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.

61. Chapter 61: Renewed Faith

Response to Reviews

Thank you to ZarcEternal, E.T. 2000, HunterHQ, Unknown, Noobmaster, Decode Talker, Anonymous, Ambiguous, Unnamed, Guest, ZeroMK7, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, and Visitor for reviewing Chapter 60 of Obscured Truth.

Hi everyone! I hope you're having an awesome holiday break wherever you are! I know for a fact I am! I also hope you enjoy this chapter, as you'll find out some interesting things, that's for sure!

Why don't we answer some reviews, shall we:

ZarcEternal: I looked over the duel, and just as you said, there was indeed a mistake. I didn't realize Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8's effect can be used more than once per turn. Rest assured. I fixed it up. I'm not at all disappointed or angry for you declining my invitation. I was just reaching out with a friendly offer, as the more helpers, the better the duels will be.

E.T. 2000: Of the criminals show so far in Obscured Truth, Jeff Shilton is among the honourable ones. His behaviour and actions will most certainly be rewarded, that's for sure. Keep in mind that Drachen only dueled twice, and this will be his first Master Duel. As for the duel's result, you'll have to read it to find out how it ends.

HunterHQ: Keep in mind that Raguel's not a monster. He still has morals and mercy. I mean, when you think about it, Miles and Specter are similar in some ways, but are totally different at the core. Jeff had his ways to keep his gang in check by utilizing his charismatic and honourable leadership. They wanted to follow him because Jeff represented what a leader should be, especially in the Black Market. For information on Athaliah, you'll actually get your answer in Chapter 62. Recall in Chapter 54 that Brion can fire electricity out of his fingertips, as well as suit up like Iron Man with his PSY-Framegears. You're right. I probably should have had Raguel tell Gil that he knows someone who can help him. I'll rectify that error in a later chapter. Attacking other branches and killing the Overseer is practically forbidden, although there were tensions between them. SOL Technologies couldn't do anything about the Hanoi since the Hanoi always kept their tracks clear. If Blood Shepherd went after anyone that Raguel cared about (especially Miyu), that would not end well for anyone. Have you seen what happens when Raguel uses his Link Trigger? If Monty was alive and the clearance ticket was intact, then Seamus would have no choice but to abide by it. It's a rule in the Black Market. Now that Yuhiro has World Gears, Watchman is able to focus on other goals. As for Yuhiro warning Watchman about Zero... well, let's just say it'll be epic, that's for sure. Why would the Millennium Eye appear in Yu-GI-Oh! VRAINS' opening? Doesn't seem to fit in the theme, that's for sure.

Unknown: All that's left is the Delta and Alpha Branch's, as well as the Overseer Tower. Definitely drew inspiration for this arc from the Batman and Spiderman stealth missions. I mean, the situation between Roxy and her gang, as well as the situation between Jeff and Norman's gangs isn't similar at all. It's different. Oh yeah. Azrael's haunting Yuhiro at every corner, making him one of the central antagonists in Season 2. Have you not seen what Azrael can do? Rest assured. You'll learn more about the CEO, as well as the deck she uses later on. Not a bad idea for what you said about Delta. If I were to describe Gardai, he'd be a snake because he knows how to sneak around and assassinate someone. In terms of duels, you may have your wish granted.

Noobmaster: Glad you like what I did there for you. If a branch takes prisoners, they put on a special device that forces them to log into the network, as well as prevents them from escaping in the real world, considering how they're unconscious and hidden away in a secluded location. Creknurt's basically someone who seized the chance to rule Omega with an iron fist. Each member of Omega had their avatars enhanced, as otherwise, they'd be more injured. Why is Azrael doing all this? For two reasons. One: To buy Bohman time so he can recover. Two: To test the heroes. If the good guys can't get past a war, then they're not worth Azrael's time. Remember: Emon was kicked out of the company, and SOL Technologies would have taken it had it not been for the Hanoi's old friend, who stepped in to become CEO at the last minute. While Gil's father won't be in prison forever, Gil basically sentenced his dad to eternal loneliness. Thanks to the former Abysstainer's actions, it'll shatter his confidence in actually starting a relationship or raising a kid. Being sentenced by your own son is far worse than mere death. Fixed that little error you mentioned, so thanks.

Decode Talker: I haven't heard from you in a long time since Chapter 45. Welcome back, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. As for Rule 34, you can search that up on your own. I'm not telling you what it is.

Anonymous: The Project: VIII data was split so no one else can replicate it again (well, Dr. Kogami did find it of course. But since he didn't have all the pieces, he couldn't complete it fully). Glad you liked the goblin slayer and Marvel references. Poor Herald got punished for what he did when he looked up Rule 34. Don't do what Herald did. It won't end well for you. While Raguel had respect for Omega, that respect was completely destroyed upon seeing what it did during the Turf War. It's very likely that the members of the Sons of Ajax and Nightlock Predators have been rounded up and put in jail. The central area isn't the Overseer area. That's a totally different area. Don't worry. Barbara's alive and well.

Ambiguous: Beyond happy you enjoyed this chapter. Like I said earlier, if a branch takes prisoners, they put on a special device that forces them to log into the network, as well as prevents them from escaping in the real world, considering how they're unconscious and hidden away in a secluded location. The rest of the branch didn't know Yuhiro and Roxy's identities in real life, and Creknurt was so focused on solidifying Omega that he didn't bother looking into the information. Frog and Pigeon didn't see Raguel duel against Seamus. And no, I didn't see Spiderman No Way Home, so please no spoilers. Yup. As of Chapter 60, Raguel has officially cut ties with Omega for good. Of course Akira wouldn't like it one bit. If anyone tries to attack Aoi, they better pray for salvation, as Akira won't give her attackers any of it. Humans definitely sleep, but there are people who work during the night time. However, that takes a lot of effort to do. Sadly, Infearno was otherwise occupied.

Unnamed: Technically, since Yuhiro left the Black Market, he didn't necessarily break the rules. Oh, the mask and copy thing was actually from the first Venom movie. A great scene, that's for sure. A shame they didn't keep the Wilhelm scream. Yeah. I fixed that little error, so thanks for pointing that out. Like I said, have you seen Young Justice? Just pay attention on Arashi and Brea's interactions with one another moving forward, and you'll see what I mean. Azrael's true intentions are to ultimately test the good guys, as if they're able to handle a conflict such as the Turf War, they'll be prepared for what's to come. Don't worry. You'll see Speckles later on. And Yuhiro is definitely going to need rest for what's to come. Trust me when I say this: What happens over the next few chapters will hit him really hard.

Guest: The fact that Kitamura was so occupied with his work in Omega didn't give him time at all to pester Raguel about the Lost Incident, and if he tried, he'd get socked in the face. The war between the Sons of Ajax and Nightlock Predators is finally over as of Chapter 60.

ZeroMK7: Considering how Omega's an old fashioned branch, it only makes sense for them to use old decks. Nevertheless, I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you like the duel as well.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Thanks very much.

Guest: Creknurt's basically the guy who'll seize any opportunity that will benefit him alone, no matter how it makes others think of him. Sadly, there's a ton of online scams that will make people regret falling for those tricks.

Guest: I mean, there was real life action in the real world in Chapter 60, even if it was for a brief moment. I mean, you will see more real life action later on in the story, so pay attention. How did Omega's prisoners get into the network? Simple. They captured them in the real world and forced each one to log into the network while securing them in a location.

Guest: True. I get what you mean there. Keep in mind that Ace's orders were to buy time for Bohman's recovery, so even if Ace was disposed, then Azrael can clean up the mess, thus aligning with Kingpin's statement from the PS4 Spiderman game, as Azrael's far worse than Ace will ever be. Epsilon and Omega are two examples of not accepting Ace's rule, and you'll actually find someone else who hates Ace's rule as well in this chapter.

Guest: SOL Technologies will definitely have to handle cleanup after the Turf War, that's for sure. With Zeta being out of commission at the moment, they will have to handle rebuilding their business before returning to operations again.

Guest: Roxy's obviously still friends with Barbara. I don't see Barbara as Captain Yuri, as unlike Yuri, Barbara still maintained her ethical code. Monty didn't have the chance to share secrets following the Tower of Hanoi because Azrael KILLED him, do you not remember that? It was Azrael's way of making sure no one else can trace him from Monty.

Visitor: At first, Raguel believed that Omega was one of the more ethical branches. Unfortunately, his faith in Omega practically SHATTERED upon realizing what it did under Creknurt's rule. And yeah. Something tells me that Raguel will practically feel a massive burden on himself upon realizing that it was HE that caused Omega to be in the situation it's in right now.

Now that all reviews are answered, it's time for the chapter to commence! Enjoy!

Chapter 61: Renewed Faith

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 the network, in Uchida Industries' private server...

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

Ace's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Drachen in front of him. How did he, the great Ace, not see this coming? Ace was mere moments from securing Uchida Industries' key, which, combined with the amount of stock he purchased, would officially solidify his hold over the company.

And then another interference showed up in the form of Drachen. If Ace had to be honest, it was... a bit annoying when things don't go his way. He then put two fingers on his earpiece, having received a call from someone on the other end.

"Miss Mikuru Sadow, also known as Ondina in the network. My name is Drachen, and I'm here to rescue you." Drachen told the woman, bending down to her level.

"Who sent you here?" Ondina asked Drachen.

"Ryoken sent me." Drachen quietly whispered in Ondina's ear, whose eyes widened in response. "Rest assured. He has plans to make sure you're safe in the real world, and will see you in a bit." He pressed a few buttons on his duel disk afterwards, allowing her to log out.

"How in the world are you here, boy?" Ace demanded. "I made sure that no one else can log in and stop me from getting what I want!"

"I have my ways." Drachen answered, thinking back to how he managed to log into Uchida Industries' servers in the first place.

Flashback: Ten minutes earlier, in the real world...

"Okay, that is not good at all!" Akairo commented, running down the sidewalk before crossing the intersection and making a left. He was just finishing his work when Ryoken called him, informing him that Ace was close to buying enough stocks to take control of Uchida Industries, as well as taking the company's code key. If Ace succeeded, that meant he would have the entire company under his disposal, and the end result? No resources for the Hanoi, as well as forcing company partners to bow down or be publicly exposed to the world for their bad deeds. And since Akairo's family was one of those partners, it wouldn't end well for them as well. "Are you one hundred percent sure?"

"I am, Aka." Ryoken answered. "The other Knights of Hanoi, including myself, are occupied at the moment."

"Seriously?" Akairo raised an eyebrow. "What are you guys even doing?"

Ryoken was silent on the other end before speaking. "Lord Kazuma is still in the Black Market trying to find leads on Ace, Baira and Dr. Genome are currently trying to create a virus for the Ignis, Faust and Infearno are in the process of improving what technology we still have, Dancho is investigating a lead on Malf, and Specter and I are currently in the middle of finding the Ignis."

"Can't one of you take some time off to lend me a helping hand?" Akairo complained.

"Sorry Aka, but considering how no one knows you're part of the Hanoi, you have the best chance in rescuing Uchida Industries' new CEO." Ryoken answered.

Akairo sighed. "Fine. Who is this CEO anyway?"

"Her name is Mikuru Sadow, also known as Ondina in the network." Ryoken explained, as a picture showing Mikuru popped up on Akairo's duel disk. "SOL Technologies would have been able to take over Uchida Industries completely had she not stepped in to take control of the company at the last minute."

"Okay. When I get to Uchida Industries, what do I say to the receptionist? To the security guards even? It's not just they'll let me waltz in. I'm sixteen years old, remember?"

"You will repeat this phrase to them." Ryoken replied, before whispering something into Akairo's ear through the phone.

After hearing the phrase, Akairo said, "Okay, got it. Last question: How am I going to log out Mikuru? It's likely that Ace has-." As if on cue, a program popped up on his duel disk. "Okay. Guess that answers my question. Anyhow, I'll rescue the CEO for you."

"Once you use the program, I'll get a notification, and will send Baira and Faust to drive her to one of our safe houses in the real world." Ryoken said. "Good luck." He then hung up on Akairo afterwards.

"Would have been nice to have a Knight of Hanoi helping me out, but it looks like I'll have to make do with the current circumstances." Akairo muttered before turning right at the next intersection, eventually arriving at Uchida Industries itself. Looking at the building, Akairo's mouth dropped. It was a very tall skyscraper, one that emitted a presence as if it were saying its main slogan, which was "Making the Impossible Possible".

Heading towards the entrance, just as Akairo suspected, he encountered two security guards, one of which putting his hand forward and making Akairo stop in his tracks.

"Uchida Industries will be closing soon," one of the guards explained. "Get lost, kid!"

"Something has happened with the CEO! She's trapped in Uchida Industries' servers, and I have to rescue her asap!" Akairo responded.

"We'll look into it kid," the other guard assured him. "Now get-!"

"If you are ever lost or confused, the Stardust Road will guide you." Akairo immediately said, causing both guards to stop talking.

"That phrase... It's the one for Uchida Industries' most trusted clients," one of the guards whispered to the other.

"How does he know it? It must be a fluke," the other guard answered.

"If you're wondering why I know that phrase, it's because I'm a child of the Gekido Family." Akairo explained. He hated having to use his family's influence, but just this once, he can make an exception.

"You're a child of the Gekido Family?" one of the guards asked, with Akairo nodding in confirmation. After hearing this, both guards stood aside. "If what you're saying is true, then hurry. We'll contact a tech team to assist you as soon as possible." The guard then handed Akairo a silver card, who immediately took it.

"Thank you very much." Akairo then ran into the building and headed up the main escalator, which took him to the nearby elevator. Looking at the map, he immediately went into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor, causing the elevator to begin going up. Come on, come on, Akairo thought. The last thing I need right now is a slow elevator. Then again, it was better than climbing twelve flights of stairs, that's for sure.

After a minute or so, the elevator stopped at the top floor before the doors opened, allowing Akairo to exit it before running straight down the hallway. He eventually found the office that had 'CEO Mikuru Sadow' on it, and upon doing so, Akairo quickly opened the door. He then found a classy and fashionable middle-aged woman with fair skin, purple hair, and violet-colored eyes. She wore a white turtleneck, a red jacket with gray rings, and long red shorts. She also wore purple tights and long black boots with tall white heels as well. To complete her outfit, she wore black gloves and circular blue earrings, pairing them all with purple lipstick.

Looking closer, he found the woman being surrounded in a digital sphere, having been forced to log into the network.

"Okay, okay, okay," Drachen muttered, going over to the nearby computer and typing in a series of code. After a few minutes, he was able to deduce what happened.

Apparently, Ace must have used a program that hacked into Uchida Industries' mainframe, which would cause Mikuru to obviously look into it. As a result, she was forcefully logged into the company's main server, where Ace would confront her in a duel to obtain the code key by force. The reason why it took so long was the numerous firewalls Uchida Industries had (thanks to Emon, of course).

It was a simple, yet effective strategy. Hook, line, and sinker.

After putting in the coordinates into his duel disk, he said, "Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!"

Flashback End: Present Day...

Ace frowned. "Not going to tell me the truth, are you? Alright. Judging by your secrecy and how you were sent to rescue the CEO, who was the Hanoi's ally by the way, I deduce you were hired by them as well."

Drachen's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he regained his focus. "Hanoi? I don't know what you're talking about. My client's a friend of hers, so I'm doing him a favor. In exchange for getting paid, of course."

"Don't try to deny it, Hanoi Dog." Ace replied, in a tone that stunned Drachen. "I did my research, and I've known for you were with the Hanoi for quite a while now, boy."

In response, Drachen grit his teeth. "Son of a," he muttered, knowing there was no point in denying the truth any longer. "How do you know I was with the Knights of Hanoi?"

"Research, of course. That, and my benefactor gave me the information." Ace answered.

"Benefactor, huh? Just like before, you're working for someone else. If you ask me, this mysterious benefactor you have is the true Overseer, whereas you're nothing more than a puppet ruler." Drachen correctly deduced, making Ace frown in the process.

"That may be the case, but at least I get to rule the Black Market, which is something I wanted to do for a long time." Ace pointed out.

Drachen raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Let's look at it this way. You do realize you're being used as a slave, right? Once your usefulness is run now, this benefactor you have will throw you away."

To Drachen's surprise, Ace smirked. "On the contrary, I don't see myself as a slave. Rather, I see myself as a servant." When Drachen raised an eyebrow in confusion to Ace's statement, Ace continued speaking. "If you're confused, allow me to explain. A slave is someone who doesn't have a free will at all, and isn't willing to betray their master. A servant, on the other hand, retains their free will, and makes the choice to serve their master. In that sense, I'm similar to Specter. The both of us follows our masters by choice, even if it we must sacrifice ourselves to ensure our masters' visions come true."

"And by choice, does it involve being threatened with death if you refuse to serve?" Drachen inquired with an amusing grin, which made Ace grit his teeth upon remembering what Azrael did to him.

Damn that Another Virus, Ace thought, before regaining his composure. "Better to serve willingly than rot in prison. Besides. My benefactor sees a far better use for me, which I see as a second chance for life. I have no regrets because my benefactor's a true visionary, compared to the Knights of Hanoi. As long as I complete my tasks, my benefactor will always find a use for me."

"Oh, stop going on and on about how you're better with this mysterious benefactor of yours. As much as I want to know who he or she is, that doesn't matter at the moment. What does matter is that you're buying time for something." Drachen correctly deduced once again, surprising Ace.

