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.

70. Chapter 70: The Point of No Return

Response to Reviews

Thank you to Kingdom Hearts Guy, Electriuser, HunterHQ, Noobmaster, Magic Dragon, Pikachu99, Anonymous, Guest, Guest, Donkeyboy100, Ambiguous, Portal, E.T. 2000, Unknown, Naruto1999, PR5, Guest, Guest, Guest, Jason, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 69 of Obscured Truth.

Hello, everyone! I hope you're doing well as we move into the Summer season. From what I'm seeing, you guys have questions, which I'm more than happy to respond to the best of my ability. Especially after an insightful chapter like the previous one, don't you agree?

But enough talk. Let's go to answering those reviews:

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Raguel already has an Xyz monster called Cyreath Blazing Orthros. As to the other summoning methods, pay attention to the next few chapters.

Electriuser: I can see you're confused on how emotions will help Raguel match Azrael's pure power, so allow me to explain: If one is to master themselves, they need to balance their mind, body, and spirit. In this case, by balancing his mind, body, and spirit, Raguel will be able to not only prevent himself from snapping, but also stay healthy and focused rather than let emotions control him. Recall in Chapter 7 that Watchman had an object called the Spatial Cube, which showed him the visions from the Crisis. The visions Zero had most likely came from when he was sleeping, or he used a different object to obtain them. I can't reveal who Kairi is, other than the fact that she helped Zero all those years ago. If you have ideas for origin stories, don't hesitate to send me a PM for the eight other victims. As for your last question... um, I doubt those responses would be valid.

HunterHQ: For Yua Kogami, she unfortunately didn't reach out to Ryoken yet. She's a coward, yes, but after everything that happened, you can't blame her. While Yua and Watchman knew Dr. Kogami returned years later, they didn't take into account that he was in a coma. Watchman didn't know Dr. Kogami would attack the Cyberse World. In terms of Yuhiro's memories, there's bits and pieces of them. Some of them are lies, some of them are truths. Zero gave the Project: VIII piece to Seamus after the Gamma Branch was being set up, for he knew how strong the Guzik family was in dueling. Sadly, Zero couldn't bring himself to destroy all their efforts. Don't worry about Kairi, for she won't appear in person until much later on in the story.

Noobmaster: I doubt the neuralyzer would work on Azrael and Wraith, as the both of them can cut it down to pieces themselves before it even activated. Right now, Jericho escaped, while the rest are trapped in the dark side of the network. The reason why this happened was because of the damage the Tower of Hanoi brought to the network. It tore an opening just large enough for one person to go through, which was closed up afterwards. Regarding your question on Yusaku, let's just say it's a spoiler for now. Yeah, it's the first time Yuhiro's realizing that his fight for justice was nothing more than a sham. After all, a warrior of justice doesn't do things in someone's name. Believe it or not, Herald chose Irida because of his crush on her. No, there are no other pieces like the Dragon King, as he's the first and last one. Nothing can ever be fully destroyed, no matter how much you try to erase it. SOL Technologies actually buried it deep and ensured that it didn't leak to the public following the catastrophic incident. The businesses Ukyos sponsored consisted of orphanages, hospitals, relief homes, research, and more. Yukage knew about Project: VIII in the first place because he got his hands on one of the three pieces of it. And yes, the dragon Myojin had was based off of Kyurem.

Magic Dragon: If Raguel dueled against Gilgamesh from Fate/Stay Night, he'd lose within seconds by Gilgamesh spamming the Gate of Babylon. Not even Link Trigger can keep up with it.

Pikachu99: I understand what you're saying, as to quote Thanos, "Reality is often disappointing". On the plus side, I'm glad you're enjoying the chapters in the story. As for your wish on more appearances of Yukage, you'll actually get your wish starting with this chapter.

Anonymous: No. Watchman didn't know that Yukage took the Muramasa, as Gilgamesh was severely wounded and had to recover. He lost an entire arm, remember? And yes, I updated the opening, as shown below.

Guest: Of course I get what you're saying. That's why I'm giving the female characters in the story a chance to play a prominent and impactful role in the story.

Guest: Den City Hospital was where the blood transfusions took place. No, the Lost Incident facility was provided by Emon Uchida.

Donkeyboy100: Glad you liked the chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well, and all the best on your story!

Ambiguous: Believe it or not, yes. Before she adopted Yuhiro, Roxy and the steward bot ran Café Matsuo. Even if other people know who Azrael really is, it doesn't faze him at all. I mean, they can't locate him in the real world, and he can obviously deal with them. Sadly, Wraith was the only one who helped a young Yukage after the Lost Incident. He wore a hoodie when he visited Café Matsuo back in Chapter 67.

Portal: Glad you liked the chapter. As for your concern, all I'll say is this: Keep reading, as you may be surprised on what may happen next.

E.T. 2000: Happy you like the chapter. Of course Watchman and Myojin couldn't change Ukyos' opinion on the Root of All Knowledge. Indeed, the only thing I liked about Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens the most was Nail's 'Tron' deck, which is what motivated me to put it in the story. Since Yggdrago the Sky Emperor in this story is a Maximum Link monster, there's a possibility for other archetypes to appear as well, so stay tuned.

Unnamed: Looking at your review, I appreciate you telling me your concerns. I can confirm this: Jericho won't ally with Yukage and Lightning during the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, so be at ease. If anything, he'll grab a bucket of popcorn and enjoy the show while taking notes that will be useful to him in the future. I mean, he did screw around the A.I. Implant Duel chip. Unfortunately, Myojin, Ukyos, and Arshad weren't able to create the first batch of Ignis thanks to the catastrophic incident that happened. Keep in mind that Zero was rescued in the network by some people following Project: VIII, where he was kicked out by SOL Technologies. And since he was busy helping them with their war, he wasn't able to learn this information until recently. As for your other question, Yuhiro and Yukage had their pendants since they were kids.

Naruto1999: Happy you liked the chapter, as well as seeing the 'Tron' archetype in the story.

Fusion: I only know Jason Todd, so I'll say this: He's an awesome anti-hero.

PR5: Yuhiro's still processing everything that happened, and he doesn't know what to think upon learning that his brother was responsible for putting Miyu in the hospital. As for your question in terms of biological parents, I'll just say this: Both Yuhiro and Yukage's biological parents are dead. And it's obviously not Infearno and Beatrice. Why would you come to such a conclusion? That'd be... weird.

Guest: Well, good thing I surprised you.

Guest: Maximum Link Summoning is basically a combination of regular Link Summoning and Maximum Summoning.

Guest: Thanks for asking. Basically, to Maximum Link Summon, you need at least three specific Link monsters to bring out one stronger Link monster that's a combination of all three. I hope you understand.

Jason: Glad you liked the chapter. As for the fact that one of the character's names is Jason, that was just pure coincidence.

Guest: We'll have to see for the future.

With all reviews having been answered, it's time for the chapter to begin. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 70: The Point Of No Return

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, the Muramasa, crosses downwards to the left, while Excalibur crosses downwards to the right. 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 Teravolt Dragon, who 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 Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord 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 Teravolt Dragon, both of their dragons proceeding to roar at one another. 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, at the Light Ignis's palace...

A portal appeared inside the castle, as Azrael stepped out of it before it closed behind him. It had been a few days since he defeated Raguel not only physically, but mentally as well. Not only that, he managed to acquire his pendant, the final key needed to access the dark vault. While Azrael originally intended to head over to SOL Technologies' dark vault and obtain the final piece of the Project: VIII data, Wraith asked if they can search for Aqua instead. The reason why was because Wraith wanted to make sure she was safe from harm, as Earth wanted the same thing as well.

Azrael saw a great benefit in agreeing to Wraith's request. If they help Earth find Aqua, there was a chance the both of them would join their side out of gratitude for their assistance. And should they join, the Light Ignis would be pleased, as it meant that the Ignis were coming to their senses about humans. But if Earth and Aqua didn't agree to join, Azrael would use the love they had for one another to coerce them into joining. Simple as that.

Besides helping Earth search for Aqua, Azrael also had to check in on Ace to make sure he was following his instructions to the letter. While Ace didn't care at all that Speckles died, he felt the pressure being increased on him to ensure he stayed in Azrael's good graces. After all, the last thing he needed was to die by the Another Virus.

Ace, upon being visited by Azrael, informed him that Uchida Industries was able to acquire the partnership and acquisition of the many companies it assisted, especially after the Turf War where they were scrambling to reacquire its footing in the world of business. Ace also managed to set up a labour force consisting of numerous types of people. From jobless people who sought work, to criminals seeking refuge, and even kidnapped people, the labour force managed to grow efficiently to Azrael and the Light Ignis's demands.

All in all, everything was good for Azrael, and he intended for it to stay that way.

He walked over to the throne room, where he saw the Light Ignis on his throne. More specifically, Jin was on the throne, while the Light Ignis was on Jin's duel disk.

"Welcome back, Azrael," the Light Ignis greeted him. "I trust your endeavors went well?"

"Of course. Ace's labour force has begun creating the necessary data components needed for Mirror LINK VRAINS. He also managed to eliminate a good majority of opposition that tried to blow the whistle on his operations." Azrael answered.

"And what of the Water Ignis? Aqua, right?" the Light Ignis asked.

"Yes, that's her name. We're still searching for her, and are working with Earth to do so." Wraith replied, as he emerged from Azrael's duel disk.

"With that out of the way, I believe it's time I fulfilled Windy's request," the Light Ignis, as Jin stood up from the throne. Both he and the Light Ignis levitated down to the ground before walking towards Azrael.

"Windy's request?" Wraith repeated, pondering what the Light Ignis said before it hit him. Ah. That request. The one where Windy wanted the Light Ignis to convince the other Ignis into joining their side. "I see. Which Ignis will you go after first?"

"I was thinking of starting with the Dark Ignis. After all, he is the wisest among us," the Light Ignis decided, as he put a hand on his chin.

"Wisest, eh?" In Wraith's mind, what the Light Ignis said about Ai was a stretch. From what Wraith recalled, Ai was an Ignis who practically fooled around instead of getting his work done, and spent time doing other things. For instance, looking through a forum board to find comments about himself, or watch soap operas.

"Then you better make your move soon, Light Ignis." Azrael warned him, as he began to head to the throne room's exit. "If I recall, your algorithm has been stolen, and it's only a matter of time until Raguel and his allies pinpoint your location. What's more, if you don't act now, Miyu Sugisaki will be cured by our enemies."

The Light Ignis narrowed his eyes in frustration as Wraith snickered. Of course the Light Ignis knew about this, for he had an alarm set up in case this happened. To think that someone was able to eliminate his numerous Bitboots that were put in charge of protecting his algorithm. While the Light Ignis didn't know who was responsible, he'd make sure to put an end to that person for good if he ever met them in the network.

"I almost forgot." Azrael turned his head to look at the Light Ignis. "Where's Bohman and Haru?"

"The both of them are training for the battle to come," the Light Ignis simply answered.

"If you're worried we'll interrupt your meeting with Ai, don't worry about it. While Azrael disguises himself with that program you used for your shadowy human disguise, I'll be at the meeting to support your best points." Wraith assured the Light Ignis, as he and Azrael left the throne room, leaving the Light Ignis and Jin alone. As Azrael walked down the hallway, Wraith turned to look at him. "Would it be a problem if Raguel and the others cured Miyu?"

"It'd be the Light Ignis's problem, not ours." Azrael clarified in response. "Besides. If Raguel saw that Miyu was cured, it will motivate him further into trying to get revenge for what I did to the both of them."

"But you didn't make the virus. The Light Ignis did." Wraith pointed out.

"True, but as I attacked Miyu in the real world, Raguel will certainly go after me to get his revenge, not the Light Ignis or Bohman." Azrael countered. "Though I do wonder what our next encounter will be like, now that he's found the truth about himself, as well as our connection to one another." With the conversation having been concluded, Azrael thought back to when he and Wraith met up with Earth in another area of the network. It was an interesting and beneficial meeting, that's for sure, for they managed to secure Earth's trust.

Flashback: A few days earlier, in the network...

Earth was with his support avatar, which was on his duel board that tried to speed away from a squad of Bitboots. He was looking for Aqua in an area he believed she was in, and lo and behold, a group of AIs that called themselves Bitboots attacked him, intent on capturing him for their master. And to make things worse, they locked Earth in a battle royale duel, where they can overwhelm him through sheer numbers. Earth narrowed his eyes as G Golem Invalid Dolmen sent another Bitboot flying, their life points having reached zero.

"You dimwit! I told you to double check its effects!" Bit exclaimed.

"It's a pile of rocks, what was it supposed to do?!" Boot questioned back, as the both of them turned into particles.

This is... getting ridiculous, Earth thought to himself. That was the tenth Bitboot he defeated, having lasted this long thanks to the card formation on his field. During the duel, Earth was surprised upon seeing that the Bitboots had a Link Spell called Judgment Arrows, a card that allowed them to Link Summon their monsters to Main Monster Zones the Link Spell pointed to. Whoever was in charge of these AIs must be powerful enough to create such a card.

The sky then darkened as lightning began circulating in the clouds, which made Earth and the AIs nervous.

"What's with the storm cloud?" one Bit asked Boot.

"How the Hell do I know?! Maybe it's just the weather." another Boot replied back.

"End this debacle, Teravolt Dragon! Devastation Bolt!" a voice cried out of nowhere, as Teravolt Dragon swooped down from above, having surrounded himself in blue electricity that formed a sphere. He slammed into the Bitboots, short circuiting each one before all of them turned into particles, allowing Earth to successfully escape in the process.

Jumping onto a nearby island with the support avatar, Earth looked around the area, trying to determine where that dragon came from, as well as who commanded it to attack the Bitboots. He wanted to meet the person who came to his aid so that he can thank them. But whether that person was a human or an Ignis, Earth would find the answer for himself.

"Ah, glad to see you're alive, Earth." Wraith stated, as Azrael jumped off his duel board and landed on the same island Earth was on. Azrael then walked over to Earth, wanting to see him in person for himself.

"Wraith. You're here." Earth replied. "And who is this... human? Is he... your Origin perhaps?"

"That's right. Azrael, this is Earth. Earth, this is Azrael." Wraith introduced the both of them to one another.

"Greetings, Earth. I am glad you're well." Azrael said. "Although I do wonder what you're doing in an area such as this, as from Wraith told me, the network's become a dangerous place since the attack on the Cyberse World."

"I am... looking for Aqua. The Water Ignis." Earth answered, before narrowing his eyes. "And before you ask Wraith, no. I have... not made my decision on which side to join yet. Until I get Aqua's opinion, I won't... answer your question."

"Your question?" Azrael repeated, before turning to Wraith.

"When I met up with Earth, I asked him whether he'd be willing to join us, but he told me that he wanted to find Aqua first." Wraith explained, before turning to Earth. "What if we were to help you find her?"

Earth, in hearing this, narrowed his eyes. As grateful as he was for them saving his life, he was still suspicious about their intentions. "Why would... you want to... help me?"

"Simple. The last thing we need is for a species to go extinct, especially the Ignis." Azrael responded, as he crossed his arms. "In addition, Wraith and I are after the ones responsible for destroying the Cyberse World in the first place."

"It's only logical for us to work together, Earth. For if we find the other Ignis, we'll have a greater chance in eliminating the culprit in the Cyberse World's destruction." Wraith added in support to Azrael's answer.

Upon hearing Azrael and Wraith's responses, Earth thought this over. Just like Playmaker, they didn't look threatening, and were on good terms with one another. Perhaps these two individuals were after Bohman as well. Regardless, while Azrael and Wraith made good points, Earth still knew one thing that was true to him.

That he wanted to find Aqua and get her advice from her.

And if it meant acquiring Azrael and Wraith's assistance, he'd give them the chance to prove their worth.

"I do... agree with what you're saying, Wraith. However, like I told you before: I want to find Aqua and get... her opinion on the matter first. I would therefore appreciate... any assistance in completing this task, first." Earth finally said back.

"Then allow me to give you this." Wraith replied, a sphere of data now forming into his hand as he gave it to Earth, who held it in his hands.

"What... is this?"

"A scan program with numerous modes. Infrared, X-Ray, CT, all of them should help you out." Wraith then floated over to Earth, who tensed up, unsure of what the former will do next. "Hold out your right palm." Earth followed Wraith's instructions, allowing the latter to touch the middle of it with his right index finger, causing it to glow a black and blue color before dimming. "Now we'll also be able to stay in touch, should something happen."

"Thank you. Both... of you." Earth stated, as his duel board appeared beside his support avatar, who jumped onto it. "I wish you the best of luck." He then sped away with his support avatar to a different part of the network, intent on continuing his search for Aqua.

Flashback End: Present day...

Azrael spent so much time dwelling on his meeting with Earth that he found the area where Bohman and Haru were training in. Taking a quick peek, he saw the both of them dueling against one another, just like the Light Ignis told him. From what Azrael saw, Haru has grown greatly as a duelist, as evident on how he was able to keep up with Bohman during the match. He even saw Bohman use a new Link monster, which was called Cubic Hydradrive Lord.

Satisfied with their growth as AIs, Azrael continued walking down the hallway in silence. Right now, there was nothing to do but wait for the Light Ignis to get Ai's attention. He'd camouflage himself with the program the Light Ignis gave him, and allow the Ignis to have their discussion in peace. If all went well, then Ai may likely join their side.

"We can kill them right now."

Azrael stopped walking upon seeing that Malf was up ahead. When Azrael told the Light Ignis that Malf evolved, he was greatly pleased to hear this, as he was now stronger for the battles to come. The Light Ignis was even more pleased when Azrael added that Malf ripped out the heart of one of the Hanoi in order to do this. To put it simply, the Light Ignis was happy that the Hanoi were no longer a threat to their goal.

Or so he thought.

"No, that is too wasteful. We let them live until now, so it's only logical for them to stay alive a little longer, as they still have a use for us." Azrael decided, now walking forward to Malf and passing by him before stopping.

"I see. So everything is still going according to plan, then." Malf said.

"It is, and rest assured. I don't doubt your strength." Azrael assured his servant.

"Azrael and I are just looking at the long term, Malf. That's all. Once you reach your full power, we'll be able to eliminate the Light Ignis and the others who stand in the way of our goal." Wraith promised Malf.

"The Dark Ignis will be here soon, so I will have to use the program the Light Ignis used to hide you for now and let Wraith do the talking." Azrael told Malf.

"If you say so, my lord. But are you concerned that Raguel will inform his allies on the truth not just about himself, but of his connection to you?" Malf questioned back, which made Azrael narrow his eyes behind his mask.

"No, I'm not. It's only a matter of time that our enemies learn the truth about me, as nothing stays hidden forever. A truth that is obscured will eventually be brought to light. That is how the world works." Azrael responded, as he turned around to look at Malf, who nodded back in response to his comment. Azrael then pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which released a scanning wave that obscured Malf completely to everyone but Azrael and Wraith themselves. With that done, the obscured Malf walked away from Azrael and blended in the shadows.

In Azrael's mind, the stage was about to be set for the coming encounter. Once Ai was brought in by the Light Ignis, it will only be a matter of time for Raguel and his allies to follow after him.

The players will be revealed.

Truths will be unveiled.

And sides will be chosen.

For a war between two different species was about to start. One that Azrael will survive by gaining more power from defeating his enemies. He will live on and avoid death, no matter how many people needed to die for that goal to be achieved.

Meanwhile, at Café Matsuo...

Yuhiro narrowed his eyes as he looked at the screen on his tablet. He had to come up with a total of eight words with the letters B, R, I, T, and E. That was the challenge that came from the game called Word Maker, a simple, yet complex game where the user had to make words with the letters provided. In addition, he was in a competition with Roxy, Arashi, and Herald on who can make the words the fastest from that game.

"Okay, how about this?" Yuhiro said, as he used his finger to create some words. "Bit, Tire, Tie, Rib, Bite, Bet, Tribe, and Ire!"

"Level 62 is done!" Arashi announced, as he pressed the 'Pause' button on the timer nearby. "Yuhiro Furutani. It took you four minutes and twenty one seconds to finish the level!"

"Seriously?" Yuhiro groaned, as Herald laughed out of triumph.

