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.

60. Chapter 60: Sins of the Father

Response to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Anonymous, Unnamed, Guest, Noobmaster, Unknown, KingOtakuOverYou, Ambiguous, ZarcEternal, ZeroMK7, Portal, Cosmic Cat, Donjusticia, E.T. 2000, Pancakes, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 59 of Obscured Truth.

Hi, everyone! Based on your feedback, it seems that you provided a lot of insightful information on your reviews. Now this is something I like, as I encourage discussion not only to myself, but to other readers as well.

Anyhow, let's get to answering some reviews:

HunterHQ: There's a reason why the higher-ups can't fire Pawn, and that will be revealed later on in Season 2. Honestly, the Ignis's comedy drama is sweet and funny, that's for sure. Well, Flame still likes Ghost Girl, and with the fact he now likes Aithne... well, he's gonna get teased big time by the others. Tigress's story is actually kind of sad, and that will be revealed this chapter. When did Yusaku get Diplexer Chimera, you may ask? Simple. A while back after the gang rescued Soulburner from the trap. While that monster and Paladin of Storm Dragon has a great chance in appearing in Season 2, Cyberse Integrator and Cyberse Reminder will likely appear later on in Season 2. Whoops. Can't believe I switched up the GX and 5D's shock references. Azrael is indeed Ghost Girl's client, and he got the data from the FBI a while back in the three months between Seasons 1 and 2. While the Guzik family aren't aware that Ace killed the Overseer, they prefer Ace being in charge over the old Overseer. While Raguel is capable of fighting against people who get in his way, he doesn't kill them, and will show mercy to others who surrender. After all, Raguel isn't a monster. Why would Herald make a pet store for his sentient duel monster creatures? If he were to do that, Roxy would practically kill him to no end for turning Café Matsuo into a zoo. Not everyone in LINK VRAINS is obviously a duelist. As for Zero, he will appear again, and sooner than you think.

Anonymous: Jayla's... practically nuts, that I'll tell you. You'll see other weapons Soulburner has later on. People unfortunately look out for themselves most of the time. It sucks. Yuhiro isn't a monster, as he wouldn't do that to anyone. At the time, no other branch was accepting new clients, so Yuhiro ended up working for Omega. If Epsilon was accepting new clients, Yuhiro would enjoy working for that branch a LOT MORE than Omega. No other employees that Infearno is with the Knights of Hanoi. Right now, the Guzik Family have been arrested, so Gamma is currently under control by the authorities. Yup. Roxy has a lot of reserve funds. Yuhiro obviously took the threat seriously after Monty told him that Azrael will have their heads. I use dub chants some of the time, but I can use some sub chants if you like. After the Turf War arc, I'll have to do a LOT of profiles to catch up, but once that's done, I'll continue the story.

Unnamed: You'll find out that answer this chapter. I do have an idea for Malf, but that won't be revealed until later on in the story. I know what you're talking about regarding how the symbiotes can appear as heads. Being an AI, Malf will obviously learn from his mistakes, and during his second AND third duels, that will be applied. Remember in Chapter 45, where Malf practically ate a penguin head FIRST? Nice point you brought there in terms of the comparison between the Sons of Ajax and Nightlock Predators, as well as the current situation. I praise you for your sharp eye on things.

Guest: Just pay attention to the story, and you'll find your answers.

Noobmaster: The collars were very old, so old that Herald couldn't necessarily do anything about it. If they were newly developed, then Herald can eat it up for breakfast. You'll see Athaliah and Speckles later on in the Turf War. While the Knights of Hanoi are focusing on the Turf War, they are also keeping an eye on the Ignis if they appear again. It's called the art of multitasking.

Unknown: I fixed that error. Then again, at least it wasn't a chapter error, that's for sure. My apologies for switching the shock things from GX and 5D's. The scene with Balelynx breathing fire was a total reference to Goose the Cat from Captain Marvel. Just read the chapter, and hopefully, your questions will be answered. Miles actually bore a grudge towards what happened, but thanks to Quinton, he was able to forgive his dad and Norman and move on with his life. Your point is kind of tragic, if you know what I mean, in terms of Ai and his promise to bring Playmaker to the Cyberse World. Referring to your comment on Tigress and how she isn't interested in Slipstream, well, I have a question for you. Have you seen Young Justice? Let's just say their relationship will be like that specific relationship between those two characters. To ensure Project: VIII can never be repeated, it was split up into various pieces across various places. Unfortunately, Dr. Kogami found one of those pieces, which lead to the Hanoi Project. He eventually found the second piece, which led to Project: Apotheosis. In the three months since Season 1 and 2, Azrael, being a skilled hacker, stole the FBI's piece of Project: VIII from their servers. Luckily, Yuhiro was able to get it because Greg duplicated the data and put it on a USB stick.

KingOtakuOverYou: OMG, I haven't heard from you in such a long time! Thanks very much for helping me for Chapter 57, as you helped develop Rosetta even more as a character! No, the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series is the 2003 one. If you want awesome character development, various arcs, and awesome villains, watch that one. No, Raguel isn't like Justin Bieber, and aside from Tigress, the other ladies are older than him. Remember: Rosetta mentioned that she 'lost the race before it began', so it's clear that she's putting aside her feelings in exchange for becoming a better person after what she did. Slipstream is a VERY lucky dude in terms of dice effects, but against someone like Bohman... well, it definitely brings food for thought, that's for sure. You want interesting interactions? There have been interesting interactions so far in the story, or have you not been paying attention? Okay, for your question on the use of Cynet Backdoor, Playmaker did that move because he was thinking in the long-term. But to ease your mind, I will do some calculations. Scenario 1: Mechaba attacks Code Talker, and Playmaker uses Parallel Port Armor to prevent him from being destroyed by battle (Playmaker: 4000 – 700 = 3300 LP). Luc uses The Book of the Law to bring out Purgatrio and Special Summon it to the Main Monster Zone Transcode Talker's pointing to (Purgatrio ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800). Purgatrio's effect gives them 200 attack points for every card on Playmaker's field (Purgatrio ATK: 2800 + 1000 = 3800). Purgatrio attacks Transcode Talker (Playmaker: 2700 – 500 = 2200), which reduces Code Talker's attack points back down to 1300. Purgatrio attacks Code Talker (Playmaker: 2200 – 2500 = 0, which means he loses). Scenario 2: Mechaba attacks Code Talker, Playmaker uses Cynet Backdoor to banish Code Talker, bringing Transcode Talker to 2300 attack points. Playmaker uses Parallel Port Armor to protect Transcode Talker (Playmaker: 4000 – 700 = 3300 LP). Luc uses The Book of the Law to bring out Purgatrio and Special Summon it to the Main Monster Zone Transcode Talker's pointing to (Purgatrio ATK: 2300 + 500 = 2800). Purgatrio's effect gives them 200 attack points for every card on Playmaker's field (Purgatrio ATK: 2800 + 600 = 3400). Purgatrio attacks Transcode Talker, who isn't destroyed thanks to Parallel Port Armor (Playmaker: 3300 – 1100 = 2200 LP). Looking back, I can say that you're right... to an extent, so thanks for pointing that out. Playmaker's goal was to use a combo of Transcode Talker + Cynet Backdoor + Parallel Port Armor in the Graveyard to attack directly twice and end the duel. Had Luc not summoned Mechaba back in defense position, then Playmaker would have succeeded. Basically, short-term pain for long-term victory. On that specific topic, Mechaba was in DEFENSE POSITION, thus allowing Shootingcode Talker to destroy him and deal Luc damage thanks to Cyberse Annihilation. Still, I fixed the Shootingcode Talker effect where she lets Playmaker draw a card. Yeah, the battle between Seamus and Raguel was basically them trying to one up the other by drawing cards, so that scenario won't happen again. NEVER CALL RAGUEL A WHORE AGAIN! Yeah, Chapter 19 was practically a mess. Still, it helped me improve in my writing and in my duels, don't you agree?

Ambiguous: Zero is actually terrifying, as his deck is something NOT to be TRIFLED WITH. While I'll say the deck he wields is an actual deck, it's been revamped by me to ensure it fits in the story. So it's partially an OC deck, but at the same time, it uses cards that have already appeared in the anime and in real life. Yup, Azrael operated under a fake alias, so Ghost Girl is not going to be happy about that. She doesn't know who her client is, so how can she tell Raguel their identity? Just read the chapter to find out who exactly kidnapped Aaron. If Omega attacked Yuhiro and Roxy in the real world, that... will not end well for Omega, that I can confirm. Have you seen Yuhiro's Link Trigger? Correct. After Omega, it'll be Delta, and then Alpha.

ZarcEternal: Glad you enjoyed the duels. And thanks for pointing out those errors. Would you like to review my duels and help me correct them? I sent you a connection request from the DocX page, and I can use all the help I can get.

ZeroMK7: Happy you enjoyed the duels. You're right; there were FOUR duels to juggle, and it was hard, I admit.

Portal: Congrats on being the 900th reviewer. Only 100 more reviews to go before Obscured Truth hits 1000!

Cosmic Cat: Considering how there were four duels, the four star rating makes sense.

Donjusticia: That's what Author's Notes are for. Which crew member are you looking forward to seeing the most later on in the story?

E.T. 2000: Glad you liked the duels. As there were four duels last chapter, it was pretty tricky to juggle them, especially since they were important. It makes sense what you said there for Tigress, as that didn't come to my mind until now.

Pancakes: Are you referring to the poem, Divine Comedy? Or were you referring to the comedic content in this chapter? Please clarify.

Guest: Yup. Azrael heard AND saw Raguel and Seamus's conversation. Considering how Zero is an unknown to Azrael, it's definitely worth investigating who he is. If Ace failed in his job, then Azrael would finish it up, as he's responsible for his flunkies.

With all reviews answered, it's time to begin the chapter. Oh, I almost forgot. As of this chapter, Obscured Truth has over 1,000,000 words! Enjoy!

Chapter 60: Sins of the Father

The sky appears, full of clouds. Playmaker races through the clouds on his duel board, followed by Raguel, Soulburner, and Slipstream. Two swords then slice the clouds completely to reveal NEW LINK VRAINS. One of the swords, a katana with symbols inscribed on the blade, crosses downwards to the left. Crossing downwards to the right was a typical western sword, with a golden rain-guard and a blue grip. The sword also had symbols inscribed on the blade as well. The two swords made a shining X, causing the Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS! logo to appear, and underneath it, the words "OBSCURED TRUTH" ominously appear.

Yuhiro and Yusaku are walking down the street to school. Naoki runs past them, a large smile on his face. Aoi walks past them on the other side, smiling lightly and blushing at Yusaku. Then Takeru walks up behind them and wraps one arm around Yusaku. He then wraps the other arm around Yuhiro, surprising him for a few moments before being pulled to the side by Rachel, who's clearly happy to see him. Yuhiro smiles back at her.

Tsubaki and Hideki are shown boarding an airplane as they head to their destination. After sitting down next to each other in their respective seats, Tsubaki looks out in the window, which shows a reflection of Rosetta, while Hideki picks up the airplane guide and reads it. In the sky above them is Ace, a malicious sneer on his face.

Go Onizuka is shown wearing a hoodie as he leaves the waterfront for the last time. Outside of his home, he encounters Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, who are waiting for him. Smirking, the three of them raise their left arms into the air and enter NEW LINK VRAINS, with Go in his new avatar riding beside his new allies. Stregone crosses his arms as he looks down at them, a look of shock and disappointment on his face.

Kusanagi is then shown with Roxy at a nearby picnic table, both enjoying food and laughter while talking about technology. Flame and Ai are shown arguing in Café Nagi, while Herald ends up getting annoyed with their bickering. As a result, he snaps his fingers, causing Progleo to jump onto the desk and startle Ai and Flame.

At SOL Technologies, Akira Zaizen and Hayami are shown in Queen's office, with Queen handing them a signed order regarding Playmaker and Raguel. A look of hesitation appears on Akira's face, but he hides it just in time.

Azrael and Wraith are then shown with Ace and Athaliah standing behind them, shrouded in shadow along with their ace monsters Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed and El Shaddoll Construct. Standing behind Azrael and Wraith though, is a black, bipedal dragon with red sclera, white irises, and black pupils obscured in shadow. The dragon roars before disappearing with Zerrziel and El Shaddoll Construct. Jumping above Azrael and Wraith is Malf, sporting a demonic expression on his face. He then extends his right arm forward towards the screen, darkening it completely.

When the screen becomes clear, Playmaker and Raguel are shown riding their duel boards next to each other, with Cyberse Witch and Cyberse Magician in front of Playmaker, and Cyreath Hercules and Cyreath Medusa in front of Raguel. The two are chased by Blood Shepherd, who directs two copies of Battledrone Sergeant to fire at them. Although the two of them are hit by the explosions the missiles caused, they escape unharmed. Suddenly, Drachen orders Red-Eyes Black Dragon to fire at them. In response, Playmaker and Raguel are shown swerving left and right to avoid the consecutive fire blasts. Joining the young man in the hunt is Electrolyzer, who orders PSY-Framelord Omega to attack Playmaker, but Raguel turns his duel board around and activates a card, causing Hercules to glow a bright light before transforming into Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode. His eyes glowing red, Hercules/Alpha Mode charged forward with his axe sword and clashed with PSY-Framelord Omega.

The screen then shifts to Slipstream watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, while Raguel duels Electrolyzer. Noticing Haru, who's also watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, Slipstream takes a card and summons Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who roars at the boy. Haru, in response, takes a card and summons Hydradrive Nagini, who hissed at Clear Wing in the process.

Blue Girl and Rosetta are shown in NEW LINK VRAINS at a picnic table, laughing and enjoying each other's company. The two of them then turn their heads towards the duels going on in the sky, a look of concern on each of their faces.

Watchman's group is then shown, with Percival standing slightly apart from them as he makes a fist with his left hand. Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon appear before a massive, red-skinned demonic looking monster with golden elements, several eyeballs embedded on its body and four tentacles with bladed claws rises from behind them.

The Knights of Hanoi are shown summoning their monsters. Motor Worm Spread Queen, Helixx Necro Darwin, and Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps first appear before fading into the background. Next is Dark Magician, Berserker of the Tenyi, and Lucifer, Condemner of the Burning Abyss, with Sunavalon Dryanome behind them. Borreload Savage Dragon then rises from behind the four monsters and roars loudly.

Akira is shown at Green Park with Emma, Gekiryushi, and Aoi, giving them details on finding the Ignis. Emma proceeds to make a flirtatious gesture at Akira, making Gekiryushi facepalm and comment on how flirting can be useful at a time like this. The two women then begin to argue, with Akira and Aoi trying to break up the argument.

