Hello there! Welcome back to the conclusion following Kai and Akira's fight! Hope you enjoy the chapter!


(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Serra Theme)

Clanking could be heard as Miyako walked through the strewn wreckage of the dockyard around her, caused by the immense damage from the attacks had been raging between units throughout the many fights that happened between her and all of the cardfighters that she had opposed. She flexed her metal hand, still sparking as a result of the damage that had not yet been fully repaired. Yet in spite of this, she felt that the person responsible for having her back in fighting shape as one would put it had done a decent job of it all if the results of her last few cardfights were anything to go by. She then glanced back to see Serra had joined her, holding up one such unconscious fighter who was held under his shoulder.

"Did you finally enjoy yourself Kominato?" he asked in a cool manner.

"A warm up at best," she scowled as she turned around, watching him toss his victim to the pile of marked cardfighters "Merely weeding out who is least likely to survive the Great Cleansing and who is not."

Several teenagers, young children and a few adults made up the pile that the two had taken care of on their own, all of them badly bruised from the Judgments they took the full brunt of from their individual losses along with the Marks of Penalty adorned on their right hands. All of their units were gone from their clutches now and they could only glance up nervously towards their new hosts, sensing that what they had been through was not the least of what they believed the two had planned for them. The woman then stepped out to face them, her stern and fierce gaze scanning each person as if they were nothing but insignificant insects to her.

"From the humans I planned for my mistress' forces to exterminate of this world too, I expected far more effort in your pitiful resistance," she began with venom in her tone "However, it appears that the common cardfighter's role is to feed our Pit with your units."

"P... Pit?" a young adult with dark turqoise hair asked weakly, looking back at her with firm but otherwise frightened light brown eyes "What are you saying?"

"Come now, Anjou Mamoru," Serra interrupted with a soft, yet malevolent tone "It may be sad to see one's self lose their own units, especially that of a relative just now. You and your sister have certainly proved most valuable to our little business venture of two worlds."

"Don't talk about onii-chan like that...!"

That voice belonged to a young girl that Mamoru knew well of as he watched her trying to stand back onto her own two feet. She had light green hair and eyes of an almost identical colour to his own, making it known to many at the wrecked dockyard that this was his little sister, still trying to be brave in the face of the danger she had been put through. She stumbled backwards onto her back, just as Miyako turned her baleful glare upon her, frightening her in an instant.

"Tokoha!" cried Mamoru as he tried to stand up as well, but his legs refused to give him the strength he wanted.

"Well then, I believe we have finished exchanging pleasantries," Serra remarked, standing back "I believe it's time my associate gave a demonstration for those that have now suffered defeat for the second time. Shall we?"

"Do not speak of me as your underling Serra," Miyako hissed as she raised up her metallic hand "Be still or face my wrath!"

The sparking and now slightly cracked gemstone shone brightly as the Marks of Penalty on everyone else's hands burned brightly, much to their pain and discomfort. The woman then glanced down towards the group as her associate held out his right hand, revealing a shining Mark of Penalty of his own for his own personal uses.

"Any last words for the few of you before you meet your new home for the final countdown?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm to his tone.

"I just have something to say to the two of you," Mamoru replied in defiance "What you're doing is a disgrace to the game of Vanguard! Let me tell you this, someone will stop whatever it is you're planning and you absolutely cannot hurt anymore fighters and take our units!"

In response however, Miyako clenched her metallic hand, resulting in his mark being used against him as immense pain suddenly coursed through his body from his right hand. He then struggled to lift his head as she gazed directly into his eyes in a spiteful manner, as if she had no regard for what he said to her or if his words meant nothing at all to her or Serra.

"No, let me tell you who you are dealing with," she spat "I am the general to the mistress of the Selector Battles. I can take what I want, from who I want, whenever I want it."

She then raised her right arm before smashing the gemstone of her metal hand into the solid ground, shaking it violently on the moment it made contact. Suddenly, a dark violet vortex began to manifest above the group, growing in size and strength as sparks flew from where Miyako was focusing her strength into that single point. Then, the Marks of Penalty from all of the defeated cardfighters save for Mamoru and Tokoha began lighting up in a bright red colour before they found themselves suddenly levitating upwards towards the portal that was leading to a destination that only their unfortunate hosts had any knowledge of.

"W... What's happening?!" cried a teenage boy.

"Someone help us!" cried another.

Alas, their pleas for help were to no avail as they were dragged into the vortex by the force of their marks and vanished upon entering it in an instant. Soon as the last unfortunate departed through the portal, it immediately faded away as Miyako pulled her metallic hand out from the ground, noting the presence of the remaining marked fighters, just before she turned her gaze upon Tokoha, much to Mamoru's sudden panic.

