City Park
As Kamui kept a close eye on both Akira and Ulith from behind a nearby tree, he was keeping as quiet as he could to avoid attracting their attention towards him, after nearly having a few close calls in doing so. He was eagerly anticipating the arrival of this person that they mentioned they were planning to meet with, wondering if it was Kiyoi herself or someone else they knew very well about within the Selector Battles. Little did he know, the answer to one of those questions brewing in his mind at this very moment would answer itself very soon.
"So who is this... person you wish for Aki-lovely to see?" asked Akira.
"Make no mistake..." Ulith replied with a smug smile "She is with no doubt... already here."
As the cruel demanored Selector had finished what she had to say, the bitter winter air suddenly dropped in temperature even more as Kamui shivered for a brief moment, inwardly cursing the apparent difference in the seasons between both his and Ruko's worlds. As he looked back to where the two Selectors were standing, he looked ahead of them to see a figure that was unfamiliar to him approaching the pair. The woman's physique along with black coat that had the hood covering over the top half of her head and the black gloves that she wore over her hands however was familiar to Ulith and one particular person.
"Akira..." she spoke "Say hello, to Kominato Miyako."
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Raul Serra Theme)
Akira couldn't help but let out a silent gasp upon the moment that she had heard that last name, not expecting this new arrival to be related to Ruko in one way or another.
"So... you know Ru-pon then?" she asked.
"That is correct."
The overall tone of the voice from Ruko's former mother was as icily cold as it when she last spoke to Ayumu. Although the top half of her face was mostly obscured by the shadow of the hood of her coat, two murky green lights that seemingly represented eyes of some kind shone from underneath to reveal that she was more than capable of seeing what was in front of her. Those lights were sharp in the way they appeared, giving off the impression of a glare or an intense stare of some kind. Held in Akira's free hand was the card containing her LRIG Mirurun, who looked up at Miyako with a hint of fear as shown by her expression. She was on the verge of being almost terrified in being in the presence of the woman, a feeling of great uneasiness swelling up inside of the LRIG from just looking up at her.
"Aki-lun..." she murmured nervously "I know you were eager to see one of Ulith's 'higher-ups', but I think this one might be off the deep end."
"How about you show some respect?!" the Selector snapped back in reply, briefly closing up her right hand slightly, almost bending the card that Mirurun was trapped inside. Akira then immediately looked back to Miyako, noticing that her unnerving expression had not changed at all in the slightest. "Forgive Mirurun's rudeness... excellency of Ulith-chan."
"Then it would appear that what I've heard of you having to keep your LRIG's tongue in check is true, Aoi Akira," the woman spoke in her usual tone before turning her gaze to Ulith who nodded in reply. The Selector then immediately looked back to Akira herself.
"Now that I have formally introduced you to one of my associates, would you not mind leaving us to discuss this current issue in private?" she spoke in a seemingly soft tone "Besides, you are scheduled for a solo back at the studio."
"R... Right!" the Selector replied "I won't let you down! And... everyone on my... I mean our hit list, will rue the day that they crossed paths with Aki-lovely and Ulith-chan!"
And with that, she immediately left the premises of the otherwise lonely park, prompting Kamui to briefly shuffle away from his hiding place in a hurry to avoid being seen by her. Sighing in relief to see that Akira was no longer there, he shuffled back across the tree to where he was originally hiding from to continue to observe the conversation between both Ulith and Miyako. The cruel demanored Selector was the first to speak out from amongst the pair.
"I saw the entire battle," she spoke in almost a musing like tone "I must say, whatever truth you gave to put him off has been rather amusing, if only he didn't lose to Ruko so that the cards I replicated for him weren't destroyed."
"This is nothing to joke about Ulith," the former mother of Ruko replied with a hint of averseness to her tone "Ayumu's involvement in the Selector Battles is of mine and Mayu's own personal doing. I do not require your own 'methods' unless I deem it necessary."
"Hmph. As offstandish as usual I see," Ulith muttered with a smile as she turned herself away from Miyako whose unnerving expression had remained as it was, from what little visibility was shown from underneath her hood. "What makes you so confident that you can fulfill Mayu's own wish without mine or 'their' assistance?"
"I can assure you that Mayu's plan will reach fruition, regardless of whether Ruko will fulfill her true destiny or if the completion of Project: Locked Soul from your own alteration will contribute to that," she answered with a hint of venom to her tone "But once the gateway has been completed, after spending over 2 decades within the depths of purgatory, harnessing the hopes and wishes of those participating in the Selector Battles, she will finally have the vengeance she desires upon this world and the adults of the past."