Yuhiro and Progleo are shown with Miyu at the Den City Hospital, trying to help her walk. Miyu, who's using the parallel bars, ends up slipping, only for Yuhiro to immediately catch her from behind and help her stand up. Roxy then runs out of nowhere and starts pummeling Yuhiro, causing Miyu to almost fall backwards again to their shock. Catching her this time though is Medusa, who appears behind her and smiles, much to everyone's relief. Miyu smiles back, grateful for Medusa's help. The screen then flips around before showing Yuhiro on his knees, clasping an unconscious Miyu's hand in sadness and rage.

Cyreaths Hercules/Alpha Mode, Medusa, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus are then shown in the air, with Turboblaze Dragon racing past them. The five of them prepare to attack alongside Turboblaze Dragon, who unleashes his Desolation Flare attack as well.

Raguel and Herald are then shown on top of a tower, facing off against Azrael and Wraith in a duel. Behind Raguel and Herald is Turboblaze Dragon, while behind Azrael and Wraith is the black, bipedal dragon from earlier in the opening. Both dragons roar at each other. Raguel reeves up his sword, while Azrael unsheathes his katana before the two of them and their dragons charge at each other.

Yuhiro, Roxy, Miyu, Kusanagi, Takeru, and Yusaku are all shown sitting outdoors at a picnic table near the Den City Hospital, all of them eating hot dogs, and Takeru, Kusanagi, and Roxy are laughing. Three duel disks are shown on the table, with Flame lecturing Ai while Herald plays a game on Yuhiro's tablet.

Yuhiro, Roxy, and Miyu are sitting down on a bench outside the Den City Hospital, with Medusa standing nearby them and Progleo on Roxy's lap. Miyu proceeds to rest her head on Yuhiro's shoulder, causing him to blush as she smiles. Yuhiro smiles back at her, while Roxy and Medusa both smile at them, happy they're able to find happiness with each other. The scene then switches to NEW LINK VRAINS, with Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner standing on a building and looking out into the radiant sky.

In LINK VRAINS, at Herald's server...

"WHAT?!" Raguel couldn't believe what he heard. Just when he was celebrating with Playmaker, Soulburner, and Slipstream, Miles told him that his dad was kidnapped. Who in their right mind would kidnap someone's father? The answer: Someone who was crazy.

"Is everything alright, Raguel?" Playmaker asked, going over to him, along with Soulburner and Slipstream.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Soulburner added.

"My friend's dad's been kidnapped." Raguel answered. "Not sure who, but I need to go help him find out who did this."

"Do you want us to help you, dude?" Slipstream asked. "We'll be more than happy to-."

Raguel shook his head. "No. This is personal. I need to take care of this myself. If you guys can assist me in the real world, that would be great."

"If that's what you want, we won't stop you." Playmaker said, going over to shake Raguel's hand, who reciprocated it in response. "Good luck, Raguel. If you need our help, we're only a call away."

"Likewise." Raguel nodded before turning to Herald and Progleo. "Herald. Progleo. Play time's over. We need to go."

"Go where?" Herald repeated, as he and Progleo went over to him. Knowing that Raguel was serious, Progleo went over to Raguel's duel disk and went back in it, with Herald following suit.

"I'll explain in a bit." Raguel replied, before pressing a few buttons on his duel disk. Afterwards, he disappeared in a burst of blue light, indicating he logged into the central network.

"We might as well log out as well. Raguel will need all the help he can get." Slipstream told the others.

"Aw, can't we stay and have a bit more fun?" Ai pleaded to Playmaker.

"Come on, Soulburner. Five more minutes. Please?" Flame requested.

"Sorry guys, but there's a more important matter here." Soulburner answered, as Flame and Balelynx went over to him before getting into his duel disk. Ai and Linkuriboh followed suit by going towards Playmaker and getting into his duel disk.

The three of them nodding, all three duelists logged out of Herald's server afterwards.

In LINK VRAINS...

Raguel landed on his duel board before heading over to the main area and landed on it. Pressing a button, a poncho with a hood covered him up to conceal his identity. If Raguel was being honest, wearing a poncho with a hood wasn't the best disguise option to choose from. Then again, it was far better than disguising yourself as another person and acting like them.

Still, there was a simple option why Raguel chose to conceal his identity with a poncho with a hood. The answer: It allowed someone to mingle through the crowd without suspicion. Besides, a lot of people in the Black Market right now were wearing ponchos with hoods to walk by unnoticed. What's more, in the event anyone tried to yank it off Raguel, he can simply pummel them unconscious before dragging the attacker to a nearby alleyway and resuming his mission.

Within a few moments, his duel disk buzzed, causing Raguel to press a button on his duel disk.

"Hello?"

"Raguel, are you in the network?" Phoenix asked him quietly.

"Yeah. Where are you?" Raguel replied. As if on cue, a digital map popped up on his duel disk, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Just follow the direction and you'll find Phoenix." Roxy told him.

"We got you and your buddy covered, dude." Slipstream added.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate it." Raguel then followed the directions on his map, which made him walk straight forward for a bit before taking a left and then a right. After taking a few more turns and walking down a few alleyways, he noticed Phoenix's location began moving. "Shit!" He started running, knowing that Phoenix was likely to be in danger. Upon arriving at Phoenix's location, he found him being ambushed by a gang members.

"No where to run, little birdie," the lead gang member said.

"Once we capture you, then-!" the other gang member began, intent on saying more...

ZAP!

ZAP!

ZAP!

...Until of the gang members fell to the ground before convulsing, causing the lead gang member to turn his head slowly.

"Who goes there?" the man demanded before charging at Raguel, only for him to punch the man in the gut so quickly that he took a few steps back in pain.

"Leave him alone!" Raguel told the man before electrocuting him. Afterwards, he went over to Phoenix. "You okay?"

"Sorry, Raguel." Phoenix apologized. "I thought this area was safe, but when I noticed people patrolling the area..."

"You did the right thing alerting me to your location." Raguel stated, putting a hand on Phoenix's shoulder in reassurance. "Speaking of location, I never noticed this area before."

"It was a pathway Stregone took me through when we went to meet Abysstainer." Phoenix explained, as the two of them walked out of the alleyway.

"Do you know who kidnapped your dad?"

"No. But I have this." Phoenix pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, causing a video to pop out of his duel disk. Raguel then looked at it, the two of them having stopped walking. Upon looking at the title, Raguel froze out of shock.

"Reports indicate that a large group of gang members stormed Sincero Penitentiary, one of Den City's main prisons," a male reporter began. "A total of twenty criminals and five police officers died from the assault, including Norman Rodriguez, the leader of the Nightlock Predators. One of the multiple escaped convicts, Jeff Shilton, was forcibly dragged out of Sincero Penitentiary by this group of attackers. A search warrant has been..." Phoenix closed the video afterwards.

"Oh, that's not good at all." Raguel muttered. The fact that these attackers murdered Norman meant the Nightlock Predators were likely to rise up again and avenge their leader, no matter the cost. That meant there was a very likely chance the Sons of Ajax would be in danger as well. "We need to track the Sons of Ajax members down. Perhaps they'll have information that can help us rescue your dad."

"Right!" The duo continued walking out of the alleyway before eventually entering the main area, navigating through the crowd in the process. Looking around, until now, Raguel never noticed this many number of people in the general Black Market area. Then again, it made sense. Considering how each of these people belonged to their respective branches, they were likely heading back there either for safety, or to report back to their bosses from recent missions.

Still, the whole thing bothered him. Who would go to Sincero Penitentiary to free Jeff Shilton against his own will? Because of that impulsive action, the Disbandment Armistice was now broken, which would result in a war between the Sons of Ajax and the Nightlock Predators. In other words, a war within a Turf War!

"Hey Phoenix, can I ask you a question?" Raguel said, getting his ally's attention. "Did Jeff ever showed you his hideouts?"

"No. After he married my mom, he shut them all down." Phoenix answered.

"I see." Raguel then looked down at his duel disk. "Roxy. Kusanagi. I need a web search. Jeff Shilton. His criminal activities. Hideouts. Whatever you got."

"Yusaku, Takeru and I will find whatever we can for you." Kusanagi said.

"Arashi and I will help as well." Roxy added.

"Raguel! Look over there!" Herald suddenly stated, pointing his finger at a man with a ragged hood. Raguel and Phoenix looked closely at the hood's insignia, which had an 'A' with a cross down the middle. Bullseye!

Upon seeing them, the man immediately began cutting through the crowd, intent on getting away the duo.

"After him!" Phoenix said, as he and Raguel gave chase by also cutting through the crowd. If they can get to that man, they'll have some information to continue the case. There was one problem with going after a prime suspect in a crowd.

It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Only in this case, the needle was moving.

Eventually, Raguel and Phoenix were able to navigate successfully through the crowd and continue pursuing the man on foot. The duo chased him down the street, where their target eventually turned left at the end of the street. Knowing they couldn't let their target escape, Raguel and Phoenix continued pursuing the man until he pressed a button on his duel disk, which made him invisible.

"Seriously? An invisible cloaking device?" Phoenix complained.

"Leave this to me." Raguel assured him, pressing a few buttons on his duel disk before it released an infrared wave of the area. "What? This usually works on finding invisible people."

"Let me try enhancing your program, Raguel." Herald suggested, with Raguel giving him a thumbs up in approval. Once that was done, Raguel pressed the button again, which released a second infrared wave of the area. No such luck.

And to make matters worse, the duo ended up reaching the end of an alleyway.

"I'll take the right. You take the left." Phoenix immediately stated, knowing that the man they were after had to go in one of those directions. It was obvious, as it was likely the man was following a secret route to one of his hideouts.

Besides, unless the man had climbing equipment, there was no way he can climb across the wall in front of the duo.

Raguel nodded before the two of them split up in separate directions. "Herald, how come my infrared scanner didn't work? It usually works on finding invisible targets."

"I'm not sure, Raguel. Not sure at all." Herald admitted. "Do you think this guy will help us find who kidnapped Phoenix's dad?"

"The Sons of Ajax obviously look up to Jeff as their leader." Raguel replied, before turning left at the end of another alleyway. "Of all people they care about, they obviously care about-." Suddenly, Raguel heard a scream. Crap.

"HANG ON, PHOENIX!" Raguel began running the other way, afraid his friend had been attacked by more people. He pressed two fingers on his earpiece before saying, "Need some directions here!"

"What's the magic word, Yuhiro?" Roxy inquired, which made Arashi chuckle in amusement.

Raguel sighed. "I need some directions... please."

"Take a right at the end of the alleyway." Arashi began explaining, as Raguel did that. "Keep running straight, and then take a left at the end of the alleyway." Raguel did that as well. Hang on Phoenix. I'm coming, Raguel thought.

"There you are, Raguel!" Phoenix suddenly said, going over to him before stopping.

Raguel breathed a sigh of relief, happy that Phoenix didn't get himself cornered. "I thought you let out a cry for help..."

"I thought that you were the-." The duo heard a scream of help once again. Knowing what to do, they continued running straight before taking a turn or two. Eventually, after a full minute of running, they found their target...

...Who was entangled in a web-like trap. Or in this case, a web created by chains, with Gil looking at the man in front of him.

"Alright, punk. Where's my father?" Gil demanded, a frown on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, kid! Go away!" the man shouted back, only for the chains binding him to tighten around his body.

"If you don't talk, my chains will squeeze you like a rag and make you suffer unimaginable pain." Gil warned the man. "Now tell me. Where's-?"

"Gil, that's enough!" Phoenix shouted, getting his attention.

"Hi, Phoenix!" Gil walked over to where the duo was. "And you must be Raguel! A pleasure to meet you in the flesh!"

"Uh, Phoenix?" Raguel raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend? And how the heck does he know my name?"

"Oh, right!" Phoenix replied. "Raguel, this is Gil, who's also known as the current Abysstainer."

"Abysstainer? You're the guy Stregone went to visit to get the Lost Incident info?" Raguel inquired, confused on how a kid got the information.

"Nah, that was my scumbag dad." Gil answered. "I heard he got kidnapped, so I found this douchebag to torture for my dad's whereabouts." He snapped his fingers, causing the chains to tighten around the captured man. "Since you're after this man right here, I can help you get-."

"We are not torturing him, Gil!" Raguel said in a voice that practically made Gil close his mouth. "I'll take care of the interrogation." He walked over to the captured man, who was sweating in fear. "We're trying to find Jeff Shilton, your leader. If you can tell us who kidnapped him, we can-."

"He isn't our leader! Not since he had him!" the man spat out, glaring at Phoenix, who was surprised at that statement.

In response, Raguel went over and grabbed the man's jaw. "What do you mean?"

"Jeff left the Sons of Ajax upon getting married, and that led to us fighting just to survive at the hands of the Nightlock Predators. The Disbandment Armistice after that shut down our operations, and we had to go into hiding," the man began.

"Norman is dead. You guys are aware of that, right?" Raguel questioned, narrowing his eyes to get the point across.

The man smirked upon hearing Raguel's question. "Obviously. We killed him after all." Raguel and Phoenix's eyes widened upon hearing that statement. Gil, on the other hand, simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Since the Turf War began, the Sons of Ajax have been looking for work. It's a good thing Omega was hiring, as that gave us a chance to finally get our revenge on Jeff!" the man continued. "We even got to kill Norman as well! After Jeff is executed, the Sons of Ajax will...AAAAAGGGHH!" The man screamed as the chains wrapped around him became tighter.

"You guys got your information. Now it's my turn." Gil stated, walking forward with a serious expression. "Did you guys kidnap my scumbag dad as well?"

"Of course. He needed hostages to... AAAAGGHH!" The man then screamed before being forced to log out due to the pain.

"Okay, what the hell's going on?" Phoenix said out of shock, before going over to Raguel and Gil. "Why would my dad's own gang kidnap him? And why are they so antagonistic towards me?"

"It's a classic strategy, gentlemen." Gil began explaining, motioning the two of them to follow him. "If you're going after someone, then there's two methods. One: Attack the person themselves. Two, which in my opinion is the better one: Attack the person they care about the most. It's an effective strategy, considering how it worked on Raguel."

"Worked on...?" Raguel narrowed his eyes before going over to Gil and stopping him from walking. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Combined with my information on the Lost Incident, I have my eye on multiple things as well." Gil answered with a smile. "Paying close attention to what's going on yields bountiful results, that's for sure."

