Responses to Reviews
Thank you to DennisNova, HunterHQ, Anonymous, Guest, Yuman28, ZeroMK7, KingOtakuOverYou, and Donjusticia for reviewing Chapter 25 of Obscured Truth.
Hi, everyone! As always, I hope that you're safe and healthy wherever your are. I'm happy to see that you are not only satisfied with the chapter, but that you enjoyed the characters in the story so far as well. I also fixed an error in Chapter 23, where Raguel used Cyreath Salvation to save Cyreath Hercules. This way, the timing of the chain will be correct. Stay tuned at the end of this chapter, as I'll release another announcement for the upcoming Arc V story.
It's now time to answer reviews:
DennisNova: I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far. As for your question regarding what deck the OC will use, while I won't directly answer it, what I will tell you is that it has access to a lot of the summoning methods.
HunterHQ: There's a reason why Watchman won't directly tell everyone what the 'Crisis' is, and that reason will be revealed later on in the story. As for whether or not Tsubaki and her father will reconcile, you'll just have to read this chapter to find out. I'm happy to see that you not only enjoyed the Dr. Strange references, but the duel and SengokuQueen's character development as well.
Anonymous: You'll just have to read on to find out the answers to your questions.
Guest: Athaliah cross-referenced everyone in Den City until she found a match. And it was Infearno, not Ryoken, who coerced it out of her.
Yuman28: Thank you very much for saying that. Glad to see you enjoyed the character development of the secondary characters.
ZeroMK7: Happy to see you're excited for the upcoming Arc V story.
KingOtakuOverYou: All I'll say is that you're entitled to your own opinion, and I respect it completely.
Donjusticia: Okay, I didn't expect you to write a TeamFourStar reference in your review. Happy to see that you enjoyed Akira kicking butt in his duel against Kitamura.
Now onward to the chapter!
Chapter 26: A Rose Always Has Its Thorns
At the Den City Hospital...
A doctor led the quintet to Room 5E in the trauma wing, where Tsubaki was resting in her hospital bed.
"She's right here," Hideki said, opening the door for Yuhiro, to which he stepped through.
"Thank you." Yuhiro replied, walking over to Tsubaki's hospital bed. After pressing a few buttons on his Duel Disk, a red sphere of consciousness data emerged out of it. He held out the red sphere over her body and released it, causing it to fall and hit her chest. It then dispersed across her body, briefly illuminating the room before disappearing. "It's time to wake up."
Within moments, Tsubaki bolted upwards, having fully regained consciousness.
"Easy there," Yuhiro told her. "You're in the Den City Hospital, safe and sound."
After steadying her breathing, Tsubaki turned to her right, where she could look at Yuhiro.
"Who are-?" Tsubaki was about to ask, but she then looked at Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "You're Raguel in the real world, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am." Yuhiro answered. "My name is Yuhiro Furutani. I know you have a lot of questions, but I'll do my best to answer what I can if you just-."
"Tsubaki!" Hideki said, relieved to see her daughter up and about again. Unfortunately, when Tsubaki turned to see her father, the reaction on her face wasn't the one he was expecting. At all.
"What is he doing here?" Tsubaki demanded. "In case you didn't know, I got a family. Ace is all I need now." Suddenly, her eyes widened, as she remembered Ace falling from the top floor of the Hanoi Stronghold. She then grabbed the sides of her head with her hands. "I remember. He fell, didn't he? All the way to the bottom of the Hanoi's headquarters, but he was all I had left." Tsubaki stood up from her hospital bed and wobbled before regaining balance and facing her father. "He was there for me, more than you ever were. This was all SOL Technologies' fault!"
"Kitamura is to blame for the attack." Yuhiro tried to tell her, but Tsubaki didn't buy it.
"Stay out of this, Furutani!" Tsubaki told him. "When my mother died, one by one, the people in my family left me, and that stranger over there was among them. What am I supposed to do now? There's nothing left for me, and another person I trusted is now dead! If you're trying to rectify the past, don't bother! I already forgot about my family!" She shoved Yuhiro a few feet before jumping back and grabbing her Duel Disk from the nearby table before activating it.
"Don't do this. Please!" Hideki pleaded with her. Even Aoi and Akira were shocked at what was going on. But before it can escalate further, Roxy whistled so loud that it got everyone's attention, even Tsubaki's.
"Hey, you two, look at your Duel Disks!" Roxy told them, to which they did. "I just sent you a link to a private server in LINK VRAINS. This way, if you got anything to sort out, do so in the server, AND NOT IN A PLACE LIKE THIS HOSPITAL!"
Yuhiro nodded at Roxy before turning back to Tsubaki. "Tsubaki, I know this is hard to take in. But if you need to duel to get all your emotions out, then I'll accept your challenge."
"Will you now?" Tsubaki said. "I thought you'd never ask!"
"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" both Yuhiro and Tsubaki said, logging into Roxy's private server. After a minute, Hideki put on his Duel Disk.
"I'm logging in as well." Hideki said. "This time, I will be there, for my daughter." A blue sphere then appeared around him as he logged into the server.
"We're going in too." Aoi said, as she and Akira put on their Duel Disks before logging in. "Wish us luck." Two more blue spheres appeared around the both of them as they went into the network.
Roxy went into Tsubaki's hospital room and sat on her bed as she sighed. "Come on, Yuhiro. You got this." I know you'll make Miyu proud as well, Roxy thought, as she watched the upcoming duel on her laptop.
In Roxy's private server...
