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.

33. Chapter 33: The Vicious Beast Roars

Response to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Jason, Naruto1999, Anonymous, Noobmaster, Guest, Guest, Pikachu99, Yuman28, Cosmic Cat, Guest, Demon Lord Digimon, Guest, Unnamed, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Decode Talker, Question, E.T. 2000, KingOtakuOverYou, DxD, Ambiguous, makotoxvalerie, Valtryek-Sama, Revolver, Donjusticia, Pancakes, Portal, Guest, Guest, Unnamed, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Idea Arc V, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 32 of Obscured Truth.

Hello, everyone! I hope you're safe, healthy, and cozy during this holiday season wherever you are. Based on what I've read from your reviews, it seems that you've not only enjoyed Chapter 32, but also brought some discussion out as well. I'm happy you did that, as the purpose of writing reviews is to be honest with one another. And by being honest, I'll be able to efficiently answer your reviews.

Speaking of reviews, let's get to answering them:

HunterHQ: Athaliah was the one who ran Project: Apotheosis. The reason why I included Playmaker's response to Specter's story was because I wanted to show that he couldn't care less about a Knight of Hanoi's backstory. He, along with the others, were on a mission to stop the Tower of Hanoi. In other words, if Playmaker identified you as an enemy and you wouldn't get out of the way, he'd use everything to defeat you. As for your concern whether this chapter will be like the one in Hidden Memories, don't be. This chapter will be different. The reason why I called this chapter The Vicious Beast Roars was because it's a reference to an episode title from Fate/Zero. And yes, Takeya named his LINK VRAINS avatar after his mentor. Lastly, if he were Thaumiel, he'd be much worse, wouldn't you agree?

Jason: The Hanoi may be crazy and villainous, but remember: They're a family.

Naruto1999: If Yugi saw this, he'd be furious, as well as get Arkana flashbacks. Kazuma Sarumi saved Takeya because he saw something he himself once had. I also really liked what you said about how you can hate someone because they have a part of you that you don't like.

Anonymous: If you want to know what happens next, read this chapter to find out.

Noobmaster: Thanks very much, Noobmaster. And I do agree with you. Had Akira erased himself quicker, it would have given Playmaker more time.

Guest: Raguel won't be getting Zekrom because he already has Reshiram (which is Turboblaze Dragon). Glad to see you're happy with Yuhiro being with Miyu. I can't tell you anything about the eighth Lost Incident child yet, but I can give you a clue: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Also, I have two reasons for including Chapter Previews. One: To keep readers excited for what's to come. Two: To remind myself where I need to go for the next chapter. I also like your suggestions for an interaction between Miyu and Aqua. As for your question on the limit of Link Monsters, the answer's Link-8.

Guest: I can't answer your question, as it falls into the spoiler category.

Pikachu99: Happy that you enjoyed the chapter.

Yuman28: A very interesting review you put down. Since I haven't studied philosophy yet, I'll do my best to answer it in an honest and efficient way. First, Lord Kazuma is 18 years old. Second, I understand how you feel regarding Yuhiro. You have to remember that as the story goes on, his character develops. At first, he was fighting for Miyu, but then he eventually decides to fight for the Cyberse as well after meeting Watchman and Playmaker. While Yuhiro's a normal guy like everyone else, I encourage you to give him a chance. Also, if Yuhiro lost, he'd be turned into data, and Herald would basically die. Regardless, I'm glad you like the villains so far.

Cosmic Cat: Thanks for the five stars. And yes, it's a story that can happen to anyone. As for the Hanoi's criteria? Well, the person needs to be a hacker and a duelist, as well as someone with experience in the network. If the person has ties with different portions in the network, they'll consider that too. Also, Raguel doesn't know Lord Kazuma's real life identity.

Guest: To answer your question, yes. Frog and Pigeon are there recording both duels (and speaking of them, well, read the chapter to find out what happens to the duo).

Demon Lord Digimon: Wow, a lot of content, so I'll break it down into pieces you'll understand. First, of course Rosetta and Numera will be returning during Season 1 and 2. Second, the reason I gave Miyu the Trickstar deck is to represent the bond between her and Aoi. If you're confused, think about it like this: Sho used Ryo's Cyber Dragon deck in Season 4 of Yugioh GX. He followed Judai's advice and made the deck his own. So something similar to that will happen for Miyu. Also, I'll figure something out for Trickstar Water monsters. Third, Decode Talker Heatsoul won't appear until Season 4. Five, of course Yuhiro cares about Miyu. Not only is he loyal to her, she's one of the reasons he's in LINK VRAINS fighting the Knights of Hanoi. Six, you never know what will happen during the Revolver and Lightning duel. Will I change it? Will I keep it the same? That's for you to find out! Lastly, I can confirm that the eighth Lost Incident child will use an OC Cyberse deck.

Guest: Thanks for the suggestions.

Unnamed: Cyreath Galactic Squid is based off of the Kraken from Greek Mythology, and the design was based off of the boss fight from Kid Icarus: Uprising (which has several references to Greek Mythology. One of the best games I ever played!).

Kingdom Hearts Guy: That is. If he can survive and somehow save Numera from Infearno's scheme.

Decode Talker: Happy you liked the chapter. And believe it or not, this duel against Lord Kazuma will be one of Raguel's most difficult duels yet. Also, not sure how you did it, but you correctly predicted the order of summoning methods Raguel will learn in the coming season. As for your theory on a new type of Link Summoning, well, all I will say is have faith.

Question: No. The OC in my Arc V story will not be like Ryoken, even though his deck has Fusion monsters (along with the other summoning methods as well).

E.T. 2000: Didn't expect to make you laugh with the first meeting between Revolver, Specter, and Lord Kazuma. As for your theory on which Link Monster Raguel will summon next is this: Anything can happen. Also, the reason why I called this chapter The Vicious Beast Roars was because it's a reference to an episode title from Fate/Zero. And regarding Miyu using the Trickstar deck, I don't plan on her becoming a Blue Angel 2.0. I'm not sure if you remember from Yugioh GX, but there was an episode or two where Sho had to use Ryo's Cyber Dragon/Cyberdark deck against a Jinzo user. In order to properly wield it, Judai suggested that he 'make the deck his own'. If you have any suggestions on how to best approach this, as well as Trickstar monsters that resemble Aoi, don't hesitate to either put it in your review or send it to me in a PM.

KingOtakuOverYou: Apologies for the spelling error. I was finishing up the chapter at night and wanted to post it asap. Lord Kazuma's real name is Takeya. Believe it or not, Lord Kazuma's story can happen to someone in real life if they don't get help. Oh, and you remember how Lord Kazuma said the real show was about to begin? Well, I think you'll see it in this chapter.

DxD: Alright. You wrote a lot, so I'll do my best to cover your questions and concerns. At first, Yuhiro was simply a worker on the black market, fighting to one day help Miyu recover and be happy again. But then he met Playmaker and Watchman, and was exposed to a much bigger world. Due to this, as well as a few other factors, he's fighting not just to help save the Cyberse World, but to also prevent the coming Crisis as well. This, on top of helping Miyu and Roxy, are reasons he fights, but I get what you mean where he doesn't a reason to fight for himself. In fact, that's one of his weaknesses, which will be addressed in the coming season. And the path that Yuhiro will choose? Well, you'll just have to wait and see. Also, you have to remember: This is a story, and Yuhiro grows as a character through his experiences. Now onto your hopes. Look, Miyu was in a coma for the entirety of Season 2. I get what you're concerned about, but if I delay Yuhiro and Miyu's interaction with one another to Season 3, then I'll have to rush it, and I honestly don't want to do that. The coma that Miyu's in right now was due to a traumatic event that she suffered through a few years following the Lost Incident (look at Chapter 4 if you're confused). By having her persevere through the first one, it'll help with the chapters in between Seasons 1 and 2, as well as reinforce how she ended up in the second one (after all, how did Lightning's virus get to her?). I highly doubt that Raguel has Yuya's ability to make Extra Deck cards appear out of nowhere. Then there's the rival for Raguel. Right now, it's Infearno, but I can confirm that Raguel will have one in Season 2, and one in Season 3. Just a warning: Be careful what you wish for. Lastly, your questions. Yes. I do intend to make an evolution of Cyreath Hercules whose design is based off of Fate/Stay Night (honestly, one of my favorite characters is Berserker, for various reasons). Technically, both Hercules and Turboblaze Dragon are Raguel's ace monsters. Herald will explain his relationships with the other Ignis, and the Eighth Ignis won't appear until Season 2. Lastly, Playmaker and Raguel won't duel until much later in the story.

Ambiguous: More info will come up as the story develops.

Makotoxvalerie: Glad you like the idea for my Arc V story. Just to let you know, the OC won't be a descendant, and he isn't necessarily a Joey or Jack Atlas type of character. Don't worry about the new villains. Not only will they appear in the Original Dimension, they'll also pop up after Original Dimension arc as well. Also, the OC's deck is a real-life deck with all the summoning methods, while Ray's deck uses an old summoning method that was introduced alongside Fusion Summoning. In addition, the OC main character will have an OC female character because considering his name, it would be inappropriate if he were paired with Ray. After all, I personally pair Ray and Zarc together. Lastly, once the Original Dimension splits, I won't have the OC end up in Standard. And thanks for your suggestions on legacy characters.