"Okay, I don't trust you, kid." Herald stated, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

To his surprise, Gil smiled out of joy and excitement. "Woah, an Ignis! I never thought I'd meet one in person until now. So cool!"

"Uh, Raguel? Help me..."

"Enough, both of you." Raguel told both Gil and Herald. He noticed that the three of them were now out of the alleyway and back onto the street. "You got everything from that conversation, Roxy? Kusanagi?"

"Yes we did." Roxy confirmed. "Found some new information on the Omega branch. Apparently, they hired a new boss. Sending info now." A picture then came up on Raguel and Phoenix's duel disk, which showed a short man wearing a full, purple business suit. He had moss-green hair, as well as an intricate mustache.

"OMG, that guy looks like a goblin!" Gil laughed upon looking at the man.

"According to his profile, this guy's name is Creknurt." Phoenix stated, before turning to Raguel. "Didn't you tell me Omega was the most laid-back branch of the Black Market?"

"Yes I did. That was before Monty was murdered." Raguel answered, surprising Phoenix. "But considering how there's a new guy in charge, it's likely they changed things up."

"You guys should get moving soon." Yusaku suggested over the comm. "Kusanagi, Takeru, and I found a troop patrol nearby."

"The last thing either of us needs right now is to get spotted by a troop patrol." Takeru added.

"Noted." Raguel turned to Phoenix. "While Omega may be a laid-back branch, it's likely they've revamped it under Creknurt's control. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

Phoenix, in response, shook his head. "I have to go with you. Not only do I want to rescue my dad, I also want to find out why the Sons of Ajax hate me all of a sudden."

"In that case, follow me." Raguel and Phoenix then started running forward, only for Gil to follow them.

"Hey now, I'm helping you guys! After all, we do have the same goal here." Gil stated, catching up to the duo.

"Don't you hate your dad for leaving you as a test subject for Project: Apotheosis?" Phoenix reminded him.

"Project: Apotheosis?" Raguel's eyes widened in shock before turning to Gil. "You were among the test subjects?"

"Of course. How else do you think I was able to manipulate my Chains of Tragedy?" Gil responded. "While I'm here to settle things with my douchebag dad, you and I Raguel have the same enemy in Athaliah. That said, I'll help you and your allies put an end to her once and for all."

"That's nice and all, but you still have to answer our questions once this mess is cleaned up." Herald requested.

"Sound's fair with me." Gil complied. In truth, he was happy. Happy to work with someone who had an Ignis.

And if he had the chance to clear things up with his dad, as well as deal with Athaliah for good, he'd agree to whatever requests Raguel and Herald made.

A few minutes later, at the Omega Branch...

The trio hid behind a large piece of debris on higher ground, which was some distance away from Omega's main headquarters. It consisted of a two-leveled building, with the first level consisting of a massive, circular floor. As for the second level, it consisted of a medium, octagon-sized floor. Various troops were patrolling around the headquarters. Orbiting around the headquarters also was humanoid AIs of different colors that were armed with cannons on its arms.

If Raguel was being honest with himself, he was shocked with the actions Omega committed. While Omega was a branch who always recruited new workers, it wasn't the type of branch that would took hostages. After all, Omega always aimed to follow the Black Market's three golden rules, which went like this:

Rule One: As a Black Market agent, I will keep its secrets so long as I work there.

Rule Two: I will not betray my branch for another, unless I'm temporarily assigned to assist that branch for any reason.

Rule Three: For the Black Markets safety, I will only take missions in the network.

These rules were also followed by this oath:

I understand that breaking these three golden rules will lead to termination of my career, and whatever info I have on the Black Market will be deleted. Furthermore, my access to the Black Market will be revoked, and I swear to never step foot in any of the branches again, as otherwise, the Black Market becomes my enemy.

While Omega abided by these three rules, the fact they changed under new management disturbed him.

Wait... humanoid AIs of different colors?

"Hang on a minute. Raguel, aren't those Kitamura's AI's?" Herald questioned him, along with the others.

"I thought they were all exterminated by the Hanoi.." Phoenix muttered in surprise.

"Seems like Creknurt was able to salvage and reprogram them for his forces." Gil deduced, looking at them.

"How he obtained them remains the question." Raguel added. Looking at the area, the only option was to stealthily sneak around Omega and find a backdoor, as there was no way the trio would head to the front door. After all, ground and aerial troops guarded the place. Raguel pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, releasing a swarm of E.M.S. "All copies of E.M.S, listen up. See if you can disrupt the AI's programming for the time being." The flies then flew over above Omega before spreading out and heading to each of the AI's. As a result of entering inside each one, all of them fell to the ground, getting the attention of the patrolling guards. Pressing two fingers on his earpiece, Raguel said, "See if you guys can disable the cameras and monitors. We're going in."

"Leave it to us, buddy!" Kusanagi said.

"Ditto on that one." Roxy added.

The trio then walked down to the ground before, treading carefully, as now they were in Omega's territory. Luckily, the cameras were down, allowing them to slip by quietly.

"How great. Not only did Kitamura's AI's deactivate, the security system's on the fritz too," one troop commented to his four buddies. Seeing this, Raguel and the others stopped moving. "Guess Kitamura was lying about the strength of his AI's after all."

"Well, at least we have more troops," another troop stated. "Considering how we're on the chopping block here, we need all the muscle we got just to survive this Turf War."

"Don't worry, guys," a troop said, running over to his buddies. "I contacted a maintenance squad. They'll be on their way to fix those AI's and the security system in no time."

"Nice going, dude!" a fourth troop praised his comrade with a high five.

"So how are we going to get through these guys?" Phoenix asked Raguel and Gil.

"Leave this to me." Gil told the others, as his Chains of Tragedy appeared out of nowhere, which snaked towards the six troops before wrapping around their entire body.

"What the-?" was all one of the troops said before their mouths were kept shut. Gil then used his Chains of Tragedy to drag them to a nearby alleyway before knocking each troop unconscious. "Okay, we're good to go." The trio then continued heading deeper into Omega. Or at least, outside of its headquarters, considering how going through the front door was not an option.

"Okay, something about that kid is not natural." Herald whispered to Raguel.

"It must be a side effect of Project: Apotheosis. The way Rachel was able to interact with her Cyberse monsters, Gil must have a unique ability of his own." Raguel theorized. The trio eventually found another troop squad patrolling the area, causing them to hide behind a nearby wall. As if fortune smiled on them, one of the troops pressed their finger on their earpiece, who led the others away from their post. Seizing the opportunity, the trio continued going deeper in Omega's territory before hiding at another nearby wall. "Okay. I found the backdoor for this place. If we hurry, we can get there and infiltrate the place."

"Right!" Phoenix and Gil said at the same time, before the three of them continued going down the street and turning left afterwards. Unfortunately for them, Phoenix stopped upon witnessing troops escorting prisoners downstairs to an unknown entrance.

"Phoenix, what are you doing? We have to move!" Raguel told him.

"My dad may be with those prisoners!" Phoenix stated, turning to Raguel. "We have to help them!"

"Until we get inside, we won't know where those troops are taking them." Raguel pointed out.

"No! I'm not letting them die!" Phoenix then ran forward and charged at the troops, who aimed at him with their guns.

"Oh, for the love of..." Raguel pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the swarms of E.M.S to move towards Phoenix's location, which distracted the troops long enough for him to punch one of them with a gun. "He's going to get himself killed." Raguel and Gil then ran after him, intent on stopping Phoenix from making a mistake.

As a result of E.M.S distracting the troops, Phoenix was able to knock each of them out with the butt of the gun he was carrying. The others, on the other hand, were knocked unconscious by Raguel and Gil. Unfortunately, the commotion caused several troops to swarm in on their location.

"Please! Don't hurt us!" one of the prisoners begged.

"We just want to go home!" another of the prisoners added.

"Hands in the air now!" the captain told everyone, who complied at his order.

Looking around at those troops, who were only following orders, Raguel felt sorry for them. "Guys, you do not want to do this, trust me."

"You're Raguel, right?" the captain asked, who nodded in confirmation. "You were the best worker Omega had, and what did you do? Resign and leave us. Thanks to your little stunt, we're now targeted for termination!"

"Little stunt? What do you mean?" Raguel questioned.

"Did you do something to them?" Gil whispered to him.

"Gamma released a video of you destroying Zeta. Here." The captain pulled out his phone, which immediately played file footage of Raguel, Ghost Girl, Blue Girl, and SengokuQueen blowing Zeta branch's main headquarters up. Four 'Wanted' words were then smeared on their pictures.

Damn you Seamus, Raguel cursed in his mind.

"Because you worked with us in the past, we'll spare your lives if you surrender and pledge your service in Creknurt."

"We are not serving someone that takes joy in kidnapping others!" Phoenix exclaimed.

"Serving Little Goblin Jr.? Not interested." Gil said as well.

"If you won't surrender, then we'll make you concede by force." The captain gestured to his troops before saying, "Masks!"

The others, in response, said "Copy!"

Raguel sighed. He didn't want to do this, but it seems he had no choice. "All right. Have it your way. Mask!"

"Copy!" Herald replied, before Hercules/Alpha Mode emerged from Raguel's duel disk and landed on the ground, roaring at the troops as he stood up, Nine Lives in his hand.

"What the Hell is that thing?!" one of the troops exclaimed, as all of them fired at Hercules/Alpha Mode, who merely shrugged in response. Letting out a second roar, Hercules/Alpha Mode jumped forward before landing on the ground, causing a shockwave that sent everyone flying off the ground before landing on their backs.

"Find cover, everyone!" Raguel told the others, who did what he said. Meanwhile, Hercules/Alpha Mode proceeded to practically attack the troops using Nine Lives.

"Fire safeties!" the captain ordered, as some of the troops fired their rocket launchers, causing a large explosion within moments. "Hah! We got him!"

Raguel sighed. Idiots, he thought, as the smoke cleared, which revealed an unharmed Hercules/Alpha Mode.

"Oh shit!" the captain screamed, as Hercules/Alpha Mode charged forward and hit the captain with Nine Lives so hard he was sent flying to the wall. In response, the troops continued firing at him, only for an enraged Hercules/Alpha Mode to spin kick some of them before they flew off the ground and landed on their backs. He then grabbed one of the troop's legs and threw him at his comrades, sending them flying back as well.

"Flash grenade!" one of the troops shouted before he and the others threw them at Hercules/Alpha Mode. This made him jump over to the troop that initiated the order before grabbing him by his leg. From there, Hercules/Alpha Mode threw him at his comrades as well, knocking each of them out in the process. With only a few troops left, Hercules/Alpha Mode roared so loudly at them that they all dropped their weapons before running away out of pure fear. Once that was done, he turned into particles, which went into Raguel's duel disk.

"It's okay, everyone. The bad guy's are gone now." Raguel told the prisoners.

"Thank you so much," several of the prisoners said.

"What... what was that?!" Phoenix asked Raguel.

"That was one of my sentient Cyberse creatures." Herald answered for Raguel. "You're welcome."

"I... I see." Phoenix went over to one of the prisoners and asked, "Did you hear anything about Jeff Shilton?"

"I overheard something one of the Sons of Ajax said," a female prisoner answered. "Only prisoners Omega deems worthy are locked up in the branch's underground dungeon. It's likely he's held there."

"Thank you for telling me." Phoenix replied.

Raguel then approached the prisoners and asked, "Don't tell anyone that I, Phoenix, and Gil was here. Can you do that?"

"You saved us, Raguel. You have our word," the lead prisoner replied.

"I appreciate it." Raguel then pressed two fingers on his earpiece. "Roxy. Kusanagi. Can either of you do a mass logout for these prisoners?"

"We're on it, Raguel." Takeru responded, as he, Yusaku, and Kusanagi began typing on the digital keyboard. Roxy and Arashi did it as well, and within moments, all the prisoners were immediately logged out.

"Thanks guys." Raguel then turned to Phoenix and Gil. "The commotion that just happened will surely attract more troops to our location. We need to move. Now!" After Phoenix and Gil nodded in agreement, the trio ran down the street before turning left, finding a grey door in the process. Upon entering Omega's main headquarters successfully, they ran down the hallway, intent on finding the room containing the prisoners.

Unbeknownst to him, Creknurt was watching them through a screen in his office. On his right side was a man with bushy, beige-coloured hair, with a pair of bronze sunglasses on his head. He wore a black jacket with a zigzag pattern on both sides of the jacket, with each side having an insignia on it, which consisted of an 'A' with a cross down the middle. He also wore a white shirt with bronze colors on it, along with a pair of black pants with bronze colors on it as well. The man had a purple tattoo of the insignia on his left arm and a bronze watch, while on his right hand were bronze bracelets. Last but not least, he wore a bronze bling around his neck.

"That kid over there is Jeff Shilton's kid, right Raul?" Creknurt asked the man beside him, addressing him by his name.

"The one and only." Raul confirmed. "I should thank you for letting us attack Sincero Penitentiary to get Jeff Shilton. After all, he needs to pay for abandoning us."

"And I should thank you for getting Raguel's attention." Creknurt responded. "For in doing so, we can get our revenge on him for abandoning us after the Tower of Hanoi events." He smirked. "I guess we're two people united by a common goal, don't you agree?"

Raul smirked back. "Of course, Creknurt. When this is over, you'll abide by your end of the agreement, right?"

"Yes, yes. As long as you abide by yours." Creknurt smiled before pressing a button. "Anyhow, let the games begin."

Elsewhere...

Raguel, Phoenix, and Gil took a right before eventually taking a left down at the hallway's end.

"Yuhiro... Can you..." Roxy's voice through the comm flickered on and off, preventing Raguel from hearing what she had to say.

"Great. Just what we need right now." Raguel cursed to himself before turning to the others. "Omega's jammed communications. Looks like we're running blind here."

"Not necessarily," a voice said, as a television screen popped up, which showed Raul on one side of the screen. On the other showed a bruised and beat up Jeff.

"Dad!" Phoenix shouted out of shock, his eyes widened in fear.

"Mi... Mi... Miles, is that you?" Jeff quietly questioned.

"Be quiet!" one of the Sons of Ajax ordered, punching him in the face to shut him up.

"Your father's in our custody, Miles Shilton. Rest assured when I say he's alive, but only for now." Raul stated the obvious.

"Crap! He knows my name in the real world!" Phoenix realized.

Gil whistled. "Someone has a grudge, that's for sure."

"Creknurt has set up a personal duel field for our coming duel. I sent you the directions to your duel disk." Raul explained to Phoenix. "Go to the duel field alone so we can settle this man to man. Or dear old daddy ends up paying the price!"

