City Streets

(Cardfight! Vanguard G NEXT OST: Dumjid Fight)

In the midst of the chaos that had been occurring not far from this battlefield, Miwa and Akira were still within the early stages of the fight, now tied at one damage apiece as the boy began his next turn. He was being rather wary from what he had witnessed earlier that had led to Shingo's defeat, but he knew that he couldn't panic or his opponent would force her way into challenging Kai with the intention of vengeance for her defeat to him in the other world.

"Ride!" he called "Prowling Dragon, Striken!"

As his current Vanguard Seal Dragon, Gariserge disappeared in a flash of red light, a new red coloured dragon with black scales, a large tail and several large spikes littered on its body descended onto the battlefield. What was most strange about both its appearance and its stance was that it seemed to ressemble a large scorpion more than a Winged Dragon. It roared loudly as soon as the glow around it died down.

Prowling Dragon, Striken/Grade 2/Intercept/SLD: 5000/POW: 10000/Kagero/Winged Dragon/Dragon Empire

"As much as I would like to let loose now, Striken cannot attack whilst he's my Vanguard," Miwa explained "So I will end my turn."

"Bwahaha!" Akira cackled "What's this? You announced you'd 'protect' Kai from me and you bring out a unit that's better suited as a powerless rear-guard? Keh! It's your loss!"

She then drew her next card from the top of her deck before throwing it straight into the Vanguard circle as Berserk Dragon disappeared in a whirlwind of flames.

"Ride! Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance!"

The flames burst away to reveal one of the many third leveled forms of Hanayo who didn't appear that much different from her previous Grades. She gazed upon Striken who merely growled back in response.

Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 10000/Dragon Empire/Human;LRIG/Dragon Empire

"Skill activated!" the Selector announced before pointing to the only rear-guard her opponent had "Bye Bye!"

A small dragon with several talismans wrapped around its body and wielding a cannon in its left claw was suddenly engulfed in flames, causing Miwa to grit his teeth upon seeing that Akira had taken out a key piece of his strategy.

"I call another one, Dragonic Gaias and Hanayo Two Remodeled!" she continued as two more Hanayos with different armaments from each other appeared on her rear-guard in addition to the teal coloured Tear Dragon.

"It's here...!" he muttered No matter what, Remodeled will end up in the drop zone!

"Learn your place, you eyesore!" Akira declared as she rested the Hanayo Three that was on her rear-guard "Hanayo Three, damage that weak unit!"

The Hanayo Three on her rear-guard created a large fireball in her right hand before reeling it back and sending it hurling towards Striken. In response, the Prowling Dragon raised back its tail and suddenly struck the projectile with the large tip at the end.

"What?!" the Selector exclaimed.

"Striken isn't as powerless as you think!" Miwa replied "When you attack him without a boost whilst he's on the Vanguard Circle, he gets 5000 power until the battle ends!"

"In that case, with Gaias' boost, Hanayo Three attacks!" she snarled.

The Hanayo Three that her Vanguard then held her hands above her head, creating a much larger fireball compared to the previous counterpart that had attempted to attack previously. Miwa looked at his hand before then glancing back to his opponent, giving her all the confirmation that she had needed for herself. She then immediately turned over the first card of her Twin Drive as Perdition Dancer, Agafia.

"Heal Trigger!" she chortled "Giving power to Hanayo Two, Remodeled and recovering one damage!" She then immediately turned over the second card as Embodiment of Spear, Tahr "Critical Trigger! The power to Hanayo Two and the Critical to my Vanguard!"

As Hanayo Two recieved the power from the Trigger effects, Hanayo Three reeled back her arms slightly before thrusting them forwards to send the giant fireball crashing into Striken, exploding on contact as Miwa shielded his face from the impact. As his second point of damage came out as Hellfire Seal Dragon, Blockade Inferno, the third that came to him was Seal Dragon, Artpique.

"Draw Trigger!" he announced as he drew his card "I give power to Striken!"

"That won't save you!" Akira continued as she rested the final card in her front row.

As Hanayo Two ran towards Striken, she lunged forwards with her flame covered right fist only to be stopped by another unit that had appeared in front of her, that being a second Gariserge. As the turn came to an end, Akira merely scoffed with the damage advantage she held over her opponent and confident that her victory was now that much closer.

"What's wrong Biwa?" she scoffed "I thought you were going to put up a fight, not cower behind a Restrained unit. Ah well, not that it matters."

End of Turn 5
Miwa vs Akira
Hand - 6 : 6
Soul - 1 : 3
Damage - 3 : 0
Miwa's Formation:
EMPTY - Prowling Dragon, Striken - EMPTY
EMPTY - EMPTY - EMPTY
Akira's Formation:
Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance - Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance - Hanayo Two Remodeled, Roaring Flame
EMPTY - Dragonic Gaias - EMPTY

As Miwa wiped his forehead to regain his composure, all the while, his attention was focused on two things. That being, Hanayo Two Remodeled and the face down card that the Selector had bound. That he already knew was Hanayo Five and the combo that she was setting up to end the fight in an instant.

"Good grief, I really am in trouble now..." he muttered before he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the boundary of flames around the field.

"Miwa!"