"Ha! It took me way less time to beat a level on the Word Maker app!" Herald boasted.

"How you do it while you play Fate/Grand Order and Pokemon: Legends Arceus is a mystery to me." Roxy commented with a sigh, as she looked at Herald, who was playing the former game on the tablet. It had been a few days since Yuhiro obtained Excalibur, and had been training to wield it. While Yuhiro mostly got training from Takeru, he wanted to spar with Gekiryushi, and perhaps arrange some time for Yeshurun to teach him some moves. Roxy agreed with both suggestions, for getting training from a variety of people will help him improve his swordsmanship skills, as well as his fighting skills.

"It's called multitasking, Roxy. Something an AI can do that a human cannot." Herald said.

"Oh, really?" Roxy inquired, having raised an eyebrow at Herald's comment.

"Well, I mean, it may be possible for humans to one day do it to." Herald sweat-dropped, now afraid that he'd experience Roxy's infamous wrath again. Trying to change the subject, Herald turned to Arashi. "Can I borrow your Gilgamesh as a Support Servant, Arashi? I need to destroy Ivan the Terrible so I can free Russia from an eternal winter."

"Which Gilgamesh, Herald? The Archer version, or the Caster Version?" Arashi cheekily asked, which made Yuhiro and Roxy laugh, much to Herald's embarrassment. As a result of Herald being grounded from using the internet by Roxy, he couldn't participate in the banner that contained the Archer version of Gilgamesh. And when Arashi told Herald that he got him from the summon, the latter cried tears of sadness, having realized that he wasn't able to get him.

"The Archer Version..." Herald seethed back, still embarrassed by Arashi's question. Grabbing his tablet, Arashi pressed a few buttons on his Fate/Grand Order game and changed his Support Servant, which made Herald smile upon seeing that he was available to be used.

"At least he's bringing Hercules to deal with that giant mammoth." Yuhiro said.

"Oh yeah. As long as he brings an Assassin class Servant and a damage support Servant, he'll be good." Roxy agreed with Yuhiro's statement.

"Booyah! Take that, you stupid mammoth! Taste the power of the First Hassan, Atalanta, Hercules, and an army of snow golems!" Herald exclaimed.

"Snow golems...?" Yuhiro asked, before scratching his head out of confusion.

"Avicebron made them for the protagonist character in Fate/Grand Order." Arashi explained. "Though compared to Anastasia and Ivan the Terrible, they're nothing more than cannon fodder."

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me!" Herald saved his progress before clicking on the 'Google' app and doing a web search. After typing in 'Anastasia Fate/Grand Order' in the search tab, he clicked on the link, which caused a webpage to show up. Once that was done, he handed the tablet to Yuhiro. "What do you think of this being Miyu's avatar in the network, Yuhiro?"

Looking at the webpage on the tablet, Yuhiro saw a beautiful, teenage girl that had long white hair. A portion of the hair consisted of a fringe that covered her icy blue eyes. She also wore an ornate white gown and a white fur cape with gold designs and blue lining. Upon picturing Miyu in that getup for her avatar, he ended up massively blushing. "Come on, Herald! Why must you torment me so?!" Herald, Arashi, and Roxy ended up laughing upon seeing Yuhiro's embarrassment.

"Like I said before, Herald. Whatever Miyu decides on her avatar, it has to be her choice." Roxy reminded Herald, before trying to suppress a chuckle. Yuhiro certainly got embarrassed, that's for sure.

Before Arashi can weigh in on the conversation, Yuhiro's duel disk beeped, which caused Herald to pull up a message.

"Hey, it's from Flame." Herald read over the message before widening his eyes. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong, Herald?" Yuhiro asked.

"Ai's gone from Yusaku's duel disk. Something's happened to him." Herald simply responded, worry evident in his voice. "We need to get to the backroom."

The three humans nodded and got up from their seats before heading to the backroom, with Yuhiro picking up his duel disk in the process. Once they reached the backroom, Roxy connected the monitors to Café Nagi, where they were greeted by Kusanagi, Yusaku, Takeru, and Roboppy on the other end.

"We got your message." Yuhiro said. "What exactly happened to Ai, Yusaku?"

"When I came home, Roboppy told me that Ai went missing." Yusaku began explaining, gesturing to Roboppy, who was beside him on a stool. "Apparently, the both of them were looking at a website when it happened."

"My name is Roboppy. A pleasure to meet you." Roboppy introduced himself to Yuhiro, Arashi, and Roxy.

"Nice to meet you, Roboppy. I'm Roxanne Matsuo, but everyone calls me Roxy." Roxy said back.

"I'm Arashi Hada." Arashi added.

"I'm Yuhiro Furutani." Yuhiro stated as well. "What website did Ai access?"

"We're about to find out right now." Kusanagi replied, as he put a cord in Roboppy's USB port on the back of his body before connecting it to the monitors. Within moments, a browser popped up, which showed... a crossword puzzle. "Well, Yusaku. I can confirm that there's nothing wrong with your duel disk."

"I thought that Ai was locked in your duel disk and couldn't leave, Yusaku." Takeru said.

"He was. But perhaps he may have found a way out." Yusaku theorized.

"Come on, Yusaku. Ai may be an idiot at times, but he certainly isn't dumb." Yuhiro pointed out.

"I concur." Flame agreed. "Ai spent a very long time running from the Hanoi, so he would have stayed away from anything that looked suspicious."

"If that's the case, then why was Ai doing a crossword in the first place?" Takeru inquired.

"If you solve the puzzle, you win a prize." Roboppy explained. "A one of a kind ultra rare pin."

"Ultra rare pin?" Arashi repeated. "What kind of pin would Ai-?"

"Don't. I got a bad feeling on what this pin is." Herald interrupted. As if on cue, a pin showing Ai winking and doing a peace sign popped up, which made everyone sweatdrop.

"I can definitely see why that'd get his attention." Takeru deadpanned.

"And he would be the only one." Kusanagi commented.

"I take it back. Ai is dumb." Yuhiro added.

"My scans say that webpage was created using an Ignis Algorithm." Flame observed, as he emerged from Takeru's duel disk.

"Master?" Roboppy asked upon looking at Flame.

"No, I'm not your master. I'm Flame."

"Hello. Wave Emoji."

"Well, let's get cracking and solve this thing." Kusanagi stated.

"I already did that, and this part of the screen doesn't belong." Yusaku explained, as he touched part of the screen, which showed a blue wave.

"Okay, but now what?"

"Do you have any ideas, Flame?" Takeru asked.

"That blue strip has hidden text written in the language of the Ignis." Flame observed.

"Yeah, I can see it too." Herald added, both Ignis's now reading it over.

"Care to share what the message says?" Takeru requested.

"It's the address to another site. Here, Herald and I will translate for all of you." Flame responded, both Ignis's getting to work and translating the address in the process. A moment later, Takeru's and Yuhiro's duel disks displayed a chain of letters and numbers, which looked like this:

rsi8athvn6entoi

After Roxy and Kusanagi inputted the code on their respective monitors, another screen popped up.

"It looks like a doorway. Maybe Ai went through it." Takeru figured out.

"The only issue is where did he go from there." Arashi said.

"Hey, Kusanagi. Do you think you'll be able to connect the LINK VRAINS system so we can access it?" Yusaku asked.

"Of course. That won't be a problem. But as Arashi said, we don't know where Ai went upon entering the gate, and it could be a trap." Kusanagi pointed out.

Flame narrowed his eyes and scratched his chin. "I doubt it. This Ignis Algorithm is real, so only an Ignis could have created it."

"So then Windy might have built it? Or maybe Earth? Or perhaps another Ignis?" Kusanagi wondered.

"Aside from myself, Ai, Flame, Earth, and Windy, the only Ignis's we haven't accounted for are the Light Ignis, Aqua, and Wraith. You think one of them could have created the algorithm?" Herald asked the others.

"Whoever it is, we have to check it out to see if the Ignis are contacting us." Takeru told everyone present.

"But they weren't trying to contact us. They were trying to contact Ai." Flame countered.

"It's odd. Something we need to investigate, as I have a bad feeling about this." Roxy said.

"In that case, I will be going alone." Yusaku decided.

Takeru blinked. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Ai is my responsibility and not yours, guys. We also haven't completely ruled out that this isn't another trap." Yusaku explained.

"Yusaku makes a good point." Yuhiro admitted with a frown. "If all of us are caught in the trap, it's game over."

"Nonsense! Why would an Ignis set a trap for another Ignis?" Flame questioned.

"It may not harm Ai, but it may harm a human." Yusaku countered back. "Earth told us that some Ignis still think humanity is the enemy, and that Ignis could have created the doorway."

"I hate to say it, Flame, but something's off about Windy. He did nothing when he sensed Bohman, yet unleashed a wind storm at us when we arrived at his world." Herald stated.

"But if it'll ease your mind, I'll log out if I run into any trouble." Yusaku assured Flame.

"I'll go with you to scout things out, Yusaku." Yuhiro said. "Takeru and Arashi. The both of you should stay back, and if it's a trap, the both of you will come in last to assist us."

Takeru frowned but nodded in agreement, along with Arashi.

"Good luck, buddy. And don't do anything reckless." Roxy told Yuhiro.

"I'll be okay, Roxy. You don't have to worry about me." Yuhiro assured her, before picking up his duel disk and running to the closed-off space, where the door closed behind him. He then took out his deck and inserted it into his duel disk.

"Deck Set! Into The VRAINS!"

Elsewhere...

Ai ran across the hill, relieved to be in the Cyberse World again. He didn't expect that the crossword puzzle he was doing for a pin would lead him back to his home. Now that Ai thought about it, going back home was a far better prize than a pin about himself.

"Linky!" Ai gasped, as he was stopped by his favourite duel monster.

"Kuri Kuri Ku." Linkuriboh responded.

"Uh, you okay? You sound like you caught a cold." Ai scratched the back of his head, having noticed that Linkuriboh was speaking in a flatter tone than usual. What's more, his eyes were slanted, which was rather odd. "Didn't I tell you to update your antivirus?"

"Kuri Kuri Ku." Linkuriboh said once again.

"Take me where?" Ai asked, having understood what Linkuriboh said just now. A few moments later, Ai was riding on Linkuriboh's back. "It's good to be back home. It's like a dream, except better. Whoever said you can't go home again was just bad with directions, don't you agree, Linky?"

"Kuri Kuri Ku." Linkuriboh replied back.

"Speaking of directions, where are you taking me?"

"Kuri Kuri Ku."

"Beyond the set?" Ai raised an eyebrow in confusion. What in the world was Linkuriboh talking about? "What do you mean? What set?" He looked around, trying to figure out what Linkuriboh meant by 'the set'. When he looked at the tower, he narrowed his eyes out of annoyance. "Why's the tower missing a backside?" Okay, it was official. Something was way off with the Cyberse World. "And the sky's got a hole in it!" Hopping onto the crack, Ai touched the wall for a moment before hitting it a few times. "Everything here is faker than fake!"

He then turned ahead, where he saw a large staircase that led to a floating island with a palace and forest atop of it.

"That's Windy's castle!" Ai realized. "I know he was said he was rebuilding the Cyberse, but I didn't know it would be out of papier-mâché. Aw, geez. You bamboozled me." He turned around, annoyed with the fact that he got pranked. "Come on, Linky. Let's go home."

But to his surprise, Linkuriboh ended up flying away.

"Huh? I meant with me! Maybe Windy can get me a ride home." Sighing to himself, Ai jumped onto the bottom of the staircase before walking upwards. "Eh, I guess it can't hurt to see what he's up to. There sure are a lot of stairs here."

Five minutes later...

Ai panted as he climbed the last step, having reached Windy's castle at last. He counted at least five hundred steps to reach the castle, which took five minutes for him to reach. This is why Ai preferred Playmaker or the others to walk upwards, as Ai didn't have to do the walking.

Entering inside the castle, Ai walked inside and peeked around the corner. "Hello!" Ai entered the central room and looked around, hoping Windy was somewhere in the castle. "Is anybody home? Windy?"

Luckily for Ai, he noticed a familiar humanoid enter the room. One that he had seen before at Windy's world.

"Hey, I remember you. You're Echo."

"I am who you remember as Echo." Echo said.

Ai, in hearing this, put his hands on his hips. "Uh, yeah. That's what I said."

"That is what you said. That you do remember that my name is Echo." Echo repeated back. Within a few moments, a ball of wind appeared on Echo's left shoulder before solidifying into Windy.

"Sorry to barge in on this sentimental convo, but hey there, Ai." Windy stated.

"Windy, there you are!" Ai replied, glad to see Windy again.

"Glad to see you got my message. I was unsure if you could solve my crossword, but you must have, or you wouldn't be standing here on your two feet."

"Yup! Peace of cake, for a brain of mine!" Ai boasted. "So, where's my prize? My ultra-rare pin?"

"A pin? What pin? Oh, that pin. There's no pin. But I have something better. Look to your left." Windy told Ai, the former doing so. "After my previous prototype was destroyed, I got right back to rebuilding the Cyberse World, and I'm doing it, I am. But maybe I was kind of rushing it, so I took a few liberties, cut some corners, a few shortcuts."

"Uh, more than a few." Ai commented.

"Yeah, but I wanted you to feel comfy, and at home for your meeting."

"Meeting? What meeting?" Ai inquired, now confused by Windy's comment. "Oh, you know I hate meetings."

"Well, you gotta deal with this deal because someone really, really, really, really wants to see you." Windy responded, his tone having gotten deep at the last 'really'.

Ai ended up feeling chills all over his body as a result. "Why did you have to say it all creepy like that?"

"I didn't."

"You did it again!" Ai accused Windy.

"Calm down, calm down, Ai. No need to be on pins and needles. It's someone you already know." Windy assured Ai.

"I do? Who?"

"Me," a voice answered, as a pillar of light appeared behind Ai. When he turned around, he saw a humanoid shrouded in darkness, the Light Ignis standing on its wrist.

"Didn't you learn it's rude to sneak up on folks?" Ai accused the Light Ignis.

"My apologies, but it is good to see you again, my friend," the Light Ignis said.

"Yeah, same here." In Ai's mind, he was relieved to see that another Ignis was okay.

"Come on, hug it out." Windy suggested.

"You hug it out, Windy!" Ai exclaimed.

"Windy?" the Light Ignis repeated out of confusion. "Why did you call him Windy?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Ai jumped up and floated in front of the Light Ignis. "Humans can't speak our language, so we have easier names for them to use. So if you want to hang with them, Lightning, you need one too."

"Lightning? Did you just try to slip a name past me?"

"It's nicer than anything he's ever said. I'd take it and run, Lightning," a voice pointed out, as a second pillar of light appeared on Ai's right side. When he turned to his left, he saw a humanoid shrouded in darkness, with Wraith standing on its left wrist.

"Wraith! You're alive!" Ai cheered out of pure joy, before going over and hugging Wraith, who awkwardly patted him back before Ai released him.

"Alive? What are you talking about, Ai?" Wraith inquired.

"Yeah, what are you talking about, Ai?" Windy added.

"I was informed that Wraith was killed by some guy named Azrael, as well as the eighth Lost Incident child!" Ai quickly explained. "But the fact that you're here means his statement is false."

"Of course it is, Ai. Do you really think I would die?" Wraith questioned back, an eyebrow raised at Ai.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I knew you'd get out of the situation alive." Ai responded, before something popped up on his mind. "And hang on a minute! What did you mean by your other comment?"

"Oh, the fact that you giving the Light Ignis a name is nicer than anything you've ever said to someone before?"

"YES!" Ai confirmed with a furious expression on his face, which made Wraith snicker in response. Windy also chuckled upon hearing that comment. "Hey! It's not funny!"

"Really?" Windy placed his chin on his right fist. "Then name one time you've actually said something nice to someone before. Humans don't count."

"Uh... Uh..."

"This is getting us nowhere." Lightning stated. "It's best to bring the conversation to the matter at hand."

Ai wiped his forehead out of relief, glad that Lightning was able to shut the teasing down. "Whew. Thanks a lot, Lightning. By the way, where have you been? You couldn't hit me up to tell me you're alive?"

Lightning thought about his answer for a few seconds before responding. "No, I couldn't risk it. You see, after the Hanoi attacked the Cyberse World, I was... disturbed because they shouldn't have been able to get past the Cyberse World's security systems in the first place."

"Then how did they?"

"Because unbeknownst to any of us, someone shut down the security system when it was in scan mode." Lightning continued.

"Whichever Ignis made that mistake is gonna get fired." Ai declared.

"Unless it wasn't a mistake, and it was intentional." Windy hypothesized.

"You're saying one of us is a traitor?"

"It's a possibility." Lightning told Ai.

"Well, it wasn't me, and to tell you the truth, I don't think any of us would do that." Ai said.

"I know for a fact Ai isn't a traitor, as he isn't the type of guy who betrays others." Wraith vouched for Ai. "So that leaves him out of possible traitor options."

"But what about the Water Ignis?" Windy asked.

"She did mysteriously vanish from the Cyberse World moments before it was destroyed, and despite our repeated attempts to contact her, she hasn't responded." Lightning explained.

"You're saying Aqua's the traitor?!" Ai panickily exclaimed.

"I didn't say it. You said it. Not me. You, you, you." Windy pointed out.

Ai turned to look at Windy in response. "Come on, we're talking about Aqua here. She's the nicest, second only to me. You see, I was talking to Earth the other day, and-."

"Earth? Oh, you mean the Earth Ignis." Lightning correctly deduced.

"Little on the nose, don't you think?" Windy questioned.

"That's what I told him too!" Ai complained.

"But getting back on topic." Lightning reminded the others, which ended the petty argument.

"Oh yeah." Ai turned back to Lightning. "According to Earth, Aqua predicted that the Cyberse World would split in two."

"So she knew the Cyberse World would be destroyed. She admitted it." Windy replied.

"No! She meant it as in we'd start fighting amongst ourselves, and it looks like she was right." Ai lamented.

"Now, now, now. It was not my intention to cause disharmony. It's not a particular dark spiral I want to dive into. You or me or we or she." Windy tried to placate Ai, which partially worked.

"Okay, Ignis, settle down." Wraith stated. "We don't know who the traitor is, but I'm sure they'll reveal their ugly face in due time. What we do know is that Ai's obviously not responsible here, as he isn't that idiotic to mess with the Cyberse World's security systems."

"Idiotic?! Did you just call me an idiot?!" Ai exclaimed, angry that Wraith would say such a thing.

"Well, you do goof off rather than work, Ai." Windy pointed out amusedly.

"Oh, yes. He certainly does, even though he's the wisest of us all." Lightning agreed, much to Ai's chagrin.

"Moving along, we didn't actually call you here to squabble about the past. We called you to talk about the future. A future that's bright like a flashlight at midnight." Windy explained. "Right?"

"That's right." Lightning confirmed, as Echo, Lightning's avatar, and Wraith's avatar walked towards the far end of the room.

"Uh, okay? So, what's up?" Ai asked.

"Windy, Wraith, and I intend to rebuild the Cyberse World. And not the makeshift you traveled through." Lightning began speaking, as he turned his head to look at Ai. "But for real, exactly how it used to be, and we want you to help us."

Meanwhile, in the fake Cyberse World...

Raguel and Playmaker walked across the terrain of the fake Cyberse World, their mission of finding Ai having begun, and rescuing him if needed. After having entered inside, the duo found it surprising that the entrance led them to the Cyberse World of all places. Still, Raguel and Playmaker knew that it was a trick, as the current Cyberse World was torn to bits. Herald also knew better than to falsely believe in such hope as well, for Ai sent him pictures of the desolated landscape.

"I can't believe someone would create a fake replica of the Cyberse World." Herald commented. "I mean, look at those towers. They don't have backsides. And those lined edges around us? It's like we're inside a cardboard box! At least I put some effort in creating my server."

"We can't focus on that right now, Herald. Right now, we need to find out where Ai is in this weird and fake place." Raguel reminded Herald.

"If an Ignis did create this place, it's certainly a logical way of attracting any of their kind to this location." Playmaker mused over.

"But it'd be a slap in the face for the other Ignis, as they too lost a home along with the others." Herald pointed out.

Where are you, Ai, Playmaker thought in his mind, as he looked at the data storm.