As Miyako finished speaking those words, she brought up and clenched her right fist tightly, a small and quiet, but noticeable clattering sound being made as this action was being made. Kamui's ears twitched for a moment, remaining curious as to what that sound was.
What the heck was that? he murmured within his thoughts Just now, that sounded like... metal.
"For now, you know what you must do," her voice sounded out "I must take my leave to the other world as Mayu has instructed. 'His' former guardians' units will soon belong in her possession."
And with that, the former mother of Ruko opened out her right hand as a dark purple aura appeared, causing a single card to materialize right in the palm of her glove before she took it out of the air with the swipe of that same hand.
"Open!" she called.
A blinding flash of the same colour emitted from the card and enveloped Miyako completely, causing her to vanish from the park and leaving Ulith on her own with Kamui almost startled by what he had just witnessed. He had recalled that Kiyoi used a similar technique with a strange blank Wixoss card to take both him and her out of his world and drop him off in this one, only she had seperated from him willingly during the entire trip whilst he had bumped heads with Amika. The cruel demanored Selector then closed her eyes and smirked before opening up her lips to speak out in her usual soft, yet unnerving tone.
"The former guardians, huh?" she murmured to herself before giggling to herself "As much as I would like that opportunity for myself, watching them relish in despair will be more than worth it. For both the historical record and... for later."
(End Music)
And with that, Ulith left the park in a different direction from where Akira had previously departed, leaving Kamui in relief that she had not noticed him at all. At the same time though, he was puzzled by what she and Miyako were talking about, especially when it came down to the 'guardians' she spoke of from his world. But what he did know was that she was planning to take their units, just like how Kiyoi had previously taken away his Raizer units who unbeknowst to him were currently under imprisonment from Mayu and alongside Takuto within 'The Pit'.
"Damn it...!" he groaned "Ruko's old mom's planning something and I can't do anything to get back home to warn anyone!"
As he clenched his right fist in frustration, he immediately remembered that there were other issues that he needed to attend to within this world, silently praying that his friends back home would be on their guard and ready to fend off the threat that was coming their way. Huffing for a moment, he left the park as it was and immediately resumed his search for Amika, hoping to at least get to the bottom of whatever it was she had wished for.
Kurebayashi Apartment
Meanwhile, back at the apartment that belonged to both Kazuki and Yuzuki, the LRIG in question was looking back at Dragonic Overlord's card on the far side of the table, having recalled that Kai had only just grown into this unit at this very moment. She knew that whenever the Kagero user had called this unit or one of its other forms into battle, he would never hold anything back to the very end and that this battle she was now partaking in was now possibly about to turn into a long uphill struggle for her. Looking up at Hanayo who had been acting as liason for the cards in her hand and the actions the LRIG would make throughout this battle, she knew there was something that she needed to get off her chest to get down to the bottom of the issue at hand.
"Hanayo..." Yuzuki murmured.
"What is it?" the former LRIG asked.
"It's about what's going on between you and Kazuki..." she replied "How... far have you gone with my wish?"
Hanayo briefly looked to the floor beneath her, her face having gone a beet red colour as a result of the topic that Yuzuki had just raised at this moment. Given the nature of the LRIG's wish whilst she was still a Selector, it was understandable that she was feeling this way from the answer that she had to give out. Looking over to the former LRIG that was inhabiting Yuzuki's body, Aichi, Hitoe and Ruko couldn't help but wonder what kind of answer they would expect from the person their friend was questioning at this very moment. As Kai kept his eyes closed and remained silent, seemingly not fazed by the subject matter at all, Hanayo finally spoke out the answer to all who were sitting before her and those resting with their LRIG cards.
"We've only kissed," she answered, her blush fading as she continued to speak out. "I never had any intention to take things any further until there was a way to get you back inside your body."
"Y... You've kissed?!" Yuzuki exclaimed with a blush of her own forming on her face, also leading out to some shocked reactions from Ruko and Hitoe.
"I... guess it was bound to happen at some point..." Aichi murmured, still trying to comprehend the situation.
Whilst Umr simply stared up at Hanayo from her card, Yuki simply sighed from noticing Ruko, Aichi and Hitoe's reactions to the whole debacle whilst Tama tilted her head in confusion, having not been familiar with the subject of romance or kissing in general herself. The girl of black kept a close gaze on Yuzuki, now having noticed from her own reaction that the true test of verifying the reason behind her feelings for her brother had now just begun.
"W... What I'm trying to say is..." the red LRIG stuttered "... I would have at least liked to have kissed him first! I mean..."