Suddenly, he turned around to see that Kai was now outside of the barrier, gazing upon one of his closest friends and the opponent he was now facing. This had only worried Miwa upon realizing that he would no longer be able to use the fight to stall for time.

"Good timing Kai!" Akira sneered "It seems like I won't have to rely on this ugly to find you after all!"

(End Music)

"Miwa, did Akira ambush you?" the Kagero user asked.

"No," he replied "She ambushed Shingo and got all of his units. Ruko and Kiyoi are currently keeping an eye on him."

"And I assume you challenged Akira afterwards?" Kai continued.

"Yeah," the boy answered "I was hoping to keep you out of harm's way after what happened the last time you two crossed paths..."

"And look how well that's turned out," the Selector interrupted as she fanned herself with the cards she held in her hand "But now that you're here, you've saved me the trouble of searching this hellhole for you. In the meantime Biwa, struggle!"

Miwa then drew his next card to begin his turn before gazing down at it, realizing the significance of what it was that was now within his hand. As he stared at the card in question for a few moments, he then glanced back towards his opponent and held it out before him.

"Forbidden dragon, break through the talismans that bind you and unleash your wrath upon the surface!" he announced before throwing down the card on top of Striken's "Ride!"

(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Miraculous Limit Break)*

A column of flames suddenly erupted beneath Striken as it vanished into the embers before a new dragon covered in golden armour and bearing two sets of wings appeared in its place. It wielded a pair of lances and was wrapped in several talismans like the other Seal Dragons that had appeared during the fight and was glancing with its blue eyes directly at Hanayo and Akira as Miwa announced its name.

"Seal Dragon, Georgette!"

Seal Dragon, Georgette/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 11000/Kagero/Flame Dragon/Dragon Empire

"Heh," Akira chuckled "It's no Overlord and you're certainly no Kai. It seems that you'll meet the same fate as Shingo and then... I can finally claim my rightful vengeance!"

"I'm not letting you get to him!" Miwa replied "Striken's skill activates! Any unit that rides from it gains 5000 power and an extra Critical!"

As the Selector suddenly blinked in confusion from her oversight on another of the otherwise restrained Winged Dragon's skills, Georgette roared loudly as it recieved the power bonuses from Striken.

Seal Dragon, Georgette/POW: 11000 - 16000/Critical: 1 - 2

Immediately afterwards, Calamity Tower Wyvern appeared behind the Seal Dragon as the boy drew 1 card from using the skill before a new unit appeared onto his rear-guard. It was human-like with several differiantiating features such as longer nails and pointy ears as well as horns and wore a strange medallion across its neck which radiated a bright red.

"With Mulciber's skill," he continued "Georgette's Limit Break is now released! And call!"

As Georgette recieved yet another power from the new rear-guard that had come into play, a final unit that was familiar to Kai joined the large Seal Dragon in the front row. It was another Seal Dragon as it was so by the many talismans wrapped like bandages around the body of the Flame Dragon that wielded five silvery coloured orbs that hovered in front of it. A beam of fire then erupted from inbetween the orbs and struck Dragonic Gaias directly, retiring it in a series of flames that burned it to ash. Before Akira had time to hiss, the top four cards of her deck suddenly floated out in front of her before she glared back to Miwa in confusion.

"Since I retired your rear-guard with Corduroy," he spoke "You can pick up to a single Grade 2 from those four cards and call it!"

"Tsk!" she hissed "Berserk Dragon!"

The twin headed Flame Dragon then appeared in the back row behind Hanayo Two, making the boy feel a little relieved that Akira didn't have enough damage, let alone any at all to make his own skill backfire upon him.

"If you're gonna waste your time giving me reinforcements, you're dead meat!" the Selector snarled "All you're doing is giving me more shields!"

"Perhaps," Kai interrupted "But, it seems you have yet to understand the potential of the Seal Dragons, let alone Miwa's."

Akira merely snarled at the Kagero user, refusing to be lectured by his words once again or being reminded about how much his previous points had stung her in her Selector Battle against him.

"Georgette attacks with Calamity Tower's boost!" Miwa declared "And with the Limit Break, for each Grade 2 rear-guard you have, add 5000 power! Then since you have at least 2, add a Critical!"

As Georgette roared loudly once more, it brandished its two lances before taking flight and charging towards Hanayo Three who merely stepped backwards. The eye like jewels on the lower pairs of wings 'glared' at Hanayo Two and Berserk Dragon as the energies empowered the Seal Dragon whilst a red Vanguard circle flashed in front of it.

"31000 power and 3 Criticals?!" Akira exclaimed before glancing to her hand and rear-guard "No guard...!"

"Twin Drive!" Miwa announced before turning over the first card from the top of his deck as Perdition Dragon, Buster Rain Dragon "Critical Trigger! I give power to Corduroy and Critical to my Vanguard!"

He then immediately turned over the second card to reveal Seal Dragon, Biella, which only annoyed the Selector even more as he and Kai could tell by her angered expression.

"Double Critical?!" she screamed.

"Eat this!" he announced "Twin Inferno Lance!"

The Seal Dragon then covered both its lances in red coloured flames before spearing the left and right of Hanayo Three before slashing down the middle, causing an explosion that caused her to scream loudly and force a very angry Akira to cover her face as she reached out to her deck.

