City Streets
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Yuki)
Later in the afternoon, after departing from Yuzuki's apartment no more than a few minutes ago, Aichi and Hitoe took their leave to the library together whilst Kai and Ruko had seperated from the group, with the intention of finding any more clues to the Selector Battles and learning anything new about Amika's scenario from Kamui once they had found him. As both the Selector and the Kagero user wandered across a lonely street together in their continued search for more answers, she was deep in thought over everything that had transpired since he had freed her and Yuki from the grip of Mayu and the terrifying power of Reverse. Although she was now more content with using the girl of black in battle thanks to two battles she previously had with Kai the preceding night, that had done little to qwell her concerns since the sudden turn of events on that same day.
Kai himself on the other hand, whether he had known about it already or not was also thinking about the topics that had arisen on that same day, mostly however in regards to the family links Ruko now had to deal with. Between both her former mother, Kominato Miyako and Ayumu, there was something that had caused a wedge in the siblings' relationship and for the moment, the older brother had critical knowledge about the events that transpired between all of them six years ago that he had chosen not to reveal, simply out of blind anger and assumption that Ruko had already known and was hiding it for herself when in truth, the Selector had no memory at all about what had happened back then.
If we are to put an end to Ruko's family issue, then we must battle Ayumu once more the next time we see him he muttered in his thoughts As of this moment, only he and Miyako hold the key to the answers we seek.
"Say, Kai..." Ruko spoke.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Do you think... Yuzuki's going to be alright?" she murmured "You know... with what's been going on."
"As of now, the only thing that can verify her feelings is her own certainty," Kai answered "She needs time to gather her thoughts together."
The Selector looked down at the floor for a moment, a part of her still feeling concerned for not just her friend, but for Hanayo and Kazuki as well, given the situation that the three of them were currently stuck in within the Selector's twin brother being unaware of the whole thing. Wanting to move the conversation along to something at least a little less depressing, she forced a small smile on her face and looked back the Kagero user.
"Anyway..." she began "I was actually curious to know. You're a really strong fighter from back in your own world, so..."
"You were curious about the kind of people I faced?"
"Yes," Ruko replied.
"I see..." Kai murmured as he closed his eyes, recalling all of the major Vanguard fights he had ever been involved with throughout his life up until the point where Takuto had unintentionally summoned him to this world.
"Certainly, I have faced many opponents in my own world," he began "The ones that always progress in their growth as a fighter and as a person themselves I acknowledge as strong fighters. Of course, that doesn't exclude the other fighters that have arrived in this world. Aichi is certainly is no exception to that. On the last fight we had, before he had sealed himself away without our knowledge, I believed I had been steeped in a such an unforgivable sin that I forgot how much fun Vanguard truely was and as a result, to me, living meant hurting the people I knew."
The Selector remained silent, taking into account about everything Kai was indeed telling her at this very moment.
"Ruko," he continued "You have felt the same way, haven't you?"
"Y... Yeah..." she murmured "Even after Yuzuki and I learned from Hanayo about the consequences of losing 3 Selector Battles, when I battled Yuki for the first time... I had ignored everything that we'd learned then for the sake of fun. When I realized what I had done then... it completely ate me up inside."
"And that desire in turn had affected me."
Hearing that the recent voice had come from Yuki herself, Ruko reached into her pocket and pulled out the card containing the LRIG in question who looked up to her and then over to Kai.
"I assume you meant your desire to be paired with the strongest Selector at that time?" he asked.
"That is correct," the girl of black replied "When I saw how carefree Ruko was in our battle along with both her skill and tenacity alone, I knew that she was the Selector that I had desired to be paired with, to rule over the battles themselves as our own. However... I was completely naive in my ambition as to what Mayu really planned for her and because of my greed..."
"It's alright, Yuki," Ruko interrupted, trying to comfort the LRIG in her recount of past events "You didn't know any of that would happen. All of that is behind us now and Tama and I need you to help all of us get to the bottom of this whole mess."
Yuki had calmed down slightly from the reassurance of her Selector as she remained silent with her eyes closed, no doubt still in thought over the whole incident that had occurred back in their previous Selector Battle against Kai and Aichi. Ruko then looked up to the Kagero user himself, having much more on her mind that she wanted to tell him at this moment.