"I'm sorry, Yuzuki..." Hanayo murmured "But it's common knowledge that kisses are a general part of romantic relationships, so it was only a matter of time before I had to do one to fulfill your wish." She then looked back over to Kai who had still remained as calm as ever in the face of the whole revelation, seemingly not as concerned as the others were in regards to the topic at hand. "Y... You can continue if you want."
"Very well then," he replied as gazed down at Yuzuki for a moment, his hardened gaze bearing down upon her for a moment before turning his attention to the cards in his hand. "Summon!"
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Culmination)
From the left to the right of his three SIGNI zones, he summoned Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon, Berserk Dragon and Chain-attack Sutherland, the red Dragon Beast SIGNI and the two Kagero units materializing on the field that was still being imaged within his mind. Sending two cards from his Ener Zone to his Trash to pay the cost for Berserk's skill, Hanayo nodded and moved Chrysobe's card to her Ener Zone.
"Sutherland's skill," Kai spoke "Each time your SIGNI is banished or sent to your Trash by an effect during my Main Phase, he gains 3000 power."
Chain-attack Sutherland: 5000 - 8000
Yuzuki gritted her teeth for a moment, knowing that the Kagero user wasn't planning on holding anything back in this battle if only so he could uncover the truth behind her feelings for Kazuki, that was, if he could first find the reason as to why.
"Here I come!" he called loudly as he downed Sutherland's card to signal his first attack.
On the imaged field, Sutherland used the pistol in his left hand and the large barreled gun in his right hand to shoot fiery bullets towards Opalal, hitting their mark dead on the red SIGNI, banishing her from the battlefield. Shortly after Berserk Dragon had growled under its breath, having not enough power to overcome Malachite even with the additional power bonus from Lintwurm, the Dragon Beast SIGNI herself immediately lunged at Hanayo, knocking her onto her back with her tail. She gritted her teeth as she looked up just in time to see a spark of fire ignite within Dragonic Overlord's jaws, signalling the next attack to befall her.
Back in the apartment, Yuzuki looked up at her hand that was currently being displayed through Hanayo's role as her liason for the battle and looked back at Kai.
"I guard with Servant O!" she called as Hanayo revealed the card before placing it in her Trash, canceling the attack right there.
Kai nodded in compliance with the knowledge that he had no other option, but to end his turn right there and then. He looked over to see that the Life Cloth that he had crushed with Lintwurm's successful attack was Macury, Natural Stone whose Life Burst had increased Yuzuki's hand size by one.
End of Turn 5
Kai vs Yuzuki
Hand - 3 : 1
Life Cloths - 3 : 4
Current LRIGs - Dragonic Overlord : Hanayo-Four, Hundred-Fire Profusion
SIGNI : Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon - Berserk Dragon - Chain-attack Sutherland : EMPTY - Malachite, Natural Pyroxene - EMPTY
Ener - 3 : 3
Yuzuki breathed heavily as she stared up at the Kagero user himself, knowing that Dragonic Overlord was easily a unit that was not to be reckoned with, regardless of whether or not it battled alongside or for anyone for that regard. She knew that it was Hitoe's courage in her last battle with Akira that had allowed the two of them to overcome the Kagero commander itself once before, leading to the generousity of gaining the Kagero clan name in addition to the LRIG type that was already on her cards in addition to several new powers of her own to use in battle. This time however, she was fighting as she would do as a Selector against Kai himself on almost equal terms, the questions that he had posed to her earlier having not done much to help calm her nerves at all.
"I will ask you again," he spoke "What is your reason for wanting this kind of relationship with Kazuki? If you do not have a sincere one, then you're acting on nothing more than impulse without regard for his own true feelings. And I believe I know where that impulse has come from."
"What are you suggesting?" she murmured, to which he then closed his eyes once again in response.
"Image it," Kai answered "The trials and tribulations you have gone through to reach this point as the LRIG you are now."
Before Yuzuki could even question what the Kagero user had just said to her, all sense of reality around her from her outside view of the card suddenly faded away as several images began flashing before her eyes. All of them depicted events that involved her struggles to try and get Kazuki to notice her feelings without doing anything to hurt his own in return. One most prominent image Yuzuki could recall was on the day when Hitoe had first battled Akira where she saw her brother talking with another girl with light brown hair outside of the shop Card Luck. Intially, she had viewed the event as a reason to stir up a panic to try and get her wish as quickly as possible whilst Kazuki had claimed he was only making a trade with her at the time.