"Damage check!" she growled as she turned over the first card from her deck.

It was Hanayo One, followed by Demonic Dragon Mage, Mahoraga, M Iku Remodeled, Roaring Gun and a third copy of Hanayo Three, Blazing Flame Dance.

"No triggers?!" the Selector hissed "Final check!" She then turned over the fifth card as Perdition Dancer, Agafia "Heal Trigger!"

She then immediately moved the card to her damage zone before taking out Mahoraga's as Hanayo Three was enveloped in a green aura, powering her up a little from the trigger effects.

"Go, Corduroy!" Miwa declared as the other Seal Dragon unleashed another beam of fire from the five orbs it wielded.

"Don't get comfortable!" his opponent screamed "Guard and Intercept!"

As Hanayo Two came to the defense of Hanayo Three, Embodiment of Spear, Tahr also joined the effort of fully protecting the imaged LRIG from further harm. The two units along with the failed attack then vanished from the battlefield as Miwa could only stare at the damage he had now inflicted upon the Selector, now sensing he had to play this fight carefully now that Hanayo Two Remodeled was in the drop zone waiting in the wings for him.

(End Music)

"How...?!" Akira hissed as she slammed a fist into her table "Taishi Miwa...! You never even came to my world and you're just a low lackey to Kai Toshiki! So why did you luck out now?!"

"You weren't exactly kidding when you said she was cranky," he muttered to Kai.

"Perhaps, but that temper can still make her dangerous, especially with blunt objects," the Kagero user replied "Even so, the fact she's only gone after weaker Selectors before facing Ruko has shown she can greatly underestimate her opponents."

After hearing a loud growl come from the Selector, the two boys glanced towards her as she glared directly towards Kai with seething anger.

"Hey there, you're gonna blow a blood vessel if you keep pressing revenge-lun!" a familiar voice sounded out from her pocket.

"Shut it Milulun!" Akira snapped as she furiously drew her next card before returning a glance towards her opponent "Kai, Ishida, even Hittoe may have been lucky against me... But I'm not like the other weaklings I crushed! Allow me to show you the real meaning of being pissed off! Ride!"

(Cardfight! Vanguard G NEXT Unreleased Soundtrack: Blaze)

A tornado of flames suddenly erupted beneath Hanayo Three and engulfed her as the twister rose up into the clouds painting them a bright orange before the intense heat forced Miwa to cover his face. As he struggled to fight back against the blaze before him, the imaged LRIG soon reappeared in her recently acquired fourth form, of which only the Selector's opponent had been familiar with. As the fans she wielded caught ablaze, her card's owner announced her name.

"Hanayo Four, Snow, Moon, Wind and Fire!"

Hanayo Four, Snow, Moon, Wind and Fire/Grade 4/Twin Drive!/POW: 13000/Dragon Empire/Human;LRIG/Dragon Empire

"A new Hanayo Four..." Kai murmured, having seen this particular form for the first time "And... something was definitely different about Hanayo Two."

"She's coming in full force!" Miwa muttered in reply.

"Soul Blast!" Akira called as she moved Hanayo Zero and Berserk Dragon from the soul to her drop zone "Draw 3 cards and call!"

In an instant, the Berserk Dragon on her field moved to the drop zone as a new Dragonic Gaias appeared in the same place as before Mahoraga, two Artpiques and a new SIGNI came into play. It was a girl with pinkish red hair and wearing a black suit in addition to wielding a pair of pistols with blue circles glowing around her wrists. As the Selector's opponent could tell from its appearance alone, it was the same card that appeared as an earlier point of damage from Gerogette's attack.

"Counter Blast!" she continued as she turned over a card in her damage zone and threw away another copy of M Iku Remodeled from her hand "Mulciber retires!"

A torrent of flames erupted beneath the Salamander sprite, retiring it in an instant as it screeched in pain before vanishing in a series of red sparks.

"With this, M Iku Remodeled's skill is next!" Akira declared "Calamity Tower Wyvern retires! Mahoraga gains 10000 power!"

As the red SIGNI blasted away the Winged Dragon with several bullets from her pistols, a red aura enveloped the Demonic Dragon Mage to power it up from the two consecutive retires that had gone off.

"Next, Artpique!" she announced "Move them to the soul and add 3000 power to both my Hanayos! And call!"

Both of the Grade 0 Seal Dragons turned into light which then became red orbs that were absorbed immediately by both imaged Hanayos as they powered up respectively. In its place, a new Kagero unit appeared in its place, one that was unfamiliar to Miwa and Kai, leading her to wonder about who she could have acquired it from if she marked the person holding that card.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you..." the Selector's opponent spoke.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she snickered "Now let me show you... what Ulith-chan's lucky charm is capable of! BLAZE!"

Upon the announcement of that word, flames begans roaring all around Hanayo Four as her eyes flashed red upon looking towards Seal Dragon, Georgette who immediately took up a defensive stance.

"Well now ugly... Scared now?" she scoffed as her expression turned crazed before resting the cards of Hanayo Four and the new unit named Dragon Dancer, Karin "Writhe! Cry! SCREAM!"

