revealed himself to them.
"Oh, but it is, old man," he said.
Both Gekiryushi and Zandaka jerked their heads upward upon hearing Arakan's voice. Unfortunately, their eyes widened once they saw what he was carrying in his left hand.
"Your son put up an admirable fight, old man." Arakan stated, as he threw Kataru's grievously dead body toward Gekiryushi and Zandaka, who were both shocked at seeing what he did to him. "If you're wondering, he's already dead. And with him out of the way, I am the one who's worthy!"
"Arakan was responsible for Kataru's death. And in my weakened state, there was nothing I could do to save Gekiryushi."
Zandaka watched as Gekiryushi generated chi around her fists before charging at Arakan, hellbent on ending him. However, Arakan blocked her punches and grabbed her by the throat before tossing her behind him with superhuman strength.
Seeing what had happened, Zandaka forced himself to get up, now determined to stop Arakan's rampage before he caused anymore suffering to anyone.
"Time and time again," Zandaka said, as chi formed around his fists, "I had hoped you would be able to prevent yourself from being led astray by the darkness inside your heart. But now I see I was clearly wrong. Therefore, it falls to me to stop your rampage once and for all!"
"Do your worst, old man!" Arakan snarled back, as Vishuda appeared behind him and roared at Zandaka. And both men charged at each other, ready to fight each other.
"Upon seeing what Arakan did to my prized pupils, I realized I could no longer save him. I had to stop him."
Arakan threw several punches and kicks at Zandaka, who managed to dodge most of them before getting hit. Unfazed by the attacks, Zandaka then threw two punches before side kicking Arakan, pushing him back.
The corrupted student snarled at Zandaka as more of Vishuda's chi appeared around him. As it swirled around his fists, Arakan ran forward and punched Zandaka in the stomach, before grabbing his hand and spinning him around several times. Within moments, Arakan threw Zandaka right into the remains of the destroyed dojo, several pieces of charred wood falling onto his head.
"Look around you, Sensei!" Arakan said mockingly, raising his arms into the air as more of Vishuda's chi appeared around him. "This is the result of all that you accomplished. Two students dead, a dojo destroyed, and a successor who is truly worthy of Sahasrara's power. In the end, I succeeded, while YOU FAILED!"
Zandaka, upon hearing this, released loads of chi from his body as he stepped out of the wreckage. When Arakan looked at him, he was surprised at what he was seeing.
"I finally understand now. You have made your purpose clear… and I am left with no choice." Zandaka said, the chi of Shthana, Mapura, and Nahata appearing momentarily around him. "In order to avenge Gekiryushi and Kataru, you must exist no more!" The chi of Shthana, Nahata, and Mapura disappeared before being replaced by Vishuda, who roared at Arakan.
The two of them charged at each other once again, each one evading the others punches and kicks. Arakan fired several blasts of chi at Zandaka, who grabbed the blasts and directed them right back at Arakan. Catching him off guard, Zandaka rushed at him with several blood red chi-powered strikes to the nerves, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Get up!" Zandaka demanded, picking Arakan up by the head and punching him in the face, pushing him back. "And fight me!"
For the first time, Arakan's eyes were widened in fear upon seeing Zandaka outmatch him.
"No more." Arakan pleaded, slowly getting up. His face was now filled with fear. The fact that he was going to die was registered on his face. "Please, spare me."
"I'm afraid the time for mercy is long-gone." Zandaka stated, blood-red chi forming around his fist. He then drove that fist right through Arakan's chest, causing him to breathe his last before falling to the ground, his rampage finally over.
Zandaka then looked all around him. The place he called home was destroyed, and his prized pupils were all gone. He then looked at his hands, which were soaked in Arakan's blood. The chi of Vishuda still continued to form around them.
"There's nothing left for me here." Zandaka lamented, as he started walking away from the destroyed dojo, from Arakan's body, and from his path as a grandmaster. As he headed for the mountain path and disappeared into the cold night, Zandaka Ikiagi was no more.
Flashback End: Present Day…
"I ended Arakan's life on that day." Dancho said to Raguel. "One life to save many more. It was on that day I failed everyone I cared about. And so I left my destroyed home, a shadow of my former self."
"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Dancho." Raguel said. "But what you did caused you to sink to his level. As a result, you're taking out your sadness and pain out on the people of LINK VRAINS by hurting them. Especially SengokuQueen, who once looked up to you as a teacher and a father!"
"I did it to save countless lives back then, boy!" Dancho countered back. "And I will do it again for the greater good of humanity!"
"That's the flaw in your beliefs, Dancho!" Raguel stated. "You believe that sacrificing lives to save many more is necessary. But it is not. And I will prove it. By defeating you while keeping the memory of your loved ones alive!"
Dancho was silent for a moment. He had to admit, he was curious about Raguel's declaration. He knew he would win next turn, but he wanted to see how far Raguel would go while sticking with his ideals. "Very well. I end my turn. Let's see if your next turn matches what you said."
"Alright, then! My turn! I draw!" Raguel declared, drawing the top card of his deck. "I Set one card face-down. Next, I summon Cyreath Witch from my hand!" A sorceress with short purple hair, glowing pink eyes and carrying a staff with a skull on it joined Raguel's field. She wore a raggedy cape and skirt.
Cyreath Witch ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LV: 4
"Witch's effect! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 'Cyreath Skeleton' tokens to my field equal to the number of cards in my hand! Since I have two cards in my hand, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Skeleton' tokens to my field!" Witch raised her staff into the air, making the skull on top of it glow purple. Soon, two small skeletons carrying short swords were raised from the dead, appearing on Raguel's field.