Raguel and Rosetta appeared in the server, facing each other, while Hideki, Blue Angel, and Akira appeared at the side.
"It looks like there's only one way to protect your father and prove that we're all trying to help you." Raguel said. "Once this duel is over, you'll see that."
"I highly doubt that." Rosetta coldly replied.
"Duel!"
Raguel: 4000 LP
Rosetta: 4000 LP
"Unlike last time, I shall go first." Rosetta said, looking at the cards in her hand. "I summon Evil Thorn from my hand!" A dark, spiky plant with a shriveled, pink flower on one side and a massive grenade on the other sprouted onto Rosetta's field.
Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 1
"I'll now activate Evil Thorn's effect! By tributing this card, not only can I inflict 300 points of damage to you, but I can also Special Summon two more copies of Evil Thorn from my deck in attack position! However, I can't activate their effects." Evil Thorn flung the massive grenade at Raguel before shriveling up, causing him to slightly wince.
Raguel: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP
Then two more copies of Evil Thorn sprouted onto Rosetta's field, in attack position.
Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 1
Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LV: 1
"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Rosetta concluded.
"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, drawing the top card of his deck.
"Well, that situation escalated quickly." Herald said, a hand on his chin as he emerged out of Raguel's Duel Disk.
"It unfortunately did." Raguel told him. "And now we're in this duel. So you got some advice?"
"For starters, a 'Cyreath' Link Monster would help us." Herald answered.
"Right. I summon Cyreath Barbarian from my hand!" Raguel said, turning his attention to Rosetta. A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and mustache joined the field.
Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Barbarian in the Link Marker!" Barbarian went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Come on out! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion, with large pincers and a long tail, joined Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.
Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️
"The effect of Barbarian activates!" Raguel added. "Since Barbarian was used as Link Material, Scorpius gains 500 attack points!" Scorpius glowed red as it powered up.
Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500
"Scorpius' effect! Once per turn, when I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zone, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to a zone this card points to. Return, Cyreath Barbarian!" Scorpius lowered its tail into a portal, which Barbarian grabbed onto before jumping back onto Raguel's field.
Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Treasure from my hand!" Raguel continued. "This card allows me to draw two cards, in exchange for discarding one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand!" Raguel discarded Cyreath Wandering Soul from his hand before drawing two cards from his deck. "And now I activate the effect of Cyreath Wandering Soul from my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon one '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
"And just like before, I shall call on the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll set Cyreath Barbarian and the Cyreath Wanderer token into the Link Markers!" Barbarian went into the top arrowhead, while the Wanderer token went into the bottom arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Ride into battle! Link 2! Cyreath Chariot Commander!" A ghostly skeletal figure whose entire body was made up of blue flames rode onto the field, in the Main Monster Zone Scorpius was pointing to. It wore a helmet with jagged, uneven horns, and had an outfit consisting of gauntlets, a pauldron over its left shoulder, a tattered gladiator's skirt, and broken-down metallic boots.
Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️
"Just like before, Barbarian's effect activates!"
Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 + 500 = 2500
"Let's battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Chariot Commander attacks one of your Evil Thorns!" Chariot Commander lit up in blue flames and fired a burst of fire at one of the Evil Thorns.
"You really thought that was going to be easy?" Rosetta asked. "Trap card, activate! Card Defense! By discarding a card from my hand, not only can I negate the attack, but I get to draw a card as well!" As Rosetta discarded a card from her hand and drew another one, a swarm of cards protected Evil Thorn from the fire blast. "I activate Rose Fairy's effect! Since it was added to my hand by a card effect, I get to Special Summon it!" A small fairy with rosy red eyes, pink skin and wings flew onto her field. Her hands and feet were decorated with rosy gloves and shoes. She also had a rose petal as hair.
Rose Fairy ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3
"The battle still isn't over." Raguel reminded her. "Cyreath Scorpius attacks one of your Evil Thorns!" Scorpius charged at one of the Evil Thorns and slashed it with its large pincers, destroying the dark, spiky plant. As a result, Rosetta's shoulder fizzled briefly.
Rosetta: 4000 – 900 = 3100 LP
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded.
"My turn! I draw!" Rosetta said, drawing the top card of her deck. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose from my hand!" A small, female witch with green eyes and long, bushy purple hair twirled her small vined wand as she appeared on Rosetta's field. She wore a black dress with purple roses in the middle, along with high-heeled black boots with little purple roses on the boots.
Witch of the Black Rose ATK: 1700 DEF: 1200 LV: 4
"What's she planning, Akira?" Blue Angel asked him.
"I don't know." Akira answered her. "But whatever it is, it can't be anything but good."
"I tune the Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose with the Level 3 Rose Fairy!" Rosetta said, as a bolt of green lightning struck her. The world then greyed out as her two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one purple and one pink, appeared before turning blue and merging. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 4" in front of them. The screen changed to "7" as light surged through the rings.
"The cold flame engulfs the entire world!" Rosetta chanted. "Pitch-black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! Black Rose Dragon!" A massive, black-skinned dragon, whose entire body was covered in roses, spread out her wings and let out a shriveling roar as she was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on Rosetta's field. She had a long, slender neck that was covered in roses at the back, and three mandibles that were made of roses on her head. She also had clawed draconic feet. In addition, the dragon had a long, thorned tail, along with thinner thorned tails. Black Rose Dragon's orange eyes glowed as she glared at Raguel.
Black Rose Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LV: 7
Upon being summoned, Black Rose Dragon released a gust of wind, causing everyone except Rosetta to raise their arms to shield their eyes.