"I'll make you regret messing with the Shiltons!" Phoenix snarled.

"I look forward to it!" Raul laughed as the screen turned itself off.

"Phoenix, calm down! I know exactly what you're feeling, and if you act on those emotions, it'll be your undoing!" Raguel warned him.

In response, Phoenix took a deep breath before turning to Raguel. "Sorry, it's just I'm really angry with what's happened."

"If Raul wants to duel you so bad, then give him what he wants." Gil suggested. "Raguel and I will go rescue your dad, as well as the other prisoners."

"We're your friends, Phoenix. We have your back." Raguel assured him.

"Okay. Thank you guys." Phoenix turned right, following the directions on his duel disk. Afterwards, Raguel and Gil turned left, intent on finding the prisoners.

"This sucks. With the communications being jammed, we don't have contact with our allies in the real world." Herald complained.

"The maps on my duel disk don't work as well." Raguel added, as it flickered on and off. How Raul's map worked was beyond him. "We're basically running blind in here." He and Gil then reached a stairway, only for Gil to stop Raguel.

"Everything okay, Gil?"

"As much as I want to clear things up with my douchebag of a dad, you need to rescue the prisoners." Gil told him, before looking at the elevator nearby with a serious face. "I'll ensure that we can reacquire contact with the outside world. I trust you have a plan to rescue them?"

"Yeah. I have a plan." Raguel replied. "I'll make sure you can have a word with your dad. But please. Don't let your dad's actions turn you into someone you're not."

"We'll see what happens." Gil then headed for the elevator, pressing a button before it closed and went upwards. As for Raguel, he continued running forwards before running down another set of stairs and turning right.

"Considering what Phoenix said before arriving here, do you think it makes Gil and Rachel similar?" Herald asked Raguel.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. It's not worth thinking about right now," was all Raguel replied with.

Elsewhere...

Gil whistled as the elevator went up to the top floor. In a way, he was curious about who Creknurt was, and how he compared to Monty, the previous boss of Omega. While settling things with his dad for good was his primary goal, Gil had another objective for his mission.

He intended to find Athaliah's location and kill her with his own hands.

The elevator then stopped and opened, which got the attention of an entire squad of troopers.

"Hands in the air, kid!" the captain ordered Gil, who gave a deadly smile in response. Suddenly, a muscular purple demon that a gold emblem on his chest and golden spikes on his shoulders, as well as a tail connected himself behind Gil. Abyss King then charged forward as the troops fired at him, which practically did nothing before the demon grabbed some of the troops and tossed them around like toys. Once that was done, Abyss King then punched the captain so hard he was sent flying towards the doors, breaking them in the process.

"What the Hell?!" Creknurt shouted, upon hearing the commotion as Gil walked into the main room, with Abyss King's tail connected behind Gil once again.

"Ah, so you're the infamous Creknurt I heard so much about." Gil commented with a snark. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a goblin? Because you are. A fat one, at most."

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT!" Creknurt exclaimed in pure rage.

"Gonna cry, little goblin? Did your big and pathetic ego get insulted?" Gil taunted, before putting a finger on his chin and thinking for a quick moment. "While you do look like a fat goblin, at least you have a brain cell or two. I mean, considering how you're using prisoners as hostages, I guess you also ordered your troops to steal information as well, am I correct?"

That comment made Creknurt shudder in fear before recomposing himself. "How... How do you know that?"

"Just a feeling. That's all." Gil scratched the back of his head. "Anyhow, I promised Raguel I'd get communications up and running, as well as shutting down your systems so we can use our own technologies again. So let's just get this over with, shall we Goblin Jr.?" He smirked as he readied his duel disk.

"I'll teach a kid like you manners!" Creknurt said, also readying his duel disk.

"Yeah, yeah. If you insist, little fat goblin."

"Duel!" Gil and Creknurt said in unison.

Gil Ariba: 4000 LP

Creknurt: 4000 LP

"While you look young Creknurt, you're actually older. As such, I'll go first." Gil told his opponent. "My turn! I'll start by using the Scale 3 – Abyss Actor – Extras and the Scale 7 Abyss Actor – Curtain Riser to set the Pendulum Scale!" Soon, two pillars of light appeared on both sides of Gil's field. In the pillar of light on the left was a pair of three blue fiends with no legs, who were attached to a metal saucer underneath them. While each of the fiends had one eye and a hat on their heads, there was a single difference among them. The first fiend wore a red vest, the second fiend wore a yellow vest, and the third fiend wore a green vest.

In the pillar of light on the right was a fiend whose body consisted of a carnival top. HIs light-colored purple face had only one red eye, with a dark, purple mask on its other eye that had the Abyss Actor symbol on it. His arms were mechanical, and were located on the top of its body. Last but not least, Curtain Raiser wore baggy clown pants and shoes.

Abyss Actor – Extras Scale: 3

Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser Scale: 7

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters between Levels 4 and 6 at the same time! Emerge, Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie, and Abyss Actor – Wild Hope!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where two lights emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated, revealing two monsters.

The first monster was a one-eyed fiend with blue hair and wearing overalls. On top of his head was a small gold and purple hat, with a bell at the top.

The second monster was a purple-skinned male fiend with dreadlocks on the back of his head., He wore a blue cowboy outfit, which included a yellow hat that had small skulls at the center. In his right hand, he carried a blaster.

Abyss Actor – Sassy Rookie ATK: 1700 DEF: 1000 LV: 4 Scale: 2

Abyss Actor - Wild Hope ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 4 Scale: 2

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Gil concluded. "Okay, big guy. Show me a good time."

Meanwhile...

Phoenix ran down the stairs, following the direction on his duel disk. Whatever arena Raul wanted him to go to must be secret for it to be located deep beneath Omega's headquarters.

Eventually, he made it to a circular arena deep beneath Omega, which looked like an old fashioned duel arena similar to that of the duel kingdom arenas Phoenix heard about a long time ago. The only difference was that there were no giant stands, one being on each side.

"Glad you made it, Phoenix." Raul said, entering from the other entrance of the arena.

"Like I had a choice..." Phoenix replied, as both duelists entered inside the duel arena. "I don't get it, Raul. My dad trusted you the whole time he led the Sons of Ajax-."

"He betrayed me, Phoenix, and he must pay dearly for that." Raul countered. "Which is why I have this." He pressed a button on the remote he was carrying at a TV screen above him, turning it on in the process.

"What the... What's going on?" Jeff asked, before looking at what he's seeing. "Raul! Don't you dare hurt my son!"

"Dad! Don't worry! We'll get you and the others out of there!" Phoenix assured him.

"How cute. The boy has hope." Raul sarcastically commented to himself before turning to the screen.

"Raul, whatever grievances you have, you can take it out on me! Don't get my son involved in this!" Jeff pleaded.

"On the contrary, I think I will involve your son in this." Raul replied. "Prepare to feel the same pain me and the Sons of Ajax have, Jeff Shilton!"

"Enough!" Phoenix stated, activating his duel disk. "If you think you can mess with me and my family, you're mistaken!"

"Ready to get started, huh? Alright. The sooner we begin, the sooner I can get my revenge." Raul also activated his duel disk.

"It's time to duel!" Phoenix and Raul shouted at the same time.

Phoenix: 4000 LP

Raul Millard: 4000 LP

"I will go first, boy." Raul told Phoenix. "My turn! I activate the Spell card, Trade-In. By discarding a Level 8 monster from my hand, I can draw two cards from my deck." After discarding a card from his hand, Raul drew the top two cards of his deck. "I'll also activate the Spell card, Pot of Desires from my hand. By banishing the top ten cards of my deck face-down, I can draw two more cards." After Raul took the top ten cards of his deck and banished them facedown, he drew two more cards from the top of his deck. "I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 from my hand." A small, bronze-colored hybrid between a falcon and a dragon appeared on Raul's field.

Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 ATK: 1600 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Level Up. By sending one 'LV' monster I control to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one monster from my hand or deck that is listed in that sent monster's text, ignoring its summoning conditions. As such, I send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 from my field to my Graveyard to Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 from my deck to my field!" Instead of turning into particles, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 4 grew into a teenage version of himself, who had bronze, medium-sized wings that were sharp. His talons became sharper, and his tail also became longer as well.

Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 ATK: 2300 DEF: 1600 LV: 6

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn." Raul concluded. "Alright, spawn of the traitor. Let's see whether you'll live up to daddy's expectations."

"Don't diss my dad, Raul!" Phoenix warned him. "My turn! I draw!" After taking a deep breath, he drew the top card of his deck. So this guy plays a rather old-fashioned deck, Phoenix thought. The LV cards focus on sending themselves to the Graveyard to Special Summon a more powerful version of themselves once certain conditions are met. As long as I'm careful, I should be okay. "I'll start by activating the Field Spell card, Temple of Nephthys! When this card is activated, I'm allowed to add one 'Rebirth of Nephthys' and one 'Nephthys' Ritual monster from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand.

"I'll activate the Spell card, Instant Fusion. By paying 1000 life points, I can Special Summon one Level 5 or lower Fusion monster from my Extra Deck! However, it can't attack, and it's destroyed during the End Phase. I Special Summon Mavelus from my Extra Deck!" A red-skinned bird with yellow feathers for its wings and tail appeared on Phoenix's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. A red aura then surrounded Phoenix, making him grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Mavelus ATK: 1300 DEF: 900 LV: 4

Phoenix: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"I summon Hand of Nephthys from my hand." Phoenix added, as a woman wearing an Egyptian orange skirt and over her shoulders to her chest appeared on Phoenix's field. She also wore golden pieces of Egyptian textile-like clothing all over her upper body, as well as on her legs and arms. On top of her head was a golden headdress, with an orange feather on it.

Hand of Nephthys ATK: 600 DEF: 600 LV: 2

"Hand of Nephthys's effect! Once per turn, I can tribute this card and one other monster to Special Summon Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my hand or deck!" A card popped out of Phoenix's deck. "As such, I tribute Hand of Nephthys and Mavelus from my field to Special Summon Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from my deck!" After Hand of Nephthys and Mavelus turned into a particles, a golden phoenix with arms and fire on the back of her head, as well as orbiting around her wings appeared on Phoenix's field.

Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ATK: 2400 DEF: 1600 LV: 8

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Rebirth of Nephthys." Phoenix continued. ""This card lets me Ritual Summon one 'Nephthys' Ritual monster from my hand by tributing monsters from my hand or field. I tribute the Level 8 Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys on my field!" Soon, a red and gold circle with eight blue flames appeared on Phoenix's field, along with Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys. She disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of bright light.

"The contract's been made!" Phoenix chanted. "Sealed preserver sleeping in the statue, heed my call and awaken! Ritual Summon! Fly, Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" A cobalt-blue phoenix with arms, blue fire on its head, as well as the back of her wings, flew out of the portal and screeched upon appearing on Phoenix's field.

Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ATK: 3000 DEF: 1000 LV: 8

"Temple of Nephthys's second effect! Once per turn, when I Ritual Summon a 'Nephthys' Ritual monster and 'Rebirth of Nephthys' is in my Graveyard, I can shuffle that card into my deck and add one 'Nephthys' card with a different name than 'Rebirth of Nephthys' to my hand equal to the number of monsters I tributed to Ritual Summon this turn. I tributed one monster, which means I can add one 'Nephthys' card with a different name from my deck to my hand!" After taking a card from his Graveyard and shuffling it into his deck, a card popped out of Phoenix's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Battle! Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys attacks Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6! Nova Overheat!" Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys charged up energy in her maw before firing blue fire at Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6, successfully destroying it. As a result, Raul had to shield himself using his right arm.

Raul Millard: 4000 – 700 = 3300 LP

"I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Call of the Haunted!" Raul said in response. "This card lets me target one monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field in attack position. However, if either card is destroyed, the other card is destroyed as well. Return to my field, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6!" At Raul's command, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 reappeared on his field.

Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 ATK: 2300 DEF: 1600 LV: 6

"Great... it's back again..." Phoenix muttered in annoyance. Still, he had the strongest monster on the field, and if Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys was destroyed by battle or a card effect, he can bring it back on his next turn. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"As you ended your turn, I activate the Trap card, Level Change." Raul suddenly said. "This card lets me send one 'LV' monster I control to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one monster from my Graveyard that is listed in the sent monster's text, ignoring its summoning conditions!"

"Uh-Oh..." Phoenix stated. That... wasn't good at all.

"I send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 6 from my field to my Graveyard to Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 from my deck to my field!" Instead of turning into particles, Horus the Black Flame Dragon grew into an adult version of himself, who had large, bronze wings that were sharp. His talons became sharper, and his tail also became longer as well.

Horus the Black Flame Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 1800 LV: 8

Elsewhere, at Gil and Creknurt's duel...

"Do not underestimate the Omega Branch's new leader!" Creknurt warned Gil. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Upstart Goblin. I can draw a card, but in exchange, you gain 1000 life points." After Creknurt drew the top card of his deck, Gil was bathed in a green light, which increased his life points.

Gil Ariba: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 LP

"Uh, thanks..." Gil muttered with a frown on his face. He knew that nothing was given in life for free, which meant Creknurt was up to no good.

"I'll then discard Goblin Attack Force from my hand to Special Summon Half Goblin from my hand." Creknurt stated, as a dark-green skinned creature with fangs and brown armor on its chest appeared on his field in defense position. It also wore a black cap on its head.

Half Goblin ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 3

"I also summon Goblin King from my hand." A green-skinned creature sitting on a throne appeared on Creknurt's field. He wore a king's robe, along with a king's crown to complete the outfit.

Goblin King ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"For a weak play, you must have a rather devious plan..." Gil correctly deduced.

"That's correct, little boy!" Creknurt confirmed. "While I control another Fiend monster, Goblin King can't be attacked. What's more, it gains 1000 attack and defense points for every Fiend monster on the field, except this card of course. Your Extras and Wild Hope are both Fiend monsters, while Half Goblin on my field is a Fiend monster as well. That means Goblin King gains 3000 attack and defense points!" Goblin King's throne surrounded in a golden light, which powered Goblin King up.

Goblin King ATK: 0 + (1000 X 3) = 3000 DEF: 0 + (1000 X 3) = 3000

"That's more than meets the eye..." Gil admitted, having been caught off guard by Goblin King's effect.

Creknurt smirked. "If you think I'm done yet, think again! I activate the Equip Spell card, Opti Camouflage Armor, and equip it onto Goblin King!" Goblin King was equipped with silver armor, which emitted a misty aura. "While this card can only be equipped to a Level 1 monster, such as Goblin King, the equipped monster is allowed to attack you directly in exchange!"