"For a bounty hunter, you're perceptive. I acknowledge your ability to pay attention to detail." Ace praised Drachen, pulling up a screen that showed a gauge, with seventy percent of it being red. "As I dueled against the CEO, my ally Speckles implemented a hacking program where every time she lost life points, his chances of destroying Uchida Industries' firewalls would go up. It was my benefactor's idea of course, as you can only seize permanent control of a company once you obtain the code key and buy enough stocks to solidify your hold on it. And I'll have to say it took quite a while to buy those stocks, considering the number of competitors out there. I would have ultimately succeeded... had your program not depleted the hacking program's progress."

"Like I would let you get Uchida Industries' key that easily!" Drachen reiterated. "If I beat you in a duel, will the program stop?"

"Correct!" Ace confirmed, activating his duel disk. "The program won't continue until a duel begins after all. Prepare yourself, boy. For this duel will be your last!"

"I seriously doubt that." Drachen replied.

"Let's duel!" Ace and Drachen said in unison.

Ace: 4000 LP

Drachen: 4000 LP

"The faster I defeat you, the faster I can put an end to you for good. My turn!" Drachen said. "I activate the Spell card, Red-Eyes Fusion, which lets me Fusion Summon one Fusion monster that lists a 'Red-Eyes' monster as a Fusion Material from my Extra Deck, by using monsters from my hand, deck, or field as Fusion Materials. In addition, the name of the Fusion monster summoned by Red-Eyes Fusion becomes 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon'. Also, I'm not allowed to Normal or Special Summon monsters the turn I activate this card." Two cards popped out of his deck. "From my deck, I use Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning as Fusion Materials!" A silhouette of Red-Eyes Black Dragon then appeared, along with a silhouette of a large fiend with black armor that covered its purple skin underneath. Covering his chest was a set of large, silver rib-like armor, which extended to his shoulder pads. The fiend had a total of four horns, with two on his sides and two curved ones on his head. Last but not least, he had three eyes, and two wings on his back. Both monsters then disintegrated into red and blue particles respectively before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Mighty dragon of endless potential! Envelop yourself with malevolence and raze those who stand in your way of evolution!" Drachen chanted. "Fusion Summon! Arise, Level 9! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" A large fiend with light-red skin and portions of black armor on his feet, legs, and spiked tail appeared on Drachen's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The top of his head was covered in a metal coating, while his jaw consisted of pure bone. The wings on his back unleashed a burst of fire as he roared at Ace.

Archfiend Black Skull Dragon ATK: 3200 DEF: 2500 LV: 9

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Inferno Fire Blast. This card lets me target one 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon' in my Monster Zone and inflict damage equal to its original attack points! However, it can't attack the turn this card is activated."

"Clever little..." Ace annoyingly grumbled quietly. Considering how the duelist who went first wasn't allowed to attack, Drachen played a card that allowed him to deal effect damage, thus enabling him to get around that rule.

"Since Archfiend Black Skull Dragon has been rechristened as Red-Eyes Black Dragon thanks to Red-Eyes Fusion, I can target him with this Spell card and inflict 3200 points of damage to you!" Drachen emphasized. "Go, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Inferno Fire Blast!" Archfiend Black Skull Dragon gathered black and red energy in his maw before firing it as a massive, fiery blast of energy at Ace, who was sent flying off the ground before he landed on his back.

Ace: 4000 – 3200 = 800 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Drachen concluded. As much as he wanted to end Ace as quick as possible, anything can happen in this duel. For if Ace had a card that would either negate effect damage or turn that damage into multiple life point increases, the duel would be in his favor, not Drachen's. After all, his previous duels against Raguel and Slipstream taught him not to be a 'hot-head', as Ryoken called him. With Archfiend Black Skull Dragon on the field, I can prevent Ace from activating cards or effects until the end of the damage step whenever Archfiend Black Skull Dragon battles, Drachen thought. What's more, if damage calculation is performed, I can target one 'Red-Eyes' monster in my Graveyard and inflict damage to him equal to its attack points. As an added bonus, I can shuffle it into my deck afterwards. "Okay, Ace. Let's see what the new Overseer can do. After all, last I checked you lost three times in a row recently. Makes you a pathetic duelist, don't you agree?

"Do not taunt me, boy!" Ace warned Drachen, standing up on his two feet. "I'll teach you to respect your superior!"

"Really?" Drachen raised an eyebrow in response to Ace's comment. "How old are you?

"Twenty years old."

Upon hearing Ace's answer, Drachen ended up laughing. "Okay. The only way you're my superior is if you're a lot older. If anything..." Drachen narrowed his eyes. "You're nothing more than a joke."

"If you don't believe me, then I'll make you kneel by force!" Ace snarled. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Field Spell card, Evil Eye Domain – Pareidolia! Upon activation, this card lets me add one 'Evil Eye' monster from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of Ace's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I summon Serziel, Watcher of the Evil Eye from my hand!" A fair-skinned, white-haired man wearing red and purple robes with several yellow eyes on his body appeared on Ace's field.

Serziel, Watcher of the Evil Eye ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400 LV: 4

"Serziel's effect! When he's Normal Summoned, I'm allowed to add an 'Evil Eye' card from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of Ace's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Next, I activate the effect of Basilius, Familiar of the Evil Eye! As I control an 'Evil Eye' monster, I'm allowed to Special Summon this card from my hand to my field!" A blue and black serpent with a big red eye on its head also appeared on Ace's field and hissed at Drachen.

Basilius, Familiar of the Evil Eye ATK: 400 DEF: 2000 LV: 3

"I also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Hand Destruction." Ace added. "Each of us must discard two cards from our hands before drawing two new cards from our decks!" Both duelists discarded two cards before drawing two cards from the top of their respective decks.

I needed those two cards, Drachen lamented in his mind. Oh well. I can work with this.

"Appear! The circuit of the all-consuming Evil Eye!" A Link Portal appeared above Ace. "The summoning conditions are two monsters, one of which must be an 'Evil Eye' monster! I'll set Serziel, Watcher of the Evil Eye, and Basilius, Familiar of the Evil Eye into the Link Markers!" Serziel went into the top arrowhead, while Basilius went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed!" A white-haired woman wearing a black and purple dress covered by white and red armor appeared on Ace's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Covering her left eye was a white mechanical device with a red lens.

Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed ATK: 1900 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"Gorgon gains 100 attack points for every 'Evil Eye' card in my Graveyard with a different name." Ace explained. "As there's currently a total of three 'Evil Eye' cards with different names, Gorgon therefore gains 400 attack points." A red aura enveloped Gorgon as she powered up.

Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed ATK: 1900 + 300 = 2200

"I also activate the Equip Spell card, Evil Eye of Gorgoneio, and equip it onto Gorgon." A red lens coated in silver appeared, which Gorgon grabbed and put on her right eye. "Evil Eye of Gorgoneio's name becomes 'Evil Eye of Selene' while it's in the Spell & Trap card zone. Also, while my life points are lower than yours, the equipped monster gains attack points equal to the difference. Therefore, since the difference between our life points is obviously 3200, that means Gorgon gains 3200 attack points!"

"You have got to be kidding me." Drachen muttered, as a purple aura surrounded Gorgon, which powered her up.

Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed ATK: 2200 + 3200 = 5400

"Gorgon's effect!" Ace continued. "Once per turn, I can target one effect monster you control and negate its effects until the end of the turn. I target Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Drachen could do nothing but grit his teeth as Gorgon fired a mesmeric blast of energy from her hands at Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, temporarily stripping him of his abilities.

"In addition, I activate the effect of Catopleas, Familiar of the Evil Eye from my Graveyard. If I control an 'Evil Eye' monster while this card is in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard to my field. In exchange, I must banish it once it leaves the field. Come to me, Catopleas!" A buffalo with grey and purple skin that wore cyan armor appeared on Ace's field. On its forehead was a red eyeball.

Catopleas, Familiar of the Evil Eye ATK: 600 DEF: 1900 LV: 3

"Since there's one less card in my Graveyard, Gorgon loses 100 attack points." Ace informed Drachen, as a red aura surrounded Gorgon, which decreased her strength slightly.

Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed ATK: 5400 – 100 = 5300

"Appear, once again! The circuit of the all-consuming Evil Eye!" A second Link Portal appeared above Ace. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Evil Eye' monsters. I'll set the Link 2 Gorgon, Empress of the Evil Eyed and Catopleas, Familiar of the Evil Eye into the Link Markers!" Gorgon went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, while Catopleas went into the top arrowhead.

"With the power the Evil Eye has given you, unleash your hatred and destruction onto this world in a gleeful manner!" Ace chanted. "Link Summon! Arise! Link 3! Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed!" A red-and-gray armored man with large wings appeared on Ace's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Giant yellow eyes opened at his knees, right arm, left shoulder, and chest. A red lens covered his right eye as well.

Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed ATK: 2600 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"Since Zerrziel was Link Summoned using a monster whose attack points were 2600 or higher, it can attack an additional time during each Battle Phase! Also, as Catopleas left the field, it's now banished." Ace informed Drachen, who grit his teeth.

"So that's why you brought out that monster. To finish me off quickly, just as I intend to do the same to you." Drachen figured out.

"Obviously! We're on a clock here!" Ace pointed out. Let's make things interesting, he thought, as a card slipped from his sleeve and went into his right hand. "I activate the Equip Spell card, Evil Eye of Selene and equip it onto Zerrziel." A red and silver mechanical device appeared, which Zerrziel grabbed and put on his left eye. "Zerrziel's second effect now activates! Once per turn, when he's equipped with Evil Eye of Selene, I can target one card you control and destroy it. Say goodbye to Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Zerrziel fired an optic blast from both red lens at Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, turning him into particles. "Evil Eye of Selene's effect now activates! Whenever the equipped monster activates its effect, or I activate the effect of another 'Evil Eye' Spell or Trap card, it gains 500 attack points and I lose 500 life points. However, I activate the effect of Serziel's Aide of the Evil Eye from my hand. By discarding this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I gain life points equal to the life points I would have lost due to the effect of Evil Eye of Selene!" As Zerrziel powered up, Ace discarded a card from his hand, which protected him from the self-inflicted cost of the Evil Eye of Selene on his field.

Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed ATK: 2600 + 500 = 3100

Ace: 800 + 500 = 1300 LP

"With this, my victory is all but certain!" Ace then raised an eyebrow upon seeing Drachen smirk at him. "Why are you so confident all of a sudden?"

"It's because you're more of a hot-head than me, little slave." Drachen responded, making Ace narrow his eyes in pure anger. "And thanks to you, I can do this! Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Miracle of Draconian Wrath! When a Dragon monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, I can take two Spell or Trap cards from my deck and Set them to my field! What's more, I can activate them the turn they're Set as well!"

"Damn you!" Ace snarled, as two cards popped out of Drachen's deck, which he took and Set to his Spell & Trap card zone.

"There's more! I activate one of the cards I Set just now. The Trap card, Immortal Dragon!" Drachen gestured to one of his face-down cards. "This card lets me target one of my destroyed or banished Dragon monsters and Special Summon them to my field. Return, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" At his command, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon reappeared before roaring at Ace.

Archfiend Black Skull Dragon ATK: 3200 DEF: 2500 LV: 9

"I also activate the Trap card, Red Eyes Spirit! This card lets me target one 'Red-Eyes' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it. I target and Special Summon Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning to my field!" At Drachen's command, Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning appeared on his field.

Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LV: 6

"So that's how you want to play it? Fine. I'll play your little game!" Ace replied, now infuriated with what happened. He was so focused on ending this duel quickly that he forgot about Drachen's Set card. Damn it! "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Glare of the Evil Eye. This card lets me target one card you control and negate its effects until the End Phase. I target Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"

"Not this again..." Drachen complained, as a red blast of light fired out of the card and hit Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, which temporarily stripped him of his abilities once again.

"And since I activated another 'Evil-Eye' Spell or Trap card, Evil Eye of Selene will give Zerrziel more power!" As Zerrziel powered up for a second time, Ace clutched his heart, having lost life points.

Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed ATK: 3100 + 500 = 3600

Ace: 800 – 500 = 300 LP

"Oh crap..." Drachen muttered. This... wasn't good at all.

"I warned you not to taunt me boy, and for that, it will cost you dearly!" Ace reminded him. "Battle! Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed attacks Archfiend Black Skull Dragon! Disdainful Vision!" The giant, yellow eyes on Zerrziel glowed as he charged energy at the center. He then fired a beam of energy from the eye at the center of his body, which hit Archfiend Black Skull Dragon and destroyed him. This resulted in making Drachen wince as his life points dropped.

Drachen: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

Since Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's effects were negated, I couldn't use his other abilities. This I did not see coming, Drachen admitted to himself in his mind.

"The battle still continues, as thanks to Zerrziel's effect, he can attack again!" Ace reminded Drachen. "Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed attacks Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning! Disdainful Vision!" The giant, yellow eyes on Zerrziel glowed as he charged energy at the center for a second time. He then fired a beam of energy from the eye at the center of his body straight towards Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, which hit him and caused an explosion that sent Drachen flying off the ground before he landed on his back.

Drachen: 3600 – 1200 = 2400 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Ace smirked, looking at the gauge, which showed it was eighty percent complete. Good, he thought. Just need to buy a bit more time, and Speckles will be able to successfully clear the way for me to retrieve that code key. "I'll admit. I didn't expect you to push me like that within a single turn. You're the first duelist to ever do that. Still, you're in my way, which makes you an enemy that must be eliminated!"

"You talk too much..." Drachen replied, getting up on his feet slowly. "Why don't our cards speak for ourselves? After all, words mean nothing in a duel."

"That I concur." Ace agreed.

"My turn! I draw!" Drachen drew the top card of his deck. According to the footage Ryoken sent me, Ace's Set card is most likely Evil Eye Retribution, he thought. That card lets him negate the activation of a Spell or Trap card, and if Evil Eye of Selene is in his Spell & Trap card zone, its effect and activation cannot be negated. The good news is that every time Ace activates the equipped monster's effect or another 'Evil Eye' Spell or Trap card, he loses 500 life points to increase his monster's attack points by 500. As such, I'm safe to activate my cards and effects this turn. "I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn. This card lets me Special Summon one monster from either of our Graveyards. Arise, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" A large, black dragon with red-colored eyes then appeared on Drachen's field, roaring in the process.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"I now activate the Spell card, Pre-Preparation of Rites! Not only does this card lets me add a Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand, I can also add a Ritual monster from my deck or Graveyard whose name is listed on that Ritual Spell." Two cards popped out of Drachen's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "From there, I activate the Ritual Spell card, Red-Eyes Transmigration! This card lets me tribute monsters from my hand or field whose levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual monster I'm about to Ritual Summon. I also have the option to banish 'Red-Eyes' monsters from my Graveyard as well!"

"Such a Ritual Spell card like that exists?!" Ace exclaimed, shocked at what he was hearing.

"That's right! I banish the Level 4 Red-Eyes Retro Dragon and the Level 4 Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight from my Graveyard!" A black circle infused with fire burned eight red flames, which materialized in front of Drachen, along with the silhouettes of two monsters.

The first monster was a gray, bipedal dragon with shades of light-red all over his body. Attached to his thighs were two gears.

The second monster was a knight with black armor that had silver outlines on it. His right arm composed of a blade, while his left arm consisted of a shield. Red orbs that connected Gearfried's body parts to his body glowed with dimming energy.

Both Red-Eyes Retro Dragon and Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of bright light.

"The contract has been made!" Drachen chanted. "Great warrior of the fiery land, infuse yourself with the dragon's endless potential, and evolve into your true form! Ritual Summon! Arise from the fiery depths! Level 8! Lord of the Red!" A warrior wearing black armor all over his body appeared on Drachen's field. He had a long tail, a set of wings on his back, and clawed feet.

Lord of the Red ATK: 2400 DEF: 2100 LV: 8

"If you think I'm stopping here, you're wrong! I activate the Spell card, The Claw of Hermos! When I activate this card, I can send one monster from my hand or field to my Graveyard of the type listed on a Fusion monster that can be only Special Summoned with The Claw of Hermos. By doing so, I can Special Summon that Fusion monster from my Extra Deck. I send Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my field to my Graveyard!" A red, bipedal dragon with a spiked horn and a tusk at each side of his mouth appeared on Drachen's field. He had spikes going down from the back of his neck to the halfway point of his tail, which also ended in spikes. Lastly, he had spiked claws and feet, as well as yellow-amber eyes. Hermos and Red-Eyes Black Dragon disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which swirled into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy then shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Appear, now! Level 7! Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword!" Drachen stated, as a black blade with four winged-spikes and red-eyes appeared on his field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The long portion of the blade was curved upwards, while the smaller part was slightly curved to the right.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LV:7

"While I'm impressed you brought out two new monsters, they're nothing against Zerrziel!" Ace told Drachen.

"I'm well aware, which is why I got something planned for that." Drachen replied. "I activate Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword's effect! If it was Special Summoned, I can target one other face-up monster on my field and equip it with this card. The equipped monster gains 1000 attack points, along with an additional 500 attack and defense points for every Dragon monster on the field and in the Graveyards!"

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

"You heard me correctly. Every single Dragon monster on the field and in the Graveyards." Drachen reiterated. "I equip Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword onto Lord of the Red!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword went over to Lord of the Red, who grabbed it before letting out a shout, which indicated that his strength increased.

