Hello everyone and I humbly welcome you back to Stand Up, the LRIG where we'll pick up with the conclusion to Misaki and Futase's fight! Hope you enjoy!
Wixoss World: City Streets
"You want us... to resolve it in the battlefield?"
Aichi and Ruko blinked for a moment as the two of them took the time to understand what Kai had just told them moments earlier in regards to his requested battle with the Royal Paladin user. He kept his eyes closed for a moment as the three of them continued down the long stretch of road towards the park that would provide the quickest route back to the apartment blocks for them. The Kagero user then opened his eyes back up and looked back at Aichi, nodding to confirm his question.
"If we're going to get to the bottom of this," he spoke "Then I will need to fight you and Blaster Blade with Dragonic Overlord itself. If all else fails..."
Kai went silent as he abruptly paused near the beginning of his own sentence, though it was apparent that even he was hesistant to say his answer out aloud to the alternative that he was willing to consider. Needless to say however, Ruko was quick to interpret what he was about to say out loud to them, having been present at the conversation between him and the Kagero commander.
"Are you saying that... if this doesn't work, you'll continue in the battles without Dragonic Overlord?" she murmured.
The Kagero user replied with a single nod, which was enough for Aichi to let out a silent gasp from under his breath. He knew that Kai had been taking it hard from his initial temporary reacqaintance with Reverse in his first confrontation with both Ruko and Yuki and that some of that power remained with Dragonic Overlord itself without their prior knowledge. But the Royal Paladin user knew that even his friend would never consider the thought of 'abandoning' one of the few units that represented who he truely was as a fighter and as a pseudo-Selector throughout his adventures in this world, if only for both his and possibly everyone else's own safety. He could understand why Kai would consider such a last resort, as it was only through Tama's words and enough of his willpower that he barely escaped that nightmare before, but considering the apparent risk that now came with using Overlord within the Selector Battles thanks to this information, who knew what to expect for the moment.
As they continued onwards back towards the apartment blocks, from the very top of the stone steps that led down to the park that the three of them were passing by, a tall female kept her gaze upon the trio, remaining silent as she did so. She wore a long, but short sleeved brown trench coat whose coattails folded outwards like a large skirt or cape of some kind from the overall piece not being fastened together. Underneath the coat, she also wore a white tank top and a pair of dark black trousers, complimented by a pair of long greyish boots. Her otherwise short hair was coloured somewhat of a mix between black and dark brown, with two long curved bangs trailing down the sides of her face in front of her ears, each adorned with a ruby coloured jewel of some kind.
Her purple eyes trailed upon Ruko at first, studying her appearance for whatever reason she had within her mind before shifting her gaze over to Kai. Narrowing her eyes upon seeing his appearance for the first time, she could immediately sense that there was something about him that wasn't as 'normal' as any ordinary person she may have encountered. Needless to say, the words she uttered afterwards when he along with Aichi and Ruko departed from the park itself, answered that question for herself, confirming her suspicions.
"So this is the boy Selector..." she murmured in a somewhat stern tone as she turned and began to walk away "Will you prove yourself a worthy challenge?"
Vanguard World: Foo Fighter
The front entrance to Foo Fighter remained silent for several moments after Justitia had descended onto Misaki's side of the field as her new Vanguard, the Genesis unit taking up an offensive stance and clutching her large blade tightly. Futase kept a level gaze upon her opponent, unsure of why she had chosen to replace what would be considered her only offensive option whilst Schwarzschild Dragon growled under its breath, as if it had somehow recognized this unit or whatever power it could possibly wield to turn the tables in Misaki's favour. The Genesis user looked down upon the card she played before returning her own gaze towards Anne who simply hovered above the ground in front of the Link Joker unit.
