Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this next chapter (now in line with continuity after the mishap I had with the previous two initially) as we draw closer towards the third arc's finale.
The White Room
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Presence of the Void)
After the battle had concluded, Mayu simply sat back down into the seat that was her throne, clasping one hand around one of the armrests as she gazed down to Photon who had been holding a tablet throughout the entirety of the confrontation. Standing beside the Cyberoid commander was Miyako herself whose displeased expression made it clear to everyone that she wasn't just upset with Ayumu's 'incompetence' to fulfilling even a simple request for her, but she was outright furious with the fact that Yuki had grown even stronger since the last time she was used in battle which had led to the destruction of the clone LRIG that she had built for him to use in battle.
"Did you retrieve the data...?!" she snarled as she turned to Photon.
"Analysis confirms that data retrieval was successful," he spoke calmly after gazing at his tablet briefly "Kominato Ayumu's Selector rights have also expired."
"In that case, an erasure of his memories within the Selector Battles will be needed," Mayu replied "He knows the truth of that incident."
"That won't be necessary."
Upon hearing her 'general's' words just now, the mastermind of the Selector Battles gazed at Miyako as she clenched her metallic hand with a loud clank before gazing out of a window showing Ruko attending to an unconscious Ayumu back in the park with Kai standing beside her, remaining cautious for the time being.
"I have no intention of letting him leave the battles in failure that easily," she spoke as her gaze trailed upon both the Kagero user and the Selector "Despite Kuro's unexpected growth to be an issue; he has served his purpose in this accursed world, much like my late husband. He will pay his dues soon enough... with his own existence."
Before anyone else could speak, a snicker could be heard as everyone present in the White Room turned their attention down the seemingly endless hallway they were standing in to see that Ulith was approaching them. Her face was almost full of evil glee, as if she had been somehow enjoying the entire battle for her own twisted amusement.
"I fail to indulge in your humour," Miyako said sternly.
"As expected of the General," the cruel demeanored Selector replied as Photon took his leave from the White Room for his lab "I must say, I'm almost envious from the way you handled your own son. Perhaps it would be of the best of interest for me to note this experience... when I come around to seeing 'him' again."
"Mark my words Ulith," the woman lowly growled "I may not know what scheme you've concocted for this Sendou Aichi you speak of, but you have your own role to fulfil in the grand design of this world's annihilation and rebirth. Remember that well... or suffer the consequences."
Ulith simply shrugged in response in almost a playful manner as Miyako then raised her metallic hand towards the window that displayed Ayumu, Kai and Ruko, opening the gates that covered over it and summoning a gale from the opening. Engulfing herself in a dark red aura, the General vanished into the open window before the gates sealed themselves once more.
"May I?" she asked in a mockingly polite manner.
Mayu wordlessly raised one hand as her entire right hand radiated with the dark purple aura of the Void, altering the view of the window that Miyako had previously travelled through to focus more closely on both Hitoe and Aichi who seemed just as worried as Ruko, knowing that Ayumu was a victim in not just the Selector Battles themsevles, but his own mother's schemes as well. Eyeing the Royal Paladin user closely, her sneer deepened as she watched him speak with the Selector beside him.
We're going to have so much fun with one another... soon enough.
(End Music)
...
Once again, the setting depicted a dark and dreary day on a hilltop outside of the city of Tokyo within this world as a familiar image began to play out again, only this time, it was from another's perspective. A young Ayumu watched on nervously from behind a nearby tree as he saw Ruko glow in an ominous bright light as Miyako stood at a distance in front of the girl who would later hold both the girls of black and white in her possession. The source of his uneasiness was not just what he was witnessing at this present moment, but the metallic hand that his mother flexed briefly like a claw as the gemstone on top of it flashed a bright pink.
"Are you still certain about using your own flesh?" the voice of Photon echoed "We still have not completely determined the cause of past failures."
"I am aware of our previous setbacks Photon," Miyako replied harshly after hissing quietly for a moment "My daughter will be the earthworldly vessel for Ut'ulls and she will lead our forces throughout the Selector Battles for the next few years to gather the Wixoss factors necessary to fully open the dimensional gateway from Mayu's domain and bring about the end of this accursed world!"
She then clenched her metallic hand with a loud clank to emphasize her point as she then gazed down at her daughter in front of her. Upon making an attempt to make out the full meaning of bringing an end to the 'accursed' world she spoke of, Ayumu wasn't sure of what to believe at this point.
"This time, I shall reign triumphant. Begin the transfer!"
Upon her declaration, even more sparks compared to the ones from earlier surged through the younger Ruko's body. Several of them came from out of the bright white lights that covered over her eyes as she screamed in pain. This had left her older brother shocked from what he had just been witnessing, making him question everything he had known about his mother throughout their life, even from long before Ruko was even born when he was nothing more than an only child. As the girl before them continued to suffer in pain and agony, Miyako kept her harsh gaze upon her, with every intention of using her own daughter to achieve her own ends in this 'endeavour' with Photon regardless of what happened.
"Just what's happening?" Ayumu murmured to himself "Vessel...? Ut'ulls?"
"Now do you see?"
Blinking for a moment, he looked behind him to see a much younger Noriko approach him. At this current time, she was still a teenager around in comparison to both himself and his sister, though much older than either of them significantly.
"Wait... you're the girl who told me to go here today..." he breathed as he watched her stare towards Miyako "Did you know about this?"
Suddenly without warning, the aura around Ruko grew larger and started emitting small shockwaves that knocked back both the woman and her son from their current positions whilst the Selector beside him remained nearly unfazed as she glared towards her target in mind. Sparks raged across the young girl as she fell to her knees in intense pain and the aura around her began to grow even brighter. Miyako frowned for an instant, as if this was something she did not want to have to deal with at this most crucial of stages in her plans.
"What is her condition?" she questioned.
"I'm afraid that Ruko's wavelength is incompatible with that of Tawil and Umr's," Photon's voice echoed "At the rate the energy is coursing through her, she will be destroyed by the inst..."
"It doesn't matter now," the General interrupted as she turned away from her daughter and began to walk away "If Ruko cannot fulfill our original purpose, then she has outlived her existence already. It appears we must turn to other methods."
"Mother!"