Valtryek-Sama: The OC will have access to all the summoning methods (except for Link Summoning since that didn't exist at the time). Zarc's still the best duelist of the original dimension once the story starts. And as for an alternative version of Stardust Dragon, hm...

Revolver: Happy to see you enjoyed the appearances of Lord Kazuma and Infearno.

Donjusticia: I doubt Lord Kazuma is a guy who'd set hamsters or humans on fire. After all, he did own a dog named Biscuit. Also, the thought of his father being Jigsaw creeps me out a bit.

Pancakes: Yikes. That's deep.

Portal: Congratulations for being the 400th review.

Guest: Adam, Eve, Isaac, and Ren will appear in the Arc V story, that's for sure. However, they'll be good guys. There's also an entire new group of villains that will affect not just the Original Dimension, but the other dimensions as well. As for your question regarding the best Yugioh girl, while I have an answer, I don't want to start a debate. Also, I'm aware that it'll take a lot of effort for Yusaku to fall for Aoi. It is however possible. If you have advice, don't hesitate to let me know.

Guest: I doubt Herald had anything to do with the Lost Incident. If anything, I theorize that the message Yusaku heard in his childhood was also sent to the other children as well.

Unnamed: I do plan on using another comeback in the story, but that won't be until after Season 1.

Guest: Other than being the typical hero and villain, Raguel and Infearno both have something that connects them. As for how Raguel reacts to Infearno's backstory, you'll find out once that comes up.

Guest: Right now, Miyu's in a coma, so I doubt she'd be facing off against Revolver any time soon. I also won't have Raguel face off against Revolver. After all, I can agree with you. Revolver doesn't deserve any more defeats right now (except from Playmaker).

Guest: Okay, I get it. I messed up with Chapter 6. But if you compare it with Chapter 27, you'll see how much I improved from then. To be honest, when I think of Fullcross, I see him as someone who's on Chaotic good, almost like the Punisher. Until I get more experience writing a story and fleshing it out, I won't ask Scififan599 if he wants to do a collaboration. I actually enjoy Hidden Memories, and I'm on Team Morningstar if he duels against Fullcross.

Guest: It was a very interesting duel. To see someone outside of VRAINS use Cyberse monsters efficiently is very interesting in my book. Almost reminds me of a younger and more honorable Vetrix. If you're looking for Medusa from Fate/Stay Night, go to Chapter 27. She makes her appearance there.

Idea Arc V: The OC won't have Chronograph Magician. Also, he won't split into 4 people, as tracking them all down would just be a pain in the butt. The Original Dimension arc will combine with the Arc V story with a new villain group and new OC's, as well as chances for the characters to shine. While there is no Genesis Omega Dragon, I can confirm that the new villain will play some part in Zarc's downfall. Lastly, Zane won't have an appearance in the story.

Guest: You'll have to read on to find out.

Now that reviews are all answered, let's begin the chapter!

Chapter 33: The Vicious Beast Roars

In LINK VRAINS...

Frog and Pigeon were flying above the bridge where Playmaker was dueling Specter.

"Man, I can't believe all the juicy stuff we're recording, boss." Pigeon said, as he looked down to Playmaker's duel before turning his head to the other bridge, where Raguel was dueling Lord Kazuma.

"You can say that again!" Frog agreed, a smile on his face. "First, there's the real Dark Magician deck, which that phony Lord Kazuma stole from the Den City Museum. Second, the story of Specter actually being one of the lost children along with Playmaker. And third, there's the dilemma that Raguel and Playmaker are in!"

"As much as I want Playmaker and Raguel to win boss," Pigeon commented, "I think your third observation might be what does them in." Unfortunately for Pigeon, Frog became furious and started reaching for Pigeon with his hands.

"What?! What do you mean by that? I know Playmaker and Raguel are going to pull through! Trust me on this! Or did you forget what will happen to LINK VRAINS if they lose?"

Pigeon gasped in shock upon thinking of that possibility. "GAH! It means our careers as reporters will be destroyed along with it!"

"So unless you intend to support Playmaker and Raguel, quit your negative yapping!"

"Yes, Yamamoto." Pigeon conceded, but this only infuriated Frog further.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE MY REAL NAME!"

Meanwhile, from a far distance behind the bridges was the azure-overcoated man, carrying a black lacquered wooden scabbard that housed a katana in it. Currently, he was watching Playmaker and Raguel's duels on separate screens.

"How pathetic," the azure-overcoated man said in disappointment as he scowled at Raguel's duel. "You wish to stop the Knights of Hanoi, yet you're not willing to make any sacrifices to do so. It's as though your conscience is holding you back. If you refuse to discard it forever, you'll never obtain your motivation to succeed." On the screen, he then noticed Frog and Pigeon bickering with one another. Getting an idea, he turned to his Duel Disk and said, "Hack into everything the Frog and Pigeon have recorded so far. Their info will be useful to us later on." His Duel Disk then glowed a black-blue light, confirming that the order was done. The azure-overcoated man unsheathed his katana, and destroyed the screens in a single swipe before quickly putting it away. He then turned around and left the scene, leaping from building to building in the process.

At the left bridge...

Raguel did not like the situation he was in right now. Although he had Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld, and Cyreath Pseudo on his field, he didn't have any Spell or Trap cards. Nor did he have any cards in his hand.

Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 3000 LINK-1 ⬆️

Lord Kazuma, on the other hand, had a reasonably balanced field. He had Dark Magician and Magician of Dark Illusion in two of his Main Monster Zones, as well as a face-down card (which Raguel knew to be Dark Burning Magic) and the Continuous-Trap card Eternal Soul in his Spell & Trap card zones. And unlike Raguel, he had cards in his hand to use.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Magician of Dark Illusion ATK: 2100 DEF: 2500 LV: 7

"It's my turn, Raguel! I draw!" Lord Kazuma gleefully said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Eternal Soul! It lets me either Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand or Graveyard, or I get to add one Thousand Knives or Dark Magic Attack from my deck to my hand. I choose effect one, and bring back Dark Magician from my Graveyard!"

"Just great..." Raguel complained, as a second Dark Magician appeared on Lord Kazuma's field.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Appear! The circuit of dark magic!" Lord Kazuma declared, as a Link Portal appeared in the sky above both duelists. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters with the same type, except tokens! I'll set my two Dark Magicians and Magician of Dark Illusion into the Link Markers!" The two Dark Magicians went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads respectively, while Magician of Dark Illusion went into the top arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Summon Sorceress!" A female magician with long, bushy red hair and carrying a magical glaive in her right hand appeared on Lord Kazuma's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore pieces of armored plating on her thighs along with armored boots. Covering her upper body and showing off her well-developed chest were black robes with golden lines. She also had pieces of robe-like material on her arms as well. On top of her head was a large magician's hat.

Summon Sorceress ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"When Summon Sorceress is Link Summoned," Lord Kazuma explained, "I can Special Summon one monster from my hand in defense position to a Main Monster zone on your field that this card points to. I Special Summon a third and final copy of Dark Magician from my hand to your field in defense position!" In moments, a second copy of Dark Magician appeared on Raguel's field and took a kneeling position, much to his surprise.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Summon Sorceress' second effect! Once per turn, I can target one monster this card points to and Special Summon a monster from my deck to a zone it points to in defense position. However, it has to share the same type as that monster, and its effects are negated." A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he grabbed. "The monster I Special Summon from my deck is a second copy of Dark Magician Girl!" A second copy of Dark Magician Girl appeared on Lord Kazuma's field in the Main Monster Zone that Summon Sorceress was pointing to, where she took a kneeling position.

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Mind Control! This simple card lets me target a monster you control and take control of it until the End Phase, but it can't attack or be tributed. I target your, or should I say my Dark Magician!" Purple rings fired out of Mind Control and hit Dark Magician, causing him to leap over to Lord Kazuma's field.

"And now for the Coup De Grace! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Dark Burning Magic!" Lord Kazuma added, gesturing to his face-down card. "Since I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, every card on your field is destroyed! Ta-Ta!"

"Hold up, Kazuma!" Raguel said. "I activate Hades' second effect! If he would be destroyed by a card effect, I can tribute a monster that he points to instead! I tribute Pseudo to protect Hades! Soul Eradication!" Pseudo vanished into particles that went into Hades' helm, igniting it with blazing energy. Hades then fired a massive beam of blazing energy from his helm that collided with the combined magical blast fired from Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. As neither side could push the other back, it resulted in a heavy explosion, causing both Raguel and Lord Kazuma to cover their eyes.

"Tch. Whatever." Lord Kazuma said. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn. Which means you get to once again borrow my Dark Magician." The effects of Mind Control wore off, causing Dark Magician to leap back to Raguel's field, only in a different Main Monster Zone.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, drawing the top card of his deck. Looking at it, he narrowed his eyes. Damn it, he thought, as he looked at Elixir of the Gods.

"Oh? Did someone not get the card they wanted?" Lord Kazuma mockingly asked Raguel. "I'm sure you can do something. Like attacking me for instance!" He then laughed at Raguel's predicament, much to his anger.

"Damn you!" Numera shouted.