"Justitia's Counter Blast!" she called as one card in her damage zone turned face down "Then I'll activate the same skill twice more!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Misaki no Theme)
Justitia held up the scales in her left arm out in front of her as the four locks on the field emitted a black coloured smog that immediately filled up one of the dishes, causing the balance to tilt to the Noble's left as she radiated in a bright white aura. From the other dish of her scales, three beams of white light struck three of the Locks around the unit, causing them to shatter like glass as Prayer Angel, Hemera and Freyja all landed back on their fight, ready to take the fight to Schwarzschild Dragon and Anne once again.
"My locks have been undone?!" Futase gasped as the Cyber Dragon growled once again.
As I thought...! She's one of Ezel's disciples!
"Yes! Now Misakin can attack three times!" cheered Ratie.
"I retire Pure Angel and call Shiny Angel!" Misaki continued as Pure Angel disappeared in a brilliant white glow, allowing Shiny Angel to take its place "With her skill, I move three Regalias from my drop zone to the soul!"
Futase could only clench her teeth as she watched the Genesis user place the Shiny Angel she retired along with two triggers from her Drop Zone to the soul underneath Justitia's card.
"Finally, Limit Break!"
A green Vanguard circle flashed above Justitia as she held up her scales above her head, the darkness in the lowermost dish shattering in an instant as the Noble along with Hemera and Freyja were enveloped in a bright glow as their strength increased from the Limit Break.
Midday Regalia, Hemera/POW: 9000 - 14000
Regalia of Fertility, Freyja/POW: 9000 - 14000
Regalia of Prayers, Pray Angel/POW: 5000 - 10000
Whilst the Selector that was Misaki's opponent could only step back for a short instance, suprised that a unit that could break the Locks of Link Joker was in the possession of the Genesis user without anyone, not even Mayu having prior knowledge of this beforehand. As Anne clutched her weapon tightly to prepare for what was assumed for them to be the worst case scenario. She stared down at the six cards that she held in her hand and looked back to Misaki.
"I don't know everything that has been going on," the Genesis user spoke "But, I know that you're feeling uneasiness from using Schwarzschild. Just what is really going on?"
"This is my fate," Futase answered as she looked to Anne for a brief instance "Even if you've overcome my Locks, I can still outlast all three of your attacks. Your efforts in the end were in vain."
"Then you leave me no choice," Misaki replied as she rested Justitia's card "With a boost from Pray Angel, Justitia attacks!"
"Guard and intercept!"
Singularity Sniper, Gravity Collapse Dragon and Weiss Soldat all immediately appeared in front of Schwarzschild Dragon as it stared on towards Justitia along with Anne, waiting for what was to come as Futase looked over the rest of her hand.
Even if she pulls a trigger, I will be able to fend off her rear-guards.
"Twin Drive!" Misaki called as she revealed her first card, Regalia of Compassion, Eir "Heal Trigger!"
"I already told you," Futase replied "Your efforts are meaningless before us! Even if you apply the power to a rear-guard..."
"I give the power to Justitia!"
The Selector's eyes widened in shock as she watched Justitia's power increase from Eir's effect, initially expecting Misaki to essentially make the 'smarter' choice of applying the power to one of her two unlocked rear-guards. Ratie was feeling rather unsure of the Genesis user making a sudden gamble on her Vanguard's attack to succeed when she had failed to finish off Futase in the previous turn, even with Yggdrasil's guard restriction skill not limited by the lack of soul for Anne's own power. Misaki herself however, was still feeling as calm as she could possibly be, knowing from the bottom of her heart that this choice had to be the correct one, otherwise all would be lost on the next turn and her units would be taken to Mayu's domain.
Picking up the next card slowly from the top of her deck, she quickly turned it over to reveal Regalia of Sight, Clear Angel which shone brightly to show that she had done it. As Ratie cheered loudly from the result, Futase gasped in horror as she stared upon the card the Genesis user had just drawn, realizing exactly what was about to come next.
"A... double trigger for her Vanguard?!" she exclaimed.
"I give all the effects to Justitia!" Misaki declared as a yellow aura surrounded her Vanguard.