Lord of the Red ATK: 2400 + 1000 + (500 X 2) = 4400

"And just in case, I activate the Spell card, Aurora Draw. Since I have no other cards in my hand, I can draw two cards from the top of my deck." Drachen drew the top two cards of his deck. "From there, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon. This card lets me target and destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. I target and destroy Evil Eye Domain – Pareidolia!" A typhoon fired out of the card, which hit Evil Eye Domain – Pareidolia before turning it into particles.

"When Evil Eye Doman – Pareidolia is destroyed by a card effect, I can add one 'Evil Eye' monster from my Graveyard to my hand." Ace explained. "I add Serziel's Aide of the Evil Eye from my Graveyard to my hand!" A card popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "As I activated another 'Evil Eye' Spell or Trap card, Evil Eye of Selene will give Zerrziel more attack points. I also activate the effect of Serziel's Aide of the Evil Eye from my hand. By discarding this card from my hand to my Graveyard, just like before, I gain life points equal to the life points I would have lost due to the effect of Evil Eye of Selene!" As Zerrziel powered up, Ace discarded a card from his hand, which protected him from the self-inflicted cost of the Evil Eye of Selene on his field.

Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed ATK: 3600 + 500 = 4100

Ace: 300 + 500 = 800 LP

"Sorry Ace, but what you did will cost you the duel!" Drachen suddenly stated. "Lord of the Red's effect! Since two Spell cards were activated in separate chains, all other monsters on your field are-!"

"Trap card, activate! Dark Sacrifice!" Ace interjected. "When you activate a card or effect that would destroy a card on my field, I can negate that card's effects. In exchange, I must send one Level 3 or lower Dark monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send a second copy of Basilius from my deck to my Graveyard."

"Crap..." Drachen muttered, as a card popped out of Ace's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. Afterwards, a blast fired out of Dark Sacrifice, which Lord of the Red before he groaned in pain, his effects having been negated. "I'll admit I didn't expect you to respond to my moves like that, but let's see how you respond to this! Battle!" Drachen thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Lord of the Red attacks Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed! Dragons' Blade of Judgment!" Lord of the Red charged forward and slashed Zerrziel, which caused a massive explosion afterwards. "Yes! I'm one step closer to winning this duel!"

"Are you now?" Ace taunted, as the smoke cleared, which revealed an unharmed Zerrziel!

"How... How is your monster still on your field?!" Drachen demanded, surprised at what happened.

"During your attack, I activated the effect of Necro Gardna from my Graveyard." Ace stated. "By banishing him from my Graveyard, I can negate your attack."

"But how was-?" It then dawned on Drachen. That was one of the cards Ace discarded from his hand the turn he activated Hand Destruction! "You sneaky little..."

"Think about it. There's no way you'll defeat me that easily. Besides..." Ace grinned. "Even a duelist like myself was able to hold my own against Playmaker."

"I see." Drachen then took the last card in his hand and said, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn. You might as well give up, Ace. There's no way you can defeat me now and get Uchida Industries!" And in the event he tries, my face-down card will give him a nasty surprise. One that will be his undoing, he thought, looking at the gauge on his duel disk. It showed that ninety percent of the hacking program that was complete. That meant Drachen had to end this duel fast, and if it had to end in a draw, then so be it.

"We shall see." Ace replied. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Even, Alchemist of the Evil Eye from my hand!" A man with long blond hair to his shoulder-blades and pale skin appeared on Ace's field. He wore pieces of tattered black robes all over his body, which were covered by veins coming from the eyes attached to his clothing.

Even, Alchemist of the Evil Eye ATK: 1500 DEF: 700 LV: 4

"When Even is Normal or Special Summoned, the both of us are allowed to excavate the top three cards of our decks, add one of them to our hands, and send the rest to our Graveyards." Both duelists took the top three cards of their respective decks, chose one, and sent the others to their respective Graveyards. "Appear, the circuit the all-consuming Evil Eye!" A Link Portal appeared above Ace. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Evil Eye' monsters, including an 'Evil Eye' Link monster! I'll set Even, Alchemist of the Evil Eye, and the Link 3 Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed into the Link Markers!" Even went into the bottom-right arrowhead , while Zerrziel split into three tornadoes and went into the left, right, and bottom-left arrowheads.

"Malevolent spirit sealed within the Evil Eye! Break free of your shackles, and engulf this world, no this universe into darkness!" Ace chanted. "Link Summon! Emerge from your slumber! Link 4! Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye!" A massive swarm of spiked black and red tentacles breached its way through the Link Portal and flew onto Ace's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. At the center of the tentacles was a black eyeball, with its conjunctiva being blue, while the pupil was a slitted yellow color.

Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"When Dharkon is Link Summoned, I'm allowed to target as many copies of Evil Eye of Selene in my Graveyard and equip them to this card." Ace explained. "As there's only one copy of 'Evil Eye of Selene' in my Graveyard, I'll equip it onto my monster!" A red and silver mechanical lens floated from Ace's Graveyard and orbited around Dharkon's eye. Another card slipped from his sleeve and went into his right hand. "I activate another copy of Evil Eye of Gorgoneio from my hand. Just like before, Evil Eye of Gorgoneio's name becomes 'Evil Eye of Selene' while it's in the Spell & Trap card zone. Also, while my life points are lower than yours, the equipped monster gains attack points equal to the difference. Therefore, since the difference between our life points is 1600, Dharkon gains 1600 attack points!" A red lens coated in silver appeared, which orbited around Dharkon's eye as its strength increased.

Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye ATK: 2800 + 1600 = 4400

"And since I activated another 'Evil-Eye' Spell or Trap card, Evil Eye of Selene will give Dharkon more power, with an additional boost from Evil Eye of Gorgoneio as well!" As Dharkon powered up for a second time, Ace clutched his heart in pain, a grin on his face.

Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye ATK: 4400 + 500 + 300 = 5200

Ace: 800 – 500 = 300 LP

"I activate the Spell card, Beckon to the Dark!" Ace added.

"No! Not that card!" Drachen exclaimed, his eyes having been widened out of shock.

"Oh? So you know what this card does? Good. But in case you don't know, when this card is activated, I can send one monster you control to your Graveyard, and this card doesn't target! I send Lord of the Red to your Graveyard!" Ace wickedly smiled as a hand went straight towards Lord of the Red, which crushed him before he turned into particles. "Let's end this duel! Battle! Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye attacks you directly!"

"Not so fast! I activate the effect of Clear Kuriboh from my Graveyard!" Drachen interrupted. "When your monster attacks me directly, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to draw one card from my deck. If it's a monster, I can Special Summon it to my field, and you must attack that monster!"

"Oh?" Ace raised an eyebrow. "Relying on luck to help you win this duel?"

"It's not luck! It's faith... faith that my deck will pull through for me!" Drachen answered, placing his right hand on the top card of his deck. "I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck, and upon looking at it, he smiled. "I drew the Level 7 Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon, which means I can Special Summon it to my field!" A large, black dragon with red-colored eyes and four flaming wings then appeared on his field.

Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"If you want me to attack your monster, then I'll be more than happy to oblige!" Ace complied. "Dharkon, Entity of the Evil Eye attacks Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon! Shadow Impalement!" The tentacles surrounding Dharkon's eye morphed into spiked, shadowy spears before they went straight towards Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon and destroyed him!

"Sorry pal, but it's lights out for the both of us!" Drachen said, before gesturing to his face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Red-Eyes Burn! When a 'Red-Eyes' monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, except 'Red-Eyes B. Chick', we both take damage equal to its original attack points!"

"WHAT?!" Ace exclaimed, having not seen that coming.

"Even if it means the duel ends in a draw, at least I can prevent you from winning it!" Drachen declared, as Red-Eyes Burn caused a massive explosion, which sent both duelists flying off the ground before they landed on their respective backs.

Ace: 300 – 2400 = 0

Drachen: 2400 – 2400 = 0

"Heh. Heh. Heh." Drachen panted. "Your hacking program only succeeds if you win the duel. Since it's a draw, that means your-."

"You really think the program will only succeed if I win the duel?" Ace inquired, a grin on his face. "I had Speckles install a failsafe in his hacking program in the event the duel ends in a draw or loss. Look for yourself!"

Drachen gasped upon looking at the gauge, which showed the program was one hundred percent complete! "You bastard," he growled under his breath. Within moments, the digital sphere behind Drachen shattered completely, the key immediately going over to Ace, who held it in the palm of his hand as his avatar flickered.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The Ace you dueled was nothing more than a data clone," the data Ace mentioned, which made Drachen narrow his eyes in furious anger before he fired a black and red anchor at him. Unfortunately, it obviously passed through the data Ace's body. "Really? A duel anchor? Like that will help you." He then laughed before flickering out completely.

"Damn it!" Drachen cursed, before putting two fingers on his earpiece. "Bad news! Ace got the data key! He has Uchida Industries now!"

"Crap..." Ryoken muttered on the other end. "I'll have Lord Kazuma speed up his search. At the rate things are going-."

"Maybe this will help his search." Drachen interrupted, sending Ryoken the data he got from the digital Ace.

"So Ace used a data clone as a distraction rather than fight us ourselves." Ryoken stated. "This will certainly help the search. Thank you, Aka. And rest assured. Mikuru Sadow is with Kyoko and Aso, and are heading towards one of our safehouses as we speak."

Drachen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great to hear. I'll let Zaizen know of what happened."

"Alright. Once you're done, return to the real world. Do not participate in SOL Technologies' attack on the Delta Branch. Besides, don't you have homework to complete?"

Drachen rolled his eyes, aware that Ryoken was laughing on the other end. "Ha Ha. Very funny. Signing off." Once that call was done, he logged out afterwards.

In the real world, at Uchida Industries...

Akairo immediately exited Mikuru's office before running down the elevator and pressing the button for the first floor. As he exited the elevator and headed towards the exits, he dialed a number, which connected to someone on the other end within a few moments.

"Hello?"

"Ace got Uchida Industries!" Akairo immediately told Akira, who gasped on the other end.

"Are you sure?" Akira asked.

"I am one hundred percent sure. I tried to stop him, but it turned out he was nothing more than a digital decoy." Akairo answered.

Akira sighed on the other hand. "That is not good at all. If SOL Technologies seized control of Uchida Industries a long time ago, this wouldn't have happened."

"Sorry, Zaizen. I couldn't stop him."

"It's alright, Akairo. You did your best." Akira assured him. "The bounty hunters are leading a task force with Epsilon and the FBI against Delta. Will you be able to join us in the attack?"

"I can't, Zaizen. I got... homework." Akairo apologized. This was obviously true, as he had a few assignments due over the next several days.

"I get what you mean. After all, I was a student myself once upon a time." Akira responded with a chuckle. "All the best in your studies." He then hung up on the other end.

Akairo stopped running, taking a breath before gathering his thoughts. While he did fail in stopping Ace take the code key, he at least gave Ryoken an edge in helping the Hanoi find Ace. So in a way, it was a small victory for him and them. Akairo then started walking at a normal pace to his apartment, knowing that he did all he can for now. Besides. Like Ryoken said, he had homework to complete.

Elsewhere, in LINK VRAINS, at the Overseer Tower...

Ace whistled to himself as a digital clone of himself appeared in front of him. The clone gave Ace the code key before turning into particles.

"And that, Speckles, is how you get the job done." Ace said, with Speckles getting up from his chair nearby to walk towards him. "I must thank you for your work behind the scenes. Otherwise, we wouldn't have full control over Uchida Industries."

"Imagine the chaos you can cause with a company that bankrolled the Knights of Hanoi." Speckles hypothesized, the possibilities endless. They were indeed endless, as Ace can do whatever he wanted with it. What's more, any actions he committed through the company can be blamed on the Knights of Hanoi. Especially Emon Uchida, the company's founder itself. Smearing his name and giving the Hanoi a taste of their own medicine was definitely an additional benefit indeed.

"Report." Azrael said in the darkness out of nowhere, which made both Ace and Speckles jump.

"Greetings, Azrael. I got the code key you wanted." Ace stated, presenting Azrael with the prize. "With this, Uchida Industries is fully under my control."

"Good. Did the Knights of Hanoi get wind of this and try to stop you?"

"O-Of course they did. After all, their ally is the new CEO." Ace chuckled, slightly worried that Azrael will press a button on his duel disk and cause the Another Virus to give him pain again.

But to Ace's surprise, Azrael didn't, much to his relief. "That's good. Since the police, the FBI, SOL Technologies, and Raguel's little friends are involved in this Turf War, it's only a matter a time before the Hanoi arrives. However..." Azrael pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused both Ace and Speckles immense pain as the both of them fell to the ground. "You lost four out of the seven Black Market branches, and your actions had led to Epsilon allying with SOL Technologies. It's only a matter of time before they go after Delta and Alpha. So for your sake, you better have an idea to rectify this."

"I'm... quite aware of that." Ace replied, slowly getting up on his feet. "Which is why I have an idea to make it up. I'll send Speckles to reinforce Alpha's defenses. Meanwhile, I'll have my workers cause some chaos in the real world. In other words, cause a distraction. It should buy more than enough time for him, right?"

"What do you think, Azrael?" Wraith asked, getting Azrael's attention. "Considering the situation, it's more than a suitable idea. I mean, it does fit the Light Ignis's orders to Ace and his goons, don't you agree?

Azrael thought over Ace's proposal and Wraith's comment before finally turning to Ace. "Fine. Do what you proposed. If the worst comes to pass..." He smirked. "I'll initiate Operation: Kingdom Come. You do know what to do if that should happen, right?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." Ace complied, a tinge of fear in his voice. A while back, Azrael told Ace of this kind of operation. Basically, should the good guys win, he'll ensure that the Black Market can never recover nor recommence its operations again. Luckily, Azrael asked if Ace had an escape plan, with the latter confirming that the Overseer tower has an aircraft in place that's ready to be used should that occur. In other words, get everyone that's useful onto that aircraft.

"Good. Take this." Azrael threw a small bag each at Ace and Speckles, with the two of them catching each one with their hands.

"What's this?"

"A reward for the both of you." Azrael answered. "More specifically, a few powerful cards that will greatly enhance your decks. Let's just say it'll help you win your coming duels."

"T-T-Thank you so much." Ace said. "I will not fail you in the missions to come."

"For your sake, you better not fail," was all Azrael replied with, before slipping into the shadows.

"Honestly, that guy scares me." Speckles admitted.

"Considering what he did to you, me, and Athaliah, I'm with you on that one." Ace agreed, putting a hand to his forehead as he sat down at his desk. "Go please. Reinforce Alpha's defenses. Have Athaliah report back to me on her secret assignment as soon as possible."

"If you insist." Speckles complied, intent on exiting the main room. However, he stopped at the doorway.

"As long as we get these things done, we'll live another day." Ace assured Speckles. "Besides. It's better we do this than rot in prison. Or worse."

"I'm aware of that, Ace. As long as I can get my revenge on Raguel for humiliating me, I'll do what I must to stay alive another day." Speckles then exited the main room and proceeded to leave the Overseer Tower.

Pulling up a screen, Ace saw that the combined forces of Epsilon, SOL Technologies, and the FBI have begun their assault on Delta. "Well, I suppose things could be worse. Besides, I bet Gardai can defend his territory quite nicely. And even if Delta falls, Alpha will be reinforced enough to withstand the coming attack." He then pulled up a blank screen, which showed the Uchida Industries' symbol on it. Putting the code key to the screen, it then showed scores of files all over the screen.

Upon seeing this, Ace grinned. This... was going to be fun.

The next day, in LINK VRAINS, at Delta...

A female agent who wore a pure black suit and night googles continued running away from her pursuers, which were all troops from the Delta Branch. Each of the troops carried long-range rifles and fired them at the agent, intent on getting rid of her as soon as possible.

All around the battlefield, there were samurais engaged in battle against Delta's troops. Those samurais must be from Epsilon itself, the female agent deduced in her mind. She was hopeful that they sided with the FBI, the police, SOL Technologies. Someone that intended on bringing the Turf War to an end.

She then turned to a nearby alleyway, hoping to evade her pursuers there. Unfortunately for her, the alleyway had a dead end, which cornered her as the troops closed in on their prey.

"The former Overseer's last agent," one of the troops said. "With you out of the way, all of his allies will finally be-."

Electrolyzer leapt down from a nearby tower and landed in front of the agent, which startled her and the troops. Before either of the troops can fire their respective guns, Electrolyzer charged forward with surprising speed and knocked each one out using the rear end of their guns. After checking to make sure the troops were breathing, he turned to the female agent.

"Is your name Shesizi?" Electrolyzer asked, approaching the female agent

"Y-Yes it is." Shesizi confirmed, taking off the hood part of her outfit, which showed her violet-colored hair in the form of a bob cut. She also had violet-colored eyes as well. Looking at her, Electrolyzer deduced she was a teenager in her early teens. "I'm the last of the former Overseer agents. The rest... the rest tried to investigate what Ace was really doing, and all of them... returned as dead, cut up bodies. I'm... I'm the last one." Shesizi then started crying, the pain suddenly coming back to her like a tidal wave.

