Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth

by DivadX

Yuhiro Furutani, one of 8 children kidnapped 10 years ago by an unknown group, now works as Raguel, an agent in LINK VRAINS' Black Market. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who becomes his newest assignment. Follow Yuhiro as he now must decide who he wants to become: as both a duelist and as an individual.

31. Chapter 31: Cursed Nightmare

Response to Reviews

Thank you to Jason, TheSupremeKingParadoxDragon, HunterHQ, Savagemaster1999, E.T. 2000, ZeroMK7, Portal, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Donjusticia, Guest, Pikachu99, KingOtakuOverYou, Cosmic Cat, Pancakes, yuman28, Electriuser, Kenrio, Decode Talker, Team Rocket, and Seto Kaiba for reviewing Chapter 30 of Obscured Truth.

I'm alive, everyone! Before I begin, I want to thank each and every one of you for waiting for this chapter's release. I had originally planned on releasing it on Earthoween (hopefully, some of you get the joke), but due to midterms and projects, I had to delay it by another week.

I also want to thank you for your reviews from the previous chapter. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed the duel between Lord Kazuma and Rosetta. I also want to thank you for providing me your input regarding the Playmaker vs. Specter duel.

Based on this feedback, I will make this announcement. I won't write the entire Playmaker vs. Specter duel, as combined with the duel between Raguel and Lord Kazuma in Chapter 32, it will take way too long to release. Therefore, I'll write only the important parts that occurred during the duel in the anime, with no changes made.

Anyhow, why don't we get those reviews answered, shall we?

Jason: Glad you loved the duel. And yes, Lord Kazuma did quote the Joker.

TheSupremeKingParadoxDragon: Happy to see that this story is among your Top 3 VRAINS fanfics. And as I mentioned above, Lord Kazuma did quote the Joker.

HunterHQ: Apologies for using a swear word for Lord Kazuma. I used a quote from the 2019 Joker movie, which fitted Lord Kazuma perfectly. Thanks for your advice on the Playmaker vs. Specter duel. As per the announcement above, don't worry. I won't write the entire thing. Also, rest assured. Lord Kazuma's backstory will be revealed in Chapter 32.

Savagemaster1999: Yes. There is a history between Numera and Athaliah, which will be explained in this chapter. Also, you have no idea how Athaliah is connected to the overall story.

E.T. 2000: Apologies for your concerns clarifying the QOTC from the previous chapter. Critias and Hermos will appear in the coming season, not in the chapters from the Tower of Hanoi. Putting all three Legendary Dragons in one arc would feel rushed after all. To answer your second question, no. The azure-overcoated man won't use Critias or Hermos. Also regarding your question on Raguel using Progleo's ability, it will happen. That I can confirm.

ZeroMK7: Glad you're looking forward to the duels for both this and the next chapter.

Portal: I'll tell you now: Lord Kazuma is not Yugi Muto's apprentice. His backstory will be revealed in Chapter 32. Also, as I mentioned above, I'll only include the important parts for the Playmaker vs. Specter duel. And Kaiba appearing in the story? Someone else already did that for their Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS fanfic. Which means I won't do it.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Raguel's not going to be happy, that's for sure.

Donjusticia: Nice predictions regarding the QOTC. You'll learn who exactly Lord Kazuma's mentor was during Chapter 32. And that little script with Arkana made me laugh! If Lord Kazuma learned from him, I can totally see that happening.

Guest: Lord Kazuma will only use Timaeus for his deck. As for who will use Critias and Hermos, you'll just have to keep on reading and find out for yourself.

Pikachu99: As I stated above, Lord Kazuma will only use Timaeus, as the dragon is connected to the deck.

KingOtakuOverYou: Glad you enjoyed Lord Kazuma's duel against Rosetta. While I do appreciate the suggestion, I'm afraid I won't put it in, mostly due to the fact it would take double the time to write two new duels. As for whether Lord Kazuma has a mental disorder or not, you'll have to learn about his backstory first in order to truly get your answer.

Cosmic Cat: Thanks for the five stars.

Pancakes: You forgot one thing on the list for Lord Kazuma. Defeat Raguel.

Yuman28: You're going to enjoy Lord Kazuma's backstory once it comes up in Chapter 32. This I can promise you.

Electriuser: Happy you see you've enjoyed the duels featuring Lord Kazuma. I promise you two things to come. One: Lord Kazuma's duel against Raguel will triumph over the ones featured so far. Two: His backstory is going to be something amazing.

Kenrio: A second rate Playmaker? While I appreciate you reviewing the chapter, I'll tell you that this is my first time writing on Fanfiction. I improve with the chapters as I write. Regardless, it's your choice to read it or not.

Decode Talker: Thank you very much for the review.

Team Rocket: You'll find out your answer once you see Lord Kazuma's backstory in Chapter 32.

Seto Kaiba: Lord Kazuma is not a murdered soul fragment of Yugi Muto, even though he uses the Dark Magician deck. He's also not a doctor, you know.

With reviews answered, it's time to proceed to the chapter!

Chapter 31: Cursed Nightmare

Flashback: Six years ago...

A couple with their five-year old daughter parked the Subaru on the street as the crickets chirped in the night. The man who got out of the car wore a brown-velvet coat with brown shoes and dark pants. He also had short violet hair. The woman who got out wore a dark purple and violet raincoat, with a hood covering her head. Unlike the man, she wore grey pants with rain boots, and also had red hair tied in a bun.

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Collin," the woman said to the man, as she opened the door for their daughter, who got out of the car and held her mother's hand.

"We don't have a choice, Lisa." Collin pointed out, as the three of them walked to the steps of a house. "Until we can pay off our debts, Rachel needs a safe place to stay at. Besides, we can trust Athaliah, as she helped us many times in the past."

"I guess so." Lisa agreed with Collin, as they reached the door. She knocked on the door several times, and upon the third knock, a woman with blond hair answered it. She wore a simple purple shirt with long jeans. "Athaliah, it's urgent. Can we come in?"

"Of course." Athaliah let them inside the house and closed the door. Within minutes, Lisa sent Rachel to play in the living room, while she and Collin informed Athaliah about what happened with their small business in the dining room, as well as what they intended to do.

"I'm truly sorry about what happened with your business." Athaliah said to the young couple. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"There is one thing." Lisa answered. "Collin and I are heading to Yokohama to meet up with a lawyer who'll help us with the debts. But in the meantime..." She looked down to the floor, realizing she couldn't finish the sentence.

"We'd like you to take care of Rachel until we return." Collin finished, causing Athaliah to widen her eyes in surprise as she mulled it over for a few seconds.

"Hm." Athaliah then nodded and smiled at the couple. "Very well. I'll be happy to take care of your daughter until your safe return."

"Thank you." Collin said in response. Athaliah then escorted the couple to the front door of her house. "Rachel, honey. Can you come here please?"

"Coming, daddy!" Rachel replied, as she ran to where her parents were. After looking at her parents and then back to Athaliah, she realized something was amiss. "Daddy, what's going on?"

"You'll be staying here with Athaliah for a few days at best." Collin explained, as he knelt down to her level and placed his hands on her shoulders. "She'll provide you with the best care and keep you safe until we return."

