Hello everyone and welcome back to Stand Up, the LRIG!. Hope you all enjoy today's chapter!
Kai's Rented Apartment
"Alright!" called Naoki as he laid out the last of the futons that Ren had previously ventured out into the city to purchase. "Now we'll be able to stick around here without too much difficultly! Right Leon?"
The Narukami user suddenly blinked as he looked towards Leon who was gazing out of the window and into the night sky, curious of the events that had transpired around them since Kai had first vanished from his own world, as a result of Tatsunagi Takuto's abrupt summoning. The Selector Battles, Mayu and the possibility of the Void being present in this world, all of it was a lot to take in at once and he intended on getting to the bottom of the mystery that lay before him and others, much like his friends and allies who were also seeking the same answers so they could hopefully bring an end to the charade in the works. Naoki walked over to him and tried waving to grab the Aqua Force user's attention.
"Um..." he murmured "... Something to do with 'the wind' I guess?"
"That is correct," replied Leon "Even now, I can sense an ominous presence in the air. And yet, I can't quite figure out what that may be."
"I see..." said Naoki as he scratched his head, still not quite getting the gist of Leon's sayings of 'the wind' even to this day.
"Well, he does raise a point," spoke Ren as he laid back on the single sofa present in the living space of the apartment and stretched his arms out wide for a moment. "Something does feel amiss though." Everyone's thoughts were interrupted as they suddenly heard the door open up, revealing a barely standing Kai in their presence. He clutched onto the injury that was present, still wincing in the pain as he struggled over to the group on his feet. Naoki gasped in horror as he quickly went over to his side and helped him over to a nearby chair.
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Nikushimi)
"Kai!" he called "What happened to you?!"
"There's no time to explain...!" Kai groaned as he immediately heaved himself up and over towards the bedroom door. "Right now, Akira has not only stolen Tama from my possession... but she's also taken my entire deck!"
"Akira did this?! Damn it!" the Narukami user growled as he bashed his fists together. "Dragging me into the Selector Battles unaware is one thing, but injuring our friend and stealing from him is taking things too far!" Before Naoki could charge out of the front doorway and down the stairs to the outside of the building, Leon held a hand over his shoulder, motioning for him to stop.
"I understand how you may feel," he spoke "But allowing your rage to cloud your judgment will only result in the situation becoming worse than it already is."
"I already know that!" Naoki replied "But she hurt Kai and took Tama and his deck off of him! We can't just sit around and do nothing! More importantly, where is Aichi?!"
"He went after Akira to Ruko's school...!" Kai answered from the bedroom "Hitoe went with him."
"Alright then, that's where we go!" he said. Before he could run out of the door, it then suddenly hit him that the group, minus Kai had no idea of where Ruko's school was in the first place. "Um... You wouldn't happen to know where exactly this school is, right?"
"I'll lead the way there..." Kai groaned as he exited his bedroom with something clapsed in his right hand. Ren however glanced towards him, knowing exactly what the Kagero user was planning and held out a hand to stop.
"Right now from the way you're holding up, battling is no option for you," he spoke "Even Aichi-kun would agree on that. Besides, you said it yourself that Akira took your deck."
"That may be true..." the Kagero user replied as he struggled to the center of the living space "But not everything..." He then revealed the card Amber Dragon, Eclipse from the deck he was holding to the other cardfighters in the room, indicating that despite the loss of Overlord, he still had the means to fight on. He had previously scrambled together several spare units to form a decent backup deck around the Amber Dragon series that he once used against Kourin and from the way it appeared, he was hoping to battle Akira head on if it meant retrieving Tama along with his stolen deck. If only he knew of the current circumstances surrounding her and Hitoe going on at Ruko's school at the moment.
"I guess then there's no arguing with you then," Ren shrugged "If you would be kind enough to lead the way?" Kai nodded in response before Naoki quickly got underneath his shoulder once again.
"I'll help you over," he said.
"I appreciate your aid, Ishida," replied Kai as they headed for the door, followed by Ren and Leon.
(End Music)
Selector Battlefield
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Semarikuru Kiken)
Hitoe could only look on at Lizard Soldier, Conroe in shock, horrified to find that Akira had not just wounded Kai and given Tama to Ulith of all people, but had also gone as far as stealing his entire deck to now use as she saw fit.
"But... why do you have Kai's deck?!" she asked in shock.
"Oh that," the Selector answered in a bemused tone "When I blindsighted Kai and took Tama's card, I noticed the corner of his deck box at the edge of his pocket. Thinking that it would be an extra bonus for Ulith, I figured it would be best if I 'relieved' him of it. Needless to say, she said she had no use of Overlord so I could keep it. The result is this, I now have the one weapon he used to defeat me before and no one can stop me!"