Goddess of Law, Justitia/Critical: 1 - 2/POW: 26000 - 31000
Justitia dashed towards Schwarzschild Dragon and Anne, slashing her way past Singularity Sniper and Weiss Soldat without so much as slowing down with a large swipe of the blade that she carried. Before the LRIG could properly take a defensive stance, the Cyber Dragon behind her suddenly grabbed her with its right claw and threw out her out in front, just in time to intercept the Genesis unit's attack as she slashed down the front of her, breaking part of her visor in the process. Futase couldn't help but even feel disgusted from Schwarzschild's sudden manuever in forcing Anne to take the full brunt of the attack head on. Realizing that she still had a chance to try and stay in the fight, she reached out for the top card of her deck.
"Damage... check...!" she called as she flipped over the top card, revealing it to be Micro-hole Dracokid.
Wincing for a moment, the Selector dropped the card onto her table as the large score down the front of Anne, caused by Justitia's attack suddenly detonated, causing her to scream in pain whilst a shockwave knocked Futase down onto her back. Before the tables vanished, Misaki quickly scrambled all of her cards together before running over to her opponent, seeing if she was alright after what had just happened.
(End Music)
"Futase!" she called as she approached the Selector.
Schwarzschild Dragon suddenly growled as it reappeared in front of the Genesis user in an instant, prompting her to stop in her advance as it snatched up the barely conscious Futase in its other free claw.
"Tokura Misaki, this is still only the beginning," it emitted in a vocal tone as a dark red aura began to envelop the two of them and Anne "We'll fight again soon enough."
The Selector, still barely conscious from the earlier shockwave and almost unable to move from the Cyber Dragon's tight grip, reached her hand into one of her pockets. When the dark red aura obscured all of them, it immediately vanished moments after, along with the dark edges of the battlefield and the remaining units. Misaki silently cursed to herself at Schwarzschild's sudden intervention to prevent her from questioning Futase about her situation and what was really going on in the other world. Looking ahead to where her opponent was standing, she could now see that there was a folded piece of paper that was more or less dropped in the same place where her table formerly was.
Ratie ran over to the object and saw what appeared to be a card sticking out of it. She picked it up as Misaki joined her to inspect what exactly it was that Futase had left behind for them before being taken away by Schwarzschild Dragon.
"This is..." she murmured as the Genesis user took out the card, noticing that it was one that belonged to the Wixoss card game as evidenced by the White backing.
Turning it around, they could see that it depicted Anne in her normal state through the still image that was present. The familiar dress and the lack of armour that the LRIG was now encased in, this had only sent the two of them even more questions than answers hurrying about through their mind. Before they had time to consider looking into the folded piece of paper they had in their possession, they could hear a familiar groan sounding from inside of Foo Fighter, followed by a faint purple glow from some of the windows on a level above.
"That sounded like...!" Ratie gasped.
"Come on!" Misaki interjected as the two of them hurried through the front doors to the building.
When they were out of sight from the front entrance, the earlier observer stepped out into the moonlight as he looked out towards the front doors, briefly fiddling with his glasses as he did so.
"Shall I follow them inside?" he asked to seemingly no one in particular.
"No, let them be for now," the same voice from before replied as his earring lit up again "I've seen enough, Morres."
"As you wish."
The man, addressed by his name, took his leave from the premises of Foo Fighter, smiling to himself as he briefly looked back at the doors of the building before disappearing from sight around a corner.
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Ulith and Iona)
To say that what Misaki and Ratie had discovered upon entering the building and hurrying to the first floor would be known as a beatdown was somewhat of an understatement. By the time the Genesis user and the former Quatre Knight had made it to the room where various fight tables and other equipment that were used by both members of the organization and Fukuhara High lay before them, they had discovered what could otherwise be labelled as somewhat of a massacre, in the loosest sense possible. All around the room, several fighters lay on the floor in pain, each of them marked with the same symbol that Remember had cast on Kamui's right hand and one that Misaki had recognized from before.