Cyreath Skeleton Token ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 1
Cyreath Skeleton Token ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 1
"Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared, as a Link Portal appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Witch and the two Cyreath Skeleton tokens in the Link Markers!" The two Skeleton tokens entered the upper-left and upper-right arrowheads, while Witch entered the bottom arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The strongest warrior chosen by the gods! Link 3! Cyreath Hercules!" A tall, muscular warrior wearing a brown tunic around his waist emerged from the portal. He wore shoulder guards resembling lion paws and a helmet resembling a lion's head with a plume forming a mane. He also carried a massive gauntlet with a lion face on each arm.
Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬇️↗️
"So you summoned your ace monster…" Dancho muttered. "But it won't matter! I activate Flawless Perfection of the Tenyi's effect! Once per turn, if you Special Summon an effect monster while I control a face-down or non-effect monster, I get to draw two cards from my deck!" Once again, Dancho proceeded to draw the top two cards of his deck. Excellent, he thought, looking over his cards. I drew the cards that defeated Gekiryushi. Once Raguel ends his turn, it's over.
"I activate the Equip Spell card, Amulet of Ouroboros!" Raguel said. The card showed Cyreath Grand Warden, wearing what looked like a golden amulet with a blue-green gem at the center. "When the equipped monster attacks-!"
"Sorry, but that won't happen!" Dancho suddenly said. "I activate my Counter Trap card, Fists of the Unrivaled Tenyi!"
"That's the second of Dancho's cards we had to look out for!" Herald said.
"When a Spell or Trap card, or a monster effect is activated while I control a face-up non-effect monster," Dancho explained, "I can negate the activation!" A violet aura appeared around the card, shutting down the Equip Spell and turning it to yellow particles.
"Damn it!" Raguel cursed. Guess I need to go with Plan B, he thought. "I activate the Spell card, Pandora's Box! This card lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. However, I must discard a 'Cyreath' monster from my hand at the end of my turn, or I'll take 2000 points of damage." He then drew the top five cards of his deck. Looking them over, he smirked.
"I activate the effect of Cyreath Crafter from my hand!" The card showed a small man wearing orange overalls and a belt around his waist. He wore small shoes, had sandy-orange hair, and carried a small hammer. "By sending this card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can add an Equip Spell card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand!" Using Cyreath Crafter's effect, he sent it to the Graveyard to add Amulet of Ouroboros back from his Graveyard to his hand.
"Once again, Dancho, I activate the Equip Spell card, Amulet of Ouroboros!" The golden amulet appeared around Hercules' neck for a second time. "As I was saying before you interrupted me, when the equipped monster attacks a monster you control, I can shuffle it back into your deck instead of destroying it, and if I do, you take 200 points of damage for every card in your Graveyard!"
"What?" Dancho said, shocked that Raguel that he was able to make a comeback, however small it may be.
"That is another of my favorite cards." Herald said. "I just love this part."
"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Hercules attacks Berserker of the Tenyi! At this point, I activate the effect of Amulet of Ouroboros! Go, Reversal of time!" Hercules charged up energy into the amulet before firing a blue-green blast from it that hit Berserker of the Tenyi, turning him into yellow particles as he returned to Dancho's extra deck, causing him to grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Since Berserker of the Tenyi was shuffled into the deck instead of destroyed, you take 200 points of damage for every card in your Graveyard!"
"Currently, there are seven cards in Dancho's Graveyard." Herald surmised.
"Which means you take 1400 points of damage, Dancho!" Raguel said, as seven blue-green orbs of energy appeared in a giant circle in front of Hercules. The orbs then launched themselves at Dancho, each one dropping his life points. One orb almost made him lose balance on his duel board entirely.
Dancho: 3100 – 1400 = 1700 LP
"Booyah!" Roxy cheered. "Nice one, Yuhiro!"
"That ends my turn." Raguel concluded. "And at this point, the second effect of Pandora's box activates! I'll discard Cyreath Sentry to avoid the 2000 penalty for activating it." He sent Sentry from his hand to his Graveyard.
"My turn! I draw!" Dancho said, drawing the top card of his deck and adding it to his hand. "I activate my face-down Trap card, Tenyi Renewal!" The card showed Monk of the Tenyi and Shaman of the Tenyi meditating on the dojo grounds, as the chi of Mapura, Shthana, and Nahata surrounded them. "This card lets me Special Summon up to three 'Tenyi' monsters from my Graveyard and/or Banished Zone to my field!"
"A card that can Special Summon monsters from the Banished Zone?" Raguel repeated, his eyes widening in surprise.
"That's correct!" Dancho replied. "Return, Tenyi Spirit – Nahata and Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda from the Banished Zone, and Monk of the Tenyi from the Graveyard!" The two misty serpentine dragons reappeared on his field, roaring at Raguel, while Monk of the Tenyi readied himself for battle in the middle Main Monster Zone.
