Singapore
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Culmination)
By the time that Jillian had finished docking the yacht into the harbour of the city, she and the others had wasted no time in hurrying off of the boat and immediately heading towards SIT itself, to discover what had caused the large pillar of fire that they had seen earlier. Having more than enough familiarity of the island state from training across the world beforehand and the Asia Circuit respectively, Kai and Kamui took the lead of their charge towards the institute premises. All the while, the Kagero user couldn't help but ponder on what Tama, Yuki and Kiyoi had to say earlier in regards to their suspicions of the cause behind what they saw from the open water outside of Singapore.
"Hey, you don't think it has anything to do with that 'bounty' or whatever it was that Fumio was talking about?" Kamui pondered.
"Bounty...?" Sharlene asked curiously.
"From what Fumio told us, all of this world and any cardfighters in our own have become targets," Yuki answered "Then again, I can imagine this is a result of Mayu being upset after losing to Aichi and Kai."
Ruko couldn't help but ponder back to the time when she was possessed by Mayu during that same battle a long while ago and what she had learned from the story her own mother had given to most of the group during her battle with Kai.
"Mayu must have been very lonely with only mother for company..." she murmured "... I wonder if she's doing all of this because she couldn't see everything from the outside world before she had died."
"Whatever the Void and Miyako have told her of the universe outside of her White Room may have also had an effect on her views," Kai interjected "Even with what we've been told, there's still too many unanswered questions."
The Selector knew that the Kagero user was indeed correct with his point, but she still couldn't help but feel sorry for the two of them in what each of them had gone through before the birth of the Selector System. Knowing that there would be time to dwell on this matter later, she continued on up the streets of Singapore with the others and followed his lead, hoping that no one was hurt from the pillar of fire they had seen from the yacht.
SIT Premises
Meanwhile within the active battlefield, the towering black Battleroid known as Super Dimensional Robo, Daikaiser rose up onto Mitsusada's side, bellowing a mighty announcement of its own name as it flexed its arms in preparation for battle. To the left and right of it, Dimensional Robo, Daidragon and a second Daitiger appeared onto the battlefield with a Daimariner also manifesting behind the latter. The Dimension Police user kept his determined gaze at Akira who remained smugly confident, despite not possessing a single rear-guard alongside Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance who stood alone on her side of the field.
"Daidragon!" he declared as Daidragon unleashed a blue bolt of some kind towards the imaged LRIG.
"Guard," the Selector replied with a mock yawn as Calamity Tower Wyvern briefly appeared in front of Hanayo Three to take the attack head on.
"Go, Daikaiser!" Mitsusada announced as the hulking Battleroid reeled back a fist in preparation for its attack.
His opponent merely scoffed in response, her way of saying that she had no intention in guarding this attack at all. Starting his Twin Drive immediately, the Dimension Police user revealed Dimensional Robo, Daishield as his first check, no trigger marking to help him at this moment. Revealing the second card as Dimensional Robo, Gorescue, things were beginning to look up for him.
"Heal Trigger!" he declared "Recover 1 damage and power to Daitiger!"
Daikaiser's fist began to glow a bright orange before the mighty Dimensional Robo stepped forward and thrust it straight into the ground, sending a large shockwave that struck Hanayo Three and knocked her backwards as Seal Dragon, Artpique entered Akira's damage zone, powering her straight back up.
Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance/POW: 10000 - 15000
"Continue, Daitiger!" Mitsusada called as the tiger like Battleroid leaped into the air, preparing to complete its pounce on Hanayo.
"Agafia!" Akira countered as she revealed the Heal Trigger from her hand, the unit also using throwing her torch at Daitiger, exploding on contact and forcing it to retreat.
Anxiously from outside of the battlefield, Christopher and Ali could only watch and analyze the situation that each of the two combatants were in whilst Lee still remained mostly motionless as a result of whatever it was that Ulith had done to him earlier. Their friend was doing well to keep the damage count equal at two to three with Akira's hand still being mostly unfazed by his attacks however.
"He's doing the best he can..." Ali murmured "But with her using Kagero alongside Hanayo, he can't call too many units or she'll power up off retiring them."
"That's not even the worst part," Christopher replied, causing him to turn towards him "That Grade 5 unit in her bind zone... its primary skill is not even the biggest concern."
(End Music)
As they both looked back to see the Selector starting her turn, she suddenly gazed past Mitsusada and smiled deviously, causing him to turn around in confusion.
"Mitsusada!"
The familiar voice that called out to him then allowed him to see beyond the glow of the boundary wall that it was Kamui who had called out towards him. The Nova Grappler user and Kai, followed by Jillian and Sharlene, then Ruko and Kiyoi eventually came to a stop right outside the battlefield, just as Christopher and Ali looked towards the group of six.
"Kamui? And..." Mitsusada breathed.
"Ah, just as I hoped!" Akira sneered, catching everyone's attention back to her "Kai Toshiki, we meet again. And it seems you brought quite the audience."
"Aoi Akira. I see you that haven't changed in the slightest," the Kagero user murmured as he looked through the boundary wall towards her "Though I do wonder if you're really aware of the situation that both of our worlds now face."
Ruko, having not seen the Selector ever since she had rushed past her into her own school in an effort to stop Aichi from finding Tama a long while ago, couldn't help but stare at her. She knew Akira could be dangerous outside of her Selector Battles as she and Yuzuki had nearly experienced first-hand, even recognizing the scar on her right cheek from that time, but she didn't think she would be capable of what she had seen on the way through the institute grounds.
"That's Akira?" Jillian murmured "It looks like she'd had a rough share of things."
"She can be rather violent as a result of being provoked, even if it happens to come from her occasional paranoia," Kiyoi replied offhandedly.
"Oh? So this is what you really look like, Piruluk-tan," Akira commented "Or rather Kiyoi as a little fortune 'birdie' once told me."
Kiyoi said nothing back to her former companion as Kamui and Ruko came over to Christopher and Ali, noticing the marks that were now engraved upon each of their right hands.
"You guys got hit too?" he asked.