"Kai..." she murmured "My wish will still be for the freedom of everyone that was trapped in Mayu's game. But... now that I've had a chance to think about it, there's something else I want to do."
"What do you have in mind?" he asked.
"When this whole thing is over..." Ruko answered "I want to help as many Selectors as I can to understand how fun Wixoss can be. Because of everything that's been going on, most people will have lost their enjoyment from all of the bad things of the Selector Battles that Mayu and the Star-vaders have placed in the game."
"I have my doubts that most Selectors or LRIGs will be the friendliest towards ending the system itself," Kai replied "But... I can understand the nobility behind your ideal. For now, keep ahold of that dream you aim to achieve alongside your wish and know that every action we must take towards bringing an end to the Selector Battles will bring that ideal closer to reality."
"Thank you for understanding... Kai."
Kai simply nodded in response as both he and the Selector then continued on their walk further into the city, each of them feeling that a part of their respective weights on their shoulders had been lifted just a little further.
(End Music)
Wixoss World: City Library
Later that afternoon within one of the various annexes of the library, Aichi and Hitoe were seated at a table within the Selector's favourite part of the building, given that rarely anyone ventured to this particular corner on their own initiative. Laid out on said table in front of them were Yuzuki and Umr's LRIG cards as well as the decks that represented the two of them and the Royal Paladins with Blaster Blade's card being on top. The two had been talking over everything that they had been through since the Royal Paladin user's arrival into this world, still finding it somewhat surprising of the weight of everything that each of them had been through thus far, even with the looming threat of the Star-vaders that were residing from within Mayu's domain.
Umr had also taken her time to reflect on everything that she had been through up to this point, from the first time she had met Aichi within a dream to the time that they fought side by side to save Tama from Ulith eventually coming to the point where she was now amongst the Royal Paladin user at all times, but trapped inside a card as his LRIG. At the same time, she had taken interest in what Yuzuki and Hitoe had been through up to this point with the red LRIG's issue being the most prominent, given how she and Kai had gone through it singlehandedly throughout their previous battle back at her apartment. Umr also couldn't help but think about Hitoe's wish of making friends, recalling how Aichi himself had called her one, despite the dark background that came around her's and Tawil's creation as explained earlier by Yuki.
"Hitoe..." the LRIG spoke, bringing the Selector's attention down to her card "I am curious, about the true meaning of a friend. What do you consider as one?"
"To me... a friend is a beautiful thing," Hitoe replied "I think it's someone you know you can trust and someone who can be there for you when you need them the most."
"When you mention it like that..." Aichi murmured "I guess we don't think so differently about our friends after all."
"Y... You think so?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered "I... know this might sound strange, even to me... but when you think about it, you were lucky to find close and reliable friends in Ruko-san and Yuzuki in the Selector Battles."
"You know... I think you actually have a point there Aichi," murmured Yuzuki.
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Imeeji ha Tsugi he no Chikara ni)
Hitoe blinked for a moment before immediately understanding at what Aichi had just told her at this moment. In truth, despite all of the suffering that the Selector Battles had brought to her and anyone else unfortunate to discover its darker turns for themselves, there was some sense to the Royal Paladin user's words. It was through these same battles that she had met Midoriko whose presence at the time had allowed her to befriend Ruko, Tama, Yuzuki and Hanayo, before she had her wish tainted by Yuki and Ulith. Now that the topic was somewhat brought up, Aichi couldn't help but ponder on one thing in particular, though he knew that he was hesitant to ask it, given the subject that was involved.
"Hitoe-san..." he spoke "Why did you wish for friends?"
Hitoe looked down at the table for a moment, realizing that Aichi had intended to ask her about her former LRIG and the reason the two of them fought together to ensure that she would become an Eternal Girl, the form ideal to granting her wish when the Selector herself was unaware of the flipsides that were involved. Bringing up her bag that she carried with her onto the table, she opened it up and brought out a piece of paper with writing on it.
"I moved from Aomori... here to Tokyo..." she began as she handed the piece of paper to Aichi "I had an accent... and was very slow. Before I met with Ruko for the first time... I wasn't able to make any human friends around here."
"I'm sorry to hear about that..." said Aichi, feeling somewhat guilty for having Hitoe recount some of her more lonely memories.