"Don't worry, sweetie." Lisa added, also kneeling down to Rachel's level and stroking her hair. It was evident she was trying to hold back tears. "Mommy promises she'll be back to get you when everything's in order." She looked up at Athaliah. "Rachel likes to sleep with a little nightlight at night, and prefers her sandwiches without the crusts."

"I will remember that." Athaliah promised. Collin opened the door, motioning for Lisa to exit the house. But before he could leave, Rachel ran over and grabbed his hand, getting his attention.

"Daddy?" Rachel said, worry in her eyes. Collin smiled and patted her on the head.

"We will return. Never forget that." Collin assured her. He then headed out of the house with Lisa, where they headed to the car and started it up. Before long, they drove off into the dark night. Upon seeing that her parents were gone, Rachel started crying. She then ran to Athaliah and hugged her.

"It's okay, little one." Athaliah said, comforting her. "Let all those tears out. You are in good hands now." What Rachel failed to notice in her sadness though was the wicked smile that had spread all over Athaliah's face. In Athaliah's mind, a perfect opportunity just arrived at her door. And Rachel would get to experience it firsthand.

Flashback End: Present Day...

Numera looked out over the field and read the current situation.

Athaliah: 4000 LP

Numera: 4000 LP

Enveloping the entire duel field was an enormous black puddle, which was Athaliah's Field Spell card: Curse of the Shadow Prison. Other than the Field Spell, Athaliah had a purple-colored lizard with golden armor all over its body, with its legs being bound by purple strings. She also had a facedown card in her Spell & Trap card zone.

Shaddoll Squamata ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 1

As for Numera, she only had two facedown cards in her Spell & Trap card zone. Her monster, Geomathmech Magma, was destroyed due to Shaddoll Squamata's effect. Which left her no monsters to defend herself with.

"My turn! I draw!" Athaliah said, drawing the top card of her deck. She then gestured to her other facedown card. "Trap card, activate! Resh Shadoll Incarnation! This card lets me target a 'Shaddoll' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it either in face-up or facedown defense position. I'll target Shaddoll Beast in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in facedown defense position." A Set card then emerged from the enormous black puddle and onto Athaliah's field. "I now Flip Summon Shaddoll Beast!" The card then flipped up, revealing a large, four-legged creature with purple fur on its back and head. Several golden circles were on the creature, which allowed multiple purple strings to manipulate its movements. Looking at Numera, it roared at her.

Shaddoll Beast ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 5

"When Shaddoll Beast is Flip Summoned, I can draw two cards in exchange for discarding a card." Athaliah then took a card from her hand and sent it to the Graveyard before drawing two cards. "And because I discarded another 'Shaddoll' monster, I can activate Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect once again!"

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 1 + 1 = 2

"I activate a second copy of Squamata's effect from my Graveyard!" Athaliah continued. "As it was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I get to send a 'Shaddoll' card from my deck to the Graveyard!" A card popped out of her deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard. "The card I sent to my Graveyard was another 'Shaddoll' monster. You know what that means, right?"

Numera narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Your Field Spell gets a third Spellstone counter?"

"How correct you are!" Athaliah confirmed, as the black puddle glowed once again.

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 2 + 1 = 3

"Appear! The circuit of nightmares!" Soon, a Link Portal appeared above Athaliah's head. "The summoning conditions are one 'Shaddoll' monster! I'll set Shaddoll Squamata into the Link Markers!" Shaddoll Squamata went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Shaddoll Mannequin!" A wooden doll with bright red eyes suddenly emerged from the black puddle and onto Athaliah's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Shaddoll Mannequin ATK: 0 LINK-1 ↘️

"When Shaddoll Mannequin is Link Summoned, I'm allowed to add a 'Shaddoll' card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand." Athaliah explained, as a card then popped out of her deck, which she added to her hand. "I Normal Summon Shaddoll Hedgehog from my hand." A small, purple creature with four legs jumped out of the black puddle and appeared on Athaliah's field. Its back had large spikes on it. In addition, each of the creature's feet had a purple string coming out of it.

Shaddoll Hedgehog ATK: 800 DEF: 200 LV: 3

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Shaddoll Fusion! This card lets me Fusion Summon a 'Shaddoll' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material!"

"What?" Numera said, taken aback. Athaliah's deck incorporated one of the Extra Deck summoning methods in its strategies? Uh-oh.

"In case you don't believe me, I'll show you firsthand." Athaliah declared. "I use Shaddoll Beast and Shaddoll Hedgehog as Fusion Materials!" Beast and Hedgehog disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which went into the black puddle below them instead of upwards.

"With these meshed dark energies, the Construct gives you renewed life as its envoy." Athaliah chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 5! El Shaddoll Winda!" A dark, purple Chinese dragon with purple strings on its claws and feet emerged from the black puddle and onto Athaliah's field in the Main Monster zone Shaddoll Mannequin was pointing to. Each of its eyes looked in different directions before being directed towards Numera. On the dragon's back was a teenage female sorceress with light-green hair tied in a ponytail. In her right hand was a long staff.

El Shaddoll Winda ATK: 2200 DEF: 800 LV: 5

"The effects of Hedgehog and Curse of the Shadow Prison now activate! Since Shaddoll Hedgehog was sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Shaddoll' monster with a different name from my deck to my hand. Also, because two more 'Shaddoll' monsters was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, it gains two more counters!" A card popped out of Athaliah's deck, which she added to her hand.

Numera's eyes narrowed in worry as the black puddle glowed for the fourth time.

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 3 + 2 = 5

"It's time to battle!" Athaliah declared. "El Shaddoll Winda attacks you directly!" Winda raised her staff above her head, which glowed with energy. The dragon also prepared a more concentrated blast to accompany it. However….

"Not so fast!" Numera said. "Trap card, activate! Mathmech Superfactorial! I can target up to three 'Mathmech' monsters in my Graveyard with different names and apply one of two effects! I choose the first effect, which lets me Special Summon them from my Graveyard by negating their effects! Return, Nabla, Division, and Magma!" At Numera's command, the three robots reappeared on her field, ready to defend her.

Mathmech Nabla ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

Mathmech Division ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Geomathmech Magma ATK: 2500 DEF: 0 LV: 8

"I can then shuffle 'Mathmech' monsters on my field to Synchro Summon a new one right after," she continued. Suddenly, Winda fired purple strings of energy from her staff, which ensnared Numera's Duel Disk. "What? What's happening?"

"What's happening is Winda's effect." Athaliah answered. "As long as she's on the field, the both of us can only Special Summon once during our turns."

"What did you say?!" Numera said, shocked at what she just heard, her eyes widening in the process. Luckily, she snapped out of it just in time to get her bearings. "In that case, I'll activate the Trap card, Breakthrough Skill! This card lets me target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target El Shaddoll Winda!" Breakthrough Skill then glowed and greyed out Winda in the process, much to Athaliah's dismay.

"With Winda's effects negated, I'm now free to tune the Level 8 Geomathmech Magma and the Level 4 Mathmech Division to Synchro Summon!" A bolt of red lightning appeared as the whole world greyed out and her two monsters disintegrated into particles. Two rings, one yellow and one red, appeared before turning blue and merging. Twelve blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "8 + 4" in front of them. The screen then changed into a "12" as light surged through the rings.