"If you came here to tell us that, you're a little late," Ali replied before looking to the Selector and Kiyoi "You've brought quite the new faces along. What's your name?"
"I'm Ruko," she greeted "I'm really sorry about what's happening to you guys."
She then bit her lip for an instance, not feeling quite ready to tell him or Christopher about the fact that these attacks were primarily coordinated by her mother Miyako, at least from their knowledge up until the day they were all sucked into this world and seperated from their friends, family and the General of Mayu's forces from the White Room. The Selector then noticed Lee who was still in quite the state, wondering what had happened to him.
"Are you okay...?" she asked, hoping to get a response of some kind.
"W... What will they say...?" he whimpered, still in a state of despair from whatever it was that Ulith had done to him earlier.
Whilst everyone else present could only ponder on how they could possibly get Lee to snap out of whatever it was he was experiencing, they looked further up the campus to see Ulith and Futase, the former keeping her calm and collected sneer.
"It has been a while, scum," she commented "Who would have thought the holder of the girls of black and white and the 'LRIG of misfortune' would end up coming to this world by complete accident."
"Ulith..." Kai muttered.
"Oi, Fumio!" Kamui snapped, glaring at her "Are you really with those guys?! Were you just warning us then to not suspect you?!"
Futase didn't utter a word in response, instead continuing to remain silent and keep her expression masked by the shadow of her hair. Ruko could only stare towards her, having known that the last time they had met one another was when she came to give them a warning about Mayu's bounty and now, that same person was on the enimatic mastermind's side for one reason or another. Kai simply gazed towards her, wondering if she had been putting up such a deception for some time. But even he could not help but question the fact she decided to warn them at all in the first place. There was something missing from the picture involving Futase, but he and the others didn't know what.
(Cardfight! Vanguard G NEXT Unreleased Soundtrack: Saori/Dumjid Fight)
"If you uglies are done with the 'touching' reunion, I have a little favour for Ulith-chan to finish up!" Akira interrupted rudely before pointing to Mitsusada "Once I'm done with this guy here, it's your turn next Kai!"
"So this... Akira," the Dimension Police user said as he turned to face Kai, now knowing her actual name "It seems like you two have had quite the history since you disappeared from Japan."
"I'll explain everything later," the Kagero user replied "But I would not advise letting down your guard against her."
Nodding in agreement, he turned his attention back to his opponent, who was already impatiently waiting for him to return his focus so she could begin with her turn. Holding up one of the cards into the air, she immediately slammed it down on top of Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance as the imaged LRIG on the battlefield was enveloped in a maelstrom of flames. The Dimension Police user was immediately forced to cover his face as the intense heat made its way over to his side of the field before the fire died down to reveal the next form of Hanayo that the Selector had just rode into.
"Ride! Hanayo Four... Hundred-Fire Profusion!"
Hanayo Four, Hundred-Fire Profusion/Grade 4/Twin Drive!/SLD: 0/POW: 13000/?/Dragon Empire/Human;LRIG
"That heat..." he breathed "Why did it feel so real?"
"Wha...? Didn't you guys say that Milulun was Akira's LRIG?" Jillian asked in confusion.
"It is certainly strange that Akira is not using Milulun for whatever reason," Kai replied, gazing closely at the cards on the Selector's table "But... the fact that Mistusada could feel the heat of the flames, even if its just an image of the real LRIG..."
"Call!" Akira announced as two Mahoragas along with Berserk Dragon and Chain-attack Sutherland manifested onto the battlefield.
As all of the Kagero units took up offensive stances, the two headed flame dragon roared loudly and unleashed two streams of fire that struck Daidragon, retiring it from the battlefield as the card landed in Mitsusada's drop zone. Both Dragon Mages gained a glowing red aura to them as they powered up from the fall of the giant Battleroid that was keeping his formation in check.
"Honestly, even Yuzu-pon at her worst at least put up more of a fight than this," she said in a wry tone, as if she was trying to provoke him "I expected more from the garbage of this world."
"I don't completely understand your grudge with Kai," he replied "But... I won't let you get away with those stolen units! And I cannot let you get away with hurting Christopher Lo or any other fighters around Singapore!"
"Quite frankly, you won't be stopping anything," the Selector retorted as she rested Hanayo's card "Hanayo attacks your Vanguard!"
The imaged Hanayo brought up and twirled her thorned whip at a fast rate until it eventually ablaze, showing she was prepared to take on Daikaiser head on. As the giant Battleroid took a defensive stance, the LRIG on the battlefield leaped up into the air and brought down the fiery whip upon it. The attack was then intercepted by a familiar unit, one by the name of Dairescue as a green barrier was generated in front of it.
"Oh, keeping that damage low still?" Akira murmured as she conducted the first check of her Twin Drive, revealing a copy of a Hanayo One "I guess you didn't need Chris-Chris' mouth to guess my little surprise isn't that simple."
After finishing what she had to say, her second check revealed another copy of Perdition Dancer, Agafia, the card glowing brightly for all to see. As Sutherland powered up from the trigger effects, the Selector wasted no time in moving one of the three cards in her damage zone to her drop zone in a swift motion as Hanayo's attack came to an abrupt conclusion. Once that had happened, Berserk Dragon growled loudly as it launched a pair of fireballs at the defenceless Daikaiser who remained defiant as Daitiger then materialized in front of it to block the next attack.
"Sutherland!" Akira declared as the human that rode atop his dragon unleashed a flurry of bullets from his firearm at the Battleroid, knocking it backwards and causing various dents in its armour.
The next card that landed in Mitsusada's damage zone was a copy of Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daiyusha, causing him to frown a little as a result. He had been thankful that his efforts in guarding were successful enough to keep both himself and the Selector at three damage apiece, but the fact that he had lost out on one of his key Grade 3 units at this point was still disconcerting. Then there was also the card in his opponent's bind zone that was now emitting a stronger orange coloured aura by the second.
"That card has been acting that way since the beginning," he murmured as he faced Akira once more "If it has been acting that way with every passing turn, the next one is when you plan to use it."