Monk of the Tenyi ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ️
Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda ATK: 1500 DEF: 2500 LV: 7
Tenyi Spirt – Nahata ATK: 800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"The second effect of Tenyi Renewal activates!" Dancho continued. "Upon activation, I can Link Summon a 'Tenyi' Link Monster by using only those monsters as Link Materials!" The Trap card then fired a blast of energy into the sky, creating a Link Portal. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters, including a Link Monster! I'll set Monk of the Tenyi, which is a Link 1 monster, Tenyi – Spirit Nahata, and Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda in the Link Markers!" Monk of the Tenyi went into the top arrowhead, Nahata went into the upper-right arrowhead, and Vishuda went into the bottom-right arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The fallen student shall raze everything in his path to obtain the ultimate power! Link 3! Berserker of the Tenyi!" For a second time, Berserker of the Tenyi emerged from the Link Portal and appeared in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Berserker of the Tenyi ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ⬆️↗️↘️
"Not good! Not good!" Herald panicked. "With his Vishuda and Nahata in his Graveyard once again, he'll be able to defeat us this turn!" Raguel gritted his teeth. He didn't like the situation either.
With the cards currently on my field, Dancho thought, I can win. But I need to drive my point home with full force! "I activate the Spell card, The Shallow Grave! This card lets each of us Special Summon a monster from our Graveyards in face-down defense position!"
"Why are you doing this?" Raguel asked, as a monster card popped out of his Graveyard. He then Special Summoned that monster in face-down defense position to his field.
"You're about to find out very shortly." Dancho answered, as he took a monster card from his Graveyard and Special Summoned it to his field in face-down defense position. "Next, I activate the Spell card, Piercing!" The card showed Gaia the Fierce Knight's spear breaking through a shield. "I can target one monster I control, and if it attacks a defense position monster, you take piercing battle damage!"
"Why would you-?" Raguel was about to say, but then he started connecting the dots. Within moments, he gasped. It all made sense! "Oh no."
"Oh yes!" Dancho said, a malicious smirk on his face. "I activate my Skill, Ultimate Technique!" The green lines on his white coat glowed. "This turn, one monster I control can now attack all monsters you control once each!"
"So even with our defenses, we'll lose?" Herald said, who was clearly worried.
"No. I refuse to believe that, Herald." Raguel said, looking at his hand. "There has to be a way we'll survive this turn."
"Know this, Raguel." Dancho said, getting his and Herald's attention. "This duel is over! Battle! Berserker of the Tenyi attacks Cyreath Hercules! At this point, I activate the effect of Tenyi Spirit – Nahata from my Graveyard! Since an attack is declared involving my 'Tenyi' monster and your monster, I can banish this card from my Graveyard, and if I do, your monster loses 1500 attack points!" Berserker of the Tenyi punched his right hand forward once again, releasing Nahata, which went straight through Hercules' chest, creating a hole where his stomach should have been.
Cyreath Hercules ATK: 2500 – 1500 = 1000
"Darkness Mixer!" Berserker of the Tenyi teleported right in front of Hercules, surprising him. Before he could deliver his barrage of punches and kicks though…
"Once again, I activate my Trap card, Cyreath Counter Shuffle!" Raguel said, but was soon interrupted by Dancho.
"You don't learn, do you?" Dancho shouted. "Vishuda's effect! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can negate the activation of your card and return it to your hand! Once again, I negate and return Cyreath Counter-Shuffle Trap to your hand!" Upon Dancho's command, Cyreath Counter Shuffle turned into yellow particles and returned to Raguel's hand.
"How about this, then?" Raguel suddenly said. "I activate my other face-down Trap card, Link Showdown! When a Link Monster I control battles a monster my opponent controls with higher attack points, my monster gains attack points equal to its Link Rating times 500! Since Hercules' Link Rating is three, it gains 1500 attack points!" Hercules stood up and roared as his strength increased, surprising both Dancho and Berserker of the Tenyi.
Cyreath Hercules ATK: 1000 + 1500 = 2500
"Impressive." Dancho muttered to himself. Gesturing to Berserker of the Tenyi, he said, "This changes nothing! Berserker of the Tenyi, resume your attack! Darkness Mixer!" Berserker of the Tenyi charged forward and delivered his barrage of punches and kicks, which Hercules took before being punched in the gut, destroying him as he turned into yellow particles.
Raguel: 1300 – 500 = 800 LP
"At least we survived that attack." Raguel said to Dancho.
"But you won't survive the next, and final attack!" Dancho said right back. "The battle continues! Berserker of the Tenyi attacks your face-down defense position monster! And since I targeted Berserker of the Tenyi with Piercing this turn, you take piercing battle damage! Darkness Mixer!" Berserker of the Tenyi teleported in front of his prey, hellbent on eradicating it.
"Farewell, Raguel." Berserker of the Tenyi then pummeled the face-down defense position monster, which revealed itself as Cyreath Sentry, before exploding. It's over, he thought. But to his surprise, Raguel sped out of the smoke, and he somehow had life points remaining!
Raguel: 800 – 500 = 300 LP
"What? Impossible! How are you still in this duel?" Dancho demanded, shocked that Raguel survived his onslaught.
"When you attacked my Cyreath Sentry, I was able to activate a Hand Trap of my own!" Raguel said, showing him a monster card that resembled a skeleton wearing Greek battle armor. "The card I sent to the Graveyard is called Cyreath Remains. By sending it to my Graveyard, I was able to increase the attack and defense points of any 'Cyreath' monster on my field by 500 until the end of the turn."
"The best part is that he can not only do this on your turn, but he can also target either a face-up or face-down 'Cyreath' monster for this effect." Herald further clarified, causing Dancho to widen his eyes in shock.
"You little…" Dancho growled in anger. "How did you-?" Suddenly, it dawned on him. It was one of the cards he drew when he activated Pandora's Box, he realized. He focused so much on defeating Raguel this turn that he failed to plan ahead for anything else that could come in his way!
"There's nothing else you can do this turn, Dancho!" Raguel said, getting the older Hanoi member's attention. "So just end your turn already."