"This duel isn't just about winning or losing anymore." Akira stated. "It's going to come down to who actually survives."
"I activate Black Rose Dragon's effect!" Rosetta continued. "When she's Synchro Summoned, every card on your field is destroyed! Black Rose Gale!" Black Rose Dragon let out a roar as she flapped her wings in front of her, unleashing a tornado at Scorpius, Chariot Commander, and Raguel's face-down card, destroying them along with Evil Thorn and Rosetta's facedown card before getting destroyed in the process.
"And just like before, all our cards got destroyed!" Herald panicked. Although Raguel had a contingency in case this happened, he certainly had to agree with Herald. He did not like this at all.
"I activate the second effect of the Trap card, Forced Rebirth from my Graveyard!" Rosetta said. Soon, a silhouette of a card appeared, showing Crass Crown clawing its way out of the Graveyard as it transformed into Clown Zombie. "When this card is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon a monster straight from my Graveyard. Return, Black Rose Dragon!" On Rosetta's command, Black Rose Dragon reappeared on her field, only in the Main Monster Zone. Upon looking at the people watching, more preferably Hideki, Black Rose Dragon roared at them in fury.
Black Rose Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LV: 7
"As much as I want to wipe you off the planet, dad," Rosetta spat that last word out of her mouth as she addressed him, "I must finish this duel first." She turned her head back to Raguel. "Battle! Black Rose Dragon attacks you directly! Black Rose Flare!" Black Rose Dragon gathered energy inside her maw before firing it at Raguel, but...
"If you can activate cards from the Graveyard, then so can I!" Raguel stated. "I activate the second effect of the Trap card, Cyreath Apparition from my Graveyard!" A silhouette of a card appeared, which showed the soul of Cyreath Cyclops being formed by Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld. "By banishing this card and one 'Cyreath' Link Monster, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath Apparition' in attack position, which gains attack and defense points equal to the banished 'Cyreath' Link Monster's attack points. I banish Chariot Commander and this card!" A dark orb of light appeared on Raguel's field, before taking the form of Chariot Commander.
Cyreath Apparition Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
Cyreath Apparition Token ATK: 0 + 2000 = 2000 DEF: 0 + 2000 = 2000
"Then that one will pay the price!" Rosetta said, as the blast of energy hit the Apparition token, destroying it completely and causing Raguel to slightly wince.
Raguel: 3700 – 400 = 3300 LP
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn. Don't think I'm going to make this quick, Raguel." Rosetta told him. "I want to watch you squirm."
"Rosetta, let's talk about this." Raguel replied. "I know you're upset and scared, but all of us just want to help you feel better. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Don't bother, Raguel." Rosetta decided. "Stop trying to reach me. I get it, you're the 'good' guy. You like helping people. But you can't help me. No one can. Not now. Only one person understood me, really tried to help me deal with my pain by directing my anger towards it. My father doesn't, and neither do you. Just Ace, and now he's..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "With him likely dead, it's just me, and I don't feel like talking about it."
"You're wrong." Raguel pointed out. "You do have a home, and you've always had one. With your father."
"That's right, Raguel." Hideki confirmed, before turning to face Rosetta. "Rosetta, I understand our relationship has been strained by my mistakes, but if you just-."
"Wait. My father?" Rosetta repeated. "So you're saying I should go back to him and just forget what happened? That's nothing but bullshit!" Black Rose Dragon roared, unleashing a second gust of wind that led to everyone except Rosetta raising their arms in front of them to shield their eyes.
This is bad, Raguel thought. From what I'm seeing, Rosetta dueled with Black Rose Dragon so many times that it's as though they're one and the same. The angrier Rosetta gets, the angrier Black Rose Dragon gets, and vice versa. It also means that the situation can get more dangerous for everyone here if I'm not careful.
"It's my turn! I draw!" Raguel said, drawing the top card of his deck.
"Raguel, I hate to be a pain in your butt right now." Herald said. "But I need you to focus only on this duel right now. If you continue trying to reach out to her, let's just say it won't end well for the both of us."
"Herald, I promised her father that I'd help him." Raguel reminded him. "And the duel isn't over yet. After all, anything can happen."
"I know that." Herald responded, turning to face the duel. "I just don't want us to be mauled by that dragon, nor does Progleo for that matter."
"Then I'll make sure that we survive." Raguel promised. "First, I activate the Spell card, Link Reborn from my hand! This card lets me Special Summon one Link Monster from my Graveyard! However, it can't attack for the rest of this turn! Appear, once again! Cyreath Scorpius!" The huge scorpion from earlier reappeared on Raguel's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.
Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️
"Why would Raguel do that?" Hideki asked, curious. "Had Raguel banished Scorpius earlier, he could have brought back Chariot Commander. He then could have summoned a monster from his hand and brought out a Link 3 monster."
"Because he has a plan." Blue Angel answered him. "And I have faith in it."
"I now activate Cyreath Doppelganger's effect from my hand!" Raguel continued. "Since I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A pale, shadowy man materialized itself on Raguel's field.
Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4
"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are one monster! I'll set Cyreath Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Doppelganger went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Hephaestus!" A deformed blacksmith carrying a heated rod and a walking stick joined his Cyreath comrades on Raguel's field. He wore a short brown tunic around his waist.
Cyreath Hephaestus ATK: 500 LINK-1 ↘️
"Hephaestus' effect!" Raguel added. "Once per turn, if I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can target one Spell or Trap card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand! And I know the perfect one!" A card popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he added to his hand. "I activate the Spell card I added to my hand, Cyreath Treasure. Just like before, I can draw two cards, but I must discard one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand in exchange." After discarding Cyreath Miner, he then drew two cards from his deck.