"I have a friend from Aomori that I wish to see again one day and this letter she sent is my hope," the Selector continued, leading the Royal Paladin user to assume that the piece of paper he was handed just now was that same letter. Looking down and reading the kanji enscribed, he immediately found out that answer for himself.
Hello Hitoe-chan
How are things going over in Tokyo?
Have you made any new friends yet?
I hope we can meet each other again soon.
With best wishes, Sakuya*
"So Sakuya was your friend..." he breathed as he looked back to her "Have you managed to speak with her?"
"Not since my last battle with Midoriko..." Hitoe replied "But with everything that's been going on... I'm not sure if telling her about the Selector Battles is the right thing to do..."
"If you have to tell her, don't worry about it," Yuzuki interjected "Sometimes, talking over an issue with a close friend can help you to come closer to solving it. I think my battle with Kai has now helped me to fully understand that."
Aichi smiled for a moment, having recalled that whilst the LRIG herself had not yet reached a decision regarding how she truely felt for her brother, Kazuki, she had finally managed to get a great weight from her shoulders by talking over it and having Kai delve deeper into the subject in their most recent battle. At the same time, when he recalled that Hitoe mentioned that the city they were staying within was Tokyo, something immediately clicked in the back of his head.
"Wait a minute..." he murmured.
"What's wrong, Aichi?" asked Umr.
"This other world... It's an alternate version of my own!" he quietly gasped "I knew something felt familiar about the city we were in, but different at the same time!"
"So... your world isn't that much different from ours?" asked Yuzuki.
"Well, Earth... I mean, 'my' Earth has a special connection to the Planet Cray," the Royal Paladin user explained, briefly clarifying the most major difference between both his world and the one that he now stood in before briefly blushing and scratching the back of his head in embarassment. "I feel silly for not asking about the name of this city beforehand though..."
Hitoe simply looked at Aichi, almost blankly for a brief moment, now understanding what he had meant earlier when he said that even he could still be nervous sometimes. At the same time, she knew that she could not fault him for not knowing that this world was somewhat of an alternate parallel to his own, given that he did not expect to come across such a scenario in the first place. Deciding to get back onto the topic at hand, she looked back to the Royal Paladin user who had regained his composure rather quickly.
"Aichi..." she spoke "Y... You know that I mentioned about how I was slow..."
"What about it?" he asked gently.
"S... Should I speak much quicker in future?" the Selector asked "It's just that... Ruko and Yuzuki never pause in their speech. So..."
Aichi smiled warmly in response, understanding where exactly Hitoe had been coming from, having previously experienced some of this difficultly for himself prior to the day where he had met Kai for the very first time.
"I understand what you mean," he said kindly "Some people can keep their composure very well in the way they talk, but if there's one thing I've understood from my friends around me, speed in your speech isn't necessarily a problem."
"I... It isn't?" she asked.
"Some people tend to talk at their own speed, even feeling comfortable if it is a slower one," Aichi answered "If anything, you just need a little longer than usual to get out what you want to say. Believe me, I know the feeling."
"I see..." Hitoe murmured before smiling warmly for a moment "T... Thank you."
The Royal Paladin user nodded kindly in response, feeling as if they were beginning to make some more progress in helping the Selector in overcoming her own anxiety, something that was still very much present despite the extra confidence she had picked up from the previous bout with Akira. Whilst he kept his eyes closed for the moment in happiness, Hitoe looked over at him for a few moments, her cheeks briefly flushing a faint red for a moment before she looked back down to Yuzuki and Umr's cards, pondering on what she could say next.
(End Music)
Vanguard World: Paris
Meanwhile, back within the capital city of France from within Kai's world, several grey clouds had begun to gather in the sky above the various people that were wandering the streets. From underneath one of the capital city's famous monuments, known simply as the Arc de Triomphe and emerging onto the empty streetway that was in front of them were two rather peculiar people. To most people, they would seem like the local passerbys that were simply touring Paris for their own interests, but to everyone greatly familiar with the game that was commonly played in this world, they were two of the strongest fighters on the Vanguard European circuit and in the case of those close to Aichi, they were also two of the people that formerly made up the group known as the Quatre Knights.