"You got a problem with this duel, Numera?" Lord Kazuma turned to face her. "Remember: This was Infearno's plan, so if you have to blame someone for your dilemma, it's him. Capisce?" He waited a moment before continuing. "Maybe instead of shouting like a wild monkey, you should sit back and watch as I defeat Raguel!" He then started laughing again.

"Calm down, Raguel," Herald advised, turning to face him. "Kazuma's just trying to provoke you."

"I'm well aware." Raguel replied, now starting to think. He had two options on how he could start his turn. First, there was the obvious option of attacking. But there were three obstacles with that option.

One: Eternal Soul. As long as that card was on the field, Lord Kazuma could bring back his Dark Magicians over and over again, which would continually protect his life points. Also, Hades could only take control of up to three monsters at a time.

Two: Lord Kazuma's face-down card. Raguel didn't know what it was, and he needed to find a way to draw it out first before attacking.

Three: Numera. She, along with Akira, were thrown into Raguel and Playmaker's duels because of Infearno's machinations. If Raguel attacked, it would mean sacrificing Numera. But if he didn't, then the world would pay the price.

Then there was the second option. Raguel could Link Summon a Cyreath Link monster, tribute it with Elixir of the Gods, and draw two new cards. Although that would buy him time and ways to counterattack in the future, he wouldn't be able to attack.

"Don't worry, Yuhiro." Roxy assured him, as she furiously typed on the keyboard back at Café Matsuo. "I'm trying to adapt the LVSS Emergency Escape to work on the cage. Kusanagi's doing it as well for Zaizen. We'll get them free in no time."

"Get your head out of the clouds already!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed, getting Raguel's attention. "Like I said earlier, we're on a clock here!"

"Okay, okay, I will!" Raguel responded, now irritated. "Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above both duelists. "The summoning conditions are one monster! I'll set your Dark Magician into the Link Markers!" Dark Magician 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 appeared on Raguel's field in one of the Main Monster Zones Hades pointed to. He wore a short brown tunic around his waist.

Cyreath Hephaestus ATK: 500 LINK-1 ↘️

"Hephaestus' effect! 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." A card popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he added to his hand. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Dispel. Since I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can target one Spell or Trap card on your field and destroy it! I choose your face-down card!" Lord Kazuma frowned as Cyreath Dispel fired a purple blast at his face-down card, destroying it. Ah well, he thought, shrugging his shoulders. I can at least use its second effect on my turn.

Raguel was nearly set. He could activate Hades' effect to target and take control of Dark Magician Girl, thus stealing one of Lord Kazuma's two remaining monsters. And combined with the effect of Link Showdown in his Graveyard, Raguel would be able to not only destroy Summon Sorceress with Hades, but also eliminate the remainder of Lord Kazuma's life points with Hephaestus as well.

But if he did, then...

"End this clown, Raguel!" Numera urged him from her cage. "Defeating him is more important than saving me!"

"I activate the Spell card, Elixir of the Gods." Raguel said, having made his final decision. "By tributing one 'Cyreath' monster on my field, I can draw two cards. However, I can't attack the turn I activate this effect. For this effect, I tribute Cyreath Hephaestus." Hephaestus vanished into yellow particles as Raguel drew the top two cards of his deck.

"No..." Numera muttered, tears starting to come out of her eyes. If she wasn't in this cage, then Raguel could focus on winning this duel. But with him worrying about her safety, that was unlikely to happen.

"A card that prevents you from attacking?" Lord Kazuma questioned. "Now that's just boring."

"I activate Hades' first effect!" Raguel said, ignoring Lord Kazuma. "Once per turn, I can target one face-up monster you control and place that monster to a zone Hades points to and take control of it! However, it cannot attack the turn I activate this effect! Therefore, I target and take control of Summon Sorceress! Soul Removal!" Hades swung his clawed chain blades around and around, before lashing them out at Summon Sorceress and ripping her soul out of her body. As a result, she vanished from Lord Kazuma's field and reappeared in the middle Main Monster Zone on Raguel's field.

Raguel then took one of the two cards in his hand and added, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"If I were to rate your turn out of five, I'd give it a zero." Lord Kazuma commented. "You could have won the duel if you just focused on attacking. But no. Instead, you chose to throw away your chance of winning. And for what? Two useless cards? Wow. Just wow." He chuckled at himself as he placed a hand on the top card of his deck. "Allow me to show you how it's done. My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, The Eye of Timaeus!"

"The Eye of Timaeus?" Raguel repeated, having never heard of that card before.

"When I activate The Eye of Timaeus," Lord Kazuma explained, "I'm allowed to target a Dark Magician monster I control and Fusion Summon using both it and this card as Fusion Material! Emerge, Timaeus!" At Lord Kazuma's command, a four-legged turquoise dragon appeared on his field. The dragon had large fins on the sides of his head, with two large horns on the top. But what was evident the most about Timaeus was the scar that went over his right eye.

Upon appearing on Lord Kazuma's field, both Timaeus and Dark Magician Girl disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which swirled into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy then shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"The legendary magician's apprentice and dragon of legend shall unite to vanquish their enemy!" Lord Kazuma chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!" Dark Magician Girl reappeared sitting on Timaeus' back, who was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on Lord Kazuma's field. This time, Dark Magician Girl wore silver armor that covered the upper portion of her body. On top of her head was a knight's helmet with a long visor. Instead of her scepter, she carried a silver sword and shield.

Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight ATK: 2600 DEF: 1700 LV: 7

"A Fusion Summon using only one monster..." Raguel muttered. "I never seen something like this before. Have you, Herald?"

"Afraid not, Raguel." Herald replied. "Although I believe this was how Kazuma defeated Rosetta."

"I activate the second effect of a third copy of Soul Servant in my Graveyard!" Lord Kazuma said. "As I mentioned earlier, I can banish this card to draw cards equal to the number of 'Palladium', Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl monsters with different names on my Field and in my Graveyard. There's three copies of Dark Magician and two copies of Dark Magician Girl in my Graveyard. I wonder how much that adds to. Would you care to give me a hand, Raguel?" He snickered at what he had in mind for the rest of his turn.

Raguel, on the other hand, grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Had he just ended the duel on his turn, he wouldn't be in this mess. But if he did it, then Numera would be sacrificed. "Five..."

"Correct!" Lord Kazuma confirmed. "I get to draw five cards from my deck!" He then drew the top five cards of his deck. "I now activate Eternal Soul's effect! Just like before, I'm allowed to either Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand or Graveyard, or I get to add one Thousand Knives or Dark Magic Attack from my deck to my hand. I choose effect one, and bring back Dark Magician from my Graveyard!" At Lord Kazuma's command, Dark Magician reappeared on his field.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Battle! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight attacks Summon Sorceress! Dark Energy Burst!" Timaeus flew straight at Summon Sorceress and rammed her using his head. Dark Magician Girl then leapt off of Timaeus and slashed her opponent with a powered-up slash before landing on the ground, turning her into particles in the process. Raguel's entire avatar fizzled as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 1900 – 200 = 1700 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Lord Kazuma concluded, as Dark Magician Girl saddled up on Timaeus and returned to his field. "As long as you remain chained by your compassion and ethics, you'll never be able to defeat me. Soon, you and Playmaker will fall, and the Tower of Hanoi will reach completion!"

"Shut up!" Numera said, scowling at Lord Kazuma. "You're only saying that because Zaizen and I are in these stupid cages."

"But I'm just pointing out facts. Is that so wrong?" Lord Kazuma mockingly asked with a smirk, turning to Numera. "Don't worry. Anything can happen in this duel." He then laughed really loudly.

Raguel put his hand on the top card of his deck. "Roxy," he whispered. "How much time do you need?"

"Five to ten minutes tops." Roxy answered from the earpiece.

"Thanks for the info." Raguel narrowed his eyes. I just need to survive for another turn or so, and then Numera and Zaizen will be freed, he thought. Then another thought came into his mind. I sure hope Playmaker's faring better than me...

At the right bridge...

Playmaker frowned as he looked over at the entire field. He only had Excode Talker and a single face-down card on his side of the field.

Excode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️

Meanwhile, Specter had a full field. He had Sunavalon Dryanome in the right Extra Monster Zone, Sunvine Thrasher at Dryanome's bottom-right Link marker, and Sunavalon Daphne at its bottom-left. Due to Excode Talker's effect, both zones that Daphne pointed to were red-colored, showing they couldn't be used.

Sunavalon Dryanome ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Sunavalon Daphne ATK: 0 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

Sunvine Thrasher ATK: 3200 LINK-1 ⬇️

In Specter's Spell & Trap card zones were the Continuous-Spell card Sunvine Shrine and the Continuous-Trap cards Sunavalon Glorious Growth and Sunavalon Force.

"You're no fool, Playmaker." Specter said. "You know who has the advantage in this duel, and I'm not just talking about the cards on the field. I'm also talking about the suit trapped in Infearno's cage. If you attack me, any damage I'll take will bring those flames closer to Zaizen." He smirked at Playmaker. "And you've already proven that your misguided sense of decency will not allow you to put him into further danger."

"Playmaker. Forget about me!" Akira pleaded. "Defeat Specter! If you don't, the whole world will pay the price!"