"Code, Metal, and Fire combine into one!" Numera declared. "Sigma's ultimate evolution has been reached, and is now ready to incinerate all who oppose it! Synchro Summon! Appear, my protector! Geomathmech Final Sigma!" A massive red and white robot, bigger than its brethren, emerged from the light and on Numera's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, carrying a blazing sword. The robot had shredded pieces of a cape on both its shoulders and its waist.

Geomathmech Final Sigma ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 12

"Division's effect! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a monster you control and halve its attack points until the End Phase! I choose Winda!" Winda then let out a screech of pain as her strength was halved.

El Shaddoll Winda ATK: 2200 / 2 = 1100

Athaliah frowned at this development. While she expected Numera to fight back, she didn't expect her to nullify Winda's effects, nor cut her strength in half. Nevertheless, this was only a minor setback in her plan as she thrusted out her right hand. "The battle resumes! El Shaddoll Winda attacks Mathmech Nabla! Dark Reckoning!" Winda fired several stringy blasts of energy from her staff, while her dragon fired a more concentrated blast alongside it. Together, both blasts hit Nabla, destroying it in the process.

Numera: 4000 – 100 = 3900 LP

"I Set two cards facedown and end my turn." Athaliah concluded. "Which means Winda gains her effects and her strength once again."

El Shaddoll Winda ATK: 1100 X 2 = 2200

"It's your turn, little girl. Show me how much you learned since our time together."

"My turn! I draw!" Numera said, drawing the top card of her deck.

"Not so fast!" Athaliah interrupted. "I do hope you haven't forgotten about Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect, yes?" She laughed as several gooey tendrils erupted from the black puddle and wrapped themselves around Final Sigma. But to her surprise, the tendrils disintegrated upon contact. "What? Why isn't your monster suffering in pain?"

"It's because of Final Sigma's effect." Numera answered her. "It's unaffected by card effects while in the Extra Monster Zone." Athaliah gritted her teeth in response. "I'll start by activating the Equip Spell card, Mathmech Billionblade Nayuta, and equip it onto Final Sigma!" As Numera said this, the sword in Final Sigma's hands changed to a massive blade with ridged spikes at the front. The blade also had a bigger handle, letting Final Sigma wield it with better efficiency.

"It's time to battle! Geomathmech Final Sigma attacks Shaddoll Mannequin! At this point, the effect of Billionblade Nayuta activates! By sending a 'Mathmech' monster from my deck to the Graveyard, the equipped monster gains attack points equal to the sent monsters attack points until the end of the turn! I'll send Mathmech Sigma from my deck to the Graveyard so Final Sigma gains its 1000 attack points until the End Phase!" The Billionblade Nayuta in Final Sigma's hands glowed with fiery energy as Numera sent Mathmech Sigma from her deck to her Graveyard.

Geomathmech Final Sigma ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"I activate Mannequin's effect!" Athaliah exclaimed. "While it's pointing to a 'Shaddoll' monster, it can't be targeted for attacks."

Numera frowned in annoyance. So much for that one-turn-kill. But she could at least deal some damage. "In that case, Geomathmech Final Sigma attacks El Shaddoll Winda! Scorching Termination!" Final Sigma charged forward, intending on cutting Winda in multiple pieces. However...

"Trap card, activate!" Athaliah said. "Defense Draw! This card not only reduces battle damage to zero, but it lets me draw one card from my deck as well!"

"Darn it..." Numera muttered, as Final Sigma slashed both sorceress and dragon in two at once, leaving severe burn marks as they turned into particles. Athaliah smiled to herself as she drew the top card of her deck.

"Also, if Winda is sent to the Graveyard, I get to add a 'Shaddoll' Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Athaliah's graveyard, which she added to her hand. "Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect activates once more!"

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 5 + 1 = 6

Not good, Numera thought to herself. She couldn't inflict a single instance of battle damage due to that Trap card. However, as long as she had her protector, her chances of winning were high. Taking a card from her hand, Numera said, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Final Sigma's attack points revert back to normal."

Geomathmech Final Sigma ATK: 4000 – 1000 = 3000

"My turn! I draw!" Athaliah said, drawing the top card of her deck. "I activate my Continuous-Trap card, Shaddoll Core! This card lets me Special Summon it as an effect monster to my field! Now emerge!" A knight's helmet then emerged from the black puddle and onto Athaliah's field. But what happened next caught Numera off guard, as several long dragon heads erupted from the helmet.

Shaddoll Core ATK: 1450 DEF: 1950 LV: 9

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Shaddoll Fusion! Just like before, I can Fusion Summon a 'Shaddoll' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material! However, if you control a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can use monsters from my deck as well!"

"Fusion Summoning from... your deck?" Numera said, now worried at what was coming next.

"I use Shaddoll Falco from my deck and Shaddoll Core from my field as Fusion Materials." Athaliah said. "Also, Core can be substituted for a Fusion Material that lists an attribute on a 'Shaddoll' Fusion monster. For the monster I'm about to Fusion Summon, I'll use Core instead of a Fire attribute Fusion Material."

Soon, a silhouette of a purple bird bound by purple strings on its wings, feet, and body appeared alongside Core. After doing so, both monsters disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which went into the black puddle below them instead of upwards.

"With the energies of darkness and fire, the dormant armor is reignited with new life." Athaliah chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! El Shaddoll Grysta!" A monster clad in crimson knights armor and a large number of crimson strings extending from its back emerged from the puddle and onto the Main Monster Zone Mannequin was pointing to. Erupting from its cracked helmet were the same long dragon heads from before.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 2450 DEF: 1950 LV: 7

"The effects of Shaddoll Core, Falco, and Curse of the Shadow Prison now activate. First, because Core was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a 'Shaddoll' Spell or Trap card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." A card popped out of Athaliah's graveyard, which she added to her hand. "Second, because Falco was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it back to my field in face-down defense position!" A facedown card then appeared on Athaliah's field in defense position.

"Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect!"

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 6 + 2 = 8

"Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Shaddoll Stormforth." Athaliah continued. The card showed El Shaddoll Apkallone raising her staff high in the air, unleashing blue strings and impaling several Stellarknight monsters in the process. "If I control a 'Shaddoll' Fusion monster, this card lets me destroy all Spell and Trap cards on your field. Then, all 'Shaddoll' monsters on my field gain 500 attack points for each card destroyed by this effect." Soon, several blue strings erupted from the card and destroyed both Numera's facedown card and Mathmech Billionblade Nayuta. Then, Grysta and Mannequin glowed with power.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 2450 + 1000 = 3450

Shaddoll Mannequin ATK: 0 + 1000 = 1000

"Because Mathmech Billionblade Nayuta was sent to the Graveyard," Numera explained, "I'm allowed to target a 'Mathmech' card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." A card then popped out of Numera's Graveyard, which she added to her hand.

"That means little to me." Athaliah dismissively replied. She then thrusted out her right hand. "Battle! El Shaddoll Grysta attacks Geomathmech Final Sigma! Agonizing Inferno!" Grysta glowed hot with energy before unleashing its crimson strings at Final Sigma, wrapping them around several parts of its body.

"Final Sigma!" Numera cried out, as Final Sigma tried to struggle against its coming destruction. Unfortunately, it would be for naught, as the crimson strings overheated and destroyed the robot completely, devastating Numera in the process.