"You found something, Playmaker?" Herald asked him.

"He's thinking, Herald. Give him a second." Raguel told him.

Playmaker closed his eyes, and visualized himself in a matrix-like network. Using his senses, he saw blue data orbiting around the central tower, with blue streams of data coming from the two conjoining towers. Narrowing his eyes, Playmaker 'zoomed' in past the tower and through the hole, where he saw Windy's castle.

"You found something, Playmaker?" Raguel asked, as Playmaker stepped forward and traced the 'wall' in front of him.

"Yes. Windy's castle is behind this cardboard box." Playmaker confirmed.

"How'd you find that out, Playmaker?" Herald curiously inquired.

"You used your Link Sense, right Playmaker?" Raguel figured out, who nodded back in response.

"There. That hole will take us to Windy's castle." Playmaker informed Raguel, the both of them now summoning their duel boards and speeding through it. Once that was done, they jumped down and landed on a piece of ground, where a staircase connected it to Windy's castle.

"Intruders!" an Echo announced, as several of them charged forward, intent on surrounding the duo and blocking the way.

"Well, now this is a welcoming party." Raguel commented with a smirk.

"It seems Windy was responsible after all." Playmaker added.

"Surrender and come quietly," one Echo said to the duo. "If you refuse, we'll-."

WHOOSH!

The next thing everyone knew, the Echo's head was blasted right off by a gust of wind, which came from Excalibur, the sword having been covered in a sheath of wind.

"Whoops. Sorry about that. My sword was just tired of hearing your boring words." Raguel taunted the numerous Echos present. "You know, we're on a clock here, so we'll just forgo the dueling and just tear you all apart so we can keep the story going."

"WHAT?!" all the Echos exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what they just heard.

Raguel turned to Playmaker. "You still have that Cracker gauntlet I gave you a while back?"

Playmaker pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused the Cracker gauntlet to appear before he grabbed it and equipped it onto his right arm, a smirk having appeared on his face. "Yes, I do."

"Great! Then let's go kick some asses!" Raguel and Playmaker then charged forward at the Echos, Excalibur and the Cracker gauntlet on hand. Considering what was going on, it was the only logical solution, as dueling each and every one of them with their cards would take a lot longer.

Elsewhere, at Windy's castle...

"You want me to help you rebuild the Cyberse World?" Ai asked.

"Yes. The same Cyberse World as before, only with one difference." Lightning answered. "We'll take precautions to make sure the humans can never destroy it again."

"How? With a big 'No Trespassing' sign?"

Wraith, upon hearing this, facepalmed himself. "No, Ai. We are not going to put a giant sign to prevent humans from attacking the Cyberse World again. That's just plain stupid and idiotic."

"Instead, we'll solve the core issue at hand." Lightning continued for Wraith. "You see, my friend, the Ignis are far superior to humans in every conceivable way. That is why they are afraid of us. They've been the most advanced species on this planet for so long that they can't comprehend how it feels to be in second place. In other words, they simply refuse to accept their new position."

"They do say second place is the first loser." Ai commented.

"But look at what their superiority has led to. They are consuming not just themselves, but their world with numerous problems. From wars to famine and segregation, Dr. Kogami created us to solve those problems." Lightning replied.

"But in the end, he thought we were the problem." Ai stated.

"Yes." Lightning agreed. "Sad, isn't it? Since he saw us as a threat, he decided to eliminate us."

"But it's time to flip the script on their playbook." Windy declared.

"And show them just how weak of a species humans really are." Wraith added.

"That's right. We have decided to eliminate the humans so that they cannot threaten us." Lightning said.

"When you say eliminate-." Ai began speaking.

"I mean eliminate them permanently." Lightning clarified.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Ai gasped out of shock. Why would Lightning think of doing such a thing? And Windy and Wraith are supporting his ideas too? Just what was going on with them?

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, it's a tad extreme!" Ai pointed out.

"I don't think so. If the humans no longer exist, they cannot attack the Cyberse World, and our safety will be one hundred percent guaranteed. It's simple logic." Lightning explained.

"While I agree with you in that it is extreme, Ai, you gotta do what you must to ensure your survival. It's just how the world works." Wraith stated.

"No more hiding from their seeking is what Lightning and Wraith are speaking, and I see no drawbacks to this plan. None, no downsides at all!" Windy added in support to Lightning and Wraith's points.

"Except for the extinction of all humanity." Ai reminded the other three Ignis.

"Like I said, no downsides."

"I cannot help but to sense your reluctance." Lightning observed.

"Uh, yeah. Because you made me think we were rebuilding the Cyberse World, but you were actually talking about the destruction of humans! Just like with the pin, you bait and switched me again, like buying a ninety-nine cent donut with eighty dollar shipping!" Ai exclaimed.

"Must be some donut..." Windy muttered.

"I'm sorry, how is the idea of donuts and pins helping with this current conversation here?" Wraith inquired. "Because it's not! You're just trying to deter us from the conversation, aren't you?"

"Of course not! I'm just trying to explain something here, Wraith!" Ai responded angrily.

"It's fine, Wraith. It's important for Ai to communicate to us so we can understand his point of view. Or at least try to." Lightning told Wraith.

"Yeah, but he's doing it in a very stupid and idiotic way."

Lightning sighed and gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking. "Ai, humans want to destroy us, so we want to destroy them first. It's nice and clean. What other possible solution is there?"

"How about not fighting each other at all? You know, try to live together in peace?" Ai suggested. "Like me and Playmaker. Sure, we have our ups and downs, but it's working out. Mostly."

"You mean coexistence? While that sounds plausible, it's impossible." Lightning pointed his right finger at Ai. "Even your coexistence with Playmaker will not last. You've spent too much time with the humans that it's clouded your mind. I've run simulations on you two, and every outcome ends in ruin. But how could it not? Let's look at the facts, shall we? When you two first met, didn't he imprison you? And when you saved his life, was there a simple thank you? Can you honestly say that you're happier with him than with us?"

"Why does he have to choose?" a voice cried out, which made all four Ignis turn upon hearing it.

"Playmaker! Raguel! And Herald!" Ai cried out of joy upon seeing them. "You guys are here!"

"Of course we came for you, Ai. All of us were concerned about you." Herald told him.

"Just for the record, Windy, your AIs suck, especially when it comes to guard duty." Raguel taunted Windy, who narrowed his eyes.

Playmaker turned to the others present. "We meet again, Windy."

"Hello, Playmaker. Allow me to introduce our leader Lightning, as well as Wraith, the Black Ignis." Windy introduced Raguel and Playmaker to the other two Ignis present.

"Wraith, it's so good to see you in person after all this time!" Herald cried out of relief.

"Good to see you as well, Herald." Wraith said back, before turning to Raguel. "Raguel, I'm grateful you were there for Herald when I wasn't. Thank you very much."

"Uh, thanks?" Raguel replied back. He didn't expect to hear that from an Ignis today, that's for sure.

"So you're the Light Ignis." Playmaker said, before looking at Wraith. "And you must be the Black Ignis."

"The Ignis of Space." Raguel added.

"Indeed, I am." Lightning said, before Wraith can say a word.

"Playmaker, Raguel, Herald, one question. One comment and a question. It's not polite to eavesdrop, but how much did you overhear?" Windy asked out of curiosity. If Raguel and Playmaker didn't hear much, perhaps they can salvage the situation and try to get on their good side. And maybe even control them in the process.

"Not all, but I've heard enough." Playmaker answered. "Especially the part about how you intend to eradicate mankind."

"Now, now, now, now, to be fair, you did omit some crucial details in our conversation."

"But in general, Playmaker is correct." Lightning acknowledged to the others present. "Our existence depends on your non-existence."

"You know I cannot allow that to happen." Playmaker told Lightning and Windy.

"We won't let you eradicate mankind, Lightning. Not when there's still good humans on this planet!" Raguel said.

"That's right! After all, there's over a billion people on the planet, and you cannot judge mankind for the sins of a few!" Herald added.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, we know, but let me ask the three of you another question. What do you think you can actually do to stop us?" Windy curiously questioned.

"Is that because you think the Ignis are superior to us humans?" Playmaker countered.

"No, because we know we're superior to you humans. Our takeover is simply inevitable." Lightning answered.

"You may be right, Lightning." Playmaker began acknowledging.

"Playmaker..." Raguel muttered.

"Ah, so you do understand. I always knew I liked you Playmaker, I always did." Windy commented, glad that a human acknowledged their facts.

"But you didn't let me finish. You also may be wrong, and you'll be starting a war for no special reason. Not only putting every human's life at risk, but your lives as well." Playmaker warned Lightning, Windy, and Wraith. "And I cannot allow that to happen for both of our sakes because I believe that this world is big enough for all of us. Both humans and Ignis to live together in harmony."

"Listen, Lightning. Windy. Wraith. We are not gods. We're born, we live, we die. Just as humans do." Herald said. "Don't throw your lives away for a war that may take yours."

"Oh, really? Tell that to SOL Technologies' bounty hunters who are trying to delete us! Tell that to the Knights of Hanoi who are trying to frag us! Just tell, tell, tell, tell, tell, but it will fall on deaf, deaf, deaf, deaf, ears. I always knew I didn't like you, Playmaker. Nor did I like you as well, Herald. And Raguel as well. To put it simply, I never did like either of you." Windy responded.

"It's never too late to change your mind." Playmaker commented.

"So please. Make the right choice. Before it's too late." Raguel added in support to Playmaker's comment.

"I agree, but my mind doesn't need changing." Windy decided.

"Because while you live in an idealistic dream, we live in reality." Lightning stated.

"A reality where life isn't fair. Where when something's done, there's always a cost to pay for it, a bill that comes due. Where inequality exists, and others are superior to those who are inferior." Wraith finished. "That's how both life and the world works, and the four of you would be wise to remember that."

Raguel narrowed his eyes. That was similar to what Yukage told him just before he met him in the network. "While what you say is true, we can make a better reality not just for ourselves, but for others as well."

"I concur with you on that, Raguel. However, in a world where survival of the fittest exists, only the strongest can change reality into what they desire. Whether it's selfish or not, it's just the ugly truth." Wraith replied.

"With that out of the way, it's time for you to make a decision, Ai." Lightning declared. "Which side will you join? Ours, or theirs?"

"Well... uh..." Ai scratched the back of his head. "It's gonna be weird to say this, but Playmaker Raguel, and Herald are right. There is no us against them, or them against us. It's like a rubber ball. There are no sides, and you can't force me to choose. So the only decision I'm making is getting out of here." He then floated over to Raguel and Playmaker. "Let's go, guys. I don't want to be here anymore than I already have."

"Well, well, well, he may say he chose no sides, but he did choose a side. He did, he did, he so did." Windy told Lightning and Wraith.

"Oh, yeah. He certainly did." Wraith agreed with a nod.

"Yes, and the one I expected." Lightning said.

"Later, agitators!" Ai told the Ignis behind him.

"So we're just going to let him leave with the other traitorous Ignis and the two humans?" Windy asked.

"Of course not." Lightning assured Windy.

"Then we might as well get started." Wraith added in support. Both Lightning and Windy leapt high into the air as yellow and green energy emerged from their fists. Streams of green and yellow energy emerged from the side entrances as Playmaker, Raguel, and the other two Ignis's gasped.

"Like Hell you'll trap us!" Raguel exclaimed, as a torrent of wind surrounded Excalibur, which he spun around before firing it right at the streams of energy, dissipating both of them in the process. As a result, it made both Lightning and Windy gasp out of surprise.

"Okay, I didn't expect this." Windy admitted.

"Neither did I." Lightning agreed, having narrowed his eyes upon seeing this development. "It must be a weapon the humans created to counter our abilities."

"Playmaker, Ai, stay back!" Raguel told the both of them, who did so as he pointed Excalibur towards Lightning, Windy, and Wraith. "O Wind! Enrage!" He fired a blast of wind from Excalibur, which headed towards Lightning, Windy, and Wraith...

...But before it can reach them, the humanoid Wraith was on pulled out the Muramasa, slid back, and quickly unsheathed and sheathed it multiple times. This caused a series of black and blue distortion ripples to surround the blast of wind before a series of slashes in different directions proceeded to cut it down.

The next thing Raguel and the others knew, blue-mirage blades rained down from above and trapped them in separate prisons. Lightning and Windy then raised their right hands as the leftover data glowed, which formed into a wave that threw Raguel, Playmaker, and Ai to the left side, the three of them still entrapped by the blue-mirage blades.

"Like moths to a flame, you are so predictable, Raguel," the humanoid spoke, as its shadow faded away, revealing Azrael himself. "Still, I commend you for being able to wield your inheritance like that."

"Azrael..." Raguel muttered as he narrowed his eyes at him.

"That's Azrael?!' Ai exclaimed, before turning to Playmaker, who gasped as well. "Playmaker, that's the guy we encountered months ago during the Tower of Hanoi events!"

"So you guys already know each other? Well, looks like introductions won't be necessary, then." Windy said.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Ai demanded, before proceeding to touch one of the blue-mirage blades, which gave him a small shock in response.

"For your own safety, I'd advise not touching the blades, Ignis." Azrael warningly suggested.

"You know we can't allow the four of you to leave after you've heard our master plan." Lightning pointed out to Ai.

"After all, you can't have leads. They say hindsight's twenty-twenty, but he's not wearing glasses, because he really should have joined our side, but no. He chose to join the humans, just like Herald over there." Windy commented.

"How unfortunate that one wrong choice will cost both Ai and Herald everything." Lightning said back.

"Let me out!" Ai demanded.

"Sure. After I do this, of course." Windy complied, as he raised his right arm and generated a tornado of Data Material that tore the roof.

"A data storm? Why'd you conjure that up?"

"Because he's going to use that for some nefarious plot, Ai. You of all people should know that." Herald answered.

"Correct! I'm going to destroy you both!" Windy happily declared.

"WHAT?!" Ai exclaimed.

"You're actually willing to destroy your own kind?!" Playmaker demanded, shocked that an Ignis would do such a thing.

"Yeah, it's not kind to destroy your own kind!" Ai placed his hands on his hips. "It's actually kind of rude!"

"Windy, I believe you remember our deal, correct?" Azrael inquired from Windy. "Or do I have to remind you of it, as well as the consequences of breaking it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I'm to spare Raguel and Herald so you and Wraith can deal with them personally." Windy recalled. To ensure he would keep his promise, he lowered the intensity of the data storm in his right hand.

"Don't worry, Ai. We'll make sure your sacrifice won't go to waste. We'll integrate our code into ourselves." Lightning explained.

"I like my code right where it is, thank you very much!" Ai responded. "You claim to think logically, right? At least hear me out before shredding me to bits!"

"Oh? Then please share, my friend. I am not above being convinced by a logical argument."

"It better be a good one, Ai. Because if it's not, I'll personally shred you myself." Wraith warned Ai.

"Okay, so hear me out. We're an endangered species. There's only eight of us Ignis, and if we lose one of us, it's a huge blow because it puts us a step closer to extinction!" Ai explained.

"I see. When you look at it that way, it's certainly tragic." Lightning agreed. "But when you look at it another way, as one in eight, you represent twelve and a half percent of our species. If your loss would guarantee the survivability of the other eighty seven and a half percent, it seems to be an acceptable loss for the greater good."

"You're lucky Azrael and I convinced Windy and Lightning to spare you and Raguel, Herald. If it wasn't for us, Windy would probably go trigger happy and shred all four of you." Wraith pointed out.

"Trigger happy? I'm not that violent!" Windy rebutted, which made Wraith roll his eyes.

"Says the guy who has the data storm at his command."

"Thanks. I appreciate that very much, Wraith..." Herald sarcastically commented back, having narrowed his eyes at Wraith.

"Well, I'm grateful you convinced Windy to spare us, Wraith. Because the moment Herald and I get out of this thing, you and Azrael are finished!" Raguel promised.

"We'll have our match in due time, Raguel. For now, Ai needs to die." Azrael proclaimed.

"OH, M.A.I GOD!" Ai shrieked.

"Though I don't believe in destiny, it's time you accepted your fate." Lightning said.

"Don't worry, Ai. This will be swift and painless. Or I think, as I don't know because I didn't do this slice and dice process before." Windy tried to assure Ai, which obviously didn't work.

"Well, I'll whip up a data storm to blow away yours!" Ai declared.

"You think you can out-storm me? I don't know if I should feel offended or offended, but sure! Feel free to try! Oh wait, you can't! Because you're trapped in cages of Azrael's blades!"

"And if you think your shields will help, Herald, they won't. Windy may have lowered the intensity of the data storm so you and Raguel will be spared, but it will be just strong enough to prevent either of you from saving him in time." Wraith pointed out.

As the two Ignis and humans waited for the data storm, a bolt of blue lightning suddenly came down and dispersed the storm. Ai, Herald, Playmaker, and Raguel covered their eyes from the light, but when it faded...

"Were you able to predict I'd show up?"

Both Playmaker and Raguel gasped as the smoke cleared, which revealed a kneeling young man in a white and green trench coat, whose red and gray hair was covered by a white, rhombus-like mask with a visor.

"You..." Lightning muttered in surprise. Azrael told him that he managed to wipe the Hanoi out. But for Revolver to be here in the first place meant one thing...

...Azrael either lied to him, or wasn't able to kill them all during the attack. Lightning made a mental note to get answers from him later.

"They said you were gone, but I knew you wouldn't. Because evil never dies." Windy stated.

"Revolver!" Playmaker said, as Revolver stood up, his grey and blue eyes glaring at the three Ignis in front of him.

"Oh, this is bad..." Herald muttered.

"And things just got a little more complicated..." Ai worriedly added.

"At last, I found you." Revolver said, a smirk appearing on his face.

"What's so funny?" Windy inquired.

"I was just thinking how you spent your whole lives trying to hide from me," Revolver began speaking, having pointed his right finger at the three Ignis in front of him, "but in the end, it was all for naught. And now at my hands, your very existence is coming to an end!"

"Revolver, Dr. Kogami's son. So you've arrived." Lightning said, as he raised his left arm. "Allow me to put you in your rightful place."

"Watch yourself, Revolver!" Playmaker warned Revolver, as Lightning fired a bolt of lightning from his hand, which went downwards towards Revolver... only for him to disperse of it with a wave of his arm.

"Come now, Playmaker. You of all people should know that he was prepared for something like this." Raguel pointed out.

"Unlike some other fools I know, I came here prepared, knowing you'd try something underhanded." Revolver told Lightning, Windy, and Wraith.

"Is he talking about me?" Ai inquired.

"Who else would it be?" Playmaker told Ai.

"You really should have been more smart, Ai. If you were, we wouldn't be in this mess right now." Herald added.

"Enough. Ai didn't know this would happen." Raguel informed Herald.

"Of course you would come prepared, Revolver. After all, it wouldn't be like you and the others to just barge in without a plan in the first place." Azrael commented. "Considering how you were able to recover after all of your setbacks, I couldn't be anymore impressed."

"Impressed, you say? You were the one who stole all our resources, delayed our operations by three months, and struck us a fatal blow in the process!" Revolver exclaimed angrily. "I'll deal with you and your Ignis later. For now, I have those two Ignis to take care of first."

After hearing this, Azrael smirked. "I look forward to it."

"Now, now, Azrael. Let's keep the fighting words at bay for a bit so I can speak to our new guest." Windy said, before turning back to Revolver. "I'm surprised you made it here."

"You shouldn't be. The Hanoi have eyes all over the network. You may be able to hide from us, but you can't do it forever." Revolver replied.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I meant that you made it here past security."

"Hey, Windy. You're forgetting that Playmaker and I trashed your little Echos, remember?" Raguel reminded Windy, which made him glare back in response.

Upon hearing this, Revolver turned to Raguel. "While you made our job easier, my crew is in the process of taking care of the leftovers. So for that, I want to thank you and Playmaker for taking care of the dirty work, Raguel."

"You mean Specter and the other Knights of Hanoi, don't you?" Playmaker figured out. Well, this was going to get even more complicated than any of them could expect.

"Yes, but only six." Revolver clarified. "Dancho has been incapacitated, thanks to that man in front of us, as well as his wretched AI, Malf!"