The first of the pair was much shorter than his other companion and was dressed very smartly in comparison. He had turqoise coloured hair with a long pointed ahoge at the top and had orange eyes whilst wearing white clothing with a light greyish blazer over the top with his blue tie and the white cuffs of his long sleeved shirt still being present. He was known to most who had known about the Euro League as well as his title of champion of said League, as Olivier Gaillard.
The taller colleague had light purplish hair and his eye colour was exactly the same as Gaillard's, his also being a turqoise colour. He wore a large jumper with a red scarf around the collar and wore long darker green trousers with long boots to accomodate them. His attire seemed to be more suited for one who was more at home with nature around him, as he knew that for himself with how peaceful and tranquil he could find it outside of conflict. This person's name was Phillipe Neve.
"So Ratie informed you about this?" he spoke, his voice sounding rather rough on an outer exterior.
"Yeah," Gaillard replied "And whilst I'll be one to admit that Aichi's venture to that other world has raised my own concerns, the fact that this supposed Kiyoi has caused Katsuragi to vanish is most troubling."
"That is true," Neve muttered "Regardless, I hope Ratie can keep herself safe for now. With whatever has been going on these past few days..."
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Might of the Star-vaders)
The former Quatre Knight's speech was interrupted as a nearby loud sound caught their attention as the two of them looked in the distance to their right to see a large purple beam erupting and causing several birds nearby to scatter around in panic. This spectacle had also caught the attention of several bystanders in the street and the monument behind them as they too looked towards the light, wondering what exactly was going on over where it had been coming from. When several more moments had passed by, the pillar of purple light then faded away, leaving hints of anxiety on both of their faces.
"That light..." Neve breathed before suddenly gasping, realizing where it had possibly come from, having been previously shown the location by his companion. "Don't tell me!"
"We need to hurry!" called Galliard "If the kids are hurt...!"
He cut his sentence short knowing that there was no time to waste in getting to the destination that was currently on their minds. Ignoring the people around them with their confused expressions, particularly from those that knew about their status in the Euro Vanguard League, they eventually departed from the more busier portions of the streets and into the more quieter areas of Paris. Eventually, the two of them came up towards a large house with tall fencing and several trees along with other greenery surrounding it. But what had Gaillard concerned the most was the way the gateway had seemingly been forced open, evidenced by the fact it hand been bent with what appeared to be scorch marks present.
He tensed his expression before he and Neve immediately ran into the courtyard, only to stop as they saw several young children running in panic towards the two of them. Before Gaillard could ask in concern about what was going on, the sound of a blast suddenly caught their attention as said blast in a bright purplish colour ripped the front doors of the house off and sent them flying to either side of the courtyard.
"Look out!" called Neve as he quickly dived forward to push several of the children out of the way, just in time as the longer edge of the door grazed his back, causing him to wince in pain.
"Neve!" Gaillard cried as he went to check up on the former Quatre Knight, immediately feeling a waver of relief that the edge of the door did not dig as deep into his back as he anticipated, only causing so much as a tear in his jumper and a heavy graze on his back. He then immediately turned back to one of the children, kneeling down to reach their level.
"What happened here?" he asked in concern "Where are the others?!"
"T... They're hiding somewhere," one of the girls answered "We were..."
"At last, we finally meet, Quatre Knights."
Upon hearing the new voice that addressed him and Neve by their former titles, Gaillard gasped in shock for a brief moment as he looked back to the empty doorway, where the smoke of the earlier blast was now disappearing to reveal the perpetrator involved in this incident. The black coat along with the gloves and the hood she wore made her presence unfamiliar to those before her, but herself. It was Miyako, with her right hand almost being partially opened, like a claw of some kind. She stepped out of the building until she was at a little distance away from the doorway itself.
"Who are you?!" Gaillard demanded.
"I am Miyako," she spoke "And in the name of my companion... I will claim your units!"
Claim our units...? Neve muttered in his thoughts More importantly, how does she know of our former connection to Aichi-dono?!
Gaillard seemed far from content with the answer that he had recieved from Miyako, having shared almost identical thoughts to his colleague about the whole situation in the general. But in that regard, that was the least of his concerns at this moment.
"Why did you attack our home?!" he demanded "As far as I know, these kids never did anything to incur you!"