Aware that there was nothing else he could do, Dancho seethed. "I…. end my turn." Even if I failed to finish him off this turn, he thought, looking at his trump card, I can always stall for a little more time.
"I'm glad you survived, Yuhiro," Roxy said, "but do not pull that stunt on me again. You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I'll admit. That was too close of a call." Raguel said. "But don't worry. This turn will be the last!" Going back to the duel, he said, "My turn! I draw!" He smirked upon looking at the card he drew. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Chiron from my hand! By revealing this card, I can Special Summon it, as well as one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard! In exchange, I can only attack with 'Cyreath' Link monsters this turn! And the monster I choose to bring back isCyreath Satyr!" Satyr returned to Raguel's field in the left Main Monster Zone.
Cyreath Satyr ATK: 2300 DEF: 1400 LV: 5
Then a creature with the upper body of a man and the lower body and legs of a horse joined his Cyreath comrade. He had long brown hair tied into a ponytail at the end, along with green eyes. He also wore an archaic style of dress with leather armor being clad onto it. He strung his bow at Dancho.
Cyreath Chiron ATK: 2100 DEF: 1600 LVL: 6
"You forgot about my Field Spell's effect!" Dancho said. "Since you Special Summoned an effect monster while I control a face-down or non-effect monster, I get to draw two cards from my deck!" He then drew the top two cards of his deck.
"Next, I summon Cyreath Barbarian from my hand!" Raguel said, resuming his turn. A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and mustache joined his field.
Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LVL: 4
"Hold on, Raguel!" Herald said, getting his attention. "There's something I need to show you."
"What is it?" Raguel asked, as Herald opened up a screen on his Duel Disk, which showed a new card. Upon looking at the card, he was amazed. "When did you make this?"
"After our duel with Kazuma. And it took the whole night too." Herald answered. "As evidenced in our duel against Dancho so far, the Hanoi members have gotten stronger. Which is why I made a powerful 'Cyreath' Link Monster to help make the 'Cyreath' deck tougher to beat. I call the monster I made a 'Cyreath' God."
"Interesting." Raguel said. "Let's see what he can do, then." Going back to the duel, he thrusted his right hand out and shouted, "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared ahead of him. "The summoning conditions are exactly three 'Cyreath' monsters! I set Cyreath Barbarian, Cyreath Chiron, and Cyreath Satyr in the Link Markers!" Barbarian went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Satyr went into the bottom arrowhead, and Chiron went into the bottom-right arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! From the depths of Tartarus, emerge, and claim the souls of those who oppose you! Link 3! Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld!" A grotesque, demonic large man wearing a blazing helm on his head and cloth around his waist, with chains wrapped around his body and spikes on his back, emerged from the Link Portal and appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He carried two clawed chain blades, with each blade emitting a purple glow.
Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️
"When and where did you get that monster?" Dancho demanded, shocked at seeing Hades. "I thought you needed Storm Access to acquire new Link Monsters."
"That's true." Herald admitted. "But when you're an Ignis like me, nothing is impossible!"
"The effect of Barbarian activates!" Raguel said. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard for a Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster that used this card as a Link Material gains 500 attack points!"
Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500
"I activate my Skill, Call of Olympus! I can Special Summon one random 'Cyreath' monster from my deck, and if I control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, I can add one Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand!" A random card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he added to his hand. Not bad, he thought, looking at the card. "Using my Skill, I Special Summon Cyreath Valkyrie!" A female warrior with dark red hair, dressed in a long leather loincloth with matching leather brassiere and knee-high boots, in the middle Main Monster Zone Hades was pointing to.
Cyreath Valkyrie ATK: 1600 DEF: 1300 LVL: 4
"And since I control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, I can add 1 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand!" Raguel added Cyreath Launch to his hand.
"I activate Hades' first effect! Once per turn-!"
"I WON'T LET YOU, BOY!" Dancho screamed, hellbent on stopping him. "I activate the effect of Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit from my hand! Since a monster on your field activated it's effect, I can send this card from my hand or field to the Graveyard to destroy it!"
A little girl with long, blond hair briefly appeared on Dancho's field. The girl wore brown robes and had a small katana on her back. A ghostly rabbit was with her as well. Seeing Hades, the little girl took out her small katana and charged. However…
"I don't think so, Dancho!" Raguel said right back. "I activate Hades' second effect! If he would be destroyed by a card effect, I can tribute a monster that he points to instead! Soul Eradication!" Valkyrie vanished into yellow particles, which went into Hades' helm, igniting it with blazing energy. Hades then fired a massive beam of blazing energy from his helm at Ghost Ogre and Snow Rabbit, literally burning her away and destroying her.
"You stopped my trump card? Impossible! There has to be a mistake!" Dancho exclaimed.
"The only error you made is underestimating us!" Herald pointed out.
"That's right, partner!" Raguel agreed with Herald. He then shifted his focus back to the duel. "I activate Hades' first effect! Once per turn, I can target one face-up monster you control and place that monster to a zone Hades points to and take control of it! However, it cannot attack the turn I activate this effect!"
"What?" Dancho said in shock. "Your monster can do that?"
"It's no monster, it's a 'Cyreath' God!" Raguel and Herald said together. "Soul Removal!" Hades swung his clawed chain blades around and around, before lashing them out at Berserker of the Tenyi, who screamed as his soul was ripped out of his body before vanishing from Dancho's field and reappearing in the middle Main Monster Zone on Raguel's field.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Launch!" Raguel said. "This card lets one 'Cyreath' monster I control attack you directly, but other monsters I control cannot attack for the rest of this turn."