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Specter said. "You're up, Playmaker. I'm giving you a second chance to attack me. Or will you let the opportunity pass you by again?"

"Hey! No trash-talking when you're cheating!" Ai commented. "You gotta earn that smack talk bub!"

"Oh my. You're right." Specter sarcastically replied, his eyes widening in fake surprise. "Please do pardon my poor etiquette. I did get carried away, didn't I? I forgot that I was in the presence of such a majestic and bloviating A.I."

"If you're done," Playmaker said, interrupting their conversation, "then I'll make my move. My turn! I draw!" Playmaker drew the top card of his deck.

"So will you attack?" Specter taunted, laughing in the process. "I'm wide open!"

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Playmaker immediately concluded his turn.

"Wait. What?" Specter asked, looking mockingly confused. "I said I was wide open. How deeply disappointing." His frown turned into a smirk. "But you have made your decision."

Kusanagi watched Playmaker's duel back at Café Nagi, having seen the predicament Playmaker was in. "Aw man," he said. Yusaku won't attack as long as Zaizen's locked up. But if I can reconfigure the LVSS Emergency Escape Program's systems to target Zaizen, maybe I can log him out. I know Roxy's doing the exact same thing with Numera as I type. A determined look appeared on Kusanagi's face. Just buy me some time, Yusaku. I'll get Zaizen out in no time.

"You may have kept your aggression in check, but I won't." Specter promised. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "Battle! Sunvine Thrasher attacks Excode Talker!" Thrasher leapt forward with his blade, intent on destroying Excode Talker.

This attack will eliminate the rest of Playmaker's life points, Akira realized.

"And thus brings an end to the tragic tale of Playmaker..." Specter mused.

"Well. Any last words?" Ai asked Playmaker, who clearly ignored him.

"I activate the Trap card, Overload Anchor!" Playmaker said. "Excode Talker cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and any damage I take is halved." An anchor literally came out of Overload Anchor and got in the way of Sunvine Thrasher's attack, causing the warrior to slash it instead. Playmaker's avatar fizzled as his life points dropped.

Playmaker: 900 – 450 = 450 LP

"In addition, Overload Anchor ends the Battle Phase." Playmaker added.

"My, my, my. You never cease to impress." Specter said, putting a hand on the bridge of his nose. "But this changes nothing. If you don't attack me, you'll never eliminate my life points."

"I hate to say he's right, so I won't." Ai interjected. "But you gotta cut your losses. Zaizen's nice for a meatbag, but he's not that nice."

"It's true that prioritizing the well-being of one over billions is not a logical decision, as it sacrifices the welfare of the world." Playmaker replied, agreeing with Ai's statement.

"Exactly! That's exactly what I said! Except I said it better of course. Now do what's right and defeat Specter! You with me? Hello? You with me?"

"It seems that the two of you aren't on the same page again." Specter interrupted. "In fact, it's quite apparent you two aren't even in the same library."

"Wow. Nice comeback." Ai sarcastically replied, a bored look on his face. He turned to Playmaker. "Come on, Playmaker! This is a duel, not a staring contest! If we don't get past Specter, the Tower will destroy the network, Herald, and I!"

"You don't need to remind me, Ai." Playmaker stated. "Remember: Raguel's going through the same situation I'm in, only it's against a different opponent."

"Now, now. Don't fight." Specter interrupted, having been clearly bored with this argument. "Is that truly how you two want to spend your final moments?"

"Who said it's over?" Playmaker replied. "My turn! I draw!"

At the Hanoi Stronghold...

Infearno watched the duels on two separate screens in front of them. He first turned to the right screen, which showed the duel between Playmaker and Specter. Playmaker had just activated the Continuous-Spell card, Link Processing Failure, and targeted Excode Talker with its effect. With that card, he successfully prevented Specter's Link-3 and lower monsters from attacking for a single turn.

Playmaker's only delaying the inevitable, Infearno thought, as he turned towards the other screen, which showed the duel between Lord Kazuma and Raguel. Lord Kazuma had not only replenished his hand using a third and final copy of Soul Servant, but had also managed to Fusion Summon Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight using The Eye of Timaeus. From there, he managed to chip away a portion of Raguel's life points before setting two cards. And as long as Lord Kazuma and Specter had their hostages, then Raguel and Playmaker wouldn't dare strike back.

From what Infearno recalled, after Lord Kazuma was able to find The Eye of Timaeus, he mentioned there were two others. One that fused with Trap cards to create Fusion monsters, and one that fused with monsters to create Fusion monsters that turned into Equip Spell cards. If the Knights of Hanoi were able to get their hands on all three cards, their strength would greatly increase.

"I trust the plan is working?" Revolver asked, as he materialized into the Hanoi Stronghold.

"It's not only working, it's exceeding my expectations." Infearno answered, as Revolver walked towards him. "Raguel and Playmaker's inability to rescue their prisoners is preventing them from winning their respective duels. If everything goes according to plan, they'll both be defeated, and their Ignis's will be acquired." He somberly looked down onto the ground after finishing his answer.

"That is excellent news to hear." Dr. Kogami said, also materializing into the Hanoi Stronghold. "Although I can't help but notice there's some unhappiness in your tone." He walked to where Revolver and Infearno are. "Do you regret executing your plan?"

Infearno turned towards Dr. Kogami, the somber look still on his face. "I do not. As much as I want to end Raguel myself once and for all, I'm willing to cast aside my wants for the greater good."

"You claim this to be the case, but your tone and the look on your face implies something else. Am I not correct?" Dr. Kogami questioned.

"Father..." Revolver began, but was stopped when Infearno put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Revolver." Infearno said. "If your father wants me to explain myself, then I will." He turned to the two screens and enlarged them. More preferably, the one showing Raguel and Lord Kazuma's duel. "Before I begin, the both of you are familiar with what happened to me years after the Lost Incident, correct?" Revolver and Dr. Kogami nodded. "When I first met Raguel, I thought of him as nothing more than a hindrance that needed to be dealt with. However, when I lost in our first Master Duel due to my arrogance, my perspective of him began to change."

"What exactly do you mean?" Dr. Kogami asked, an eyebrow raised. "Are you suggesting that your perspective of Raguel is similar to my son's desire of defeating Playmaker?"

"No. Not at all." Infearno answered, turning to Dr. Kogami and Revolver. "As I learned more about him and evaluated my own life in comparison, I realized that aside from our different paths, he and I are a reflection of one another. Which brought me to one conclusion."

"Conclusion?" Revolver repeated, now curious. "What exactly was this... conclusion?"

Infearno turned to Revolver and smugly smiled at him. "He'll lead me to the answer I've been looking for this whole time." Revolver and Dr. Kogami's eyes widened in shock at the same time.

"Are you insane?" Dr. Kogami demanded, placing his hand on Infearno's shoulder. "You're still on that after all those years? After what you suffered through following your wife's death?!"

"And that is the answer to your question earlier, Dr. Kogami." Infearno calmly replied, removing Dr. Kogami's hand off of his shoulder. "If my plan succeeds, it's a win for all of us because we'll have the two Ignis in our possession. But if my plan fails, it's a win for me because I'll be able to continue my pursuit of the answer I sought for all those years ago. And one way or another, Raguel will help me finally obtain it!" He turned away from Dr. Kogami and back towards the duel screens.

Revolver turned his head and looked at Dr. Kogami briefly before looking at the duels as well. As much as he wanted to discuss this with his father, it wasn't the time to do so. What answer are you looking for, Infearno, Revolver wondered, as he narrowed his eyes at the screens.

Infearno put a hand to his chin as he looked at Raguel's duel. All right Raguel, he thought, let's see what you do now.

At the left bridge...

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, drawing the top card of his deck. He then gestured to his face-down card. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Grapple-Snatch! This card lets me target a monster you control and prevent it from attacking or activating its effects as long as it remains on the field! I target Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!" Soon, a thin metallic cord shot out of the card and headed towards Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight.

"Like I'm letting you!" Lord Kazuma suddenly interjected. "I activate Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's effect in response! Once per turn, by sending a card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can target a face-up card you control and destroy it! I choose your Grapple-Snatch!" As Lord Kazuma discarded a card from his hand and sent it to his Graveyard, Dark Magician Girl released a wave of energy from her sword, which cut Grapple Snatch in two and destroyed the card. "Feeling frustrated yet?"

"The fact he can use Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's effect during either of our turns can make it a pain in the butt..." Herald commented. He turned to Raguel. "I trust you have another option available?"

"Well, it's a good thing I do, Herald." Raguel responded, looking at his hand briefly before choosing a card. "Like this one! I activate the Spell card, Link Baton Pass!" The card showed two Link monsters going in opposite directions. Going in one direction was Honeybot, who had a glowing baton in her left hand. Accepting the glowing baton was Binary Sorceress, who was going in the opposite direction. "By tributing a Link monster I control, I can Special Summon a Link monster whose Link rating is equal or less to the tributed monsters, and treat it as a Link Summon!"

"Your card can do that?" Lord Kazuma said in surprise.