"For the sake of acquiring your attention, Olivier Gaillard," Miyako answered "I will resort to any methods I see fit as necessary to completing my mission. Some of these little ones were foolish enough to stand in the way of my search and have already paid the price. However, it appears that my efforts now have saved me the trouble of bringing Phillipe Neve to my presence."
The two former Quatre Knights had tensed up even further from her explanation, knowing that she had willingly gone through this much trouble of her own accord just to obtain their units for this 'companion' she had brought up, unaware of who it was or what she was really capable of.
"I don't know why you've come here or why you're looking to take our units," Gaillard spoke as he brought out his deck "But... I won't forgive you for putting the kids of this orphanage, my home, in danger!"
Miyako simply remained silent in response to his declaration as she simply clenched her right hand, a brief and somewhat quiet clattering sound like the one Kamui had overheard from earlier being noticable, as evidenced by Neve's eyes narrowing for a moment. Then opening said hand slightly, a dark purple aura manifested above her palm as what appeared to be a deck of cards materialized within that same aura, their backings being more than enough to indicate that they belonged to the game of Vanguard or so it seemed.
"Very well then," she spoke as she took ahold of the deck with her other hand "But remember this well, Gaillard. I can take what I want, from who I want, whenever I or my companion desires it."
Closing the palm of her right hand once more, she began to speak out more words, the rattling sound being heard once again.
"Torturous inferno, resurrect for the first time in your true destructive nature!" she declared "Blaze open, Holy Prominence Prison!"
As Gaillard and Neve suddenly gasped in both shock and horror as to what Miyako had just declared, a purple haze of flames erupted from her right glove with the same aura from before still surrounding it, now having completely covered it up her right arm and obscuring it from sight. The flames travelled a little way into the air above their heads as it seemingly surrounded the two of them, Neve and the children that stood close to him for their safety. They gazed around the prison, now with a purple hue to the flames rather than the bluish flames that Gaillard was much more acqainted with, much to his displeasure as he saw the familiar fight table manifest in front of him.
(End Music)
"How does she have access to my prison?" he murmured to himself "The talismans disppeared when we all returned to Earth..."
"Gaillard, look!"
The former Quatre Knight turned around to face Miyako in response to Neve's voice, now gasping in shock as he now saw what was beneath the woman's right glove this entire time, allowing her access to all of the power that she had shown off in his presence. Her hand, or at least what he assumed that it was, appeared to be covered or even made out of metal, with the tips of her fingers almost seeming like razor sharp points and a red gem of some kind was embedded on the top of said 'hand'. Burning embers of what was once the glove that covered it fell to the ground, where she immediately extinguished the small embers with the heel of her boot. Using that same metallic hand, she placed down the unit that would be her starting Vanguard on the Vanguard circle of her 'table' and had already drawn out the cards that would form her starting hand.
Gaillard, cautiously feeling somewhat eager to get more answers to the stranger things he had been seeing today and from everything that had been happening over in Japan as of late, prepared himself to begin the fight. He briefly gazed back to the children who remained alongside Neve, not wanting to dare to try and find another way out of the blazing walls of the prison before turning his attention back to his opponent.
"Let's go, Miyako!" he called.
"Very well then," she spoke calmly as she reached out for the card on her table with the metallic hand that she had.
"Stand up, le Vanguard!"
"Stand up... the Vanguard."
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Consternation)
As both their starting Vanguards were flipped face up, two respective sihouettes appeared in front of their respective tables, showing the respective units that they were about to start the fight with. Gaillard was the first to announce the name of his Grade 0 unit.
"Flaming Passion Liberator, Guido!" he called as the silhouette dispersed to reveal the Gold Paladin unit, standing at the ready with the double edged daggers that he wielded.
Flaming Passion Liberator, Guido/Grade 0/Boost/POW: 5000/SLD: 10000/Gold Paladin/United Sanctuary/Human
Miyako simply remained silent as the dark silhouette on her side of the prison faded out to reveal what appeared to be Ulith from her time as an LRIG, evidenced by both the outfit she wore during said period of time. The same clothing that resembled the tights that she wore along with the bandages that wrapped around her head and right arm. But even though this was far from the real Ulith, who still resided within Iona's body unbeknowst to everyone but Miyako, the 'unit' that was played right now held the same expression that the cruel demanored Selector would have when she was about to cause chaos and misery with her own hands. Even that alone was more than enough to have Gaillard feeling on edge for whatever reason.