Even with that supposed reassurance, that had done little to lift the LRIG's spirits as several afterimages of the girl she recalled seeing along with several other girls she had recognized from both her school and kindergarten classes appear all around her, each with a disturbing smile plastered on their faces. Yuzuki then looked past the group to see an afterimage of Kai that was seemingly speaking to her, just as he was now doing in real time.
"That image is born from the bottom of your own heart," he spoke "Unless you can overcome what it has posed, there will be no end to this issue that you've been facing."
Right after he had finished speaking, all of the afterimages of girls surrounding the LRIG began pointing at her, each of them chanting the same words over and over again.
"Weirdo!" "Deluder!" "Freak!"
"Shut up...!" she cried as the imaged voices overwhelmed her, tears beginning to leak out from her eyes. An afterimage of Kazuki briefly appeared before he suddenly vanished along with the brown haired girl that she had recognized. The voices got louder and louder until the LRIG could take no more. "SHUT UP!"
(End Music)
The moment she yelled out loud, her visual sense of reality returned to her as she looked up at Kai, only seeing his usual intense stare that was directed at her.
"I won't let all of you take him away!" she yelled "FINAL TURN!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Breaking the Limit)
As her sudden declaration earned some gasps from Aichi, Hitoe and Ruko in addition to Tama's own, Yuki simply kept her eyes closed whilst Umr simply blinked, having only been aware of the phrase from Ulith when she had previously used it. Hanayo was also shocked that Yuzuki would resort to such a declaration, but she also knew that seeing the image that Kai had told her about had clearly shaken her up. Knowing better at the moment to not question her decision, given that this was her battle to fight at the moment, she drew the two cards that were needed before looking down at Yuzuki who simply gazed up at the cards she held.
"I Ener Charge Macury and Grow!" she called as the former LRIG threw the card into her Ener Zone before taking three other cards from there and moving them to the Trash Pile. Hanayo picked out the one card from the LRIG deck she knew that Yuzuki intended to Grow into and held it just above the LRIG space as the LRIG herself continued to speak.
"Raging inferno, burn away those who defy me and show them the truth of my feelings!" she declared as Hanayo herself placed the card on top of Hanayo-Four. "Hanayo-Five!"
Within the imaged field, a vortex of flames swallowed up Hanayo completely as Dragonic Overlord just stared onwards to see the LRIG then reemerge moments later with a completely different outfit and utilizing a thorned whip as her weapon of choice. The Red SIGNI known as Diabride, Natural Pyroxene and Bronda, Natural Stone appeared onto the field to either side of Malachite who was stanced and ready for battle. Back in reality, Kai simply kept his usual gaze upon Yuzuki as she held her head down, trembling for a brief moment before gazing back up at him with an angered expression.
"What is wrong with me being honest about my feelings...?!" she yelled with tears running down the sides of her cheeks "I just wanted to show Kazuki about how I truely feel...! And yet, why can none of you accept that?!"
"W... Wait a minute, Yuzuki!" cried Hitoe.
"She's still shaken by imaging the events of her past...!" Aichi gasped "Yuzuki may not be thinking straight right now!"
"Yuzuki..." Ruko murmured in worry, concerned for her friend.
Whilst Kai's expression had remained mostly unchanged, not even in the face of bearing the full brunt of Yuzuki's held back anger and frustration to everything she had been through to reach this point in time, he was now beginning to understand where she had been coming from this whole time.
I see now he muttered within his thoughts It's not just about feelings for Kazuki.
"First, I'll use One Rule, Two Birds! Then Hanayo-Five's skill!" Yuzuki yelled "I banish everything from your field! Burning Tempest!"
After gaining a fiery aura to her with the effect of the ARTS, Hanayo-Five within the imaged field used her thorned whip to summoned a fiery tornado that enveloped the entire battlefield, immediately incinerating all of Kai's units and SIGNI with the exception of Dragonic Overlord, reducing them all to ashes before they faded away along with the storm that was summoned. All of the SIGNI that were summoned for Yuzuki by Hanayo were glowing in a bright golden aura, indicating they now recieved the Double Crush effect that Aichi had recognized from before in his previous battle against the former LRIG herself.
"Kai Toshiki, if you're trying to sway me with those voices from the past, you're mistaken!" Yuzuki's voice cried out loud "I do have my reasons for loving Kazuki!"
As soon as she had finished, Bronda pulled out a portion of the earth from the battlefield ground that she was standing on before igniting it with fire from the Double Crush effect of Hanayo-Five and tossing it over towards Dragonic Overlord. The Kagero commander stood its ground as it took the hit head on with afterimages of the cards representing Dual Axe Archdragon and Gatling Claw Dragon flying past, the latter glowing to indicate that Kai had successfully triggered its Life Burst. Shortly afterwards, Malachite unleashed a devastating beam from the green orb on top of the staff she wielded that also struck Dragonic Overlord head on as it roared fiercly in response, shortly after regaining its footing immediately after reeling from that hit.