"It sure can!" Raguel confirmed. "I tribute Cyreath Hades to Link Summon the Link 3 Cyreath Galactic Squid!" Hades then disintegrated into yellow particles, which combined to form a new monster. One that took the shape of a red-skinned octopus with a white underbelly and four tentacles that was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on Raguel's field. The squid had black eyes flashing yellow dots, and multiple rows of teeth within its maw.

Cyreath Galactic Squid ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️

"Ah, he brought that monster out..." Numera muttered, remembering when she faced off against Galactic Squid.

"When Galactic Squid is Link Summoned," Raguel explained, "I can target two Main Monster Zones on your side of the field, and you can't use them as long as this card is on the field! I choose the middle and far-left Main Monster Zones!" Galactic Squid fired two blasts of ink at those zones, turning them black and preventing Lord Kazuma from using them. "But why stop with one effect, when I can use the other one as well! Since I control no other monsters, I can tribute this card to shuffle all other cards on the field back into their owner's decks! Bright Overload!"

"Oh, no, no, no! Not my field!" Lord Kazuma panicked, as Galactic Squid's eyes became very bright before firing a massive beam of light at every card on his field, turning them into particles and returning them to his deck. Galactic Squid then turned into yellow particles afterwards.

Lord Kazuma's face became downcast as he looked down to the ground. The memories of his youth returned as he struggled to control his emotions.

"Yes!" Numera said, smiling. "With Lord Kazuma's field cleared, Raguel can strategize a counterattack!"

"Nice one, Yuhiro!" Roxy cheered over the earpiece. "That should give me the time needed to free Numera!"

"Thanks, Roxy." Raguel whispered back, a smile on his face. The duel was now slowly tipping back into his favor.

"And just like your dreams, your field got cancelled!" Herald commented. "I mean, if ya wanna make money as a comedian, ya gotta have a cents of humor. But considering your backstory and everything-."

"SHUT UP!" Lord Kazuma roared, now clearly pissed off with what Raguel just did. "You... You dare destroy my field and make fun of me for it?!" Raguel and Herald gasped in surprise. "End your turn so I can destroy you once and for all!"

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded, taking the last card in his hand and setting it on his field.

"My turn! I draw!" Lord Kazuma said, furiously drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Magical Stone Excavation! By discarding two cards from my hand, I can add a Spell card from my Graveyard back to my hand!" He picked two cards in his hand and sent them to his Graveyard before choosing a card and adding it right back to his hand.

"Next, I activate the second effect of the Trap card, Trap Re-Arm from my Graveyard!" A silhouette of a card appeared on his field, showing a hunter setting a trap to catch a deer. "By banishing this card, I'm allowed to Set one trap card from my deck to my field! In addition, I'm allowed to activate it this turn!"

"You have got to be kidding me..." Raguel said in annoyance.

"Oh, I'm not kidding you at all." Lord Kazuma replied, as he took a card from his deck and Set it on his field. "Once again, I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Eternal Soul! And just like before, I'll use its effect, where I can choose one of two effects. I'll choose effect one, and bring back Dark Magician from my Graveyard!" At Lord Kazuma's command, Dark Magician reappeared on his field.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Last but not least, I activate the Spell card I added, The Eye of Timaeus! Upon activation, I'm allowed to target a Dark Magician monster I control and Fusion Summon using both it and this card as Fusion Material! Rise once again, Timaeus!" Timaeus roared as he reappeared on Lord Kazuma's field.

Then both Timaeus and Dark Magician disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which swirled into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"The legendary magician and dragon of legend shall unite to conquer their enemy!" Lord Kazuma chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!" Dark Magician reappeared standing on the back of Timaeus, who was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone. This time, Dark Magician wore silver armor all over his body. Instead of his dark blue rod, he now carried a sword with a jewel on it in his right hand.

Dark Magician the Dragon Knight ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"That must be Lord Kazuma's strongest monster..." Herald observed, looking at the newly summoned monster on Lord Kazuma's field.

"In terms of raw firepower, it is, Ignis." Lord Kazuma confirmed. "And I'll have you know Raguel that I used this monster to eradicate Rosetta." Raguel grit his teeth in anger. "Oh don't worry. I'll send you to the same place I sent both her and SengokuQueen with this final attack. But I need to address one final thing."

"And what would that be?" Raguel questioned.

"Why, it's the combo I just created with Dark Magician the Dragon Knight and Eternal Soul!" Lord Kazuma answered. "You see, not only does Dark Magician the Dragon Knight's name become Dark Magician while on my field or in my Graveyard, you can no longer target or destroy my Spell or Trap cards. Also, Eternal Soul makes all my Dark Magician monsters unaffected by your card effects. In other words, there's nothing you can do to my field!"

"Not good..." Raguel muttered, hating the situation he was in even more now.

"Not good? This is one of the worst pickles we've ever been in!" Herald stated.

"You can say that again." Lord Kazuma said. He thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight attacks you directly! Dark Decimation!" Timaeus flew high into the air as Dark Magician traced several dark magical circles in front of them and towards Raguel. Timaeus then fired a blast of energy through the rings, getting stronger with each ring that it went through.

"I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Mirror Shield!" Raguel suddenly said. The card showed a massive golden shield with a reflective surface, protecting Barbarian, Archer, Shade, and a man leading them from Rider, who was attacking them with her Mystic Eyes. "By sending a 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, I can reduce damage by 500 times its Link rating. I'll send Cyreath Hercules from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard, and reduce damage by 1500!" Soon, a three-layered golden shield with a reflective surface appeared in front of Raguel.

"But you still suffer some battle damage!" Lord Kazuma countered, as the resulting blast hit the shield and broke through before hitting Raguel, causing him to scream out in pain as he flew off the ground and landed on his back.

Raguel: 1700 – (3000 / 2) = 200 LP

"Raguel!" Numera cried out in worry.

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Lord Kazuma concluded, as Raguel slowly got back up on his feet. "I'll be honest, Raguel. I didn't expect you to survive my attack. But you should know that there's nothing you can do to turn this duel around. After all, with my ultimate combo between Dark Magician the Dragon Knight and Eternal Soul in place, you have no chance of winning!" He then laughed at the situation Raguel was in.

"I don't know how long we can keep this up," Herald said, having felt the attack just as much as Raguel.

"Roxy," Raguel whispered. "Any time now."

"It's ready!" Roxy said. "By the power of this program, I set you free Numera!" Roxy pressed a button on the keyboard back at Café Matsuo, causing Numera to gasp and look down at herself as her avatar fizzled.

Raguel looked at Numera and smiled. "Well done, Roxy."

"If Numera's being freed as we speak, then Kusanagi must have been able to free Zaizen as well." Herald deduced. "Which means we can go full throttle!"

"You couldn't be anymore right, Herald." Raguel agreed, a smile on his face. To everyone's surprise though, Lord Kazuma laughed.

"Do you idiots really think that will work?" Suddenly, flames danced around the cage, making Numera gasp as her body solidified.

"Damn it!" Roxy shouted, scowling. "The emergency program failed!"

Lord Kazuma laughed again. "Infearno made those cages so that only the Hanoi can release hostages. Which means the odds are completely in my favour!"

Raguel gritted his teeth. This situation kept getting worse and worse. If he didn't do something soon, then it'll be over for everyone.

At the right bridge...

In response to Playmaker's Spell card Link Processing Failure, Specter Link Summoned his strongest Link monster: Sunavalon Dryatrentiay, his Link 4 monster. He then proceeded to activate Dryatrentiay's effect, tributing a Plant Link monster she points to and destroying Spell and Trap cards up to its Link rating. Since Daphne's Link rating was two, Specter was able to easily destroy both Link Processing Failure and Overload Anchor (much to Ai's panic).

Specter also activated Sunvine Shrine to not only bring back his Sunseed Genius Loci, but also Link Summon another copy of Sunvine Thrasher to his field as well. And if things couldn't get any worse, Specter activated the Continuous-Trap card, Sunavalon Bloom, which immediately negated the effects of all of Playmaker's monsters.

"What?" Ai said in a panic. "That means he can go right back to using his combo to regain life points!"

"Oh. I don't think I need to do that." Specter responded. "Not when I can attack you with Dryatrentiay and end you now."

"How? Pollen Allergies?" Ai inquired. "Because that thing only has zero attack points."

"You'll see! Battle!" Specter declared. "Sunavalon Dryatrentiay attacks Excode Talker!" Dryatrentiay released two of her tentacles and lashed out at Excode Talker. "When Dryatrentiay battles, she gains the attack points equal to the combined attack points of all monsters she points to. Since Dryatrentiay is pointing to Thrasher, she gains 4000 attack points!"

Sunavalon Dryatrentiay ATK: 0 + 4000 = 4000

"This duel is over, Playmaker! Farewell forever!"

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Ai asked Playmaker.

"Because there's no need to." Playmaker responded, a smile of confidence on his face. "I activate the Trap card, Link Surge Counter. Since my Link monster is battling a Link monster with a higher Link rating, I can banish two Spell or Trap cards from my field or Graveyard. By doing so, Excode Talker's attack points become equal to Dryatrentiay's."

"What?!" Specter exclaimed in shock.

"I banish Overload Anchor and Link Processing Failure from my Graveyard." Playmaker said. "Which means Excode Talker's attack points now become 4000." An orange aura surrounded Excode Talker as his strength increased.

