Update
ZarcEternal pointed out an error in the duel when Stregone Pendulum Summoned three monsters at once. Since the Pendulum Scale was from one to eight, he could only Pendulum Summon monsters between Level 2 and 7. I therefore changed it to Stregone Normal Summoning Mythical Beast Jackal instead of Pendulum Summoning it, as well as having him draw two cards using Pendulum Riches' effect. Due to these changes, Stregone therefore drew four cards instead of three thanks to Card of Sanctity's effect. Hopefully, that clears things up.
Response to Reviews
Thank you to Donjusticia, HunterHQ, ZarcEternal, ZeroMK7, Noobmaster, Anonymous, Guest, Naruto1999, Ambiguous, Edgar, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Portal, Cosmic Cat, KingOtakuOverYou, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 35 of Obscured Truth.
Hello, everyone! As we begin the new year, I hope that you are all safe and healthy wherever you are. I'm also pleased to see you enjoyed the duel from the previous chapter, as well as the reveal of Azrael and Wraith. These things make me happy, and I hope you'll continue to read the story as it continues!
Now let's get to answering those reviews:
Donjusticia: Welcome back, Donjusticia. I hope you enjoyed the past three chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed the duel between Stregone and Infearno, as well as the duel between Watchman and Revolver. As for your suggestion regarding the infamous BerserCAR from Fate: Carnival Phantasm, you'll just have to read on and see...
HunterHQ: Hope you enjoyed the opening scene. Regarding your first question, Azrael simply summoned his Duel Board and rode across the chasm to get to the other side. Classic and simple as that. When Infearno was talking about the third despair, he was basically implying that Miyu was Yuhiro's special someone. Believe it or not, there is a Cerberus in Divine Comedy, even though it's from Greek Mythology. Hopefully, this helps to answer your questions.
ZarcEternal: Thanks for pointing out the error. I made the changes and credited you for them. Happy that you're looking forward to Azrael and Wraith's appearance in Season 2, as well as how they'll impact the story.
ZeroMK7: Glad you liked the duel, and I appreciate your comments too. Very interesting points you bring up regarding being a visionary and a realist as well.
Noobmaster: If you recall in Chapter 17, Yuhiro told Rachel that he suffered a trauma which destroyed his memories of his parents. This was also prior to the Lost Incident as well. As for your other question, that won't be answered until later on in the story. Great suggestion regarding Legendary Flame Lord, as I totally forgot there was a Ritual Spellcaster monster that used Spell counters. Happy to see you enjoyed the duel.
Anonymous: Who knows what will happen in the chapters to come? You just have to keep reading to find out. The Knights of Hanoi don't know about the backstories of each of the Lost Incident kids, nor were they responsible for the deaths of Yuhiro's parents and Miyu's parents. As for your concern regarding Raguel's identity: Watchman knew the whole time, while Yusaku, Aoi, Rachel, and Emon Uchida (also known as Infearno) had to figure it out. It will be explained how Stregone knew Yuhiro was Raguel after the events of Season 1. That I can confirm.
Guest: You'll just have to keep on reading to get your answers.
Naruto1999: I actually posted your question as the Question of the Chapter, for I wanted to get everyone's thoughts on it. So thank you very much for the suggestion.
Ambiguous: Excellent observations.
Edgar: You'll just have to read on and see.
Kingdom Hearts Guy: Indeed. One duel left to rule them all.
Portal: I'm sorry, what?
Cosmic Cat: Thanks very much.
KingOtakuOverYou: You have to keep in mind that both duelists were trying to one-up and defeat the other. Have I not specified the reason for why Yuhiro duels in the first place? Because I believe I did in the previous chapters.
Guest: Lord Kazuma obtained the deck from his mentor Kazuma, who stole the deck from the Den City Museum. More info can be found in Chapter 32.
Now that everyone's reviews are answered, let's begin the chapter, shall we?
Chapter 36: Race Against Time
In LINK VRAINS...
Azrael made it to the Tower of Hanoi as the winds whipped around him.
"The Tower of Hanoi..." Azrael muttered, staring at the colossal structure ahead of him. "With an abundance of data material too."
"Yes." Wraith said, agreeing. "The data material from the Tower will be more than enough for my analysis."
Suddenly, Azrael's Duel Disk started beeping, causing him and Wraith to look at it. "Ah. It appears Playmaker and Revolver are about to have their duel. As for Raguel..."
"Found him. Right there." Wraith pointed on the screen to Azrael. "Not sure why he's riding the data storm surrounding the Tower, though."
Azrael looked up to the sky and found something else. A fiery portal above the Tower. "So that's where you're going, Raguel," he muttered. He turned to Wraith. "I can't focus on Raguel right now. Not when you need the data material. And more importantly, I see a golden opportunity in front of us."