"What?!" Gil exclaimed, shocked at what he heard. In a way, it made sense, as goblins were sneaky after all. Still, a goblin with 3000 attack and defense points that can attack directly was just... not ordinary at all.

"Battle!" Creknurt pointed his right index finger at Gil. "Goblin King attacks you directly!" Goblin King fired a beam of energy from his finger, which hit Gil and forced him to take two steps back.

Gil: 5000 – 3000 = 2000 LP

"I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Goblin Circus." Creknurt added. "Once per durn, during my End Phase, I can reveal the bottom card of my deck and either place it on top of my deck or banish it face down. I then Set one card face-down and end my turn, and since I ended my turn, I can reveal the bottom card of my deck to you." A card popped out of Creknurt's deck, which he took and showed to Gil. "The card I reveal to you is Goblin Negotiator, and I place it on top of my deck." Creknurt placed the card he revealed on top of his deck afterwards.

"My turn! I draw!" Gil said, drawing the top card of his deck.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Minor Goblin's Official!" Creknurt interrupted. "This card can only be activated when your life points are 3000 or less. Once per turn, while this card is on my field, you take 500 points of damage during your Standby Phase." A red aura surrounded Gil, which made him grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Gil: 2000 – 500 = 1500 LP

"You know what, I think we need a goblin slayer here, and that person will be me. So prepare yourself!" Gil responded. "Appear, the circuit of theatrics!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Abyss Actor' Pendulum monster. I'll set Abyss Actor – Wild Hope into the Link Markers!" Wild Hope went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red as a result.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Abyss Actor – Hyper Director!" A light-blue skinned man with a buttoned up black shirt and an orange overcoat, as well as violet and purple striped pants, appeared on Gil's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a small mustache and a monocle on his left eye, with what looked like a flexible hat on the back of his head. In his left hand, he carried a script as he sat down on a green director's chair that appeared behind him.

Abyss Actor – Hyper Director ATK: 800 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Hyper Director's effect!" Gil added. "Once per turn, I can target one 'Abyss Actor' Pendulum monster in my Pendulum zone and Special Summon it to my field. Also, I can place one 'Abyss Actor' Pendulum monster with a different name from my deck or Extra Deck to my Pendulum Zone. However, I can't Normal or Special Summon monsters for the rest of the turn, except for 'Abyss Actor' monsters of course. I target Curtain Raiser and put Twinkle Little Star in my Pendulum Zone!" Curtain Raiser teleported from the Pendulum Zone and then reappeared on Gil's field in the Main Monster Zone Hyper Director pointed to.

Abyss Actor – Curtain Raiser ATK: 1100 DEF: 1000 LV: 4 Scale: 7

Then a small purple skinned girl in a tutu appeared in the pillar of light on the left on Gil's field. She had light violet hair, and a dark violet hat on her head shaped like a rose.

Abyss Actor – Twinkle Little Star Scale: 9

"You do realize that Goblin King gains 1000 attack and defense points for every Fiend monster on the field, right?" Creknurt reminded Gil, as Goblin King's attack points increased for a second time.

Goblin King ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 DEF: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"Yeah, yeah. I'm aware. Which is why I'll do this. With the Set Pendulum Scale, I can Pendulum Summon monsters between Levels 4 and 8 at the same time. Emerge, Abyss Actor – Evil Heel!" Within moments, a portal opened between the two pillars, where one light emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated, revealing a large, dark-blue fiend with a large mouth and a white mask rose on its body. His right arm was bigger than that of his left arm.

Abyss Actor – Evil Heel ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LV: 8 Scale: 1

Goblin King ATK: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 DEF: 4000 + 1000 = 5000

"Evil Heel's effect!" Gil added. "When he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one monster you control and have it lose 1000 attack points for every 'Abyss Actor' monster I current control."

"What?!" Creknurt exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what he just heard.

"I target Goblin King, which loses 4000 attack points because there's four 'Abyss Actor' monsters on my field! Heel Pressure!" Evil Heel roared at Goblin King, pushing him back as his strength decreased.

Goblin King ATK: 5000 – (1000 X 4) = 1000

"Twinkle Little Star's Pendulum effect!" Gil continued. "Once per turn, I can target one 'Abyss Actor' monster on my field and have it attack up to three times on monsters this turn. In exchange, other monsters I control can't attack this turn, even if she leaves the field. I target Evil Heel!" Twinkle Little Star fired stars at Evil Heel, which caused a pink aura to surround him.

"Even if you attack, I'll still have life points left, which means I'll be able to make a comeback on my next turn." Creknurt pointed out.

In response, Gil yawned. "Yeah, I don't think so. I activate the Trap card, Nightmare Archfiends. By tributing one monster on my field, I can Special Summon three 'Nightmare Archfiend' tokens to your side of the field in attack position. I tribute Curtain Raiser!"

"My side of the field?" Creknurt repeated in confusion, as Curtain Raiser turned into particles. Soon after, three black fiends appeared on Creknurt's field in attack position.

Nightmare Archfiend ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

Nightmare Archfiend ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

Nightmare Archfiend ATK: 2000 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

Goblin King ATK: 1000 + (1000 X 3) = 4000 DEF: 4000 + (1000 X 3) = 7000

"Battle!" Gil pointed his right index finger at Creknurt's field. "Abyss Actor – Evil Heel attacks the first Nightmare Archfiend token! Heel Slam!" Evil Heel charged towards the first Nightmare Archfiend token before grabbing it by the neck and slamming it to the ground, turning it into particles in the process.

Creknurt: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"Oh, I forgot to mention. When a Nightmare Archfiend token is destroyed, its controller takes 800 points of damage." Gil informed Creknurt, who grit his teeth in pain as his life points dropped.

Creknurt: 3000 – 800 = 2400 LP

"The battle still continues! Abyss Actor – Evil Heel attacks the second Nightmare Archfiend token! Heel Slam!" Evil Heel charged towards the second Nightmare Archfiend token before grabbing it by the neck and slamming it to the ground, turning it into particles in the process.

Creknurt: 2400 – 1000 – 800 = 600 LP

"Finish this duel, Evil Heel!" Gil declared. "Attack the third Nightmare Archfiend token with Heel Slam!" Evil Heel charged towards the third Nightmare Archfiend token before grabbing it by the neck and slamming it to the ground, turning it into particles in the process. The explosion that resulted soon after sent Creknurt flying back to the wall behind him before he landed on his stomach in defeat.

Creknurt: 600 – 1000 – 800 = 0

Gil went over to Creknurt and kicked him to the side to make sure he was alive from the last attack. "To think Omega could have picked a better boss than this douchebag..." he muttered.

"How... how are you this strong?" Creknurt quietly asked Gil.

"Simple. My deck is actually good compared to the old fashioned deck you have." Gil replied, as the Chains of Tragedy wrapped themselves around Creknurt, allowing him to stand up. The Chains of Tragedy then wrapped around Creknurt's legs and arms, preventing him from moving. Once that was done, Gil moved towards the main computer, with Creknurt following after him. "Alright, Creknurt. I want you to give me access to all the information in Omega's database."

"Like I'll-!" Creknurt began, only for the chains to squeeze him further, making him cry out in pain.

"You don't have a choice here. Now do it!" Gil motioned towards a hand sensor as the Chains of Tragedy loosened around Creknurt's arms, allowing him to place his palm on the hand sensor. Once that was done, a checkmark sign appeared on the screen before giving access to the information for Gil.

"Okay, let's try searching for Athaliah Kuraishi." Gil typed his word search into the computer... and unfortunately, not a single result came up. "Strange. Let's try searching for Project: Apotheosis." He typed his word search into the computer... and once again, not a single result came up. "No. This can't be. Let's try Gil Ariba, Abysstainer, and Lost Incident." For the next three web searches, not a single result came up. "DAMN IT!" The Chains of Tragedy then flung Creknurt to the wall on his left, making him scream in pain as Gil walked over to him. "Where's the information on Project: Apotheosis?"

"Omega doesn't have it, I swear!" Creknurt answered. He was glad his avatar was enhanced, as otherwise, he'd feel more pain than he was feeling right now.

"I was wrong. You aren't a goblin. You're a piece of shit." Gil then walked over to the computer and typed on the computer. After a few moments, a screen showing 'Shut down interference systems?'. Gil then pressed the 'Confirm' button, which shut down every single interference system in Omega. "Raguel, I got communications up and running. You can now contact your allies in the real world."

"Thanks, Gil. I appreciate it." Raguel responded. "I'm almost at the prison cells. Can you meet me there?"

"Sure thing. I'll even bring the defeated Creknurt along with me." Gil walked out of Omega's main room, with Creknurt following him thanks to the Chains of Tragedy dragging him along.

Meanwhile...

"Open fire!" the captain shouted, as troops fired at Raguel, who used the Surpriser Gauntlet to create a portal in front of him. As a result, the bullets went right through the portal. Once that was done, Raguel fired a shot from the Surpriser Gauntlet, which sent the bullets down at the troops before impaling them and making each one fall to the ground.

"Omega's security sucks. Still, if they didn't enhance their avatars, they'd be more wounded than they already are." Raguel commented.

"Goes to show that no matter who's in charge, Omega will always be old-fashioned." Herald replied.

"Regardless, you guys are almost at the prison cells." Roxy said over the comm.

"There's no more guards where you are as well." Arashi added.

"That's excellent news." Raguel responded, before going over to a large, steel door. Yup. That was indeed the prison room.

Unfortunately, when he opened it up, the guards were alerted before aiming their guns at him. Arashi, you need to inspect the area further before informing me if they're any guards left, Raguel cursed in his mind.

Then out of nowhere, Abyss King charged from behind Raguel and attacked the guards, disarming each one of their guns before knocking them out.

"What in the world?"

"Looks like I came here just in time." Gil commented, walking towards Raguel, with a restrained Creknurt behind him.

"So you're Creknurt in the flesh." Raguel said, as he and Gil began walking down the prison room, which consisted of a few empty cells before finding groups of prisoners in other cells. Looking at them, he spotted people of various ages, including children. This made Raguel grit his teeth in anger before turning to Creknurt. "KIDNAPPING CHILDREN?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"In times of war, doing these things is-." Creknurt began, only for an infuriated Raguel to punch him in the face. This made Gil whistle in surprise as well. Once that was done, Raguel pulled out his sword before cutting the locks off the prison cells for each one, enabling the prison doors to be opened. "It's okay now, everyone. You're safe now." The prisoners then slowly approached the opened prison cells before exiting out of them.

"Thank you," one prisoner said.

"Thank you so much, Raguel..." another prisoner stated.

"The rumors are true. You are one of LINK VRAINS' heroes..." a female prisoner added. "Thank you."

"Do you know where I can find Jeff Shilton?" Raguel asked one of them.

"He's being kept with the other prisoners in the lower levels," a male prisoner answered.

Nodding, Raguel pressed two fingers on his earpiece. "Roxy. Kusanagi. Can you log these guys out, as well as call 911? These guys need treatment fast."

"Leave that to Yusaku, Takeru and I." Kusanagi answered, as the prisoners were logged out.

"Something's wrong, Yuhiro. It seems the prisoners in the deeper levels can't be logged out." Roxy deduced immediately.

"Gil and I will check it out." Raguel replied, as he and Gil went downstairs. The prison cells in the lower levels were just... plain out disgusting. Monty must have put them in for the worst offenders, Raguel figured out in his mind. Jeff must have been one of them, considering how the Sons of Ajax are in cahoots with Creknurt.

Eventually, they found a man with dark skin in one of the cells, tied to a chair by ropes. He wore a plain, light-blue shirt, along with jeans. The man had average-length black hair, along with thick eyebrows. He even had a square-styled beard as well. All over the man's face was a few bruises, with one of them consisting of a black eye.

The guard nearby him pulled out his gun, but before he can do anything, the Chains of Tragedy grabbed the gun and knocked him out.

"In terms of security, Omega sucks at it." Gil stated, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Jeff Shilton, my name is Raguel, and I'm here to rescue you." Raguel introduced himself, before untying the ropes surrounding Jeff, allowing him to stand up.

"You came with my son to rescue me, correct?" Jeff deduced, before a horrified expression appeared on his face. "My right hand man, Raul, is currently dueling against Miles. We have to stop him."

"Your son can handle himself well. Trust me. Stregone and I have seen him persevere." Raguel assured him. "But if it makes you feel better, we can go to Phoenix right now." After Jeff nodded, he followed Raguel and Gil (along with a restrained Creknurt) upstairs. However, just as they reached the first set of stairs, they heard a loud pitched voice. The quartet entered inside the cell, and upon approaching closer, they found Kitamura of all people building humanoid AI's on a large table.

"So I took in all sail and cried, 'Way Enough Now'. Give me some time to blow the man down!" Kitamura sang. "So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow-."

"Kitamura?!" Raguel exclaimed, shocked at what he was seeing. Upon hearing Raguel's voice, Kitamura stopped singing before turning to him and the others out of shock. Looking at him, Raguel deduced that Kitamura got beat up by various Omega members, as evident by the bruises and black eye.

"R-R-Raguel?!" Kitamura exclaimed as well, before running over to Raguel out of joy. "At last, I'm rescued!"

"How the Hell did you end up here?" Raguel inquired, before turning to Creknurt. "And how the Hell did you keep him imprisoned here all this time?!"

"My troops saw him running into our territory to escape from SOL Technologies' forces." Creknurt explained. "To prevent him from yapping his mouth on us to the authorities, we captured him."

"Creknurt gave me the choice of either working for him or being thrown to SOL Technologies for judgment." Kitamura finished. "But now that you're here Raguel, you can free me from this-!"

WHAM!

Raguel punched Kitamura in the face, which sent him falling to the ground.

"That's for sending Speckles after Playmaker and I," was all Raguel told Kitamura. As much as he wanted to beat the living crap out of Kitamura for what he did to him and Playmaker, it so wasn't the time right now. Instead, Raguel turned to Gil and asked, "Can you keep an eye on Kitamura for me? I need to-."

"It's alright, Raguel. I'll be more than happy to keep an eye on him." Gil replied, the Chains of Tragedy picking Kitamura up before wrapping themselves around him. Nodding to Gil, Jeff and Raguel then continued running up the stairs, leaving him alone with a restrained Kitamura and Creknurt. Besides. I need to have a personal word with dad, Gil thought, as he turned right, intent on finding his dad.

"Miles, I mean, Phoenix is located in the bottom floor of Omega." Jeff informed Raguel, the two of them running towards the prison cell's entrance. "Apologies. It's just that seeing my son taking up my wife's avatar was the last thing I expected him to do."