Numera: 3900 – 450 = 3450 LP

"Because... because Final Sigma was destroyed by battle or an opponent's card effect, I get to add a 'Mathmech' card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Numera's deck, which she added to her hand.

"The battle still continues!" Athaliah reminded her. "Shaddoll Mannequin attacks you directly!" Mannequin leapt forward and punched a dazed Numera, sending her off her feet and onto the murky ground.

Numera: 3450 – 1000 = 2450 LP

"I end my turn." Athaliah concluded, satisfied with her turn. Slowly, Numera got up onto her two feet. The way she did it though was almost robotic.

"You... How could you..." Numera muttered, her voice filled with despair and sadness. "Final Sigma meant everything to me, yet you destroyed it. Why?"

Athaliah thought about it for a minute before answering. "Why? I thought it would be obvious, child." Her voice lowered just enough so only Numera could hear what she was about to hear next. "I want to destroy any hopes you have of winning this duel. I want to take away everything that mattered to you. And most of all, I want to reduce you to a hopeless state. Just like you were six years ago!"

Numera's eyes widened in panic as they glazed over.

"Rachel? What's wrong, honey?" Greg asked, trying to get her attention. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear him, as the memories of those horrible tests done to her in the past started flooding her mind, blocking all sound in the process.

"RACHEL?! RACHEL!"

Flashback: Six years ago, in an underground laboratory...

"GAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Rachel screamed, as the electric shocks ran from her brain and down to her body. Right now, she was in a grey, well-lit room, wearing a white hairnet with wires that were connected to a brain-reading machine. In front of her was a Mensa exam on a desk, with writing utensils provided. Scooting up her chair, Rachel proceeded to continue the exam, knowing full well what would happen if she stopped.

On the other side of the room was Athaliah, with a male doctor beside her taking notes.

"Doctor Heinz, what do the readings say?" Athaliah asked the man beside her.

"We've been giving her regular shocks as she takes breaks," the doctor answered her. "However, the readings are still the same they were ten minutes ago. Delta levels at 2 Hz, Theta levels at 5.2 Hz, Alpha levels at 10 Hz, and Beta levels at 23 Hz."

"DAMN IT!" Athaliah shouted through gritted teeth, scaring Doctor Heinz. "How... how are my methods not producing the results I want? He only used a singular method for six months, and got the results that were sought!" She then turned to the doctor, an idea forming in her head. If this particular test wouldn't get results, perhaps another one would. "End the test."

"What?"

"You heard me! End. The. Test." Athaliah ordered. "Once you do, take Rachel and follow me to Room E2. I'll be waiting." Athaliah then walked away from him as she headed for Room E2.

Following Athaliah's orders once she was out of sight, Doctor Heinz went into the room and turned off the brain-reading machine. He then removed the white hairnet from Rachel's head and beckoned her to follow him.

The two of them then entered Room E2, with Athaliah waiting for them.

"Ah, hello dear child." Athaliah said to Rachel in a motherly voice. "How was the Mensa exam?"

"It was... it was really hard." Rachel answered in a quiet voice. "I... I couldn't..." But before she could finish her sentence, Athaliah slapped her so hard she was sent flying off the ground.

"Don't give me that excuse, you piece of shit!" Athaliah coldly said, walking towards Rachel and grabbing her by the shirt with her two hands. "You are a part of something greater, and I expect results!" She then slammed Rachel to the wall.

"Athaliah, please," Doctor Heinz said. "If you keep this up, she won't be able to get through the test."

"Fine." Athaliah relented, reducing some of her strength. She then took Rachel and strapped her onto an operating table. "Then you perform the procedure."

"What?" Doctor Heinz said, to both his and Rachel's horror.

"What procedure?" Rachel asked, interrupting both adults. "What are you talking about?"

"This procedure shall enhance your thinking abilities." Athaliah explained, turning to Rachel. "Although it will be painful, Doctor Heinz will ensure you come out brand new for the coming tests." She then turned to Doctor Heinz. "Have the results on my desk by tomorrow morning."

"I will not." Doctor Heinz defiantly responded, looking at Athaliah in the eye. "You've already made me do this to Subject Five: Brion, and the other people involved. No one deserves this kind of-!" Athaliah then took out a gun from her lab coat and immediately shot Doctor Heinz in the head, killing him within seconds. Rachel, seeing this, felt pure fear at witnessing the vile act.

"I guess I'll have to do it myself..." Athaliah muttered, as she walked over to a desk with a medical tray on it containing medical supplies. After putting the gun on the desk, she grabbed a syringe and put propofol in it. "This won't hurt a bit, dear. It's going to hurt a lot."

"Please. Don't do this." Rachel begged, but her words fell on deaf ears as Athaliah approached her. She then inserted the needle into her right hand so that it made contact with her blood veins. "It hurts! Take it out! It hurts!"

Athaliah then began the surgery by cutting her forearms open, causing more screams from Rachel in the process. Within minutes, the propofol took effect, and Rachel fell asleep.

Hours later...

Rachel slowly got up, having noticed that the surgery was complete. When she looked at her arms wrapped in bandages, her eyes widened in horror upon remembering what Athaliah did to her.

"It hurts... It hurts... I don't want to do this anymore..." Rachel muttered to herself. "Why did Athaliah do this? Why did she have to cut me open?" Hearing footsteps, she then saw two doctors wheel a body on a gurney. Curious, Rachel followed after them, but far enough so they wouldn't notice.

One right and left turn later, she saw the doctors dump the body into a large, well-lit purple pool of water. She then tip-toed into the room and closed the door behind her. Looking at the purple pool, there were literally countless bodies floating upwards.

"These experiments are stupid..." Rachel lamented. "Why won't Athaliah let me go? Why won't she let me see my parents again?"

"Because there's a greater purpose to be fulfilled," a voice answered, catching Rachel off guard. Was she hearing things? She turned to the source of the voice, and was surprised that a female corpse was speaking to her.

"What purpose?" Rachel asked the corpse.

"To reach the Root of all knowledge," another corpse answered, only this time, it was a young male one. "Two scientists at SOL Technologies created something that would not only help humanity understand its purpose in life, but to obtain salvation as well."

"Humanity's... Salvation..." Rachel repeated those words. "But... but what do we get in return?"

"Nothing," a third, male corpse spat out, with a female corpse laughing in the process. "We're just tools used for Project: Apotheosis's purpose, which is assist Project VIII in fulfilling its objective."

"Yes. We're nothing but tools for a greater cause," the female corpse sarcastically added. "Project: Apotheosis and the Unknown Incident will work together so that humanity will reach the Root. Before they become extinct..."

Soon, there was a rumbling, as a colossal being with the appearance of a nun erupted from underneath the water. The being's body and armor was mostly colored purple, with golden elements appearing all over. Thousands of purple strings were attached to its back, signifying its authority as the puppet ruler. The strings then stabbed all the corpses in the lake and drained them of their energy, fueling the being in the process.

Traumatized by what she saw, Rachel accidentally let out a little gulp, causing the being to turn its head and look at her. Realizing she was screwed, Rachel tried to run out of the room, only for the being to reach forward and grab her using its hand.

"Please don't kill me!" Rachel begged the being as it looked at her. But before the being could kill her, Athaliah entered the room.