Upon hearing the voice that called out to her, she immediately turned back around to see that Ayumu had stepped out from behind the tree and decided to confront her at this point. Noriko stood a little behind him as she too gazed at Miyako, the two of them immediately staring off with one another as the woman's attention was brought to the Selector otherwise known as 'Queen'.
"I knew there were questionable aspects about you after our first encounter," she spoke "But letting your own daughter die because of a compatibility issue with 'his' experiments like almost everyone else you attempted to use? Given that the 'others' from what I heard barely survived, this is inhumane at its lowest."
"It seems that word of your deception has indeed come to pass 'Queen'," the woman replied as she flexed her metallic hand "I shall have the pleasure in dealing with you for Mayu."
"Before we get with any of that, what's really going on?!" Ayumu demanded "First our dad 'disappears' after your divorce, now this?! And why are you saying that Ruko can no longer exist?!"
In response, Miyako immediately raised her metallic hand towards her son as the pink gem had still kept its bright glow as a result of the unstable aura that was still raging through Ruko who continued to scream in agony from being unable to handle the energy tearing her apart. Sparks began to crackle within the cold palm of their mother as she glared upon both him and the Selector who had immediately come alongside him.
"Her metallic hand is what is controlling that aura," she spoke.
"Then that's just what I need to break!" Ayumu called as he then lunged at Miyako, grappling ahold of her metallic hand.
The General having not expected this sudden manoeuvre in an instant after charging up the energy stored immediately stumbled back for a moment as he kept his grip tight, hoping that he would be able to do something to shut off the aura that was killing his sister by the second. Miyako upon regaining her balance however immediately hoisted him up into the air much to his shock as she then glared at him in the eye.
"I thought you could still be of use to me after the process," she snarled, slightly nerving him "But since you favour 'compassion' like the rest of our despicable race, you and my subject can die together!"
As Ayumu's eyes widened in both shock and confusion at the same time, she immediately hurled him straight into Ruko, knocking them both to the ground. Although they were both now down on the hard ground, the aura around the girl who would later become a Selector by his own hands in the future did not cease at all and she was now starting to lose consciousness by the second. Panicked, he immediately held her up in an attempt to keep her awake as he looked back to Miyako who approached the two of them with the energy she attempted to charge up earlier now crackling in the palm of her cold metallic hand, her eyes narrowed as he looked up in shock.
"Disappear..." she spoke as a bright flash began to manifest amongst the sparks.
As Ayumu was about to turn away in agony for failing to save his sister at this moment, a loud yell suddenly caught them off guard. From the top of the tree on the hill almost unseen, Noriko leaped down towards Miyako and reeled back her right fist as she came down towards the woman in front of her. Instinctively, she immediately shielded her face with one of her arms, but it was the one with her metallic hand and it was exactly what the Queen had been counting on. Thrusting it forward, she smashed her knuckles straight into the gemstone on the top of it, causing it to crack in several places before the energy that had previously been building up suddenly exploded between them, sending the General flying over the edge of the hilltop with a loud yell whilst a shockwave threw Noriko to the ground and Ayumu and Ruko straight into the tree that she leaped from, their heads being the first to hit the hard trunk before they fell straight back to the ground.
As he began to lose consciousness from the hard blow to the back of his head, he weakly looked to his sister who had closed her eyes already. The aura around her had then disappeared, indicating that her life was no longer in any danger for the time being.
"Onii... chan..." she uttered weakly before the two of them finally lost consciousness together.
City Park: Present Day
"Onii-chan...!"
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Friends)
Opening up his eyes slowly, Ayumu could see that Ruko was standing above him and holding onto his shoulders, worried for his state of health and the way he was at this current point in time. His vision although blurred at first, eventually cleared up to reveal the Selector and Kai in his presence, the latter of whom kept a close eye on him, remaining cautious as a result of the older brother's previous devotion and loyalty to his mother. But with the clone LRIG destroyed and his memories restored by Yuki, no one knew what to expect from him at this point.
"Ruko..." he groaned as he clutched his head, his voice no longer being full of hatred as it was in the battlefield previously.
"Be careful!" Aichi called as he and Hitoe came over to him "You don't look so good."
Ayumu said nothing in response however, having no idea of what to think after the images that had just played out in his head moments before he had finally regained consciousness after losing to his sister and Yuki in the Selector Battlefield. A part of him wanted to deny them as just a dream he had experienced right now, but after feeling that they were indeed a part of what he knew and that were just as real as the image he saw from before, now confirming to also be amongst everything else he saw, he hung his head down. Slowly, he began to recollect everything that he had said to Ruko in the name of his mother's 'love' and then compare them to what he had heard and witnessed on that day.
"My god..." he breathed as he slowly began to realize everything that he had forgotten from that day and the way he had behaved for the last few days after meeting Miyako for the first time in years without those memories "What the hell have I done?"
"Onii-chan..." Ruko breathed as he looked up to her worried face "It's over now. The clone LRIG is gone and we can find out what really happened..."
"You don't understand!" he interrupted, much to her shock "You were telling the truth all along! We both lost our memories of that day and mother took advantage of it when we met for the first time in six years!"
"What are you saying...?" Hitoe murmured nervously.
"Onii-san!"
Everyone then immediately turned their attention down one of the pathways leading to the park to see Kamui rushing over to the group with Kiyoi slowly following him from behind. Upon stopping, she immediately looked down at Ayumu in curiousity, having been completely unaware of the whole debacle that had been going on, let alone the fact that the Nova Grappler almost did not succeed in defending Amika's mother from Remember because of his untimely ambush.
"Kamui-kun!" Aichi greeted in a happier manner before looking over to the person that was formerly known as Piruluk "And..."
"It's Kiyoi," Kamui replied, clearing up his confusion for him immediately "The real one this time, not Remember. That annoying mark on my hand's even gone now."
"Oh..." Ruko pondered as she looked at Kiyoi "I haven't seen you since that battle we had a while back..."
"Tama remembers that!" Tama called out loud as she looked up "Tama says hello again Pirulu... Kiyoi."
"It would seem our timing has been rather inprompt," the girl replied as she looked to Kai "I presume you know of what has happened here."
"There is much we currently still don't know right now," the Kagero user replied "But it appears we may be one step closer to uncovering the truth to Ruko's past."