As Kai stared on at his Ener Zone, now with the addition of Iron Tail Dragon, he could now see that he no longer had any Life Cloths left and that Yuzuki was far from finished with her attacks.
"If only I could stay with him forever... the Dark Prince I had imaged then...!" she shouted "I... would never feel so alone!"
As those words left her mouth, Diabride threw her boquet of flowers towards Dragonic Overlord which immediately caught fire to turn it into a deadly projectile that was headed straight for the Kagero commander. Closing its eyes as part of his image, Kai reopened them immediately as his voice sounded out.
"Listen to your master's voice! Assemble for the sake of victory!" he declared "Quintet Wall!"
Upon the moment his command was given, Dragon Knight, Gimel appeared in front of Dragonic Overlord, before generating five circles in front of himself. Out of them appeared Iron Tail Dragon, Lintwurm, Phantom Dragon, two Goddra, Phantom Dragons and Embodiment of Spear, Tahr who simply parried away Malachite's projectile with the use of his aforementioned weapon. After the five units had vanished, Yuzuki through the imaged form of Hanayo-Five simply clenched both her teeth and fists as more tears continued to flow down her cheeks. The imaged LRIG leaped into the air and hovered above Dragonic Overlord with her thorned whip catching on fire up to a short distance away from where she was holding it.
Back in the apartment, Kai had kept his eyes closed throughout most of the ordeal, seemingly not fazed by what Yuzuki had just said to him so far in the midst of her rant, stirred up by the earlier image she had experienced from his word.
"Kai...!" she cried "You once sacrificed everything for the sake of power, something that is a sin even to this day, just as I was willing to sacrifice everything for my wish! And yet... why can't you and everyone else understand why I feel this way?!"
The moment she had finished speaking out, Kai's expression suddenly tensed up for a moment as several images from his own personal time with wielding Reverse, including the brief time where he was corrupted by the Seed's overloaded power in his first battle with Ruko flashed throughout his memories. Then without even looking, he picked out one card from his hand and placed it between the two mats, shocking Yuzuki as it was revealed to be Servant D2.
(End Music)
"Guard!" he declared, his voice showing a hint of fierceness for a moment.
Within the image, the colourless Guard SIGNI appeared in front of Dragonic Overlord as it created a barrier just large enough to block the majority of the flame coated whip that repeatedly slammed into it. Yuzuki, still in tears through the form of Hanayo-Five closed her eyes and pushed past Servant D2 attempting to land a last ditch punch on Dragonic Overlord that was simply stopped with its right claw. As she allowed her frustration to get the better of her, the image around her suddenly changed to show that she as the LRIG she was in the present day had her punch caught by Kai's right hand, much to her sudden shock.
Hanayo herself meanwhile had looked down at the floor throughout Yuzuki's entire anger, no doubt feeling even more guilty about what had happened between them in the Selector Battles that led them up to their respective points in time today. Whilst Aichi and Ruko couldn't help but sigh a little in relief that Kai had managed to withstand both her attacks and the brunt of her anger, they much like Hitoe were still concerned for how their friend was mentally holding up. As Yuzuki herself could only fall to her knees, partially in frustration from the failed Final Turn she had called out, Kai had finally opened up his eyes with the intention of speaking out to her.
"I believe I now have 'that' reason," he spoke, bringing the LRIG's attention from her card back up to him "You initially had what was otherwise considered innocent thoughts for your brother Kazuki back in your kindergarten days, ones that you tried to bury out of fear from your classmates and for Kazuki's safety, fearing that he would get hurt from the backlash you've endured all this time. However, when you noticed nearly any girl from your classes seemingly getting close to him, you instinctively developed a fear of isolation which had only ressurrected those feelings."
Yuzuki could only clench her teeth as she listened to what Kai was saying to her, knowing that was he had recounted based on what she had previously told her and what he figured out on his own so far was already true.
"Some time later," he continued "Hanayo had first came into your possession and you intially learned about the Selector Battles and the supposed conditions needed to make a wish come true. Being too afraid to approach Kazuki on the subject of your own feelings, you decided to risk everything on that wish, believing you would obtain a great power or something else necessary to ensure that it would become a reality."