"A golden opportunity? What do you mean?" Wraith asked, now curious.
"If the Tower of Hanoi is connected to the Hanoi's fortress, then we can use the Tower to gain access." Azrael explained. Wraith's eyes widened in surprise before they turned into devilish slits. He understood what Azrael was suggesting.
"Ah, you clever human. I get what you mean. In that case, let's do this."
Azrael then jumped up and landed on his duel board as he sped towards the Tower of Hanoi.
At the Tower of Hanoi...
Raguel rode the data storm as he began to ascend the Tower. Unfortunately, the Tower absorbed so much data material that debris started orbiting around it, causing Raguel to swerve and avoid them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Playmaker and Revolver likewise rode their duel boards higher. Eventually, all three duelists reached the core of the Tower. As Playmaker and Revolver rode the data storm, Raguel followed them some distance away. He also noticed that Frog and Pigeon were flying some distance away, recording what was happening.
Roxy gasped as the broadcast returned. She watched as all three duelists rode around the Tower's third ring.
"This is the beginning of the end," she whispered. "Only Yuhiro, Playmaker, Revolver, and Infearno remain." She narrowed her eyes. "It's up to you two now. To bring an end to this incident. And bring peace to those who suffered from it."
Raguel grit his teeth as he continued swerving through the debris. I can't believe I have to ride in conditions like this to get to Infearno, he thought. But if it means I can end things with him once and for all, I'm willing to weather through this storm.
"Roxy, you can still hear me, right?" he whispered into his earpiece.
"Barely. There's a lot of static." Roxy responded. To make things worse, Raguel could barely hear Roxy's voice due to the interference. "Although the Tower is a part of it, this data storm is more severe than your usual kind. If you're not careful, you could get minced."
"There is no way Raguel's getting minced like a cow." Herald declared. "Although in order to avoid this fate, he'll have to surf this storm like in Subway Surfers."
Silence filled the air as Raguel gathered his thoughts before responding. "Did you just... compare the situation we are in to a mobile game?!"
"Well, yes." Herald admitted. "But there are differences, though. Like instead of a security guard chasing us, we have to avoid all of this debris. And instead of grabbing the gold, we have to-."
"LOOK OUT!"
Raguel looked up at Roxy's words and gasped as a large piece of debris plummeted towards him. Quickly grabbing the sword on his back, he reeved it back and sliced it downwards in two, causing it to pass by him as he continued riding the data storm, much to everyone's relief.
"That was too close." Raguel commented. "No more video game comparisons until we make it to that portal, Herald. Okay?"
"Fine." Herald complied, feeling a bit guilty for almost causing their demise.
After some time dodging more debris and riding the data storm, he eventually managed to catch up to Playmaker and Revolver, who were talking.
"This Tower of yours, Revolver." Playmaker said to him. "I knew you were evil, but I never thought you were insane. In your mind, you'd rather destroy the network than allow one single Ignis to survive."
"Because the Ignis would do far worse than this!" Revolver retorted. "Which do you think is worse: The end of LINK VRAINS, or the end of all humanity?
"Hm. That's tough." Ai nonchalantly commented.
"Oh, is it?" Revolver snapped at him, causing Ai to shriek in fear.
"Playmaker!" Raguel called out, interrupting their conversation and causing Playmaker to turn to him.
"Raguel?" Playmaker replied, his eyes widening in surprise. "I thought you were dueling against Infearno. How come you're here?"
"Because of the thing that appeared in the sky." Raguel answered, pointing upwards with his finger. When Playmaker looked up, he gasped upon seeing it hover above the Tower. "I have to get there to challenge Infearno."
"Raguel's right, Playmaker." Revolver added, getting Playmaker's attention. "Infearno wished to settle things with him in private, and I agreed with his request. After all, we can't have any interferences in our final battles to come."
"I don't intend on interfering with your duel, Playmaker." Raguel promised. "Just consider Herald and I temporary witnesses until we find a way to the portal."
"Who can cheer for you guys!" Herald added. "Kick Revolver's ass for us, Playmaker and Ai!"
"Don't worry, Herald." Ai said. "We'll defeat him so hard he won't know what hit him!"
Playmaker turned to Revolver. "I used to only duel for myself. But this time, I'm also fighting for Go Onizuka, Blue Angel, and everyone else who was turned to data by your Tower."
"And I duel for all the Knights of Hanoi! They'll push me to victory! " Revolver replied, glaring at Playmaker. He then turned that glare to Raguel. "You should feel honored, for only you get the privilege of witnessing my victory over Playmaker." He then turned away and flew apart from Playmaker before flying closer to him.