As everyone then looked back to Ruko who looked back down to Yuki, now back in her base normal form that she had whenever she began a battle and lacking the draconic features she had from her newest form in the battlefield, she nodded in reply as if to silently tell the Selector that it was her decision on what she was to do next now she had claimed victory in this battle and Ayumu had his lost memories returned to him.
"I... I remember it now..." he breathed before coughing for a moment "At least... most of it."
"Can you tell us?" Ruko asked softly, knowing her brother was still in a weakened state.
He gave a single nod in response to assure her that this time, he was now willing to share what he had now recovered from his lost memories with the group before him for the first time. Now that Miyako no longer had a hold on him with the clone LRIG to drain away at him, he knew that now was the time to share everything he could with them so that the truth behind his mother's actions and Ruko's role in her initial plans could finally be brought to light.
(End Music)
"The true culprit behind what happened six years ago..." he began "... was not you. It was mother."
As Ruko, Tama, Midoriko, Yuzuki, Hitoe, Aichi and Kamui gasped in shock to this sudden revelation, Kai simply narrowed his eyes in response, having expected that the General herself would have a role in this incident from six years ago. Starting from the beginning, Ayumu told Ruko of how he saw Miyako enveloping her in an aura with her metallic hand in an attempt to make her a 'earthworldly' vessel for Ut'ulls, the being that Mayu was attempting to combine Umr and Tawil into otherwise known as Project: Locked Soul. From her own card, even Umr was in somewhat of disbelief as she could not believe that the person that she was meant to become was originally planned to be a part of the Selector six years ago.
Next, Ruko's brother continued with his tale on how he had been accompanied to the site of the incident by a younger Noriko who had previously tipped him off on it some time before the day itself or at least, that was what he could assume from the memories he did recover. He told them about how the energy that was around his sister was unstable from what he heard and that she was incompatible as a vessel for Ut'ulls, therefore making Miyako decide that her existence was no longer worth keeping and prompting her initially to leave her to die. He finally concluded with his tale on how he attempted to stop the woman in an attempt to save Ruko's life before Noriko's successful attempt in damaging her metallic hand had done so, at the cost of the backlash knocking him and his sister out and presumably leaving them with amnesia from their assumption.
"No way..." Ruko breathed, her face having almost gone pale at the revelation he had given to her and the others.
"That girl saved your life?!" Kamui exclaimed, almost in shock that the girl that had stopped Ayumu for him previously had also saved the Selector's life once before.
"That's right..." Ayumu muttered as he looked down to the floor "I cannot remember anything after that except for the day we were transferred into grandmother's care. I can only guess Noriko must have somehow convinced her to take us in before mother could find us, otherwise we would have met the fate she intended for us by then."
"You said that this incident took place on a hillside outside of this city," Kai spoke "Given where we currently are, would I be correct to assume it is several miles north from here?"
The older brother of Ruko nodded once in confirmation to the Kagero user's question, confirming the latter's suspicions at once. Almost everyone else looked to him in confusion, wondering why he asked this particular question.
"It would appear where I had first arrived into this world was the place of that incident," he continued "Waking up in a world unfamiliar to my own... slowly discovering all wasn't as it seemed around me... and learning about the Selector Battles from Tama, Hitoe and Yuzuki on that night. If I had not encountered them then and not discovered the changes to my deck, I may not have even realized the danger that surrounds us all."
"Kai-kun..." Aichi murmured.
"Right now, we need you to tell us what exactly Miyako is planning," Kai spoke as he kneeled down to Ayumu's eye level "We know she's a part of the Selectors attacking our home world and stealing units for Mayu as Katsuragi informed us previously."
"Did mother tell you anything about what she is up to?" asked Ruko.
Before Ayumu could speak up, the wind around the park suddenly swirled violently as everyone immediately covered their faces and held on tightly to all of the cards that contained their LRIGs from the immense force that surrounded them all. Despite not being in the path of the sudden change in the breeze around their holders, Yuzuki and Midoriko couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on at this point whilst Tama could only blink in confusion.
"I'm sensing a new presence!" Yuki muttered.
Eventually from high above, a dark red bolt of lightning crashed down from the dark clouds above onto the ground in front of the entire group as everything went blank in a blinding white glow for a short instance. Eventually, the light faded to reveal that the impact had shattered part of the ground in front of them as smoke covered over the area where it had been struck as everyone looked ahead to see what exactly had happened. Then, a shadow began to rise from the ground as a rattling sound was immediately heard, shocking Ayumu much to Ruko's confusion whilst Kai, Kamui and Kiyoi could only remain still as their ears twitched upon hearing that sound.
"Wait a minute..." Ruko breathed before looking to the only three who had their suspicions drawn "Do you think that's...?"
Before she could finish her question, everyone looked back to the smoke to see it finally begin to clear up to reveal who exactly it was that had chosen to show up before them. First, the tall boots, then the coat and trousers, then the left gloved hand along with the all too familiar metallic hand which gleamed for a brief instance, almost frightening Hitoe for a brief instance as she let out an 'Eep!' in fright. Finally, the last remainder of the smoke cleared up to reveal the face of Miyako as she stared intensely towards the group. Ayumu gulped nervously for a moment upon seeing her once again, but immediately regained as much of his composure as he looked back at her in response. Ruko however, could now easily recognize her after the lost memory she briefly saw when she had been knocked out by the clone LRIG's 'Vermillion Thunderbolt'.
"Mother..." she breathed, much to the surprise of almost everyone present.
"Kominato Miyako..." Kai muttered.
"That's her...?" Aichi breathed.
"That is correct," the woman replied coldly as she flexed her metallic hand before looking up to the sky with multiple thunderclaps going off amongst the clouds and with her arms almost wide out "Right now... I stand triumphant!"
Apartment Blocks
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Akira)
As the thunderclaps continued across the skyline of this world's version of Tokyo, Hatsu watched on with a worried expression from the balcony of Ruko's apartment, wondering what exactly was happening outside of the safety of the family haven, especially with the dark red thunderbolt that had crashed down onto the city far into the distance from where she was now. This turn of events hadn't just caught her attention however as Naoki, Leon and Ren immediately joined her on the balcony to observe what was going on. The Aqua Force user could only clench his teeth as a small, but noticeable breeze swirled around the four of them as they looked out onto the horizon, wondering what was going on at this point.
"I can sense a great deal of rage amongst this wind," he spoke.
"Just what's happening right now?" Naoki muttered.