Excode Talker ATK: 2300 + 1700 = 4000

"You may have avoided my finishing blow, but I can still deal you some damage with my Continuous-Trap, Sunavalon Force!" Specter countered.

Dryatrentiay's tentacles stabbed right through Excode Talker, who in response slammed on them with massive energy, resulting in both monsters getting destroyed by battle.

"We're still in this, baby!" Ai cheered, as Playmaker's life points dropped.

Playmaker: 450 – 400 = 50 LP

"That isn't worth boasting about, as you only have 50 life points left." Specter stated. But before he could continue, the bridge suddenly started shaking. Looking behind himself, Specter gasped in shock. Dryatrentiay slowly tilted to the side and then disintegrated.

Specter gasped in shock as his worst memories returned to him. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, trying to hold back his anger at what happened.

"Now that Sunavalon Dryatrentiay is no longer on your field, it cannot protect your other cards from being destroyed!" Playmaker explained, as he pointed at Specter's field. Soon, Bloom, Glorious Growth, Shrine, Force and Thrasher exploded into yellow particles.

"Your defenses were heavily fortified, so I knew that none of my attacks would get through. But if I could get you to attack me instead, I was certain an opening would present itself." Playmaker closed his eyes before opening them again. "Specter, your lack of patience will prove to be your greatest mistake."

"No. His biggest mistake was challenging the best duelist in the world. And Playmaker, of course." Ai stated, his hands on his hips. "That's why your big old oak tree got taken to the woodshed and chopped to lumber. I hope you don't arbor any ill will about its tree-tment-."

"Quiet!" Specter turned around and shouted, an infuriated expression on his face. "That... That tree meant everything to me, and you butchered it!" Playmaker and Ai gasped in shock at the same time.

"I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Sunavalon Cursed Rebirth! By targeting a 'Sunavalon' Link monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon it back to my field with its effects negated. Regrow, Sunavalon Dryatrentiay!" Two tentacles appeared from over the edge of the bridge and planted themselves behind Specter. The tentacles pulled Dryatrentiay out from the sea and she then landed behind Specter.

Sunavalon Dryatrentiay ATK: 0 LINK-4 ↙️⬆️⬇️↘️

"GAH! It's back for treevenge!" Ai said, panicking at Dryatrentiay's return.

"Cursed Rebirth's second effect! It gains attack points equal to its Link rating times 1000!" Specter continued. "Since Dryatrentiay's Link rating is Link 4, she gains 4000 attack points!" As Dryatrentiay glowed from the power increase, the female form in the center broke free from her shell and peeled most of her skin, leaving a wild-haired humanoid with a long tongue in the center of the tree.

Sunavalon Dryatrentiay ATK: 0 + 4000 = 4000

"Ugh." Ai said, as he stretched upwards to place his hands and head on Playmaker's face. "It rises to 4000 on the ugliness meter too."

"Cursed Rebirth has a final and third effect!" Specter added. "If I take battle or effect damage, you take the same amount. Or in other words, any prick to me will lead to your demise!"

Ai turned his head to Playmaker. "Ain't that OP?" Suddenly, Akira's avatar began to flicker as he gasped.

"He's able to log out," Playmaker realized.

"About time he found the escape button!" Ai cheered, happy at this development. If Kusanagi was able to free Akira, that meant Roxy was able to free Numera. And with both of them freed from their cages, Playmaker and Raguel could duel with no worries!

Unfortunately, something went amiss. Flames danced across the cage and Akira gasped again as his body solidified.

"Now, now. I didn't give you permission to leave." Specter said. "Infearno's cage was designed with a code than cannot be broken, which means you can't escape. Besides, why would you ever want to leave? After all, this duel's getting to the best part!" He laughed to himself.

Meanwhile, in another area of LINK VRAINS...

The azure-overcoated man looked down at the encaged Akira and Numera on top of a nearby building, having found them a few minutes earlier. He raised an eyebrow upon noticing both their avatars flicker, but sighed when they stopped.

"If this keeps up, the duels will either continue to be dragged on, or the prisoners will sacrifice themselves for Raguel and Playmaker," the azure-overcoated man said, disappointment evident in his voice. "In other words, it's just predictable as to what will happen next." He leapt down from the building and landed on the ground before walking towards Numera and Akira. "If you want things done, you got to do it yourself."

By the time he reached them, he heard Akira begging Playmaker to not let Blue Angel's sacrifice go to waste. Just as he was about to grab the blazing vines, the azure-overcoated man unsheathed his katana and pointed it at Akira, stopping him from sacrificing himself.

"What the-?" Numera said, shocked at the arrival of another person in LINK VRAINS. "Who are you?"

"Broadcast this to Raguel and Playmaker," the azure-overcoated man said to his Duel Disk.

At the right bridge...

Within moments, a bright light shone near Numera and Akira's cages, causing everyone to shield their eyes. And to their shock, a hologram of the azure-overcoated man with his katana pointed appeared at both locations.

"What is this? How are you here?!" Lord Kazuma demanded, having been caught off guard by the new arrival.

"Hello, Raguel and Playmaker," the azure-overcoated man said. "From what I'm seeing so far, I have nothing but disappointment for the both of you. More importantly..." The hologram near Raguel turned to face him. "Towards you."

"Excuse me?! You dare say that?!" Raguel replied. "I bet you'd be thinking twice if you had to juggle the fate between one life and a thousand others!"

"But that's where you're wrong," the azure-overcoated man callously stated. "Unlike you, I use anyone and anything to complete my goals. Allow me to demonstrate." The azure-overcoated man then turned to his left and pulled his katana back, ready to attack.

It was then that Raguel realized what the man intended to do. "No. DON'T DO IT!"

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

The azure-overcoated man then slashed Numera, Akira, and their respective cages several times. As a result, the cages were destroyed, and Numera and Akira screamed in pain, their avatars clearly covered in mortal wounds.

"Numera!" Raguel cried out, running to where she was as her body fell to the ground. He bent down to her level immediately. "Say something to me!"

"Don't give up." Numera whispered to Raguel, her head turned to face him. "I know you can do this. And thank you. For accepting me for who I am." Her avatar then turned into data, which went towards the Tower of Hanoi.

"Rachel..." Raguel muttered, having recognized the words she once told him before.

"Let this pain you're feeling motivate you, Raguel," the azure-overcoated man stated, getting Raguel's attention. "Turn it into a weapon, and unleash it on the people in front of you. Until we meet again." The hologram of the azure-overcoated man then disappeared from both bridges.

"RACHEL!" Greg screamed, horrified by what has transpired on his laptop.

"Oh my God..." Roxy said, covering her hands with her mouth as she witnessed what happened in the backroom at Café Matsuo. "Rachel... I'm so sorry I couldn't save you..."

At the right bridge...

"This can't be!" Specter said, having also been caught off guard by the recent turn of events.

"Zaizen!" Playmaker said in shock, as Akira fell to the ground, his avatar starting to break apart. He then slowly got up onto one knee.

"He's turning into data..." Ai realized.

"Playmaker," Akira said, getting Playmaker's attention. "Keep fighting. Don't let my death or my sister's sacrifice be in vain. And good luck." He managed a brief smile and thought to himself, Well, Aoi. I hope I'm the hero you always wanted me to be. Just as much as the hero you are to me. His avatar then finally disappeared and turned into data, which went towards the Tower of Hanoi.

"No!" Kusanagi shouted, slamming his fists onto the keyboard.

"Zaizen..." Ai muttered, unsure of what to say next.

Specter started laughing. "What an insane turn of events. I knew he'd be turned into data eventually, but by getting chopped into confetti first by an outsider of all people? Regardless, it doesn't change anything. You cannot win!"

"Is that so? I happen to have a differing opinion." Playmaker said, getting Specter's attention, as he lowered his head and clenched his fists. "I never wanted Zaizen to get involved in this duel, nor did I ask for him to be turned into data." Playmaker raised his head and glared at Specter. "And I do not know what is so humorous about someone getting killed. You may not have turned him into data directly, but you and the Hanoi are still responsible. And for that, I will live up to Zaizen's wishes by defeating you! My turn! I draw!"

Playmaker drew the top card of his deck and looked at it briefly. He immediately Normal Summoned ROM Cloudia to his field and activated its effect, allowing him to add Latency from his Graveyard to his hand. Following this, he Special Summoned Latency due to its effect before using it to Link Summon Talkback Lancer.

From there, he tributed ROM Cloudia to activate Talkback Lancer's effect, letting him Special Summon Excode Talker from his Graveyard and back to his field. Playmaker then used the Spell card Link Atrocity to tribute Talkback Lancer and increase Excode Talker's attack points to 4000.

He then gestured to his field, but before he could say or do anything, he suddenly felt a great presence and gasped. "What is this?"

"Eh? What is it, Playmaker?" Ai asked. Suddenly, several tremors occurred around both bridges. When Playmaker, Specter and Ai turned to the other bridge upon realizing it originated from there, their eyes widened in shock. The next thing everyone knew, Ai was screaming.

At the left bridge...

For several moments, Lord Kazuma couldn't speak. The outsider who interfered not only ruined his show, but also turned Numera and Akira into data. Laughter then came out of his mouth as he realized that Raguel was in one of the worst kind of pains possible to man due to this situation.