"This can't be…" Dancho said, his eyes widening in disbelief as he realized that he lost the duel.
"Oh, but it is." Raguel replied.
"For the win, Yuhiro!" Roxy cheered, eager to see the final attack on the monitors.
"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld attacks you directly, Dancho! Soul Materialization!" Raising his clawed chain blades in the air, Hades summoned several souls out of them. At his command, the souls flew towards Dancho, distracting him before Hades jumped forward and slashed him using his clawed chain blades. As a result, an explosion occurred, causing Dancho to scream as he fell off his duel board and landed on the ground below.
Dancho: 1700 – 3500 = 0
"We won!" Herald said.
"Nice job, Yuhiro!" Roxy added.
"Thank you, Roxy. Herald." Raguel said. As he landed on the ground, he went to where Dancho was and got his attention. "As promised, you need to tell me how I can bring SengokuQueen back."
"Alright." Dancho replied, as he raised his left arm over his chest. He then pressed a few buttons on it using his right hand, releasing a purple, digital card. He then grabbed the card and gave it to Raguel. "Insert this card into her Duel Disk, and she will log out of LINK VRAINS."
"Thank you." Raguel said, taking the card from Dancho. He was about to walk away when he heard Dancho grunt as he slowly got up.
"I must say, I'm impressed boy." Dancho said, who was clearly weakened. "You clearly defeated me while sticking to your ideals. Well done." He then would have fallen over had Raguel not ran over and caught him.
"Easy." Raguel told him, as he set Dancho carefully to a sitting position. "You've clearly just dueled, and soon you'll be turned into an 'Another'."
"I'm afraid you're right on that." Dancho chuckled, agreeing with Raguel. He turned his head to look at him. "You deserve to know."
"Deserve to know what?"
"Why I joined the Hanoi." Dancho clarified, as he turned his head to look up into the digital sky. "It was because of him."
Flashback: Eleven years ago….
"After what happened, I made it on foot to Den City for many days and many nights. When I eventually got there, I bought an apartment, and started up a small business as a private Duel Instructor."
It was the evening. Zandaka was in his apartment, making lesson plans. A look of exhaustion was clearly on his face, but he knew he couldn't stop. Everything he learned was practically burned in his head. If Zandaka were to put down what he learned on paper, perhaps he can save the teachings and pass them down to future generations of young duelists.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get many clients because the people in Den City preferred to enroll their kids in duel schools. One day, however, I received a call from a man I would soon call a beloved friend."
Putting the lesson plans into his backpack, Zandaka headed out and started walking to his destination. As he continued walking, he recalled what happened. The man who spoke to him said he and his wife wanted to meet him in person, and that they were looking for a private Duel Instructor to teach their son about Duel Monsters. This was because the Den City Summer Camp, which taught kids how to play Duel Monsters, was all filled up.
"When I got there, I was nervous. My teachings were always a little rough, I admit, but they helped Kataru, Gekiryushi, and Arakan achieve their potential."
As Zandaka walked up the cliff outside Den City, he looked out into the ocean. Kataru always loved the beauty of the ocean, he thought, as he continued walking up to the house.
"However, what I didn't know was that, upon meeting the family there, my life would change forever."
Once he reached the house, he was surprised at how large the place was. Getting over his astonishment, he approached the door and rang the doorbell. Within a moments, a man and a woman answered it. The man wore a white buttoned up shirt, with a dark-blue blazer on it, along with dark-blue pants. He had yellow eyes, a grey beard, and black and grey hair.
The woman beside him wore a light-green blouse, with white pants. She had fair skin, along with light-blue eyes and short, purple hair, with dark-blue highlights.
"Um, hello." Zandaka greeted the couple. "Are you Kiyoshi Kogami and Yua Kogami?"
"That's correct," the man, Kiyoshi answered. "And you must be Zandaka Ikiagi, correct?" Zandaka nodded. "Please, come in."
Zandaka then followed the couple into their home and into the kitchen. He and Kiyoshi sat down at the table, while Yua went to make some herbal tea.
"Would you like some herbal tea?" Yua asked Zandaka.
"Yes, please." Zandaka said, as she brought the tea to where he sat at before going back to make her own herbal tea.
"So, based on what you told me, you used to be a sensei, correct?" Kiyoshi asked him.
"Y-Yes." Zandaka answered. He was hesitant in his answer. "Unfortunately, my dojo was destroyed, and I had to move here as a result, on foot."
"I'm so sorry." Yua said, as she sat down across from Zandaka and beside Kiyoshi. "It must have been hard for you."
"It was." Zandaka agreed with her. "Thank you very much for your condolences. Both of you."
"No problem." Kiyoshi said, smiling at the older man. "Now onto why you're here. My wife and I are looking for a private Duel Instructor to teach our son Duel Monsters. Have you taught the game before?"
"Yes." Dancho replied. "Back home, three of my pupils were at the top of the dojo as a result of my teachings."
"Interesting." Yua mused that information over before asking, "How exactly do you teach the game?"
"By focusing on the relationship between teacher and student." Zandaka answered, remembering what his master taught him a long time ago. "The master provides the groundwork for the student in the form of lessons, and the student practices what they learned. It is through this method that not only allows the student to make mistakes, but gives them the chance to achieve an understanding of Duel Monsters as well."
Both Yua and Kiyoshi were pleased with this answer. They may have just found someone to teach their son Duel Monsters!