"If Akira has Dragonic Overlord in that exact same deck," murmured Yuzuki before her eyes widened in realization. She didn't have to speak out as Hitoe had already figured it out.
"Then we have to face the End as well?!"
Looking over at Akira, Hitoe grew slightly more nervous, not from the Selector's ever increasing smile but from what she was thinking of ahead. Imaging it in her mind, she could see a fiery blaze behind Akira, taking on the features of Dragonic Overlord. The yellow eyes among the hazy inferno looked down upon her, giving her a reason to be nervous in the scenario she now found herself in. Plucking up enough courage, she shook her head to dispel the image from her mind and turned her attention to Akira, who was still awaiting a response from her.
"If I win, will you hand back Kai's deck?" she asked.
"Pfft. Do you really think I will accept to those terms from one of the weakest Selectors I've ever come across?" the Selector spat. A sinister thought then creeped into her mind as she suddenly sneered at the proposition offered. "Say... I'll tell you what. I will accept your proposal, on one condition."
"And what would that be?" Yuzuki asked sternly.
"If 'Hittoe' wants to have a chance to win back Kai's deck, she'll have to wager up something of equal value," replied Akira before giggling a little under her breath, the answer having already come to her. "Therefore I have decided, if I win this battle should I accept your challenge... You must surrender both your deck and Yuzuki's LRIG card!" The LRIG suddenly gasped in horror, having not expected this kind of wager to be required if she and Hitoe were to have any chance of winning back Kai's deck and returning it to him. She turned around to her Selector, concern plastered all over her face.
"Hitoe, forget about the wager and just focus on surviving!" she called.
"B... But even if we win... How I am supposed to explain to Kai that I just let Akira escape with his deck like that?" asked Hitoe.
"I know that!" replied Yuzuki, still slightly shaken from just now. "But I'm more concerned about your own safety! Even I know now there's a clear difference between being brave and being foolish!" She then looked up at her Selector to see that she had held her head down, trying to come to a decision. "Hitoe...?" Hitoe however didn't answer in response to her question. She was thinking back to earlier in the day when Aichi had comforted her over the matter of feeling useless to her friends and their conversation earlier from on the way to Ruko's school.
(End Music)
Flashback
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Hitoe)
As the sun continued to set over the horizon of the city, Aichi and Hitoe walked through the streets in the direction towards Ruko's school. It was almost dark and several street lamps had already begun to light up as they passed by them. The Selector was out a little bit in front of the cardfigher, leading the way as he was still mostly unfamiliar with the city around him. Hitoe was fidgeting with her hands, a wave of nervousness for what lay ahead having already washed over her. Yuzuki looked up from her card, feeling sorry for her in this current state considering what had happened the first time she and Akira had crossed paths with each other. Aichi noticed this too and turned to her out of concern, noticing a glint of discomfort present on her expression.
"Is something wrong Hitoe-san?" he asked.
"A... Aichi... can we talk for a bit...?" Hitoe replied nervously.
"S... Sure," said Aichi.
"I know it's a bit... early for me to ask of this," she murmured "But I was wondering... if you could give some advice on...?"
"Your self-confidence?" Yuzuki interrupted, finishing the question for her. Hitoe nodded in response to her guesstimate.
"I see..." Aichi pondered on as he looked up to the darkening sky for a brief moment, trying to think of a sincere answer he could give to the Selector. When a few long moments had passed by, he finally had something he could tell her.
"Well... if I were to think about it..." he said "I think the first step to take is believing in yourself."
"Believing... in myself?" murmured Hitoe.
"Yeah," Aichi replied as he smiled warmly "You're a really kind person, but I think you need to have some more faith in yourself."
"I see..." she said as she briefly looked down to the floor, blushing for a few moments before she shook her head to clear her thoughts. As they passed by another building, just before the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon, she looked at her reflection on a large glass window to her right. Hitoe was no stranger to her own reflection, having been used to using mirrors in her home to sort out her hair before the day for her usually began. Now that was she looking at it in a different light however, she could begin to see what exactly Aichi was talking about. She could see that her composure wasn't in the best of states given that she wasn't feeling optimistic about their current scenario and that they needed to find Akira to retrieve Tama, who could blame her.
"Hitoe..."
Hitoe suddenly looked away from the window back to Yuzuki's card as they left the vicinity of the building with Aichi alongside her. The LRIG seemed to be riddled with slight concern as she looked up at her Selector.