"I now activate Doppelganger's second effect! Once per duel, by banishing one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, I get to Special Summon this card to my field in attack position. I banish Barbarian to activate its effect and summon it back!" Doppelganger, for a second time, materialized itself onto Raguel's field.
Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4
"Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I Set Cyreath Hephaestus and Cyreath Scorpius, which are both Link 1 monsters, and Cyreath Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the top arrowhead, Hephaestus went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Doppelganger went into the bottom-right arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Cyreath Caster!" A woman with the appearance of that of a witch from a fairy tale leapt out of the Link Portal and onto Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore a hooded bluish-purple robe, along with armor on her arms and legs. One of her noticeable features was her knife-shaped ears.
Cyreath Caster ATK: 2000 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️
"I didn't know Raguel had that monster in his Extra deck..." Akira muttered.
"It's called an 'upgrade'." Herald pointed out to Akira. "All duelists do it, including us!"
"I activate Cyreath Caster's first effect." Raguel said, ignoring Herald. "During my turn only, all 'Cyreath' monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points. Forbidden Boost!" Caster raised her staff into the air as it glowed purple, powering her up temporarily.
Cyreath Caster ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300
"I summon Cyreath Enhancing Angel from my hand." A female angel with blond hair and wearing a yellow dress appeared on Raguel's field.
Cyreath Enhancing Angel ATK: 900 DEF: 900 LV: 3
Cyreath Enhancing Angel ATK: 900 + 300 = 1200 DEF: 900 + 300 = 1200
"While Enhancing Angel is on the field, all 'Cyreath' monsters on the field gain 300 attack and defense points!" Enhancing Angel put her arms out in front of her, as she released a burst of energy all over Raguel's field, powering both herself and Caster up.
Cyreath Caster ATK: 2300 + 300 = 2600
Cyreath Enhancing Angel ATK: 1200 + 300 = 1500 DEF: 1200 + 300 = 1500
"Yes!" Herald cheered. "Now Caster has just enough attack points to slay the dragon!"
"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Caster attacks Black Rose Dragon! Wicked Magecraft!" Caster fired a purple blast of lightning from her staff at Black Rose Dragon. However, Rosetta was unfazed by the attack.
"Continuous-Trap, activate! Safe Zone!" Rosetta interjected. "I target one monster on my field, and as long as this card remains, the targeted monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, nor can it be targeted by card effects. I target Black Rose Dragon!" A blue veil surrounded Black Rose Dragon, protecting her from the purple lightning. "And before you say it, I'm well aware that I still take battle damage." Rosetta's shoulder fizzled as her life points slightly dropped.
Rosetta: 3100 – 200 = 2900 LP
"Damn it!" Herald said. "If we only summoned Cyreath Nymph earlier, we could have got rid of that card. Hang on..." He turned to face Raguel. "You do have it in your hand, right?"
"Afraid not." Raguel answered him, causing Herald to slump over.
"Aw, crap."
"But I do have these two cards." Raguel added, getting his attention. "Which I will set both face-down on my field to end my turn. As my turn is over, my monsters both temporarily lose Caster's power boost."
Cyreath Caster ATK: 2600 – 300 = 2300
Cyreath Enhancing Angel ATK: 1500 – 300 = 1200 DEF: 1500 – 300 = 1200
"Was that little move supposed to scare me or something? Because I'm not impressed!" Rosetta said, drawing the top card of her deck. "My turn! I draw!" After looking at the card, she smirked. "I first activate the effect of Rose Bell of Revelation from my Graveyard! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I get to Special Summon one Plant monster with 2400 or more attack points from my hand! Come, Queen Angel of Roses!" A female angel with short, blond hair landed onto Rosetta's field. She had red, featherily wings with strands of blond hair attached to it. She also wore a long, rose-themed dress that started as a regular dress, but became more armored and sharper at the bottom. On her head, she wore a helmet with a rose symbol on it. In her left arm, she carried a long sword.
Queen Angel of Roses ATK: 2400 DEF: 1300 LV: 7
"I understand she had Queen Angel of Roses in her hand." Herald said. "But how did Rose Bell of Revelation end up in her Graveyard?"
"It's because it was the card she discarded when she played Card Defense, Herald." Raguel answered him.
"It's good to see you catching on, Raguel." Rosetta stated. "Because I now activate Queen Angel of Rose's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a face-up monster on the field with the lowest attack points. And the monster is Cyreath Enhancing Angel!" Queen Angel of Roses fired a blast of energy from her sword at Enhancing Angel, but...
"Counter-Trap, activate! Cyreath Intervention!" Raguel said. "By paying 1000 life points, I can negate the activation of a card effect and destroy it!" As Raguel winced in pain, a lightning bolt struck Queen Angel of Roses, destroying her.
Raguel: 3300 – 1000 = 2300 LP
"In addition, I activate Cyreath Caster's second effect! Once per Chain, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon using monsters I control, including this card!"
"You're Link Summoning on my turn?!" Rosetta exclaimed. He's Link Summoning Turboblaze Dragon, she thought. This time, I'm ready for it!