"It'll be alright." Electrolyzer assured her, going over and putting his hands on her shoulders. In a way, she reminded him of his younger sister Tessa. Someone he couldn't save during that horrific night. If Electrolyzer can make sure this girl in front of her got to safety, perhaps it can help him in obtaining closure from what happened. While he wasn't sure whether he'll actually get closure or not, he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past. "There's a nearby base that Epsilon and the FBI set up just outside Delta. I'll take you there, and you can tell them what you know."

"Thank you." Shesizi replied, as she followed after Electrolyzer, the two of them running across the street in the process. Heading to a nearby intersection, the duo turned left and right before continuing to run towards their destination. Halfway there, they encountered snipers attempting to snipe them off. In response, Electrolyzer put a card on his duel disk, which resulted in PSY-Framegear Alpha appearing before equipping itself onto him. Seizing the chance, he fired several electrical blasts at each of the snipers, knocking each one unconscious in the process. "How did you-?"

"It's a long story." Electrolyzer answered, the duo now heading over to a wall in front of them with two paths to choose from. Using Alpha, he looked around the area for a moment or two before turning back to Shesizi. "This way!" The duo then turned left and continued running towards their destination.

Once they got out of the alleyway-like maze, both individuals poked their heads over wall, where Electrolyzer used Alpha's abilities with a pair of binoculars to pinpoint the base's location. "You see that building over there?"

"Forgive me, but I don't think I have the cognitive sight that you have." Shesizi replied, raising an eyebrow at what in the world Electrolyzer was talking about.

In response, Electrolyzer gave the binoculars in his hand a small shock. "Here." He handed Shesizi the binoculars, whose eyes widened upon looking through them. She saw a small building with various squads of troops arming themselves with swords, as well as a couple of vehicles.

"That's the base up ahead, right? I'll be safe there?"

"I'll make sure you are safe." Electrolyzer assured her.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

The duo turned their heads upon looking at who fired those sniper shots. They saw multiple groups of male humans that wore primarily purple jumpsuits, with each one wearing purple-colored helmets with a singular scope on them.

"Run!" Both Electrolyzer and Shesizi started running away from the sniper shots, evading each one in the process. Arming himself with PSY-Framegear Gamma, Electrolyzer locked onto each one before quickly firing electrical shots at them, which stunned every sniper for a few seconds as a result. It seems Delta managed to acquire new equipment from Zeta prior to its destruction, he cursed, as the two of them continued running and evading the sniper shots. "Climb on my back!"

"What? What for?" Shesizi asked, the two of them hiding behind a nearby wall as Electrolyzer pressed a few buttons on his duel disk.

"Just trust me, okay?" Electrolyzer requested, with Shesizi nodding in response. Soon, PSY-Framegears Beta and Delta appeared, the former attaching to his thighs, while the latter attached to his back. Once that was done, Electrolyzer motioned for Shesizi to climb onto his back, which she did after a brief moment of hesitation. Running back out onto the street, he jumped high before locking onto every sniper nearby. With the combination of PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, and Delta, he shot electrical shots at all of them, which knocked each sniper out for the time being. Electrolyzer then threw a smoke grenade behind him, obscuring the vision of their pursuers as he continued heading towards the base ahead of them.

Eventually, Electrolyzer stopped jumping, and instead began running at a fast rate, turning multiple corners in the process. After a few minutes of running, he put down Shesizi, who was shaking from what just happened.

"Please... don't make me go... through that again." Shesizi requested.

"There's no need. Because we're already here." Electrolyzer replied, the two of them having made it to the gates of the base.

A soldier, who saw them, shouted, "Who goes there?"

"Electrolyzer, one of SOL Technologies' bounty hunters. With me is the last of the former Overseer's agents." Electrolyzer called back.

A moment or two passed before the soldier responded. "Alright. Send me your ID code, and I'll let you in immediately." After Electrolyzer did what the soldier asked, the gates opened up, allowing him and Shesizi to enter inside.

The duo walked up towards a set of stairs that brought them towards the main building, which consisted of several small offices, as well as a big one at the end of the hallway. Entering inside the large office, they found Greg looking at a large, digital map with two other FBI officers.

"Yes, I'm well aware that Rickshot alley is filled with snipers and traps, but that's the only way to successfully sneak into Delta." Greg pointed out to the other two officers with a look of frustration on his face. "And Epsilon's samurais can't hold the frontline forever. The both of you already know that."

"If we keep capturing enemy territory, we can force Delta to surrender," one of the FBI officers responded. "We can call in help from other sources. Maybe make a deal with-."

"We are not making any deals with other Black Market Branches!" Greg shouted at the FBI officer. "May I remind you that Zeta has been destroyed and Beta's deathstalkers are all over the network? Even if we did call in help from the FBI troops stationed in Gamma and Omega, what are the chances we-?"

"Excuse me sir, but I got the girl, just as you instructed." Electrolyzer interrupted, getting everyone else's attention. Greg, seeing that Electrolyzer succeeded in his mission, breathed a sigh of relief before turning to the other two FBI officers.

"We are not making any deals with other Black Market branches, nor will we contact troops and risk losing our footing in them." Greg reiterated to both FBI officers. "Please leave. I need to speak to Electrolyzer and the girl alone." Both FBI officers nodded before leaving the office. "I'm sorry about that. It's just we are on a thin line in terms of this attack."

"It's fine, sir." Electrolyzer assured Greg, as he and Shesizi approached his desk. "Sir, this is Shesizi, the last of the former Overseer's agents. She was a mole in Delta before being forced to escape."

"I'm glad you're alive, child. The last thing either of us needs is more deaths during this Turf War." Greg said, turning over to Shesizi. "I heard from Electrolyzer you were a mole in Delta prior to the former Overseer's death. If you have any information that will help turn the battle in our favor, that will help us a lot."

"Be at ease, Mr. Ebihara. I think I have a few ideas on how to cripple Delta's forces from the inside." Shesizi stated, going over to the large, digital map before thinking for a few moments. She moved the map slightly upwards, which showed a bunch of cylindrical-like tunnels that were not only connected underneath Delta's main headquarters, but also spread out to other main sections of the Black Market. "There's a network of underground tubes that leads to the lower floors of Delta's headquarters. The assassins use this network to move past branch entrances, allowing them to successfully infiltrate them and complete their missions."

"And do you know where the nearest tunnel is?" Greg asked, as Shesizi turned the digital map around, looking for one nearby from the base. After a few moments, she pointed to an area on the digital map.

"Well, there is an old entrance to one of the tunnels nearby. But there's one problem." Shesizi's face turned pale. "That place has sadly been flooded with data material."

"Well..." Greg put a hand to his forehead, annoyed that their possible lead has a roadblock in it. Literally. "That will be a problem to get through. None of my troops have-."

"Blood Shepherd and I have something to get rid of the data material." Electrolyzer suddenly stated, electricity coursing through his fingertips. "I can go with her and eliminate it to clear the way."

Greg stood up and walked back and forth across the room, thinking this over. "I know for a fact Blood Shepherd won't help us with a stealth mission, as he's-."

"A lone wolf." Electrolyzer finished with a sigh. "I won't ask you to send your men or Epsilon's troops in infiltrating Delta's main headquarters. SOL Technologies' bounty hunters will do that and capture its boss instead. All I ask is for you to distract Delta long enough for us to succeed in the mission."

Greg then turned to Electrolyzer and asked, "Are you sure you're up to doing this? Once you go in there, you won't have backup from the troops. You'll only have your technology on you." In response, Electrolyzer nodded. "Very well." Greg pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused Electrolyzer's duel disk to beep moments later. "I've just sent you all the info on Delta we have onto your duel disk, as well as the tunnel's location. Shesizi will lead you and the others in. I'll contact the other bounty hunters and Cheshire, and have them meet you at the designated location on your map."

"Thank you, sir. All the best." Electrolyzer and Shesizi then left Greg's office and heading downstairs, the two of them exiting the office and heading towards the gates afterwards.

"May I ask you a question, Mr. Electrolyzer?" Shesizi asked.

"First off, you can call me Electrolyzer." Electrolyzer told her. "And yeah. Sure. What's up?"

"Why did you become a bounty hunter?"

Electrolyzer narrowed his eyes upon hearing Shesizi's question. That question... brought up a lot of painful memories from his past, especially considering what happened in Central Japan. And when he looked at Shesizi, she reminded him of his sister Tessa. Someone he couldn't save, along with the rest of his family. That, combined with being traumatized by what occurred beforehand, put a heavy burden on his shoulders.

After much contemplation, he turned to Shesizi and said, "So that I can get my home back, as well as get revenge on the people who ruined my life."

Once the two of them exited the gates, Shesizi spoke up.

"I'm not one to judge Electrolyzer, but the second reason of you becoming a bounty hunter... revenge is like a slow knife. The knife that waits years without forgetting, then slips quietly between the bones. That's the knife that cuts deepest into someone. If you let that happen, you'll never experience reprieve again."

"..." Electrolyzer thought this over for a moment before snapping out of it. This was the last thing he wanted to hear today, especially from a girl who was in her teens. He then checked his duel disk, which showed a text from Go Onizuka of all people. So the caveman and his little cave goons are part of the mission as well, he thought. This was going to be harder than Electrolyzer thought. "Let's just get this mission done. Please lead the way."

Shesizi nodded in confirmation, knowing that the mission came first. The two of them ran forwards before turning right, intent on succeeding in the infiltration mission to come.

A few minutes later, in another area of LINK VRAINS...

Shesizi and Electrolyzer eventually met up with Go Onizuka, Kenmochi, Yoroizaka, and Cheshire at an escarpment, which overlooked a piece of land where the entrance to the cylindrical-like tunnel was. And just as Shesizi said, data material overflowed the entrance and spilled over to a nearby lake. To Electrolyzer and Shesizi's shock, Blood Shepherd was with them as well. To make matters worse, there were three platoons of troops guarding the area.

"It's about damn time our guide showed up, but to think it was a little girl makes me want to vomit." Blood Shepherd snarled in displeasure.

"Don't look down on me just yet! I was able to infiltrate Delta prior to before the Turf War even began!" Shesizi countered.

"Enough. Both of you." Electrolyzer said, rolling his eyes. It was like supervising children.

"Now that our entire crew is here, we'll need to make a plan." Cheshire said, drawing something on the sand using her Sai. "Here is the data material clogging up the tunnel's entrance. Just nearby is an entire lake of data material, with three platoons of troops guarding the area."

"I tried blasting the data material, but unfortunately, there's some sort of jamming that prevents me from doing so." Blood Shepherd admitted, which was something he didn't usually do.

"Perhaps your technology is not as good as you thought it was." Go taunted, which caused Blood Shepherd to hit his face with the back of his fist. "Why, you!" Go would have attempted to punch Blood Shepherd back had Kenmochi and Yoroizaka held him back.

"Calm down, Go!" Kenmochi said.

"We can't fight amongst ourselves. Not when we have a freakin' war to win!" Yoroizaka pointed out, with these two comments succeeding in making Go back down.

"Honestly, you guys are like children." Electrolyzer reprimanded them all. Why did he have to be the adult in the group? "No offence, Cheshire."

"None taken, sparkles." Cheshire replied with a grin, which made Electrolyzer roll his eyes for a second time.

"The tower over there is what's causing the technology to be jammed." Shesizi explained, pointing over to what looked like a satellite tower. "Unfortunately, that area is also guarded by troops, and it even has infrared detectors."

Blood Shepherd thought this over for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. "I tried destroying that tower as well, but it seems Delta was in cahoots with Zeta before Raguel and his buddies destroyed its main headquarters, as well as its operations."

"For the tower to be shut down, you need to eliminate the barriers, as well as acquire a four-digit password." Shesizi explained, drawing zigzags in the sand around a tower-like structure. "These electrical barriers log out anyone that isn't affiliated with Delta."

"Considering how you were able to stay in Delta for a pretty long time, I'm guessing you have a plan in getting rid of that obstacle?" Blood Shepherd inquired, with Shesizi nodding in confirmation. "Fine. I'll provide a distraction for you. But what about the others? They're not as skilled in the stealth apartment."

"Hey, I'm totally skilled in being stealth and quiet!" Go protested.

"I highly doubt that, caveman." Cheshire responded, which made Go grit his teeth in anger. "Maybe you and your little buddies can be the attack force."

"I have skills in hacking. Maybe I can run interference from behind, give the attack force an edge while Blood Shepherd and Shesizi focus on dismantling the tower." Electrolyzer volunteered.

"I'll go with Shesizi. Stealth is my specialty." Cheshire stated. "Is everyone good with their roles?" Everyone else nodded. "Good, let's go!" She and Shesizi leapt down from the ground and slid down the slope, along with Go, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka before splitting up in two directions. Electrolyzer opened up a screen on his duel disk, while Blood Shepherd placed a few cards on his duel disk. As a result, Battledrone General, Warrant, and three copies of Sergeant flew over to the area before raining down gunfire on the troops.

"The hell is that?!" one of the troops exclaimed.

"All snipers, aim for those planes!" the captain ordered the troops, who all got their sniper rifles out before firing them at the jets, which evaded each of the shots before firing back in response.

The next thing they knew, Go, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka let out a war cry before confronting the troops on the ground.

"What the-?!" one of the troops said, before Go punched him in the data material lake, which forced him to log out.

"Open fire on Go and his friends!" the captain ordered. Before he could say anymore, General fired missiles at the entrance, which caused an explosion that sent them flying from their posts.

Elsewhere...

"Why exactly are you helping us?" Shesizi asked Cheshire, the two of them going over from debris to debris, hiding from the patrolling troops.

"Because Yeshurun ordered me to aid SOL Technologies. That, and if the Black Market went down, everyone would lose work." Cheshire admitted.

"So you're only doing this just to make sure you have work opportunities in the future?"

Cheshire sighed. "Look, kid. I'm not one of those heroes or Charisma duelists everyone talks about. Nor am I someone with a tragic backstory on why I doing things. I'm basically someone who works on the Black Market just to get their keep in the world."

"Does that mean you do unethical acts just to make a living?"

"In the past, I did those acts." Cheshire confessed, the two of them now moving to another piece of large debris after making sure the area was clear. "If there's anything I'm grateful for in my time working in the Black Market, it's that I met people who have some sense of honor. I used to be a bounty hunter who was willing to do anything necessary to accomplish my goals, whether it be through attacks, murder, or blackmail. One day, however, I was given the mission to assassinate Yeshurun, Epsilon's leader. To my surprise, there were no guards, no security systems, nothing. Just a man on his pillow meditating."

She shook her head, remembering the details of what happened. "We fought, and to my shock, he managed to disarm me before knocking me to the ground. I braced myself for what would come next, but to my surprise, he asked me a question."

"A question?" Shesizi repeated, the two of them immediately heading over and knocking out one of the troops before putting him in an area where he couldn't be found. Once that was done, they hid under another large piece of debris.

"Yup. A question, which went like this: Do you want to live or die?" Cheshire recalled. "While it was a simple question, it was the last thing I expected to hear from anyone in my life. Being skeptical, I asked what he meant, and instead of telling me, he showed me something I never expected. He showed me a better way of life." She closed her eyes and smiled. "He taught me that there is still honor and ethicality in a world containing many shades of grey. Although people did things just for their self-benefit, there were also people who did shady acts for the betterment of others. Yeshurun told me that we don't have to lose ourselves in the work we do. In other words, we can be better people in life."

"So you're doing this not for your self-benefit, but for the benefits of others." Shesizi quickly figured out, with Cheshire turning to look at her. "Huh. I guess I judged you a little too quick there."

"It's fine. I've been judged before. Besides. In a way, we're all mad as hatters here." Cheshire commented back, before pulling out her Sai. "Let's just get this done." The two of them continued sneaking quietly around the area, eliminating the guards non-lethally in the process. Soon, they hid behind a large piece of debris near a tower, which mainly consisted of a single, tall structure surrounded by an electrical barrier. "You said we need a four-digit password, right?"

"Yes, and I believe the platoon commander has it." Shesizi confirmed.

"In that case, let's try these." Cheshire pulled out a black ball before rolling it to the ground where the patrolling troops were. Within moments, the ball sprouted feet before duplicating itself and spreading out around the area. Each of them emitted a puff of smoke that made all the patrolling troops cough out of surprise, allowing Cheshire and Shesizi to speed forward and incapacitate them in the process. The two of them then hid behind a nearby wall. "These little balls are anti-electrical devices, thus allowing me to use them." She pointed to a large bunker in front of them. "And that, my friend is where the platoon commander is."

"Then let's go!" Shesizi and Cheshire then ran straight forward towards the bunker, with the troops immediately being notified upon seeing them.

"Open fire!" one of them shouted, which caused the patrolling troops to immediately begin firing shots out of their rifles. With quick speed, both girls ducked under the shots before Cheshire rolled more balls towards the troops, which incapacitated them, just like before.

"What's going on?" the platoon commander demanded, as the entrance to the bunker exploded, allowing Shesizi and Cheshire to enter inside. Before the platoon commander could do anything, Cheshire threw her Sai at his desk, which made him shake with fear before falling down on his chair as both girls approached him. "What... what do you want?"

"The four-digit password!" Shesizi demanded.

"Like Hell I'll give it to-!" the platoon commander began, only for Cheshire to grab his face before throwing him to the ground.

"It's not up for debate, bub." Cheshire told him. "You have two choices. You can either give us the password and be arrested, or I'll hand you over to Blood Shepherd for termination."