"Just... don't put yourself down," said Yuzuki "We've all been through the worst of the Selector Battles on our own spectrums, but I'm worried about you just as much as Ruko in her own state." Aichi who had listened to what the LRIG had to say could only agree with her, nodding in compliance with her answer. Hitoe said nothing as she continued to lead the way to Ruko's school, the entire sky above them now having gone almost completely dark.
(End Music)
Present
Back on the battlefield, all was still silent for the moment as Akira lay back in her seat whilst resting up her feet onto the table, a mannerism she had previously picked up from one of her previous battles, only this time showing it off as a sign of impatience to get the battle started. Mirurun who was already peeved from being left out of the action just sat beside the LRIG deck on her Selector's table, still pouting in annoyance. Yuzuki could only look up at Hitoe in worry, concerned for whatever decision she was planning to make in regards to the wager that Akira had offered them if they wanted to win back Kai's deck. Having gone over her thoughts for long enough, the more nervous Selector looked back up towards Akira, taking a few deep breaths and trying to give off the most determined expression she could try and muster up.
"I'll accept the wager!" she called.
"Hitoe!" gasped Yuzuki.
"Ah, so the blubbering coward's decided to step up for her 'human shield'*," spat Akira "Fine by me, that is if you win. Look up."
A sudden creaking noise sounded throughout the entire battlefield as Hitoe and Yuzuki could only look above their heads to see what had appeared before them. Rather than the usual giant roulette that had the two opposing colours implemented into each adjacent slot, what appeared to look like a giant greyish silver arrow that was styled almost like the tip on Iona's spear had begun whirling around above their heads. Yuzuki was surprised the most, having had more experience in the Selector Battles than Hitoe and having not come across an opponent with the same coloured deck until this moment. She could only remain curious as to what this would all mean.
"This is…" she murmured.
"Since our decks use the same colours," Mirurun explained, still in a pouting tone "The wheel has changed to a single arrow. Whoever it points towards will give them the option to decide the turn order." No sooner than the LRIG's explanation had finished did said arrow begin to slow down in velocity, indicating that it had almost completed its full spin. The arrow begun spinning slower, slower and slower until it came to a stop, pointing in the direction of Hitoe and Yuzuki.
"Now then," Akira sneered "What will it be?" Hitoe looked up at the arrow for a moment before looking back to the Selector's table, glancing over at Lizard Soldier, Conroe.
"I'm going second!" she replied. Yuzuki said nothing in response, but glanced up towards Hitoe with concern still present on her expression.
Hitoe, I just hope you really know what you're doing!
"Very well then," Akira replied as she drew her single card to start the battle. Sneering at what she had present in her hand, she held out her left hand towards the LRIG space. "Grow! Embodiment of Armor, Bahr!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Pale Moon)*
In a bright red flash, Conroe vanished from the table as the all too familiar demon clad in red armour appeared on the LRIG space, standing tall and ready with the blade that he held. In front of him, Iron Tail Dragon appeared in the center SIGNI space, hovering just a little bit above the table. Akira made a simple hand gesture directed towards both Hitoe and Yuzuki, both in an attempt to mock them and to indicate that she was ending her turn. Hitoe took no notice of the mocking sign of the Selector's gesture and drew her cards. Looking down to Yuzuki, the LRIG nodded in agreement with her.
"Yuzuki, grow!" she called. A small series of white rectangular flashes rose up around Yuzuki as a small red marking appeared beneath her left cheek whilst the two red cannons from this form appeared, hovering to the side of her arms. Hitoe looked over hand before then taking two cards from it and placing them in the left and right SIGNI zones on her table respectively. To the left appeared Gatling Claw Dragon and to the right, Tokage, Phantom Dragon. A red aura suddenly surrounded the Phantom Dragon as if she was somehow resonating with the Kagero unit to increase her own strength.
Tokage, Phantom Dragon: 1000 - 2000
"Tokage, Gatling Claw, attack!" declared Hitoe.
The two dragons nodded to her command and charged across the battlefield towards Bahr, rushing right past Iron Tail Dragon as they did so. Tokage being faster on her feet managed to reach Bahr first as she leaped into the air and landed a series of scratches from her "claws", causing the demon to limp for a moment before she leaped back to allow Gatling Claw Dragon to conduct the second attack. The Flame Dragon took aim at Bahr before unleashing a barrage of fiery yellow bullets at him, knocking the Embodiment of Armor off balance. Akira's first two Life Cloths revealed Dragonic Burnout and Dragon Monk, Genjo, the second card glowed indicating the Life Burst effect had gone off. Akira herself sneered as the top card of the deck moved to her remaining Life Cloths. Hitoe then turned her attention to Yuzuki.
"Yuzuki!" she called.