"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared, as a Link Portal appeared in the sky. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I Set Cyreath Caster, which is a Link 3 monster, and Cyreath Enhancing Angel into the Link Markers!" Caster went into the left, bottom, and right arrowheads, while Enhancing Angel went into the top arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The Embodiment of Truth is given to mankind! Link 4! Turboblaze Dragon!" A white-color bipedal dragon with blue irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck emerged from the Link Portal to the right Extra Monster Zone as he roared upon appearing on Raguel's field. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with two protrusions resembling ears on the top of the mane. His arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his claws. He had a feathered chest, with long feather-like protrusions jutting out of his thighs. On his feet were large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. He also had a jet engine-like tail, with two large bands similar to the front and ribbon like extensions.
Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️
"I activate Turboblaze Dragon's first effect!" Raguel continued. "When he's Link Summoned, the effects of all monsters you control are negated! Heat Veil!" The jet engine-like tail that Turboblaze had soon began to charge up.
"Take this!" Turboblaze shouted before unleashing waves of volcanic energy at Black Rose Dragon, covering her in scorch marks.
To everyone's surprise though, Rosetta wickedly smiled. "I'm glad you're finally seeing the truth, Raguel. That I'm the opponent in this duel, not someone who you can save!"
"That isn't true, Rosetta..." Raguel replied, shocked at what he was hearing. He didn't want to use force in this duel, but he was running out of options. "I activate Caster's third effect. As this Link Summoned card was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he added to his hand.
"Raguel..." Blue Angel muttered. As his friend, she was clearly worried for him.
"I end my turn." Rosetta concluded. "Now that you brought out your most powerful monster, we'll find out which one is stronger."
"My turn! I draw!" Raguel began, drawing the top card of his deck. "Battle! Turboblaze Dragon attacks Black Rose Dragon! Desolation Flare!" As the jet engine-like tail glowed orange with power, Turboblaze flew up into the air, charging up an orb of orange fire. After gathering enough energy, Turboblaze fired it at Black Rose Dragon. Although it hit her, it left her unscathed.
Rosetta: 2900 – 600 = 2300 LP
"What's the matter, Raguel?" Rosetta asked. "You running out of things to do and say? You ready to actually duel?"
"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded, ignoring her.
"Why didn't you make other moves, Raguel? After all, you have cards in your hand!" Herald pointed out. "If your head isn't in the game, then we'll lose. Can you hear me? Hello?"
Hideki narrowed his eyes as he watched the duel. Raguel is doing everything he can, he thought. He's trying to help her, to talk to her, but she won't listen to anyone. Instead, she's breaking him apart piece by piece. I have to do something! He then ran to the duel field, to the shock of Akira and Blue Angel.
"What are you doing?" Akira called out to him. "If you go there, you'll get hurt!"
"I'm not abandoning her!" Hideki told him. "Not this time!" He ran to where Raguel was and stood in front of him, spreading his arms out as though he were protecting him. When Raguel saw what he was doing, he was surprised.
"Get out of my way, dad." Rosetta ordered him. "When I'm done with him, you're next, so wait your turn!"
"No!" Hideki replied. "Not until you hear what I have to say!" After a brief silence, he continued. "I'm sorry, Tsubaki. I...I wasn't as good a father-."
"Save it." Rosetta coldly replied, looking away from him. "It's too little, too late."
"I admit it. When your mother died, I ended up choosing my career over you." Hearing this from Hideki caused Rosetta to widen her eyes in surprise. "I couldn't juggle my responsibilities with taking care of you when you needed me most. I failed."
"Yeah. I know all of this." Rosetta stated. "That inability of yours ultimately led me to realize the truth: People only care about themselves, not their loved ones."
"For some people, perhaps." Hideki agreed with her. "But I'm not one of those people. Allow me to explain what I mean. That night, when you ran away from home, I realized that my actions pushed you away, and I desperately wanted to find you, to make sure you were safe. For six years, I was disappointed with myself because I failed you. What I'm saying is-."
"So wait a minute?" Rosetta interrupted him. "This is about you now?!"
"Yes. It's about me letting you down. I never stopped caring about you, Tsubaki. Neither did your mother. You'll always be my daughter."
"Stop! Just stop talking, dad!" Rosetta ordered him. "No way am I falling for this!"
"Rosetta, please listen to your dad!" Raguel pleaded. "He's practically begging for your forgiveness!"
"The time for forgiveness is over, dad!" Rosetta decided, drawing the top card of her deck. "My turn! I draw! I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my deck!" She drew the top two cards of her deck. "I now summon Dark Verger from my hand!" A sprout with two leaves appeared on Rosetta's field. On each of the leaves was an eyeball.
Dark Verger ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LV: 2
"I'll also activate the Spell card, Mini-Guts. By tributing a monster on my field, one monster you control has its attack points reduced to zero until the End Phase. Also, if its destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to its original attack points! I tribute Dark Verger!" Dark Verger exploded into particles, which went into Mini-Guts. Within moments, a blast of energy fired out of it and towards Turboblaze, causing him to roar in pain as his strength was reduced to zero.
Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 - 3000 = 0
"It's time to battle!" Rosetta declared. "Black Rose Dragon attacks Turboblaze Dragon! And if my dad gets in the way, then take him out too! Black Rose Flare!" An enraged Black Rose Dragon gathered energy inside her maw before firing it straight at Turboblaze.
"Raguel better do something, or else his dragon is done for." Akira said, his eyes narrowing at the duel.
"I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Resolve!" Raguel said. The card showed Cyreath Hercules wrestling against Cyreath Nemean Lion, refusing to give up. "By banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, my monster is not destroyed, and battle damage is cut in half. I banish Cyreath Hephaestus!" A brief veil surrounded Turboblaze, protecting him from Black Rose Dragon's attack. Raguel turned to Hideki and added, "You might want to move, sir."