The platoon commander's face paled after hearing this ultimatum. Getting hunted and terminated by Blood Shepherd was a fate worse than death. "Fine! The password's 8227! 8227!"

"Thank you for your cooperation." Cheshire replied, placing a tracker on the platoon commander's chest, which made him freeze in place. "SOL Technologies will find you soon. So until then, just stay where you are, alright?" The two girls then left the bunker afterwards before heading over to the kiosk nearby the tower. After Shesizi put the card to the screen, the whole jamming tower shut down.

"Well, I guess that issue's solved." Shesizi commented, the two of them now heading back to their meeting place. "Let's inform the others."

Meanwhile...

"That's good. Take cover. We'll do our part shortly." Electrolyzer said, after hearing what Shesizi told him. "Go Onizuka. Get yourself and your buddies out of firing range. Blood Shepherd and I will destroy the data material in a few moments, as the last thing anyone needs is any injury."

"Roger!" Go replied.

"About time that's done." Blood Shepherd growled, before the two of them aimed their arms at the data material below the area. A few blasts and a burst of lightning later, the data material dissipated into nothing more than particles. Once that was done, the Battledrone monsters Blood Shepherd summoned also turned into particles as well. "Hmph. My part is done. I'm leaving."

"Of course you are." Electrolyzer boringly agreed, the two of them standing up in the process.

"Even though we have a common goal, I'm no team player. Besides..." A notification popped up on Blood Shepherd's duel disk. "I got another task to get done." He then left the others afterwards. Electrolyzer leapt down from the ground and slid down the slope, intent on meeting up with the others.

"So this is the path to Delta itself.." Go muttered, looking at the now open cylindrical-like tunnel before turning to Shesizi, who just met up with the others along with Cheshire and Electrolyzer. "You better know what you're doing, girl. Because the last thing I need is to be injured right now."

"Oh grow up already." Shesizi reprimanded him, which caused Go to narrow her eyes at her behind his visor. She motioned for the others to follow her inside the tunnel.

"These tunnels remind me of the ones from Star Wars." Kenmochi commented, looking all around them.

"They definitely are." Yoroizaka agreed, in awe as well. Unfortunately, that awe was short lived, as the group reached a fork in the road. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"We'll have to split into groups. We can cover more ground this way. But..." Shesizi trailed off, as if she was unsure what to say next.

"Maybe you're quiet all of a sudden because you're actually a spy for Delta!" Go accused Shesizi, only to get punched in the face by Electrolyzer. Which hurt. A lot more than usual.

"If you don't rein it in, I'll do it by force!" Electrolyzer warned Go, which made him growl his teeth.

"You dare threaten a-!" Go would have said more had Cheshire put her Sai to his throat.

"That attitude will cost you in the long run, caveman, to the point where you'll experience Hell before obtaining salvation." Cheshire chastised Go, which made him back off out of pure fear. "Considering how we're using up precious time, we might was well get going."

"Delta's boss Gardai may be located anywhere in the main headquarters." Shesizi said. "If we split up, we can find him. But be warned. His duelists challenge their prey to PK duels, and we can't afford to lose our accounts."

"I'll take the right path." Electrolyzer stated.

"Kenmochi, Yoroizaka and I will take the center path." Go decided.

"Then Shesizi and I will take the left path." Cheshire added, all six individuals now going their separate directions.

"Okay, that Cheshire woman scares me." Go admitted.

"Ditto." Kenmochi and Yoroizaka agreed at the same time. The trio found what looked like a pair of stairs attached to a wall, which they took to climb upwards towards Delta's main headquarters.

Meanwhile...

Electrolyzer continued running down the tube, intent on finding where Gardai is so they can take down Delta for good. He took a right turn up ahead before immediately turning left. What sucked was that neither the FBI nor SOL Technologies had a visual on what Delta's main headquarters looked like in the inside. Nor did they have information on where to find Delta's main servers. Which meant they were running as blind as mice in this situation.

Seeing troops nearby, Electrolyzer hid behind a nearby wall, looking at the situation carefully with his eyes. Putting a card on his duel disk, PSY-Framegear Beta appeared before him. Just when he was about to put it on, he noticed something that made him widen his eyes.

No. It can't be, Electrolyzer thought, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. On the troops' left chests was a symbol, which consisted of a skull with two guns on its left and right sides. Those troops belong to Balius!

Without warning, Electrolyzer charged straight forward towards the troops, surprising them to the point where they couldn't do anything before he disarmed both of them. He knocked one troop to the ground before grabbing the other troop's lapel and slamming him to the wall.

"Where's Balius?! Is he here in Delta?!" Electrolyzer demanded. While the chances of Balius being here in Delta was unlikely, Electrolyzer couldn't miss up on an opportunity to kill him.

"He isn't, I swear!" the lone troop answered. "Hang on a minute. You're Brion Miyahara, the last child of the Miyahara family." He grinned. "So how you feeling now that your family's-?"

But before the troop could finish his sentence, Electrolyzer head-butted him with his head, which made the troop fall to the ground unconscious.

Change of plans. Electrolyzer ran down the tube, intent on completing his own personal mission first. After all, he became a bounty hunter to get revenge on Balius and Athaliah, as well as reclaim his stolen home.

Elsewhere...

Cheshire and Shesizi climbed up the tube, the former giving the latter a hand after getting to the top.

"Thank you. For standing up for me." Shesizi said. "Why did Go Onizuka, a Charisma duelist who everyone looked up to, become a bounty hunter?"

"Simple. He has a grudge against Playmaker. A grudge that'll eat him alive, if you ask me." Cheshire answered, before the two of them hid behind a nearby wall. After making sure the area was clear, the two of them continued running down the path. "If I'm being honest, I can't believe you, a girl in her teens, was able to stay embedded in Delta even before the Turf War began."

"The former Overseer had suspicions of the other branches." Shesizi began explaining. "As such, he sent his personal agents known as Darters, with me being one of them. While Epsilon and Omega were primarily on his side, Beta, Gamma, and Alpha didn't like the Overseer at all. To ensure that everyone was kept in line, the Overseer called on Delta to eliminate anyone he deemed suspicious. As for Zeta, they didn't care who was in charge. As long as they got their money, they were willing to abide by any laws the Overseer put in place."

"Sounds like the former Overseer was a douchebag." Cheshire stated, the two of them now treading carefully down the tube before turning left.

"At least he was better than Ace. I mean, look at what Ace has done since he became Overseer. He's practically turned the Black Market into a war-zone. All for the sake of power." Shesizi pointed out. She would have said more had Cheshire not covered her mouth and motioned for her to look up. Upon doing so, Shesizi spotted two troops that were stationed at the top of an entrance, sniper rifles in hand.

"Just leave this part to me." Cheshire said, before throwing a black ball towards the area the snipers were stationed at. They fired the ball, which caused a burst of smoke to emerge that knocked the both of them out. Once that was done, the smoke immediately dissipated within a few seconds. The girls then headed towards a pair of stairs attached to the tube before climbing them and heading forwards.

Elsewhere, in the Delta Branch...

"About time we found an entrance to this big hole." Go stated, annoyed with the maze-like structure of Delta's underground network of tubes. He, along with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, began walking down the tube slowly, intent on not attracting attention. Unbeknownst to them, a snake statue that was attached to the wall began moving, as if it noticed something.

"Okay, this place is so not like Star Wars. It's turned into Harry Potter." Kenmochi commented, looking around the area. While the tubes had reflective glass, these tubes had grey, stone-like walls attached to them. Almost as though it were like... the Chamber of Secrets from the second book and movie. Which was not at all creepy...

"The only way this would be Harry Potter is if Delta's troops had magic wands, Kenmochi." Yoroizaka pointed out. "So put your big boy pants on already!"

Seeing their petty argument made Go slightly smile, as it reminded him of those times where the three of them worked at both the orphanage and the shelter. It was a happy memory, that's for sure. Sadly, it was nothing more than a distant one, considering what was currently going on.

"There they are! Open fire!" a troop suddenly shouted, which forced the trio to take cover behind the walls as the troops fired bullets from their guns.

How did they find us so quick, Go thought in his mind. Whatever. He pulled out a small device that looked like a communication device towards the area the troops were firing from. After a moment, a reflective barrier appeared, which blocked the shots. Go made a note to thank Akira once he got back to the real world. "Kenmochi! Yoroizaka! This way!" The trio then turned right before continuing to run.

But their moment of escape was short-lived, as two stone snakes emerged and wrapped their tails around Kenmochi and Yoroizaka.

"Kenmochi! Yoroizaka!" Go shouted, chasing after them. Unfortunately, a small snake statue lashed out of nowhere and bit into Go's neck, which made him fail to catch up with the giant snakes that took his friends prisoner.

"What you just experienced was a poison that kills a person's avatar in the network," a voice stated, which made Go narrow his eyes out of confusion. Great. Now he was hearing voices. Just what he needed right now. "Do not worry. It's only a small dose, and it won't erase your avatar."

"You're the guy in charge here..." Go replied, his voice slightly groggy. Having his vision being warped didn't really help either.

"I am," the voice confirmed. "And if you're wondering what will happen to your friends, they'll be fine... for now."

"If you hurt them, I'll..." Before Go could say anymore, he saw someone in front of him. Whether it really was Gardai or whether it was his head playing his tricks, Go couldn't determine, as a door underneath him opened before he fell down into the depths.

A few moments later...

"..." Go slowly got up on his feet before he took a look at his surroundings. He was in a large chamber, which consisted of a large hallway that had large, red-eyed snake statues coated in gold. Okay. Whoever's in charge here is one creepy dude, Go thought, as he cautiously walked forward down the hall. The last thing he wanted was for those giant statues to come to life and eat him.

Making it to the end of the hallway, Go found himself looking at what looked like a large doorway, which had seven snakes spread out around it. Before he can do anything, a snake slid out from the door's left side and crawled all around it, which caused the seven snakes to retreat into the holes they came from. The door then opened, allowing Go to step inside. When he did, he found himself in a large room, where there were snakes underneath it.

"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" Go muttered, disgusted with how many there were.

"It's because snakes are one of an assassin's best weapons." Gardai answered, emerging from a doorway on the other side of the room.

"Where's Kenmochi and Yoroizaka?!" Go demanded.

"Relax. They're fine." Gardai assured Go. "I'm surprised you even care at all, considering how you're now a bounty hunter and no longer a Charisma duelist."

"Just because I'm a bounty hunter doesn't mean I don't care for my friends." Go pointed out.

"And yet they became bounty hunters along side with you. They're in this mess because of you." Gardai countered back with a grin. "If you're worried I'll use them as hostages, don't be. I just intend to put them in one of the prison cells."

"To be used as your trophies?"

"No. As a warning to those who intrude on my lair." Gardai clarified. "Oh, that reminds me. You remember what I said earlier regarding how my poison kills a person's avatar?"

"Yeah? What about it?" Go inquired, before looking at his avatar. Sure enough, it started to fizzle on and off. Uh-Oh.

"That poison is also a PK duel anchor." Gardai quickly explained, much to Go's shock.

"A PK duel anchor?"

"Correct. The good news is, there's a way to shut it off permanently."

"A duel." Go immediately figured out before activating his duel disk.

"Not just a duel, a PK duel. Player Kill, if you will." Gardai clarified, also activating his own duel disk. "The winner will keep their account, while the loser will lose their account and be forbidden from logging into LINK VRAINS again."

"Tch..." Go grit his teeth slightly. To be put in this position... how could he see it coming? Then again, it was one of the things of being a bounty hunter. To always expect the unexpected. And considering how Go wasn't a bounty hunter until recently, this was still new to him. Still, he had to win the coming duel. Otherwise, any chance of dueling Playmaker and reclaiming his spot as the number one duelist in LINK VRAINS would go up in flames. "Fine. I accept these terms under one condition. If I win, will you promise me you'll release Kenmochi and Yoroizaka?"

"I will. I may be an assassin, but I do have some ethics." Gardai replied.

"I highly doubt that." Go replied.

"Time to duel!" Go and Gardai shouted at the same time.

Go Onizuka: 4000 LP

Gardai: 4000 LP

"As I'm the boss of Delta, it's only fair that I entertain you a bit. Therefore, I'll go first." Gardai told Go. "My turn! I summon Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant from my hand." Two serpents that were connected to each other by a long, black ooze that wrapped around a golden lily appeared on Gardai's field. Last but not least, the long, black ooze was decorated by silver scales. Each of the serpents had golden, winged plates on their bodies, with the both of them having a golden headdress on their golden heads.

Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4

"When Nauya is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Ogdoadic' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I add Ogdoadic Origin from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Gardai's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Rest assured. The card I added won't be in my hand for long. I activate the Spell card, Card Destruction. As the name states, Card Destruction makes us discard our entire hand before we draw the same number of cards from the top of our decks." Both players discarded their cards before drawing the same amount of cards from the top of their respective decks.

After Go looked at his new hand, he smirked. With this new hand, victory is in my hands, he confidently thought in his mind.

"I can see that you're confident, but you just entered the snake's den, and your intrusion will cost you dearly!" Gardai stated. "I activate the effect of Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light from my Graveyard. Since she's in my Graveyard, I can tribute one monster I control to Special Summon this card from my Graveyard. You also get to Special Summon one monster from your Graveyard, but in exchange, you must negate its effects."

Go frowned. While he got a monster on his field for free, he didn't like that he had to negate its effects. Still, it was a small inconvenience. One that Go can get around.

"I tribute Nauya to Special Summon Keurse from my Graveyard!" After Nauya turned into particles, it was replaced by a female beast that appeared on Gardai's field in defense position, whose lower torso consisted of various, black-oozed snakes that each had golden collars on their bodies. As for the upper torso, she wore golden armor all over her body, along with a large halo and four wings on her back.

Keurse, the Ogdoadic Light ATK: 400 DEF: 2400 LV: 8

"The monster I'm Special Summoning from my Graveyard is Dinowrestler Capoeiraptor!" Go announced, as a gray, humanoid dinosaur wearing a blue vest with lime green pants appeared on his field in defense position. He had bandages wrapped around his arms and calves, as well as blue stripes on his tail and upper body. Last but not least, Capoeiraptor wore a small mask over his left eye, and had a piece of blond hair on the back of his head.

Dinowrestler Capoeiraptor ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"I allowed you to summon a monster from your Graveyard Go, and you repay me with a frustrated expression? How disappointing." Gardai commented. "Nevertheless, you'll need to prepare for what's to come, such as this! Keurse's effect! When she's Special Summoned, I can target one Level 4 or lower 'Ogdoadic' monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. Once it leaves my field, however, it's banished instead. Emerge, Zohah, the Ogdoadic Boundless!" A bipedal lamia whose body consisted of black ooze appeared on Gardai's field in defense position. He had golden armor on his chest and back, along with large pads on his shoulders. He wore golden plating with silver ridges on his face, which had two, curved silver horns on the sides. In Zohah's right hand, he carried a sickle.

Zohah, the Ogdoadic Boundless ATK: 1500 DEF: 1700 LV: 4

"Zohah's effect! When he's sent from my field to the Graveyard, or Special Summoned from my Graveyard, I can add one 'Ogdoadic' monster from my deck to my hand with a different name. You also get to draw a card from the top of your deck as well, and once that happens, we both must send a card from our hands to our respective Graveyards. I add Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant from my deck to my hand, and send Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord from my hand to my Graveyard!" After Gardai sent a card from his hand to his Graveyard, a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

Once Go drew the top card of his deck, he said, "The card I'm discarding is Dinowrestler Martial Ankylo." He then sent that card from his hand to his Graveyard afterwards.

"I hope you appreciate the gift, Go. Because there's more to come." Gardai promised. "I now activate the effect of Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen from my Graveyard. By tributing two monsters on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard! I tribute Keurse and Zohah to Special Summon Amunessia from my Graveyard!" After Keurse and Zohah turned into particles, a female human whose lower torso consisted of a long, black-oozed tail with golden collars appeared on Gardai's field. She wore golden armor over her upper torso, along with a set of wings on her back. She also had a pair of golden snakes attached to her wings as well. In Amunessia's hands was a long staff.

Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen ATK: 2700 DEF: 2100 LV: 8

"As Zohah left the field, he's now banished. But let's focus on the now, shall we? I activate the effect of Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant from my hand. By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can send one Dark Reptile monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send this card from my hand and Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark from my deck to my Graveyard!" After Gardai sent a card from his hand to his Graveyard, a card popped out of his deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "Nunu's second effect! When he's in my Graveyard and I either control no monsters or an 'Ogdoadic' monster is on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard to my field. Once it leaves my field, however, it's banished instead. Arise, Nunu!" A serpent whose body consisted of black ooze that was on a golden lily appeared on Gardai's field in defense position. His entire body had golden scales all over him, along with a golden, thorned tail.

Nunu, the Ogdoadic Remnant ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 4

This guy's deck is just... so weird, Go thought. Judging by what he saw so far, he deduced that Gardai was using a Graveyard-manipulation deck with control elements. A deck like that... was going to be hard for Go to overcome, that's for sure. Still, if he wanted to defeat Playmaker, he had to defeat Gardai here and now.