"Speed Duel!" Playmaker and Revolver declared, ready to throw down.
Raguel watched as Playmaker immediately started his turn by summoning three Cyberse monsters from his hand at once. Playmaker then followed it up by Link Summoning Decode Talker in the right Extra Monster Zone. From there, he used Stack Reviver's effect to revive Backup Secretary and Special Summon her in defense position to the Main Monster Zone Decode Talker was pointing to, increasing his attack points to 2800.
The next thing Playmaker knew, two pieces of debris hurtled towards him!
"Whoa! Playmaker, incoming!" Ai shouted as he pointed at the debris, causing Playmaker to look up. Thanks to Ai's warning, Playmaker was able to dodge just in time.
"Whew. That was close." Raguel said, as he witnessed Playmaker dodging the debris.
"That's true for him, but what about us?!" Herald screeched, getting Raguel's attention. He soon saw a massive piece of debris headed towards him! "Raguel. Your sword."
"Huh? What about-?" But before Raguel could finish, Herald infused it with some data material, enhancing its capabilities. Knowing what needed to be done, Raguel quickly sliced the debris into four pieces, allowing him to dodge them and continue towards Playmaker and Revolver. By the time he made it to them, he was able to see Playmaker end his turn by setting a card face-down.
"You're up, Revolver." Ai said, taking a boxing stance. "Summon your best monsters so I can knock them out."
"Believe me, I will." Revolver promised. He reduced his duel board's speed so he could fall back beside Playmaker. Turning to Raguel briefly before looking ahead, he added, "Look's like everyone's here then. Perfect."
"What exactly are you talking about, Revolver?" Playmaker asked.
"Playmaker, have you ever asked that infuriating Ignis why he's on the run from the Knights of Hanoi?" Revolver inquired from him.
"Because I prefer not to be deleted obviously!" Ai answered.
"Any Ignis would have that answer!" Herald added in support of Ai's answer.
"He said he lost his memories." Playmaker told Revolver, as he looked at Ai. "He doesn't remember why you're pursuing him."
"And let me guess? You just believed him." Revolver had nothing but disappointment for Playmaker. Looks like he had to explain it to him from the beginning. "Five years before you arrived on the scene, I was mere moments away from capturing that Ignis. And since that program is staring right back at my face, you know that I failed. But not entirely. I was able to capture most of its data. Data that I personally processed and analyzed. And here's what I found to be quite interesting: None of the data contained its memory files. All of its memories are inside that Ignis."
Hearing this caused Playmaker and Raguel to gasp as they turned to Ai.
"Or in other words, that Ignis has been lying to you this entire time." Revolver continued. "Do you want to know why, Playmaker? That Ignis's code ID is IGN006, meaning it was created based off of the sixth test subject."
"What's your point?" Playmaker demanded.
"My point is this: You were the sixth test subject, Playmaker. You and the seven other children were merely guinea pigs for my father's pet project to create an AI with free will." Revolver answered. "Every duel you fought, every meal you missed was all witnessed by that Ignis the entire time. Observing and analyzing you to the very end, but never interfering."
"Is it me, or is it getting hot in here?" Ai said, trying to interrupt their conversation, but failing in the process.
"What about Herald?" Raguel interrupted the conversation. "If you're saying that Ai was based off of Playmaker, then what exactly is Herald's code ID?"
Revolver turned to Raguel. "Your Ignis's code ID is IGN007, Raguel. And just like Playmaker's Ignis, yours also learned from you." He turned away from Raguel and faced forward. "As a result, the Ignis grew and matured much faster than expected. They even constructed their own world to live in."
"The Cyberse World..." Raguel said, getting Revolver's attention.
"Correct, Raguel." Revolver affirmed before turning back to Playmaker. "Playmaker, your Ignis hid the Cyberse World before I had the chance to destroy it. You knew none of this, did you Playmaker?"
"Not exactly." Playmaker admitted. "You may be right on some things, but I did know about the Cyberse World, as well as the fact there was more going on than I realized."
"And yet your Ignis lied to you all this time." Revolver pointed out. "It knew who you were the moment you met, but it pretended to lose its memories so it can deceive you every step of the way. If an AI is capable of lying and trickery, what more can they do? What more threats are they concealing from us? No human must make the mistake of trusting an Ignis. So I say this to you and Raguel: Do not be those fools. Destroy your Ignis's before it's too late."
"No, no, no. Don't listen to him!" Ai begged to Playmaker. "I wasn't lying to you!" He sighed, knowing it was no use to convince Playmaker otherwise. "Okay. Here's the deal. I was on my last legs and couldn't trust anybody. Not for a second. So when you locked me up in your Duel Disk, I thought you were another one of the bad guys. However, when I analyzed your face's bone structure, I knew you were the same kid from those experiments. Even with this info, I didn't know if you were a bad guy or not, nor if you had any grudges against me."