"... During that time... I first met Ruko and Tama," she spoke "Believing in everything then, I at first simply viewed them as stepping stones to my wish. But as the day went on, we got to know each other better and that's how we first became friends, before we eventually brought Hitoe into the circle."
"And yet... just now, you confessed you would sacrifice everything for your wish."
Gasping for a moment, Yuzuki suddenly recalled some of the words she had spoken out in the midst of her earlier rant towards Kai during her failed Final Turn.
"I... I had no choice...!" she cried "Even if Ruko said she never had a problem... how was I supposed to believe that she wasn't like the others?!"
"Then you're saying that even though the presence of your friends essentially cancels out the isolation you feared," Kai continued "You're still willing to break that bond for those feelings?"
"You're one to talk!" she snapped "You willingly went the distance as I wanted to, sacrificed so much just for Link Joker and all of a sudden, you're an expert on this kind of subject?!"
"No."
As Yuzuki suddenly blinked in confusion, not quite understanding at what the Kagero user was getting at, Aichi quietly gasped having realized that the answer was right in front of them all along.
"Certainly, what you're saying is true to an extent," Kai spoke "Although our overall goals at their respective times and the morals behind them differ, whilst you were controlled by your desire to remain with Kazuki to avoid what you percieved as an eternal loneliness, I was controlled by own desire to become the strongest, regardless of whoever was reversed. Yuzuki... whilst I find your comparison most accurate, there is only one thing that has seperated us in that regard."
"And what would that be...?" she asked.
"Yuzuki..." he answered "... Unlike myself then, I can still sense indecisiveness in your resolve."
Yuzuki simply stared down on the floor of the space within her card, clenching both her teeth and her fists as she took into account everything that Kai had just spoken to her about, only further adding to the indecisiveness that had been addressed just moments earlier. As she huffed under her breath, the earlier pent anger now slowly leaving her mind as she though over everything she had just said, especially to her friends and Hitoe who had held on to her card for so long, the aforementioned Selector, Ruko and Aichi looked down at the LRIG's card, feeling sorry for what she had to go through in both a mental and physical struggle, only to end up at the point she was now.
"The ideal that something can only be achieved through a great sacrifice, even your own friendships," Kai spoke as he drew two cards and placed one into his Ener Zone to begin the turn "Yuzuki... I am going to burn that image to nothing. Final Turn!"
Yuzuki's expression didn't change in the slightest, knowing that the Kagero user was bound to call out this declaration of his own sooner or later within the entire battle that had been transpiring between them. Holding up one card from his LRIG deck above him, he spoke out the ride chant that was familiar to all but Hanayo herself who had finally brought up her gaze to meet his.
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Blazing Perdition)
"At the end of an endless quest, you arrive at your final evolution! Sublimate your savage soul and show your true form! Crossbreak Grow!"
Back in the imaged field, Dragonic Overlord was enveloped in a bright fiery orange glow as the number of wings and arms it had doubled as the familiar weapons from this form appeared in each of the four arms it now possessed. Two guns for the upper pair and two swords for the lower whilst the distinguishable gold and red armour materialized over the form that was familiar to almost everyone in the room.
"Dragonic Overlord the End!"
Yuzuki could only groan upon realizing the situation she was now in, especially given the fact that she had used up every single card in her hand in her last ditch to finish off Kai meant that she could no longer defend herself, especially with the knowledge of the End's skill given that she taken up the brunt of that kind of attack physically in Hitoe's previous battle with Akira. Hanayo knew this too from acting as her liason throughout the battle, knowing that it would take even a miracle to fend off the End in this situation. Kai then took out two cards from his LRIG deck and revealed the first one to the two of them.
"First, I activate One Rule, Two Birds!" he called "And then... Phosphorescent Samsara!"
As he revealed the new ARTS that he had placed in his deck, Hanayo could only gaze down at Yuzuki, knowing full well of what was about to come with the LRIG herself unaware of the ARTS' capabilities, especially with the way that he had been playing.
"Not yet...!" the LRIG cried, gazing over to Kai's LRIG deck "Because of that... you only have two copies of the End for the Persona Blast!"
"She's right...!" Aichi gasped "Kai-kun, what are you...?"
He stopped in the middle of his speech upon noticing the Kagero user's serious gaze being directed towards him, most likely in the reassurance that there was nothing for him to be concerned.
"Now then... here I come, Yuzuki!" he declared "The End attacks Hanayo!"
On the imaged field, the End roared loudly as it pointed down both of its guns towards Hanayo-Five who could only brace herself for the impact as the fiery bullets crashed right into her, causing her to scream loudly in pain. Afterimages of the cards that were named Diabride, Natural Pyroxene and the Spell, Roaring Fire Pillar appeared for a moment, the Life Burst of the SIGNI being useless to Yuzuki as Kai had no SIGNI available for her to banish.