"Got it!" the LRIG replied as she aimed the cannon beside her right arm at Bahr, the barrel of which began glowing indicating that she was charging it up. When the glow grew big enough, Yuzuki unleashed a blast of fiery red energy straight at the demon, head on to be precise. Dragon Monk, Genjo's card suddenly moved from Akira's Ener Zone to her Trash Pile as the Selector herself revealed Dragon Knight, Gimel from her hand.
"Quintet Wall," she mused, a hint of sarcasm and a mocking like tone mixed in her voice.
The Dragon Knight appeared in front of the table as he raised his shield, generating a green circle in front of him before Blue Ray Dracokid, Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon, Seal Dragon, Artpique and Goddra, Phantom Dragon appeared beside him. Yuzuki's attack stopped dead in its tracks coming into contact with the shield, engulfing the SIGNI in a small blast for a brief moment before they all disappeared. The four SIGNI moved to Akira's Ener Zone whilst Gimel's card and Expelling Flames of the Dragon Phoenix moved to her Trash Pile. Yuzuki herself could only growl under her breath whilst Hitoe felt a little nervous from her efforts being reduced down to only succeeding in buffing up Akira's Ener Zone and bringing her Life Cloth total only down to 6.
"Turn end," she spoke.
End of Turn 2
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 5 : 4
Life Cloths - 7 : 6
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-One : Embodiment of Armor, Bahr
SIGNI : Tokage, Phantom Dragon - EMPTY - Gatling Claw Dragon : EMPTY - Iron Tail Dragon - EMPTY
Ener - 0 : 5
As Akira drew her cards, her sneer never left her lip which made both Hitoe and Yuzuki feel only more uncomfortable for whatever she had planned for the battle, considering that she was using the deck that she had stolen from Kai. As Lintwurm's card moved to her Trash Pile, she held out her hand over the LRIG space.
"Grow, Nehalem!" she called.
Bahr vanished from the LRIG space as the Dragon Knight along with the 'steed' that he stood atop of entered the field, hovering ever so slightly above the table before the dragon landed on the surface via its lower feet, emitting a low growl from under its breath. Mirurun who had been watching the battle so far was not the most amused to say the least. Akira noticed this and glanced towards her.
"What is your little worry?" she spoke "I still have you as my requirement to obtain my wish, whatever that may be."
"And yet, I still don't see the point of relying on a few overgrown lizards to make the task any easier for you," the LRIG moaned "I mean, what don't I have that Kai's cards do anyway?" Upon listening in on Mirurun's comment, the dragon that Nehalem rode on top of glared at her before turning its head and letting out a huge roar right in her direction.
"They have a bit of a short temper, if I do say so myself," Akira mused before continuing with her turn, ignoring LRIG's sudden change in expression to nervousness.
"Conroe's skill!" she called as another card from her Ener Zone moved to her Trash before a file of light scanned through her deck and brought the card she wanted to her hand, revealing it for a brief moment. "I add Barri to my hand!" After concealing the card in her hand, she placed two more into the left and right SIGNI spaces available on her table. These cards revealed themselves to be Berserk Dragon and Flame Edge Dragon. The two headed dragon suddenly roared as a pair of fireballs suddenly erupted from their mouths and hit Tokage head on, banishing the SIGNI from Hitoe's field. Hitoe herself could only sweat a little as it seemed like Akira was far from done.
"Attack!" she called. Berserk Dragon let loose another pair of fireballs from both heads as they struck Gatling Claw Dragon, also banishing it from the battlefield. Before Yuzuki had time to properly prepare herself, Flame Edge Dragon and Iron Tail Dragon had already flown right above her. She held out both cannons in an attempt to defend, but both Flame Edge and Iron Tail already slashed her, knocking her to the floor before retreating back to Akira's table. The top card of the Selector's deck, Calamity Tower Wyvern, entered her Ener Zone. As Yuzuki struggled back to her feet, Hitoe could only look on in worry.
"Are you alright?!" she cried. The LRIG didn't say anything in response, but her ragged breathing indicated that she was barely holding on for the moment. Hitoe's first two Life Cloths, to her shock and horror were both copies of the Spell, Swift Advance. The sight of which only sent Akira up into a fit of hysterical and sinister laughter.
(End Music)
"Bwahahahaha!" she sneered "Without those two Spells at your disposal, you won't be able to steal a Level up advantage on me for the rest of the battle!" She then turned her attention to Nehalem. "Attack!"
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Limit)
Before the dragon took flight, the Dragon Knight himself could only emit a stubborn growl from underneath his breath as he aimed his lance over towards Yuzuki. He pointed the long weapon towards her as a surge of purple lightning came the LRIG's way. As Yuzuki prepared to brace herself for a third hit, Hitoe however wasn't planning on letting it go through so easily as she revealed Wyvern Guard, Barri from her hand.