"Phoenix did it to honor the woman you and he both loved." Raguel stated. "Despite what happened, Phoenix was able to not only acknowledge those events, but also forgive you for your part in in it and move forward in life. He committed himself towards helping those in need, whether it was contributing towards a cause to simply build friendships with various individuals at the Den City Shelter. As a result, Phoenix was even able to gain confidence in himself over time thanks to the efforts of people he knew in his life. You and your wife included."

Jeff smiled after hearing this. "Phoenix's mother always had a good heart, and wanted to help others. I guess he got that from her. I'm concerned with what he got from me, though. Will he take the same path I took years ago? That just scares me in my opinion."

"I doubt that he'll do that, Mr. Shilton." Raguel replied. "He knows right from wrong, and is dedicated towards putting others before himself. Whatever traits you're afraid he'll have from you, I'm sure he'll take them and apply it towards the greater good. I mean, it took him a lot of guts to partake in the Charisma Duelist event to show everyone that the Phoenix is back, am I not correct?"

"Thanks, Raguel. I needed to hear that." Jeff narrowed his eyes. "Now let's go save my son!"

Elsewhere, at Raul and Phoenix's duel...

"For the spawn of the traitor, you have a bit more bite than bark. Not bad." Raul admitted. Unbeknownst to him, the screen went static before turning off.

"Stop calling me that!" Phoenix demanded. "My dad left the Sons of Ajax to have a better life. To escape his criminal past and move on from it!"

"And his choice led to what is happening right now." Raul countered back, a grin forming on his face. "Before I begin my turn, I want to tell you something that happened a long time ago. Do you remember the events that led to the Disbandment Armistice?"

Phoenix narrowed his eyes. "Obviously. I was one of the first people to be informed about it."

"Were you informed about the events behind the scenes?" Raul questioned, making Phoenix raise an eyebrow out of confusion. "You see, your dad marrying your mom was a tragic day for us, as we lost a strong leader. Thanks to Jeff Shilton's pathetic choice, our ability in dealing with the Nightlock Predators became harder, even though he tried to negotiate a peace deal with the Nightlock Predators' leader Norman Rodriguez. One day, a golden opportunity came for us when we met him."

"Him? Who do you mean?"

"Three years ago, we were intercepting a man named Ellis Jakobe, Norman's right hand man." Raul began. "Based on information from our spies, we learned Ellis was smuggling money and supplies to the Nightlock Predators so they can defeat us. Although we killed his guards, he managed to get away with the supplies and stay one step ahead of us. That is, until we heard a scream in an alleyway. I took some of my best men to investigate, and upon zeroing in on that location, we found someone ending Ellis's life before investigating the supplies he had." Raul smiled. "While no one knew his identity, people called this man the azure-overcoated man. I approached him, and asked if we can split the prize fifty-fifty. To our joy, he agreed with my proposition, and even handed us the body, allowing us to take credit for the kill. So in a way, you could say that I indirectly caused the family drama!"

"Do you know what you've done?! You killed my mother!" Phoenix exclaimed out of shock.

"Indirectly, not directly. Your mother's death was a casualty... for Jeff of course." Raul clarified. "But thanks to the Disbandment Armistice that occurred soon after, the Sons of Ajax and the Nightlock Predators were forced to disband. However, the Turf War gave us an opportunity, as joining forces with Omega allowed us to kill Norman and bring Jeff here, where he'll die, but only after experiencing the same pain we felt the day he left us for an attempt at a better life!" He did the bunny ears at the 'better life' part.

"Just go already..." Phoenix seethed. While Raul didn't kill the Nightlock Predators' right hand man, those actions led to my mother's death, and for that, he's dead, he declared in his mind.

"With pleasure! My turn! I draw!" Raul drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Trap card, Karma Cut. By discarding one card from my hand, I can target one face-up monster you control and banish it, along with all cards with the same name as that monster from your Graveyard! I discard Horus's Servant from my hand and banish Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from your field!"

"WHAT?!" Phoenix exclaimed out of shock and fear, as a slash fired out of Karma Cut, which hit Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys before turning it into particles. Not good, not good at all, he panicked in his mind.

"With that out of the way, it's time to battle!" Raul pointed his right index finger at Phoenix himself. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon attacks you directly!" Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 began charging black, fiery energy in his maw.

"Not so fast! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Shrink!" Phoenix interjected. "This card lets me-!"

"Horus's effect!" Raul interrupted. "During either of our turns, when a Spell card is activated, I can negate the activation and destroy it! In addition, this effect can be used more than once per turn!"

"That won't happen!" Phoenix countered. "I activate the Trap card, Breakthrough Skill! This card lets me-!"

"Continuous-Trap, activate!" Raul countered. "Royal Decree! All other Trap effects on the field are negated!"

"Crap!" Phoenix cursed, as Breakthrough Skill turned into particles. Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 fired a black, fiery blast at Shrink, destroying it successfully. "Then it's a good thing I got this! I activate the effect of Gentlemander from my hand. When you declare an attack, I can Special Summon this card from my hand in attack position, and for the rest of this turn, you can only target this card for attacks!" A pink salamander wearing a tuxedo and a top hat appeared on Phoenix's field in attack position. In its right hand, it carried an umbrella.

Gentlemander ATK: 1200 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"In that case, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 attacks Gentlemander!" Raul declared. "Cursed Flames of War!" Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 fired a massive stream of black fire from his maw, which hit Gentlemander before turning it into particles. As a result of the attack, Phoenix was sent flying off the ground before he landed on his back.

Phoenix: 3000 – 1800 = 1200 LP

"With that, I end my turn." Raul concluded before grinning at Phoenix. "Seeing you grovel at my feet brings me a lot of satisfaction. Still, it isn't enough. Just as your pathetic mother died, I'll make sure you die to bring Jeff total despair. And once that's done, I'll finish him for good!" He then turned to the screen. "Hey Jeff! Look at your son! He's on the verge of losing. How does it feel to fail those you care about?!" Suddenly, Raul's eyes widened upon realizing that the screen was blank. "No! This can't be!" He pressed two fingers on his earpiece. "Creknurt! Where's Jeff?! Creknurt! Answer me! WHERE'S JEFF?!"

"Right here, Raul." Jeff calmly answered out of nowhere, causing Raul to widen his eyes in surprise.

"Jeff...?! How are you-?!" Before Raul could finish his sentence, he and Phoenix saw Jeff, along with Raguel, walk onto the duel field.

"Dad, it's you! And you're okay!" Phoenix cried out of relief.

"Is this the guy who screwed your life, Mr. Shilton?" Raguel asked him.

"That's the one." Jeff confirmed, before turning to Phoenix. "Phoenix, Raguel told me how you grew up to become a better man, how you were able to forgive me for my part in your mother's death as well, and ultimately live on despite what happened to you. I couldn't be any more prouder of the man you are right now. Don't let Raul throw away every ounce of goodness that's currently in you. Your mother will always be with you. I'll always be with you, and so will your friends. Keep on fighting, son!"

"Kick this idiot's ass for us, Phoenix!" Herald said.

"Don't let Raul scare you, Phoenix! Stay calm, and I know you'll pull through!" Raguel added.

Hearing all these things, Phoenix slowly got back up on his feet. "Thanks everyone. Thanks for your support. I'm won't let you down." Anger won't help me here, he thought. If I stay calm, just as Raguel said, I'll be able to win this duel! Phoenix placed his fingers on the top card of his deck. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. A Spell card. Seriously, Phoenix complained in his mind. Horus the Black Flame Dragon can negate a Spell card once per turn during either of our turns. There has to be a way to turn this duel around. He looked at the cards in his hand and his Graveyard to see if any of them can help him. Eventually, Phoenix found a card. One card that can change the entire duel around. That's it! "I activate the effect of Breakthrough Skill from my Graveyard! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target a face-up effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8!" Raul grit his teeth in anger as Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 greyed out, indicating that its effects were negated.

"You know, I should thank you Raul. If my monster was still on my field, then I wouldn't have been able to activate the card in my hand. But because of your desire to defeat me as quickly as possible, it'll be your undoing! I activate the Spell card, Card of Adversity!" Phoenix stated. "If I control no monsters and you control a Special Summoned monster, I can draw two cards from my deck!" He closed his eyes before drawing the top two cards of his deck. After opening his eyes and looking at them, he grinned. Yes! This will help for sure!

"It looks like Phoenix hit the jackpot." Herald commented towards Raguel and Jeff, the both of them smiling back at him before redirecting their attention back to the duel.

"I activate the Ritual Spell card, Rebirth of Nephthys." Phoenix continued. "Like before, this card lets me Ritual Summon one 'Nephthys' Ritual monster from my hand by tributing monsters from my hand or field. I tribute the Level 2 Devotee of Nephthys from my hand." Soon, a red and gold circle with two blue flames materialized in front of Phoenix. Then a silhouette of a tan skinned woman wearing dark and light-blue clothing with a white dress around her lower body. She had a dark-blue headdress with three light-blue feathers, as well as a feather on her chest. Lastly, she had two large strands of clothing attached to her similar to that of bowties, which had blue dress pieces each. Devotee of Nephthys then broke into particles, which went into the circle and produced a beam of light.

"The contract's been made!" Phoenix chanted. "Ritual Summon! Emerge, Conductor of Nephthys!" A tan skinned woman wearing red Egyptian clothing appeared on Phoenix's field. She had two red skirts wrapped at the beginning of her arms, while a long orange skirt was latched onto her shoulders, which extended out from her through a rope. Lastly, she wore an Egyptian headdress that had a feather on top of it.

Conductor of Nephthys ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"The effects of Conductor, Rebirth of Nephthys, and Temple of Nephthys all activate. First, when Conductor is Ritual Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Nephthys' Ritual monster from my deck and treat it as a Ritual Summon. From my deck, I Special Summon a second copy of Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys!" A second copy of Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys appeared on Phoenix's field.

Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys ATK: 3000 DEF: 1000 LV: 8

"You have another copy of that monster?!" Raul exclaimed, now worried with what was to come.

"Dude, having multiple copies of cards happens all the time. Look it up." Phoenix replied. "Anyhow, where was I? Second, if I tributed Devotee of Nephthys or Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, I can destroy one card on your field. I choose your Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8!" A blast of blue fire erupted from Rebirth of Nephthys, which hit Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8 before turning him into particles.

"Last but not least, once per turn, when I Ritual Summon a 'Nephthys' Ritual monster and 'Rebirth of Nephthys' is in my Graveyard, I can shuffle that card into my deck and add one 'Nephthys' card with a different name other than 'Rebirth of Nephthys' to my hand equal to the number of monsters I tributed to Ritual Summon this turn. I tributed one monster, which means I can add one 'Nephthys' card from my deck to my hand with a different name." After taking a card from his Graveyard and shuffling it into his deck, a card popped out of Phoenix's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"It's time to battle!" Phoenix declared. "Conductor of Nephthys attacks you directly!" Conductor of Nephthys generated a ball of fire in her hand before firing it at Raul, forcing him to take a step back.

Raul Millard: 3700 – 2000 = 1700 LP

"This... this isn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to get revenge for the Sons of Ajax!" Raul tried to deny out loud. "I was supposed to-!"

"Your desire of power has always blinded you, Raul." Jeff stated. "The bill eventually comes due, and that day is now." He turned to Phoenix. "Son, end this duel for me!"

"Leave it to me, dad!" Phoenix said, turning back to Raul. "Go, Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys! Attack Raul directly with Nova Overheat and end this duel!" Cerulean Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys charged up energy in her maw before firing blue fire at Raul, which sent him flying off the ground before he landed on his back in defeat.

Raul Millard: 1700 – 3000 = 0

"I lost! No this can't be! I can't lose!" Raul slowly got up on his feet. "Not until I get my revenge on you, Jeff Shilton!"

"I won't let your rage hurt anyone else, Raul!" Jeff replied, walking over towards him with each of his fists clenched in anger. However, just when he was about to reach Raul, Phoenix stopped him from walking.

"Dad, it's mom's death day. This isn't what she would have wanted." Phoenix gently told Jeff, whose eyes widened upon hearing those words. At that moment, he heard a woman's voice. A voice telling him that there was still good in this world.

"Hailee..." Jeff muttered, his wife's words allowing them to reach his heart. He lowered his head down, remembering the events that led to his wife's death. Afterwards, Jeff turned around and put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "While you have your mother's kindness Phoenix, you also have my sense of honor and bravery. Thanks for helping your old man out, son."

"Dad..." Before Phoenix could say anything else, Raul stood up, an infuriated expression on his face.

"You're dead, Jeff!" Raul exclaimed. Before he could charge at Jeff and Phoenix, an electric blast was fired at him, which made him fall to the ground before convulsing.

"The war between the Sons of Ajax and Nightlock Predators is over." Raguel said, going over to Jeff and Phoenix. "Gil has Kitamura and Creknurt restrained. We should get going. Before troops are alerted to our location." After the two of them nodded, they followed Raguel out of the arena before the trio went upstairs.

Elsewhere, at the prison cell...

Gil continued walking down the prison cell, annoyed with the number of empty prison cells. Kitamura and Creknurt were still in tow, with the two of them being forced to follow him as a result of being bound by the Chains of Tragedy. To ensure they wouldn't speak, Gil had his chains wrapped around their mouths. For a laidback boss, Monty at least had the common sense to build a dungeon with multiple floors, he thought.

Eventually, Gil finally found his father, the former Abysstainer, in a prison cell. The gentleman inside wore torn up, extravagant clothing with legging boots, striped textile pants and a long overcoat linen-laced over the edges and sleeves. He had a heavy wool scarf over his left shoulder, along with a blouse tie with a feathered ornament. Abysstainer also had a moustache and beard, along with orange eyes and golden, brushed-down hair.

"It's been a long time, Itachi Ariba. Or should I call you father." Gil spoke to Abysstainer to get his attention.

"That voice. No... It can't be. Gil. Is that you, son?" Itachi asked, going over to see his son. "It is you! You're here to rescue me! Thank you, son! Thank you!"

"You're confused. I'm not here to help you. I'm here to say the words I've been waiting to say for a long time." Gil clarified, making Itachi shudder in surprise.

"What do you mean? A son is always loyal to their father. So come on! Get me out of here already!"

Gil narrowed his eyes. "I have waited a long time for our meeting, father. Ever since you put me at the mercy of Athaliah Kuraishi. Which is why I'll say this father. I forgive you."

That statement shocked Itachi, to the point where he was unable to speak for a full minute. "You... forgive me? You acknowledge-?"