Several cards were scattered across the room, all of which were blank like the Nova Grappler user's Raizer deck as Miwa had previously shown to them the day before. Before either of them could question who or what exactly had done all of this, a voice caught their attention to the fight table at the far end of the room where they could see a tall man with purple hair cry out in pain as the same symbol was carved onto his right hand. On the opposite side was none other than Miyako who was no doubt the opponent he had lost to, as evidenced by her metallic right hand. In the palm of it was a deck of cards and imprinted on the very front with the borders of an LRIG card was Demon World Marquis, Amon.
"Tetsu...!"
Turning to their right, Misaki and Ratie gasped to see who was struggling up the corridor towards the entrance of the room they were standing in front of. It was Asaka, covered in dirt and scratches and much like almost everyone else within the building, was marked with the exact same symbol. Before she stumbled and fell to the floor, the Genesis user caught her by the shoulder to keep her up on her feet.
"Damn it... I'm too late!" she groaned.
"What do you mean?" asked Misaki.
"I'm what she means."
Looking back down that same corridor, they could now see who exactly it was that Asaka had lost to earlier as she smugly walked over towards them. It was Ulith as evidenced by her trademarked sneer as she pulled out a card from her pocket and flicked it with her right hand, sending it spinning it into the air. To the shock of Misaki and Ratie, it was Silver Thorn Dragon Empress, Venus Luquier, now imprinted with the borders of an LRIG card. The cruel demanored Selector immediately snatched it back as it hovered back down into her eye contact, keeping her confident and evil smile present on her lips. She then stepped out into the room of defeated fighters and approached the table where Tetsu and Miyako had concluded their fight just moments earlier. Ruko's former mother brought her gaze upon Misaki, noticing her's and Ratie's presence within the building.
"I see that Futase failed in her mission," she spoke in a harsh tone "I will see to it that Schwarzschild will give her a suitable punishment."
Misaki stared closely upon recognizing the woman's voice, having recalled what had happened the previous night after Ratie had departed from her bedroom.
"You are...!" she gasped.
"You know her?" the former Quatre Knight asked.
"It would seem that my message for this world came into your possession," Miyako replied as she clapsed her hand on the Dark Irregulars she captured from Tetsu "I suppose it is natural that one such as yourself would overcome one of our number, Misaki."
"Why is Futase involved with all of you?!" the Genesis user demanded.
"She had her reasons," Ulith replied smugly as she approached one of the defeated fighters in the room, unconciousness from the result of being marked upon their loss "I only wished at least half of Ren's 'army' would have been more capable than this." She then lifted up her left shoe and nudged the face of one of the fighters lying on the floor, remaining motionless in response to her light 'kick'.
"You...!" Asaka growled as she tried to move forwards, only to be held back by Misaki and the pain of her own minor injuries.
"Ulith, we are finished here," Miyako spoke as she brought out an empty LRIG card into her possession "I have units to summon for Mayu."
The cruel demanored Selector almost pouted in slight disappointment for the moment, seeing as if her fill of 'fun' had not been fulfilled throughout the night's events thus far. After walking up to the tall woman, she held up the card into the air and declared "Open!" in a loud tone. The card emitted a blinding glow as everyone who was conscious shielded their eyes as both Ulith and Miyako disappeared from the room and the premises of Foo Fighter altogether. Misaki, being the first to regain her foresight stared towards the table where the two were last standing, still awestruck from the power that they commanded at this very moment. Tetsu groaned as he struggled back onto his feet and over towards the pair and Ratie who in turn hurried over to him.
(End Music)
"Tetsu!" called Asaka as they finally regrouped with one another.
"I'm sorry..." he spoke "That woman's strength was overwhelming..." He then looked over to Misaki and Ratie. "I assume their other associate brought your attention here?"
"Yes!" the former Quatre Knight answered "And they might not even be the only ones!"