Ulith, Enma/Grade 0/Boost/POW: 4000/SLD: 10000/'?'/Dark Zone/'Human/LRIG'
"This unit..." he breathed, staring down at the card on the far side of Miyako's table "Don't tell me...!"
"Ride," her voice interrupted, bringing his attention to the card that she drew with the metal hand "Ulith, Burning Eye Enma!"
Ulith, Burning Eye Enma/Grade 1/Boost/POW: 7000/SLD: 5000/'?'/Dark Zone/'Human/LRIG'
With the ride that was conducted, Ulith's appearance changed drastically, in the terms of how her outfit appeared to everyone else standing before her. It seemed to have gotten somewhat skimpier, with the top half from her waist being all but reduced down to a single portion that covered her chest. In exchange for that however, it appeared that the form of the Level 1 LRIG was now starting to grow bat like wings from both her back and her boots. A purple aura radiated around her, seemingly indicating that she was growing stronger somehow.
Ulith, Burning Eye Enma/POW: 7000 - 8000
"With Ulith, Enma's skill," Miyako spoke as she moved out the Grade 0 Ulith slightly from underneath before holding her right hand over towards her deck "I add this to my hand."
One by one, each of the top cards of her deck hovered into the air until she had found the card she had wanted, immediately snatching it out of the air with the fingertips of her metallic hand as the other cards and the remainder of her deck shuffled itself around before hovering gently down to the appropriate space on her table. She then gazed towards Gaillard, revealing the card that she had added.
"What the...?!" Neve exclaimed.
A Grade 4?! Gaillard gasped in his thoughts Impossible...! There's only one unit that exists with that power... and not even 'he' has it!*
"With this, my turn is over," Miyako spoke "... Come."
The former Quatre Knight tensed in his expression as he drew to begin his turn before looking over the cards that he had available in his hand. Taking one out, he placed it on top of Guido's card.
"Ride!" he declared "May Rain Liberator, Bruno!"
A bright flash enveloped Guido as he seemingly left the field for Gaillard's new unit to take his place as the Vanguard. Bruno appeared in the place of the Grade 0 unit who immediately reappeared behind him.
May Rain Liberator, Bruno/Grade 1/Boost/POW: 7000/SLD: 5000/Gold Paladin/United Sanctuary/Human
"Attack!" Gaillard called as he moved both his and Guido's cards to the rest state.
A bluish aura surrounded Guido as his power was transferred to Bruno, allowing him to gain the power that he needed to attack Ulith at this moment. The Liberator took aim with his bow at the LRIG, whose unnerving smile had not faded in slightest, as neither did Miyako's composure as she simply remained silent and motionless, indicating that she had no intention of guarding this first attack. Gaillard simply kept his gaze firmly on her as he performed the drive check, revealing the top card of his deck which was Bluish Flame Liberator, Prominence Glare.
"It's here!" one of the boys standing beside Neve called out.
"Gaillard's trump card!" one of the girls replied.
Bruno let go of the string of his bow, sending an arrow of solid light towards Ulith who remained motionless as the projectile simply grazed past the side of her and flew towards Miyako who effortlessly caught it with her metallic hand before crushing it into nothingness, just as the top card of her deck flew to her damage zone. It was the black SIGNI, Baal, Reason of the Mortal Sin, now changed into a Draw Trigger to compensate for its abilities. The woman simply drew her single card, not concerned about taking 1 damage from the first attack. Gaillard simply stared at the cards that he had seen so far, feeling that there was something more to them at this moment.
No clan names... but possessing a nation colour... he murmured in his thoughts If she's with Kiyoi that Ratie warned us about...
"Turn end."
End of Turn 2
Gaillard vs Miyako
Hand - 6 : 7
Soul - 0 : 1
Damage - 0 : 1
Front Rows: EMPTY - May Rain Liberator, Bruno (Vanguard) - EMPTY : EMPTY - Ulith, Burning Eye Enma (Vanguard) - EMPTY
Back Rows: EMPTY - Flaming Passion Liberator, Guido - EMPTY : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY
Miyako simply drew her single card to begin her turn as he looked amongst the other seven cards that she held in her hand, including the Grade 4 form of Ulith that she had revealed to Gaillard and the others earlier.