Hatsu could only stare towards the horizon for a few moments longer as she felt she could only silently pray for the safety of both Ruko and Ayumu.
If what Hitoe told me earlier is true, then their safety is all I can wish for... she murmured in her thoughts But right now, if they're also seeking out Miyako, then the three around me should have the right to know.
Sighing in deeply for a moment, she began to turn around and walk back into the living space of the apartment, much to the confusion of the Narukami user that was originally beside her.
"Hey, is something up...?" he asked.
At first, the grandmother of Ruko and Ayumu did not reply to him, only heading over towards the square shaped shelves on the far wall and opening a small door that she and neither of the family she had left had ever opened on her word. But today, with everything that she had learned of the Selector Battles from her granddaughter's words as well as the experiences of her friends and the fact that Ayumu was involved with them because of Miyako, she felt now was the time for all of them to know about something that had never been shared with them before. Taking out the single item that was present in there, everyone else present in the room could see that it was a photo of some kind and from the dust that had been collected, it appeared to be very old.
"What I'm about to speak of hasn't been told to Ruko or Ayumu," she said as she closed her eyes in a pained expression "But if the person you speak of is behind these Selector Battles, then this is about more than what has been going on beneath all of our noses."
As Ren was the first of the group to approach Hatsu, she then handed the photo face down to him as he gazed at it closely before turning it around slowly. When it was fully in view, he couldn't help but utter an interested 'Oh?'. Naoki quickly came alongside him to see what it was that had piqued the Shadow Paladin user's curiosity before gasping in shock.
"W... What the heck?!" he gasped as he stared at the picture, eventually allowing Leon to come around and observe it closely.
There in the old picture that was depicted before them was the appearance of Miyako as a young child, seemingly almost happier than she was in the present day and during her time with parenting both Ruko and Ayumu. Beside the girl in her early years was another girl around nearly the same age as her, but frightening familiar to the three cardfighters, with the dress she wore as well as her eyes and face being almost completely identical, save for the hair colour which was a light shade of pale brown instead of pastel white.
"This is..." the Aqua Force user breathed.
"It is," Ren replied as he looked closely at the girl beside Miyako "There is definitely no mistaking it."
"Mayu...?!" Naoki exclaimed in disbelief "B... But...! How old is Ruko's mom even...?!"
"So it is as I feared," Hatsu murmured, bringing the attention of the boys to her "I thought she had let go of it long ago... but it appears that if you say that this Mayu is the same as the one in control of these Selector Battles, then this Link Joker you speak of has powers we can't even comprehend and Miyako hasn't changed at all since that day..."
"But if Miyako is a woman now..." Ren pondered "I wonder why Mayu is supposedly still a child as by this picture."
"There is much for me to explain," the grandmother of Ruko replied as she immediately took a seat at the small table and prompted the others to do so "And I believe it harbours back to a grudge Miyako has held since that day. I knew she was ambitious... but I never thought she would drag Ayumu and potentially Ruko into fulfilling her hatred."
The three cardfighters looked at one another with Naoki easily being the most tense out of them, having not expected that Miyako had already known Mayu as a child, but if what Hatsu was saying was true, then the story they would be about to hear was one that did not consist of a most pleasant tale.
(End Music)
City Park
Everyone in the park remained tense as they gazed upon the form of Ruko and Ayumu's mother who stood before all of them in all of her glory. The woman kept her stern gaze upon each member of the group, eyeing each of them closely as well as the LRIGs that they all held. Even Kiyoi couldn't help but be surprised by the revelation that the woman that returned her back to her original body was the same person that was mother to Ruko and Ayumu. As the woman glanced down at Ayumu in displeasure for his previous failure to defeat his sister and claim the two LRIGs she held for her, the older brother for once in his life decided to take his own stand against what she had planned to say next.
"It doesn't matter that I failed you..." he groaned as he struggled to stand to his feet "You've lost! That clone LRIG's gone and so are all the lies you've putting into my head ever since you gave it to me!"
"On the contrary, you served your purpose well enough," she replied coldly as she kept her glare upon him "Even if you had succeeded, I planned to eliminate you immediately as I intended to do so six years ago."
Whilst everyone stared at Miyako, Kamui having heard the entirety of the story that Ayumu had now given to the group finally had enough with standing around on the sidelines, knowing he had seen her before, deciding to speak his piece of mind about the whole conspiracy.
"Hey you!" he yelled bringing the woman's attention to him "You've got a lot of nerve using your own daughter as a prawn like that!"
"How could you mess up 'pawn'..." Kiyoi muttered with a facepalm to follow on from her offhand comment.
As Kamui could only raise an eyebrow in slight annoyance after being corrected by the former LRIG, again, the person in front of the group finally chose to respond to what he had to say.
"So you're the primitive individual that Remember took your units from initially," she spoke in her cold tone before gazing to Kiyoi "And I see that we've encountered each other once more much sooner than we anticipated, 'LRIG of misfortune'."
"Wait mother!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Semarikuru Kiken)
Miyako then immediately turned her attention towards her daughter who had been helping her older brother up from underneath one of his shoulders.
"Ah, my former fleshling," she spoke "I did not anticipate you would become a Selector yourself in our absence from each other... but to wield the girls of black and white and still side with the vermin of this accursed world and these visitors... that is something I cannot accept!"
"Just what is really going on?!" the Selector demanded "Why was I meant to be a vessel for Ut'ulls?! And why did you say that I was scary?!"
"All in due time," Miyako calmly replied before partially closing her metallic palm and manifesting a deck of a Wixoss cards in a familiar dark red aura "But for now, I have something to take back to Mayu and I will not take a refusal for an answer!"
As Yuki and Tama could only clench their teeth upon realizing that the woman was planning to challenge Ruko to a battle right at this very instant, they both looked up to see their Selector look back down at them for a brief moment. As she heaved herself free from Ayumu's shoulder, she took a few steps forward before suddenly clenching herself in pain as she fell to her knees.
"Ruko!" gasped Yuzuki.
"Is she alright?!" Midoriko interjected.
"I'm fine...!" she replied as she tried to stand back up onto her feet, having little success in doing so.
"That earlier sneak attack from the clone LRIG must have weakened her," Yuki muttered "Right now... she may be in no condition to battle!"