"You catch on," she scoffed "And with the odds in my favour now, I'd say that's a guarantee. Turn end."
End of Turn 7
Akira vs Mitsusada
Hand - 5 : 3
Soul - 5 : 2
Damage - 3 : 3
Bind Zone - 1 (face-down) : 0
Front Rows : Berserk Dragon - Hanayo Four, Hundred-Fire Profusion (VG) - Chain-attack Sutherland : Dimensional Robo, Daitiger - Super Dimensional Robo, Daikaiser (VG) - EMPTY
Back Rows : Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga - EMPTY - Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga : Dimensional Robo, Daimariner - EMPTY - EMPTY
Meanwhile on the side of the battlefield that was further up the institute campus, Ulith observed the fight closely, taking note of Mitsusada's every move as he started his turn by drawing his next card. The cruel demanored Selector had easily recognized the potent of Daikaiser from watching Ayumu copy its appearance and abilities using the clone LRIG that Miyako had 'provided' him with a long while ago. Her attention then turned to Akira who briefly looked back and winked at her, blushing a little as she did so.
(End Music)
You've certainly proven most useful to me the cruel demanoured Selector murmured in her thoughts Early on, you would always charge in recklessly with little regard to your deck's own stratagem. But now, you're learning to bide your time, unleashing the finishing blow when the time comes. This will certainly be interesting, especially since Hanayo Five's card has one final ability that 'most' around here have yet to see.
"Come on Mitsusada!" called Kamui "You can't let her push you around like this!"
"If you were paying attention to Akira's bound card, Mitsusada's caution in keeping his damage count as low as possible may be warranted," Kiyoi interjected.
Whilst Kai had no comment of his own to add to the current situation, he knew that from his previous experience of battling against a Hanayo deck at its full strength that there was one card Akira had to be saving for the next turn and with her Vanguard already at Grade 4, that suspicion was more or less a guaranteed one.
"Mitsusada..." he murmured to quietly to himself "Can you overcome that obstacle with your own power now?"
The Dimension Police user gazed over Akira's field, taking note that she didn't even use a skill of any kind from the imaged Hanayo during the previous turn and that the power it had already would make it difficult to launch an attack with Daikaiser or his rear-guards without any kind of boost. Looking back to his hand, he saw that the solution to the problem was available for him to use.
"I call Daifighter and Dailander!" he declared.
(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Dimension Police)
As Daifighter rejoined the battlefield once again, a Dimensional Robo that was similar in appearance to Daibattles hovered on the ground behind it, gaining a bright white aura to it and Daikaiser.
"Dailander's Counter Blast!" he continued "I add 4000 power to Daikaiser until the end of this turn!"
Super Dimensional Robo, Daikaiser/POW: 11000 - 15000
"Heh," scoffed Akira "So all three of your units can now attack Hanayo head-on? Go ahead and try ugly!"
As Daikaiser stepped forward, preparing to battle the imaged LRIG that was in front of it despite the damage that it had sustained from Berserk Dragon's attack, Mitsusada faced the Selector head on, ready to carry out his next move.
"Daikaiser attacks your Vanguard!" he declared.
With a mighty bellow, the giant battleroid made a mighty leap into the air, preparing to bring down one of its mighty fists towards the motionless Hanayo that was now below it. As everyone excluding Ulith and Futase from outside of the battlefield watched anxiously for the coming result, Akira simply smirked as she gazed back at her damage zone, knowing that not even a Double Critical Trigger would be enough to end the fight immediately.
"No guard," she replied confidently.
"Twin Drive!" Mitsusada called as he revealed his first card as Dimensional Robo, Daibattles "Critical Trigger! I give power to Daifighter and the Critical to Daikaiser!"
As Daifighter whirred up its drill, a sign of it being powered up partly by the trigger effects just now, a golden aura enveloped Daikaiser as it came soaring down towards the imaged Hanayo before it. The Dimension Police user then revealed his second check as Dimensional Robo, Daishield with no further effects coming to assist him at this very point. The giant Battleroid then dove down and slammed its fist right into the ground with a bellowing yell as the force of the impact sent the imaged Hanayo flying into the air before falling down onto her back.
As this happened, the cards Hanayo One and Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance landed in Akira's damage zone, no triggers being available for her to power up her Vanguard. Despite this however, she still remained smugly confident in surviving the turn and with her opponent only having two attacks left to use, she felt that was all but guaranteed.
"Is that the best you can do?" she snickered "Quite frankly, this is seeming nostalgic to me."
"What do you mean...?" Mitsusada asked curiously.
"You know why?" the Selector answered "It's because you're all beneath me! You're all just as pathetic as those weak Selectors I crushed back in my world. And that stuff you speak of... those hopes, dreams and that passion I hear all of you have for those fights are all garbage!"
Gritting his teeth slightly, having taken some offence to her words just now, Mitsusada did his best not to lash out at her as he immediately rested Daifighter and Dailander's cards to wage his next attack and to clear out any angry thoughts that were attempting to stir up in his mind. Daifighter whirred its drill as it slammed it into the ground, creating another shockwave that came hurtling towards the LRIG. Berserk Dragon moved between them, blocking the attack with ease before disappearing.
"Go, Daifighter!" he called.
As the animal themed Dimensional Robo leaped towards the defenceless Hanayo, Agafia manifested in front of it, blocking the attack with ease. She merely scoffed it off as a minor inconvenience, seeing as the Dimension Police user's turn had come to an end, leaving him with only three damage and four cards left in his hand.
"That hand of hers is definitely not making things easier for Mitsusada," Ali commented.
"But, Mitsusada's pulled through worse than this!" Kamui replied "He'll definitely knock her for a loop on the next turn!"
"No..." Christopher interjected, causing the others to look back to him "If that is the same card she has bound... there may not be a next turn for him!"
(Music Ends Abruptly)
As Kamui and Ruko could only ponder on what exactly the Great Nature user was talking about now, Kai on the other hand had his suspicions on what he believed that Akira was going to attempt next. Thinking back to his battle against Yuzuki where she relied on Hanayo for liason in utilizing a similar deck, he knew there was only card that could allow the Selector to really go on the offensive and it was one he had defeated before. Akira then began cackling loudly to herself as the card in her bind zone suddenly began giving off a fiery orange coloured aura that flowed through it, causing Mitsusada to gaze closely, now seeing that she was about to bring it into play.