"That's enough El Shaddoll Construct. I told you not to kill the fresh ones, especially not this little one." Athaliah reminded the being. "Besides, she is finally ready to begin the second stage of Project Apotheosis."

"The... second stage?" Rachel asked out of fear, as some of Construct's strings raced through her body and mind, giving her excruciating pain before passing out.

"I will take it from here, Construct. Please let Rachel go." Athaliah ordered Construct, causing the being to put Rachel on the ground beside the pool before sinking down into its depths. Carrying the girl back to her room, Athaliah thought to herself, We all serve a purpose. One way or another. And tomorrow, Subject One: Rachel will fulfil hers. A wicked smile then appeared on her face, looking forward to tomorrow's experiments.

Flashback End: Present Day...

"It's your turn now, child." Athaliah taunted. "Let's see what you do now that I destroyed your hopes of winning."

"My turn. I... draw." Numera responded, drawing the top card of her deck. After gathering her thoughts, she then spoke. "I... I don't want to duel anymore. I want to surrender."

"No..." Greg muttered, shocked at what he was seeing and hearing on the laptop screen. To Rachel, Final Sigma meant everything to her. It was her protector, someone she could trust as much as she would Greg. The fact that Athaliah destroyed Final Sigma impacted her majorly, and it would take a lot of willpower for her to recover her spirit. "You can do this, Rachel. Please don't give up!"

Athaliah laughed. "How pathetic. Without your precious ace monster, you can't fight back, can you?" She then shook her head. "No. I don't accept your surrender. I order you as your former caretaker to MAKE YOUR MOVE!"

"I...I Set a monster in face-down defense position." Numera complied robotically. "I'll then Set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Athaliah said, drawing a card from the top of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Shaddoll for Shaddoll!" The card showed Shaddoll Hound being dragged into the black puddle, as Naelshaddoll Ariel began to slowly emerge out of it. "I can target a face-up or face-down 'Shaddoll' monster on my field and return it to my hand. By doing so, I get to Special Summon a 'Shaddoll' monster with a different name from my deck. I return Shaddoll Falco to my hand to Special Summon Qadshaddoll Keios from my deck!" As the facedown defense position card on Athaliah's field turned into particles, a card popped out of her deck, which she grabbed and placed on her field.

Then a half-corrupted creature with wings and armored plating on most of its body emerged from the black puddle and onto Athaliah 's field. The creature's armor was colored gold on the left side of its upper body, while it was colored purple on the right side of its body. The left wing was colored white, while the right wing was colored violet. The creature had red eyes and a large golden jaw, along with horns.

Qadshaddoll Keios ATK: 900 DEF: 100 LV: 2

"I'll then activate the Spell card, Shaddoll Fusion! Just like the previous two times, I can Fusion Summon a 'Shaddoll' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material! I use Qadshaddoll Keios and Shaddoll Mannequin on my field as Fusion Materials!" Keios and Mannequin disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which went into the black puddle below them instead of upwards.

"With these energies of darkness and light, the sinister Construct is finally born!" Athaliah chanted. "Fusion Summon! Behold! Level 8! El Shaddoll Construct!" A colossal being with the appearance of a nun erupted from the black puddle and appeared on Athaliah's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The being's body and armor was mostly colored purple, with golden elements appearing all over. Thousands of purple strings were attached to its back, signifying its authority as the puppet ruler.

El Shaddoll Construct ATK: 2800 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

Numera's entire body froze as she looked with horror at the same being that terrorized her all those years ago.

"The effects of Construct, Keios, and Curse of the Shadow Prison activate! First, since Construct was Special Summoned, I can send a 'Shaddoll' card from my deck to the Graveyard." She looked through her deck before choosing a card and sending it to the Graveyard. "The effect of Shaddoll Beast activates! As it was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I get to draw a card from my deck." She drew the top card of her deck, and after looking at it, was satisfied with what she got.

"Next, because Keios was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect," Athaliah continued, "I can send a 'Shaddoll' monster from my hand to the Graveyard. By doing so, all monsters I control gain attack and defense points equal to the original level of that monster times 100. Since I sent Falco to the Graveyard, both Construct and Grysta gain 200 attack and defense points." Construct and Grysta then glowed with energy.

El Shaddoll Construct ATK: 2800 + 200 = 3000 DEF: 2500 + 200 = 2700

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 3450 + 200 = 3650 DEF: 1950 + 200 = 2150

"Falco's effect now activates! Since it was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can Special Summon it back to my field in face-down defense position!" A facedown card then appeared on Athaliah's field in defense position.

"Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect!"

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 8 + 4 = 12

"Battle!" Athaliah declared. "El Shaddoll Construct attacks your face-down defense position monster! Sinister Nightmare!" Construct pointed its finger at Numera's face-down defense position card, causing the strings behind its back went straight towards the card and pierced it completely, turning it into particles.

"Rachel, please wake up." Greg begged. "You can't lose here. You can't!"

"Any last words, child?" Athaliah asked Numera, who didn't respond. "So be it. El Shaddoll Grysta attacks you directly! Agonizing Inferno!" Grysta glowed hot with energy before unleashing its crimson strings at Numera, intent on finishing her off.

"RACHEL!" Greg shouted. And in a surprising turn of moments, Numera somehow snapped out of her trance. Regaining focus, she quickly looked at her Graveyard to see a card shining. Which meant one thing...

"I activate the effect of Mathmech Division," Numera said, much to Athaliah's astonishment. "When it's sent to the Graveyard, I can target a monster you control and halve its attack points until the End Phase! I choose Grysta!" Grysta screamed in pain, indicating that its strength was cut in half.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 3650 / 2 = 1825

"That won't matter." Athaliah responded. "El Shaddoll Grysta, resume your attack! Agonizing Inferno!" Getting its bearings together, Grysta unleashed its crimson strings at Numera, which pierced different parts of her body before she fell onto the murky ground.

Numera: 2450 – 1825 = 625 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Grysta's strength returns to normal. Hurry up and make your final move, as whatever you do, it won't be enough to save you."

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 1825 X 2 = 3650

"Rachel..." Greg muttered, looking at his laptop. There was nothing he could do this time to save her. Well, he could log into LINK VRAINS, but who would provide her support in the real world? As worry and stress continued to flood his mind, a memory then appeared in Greg's mind. Of when he lead the FBI Raid and stopped Project: Apotheosis. But most of all: He saved Rachel and the other people Athaliah kidnapped against their will that day.

Flashback: Five years ago...

SMASH! SMASH! SMAAAASSHH!

Two of Greg's men smashed the front door open using a battering ram before the squad stormed the building.

Seeing several security guards fire their guns, Greg shouted, "Open Fire!" He and the squad then returned fire, mowing down the security guards. After they did so, Greg and the others went further into the laboratory, intent on shutting the operation down.

A few days ago, Greg received information about Project: Apotheosis from a detective, who went undercover working for someone named Athaliah Kuraishi. After confirming the inhumane experiments she was doing with the detective and receiving approval from his superiors, Greg led an FBI squad with a three-fold objective: Shut down Project: Apotheosis, seize all assets, and arrest Athaliah for her crimes against humanity.