Ai started sweating even more. "And by the time I figured out you were sort of okay, it was too late to say anything. That's one thousand percent the truth, even though I know saying one thousand instead of one hundred makes me seem suspicious."
"But you did deceive your friend." Revolver stated, making Ai give up his case while Playmaker closed his eyes in contemplation.
Playmaker then opened his eyes, turned to Revolver, and said, "Whoever said he was my friend?" Revolver was surprised by this, while Ai started panicking. Meanwhile, Raguel and Herald were silent.
"A lot to take in, huh Herald?" Raguel said.
"Yup..." Herald agreed, unsure what to say next.
"No. Not like this!" Ai said. "Come on, buddy."
"You're best option is to remain silent." Playmaker advised. "Even though I believe you're incapable of doing that."
Ai sweat-dropped as he said, "My lips are sealed."
"Saying your lips are sealed means they aren't." Playmaker stated, making Ai sweat-drop further before he retreated into the Duel Disk. Meanwhile, Playmaker turned to Revolver. "Whether this Ignis tricked me or not, I won't let you destroy LINK VRAINS. Revolver, it's still your turn."
"Very well." Revolver obliged. "I will continue my turn. But allow me to ask one question to Raguel first." He turned to Raguel. "Raguel. Will you delete your Ignis and help the Hanoi save humanity?"
"I will not." Raguel answered back. "Herald's my partner, and there's no way I'm deleting him."
"Well said, Raguel. Well said." Herald complimented him.
Revolver smirked. "Then the both of you are bigger fools." He turned away from Raguel and faced forwards.
"Everyone! WATCH OUT!" Ai shrieked, as everyone turned towards a very large piece of debris that was headed towards them. Luckily, everyone evaded the debris in the nick of time.
After evading the debris along with Playmaker and Raguel, Revolver began his turn by summoning Spin-Headed Behemoth to his field. And to everyone's surprise, he immediately ended his turn by setting a card face-down.
"It's obvious what that Set card is." Herald said.
"Mirror Force..." Raguel muttered, recalling the card that led to Go Onizuka's and Stregone's defeats. Suddenly, three pieces of debris came hurling towards him. Although he swerved left and right to avoid the first two, the third one caused him to stumble a bit before smaller pieces of debris cut his forearms, briefly revealing magenta data before healing. "Ouch."
"I'd be careful if I were you," Roxy advised back at Café Matsuo's backroom. "Otherwise, one wrong cut, and you'll be a member of the walking dead."
"While I appreciate the advice, it wasn't funny." Raguel replied, as he sped up to Playmaker and Revolver's duel. He witnessed Playmaker summoning Fault Tolerlancer to his field before using its effect to switch it to defense position. Why would you do that, Playmaker, he wondered. Raguel soon got his answer when Playmaker revealed that while Fault Tolerlancer was in defense position, his attack position monsters could not be destroyed by card effects. "Interesting..."
Playmaker then attacked Revolver's Spin-Headed Behemoth using Decode Talker, but unfortunately, Revolver countered by using a combination of Spin-Headed Behemoth's effect and Mirror Force to eradicate all of his monsters. And as an added bonus, Revolver got to summon Overflow Dragon and an Overflow token to his field at the same time.
"Okay, that's not good." Herald commented.
"You could say that ag- Woah!" Raguel said, as he swerved to his far right to avoid the coming debris. "That was a close one."
"Enough with the close calls, Yuhiro!" Roxy snapped at him. "The sooner you find a way to reach the portal, the faster you can duel Infearno."
"I'm aware of that." Raguel responded. He turned to Herald. "Do you see any shortcuts up to the top?"
Herald looked to his left briefly before turning back to Raguel. "Unless you want to get shredded by that data storm, then no." Raguel sighed. For now, he had to take the long way to the top and watch the duel in front of him.
Revolver immediately began his turn by using his three monsters to Link Summon Flash Charge Dragon. From there, he Normal Summoned Blast Powder Dragon and activated its effect to increase Flash Charge Dragon's attack points by 800, bringing it up to 3100. Seizing the opportunity, Revolver attacked Playmaker directly using Flash Charge Dragon and Blast Powder Dragon. However, Playmaker responded by activating the Quick-Play Spell card Spool Code to not only negate Revolver's second direct attack, but also summon three Spool tokens to his field in defense position.
"You may have escaped defeat, but I will bring you one step closer." Revolver declared. "Flash Charge Dragon's effect! Once per turn, when a monster is Normal or Special Summoned to a Main Monster zone it points to, I can destroy that monster and inflict 500 points of damage to you!" Flash Charge Dragon fired a blast from its tail cannon, destroying the Spool token opposite of it and inflicting damage to Playmaker.