"This is what I've been waiting for, the very card to put Kai and Dragonic Overlord in their place!" she announced "If one of us loses the fight from this point forward, a special punishment will be cast upon the loser! And, it's now your turn next, Mitsusada Kenji!"
"Punishment...?" he breathed.
"This is what it means!" the Selector declared as she held up the card high into the air "Sealing my Draw Phase for this turn, I'll burn away all of you uglies at once! Limit Override!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard G NEXT Unreleased Soundtrack: Dumjid's Wrath)
As she slammed down the card onto the Vanguard circle, a large column of fire erupted onto her side of the battlefield, forcing Mitsusada to shield his face from the intense heat as everyone outside of the boundary could only stare towards it, now seeing what was about to emerge. The imaged Hanayo, now in a grander looking flowery dress and wielding a larger whip coated in flames emerged from the inferno, hovering a little in the air above the ground through her newfound strength, facing Daikaiser head on.
"The vengeful inferno... Hanayo Five!"
Hanayo Five/Grade 5/Triple Drive!/SLD: 0/POW: 15000/?/Dragon Empire/Human;LRIG
"Akira even has Hanayo Five in that deck...?!" gasped Ruko.
"You've seen it before?" Christopher asked, curious as to how she had known about the card.
"Um... Kai faced that form before," she answered "But... it wasn't Akira who used it then."
As they resumed their attention back to the fight, Akira was still laughing maniacally as Mitsusada could only gaze at the imaged LRIG in her strongest form, seeing now that this was the card she had used to defeat and injure the Great Nature user earlier in the day. Another Hanayo One and a second Chain-attack Sutherland manifested onto the battlefield as a fiery aura radiated around them.
"Hanayo Five's Soul Blast!" the Selector declared as she pointed to the Dimension Police user's field "Burn up all your rear-guards with 30000 or less combined power!"
"What?!"
As Mitsusada's eyes widened in surprise, four columns of flames suddenly erupted around him and Daikaiser as Daitiger, Daifighter, Daimariner and Dailander all exploded one after the other from the intense heat, sending metal parts flying all over the battlefield and forcing him to duck for cover as one flew over his head and crashed into the barrier wall. As the remains vanished into nothingness, the fires that now replaced the retired units still continued to burn as he looked towards the imaged Hanayo Five.
"Incredible..." he breathed, still in disbelief from the sheer power of what he had just witnessed.
"Wha...?! Hanayo Five had another skill I didn't know about?!" Christopher gasped, feeling even more humiliated that Akira had not used Hanayo Five's full strength against him before he had lost.
"And that's not the worst of it..." Kiyoi murmured as she gazed towards Akira's remaining rear-guards as they powered up with a bright red aura.
Hanayo One/Critical: 1 - 2
Chain-attack Sutherland x2/POW: 8000 - 20000/Critical: 1 - 2
Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga x2/POW: 5000 - 25000/Critical: 1 - 2
"All of her rear-guards have extra Criticals!" Sharlene exclaimed "And each of her Sutherlands are attacking for 45000 power on their own!"
As Jillian could only stare in both awe and terror at the situation Mitsusada was now faced with, Ulith simply kept her cruel smirk plastered on her lips whilst Futase continued to remain in silence. On the other hand, Akira was having the time of her life now that she had her opponent cornered with no intercepts, only four cards in his hand and four damage to his name and a damaged Daikaiser who now had to face its adversary alone.
"How do you like that?!" she cackled "Even if this isn't my real deck, this power is just what I needed to crush you all!" She then pointed a finger towards Kai. "And Kai, it will be your turn next! You and that overgrown lizard you call an Avatar or whatever have everything coming to you!"
"Mitsusada isn't as naive as you believe," he replied calmly "And whilst I can see you've mastered Hanayo's strengths with that deck, there is one flaw with it."
"Oh? And what would that be?" the Selector scoffed.
"The answer should be in front of you. That is all."
Akira took no notice of Kai's words, believing with overwhelming confidence that this fight was her's for the taking and that her power increases to all of her rear-guards was enough to seal that fact. Mitsusada on the other hand couldn't help but ponder on the Kagero user's words just now, having known him to be very perceptive during any fights, regardless of whether he was a part of them or not. Looking closely at Akira's field and back to his hand, everything stared to become clear to him.
"Hanayo Five attacks your Vanguard!" she called "You're gonna burn in hell too!"
Her rear-guards all have additional Criticals... but those boosting cannot transfer them to the front row, including her Vanguard. Therefore...!
"No guard!" he declared.
Seeing the declaration made, Akira sneered as she reached out for her deck.
"Triple Drive!" she announced.
"Her Vanguard now gets three drive checks?!" Kamui exclaimed.
"First check!"
The first card revealed from the top of her deck was Seal Dragon, Rinocross, a Perfect Guard she could use for defending, but not to help out on her current offence. "Second check!" As she pulled out the next card, it began to glow a bright yellow, causing Kamui, Christopher, Ruko and Ali to gasp in worry, realizing that Akira had managed to successfully pull a trigger. When she looked at it however, she frowned as it was revealed to be Gattling Claw Dragon, a Draw Trigger.
"Tsk! Power to my right hand Sutherland and draw 1!" she muttered "Third check!"
Upon flipping the final card from the top of her deck face up, her devious smile returned back to her lips as she revealed Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasa.
"Critical Trigger! I give power to my other Sutherland and Critical to Hanayo Five!"
As the imaged Hanayo was swirling her whip above her head at high speed, it immediately caught ablaze as both Daikaiser and Mitsusada gazed at the powered up LRIG, knowing what was about to come.
"Come, I'll take it head on!" he called as he braced for impact by crossing his arms out in front of him.