Realizing that Miyako was unlikely to allow this to stop her from opening up the battlefield and gaining somewhat of an unfair advantage over her downed daughter, Aichi looked down to Umr who nodded in agreement, knowing that something had to be done.
"Miyako!" he called, bringing the woman's attention to him "You said that you know about Ut'ulls! What is the story behind Umr and Tawil?!"
"The one Ulith has taken interest in..." she murmured coldly as she gazed upon Umr from the card in his possession "Mayu already told you that those two were originally the initial designs of the girls of white and black she imagined when the Selector Battles first came into fruition. But what you did not know was that was originally not the case."
"What do you mean...?" Umr pondered.
"The reason for that is because the two of you were originally a powerful being that Mayu had briefly manifested when creating what she attempted to conceive as the 'perfect' LRIG, before Tama and Yuki were 'reborn' from the depths of her imagination," the General replied "Ever since, Photon and I have worked together in an attempt to 'revive' her, by fusing the two of you back together after our initials experiments of picking an earthworldly vessel ended in failure every time."
Ruko could only stare at the strange LRIG that the Royal Paladin user held in his possession, shocked that she was initially meant to be the vessel for a powerful LRIG that Mayu was only able to materialize to her reality for a brief moment. She tried to move to stand back up only to stumble and fall a little forward before being caught by Ayumu who pulled her back. Before either of the two could do anything else, they looked to their right to see Kai slowly approach Miyako as he took his deck out of the case he had kept it in.
"Kai...?" Hitoe pondered in confusion as everyone watched him stand between Ruko and Miyako.
"Miyako..." he spoke "Your opponent is me!"
"Kai Toshiki, so you would be the first to directly oppose me?" she muttered before taking ahold of the deck she manifested with her gloved hand "Very well then. It would seem the Clown's retribution will have to come earlier than expected."
Upon hearing the name that was given to 'that' unit, everyone could only stare at the deck that Ruko's mother was holding at this very instance, realizing in fact it had to be a Link Joker deck if her words just now happened to be true. He looked back to Ayumu for a brief instance, noting his concern also before gazing down to Ruko for an instance.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked "We still don't know everything about what happened yet."
"I imagine we'll get those answers soon enough," he replied "But right now, there's something I need to do in this battle. And I have my own questions I wish to ask."
"Be careful then," said Ayumu as he helped Ruko over to both Aichi and Hitoe whilst Kamui and Kiyoi joined them both to observe the battle that was about to take place.
A loud breeze whistled throughout the park as a dark red aura enveloped Miyako, briefly growing in size and manifesting itself into a shape that eeriely resembled a tall unit. The shapes and the eyes present as well as the unnerving chuckle that followed on indicated to everyone that Chaos Breaker Dragon was indeed in the deck of Mayu's General, causing Kai, Aichi and Kiyoi to clench their teeth briefly.
"What was that...?" Hitoe said nervously as the aura then faded away.
"The Clown itself..." Yuki breathed.
"Kai-kun..." Aichi murmured in worry before regaining his composure "Do your best and don't give up!"
The Kagero user returned a nod back to his friend in a firm manner to reassure him that he would not let his guard down against one of the most dangerous foes he had previously worked alongside with before.
"Before we begin our battle, it would be of my best interest to remind you of our terms and conditions," Miyako spoke "Right now, your Selector rights cannot afford a single loss, meaning if you lose, whatever wish you have from the heart will be tainted. In addition to deciding what to do with you upon my victory, your Kagero units including Dragonic Overlord will belong to Mayu for imprisonment in the Pit of her domain."
"So Kamui's word of you attacking our world is true," he spoke "Just what are you aiming to achieve from stripping fighters there of our unit?"
"I see no reason to tell you at this point," she replied harshly "But perhaps I should have you... informed of my progress for her cause."
Opening her metallic hand once again, she manifested a small dark purple aura that showed the afterimages of two cards from within them. Both of which displayed units which were turned into LRIG cards for use in the Wixoss card game if the General ever deemed it to be necessary. To all the cardfighters amongst the group present at the moment, they couldn't help but be shocked at the sight they saw, having realized which fighters in particular she had defeated to obtain those cards.
"She has Percival and Amon...?!" gasped Aichi.
"Then she's taken then from Tetsu and Gaillard...!" Kamui growled.
After the aura had faded away along with the afterimages of the cards Bluish Flame Liberator, Percival and Demon World Marquis, Amon, the pink gem on her metallic hand then began to radiate brightly, blinding everyone except for its bearer.
"Cold metal, manifest yourself and ensnare those that oppose your rigid structure!" she declared "Open, Steel Wall Prison!"
Suddenly, the ground all around the entire group and the combatants for the battle began to change from the solid earth beneath their feet to the cold steel that was spreading all around them. Then without warning, several metallic spires began to rise from out of the newly formed floor and bend to curve with one another to form a spiral of some kind that blocked out the entire sky and the surrounding area of the park all at once. As the bright glow died down, Kai was almost thrown completely off balance as the floor of the prison suddenly shifted, putting a great distance between him and Miyako as a result of the field being made to be one suitable for the Selector Battles and the size of the units they would wield.
"This is...!" he gasped as he regained his footing upon the shifting of the floor coming to an end.
"Where are we...?" Ruko pondered.
"I don't believe it..." Aichi breathed as everyone else looked to him "How does Miyako have Neve's prison?!"
"You mean this is one of those prisons those Quatre Knights had?" Yuzuki murmured "You know... when you sealed yourself away."
"But didn't they lose their powers?!" Kamui exclaimed "How the heck does Ruko's mom have one of them?!"
Then a matter of seconds, several bright flashes emerged from the LRIG cards that were held by the two Selectors and the Royal Paladin user as several more more emerged behind the remainder of the group to reveal that Tama, Yuki, Midoriko, Yuzuki and Umr were now free of their bindings for the time being and at regular human size much like the times they spent in the Link Joker battlefield.
"This is..." the green LRIG breathed.
"This prison must have the same properties as that 'other' field," the girl of black murmured "And I can sense we're no longer in the park in any shape or form."
"Observant as ever."
Everyone turned their attention back to Miyako who had made her point clear as a large block of steel rose from the ground a little in front of her and set itself just a little above her waistline as several markings then engraved themselves on the very top. The indents showed themselves as familiar zones on the table surfaces within the regular Selector Battlefield as she then took one card with the white backing from amongst her deck and immediately set it into the middlemost slot with seven small circles surrounding it. Kai upon watching her do so immediately assumed she had set her starting LRIG to begin the battle and immediately did the same on his end.