"I'm not finished." Gil interrupted. "I originally planned to kill you, but if I do that, I wouldn't be freed of your role in making me the person I am today. I have something else in mind. Something that's far better than a swift death." He gave Itachi a hard stare, getting his attention. "I sentence you to live alone father, forever knowing that your son lives and breathes somewhere out there in the world, but you can never be with him. That is your punishment, and even after you've paid for your crime, you will forever be haunted by your selfish choice. Goodbye, father." Gil began walking away from Itachi, with Kitamura and Creknurt in tow.

"No, please! Don't leave me, Gil!" Itachi begged him. "I did what I did to make you stronger! To prepare you for the real world!"

"Goodbye, father." Gil repeated firmly, ending the conversation before he left Itachi alone in the prison cell.

"Please, Gil! Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Itachi then began crying, knowing that Gil was right. It was his selfish choice that made him lose his son. His choice to give his son to Athaliah in exchange for information, just to make a living on the Black Market. And because of that choice, he would never see Gil again.

Itachi let out a scream of sadness, now aware that Gil's 'forgiveness' had led to him being damned for the rest of his life.

After a few minutes of walking, Gil exited Omega's headquarters and met up with the others.

"Where's your dad? Weren't you going to get him out?" Phoenix inquired from Gil.

"No, I wasn't. If you were worried that I planned on killing him, I didn't." Gil assured Phoenix and Raguel.

"You know, for a goblin, I'm impressed on how you managed to keep Kitamura prisoner for an entire month and a half." Raguel commented to Creknurt, before going to Kitamura and punching him in the face again. Twice. "Why did you send Speckles after Playmaker and I? Was it greed? Revenge?!"

"Easy, Raguel! He already got beat up as it is!" Phoenix told Raguel.

"Ever since I got fired by SOL Technologies, I wanted to not only find a way to get back into the company's good graces, but also get revenge on you and Playmaker as well." Kitamura began. "When that failed, I escaped into the network to avoid being captured by the authorities. Like I said before, I only agreed to work with Creknurt because-."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you didn't want to be thrown to the wolves." Raguel finished, a frown on his face. To think that the branch that he worked and respected for a long time ago would turn into a mess like this. A branch that would kidnap prisoners, including children, just to survive. What a disappointment indeed.

Jeff sighed. "This mess... is my fault."

"It isn't dad. You were freed against your will by the gang who looked up to you." Phoenix reassured his father.

"I know. But..."

"No. Don't say it."

"There's only one way to ensure this didn't happen to anyone again." Jeff turned to Raguel. "Raguel, I need you to alert the authorities here."

"What?! Dad, don't do this! There has to be another way!" Phoenix begged Jeff. Hearing this, Creknurt laughed.

"Now this is family drama! Even though you succeeded, the both of you will be-!"

"Oh shut up, goblin!" Raguel interrupted, punching Creknurt so hard that he fell unconscious.

"Creknurt deserved what he got, that's for sure." Gil pointed out, whistling to himself.

Jeff put his hands on Phoenix's shoulders. "Listen to me, son. If I don't do this, the chances of us seeing each other again will practically be zero. I don't want my enemies to go after you just because of what I did as the Sons of Ajax's leader. Believe me when I say it'll be alright."

Phoenix sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, his dad was right. Unless Jeff did this, they'll never see each other again. "Okay, dad. I trust you."

"If this is what you want Jeff, then I'll do it." Raguel conceded. "Rest assured. I'll make sure to put in a good word for you to the authorities. If they know of the good you did while you were imprisoned in Omega, they'll re-evaluate your case."

Jeff smiled upon hearing this. "Thank you, Raguel. Thank you for understanding."

Raguel then walked over to a chained-up Kitamura, who was hovering slightly above the ground thanks to Gil's Chains of Tragedy. "Alright, Kitamura. Listen up. If it were up to me, I'd hand you over to SOL Technologies for judgment. So unless you want that to happen, you're going to repeat these words I'm about to tell you to the authorities. If you don't, and I will know, what you experienced in Omega will look like heaven compared to what SOL Technologies has in store with you."

Kitamura shuddered in horror after hearing those words. If he faced SOL Technologies again, they would put an end to him forever, just as Raguel said. Therefore, there was only one thing to do. "Very well, Raguel. I concede."

In the real world, at the Den City Cemetery, in the evening...

Yuhiro exited the bus before walking down the sidewalk to his location. After what happened in the network, Miles gave him a call, requesting to meet up at the Den City Cemetery. If Yuhiro had to admit, he wasn't sure why Miles wanted to meet up with him. Perhaps he wanted someone to talk to about what happened, to help him get closure, and ultimately find a way to move forward.

Upon entering the Den City Cemetery, he found Miles sitting beside a grave.

"Miles," Yuhiro said, getting the boy's attention.

"Yuhiro. Good you're here." Miles replied, a sad smile on his face.

"You said you wanted to meet me here. What's up?"

Miles turned to the grave he was facing. "Because there's someone here I wanted you to meet. Look." Yuhiro did what Miles suggested and looked at the grave he was looking at.

Hailee Shilton.

Ah.

Yuhiro frowned.

"After mom died, she was buried here," Miles began. "Dad couldn't go to the funeral because he was sent to prison along with Norman. I'll admit, I resented dad for his role in mom's death. To this day, I'm surprised how I was able to forgive him and Norman for what happened."

"Your dad said you inherited his sense of honor, as well as your mother's kindness. Those things, combined with help from the people you know in life, helped you obtain closure and move forward." Raguel hypothesized, as Miles stood up on his feet. "That said, I have some good news."

"Good news? That's something I could really need right now." Miles and Yuhiro chuckled, getting a good laugh out from a hard day's work.

Yuhiro pulled out his phone. "Here." He pressed the 'Play' button on his phone, causing a video to begin playing.

"Recent reports state that Jeff Shilton, the former leader of the Sons of Ajax, escaped from Omega's custody and single-handedly took it down, as well as free the captured prisoners," a male reporter began. "He blew the whistle on Omega and its current boss Creknurt, and has agreed to provide evidence in exchange for a reduced prison sentence. With the Disbandment Armistice having been rendered moot by what happened, Jeff's case is being re-evaluated, and taking into account his good behavior in prison, his prison sentence may be reduced even more. In other news, Kitamura has been transferred to the Den City Hospital for treatment, where he'll eventually stand on trial for attempting to sell out SOL Technologies three months earlier. We'll get back to you when further information is released."

Miles' eyes widened in surprise at what he was hearing.

"Roxy and myself, along with some friends we know, doctored the footage to make it look like Jeff broke out and did all those things." Yuhiro explained. "We also made sure that the edited footage wouldn't be looked into, as well as ensured that no one can trace our actions back to myself, you, or Gil."

"And Gil's dad?" Miles asked.

"Itachi Ariba, or the former Abysstainer, was arrested as well." Yuhiro replied. Miles walked back and forth, pondering this information in the process. After a full minute, he stopped walking and faced Yuhiro.

"So... you essentially lied to public authorities? Why did you do it?"

"The last thing I wanted was for a family to be separated by the mistakes of the past." Yuhiro answered. "While Roxy and I don't like lying, we agreed that there was exception in this case."

Miles was so touched by what he heard that he couldn't speak for several seconds. "I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Roxy and I estimated that if all goes well, your dad will be released in three to four months time, provided he does hours of community service of course." Yuhiro smiled.

"Oh my God. Thank you." Miles went over and hugged Yuhiro, who hugged him back. "I so owe you one."

"You don't owe me a thing. I'm just glad I helped ensure you and your dad can finally be together again." Yuhiro assured him. The two of them then started heading for the exit of the cemetery.

"Oh, crap! I just remembered something!" Miles said, his eyes widened upon recollecting some information.

"What's wrong?" Yuhiro asked.

"Raul wasn't the one who instigated the events towards my mom's death. It was some azure-overcoated man." Miles told Yuhiro, whose eyes widened in pure horror after hearing that information. "Dude? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"If you ever see that man in the network, do not confront him. He's dangerous." Yuhiro warned Miles. "He was the one who put Miyu in the hospital, just when she was about to finally get her life back." He narrowed his eyes upon recalling a certain memory, where he failed to save Miyu from Azrael.

"Then I'll help you get her back however I can. Without confronting him directly of course." Miles promised. "That's how I'll repay my debt back to you."

"You don't owe me a thing, Miles." Yuhiro reiterated. "Still, I'm grateful for the help. Thanks, buddy." He and Miles then reached the Den City Cemetery's exit, with the latter leaving it while the former looked out over the graveyard.

"Come on, dude! You should say hi to Quinton and the kids before heading back to Café Matsuo!" Miles called out to Yuhiro.

"Be right there!" Yuhiro then left the Den City Cemetery and caught up with Miles. While Yuhiro didn't know specifically why he stopped walking to look out over the graveyard, he did know that there was a reason in doing so. Perhaps it may have been based on a feeling. Perhaps it was a sign that soon, Yuhiro may get some answers regarding what was going on. While he didn't now when the answers will come to him, Yuhiro was certain of one thing.

He will find out the truth, no matter what it took.

At Café Matsuo...

"Now this was a long day, don't you think?" Arashi asked Roxy, the two of them cleaning the dishes.

"Yeah. You can say that..." Roxy replied quietly.

"I mean, not only did we take down Gamma, we also took down Omega as well. Talk about two big victories in one day."

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

"Okay, you're not yourself." Arashi turned to Roxy. "Is it about that stuff Tigress said during the Gamma mission? I know you heard it, so judging from your expression right now, I can tell you're bothered by it."

Roxy sighed. "For a goofball, you're quite intuitive, you know that? Alright. Follow me. We might as well talk about it." She and Arashi then headed over to the living room and sat on opposite couches. Progleo was in the corner sleeping, while Herald was busy playing video games. "What Tigress, or Brea in the real world said to you was true. However, she doesn't know the whole story."

"The whole story?" Arashi repeated out of curiosity.

"A story I would tell if SOMEONE STOPPED PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!" Roxy snapped at Herald, who turned it off upon seeing her furious expression. Progleo was also alerted to this, and seeing Roxy's distress, went over to her and jumped onto the couch she was on. This allowed her to ruffle his fur.

"Sorry. I didn't realize you were here." Herald apologized. "Considering how you're about to tell a story, I also want to hear it." He paid full attention, now curious on what Roxy was about to say next.

"You know that a while back, I was Angelica in LINK VRAINS, the leader of the Rickety Raiders." Roxy began. "At the time, it was only me, Electra, and Viola. Brea didn't join the crew until later on. When I first found out about what happened to Miyu, I left immediately to take care of her. After Miyu left with her parents, I told Electra and Viola what happened, and while they had some resentment, they were able to understand why I did it. As such, I returned to being Angelica for the next two years until..."

"Until you found out that Miyu fell into a coma and was sent to the hospital." Arashi finished, with Roxy nodding in confirmation.

"Once Miyu went to the hospital, I swore to make sure she was given the best care, and to do that, I needed money. Lots of it." Roxy continued. "That's why I continued to be Angelica for the next three years. Brea, who you know as Tigress, joined the crew when she was eight years old. I was one of the few people she looked up to in life because of my leadership and how I was able to persevere no matter what happened. In a way, Brea was like a daughter to me. But after I adopted Yuhiro, I permanently left the Rickety Raiders, and I didn't know how Brea and the others really felt about me until now. I failed them. I failed them all." Roxy then put her hands on her face before starting to cry, now sad and afraid that the friends she made will hate her for what she did.

"Aw man. I'm so sorry, Roxy." Herald said, after hearing that story. In a way, Herald understood Roxy's pain. The only difference was that Herald didn't get a say in leaving his fellow Ignis, as he and Wraith left after heeding Watchman's guidance. While he didn't know where Wraith was in the network, he had hope that his fellow Ignis was okay.

"I'm sure your friends understand why you left them, Roxy." Arashi added, trying to comfort her. "If you're afraid, then you should confront your fear and talk to them. They are your friends, and I know they'll be willing to listen to you. Besides. You need as many allies as you can get. Especially with the days ahead."

Roxy wiped the tears off her eyes before recomposing herself. "Thanks, Arashi. I'll do that when I have the chance."

"You know, now that I helped you, perhaps you can help me in asking Tigress, or Brea in the real world out on a date. Get her to be my girlfriend, if you know what I mean?"

Upon hearing that comment, Roxy ended up laughing. "Ha Ha Ha Ha. Yeah right." A moment of silence passed. "Oh. You're serious."

"She's smart, she's beautiful, and she's practically my age." Arashi pointed out. "Those are a few points in my favor, right? Right?"

"I don't think so, Arashi." Herald commented, shaking his head. "I may be no dating expert, but I doubt that'll help you at all."

"I'm with Herald on that one." Roxy added in a serious tone. "Arashi, there's something you need to understand. Brea was born into a family of criminals, and she underwent strict training so she can survive in the real world. As a result of the training and emotional burden, she lost her smile. Well, not entirely. She only smiles at people she trusts, such as Yuhiro and myself. In other words, most of the time, she's a cold and tough person. But behind that, Brea is a kind and sweet girl who cares for others. What I'm ultimately saying is this: Getting Brea to be your girlfriend is going to be a really hard challenge, so if you're serious about this, then I'll do what I can to help you out."

"Really? Thank you so much, Roxy!" Arashi genuinely smiled, grateful for the help. While it'll be a challenge, Arashi was confident that Brea will eventually be his girlfriend with hard work and effort. Emphasis on the word eventually.

"You know Arashi. Maybe I can help you out as well." Herald suggested. "Have you tried the Superhero trope?"

"The Superhero trope?" Arashi turned to Herald.

"The Superhero trope is where the hero saves the girl so many times that she falls in love with him at the end of the story." Herald explained.

"Herald, I saved Tigress from a trap, and what did I get? A duel against the Guzik Family's member who owned a pack of large dogs, and after that, I got slapped by Tigress. Twice." Arashi emphasized.

Herald thought about it for a moment before another idea popped into his mind. "I know! Maybe you should look into Rule 34! I heard it has lots of ideas that will help you in-!"

"WHAT?! WAS?! THAT?!" Roxy exclaimed, standing up and facing Herald with such a furious expression that it made everyone shudder in fear, even Progleo.

"Uh, nothing." Herald tried to answer, only for Roxy to pick up Yuhiro's duel disk.

"DID YOU LOOK AT RULE 34?!" Roxy loudly asked, infuriated that Herald would do such a thing.

"Of course not, Roxy! I swear!" Herald tried to answer once again, only in pure fear.