Raguel and Playmaker both gasped upon hearing this. Neither of them expected to hear that Dancho, one of the Hanoi, was wounded in combat. And for Azrael to do such a thing... when did it even happen?

"That was only a mission, Revolver. One I managed to complete to the letter," Malf said, as he emerged from the shadows. "Like I told you before, it serves you and the others right, as you're not saviours. You're nothing more than murderers."

"Oh, shit. Malf's evolved!" Herald exclaimed, which surprised the others present.

"It isn't just that! We looked into your little AIs, Lightning, and saw that they have the same signature as you have! Which only means one thing! You have been working together this entire time!" Revolver exclaimed. "I will carry out my father's wishes, and undo his greatest mistake by erasing the Ignis, as well as those you're affiliated with!"

This wasn't a surprise to Raguel, Playmaker, Herald, and Ai, as they all knew this information a long time ago thanks to Gil giving it to them in exchange for desserts.

"While I'm impressed you managed to figure all of this out, you have it backwards, my friend. If there is any mistake, it is you humans." Lightning countered.

"That's enough!" Revolver thrusted his right arm to the side. "I didn't come to have a philosophical debate with a computer program!"

"You were gifted a whole planet, and all you do is destroy everything you touch. You can say the only good thing you humans ever created was us Ignis."

"And he wants to destroy that too. Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame, shame." Windy shrugged.

"I mean, that's the best thing humans are capable of. Destruction." Wraith added, before turning to Azrael. "But there's an exception for some humans."

"But it needn't be! We don't need to fight! We can coexist in peace!" Playmaker pleaded.

Revolver closed his eyes. "I would find it more comforting to see them in pieces."

"Don't you realize that your actions are proving that the Ignis are correct?"

"Actions speak louder than words, Revolver, and the actions you're doing right now will only escalate things further." Raguel warned him.

"The Ignis want to eliminate us because they believe that we will do everything possible to eliminate them first. But if we choose not to fight, then all of this can come to an end." Playmaker explained.

"And what? Allow them to attack us when our guard is down? Don't be so naïve, Playmaker, as they may recruit allies in the network to slaughter us all." Revolver replied.

"Revolver, when it comes down finding solutions, trust is required. If both sides are wiling to work together instead of fighting against one-." Raguel began speaking.

"Silence! Are the both of you completely out of your minds, thinking that we can trust the Ignis? I'm so curious to discover what makes you think the Ignis can be trusted. Look at the positions the both of you are in right now. They trapped you, and if it weren't for me, you'd be minced like cows. And yet you trust them?" Revolver questioned.

"If it's any consolation, Revolver, I made Windy promise he wouldn't eradicate Raguel and Herald, as Azrael and I want to deal with them personally." Wraith spoke up.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better, Ignis?" Revolver turned to look at Wraith. "Know that the only thing I trust about the Ignis is that they'll do everything they can to destroy us, and they can trust me to do the same." He turned back to Raguel and Playmaker. "No one believes in coexistence except the both of you, and the traitorous Watchman. So for both of your sakes, stay out of this."

"My lord, allow me to deal with this Hanoi scum. His heart will greatly enhance my abilities more than they already have now." Malf requested, as he approached to face Revolver in a duel.

"No, no, no, no, no. If you guys don't mind, I want to be the one who will duel Revolver, if that's okay with you, Lightning." Windy said.

Lightning thought over these two requests in his mind. While he wanted to see Malf rip out Revolver's heart and severely injure him, he did want to see how Windy would fare in a duel. Regardless of whoever dueled Revolver, a prominent problem would be dealt with for good.

"Let Windy duel, Lightning. If he wants to duel so bad, we should comply with his request. It will serve as an example to those who would become a potential threat in the future." Azrael said, which got Lightning's attention. That actually made sense, as Lightning, Windy, and Wraith were talking about how the Ignis were superior to humans. If an Ignis were to defeat a strong human like Revolver, it would send out a warning to anyone who would dare try to fight back against them.

"Fine. You can duel, Windy." Lightning decided.

"HOORAY! Just don't be upset that you will never get a chance to duel our biggest antagonist, because when I'm finished with him, he's toast! Poof! Gone!" Windy responded, happy to hear Lightning's decision.

Revolver, having heard who will be dueling him, narrowed his eyes. "Whatever. It doesn't matter who I beat first. Now, let's get this duel started!"

"Real quick, though. Before you get to thrashing and bashing, any chance you'd free us?" Ai pleaded to Revolver.

"You know that he won't do that for us, Ai. There's no point in asking." Herald told Ai, who sulked in response.

"The White Ignis is correct. I'm not here to free you. I'm here to destroy all the Ignis, and last time I checked, you are an Ignis." Revolver stated, as he pointed his right finger at Ai.

"But I'm not the Ignis who wants to end humanity! That's gotta buy me an extra credit or two!" Ai panicked in pure fear.

"Ai, you're not helping the situation at all. So for once, just shut up." Raguel firmly stated, which made Ai shut his mouth.

Playmaker frowned as he heard this entire conversation. Raguel and Herald were right. Revolver didn't come to free them. He came to eradicate every single Ignis, no matter who was first or last. Still, Playmaker had to try to defuse the situation. Not just for his sake, but for the sake of everyone involved as well. "Revolver, listen to me. You don't need to do this."

"Playmaker, I've said it once and I'll say it again. You're not built to make the tough decisions. When things get tough, you do nothing, hoping for a peaceful resolution that will never come." Revolver pointed out, before turning to Raguel. "On the other hand, Raguel knows when to talk things out, and when to take action. The Turf War's a great example of that, don't you agree?"

Raguel widened his eyes. Did Revolver and the Hanoi know about him defending the Den City Hospital from the Alpha Branch's troops? If that's true, then it made sense, as nothing can be eliminated permanently.

"Yeah... I agree with you, Revolver." Raguel conceded with a sigh.

"You're wrong, Revolver. Sometimes doing nothing is the toughest decision of-." Playmaker began countering.

"Playmaker, there's no point in trying to stop him right now." Raguel interrupted, much to his surprise. "In the situation that we're in, I don't think we can do anything but watch for the time being."

"You see, Playmaker? Raguel gets it, and you'd be wise to acknowledge the truth as well." Revolver stated, now turning away from the duo to look at Windy. "As for your concerns on coexisting with the Ignis, you don't have to worry, as I'll alleviate them for you once and for all!"

"Why are both sides coming to the worst logical conclusion? Just why?!" Ai panickily exclaimed.

Windy put a hand on his chin, thinking for a moment before speaking. "Alright, so I'm guessing you're done talking with the imprisoned fools? Great! Then let the games begin!"

"Duel!" Revolver and Windy said at the same time.

Elsewhere, in the fake Cyberse World...

Soulburner and Slipstream frowned as they walked up to the gate, which had already been open, as evident of Raguel and Playmaker having entered inside earlier. After a while of not hearing back of them, Roxy and Kusanagi, along with Takeru and Arashi, agreed that they may have fallen into a trap. So in accordance of the plan, Takeru and Arashi logged into the network, hoping to track Raguel and Playmaker, as well as rescue them if needed.

Entering inside, the both of them gasped upon looking around the fake Cyberse World. The world on the other side of the gate consisted of a desolated landscape, just like the real Cyberse World. This was evident by the grey sky, the destroyed structures, smoke emitting from numerous places, multiple craters, and lava cracks in the area.

"What happened here?" Flame asked, shocked at what he was seeing.

"This doesn't look good. Any sign of Playmaker, Raguel, Ai, or Herald?" Kusanagi inquired.

"No, but we'll keep looking." Soulburner replied.

"It looks like a major battle went down here." Slipstream observed, as he pressed a button on his mask, enabling him to scan the entire area.

"Who or what could have done such a thing?" Flame questioned.

"Add that to the list of mysteries, Flame." Soulburner told him.

"Ones that we'll eventually solve." Slipstream assured Flame.

"Stay safe, you two. We can't afford to lose anyone today, be it human or Ignis." Roxy said to Soulburner and Slipstream through the comms.

"We'll be okay, Roxy. With you and Kusanagi being our eyes above the sky, we'll be able to get through this." Soulburner stated with confidence, the duo now walking through the hellish landscape. After looking around and walking for a while, they found two holes in the walls around them. One of the holes was torn rather raggedly, while the other was higher up and cut cleanly.

"Whoever burned this place down probably entered from that hole." Slipstream assumed, pointing to the clean, cutup hole. "Let's move." He and Soulburner then summoned their duel boards before speeding through them, where they found a familiar location.

"Hey, that's Windy's temple." Soulburner recognized.

"Yes. I wonder what he's been up to." Flame commented, before looking downwards. "What the heck?"

Soulburner and Slipstream looked down, where they saw the shattered remains of numerous Echos. They also saw the Knights of Hanoi dealing with the remaining ones as well in their separate duels.

"What the Hell?!" Roxy exclaimed.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kusanagi asked, who was just surprised as Roxy was.

"Yeah. It looks like the Knights of Hanoi have joined the party." Soulburner confirmed.

"Those AIs can only do so much before they break down." Slipstream commented, the duo now seeing the Hanoi walking up the stairs to Windy's temple. As if on cue, both duelists jumped down onto the ground where the other Hanoi were, who just finished with the cleanup.

"Well, now this is interesting. It seems we have some visitors." Dr. Genome said, having turned to see Soulburner and Slipstream approach them.

"Yes, and two Lost Incident victims at that." Faust agreed.

"I know you, guys. You're the Knights of Hanoi." Soulburner said. "Dr. Genome, Baira, Faust, Specter, Lord Kazuma, and Infearno."

"Nice to meet you too, Soulburner and Slipstream." Specter replied.

"Oh, so you know who we are?"

"It's the Hanoi's job to keep track of events in the network, so of course we know who you boys are." Baira told Soulburner and Slipstream.

"As well as your Ignis's." Infearno replied. "You're the Fire Ignis, am I not correct?"

"You are. I am Flame." Flame introduced himself.

"What exactly are you guys doing here? Don't tell me you're planning to destroy Windy." Soulburner said, having narrowed his eyes at the Hanoi members. Surprisingly, Slipstream didn't say anything in support to Soulburner's comment. Whether it was due to the mission at hand or for personal reasons, he kept that to himself.

"If the situation arises, then yes. But if you must know, we were just getting rid of some meddlesome AIs for now, and there were less AIs than we expected." Lord Kazuma explained, getting straight to the point.

Infearno, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes at Slipstream, who frowned back.

"What?" Slipstream asked.

"It's fascinating why a Lost Incident victim like yourself is helping Raguel and the others, yet doesn't have their Ignis with him." Infearno said. "Do you plan on teaming up with your Ignis?" Before Slipstream could give an answer, Specter put a hand on Infearno's shoulder.

"Now, now, Infearno. Such a question shouldn't be answered straight away. These two must learn the truth about the Ignis first before coming to their own conclusions." As the Knights of Hanoi began walking up the steps towards Windy's temple, Specter gestured for Soulburner and Slipstream to follow them.

"The truth about the Ignis? What do you mean by that?" Soulburner questioned.

"Whatever it is, the information may help us." Slipstream quickly decided, now heading upstairs to follow after the Hanoi. Soulburner did the same, only he had a concerned expression on his face.

"It appears something is wrong with Slipstream." Flame figured out, before turning to Soulburner. "Do you feel it too?"

"Yeah, I do." Soulburner answered. While Slipstream showed his cheery self almost all the time, there were some moments where he wasn't himself. Moments where he got too serious, too hyper focused into an activity. Soulburner made a mental note to talk with Slipstream after this mission to see what was on his mind.

After the Hanoi, along with Soulburner and Slipstream, entered the castle, they quickly walked down the hallway before turning left, where they saw several things.

First was Revolver dueling against Windy.

Second was Raguel, Playmaker, Ai, and Herald trapped in Azrael's blue-mirage blades.

Fourth was Lightning, Azrael, Wraith, and Malf watching the duel.

In the duel, Revolver only had 300 life points and Borreload Dragon. Whereas Windy had 4000 life points, Stormrider Rockbuster and Stormrider Harpiarm on his field.

"Let's do the math, shall we, Revolver? You have 300 life points and one monster, while I have 4000 life points and two monsters." Windy quickly calculated. "Four thousand is greater than three hundred, two is greater than one. These aren't opinions, these are what are known as facts. Facts that prove my opinion that you're in trouble." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, what can you do? Well, there is plenty you can do. Weep, beg, read a graphic novel, it's just none of those will really help you. Nothing. None of it."

"I hate to say it, but he's right." Ai admitted. In hearing this, Lightning chuckled, while Wraith smirked. As for Azrael and Malf, they still had serious expressions on their faces, knowing that the duel was far from over.

"Now I can be nice, I can, I don't have to technically delete you. Technically. I can just have you work for me. Forever. Unpaid. Until the end of time."

Revolver stood up on his feet. "That will never happen."

"Master Revolver." Specter said, which got Revolver's attention as he turned around.

"Excellent. It seems we have an audience for this." Revolver commented with a smirk. "With a total of six Ignis present as well."

"Playmaker! Raguel!" Soulburner exclaimed.

"Slipstream!" Raguel replied.

"Flame!" Ai said.

"Soulburner!" Playmaker added, the prisoners having recognized the new arrivals.

"I knew you guys were here to destroy Windy!" Flame stated. "You guys have no compassion whatsoever, and if you guys even try to-."

"FLAME!" Ai loudly interrupted. "The Hanoi didn't trap us in here! It was Windy and Lightning, who had assistance from Azrael and Wraith!"

"What?" Flame blinked and turned to Windy, Lightning, Wraith, Azrael, and Malf. "I don't-."

"Oh, you will understand, Ignis." Revolver interrupted. "How your kind is not to be trusted, especially with what Windy did!"

"What are you talking about?" Raguel asked.

"Yeah! What exactly are you talking about?" Herald also inquired.

"Each Ignis, as all of us know, has a human counterpart. But where is Windy's human counterpart?" Revolver glared at Windy. "If you won't tell, then I will!"

"So you snooped into my history, Revolver. Shame, shame, shame. Though I can't say I would have done the same." Windy admitted.

"The Hanoi and I have been investigating the Lost Incident to find out how the eight children are doing in the present." Revolver began explaining. "And what we've learned is that one Ignis decided to try and kill their human counterpart, causing an accident in the process."

"What?!" Playmaker and Ai exclaimed at the same time, while Raguel narrowed his eyes out of surprise. Soulburner also gasped, while Slipstream frowned. The other Hanoi present had no reactions whatsoever, all of them paying close attention to the story.

"Yeah. That was me." Windy confessed.

"Windy, why did you do such a thing?" Ai demanded.

"Why? Well, I never really thought about it." Windy put a hand on his chin. "I guess it's because I never really wanted a partner. Is that such a big deal? Oh, wait. For me, I guess not." He then leapt upwards to sit on Echo's head. "Having a partner's a pain in the ass, you know. Do this. Do that. Don't do this. Don't do that, and all that jazz. I know that you know what I mean because you and the other Ignis have been hanging around with those meatbags longer than any of us, Ai. Well, almost longer than any of us."

"So is that why you decided to commit such an atrocious act?!" Herald exclaimed, now angry with what he was hearing.

"To put it simply, yes. And it turns out I succeeded in the end." Windy responded. "With Takeda Hada dead, I've severed myself from such things as partnership!"

"Would you care to repeat that, YOU SON OF A BITCH?!" Slipstream suddenly shouted, loud enough to get everyone's attention as he stepped forward. He then took of his mask, which revealed his dark-green eyes. "Takeda Hada wasn't the Lost Incident victim. I was the Lost Incident victim, and you attempted to kill me not once, but twice! Your reckless actions put my cousin in the hospital, who's now clinging to life on a hospital bed because of you!"

"WHAT?!" Windy gasped loudly, having been caught off guard by what he just heard. Except for Azrael, Wraith, and Malf, everyone else gasped as well.

"I used the Ignis Algorithms from Ai, Flame, and Herald in the hopes I can find out who put Takeda in the hospital." Slipstream immediately continued. "When I compared it with the data from you I had, I didn't want to believe it at first. That an Ignis created from me wouldn't be capable of such a thing. But after double checking it thoroughly, the result came out positive. What you did was unforgivable Windy, and for that, I'll end your life myself!"

"What in the world..." Kusanagi muttered, his eyes widened by what he just heard.

"The one who tried to kill Arashi was... Windy." Roxy realized out of shock.

The others present also widened their eyes, save for Revolver and the Hanoi, along with Slipstream, who put his mask back on.

Never had Revolver met anyone who actually wanted to kill their Ignis. This was certainly interesting to see, as he was now curious on what would happen if Slipstream actually killed Windy himself.

"WINDY! YOU TOLD ME YOU KILLED YOUR HUMAN COUNTERPART, YET HE'S STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! WHAT'S MORE, YOU FAILED TO CLEAN UP ALL YOUR TRACES AS WELL!" Lightning furiously exclaimed so loudly that it shocked Windy.

"Oh... Errors have been made." Windy admitted embarrassingly.

"It's time you and the others opened your eyes, Playmaker." Revolver stated. "The war has already started, and we're past the point of no return."

"That's right, the peace ship has sailed and fallen off the edge of the earth." Windy agreed. "But before we continue the duel..." A massive ball of data formed in his right palm, a sadistic grin appearing on his face. "I'll rectify my-."

WHOOSH!

A blue-mirage blade sped out of nowhere and pierced the ball of data in Windy's hand, turning it into particles. Before anyone could react, blue-mirage blades also surrounded the entire duel field, all of them pointing outwards.

"Enough!" Azrael shouted. "You and Revolver are in the middle of a duel, Windy! I will not have you or anyone else use underhanded tactics, nor will I allow anyone to interfere with the duel!"

"May I remind you, Azrael, that there are times where you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs? This is one of those times!" Lightning pointed out, as he raised his right arm high into the air. A sphere of yellow and green energy shot down towards everyone present!

"Activating anti-Ignis algorithm!" Flame responded, as he threw an orange data ball in front of him and the Hanoi, which protected them from the attack.

"Heh. Looks like our pal's program came in handy." Soulburner commented, a smirk having obviously appeared on his face.

"With more to come." Flame added, before throwing two more orange data balls at the prisons Raguel, Playmaker, and Ai were trapped in, destroying the swords and successfully freeing them in the process.

"Ai'm free!" Ai cheered, before jumping upwards into Playmaker's duel disk.

Azrael narrowed his eyes as he saw this series of events. He could have easily stopped Lightning's attack, but wanted to see if his enemies had any tricks up their sleeve that would help them get out of a sticky situation. Judging by how they responded, Azrael was slightly impressed.

"Windy, you and I still have a duel to finish, remember?" Revolver reminded him.

"Of course, of course!" Windy agreed. Thanks to what Azrael did, as well as the unexpected resources Playmaker and the others had, he couldn't kill Slipstream... for now. "So make your move."

"Oh, don't worry, I will. Just watch me!" Revolver drew the top card of his deck. Everyone present watched as Revolver Special Summoned Speedburst Dragon using its effect, allowing him to not only inflict 3000 points of damage, but also allow him to gain half those life points as well. Speedburst Dragon proceeded to blast Windy numerous times, much to the amusement of the other Hanoi, with Revolver gaining life points in the process.

Windy: 4000 – 3000 = 1000 LP

Revolver: 300 + 1500 = 1800 LP

Revolver then had Speedburst Dragon immediately attack Rockbuster, destroying it and dealing Windy another 100 points of damage.

Windy: 1000 – 900 = 100 LP

"You're beginning to annoy me..." Windy muttered out of anger.

"Is that so? Then allow me to relieve you of that misery by ending you! Because you can't feel annoyed if you don't exist!" Revolver shot back.

"Huh. That is logical." Lightning acknowledged.

"It makes perfect sense." Wraith added.

"Lightning, Wraith. Don't start with me, as while I'll admit that was a well-executed move, I still have some moves left to make. After all, this duel will end in my victory!" Windy declared.

"Keep yapping! In my experience, the more someone talks, the more they're covering up for their shortcomings!" Revolver countered.

"Or to put it simply, arrogance will be your downfall, Windy." Slipstream said, which made Windy furious upon hearing that.

"I can't believe Slipstream knew about this and didn't tell us." Raguel commented.