Hideki, in response, braced himself for Black Rose Dragon's attack, as the impact caused wisps of energy to bounce off and hit him. As a result, Hideki fell to the ground, while Raguel rolled to his left to avoid the wisps.
Raguel: 2300 – (2400 / 2) = 1100 LP
"Why did you do that?" Rosetta demanded. "You knew the consequences of your actions, and yet you still got in the way. Are you not going to answer me?!"
"Tsubaki, my little girl." Hideki muttered, as he slowly got up and took a step towards her. "Please give me a second chance. Come home with me, and I promise I'll-."
"Stay back." Rosetta warned him. "My dragon is very pissed off right now, and so am I."
"Move, sir. You're going to get hurt!" Raguel stated.
"I don't care!" Hideki replied to both of them, taking another step towards Rosetta. "I don't care if she hurts me. After all, when she was hurting, I turned my back on her. When she needed me, I turned away. I won't make that same mistake again."
"That sounds sweet and all," Rosetta said, "but you don't mean it."
"He does." Raguel interrupted, surprising her. "Give him a chance. Everyone deserves second chances. Give your father the opportunity to show that he cares about you."
"I..." Rosetta couldn't speak out of shock, so she shook her head in anger to try and deny what she just heard. Seeing her mistress in distress, Black Rose Dragon unleashed a whirlwind in pure anger, causing everyone to raise their arms to shield their eyes. "What's going on?" Rosetta then turned to Black Rose Dragon. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm picking up high energy levels from Black Rose Dragon, Raguel." Herald stated, as he too put his arms in front of him to shield his eyes. "It can only mean one thing."
"Black Rose Dragon has a sentient program infused with her." Raguel realized. He called out to Rosetta and said, "Rosetta! You have to let go of your negative emotions! The more you embrace them, the more they control you!"
"But how am I supposed to do that?" Rosetta questioned, her hands on the sides of her head. "If I lower my barriers and give people another chance, how will I know it'll end differently for me?"
"The truth is, I don't know." Raguel admitted. "But what I do know is this: If you find the strength to confront your pain and fear, you'll be able to obtain the peace you've been seeking for six years. Besides, aren't you tired of being afraid?"
Rosetta's eyes widened as she processed this information. Black Rose Dragon was going berserk, and she lost control of her. All I've ever wanted was to belong again, she thought. Although my father is willing to start over, I'm afraid of being abandoned again. But if I keep holding onto this fear…. No. Raguel's right. I'm tired of being afraid.
She soon saw Black Rose Dragon get ready to hit Hideki with one of her thorned tails. It's time to confront it once and for all!
"Dad, look out!" Rosetta called out to him, as the thorned tail came down. She immediately ran towards her father and pushed him out of the way, causing her to be the target of the attack, to the horror of everyone.
SMACK!
"Tsubaki!" Hideki cried out in response, as the two of them fell to the ground. He immediately got up and ran over to where she was, cradling her body in his arms. "Please be okay, my little rose! Please!"
"Dad..." Rosetta said, opening her eyes and looking at him.
"You're alright. Thank goodness."
"Help me up, dad." Rosetta requested. "I have to... do something important." Nodding his head, Hideki helped Rosetta up, before the two of them walked to where Black Rose Dragon was.
"Akira, is she nuts?" Blue Angel asked out of concern. "After all the destruction Black Rose Dragon unleashed, she's still going towards her?"
"I'm not sure what Rosetta has planned." Akira replied. "Lets just hope it's something good."
As Rosetta and Hideki approached Black Rose Dragon, she lowered her head in shame.
"I poured all my negative emotions into you." Rosetta told Black Rose Dragon, placing a hand on her head and calming her down. "For that, I want to say I'm sorry. I'm ready to move on from my pain and fear, but I can't do it alone. Will you be at my side as I do so?" Black Rose Dragon nudged her head in agreement, causing Rosetta to smile.
Hideki then helped Rosetta turn around and face Raguel. "I end my turn," she told Raguel. "Which means Turboblaze Dragon's attack points return to normal." Turboblaze roared as his strength returned to him.
Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 0 + 3000 = 3000
"Raguel, please. Finish this duel. I don't want to fight anymore."
Raguel nodded. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck.
"Did you get the card we need?" Herald asked Raguel, turning to him.
"Yes." Raguel confirmed. "I summon Cyreath Shade from my hand!" A grey-armored warrior from head to toe jumped onto Raguel's field. His helmet looked like that of an eerie ghost. Wisps of smoke emitted from his armor.
Cyreath Shade ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4
"When Cyreath Shade is Normal Summoned, I can target one face-up Spell or Trap card you control and Set it. You're not allowed to activate it in response until the End Phase. I target your Safe Zone!" Shade pointed his right hand at Safe Zone, causing the wisps of smoke to obscure Safe Zone completely. As a result, the blue veil protecting Black Rose Dragon vanished.
"Since Safe Zone is now Set on your field, the card protecting Black Rose Dragon has been nullified." Herald pointed out. "It's time to finish this, Raguel!"
"Indeed." Raguel agreed with him. "Battle! Turboblaze Dragon attacks your Black Rose Dragon! Desolation Flare!" The jet engine-like tail glowed orange with power as Turboblaze flew up into the air and charged up an orb of orange fire. After gathering enough energy, Turboblaze fired it at Black Rose Dragon.
"Turboblaze's additional effect! If this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to the destroyed monsters attack points!"