(End Music)
Both combatants then immediately placed the remaining cards they had leftover into their proper places that would otherwise be identified on a playmat for the physical Wixoss card game outside of the Selector Battles before drawing their starting hands and setting down their seven Life Cloths needed to begin the battle. Kai knew from Aichi's word that this was Neve's particular prison and despite having only battled in Gaillard's own previously, he knew he could not take the situation lightly at all. If what Ayumu told him about Miyako in the incident six years ago was to be fully believed, then he knew that he would have to be very careful in the way he would battle, especially if Chaos Breaker Dragon was indeed in her deck as everyone suspected.
"Now then..." she spoke "Let us begin your rehabilitation. Open!"
Upon flipping the card face up, the dark aura of Reverse suddenly spread across her entire half of the prison's battleground as Star-vader, Dust Tail Unicorn manifested itself at a distance in front of her table. The remainder of the aura then dispersed, revealing that half of the battleground had now been transformed into a portion of the Link Joker battlefield as evidenced by the dark space and the various stars that now surrounded her.
"Open the LRIG!" Kai declared as he flipped up the card he set, revealing it as Dragon Knight, Sadegh.
(Selector Destructed Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Your Name ~)
As the brown haired Dragon Knight from Cray then appeared onto the battlefield in a bright red aura, he immediately took up a defensive stance upon seeing the Link Joker unit in front of him. Then an all too familiar creaking sound made itself present as a smaller version of the roulette rose from the floor of the prison to the right of Kai as he saw it had already begun spinning with both red and dark grey colours embedded into each of its individual slots. Eventually, it stopped onto a grey slot, much to the displeasure of most of the LRIGs and humans that were on the sidelines.
"The first turn is mine," Miyako spoke as she drew her card "Grow!"
Dust Tail Unicorn vanished from the prison in a swirling dark red aura as Hollow Twin Blades, Binary Star appeared in its place and primed both of the weapons it carried. After Nebula Captor manifested itself into the center spot in front of the unit, Ruko's mother immediately moved a single finger from her metallic hand to silently signal the end of her turn. Kai immediately drew his first two cards to the five he held, gazing across towards the two units he was more than familiar with for a brief instance as he then took out one card from the LRIG deck he had.
"Grow, Embodiment of Armor, Bahr!" he called "And summon!"
As Sadegh vanished from the cold metal battleground he stood on, Bahr immediately appeared in a series of swirling red colours and swung out its blade in preparation for battle. Immediately afterwards, two fiery orange columns erupted onto the left and right SIGNI spaces on his field as Gattling Claw Dragon and Calamity Tower Wyvern emerged from the flames that then dispersed after a few moments.
"Attack!" he called.
Gattling Claw Dragon primed the gatling gun in its right claw before pointing it straight at Binary Star and unleashing a multitude of fast fiery bullets right at the Cyberoid, knocking it off balance and backwards slightly. Before it had time to recover, it looked ahead to see a torrent of flames coming towards it from Calamity Tower Wyvern which engulfed the Cyberoid immediately. Miyako then revealed the second Life Cloth that had been crushed as Star-vader, Pixie Powder, the card indicating that a Life Burst had been triggered.
"Heal Burst," she spoke "I recover one Life Cloth."
She then placed the card into her Ener Zone beside Star-vader, Turndown Dragon before conducting the action that was required from the Life Burst.
"Next!" Kai declared as Bahr dashed across the battlefield towards Binary Star.
As the demon held its blade behind it in preparation to strike, it lunged forward in an attempt land a successful attack. Then without warning as a dark red glow flashed out, Promethium suddenly appeared between the two units, manifesting a barrier to shield Binary Star from the third strike. The Kagero user despite not showing signs of frustration from his failed effort could tell that the battle had not gotten off to as much of a good start as he wanted.
"Turn end," he spoke.
"Darn it, why did she have to heal on Kai's first turn?!" Kamui groaned.
"But he forced her to use a Guard," Aichi murmured "At least he's putting down the pressure."
"It's coming," Kiyoi interjected in her usual monotone.
Everyone then looked at her for a brief instance to Miyako's side of the field to see Mobius Breath Dragon roar loudly as it materialized into the large space of the prison and flexed its wings. Two Unrivaled Star-vader Radons then appeared onto the field before they took up defensive stances, much to the confusion of nearly everyone present before Nebula Captor aimed its crossbow at Bahr and knocked it down to the ground with a single projectile that had been launched from it. Kai's crushed Life Cloth revealed itself as Dragonic Burnout with nothing marked on the bottom of the card to help him this time.
"Mobius Breath!" she declared.
"Barri guards!" Kai called as the Wyvern Guard appeared in front of the Embodiment of Armor to deflect the attack with its own barrier.
As the beam from Mobius Breath Dragon was deflected off the shield, it crashed into the 'roof' above, sending a chunk of metal falling down to the floor of the battleground with a mighty crash. Miyako stared at the Kagero user having expected his familiarity with Link Joker from using it before to make him more aware of the danger he was in at this point, even if it was early on in the game.
"Turn end."
End of Turn 3
Kai vs Miyako
Hand - 4 : 4
Life Cloths - 6 : 6
Current LRIGs - Embodiment of Armor, Bahr : Star-vader, Mobius Breath Dragon
SIGNI : Gattling Claw Dragon - EMPTY - Calamity Tower Wyvern : Unrivaled Star-vader, Radon - Star-vader, Nebula Captor - Unrivaled Star-vader, Radon
Ener - 1 : 1
"Huh...? Why didn't Miyako attack Kai's other units?" Tama pondered.
After hearing the girl of white raise her point, almost everyone on the battlefield could only share in their confusion as they could see that both Radons were clearly much stronger than either of Kai's SIGNI at this point. Yet the question that remained was why Miyako had chosen not to wage an attack on either Gattling Claw Dragon or Calamity Tower Wyvern.
"Look closely at his field," Yuki replied.
"He's down a Life Cloth, but what are you saying?" Midoriko asked.