Hanayo Five slammed down the whip onto the front of Daikaiser, creating a massive score down the front of its chest panel as the tip of the imaged LRIG's weapon eventually landed on the ground in front of the Dimension Police user's table. As the score on the battleroid exploded, sending shrapnel flying across the battlefield, a tremor followed by an eruption of fire sent Mitsusada flying backwards into the wall of the boundary as Dimensional Robo, Daidragon and Dimensional Robo, Daicrane landed in his damage zone, the latter of which glowed brightly.
"Draw... Trigger!" he groaned as he hurried back to the table "I give 5000 power to Daikaiser!"
"Heh, you're just like that shorter guy," Akira scoffed "You just don't know when to quit."
He didn't reply as he knew that even with the extra draw he had just gotten, he was still in a very precarious position from Hanayo Five's attack just now. It wasn't just the real damage that he had barely managed to avoid taking a large hit from, but the fact that both of the Selector's rear-guards were even more stronger thanks to the double trigger she had managed to set off.
"Time to drop dead!" she announced with a crazed smile "With Mahoraga's large boost, Sutherland will finish it!"
As Mahoraga waved its staff, a fiery aura shot out from the tip of it and swirled around Chain-attack Sutherland as well as the dragon he sat atop of, boosting its power even higher than it already was. As the dragon flapped down its wings and soared straight into the air, the heavily damage Daikaiser stood back onto its feet with a mighty thud. As it unleashed a large burst of flames from its jaws, Sutherland also unleashed multiple bursts from his firearm at the same time as both attacks came down upon Daikaiser and Mitsusada who shielded their faces from the intense heat as smoke was brought up from the onslaught.
"Mitsusada!" cried Christopher as he, Ali, Ruko and Kamui watched on in horror, worried for the Dimension Police user's safety.
But in a mere few moments, a green light emerged from the smoke, dispelling it immediately as it was revealed that Dimensional Robo, Daishield had appeared to save both the giant Battleroid and its fighter from harm by casting a barrier around them when the attack seemingly had connected.
"Perfect Guard!" he declared.
(End Music)
"Wha...?! My 50000 power attack was...?!"
Akira's jaw had just dropped in disbelief as what was supposed to be her final attack had been blocked effortlessly, even with the incredible gap in power and the low number of cards Mitsusada had held.
"Hey, you do realize his last Twin Drive did reveal that card to you earlier, right Aki-lun?"
Hissing loudly and gritting her teeth, the Selector took no notice of Milulun's comment on how the situation had come to be, not that anyone else, not even her opponent could tell otherwise during this moment.
"GRAH! Sutherland!" she screamed as she rested all the remaining rear-guards in her left column.
The other Sutherland immediately took flight on the dragon he was riding on and soared high into the air much like the one that had previously attacked.
"Nothing is set in stone for any fighter," Mitsusada spoke "Even just a single card can change the course of a fight. That's why I'm not giving up until one of us hits the sixth damage."
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Akira yelled loudly as Sutherland's dragon unleashed a giant stream of flames from its jaws "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT AS WELL! TAKE THIS!"
"For the sake of our justice, cast aside clashing ideologies and come to me now!" he declared "Metalborg, Bryknuckle! Quintet Wall!"
Much to everyone's sudden surprise, the familiar Metalborg unit that would have otherwise been associated with Neve appeared onto the battlefield, smashing its right fist coated in a hexagonal barrier into the flames. Alongside it appeared a second Daikaiser, Daifighter, Dailander, Justice Cobalt and Daicrane, joining it in the effort of defence as Mitsusada also threw down Daibattles card from his hand to add to the combined shield. Eventually after a long struggle, the torrent of flames eventually ground to a halt, disappearing along with the seven units that had blocked the attack, leaving Akira speechless in utter disbelief.
"He did it!" Kamui cheered.
"Now he'll have a chance to counterattack on the next turn," Ruko interjected.
"But... now that Hanayo Four is in the drop zone... Akira can just copy its abilities next turn if he calls any rear-guards," Christopher murmured.
As Ulith couldn't help but express even a little form of being impressed by Mitsusada's efforts to block Akira's strongest attacks, Futase gazed at the field he had, noting the damage he had taken during that turn.
"That was far too careless," she spoke "Akira should have transferred the Critical to her rear-guard."
"And that way, he would have to waste the last card in his hand to guard as his fourth damage didn't have a trigger marking, if I'm correct?" the cruel demanored Selector replied "That is one possibility, but as he pointed out, a single card can change all possibilities. I wonder if he'll hold true to that on this next turn."
End of Turn 9
Akira vs Mitsusada
Hand - 5 : 1
Soul - 1 : 2
Damage - 5 : 5
Front Rows : Chain-attack Sutherland - Hanayo Five (VG) - Chain-attack Sutherland : EMPTY- Super Dimensional Robo, Daikaiser (VG) - EMPTY
Back Rows : Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga - Hanayo One - Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga : EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY
"Stand and draw."
Mitsusada stood up Daikaiser's card up and drew his next card. Placing it into his hand, he took ahold of the other card he was already holding and held it up high into the air.
"Break Ride!" he declared.
As the Dimension Police user placed his card on top of the Vanguard circle, a bright light emitted from the top of the battlefield roof as a new unit was descending onto the battlefield. Daikaiser gazed up at the figure, eventually recognizing what exactly it was.
"Shadowkaiser!" it announced in a bold voice.
A slimmer Battleroid with blue armour and red coloured hair flowing from the back of its head in addition to wielding a large blade in each of its arms came soaring down towards the towering black and red giant. Daikaiser eventually leaped into the air on its heavily damaged foot jets as the two Dimensional Robos came closer and closer towards one another. In an insant, Shadowkaiser changed its appearance in a matter of seconds to resemble that of a plane of some kind as both of them became bathed in a bright green light.
"Docking Formation!" the two of them and Mitsusada called out in unison.