"What are you implying?" asked Asaka.
"There was one we believed to be called Kiyoi," Misaki replied "But Futase said that might not even be her real name."
As the room went silent again, Tetsu and Asaka could look down to the floor in shame, seeing how easily they were defeated by both Ulith and Miyako respectively. Whilst the news of Futase's defeat at least implied that they could be defeated in the future, it had done little to lift their spirits, especially as more units from both of their clans, including both Amon and Luqiuer through their cards were now trapped within the domain of Mayu. Misaki then immediately pulled out the piece of paper that Futase had dropped at the end of their battle and revealed it along with the static card of Anne's Level 0 form to everyone else, causing Asaka to stare at her for a brief moment.
"I believe that it was no accident that Futase dropped this after our fight," the Genesis user spoke.
"Then you believe she intentionally left behind a clue to what's really going on?" asked Tetsu.
Misaki nodded in reply, knowing that whatever they would read from this folded note would hopefully shed some more light on the mystery surrounding them and providing more answers as to what was going on in the Selector's own world.
Wixoss World: Ruko's Apartment
"I attack Ethics Buster Extreme."
"Ggh... I can't guard!"
Kamui groaned as he stared down at the table that he and Hatsu were seated at, having finished another practice battle to try and improve his own skills after his previous defeat to Amika and Piruluk, who he now knew as the real Kiyoi. The Nova Grappler user had requested for Ruko's grandmother to battle him by using her own Piruluk deck to see if it was possible for him to even defeat her without the backup of any Aqua Force units and to further prepare himself for the next time that he and Remember would cross paths and battle once again, this time within the Selector Battles. Needless to say however, his progress in getting any closer to accomplishing that goal however was proving to be a much greater challenge than he was anticipating.
Over from the kitchen space, Naoki and Ren who had been joined by Leon minutes earlier had been observing the long and 'painful' slaughter that Kamui was enduring to try and prove that he did have the skills necessary to overcome the tactics that were used by Piruluk and Remember respectively. The Narukami user looked on in concern, seeing that he had almost reached the breaking point a few times over, if only from not taking the blue LRIG's initial criticisms of him well and having the ability of her Selector to back them up in battle.
"That's his seventh one in row," he murmured "Just the sight of Piruluk from the still cards is really getting to him."
"Katsuragi has never been one to admit the flaws in his own pride," Leon interjected "But his determination alone still regards him as a strong fighter."
"Still, there is no denying her very presence pushes his buttons in one way or another," Ren said in a somewhat bemusing tone.
Naoki blinked for a moment before turning his attention back towards the table, watching what was happening now that the result ended in Kamui's loss, again. The Nova Grappler user clenched his fists tightly as he thought back over everything that had happened thus far since his cardfight with Remember that transpired in his arrival to this world to the point where he now found himself. Much to his annoyance though, the words of Piruluk from the end of his last battle had echoed through his head once again.
"If you cannot defeat me, then how do you expect to overcome Remember, let alone take back the units she's stolen from you?"
Hatsu upon noticing his expression and thinking about everything that he had told her before their long streak of battles, decided that this was enough for the moment as she stood up from where she was and slowly walked over towards him.
"It's not just about Kiyoi on your mind, isn't it?" she asked.
(Cardfight! Vanguard Neon Messiah OST: Messiah Scramble - The Mystery Revealed)
Upon hearing her question and remembering that it wasn't the only reason that he was frustrated for the moment, Kamui loosened himself up as he began to recall everything that he had heard earlier at that time.
"Yeah..." he sighed "It's not just Kiyoi or my stolen Raizers I'm mad about."
"There's the matter of Amika as well, if I'm not mistaken," Hatsu spoke to which the Nova Grappler user nodded "I can understand why you're frustrated with yourself, but you need to understand her own feelings as well."