The imaged LRIG then hurled both of her flaming fans one after the other towards Georgette who remained motionless as the spinning weapons came spiralling across the length of the battlefield towards it.

"Learn your place, follower of Kai! Hanayo Four gets Triple Drive in exchange for throwing out my hand!"

"I won't let you!" Miwa declared as he threw down a card onto the Guardian Circle "Perdition Dragon Knight, Sattar! Quintet Wall!"

A warrior with bluish white hair and red eyes covered in armour that resembled dragon hide, projected a green circle in front of him as Calamity Tower Wyvern, Seal Dragon, Biella, a second Corduroy, another Georgette and Mulciber came to the defence. The barrier created held back the flaming fans as far as it could whilst Kai glanced towards the Selector with narrowed eyes.

"If Akira gets three triggers for her Vanguard, she'll break through," he murmured to himself.

Akira then sneered as she reached out for her deck to conduct the first of the three drive checks she had acquired for Hanayo Four, slowly turning over the card and bringing it to her. Despite feeling some disappointment at first, causing Miwa to sigh in relief that this attack wasn't going to break through his Quintet Wall, she soon regained her smile, eventually laughing.

"It looks like you get to live for one more turn," she chuckled "But for now, I'll show you a little present that Urith's boss put together for me. Sure it means she cannot create more duplicates of general Kagero units for a while, but that's a price I'm willing to pay to crave my thirst until I beat Kai."

"Then what is that card?!" Miwa demanded.

The Selector then turned around the card from her first check, revealing a card that was all too familiar to the two cardfighters in front of them as they gasped in shock and confusion. The card that she was holding depicted a black Dragonic Overlord with purple flames swirling around its body and everything else regarding the card's borders and text remaining almost completely identical to the original's. The only other part of the card, that being the exact name was obscured by her thumb.

"Impossible...!" Miwa exclaimed.

"A black Dragonic Overlord...?!" Kai gasped before shaking his head "No... from your words now, Urith has given you a false Overlord!"

"Oh please," she replied "If anything, this Overlord may not be the true one, but you could say that it might as well be a pitch black shadow with near identical powers. Now where was I?"

She then turned over the second card to reveal Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasha, the card glowing a bright yellow as she turned it over and held it towards her opponent.

"Critical Trigger!" she announced "I give all of the effects to M Iku Remodeled! Final check!" The final card was revealed as Seal Dragon, Artpique. "Draw Trigger! I give power to M Iku Remodeled!"

The flaming fans that were still clashing with the barrier eventually exploded as the units that created it vanished at the same time as their defensive wall, leaving Seal Dragon, Georgette unharmed and waiting to deal with the next attack.

"My next attack, Hanayo Three!" Akira continued as the other Hanayo hurled a fireball at Miwa's Vanguard.

"Intercept!" he declared as Corduroy appeared in front of its leader to take the brunt of the attack.

The fireball exploded the moment it made contact, causing the Seal Dragon to scream before vanishing in a series of red sparks as Georgette shielded its face from the impact of the blast.

"Go, M Iku Remodeled!" the Selector called as her SIGNI rear-guard shot off multiple bullets from her twin pistols.

"Guard!" Miwa called as Buster Rain Dragon and Biella came in front of Georgette to defend it from the shots before they vanished shortly afterwards "Somehow... I managed to come out with no damage."

Akira merely remained unfazed by all of her attacks dealing no damage to her opponent throughout the duration of the turn, having been more than satisfied from what she had acquired from her Triple Drive. Her eyes glanced upon the black Dragonic Overlord that was within the four cards she held, a sinister feeling coursing through her as happy memories from the time she spent with Kai's deck before Hitoe defeated her flashed before her eyes.

"You have no hope," she sneered as she looked back at Miwa "You already witnessed my unstoppable combo once before and with this shadow that is in my hand, that will satisfy my crave until I win Kai's units for Urith!"

"There's no way I'll lose to a fake Overlord!" Miwa snapped back "Stealing Kai's deck a long while ago is one thing, but making a mockery of his avatar?!"

"Miwa, calm down!"

The boy then suddenly blinked as he turned back to his best friend, noting the serious glint in his eyes and sensing he had something to say to him before the fight could continue.

(End Music)

"Akira may not be the most skilled Selector, but her mouth can also be her strength," Kai replied "If she says the right words to get under a Selector's, let alone a cardfighter's skin, then she can win through psychology alone."

"Just like Urith," Miwa interjected "No wonder you say she takes after her."

"If you two are done stalling for time, I have a fight to win!" Akira interrupted rudely "Now make your final move Biwa!"

He then clenched his teeth upon gazing towards the drop zone, knowing that the first Heal Trigger Akira had set off during this fight had moved a second Hanayo Four, Snow, Moon, Wind and Fire to the drop zone, guaranteeing Hanayo Five the ability to have four drive checks instead of her usual three. He knew that he was now faced with two options, either throwing out his entire hand to the rear-guard and hoping that it would be enough to end the fight or preparing himself for the three card combo that would shut down most of his defenses. As he drew his next card, he glanced towards Akira having now made up his mind.

"I call a new Corduroy!" he called as the same Seal Dragon he called previously reappeared "With the skill, I retire Mahoraga!"