"Guard!" she called. The Wyvern Guard appeared in front of Yuzuki to shield her from Nehalem's attack before vanishing when the resulting sparks from impact had diminished. As the LRIG glanced over towards the Dragon Knight, she could see that his expression from what wasn't obscured of his face that it seemed somewhat pained and angered. Akira ignoring the apparent anguish from Nehalem turned her attention back to Hitoe and Yuzuki, her sneer having not left her face for even a second ever since that battle had begun.
"Ooh… Playing hard to get, aren't we?" she mused "Either way, it's funny to see you of all people finally putting up a fight, considering the last time we crossed paths. Of course, the same could be said about Yuzu-pon as well, considering your dark secret." Her tone on her last sentence had somehow suddenly grown far more sinister that it already was before. As Hitoe could only look on in confusion, Yuzuki however could only gasp, wondering what Akira was intending to bring to light here and now.
"What do you mean?!" the LRIG demanded.
"Huh?" pondered Hitoe.
"My, she never told you yet she bothered to let Ru-ru in on it?" Akira pondered in a mocking tone before resuming to her sinister demanor. "Very well then, the shocking truth shall now revealed!" She continued to laugh maniacally before she then held out her right arm, pointed in the direction of Hitoe's table, a crazed look now present in her eyes. "Hitoe, Yuzu-pon's wish was to be in love with the one person she cares about, her own brother!"
At this point, Yuzuki could only freeze up in shock and panic. She already knew for a fact that her secret was out to Ruko, Tama and her own school, thanks to Hanayo being in possession of her own body. But now, she was afraid of how Hitoe would take this entire revelation, considering the subject matter at hand was in the territory of taboo itself, incest to be more precise and the fact that she never told her about this in the first place. Expecting the worst to come, the LRIG fell to her knees, feeling helpless to do anything and awaiting any hurtful comments to spout out from her Selector's mouth. Hitoe meanwhile could only stare at Yuzuki in shock, completely bewildered and weirded out from what Akira said she originally wished for.
"Y... Yuzuki...?" she murmured "Is it...?"
"It's true...!" the LRIG sobbed "My wish was to be in love with my brother, Kazuki!"
"But... isn't that...?"
"I know!" Yuzuki replied "It hasn't been the first time that I've gotten backlash over the subject... There have even been times where I've tried to discard my love for him just to save him his dignity...! But no matter how much I've tried... my feelings for him will always seem to surface! Even so, Hanayo managed to succeed where I failed...!"
"Then that means...!" gasped Hitoe.
"Yeah," the LRIG sniffed "... Hanayo is actually the one using my wish to be with Kazuki and he doesn't even know it..."
The Selector couldn't find the words to describe everything that Yuzuki had just confessed to. On the one hand, the thought of incest even for a moment had completely weirded her out and was something she never would be sure of wanting or considering her friend to pursue, even as a wish. But after hearing everything that the LRIG had told her about, she felt somewhat sorry for everything she went through up to this point. Hitoe remembered at some point before they met Kai for the first time, when she asked about Akira out of curiosity, Yuzuki had confessed that she too was broken down by her in their battle, though she kept her reason as to why hidden from her, until now at this very moment.
The Selector then looked down on the table, taking everything that was brought to light into account as she went deep into thought. Akira meanwhile glanced over towards her, smirking maliciously.
"Turn end," she spoke before musing to herself in her thoughts. Though to be honest, after things your little friend has learned, I don't think I even require Overlord to break you apart.
End of Turn 3
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 4 : 5
Life Cloths - 5 : 6
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-One : Dragon Knight, Nehalem
SIGNI : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY : Berserk Dragon - Iron Tail Dragon - Flame Edge Dragon
Ener - 4 : 2
For a long moment, all was silent across the battlefield as Hitoe had still made no response after listening to everything that had just been brought to light. Yuzuki could only look up at her, noticing her eyes were closed as she held her head down. The LRIG could only assume the worst case scenario had indeed occurred and that there was only one way to end this madness.
"Hitoe..." she spoke, her voice on the verge of breaking up "I know that my wish has... comprimised our friendship and I can understand why... you may hate me. If you want to throw the battle to save yourself and surrender me to Akira, then... I will accept that punishme..."
(End Music)
"I don't understand..."
"Huh?"
"Yuzuki... why didn't you ask Ruko, me or anyone for help on the matter before?!" Hitoe asked, finally bringing her head up to meet her gaze with the LRIG's own.