"I also activate Aleritt's effect from my Graveyard!" Gardai added. "By tributing one monster on my field, I can Special Summon this card from my Graveyard. I tribute Nunu!" After Nunu turned into particles, a quadrupedal reptile whose body consisted of black ooze appeared on Gardai's field in defense position. All over his upper body, except for his arms and legs, were covered in golden armor. On his back were golden spikes.

Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark ATK: 2000 DEF: 800 LV: 8

"As Nunu left the field, he's now banished. But that will change with Aleritt's second effect! When he's Special Summoned, I can target two of my banished monsters and return them to my Graveyard. I target Zohah and Nunu!" Gardai's Graveyard glowed, which indicated that his monsters returned to his Graveyard. "I now activate the Spell card, Ogdoadic Water Lily. When this card is activated, I can send one Reptile monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and if I have five or more Reptile monsters in my Graveyard with different names, I can Special Summon one Reptile monster from my Graveyard!"

"Say what?!" Go exclaimed. The fact that Gardai was able to bring out three strong monsters in his turn just by manipulating his Graveyard was just... not good at all.

"I send Aron, the Ogdoadic King from my deck to my Graveyard, and thanks to Water Lily's second effect, I Special Summon him to my field!" A male humanoid whose lower torso consisted of four, animal-like feet appeared on Gardai's field. Pieces of golden armor were on his feet and stomach, with the majority of it on his upper torso. The golden armor on his back extended into two, blade-like wings as well. In Aron's hand was a scepter with a small, golden snake and wings on it.

Aron, the Ogdoadic King ATK: 2500 DEF: 2800 LV: 8

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Gardai concluded.

"Okay, your turn was just... so long." Go complained.

"Assassins need to plan to complete their missions, and as Delta's strongest assassin, I need to make sure everything is set for the kill." Gardai pointed out. "Then again, I wouldn't expect a simpleton like you to understand."

"Don't you dare call me a simpleton! I'll put your slithery hide in place!" Go growled. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Dino Tag-Team! This card lets me target two 'Dinowrestler' monsters in my Graveyard with different names and Special Summon them to my field in defense position. I target Dinowrestler Systegosaur and Dinowrestler Iguanodraka from my Graveyard!" Two monsters then appeared on Go's field in defense position.

The first was a green humanoid dinosaur with spines on his back and a spiked tail. He also wore a black vest and green pants as well.

The second was a dark-red humanoid dinosaur wearing red shorts and yellow armour over his body. He also wore yellow shin guards, along with a yellow mask over his eyes. Last but not least, Iguanodraka had an orange-colored mohawk on his head.

Dinowrestler Systegosaur ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LV: 4

Dinowrestler Iguanodraka ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"Systegosaur's effect! When he's Special Summoned, I can add a 'Dinowrestler' monster or World Dino Wrestling from my deck to my hand. I think I'll add the latter to my hand." A card popped out of Go's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Like I said before. You're nothing more than a simpleton, and I'll prove it!" Gardai exclaimed. "Amunessia's second effect! Once per turn, when a monster is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, I can send one card you control to your Graveyard, and this does not target!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Go exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what Gardai just said.

"I send Systegosaur from your field back to your Graveyard!" Amunessia's staff glowed with energy before she fired a blast of energy out of it right towards Systegosaur, who turned into particles. "In addition, the third effect of Amunessia and the first two effects of Amon activate! First, when a monster is sent from your deck or field to your Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Light or Dark Reptile monster from my Graveyard to my field once per turn. Arise from the depths! Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord!" At Gardai's command, a massive, divine-winged snake whose body consisted of black ooze appeared on his field. His entire body was covered in golden armor, with pieces of it being on the edges of his wings. Spikes also emitted from his chest armor as well.

Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord ATK: 3100 DEF: 2200 LV: 10

"Second, when a card is added to your hand, except when you draw it, I can send one random card from your hand to your Graveyard." Gardai added, as Aron's staff glowed with energy before he fired a blast of energy out of it at one of Go's cards, which turned into particles.

"Third, when a monster you control was sent to your Graveyard, I can add one Light or Dark Reptile monster from my deck or Graveyard to my hand once per turn. I add a second copy of Nauya from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Gardai's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Come now, Go. You didn't expect me to counter your strategy that easily? Along with the other bounty hunters, I analyzed your deck, along with its strengths and weaknesses. Of the bounty hunters, I can say you and your little buddies Kenmochi and Yoroizaka are the weakest of the bunch." He grinned upon saying this, much to Go's ire.

"Don't mock the king, bub! Because if you do, you'll end up regretting it!" Go warned Gardai. "As you control more monsters than me, I can Special Summon Dinowrestler Pankratops from my hand." A large, grey humanoid dinosaur with yellow tattoos on his upper body appeared on Go's field. He wore a green vest and purple pants, as well as green arm and shin guards.

Dinowrestler Pankratops ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 7

"I activate Pankratops' second effect! Once per turn, I can tribute one 'Dinowrestler' monster on my field to target and destroy one of your cards. I tribute Capoeiraptor to target and destroy Ogdoabyss!" Capoeiraptor and Ogdoabyss both turned into particles afterwards.

"It seems you're slightly more bite than bark. Emphasis on the word bite..." Gardai muttered. If Go thought he was able to get rid of his ultimate monster that easily, then he should obviously think again! "I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Call of the Haunted. This card lets me target one monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field in attack position. However, if either card leaves the field, the other is destroyed as well. Return to me, Ogdoabyss!" At Gardai's command, Ogdoabyss reappeared on his field.

Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord ATK: 3100 DEF: 2200 LV: 10

"Great. It's back again..." Go muttered, annoyed that Gardai was able to bring back his boss monster so easily. "I activate Iguanodraka's effect! Once per turn, I can tribute a Dinosaur monster on my field to Special Summon a different 'Dinowrestler' monster in my Graveyard back to my field. I tribute Iguanodraka himself to Special Summon Capoeiraptor back to my field!" After Iguanodraka turned into particles, Capoeiraptor reappeared on Go's field.

Dinowrestler Capoeiraptor ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"I'll now concentrate my circuit!" Go declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two 'Dinowrestler' monsters. I'll set Pankratops and Capoeiraptor into the Link Markers!" Pankratops went into the top arrowhead, while Capoeiraptor went into the left arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Dinowrestler Terra Parkourio!" A grey-skinned dinosaur wearing red armour with blue and grey outlines on his chest, waist, shoulders, and head appeared on Go's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Dinowrestler Terra Parkourio ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬆️

"I activate the Field Spell card, World Dino Wrestling." Go continued. "While I control a 'Dinowrestler' monster, we can each attack with only one monster each turn. And when my 'Dinowrestler' monster battles, it gains 200 attack points during damage calculation only. Terra Parkourio's effect activates! As I activated 'World Dino Wrestling' while he's on my field, I can add a 'Dinowrestler' monster from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Go's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "I summon Dinowrestler Capaptera from my hand to my field." A humanoid pterodactyl wearing orange robes appeared on Go's field.

Dinowrestler Capaptera ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"Capaptera's effect! Since you control more monsters than I do, I can target one monster you control and send it to your Graveyard, and this doesn't target!"

"Tch!" Gardai slightly grit his teeth. For Go to make a comeback like this, even after enduring the effects of both Amunessia and Amon was... unexpected, if he had to be honest with himself. Still, he was confident in his setup, as Go had the upper hand, but only for now.

"I send Ogdoabyss straight back to your Graveyard!" Go immediately decided, as Capaptera charged forward and kicked Ogdoabyss with such strength that he turned into particles... for a second time. He smirked, glad he got rid of Gardai's boss monster for good this time. At this rate, if all goes well, the duel will end in his victory. "With the giant serpent out of the way for good, I'll concentrate my circuit for a second time!" A second Link Portal appeared above Go. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Dinowrestler' monsters. I'll set the Link 2 Terra Parkourio and Capaptera into the Link Markers!" Terra Parkourio went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, while Capaptera went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Bow down before the King of the Ring! Link 3! Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle!" A maroon-skinned humanoid dinosaur wearing a red vest and blue paints appeared on Go's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a tyrannosaurus skull on his right arm, and the spine of the same dinosaur over his left arm. He also had red guards with spikes on his shins and forearms. Lastly, King T-Wrextle wore a maroon mask over his head, which had grey hair on the back sides of the mask.

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"The effects of Terra Parkourio and Capaptera now activate." Go stated. "First, since Terra Parkourio was used to Link Summon, I can Special Summon a 'Dinowrestler' monster in defense position from my Graveyard with its effects negated. Return, Iguanodraka!" At Go's command, Iguanodraka reappeared on Go's field in defense position.

Dinowrestler Iguanodraka ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"Second, as Capaptera was used to Link Summon, King T Wrextle gains 1000 attack points until the end of the turn!" King T Wrextle roared as his attack points increased.

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 3000 + 1000 = 4000

"Battle!" Go declared, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle attacks Aleirtt, the Ogdoadic Dark! And keep in mind that when King T-Wrextle battles, you cannot activate Spell or Trap cards until the end of the damage step! In addition, World Dino Wrestling's effect activates! When my 'Dinowrestler' monster attacks, it gains 200 attack points during damage calculation." For a third time, King T-Wrextle's strength increased as he continued to charge forward.

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 4000 + 200 = 4200

"Jurassic Howl!" King T-Wrextle charged forward before jumping and howling at Aleirtt, stunning him before King T-Wrextle fell forward and elbow slammed Aleirtt, causing a massive explosion that sent Gardai flying off the ground before he landed on his back.

Gardai: 4000 – 2200 = 1800 LP

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 4200 – 200 = 4000

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Go concluded. "With that, Capaptera's effect ends as well." King T-Wrextle was surrounded in a red aura as his strength returned to normal.

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 4000 – 1000 = 3000

Elsewhere, in another area of Delta...

Shesizi and Cheshire continued running down the hallway, having successfully infiltrated Delta's main headquarters.

"There should be a control panel somewhere inside of Delta." Shesizi said to Cheshire. "If we shut it down-."

KABOOM!

The whole interior of Delta's main headquarters shook for a few moments before stopping.

"It looks like the FBI sent their distraction."

"I highly doubt the FBI would make a distraction like that. It's probably Blood Shepherd's doing." Cheshire deduced. "If the FBI were to make a distraction, they'd do it in a more ethical way, wouldn't you agree?"

"I guess you're right." Shesizi admitted, looking over the area before motioning Cheshire to follow her. The two of them turned left before running down the hallway. Unfortunately, they ended up running in the opposite direction upon encountering sniper fire. "Okay. That is so not the right direction."

"No kidding." Cheshire agreed, the duo taking cover behind a nearby wall before she threw a smoke bomb, allowing them to successfully make their escape.

"There should be a kiosk nearby. It can tell us where the central control panel is." Shesizi explained. Before they can start moving again, they heard a scream nearby, where they saw Kenmochi and Yoroizaka being constricted by giant stone snakes that were moving down a nearby hallway. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"The giant stone snakes? Yup." Cheshire confirmed. Great. It looks like they had to rescue them. "Let's just follow where they're taking them for now. If we don't, we might get ambushed again." After Shesizi nodded in confirmation, the duo treaded quietly behind the giant stone snakes, intent on finding out where they were taking Kenmochi and Yoroizaka. Perhaps they'd lead them to the kiosk, and ultimately, the central control panel's location.

One of the snakes almost noticed the duo following behind them, but luckily, they hid behind a nearby wall. The giant stone snakes then continued moving forward before turning a left and a right, with Shesizi and Cheshire following after them. By mere luck, they found the kiosk nearby.

Shesizi, however, was presented with a dilemma. She and Cheshire could abandon Kenmochi and Yoroizaka to find out where the central control panel was located. However, she didn't want to risk people's lives just to take Delta down.

"You want to save two bounty hunters who you barely know, am I not correct?" Cheshire immediately figured out.

"W-Well, I don't want anyone to die in this Turf War. Maybe..." Shesizi began speaking, only to notice a USB-like port just below the Kiosk's screen. Yes! "About time we had some good luck." As if knowing what to do, she and Cheshire took a cord out of their duel disks and took turns connecting it to the USB-like port, allowing them to obtain a digital copy of the map from the kiosk. "Well, this is good news. Apparently, where the giant stone snakes are taking those bounty hunters is just nearby of the central control panel's location."

"To a place called the snake room." Cheshire finished. She sighed, knowing what they'll likely do next. "Fine. Let's save them first. Then we'll go to the central control panel's location." The duo then headed down the hallway before turning left and right at the various intersections afterwards.

A few minutes later, they entered a large chamber, which was filled with snakes, just as the description said. From pythons to cobras and even rattlesnakes, the entire room was just filled with them. On the bright side, they were on the ground.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!" Kenmochi panicked, trying to keep his feet off the ground. It was obviously harder than he and Yoroizaka expected, considering how one of the giant stone snakes coiled around their entire bodies.

"Please don't kill us!" Yoroizaka begged the snakes, who obviously didn't listen as they lashed upward to try and bite both bounty hunters.

"Close your eyes!" Cheshire ordered both bounty hunters, before she threw what looked like several small tablets, which emitted a small neuro gas that put the snakes to sleep. Unfortunately, the giant stone snakes ate the other snakes before charging forward, intent on getting rid of the intruders. In response, Cheshire and Shesizi dived down to the ground in opposite direction, having successfully evaded their charge.

Shesizi quickly sprung up on her feet before running forward and placing several small bombs all over one of the giant stone snakes, which attempted to bite her in response. After evading the attack, she pressed the button, which made the giant stone snake crumble into pieces before freeing Kenmochi. Seeing this, Cheshire also ran forward and placed small bombs all over the other stone snake. After evading its attack, she pressed the detonator and made it crumble into pieces as well.

"Thank you so much!" Kenmochi said, going over to where Shesizi and Cheshire were.

"We thought we'd be goners!" Yoroizaka added.

"You're lucky I have a sense of honour. Otherwise, if it were up to me, I'd leave you to the snakes." Cheshire replied, the quartet now exiting the room and heading towards the room containing the central control panel.

"I wouldn't leave you guys to be eaten by snakes. The last thing we all need is any more injured people." Shesizi told Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, who breathed a sigh of relief.

"That Cheshire woman still scares me." Kenmochi whispered to Yoroizaka, who nodded in agreement immediately.

Meanwhile, at a different area in Delta...

"Gaah!" a troop screamed, before getting punched by Electrolyzer so hard that he fell to the floor. Another troop down.

Seeing what just happened, the other troops attempted to run away out of fear, only for Electrolyzer to charge forward and knock each of them out.

"How many of these guys are there?" Electrolyzer muttered to himself, as more snipers appeared before attempting to snipe him. In response, Electrolyzer fired a burst of lightning out of his fingertips, which electrocuted them before they fell to the ground. One troop, however, wasn't knocked out by the attack. They were even disarmed as well. Seizing the opportunity, Electrolyzer went over the troop and grabbed him by the lapels. "Where's Balius?!"

"He isn't here, I swear!" the troop answered, much to Electrolyzer's ire. How joyful. Another idiot who's only following orders.

"I believe you." Electrolyzer said, after giving the troop a small shock that knocked him out. Seeing more troops, he charged forward and armed himself with PSY-Framegear Delta before disarming the troops of their guns, which Electrolyzer used to knock each one out. Hearing bullet fire, Electrolyzer immediately equipped himself with PSY-Framegear Beta once again, which increased his speed and allowed him to evade the bullets respectively. Before either of the troops could react, he fired a short burst of electricity that rendered them unconscious. There has to be a commander or captain or something. Someone I can use to get a closer lead on either Balius or Athaliah, Electrolyzer thought with a sigh, as he continued running down the hallway. Hearing a few voices, Electrolyzer hid behind a nearby wall, where he saw a total of four individuals conversing with each other.

The first three were obviously troops.

The third one, however, was a tall man that wore a large, white coat. He also wore a white suit and hat to complete his overall clothing. Covering his eyes were a set of blue-tinted sunglasses, while around his neck was a pendant with a pearl embedded in it. Upon seeing this individual, Electrolyzer's eyes widened. Oh Hell no. Did Balius get you too, Amadeus Ingrim, he thought.

"Secure the entire area and purge all intruders." Amadeus told the troops beside him.

"Yes, Governor," the captain of the troops ordered, motioning for the other two troops to run down the area and patrol it. After doing so, the captain turned to Amadeus before pulling out a tablet and turning it on. "You may want to see this." Looking at the tablet, Amadeus's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the footage, which showed Electrolyzer pummeling the troops.

"Doth my eyes deceive me, or is that Brion Miyahara in Delta himself?" Amadeus muttered to himself. He then looked at the captain and said, "Search the area and find Brion. Bring him to me alive."

"That won't be necessary!" Electrolyzer shouted out of nowhere, before charging forward and electrocuting the captain, which turned him into particles.

"Brion Miyahara. It's been quite a long time, hasn't it, my boy?" Amadeus replied, a smirk on his face as he cracked his knuckles. Now this was going to get good.

At Go and Gardai's duel...

Gardai slowly got up on his feet. "For one of SOL Technologies' dogs, I didn't expect you to have this much strength. As such, I'll say this: I underestimated you."

"That's why you don't mock a king, Gardai. Because by doing so, you'll end up regretting it!" Go told him. "And once you're defeated, I'll defeat Playmaker and remind him of who the king really is!"

"Seriously?" Gardai raised an eyebrow. "That's why you became a bounty hunter? To reclaim your lost honour? To be at the top once again? If you ask me, it's just pathetic."