A beam of red flames erupted from the five orbs in front of Corduroy and struck the Demonic Dragon Mage, forcing it to leave the battlefield from the intense heat. As the top four cards floated in front of the Selector, she merely scoffed as she immediately shuffled them back into her deck.

She's wised up to the Seal Dragons now the boy pondered But then again... that might be a good thing.

He then called one more card to the rear-guard, that being a green coloured and red clad armoured Seal Dragon that went by the title of Flame Star, wielding a spiked ball on a flailed chain in preparation for combat.

"With a Counter Blast, you can't Intercept this turn!" Miwa declared before reaching for Georgette's card "Let's go!"

"Perfect Guard!" Akira declared as Rinocross appeared in front of Hanayo Four, preventing Georgette from striking the imaged LRIG directly much to its annoyance with a growl.

Miwa could only cringe as he conducted his Twin Drive, revealing Prowling Dragon, Striken and yet another Seal Dragon, Artpique as his two checks overall. He immediately drew another card as Corduroy recieved the power boost from the Trigger. Flame Star then swung around its flail before hurling the chained spike ball at M Iku Remodeled, hitting the SIGNI directly as she vanished from the field after the weapon's impact. After that, Corduroy unleashed a blast of flames at Hanayo Three from the battlefield.

"I couldn't finish her!" he muttered "That means...!"

"Hanayo Five is coming this turn!" Kai interjected.

Akira then cackled manically as she stood up her units and then took ahold of the single card that was in her bind zone, now spewing a fiery aura to signify the power it possessed on its own.

"Limit Override!" she announced as she threw the card onto the Vanguard Circle, glowing a bright orange upon landing there.

At the same time, a tempest of flames erupted from her side of the field as Miwa and even Kai were forced to cover their face from the sheer force and the heat that was being emitted from the fires before them as Hanayo Four vanished. In her place, the final form of the imaged LRIG rose as a silhouette onto the battlefield before using her thorned whip to swipe away the flames to reveal herself.

"The vengeful inferno... Hanayo Five!"

Hanayo Five/Grade 5/Triple Drive!/POW: 15000/Dragon Empire/Human;LRIG/Dragon Empire

"The fifth form of Hanayo," the Kagero user murmured "Just what new powers did Akira use to defeat Shingo?"

"You're about to see for the first time yourself, Kai Toshiki!" the Selector sneeered "But I'll use the first ability that Hanayo Five copies from the drop zone! Soul Blast to draw 3 cards and gain a fourth drive check by throwing out my hand at the start of the Battle Phase!"

Immediately after doing that, Dragonic Gaias, Hanayo Two Remodeled and another Dragon Dancer, Karin appeared onto the battlefield leaving only one open space in Akira's rear-guard and the Kagero user along with Miwa knew that there was only one card that she was intending to call at this very moment. As soon as she picked out that single card from the remaining ones she held, a black aura suddnely enveloped her as she closed her eyes and began to speak.

"Shadow of that which I crave to possess, manifest in physical form and render our enemy powerless!" she announced before opening her eyes in a crazed state placing it to the left front rear-guard circle "Call the rear-guard, my servant!"

(Insert Music: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Unreleased Soundtrack: Bohman (Piano Segment))*

In that moment, the shadow of the unit they expected to appear was all that appeared before the two boys at first as they could only stare at the ground. The body of the Wind of the Apocalypse was made out from amongst the black shapes, yet there was no figure before Miwa and Georgette until the pavement before them shook as a claw suddenly appeared from the shadow itself and grabbed the solid ground outside the edge. With one swift motion, it pulled itself out of the ground as it suddenly flew into the air, revealing itself as the black Dragonic Overlord that had been revealed earlier. With one swift motion, it landed on the ground in front of the table before gazing to the sky and roaring loudly, spewing violet coloured flames upwards that torched the clouds.


Not far away from the scene of the battlefield, Neve had been further down the streets, keeping his guard up for any sudden ambushes that any of Mayu's associates could have in store for him. He knew that his status of being a former Quatre Knight to Aichi had made him a valuable target by them, much like Galliard who paid the price for that right in his fight with Miyako. Soon, he saw the flames from the black Dragonic Overlord torching the sky in the short distance away from him, leaving him very surprised.

"Just what is that?!" he muttered.


As the flames died down, the darkened dragon glanced fiercly at Miwa and Georgette with a low and horrid sounding growl from its jaw as energy continued to pour from its shadowy physical body, just as Akira announced its name.

"Meet my present satisfaction, the Wind of the Apocalypse's shadow brought to life and my avatar!" she cheered triumphantly "Dragonic Dark Overlord!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 11000/Kagero/Abyss Dragon/Dragon Empire

"Dark Overlord...?" Miwa breathed in shock.

Before Kai had a chance to speak his own mind about the situation his closest friend had been caught up within now, he suddenly clutched his chest as a familiar feeling coursed through him. It was the Seed Fragment resonating with the black Overlord as he could tell from the aura it was now radiating, but unlike previous occasions, he felt as though something was different.

"Ever since I surpressed that power after my battle with Noriko," he murmured to himself "The Seed's power has been 'warning' me about such influences tied to its own power. If that's the case..."