The pain of losing someone you care about.

"I must confess, this is a complete unexpected turn of events." Lord Kazuma commented, unable to keep in his laughter anymore. "But to see you suffer? It's funnier than I could have ever imagined!"

"Raguel, it's going to be alright." Herald tried to assure Raguel. When he stretched upward to look at him, he soon noticed that something was not right at all. "Raguel? Are you there?"

"Oh. Don't worry. I'm there, Herald." Raguel replied in a disturbing voice. He then slowly got up on his feet, even though his body still shook.

"And you still get up for more!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed in delight. "Now hurry on and end your turn so I can-!"

"You think other people's suffering brings you joy?!" Raguel demanded, causing Lord Kazuma to stop talking. "You think it's... funny?! Big talk coming from someone who named their avatar after a perverted anime character."

Lord Kazuma gasped before growling in anger. "How dare you-!"

"Numera was my friend," Raguel continued, ignoring Lord Kazuma as his eyes glowed burning red. "She didn't deserve to be dragged into this duel. And while that man was the one who turned her into data, you Knights of Hanoi are still responsible for your part in what happened. I'll avenge Numera, along with Rosetta and SengokuQueen, by finishing you off right here and now! MY TURN! I DRAW!"

Raguel then drew the top card of his deck, a burst of hazy, white energy surrounding him. Suddenly, Raguel's Duel Disk dimly glowed a white light, with Herald noticing it.

"Oh dear. This better not be a Deus Ex Machina moment, or else it won't be good." Herald muttered as he went into the Duel Disk. He then came back out holding a card. "Oh. You want to be summoned now? Can't say I blame you."

"Herald, what's that card?" Raguel asked, scaring Herald.

"It's... just a card I made when I had the time." Herald answered nervously. "Do you... like it?"

Raguel looked at the card and smirked, causing Lord Kazuma to sweat in terror. "It's perfect." He then redirected his attention towards the duel. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Providence from my hand! When this card is activated, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon one 'Cyreath' Link Monster by shuffling 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard to my deck and/or Extra Deck!" He pointed to the sky. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are exactly three 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll shuffle Cyreath Skull Wing and Cyreath Headhunter, which are both Link 1 monsters, and Cyreath Chiron into my deck and the Extra Deck to set them into the Link Markers!" The first blast of energy went out of Raguel's Graveyard and into the bottom arrowhead. Then two more blasts of energy went out of Raguel's Graveyard and into the left and right arrowheads as well.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon!" As Raguel shouted that, tremors occurred around both bridges. Lord Kazuma tried to steady himself, unsure of what was coming.

On the other bridge, Specter and Playmaker also tried to steady themselves.

"I don't know what's coming, but it has a power I've never felt before!" Ai shouted. Playmaker grit his teeth as Ai screamed and something began to emerge from the waters underneath the other bridge.

Hovering between the bridges, Frog and Pigeon flew upwards.

"Wh-What's with all these tremors Yamamoto?" Pigeon asked. "I've seen crazy summoning's, but not one that can cause a natural disaster in the network!"

"I told you not to use my name!" Frog reiterated. "And I don't know either!"

Raguel was the only one unaffected by the tremors the summoning was causing. "Bring down the rage of the ocean and ensure that nothing is left! Link 3! Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea!" A massive water elemental with rocky elements forming around his chest and glowing heart appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Several watery hippocampi protruded out of the rock formation below his waist, with two hippocampi appearing as makeshift arms. The water elemental had wet, braided hair, with a crown on the back of his head in the form of crab legs. He carried a trident, which was covered in electricity. Poseidon growled in rage upon looking at Lord Kazuma.

Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

"...What?" Lord Kazuma said, his eyes wide as he took a step back. "What kind of monster is this?"

"AHHHHH!" Ai screamed. "That monster is super scary!"

Playmaker stared at Cyreath Poseidon. He couldn't help but agree with Ai. Cyreath Poseidon was terrifying, but that was only because...

"He's angry with the injustice that's happened to Numera and Zaizen..." Playmaker realized.

Lord Kazuma got his bearings together after looking at Cyreath Poseidon. "An impressive monster, Raguel," he commented. "But he will fall before my ultimate combo. I activate the Counter-Trap card, Dark Magic Purgation!" The card showed Dark Magician overseeing Dark Magician Girl, Lemon Magician Girl, and Apple Magician Girl conducting a dark magic ritual on Blue Eyes White Dragon, with Kaibaman watching in horror. "When you Normal or Special Summon a monster while I control either a 'Dark Magician' or Spellcaster monster, I can target that monster and reduce its attack points to zero, as well as negate its effects! I target Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea!"

Three dark rings appeared in front of Dark Magic Purgation before a blast came out of the card, expanding in mass and size for each ring it went through. However, just before it reached Poseidon, he used the makeshift arms to defend himself.

"What?! How?!"

"Hey jackass! This monster is a 'Cyreath' God, you know!" Raguel stated. "Or to put it in simpler terms you'll understand, you can't target Cyreath Poseidon with card effects!"

"NO WAY!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed, fear registered on his face. If this monster can't be targeted by card effects, I can't activate my other face-down card, he realized.

"Yes way." Herald stated, a finger up. "You see, while Hades can protect himself from destruction by acquiring souls, Poseidon merged himself with the ocean. In other words, you're fighting a force of nature."

"I also activate the effect of Skull Wing once again!" Raguel said, ignoring Herald. "Since it was used to Link Summon, you take 300 points of damage!" A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Lord Kazuma, causing him to shiver.

Lord Kazuma: 1900 – 300 = 1600 LP

"BATTLE!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand towards Lord Kazuma."Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea attacks Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!"

"THIS IS PERFECT!" Lord Kazuma shouted, a wicked smile on his face. "If you wish to destroy yourself, I'll be more than happy to-!"

"I activate the effect of Link Showdown from my Graveyard!" Raguel interrupted. "By banishing it, a Link Monster I control gains 1000 attack points until the End Phase! And I choose Cyreath Poseidon!"

Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"Ocean's Judgement!" Poseidon pointed his trident at Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, causing the makeshift arms to lunge forward and grab both Timaeus and Dark Magician, making them scream in pain. Poseidon then blasted both of them with electricity from his trident, destroying and turning them into particles.

Lord Kazuma: 1600 – 1000 = 600 LP

"You may have destroyed my strongest monster, but as long as I have life points-!" Lord Kazuma began.

"You won't have a chance to make a comeback." Raguel coldly stated. "I activate Cyreath Poseidon's effect! Once per turn, when he destroys a monster and sends it to the Graveyard, I can destroy all Spell and Trap cards you control. Then you take 500 points of damage for each card destroyed by this effect!"

"Oh no...!" Lord Kazuma replied, his eyes widening as he came to the conclusion that he lost.

"Ocean's Cleansing!" Raguel said, as Poseidon raised his trident high in the air, causing the water underneath the bridge to emerge in two waves and destroy both of Lord Kazuma's cards in his Spell & Trap card zone. "And since two cards were destroyed, you take 1000 points of damage. Which means it's over." The waves then merged together and went towards Lord Kazuma, muffling his screams and pushing him down to the ground. When the waves retreated, he was on his back, coughing several times.

Lord Kazuma: 600 – (500 X 2) = 0

At the right bridge...

"Playmaker!" Ai said, getting Playmaker's attention. "We still got a Hanoi punk of our own to defeat, remember?"

Playmaker's eyes widened in realization. The summoning of Cyreath Poseidon made him forget about his duel with Specter. He turned back to Specter and gestured to his field.

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Excode Talker attacks Sunavalon Dryatrentiay!" Excode Talker charged towards Dryatrentiay, his green claws extended.

"GO AHEAD!" Specter shouted. "You will be left with absolutely nothing on your field, Playmaker! And that will leave me with the final victory!"

"You're wrong. You've been wrong about everything." Playmaker coldly replied, causing Specter's face to register with surprise. "About me, about the Zaizen's, and even about yourself. I activate Link Atrocity's additional effect! When my Link monster battles yours, your Link monster loses 400 attack points for every Link monster in both of our Graveyards!"

"For every Link monster?!" Specter repeated.

"Exactly!" Ai confirmed. "And since there's fourteen, your precious mother tree's strength is sapped away! Get it? Tree sap?"

Sunavalon Dryatrentiay ATK: 4000 - 0

"End this, Excode Talker!" Playmaker exclaimed. "Excode Close!" Excode Talker slashed Dryatrentiay with his claw, causing the tree to explode and making Specter fall to the ground as his life points dropped from 4000 to zero.

Specter: 4000 – 4000 = 0

Playmaker walked up to where Specter was as he started laughing.

"Well done, Playmaker." Specter congratulated him. "I had this duel won, until I didn't." As he struggled to stand up, he smirked at Playmaker. "Even though you tricked me into defeating myself, Master Revolver will not fall for such deception. That is why he is the leader of the Knights of Hanoi. That is why he will always be my one true master."

"I don't care." Playmaker coldly told him, causing Specter to chuckle as he fully stood up.

"So you say. But know this: Your tale will end in tragedy." Specter started laughing manically. "It's already written!" Soon, the bridge Playmaker was on started shaking.