Playmaker: 900 – 500 = 400 LP
"With that, I end my turn, which means Blast Powder Dragon's effect ends, and Flash Charge Dragon's attack points revert back to normal."
Flash Charge Dragon ATK: 3100 – 800 = 2300
"My turn! I draw!" Playmaker said, drawing the top card of his deck. He began by Link Summoning Link Disciple to his field. After Normal Summoning Swap Cleric as well, he used both it and the last Spool token to Link Summon Security Dragon. Using its effect, Playmaker attempted to return Flash Charge Dragon back to his hand, but Revolver responded by activating Flash Charge Dragon's effect to tribute Blast Powder Dragon and negate that effect.
"Revolver's got the stronger monster while our life points don't even crack a thousand." Ai lamented, before his eyes widened in realization. "Playmaker, you can still use your Skill! But that means you'll have to fly straight into that trash tornado, which is way too dangerous."
"Do you have a better option?" Playmaker asked, only for Ai to say nothing in response. "Don't you sense it? The more intense the storm, the stronger the storm that lives inside. That's what you told me, right?"
"I'm afraid so." Ai admitted, as a piece of debris nicked Playmaker's right bicep and causing him to wince.
"What the hell are you doing, Playmaker?" Raguel said in shock, as his eyes widened at what Playmaker was planning to do.
"They're both going to get shredded!" Herald realized.
"I would have preferred to defeat you with my own hands." Revolver said. "But alas. Farewell."
Everyone watched as Playmaker put his right hand in the data storm and activate his skill Storm Access. Unfortunately, a current in the data storm violently whipped him to the side while severing his arm below the wrist, magenta data spurting from his wound.
"Playmaker!" Raguel cried out.
"Ai!" Herald cried out as well. The two of them witnessed Playmaker falling from his duel board, having failed to fully use his Skill. Revolver, on the other hand, reduced his duel board's speed once again so he could ride beside Raguel.
"This wasn't how I wanted to defeat Playmaker." Revolver told him. "Regardless, they're dealt with. I'll guide you to the portal so that you can-." But before he could continue, everyone heard a voice.
"Gotcha, Playmaker!" Ai said, grabbing Playmaker's unharmed arm. When Playmaker looked up, he realized that Ai was human-sized and was riding his duel board!
"Ai?" Playmaker said, surprised with the turn of events.
"Allow me to give you a hand. Get it? Hand?" Ai said, as he released a small worm resembling Ai creeps that healed Playmaker's body and regenerated his arm. "I saved this little trick in case it was ever needed. Now I'll help you get back on your duel board so you can continue dueling, Playmaker!" Ai pulled Playmaker up and went into his Duel Disk as he got back onto his duel board.
As Playmaker continued to dodge debris, he said, "Didn't you say you couldn't leave the Duel Disk?"
"I don't know." Ai answered. "It could have been you, me, or someone else. Eh, whatever. I say a lot of things." He then emerged from Playmaker's Duel Disk again, only in his monster form before disappearing into his board. "For instance. Did you know I can boost your board?" The back thrusters on Playmaker's duel board emitted purple energy as it increased speed. "I can also form a shield, but only for thirty seconds, so make sure you don't bump into stuff."
"I can't make any promises, Ai." Playmaker stated, as Ai emerged from the Duel Board as a shield.
"Ugh. Fine. I'm ready, so step on the gas." Playmaker did so and entered the data storm. Activating Storm Access, Playmaker acquired a card from the data storm before exiting it, much to everyone's shock.
"Playmaker obtained a new card from the Data Storm..." Raguel said in amazement. He put a hand on his earpiece. "Roxy. You saw what I just saw, right? Is there a way I can use the data storm to reach the portal?"
"I'll see if I can find anything." Roxy replied, typing on the keyboard. "In the meanwhile, do not get minced."
"You as well, Herald." Raguel told him, as he swerved through pieces of debris. "I have a feeling we'll be out of this storm soon."
As Herald proceeded to do just that, Raguel witnessed Playmaker Link Summon the newest Link monster he acquired from the Data Storm: Transcode Talker. Using a combination of Transcode Talker's effects, Playmaker was not only able to bring back Decode Talker from the Graveyard, but also increase its attack points to 3300, with Transcode Talker rising to 2800 as well. From there, he activated the Field Spell Cynet Storm to increase the attack points of co-linked monsters by 500, resulting in Transcode Talker reaching 3300 and Decode Talker reaching 3800. He then attacked Flash Charge Dragon using Decode Talker, dropping Revolver's life points to 2500.