A dark chuckle from the Selector caught his attention as he watched her turn over the remaining three face up cards in her damage zone to activate a skill that Miwa could already dread as he clenched his teeth in response.

"Now you can no longer guard with Grade 1 or lower units thanks to Hanayo Two Remodeled, in exchange for giving your Grade 3 units 5000 shield," she spoke "You certainly seem to have come prepared, but that means nothing before me now!"

(End Insert Music)

"We'll see!" he replied "I won't let Shingo's fight go in vain if it means keeping you away from Kai!"

"Then let's put that to the test, Biwa," she snickered "Now Hanayo Five, bestow all of my rear-guards with an extra Critical!"

(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Limit)

As Hanayo Two, Dragonic Gaias, both Karins and the Dark Overlord recieved the extra Critical that would boost their offensive capabilities for the coming attacks, the dark aura around the true Overlord's shadow began to grow more intense, as did the one surrounding Akira who was still gloating in a victorious manner. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain course through her as she clutched her abdomen, surprising both her opponent and the Kagero user who was watching on from outside the barrier.

"Akira...?!" Kai exclaimed in surprise.

He did not recieve an answer verbally however, but what he did see next along with his best friend had only shocked them even further. Veins across the Selector's right arm and a small portion of her cheeks began to become visibly bolder to the eye as she eventually staved off the pain and began to move on to conducting her attacks by discarding all of the cards in her hand first.

"Hanayo Two attacks your Vanguard!" she declared.

"Intercept!" Miwa responded as Corduroy moved in front of Georgette to take the brunt of the heat blast, retiring it from play.

"Hanayo Five attacks your Vanguard!" she continued "Blaze! Karin's Soul Blast adds 4000 power to this attack!"

Her opponent could only cringe upon seeing that he did not have enough shields in hand to protect his Vanguard from both the attacks of Dragonic Dark Overlord and Hanayo Five. The imaged LRIG then gained a firey red aura around her as she began spinning around her thorned whip above h He was in the exact same situation as Shingo, only he had three damage unlike the Murakumo user who had four before he had been defeated.

"No guard...!" he announced.

"If Akira gets 2 Critical Triggers, Miwa will be at 6 damage..." Kai murmured Even if she isn't reversed... the aura from that card and the reason Overlord's shadow is like this must be because them!

"It's your funeral then!" Akira declared "Quadruple Drive!"

She then turned over the first card as a second Dragonic Dark Overlord followed by the second being Demonic Dragon Mage, Rakshasha, the card shining brightly upon being revealed.

"Critical Trigger!" she announced "Power to Dark Overlord and the Critical to Hanayo Five! Third check!"

The third card was then revealed as a second Seal Dragon, Rinocross, leaving no trigger marking to be revealed on this check. Miwa could only tense up upon seeing that the fourth and final check could be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. As Akira reached out for her deck and began to pull away the top card to reveal the final drive check, she suddenly cutched herself in pain again as more veins on her face bolded out before she shook her head and staved off the pain with a determined expression.

"I'll beat you...!" she growled, her voice being slightly strained "I'll definitely beat you!"

She then turned over the card, revealing Embodiment of Spear, Tahr to the horror of her opponent who could only watch as both Dragonic Dark Overlord and Hanayo Five both powered up from the seperate effects of the trigger. The imaged LRIG then let out a loud battle cry as she struck the ground beneath Georgette and Miwa with the end of her flaming whip three consecutive times. After the cracks in the ground left behind glowed a bright orange, a series of orange flames erupted right into them as both fighter and Vanguard screamed out in pain as they were enveloped within the inferno that they were caught up within.

"Miwa!" cried Kai.

As the torment continued onwards, with a bit of a struggle to do so at first, Miwa clenched his teeth and grabbed onto the edge of his table to avoid being blown backwards from the force of the impact.

"Give up," Akira scoffed "Save yourself a deal with Judgement and I promise to be merciful to Kai when I fight him. Oh wait, that's right! Aki-lovely is never merciful!"

"Akira!"

She then immediately frowned and turned her somewhat warped face towards the Kagero user who had called out towards her as the flames around Miwa and Georgette eventually died down.

"You can't trust Urith or her word!" he snapped "Right now, you're just a puppet for her own dispicable schemes and the Star-vaders who have provided you with that false Overlord!

"Star-vader...?" she pondered innocently before sprouting a seemingly confused look on her twisted face "Who's that?"

"What...?"

Although Kai did not wish to believe it, even he knew from both her expression and his own experiences with the power of Link Joker and the behaviour of those that possessed or were possessed by it, that Akira was indeed not lying. She had no faint idea about the Star-vaders and if his assumption was right, no knowledge of her own regarding the link between Mayu, the Selector System and Chaos Breaker.

"I'm... not finished yet...!"

Everyone then turned their attention back to Miwa who has breathing heavily as he began to conduct his three damage checks that could determine the course of the fight.

"Damage check!" he announced.

He turned over the first card as Seal Dragon Biella, moving it straight to his damage zone as Seal Dragon, Georgette powered up from the trigger effects.