As the damage to Daikaiser slowly began to reverse due to this procedure, the wings of Shadowkaiser's jet mode snapped onto its back as several other parts covered over both of its shoulders, fists, legs and chest panel. A large chunk of blue coloured armour snapped onto the head of Daikaiser as a faceplate was immediately attached on followed by the appearance of small golden wing like structures with a green gem in the center of them appearing on the forehead. A pair of cannons materialized over the shoulders followed by smaller ones on each of its wrists. As the new titan landed on the ground of the battlefield with a large thud, both it and the Dimension Police user announced its name.
"True Ultimate Dimensional Robo... Great! DAI-KAI-SER!"
True Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daikaiser/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/SLD: 0/POW: 11000/Dimension Police/Star Gate/Battleroid
"Wha...? It's Great Daikaiser, but different?" Kamui murmured.
"I didn't even think Daikaiser had an evolution," Ruko breathed.
As Futase couldn't help but widen her eyes a little, Ulith simply kept her smirk, having now been even more intrigued. Jillian and Sharlene looked up at the towering titan in awe, amazed that Mitsusada was able to hold onto a final card such as this for that long. Even Kiyoi could not help but express a similar expression from just looking at it alone.
"So this is Mitsusada's new potential," Kai murmured.
"With the Break Ride skill, add 10000 power and an extra Critical to True Great Daikaiser," the Dimension Police user spoke "In addition, if the Drive Check reveals a Grade 3 unit, I can retire an opponent's guardian and nullify any effects if it was a Perfect Guard."
"Heh, just go ahead and try!" Akira sneered as she glanced down at her hand, containing two copies of Seal Dragon, Rinocross.
My ultimate defence isn't broken yet. I'll show you that no world crosses with Ulith-chan and dares to get away with it!
Taking a deep breath, Mitsusada glanced over the field in front of him, noting that he was still in quite the tough situation. As he called the final card in his hand, Dimensional Robo, Daitiger to the rear-guard circle behind Daikaiser, he then held out one hand over his drop zone.
"Seek mate!"
(Insert Song: Vanguard by JAM Project)
As a blinding white glow emitted from his drop zone, Goyusha suddenly rose up and appeared onto the battlefield alongside Dailander, Daidragon, Daibattles and Daimariner, much to nearly everyone's shock, as they knew those five units had either been taken out by retiring or previously used as Guardians against Akira's onslaught. As a single card from his deck went into his hand, he held it out in front of him.
Vanguard uso ja nai ze ima hajimaru densetsu
Mirai he to michibiite yuke!
Go!
"The righteous spirit is everlasting and blazes up even higher! Revive here now! Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daiyusha!" he announced "Legion!"
As Goyusha stretched out each of its limbs, Daibattles and Dailander respectively attached onto each of its arms, becoming a much further extension of them. Daimariner attached to its torso, further extending and reinforcing the legs whilst Daidragon attached itself to the back of what was once the smallest of the bipedal Dimensional Robos, now bringing it up to size. As the head section of the now giant Battleroid changed in appearance to look more grander than it previously was, Great Daiyusha landed on the ground beside Great Daikaiser, the two aces now united as one.
"Formation: Legion!" both of the tall giants echoed as a large sword manifested in Daiyusha's right arm.
Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daiyusha and True Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daikaiser/POW: 32000/Critical: 2
Waki agaru kono omoi osae rare nai
Nanimo ka mo nugisutero
Get crazy way
Tome ran nai nige ran nai
Aitsu ga doko ka de ore wo yon deru
Yaru toki yaruze makkou battle
Iku ze! Hurry up!
Dare mo jama wa sa se nai!
3. 2. 1 Let's go!
"Amazing... he now has both Daikaiser and Daiyusha together!" gasped Ali.
At this moment, before he and Christopher had time to react, Lee suddenly began to show signs of movement as he slowly looked up towards the battlefield. Though he was still in quite a state as a result of his fight with Ulith, his expression had somewhat begun to change as he stared out towards Mitsusada and noticing his usual determination in this dire situation.
"I think seeing Mitsusada fight on must have gotten through to Lee," Ruko breathed.
"You've got her Mitsusada!" Kamui cheered "Knock Akira for a loop or two!"
Akira despite being surprised by the appearance of both Great Daiyusha and Great Daikaiser together, now staring down at both her and her imaged Hanayo Five on the battlefield, she immediately regained her confident smirk.
"So you brought another bigger toy to this fight!" she sneered "It's a shame it's not a rear-guard to give you an extra attack, otherwise you might have had a chance of beating me! Goosey-goosey-goosebumps!"
"I'm not done yet!" Mistusada replied "First with a Legion Skill and a Limit Break, add 2000 power to the total power and an extra Critical to both Daiyusha and Daikaiser!"
Vanguard tamashii no oku waki agaru image
Kiseki totomoni yobiokose
Vanguard ima bokura wa makka na honoo ni nari
Mirai he to kakenuke te iku Final turn
Both of the giant Dimensional Robos bellowed loudly as a golden aura flowed through each of them, powering them up in preparation for the next attack against Hanayo Five.
"I can acknowledge you're definitely strong with that deck..." he spoke "But if you're looking to abuse Vanguard and everything it stands for in your own selfish endeavours, then I can't let you continue with what you are doing!"
"Heh. You may be a champion or whatever in this world," Akira scoffed "However, against someone who is a veteran of the Selector Battles themselves, you and any of this world are absolutely meaningless before me!"
"Selector Battles...?" he breathed in confusion.
"Oh nevermind about that," she continued "All that matters is that you won't break my ultimate defence. After all, you may not win this fight, but that doesn't make you entirely worthless."
The Dimension Police user however was still curious about what the Selector had slipped out of her mouth in the midst of her goading, believing that there was more questions he needed answers to and that if her prior rivalry with Kai was indeed true, it was something he had to ask him about. But for now, he knew he had a fight to win and that he had to do so to keep his Dimensional Robos safe from prying hands.
"With Daitiger's boost!" he declared "Daikaiser and Daiyusha attack Hanayo Five!"
With yet another loud yell, Daikaiser aimed both of its shoulder cannons towards the imaged Hanayo Five, charging them up for a full powered assault with enough firepower to deal the damage needed to end the fight. As this happened, Daiyusha clasped the hilt of its giant blade tightly, ready for combat when the signal was given.