"What are you standing around for?!" Ai exclaimed to Playmaker. "Run!" When Playmaker looked around and saw fire starting to spread on the bridge, he realized Ai was right. It was starting to fall apart!

Acting quickly, Playmaker ran past Specter, who kept laughing with his eyes closed.

"Master Revolver," Specter said. "I'm sorry for failing you." As he opened his eyes, he gasped.

His mother tree was in front of him, and it was burning. Burning from Excode Talker's final attack. Those same flames were spreading to the wires of the bridge and weakening it. But Specter didn't care.

He walked towards the blazing tree, tears in his eyes. He then remembered how he was abandoned at the tree by his real mother, who he would never even meet. However, that was replaced by good memories he had with the tree, such as how strong it was in defending him, and how he would feel peace just being with it.

He finally stopped at the front of the tree and stared at the woman in the center. How her face was gone and burning away. He reached out to the woman, desperate for comfort.

"Mother..."

That was the last word Specter spoke, for the tree broke apart and fell towards Specter. But before it could hit him, both of them turned into particles.

At the left bridge...

BA-BUMP!

The energy that surrounded Raguel left him as he let out a loud gasp and returned to normal.

"Raguel? Is that really you?" Herald asked out of concern.

"Yeah. Of course." Raguel answered, raising an eyebrow as he turned to Herald. "But... what happened?" Before Herald could answer the question, Lord Kazuma laughed as he slowly got up.

"I'll tell you what happened. You won the duel." Lord Kazuma told him. "And I must say, you added some finesse to it." He then laughed again.

Suddenly, Raguel grit his teeth as he remembered what happened. How Numera and Akira were turned into data by a mysterious intruder. As well as what happened afterwards...

I can worry about that later, Raguel decided to himself, as he walked forward to Lord Kazuma and punched him in the face.

"That's for my friends." Raguel stated. "You're lucky I only washed away any hopes you had of winning."

Lord Kazuma looked up at Raguel and smiled as he struggled to get up for a second time. "Even though Specter and I are defeated, you'll still have to deal with Infearno, while Playmaker will be occupied dueling Revolver."

"They will fall as well." Raguel said. But this only caused Lord Kazuma's smile to widen more as he cackled.

"Is that so? Well, you might be right, but that's only if you get off this bridge!" Anticipating what Lord Kazuma was about to do, Raguel ran past him and towards the other side. Meanwhile, Lord Kazuma stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen! For my final act, I shall make this bridge disappear!" He then laughed as he snapped his fingers before turning into data, causing the bridge to start shaking.

As Raguel and Playmaker ran down their respective bridges, they continued to lose their stability. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. While the wires on Raguel's bridge continued to snap off the support, the fires from Dryatrentiay's destruction burned the wires off of Playmaker's bridge.

"Hurry!" Pigeon shouted.

"Faster, Playmaker! Faster Raguel!" Frog shouted. "Because if those bridges go down, so do the both of you!"

If either of them heard the duo, they didn't show it. But right when they reached the end-.

The ground beneath both duelists collapsed. Raguel, Playmaker, Herald, and Ai screamed as they began to fall towards the sea.

At the Hanoi Stronghold...

Revolver, Infearno, and Dr. Kogami walked into a dark room. At the center of the room were three beds. One for Dr. Genome, one for Baira, one for Faust, and one for Dancho. Soon, underneath the room rose two more beds perpendicular to them. In one of the beds laid Specter, while the other bed laid Lord Kazuma. Revolver walked up to the beds and looked down at them.

"Specter. Lord Kazuma." Revolver said. "You both fought valiantly. Down to the last breath. We will not let your defeats be in vain!"

"No." Dr. Kogami agreed, placing a hand on Revolver's shoulder. "We won't." Infearno, on the other hand, didn't utter a single word as he stared at the beds. If it wasn't for the azure-overcoated man's interference, the Hanoi would have won. But deep down, he knew that Numera and Akira would have sacrificed themselves if it meant Raguel and Playmaker can save everyone in the process. So either way, it was a small victory for him, as he had more time in finding the answer he'd been looking for ever since his wife's death. And it would continue with his next encounter against Raguel.

"This was my fault," Revolver continued. "My obsession with Playmaker caused them to give their lives for us."

Dr. Kogami, in response, made his son turn and face him by placing his other hand on his other shoulder. "They made their choice. And I know they would tell you that they don't regret their choices. After all, we must defeat the Ignis. No matter what."

Revolver frowned. "I know, father." He turned back to the six beds. "But it doesn't make it easier in any way, doesn't it?"

"No, it does not." Dr. Kogami replied. There were a few moments of silence until Dr. Kogami interrupted. "Were you able to uncover Playmaker's identity?"

Revolver shook his head as he turned to face his father. "No," he said.

"What about you, Infearno?" Dr. Kogami asked. "Have you made any strides in figuring out Raguel's identity?"

Infearno frowned and shook his head, turning to face Dr. Kogami as well. "I'm afraid not," Infearno lied.

"Then we need to make haste." Dr. Kogami decided, putting a hand on his chin. "We must ensure the Tower is completed so that we can destroy the Ignis."

"Destroy the Ignis you say?" the voice of Watchman echoed, as the room started shaking.

"What the? What is this?" Revolver demanded. Soon, he, Infearno, and Dr. Kogami were teleported out of the Hanoi Stronghold and into LINK VRAINS. More preferably, on top of a large building near the Tower of Hanoi, which overlooked the entirety of LINK VRAINS.

"Dr. Kogami," Watchman said, getting the doctor's attention as he stepped out of a portal to confront the trio. The portal behind him immediately closed. "We need to talk."

Card Gallery

Link Baton Pass (Normal Spell card)

Effect: You can tribute 1 Link Monster you control; Special Summon 1 Link Monster from your Extra Deck whose Link Rating is equal to or less than the tributed monster's Link Rating. You can only activate 1 'Link Baton Pass' per turn.

Trap Re-Arm (Normal Trap card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can target 1 Trap card in your GY; add it to your hand. If this card is in your GY: You can banish it; Set one Trap card from your deck to your field face-down. It can be activated this turn. You can only activate one effect of 'Trap Re-Arm' per turn, and only one that turn.

Dark Magic Purgation (Counter-Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster while you control either a 'Dark Magician' or Spellcaster monster: You can target that monster; reduce its ATK to 0, also, negate its effects.

Cyreath Mirror Shield (Normal Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent attacks with a monster they control, or activates an effect that would inflict effect damage: You can send 1 'Cyreath' Link Monster from your Extra Deck to your GY, and if you do, damage you would have taken is reduced equal to that monsters Link Rating x 500.

Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea (LR: 3/Cyberse/Water/ATK: 3000/⬅️⬇️➡️)

Effect: 3 'Cyreath' monsters. Cannot be targeted by card effects. Once per turn, if this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can destroy all Spell and Trap card your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict 500 damage for each card destroyed by this effect.

QOTC

Of Lord Kazuma's duels this season, which one was your favorite?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 34: Confrontation. Once, they were allies. The two of them worked together to finish off what Project VIII started. Now, Watchman confronts Dr. Kogami, planning to defeat him to stop the Tower of Hanoi. However, Revolver volunteers in his father's place, intending on stopping Watchman once and for all...

Author's Notes

To think I'd be able to get this chapter done in between my exams is a treat indeed. That said, I sure hope you enjoyed it!

This chapter is purely straightforward, as it picks off right after the events of Chapter 32 with the duels between Raguel and Lord Kazuma, and Playmaker vs Specter. Regarding the Playmaker vs. Specter duel, I won't say much on it as aside from Infearno's interference, it was mostly the same.

Then there's the duel between Raguel and Lord Kazuma. And yes, this is the chapter where Lord Kazuma finally Link Summons a monster! The reason why I put it there was for a few reasons. One: To show he's up to date with the times. Two: To show unpredictability. However, he'll only Link Summon if necessary. His true strength lies in the other summoning methods, as well as utilizing many Spell and Trap cards.

The main surprise of the chapter though was the azure-overcoated man getting involved in both duels by turning Numera and Akira into data. He did this in order to motivate Raguel into winning. You could say that he did too good of a job, as it caused Raguel to snap and activate his Link Trigger (if you're confused as to why some of the words are bolded when Raguel's speaking, it's showing that he's struggling to control his Link Trigger). This caused Raguel to summon the second of the Cyreath Gods: Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea. For those of you who are confused where I got Cyreath Poseidon's appearance from, I got it from God of War 3. How do you think this duel will affect Raguel as the story continues? Do you think the azure-overcoated man's role is bigger than this? If so, what do you think it is?

The last event of the chapter was a brief scene with Revolver, Infearno, and Dr. Kogami before being interrupted by Watchman, which will continue in the next chapter. Anyone excited for the throwdown that's about to come?

Anyhow, before I continue, there is something I want to say in the event I'm not able to release the next chapter by Christmas.

MERRY ZARCMAS, EVERYONE!

Okay, with that out of the way, I wanted to thank you for reading Chapter 33 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? When Raguel summoned Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea? The azure-overcoated man's appearance? Or was it something else?

If all goes well, I'll be able to release the next chapter on Christmas. Stay tuned, for next time, old friends confront one another after many years!