Seal Dragon, Georgette/POW: 11000 - 16000

He then moved on to the second card, turning it over from the top of his deck to reveal Calamity Tower Wyvern, gritting his teeth as he also moved it straight to his damage zone. As he reached out one more time to check what could potentially be the sixth and final point of damage to end the game. He slowly pulled the card away from the top of the deck before turning it over immediately to reveal Seal Dragon, Shirting.

(End Music)

"Heal Trigger!" he called, now regaining his confident smile.

"WHAT?!" Akira exclaimed as she stumbled backwards a little "Are you frickin' kidding me?!"

"I power up Georgette again!" Miwa continued "And I recover one damage!"

As he took out one of the cards in his damage zone that he had Counter Blasted during the previous turn, he moved Shirting's card there now bringing his damage zone up to five cards once again as he had narrowly escaped the danger that he was in from Hanayo Five's lockdown attack. Even Kai couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed with his friend's resolve, especially now that he had noticed the last three remaining cards in the fighter's hand along with his remaining Intercept to counter Dragonic Dark Overlord's attack.

"How about that?!" Miwa called "It looks like I still have some luck left in this fight to let me get through your last attack! I'm not letting you lay a finger on Kai!"

(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Herald of Despair)

But to his sudden shock, the response he wasn't expecting from Akira was maniacal laughter as if she was somehow finding some amusement in a situation that seemingly had been turned around into his favour. Even Kai couldn't help but be confused by this before he turned his attention to Dragonic Dark Overlord and suddenly have a horrid feeling well inside of him.

Don't tell me...! Hanayo Two Remodeled wasn't her trump card?!

"BWAHAHA! Thank you for giving me that defiant look!" she sneered "Now let me repay that counteraction... with your defeat! My Dragonic Dark Overlord attacks your Vanguard! Karin's skill! Since Hanayo Five is still blazing, add 4000 power!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord/POW: 21000 - 31000/Critical: 2

Dragonic Dark Overlord then roared loudly before opening its jaws and gazing at Georgette as it unleashed a stream of hot violet coloured flames in its direction.

"Guard! Intercept!" Miwa cried as Striken, Flame Star and a second Georgette took up the defence "Hanayo Two gives my other Georgette 5000 shield!"

The purple flames engulfed all of the units in the wake of its inferno, incinerating all of the guardians in an instant whilst Georgette shielded itself with its lances, eventually using them to push away the fire as it disappeared. However, the look in Dark Overlord's yellow eyes gave off the impression to its opponents that it wasn't done yet.

"I told you...!" Akira continued "This is the Final Turn and it's not over yet! Dark Overlord's skill activates! Return to my hand!"

The shadowed form of the true Dragonic Overlord turned into pitch black smoke that was absorbed into the card that she had now taken off the rear-guard and held in her left hand. Suddenly, all of her rear-guards were engulfed in black sparks, screaming out loudly before they vanished in black sparks as their cards moved to the drop zone.

"She got rid of her rear-guard?!" gasped Miwa.

"Returning Dark Overlord to my hand and retiring 4 of my rear-guards along with any of my other cards in hand to make up a decifit," the Selector spoke "I then Superior Ride it with an additional 10000 power!"

"No way...!" he replied "Just when I had to deal with one Vanguard attack!"

"That's right! Even though I now changed Vanguards, Hanayo Two Remodeled's skill is still in effect for the entire turn and you know what that means!"

Her opponent could only clench his teeth in worry as he could only watch and see her throw the card she had previously returned back onto the Vanguard Circle on top of Hanayo Five's card. Purple flames engulfed the imaged LRIG as she too screamed in pain before vanishing to allow the shadow of Overlord to appear flat on the ground again. Dragonic Dark Overlord then flew out of the shadow and landed on the battlefield once again, roaring loudly as it powered up from the Superior Ride.

"Let's go!" she called "Take this! The supreme shadow of the unit I desire to posssess! Eternal Violet Inferno!"

As soon as she said those words however, the dark sensation she felt caused her to suddenly cried out in pain again as she clutched her face with her hands as Dragonic Dark Overlord at the same time roared loudly and charged towards Georgette with blade in hand. As Blockade Inferno appeared between them to try and shield its comrade from the shadow of the Wind of the Apocalypse, gaining shield value from Hanayo Two Remodeled's skill as it did so, Miwa glanced towards the Selector, his face a mixture of determination from wanting to survive the turn and utter confusion at what he was witnessing happening to her.

"Akira...?!" he exclaimed "What is...?!"

Before he had time to answer, a rising dark red aura manifested behind her for several seconds before disappearing to reveal a certain someone they did not think would appear at this time. It was Urith and she had her eyes closed, sneering to herself in amusement at what lay before her.

"I did try to warn you that the card wasn't ready to be used," she muttered to the Selector in front of her before shrugging her shoulders "Then again, who am I to judge if the fight doesn't go your way."

"I... I won't go down like this Urith-chan!" Akira replied as she forced her right hand, now with veins bolded from there as a result of the dark aura around her intensifying "Twin Drive!"

She then turned over the first card as Berserk Dragon before dropping it sideways in front of the deck, having no longer had the strength to add it to the cards that she now dropped to the ground as she struggled to reach out for the second check.