After a few moments, Kiyoshi asked Zandaka, "Would you like to meet our son?"
The question surprised Zandaka. He may have just found another client after a long time. "Yes, please."
"Ryoken! Come down to the kitchen, please!" Kiyoshi called out to him. "There's someone who wants to meet you."
"Coming, father!" Ryoken said, as he ran downstairs to the kitchen. When he got there, Zandaka turned around in his chair to look at the boy. He wore a grey hoodie over a dark pink shirt and a dark pair of pants with purple and black shoes. Ryoken had fair skin, with light-blue eyes and white hair that spiked backwards at the sides, with purple-blue highlights.
"This is Zandaka Ikiagi." Kiyoshi said. "He is going to be your Duel Instructor. Do you know what that means?"
Ryoken shook his head.
"It means that he's going to teach you how to play Duel Monsters." Yua said. "Do you understand?"
Ryoken nodded as he walked to Zandaka and offered him his hand, the same way grown men do many times before. Zandaka knelt down to Ryoken's level before taking his small hand in his right and gently closing his fingers around it.
"Please to meet you, sir." Ryoken said, a smile on his face.
This boy reminds me of Kataru, Zandaka thought, as he brought his left hand on top of his right, Ryoken's small hand lost somewhere in the middle.
Smiling as he looked at Ryoken, Zandaka said, "My dear child. The pleasure is all mine."
Flashback end: Present Day…
"Looking at that boy," Dancho said, "I realized, in that moment, I was given a second chance to make a difference in another young child's life. And as a result, I became one of the most important people in his life."
"Revolver…" Raguel realized.
"Yes. I taught Revolver how to play Duel Monsters." Dancho confirmed. He looked at his right hand, which started turning black and breaking down into pieces of data. "Listen, Raguel. I don't have much time left before I'm erased. Therefore… I would like to ask something of you."
"What is it?" Raguel asked. Normally, he wouldn't do anything for any Hanoi member, but this time, he was willing to make an exception.
"Save… Revolver." Dancho requested. "There is still… good in him. I know it. Please, I beg you."
Raguel thought about it for a few moments. This guy was asking him to save Revolver? He must care about Revolver that much for him to make that request. "Alright. I'll do my best."
Dancho smiled. "Thank you." And the rest of him turned into pieces of data, indicating that he had been purged.
"Yo, Yuhiro!" Roxy said, snapping Raguel back into reality. "You have the method to save SengokuQueen, right?"
"R-Right." Raguel confirmed, jumping onto his duel board as he sped of to where Go and Stregone were. I can think of what Dancho said later, Raguel thought as he increased speed. Now it's time to complete the task.
Once Raguel reached to where Go and Stregone were, he noticed a pile of defeated Knights of Hanoi.
"Looks like you guys were busy." Raguel said, jumping onto the building where they were.
"It was no sweat." Go replied. "Did you defeat the old geezer?"
"Yeah." Raguel answered, walking over to SengokuQueen's body. He then put the purple digital card into her Duel Disk, causing her to log out of LINK VRAINS.
"So that's it." Stregone said. "The 'Another' threat is finally over."
"That may be true, but the Hanoi is still out there." Raguel replied, standing up.
"But if they do come back, we'll be ready!" Go promised.
"I know you will." Raguel said. He would have said more, but Roxy contacted him. "Excuse me." He walked away from them so they wouldn't overhear.
"Yo, Yuhiro!" Roxy suddenly said to Raguel through his earpiece. "Kusanagi just contacted me. He said that Playmaker defeated Faust, and he located Shima in the real world."
"Alright." Raguel replied, taking in the information. "Thanks. Will be right there." Turning to Go and Stregone, he said, "Stay safe. Both of you." Raguel soon logged out afterwards.
"He couldn't have stayed a little longer?" Go said. "I wanted to duel him with my upgraded 'Gouki' deck."
"Maybe he has some business to take care of in the real world," Stregone theorized. As he looked up into the sky, he thought, Wherever you are in the real world, Raguel, stay safe as well.
At Café Matsuo's backroom…
A look of exhaustion was on Yuhiro's face as the door to the closed-off space opened. He was forced to go on one knee, as the duel tired him out.
"Need a hand, buster?" Yuhiro looked up to see Roxy offer him a hand.
"Yeah, thanks." Yuhiro said, accepting Roxy's hand and standing up. "Today's duel was just tiring."
"You could say that again." Roxy said, as the two of them headed to their seats and sat down in them. "And congrats on the win, too!"
"It was too close of a win, though." Raguel replied, pondering the entire duel over. "If I learned anything from this duel, it's proof that the Hanoi has gotten much stronger."
"And that's something we can all agree on." Herald added, emerging from Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "It took me a whole night to make Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Next time, we need to be more prepared."
"What do you mean?" Roxy asked Herald. "Are you saying you can make Link Monsters or support for Yuhiro's deck?"
"Basically, yes and no." Herald confirmed, thinking for a moment before resuming. "It's not like Storm Access, where you can simply obtain a Link Monster from the Data Storm, and it fits the situation. Instead, there are two factors I need to take into account whenever I make either a Link Monster or a new card for Yuhiro's deck. One: Energy. We Ignis use Data Material to generate new cards. As a result of spending so much time in that pendant, I have lots of Data Material to use, but a refill doesn't hurt every now and then. Two: Rules. I can't just make cards that are OP you know! There are specific rules I need to abide by as well."
Roxy pondered this over for a few moments. "So you're saying you can't make cards that will break the game, and you need energy to make them?"