"You're forgetting that I'm a freakin lie detector, and I know when someone's lying!" Roxy narrowed her eyes at Herald to get the point across. "You and I are going downstairs to have a little chat on what you can search on the Internet, as well as discuss your Internet privileges."

"That will only happen once you catch me!" Herald stated, trying to exit Yuhiro's duel disk. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. "Wait. What's going on?"

"Yuhiro locked you in his duel disk, remember?" Roxy reminded him. "Let's go downstairs, shall we?"

"Arashi told me to look it up! He's the guilty one here!" Herald argued, as Roxy began approaching the stairs, but not before turning to Arashi.

"I tell you to look up a bunch of things Herald, but even I have the common sense not to tell you to look up Rule 34." Arashi pointed out, much to Herald's dismay. Roxy then went downstairs with a terrified Herald, with Yuhiro noticing the two of them upon entering inside Café Matsuo.

"YUHIRO! ARASHI! SAVE ME!" Herald cried out, as Roxy took Yuhiro's duel disk before going to the backroom. Raising an eyebrow in confusion for a moment or two, Yuhiro went upstairs to the living room, where he found Arashi preparing to play a Call of Duty: Black Ops III match online, which was what Herald was playing before getting into trouble.

"What just happened?" Yuhiro asked Arashi.

"Herald's in trouble for looking up Rule 34. Apparently, he did it to give me dating tips." Arashi answered, giving the bunny ears on the 'dating tips' part.

"Dating tips? You're serious about dating Brea, aren't you?" Yuhiro chuckled.

"I am, and something tells me that I'm in for one Hell of a bumpy ride." Arashi confirmed.

"Considering how Brea is a cold and tough person, you sure are, buddy." Yuhiro agreed. "Anyhow, I'm going to bed. Night." Progleo got up and followed Yuhiro upstairs afterwards.

"Night." Arashi called back before putting on noise-cancelling headphones so he didn't have to hear Roxy reprimanding Herald loudly for what he did. After looking at the screen of opponents, Arashi grinned. "Noobmaster. At last, a worthy opponent has appeared. Our battle will be legendary!" He then started playing the match afterwards.

Meanwhile...

"Not this again..." Yuhiro muttered, looking over the barren wasteland. This was the last place he wanted to be in tonight, considering how he was tired from the day's events. While Yuhiro knew this was a dream, it felt so... lifelike.

The only difference was that ahead of him was a burning house. Yuhiro's eyes widened. Oh no. Not that house.

The next thing Yuhiro knew, he saw a swarm of monsters of various sizes breaking into the house. He tried to move, to prevent them from getting into the house, but he found himself running in slow motion. Oh no. Oh no. OH NO!

"Run, Yuhiro!" a woman's voice said, before she got impaled by the scythe reaper had in its hands.

"Mom!" a young Yuhiro cried out, before running out of the backdoor. Yuhiro's eyes widened for a second time. Not that night. NOT THAT NIGHT!, he panicked in his mind. This was the night before the Lost Incident. The preluding Hell before the next one occurred the day after.

Just as Yuhiro was able to move in regular motion, a hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn his head behind him. Upon doing so, he saw Azrael of all people get his attention. Not him! Yuhiro panicked in his mind for a second time.

"If you don't find me soon, you'll lose Miyu forever." Azrael warned him, his eyes glowing blue as he smirked.

"GAAAAHHH!"

Yuhiro screamed before waking up. Breathing and heavily concerned, he pulled out the white-ruby pendant that was wrapped around his neck. "What the Hell was that?" He gasped upon looking at his right arm. Red, glowing cracks appeared on it before dissipating a few moments later.

"Is everything okay, Yuhiro?" Progleo inquired, a concerned look on his face as he woke up.

"I'm fine, buddy. Just a bad dream, that's all." Yuhiro assured him, before the cub went back to sleep. Yuhiro lied on his bed, still awake from that nightmare he had. Whatever it was, Yuhiro knew one thing for certain. Things were about to go downhill later on, that's for sure.

Elsewhere, in the network...

"Battle! Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eye attacks you directly! Disdainful Vision!" Ace declared, as Zerrziel fired a beam of energy from the eye at the center of his body, which hit a classy and fashionable middle-aged woman with fair skin, purple hair, and violet-colored eyes. She wore a sleeveless while lab coat that had purple lines, as well as a silver-yellow eyepiece over her left eye.

"Damn it..." the woman muttered, angry that she failed to protect the key to Uchida Industries.

"For a Knight of Hanoi, you were definitely a strong duelist, that's for sure." Ace admitted. "Still, with your defeat, Uchida Industries will finally be mine!" He then walked towards the digital core, intent on grabbing the key...

...But just as he was about to reach the digital core, a bolt of lightning suddenly came down, forcing Ace to shield his eyes and take several steps back out of shock. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed Drachen on his right knee, who stood up afterwards.

"Sorry Ace, but you're not getting Uchida Industries that easily!" Drachen announced, as he activated his duel disk. "It's time to duel!"

A light shines and the letters spelling out VRAINS light up the screen before a network is formed and several cards are drawn in towards a pillar of light. Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner are shown with their respective Ignis and stats, along with real-life forms that across the backgrounds that match their Ignis' colors. The screen then shows each of them being shocked while wearing VR sets as kids, along with Arashi.

The screen gets swallowed with darkness at it reveals a young Yukage huddled up and crying, his shadow shrinking behind him before taking the form of Wraith and comforting him. Yukage looks up with a menacing and soul piercing glare before the darkness consumes him and he's replaced with an older version of himself. Azrael and Wraith are then shown in NEW LINK VRAINS, as they look out into the digital sky. The scene then shifts to Bohman standing tall above NEW LINK VRAINS and holding the earth in his hands with Haru by his side. Malf grins in the shadows behind them, his red eyes shining bright in the process.

A drop of light falls down, and as it explodes, it reveals Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner, standing on buildings watching over the network, along with Slipstream as well. Blood Shepherd is shown commanding a trio of Battledrone Sergeants before the screen shifts to Drachen, who is shown commanding Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The screen then shifts a third time to Electrolyzer, where above him was PSY-Frame Driver, with PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta. The screen then shows Go Onizuka, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle, Gouki the Blade Ogre, and Gouki the Solid Ogre behind them ready for battle.

Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, Numera and SengokuQueen are then featured together riding their duel boards across the night sky with shooting stars flying across them. Trickstar Holly Angel was with Blue Girl, while Numera was with Geomathmech Final Sigma. Ghost Girl was with Altergeist Dragvirion, while SengokuQueen was with Secret Six Samurai - Rihan.

The screen then changes to Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner riding on their duel boards with Cyreath Medusa and Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode, Cyberse Magician, Cyberse Witch, and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Following the trio is Slipstream and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. The four of them join together with a fist bump and smile in the real world as the wind blows, with Kusanagi, Roxy, and Greg watching them from Kusanagi's truck. Rachel then runs toward the quartet, and more specifically, Yuhiro, a look of joy clearly on her face. Unbeknownst to everyone, they're watched from the shadows by a cloaked person who glares at them, biding his time.

Card Gallery

No new cards introduced in this chapter.

QOTC

In the history of Yu-Gi-Oh, who do you think has the most complicated family or father?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 61: Renewed Faith. Having secured the allegiance of the Epsilon Branch, Akira's bounty hunters lead a strike force with them to crush Delta and prevent them from regrouping with Ace. Meanwhile, Drachen confronts Ace, intent on preventing him from getting the key to Uchida Industries...

Author's Notes

Alright! Just as I promised, I got this chapter done before Christmas! Let's get to the recap, shall we?

This chapter picks up from Chapter 59, with Raguel logging back into the network to help Phoenix rescue his dad. How was Jeff captured, you may ask? Well, Jeff's former gang, the Sons of Ajax, stormed Sincero Penitentiary and freed him against his will. Due to the attack, the Nightlock Predators' leader, Norman, was killed, along with other people as well.

The duo chase down one member of the Sons of Ajax for information, where they find Gil interrogating him for information on where his dad is. After agreeing that they have a common goal, the trio end up infiltrating Omega in the rescue mission.

Now I just want to point out the differences between Monty and Creknurt (the new boss of Omega)'s leadership. While Monty was laidback and flexible, Creknurt was completely obsessed with survival. So much that he kidnapped prisoners to barter with, as well as acquire Kitamura's AI's to protect Omega.

Speaking of Kitamura, he was captured by Omega for an entire month and a half. Basically, they found Kitamura running for his life one day and captured him, giving him an ultimatum: Either work for Omega, or be handed over to SOL Technologies for judgment. It's obvious that Kitamura chose the former over the latter after everything that happened to him much earlier.

But let's get to the meat of the chapter, which consist of three points. One: The duels. Two: The real story behind the events leading to the Disbandment Armistice. Three: Gil and his character development.

First up is the two duels, with duel one being Gil versus Creknurt. Since Omega is practically old fashioned, I had Creknurt use a goblin deck. While this archetype is old, it can be tricky to deal with if the opponent isn't prepared. Despite Gil slightly struggling against Creknurt, he was able to practically defeat him in the end.

The second duel is Phoenix versus Raul Millard, Jeff's former right hand man. I had Jeff use the Horus the Black Flame Dragon archetype to show once again how old fashioned some duelists are. Phoenix struggled in this duel, as he nearly lost, but thanks to encouragement from Jeff and Raguel, he was able to get back up and win the duel.

With the duels out of the way, let's go over the events leading up to the Disbandment Armistice. One day, the Sons of Ajax were attempting to stop Ellis Jakobe, Norman's right hand man, from smuggling supplies to the Nightlock Predators. They eventually found Azrael killing Ellis, and upon seeing this, Raul attempted to bargain with him in splitting the spoils fifty-fifty. To Raul's shock, Azrael agreed, and even gave him the body. So basically, Azrael himself was the instigator that led to Miles' mom (Hailee Shilton)'s death, as well as Jeff and Norman's imprisonment, and the Disbandment Armistice. Goes to show that even back then, Azrael was operating in the network. By having Azrael kill Ellis, I want to connect him to the events that led people (in this case, Miles) to become the individuals they are now. So in a way, Azrael's actions ended up affecting both Yuhiro and Miles in terms of what they lost. What are your thoughts on this?

Now let's explore the character development for Gil. He had two reasons for assisting Raguel and Phoenix. One: To find his dad and end things. Two: To find Athaliah's location and kill her with his own hands. Yup. I said it. Kill her with his own hands. It shows that Gil's been heavily affected by what happened in Project: Apotheosis, and that he seeks revenge. Upon not getting the information from Omega, Gil practically snaps, only to focus on his other goal. Once he meets his dad, who is the former Abysstainer named Itachi Ariba, Gil forgives him. Why did he do it? Because by forgiving someone, you're able to free yourself from the control of the person who harmed you. However, this is where things get dark. After forgiving his father, Gil sentences him to live alone, forever knowing that Gil lives and breathes somewhere out there in the world, and Itachi can never be with him. Basically, Gil condemns his father to eternal isolation and despair, which makes him practically break in sadness as Gil leaves him in the prison cell.

Next is Jeff asking Raguel to alert the authorities on Omega, much to Phoenix's protests. Why did Jeff do this? Because he's a man of honor. If he chose to go on the run from the authorities, then there was a high chance that Jeff and Phoenix would never see each other again. After agreeing to do this, Raguel promises to help Jeff with his case before turning to Kitamura and demanding him to testify against Omega and help Jeff as well. Otherwise, Kitamura would experience a worse fate by SOL Technologies' hand.

In the real world, Yuhiro keeps his word by him and Roxy, along with the others, doctoring the footage to make it look like Jeff fought back against Omega, defeated his own gang, and rescued the prisoners. He even made sure that their work wouldn't be traced back to them. This brings Miles great joy, something he needed for a long time. Before they leave the cemetery, Miles tells Yuhiro that Azrael instigated the events leading to the Disbandment Armistice, with Yuhiro warning Miles to stay away from Azrael.

At Café Matsuo, Roxy finally tells the story on what happened to the Rickety Raiders and why she left them officially. Basically, after Roxy found out what happened to Miyu, she took a small reprieve to cope with everything going on before going back into the network as Angelica. Upon learning how Miyu ended up in the hospital, this motivated Roxy further to continue her work as Angelica. Keep in mind that Brea, aka Tigress, didn't join the crew until after Miyu ended up in the hospital. The event that finally made Roxy leave the Rickety Raiders was when she adopted Yuhiro, which, as you know, caused various reactions for the other members of the crew. That's what really happened. A few things you should know about Brea. She was born in a family of criminals, and she underwent strict training so she can survive in the real world. As a result of the training and emotional burden, she lost her smile. Well, not entirely. She only smiles at people she trusts, such as Yuhiro and Roxy. In other words, most of the time, she's a cold and tough person. But behind that, Brea is a kind and sweet girl who cares for others. This is going to be a challenge for Arashi, as he has a crush on her. For those of you who watched Young Justice, the way Arashi and Brea interact with each other will be similar to that couple from the show. You'll know which couple I'm talking about as the story goes on.

As for what happens after that, Herald tries to give Arashi dating tips, only to let it slip that he searched up Rule 34. This of course makes Roxy very angry, and once again, Herald is left at Roxy's mercy. This time, he can't escape, so Herald's practically screwed. What are your thoughts on that funny scene?

Then there's the nightmare scene for Yuhiro. While I won't reveal much on that, I want you to come up with your own theories on what this means, and how it'll affect the story moving forward.

Last but not least is the cliff-hanger scene, with Ace defeating the Hanoi's ally, the current CEO in a duel. What deck do you think she uses? As for her appearance, it's based off of Hall Matron Argenta from Pokémon. Drachen arrives on the scene and challenges Ace to a duel for Uchida Industries' key, thus making it one of two duels for next chapter.

So without further ado, I want to thank all of you for reading Chapter 60 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.

Anyhow, since this chapter was released before Christmas, I want to say this:

HAVE A SAFE AND MARRY ZARCMAS WHEREVER YOU ARE!

Okay, with that out of the way, I want to know what you enjoyed the most about this chapter! Was it the duels? The true story behind the events leading up to the nightmare scene? Herald getting busted for looking up Rule 34? Gil's further character development? Or was it something else?

Last but not least, I want to know what you're looking forward to in terms of Season 2.

Before I go, I want to make an announcement. As of this chapter, we are not only halfway through the Turf War arc, but Obscured Truth has reached 1,000,000 words in the story as well! Talk about a great accomplishment, don't you agree?

That's all for now! See you next time, as there's only two more branches in the Black Market to go!