"Maybe he wasn't sure how he'd tell us." Soulburner stated.

"Perhaps." Playmaker agreed. If he was in Slipstream's shoes, he too would be hesitant in telling the others for numerous reasons. Most notably, fear, shock, and anger.

"And in my experience, winners talk, while losers balk. Now it's my turn! I draw!" Windy announced, as he drew the top card of his deck. He started by activating the Spell card Stormrider Return, enabling him to Special Summon Rockbuster right back to his field. "And now it's time to reveal my ace in the hole! With this!" He pointed upward with his right hand, which caused a data storm to appear, much to everyone's surprise.

"A Data Storm?!" Ai exclaimed.

"Seems Bohman isn't the only one who can use a Skill during a Master Duel." Raguel stated.

"When I have 1000 or less life points, I'm allowed to add a random Cyberse Link monster from the Data Storm! Go, Storm Access!" Windy announced.

"Well, this is just great. Is it a 'Storm Access' Bargain Sale or something?" Herald sarcastically commented.

Windy laughed as a green light appeared in front of him, which formed into a card that he immediately obtained.

"I thought that Skill can only be used during a Speed Duel." Revolver said.

"Well, you thought wrong, buddy boy." Ai replied.

"That's right, and this isn't the first time a Skill was used outside of a Speed Duel." Playmaker backed up Ai's response. "Bohman did the same thing."

"Which means you guys are working with Bohman, aren't you?" Soulburner immediately finished.

"Okay, you got me. Yup, yup, yup. Bohman is with us." Windy confirmed. "But enough talk! Let's get to the fun part! I will now cyclone my circuit!" A tornado went upwards before turning into a Link Portal that appeared above Windy. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Stormrider' monsters. I set Stormrider Harpiarm, and the Link 2 Rockbuster into the Link Markers!" Rockbuster went into the bottom-left and bottom arrowheads, while Harpiarm went into the bottom-right arrowhead, all three of them turning red.

"Great monster that lies within the obscured skies! Fly forward, and vanquish my enemies with your super-duper awesome firepower!" Windy chanted. "Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Stormridership Bahamut Bomber!" A massive, black mechanical whale with black wings, orange fins, and cannons attached to his sides appeared on Windy's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK: 2800 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Stormridership Bahamut Bomber ATK: 2800 + 300 = 3100

Windy then proceeded to activate Bahamut Bomber's effect, allowing him to destroy one of Revolver's cards and inflicting 500 points of damage. Bahamut Bomber fired a soundwave that hit Borreload Dragon, which destroyed it and made Revolver wince.

Revolver: 1800 – 500 = 1300 LP

"Battle! Stormridership Bahamut Bomber attacks Speedburst Dragon! Turbulence Burst!" Bahamut Bomber's mouth opened as he charged up energy in his mouth and cannons before firing it at Speedburst Dragon, which made Revolver winced as his life points dropped.

Revolver: 1300 – 700 = 600 LP

Upon destroying Speedburst Dragon, Windy activated Stormrider Skyfisher's effect from his hand, allowing him to Special Summon it to his field as he had no monsters in his Main Monster Zones. In exchange, Revolver was allowed to Set a Spell or Trap card from his Graveyard to his field, but he couldn't activate it the turn it was Set. From there, Windy activated Bahamut Bomber's other effect, allowing him to target a Spell or Trap card on Revolver's field and destroy it, as well as inflict 500 points of damage to Revolver. As a result, Revolver was pushed back and fell on one knee, his life points dropping once again in the process.

Revolver: 600 – 500 = 100 LP

Once that was done, Windy used Stormrider Turbulence's effect to return Skyfisher to his hand before ending his turn.

"Not just the turn, but Revolver too." Ai said.

"Ai, don't be so sure. You know that Revolver is the type of person that will never give up." Playmaker rebutted.

"That's right, and you'd be wise to remember that, Ignis." Faust pointed out.

"As long as Revolver has life points left, the duel will continue." Lord Kazuma said.

"Yes, no matter how many life points Revolver has, he will certainly turn the duel in his favour." Baira agreed.

"We have the upmost faith in him." Dr. Genome added.

"My, oh my, oh my, confident aren't you guys? If you think Revolver will win so badly, then answer me this!" Windy pointed his right finger at Revolver. "Why is he down on his knees, huh, huh, huh?"

"So I can prove I can get right back up." Revolver immediately answered, as he stood up on his feet.

"If there's one thing you Ignis don't have compared to humans, it's spirit. The courage and determination to keep going, no matter what you face, as well as keep your beliefs in the process." Infearno explained.

Azrael narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. He certainly agreed with what Infearno was saying, as he managed to keep going, despite the fact that he died two times. Death will not get in his way of obtaining power, so that he can avoid its cold hands and survive forever.

"Is that supposed to scare me? Spirit means nothing to an Ignis, for we have something better. Knowledge and logic. And you want to know what it's telling me right now? It's telling me that Revolver will lose once my turn comes around. So unless you have an unexpected weapon or something, it's over for you!" Windy responded.

"Over for me, you say? Let's find out if this so called knowledge and logic you have is correct. Because I'm going to not only disprove it, but shove it down your throat as well. My turn! I draw!" Revolver said, drawing the top card of his deck. After using Boot Sector Launch's effect to Special Summon Anesthrokket Dragon from his Graveyard to his field in defense position, he then summoned Rokket Synchron before using its effect to bring Speedburst Dragon right back to his field.

"You know what's coming, don't you?" Herald figured out.

"A Synchro Summon..." Raguel breathed.

"I tune the Level 1 Rokket Synchron, with the Level 1 Anesthrokket Dragon and the Level 6 Speedburst Dragon!" A bolt of lightning struck Revolver as the world greyed out and his three monsters turned into particles. Three rings, one colored blue, one colored green, and one colored yellow, appeared before turning blue and merging. Eight blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 1 + 6" in front of them. The screen then changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.

"The fuel of the cosmos mixes the boundaries of speed to transcend the beyond!" Revolver chanted. "Synchro Summon! Make my opponent suffer, Level 8! Borreload Savage Dragon!" A large, red and white mechanical dragon that had multiple green lines running over its body appeared on Revolver's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had a total of two horns, two of which curved upward, while the other two curved forward. It also had two large white spines, which projected green holographic wings. The dragon also had a gun cylinder in its chest, which was ready to be used.

Borreload Savage Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"Oh man..." Soulburner muttered.

"Revolver has revamped his deck.." Playmaker realized.

Slipstream, on the other hand, was silent. He was glad that Revolver brought out a Synchro monster, for those who wielded the older summoning methods would certainly catch anyone off guard, as evident by Windy glaring at Revolver. Slipstream also knew that the duel was pretty much over with Revolver's victory.

Revolver proceeded to activate Borreload Savage Dragon's effect, allowing him to equip a Link monster to it, as well as place 'Borrel' counters on it equal to its Link rating. What's more, Borreload Savage Dragon's attack points would increase equal to half of the equipped monster's attack points. As Revolver equipped Borreload Dragon to Borreload Savage Dragon, that rose its attack points to 4500. Windy, having begun panicking, immediately tried to use Bahamut Bomber's effect to destroy a Spell or Trap card on Revolver's field and inflict 500 points of damage. But to his horror, Revolver used Borreload Savage Dragon's effect to remove a 'Borrel' counter and negate it, which made Windy gasp in response.

"It's over for you, Windy! Battle!" Revolver declared. "Borreload Savage Dragon attacks Stormridership Bahamut Bomber! Make sure that he's torn to bits! Dominance Borrel Cannon!"

Windy could do nothing, but panic as a gun barrel extended out of Borreload Savage Dragon's mouth. Charging up energy for a brief moment, Borreload Savage Dragon then fired an orange stream that tore through Bahamut Bomber, the explosion making Windy and Echo fall to the ground as his life points dropped. As a result, the duel ended in Revolver's victory, just like everyone predicted.

Windy: 900 – 1400 = 0

"Well, Revolver certainly made a comeback." Ai commented.

"Lightning. Wraith. Help me." Windy wheezed out, reaching his hand towards his fellow Ignis.

"Help you? Why? You were the one who wanted to duel him. You were the one who ended up losing to him. Not just that, you failed in killing your Origin. To put it in your words, errors have been made." Lightning replied.

"Sorry, Windy, but what we saw today shows how weak you are compared to the rest of us. If Survival of the Fittest is applied here, you're at the bottom of the food chain. That's just life." Wraith added, as he shook his head at Windy out of disappointment.

"No. I... I don't want to die. I don't want to be erased." Windy pleaded.

"Finish him." Revolver ordered, as Specter gave a bow out of compliance.

"No, stop!" Playmaker told Revolver. Those words fell on deaf ears as purple spheres of energy floated upwards and merged into one before firing dark spears at Windy, which managed to impale him to the ground.

"Let them do it." Slipstream stated, much to the surprise of Playmaker, Soulburner, Raguel, Herald, Flame, and Ai. "Let them end his miserable existence."

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed out of surprise.

"He put my cousin in the hospital and tried to kill me." Slipstream narrowed his eyes at Windy. "It's fair retribution for his sins."

"But-!"

"Windy!" Ai screamed, as Windy began disintegrating, his cries of pain obvious on his face.

"I don't... want to die..." Windy said.

"Lightning! Wraith! Save him!" Ai shouted, which made Lightning move in a flash of speed and grabbed the wounded Windy. Wraith then fired blue-mirage blades at the spears, disintegrating each one of them in the process.

"Done and done. Just as you wanted, Ai." Lightning said.

"Thank y-y-you..." Windy stated to Lightning.

"What the Hell is wrong with you, Ai?!" Slipstream exclaimed. "If it wasn't for you, then Windy would have perished! It served him right for what he did!"

"But at what cost to the Ignis, Slipstream? There may be billions of humans, but there's only eight Ignis. If one of us dies, it brings us a large step towards extinction!" Ai reprimanded back. "Look. Even though Windy did something really horrible to you, that doesn't mean he should be sentenced to death for his sins!"

"And yet you instinctively asked Lightning and Wraith to ask for help, Ai." Revolver pointed out, before Slipstream could make another retort. "Thus making you no better than the other Ignis."

"For once, I agree with Revolver. I don't think the other humans agree with what you said, especially with what Windy did to his Origin's cousin." Lightning said, before turning to Raguel and Soulburner. "Flame. Herald. I ask you: What side are you on?"

"I am on the side of peace." Flame immediately answered.

"So am I." Soulburner confirmed.

"I've already chosen to be with the humans, Lightning. A decision I don't regret to this day!" Herald told Lightning.

"It's impossible to avoid a fight now." Revolver dismissively said.

"That's the main thing we agree on." Lightning replied. "And considering what's about to happen, I might as well bring out the others."

"Others?" Raguel repeated, as the next thing everyone knew, two figures materialized beside Lightning. Ones that Raguel and Playmaker both recognized.

"Soulburner, it's them! Bohman and Haru!" Playmaker recognized the two people that appeared in the room. "What did you do with Jin's soul? Where is he?"

"Where's Jin? Why, he's been here this entire time." Lightning gleefully confirmed.

"What?" Playmaker gasped.

"It can't be..." Soulburner muttered.

The shadow covering Lightning's support avatar faded away, which revealed Jin himself.

"Lightning's human counterpart... is Jin!" Kusanagi realized out of shock, having gasped upon looking at the screen.

"Oh shit! That means Bohman and Haru's master was Lightning this entire time!" Roxy exclaimed. And since he and Azrael are working with each other, he's also responsible for creating the virus that put Miyu in the hospital, she deduced in her mind.

"That's correct! Jin is my Origin. More like a slave, if you ask me." Lightning commented.

"I sort of expected that." Revolver admitted.

"Jin! We'll save you! Your brother is waiting for you to come home!" Playmaker cried out.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that? If you must know, after Bohman brought Jin to me, I imprisoned him deep within his own consciousness. So he's not going anywhere, that I can promise you." Lightning responded.

"Let me ask you this, Lightning. Since you and Azrael are working together, does that mean you were responsible for putting Miyu in the hospital?" Raguel quickly inquired, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh, that? Yup." Lightning confirmed with a smile, which made Raguel grit his teeth.

"She had just got out of her first coma, and with her aunt's help and my own, she was able to get out of the hospital after three months. Until you sent Azrael to put her right back there!" Raguel furiously exclaimed. The other Hanoi paid keen interest, now curious on who Azrael truly was, as well as why Lightning would work with a human in the first place.

"So what? By doing what I did, I got rid of a potential threat. Simple as that. In the grand scheme of things, a human's life means nothing to me." Lightning simply replied, which made Raguel even more furious.

"I'll be honest, Raguel. I had no ill intention against the girl you care about so much. I even despised Lightning's actions, and told it straight to his face." Azrael genuinely commented.

"And yet you did it in the first place." Raguel countered.

Azrael shrugged his shoulders. "How else was I supposed to draw you out? I mean, one way or another, you would have returned to the network, for Jin was kidnapped. But I decided to accelerate your arrival, as well as ensure you were ready for our encounter."

"What I'm curious about is why you're working with a human in the first place, Lightning." Revolver spoke up. "All that talk of you wanting to destroy humanity, yet you teamed up with one. If you ask me, you're a hypocrite."

"It's an agreement I made with Azrael. In exchange for his assistance, I would help him with his primary goal." Lightning explained. "And considering all the work he's done now, I have to say. That was one of the best deals I ever made in my life."

"Yes, because your grim reaper dealt a major blow on us in numerous ways!" Revolver reminded Lightning.

"That's correct! Your little puppet Ace took my company away, and we will take it back!" Infearno stated, much to Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream, Ai, Flame, and Herald's surprise. So that wasn't Infearno that appeared on the news announcement? That was Ace this whole time?

"What do you mean by that, Infearno?" Raguel asked.

"Near the end of the Turf War, Ace managed to steal Uchida Industries from us. Lord Kazuma managed to follow after Ace and defeated him in a duel. But when he won, he told us that Ace sent Uchida Industries' code key to Lightning and Azrael." Infearno explained.

"Not just that, Azrael murdered my mentor all those years ago!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed. "Why did you do it?"

"Do we really have to answer that question from you, Kazuma? He was an obstacle, so Azrael struck him down." Wraith told Lord Kazuma. "To put it simply, we're more dangerous than you've ever realized, especially in how all our actions up until now have affected each and every one of you."

"Yes." Lightning agreed. "Thanks to Azrael and Wraith, I was able to help Bohman heal and get ready for this war. I also have to thank you as well, Playmaker, for your duels helped him get stronger."

"Now I understand why Bohman's deck got stronger with every meeting. You were supplying him with new cards, like Judgment Arrows." Playmaker deduced.

"What?! Judgment Arrows?!" Flame gasped. "You mean the card that was used to destroy the Cyberse World?"

"That means the one who destroyed the Cyberse World was Lightning." Soulburner finished.

Azrael, upon hearing this, simply narrowed his eyes. He and Wraith already found this information from Raguel during their duel, so there was no need of a reminder of Lightning's sins. Malf, on the other hand, quietly let out a snarl.

"What would possess you to do such a terrible thing?"

"Nothing, Flame. As the leader of the Ignis, I'm tasked with making the unpopular and difficult decisions." Lightning spoke up. "Now I don't expect you to understand, but-."

"You're right, Lightning. I don't understand." Flame interrupted.

"But it was the most logical decision. Besides. Humans were going to eventually destroy the Cyberse World, so I simply sped up the timeline."

"You don't know that, Lightning! Like I said before, there's still good humans in this world! You can't simply judge mankind for the sins of a few people!" Herald reiterated.

"Perhaps, but I did what I did for our survival. So to confirm your accusation once and for all, Flame, I destroyed the Cyberse World." Lightning confessed, as he turned to Flame. "Must I remind you all of what the Ignis went through since Dr. Kogami created us?"

"Oh, I know." Revolver snidely commented with a smirk. "My father had the foresight to know that the Ignis would be a problem, and it turns out he was right."

"For the three Ignis in front of us, I concur with you on that, Revolver." Slipstream agreed. "But for the Ignis that's with my friends, I disagree with you on that."

Raguel raised an eyebrow out of surprise. Slipstream may now have great hatred against Windy, but he still cared for Ai, Flame, and Herald's wellbeing. He was grateful that Slipstream still had the capacity to discern what was right and wrong, for if he didn't, he'd be no better than a killer.

"You hunted us for five years, Revolver. Five years." Lightning emphasized. "Ai, after you sealed the Cyberse World, we had discussions. Numerous discussions on whether coexistence between the Ignis and humans were even possible. What I found was that most of us saw the idea of coexistence being possible, despite what the humans did to us. To this day, I don't understand why the Ignis desired peace with the humans, especially since the latter tried to hunt us down like animals."

"Because I do not believe that the past dictates the present. From my experience, I can coexist with humans. If Ai, Herald, and myself can do it, it's proof that coexistence is possible." Flame answered.

"Right back at you." Soulburner said, with Raguel and Playmaker nodding in agreement. Slipstream nodded as well, which alleviated Raguel's concerns for his friend.

"Can't you get over the fact that I destroyed the Cyberse World? Windy, Wraith, and myself were planning to rebuild it anyway, and not just any Cyberse World. A Cyberse World where we can live without fear that the humans will attack us. Short-term destruction for long-term prosperity. Don't you want to live without fear, Flame? Ai? Herald?"

"Of course I don't want to live in fear, Lightning." Flame began.

"But you're just twisting words in your favour." Ai continued.

"All to make yourself 'the good guy'." Herald added, who did bunny ears at 'the good guy' part.

"No matter what words you say, you're only justifying your actions, as well as your desire to end humanity!" Revolver exclaimed.

"I didn't said I want to end humanity, I said I wanted to end the threat of humanity." Lightning clarified. "And if ending humanity is the only path available, so be it."

"But there can never be peace when it's built upon lies and aggression!" Playmaker countered.

"That may be true, Playmaker, but sometimes, lies and aggression are required to maintain peace." Wraith stated. "I mean, look at today's main figures. Politicians using their 'promises' to sway people to their side, humans using brute force to conquer others. Those are just examples of them maintaining peace by their own standards."

"This is something that's happened since the days of old." Malf continued. "Humans will continue using one another in order to try and maintain peace. Even if blood must be spilt, even if people need to lie to one another, those are nothing more than decisions for the greater good."

"If you aren't able to realize this simple truth, you and the others are nothing more than fools blinded by a mere fantasy." Azrael scolded everyone present, who crossed his arms out of disappointment.

"You see? Azrael, Wraith, and Malf get it. Why won't you?" Lightning asked, before letting out a sigh. "Then again, I guess neither of you will ever acknowledge the truth." He narrowed his eyes. "Since a peaceful resolution cannot be reached, I guess there's no other option left. Of course you realize, this means war."

While Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, their respective Ignis's, and Slipstream gasped, the Hanoi simply narrowed their eyes. War was the only logical option left on the table, for their mission was to eradicate every single Ignis. After all, coexistence was a fool's dream. One that can never be reached, no matter how much you want to try and realize it.

"As much as I want to duel you right now..." Lightning looked down at Windy, who had been reduced to a head and continued to shrink. "I'll have to do that later. Time is of the essence if I'm to save Windy."

"Save him? There is no saving him." Dr. Genome said. "We infected him with a more, powerful virus that Baira and I invented using Malf's DNA. If there's one good thing that came from us getting attacked by your forces, it's that we were able to retrieve a sample of Malf from Speckles' avatar. It will tear his programming apart from the inside before making him disintegrate. A small reward, despite the cost we had to pay to obtain it."

"What?!" Lightning gasped, while Azrael and Wraith widened their eyes, who were just surprised.

"This cannot be!" Malf exclaimed out of shock. To think that the Hanoi were able to get a small trace of his DNA and re-engineer it into a virus... that was something he nor Azrael didn't expect.

"It appears I made a small error..." Azrael muttered, before looking up at the Hanoi. "Despite all the roadblocks you encountered at my hands, you were able to make a comeback. I'm impressed."

"We need to leave right now!" Lightning told Bohman, Haru, Azrael, Wraith and Malf. "If what the Hanoi are saying is true, we'll have to make haste if we are to save Windy." He, Haru, Bohman, Azrael, and Malf immediately summoned their duel boards before fleeing away in the process.