"That's not the point...!" he replied "I know her mom's in bad shape and that there's no telling how long she might have to live! I understand why she's wanting to trust Kiyoi with granting her wish, but she'll be an LRIG if that happens and if her wish gets tainted...!"
Clenching his fists for a moment, he ran the entire scenario through his head again along with everything he needed to know about the Selector Battles themselves as well as what little secrets about them had been uncovered thus far. But no matter how hard he could try to keep his frustration in check, both the sneer of Remember and the blank emotionless stare of Piruluk, the real Kiyoi, always seemed to keep entering his thoughts.
"I can see that you've been trying your hardest to think this through," Hatsu continued "But, there may be one thing that concerns me."
"And what would that be?"
"From the way I've seen you act during our games, you seem to have your attention fixated solely on Piruluk or Kiyoi as we really know her as. I'm curious to know, if it's because you want to prove something to her?"
Kamui remained silent for the moment, allowing himself to take in Hatsu's words as they sunk into his mind. As he did so, he recalled something that Piruluk had bluntly said to him during his first game with Amika, that ended inconclusively at the time. The Nova Grappler user bitterly ran through those exact words once again, knowing that if it was one thing that he disliked, it was being told that his efforts would be futile to him in the very end.
"If feelings are all you rely on... you'll never survive in this world."
"I... I want to prove to her that I'm not as much of a pushover as she thinks," he said, looking up to Ruko's grandmother "I just wish there was something I could do to help Amika."
"Then calm yourself."
Kamui blinked for a moment as Hatsu handed the card of Piruluk's Level 0 form named Code Piruluk.
"Think about why Kiyoi may have criticized your way of going about things," she spoke "If you can find the answer to that, perhaps you'll be able to help Amika and regain your units from this Remember."
The Nova Grappler user looked back at the card he held that depicted the blue LRIG as a still image, trying to make sense of what Ruko's grandmother had been telling him just now. Getting up from the table, he looked towards Naoki, Ren and Leon who had been watching the whole conversation over from the kitchen area.
(End Music)
"Hey guys..." he began "I know this isn't really like me, but seeing as you know more about Wixoss than I do now... can I ask for your help?"
"You got it!" Naoki replied enthusiastically "I'm sure Aichi will be more than willing to help us too. We'll definitely sort out whatever's going on with Amika."
Kamui smirked in response, his confidence having finally returned back to him. He knew that whatever lay ahead for his own experiences within the Selector Battles would not be easy as he had experienced firsthand, but for the moment, he was glad to have familiar friends by his side to help him start over. He looked back down to the card depicting Piruluk, loosening his expression a little, but not becoming as frustrated as he normally would. Somehow, he had a feeling that the next time the two of them would cross paths, things would be much different than expected.
Kai's Apartment
Aichi and Kai stood at opposite ends of the single living space within the apartment, preparing themselves to begin the Selector Battle that would determine what was really going on with the power flowing through the veins of Dragonic Overlord and what this would mean for the Kagero user, given what happened the last time he had used it in battle. Ruko stood back from the distance between the two so she would not accidentally end up battling one of the two instead when they would declare the command "Open!" to bring them to the battlefield. In her hand were the two cards that contained Yuki and Tama as the girls of black and white looked over towards the two cardfighters in the room, preparing to face off in search for the truth.
"Tama doesn't know who to cheer for...!" Tama moaned, seeming somewhat indecisive in who to root for to the point of almost pulling on her pigtails.
"Remember that this isn't merely a simple contest Tama," Yuki interrupted, bringing the girl of white's attention to her as she stared at Kai "This battle will determine Kai's stance on his current dillema and whether or not he can put his own trust in Dragonic Overlord."
"Are you absolutely sure the two of you want to do this?" asked Ruko "I know neither of you have lost a Selector Battle technically, but..."
"It is fine," Kai interrupted, looking over to the Selector "Whatever happens to me or Aichi within that space will be my own responsibility."
"Kai-kun..." Aichi murmured in slight concern.