Tobikiri no raibaru wo machi tsuduke teru
Majirikke nashi no shoubu
Get exciting way
Kyokugen dai mou genkai
Girigiri pawaa ga mune ni afureru
Adorenarin ga bakuhatsu suru ze
Yaru ze! Here we go!
Ketahazure no shoudou!
"It's a pity!" Akira cackled "But I was more than prepared for your little Break Ride trick! Go, double Seal Dragon, Rinocross!"
As she threw away Gattling Claw Dragon and Hanayo Two from her hand to her drop zone, both copies of the Perfect Guard unit appeared onto the battlefield in front of Hanayo Five, deploying barriers of their own to block the attack that was about to be sent hurtling their way.
"Too bad for you!" she declared "With that, you'll have to check two Grade 3 units in a row to break my Guard! And with four of them already on the board, I'd say that chance is impossible!"
"She's right...!" Sharlene gasped "Four of his Grade 3's are no longer in his deck!"
"Calm down Sharlene!" Jillian interjected "Mitsusada still has chance to break through, right Kai?"
But as the seconds passed by, all the twins got from the Kagero user was utter silence, as if he had already knew the answer to their query and Mitsusada's newer dilemma. That was when Kiyoi decided to interject her views on the matter, having worked out the answer to that question for herself.
"Weren't you listening to him earlier...?" she murmured in her usual monotone "One card can change the outcome of an entire fight."
Whilst Sharlene looked at her in confusion, everyone then turned their attention back to the fight as Mitsusada reached out for his deck.
"Twin Drive!" he declared "First check!"
Vanguard arashi no sora wo kake noboru imeeji
Michi naru sukiru tokihanate
Vanguard uso ja nai ze ima hajimaru densetsu
Mirai he to michibiite yuke! Right now
The first card that was unveiled was Dimension Robo, Daibattles, a Trigger unit. This only caused half of the viewing audience to groan as they realized that Mitsusada seemingly had no chance of breaking through Akira's defence now.
"Critical Trigger!" he announced "I give all effects to my Legion!"
Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daiyusha and True Ultimate Dimensional Robo, Great Daikaiser/POW: 41000 - 46000/Critical: 3 - 4
"Hah...!" Akira laughed "With that, you've missed your only chance to get a double Grade 3! I win!"
Reaching for the top of his deck, Mitsusada prayed that it would respond to his dire request of assistance right now. Taking ahold of the top card, he pulled it away slowly before turning it over, revealing a second copy of the original Daikaiser.
"Break Ride skill!" he called "I retire Rinocross!"
Slamming both of its knuckles together, Great Daikaiser charged up the cannons mounted on both of its wrists before unleashing several beams that broke through one of the barriers standing before it and retiring one of the two Rinocross that were on the defence.
"And with that your turn has come an end," the Selector smugly remarked "It's been 'fun' 'Mitsu-dan', but this is game..."
"Great Daikaiser's other Legion skill activates!" he interrupted.
"Huh...?!"
Turning over a single card in his damage zone as the cost for this sudden maneuver, Mitsusada then gazed up to Great Daiyusha who bellowed loudly as it began glowing bright gold.
"Since I checked a Grade 3 unit during its Twin Drive and Great Daiyusha's Critical is at least 2 or greater..." the Dimension Police user explained before pointing towards the other Rinocross with the checked Daikaiser's card in his hand "The same skill as the Break Ride triggers!"
Akira screamed in horror and disbelief as Great Daiyusha stepped forwards before holding its large blade high into the air and slamming it down on the other Rinocross effortlessly with a mighty swing. The impact had not just retired the Kagero unit itself, but it had also shattered the remaining barrier in one fell swoop, leaving the Selector and her imaged version of Hanayo Five alone, and now completely defenceless.
"No way..." she breathed, stepping backwards in disbelief "He had something like that ready the whole time...?!"
Vanguard tamashii no oku waki agaru imeeji
Kiseki totomoni yobiokose
Vanguard ima bokura ha makka na honoo ni nari
Mirai he to kakenuke te iku
Final turn.
With the path now clear, Great Daiyusha with the assistance of the wings granted by combining with Daidragon took to the air as the cannons of Great Daikaiser were now almost at its peak, ready to fire on Mitsusada's command.
"This is for all of the fighters you hurt and whose passionate feelings you disrespected!" he declared "Go!"
"Burning Justice Combination!"
As he and his two strongest units yelled out the name of their combined attack at the same time, Daikaiser unleashed the full power of its shoulder cannons as two large blue coloured beams came towards and struck Hanayo Five in a large explosion, that covered over to Akira's side of the field as she tried desperately in vain to shield her face from both the impact and the resulting shockwave.
"T... this isn't possible...!" she screamed "Not when I had this superior deck ready to crush Kai Toshiki!"
Before she had time to rant on, she looked up to see that Great Daiyusha was now right above both her and the downed Hanayo Five, ready to deliver the finishing blow to end the fight. She knew half of her Heal Triggers were already gone and that the Legion's Critical of four was more than enough to end the fight in Mitsusada's victory.
"Burning Heart of Justice!" the giant Dimensional Robo bellowed as it brought down the glowing blade it wielded onto both of its opponents, bringing up another large explosion that knocked Akira onto her back as the sixth point of damage came out from her deck as Calamity Tower Wyvern.
Once the final blow had concluded and the smoke had cleared, all of the imaged units on the battlefield with the exception of Hanayo Five began to fade from the plain that they were on.
(End Insert Music)
"He did it!" Christopher cheered.
"Told you he'd do it!" Kamui interjected.
Lee, although unable to speak any words for the time being, could not help but offer a smile in compliance, indicating to Ali that his recovery from Ulith's earlier torment was going well if his reaction to the fight was anything to go by.
"Amazing Ru!"
All of Team SIT Genius then turned to Ruko upon hearing Tama's voice call out from her pocket. Upon seeing the confused and somewhat curious glances sent her way, she soon realized this meant that they too could hear the LRIGs she held, making her wonder if all the cardfighters in this world were capable of doing so, given that Kamui and Ishida from her experiences around them possessed no powers of their own.