"The End's Persona Blast!" Kai's voice called out "Overlord, stand up again!"
Dragonic Overlord growled as it then took flight into the air before point down its guns at Hanayo and firing off a barrage of fiery bullets at her once again, knocking her backwards across the battlefield even further as another glow surrounded the Kagero commander, indicating that Kai was using its Persona Blast once again. It dived down towards the LRIG before charging towards her with the intent of finishing her off with the swords that it carried in its lower arms. Back in reality, Yuzuki looked up at the card Hanayo held, thanks to a Life Burst that was just triggered by the previous attack.
"The effect of Phosphorescent Samsara!" Kai declared "I Exceed 5 cards and add 3 extra skills to the End! The first, you can no longer use Level 2 or 3 Guard SIGNI for the rest of this turn! The second, Overlord gains Triple Crush!"
"Then the third..." Hanayo murmured to herself.
"In that case, Level 4!" Yuzuki called as the former LRIG revealed the card that was drawn moments earlier "Servant Q!"
After Hanayo placed the card into the Trash Pile with her earlier expression having not changed a bit, the LRIG then breathed heavily for a moment, looking back up at Kai.
"The End is truely over!" she called "Both of us have now failed our Final Turns and you no longer have any SIGNI to defend yourself! In the next turn...!"
"There is no next turn."
Yuzuki stared up at Hanayo in confusion as it was her who had just spoken out those words and not Kai as she had somewhat anticipated in that regard.
"Hanayo is correct," Kai replied "If you would kindly inform her."
"The third effect of Phosphorescent Samsara," the former LRIG spoke "If five cards were Exceeded during that attack... the End stands up again."
"WHAT?!" Yuzuki exclaimed.
Everyone watching from the couch beside the table gasped in shock, having not expected such a powerful effect to help benefit Dragonic Overlord and Kai in the event of a failed attack such as this. Whilst Tama was as equally shocked as her Selector, Hitoe and Aichi, Yuki simply gazed up at Kai, now having realized how this had all come together for him.
"Then the reason he used Undeux and that additional Bahr for the Superior Grow of Aleph," she murmured.
"That gave him the necessary conditions for that Exceed," Umr concluded.
Back on the imaged field, Yuzuki through the imagined form of Hanayo-Five could only look up at Dragonic Overlord the End, staring down at her with the same feeling of dread that she had once felt when facing the physical unit once before, only this time, there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop the attack that was coming her way.
"This is... Kai Toshiki's resolve...?!" she breathed in disbelief.
"Kurebayashi Yuzuki..." Kai's voice spoke out "I don't have the right to interfere with your personal feelings for Kazuki. But until you can reach a conclusion on the indecisiveness of the reason you gave us, there is nothing more any of us can do for you."
"... I understand," the LRIG breathed as she closed her eyes, preparing to accept the inevital "No guard."
(End Music)
Dragonic Overlord opened its jaw out wide as a large fireball began to ignite from amongst the dozens of teeth that the Kagero unit possessed. Then, the sphere of flames erupted into a giant devastating beam of heat and fire that consumed her immediately, ending the battle in Kai's victory, all until she regained her sense of reality around her. She then opened her eyes with much less strain than she had before, now looking up to Kai as did the Kagero user towards the LRIG herself.
"Yuzuki... are you alright...?" asked Ruko.
"Ruko..." said Yuzuki as she breathed in and out for a moment "I may not have all of my feelings sorted... but I'm glad that Kai was able to help me get some things off my chest." She then looked over towards Hitoe who had shared equal concern. "Hitoe... about the part where I said I'd sacrifice everything... I'm sorry that..."
"It's alright Yuzuki..." the Selector replied in reassurance "Now that you've talked to us about it... we can find a way to the bottom of all of this."
"Thank you..." the LRIG breathed as she looked up at Hanayo "Sorry you've had to lose like this, Hanayo-san."
"No," she replied "If anything, this battle has helped me to be a bit more comfortable talking to you about this mess. Since..."
"Since what?"
Hanayo sighed for a moment before looking down at Yuzuki with a sad smile on her face.
"The truth is..." she began "Kazuki is actually much like you. Some of his own feelings are still making him somewhat indecisive and because of that... part of the reason why I'm struggling to keep your wish fulfilled... is because I might have fallen in love with him myself."
"Hanayo-san..." Yuzuki murmured before looking down on the floor of her card for a moment "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?"