"Exactly!" Herald confirmed. "While the possibilities of the Ignis are endless, we do have limits in terms of rules and energy."
"Then we should contact Watchman about this." Yuhiro offered. "Maybe he can offer some guidance in terms of the-."
GROWL…..
"Perhaps we'll contact him after a decent meal." Roxy said. "Follow me, you two. Cause I'm cooking up some cheeseburgers!"
Immediately, Progleo jumped out of Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "Oh boy, cheeseburgers!" The cub followed Roxy to the kitchen, eager for a meal.
"You go and celebrate your victory, Yuhiro." Herald said, turning to him. "I'll contact Watchman."
"If you say so, Herald." Yuhiro replied, as Herald vanished into his Duel Disk. He then headed for the kitchen to set the table, while Roxy cooked the cheeseburgers.
The next day…
Yuhiro walked home from school using the usual route. Today was just a typical school day. And the fact that things were back to normal made Yuhiro happy for once.
However, there was one thing that was on his mind. Dancho's last request before being purged. He wanted him to save Revolver, as he believed there was still good left in him. From what Dancho told me, Raguel thought, he taught Revolver how to play Duel Monsters. They must have spent so much time together that Dancho considered Revolver like a son. Even after being purged, he doesn't want to lose another person in his life.
"What's on your mind, Yuhiro?" Herald asked.
"It's that request Dancho made to me before he got purged." Yuhiro answered him. "Be honest, Herald. How do you feel about it?"
Herald thought about that question for a full minute. "Saving the man who tried to destroy the Cyberse World? The truth is, I harbor ill feelings towards Revolver for that act. But I do believe that humans have the capacity to be good. And even though Dancho was a Knight of Hanoi, he did have more honor than the others, plus proving my point."
"So what's your answer?"
"I say we try and appeal to the humanity in Revolver's heart, just like you did with Dancho by fighting without destroying his Link Monsters." Herald answered.
"That is… very human of you, Herald." Yuhiro stated.
"What can I say? I was created from you." Herald replied. Soon, Yuhiro's phone vibrated. "Roxy's texting you?"
"Yeah. Hold on." Yuhiro said, reading the text. He then started running.
"Yuhiro. What's going on?" Herald asked, holding onto the Duel Disk for dear life.
"We have to head back to Café Matsuo immediately!" Yuhiro replied. "Something just happened."
Ten minutes later…
Once Yuhiro arrived at Café Matsuo, he immediately headed for the backroom. There, he found Roxy looking at the monitors.
"What's up?" Yuhiro asked as he sat down at his seat.
"Take a look at this." Roxy told him, as he looked at the screen, which showed a message.
Meet me in LINK VRAINS. And bring Playmaker with you.
- W.
"Glad to see that Watchman responded to my message." Herald said, reading his response over.
"My only question is: How are we going to get Fujiki's attention?" Roxy asked Yuhiro, her head turning to face him.
"You just leave that to me." Yuhiro replied, as he ran to the closed-off space and closed the door. He then put his deck into his Duel Disk and said, "Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"
In LINK VRAINS…
Raguel emerged from the portal and landed on the rooftop.
"Have you sent that message to Ai yet, Herald?" Raguel asked him.
"Yup." Herald replied. "They should be here in a few moments." And just as Herald said, another portal appeared, Playmaker emerging from it and landing on the same rooftop Raguel was on.
"Raguel. Herald said you wanted to meet us." Playmaker stated. "Did you find something related to the Knights of Hanoi?"
"Yeah, Herald." Ai said. "Why exactly did you call us?"
"Well, you see…" But that was all Herald could say, as a bright light shined from both Raguel's and Playmaker's Duel Disks.
"What's going on?" Playmaker asked, as he and Raguel, along with Ai and Herald, disappeared from LINK VRAINS.
In Watchman's server…
Raguel and Playmaker reappeared in Watchman's server. When Playmaker looked around as to where they were, he was awestruck at what he was seeing.
"This is a private server, isn't it?" Playmaker muttered. He never went into this area of LINK VRAINS. Playmaker then turned to Raguel. "Who's private server is this?"
"Gentleman." Watchman said, getting Raguel and Playmaker's attention as he emerged from an orange gateway. "It's time we talked about your destinies."
Card Gallery
Tenyi Spirit - Vishuda (LV: 7/Wyrm/Dark/ATK: 1500/DEF: 2500)
Effect: If you control no Effect Monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. When your opponent activates a Spell/Trap card, or monster effect while you control a face-up non-Effect Monster: You can banish this card from your GY; negate the activation, and if you do, return it to the hand. You can only use each effect of 'Tenyi Spirit - Vishuda' once per turn.
Cyreath Crafter (LV: 1/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 100/DEF: 0)
Effect: Once per turn: You can send this card from your hand to the GY; add 1 Equip Spell card from your Deck or GY to your hand.
Cyreath Remains (LV: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 500/DEF: 500)
Effect: During either player's turn, when a face-up or face-down 'Cyreath' monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls: You can send this card from your hand to the GY, and if you do, 1 'Cyreath' monster you control gains 500 ATK and DEF until the End Phase.
Amulet of Ouroboros (Equip Spell card)
Effect: Equip only to a 'Cyreath' monster. When the equipped monster battles a monster your opponent controls: You can shuffle that monster into the Deck instead of destroying it, and if you do, your opponent takes 200 damage for every card in their GY.
Piercing (Normal Spell card)
Effect: Target 1 monster you control; this turn, if the targeted monster attacks a defense position monster your opponent controls; inflict piercing battle damage to your opponent.