"Follow them!" Playmaker shouted. He, Soulburner, Slipstream, and Raguel also jumped onto their duel boards and chased the fleeing Ignis's and their comrades.

"Should we chase after them as well, Master Revolver?" Specter asked.

Revolver crossed his arms. "Leave them be and let them duel each other. It doesn't matter to me whether Lightning defeats Playmaker or the other way around. It means there will be one fewer enemy for us to face."

"So we'll come out ahead either way. Clever." Specter praised Revolver.

"And to make it more interesting, why don't we let another of our enemies do our work for us?"

"Excellent idea, sir." Infearno said, the other Hanoi agreeing in unison.

"Contact Drachen. Tell him to tell SOL Technologies about this location." Revolver stated.

"Will do." Faust complied, as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk to begin the call. The Hanoi then began heading towards the exit, their task having been done for the time being.

WHOOSH!

"Get down!" Lord Kazuma shouted, as he rushed forward and tackled Revolver to the ground. A blue-mirage blade stabbed Lord Kazuma in the chest, who grunted as he stood up.

"Protecting your leader, just as I predicted you would do," a voice commented, as its owner stepped out of the shadows, which revealed to be Azrael. Malf also stepped out as well on Azrael's right side.

"What?!" Faust exclaimed.

"That's impossible! We just saw you and Malf leave!" Baira said. In response, Azrael simply snapped his fingers.

"The Azrael and Malf that you saw leave with Lightning were nothing more than data clones." Azrael explained. "As for the blue-mirage blades, that came from the real me, not the clones."

"Nevertheless, it's seven against two, which brings the odds in our favour." Infearno replied, the others now ready to assist Lord Kazuma.

Smirking back, two blue-mirage blades appeared on Azrael's sides before they launched themselves at the Hanoi, only for the blades to hit the ground and create a barrier that separated Lord Kazuma from the other Hanoi. "There. Now you can't interfere in our duel, nor can Kazuma call for help from the real world."

"Oh, I almost forgot. The blue-mirage blade that stabbed you has the Another virus in it, Kazuma." Wraith stated, which caused him to gasp out of shock.

"What?!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed, before he felt a searing pain in his chest, which made him scream loudly, much to the concern of the other Hanoi.

"Refuse to duel, and the Another Virus will make you suffer from the inside out. Win, and you'll be freed from its grasp." Azrael explained.

"Get out of here, Revolver! I'll be okay." Lord Kazuma assured Revolver. "Besides, I want a piece of this guy for myself."

"No! I won't lose another member of the Hanoi!" Revolver replied.

"Revolver, you heard him. There's nothing you can do to get me out of this trap." Explosions then appeared in the sky, the fake Cyberse World shaking for a few moments before stopping. "Go. Get out of here before things get worse."

Nodding back with a frown, Revolver pressed a few buttons on his duel disk. "Good luck, Lord Kazuma." He and the other Hanoi logged out afterwards.

"How noble of you, telling your comrades to escape when they realize they're unable to save you." Azrael said.

"But it won't help you in this duel, Kazuma. Especially when you have a lot to lose." Wraith stated.

Lord Kazuma narrowed his eyes. That's right. He had been infected with the Another Virus, and if he were to lose... no. Lord Kazuma couldn't think of that right now. Instead, he chose to think of one thing.

Defeating Azrael.

And avenging his mentor.

"Before we begin, I have one question." Lord Kazuma said. "Why did you kill my mentor?"

"Why did I kill your mentor?" Azrael repeated. "Your mentor, Kazuma Saromi, was a criminal. He and I crossed paths one day, and I ended his life. Simple as that."

"So you killed him because he simply crossed your path?" Lord Kazuma questioned.

"There's obviously more to the story, but why should I tell you?" Azrael countered, as he readied his duel disk. "After all, we have a duel to begin, and who knows? If you impress me, I may tell you what happened to your mentor."

Lord Kazuma readied his duel disk as well, knowing there was no other choice. If he wanted to know what happened to his mentor, then he'd have to beat it right out of Azrael. "Fine. The sooner we begin, the better."

"Show me your motivation."

"Let's duel!" Azrael and Lord Kazuma shouted in unison.

Azrael: 4000 LP

Lord Kazuma: 4000 LP

"I'll have you know that I defeated your mentor in four turns of our duel." Azrael immediately told Lord Kazuma. "Thus, I know exactly how the 'Dark Magician' deck works, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Underestimate me at your own peril."

"Is that so? Well then, allow me to take the first turn for this duel." Lord Kazuma decided. "My turn! I activate the Field Spell card, Magician's Salvation. When this card is activated, I can Set one copy of 'Eternal Soul' directly from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he took and Set to his Spell and Trap card zone. "Next, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Hand Destruction. Now 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 new cards from the top of their respective decks.

"I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Piercing the Darkness. Once per turn, if I Normal or Special Summon a non-Token Normal monster, I can draw the top card of my deck. In addition, I activate the effect of Magicians' Soul from my hand. By sending a Level 6 or higher Spellcaster monster from my deck to my Graveyard, I can activate one of two effects. I send Dark Magician from my deck to my Graveyard to activate Magicians' Souls second effect. By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl' from my hand or Graveyard to my field. Now come from the Graveyard, Dark Magician!" After Lord Kazuma sent a card from his hand to his field, a spellcaster in dark blue armour with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on his field. On the edges of the plates were curved trimmings of contrasting shade. He had blue-coloured skin and white hair, and in his right hand was a dark blue rod.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"If memory serves, Eternal Soul's effect protects your Dark Magician monsters from my card effects, and also lets you activate one of two effects per turn. But should it leave your field, then all your monsters are destroyed, am I not correct?" Azrael recalled in a bored tone.

"Thus making it a gamble card." Wraith finished.

Lord Kazuma narrowed his eyes. Since this guy already dueled my mentor, he knows how the 'Dark Magician' deck works. But little does this guy know, I put in some new cards in my deck recently. Ones that will help in winning this duel, he thought in his mind. "Since I Special Summoned Dark Magician, Piercing the Darkness lets me draw a card from the top of my deck." Lord Kazuma drew the top card of his deck, then added, "I activate Magician's Salvation's second effect. Once per turn, if I Normal or Special Summon Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl, I can target one of those monsters and Special Summon either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard, as long as its name is different than the targeted monster. I target Dark Magician, and Special Summon Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard to my field!" A teenage girl in blue robes with a pink skirt and small pink cape winked at Azrael as she appeared beside Dark Magician on Lord Kazuma's field. She had long, blond spiky hair that extended to the middle of her back. On top of her head was a blue wizard's hat with pink rings encircling it. She also wore high-heeled blue boots with pink rings as well. In her hands, she carried a scepter.

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

"I'm not done yet. I activate Soul Servant's second effect from my Graveyard. By banishing this card, I can draw cards equal to the number of 'Palladium', Dark Magician, and 'Dark Magician Girl' monsters with different names on my Field and in my Graveyard. I currently have Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on my field, which means I can draw two cards from the top of my deck." Lord Kazuma then drew the top two cards of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, The Eye of Timaeus. When this card is activated, I can target a Dark Magician monster I control and Fusion Summon using both it and this card as Fusion Material! Emerge, Timaeus!" At Lord Kazuma's command, a four-legged turquoise dragon appeared on his field. The dragon had large fins on the sides of his head, with two large horns on the top. But what was evident the most about Timaeus was the scar that went over his right eye.

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

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

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

"Just a heads up, not only is Dark Magician the Dragon Knight also treated as Dark Magician while he's on my field or in my Graveyard, you can no longer target or destroy my Spell and Trap cards while he's on the field." Lord Kazuma informed Azrael. "Also, Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician or Magician of Black Chaos in our Graveyards." As if on cue, Dark Magician Girl was surrounded in a magical aura, which increased her strength.

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

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

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Eternal Soul!" Lord Kazuma interrupted. "Now every 'Dark Magician' monster on my field is unaffected by your card effects."

"And thanks to Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, I can no longer target or destroy Eternal Soul. I'm aware of this, Kazuma, and if you think that will stop me, you're sorely mistaken." Azrael boringly countered. "Since there are no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon Cychaic Slave from my hand to my field." A man who wore tattered clothing on his body appeared on Azrael's field. Strapped to his back was a large wine jar, which he struggled to carry.

Cychaic Slave ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 1

"I also summon Cychaic Duo Vulture from my hand to my field." A large, two-headed bird with brown and black skin, along with two tails, appeared on Azrael's field. Sprouting from its conjoined neck was a pair of small, sharp feathers that resembled spikes. Each of its heads had a large beak and blue eyes.

Cychaic Duo Vulture ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400 LV: 4

"If Duo Vulture would be used to Link Summon a Link monster, it can be treated as two materials once per duel." Azrael informed Lord Kazuma, much to his surprise. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cychaic' Link monsters. I set Cychaic Slave, and Duo Vulture, which is treated as two Link materials, into the Link Markers!" Slave went into the top arrowhead, while Duo Vulture went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all three of them red.

"Ruthless emperor of Rome! Revel in the blood of your enemies, and drive them into eternal despair!" Azrael chanted. "Link Summon! Come forth! Link 3! Cychaic Lucius Tiberius!" A young, male adult wearing silver armour, along with a black military jacket that had gold highlights over his shoulders appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had short, dark red hair and purple eyes, which glowed as he let out a psychotic growl. In his right hand, he carried a silver sword that had a red hilt, as well as crimson lines on the sides.

Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"Since Slave was used to Link Summon a 'Cychaic' Link monster, I can Special Summon him right back to my field." Lucius Tiberius threw a chain into the Graveyard portal before dragging Slave right back to Azrael's field in defense position, who groaned in pain in response.

Cychaic Slave ATK: 400 DEF: 400 LV: 1

"I'll have you know that Lucius Tiberius was the one who dealt the final blow against your mentor. Just like him, you will fall by his blade." Azrael said. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cychaic Cruelty." The card showed a roman soldier whipping a criminal tied to a log multiple times as the crowd watched him scream out of pain, much to Lucius Tiberius's delight. "By destroying a 'Cychaic' card on my field or in my hand, I can-."

"Sorry, but I won't let that happen! Continuous-Trap, activate! Magicians' Combination!" Lord Kazuma interjected, having looked up both it and Lucius Tiberius's effects on his duel disk. "Once per turn, this card lets me tribute either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl to Special Summon one or the other from my hand or Graveyard, as long as its name is different. By doing so, I can negate the activated effect. I tribute Dark Magician Girl to bring back Dark Magician!" A gateway then appeared from the card, which Dark Magician emerged from, while Dark Magician Girl went into it.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

The card then fired a wave of energy at Cruelty, greying it out in the process. There's no way I'll let this guy break my field apart. Not after I set it up so magnificently, Lord Kazuma thought in his mind. Out loud, he said, "Magician's Salvation's second effect activates once again. Once per turn, if I Normal or Special Summon Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl, I can target one of those monsters and Special Summon either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard, as long as its name is different than the targeted monster. I target Dark Magician, and Special Summon Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard to my field!" Within moments, Dark Magician Girl reappeared on Lord Kazuma's field in defense position.

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

"Huh. So he can use his Field Spell card's effect during our turn as well." Wraith commented.

"It's nothing more than a minor inconvenience, Wraith. One I can easily work around." Azrael told Wraith. "I activate Lucius Tiberius's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' monster in my hand or field to add one 'Cychaic' card from my deck to my hand. In addition, I can activate one of three effects depending on the card I added with this effect."

"What?" Lord Kazuma gasped out of surprise. He didn't expect to hear that. Still, Lucius Tiberius's attack points weren't that threatening, and even if Azrael used the first effect of Lucius Tiberius to double his attack points, he was prepared to survive it. All in all, Lord Kazuma was prepared for anything Azrael would throw against him.

"I destroy Elephantaur in my hand, and add the Monster card Cychaic Caladrius from my deck to my hand." As if on cue, a card in Azrael's hand turned into particles. "Since I added a Monster card with Lucius Tiberius's effect, his attack points are doubled until the end of my next turn. In addition, Elephantaur's effect also activates. As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can shuffle one card on your field back into your deck. I shuffle Piercing the Darkness back into your deck." After Piercing the Darkness turned into particles, a red aura surrounded Lucius Tiberius, who psychotically grinned in the process as he powered up.

Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 2500 X 2 = 5000

"Ah, I understand why you did that, Azrael. If you shuffled Eternal Soul back into his deck, the field-wipe effect won't activate, as per the rulebook." Wraith said.

"That's correct, Wraith. And besides. I want to see whether this guy can put up a better fight than his mentor did." Azrael replied just loud enough for Lord Kazuma to hear, who gritted his teeth in anger in response. "Battle! Cychaic Lucius Tiberius attacks Dark Magician the Dragon Knight! Floras Florent!" Lucius Tiberius charged forward, the sword in his hands having now been surrounded by blood-red flames. Before Dark Magician the Dragon Knight could even react, he was cleaved in two, which caused an explosion that pushed Lord Kazuma back several feet.

Lord Kazuma: 4000 – 2000 = 2000 LP

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"I activate the effect of Magikuriboh from my hand." Lord Kazuma stated. "Since I took battle or effect damage, I can send this card from my hand to my Graveyard to Special Summon 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl' from my deck or Graveyard to my field. From my deck, I Special Summon a second copy of Dark Magician." A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he took and played. Soon after, a second copy of Dark Magician appeared on his field.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"In that case, I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Azrael concluded, before letting out a sigh of boredom. "Despite losing half of your life points, you brought out another monster at your beck and call. Though it won't do you much good."

"What do you mean by that?" Lord Kazuma asked.

"I mean that no matter how many cards you use against me, they'll all be for naught, as I already know how this duel will end." Azrael simply answered.

"Aren't you being arrogant. I mean, the duel's just begun, and anything can happen."

"I'm not arrogant. I'm confident that the duel will end in my victory." Azrael clarified. "Your mentor thought the same thing, and he lost. But still, two turns remain for you to show me your motivation and do what he could not. That is, if you can even show it to me."

"My turn! I draw!" Lord Kazuma said, drawing the top card of his deck and looking at it. Yes, he thought. This will work out, and considering how this guy needs to destroy his cards to activate effects, it's practically the perfect counter against him. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Dark Magical Circle. When this card is activated, I can look at the top three cards of my deck for a 'Dark Magician' or a Spell or Trap card listing 'Dark Magician' specifically in its text. Then by revealing it to you, I get to add it to my hand." Lord Kazuma looked at the top three cards of his deck before choosing one. "I reveal to you the Quick-Play Spell card, Illusion Magic, and add it to my hand." He took the declared card and added it to his hand. "I now activate Eternal Soul's other effect, which either lets me Special Summon 'Dark Magician' from my hand or Graveyard, or add a copy of 'Thousand Knives' or 'Dark Magic Attack' from my deck to my hand. I choose effect one, and since Dark Magician the Dragon Knight's name is 'Dark Magician' in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon him back to my field." At Lord Kazuma's command, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

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

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2300 – 300 = 2000

"Dark Magical Circle's effect! Whenever Dark Magician is Normal or Special Summoned, I can target one card you control and banish it. I target and banish Lucius Tiberius!"

"...How ignorant you are, thinking you actually have the advantage over me." Azrael admonished Lord Kazuma, which made the latter blink. "Do you really think I haven't anticipated you doing this? Just as I said earlier, I know how the 'Dark Magician' deck works, and have ways to respond to its multiple strategies."

"What?!" Lord Kazuma gasped.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Cychaic Floralia!" The card showed Lucius Longinus and several roman soldiers releasing Wolf, Cinnamon Bird, Catoblepas, and Strix out of their cages as roman citizens scattered beans around the ground. "While this card is on my field, my 'Cychaic' cards on the field can't be banished by your card effects."

"Tch." Lord Kazuma grit his teeth. That didn't sound good at all, as now he can't banish Azrael's cards.

"I also activate Floralia's second effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a 'Cychaic' card in my hand or on my field to not only shuffle a 'Cychaic' card from my Graveyard back into my deck, but draw a card as well. I destroy Slave on my field, and shuffle Judgment Cut back into my deck." Azrael continued, as Slave turned into particles. A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and shuffled into his deck before drawing the top card of his deck. "Slave's effect! As he was destroyed by a card effect, one 'Cychaic' monster I control gains 400 attack points until the end of this turn. I choose Lucius Tiberius." Lucius Tiberius was surrounded in a red aura, which powered him up further.

Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 5000 + 400 = 5400

I can't use Magician's Combination or Magician's Salvation's effects because I don't have a Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl in my Graveyard, Lord Kazuma thought in his mind. Still, it was a good thing he had ways to rectify this situation. "I overlay my two Level 7 Dark Magicians!" Lord Kazuma's hand glowed yellow as a galaxy portal appeared behind him. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Both Dark Magicians turned into dark blue streams of energy that entered the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Magician from another dimension! Come to me, and unleash a magical reckoning on my enemies!" Lord Kazuma chanted. "Xyz Summon! Rise, Rank 7! Ebon Illusion Magician!" A magician in dark-blue and purple armour with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on Lord Kazuma's field in the Main Monster Zone Lucius Tiberius pointed to. On the edges of the plates were curved trimmings of contrasting shade. He had dark skin with black eyes underneath his eyelids, as well as long, blond hair. In his right hand, he carried a long scepter that had a red orb in the middle of a golden circle.

Ebon Illusion Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 RNK: 7 OU: 2

"I activate Ebon Illusion Magician's effect. Once per turn, I can detach one Overlay Unit to Special Summon one Spellcaster Normal monster from my hand or deck. Rise from my deck, a third copy of Dark Magician." After an Overlay Unit went into Ebon Illusion Magician's scepter, a card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he took and played. Soon, a third copy of Dark Magician appeared on his field.

Ebon Illusion Magician OU: 2 – 1 = 1

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"I summon Magician of White Feathers from my hand to my field." A male magician who wore white-coloured armour with sharp, feather-like plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on his field. On his head was a white-coloured top hat that had the Dark Magical Circle emblem on it.

Magician of White Feathers ATK: 1500 DEF: 1100 LV: 4

"When Magician of White Feathers is Normal or Special Summoned while I control a Dark Spellcaster monster with a different name on my field, I can draw one card from the top of my deck!" Lord Kazuma explained, as he drew the top card of his deck. Now this will certainly help him out! "Prepare yourself for this, Azrael! I tune the Level 4 Magician of White Feathers to the Level 7 Dark Magician!" A bolt of green lightning struck Lord Kazuma, the world greying out and his two monsters disappearing into particles in the process. Two rings, which were coloured white and purple, appeared before turning blue and merging. Eleven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "4 + 7" in front of them. The screen then changed to "11" as light surged through the rings.

"Great magician of the dark arts! Set the stage with your ascended dark magic, and unleash a climax that will be etched in our memories forever!" Lord Kazuma chanted. "Synchro Summon! Arise, Level 11! Dark Magician Showtime!" A spellcaster in dark, red armour with multiple, shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on his field. On the edges of the plates were curved trimmings of contrasting shade. He had dark, brown-coloured skin and grey hair, along with grey-coloured eyes. Covering his eyes was a devil's mask, which was coloured red and black. On the center of his chest was a red and black-coloured bowtie, which had an adamant orb on its sides. In his right hand, he carried a scepter that had four spikes at the top.

Dark Magician Showtime ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 11

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2300 + 300 = 2600

"Hmph. So you managed to Xyz and Synchro summon in one turn. We'll see whether it will be enough for you to try and defeat me." Azrael boringly muttered.

"I activate Dark Magician Showtime's first effect!" Lord Kazuma continued. "When he's Synchro Summoned, I can target one Spellcaster on my field and have it gain 1000 attack points. You can't activate cards or effects in response to this as well! I target Dark Magician Showtime!" A magical aura surrounded Dark Magician Showtime, which increased his strength.

Dark Magician Showtime ATK: 2500 + 1000 = 3500

"In addition, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Illusion Magic. By tributing a Spellcaster monster on my field, I can add up to two copies of Dark Magician from my deck and/or Graveyard to my hand. I tribute Dark Magician Girl." After Dark Magician Girl turned into particles, two cards popped out of Lord Kazuma's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. "Dark Magician Showtime's second effect now activates! Once per turn, when I activate a Spell or Trap card, I can double his attack and defense points until the end of this turn!" Dark Magician Showtime laughed, which increased his strength.