"Um... please don't be angry," she said "But I have LRIGs of my own... I'm not with Akira and the others though."
Digging into her pockets, she eventually brought out the cards that had both Tama and Yuki as the three boys and the girls of black and white looked at each other.
"I told you to be quiet until Ruko could properly introduce us to them," Yuki muttered exasperatedly.
"But Tama didn't want to miss the fight!" Tama interjected "Yuki found it amazing too, right?!"
"I... suppose so," she replied as she turned her attention back to Christopher.
Before either side could speak a word, they heard a whimpering noise from the battlefield as they saw a bright red aura enveloping Hanayo Five's card and the imaged LRIG itself as she rose into the air. Akira could only move backwards in fear as she stared at Hanayo Five, much to the confusion of Mitsusada who was watching from the other side.
"T... This is...?!" she gasped as the fiery aura on the card grew larger and larger "W... Wait...!"
Then, unbeknownst to everyone present in the institute campus, even to the person standing beside her at this moment, Ulith closed her eyes and quietly uttered a single word that nobody else heard.
"Judgement."
(Cardfight! Vanguard G Z Unreleased Soundtrack: Zeroth Dragon)
Immediately, Hanayo's eyes flashed a bright red as she screamed loudly for a moment, much to the shock of everyone else, but the cruel demanored Selector and Christopher themselves. Raising her whip into the air, the LRIG slammed it down onto the ground as orange coloured cracks started to appear and grow larger with each pulsation beneath the terrified Akira. Before she could move any further, a large column of orange coloured flames erupted from beneath, consuming her in an instant and forcing her to scream loudly in pain as the fire soared high into the sky.
"Akira...!" Mitsusada gasped in horror.
"This feeling..." Kiyoi muttered as she gazed at Hanayo Five as she slumped down before the image vanished "There's no mistaking it!"
As the sky was briefly torched orange for a few more moments, Akira continued to scream in pain from the intense heat of the flames until it and the battlefield eventually faded out, leaving her severely weakened and several bowels of smoke pouring from her clothes as her deck scattered onto the ground in front of her.
"What on earth was that...?" Ruko breathed, mortified by the sight.
"There's no doubt about it now," Yuki interjected, bringing everyone's attention to her and Tama "For a brief moment now... the imaged Hanayo somehow became replaced by the real one!"
"Tama agrees!" Tama replied "Tama definitely felt Hanayo there for a moment!"
As Mitsusada was hurrying over towards the downed Selector, now feeling bad that his victory had caused her to be injured, even if it was because of her own card, Akira snarled and threw a knife from her hoodie right back at him in retaliation. As he stopped, realizing he didn't have time to dodge, Kai quickly pulled him out of the way by the arm, just in time. As the two looked back her, they saw Ulith who came over towards her, seemingly not disappointed by her efforts at all, keeping her cruel smirk on her lips. Akira hung her head down before looking back up at the person that she had admired deeply within her own affections.
"I'm... not a complete failure..." she cringed as she reached into her pocket, presenting a large stack of Wixoss cards to her "I have the units I did manage to win, as promised."
Ulith took the cards from her and inspected them closely, indeed confirming that despite her failure to defeat Mitsusada, she had kept her end of the bargain and brought her a haul of captured units for her 'boss'.
Despite that failure against Mitsusada, she managed to complete her haul regardless she murmured musingly in her thoughts I suppose I can let this slide... for now.
"You did well, Aki-lovely," she said, putting the captured units away in her pocket "Despite this setback, you proved your worth in your haul today."
"Ulith-chan..." Akira said, blushing brightly as she did so.
"Wait!" Mitsusada called "We had a deal on those stolen units!"
"Too bad for you!" she spat back, sticking out her tongue childlishly in response "You weren't marked by me already, so I don't have the eligible right to return those units!"
(End Music)
Whilst the Dimension Police user could only stare at her, realizing that his efforts to save Christopher's captured units along with any others from fighters that the Selector had previously beaten were all for nothing, Kai could only gaze at Ulith who looked smugly back at him.
"I'll be certain to tell 'him' the good news that you are all safe," she said in a soft, yet sinister tone "As it will be the last piece of 'happiness' he'll ever have."
"What are you planning for Aichi now?" the Kagero user questioned, narrowing his eyes as he did so.
"My, that would be rude of me to spoil my own surprises," Ulith replied as Futase eventually came alongside her "But I guarantee we'll be seeing each other again soon, Kai Toshiki."
Holding up a blank card into the air, she announced "Open!" as a bright flash covered the area, blinding everyone but those that were in close vicinity of the cruel demanored Selector. After a few moments, both the light and the three figures were all gone, leaving only a confused Mitsusada and SIT Genius who just stared at where the battlefield previously was and a concerned Ruko and Tama who were now wondering what Mayu had planned for them now. The Dimension Police user then turned towards Kai, believing that he would understand more from asking him a few questions that were on his mind.
"You've been through a lot lately since you disappeared," he said "But what exactly is going on?"
As the others eventually came behind him, the Kagero user eventually gave his response to Mitsusada.
"Since we are all here," he began "I believe it's time that you and Christopher Lo know about what it is that we are dealing with now."
And there we go! Despite being knocked down by Akira's Hanayo deck and pushed to the breaking point, Mitsusada perseveres and manages to end the fight with a combination of a new Daikaiser and Great Daiyusha. After Ulith secretly commences the Judgment for using Hanayo Five in a fight without anyone's knowledge, she brings Akira and Futase along with all of the captured units back to their own world, ready to deliver the cards to Mayu. Knowing that Mitsusada and Team SIT Genius are bound to question him on everything that has happened since his disappearance from their world, Kai begins to tell the story of everything he and his companions have been through in Ruko's world.
What will happen next? Are more attacks on the world of Vanguard planned for the future that lies ahead? Will Kai and his companions be safe in these dire times? 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! As a heads up, the final round of the poll to determine Kiyoi's deck will conclude once the next chapter is posted. Until then my fellow readers, this is farewell... for now.