As Black Rose Dragon was consumed by the ball of fire, she roared before exploding into yellow particles. Rosetta and Hideki embraced each other for the first time in six years, happy to be reunited at last.
Rosetta: 2300 – 600 – 2400 = 0
"I missed you." Rosetta said to Hideki.
"I missed you too, honey." Hideki replied. "Let me start making up for that right now."
"Thank you, dad. But you sure you want me home? After all, I've done horrible things to many people."
"Rosetta." Raguel said, getting her attention as he walked over to where they were. "Listen. You and your dad have a lot of catching up to do. But we could also use your help against the Knights of Hanoi. What do you say? Will you fight with us?"
Rosetta wiped her eyes. "You got it, Raguel." She then turned to her father. "If that's alright with you, dad."
"Of course it is." Hideki confirmed. "After all, you've always had a big heart."
"I'm glad to see you're both okay." Blue Angel said, walking over with Akira to where Raguel was.
"And happy once again." Akira added. "Shall we convene in the real world?"
"That might be a good idea." Hideki replied. "After all, I want to thank you in person, Raguel."
Within moments, everyone logged out of Roxy's private server.
At the Den City Hospital...
As the blue spheres disappeared around everyone, Yuhiro was the first to return, being forced to take a knee. Soon, everyone else returned, one by one.
"That duel took a bigger toll on you than anticipated, didn't it?" Roxy said, walking to where he was and helping him up.
"Yeah." Yuhiro agreed with her. "Physically, and mentally."
"Tsubaki!" Hideki said, running over to her and hugging her. "I'm so happy that we're a family again!"
"Me too, dad." Tsubaki replied, hugging him back. "Me too."
Hideki turned to Yuhiro. "Furutani, I want to thank you for helping me reconcile with Tsubaki. It means a lot."
"I want to thank you as well." Tsubaki added. "For helping me when I needed it."
"It's no problem. Really." Yuhiro said, as Roxy gave him a snide look. "Don't you dare start teasing me right now, Roxy!"
Tsubaki then looked down to the ground, having remembered something.
"What is it, Kinoshita?" Aoi asked her, as she and Akira went into Tsubaki's hospital room.
"I just remembered all the things I've done while I was on the black market." Tsubaki answered her. "It's probably on my criminal record, which means I won't be able to stay with my dad again!"
"What are you talking about?" Herald asked, causing Tsubaki to raise an eyebrow. "I'd check it again if I were you."
When Hideki pressed a few buttons on his Duel Disk, he looked at Tsubaki's criminal record. And to their surprise-.
"It's clean." Hideki realized. "Tsubaki, your record's all clean! As though nothing happened!"
"It is?!" Tsubaki asked in shock. When she looked at it, both of them cried tears of joy as they hugged each other again.
"Herald, did you-?" Yuhiro was about to ask, but Hideki got Yuhiro's attention.
"No words can describe my gratitude to you. Both of you." Hideki said. "How can I pay you back?"
"Well, there is one thing." Herald replied. "World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy. If you give it to me, I promise to put it in a place that's safe. That way, the Hanoi will be off your backs."
Hideki wiped his eyes and smiled. "Deal."
As everyone started walking out of the hospital, Aoi fell in step with Yuhiro.
"You're a good person, you know that?" Aoi told him. "You care about other people. Just like with Kinoshita."
"I know that." Yuhiro said, a small smile forming on his lips briefly before turning into a frown. "But someone once told me that what I do in terms of helping people is small."
"What are you saying?"
Yuhiro stopped walking, as well as Aoi, who faced him with curiosity. "What I'm concerned about is this: If I help someone, does that mean I don't know when to draw the line and take action?"
"In my opinion, I think it's the opposite." Aoi stated, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You have a balance between compassion and strength. You're willing to help others by using pain as a motivator to relate to them. At the same time, when it's needed, you draw on your strength to protect those you care about. Don't you ever forget that."
Yuhiro nodded. "Thanks, Aoi." The two of them resumed walking until they reached the entrance of the Den City Hospital.
"Anyways, I'll see you at school, Yuhiro." Aoi told him before heading for the limo with Akira. After going inside of it, the limo drove away from the Den City Hospital.
"If you don't mind, Furutani," Hideki said, getting his attention, "I'd like to give you both the card once Tsubaki and I return home. I'll send you a message once I'm available."
"Take all the time you need." Yuhiro replied back, causing Hideki to smile. He and Tsubaki then started walking home, with Tsubaki giving Yuhiro a brief glance behind her and smiling before following after her dad.
"Glad that's patched up." Roxy said, her arms crossed. "The fact that we've helped a family reconcile brings a smile to my face."
"Yeah. I'm glad she's okay." Yuhiro said back, as the two of them started walking to the van. "She and her father now have the time to catch up." He then looked at Herald. "Herald, you didn't answer my question earlier."
"What question?" Herald asked.
"I was going to ask whether you hacked into SOL's servers or not."
Roxy's jaw dropped. "Herald, is it true?"
"Hey! It was for a good cause, you know!" Herald answered. "Besides, I made sure to erase my tracks."
"So you admit it?"
Herald slumped in defeat for a second time today. "Yeah, I did."
"Well, perhaps don't do it in the future." Yuhiro told him. "Unless in case of severe emergency."
"Ugh. Fine."
"If I may," Roxy interrupted them, "we practically have World Gears now."
"Oh yeah!" Herald realized. "Watchman will be pleased with hearing this good news."