"I've been waiting to do this for over a decade of my life." Playmaker told Revolver. "Battle! Transcode Talker attacks you directly! Transcode Finish!" The cannon on Transcode Talker's back began to unfold into a massive one, which Transcode Talker grabbed and aimed at Revolver. He then fired an orange blast at him, but...
"You'll finish nothing. I summon Chobham Armor Dragon from my hand!" Revolver said, as a four-legged, green-armored dragon with no wings appeared on his field.
Chobham Armor Dragon ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1
"But how?" Playmaker said, shocked at what happened.
"If I'm being attacked directly, I'm allowed to Special Summon this card from my hand." Revolver explained. "Not only can it not be destroyed by battle, it also cuts battle damage in half." The attack enveloped Chobham Armor Dragon, destroying its green outer shell and revealing the thinner, pink-armored form beneath. Revolver grunted as his avatar fizzled, indicating he lost life points once again.
Revolver: 2500 – (3300 / 2) = 850 LP
"You actually survived..." Playmaker muttered, gritting his teeth.
"You aren't the only one who wants to win this duel." Revolver pointed out.
"I end my turn." Playmaker concluded.
"If it weren't for that card, Playmaker would have won." Raguel stated, having witnessed everything that happened. He turned to Herald. "Anything yet?"
"Still nothing." Herald replied. "Doing what Playmaker and Ai did is obviously the wrong option. I'm looking for a safe route from the debris that can get us into the data storm, where we can ride it upwards from there."
"I see." Raguel was impressed. Even during this chaotic time, it was wise to be cautious. And Raguel obviously learned that over past experiences. "What about you, Roxy? Anything yet?"
"Nothing either." Roxy responded over the earpiece. She then saw something on the screen. "Yuhiro, look!"
Raguel and Herald turned to their left and saw Revolver attempt to use his Skill, just like Playmaker. Unfortunately, just like Playmaker, he was forced back by the current and flung downwards, magenta data gushing out of his right elbow. However, Revolver managed to land back onto his duel board, gripping the stump of his right arm.
"He couldn't break through." Playmaker said, having also witnessed Revolver's failed attempt.
"Hate to say I told you so, but I told you so." Ai added.
"That was just a fluke." Revolver said in anger before turning to the data storm. "I know I can break through those winds." With a wild cry, he then headed straight for the data storm once again...
... Until a shockwave emerged from the data storm, causing everything to suddenly stop. Everyone gasped and looked around them. The Tower, the data storm, even the debris in the air; everything had paused where it was, with a faint tinge in everything.
"No way. Why is everything frozen?" Revolver wondered.
"Um, did the server crash?" Ai said, also curious as Playmaker looked around him.
"Everything just... stopped?" Raguel whispered, looking around him. "Did the system glitch or something?"
"Ryoken," a voice boomed out of the data storm.
"Father. Is that you?" Revolver asked, as a figure outlined in gold appeared near the center of the Tower, right next to its core.
As Raguel turned to the voice, his eyes widened upon recognizing the figure. "Wait a minute. That's-?"
"Dr. Kogami?!" Roxy shouted, making Raguel wince. "He's still alive?!"
"It's him." Playmaker realized as well.
"How is this possible?" Kusanagi said, also shocked upon seeing Dr. Kogami was alive.
"Father. You shouldn't have come." Revolver told him. "You know how much it takes out of you."
"Come on now. It's not the child's responsibility to worry about their parents, Ryoken." Dr. Kogami stated. "No. It's the duty of the parent to worry about their child. So how could I rest on the sidelines when you're risking your very existence in this duel?"
"Father, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure humanity is saved. You of all people should know that."
"I know, and I am beyond grateful for everything you did. You truly were a great son." Dr. Kogami narrowed his eyes. "That is why I'll give you my strength to help you win this duel and fulfil our mission."
"Your strength?!" Revolver repeated, as his eyes widened upon realizing what that meant. "But if you do this, you'll die."
"Perhaps, but if I don't do this, then no one will be safe from the Ignis." Dr. Kogami replied. "I wish you all the best, my son. You and Infearno are humanity's last hope." He then reached out his hand to Revolver and disintegrated into golden data, which enveloped Revolver and his duel board. Raguel watched as Revolver's right arm was reformed, but his gaze turned to what Dr. Kogami had left him.
It was a path of blue light, with white light in the center. If Raguel had to describe it, it looked like starlight on water. The path travelled outwards from Revolver to the data storm. Or more specifically, the core of the data storm.
"It can't be..." Revolver muttered. "The Stardust Road..." He soon recalled a happier memory, where he and his father saw the Stardust Road at their home. Those who see the Stardust Road will have their path marked towards prosperity. Revolver could see what his father meant all those years ago when he said those words!