More guards then tried to attack the squad from different directions, catching them off guard for a moment as they shifted focus onto returning enemy fire. Each of the squad members, along with Greg, disposed of their attackers with ease.

"Area captured," one of the men said to Greg.

"Good." Greg replied, turning to the squad member. "Keep the area secure, and ensure all assets are seized. You four..." He turned to four other squad members. "Patrol the area and see if you can find anything. The rest of you are with me."

"Yes sir!" the men replied, some troops going the opposite way while the others followed after Greg into the deeper levels of the laboratory. When they got there, they noticed the area being mostly pitch-black, hindering their vision. However, lighting up the room was several purple strings.

"The hell..." Greg muttered, looking at the strings. He turned to the men behind him. "Keep your guard up, men! We don't know what we'll be facing." The next thing they knew, strings from behind them grabbed one of the men and dragged him into the darkness. Greg and the others in response turned around and opened fire on what could be an enemy. Unfortunately, they couldn't save him.

Then a fist emerged from a nearby wall, squashing several men and catching the others off guard.

"Open fire!" Greg ordered the remaining men, everyone shooting at the fist and causing it to retreat. The respite, however, didn't last, as two fists emerged from the walls and swept the men aside before they could do a thing. The wall broke apart, revealing El Shaddoll Construct to Greg. Before Construct could hit him with its next punch, Greg managed to roll just in time to evade it.

He kept running down the hallway when suddenly, the doors near him opened up, revealing Athaliah.

"To think the law would try and stop Project: Apotheosis from fulfilling its purpose..." Athaliah muttered, shaking her head. "I guess I should make an example of when the outside world tries to interfere with my work."

"You're wrong." Greg replied, raising his gun. "Today, your inhumane experiments end. By order of the FBI, I place you under arrest, you son of a bitch!"

Athaliah laughed as several gooey purple strings emerged from her back, grossing Greg out. "I highly doubt that." She then launched the strings at Greg, who managed to roll out of the way just in time. He then fired a few rounds of bullets at her, forcing the strings to defend her body.

"Insolence..." Athaliah launched the strings once again at Greg, which would have hit him had he not leapt forward and onto the ground. Getting up quickly, he started running away from her. "Where's that bravado, commissioner?" She started walking towards him. "I thought you were going to arrest me."

Come on, think, Greg thought to himself. I got to get close without those gooey things touching me. But how? While running, he continued to fire bullets at her, causing the strings to knock each one aside.

"Those bullets won't help you, commissioner." Athaliah taunted him. "You better face me like a man soon. Or else your death won't be merciful."

Greg had to admit. Running and firing bullets wasn't going to help. His attention was then captured by a sign he saw ahead that read "Electrical Room". Lightbulb.

Greg turned to the right and started running to the Electrical Room, making Athaliah think he was becoming desperate. Entering the room, he immediately locked the door before using the resources in the room. Let's see, Greg thought, as he quickly disassembled his gun before grabbing the jumper cable and hooking it to the inside of his gun. He then reassembled it and turned up the electricity to the max before Athaliah ripped the door off its door hinges.

"So. This is where you make your last stand, commissioner?" Athaliah asked, her strings poised to attack. "Any last words?"

"Yeah." Greg answered. "Suck on this." He then fired several rounds of bullets at Athaliah, forcing her to use the strings to defend her body. Upon contact, the bullets electrocuted the strings, and Athaliah by extension. This gave Greg the opening to fire a few more rounds and stun her before tackling her to the ground.

Seeing that she was still electrocuted, Greg forcefully turned her on her front and handcuffed her from behind. "You're under arrest for kidnapping and running an unethical human experimentation business. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." He lifted Athaliah off the ground and went over to shut off the main power supply, thus ending Project: Apotheosis for good.

He then reunited with the other squad members, who were moving supplies and preparing them for transport. "Put this woman in a straitjacket along with restraints. We can't risk anything in transporting her to jail."

"Yes sir!" two of the squad members replied, taking Athaliah off of Greg's shoulders and carrying her upstairs to ground level. Another squad member then ran forward to Greg, getting his attention. "Sir."

"What is it?" Greg asked the squad member.

"Please follow me. We... found something you'll want to see." Greg then followed the squad member down the hallway and towards a door. Upon opening the door and going inside, his eyes widened with horror with what he saw.

"Good lord..." Greg muttered, looking at the unconscious and conscious people inside. He turned to the squad member at the door. "Call emergency services immediately!" As the squad member proceeded to do so, Greg went deeper into the room and looked around. Within moments, he heard a little girl with short, bright violet hair cry out in pain.

Hearing this, he ran over to her and knelt to her level. "Hey, are you okay?" The girl, hearing his voice, looked up with him.

"Who... who are you?" the girl asked. "Are you... are you bad people?"

"No... we're not." Greg answered, helping the girl stand on her two feet. She then ran into his arms, much to Greg's surprise. "Don't worry. This nightmare is over now. I promise."

Flashback End: Present Day...

Numera slowly got up from the ground, panting in the process. Unfortunately, the glazed look in her eyes was still there, even though it temporarily disappeared a few moments earlier.

"Poor Rachel Miyake." Athaliah taunted, pronouncing each word. "No father. No mother. And... No Friends. All alone."

Numera's eyes then widened at the mention of the word 'Alone'. Only this time, it wasn't out of fear.

Memories then flashed through her eyes of people that were important in her life.

First, her mother and father.

Then, her adopted guardian Greg.

And, last but not least, her first two friends.

Aoi Zaizen.

And, most important of all: Yuhiro Furutani.

It was at that moment Numera realized something. She was not alone. Far from it, as there were people who chose to be with her.

"I'm... not alone." Numera defiantly responded, shocking Athaliah. "Far from it. Even after what happened to me, I choose to believe there are those who will want to become my friend. And as long as I live, I'll fight with that belief close to my heart!"

"You insubordinate child..." Athaliah snarled, now furious with what happened.

"Rachel, is that really you?" Greg asked over the earpiece.

"Yeah." Numera answered. "I'm sorry to have worried you. But I'm back now."

"Don't apologize, sweetie." Greg replied. "Instead, use that courage to kick Athaliah's ass!"

Numera smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I certainly will." She placed her hand on the top card of her deck. "My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck before looking at her field. While I don't know what Athaliah's face-down card is, Numera thought, I do know the effects of her other cards.

Having made her decision, she said, "I'll start by activating the effect of Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target El Shaddoll Grysta!" Athaliah gritted her teeth in anger as Grysta greyed out, indicating that its effects were negated.

"Next, I activate my Trap card, Mathmech Superfactorial! Just like before, I can target up to three 'Mathmech' monsters in my Graveyard with different names and apply one of two effects! This time, I choose the second effect, which lets me Special Summon them from my Graveyard by negating their effects! Return, Nabla, Division, and Sigma!" At Numera's command, Nabla and Division reappeared on her field.

Mathmech Nabla ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

Mathmech Division ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

In addition, a red and white robot carrying a bladed sword also appeared on her field. The robot had blue eyes, and on the top of its head was two white spikes that were curved.

Mathmech Sigma ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

"I can then Xyz Summon one 'Mathmech' Xyz monster from my Extra Deck using only the Special Summoned monsters as Xyz Material!"

"You're planning to... Xyz Summon?" Athaliah said.