"Send him a message then, Herald." Yuhiro told him. "If everything goes well, then we'll have World Gears by the end of the day."
Three hours later...
"Okay, I didn't know SOL Technologies had a LINK VRAINS division." Raguel said, as he went down an elevator with Rosetta and Hideki. A few hours after the events at the Den City Hospital, Yuhiro and Roxy had dinner to celebrate their success. Following dinner, Yuhiro got a message from Hideki, saying to meet him and Tsubaki at a list of coordinates he sent for the LINK VRAINS division of SOL Technologies.
Upon meeting them there, Hideki guided everyone to an elevator that would take them to the vaults.
"When LINK VRAINS was created, the higher-ups needed a team to maintain it within the network." Hideki explained. "From creating cards both in the network and in physical card form, to performing routine check-ups, this team operated alongside the security team in ensuring that LINK VRAINS was safe for everyone." The elevator soon stopped at the bottom floor and opened its doors, letting everyone exit.
After a few minutes of walking through a hallway of vaults, they reached the end of the hallway, which was sealed shut by a pearl-colored door. Zig-zagged yellow lines were embedded on the door. On the right was a hand and retinal scanner, along with a passcode lock.
"Stay here." Hideki told Rosetta and Raguel, as he went over to the scanners. He first put his hand on the hand scanner, letting it scan his hand before taking it off. Next, he allowed the retinal scanner to scan his eye for a few seconds before taking a step away. Finally, he entered the passcode, unlocking the door. The three of them then went inside the vault to retrieve the card.
But to their shock and horror, Infearno was already in the vault, along with a device that was penetrating the barrier that protected World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy.
"Raguel. Rosetta. Mr. Kinoshita." Infearno said, turning around to face the trio, a wicked smile on his face. "I'm glad you all can make it. Let's have a little chat, shall we?"
Card Gallery
Cyreath Shade (LV: 4/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)
Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up Spell or Trap card your opponent controls; Set it face-down. Your opponent cannot activate the targeted card in response until the End Phase.
Forceful Rebirth (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target 1 monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field, but its effects are negated. If this face-down card is destroyed by a card effect: You can target 1 monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your field in attack position. You can only use 1 'Forceful Rebirth' effect per turn, and only once that turn.
Cyreath Apparition (Normal Trap card)
Effect: Target 1 'Cyreath' monster you control; it gains 500 ATK/DEF until the End Phase. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card and 1 'Cyreath' Link Monster from your GY; Special Summon 1 'Cyreath Apparition' token to your field (LV: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 0) (Gains ATK/DEF equal to the banished 'Cyreath' Link Monster's ATK). You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Apparition' per turn.
Cyreath Resolve (Normal Trap card)
Effect: When a 'Cyreath' Link Monster or 'Turboblaze Dragon' you control is targeted for an attack: You can banish 1 'Cyreath' Monster from your GY; this turn, monsters you control are not destroyed, also, any battle damage you take is halved.
Cyreath Caster (LR: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 2000/↙️⬆️↘️)
Effect: While this card is on your field, all 'Cyreath' monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF during your turn only. Once per Chain, during either player's turn, immediately after this effect resolves, Link Summon 1 Link Monster using monster(s) you control as material, including this card. If this Link Summoned card you control is sent to the GY: You can add 1 Spell card from your deck to your hand.
QOTC
With Tsubaki having reconciled with her father, how do you think it will impact her character development? How do you think it will affect her role in the story?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 27: Revenge of the Hanoi. Somehow, Infearno managed to infiltrate the vault containing World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy! Intending on completing his mission, he immediately takes action and threatens the lives of Rosetta and Hideki, forcing Raguel to duel him for their safety. As the duel progresses, Infearno sports a wicked expression, bringing concern for Raguel and Herald...
Authors Notes
Wow. I can't believe this chapter took me a shorter period of time than most. I gotta say, this puts a smile on my face indeed. Anyway, I just want to thank Helios Darkus for one of his card submissions, which turned out to be Cyreath Caster. Did you know that the design for Caster was based off of Caster from Fate Stay/Night?
So the main event for this chapter was the duel between Raguel and Rosetta. This duel was not only between cards, but between ideals as well. On one side, we have Rosetta, who believes that, with everything gone, she'll unleash her pain and anger on everyone to make them feel the same way she does. On the other side, there's Raguel, who's dueling to show that everyone there wants to help Rosetta feel better.
Long story short, Raguel ends up beating Rosetta, and as thanks, Hideki agreed to hand over World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy to Raguel, Roxy, and Herald. But as indicated by the last scene, Infearno has somehow infiltrated the vault. How do you think he managed to pull it off? You'll have to read on and find out.
Just a heads up for all of you: Next chapter will be the last one of the Cyberse Hunt arc. Once that's done, we'll be moving on to the Tower of Hanoi arc at last.
Alright, now onto the Arc V announcement for this chapter: The title for the Arc V story is called Pendulum's Rebirth. Let me know what you think of the chapter, and if for some reason, there's already a story that's called Pendulum's Rebirth, I don't mind hearing out better suggestions. After all, I have a back-up in case the place-holder for the title doesn't work.
Thanks for reading Chapter 26 of Obscured Truth. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter in your reviews below. In addition, constructive criticism is always welcome, as it helps make the story even better. If you know of anyone who would be interested in reading the story, don't hesitate in showing them.
What was your favorite part of this chapter? Was it the dialogue? The fact that Raguel won another duel? Rosetta finally reconciling with her father? Or was it something else?
Stay tuned for the next chapter, as things are going to get intense!