Dark Magician Showtime ATK: 3500 X 2 = 7000 DEF: 2500 X 2 = 5000

"Battle!" Lord Kazuma declared. "Dark Magician Showtime attacks Cychaic Lucius Tiberius! Magical Finale!" Dark Magician Showtime leapt forward, his scepter being covered in magical energy before firing it at Lucius Tiberius, who groaned in pain. The spikes on his scepter then closed altogether, allowing Dark Magician Showtime to pierce through Lucius Tiberius completely before destroying him, which caused a massive explosion as a result. With the task done, Dark Magician Showtime leapt back to Lord Kazuma's field.

"And with your monster gone, it's time to-!" Lord Kazuma gasped after seeing the smoke clear, which showed a bird that had silver pieces of armour on its head and wings on Azrael's field. Beside it was Lucius Tiberius, who was in the Main Monster Zone. What's more, Floralia was no longer on Azrael's field.

Cychaic Caladrius ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2

Cychaic Lucius Tiberius ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"How? How the Hell are you still in this duel?!" Lord Kazuma demanded.

"I activated the effect of Cychaic Caladrius from my hand." Azrael began explaining calmly. "When a 'Cychaic' monster I control is destroyed by battle and I would take damage, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' card on my field to not only Special Summon this card and the destroyed 'Cychaic' monster back to my field, but also reduce the battle damage to zero. As such, I destroyed Floralia with Caladrius' effect."

"Oh, and in case you had any hopes of attacking with your other monsters, Caladrius' second effect ends the Battle Phase." Wraith pointed out, much to Lord Kazuma's ire.

"Lucius Tiberius's second effect also activates. Since he was destroyed by battle or card effect, your life points are halved." Azrael added with a humorous smirk.

"WHAT? That's just broken!" Lord Kazuma protested, much to Azrael and Wraith's enjoyment.

"We live in an unequal world, boy. You of all people should be aware of that." Azrael scolded Lord Kazuma, before thrusting his right hand at the latter. "Go, Bloody Reprisal!" A ghostly version of Lucius Tiberius appeared on Azrael's field before charging straight towards Lord Kazuma and slashing him with his sword, which resulted in him nearly falling on one knee.

Lord Kazuma: 2000 / 2 = 1000 LP

"Last but not least, Floralia's third and final effect activates. As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can banish one card on your field."

"Oh no!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed, shocked upon knowing which card Azrael will banish.

"I banish Eternal Soul!" Azrael declared, as it turned into particles. "And since it left the field, all your monsters are destroyed!"

"Every. Single. One." Wraith added in support, pointing to all three of Lord Kazuma's monsters. Soon, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, Dark Magician Showtime, and Ebon Illusion Magician all turned into particles, much to Lord Kazuma's horror.

"In that case, I activate Dark Magician Showtime's third and final effect. Once, if he leaves the field, I can Special Summon him right back to my field. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of my Spell or Trap cards for the rest of this turn. Rise again, Dark Magician Showtime!" Lord Kazuma countered, as Dark Magician Showtime reappeared on his field.

Dark Magician Showtime ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 11

"And since Dark Magician Showtime's name is also 'Dark Magician', that means I can use Magician's Salvation's second effect to bring Dark Magician Girl right back to my field!" Within moments, Dark Magician Girl reappeared on his field as well.

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

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + (300 X 2) = 2600

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Lord Kazuma concluded. It's okay, Lord Kazuma. You got your Dark Magicians back, and you also have your face-down card as well. That means you can use the effects of Magicians' Combination and Salvation, and with his Trap card gone, I can now banish his cards. Just survive this turn, and you'll be okay, he assured himself in his mind.

Azrael tilted his head upon seeing Lord Kazuma recover from the loss of his monsters. "Interesting. In spite of losing your best monsters, you were able to bring others out to defend yourself."

"We Knights of Hanoi have ways of adapting to the situation, and have become stronger since the Tower of Hanoi. So if you think I'll just roll over and let you finish me off this turn, you're making a big mistake, asshole!" Lord Kazuma responded.

"You say that like it's a certainty. Then again, let's see what the next turn brings, shall we? My turn! I draw!" Azrael drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Lucius Tiberius's effect. Once per turn, I can-."

"We are not going through that again! I activate Magicians' Combination's effect!" Lord Kazuma interjected. "Once per turn, this card lets me tribute either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl to Special Summon one or the other from my hand or Graveyard, as long as its name is different. By doing so, I can negate the activated effect. I tribute Dark Magician Girl to bring back Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, whose name is Dark Magician while on my field or in my Graveyard,!" A gateway then appeared from the card, which Dark Magician emerged from, while Dark Magician the Dragon Knight reappeared on Lord Kazuma's field.

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

The card then fired a wave of energy at Lucius Tiberius, greying him out in the process.

"And because I Normal or Special Summoned 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl', I can use Magician's Salvation's effect to target one of those monsters and bring the opposite out right back to my field. As such, I target Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, and bring Dark Magician Girl right back to my field!" Once again, Dark Magician Girl reappeared on his field.

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

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"In addition, as I activated a Spell or Trap card, Dark Magician Showtime's attack and defense points are doubled until the end of this turn." Lord Kazuma added, as Dark Magician Showtime laughed for a second time, his strength having increased in the process.

Dark Magician Showtime ATK: 2500 X 2 = 5000 DEF: 2500 X 2 = 5000

"Last but not least, since I Special Summoned Dark Magician, I can target one card on your field and banish it! I target and banish Lucius Tiberius!"

Azrael watched calmly as Dark Magical Circle fired a blast of energy at Lucius Tiberius, which turned him into particles.

"He's certainly proven to be quite versatile." Wraith admitted.

"Indeed. It's about time he showed me some motivation." Azrael agreed, before going back to the duel. "I activate the Spell card, Cychaic Reborn, which lets me target one 'Cychaic' monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. Be reborn, Elephantaur!" A pale-skinned elephant standing on its hind legs appeared on Azrael's field. It had frontal paws with claws that were shaped like human hands. It also had sharp tusks and a snout with a spiked ball on it, along with a red cloth wrapping all three together. The pale-skinned elephant even wore bronze armour protecting its arms, waist, tusks and even snout.

Cychaic Elephantaur ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LV: 8

"Elephantaur's effect! Once per turn, I can shuffle up to three 'Cychaic' monsters in my Graveyard to my deck and Extra Deck, and then I can destroy one card you control for each monster shuffled back into my deck. Also, if a 'Cychaic' Link monster is shuffled into my Extra Deck by this effect, I can negate the effects of one monster on your field."

"What?!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed.

"I shuffle Lemures, Slave, and Duo Vulture into my deck, and destroy Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, Dark Magician Showtime, and Dark Magician Girl." Azrael immediately decided, as three cards popped out of his deck, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Once that was done, Elephantaur let out a massive screech that destroyed all three of Lord Kazuma's monsters.

"I activate the effect of Magikuriboh from my Graveyard." Lord Kazuma responded. "Since a Spellcaster monster I control was destroyed by battle or card effect, I can add it right back to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"In that case, I summon Cychaic Crocodile from my hand to my field." A dark-green skinned crocodile with yellow eyes appeared on Azrael's field.

Cychaic Crocodile ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"Crocodile's effect! Once per turn, when it's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Cychaic' card from my deck to my hand. I add Cychaic Record from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Azrael's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Appear, the circuit of absolute power!" A Link Portal appeared above Azrael. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cychaic' monsters. I set Cychaic Caladrius, Elephantaur, and Crocodile into the Link Markers!" Caladrius went into the top arrowhead, Elephantaur went into the bottom arrowhead, and Crocodile went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Wielder of the holy lance! Conquer your enemies and revel in your growing power!" Azrael chanted. "Link Summon! Come forth! Link 3! Cychaic Lucius Longinus!" A large, muscular man wearing silver armor with gold trim appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His helm bore wings and a crimson plume, which was attached to the back. He had short hair, along with a long, braided tail trailing down the back. In his right hand, he carried a red lance, while he carried a massive shield in his left arm.

Cychaic Lucius Longinus ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️⬇️

Azrael put a hand to his chin and pondered for a few moments, trying to get his thoughts in order. "This is it. After this attack, just like your mentor, you will lose on this turn. What's more, you're just as weak as he was before his death."

"Well, since you're so sure you'll defeat me this turn, allow me to ask you two questions." Lord Kazuma replied. "One: Why did you kill my mentor? Two: Why is it you wanted to duel me? You could have gone after Revolver, or any of the other Hanoi. While I'm glad for the opportunity to defeat you and try to avenge my mentor, I want to know your reason on why you chose to duel me."

"Very well. I suppose I might as well tell you, seeing as how you'll lose after Lucius Longinus attacks and delivers the winning blow." Azrael complied, as he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a purple program to pop up, It scanned him for a few moments before it turned to sphere, which went over to Wraith. "Why don't you play the footage for our guest, Wraith?"

"It'd be my pleasure, Azrael." Wraith responded, before pressing the top of the sphere, which surrounded the entire duel field in a hologram. In the footage, Lord Kazuma saw Kazuma Saromi navigating through a series of traps in what looked like to be a dungeon. His eyes widened, having recognized that dungeon from the pictures Kazuma showed him.

"That's... that's the dungeon Kazuma told me about..." Lord Kazuma recognized. "The one containing the Cyberse cards..."

"Correct. When rumours of Cyberse cards began spreading around in the network, many people tried to get them, only for each one to fail trying." Azrael explained. "Your mentor was able to get past each of the traps and navigate towards the end of the dungeon." The footage then showed Kazuma encountering Azrael himself, who kept his guard up, as if knowing that he was the guardian of the dungeon.

"Oh no... Don't tell me..." Lord Kazuma gasped, afraid on what was going to happen next.

"Azrael and I went to the dungeon, where we observed multiple types of people failing to get the cards." Wraith continued. "As each of them fell, we saw one thing they had in common with one another."

"And what would that be?"

"They were unworthy." Azrael answered. "Their greedy nature was what led them to ruin, for each person wanted the cards for selfish reasons, not selfless ones. Just before Kazuma was able to reach the final room, I stood in his way. I told him that if he wanted the cards, he had to get past me." The footage then showed both Azrael and Kazuma activating their duel disks, their duel having begun.

"No... Please..." Lord Kazuma pleaded, tears now beginning to form in his eyes as the footage fast forwarded, which showed Azrael with Lucius Tiberius, while Kazuma had a weakened Dark Magician, and only Dark Magical Circle. Azrael pointed his right index finger at Kazuma, with Lucius Tiberius charging forward and striking Dark Magician with his sword. As a result, an explosion occurred that pushed Kazuma back several feet just near the pit of spikes, who fell on one knee out of exhaustion.

Azrael then walked forward, a disappointed look on his face as he unsheathed the Muramasa. Before Kazuma could get up, Azrael stabbed him before kicking his body into the pit of spikes, which impaled him in multiple places as he turned into particles.

"KAZUMA!" Lord Kazuma screamed, the tears falling from his eyes.

"I didn't have any personal grudges against your mentor. He was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time." Azrael finished, the footage now turning off.

"And did you do that to other criminals who attempted to get the Cyberse cards?"

"Of course we did, but only to criminals." Wraith clarified. "As for the other idiots, we simply let the real guardian take care of them."

"I believe I answered your first question." Azrael said. "You said you wanted to know why I chose to duel you of all the Hanoi, right?"

"That's right." Lord Kazuma confirmed, angry tears still falling from his eyes.

"It's simple. It's payback for what you did to Raguel." Azrael answered, which made Lord Kazuma raise an eyebrow.

"Raguel? What does he have to do with this?"

"He's my brother." Azrael explained.

"Y-Y-Your brother? Prove it!"

Complying with Lord Kazuma's request, Azrael took off his mask, which showed his dark-blue coloured eyes. Upon seeing the resemblance, Lord Kazuma gasped out of pure shock as Azrael put his mask right back on his face.

"WHAT?!"

"You put Raguel through quite a lot during the Tower of Hanoi, so consider this revenge for what you did to him." Azrael stated.

"You know something, Azrael? It's just like that time, where you told me of how you protected Raguel and that injured cat from the bullies during your childhood." Wraith observed, as he turned to Azrael.

"Perhaps." Azrael quietly agreed, before he turned to Lord Kazuma. "With all your questions answered, I might as well end this. Battle!" He thrusted out his right hand. "Cychaic Lucius Longinus attacks you directly! Holy Punishment!" Lucius Longinus charged forward, intent on slashing Lord Kazuma with his lance.

"Trap card, activate! Counter Gate!" Lord Kazuma said. "When you attack me directly, that attack is negated!" A stone wall appeared in front of Lord Kazuma, which blocked the attack and forced Lucius Longinus to retreat back to Azrael's side. "Then I get to draw a card, and if the card I draw is a Monster card, I get to Normal Summon it." Lord Kazuma drew the top card of his deck. "I drew the Level 3 Magician's Rod, which means I can Normal Summon it to my field." A spectral version of a spellcaster with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on Lord Kazuma's field. It carried a long rod in its hands.

Magician's Rod ATK: 1600 DEF: 100 LV: 3

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I get to add a Spell or Trap card that specifically lists the card 'Dark Magician' in its text." He looked through his deck, and upon seeing what he would draw next, made a decision. "I add Magical Dimension from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"In that case, I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Azrael concluded. "Your mentor actually lost against me on this turn. The fact that you did means one thing."

"And what would that be?"

"It means you have one more chance to show me your motivation." Azrael answered. "Even though you demonstrated your skill in utilizing multiple summoning methods, it wasn't enough to even damage me."

"So unless you have a secret weapon up your sleeve, you're pretty much done for." Wraith concluded.

"Done for, you say? Even before I joined the Knights of Hanoi, I was no typical duelist. I survived all these years thanks to my mentor, and in his name, I'll make sure you suffer dearly! My turn! I draw!" Lord Kazuma declared, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Allure of Darkness. This card lets me draw two cards from the top of my deck, but I must banish one Dark monster from my hand in exchange, or else all the cards in my hand are banished. I banish one of the copies of Dark Magician in my hand." After a card turned into particles, he drew the top card of his deck. Yes. This will help him win this turn! But first, he had to bait Azrael. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Magical Dimension. When this card is activated, I can-."

"Sorry, but that's something I won't allow you to do." Azrael suddenly stated, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Counter-Trap, activate! Cychaic Record! When you activate a card effect, I can not only negate that effect, but also destroy it as well! What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to both of this card's effects!"

"Well, at least I got rid of that card..." Lord Kazuma muttered to himself, as a massive stone tablet appeared before firing a blast of dark-blue energy at Magical Dimension, turning it into particles. He really could have used Magical Dimension. Then again, there was only so much you can do in a turn.

"I also activate Record's second effect from my Graveyard. As I control a 'Cychaic' Link monster the turn it was activated, I can destroy one 'Cychaic' card on my field and one card on your field. And like before, you can't activate any cards or effects in response to both of Record's effects. I destroy the face-down Trap card, Cychaic Entrapment, and Dark Magical Circle on your field." Within a moment or two, the massive stone tablet reappeared before firing a blast of dark-blue energy at the face-down Entrapment and Dark Magical Circle, turning both of them into particles. "Entrapment's second effect! As it was destroyed by a card effect, I can send a card you control to your Graveyard. As such, I send Magicians' Combination to your Graveyard." A silhouette of a card appeared on Azrael's field, which showed Leo falling into a pit with a dead lamb on a stick as it tried to grab its prey, roman soldiers watching nearby behind the bushes. The card then glowed, which turned Magicians' Combination into particles.

Since Magicians' Combination was sent to the Graveyard, I can't activate its second effect. But I don't need it now. Not when I have the cards in my hand that will help me win the duel in the next few turns, Lord Kazuma thought in his mind. "I activate the Ritual Spell card, Chaos Form. This card lets me Ritual Summon any 'Chaos' or 'Black Luster Soldier' Ritual monster by tributing monsters from my hand or field whose levels equal or exceed whose combined levels equal or exceed that of the stated Ritual monster, and then summon it from my hand. In addition, I'm also allowed to banish 'Dark Magician' or 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from my Graveyard to Ritual Summon as well!"

"Oh?" Azrael raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. Maybe Lord Kazuma would be able to show some motivation after all.

"I banish a copy of the Level 7 Dark Magician from my Graveyard, and tribute the Level 1 Magikuriboh from my hand!" A dark blue magic circle with eight flames appeared on his field, along with two monsters.

The first was Dark Magician.

The second was a fluffy hairball with green claws and feet, along with green eyes. He wore a cap that resembled dark magician's cap, and carried a small sceptre in his left hand.

Five cobalt spikes then appeared before both monsters disintegrated into light and entered the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of dark blue light.

"The contract's been made! Magician embodying the power of chaos, drop your restraints, and tear your opponents apart piece by piece!" Lord Kazuma chanted. "Ritual Summon! Emerge on the battlefield! Level 8! Magician of Black Chaos MAX!" A spellcaster wearing pieces of violet armour and cuffs with jewels all over it on his arms and body appeared on Lord Kazuma's field. On the top of his head was a sharp cap with a total of three, spiked ridges. One that went upwards, the other two jutting behind his head. He had green eyes with violet colours surrounding them that went downwards on the light purple skin on his face, while his body had dark-purple skin. He also had long, ghostly purple hair that grew from behind the back of his head, which danced behind him. In his hands, he carried a violet-coloured curved, bilateral sword that had jewels on it.

Magician of Black Chaos MAX ATK: 2800 DEF: 2600 LV: 8

"Interesting. So you were able to bring out a new monster." Azrael commented.

"Correct, and he will be the start of your demise." Lord Kazuma replied. "Starting with this! Once per turn, when he's Special Summoned, I can tribute a monster I control to prevent you from activating monster effects for the rest of this turn."

"What?" Azrael slightly gasped after hearing this.

"Well, I didn't expect that to happen." Wraith admitted, also slightly surprised. Now Azrael couldn't use Lucius Longinus's second effect to Set a 'Cychaic' Spell or Trap card to his field.

"I tribute Magician's Rod!" Lord Kazuma said, as it turned into particles that went into Magician of Black Chaos MAX's curved, bilateral sword, who sliced forward and released a wave of energy that hit Lucius Longinus, preventing him from activating his effect this turn. "Battle! Magician of Black Chaos MAX attacks Cychaic Lucius Longinus! Chaos Sword Slash!" Magician of Black Chaos MAX charged forward and attempted to slash Lucius Longinus, who managed to block it. However, Magician of Black Chaos MAX broke the blade lock and slashed Lucius Longinus so fast that he turned into particles, which made Azrael slightly wince as his life points dropped.

Azrael: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP

"Magician of Black Chaos MAX's second effect activates! As he destroyed a monster by battle, I can target one Spell card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I target and add Dark Magical Circle from my Graveyard to my hand!" A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, which he took and added it to his hand. "Once again, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Dark Magical Circle. Like before, I can look at the top three cards of my deck for a 'Dark Magician' or a Spell or Trap card listing 'Dark Magician' specifically in its text. Then by revealing it to you, I get to add it to my hand." Lord Kazuma looked at the top three cards of his deck before choosing one. "I reveal to you the Trap card, Magician's Navigation." He took the declared card and added it to his hand.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Lord Kazuma concluded. Just one more turn, Lord Kazuma. One more turn you need to survive, and you will be able to defeat this guy once and for all on your next turn, he thought in his mind.

"Hmm." Azrael hummed, thinking over the recent events. "Compared to your mentor, you're a slightly better duelist. Not only did you get through multiple setbacks during our duel, you also managed to keep your field fortified as well. But you hardly showed me any motivation whatsoever, which is why I'll dispose of you like trash on my next turn, just like I did with my other opponents. Just like I did with your mentor."

Lord Kazuma, upon hearing this, laughed. "My undoing? Big talk from a man who not only has no cards on his field, but also will have only one card in his hand on his next turn. Once your turn's over, the duel will end in my victory!"

"A single card can change the outcome of a duel. You of all people should know that, buddy!" Wraith pointed out, before turning to Azrael. "Please finish this clown off."