The Kagero user looked back towards him, holding one of the LRIG cards of his Kagero deck from its backing pointing in the general direction in front of him. Aichi reached into his pocket and pulled out Blaster Blade's card, looking down at it for a brief moment as he then looked up to Kai, briefly seeing an afterimage of what he was like on the day that the two of them had met each other for the first time. As the brief trip down memory lane ended, he held out the back of Blaster Blade's card towards Kai as he prepared himself for the battle. Then, after a few long tense seconds between them...
"Open!"
And with that, a series of rectangular flashes from each of the cards they held crossed over with the opponent as everything around them and Ruko went completely white.
Selector Battlefield
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battlefield)
Eventually, Aichi and Kai regained consciousness within the battlefield as they found to be seated at their respective tables, each side of their 'territory' marked by the primary colours of their decks and the clans they used. On the table with the colour of red across half of the background stood Lizard Soldier Conroe and on the other that was within the white coloured half of the field stood Advance Party Seeker, File. On Aichi's table beside his deck, Umr stood and gazed up at him, seeing that she was not going to be used throughout the battle.
"Are you certain you won't require my assistance?" she asked.
"It's fine," Aichi replied "It's Kai-kun that I'm worried about though."
Upon hearing and recognizing Umr's voice, File's right ear twitched for a moment as he immediately turned around to see the mysterious LRIG for himself, gasping for a moment.
"H... How did you get here?!" he exclaimed.
"Easy File..." Aichi replied calmly "Umr is our friend now. She's just sitting out for this battle."
"Oh, right..."
File awkwardly laughed for a moment, scratching the back of his hair with one of his two lances whilst Umr simply stared at him in partial confusion, noting his initial surprise from being within Aichi's presence having been unaware of how Takuto had helped her get to him in the first place. He then turned around to see Kai and Conroe who had been silently awaiting for the roulette above their heads to begin spinning at any moment now. The Kagero user remained still as he kept his gaze upon Aichi for a few moments before gazing down at his LRIG deck, knowing what was contained within would determine the course of what could happen next, not just this battle in general.
It's finally time to uncover the truth... he murmured as he brought up his right hand, staring into the palm as he contemplated over everything thus far Are you still infected with 'that' power? Or am I...?
Resisting the initial thought to shake his head out of refusal to acknowledge the last question that was brewing within his mind, the sound of the roulette spinning immediately snapped him out of his brief stupor as he and Aichi looked up to the giant wheel. The red and white slots raced past the arrow that would mark where exactly the roulette would stop at, beginning to slow down with every few turns that it cranked by. Over from the tall tower within the buildings that acted as a backdrop to the battlefield, Ruko watched closely from the windowsill with Tama and Yuki standing side by side from in front of her. The girl of white along with her Selector seemed to grow more concerned with every passing second whilst the girl of black kept a close gaze upon Kai, knowing full well of what happened in their first confrontation that led to the dillema he now faced.
Eventually with a loud creak, the roulette came to a stop on a white slot, indicating that Aichi would determine the turn order from the beginning of the battle. The Royal Paladin user looked over to Kai as he had already come down to a decision.
"I'll let you go first, Kai-kun," he spoke.
The Kagero user nodded as he drew his single card before gazing over to his LRIG deck.
"I grow Bahr!" he declared.
In a bright orangish red glow, Conroe immediately vanished from the space on the table as Bahr took up a defensive stance, knowing that it was impossible to wage an attack on the very first turn. Immediately afterwards, Dragon Monk, Genjo appeared in the center SIGNI space as Kai made a silent gesture to show that he was passing the turn over to Aichi.
"Here I come!" he called as he drew his two cards "I grow Marron and summon!"