Tenyi Renewal (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target up to 3 'Tenyi' monsters in your GY and/or Banished Zone; Special Summon them to your field. Immediately after this card resolves, Link Summon 1 'Tenyi' Link Monster from your Extra Deck, using only those monsters. You can only activate 1 'Tenyi Renewal' per turn.
Cyreath Minotaur (LR: 2/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1800/➡️⬇️️)
Effect: 2 'Cyreath' monsters. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent: You can draw 1 card. If this card is used for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link Monster; this turn, the Link Monster that used this card as material can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each.
Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld (LR: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 3000/↙️⬇️↘️)
Effect: 3 'Cyreath' monsters. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; place that monster in a zone this card points to and take control of it, but it cannot attack the turn you activate this effect. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect: You can tribute 1 monster this card points to instead.
QOTC
Do you think Dancho is more of a tragic character than an antagonist?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 19: Of Knights and Birds. In order to prepare Raguel and Playmaker for what's to come, Watchman has brought them to his server! There, both Playmaker and Raguel are thrown into duels that challenge not just their talent as duelists, but also what they believe in as well. How will these duels impact them? And what will be the end result?
Chapter 20: Duel Charisma Festival. To celebrate the end of the 'Another' threat against LINK VRAINS, SOL Technologies hosts two special duels between four Charisma Duelists. With everything back to normal for now, Yuhiro and Roxy decide to take a break and hang out with Yusaku and Kusanagi to watch the duels. However, during those duels, something occurs that catches both Yuhiro's and Yusaku's attention...
Responses to Reviews and Authors Notes
Thank you to Guest, EvilDragonLord101, Guest, ZeroMK7, HunterHQ, Anonymous, Unknown, and Unnamed for reviewing Chapter 17 of Obscured Truth.
Hello, everyone! I hoped that you've enjoyed the duel in this chapter. To thank you all for your support, I've put down not one, but two chapter previews. Chapter 19 will conclude the 'Another' arc, while Chapter 20 will start an arc that takes place a few days before the Tower of Hanoi arc. This arc will be called the 'Cyberse Hunt' arc. What do you think will happen? You'll have to continue reading to find out the answer for yourself. Let's get to the recap, shall we?
The main event of this chapter was Raguel and Dancho's duel. I must say, as of right now, this was one of Raguel's toughest duels. If it weren't for Raguel's Hand Trap, Cyreath Remains, he wouldn't have survived against Dancho's Berserker of the Tenyi. Luckily for Raguel, he was able to win by using a new Link Monster: Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld, which Herald created after the duel against Lord Kazuma. Credit goes to E.T. 2000 for the name.
Following the duel, before getting purged, Dancho requests Raguel to save Revolver, which he agrees to. This is the reason why Dancho made the request: After the destruction of the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, Dancho moved to Den City, where he opened a small business as a private Duel Instructor. One day, he received a call from Kiyoshi Kogami, where he, along with his wife, Yua Kogami, wanted to meet with him in person. For those of you who were wondering, I chose the name Yua because it means binding love and affection, which symbolizes how much Revolver loves and cares for his father. Let me know what you think of this.
It is at the Kogami residence where Zandaka meets Ryoken Kogami, before he became Revolver. There, he becomes his Duel Instructor, as he realizes that he's been given another change to make a difference in his life.
We also learn something not just about Herald, but about the other Ignis as well. Herald can make Link Monsters and/or support, but not in the way you think. I'm just going to say it right now so there's no confusion later on: It is not like Storm Access. Rather, when Herald makes either a Link Monster or support, he has to abide by certain rules in the process of making them. After all, he can't make an Insta-kill card. Making new cards also uses up Data Material, which acts as their energy source.
The last main thing that happens this chapter is Watchman summoning Raguel and Playmaker to his server. What do you think Watchman wants from them? This will be answered next chapter.
With the recap out of the way, let's get to the reviews:
Guest: I'm going to be honest, here. I do plan on developing Yuhiro and Aoi's friendship, but it's going to stay platonic. If anything, Aoi is going to be one of the people Yuhiro can put his trust in, nothing more, nothing less.
EvilDragonLord101: Yes. This story definitely shows girl power. And it will show more girl power in the next two arcs to come.
Guest: Alright. I will do that.
ZeroMK7: Once again, thank you very much. Emon's scar is actually based off of Arkham's from Devil May Cry 3. Also, do tell me about your match against the Red-Eyes player. I'm quite interested in hearing about it.
HunterHQ: First off, you'll have to keep on reading to find out. Second, great observations you made regarding Dancho's monsters and how it's similar to other characters in VRAINS. I'm glad you enjoyed the Kung Fu Panda references as well. As for Miyu having competition against Rachel, I doubt that would be the case. After all, you never know what could happen. Finally, there's nothing going on between Roxy and Kusanagi. Rather, they're just friends.
Anonymous: Glad to see that Rachel's backstory surprised you. While there are similarities to the Lost Incident, the purpose of it is entirely different. As to what it is, you'll have to find out later on in the story.
Unknown: How Rachel got her Cyberse cards will be explained later on in the story.
Unnamed: Yes, I'm aware. However, Sahasrara won't appear until much, much later in the story.
As always, let me know what you thought about this chapter in your reviews below. Did you enjoy the rematch between Raguel and Dancho? What do you think will happen next? And were you surprised at the appearance of an OC card that was made from a Rush Duel card?
Put your guesses down, as the 'Another' Arc concludes next chapter. See you next time!