"I won't lose to you...! You hear me?!" she screamed towards her opponent "I won't lose to you! Not Kai! Not anyone anymore!"

She then picked up the top card of the deck and immediately threw it forwards into the same space that Berserk Dragon lay, shocking Miwa at what was present on the top right corner.

"Critical Trigger!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord/POW: 21000 - 26000/Critical: 1 - 2

As she began to lose consciousness and fall backwards, right into Urith who willingly caught her in her arms, Dragonic Dark Overlord recieved both of the trigger effects before slashing away Blockade Inferno who disappeared in red sparkles before the shadow of the real unit roared loudly and engulfed both Georgette and Miwa in purple flames as they screamed loudly before Perdition Dragon Knight, Sattar landed on the field as his sixth point of damage. As the units on the battlefield save for the black shadow dragon disappeared, Urith glanced down to Akira who was breathing heavily and on the verge of passing out, the veins that were bolded out on portions of her body still present.

(End Music)

"I beat him... didn't I?" she panted "Please tell me he didn't get another two Heal Triggers...!"

"No, you beat him just fine," Urith replied in a seemingly soothing tone "Although the state you are in now, I don't advise any more fighting tonight. Next time, your grudge match with Kai shall be arranged."

"Thank you... Urith-chan," Akira said with a smile before falling unconscious, then being laid down to the ground.

The cruel demanoured Selector then walked over to her associate's table, glancing upon the final card that was still present on the field, Dragonic Dark Overlord. She then raised her fist into the air and slammed it down on the card itself, causing it to spew a black aura from it.

"Judgement!" she declared.

(Cardfight! Vanguard G Z Unreleased Soundtrack: The World Shall be Silenced)

With a defeaning roar from Dragonic Dark Overlord, a column of flames erupted underneath Miwa as he screamed loudly in pain from being scorched alive, not noticing the Mark of Penalty being engraved onto the top of his right hand as all of his cards on the table and in his deck turned a complete blank as the blank cards that were within Akira's pocket glowed brightly, indicating that despite Urith commencing the Judgement, she was the sole winner of those units for Mayu's cause. Not that she had seemingly any further knowledge beyond what the cruel demanoured Selector had told her.

Eventually, the barrier to the battlefield eventually disappeared and the Judgement Miwa was suffering from came to an end as Kai hurried over to him, with Dragonic Dark Overlord fading out from existence.

"Miwa!" the Kagero user cried as he held up his friend.

"I'm... sorry Kai..." he replied "I... was too cautious of her retiring skills. Be careful... if you fight her."

As the pair glanced towards Urith who now picked up Akira and slung her over her right shoulder, she sneered back towards them as she showed them the card depicting Dragonic Dark Overlord.

"Urith!" Kai called "Just what plans do you have for Akira?! Did you decieve her about who you actually served?!"

"I suppose you could say a bit, scum," she sneered in response "She knows I work with Chaos Breaker, though nothing about the administrator of the Selector System. My little present to her, Overlord's reversed shadow thanks to its hand and that of an Apostle, she was a little eager to take it out for a test run and well... look what happened. Besides... if she doesn't claim your units, then I look forward to doing that myself. With the completed Tawil."

She then held out a blank LRIG card to the air before announcing "Open" as she and Akira vanished in a blinding white glow, leaving both Kai and Miwa on their own in the empty city square. The latter cringed in pain, but was able to eventually stand back on his two feet with some assistance from his best friend under the shoulder.

"That reminds me...!" he muttered "We've got to go back and check on Misaki!"

"If Ruko and Kiyoi are keeping an eye on Shingo," the Kagero user replied "Then we better hurry back to Ratie!"

And together, the two close friends set off to find the clerk to see how she was, unaware of the fight's conclusion or her fate.

(End Music)


And there we go! Miwa fights valiantly against Akira, but in the end, even with a miracle Heal Trigger to save himself from Hanayo Five's overwhelming attack, it's not enough to save him as she utilizes a portion of Dragonic Overlord's shadow as a unit that Chaos Breaker and an Apostle have brought to life as a unit that feeds on her life to manifest itself even as an image! What will happen next? Find out next time on Stand Up, the LRIG!. Please share your thoughts and criticisms and I'll see you next time! Until then!

*This is the beginning segment of a unreleased track that debuts as the final one that plays in Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Episode 71.


Story Original Cards debuting this Chapter:

Dragonic Dark Overlord
Grade 3
Twin Drive!
POW: 11000
Kagero
Abyss Dragon
Dragon Empire
[CONT]: This card is also a Link Joker.
[AUTO](RC): At the end of the battle this card attacked a Vanguard, you may return this card to your hand. If you do, {COST|Retire all of your rear-guards}, then if the number retired is less than 4, discard cards equal to the difference, then Ride this card as [Stand] and it gains [Power]+10000 until the end of its next attack.

M Iku Remodeled, Roaring Gun
Grade 2
Intercept
SLD: 5000
POW: 9000
Dragon Empire
Weapon
Dragon Empire
[AUTO](RC)[1/Turn]: When your opponent's rear-guard is put into the drop zone due to your Vanguard's ability, if your Vanguard has "Hanayo" in its card name, choose up to one of your opponent's Grade 1 or less rear-guards and retire it.