"Mobius Breath's skill Locks a SIGNI card when its attack hits," Kiyoi calmly interjected "Red decks specialize in removing SIGNI at Ener costs and if Miyako attacked his formation, even if Mobius Breath hit, Kai could still burn away at her formation from the Ener he would have accumulated. She didn't want him to take a commanding lead early and left a defensive wall up for him to figure a way around without that speciality available to him early on."
"And since Kai can only Ener Charge once a turn without something like that Charging ARTS," Kamui muttered "Even if he Ener Charges of his SIGNI in front of the Radons, he'll use up one of the only two Ener he'll have for this turn to Grow and have to decide whether its worth trashing the one in front of the other Radon even if its just getting it out the way with no damage."
"Yeah... but if we know Kai like we do," Ruko murmured "I think he might have his own way around it."
She then looked away from the Kagero user in question and back over to Miyako, still feeling somewhat in disbelief that she was meant to play a part in Photon's experiments and when she wasn't 'compatible' enough for them, her own mother had no qualm with leaving her to die on that day. A chill had run through a spine the moment that Ayumu had recounted the complete tale of that incident six years ago to the entire group and she didn't know what to believe any more, given that all of them were still in the dark to Miyako's true reasons for assisting Mayu in the Selector Battles and her plot to destroy the world outside of her White Room alongside the Star-vaders.
"I still can't believe it either," the older brother spoke as Ruko looked to him as he saw him staring down to the cold steel floor beneath him as well as his own two hands "If neither of us lost our memories of that day...!"
"Onii-chan, it's not your fault," the Selector replied in reassurance "Right now, we can only wait for Kai to find out exactly is making mother help Mayu and the Selector Battles."
Back on the battleground, Kai immediately started his next turn as he began to consider the limited options that he had available to him thanks to Miyako not attacking neither Gattling Claw Dragon or Calamity Tower Wyvern. Upon observing the field once again, he gazed back to his opponent before him.
"A series of attacks only for the aim of damaging me," he murmured "It would seem Kaen was correct in her presumption as you being Mayu's General."
"I did what was necessary," she coldly answered "Chaos Breaker taught you far too well so foolishly rushing you at the beginning would be a mistake I am unwilling to make."
After their small exchange, the Kagero user moved Calamity Tower Wyvern's card to his Ener Zone in turn causing the Flame Dragon to vanish from the battleground in a series of large embers. Moving Dragonic Burnout's card to his Trash Pile, he then took ahold of the next card in his LRIG deck and placed it on top of Bahr's.
"Grow, Dragon Knight, Nehalem!" he called.
As Bahr disappeared from the Steel Wall Prison, in a flurry of flames and embers, both Nehalem and the dragon that he rode atop of flew down onto the battlefield with his steed's lower legs hitting the ground with a loud thud that echoed across the whole field. Upon seeing Mobius Breath Dragon in front of it, the dragon that the knight rode on immediately growled loudly whilst he glared directly at it, having recognized such units like its current opponent when Cray was invaded by Link Joker.
"Gattling Claw Dragon's skill!" Kai declared "Paying the cost, I send Nebula Captor to your Trash!"
With the flames from its wings burning even more fiercely, Gattling Claw Dragon covered itself in a fiery aura before soaring across the length of the prison and crashed straight into a motionless Nebula Captor, catching them both in a massive explosion that removed them both from the field.
"Sadegh's skill!" he continued "You must send a SIGNI to your Trash!"
"Radon on my right," Miyako calmly replied as the Unrivaled Star-vader in that SIGNI space was removed from the field by a torrent of flames.
"All right! He got rid of two of her SIGNI in an instant!" Kamui cheered.
"Amazing Kai-kun!" Aichi called.
Umr even couldn't help but smile a little in silently complimenting the situation, having not expected Kai to make the best out of an otherwise tricky situation which would have normally required a difficult decision to have been made.
"Now Kai can attack her directly twice..." Hitoe murmured "If she doesn't have any Quintet Walls..."
"It would seem Miyako made the mistake in not seeing Gattling Claw's potential beforehand," Kiyoi interjected as she looked over to the woman's side of the field which now only had a single Radon and Mobius Breath Dragon left "But Link Joker isn't an adversary to underestimate."
As a brief silence followed on, three columns of flames burst onto Kai's side of the field as Dragon Monk, Genjo, Berserk Dragon and Burning Horn Dragon all appeared at once from left to right on his field.
"Burning Horn Dragon attacks Radon!" he declared.
The yellowish orange Flame Dragon snarled under its breath for a brief instance before unleashing a torrent of flames at the remaining Cyberoid, incinerating it in an instant. Berserk Dragon then unleashed a pair of fireball from both of its heads at Mobius Breath Dragon, the projectiles detonating on contact and knocking it back slightly from the force as it howled in pain. It then fell to the ground after taking another hit from a beam created by Genjo's staff as Miyako revealed a second Nebula Captor as the next crushed Life Cloth.
"Next!" Kai called as Nehalem and his dragon charged towards their adversary.
As the Dragon Knight raised his lance, the tip of it crackled with purple sparks which he then unleashed in tandem with his steed's fiery breath towards Mobius Breath Dragon.
"Come, impenetrable shield above all living vermin!" Miyako called "Star-vader, Rejection Dragon! Quintet Wall!"
(End Music)
The smaller Cyber Dragon then appeared before it summoned five green circles in addition to its barrier as from each of them emerged two Photons, along with a single copy of Francium, Neon and Sword Viper as they rushed to the defence to protect Mobius Breath from further harm, deflecting Nehalem's attack with the greatest of ease. After placing the Quintet Wall's card in her Trash Pile, she gazed down to her field before staring back to Kai who in turn stared back to her.
"To think you would be a lost cause after what you did for Chaos Breaker," she muttered "But siding with the vermin that inhabit both of our worlds and the units of the Planet Cray."
"What do you mean?" Kai murmured as he narrowed his eyes "What is your reason for helping Mayu with the Selector Battles? And why did you see Ruko as nothing more than a pawn for your plans?"
Miyako did everything within her willpower to prevent herself from hissing at him at this very moment, keeping her composure calm as she then faced him head on.
"To begin with your second question," she spoke "I have my reason for helping Mayu... my only friend in this accursed world!"
"Friend?" Yuki pondered in confusion, having not recalled Mayu ever mentioning Miyako's name in her presence.
Everyone else could only stare at the mother of Ruko and Ayumu, wondering what it was that she was talking about at this moment. None of them however had expected the relationship between the two of them to be that of their own personal friendship.