Raguel suddenly gasped as the data storm resumed. He managed to quickly reorient himself and avoid a nasty chunk of debris.
"That's the path we need to go!" Raguel realized, speeding his way towards it.
"I'm checking it right now, Yuhiro." Roxy said over the earpiece. "Yup. It's the safest way into the data storm, which you can use-."
"To get to the portal." Herald finished, much to Roxy's annoyance.
"You could have let me finish my sentence, Herald!" Roxy berated him.
"In situations like this, I don't think there's time for any beratements." Herald replied, as Raguel dodged more debris.
"Cut it out, you two! You're making me lose focus!" Raguel said, ending their discussion. He reached Playmaker. "Playmaker, this is where we must part ways for now. If things go well, then I'll see you on the other side."
"Same with you, Raguel." Playmaker responded, as Raguel followed the path to the core of the data storm.
As Revolver sped forward to the data storm, he said, "Thank you, father. For opening the path to victory. I activate my Skill, Storm Access!" With a shout, he reached into the data storm with his right hand and grabbed a card that formed in front of him. Revolver then turned around and exited the data storm before reaching Playmaker, the path disintegrating behind him in the process.
"Revolver actually... did it..." Ai gasped in shock.
Revolver briefly looked on his Duel Disk, which displayed an emergency call depicting a heart rate fluctuating at thirty to thirty-eight beats per minute declaring "DANGER" before looking up at Playmaker and Ai. "The Stardust Road led me to obtaining this card." Playmaker's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing about the Stardust Road.
"My turn! I draw!" Revolver drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Link Recovery. This card lets me Special Summon a Link monster from my Graveyard. So come back, Flash Charge Dragon!" At Revolver's command, Flash Charge Dragon reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.
Flash Charge Dragon ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↖️⬆️↗️
"Then, if the Link monster Special Summoned by this effect has a higher Link rating than the number of monsters you control, you get to draw cards equal to the difference." Revolver added. "Since Flash Charge Dragon is a Link 3 monster and you control two monsters, you get to draw one card. Furthermore, if the Special Summoned monster is used as Link Material, I can't conduct my Battle Phase."
As Playmaker drew a card, Revolver pointed his right hand high in the sky. "Manifest, my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I'll set Flash Charge Dragon, which is a Link 3 monster, and Chobham Armor Dragon into the Link Markers!" Flash Charge Dragon split into three tornadoes of energy that went into the left, top, and right arrowheads, while Chobham Armor Dragon went into the bottom arrowhead.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Topologic Gumblar Dragon!" A large dragon with a metallic blue, grey, and orange colored body that had green glowing accents all over it appeared on Revolver's field and roared in the right Extra Monster Zone. Spike-like objects emerged from its back, with a serpentine tail attached to the dragon's waist. It also had several green glowing eyes on its head as well.
Topologic Gumblar Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️
"That's what I call not good!" Ai panicked, as both he and Playmaker saw Gumblar Dragon.
Meanwhile, Revolver looked at his Duel Disk, which still displayed the heart rate monitor from earlier. Only this time, it went from twenty one to thirty beats per minute. "Since Chobham Armor Dragon was used as Link Material, we each can add one monster from our Graveyard to our hands. I choose Spin-headed Behemoth!" A card popped out of Revolver's Graveyard, which he added to his hand.
"And I retrieve Backup Secretary." Playmaker declared, as a card popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand.
For a third time, Revolver looked at his Duel Disk. Unfortunately, the heart rate monitor went from fourteen to eight beats per minute before flatlining. Which meant only one thing.
Dr. Kogami had died.
Revolver grit his teeth as he put two and two together. "I never thought I'd have more important matters to attend to than this duel," he said. "Which means I have to end this here and now!"
"Say what?" Playmaker said, unsure at what Revolver meant.
"Since there's a Link-3 or higher monster on my field, I'm allowed to Special Summon Drop Draco from my hand in defense position." Soon, a blue and dark-purple bipedal dragon appeared on Revolver's field. More specifically, in the Main Monster Zone Gumblar Dragon was pointing to. The dragon had two metal rings on the edges of its wings, and bombs underneath its wings, as well as on its legs and tail.
Drop Draco ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LV: 3
"Gumblar Dragon's effect! When a monster is Special Summoned to a zone a Link monster points to while I have cards in my hand, every card in our hands is destroyed. Infinite Destruction!" The spike-like objects on Gumblar Dragon's back opened up and released dark-purple energy that formed rings. Gumblar Dragon roared as it released corrupted energy from its back towards Playmaker and Revolver, destroying the cards in their hands.