"Excuse me? Did you just say what I'm doing is pathetic?!" Go exclaimed. "You wouldn't understand what I had to sacrifice to be here today! To eventually reach the moment where I'll-!"

"You want to know what I think, simpleton?" Gardai apathetically inquired, interrupting Go in the process. "I think you're nothing more than a dumb man who's all brawn and no brains. You're someone who blindly follows orders without questioning them, as long as they align with your end goal. If you continue on this path, you'll eventually fall into the antlion's trap, where your masters will treat you inhumanely until the day you die."

Go gasped. While he heard something similar from Stregone, the way Gardai said it just... scared him. Was that how SOL Technologies viewed him? A slave who will eventually be mistreated by their master just for the latter's benefit? Does SOL Technologies even treat people inhumanely? No. Go couldn't think of that right now! All that Gardai said just now were lies, meant to make Go doubt himself. But were they lies? Or was Gardai telling the truth?

He shook his head, knowing that this wasn't the time to be thinking of that stuff. "I don't know what mind games you're playing, but they won't work Gardai. Let's just continue the duel," Go said.

"If that's what you want." Gardai complied with a sigh. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I summon a second copy of Nauya from my hand." A second copy of Nauya appeared on Gardai's field.

Nauya, the Ogdoadic Remnant ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 4

"Just like before, when Nauya is Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Ogdoadic' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand. I add Ogdoadic Flood from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of Gardai's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Ogdoadic Flood. Once per turn, I can send one monster from my hand or field to my Graveyard to target one Reptile monster in my Graveyard with a different attribute and Special Summon it to my field. I tribute the Dark attribute Nauya to Special Summon the Light attribute Ogdoabyss from my Graveyard!" After Nauya turned into particles, Ogdoabyss reappeared on Gardai's field.

Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord ATK: 3100 DEF: 2200 LV: 10

Great. His giant serpent is back, Go thought, annoyed that Gardai brought Ogdoabyss back... for a third time now. Still, with King T-Wrextle and World Dino Wrestling on his field, he can delay Gardai and finish him off on his next turn.

"If you really think your King T-Wrextle's effect will help you, you're mistaken!" Gardai stated. "I activate Ogdoabyss' effect! Once, when this card is face-up on my field, I can send all monsters from the field to our respective Graveyards, except face-up monsters that were Special Summoned from the Graveyard!"

"Like I'll let you do that! I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Dino Domain!" Go interrupted. "Once per turn, I can target one 'Dinowrestler' monster on my field and return it to my hand. By doing so, all monsters I control are unaffected by the effects of your monsters on the field until the end of this turn. What's more, if I control a monster in the Extra Monster Zone, this card cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects! I return Iguanodraka back to my hand!" Iguanodraka turned into particles, which formed into a card as he returned to Go's hand.

"WHAT?!" Gardai's eyes widened in shock, as Ogdoabyss' wings shone with bright light for a brief moment before dimming. "You may have survived Ogdoabyss' effect, but let's see how you'll react to this! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Double Cyclone. This card lets me target one Spell or Trap card on my field and one Spell or Trap card on your field before destroying them. I target Ogdoadic Flood on my field, and World Dino Wrestling on your field!" Two cyclones emerged out of the card, one destroying Ogdoadic Flood, while the other destroyed World Dino Wrestling. "From there, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Solidarity. Since I only have one type of monster in my Graveyard, all monsters I control that share the same type of monster gain 800 attack points!" Ogdoabyss, Aron, and Amunessia let out a shout as their attack points went up.

Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord ATK: 3100 + 800 = 3900

Aron, the Ogdoadic King ATK: 2500 + 800 = 3300

Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen ATK: 2700 + 800 = 3500

"Battle!" Gardai declared. "Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord attacks-!"

"Stop right there!" Go interrupted. "I activate King T-Wrextle's second effect! At the start of your Battle Phase, I can target one monster in attack position that you control and make it attack first. Also, if it does not attack, it's destroyed at the end of your Battle Phase. In addition, King T-Wrextle's third effect prevents you from targeting other monsters I control for attacks, except for him. I target Aron!" An orange aura surrounded King T-Wrextle as he roared at Aron, who shifted to a battle stance.

"If that's what you want, then I'll grant your wish." Gardai complied. "Aron, the Ogdoadic King attacks Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle!" Aron's staff glowed before he fired a blast of energy out of it, which headed straight towards King T-Wrextle!

"You won't take the king down that easily! I activate the effect of Dinowrestler Martial Anga from my hand!" Go suddenly said. "When you attack my 'Dinowrestler' monster, I can send this card from my hand to my Graveyard to prevent it from being destroyed by battle!" A barrier appeared around King T-Wrextle, which protected him from the energy blast fired by Aron. Go's avatar then winced as his life points dropped.

Go Onizuka: 4000 – 500 = 3500 LP

"Martial Anga's effect ends the Battle Phase as well." Go continued, causing Gardai to scowl in annoyance.

With a sigh, Gardai said, "I end my turn."

"At the end of your turn, Martial Anga's third effect activates!" Go added. "Since you control more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon him from my Graveyard to my field in attack position!" A humanoid dinosaur wearing a pink vest appeared on Go's field in attack position.

Dinowrestler Martial Anga ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LV: 5

"I'll acknowledge your tenacity in surviving this duel, Go. However..." Gardai narrowed his eyes. "...you're up against three monsters with over 3000 attack points. And unless you can destroy all of them, I doubt you'll be able to defeat me this turn."

"You sound as if you'll win this duel." Go commented, a frown on his face.

"Considering how I have the three strongest monsters from my deck on my field, I'm certain that I'll win on my next turn." Gardai pointed out.

"Really? In that case, I'll prove you wrong. My turn! I draw!" Go drew the top card of his deck. This will help for sure, he thought. "As you control more monsters than I do, I can once again Special Summon Pankratops from my hand." For a second time, Pankratops appeared on his field.

Dinowrestler Pankratops ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 7

"That's the card you added back to your hand using Terra Parkourio's effect..." Gardai deduced.

"You're correct on that, bub." Go confirmed. "Once again, I activate Pankratops' second effect! Once per turn, I can tribute one 'Dinowrestler' monster on my field to target and destroy one of your cards. I tribute Martial Anga to target and destroy Solidarity!" Martial Anga and Solidarity both turned into particles afterwards. "And with Solidarity gone, your monsters attack points return to normal." As if in confirmation, Ogdoabyss, Aron, and Amunessia groaned in pain, which indicated that their attack points returned to normal.

Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord ATK: 3900 – 800 = 3100

Aron, the Ogdoadic King ATK: 3300 – 800 = 2500

Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen ATK: 3500 – 800 = 2700

"I summon Dinowrestler Eskrimamenchi from my hand to my field." A brown-skinned and big bellied humanoid dinosaur with dark tattoos all over his body appeared on Go's field. He wore dark-violet armour, gray-colored chain belts with bones attached to them on his shoulders, and a dark-violet mask with moss green fur emerging from its sides. In each of his hands were eskrima sticks resembling bones.

Dinowrestler Eskrimamenchi ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"As I control a 'Dinowrestler' monster, I can normal summon Eskrimamenchi to my field without tributing a monster." Go explained. "In addition, I activate my own copy of the Continuous-Spell card, Solidarity. Since I only have one type of monster in my Graveyard, all monsters I control that share the same type of monster gain 800 attack points!" King T-Wrextle, Pankratops, and Eskrimamenchi roared as their strength increased.

Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle ATK: 3000 + 800 = 3800

Dinowrestler Pankratops ATK: 2600 + 800 = 3400

Dinowrestler Eskrimamenchi ATK: 2200 + 800 = 3000

"Battle!" Go thrusted out his hand. "Dinowrestler Eskrimamenchi attacks Aron, the Ogdoadic King!" Eskrimamenchi charged forward before attempting to hit Aron with his eskrima sticks, with Aron responding by blocking them with his staff. Within mere moments, Eskrimamenchi broke through and smashed Aron using both eskrima sticks, turning him into particles as Gardai winced.

Gardai: 1800 – 500 = 1300 LP

"Dinowrestler Pankratops attacks Amunessia, the Ogdoadic Queen!" Pankratops charged forward before trying to punch Amunessia, who responded by attempting to block the punch with her staff. Within mere moments, Pankratops broke through before throwing a barrage of punches at Amunessia, turning her into particles as Gardai winced for a second time.

Gardai: 1300 – 700 = 600 LP

"This duel is over!" Go declared. "Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle attacks Ogdoabyss, the Ogdoadic Overlord! Jurassic Howl!" King T-Wrextle charged forward before jumping and howling at Ogdoabyss before King T-Wrextle fell forward and elbow slammed Ogdoabyss, causing a massive explosion that sent Gardai flying off the ground before he landed on his back.

Gardai: 600 – 700 = 0

Gardai moaned as he tried to get back up on his feet. Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as he fell back down to the ground on his back.

Go slowly walked up towards Gardai, a frown on his face. "That stuff you said earlier. About how I'm a dumb man who blindly follows orders. You're wrong on that."

"Oh?" Gardai raised an eyebrow. "How am I wrong?"

"It's simple. No one controls the king, and as the king, I don't serve anyone but myself!" Go answered. "I joined SOL Technologies because our interests align with one another. In exchange for my help, I'm given the chance to end-."

"You're no better than me, Go Onizuka." Gardai callously interrupted, which made Go gasp upon hearing this.

"And how am I no better than you, Gardai?" Go snarled. "You control an entire branch consisting of assassins. People that are assigned to-!"

"Stop right there and listen. When you became a bounty hunter, you were bound to a contract, just like my assassins here." Gardai calmly explained, his avatar starting to disintegrate. "In a sense, my claim where we're no better than the other is true. We're both assassins following the orders of others. There is, however, a single difference between us. While I still have my freedom, you'll sacrifice your freedom just to get your selfish desires, and those desires will be your undoing. That is my prophecy to you." He laughed as his avatar fully disintegrated, which formed a data sphere.

"Yeah. I highly doubt that, bub." Go stated, the data sphere going over to his right hand. After pressing a few buttons on his duel disk and tapping the top of the data sphere with his index finger, it vanished. According to Akira, doing this for a wanted person in the network would result in one getting paid. Sure enough, a cheque appeared on Go's duel disk, with a message saying 'Thank you very much'. He then noticed a portion of the wall opening up, which revealed a set of stairs. "I guess that's the way out." Go raced over to the stairs before running upstairs, having successfully left the underground room.

Meanwhile, at another area of Delta...

"Okay. Here's the central control panel, and it looks like the coast is clear." Shesizi said, surveying the area with Cheshire while Kenmochi and Yoroizaka stood guard.

"Have you heard from Go?" Kenmochi asked Yoroizaka.

"No. I haven't. I hope he's okay." Yoroizaka answered back.

"Stay here. If you hear anything, give us a shout." Cheshire ordered both men, who nodded immediately. After all, the last thing Kenmochi and Yoroizaka needed was to experience Cheshire's wrath, considering what she did to Go earlier. Cheshire and Shesizi then slowly treaded ground in the room containing the central control panel, only for the former to stop the latter from moving. "If there's anything I learned, it's that the chances of the coast being clear is slim to none." Cheshire threw a small tablet in the air, which caused several lasers to pop out of nowhere and fry it.

"Maybe this can help." Shesizi stated, pulling out an ID card. Cheshire's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing this.

"Hang on a minute. When did you get that?"

"I swiped it out of the platoon commander's pocket we encountered a while back." Shesizi explained.

"Now that's clever." Cheshire analyzed the room before finding a camera nearby. "Try showing that camera the ID card." Shesizi did just that, which caused the camera to turn from a red light to a green light.

POP!

The lasers immediately shut down afterwards.

"Delta thinks that its technology can keep us out? They really should have had snipers guard this room. Then it would have been a challenge." Cheshire commented, the duo now walking towards the central control panel. Once Shesizi showed it the platoon commander's ID card, the central control panel went from red to green, giving her and Cheshire access.

"If I recall, I think it went like this." Shesizi said, pressing a series of buttons onto the central control panel. After doing so, the ground shook for a few moments before the power went back on again.

"All defensive systems disengaged," the central control panel said. "Have a nice day..." It then shut down moments later.

Once that was done, Shesizi typed a few buttons on her duel disk, intent on calling Greg. A sound then came on, indicating that someone picked up the phone on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Delta's defensive systems are down." Shesizi happily told Greg. "You're free to lay out the full assault."

"Awesome, Shesizi! Thank you so much! Get yourself and the others out of there." Greg ordered. The girls ran out of the room, which caused Kenmochi and Yoroizaka to follow them.

"Oh yeah! Mission accomplished!" Kenmochi happily said.

"Now to find Go and get the heck out of here!" Yoroizaka added. After a few minutes of running, they found Go beating up some troops, having knocked the last of them out.

"What the heck is going on with this place?" Go inquired. "It's like the whole place is falling apart."

"It isn't. It's just Delta shutting down its systems piece by piece." Shesizi explained. "We have to go! Now!" Nodding, Go followed the others, intent on reaching the entrance they entered Delta from.

Elsewhere, in the Delta Branch...

Electrolyzer evaded Amadeus's punch before throwing another one at his face, which successfully connected and caused him to take a few steps back. The two of them had been fighting for quite a while, as evident by the number of bruises they had on their faces and bodies.

"Why did you side with Balius?" Electrolyzer demanded.

"It's simple, my boy. Because Balius was the one with vision, not your weak parents." Amadeus answered. "As Governor, it's my responsibility to help the person who's in charge to carry out their vision. Since your parents had such a weak vision, I obviously sided with Balius."

"You bastard!" Electrolyzer roared, charging forward in an attempt to throw another punch. Only for Amadeus to slide behind Electrolyzer and knee him in the back, which made him lose balance before he was knocked to the wall by a front kick afterwards. The place started shaking within moments.

"Huh. It seems my time in Delta's up." Amadeus muttered, before pulling out a USB-drive. "Looks like my job is done." Laughing, Amadeus started running, with Electrolyzer equipping PSY-Framegear Beta to himself, enabling him to get up before chasing Amadeus.

To his surprise, Electrolyzer was not only able to catch up to him, but also throw a punch that sent him falling to the ground on his back.

"It seems Athaliah's little projects on you weren't a waste after all." Amadeus started to scramble on his feet, only for Electrolyzer to place his knee on Amadeus's chest.

"They were obviously not a waste, as otherwise, I wouldn't do this to you." Electrolyzer then started punching Amadeus so hard that more bruises started appearing on his face. "Is Balius here or not? I seen his troops all over Delta! Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not talking!" Amadeus replied, which earned him more punches courtesy of Electrolyzer. Once that was done, Electrolyzer grabbed him by the lapels and slammed him to the wall.

"Is Balius here or not?!" Electrolyzer reiterated.

"Come now, Brion. Use your brain. Do you really think Balius would come all the way to Den City just to collaborate with Delta?" Amadeus inquired, which made Electrolyzer widen his eyes upon putting two and two together. Seizing the chance, Amadeus headbutted Electrolyzer, which made him take a few steps back before delivering a roundhouse kick to Electrolyzer's knees. Had it not been for Beta, then Electrolyzer would have been injured more. Luckily, the impact only made him fall on one knee.

Amadeus then hit Electrolyzer in the face with his knee, which made him fall to the floor on his back. He then put his knee on Electrolyzer's chest and started punching him in the face.

"You need to know your place, boy!" Amadeus exclaimed, as he continued punching Electrolyzer in the face despite resistance. "And when I'm done with you, I'll bring you to Athaliah for more experiments. And when she's done, I'll bring you to Balius, where he'll dispose of you once and for all!"

Hearing this, Electrolyzer mustered up all the strength he had to throw Amadeus to the ground. This allowed him to get on top of him before punching his face once again.

"You won't do those things! Nor will you poison the people of Central Japan with Balius' words!" Electrolyzer declared, as he continued to brutally punch Amadeus, who merely laughed.

At that moment, Shesizi, Cheshire, Go, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka found Electrolyzer.

"Electrolyzer! You have to calm down!" Go said, going over to try and restrain Electrolyzer, only for the latter to shake the former off before continuing to pummel Amadeus to a bloody pulp.

"Electrolyzer! It's not worth it!" Kenmochi and Yoroizaka added at the same time, grabbing his arms to try and stop him. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough, as Electrolyzer shrugged both Kenmochi and Yoroizaka off before continuing to punch Amadeus.

"Please stop Electrolyzer!" Shesizi pleaded. "Don't let yourself get consumed by revenge! Please!"

Hearing those words, Electrolyzer looked up at Shesizi, realizing that tears started to fall from her eyes. At that moment, he didn't see her.

He saw his sister Tessa, who had the same fearful look in her eyes before she died moments later.

Honestly, the fact Shesizi resembled his dead sister made him shudder in a way.

Calming down, Electrolyzer got off of Amadeus before grabbing him by the lapels and pulling him up on his feet.

"Since Balius isn't here in Delta, I have another question." Electrolyzer said, getting the man's attention. "Where's Athaliah?"

"L-L-Like I'll tell you..." Amadeus replied, before Cheshire stepped forward and put her Sai at his throat.

"We don't have time to play your little games." Cheshire warned him. "So speak!"