"I... was afraid of worsening the situation..." she replied "That Kazuki would... brand me for being..."
"Weird? Deluded? Or just downright insane?" Akira taunted, interrupting their conversation. "Oh my, how disgusting, even for someone like you! Goosey-goosey-goosey-goosebumps!" Hitoe drew her cards to begin her turn before moving Gatling Claw Dragon's card from her Ener Zone to her Trash Pile.
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: The Thunder Dragon Descends)
"Yuzuki, grow!" she called.
A series of flashes rose up around the LRIG, adding another red mark to her opposite cheek and enlarging the cluster of crystals behind her back and changing the number of barrels on each of her cannons from one to one large barrel with a smaller one present on each side. Yuzuki herself suddenly looked up at Hitoe, sensing a new look in the Selector's eyes. One that she thought she would never see until now.
"Yuzuki," said Hitoe "I don't know everything that's going on with you and Kazuki, but that's something we can't worry about for the moment."
"Hitoe..." the LRIG murmured.
"Right now, I need you here and now to get Kai's deck back from Akira!" she replied "So... please help me battle!"
"... I got it," said Yuzuki, finally wiping away the tears that were present earlier on her face before the two then turned their attention back to Akira, who didn't seemed fazed by the fact that her efforts to break apart their trust had seemingly gone to waste. Hitoe then continued her turn by moving one of the Swift Advance Spells from her Ener Zone to her Trash.
"By using Salvage!" she called as the card revealed itself from her LRIG deck "I add Barri back to my hand from my Trash!" After the Guard SIGNI flew out of her Trash Pile and back into her hand, she concealed it amongst the other cards present before reaching out for three more and placing them into the SIGNI spaces in front of Yuzuki. These were revealed to be Kannya, Phantom Dragon who appeared to the left and another copy of Tokage, Phantom Dragon to right of the LRIG whilst Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara appeared in the center space.
"With Kimnara's ability!" Hitoe continued "I banish Iron Tail Dragon!" Tokage's card then moved to her Trash Pile as Kimnara used its staff to strike Iron Tail Dragon with a flash of purple lightning before both units suddenly vanished from the field, their respective cards moving to their respective Selectors' Ener Zones. Hitoe then summoned Flame Edge Dragon into the center SIGNI space. Looking down to Yuzuki, she nodded in agreement with her to get the attacks up and going. The Selector turned her attention to the two SIGNI she had available on the left and right spaces.
"Tokage and Kannya attack!" she declared as their cards downed themselves. The two SIGNI nodded in agreement and charged towards both Akira's Flame Edge Dragon and Berserk Dragon. When they reached Akira's table, both Dragon Beasts were able to quickly overpower the Kagero units before retreating back to Hitoe's table.
"Flame Edge Dragon!" she called. The Kagero unit took flight in response to her command and charged towards Nehalem. The Flame Dragon and the Dragon Knight briefly clashed, exchanging blows with one another before Flame Edge saw an opening and took the opportunity to strike Nehalem before retreating back to Hitoe's table. Akira's next Life Cloth revealed Blue Ray Dracokid, the Life Burst being useless as there were no SIGNI available to assign the power bonuses to. Yuzuki saw this and her spirits ended up being lifted ever so slightly.
"Yes!" she cheered "You managed to make Blue Ray Dracokid go to waste!" Hitoe smiled warmly in agreement before turning her attention back to how things were playing out.
"With Flame Edge Dragon's ability!" she called "I Ener Charge!" She reached for the top card of her deck before flipping it face up. Her look turned to horror to see what she had just ended up Ener Charging. It was Servant D2, a Guard SIGNI that could have helped her out. Yuzuki could only groan a little upon realizing this as the card entered the Selector's Ener Zone. Akira sneered for a moment.
"What's wrong?" she mused "It seems all your crushed Life Cloths and Ener Charges are against you tonight! How scary!" Hitoe ignored her comment and continued to press on with her last attack.
"Yuzuki!" she declared.
"Alright!" she replied as she charged across the field towards both Nehalem and the dragon he rode on top of, as did they towards her. When the combatants met in the center of the battlefield, their clash had already gone underway. The Dragon Knight was already sending multiple bursts of purple lightning right at the LRIG who was barely dodging all of them as did the dragon who was dodging every one of her cannon bursts. Nehalem and Yuzuki continued attacking at one another before the LRIG spotted an opening by pouncing on top of the dragon's head before leaping into the air and scoring a direct hit on the knight with her cannons. Both Nehalem and his 'steed' fumbled around in mid-flight as Yuzuki descended back to the ground.