File vanished in an illuminating white glow as the Little Sage entered the battlefield alongside Hallowed Breath Dragon who also appeared in the center SIGNI space, preparing to face off against Genjo as evidenced by the fierce glint in its azure coloured eyes. With a fierce roar, it immediately took flight towards the Dragon Monk who remained motionless as it was immediately consumed by the emerald green flames of the Cosmo Dragon. After the card reappeared in Kai's Ener Zone, Marron opened up his book to a certain page before pointing two of his centermost fingers in his right hand towards Bahr, generating a bluish circle with several incomphresible runes around its edge before a azure coloured beam erupted from it, immediately striking down the Embodiment of Armor as it was knocked backwards by a short distance.
The first damage from that attack was revealed to be Dragonic Burnout, nothing of use to Kai at this moment from its lack of a Life Burst. The Kagero user stared down at the card for a long moment before looking back to Aichi, who despite his growing concerns for him was not allowing this to waver away at his determination within this battle. He closed his eyes as he went deep into thought from everything that the Royal Paladin user had been through in his own experiences of the Selector Battles.
(End Music)
After arriving in this world, you haven't changed a bit, Aichi he murmured within his mind, almost mentally smiling at that statement Even if Ulith had shattered your will momentarily at that time, you managed to pull through as you always have. Since that fight, we've all shared a burden with the shattered Seed, to not allow its darkness to spread from the fragments that are embedded within us. But...
His expression then immediately tensed up as a certain memory began to make its way towards the back of his mind. It was from the morning after he had faced Ruko for the first time, recalling how destroyed he had felt from being abruptly overtaken by the same evil he had accepted once before and thought to have left behind after his final confrontation with Aichi at the very rooftop of the Tatsunagi Corporation. One part of that memory that still bothered him to this instance was the image of himself within the bathroom mirror, where he had believed to have seen his reversed self, taunting him that Reverse would always have remained a part of him no matter what.
If I have not overcome that power as I had believed and that it still courses through Overlord... then so much as carrying it around can potentially put everyone around me at risk.
Umr glanced over towards Kai, noticing the slight tenses within his expressions, even with his eyes closed as he was deep in thoughts over everything that had been happening to him since that night. She looked over to Aichi, who could only gaze back with a concerned expression, knowing that if this was indeed an internal struggle that was transpiring from within his friend, then this wasn't going to be easy for him at all. Finally, the Kagero user opened his eyes and began his next turn, the glint in his green eyes seeming as fierce as ever.
As long as I can prevent that darkness from surfacing again... then I will fight with everything I have!
And there we go! Misaki succeeds in overcoming the power of Lock and defeats Futase, but before she can question her any further, the Selector is taken away by Schwarzschild Dragon back to Mayu's domain, but not before assumingly leaving behind a clue for her and Ratie. The two of them then discover that the fight was a means of stalling them so that Miyako and Ulith could complete their task for Mayu by acquiring the units from every member of Foo Fighter, including Tetsu and Asaka. Meanwhile, as Kamui trains with Hatsu to find his resolve regarding Amika's current stance, Aichi and Kai begin a Selector Battle to uncover the truth behind Dragonic Overlord's current state and how it ties in to Kai's current dillema.
Will they find the answers they seek? Will Kai be in for a world of trouble once again? And who is the new mysterious girl that knows of his status of a pseudo-Selector? Join us next time as the battle continues along with a name drop to this new story original character. Please share your thoughts and criticisms and I'll see you once more in the next chapter!
Card of the Chapter:
Goddess of Law, Justitia
Grade 3
Twin Drive!
SLD: 0
POW: 11000
Clan: Genesis
Nation: United Sanctuary
Race: Noble
Unit Type: Normal Unit
[ACT](VG) Limit Break 4 (This ability is active if you have four or more damage): [Soul Blast (6)] Choose up to 3 of your Genesis rear-guards, and those units get [Power]+5000 until end of turn. This ability cannot be used for the rest of that turn.
[ACT](VC):[Counter Blast (1)] Choose one of your locked cards, and unlock it.
[CONT](VC/RC): Lord (If you have a unit without a same clan as this unit, this unit cannot attack)