"How unfortunate..." she muttered as she took ahold of one of the cards and placed it onto the Vanguard circle on top of the card representing Ulith, Burning Eye Enma. "Ride!"
A black aura enveloped Ulith, changing up some of her appearance thus far back to the tights that she originally wore with the outfit being mostly restored to the way it previously was before. The bat like wings on her back and boots grew larger and within the LRIG's right hand manifested a large purple spear with several disjointed points located at the very top. All the while, the expression of this Ulith had not changed in the slightest, even if it was only a representation of the real one.
Ulith, Enma of Black Rope Hell/Grade 2/Intercept/POW: 9000/SLD: 5000/'?'/Dark Zone/'Human/LRIG'
"Ulith attacks Bruno!" she declared.
Gaillard said nothing in response, showing that he had no intention of Guarding this attack at all. Miyako remained silent as she revealed the top card of her deck, revealing it to be Ulith, Enma of Screaming Hell. The former Quatre Knight tensed for a moment, now seeing that Ruko's former mother had gathered the pieces she had needed to ride Ulith all the way up to Grade 4 as she had planned. Or at least, that was what he had assumed. Ulith slashed down the front of Bruno, causing the Liberator to cry out in pain as her cold smile remained as it was, the first damage to Gaillard being Regulation Liberator, Aglovale. He tensed for a moment before drawing a card to begin his turn, briefly looking back to Neve and the children out of concern before focusing his attention back to the fight.
"T... That unit's scary..." one of the girls murmured nervously.
"Is Gaillard going to be okay?" a boy asked.
"Have faith young ones," Neve replied "Gaillard has a strong spirit. That's why he is my rival and how he came to become the Euro League champion in the first place."
The former Quatre Knight then looked back towards the area where the fight had been taking place, keeping a close gaze upon both Miyako and the 'unit' Ulith, his uneasiness having only just returned to him at this moment. He then looked over to Gaillard, inwardly hoping that his resolve would be enough to ward off this intruder and hopefully get more answers to the strange happenings within their world as of late.
(End Music)
And there we go! As Kai and Ruko talk more about the things that have happened around them in their respective worlds, Aichi and Hitoe spend some time together in the library to learn more about each other and how the Selector can overcome her anxiety in the near future. Meanwhile in his world, Miyako attacks an orphanage in the ploy of getting Galliard and Neve's attention over to her. Challenging her in the hope of making her leave the orphanage he was raised in, Galliard remains even with her so far. To make things more disturbing, Miyako also has access to his Holy Prominence Prison, something that should no longer exist with the disappearance of the Sanctuary from the moon. What other tricks does Ruko's former mother have in wait for the Quatre Knight? Find out next time on Stand Up, the LRIG!
Please share your thoughts or criticisms with any reviews you wish to offer as they will be most essential in helping me giving out a better quality story and I'll see you all on the next chapter, leaving now with a new brief segment to the end of every chapter. I have it planned to last for the rest of the current arc and beyond, but if too many people find it tedious, I shall remove it either by the end of the third arc or immediately after the next chapter. Until next time fellow readers, I bid you all adieu.
*As Hitoe's friend from Aomori was unnamed in the canon of infected through mention only and was not addressed since the release of destructed, I had to take it upon myself to give her one.
*I bet you can all guess which non-G Unit Grade 4 that Gaillard knows about.
Card of the Chapter:
Ulith, Enma
Grade 0
Boost
SLD: 10000
POW: 4000
Clan: ? (Unknown)
Nation: Dark Zone
Race: Human/LRIG
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[AUTO]: When a Grade 1 card that does not have "Ulith" in its name rides this unit, call this card to (RG).
[AUTO](Soul): When a Grade 1 card with "Ulith" in its card name rides over this unit, search your deck for up to one Grade 2 or higher card with "Ulith" in its card name, reveal it and add it to your hand. Then shuffle your deck.
[CONT]: This card counts under all clans from the Dark Zone nation. (You may only run cards with "Ulith" in their card names and any cards with ? in their clan name from the Dark Zone nation with one of those clans in your deck)