As she did so, she suddenly caught another glimpse of what little was shown of the knight's expression, showing a form of anguish that she had seen earlier. Both combatants then retreated back to the table of their respective Selectors as both Hitoe and Akira looked at each other, each one reviewing the current scenario from their own perspectives on the battle so far. By the time Yuzuki had returned, she glanced up to her Selector.
(End Music)
"Hitoe!" she called "I might be acting crazy but... I think Nehalem doesn't like battling under Akira."
"I see..." Hitoe murmured as she looked across towards Akira's table, the Selector's sneer having not left her. Her Ener Zone now had another Iron Tail Dragon present amongst the other cards there, as a result of Yuzuki's successful attack. Hitoe sighed in partial relief in that she managed to take the lead, for now at least.
"Turn end," she spoke.
End of Turn 4
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 4 : 5
Life Cloths - 5 : 4
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-Two : Dragon Knight, Nehalem
SIGNI : Kannya, Phantom Dragon - Flame Edge Dragon - Tokage, Phantom Dragon : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY
Ener - 3 : 7
Yuzuki glanced over to where Akira was, noticing that her smile had not decreased in the slightest even under the current circumstances that she was in. She clenched her teeth as she felt slightly nerved, hoping that Hitoe was ready for what was to come.
Ruko's School: Ground Floor
"Tama! Are you here?!"
Aichi called out for the LRIG again for the umpteenth time as he exited another empty classroom. So far, his efforts to find Ulith, who Akira had handed Tama's card to had been for nought. He didn't hear any response from Tama nor could he find the cruel demanored Selector anywhere around the school, for the time being. From the way things were looking, he had already covered pretty much all of the ground floor on the left side of the entire school premises and he knew that at the rate he was going around, he could be looking for the LRIG all night long. Panting for a moment to regain his breath before he could decide to rush to the right side of the building or advance up one floor, he couldn't help but worry about the LRIG and also ponder about what he would face when he would find Ulith. Before he could set off on his way again however...
"We meet again Aichi."
Aichi suddenly heard footsteps in the corridor in which he was currently standing, the sound of which grew louder as the figure they were from came in closer. Looking over to the source, he could only gasp as he looked on at the person that now came into his vicinity.
"R... Ruko-san!" he gasped before looking over to the card she held, revealing the LRIG she possessed into his vicinity. "And you must be... Iona?" he murmured.
"That is correct," the LRIG replied before glancing up at Ruko. "Shall we?"
"Huh?" Aichi blinked for a moment, confused by what Iona had just asked Ruko before the Selector suddenly took a step forward, holding out the card towards him.
"Sendou Aichi," she spoke "I can't let you go any further!"
Selector Battlefield
"Up and draw."
Akira sneered as she looked over the cards in her hand before glancing over to the LRIG deck for a brief moment, her smile growing ever more vicious before she looked over to Hitoe and Yuzuki, the Selector of whom could only look on in worry and nervousness, knowing what was coming next. Yuzuki could only "TSK!" under her breath
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Fury of the Overlord)
"Flames of purgatory, bind to my command and rise against this pitiful resistance! Grow!"
A column of fire erupted from the LRIG space as Nehalem vanished from Akira's table, only for the shadow of an all too familiar presence to arrive to take his place on the battlefield. A low growl could be heard from the fire, one that was enough to make even Mirurun feel nervous being up close to the figure that was about to emerge. Akira sneered as she finally called out the name of the Kagero unit she had brought into play.
"Dragonic Overlord!"
As the flames dispersed, Dragonic Overlord emerged from the blaze in all of its glory, taking flight above the LRIG space on Akira's table for a brief moment before landing on its two feet, with a thud that echoed across the field. It gazed at both Hitoe and Yuzuki with a fierce glint in its yellow eyes and let out a defeaning roar across the battlefield. Whilst the LRIG shielded herself from the impact of the roar, the Selector however could only stare at Kai's avatar, not in awe like before when he used it, but in fear that it was in the possession of her opponent who had stolen it from him along with his entire deck.
"Overlord..." she murmured, a hint of nervousness present in her voice.
"So it's finally here...!" muttered Yuzuki, glaring over towards Akira who simply continued with her turn.
"I summon Calamity Tower Wyvern and use its ability!" she called before drawing her single card, the Wyvern materializing onto the center SIGNI space in front of Dragonic Overlord. Dual Axe Archdragon and Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon then appeared to the left and right of Calamity Tower Wyvern. A glowing red surrounded the three SIGNI as the two Kagero units powered up.
Dual Axe Archdragon: 8000 - 10000
Calamity Tower Wyvern: 2000 - 4000
"Well now, 'Hittoe', shall we?" Akira spoke in a mocking tone before holding out her hand. "Finally, I will power up Dragonic Overlord with One Rule, Two Birds to render Barri useless to you!"