"As for your question about 'vermin'," she continued as she closed her eyes, almost losing her composure for a moment "That's because... I despise humanity!"
"Despise humanity...?!" Aichi breathed in shock.
Upon finishing his ponder, Miyako suddenly clenched her metallic hand into a fist with a very loud clank in one swift motion shocking almost everyone present, as if she was very serious in her harsh tone when she had given her blunt answer.
"Our own race... the one that we're apart of," she continued, her anger slowly rising in her harsh tone "No matter which reality or world it exists in... it's one that knows nothing but cruelty, deceit and despair! And it's because of those reasons... that Mayu died!"
Upon those words leaving her mouth, everyone's expressions immediately turned to shock upon this sudden revelation that the woman had given to all the Selectors, LRIGS, cardfighters and units that were otherwise present on the battlefield.
"W... What did you say?!" Ruko exclaimed in shock.
"Mayu is dead...?" Kai murmured in disbelief "But then... how is she...?"
Rather than receiving an immediate answer from her, he could only watch as Miyako immediately started her next turn as she then took ahold of the next card from her LRIG deck and held it high into the air as dark streams of Reverse began pouring out from it violently, as if it was somehow responding to her very rage that had begun to surface from the otherwise collected individual that served as Mayu's General.
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Fury of the Overlord)
"Slash through everything with your cursed blade and cover this disgusting world with the darkness of death! GROW!" she declared in a fit of fury as she threw the card down on top of Mobius Breath Dragon's very own as the Cyber Dragon disappeared in turn "Star-vader, Chaos Breaker Dragon!"
From the swirling aura of Reverse that enveloped her entire side of the field, the blade of a familiar scythe cut away the darkness to reveal the Clown itself in all of its shiny white and red sinister glory. A dark chuckle escaped its breath, enough to nerve almost everyone present on the battlefield as they stared up at perhaps the most sinister of the commanders of the Star-vaders. Even Midoriko, Yuzuki and Hitoe couldn't help but feel utterly scared in the presence of the evil that was right in front of them on the battleground.
"So you've finally shown yourself...!" Kai muttered "Chaos Breaker...!"
"That unit...!" Aichi gasped, having recognized it from long ago.
Upon hearing his words, Chaos Breaker Dragon immediately turned its gaze to everyone else that was watching from the sidelines, having recognized all of them in one way or another. It let out another chuckle as it vanished for a moment before reappearing without warning right in front of them.
"It seems we have quite the audience," it spoke with a sneer as it gazed upon each individual that stood before it "How entertaining."
"Tama's... scared...!" Tama gasped as she fell backwards.
"So we meet again..." Yuki muttered, now feeling less than thrilled to be back in its presence after learning to reassess her perspective of right and wrong.
Kiyoi and Kamui only returned their respective glares towards the Clown as it turned its unnerving gaze upon them as well, not being thrilled either to be standing before it once again. As Aichi could only clench his teeth to contain his nerves at this point, Umr jumped in front of him with the firm stance to say that she would defend him by any means necessary if it tried to do anything to him without warning. Ayumu, despite being unfamiliar with and nervous around its presence threw himself in front of Ruko, willing to act as a shield for his sister in the same manner if it attempted to try anything to her.
"Chaos Breaker!"
Upon hearing Kai's voice call it to it in anger, Chaos Breaker Dragon turned around to face him once again as the former companions stared off with one another for a brief instance.
"Your fight is with me!" he yelled "Leave my companions out of your schemes now!"
"Defiant to the end I see," it replied smugly "It seems I and the 'other' Takuto taught you all too well my student."
Then in an instant, the Clown vanished from the sidelines once again before reappearing immediately afterwards on Miyako's side of the field, just a little in front of her table. Upon settling itself back onto the field to come within Nehalem's sight once more, the woman then stared directly at Kai as she then clenched her metallic hand tightly once again, causing it to rattle as a result.
"Just what happened?!" he demanded "Why is it that you say Mayu is dead?!"
Miyako then closed her eyes as all the memories from the answer she was about to give to everyone present on the field, barring the Star-vaders she now wielded in battle including Chaos Breaker itself, flashed off in her mind once again. She could hear her own screams from a time when she was still a young child ringing in her head to this hour, as if they were acting as the fuel for her burning rage and discontempt towards her 'supposed' hatred for humanity and why it tied to her reasons to aiding Mayu in conducting the Selector Battles and helping the Star-vaders in the destruction of her own world.
"Very well then, Kai Toshiki," she hissed "Everything that happened long ago and why everything is as it is now... I will reveal it to you all!"
(End Music)
And there we go! After Ayumu recovers his memories about the incident six years ago, he tells everything he knows to Ruko, her friends and all of the LRIGs they now hold with Kamui and Kiyoi now also enlightened on the entire truth. At that moment, Miyako approaches them with the intention of challenging her daughter to a battle to take back Yuki and Tama to Mayu, but Ruko finds herself too weak to battle again as a result of being previously knocked out by the clone LRIG. Sensing an opportunity to gain more answers about Mayu and to confront Chaos Breaker Dragon, Kai immediately takes the challenge in her place and manages to keep with Miyako.
But when Miyako suddenly reveals that she and Mayu were once childhood friends and that the mastermind of the Selector Battles is actually dead, she summons forth Chaos Breaker Dragon and begins to share her tale and view on the events that led to her despising humanity and aiding Mayu in the Battles themselves. Meanwhile, Hatsu begins to share a dark secret she has kept from her two grandchildren to Naoki, Ren and Leon, unaware that part of that same secret is also being revealed in the current battle. Will Kai overcome his past demons of Chaos Breaker at last? What is the story behind Mayu that caused Miyako to have such hatred for her own race? Find out next time on Stand Up, the LRIG! Please share your thoughts and criticisms in the reviews and I'll see you next time! Until then!
Card of the Chapter:
Dragon Knight, Sadegh
Level 0
Colour: Red
Grow Cost: 0 Red
Limit: 0
LRIG Type: Kagero
Effect:
[Use Timing - Either Player's Turn] When your opponent's SIGNI is banished or put into the Trash due to an effect from one of your cards, you may Exceed this card from under your current LRIG. If you do, your opponent chooses a SIGNI from their SIGNI Zone and puts it into their Trash.