"That's right!" Numera confirmed. "Appear, the network of programming!" Numera's hand glowed yellow as a galaxy portal appeared in the sky above the duelists. "Materials confirmed! The summoning conditions are three Level 4 monsters! I overlay the Level 4 Nabla, Level 4 Division, and Level 4 Sigma!" Nabla and Division turned into yellow streams of energy, while Sigma turned into a red stream of energy. Together, they entered the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Xyz Summon! Code and Electromagnetics come together to unleash a new force onto my enemies! Rank 4! Primathmech Laplacian!" A grey robot wearing golden armor on its upper body appeared on Numera's field and onto the right Extra Monster Zone. In its right hand, it carried a blade with a large, triangular hilt. Its orange eye glowed as it looked at Athaliah.

Primathmech Laplacian ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 RNK: 4 OU: 3

"I didn't expect you to Xyz Summon, Rachel..." Athaliah muttered. "But nevertheless, you forgot about Curse of the Shadow Prison's effect, and for that, you'll pay dearly!" Several gooey tendrils erupted from the black puddle and wrapped themselves around Laplacian, draining it of its strength.

Primathmech Laplacian ATK: 2000 – 1200 = 800

"Oh, I haven't forgotten." Numera replied, smirking at Athaliah and catching her off guard. "I activate Laplacian's effect! When its Xyz Summoned, I can detach up to three Overlay Units from this card, and then choose that many effects in the listed order. Therefore, I detach all three of its Overlay Units!" The three lights went into Laplacian, causing the robot to glow.

Primathmech Laplacian OU: 3 – 3 = 0

"The first effect lets me send a random card from your hand to the Graveyard." Athaliah's three cards in her hand then appeared in front of her. Laplacian fired a blast of energy from its sword at the card on the left, turning it into particles.

"The card you made me discard was a second Shaddoll Hedgehog," Athaliah responded. "As it was sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, I can add a 'Shaddoll monster from my deck to my hand with a different name." A card then popped out of Athaliah's deck, which she added to her hand. "In addition, Curse of the Shadow Prison gains another Spellstone counter. Which means bad news for you!"

Curse of the Shadow Prison SSC: 12 + 1 = 13

Primathmech Laplacian ATK: 800 – 100 = 700

"The second effect lets me send a monster you control straight to the Graveyard." Numera continued on, shocking Athaliah. "And I choose your El Shaddoll Construct!" Laplacian fired a second blast of energy from its sword, which hit Construct and made it disintegrate into yellow particles.

"My beloved Construct!" Athaliah cried out in anger. "Because Construct was sent to the Graveyard, I get to add a 'Shaddoll' Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand." A card then popped out of her graveyard, which she added to her hand.

"Last but not least is the third effect," Numera stated, "which lets me send a Spell or Trap card you control straight to the Graveyard. I choose..." Numera pointed at the black puddle. "Your Field Spell, Curse of the Shadow Prison!" Laplacian fired a third blast of energy straight at the black puddle, destroying it completely. "And without it, Laplacian gains all its strength back." To Athaliah's horror, Laplacian regained its strength back.

Primathmech Laplacian ATK: 700 + 1300 = 2000

"My perfect Field Spell..." Athaliah muttered, looking at the remnants of the puddle.

"I'm not finished yet." Numera said, getting Athaliah's attention. "The effects of Nabla and Division activate from my Graveyard. First, since Nabla was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a Cyberse monster in the Extra Monster Zone, and that monster can attack monsters twice this turn. Also, since Division was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a monster you control and halve its attack points until the End Phase! I choose your Grysta!" Grysta screamed in pain as its strength was cut in half.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 3650 / 2 = 1825

"You think you can defeat me that easily?!" Athaliah exclaimed, now starting to lose patience. "Trap card, activate! Purushaddoll Aeon! I can target one 'Shaddoll' monster I control and send a 'Shaddoll' card from my hand to the Graveyard. By doing so, it gains 1000 attack and defense points. In exchange, I must change it to face-down defense position during the End Phase. I discard Shaddoll Zefranaga from my hand and target Grysta for this effect!" Grysta glowed with energy, indicating that its strength was increasing.

El Shaddoll Grysta ATK: 1825 + 1000 = 2825 DEF: 2150 + 1000 = 3150

"If you think something like that will stop me, you're wrong Athaliah." Numera said. "I activate the Spell card, Mathmech Equation! This card lets me target a 'Mathmech' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. By doing so, it gains 1000 attack points until the End Phase! Return to my field, Final Sigma!" At Numera's command, Final Sigma reappeared on her field, only in the Main Monster Zone this time.

Geomathmech Final Sigma ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 12

Geomathmech Final Sigma ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"I'll also activate a second Mathmech Billionblade Nayuta from my hand, and equip it onto Laplacian!" The weapon in Laplacian's hands changed to a massive blade with ridged spikes at the front. The blade also had a bigger handle, letting Laplacian wield it efficiently.

Everything is set for this, Numera thought. "Battle! Primathmech Laplacian attacks your El Shaddoll Grysta!" Laplacian charged forward, intent on destroying Grysta.

"Has victory blinded you, little girl?!" Athaliah said. "Your attack's going to cost you the duel!"

"No, it won't." Numera responded. "Because you forgot about Billionblade Nayuta's effect. By sending a 'Mathmech' monster from my deck to the Graveyard, the equipped monster gains attack points equal to the sent monsters attack points until the end of the turn! I'll send Mathmech Subtraction from my deck to the Graveyard so Laplacian gains its 1000 attack points until the End Phase." The Billionblade Nayuta in Laplacian's hands glowed with fiery energy as Numera sent Mathmech Subtraction from her deck to her Graveyard.

Primathmech Laplacian ATK: 2000 + 1000 = 3000

"Electro Overheat!" Laplacian leapt forward above Grysta and slashed it in half from the top to the bottom, destroying it in a massive explosion.

Athaliah: 4000 – 175 = 3825 LP

"Now attack her face-down defense position monster!" Laplacian charged forward and cut the card in two, revealing itself to be Shaddoll Falco before it exploded into yellow particles.

"Falco's effect activates!" Athaliah said. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard-."

"Like I'm letting you!" Numera interrupted. "I activate Mathmech Vector's effect from my hand!"

"A hand trap?!" Athaliah replied, now concerned.

"If you activate a monster effect," Numera explained, "I can send this card from my hand to the Graveyard to negate it." In moments, a silhouette of an orange robot with black lines on its body appeared on Numera's field. It had small, black spikes on its shoulders, knees, and head. Raising its hand, the robots hand glowed, nullifying Falco's effect.

"With that out of the way, it's time to finish you off." Numera thrusted out her right hand. "Geomathmech Final Sigma attacks you directly, Athaliah! Scorching Termination!" Final Sigma charged forward and slashed Athaliah using its sword, causing her to scream as she was launched off her feet and onto the ground behind her.

Athaliah: 3825 – 4000 = 0

"It's over, Athaliah." Numera declared, walking up to Athaliah. "I'm no longer one of your puppets. I'm free not only from you, but from Project: Apotheosis as well!"

In response to this, Athaliah laughed.

"You... think you're free, Rachel?" Athaliah asked, raising her head to look at Numera. Soon, her body turned red. "No. We're all slaves to something or someone, bound to fulfil some predetermined purpose." She smirked at her as her body disintegrated. "When you're older, you'll understand."