"Drop Draco's effect!" Revolver added. "Since cards were sent from our hand, field, or Graveyard, we both take 300 points of damage for each card sent. Since I lost one and you lost two, we both take 900 points of damage!" Drop Draco flew high above Playmaker and Revolver before dropping the bombs stored in its wings, legs, and tail.
"But we don't have 900 life points!" Ai pointed out the obvious.
"And neither does Revolver!" Playmaker said. Soon, the bombs hit both Playmaker and Revolver in a series of explosions, causing both of them to fall off their duel boards as their life points dropped to zero.
Playmaker: 450 – 900 = 0
Revolver: 850 – 900 = 0
The two of them could do nothing but scream as they fell downwards further, their fates unknown.
Elsewhere, in the data storm...
"Woah, woah, woah!" Raguel said, as the explosions from outside the data storm caused him to lose balance. He fell off his duel board, but luckily used his Duel Anchor to get back on it just in time. "That was too close."
"When this is over, you're playing some games on Wii Fit." Herald suggested. "It'd be a good idea to improve your balance. Especially if you're in a situation like this."
"Not the time, Herald." Raguel told him, as he narrowed his eyes and swerved side to side as he rode up the data storm. "It's too strong. I can't get any further."
"Looks like we'll have to use one of Ai's tricks then." Herald decided, as he transformed into his hydra form before disappearing into his board. He then reappeared from the Duel Board as a shield. "If this doesn't work, I'll haunt Ai in the afterlife. You ready, Raguel?"
"Yes!" Raguel answered, as the back thrusters on his duel board emitted orange energy and increased speed. He further increased his duel board's speed as they got closer to the portal.
"Almost there, Herald." Raguel told him. "Just hold on a little longer."
"I'm trying." Herald pointed out. With one last push, Raguel made it through the portal, causing it to close before disappearing completely.
"We did it!" Raguel cheered.
"Nice one, Yuhiro!" Roxy said, happy for both him and Herald.
"Herald?" Raguel turned left and right before looking at his Duel Disk. "You there?"
"Yup." Herald answered with a squeaky voice. "Just need some time to regenerate and I'll be fine."
"That's good to hear." Raguel replied. He then looked around the server they entered. It looked like a desolate, scarred land, with several buildings destroyed. However, ahead of them was the only building that remained intact.
Dis, City of the Burning Abyss.
"Oh, god." Raguel said, realizing the place Infearno based his private server off of. "Roxy, I think we're in hell."
Meanwhile, in the data storm...
Azrael successfully entered the data storm, his duel board surrounded with Wraith's energy.
"Looks like there's only one way to go from here." Azrael said, looking downwards.
"Indeed." Wraith agreed. "So let's bring the Hanoi some hell, shall we?"
"Yes." Azrael then sped downwards all the way down to the Data Storm, which would lead to the Hanoi Stronghold. Your judgment day is coming, Knights of Hanoi, he thought. Whether it's today, tomorrow, or in the future, you will all suffer for your sins.
Card Gallery
No new cards appear in this chapter.
QOTC
What are your thoughts on TV Tropes? Would you like to see one for this story, the Arc V story, or both?
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 37: Damnation. Having made it to Infearno's private server, Raguel listens to his tale on what led him to becoming a Knight of Hanoi. With everything on the line, he engages him in one last duel afterwards, but can Raguel withstand the might of Infearno's demons?
Author's Notes
Everyone, listen up. A new record has been made regarding the release of a new chapter. Two days. And before New Years? That fulfils my promise to you as a writer. Let's get to the recap, shall we?
Okay, I'll be honest. Not much happens here apart from the Playmaker vs. Revolver duel, which Raguel witnesses as he rides the storm and reaches the portal. This is because I wanted this chapter to serve as a brief interlude before the final duel between Raguel and Infearno, which will be in his private server while Playmaker and Revolver will have their final match in LINK VRAINS. By the way, fun fact: Infearno made his private server based off the landscapes of Hell. And he included Dis, City of the Burning Abyss for Raguel to enter into as well! Which means the duel that will occur over the next two chapters will take place in Hell (or a recreation of it). It will also be Raguel's most exhausting one yet, as it will challenge him physically and mentally.
There is some new information that I included in the chapter though to spice things up. For instance, Herald's Code ID is IGN007. Also, there's Azrael and Wraith's plan regarding the Hanoi. What are they up to exactly? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out.
Thank you for reading Chapter 36 of Obscured Truth. I know this was short, but I'm grateful to each and everyone of you for taking the time to read it. And since this chapter was released before New Years, I might as well say this officially:
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
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.
We're only two chapters away before Season 1 is officially done. Once again, thank you to everyone who's read the story so far. Stay tuned, as next time, the final duel between Raguel and Infearno begins!