Hitoe could only gasp in worry as Barri's card suddenly began leaking sparks, indicating that she couldn't use it to stop Dragonic Overlord's attack for the turn and she had no other Guard SIGNI on hand to try and fend off the oncoming assault. Akira upon noticing her reaction could only giggle sinisterly, pleased that everything was going as she had planned it. She then turned her attention to the SIGNI in front of the Kagero Commander.
"My SIGNI attack!" she declared. Dual Axe Archdragon and Calamity Tower Wyvern took flight into the air whilst Lintwurm slithered across the battlefield towards her prey, Kannya. The two Dragon Beast SIGNI brawled for a few moments before Lintwurm finally outmatched and overpowered Kannya, banishing the SIGNI. Dual Axe Arch Dragon and Calamity Tower engaged both Tokage and Flame Edge in several clashes, eventually defeating their opponents leaving no SIGNI left on Hitoe's table. As the Selector could only sweat in panic, Akira held up her left arm into the air.
"Now then," she spoke "Suffer the wrath of your friend's own weapon, now under my own command!" Akira then snapped her fingers, declaring the signal to attack. "Eternal Flame!"
Dragonic Overlord roared loudly, forcing Mirurun to cover up her ears from the noise before the Kagero Commander took flight and charged across the battlefield towards Hitoe's table. It hovered several feet in the air above the LRIG before unleashing its signature attack in a blazing torrent of fire right at her. Yuzuki could only hold out her cannons in front of her face as the flames struck the table all at once, consuming her in an instant as she cried out aloud in immense pain, suffering from the attack greatly.
"Yuzuki! Ack!"
Hitoe gasped as she folded out her arms in front of her face as Dragonic Overlord's Eternal Flame went right across the table all around her, the intense heat and force from the flames having almost knocked her over. She groaned as she too struggled through the fire as she glanced up towards the Kagero commander, the dragon's fierce gaze still trained upon her, only increasing both her nervousness and anxiety even more than they were at the very start of the battle. When the flames died down, Yuzuki looked up just in time to see Overlord dive down towards her and knock her backwards with a large slash of the blade that it carried in its right claw.
Hitoe could only look on in concern for the LRIG as she struggled back onto her feet before noticing her next two Life Cloths revealing another copy of Demonic Dragon Mage, Kimnara and Dragon Dancer, Barbara enter her Ener Zone. The second card glowed indicating a Life Burst.
"W... With the effect...!" she panted, a slight hint of panic to her voice "I regain 1 Life Cloth!" As the top card of her deck moved face down to her remaining Life Cloths, she tried breathing in and out as slowly as she could, trying to regain her composure which greatly worried Yuzuki as she looked on up at her. Hitoe looked down at her left hand and was shocked to see that it was actually trembling. She silently gasped, realizing that Dragonic Overlord's presence had only stirred up her worst fears once again. Akira sneered as she made a gesture to signal the end of her turn.
End of Turn 5
Hitoe vs Akira
Hand - 4 : 5
Life Cloths - 4 : 4
Current LRIGs - Yuzuki-Two : Dragonic Overlord
SIGNI : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY : Dual Axe Archdragon - Calamity Tower Wyvern - Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon
Ener - 8 : 4
"Is this the extent of your resolve?"
Hitoe suddenly blinked at the sound of the voice. Looking behind her for the source, Yuzuki having fully recovered from Dragonic Overlord's Eternal Flame glanced at the Selector, unsure of why she was acting this way.
(End Music)
"What is your reason for fighting?"
Realizing that the voice did not come from either Akira, Mirurun or even her own LRIG, Hitoe could only stare across towards the opposing table, the only possible conclusion being set in stone for her as to who had just spoken out to her. Looking over to her answer, she suddenly felt nervous upon looking upon it, its fierce gaze having not left her or Yuzuki at all.
"O... Overlord?" she murmured.
And there we go! As Aichi is confronted by Ruko who intends on stopping him from going to confront Ulith and Kai along with the other cardfighters begin their journey towards the Selector's school, the battle between Hitoe and Akira with both the timid Selector's and Kai's own decks on the line begins to heat up as Dragonic Overlord finally enters the fray. But what are these messages that the commander is giving to Hitoe and for what purpose? Find out in the next chapter as the battle rages onwards! Don't forget to favourite, follow and/or leave a review and I'll see you next time!
*Akira first referred to Kai as this in the first chapter before later asking for his name when she was about to lose to him in Chapter 3.
*This first plays in Episode 131 when Asaka rides Silver Thorn Dragon Tamer, Luquier.