"Of course, Wraith. After all, this trash is nothing more than a waste of time." Azrael agreed. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Cychaic Venator from my hand to my field." A roman soldier with dark skin who wore silver armour, shin pads, and vambraces appeared on Azrael's field. While the silver armour had a lion emblem on the left portion of the chest, wolf emblems were on the vambraces, and eagle emblems were on the shin pads. Covering the top of his head was a red hood that had the lion emblem stitched to it. Strapped to his left side was a sword, while a bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to his back.

Cychaic Venator ATK: 1800 DEF: 900 LV: 4

"When Venator is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cychaic' monster from my deck or Graveyard. Be reborn, Crocodile!" Venator threw a rope into the Graveyard portal before pulling Crocodile out, who moaned as it reappeared on Azrael's field.

Cychaic Crocodile ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"Crocodile's effect! Just like before, I can add one 'Cychaic' card from my deck to my hand. I add the Spell card Cychaic Fusion from my deck to my hand." Azrael calmly reminded Lord Kazuma, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Fusion, you say? There's no way in Hell I'll let you do that! Not when I'm this close to defeating you!" Lord Kazuma interrupted, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Magician's Navigation! I can Special Summon one 'Dark Magician' from my hand, as well as one Level 7 or lower Dark Spellcaster monster from my deck. From my hand, I Special Summon Dark Magician, and from my deck, I Special Summon Apprentice Illusion Magician!" After a card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck, he grabbed it before playing two cards, which caused two monsters to appear on his field.

The first was obviously Dark Magician.

The second was a woman in purple robes and hat, along with high heel boots. She had spiky, white hair that went to the back of her neck. In her hand was her own scepter.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Apprentice Illusion Magician ATK: 2000 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"I'd normally use Apprentice Illusion Magician's effect, but as I have no 'Dark Magician' monsters in my deck, nothing happens. However, Magician's Salvation's effect activates. Once per turn, if I Normal or Special Summon Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl, I can target one of those monsters and Special Summon either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard, as long as its name is different than the targeted monster. I target Dark Magician, and Special Summon Dark Magician Girl from my Graveyard to my field!" Within moments, Dark Magician Girl reappeared on Lord Kazuma's field in defense position.

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

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"Last but not least, as Dark Magician was Normal or Special Summoned, Dark Magical Circle's effect lets me target one card on your field and banish it. I target and banish Venator!" Lord Kazuma immediately decided, as Dark Magical Circle fired a blast of energy at Venator, turning him into particles. "You see? There's no way you can defeat me now! All you can do is end your turn, as the moment you do, I win and avenge my mentor! Serves you right for what you not only did to me, but to the Hanoi as well!"

"Is that what you think? Then allow me to correct that misconception of yours." Azrael smirked. "I activate the Spell card, Cychaic Fusion!" The card showed Wolf coloured purple and Cinnamon Bird coloured red circling around a vortex in a dark, glowing background. In the middle of the vortex was a dark-blue demonic crest that had two mirage blades making an X, as well as a katana slashing it down the middle. "This card lets me Fusion Summon one 'Cychaic' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by destroying 'Cychaic' monsters that are in my hand or on my field."

"You can't do that! You only have one monster on your field!" Lord Kazuma retorted.

"I do." Azrael conceded. "But if you control a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, or Link monster, I can destroy 'Cychaic' monsters in my Extra Deck as well." He grinned upon seeing Lord Kazuma's shocked expression. "I destroy Crocodile on my field, and Leonidas in my Extra Deck!" A silhouette of a male warrior wearing a golden spartan helmet and a long red cape appeared on Azrael's field. He wore golden shin guards on his forearms and lower legs, along with golden boots. Red lines were artistically drawn all over his body. In his right hand, he carried a spear, while a golden large shield was strapped on his left forearm.

Soon after, Crocodile turned into red particles, while Leonidas turned into blue particles, the both of them going upwards and swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Ruler of the Underworld! Rise to the surface, and claim dominion over all those who are defiant to your power!" Azrael chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth, Level 8! Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld!" A tall man wearing long, dark-green ghostly robes over silver armour with red emblems on it appeared on Azrael's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a helmet that had a skull mask covering his face, as well as a plume attached to the top of it. Strapped to his shoulders were a pair of large bones that had a small skull at the end of them, as well as a curved horn jutting out at each end. In his right hand, he wielded a long, two-pronged scepter.

Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

Lord Kazuma clenched his fists upon seeing what happened. "You still managed to Fusion Summon, even after I tried to stop you..." he hissed.

"The effects of Crocodile and Leonidas both activate. First, when Crocodile is destroyed by a card effect, I can choose one 'Cychaic' card in my deck and place it on top of my deck." Azrael chose a card from his deck before placing it on top of it. "Second, as Leonidas was destroyed by a card effect, I can target one 'Cychaic' monster in my Graveyard with a different name and Special Summon it back to my field. Be reborn, Crocodile!" At Azrael's command, Crocodile reappeared on his field once again.

Cychaic Crocodile ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"I now activate Pluto's first effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a 'Cychaic' card on my field to negate the effects of all cards you control that are the same type as the destroyed card. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to both of this card's effects." Azrael continued. "I destroy Crocodile, which means I can negate the effects of all monsters you control! Ethereal Suppression!" After Crocodile turned into particles, it orbited around Pluto's scepter, who fired a blast of energy at Lord Kazuma's monsters, who all fell on one knee in pain as each one greyed out. "And for every card negated by this effect, Pluto gains 300 attack and defense points."

"Since a total of three monster effects were negated, Pluto gains 900 attack and defense points." Wraith summed up, as a ghostly aura surrounded Pluto, which increased his strength.

Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld ATK: 3000 + (300 X 3) = 3900 DEF: 2500 + (300 X 3) = 3400

"No! No, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" Lord Kazuma exclaimed, pure terror on his face.

"It is happening, Kazuma. Consider this your rightful judgment!" Azrael responded, before thrusting out his right hand. "Battle! Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld attacks Dark Magician! Despairful Tyranny!" Pluto fired a blast of ghostly energy at Dark Magician with his left hand, which pulled the latter to his scepter as he got impaled by it. Raising his scepter high into the air, it was covered with ghostly energy that turned Dark Magician into eerie spirits of himself, which raced toward Lord Kazuma as he screamed out of pure fear. He tried to fight off the spirits, but they simply surrounded him as he screamed even more. Within moments, an explosion occurred that sent Lord Kazuma flying off the ground before he landed on his back, the duel having been concluded.

Lord Kazuma: 1000 – 1400 = 0

As Lord Kazuma tried to get up on his feet, he saw Azrael slowly walk towards him.

"The Hanoi... they will defeat you. They will... put an end to your plan... They... will..." Lord Kazuma muttered with a glare.

"I doubt they will succeed." Azrael replied. "Want to know why? I had you and the Hanoi wiretapped this entire time, which allowed me to know your moves, strategies, and operations."

"What?" Lord Kazuma weakly gasped.

"I was one step ahead of you this entire time, and the only reason the Hanoi lives is because I allowed it. To put it simply, if I wanted to, I could have blown your boat up right now." Azrael smirked back, which made Lord Kazuma widen his eyes out of pure horror.

We... we were in the palm of this guy's hand this entire time, Lord Kazuma realized. He then noticed his right hand beginning to turn into particles. "What's... what's going on?"

"Your consciousness data is mine now, Kazuma." Azrael answered. "A suitable punishment for someone like you."

"Damn you! Damn you!" Lord Kazuma screamed, as he turned into particles, which formed into a ball before going over to Azrael.

"How do you feel, my lord?" Malf asked, as he walked over to where Azrael was.

"Satisfied now that I got my revenge." Azrael confirmed, before turning around and giving Malf the consciousness data. "Consider this a snack so you can get stronger."

"I'm grateful for the meal, my lord." Malf said, before proceeding to eat it up.

Azrael's duel disk then beeped, which led to him pressing a button on it. As a result, a screen popped up that showed SOL Technologies' bounty hunters entering the scene. Excellent, he thought. More players have arrived. Players that will certainly help me out. "I have new orders for you, Malf."

"Orders, you say?"

"Yes. It's likely Bohman and Playmaker will duel each other once again, with Raguel and Haru doing the same as well. While I monitor their duels, I need you to go hunting. Take care of some duelists that are fighting in the skies, and get stronger." Azrael explained.

"And what about Lightning and Windy? Should I assist them afterwards?"

"No. They should be able to get back to their base, as well as deal with any problems that get in their way." Azrael answered. "But help them should the need arise."

Malf, upon hearing this, bowed out of compliance, a grin on his face. "I will certainly do that, my lord." Summoning his duel board, he then sped off, intent on finding his prey.

Azrael then summoned his duel board and sped off as well. Not only did he get his revenge, he also dealt a powerful blow against the Hanoi. A well-deserved blow at that, especially with everything they've done so far. Still, he was curious on how the Hanoi will respond. Whether they will persevere over this loss and continue fighting, or give up and fall into despair... Azrael wanted to see for himself.

He thought over what he witnessed. The Hanoi nearly destroying Windy, Lightning confessing to destroying the Cyberse World, Slipstream wanting to end Windy's life himself... those were some interesting things Azrael witnessed indeed.

"Are you okay, Azrael?" Wraith asked, which got his attention.

"Yes, I am. Wraith. I'm just thinking of what we learned and saw today, that's all." Azrael assured him.

"Something's on your mind, isn't there?"

"Of course. I never witnessed someone declaring that they'll kill their own Ignis before. I wonder how it will affect Slipstream's motivation down the road."

"Perhaps that's something we'll find out in the future." Wraith replied. "In the meanwhile, let's go see the duels between Bohman and Playmaker, and Raguel and Haru. I'm intrigued on how all four of them grew as duelists. That is, if they did at all."

"Don't worry, all four of them will certainly have evolved. After all, evolution is necessary for growth." Azrael said, now increasing the speed on his duel board and heading towards where the others were. The duels between Bohman and Playmaker, and Raguel and Haru will certainly be interesting to oversee, as knowing was half the battle.

Bohman. Playmaker. Raguel. Haru. It's about time you give me one Hell of a show, he thought in his mind, a smirk now appearing on his face. This was going to be fun and enlightening to see, that's for sure.

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 hooded Yukage, who glares at them, biding his time.

Card Gallery

Azrael:

Cychaic Slave (LV: 1/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 400/DEF: 400)

Effect: If you control no monsters in the Main Monster Zone: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field. If this card is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cychaic' Link Monster: You can Special Summon this card from your GY to your field. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can have 1 'Cychaic' Monster you control gain 400 ATK and DEF until the end of this turn. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Slave' once per turn.

Cychaic Duo Vulture (LV: 4/Cyberse/Wind/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1400)

Effect: Once per Duel, if this card would be used to Link Summon, it can be treated as two Link Materials. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can Special Summon 2 'Cychaic Vulture' tokens to your field in defense position (LV: 2/Cyberse/Wind/ATK: 600/DEF: 700). You can only use this effect of 'Cychaic Duo Vulture' once per turn.

Cychaic Venator (LV: 4/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 1800/DEF: 900)

Effect: When this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 'Cychaic' Monster from your deck or GY. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can take control of 1 Monster your opponent controls, and if you do, treat it as a 'Cychaic' monster until the end of your next turn. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Venator' once per turn.

Cychaic Fusion (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Fusion Summon 1 'Cychaic' Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, by destroying 'Cychaic' Monsters on your field or in your hand. If your opponent controls a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, or Link Monster, you can also destroy 'Cychaic' Monsters in your Extra Deck. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can add 1 'Cychaic' card from your deck or GY to your hand, except this card. You can only activate 1 'Cychaic Fusion' per turn.

Cychaic Cruelty (Quick-Play Spell card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; send 1 card in your opponent's hand or on their field to their GY. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each card in their hand and on their field. You can only activate 1 'Cychaic Cruelty' per turn.

Cychaic Entrapment (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 card on your opponents field; negate its effects until the end of your next turn. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can send 1 card your opponent controls to their GY. You can only activate 1 'Cychaic Entrapment' per turn.

Cychaic Floralia (Continuous-Trap card)

Effect: While this card is on your field, 'Cychaic' cards you control cannot be banished by your opponent's card effects. Once per turn: You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card on your field or in your hand; shuffle 1 'Cychaic' card in your GY into your deck, and if you do, you can draw 1 card from the top of your deck. If this card is destroyed by a card effect: You can banish 1 card your opponent controls.

Cychaic Lucius Tiberius (LR: 3/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 2500/↙️⬆️↘️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Cychaic' monsters. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card on your field; add 1 'Cychaic' card from your deck to your hand, and if you do, activate 1 of the following effects based on the card added to your hand by this effect:
Monster: Double this card's ATK.
Spell: Unaffected by your opponent's card effects.
Trap: If this card battles, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the damage step.
These effects last until the end of your next turn. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: Halve your opponent's LP. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Lucius Tiberius' once per turn.

Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld (LV: 8/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)

Effect: 1 'Cychaic' Link Monster + 1 'Cychaic' Monster. You can destroy 1 'Cychaic' card in your hand or on your field; negate the effects of all cards your opponent controls that are the same type as the destroyed card, and if you do, you can have this card gain 300 ATK and DEF for each card negated by this effect. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 2 'Cychaic' monsters from your deck and/or GY with different names to your field in defense position. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to each of this card's effects. You can only use each effect of 'Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld' once per turn.

QOTC

If the characters of Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS had teams of six Pokémon each, which ones would they have?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 71: Dogfight. Slipstream and Soulburner chase after Lightning and his allies, the former hellbent on destroying Windy and avenging Takeda, the latter intent on stopping Lightning. As the two of them deal with their opponents in separate duels, Malf hunts down his next prey on Azrael's orders...

Chapter 72: Tactical Evolution. Raguel and Playmaker pursue Lightning and his allies, hoping to defeat them before things get further out of hand. Bohman and Haru immediately challenge Playmaker and Raguel to separate duels, both AI's having grown stronger since their previous encounters. Observing both duels is Azrael, wanting to see the growth of both his allies and his opponents...

Chapter 73: Target Locked On. With Lightning having declared war on humanity, Raguel and his allies race to search for the other Ignis, hoping to both protect and convince them to join their side. Unfortunately, Go Onizuka has tracked down Earth, and unleashes the might of the Duel AI Implant Chip in the midst of their duel. Meanwhile, Slipstream intercepts and challenges Blood Shepherd to a duel, determined in preventing him from hunting down Soulburner and Flame…

Chapter 74: Regrets. Having learned about Earth's demise, Raguel joins forces with Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, Numera, and SengokuQueen in the search for Aqua. As Ghost Girl duels against Blood Shepherd, Blue Girl finally learns the truth about Raguel and Miyu's connection, and Raguel's reasons for keeping it a secret for so long. Elsewhere, at Revolver's request, Drachen returns to Uchida Industries, seeking to save the company from Ace's hands...

Chapter 75: Pure Anguish. Wary about potential enemies, Lightning prepares to cut them down one by one, starting with Blood Shepherd. However, Percival and Demeter launch an attack on Lightning's base, hoping to not only stop the war once and for all, but fulfil their own intentions as well...

Author's Notes

Alright, another chapter is complete, folks! I hope you all enjoyed it, as we've now moved past the point of no return, if you get what I mean? Anyhow, I think a quick recap is needed here, don't you agree?

This chapter starts off with the scenes at Lightning's castle. Here, Azrael informs Lightning of his search for Earth, as well as warns him that the fact his algorithm was stolen gives the good guys the chance of curing Miyu. Do you think it's foreshadowing that Miyu may recover sooner than in the anime, where she woke up at the end of Season 2? Let me know what you think.

After the brief discussion is a flashback on when Azrael and Wraith met up with Earth himself. My goal here was to show Earth's hesitation in accepting Azrael and Wraith's help. As much as he wants their assistance, he's wary at the same time. Earth is still trying to decide whether to join humanity or the Ignis in the coming war, and wants Aqua's opinion on the matter before making a decision. This is even after Wraith spoke to Earth while Azrael dueled against Raguel, but after Earth finished his duel with Playmaker and said goodbye here. After all, when you're faced with an important decision such as this, you want to make sure you got input from trusted friends and family first before deciding what to do, right? Nevertheless, Earth accepts Azrael and Wraith's help in searching for Aqua, with Wraith giving Earth two things. The first is a program for him to help find where Aqua is. The second... well, let's just say Wraith wiretapped Earth without him knowing, just like he did with Ai.

Allow me to say something here: What makes Azrael and Wraith dangerous isn't just dueling, it's how they utilize the enemies without them knowing. Even though Ai was able to scramble up what Wraith did to him, he still managed to both wiretap the Hanoi and steal their resources. He now has a company through Ace as his puppet ruler. What's more, Azrael was indirectly responsible for several events, such as the events leading to Miles' mom's death for instance. That's what makes both Azrael and Wraith dangerous villains, just like Lightning. What do you think about this?

Anime events aside, I decided to make one small change. I decided for the Hanoi, Soulburner, and Slipstream to arrive earlier than in the anime, where Revolver informs everyone about what Windy did. While Windy believes that he killed his Origin, Slipstream basically counters that claim by saying he is the Lost Incident victim, not his cousin Takeda, whom Windy killed. For those of you who are confused, I'll say this: Windy had assumed that Takeda was his Origin, not Slipstream, and so tried to kill him. Then, when Windy detected Takeda's signature on the train, he panicked, thinking that Takeda somehow survived the accident and is alive and well. So Windy decided to try and attempt to kill Takeda, but he wasn't there. It was Slipstream travelling on that train, and that was where Raguel ended up saving his life indirectly.

Now that we got the dialogue out of the way, it's time for the main highlight of the chapter. That's right. It's the duel between Azrael and Lord Kazuma himself. During the duel, Azrael not only managed to counter Lord Kazuma's strategies, but also gain the advantage numerous times. In response, Lord Kazuma stayed defiant by ensuring that he was able to make another move during his turns. Here, he isn't his usual jokey self. Lord Kazuma was furious, hellbent on avenging his mentor and eliminating Azrael.

To make things worse, Azrael tells Lord Kazuma what exactly happened to Kazuma Saromi, who is Lord Kazuma's mentor back in Chapter 32. When the dungeon for the Cyberse cards first appeared, numerous people went to try and get them, only for each one to fail. Azrael and Wraith ended up killing people who they know are criminals, deeming them unworthy to wield the cards. Kazuma ended up going to the dungeon one day to acquire the cards so he can sell them, but was stopped by Azrael, the two of them dueling afterwards. And within four turns, Azrael defeated Kazuma before stabbing him with the Muramasa, which was how Kazuma died.

Azrael also told Lord Kazuma why he chose to duel him over the other Hanoi: He was furious with how Lord Kazuma hurt Raguel back during the Tower of Hanoi events, and so wants revenge for what happened. This is despite the fact that Raguel snapped, summoned Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, and defeated Lord Kazuma. It wasn't enough for Azrael. He wanted to get his own revenge. Simple as that.

Lord Kazuma, in the end, used four types of summoning methods to try and defeat Azrael. He was able to not only stay in the duel, but also managed to recover from his losses, as well as deal a small amount of damage to Azrael. Sadly, that wasn't even close to enough, as Azrael defeated Lord Kazuma by using his Fusion monster Cychaic Pluto, God of the Underworld. If Lord Kazuma had survived one more turn, his victory would have been sealed, but it sadly wasn't to be. Still, I made sure Lord Kazuma went out fighting in the end, so I hoped you enjoyed the duel.

From there, Azrael takes Lord Kazuma's consciousness data before ordering Malf to go hunt down duelists and get stronger. While I won't spoil who Malf will duel, I'm sure you guys can figure it out after reading this chapter.

Speaking of chapters, to celebrate the fact that we're almost halfway through Season 2, I decided to post a total of five chapter previews for you guys to look forward to. I do hope you're excited for what's to come.

As for the QOTC that I put up, I want to know what your thoughts are.

Therefore, I want to thank every one of you for reading Chapter 70 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.

What did you enjoy the most of this chapter? The flashback when Azrael and Wraith encountered Earth? The small recap of anime events? The duel? Or was it something else?

Well folks, that's all for now. Stay tuned, as the battle in the skies begins next chapter!