"Athaliah's in Alpha! Athaliah's in Alpha!" Amadeus spilled the beans. "After what she did, I tried to exile her out of Central Japan, but Balius wouldn't allow it. Please get rid of that woman. She's awful!"

"Oh, don't worry. I will. First chance I get." Electrolyzer assured Amadeus, before placing his hands behind his back and securing him in place. The group, along with Amadeus, walked towards the exit afterwards.

Eventually, they got out of Delta, where they found several of the troops being arrested by various members of the FBI, as well as Epsilon's samurais.

Seeing Greg, Electrolyzer brought Amadeus to him and said, "Look what I found."

"My God. To think that Central Japan's own governor would have ties with the Black Market..." Greg muttered, as two FBI agents placed a device on his chest, which knocked him out. Afterwards, a blipping dot appeared on one of the FBI agents' duel disks.

"We contacted one of our branches in Central Japan," one of the FBI agents told Greg. "They'll detain Amadeus immediately."

"Good. Thank you." Greg replied, as the two FBI agents, along with an unconscious Amadeus, logged out. "Listen to me, Brion. I know what he said to you, and going alone to fight Athaliah is practically a bad idea. If you wait, I can-."

"No." Electrolyzer interrupted. "I'm doing this alone." He started walking away until Shesizi caught up to him.

"Thank you. For everything you did for me today." Shesizi said.

Seeing her made Electrolyzer lighten up. "No problem. I'm glad you're safe." He was about to leave when Shesizi spoke up.

"I know what you're about to do, and while I can't stop you, all I ask is that you don't become a bad man. Please."

Electrolyzer looked down to the ground and narrowed his eyes. In hindsight, it was his parent's teachings that made him the disciplined person he is today, especially someone who still managed to retain their honor. Even now, the question in his mind remained. If he succeeded in his goals for revenge, would he become no better than Balius or Athaliah?

Well, there was only one way for Electrolyzer to find out. Still, Greg had a point in waiting. It'd be a good idea to get all the technology needed for going into Alpha. This way, he'd be prepared for whatever she threw at him. "I'll do my best," was all he could reply with, before logging out.

Seeing this, Shesizi sighed. Cheshire, noticing this, went over to her.

"You can't stop someone once they have their mind set on something. Trust me. From personal experience, I know." Cheshire told Shesizi.

"I hear you. It's just I wish I can stop Electrolyzer from going down a path that will... that will hurt him." Shesizi replied.

Before Cheshire could respond, a few of the samurais called to her. "That's my cue. I have to go. Stay safe." She then went over to the samurais and followed them back to Epsilon. As for Shesizi, she logged out after receiving a specific address to go to in the real world from Greg.

"You were awesome, Go! You kicked Gardai's ass in a duel, and you got a nice paycheck out of it!" Kenmochi told Go.

"Yeah, Go! You showed Gardai to never mess with the king!" Yoroizaka added. "Keep the victories coming, and you'll eventually defeat Playmaker for good!"

"Thank you guys. I appreciate all of your support." Go replied with a smile, the three of them raising their left arms into the air before giving each other a fist bump.

A few hours later, in the real world, at SOL Technologies...

Akira smiled as he continued typing on his laptop, the mission to defeat Delta having been successful. With that victory, that meant there was only one branch to defeat: Alpha, which was Ace's favorite of the Black Market branches. Akira originally wanted to go after Alpha first, but Yeshurun told him that shutting Delta down first was more important. After all, what was the likely chance of Alpha sending out a distress call to Delta for assistance? The answer: Very likely.

At that moment, Akira's phone rang, which he picked up. Upon looking at who was calling him, a smile appeared on his face as he answered it.

"Greg. It's great to hear from you."

"You as well, Akira." Greg replied.

"I trust that the Shesizi girl was put in a safe location?"

"Of course, Akira. Don't worry. She's safe." Greg assured him.

"And the arrest on Gardai?"

Greg sighed. "While his account is helping us track him, a manhunt's still on for Gardai. And considering how our forces are stretched thin at the moment, we're having some trouble looking for him. On the bright side, we arrested Amadeus Ingrim, the governor of Central Japan who helped Balius rise to power."

"Governor of Central Japan?" Akira repeated. If he recalled, Brion was born in Central Japan, and left it following Balius' coup. But for there to be someone else who helped him... was troubling indeed.

"The one and only." Greg confirmed on the other end. "Listen, Akira. There's something else you should know."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm not sure if you're familiar with Athaliah, but she's in the Black Market's Alpha branch."

Akira's eyes widened upon hearing that name. A while back, he read that Athaliah was arrested for kidnapping and running an unethical human experimentation business. These experiments were done on lots of people, ranging from children to adults. For a monster like Athaliah to be loose in the network was quite disturbing indeed. "When's the most likely time we can lay a siege on Alpha?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." Greg sadly answered. That made sense. The troops needed to rest and recuperate from the recent battle. Yeshurun would likely agree with this decision, considering how samurais also needed to rest as well.

Before Akira could respond, an email popped up on his laptop, which made him narrow his eyes. "I'm sorry, Greg. I have to call you back later." After hanging up, Akira opened the email and thoroughly read the message that it contained.

Hello Zaizen,

Do any of these pictures look familiar to you? Because from my perspective, they are.

Let me know how it feels to have your sister being given a target on her back.

From,

Blood Shepherd.

Sure enough, they were indeed familiar. Four pictures. One was of Raguel, the second was of Blue Girl, the third was Ghost Girl, and the fourth was of SengokuQueen. The word 'Wanted' was spread out across their pictures in big capital letters.

I can't believe the Black Market would do such a thing, Akira thought, slightly gritting his teeth. No. The last thing Akira needed was to angry. Instead, he dialed a phone number into his phone, hoping to talk to Yuhiro. After three rings, a pre-recorded message appeared instead of Yuhiro's voice, which went like this:

"Hey. This is Yuhiro. I'm not available right now, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks."

Once Akira heard the pre-recorded message, he then said, "Hey, Yuhiro. It's Akira. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the Black Market's put a 'Wanted' poster of you, Aoi, Emma, and Gekiryushi. Just wanted to give you a heads up on that. Also, Delta is down for the count. Give me a call back, and we'll coordinate a plan in taking Alpha down as well." Having left his message into Yuhiro's voicemail, he hung up shortly afterwards.

Luckily, there was one other thing Akira could do, as a notification popped up on his phone. It said, 'Meeting at Green Park at 4:30 pm'. Smiling, Akira finished up his work before turning off his computer and getting up from his desk chair, looking forward to meeting up with Aoi, Emma, and Gekiryushi there.

Elsewhere, in an apartment in Den City...

Brion typed various code into his computer as he created a series of programs, which he inputted into his duel disk. With the information Amadeus given him, Brion at last had a lead on one of the people who ruined his life.

Athaliah Kuraishi. The woman who used Brion as a guinea pig for her science experiments.

Brion recently got a message from Akira, which basically told him that the attack on Alpha wouldn't occur until tomorrow afternoon. That made him furious. Why wouldn't they attack Alpha now, when they had the information already available to them? Was it due to a lack of courage? Or was the reason more of a tactical one, where they had to prepare for the next attack?

If it was the latter, then Brion understood. You obviously need to rest and prepare for the next mission. However, if it was for a silly reason, then Brion would be furious at SOL Technologies for their inability in seizing an opportunity when it came to them.

The next thing Brion knew, a screen on his computer started beeping before coming up, a ringtone emitting from it. Looking at the screen, he saw that the caller ID was 'Unknown'. However, Brion obviously knew who was calling, considering the phone number on there. Knowing what to do, he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Ah, Brion! So happy to hear from you!" Jericho happily stated, as a screen showing him popped up. "I trust you captured an Ignis?"

"Sadly, no. SOL Technologies has their attention diverted to something called a Turf War." Brion answered.

"A Turf War, huh?" Jericho pondered this information as he typed something into his computer. "Ah. The story of SOL Technologies trying to stop the escalation between the branches. Ridiculous, if you ask me?"

"Not necessarily. I found Athaliah's location. She's in the Alpha Branch." Brion explained.

"Ah, so you found her! Perfect! Perfect! Perfect!" Jericho happily responded. "I'm guessing you intend to go after her yourself, correct? I mean, considering how SOL Technologies is spineless, it makes sense after all." Brion nodded in confirmation after hearing Jericho's question. "In that case, allow me to give you this." A notification popped up on Brion's duel disk, which he picked up before tapping on the notification.

"What kind of program is this?" Brion questioned, looking at the series of code in it.

"That, my friend is a rather special duel anchor program. One that will seep her information into my servers as you duel her." Jericho said. "It's a win-win for both of us. You get your revenge, and I get her information."

"I see." Brion smirked after hearing this information. Combined with the programs he already had, along with arming himself with his various PSY-Framegear monsters, Brion was now more than ready for his duel against Athaliah tomorrow.

"I obviously support you all the way in your revenge quest against Athaliah and Balius. I mean, this is too good of an opportunity to pass for the both of us, don't you agree?" Jericho chuckled after saying that.

Brian nodded at Jericho's statement. Since SOL Technologies didn't have a backbone, it only made sense for him to take matters into his own hands.

"Good luck, my friend. I wait to hear your eventual success!" Jericho stated, as he waved goodbye to Brion, the screen going blank moments later.

Once that was done, Brion stood up from his chair before pulling out a locket that was wrapped around his neck. Inside of it contained a picture of himself, Granger, Tessa, and their parents. A family picture that was taken before everything went to Hell.

While Brion didn't know who exactly Jericho was and why he wanted the information Athaliah had, he was certain of one thing.

Thanks to Jericho, Brion would finally get his revenge on Athaliah for what she did to him all those years ago.

Mom. Dad. Tessa. Granger, Brion thought, as he narrowed his eyes. Tomorrow, I'll make Athaliah pay for betraying the Miyahara Family. And once Balius suffers the same fate as her, you can finally rest in peace. Taking out his deck, Brion put it into his duel disk before saying, "Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!"

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

Over the course of the story, you met the various bosses of each branch. From Ace to Monty to Creknurt to Yeshurun to the Guzik Family to Wyatt to Clarice to Gardai, which Black Market boss is your favorite?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 62: Shocking Revelation. With the Delta Branch having been defeated, the remainder of Ace's loyalists head to Alpha Branch, the Turf War close to reaching its conclusion. As a brutal battle breaks out in the network and in the real world, Brion sneaks past enemy frontlines and confronts the person who aided in turning his world upside down... Athaliah, who reveals why she betrayed the Miyahara Family and how she got involved in Project: Apotheosis...

Author's Notes

Alright, folks! Another chapter done, and before the New Year too! I hope you all enjoyed it! Anyhow, let's break down the chapter, shall we?

The first part is the duel between Ace and Drachen, as well as how Drachen was able to intercept Ace like that. Basically, it went like this: After Ace broke into Uchida Industries' main server to get the code key, he dueled against the CEO and obviously won. As this is going on, Ryoken sent Akairo to intercept and rescue the CEO, intent on getting her to one of the Hanoi's safehouses. Why didn't any of the Knights of Hanoi assist Drachen in the mission? Simple. They were occupied with other tasks, which made Drachen the main candidate for the mission. As for the duel, it was an opportunity for Drachen to use Ritual Summoning for the first time. In other words, the Lord of the Red and Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword combination. Credit goes to HunterHQ for suggesting the idea a while back.

Now for the result of the duel: While I wanted either duelist to have a victory, I ended up having it result in a draw. Why? Well, to break their losing streaks obviously. Ace lost a total of three times in Season 1, while Drachen lost twice so far in Season 2. So by having the duel end in a draw, it basically breaks their losing streaks. Sadly, this is all for naught, as Ace reveals that he had a contingency in place should he either lose the duel or it resulted in a draw. And much to Drachen's chagrin, Ace gets the code key, and ultimately full control of Uchida Industries. Following this, Drachen alerts both Ryoken and Akira about the events that happened, with Drachen informing the latter that he can't help out in the attack against Delta because of... homework. You may be thinking why I put this down. It's simple: Drachen's in school after all. He has to keep up with his studies.

Another thing to bring up is what Ace told Drachen prior to their duel regarding the differences between a slave and a servant. A slave is someone who doesn't have a free will at all, and isn't willing to betray their master. A servant, on the other hand, retains their free will, and makes the choice to serve their master. Ace, in this scenario, is the servant because he made the choice to serve Azrael. While some of you may counter that Ace was coerced into serving Azrael, I kind of agree with you there. Basically, Ace either had to serve Azrael or risk imprisonment. Or worse: Death. Since Ace chose the former option, he got benefits, such as ruling over the Black Market, getting new cards, etc. Ace even says that Azrael's a better visionary compared to the Knights of Hanoi as well. What are your thoughts on this?

Then there is Ace and Speckles' meeting with Azrael, who congratulates them on fully obtaining Uchida Industries, and gives the both of them new cards as a reward. However, he punishes both Ace and Speckles for losing territory to the good guys. Azrael also tells Ace about the backup plan should things go south, which is called Operation: Kingdom Come. What do you think this operation is? And what new cards did Ace and Speckles get? While you'll have to read on to find out, I encourage you to come up with your own theories.

Next is the assault on Delta, where we meet Shesizi, the last of the former Overseer's agents, which are called Darters. The former Overseer put these agents inside other branches, as well as hired Delta's services to keep an eye on them. Any potential threats were eliminated by Delta. Part of Shesizi's appearance is based off of Hassan of Serenity from Fate Grand Order. After Electrolyzer rescues her and she tells Greg about a way to get inside of Delta, she, along with Electrolyzer, Kenmochi, Yoroizaka, and Cheshire go to infiltrate Delta. Blood Shepherd helped out, but only a bit. Because he's not a team player. A lone wolf, if you will. At least for the time being, anyway.

In this chapter, you learn more about Cheshire, which I'll explain right now: Cheshire was a bounty hunter who did what she did to accomplish her goals, as well as get her keep in the Black Market. That all changed when she met Yeshurun, who showed her that people can still maintain a code of ethics and not lose themselves in their work. This motivated Cheshire to give up her bounty hunting career and join Epsilon, which enabled her to gain a code of honour and ethics. If you learned anything from her story, it's this: You don't need to be a hero or well-known in the network to change. There's simply some people in the world who become a better version of themselves over time by meeting the right people in life.

Now we get to the second duel, which is Go vs Gardai. Oh, and this duel was a PK duel. One of my disappointments with the anime was that the PK duel concept was only shown once. I intend to rectify that by showing more PK duels in Obscured Truth. I'll tell you now: There will be another PK duel later on in Season 2, and it may be much sooner than you think. Gardai's deck in this duel was the Ogdoadic archetype, which focuses on a control approach by manipulating cards in the Graveyard. While Go faced a lot of hurdles in this duel, he was able to win by crushing all of Gardai's monsters with Dinowrestler King T-Wrextle, Pankratops, and Eskrimamenchi.

Throughout the duel, as well as following the duel, Gardai makes some interesting points about how Go blindly follows orders. From Go's perspective, he sees himself as someone who can't be controlled. Someone who's willing to side with those who have a common cause as long as he gets something out of it. From Gardai's perspective, he sees Go as nothing more than a slave. Someone who will eventually be discarded away like yesterday's trash The difference between Gardai and Go is this. The former, while being defeated, still has his freedom. The latter, while having won the duel, will eventually give it up just to obtain his selfish desires. And as Gardai points out, it will eventually cause Go to fall into a trap that will tear him apart.

From there, we have Electrolyzer fighting against Central Japan's governor Amadeus Ingrim. His appearance was based off of Snattle from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Why did Amadeus side with Balius? It's simple. Balius had a better, stronger vision than Electrolyzer's parents. Electrolyzer would have continued pummeling Amadeus to a bloody pulp if not for Shesizi stopping him, who reminded Electrolyzer if his younger sister Tessa. That act helps Electrolyzer spare Amadeus, but not before getting Athaliah's location from him.

With the events in Delta done, the scene with Akira is shown next, where he's on a phone call with Greg. While Amadeus was arrested, because the FBI's forces are stretched thin at the moment, they're having trouble arresting Gardai, who is on the run for the time being. After hearing about Athaliah and the timing of the FBI's attack on Alpha, Akira hangs up. Only for him to receive an email from Blood Shepherd, which showed 'Wanted' posters of Raguel, Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, and SengokuQueen. After trying to reach Yuhiro, Akira ends up heading out to meet the girls at Green Park to inform them on what happened, as well as get an update on their side.

Last but not least is a rather special scene I put in, where Brion speaks with Jericho on recent events. Jericho gives Brion a special duel anchor program that will enable him to take Athaliah's information as he duels against her. This is one of the duels that will be in the next chapter, as indicated in the preview above. Why does Jericho want Athaliah's information? This is something you'll have to read on and find out for yourself. With steeled resolve, Brion then logs into the network, intent on ending Athaliah himself without backup.

And that concludes Chapter 61. I want to thank everyone of you for reading Chapter 61 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.

Since this chapter was released close to the end of 2021, I just want to say this in advance:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

I want to know what you're looking forward to in terms of story content for the new year. Give me your theories on what you think may happen later on in Season 2 of Obscured Truth!

My goal is to get to the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc by the end of 2022, and with all of your support, I know I will make that goal a reality!

What did you like the most about this chapter? The duels? The infiltration into Delta? The main content of the story? Or was it something else?

That's all for now. Stay tuned, as Chapter 62 will be the first chapter released in 2022!