"It's just as Kai said," the former LRIG replied "Your feelings were still somewhat indecisive and you were still angry with me then, so you might not have taken the time to listen. Even so... my own feelings would mean betraying your wish and leaving you without a body to go back to!"
As everyone looked over to Hanayo, now understanding about how she really felt about both herself and Kazuki in the situation that the two of them were now in because of Yuzuki's wish and the rules of the Selector System that were designed by Mayu herself. Whilst Kai and Yuki kept neutral expressions in response to the whole scenario, Yuzuki herself was in deep in thought for a moment before she finally looked back at Hanayo.
"Hanayo-san!" she called, bringing the former LRIG's attention back to her "If you really have feelings for Kazuki... then until we can get our own bodies back to sort things out, please promise me you'll look after him until then!"
"Yuzuki..." Hanayo breathed.
"I now understand that this whole mess is bigger than just the three of us in where we are!" the LRIG continued "I know my feelings still need some time to sort things out... but the truth is, I've finally realized that I never had to fear being alone again. Because... I have my own companions I can turn to for help, something I should have still realized before this battle. So please... until we can fix things together as real people, keep my brother safe with your true feelings!"
"... I understand, Yuzuki," Hanayo replied with a tear trickling down her left cheek "When this is all over... tell Kazuki to look for a girl named Unjoh Hanayo. That's who I really am."
"I got it."
The earlier tension that was within the apartment abruptly came to an end as they heard the sound of a door opening from a few floors down. They suddenly realized that Kazuki must have returned from his trip, still unaware of the entire body switch or the truth behind the Selector Battles and Yuzuki and Hanayo's true feelings.
"Hide me with Hitoe!" Yuzuki called "If Kazuki finds out I'm an LRIG in the state you're in...!"
"I understand," Hanayo replied as she picked up the card and handed it over to Hitoe who immediately hid it in her pocket in brief panic, just in time as the door to the apartment swung open moments later, revealing Kazuki in their presence. He then looked over to the former LRIG, noticing the tear down her cheek.
"Yuzuki!" he cried "What happened?!"
"It's alright, Kazuki..." Hanayo replied "I... told them about 'it' and... they don't have a problem with what's going on between us."
"Are you sure...?" asked Kazuki.
"T... There's nothing to worry about..." Aichi interrupted, biting his lip to avoid uttering Hanayo's name by accident "Yuzuki-san was... just a little overwhelmed that we were willing to listen. Kai-kun battled her to help her understand that."
Kai simply kept his neutral expression as it was, he too knowing that the moment Kazuki found out that Hanayo was actually inhabiting his sister's body this whole time would mean that whatever punishment Mayu had for the former LRIG would take effect, leaving behind that same body as a soulless corpse that would slowly wither away into nothingness.
"I... Is this true, Kai?" asked Kazuki.
"It is," the Kagero user simply replied.
"Oh... thank goodness..." he breathed in relief before looking over each of the others "... Thank you for understanding our current state and... being somewhat cool with it." Kazuki then cleared his throat immediately afterwards. "If you still have some time, would you not mind staying a little longer? I would be interested in seeing what Kai Toshiki has to offer."
"Very well then," Kai spoke as he reassembled his deck, switching out several cards before shuffling up the main deck.
From within Hitoe's pocket, Yuzuki breathed a sigh of relief in that they had managed to avoid exposing Hanayo's identity to Kazuki for now. But the question was for how much longer would they able to keep up this necessary deception until she and the former LRIG could regain their true bodies? They knew the answer they sought would not reveal itself until they could bring an end to the Selector Battles themselves. For now though, the current LRIG could rest for a moment and take some time to reflect on what had transpired and the indesiciveness she had when sorting out her feelings for her brother.
And there we go! As Yuzuki reveals her reason to love her brother Kazuki which is presumed to have been out of a fear of isolation and thoughts from her past stirred by said fear, Kai discovers that in the midst of obtaining her wish as a Selector, she was willing to sacrifice everything to do so, including her own friendship with Ruko and Hitoe as she believed they would have deserted her regardless. But with her faith now restored, the LRIG now has time to think over those feelings whilst Hanayo must keep up the deception, else Yuzuki's body is left without a soul to inhabit it. Meanwhile, Kamui uncovers a plot by Ruko's mother, Miyako (and something interesting she is keeping concealed) who ventures back to his world to go after the 'guardians' that she has addressed. Who are these guardians she speaks of and will they be prepared for what lies ahead? Find out next time on Stand Up, the LRIG! Please feel free to share your thoughts and criticisms and I'll see you all next time! Until then!