"Like hell I will." Numera spat back. Athaliah laughed as her body broke apart completely, leaving her alone.

Meanwhile, the azure-overcoated man, who watched the entire duel, narrowed his eyes behind his mask and frowned.

"Rachel Miyake..." the man said, looking at Numera. "You're able to wield Cyberse monsters efficiently. Are you perhaps one of the children from the Lost Incident? Or something else?" He then looked up into the sky. "The child mentioned something called Project: Apotheosis. We'll need to seek out Athaliah and get the answers from her once this is over. She could prove to be useful for what's to come." He then walked away from the scene and started leaping from building to building once again.

"Rachel?" Greg said, getting Numera's attention. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Yeah. But the duel itself was pretty traumatic." Numera admitted. "Thank you. Not only for adopting me that day, but for being there for me. It means a lot."

There was a moment of silence before Greg responded. "Of course, sweetie. I'm glad to have helped you so far in your life, and I look forward to continue doing so in the many years to come."

Numera smiled at that comment. However, the happy moment was interrupted when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Seeing the massive tornado of wind and rose petals, Numera gasped.

"What the-?" she said. "What is that?" Numera then started running towards the tornado. "Greg, I-."

"Go check it out." Greg told her. "I'll be there if you need me."

"Thanks." She kept running. Greg, who was keeping an eye on her through his laptop, smiled. He couldn't help but remember what happened after he adopted her himself.

Flashback: Five years ago...

A month had gone by since Greg arrested Athaliah for her crimes against humanity. From what he heard, she would be sentenced to life and kept under tight security. Serves that ugly bastard right, he thought, as he drove his car.

No. He shouldn't think of this right now. At the back of Greg's car was Rachel Miyake, the girl amongst many other kidnapped victims he rescued during the FBI Raid. Based on recollection, the doctors were able to use healing stims to heal both the wounds in Rachel's body and the scars that resulted from them. However, the psychological ones would take time, which Greg had lots of now that he officially adopted Rachel.

He had to admit, the girl was a curious one. She spent the whole time in the car looking out the car window, admiring the outdoor scenery.

Eventually, Greg made it to a parking lot in Den City. Once he parked his car in a nearby parking space, he turned the car off and got out of the car. He then went over to where Rachel was sitting and opened the car door for her so she could get out. From there, she put her little hand in his big one, as they walked to the elevators and went up a few floors.

The duo kept walking until they reached the entrance to an apartment.

"This is your new home," Greg said, as he took out an apartment key and opened the door, showing a room with two beds, a desk, a couch, a TV, and all the essentials.

"My home..." Rachel muttered, as she walked into the apartment, slowly looking around it. "Does anyone else live here?"

"Nope." Greg replied, walking into the apartment and closing the door behind him. "Just the two of us." Hearing this, Rachel took a few steps back, causing Greg to be concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Please... please don't lie or hurt me." Rachel begged him, causing a look of confusion and pain to appear on Greg's face.

"I won't do either of those things to you." Greg promised, kneeling down to Rachel's level. "I know the past year's been rough, and you've been questioning a lot of things. But I hope you'll give me a chance." Rachel started walking to Greg until she was close to him, but far enough for her to run if something went awry. "I won't let Athaliah hurt you ever again. And in time, you'll be able to have a normal childhood once again, just like-."

Before Greg could continue, Rachel ran up and hugged him, burying her little head into his neck.

"Okay," she finally said. "Please... help me." Tears were running from her eyes.

Greg put his arms gently around Rachel and returned the hug. "You're going to be alright, Rachel. There, there." He swore to himself that he would help her recover from her trauma. And even though Rachel went through hell, deep down, he knew that she'd be accepted by people. People that were kind, people that were good. Once Rachel sees it with her own eyes, she might be able to move on from her pain one day. Towards a better future.

Card Gallery

Mathmech Vector (LV: 4/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000)

Effect: During either player's turn, if this card is in your hand and your opponent activates a monster effect: You can discard this card; negate that effect. If this card is in the GY: You can banish this card; add 1 'Mathmech' card from your GY to your hand. You can only use one effect of 'Mathmech Vector' per turn, and only one that turn.

Shaddoll For Shaddoll (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Target 1 face-up or face-down 'Shaddoll' monster you control; return it to your hand, and if you do, Special Summon 1 'Shaddoll' monster from your deck with a different name than the targeted monster. You can only activate 1 'Shaddoll For Shaddoll' per turn.

Shaddoll Stormforth (Quick-Play Spell card)

Effect: If you control a 'Shaddoll' Fusion Monster: Destroy all Spell and Trap cards your opponent controls, and if you do, all 'Shaddoll' monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF for each card destroyed by this effect.

Shaddoll Mannequin (LR: 1/Spellcaster/Dark/ATK: 0/↘️)

Effect: 1 Shaddoll Monster. When this card is Link Summoned: You can add 1 'Shaddoll' card from your deck or Graveyard to your hand. While this card points to a 'Shaddoll' monster, your opponent cannot target it for attacks.

QOTC

How do you think Project: Apotheosis is connected to Project: VIII?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 32: Truths Revealed. To save LINK VRAINS from destruction, Raguel heads to the Tower of Hanoi. However, standing in his way is none other than Lord Kazuma, who challenges him to a rematch! Meanwhile, Playmaker is confronted by Specter, and learns about his shocking past during their duel...

Author's Notes

Whew, what a chapter! I'm glad it's finally complete, and that you enjoyed the duel between Numera and Athaliah. Anyways, let's recap what happened shall we?

The main event that happened in this chapter was the duel between Athaliah and Numera. Credit goes to HunterHQ for providing some tips and tricks on how the Shaddoll archetype works best, as well as providing a rough draft. Part of this duel was also inspired by the Yuma vs. Trey duel in Yugioh Zexal, where Trey temporarily destroyed Yuma's fighting spirit. In this case, Athaliah destroying Final Sigma broke Numera's will to fight. Despite this setback, Numera was able to fight back in the end by Xyz Summoning a new Mathmech monster: Primathmech Laplacian. If I'm being honest, this was her hardest duel to date. But I want your feedback on this duel. Do you think it was Numera's hardest challenge to date? What were your thoughts?

Then we have the flashbacks, which provides some details that I'll sum up right now. First, the name of the experiments Athaliah ran six years ago is known as Project: Apotheosis. And based on this chapter, it has a totally different purpose rather than just creating the next 'super-genius'. For those of you who might be thinking what that purpose is, I can't answer that question directly. However, I can tell you it does have something to do with Project VIII. What do you think is the connection between those projects? How do you think Athaliah torturing Rachel and countless others plays a role in Project: Apotheosis?

I will confirm with you now that Athaliah and Ace will return in Season 2, which brings the chance of having these questions answered. For those of you who were disappointed that the mystery of how Rachel got her Cyberse cards wasn't answered yet, fear not. It'll be answered after the Tower of Hanoi arc.

Thank you everyone for not only waiting, but for reading Chapter 31 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.

What was your favorite part of this chapter? The duel between Athaliah and Numera? The flashbacks? Or is it something else?

Stay tuned, as next time, the rematch between Raguel and Lord Kazuma begins!