"Tokoha, run away!" he cried out.

But as soon as the young girl saw the venomous glare of the woman in front of her, she suddenly froze, her face becoming pale as she found herself paralyzed with fear. The general walked ever closer towards her target, holding out her metallic hand and causing the cracked gemstone to shine brightly. Tokoha could only stare into the light as her eyes turned into a dull shade of their once bright colour until Miyako eventually stopped in front of her and opened out the cold steel palm of her right hand, manifesting a deck within a series of dark red and black embers and wisps.

"You know what to do," she spoke as she handed the cards to the possessed girl who in turn stood up "Seek out my wasted flesh and bring her LRIGs to me."

"Yes," Tokoha replied in an emotionless state before turning around and walking slowly out of the docks "All hail Mayu."

"Tokoha!" Mamoru cried as he stood to his feet and tried to pursue her, only for the pain in his shining mark to force him back to the ground, courtesy of Serra who sneered at watching his expression of helplessness.

(End Music)


Ride 101: That Conclusion is...


(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Fury of the Overlord)

Back within the enclosed battlefield, Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" stared closely towards its opponent, that being Dragonic Overlord the End who in turn growled back at the shadow it now faced off against. Loud growls could be heard from the two dragons as no one on the sidelines could tell if the fight was destined to end on this turn or if Kai would survive to fight another day. The Kagero user had his attention turned on the shadow unit, somewhat intrigued and uneasy by the prospect of Dragonic Dark Overlord's possibility to evolve to a Cross Ride and pondered if there was more heights it could soar to that had yet to be unveiled in this cardfight.

Akira, having recovered from the latest of a series of strained attacks to her body as a result of using the cards she had, wiped her forehead before resuming with her turn, holding out three cards from her hand towards her opponent and revealing them.

"Call!" she announced as Bahron, Albedo Condor and Imaginary Orthos appeared to her rear-guard "With the skill of Orthos, I put the top card of my deck into my damage zone!

She then turned over the top card of her deck, revealing it as Negliglible Hydra before moving it to join the four damage she had and resting her entire left column of units.

"Albedo Condor attacks your Vanguard!" the Selector commanded as the Cyber Beast launched its chained daggers towards Dragonic Overlord.

"Guard!" Kai responded as Mother Orb Dragon manifested in front of his Vanguard, projecting a barrier that deflected the attack before disappearing shortly afterwards.

"Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" attacks...!" she began by raising up her finger in turn before smirking and pointing to Cuélep "Your rear-guard!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord roared loudly as it raised the scythe in its upper right arm, gathering streams of dark violet coloured energy into the curved blade of the weapon it held. It gazed upon Cuélep who cried out in fright upon seeing she was now the next target of the shadow unit's relentless attacks and could only watch as the scythe began to descend towards her.

"But this makes no sense!" Miwa gasped "Cuélep doesn't have the intercept ability so this attack will be wasted!"

"No...!" Neve muttered "If this unit was modeled after the original Overlord...!"

"Since I have Dragonic Dark Overlord in the soul, if this attack hits a rear-guard successfully, it will be Locked instead of retired!" Akira confirmed confidently "So then, will you use up valuable shield in order to keep a column to attack me with next turn?"

"Naturally!" Kai replied as Blue Ray Dracokid and a bright red coloured Winged Dragon by the name of Grapeshot Wyvern took to the defense of Cuélep.

Both units then immediately took the full brunt of the scythe from Dragonic Dark Overlord's attack as it snarled in disattisfaction from its failure to retire the Dragon Beast SIGNI in battle. It growled loudly in frustration as more of its aura began to eat away at Akira who cringed in pain before proceeding on with the attack's order.

"Twin Drive!" she declared as she turned over the top card of her deck to reveal Lady Healer of the Torn World. "Heal Trigger! I recover one damage!"

The next card after that was revealed to be Hollow Twin Blades, Binary Star resulting in no further triggers being revealed for the attack to have any further effect, not that it would have done the Selector any good with the lack of a boost she used into this attack against Cuélep.

"And now... Limit Break!" Akira commanded as a violet coloured Vanguard Circle flashed in front of Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" "Soul Blast a Grade 3 and discarding two cards to stand this unit!"

The shadow dragon roared loudly as it raised all of its arms in triumph before pointing its two firearms towards Dragonic Overlord the End who suddenly braced itself for what was to come.

"In addition to that, if my opponent's Vanguard is Grade 3 or more and you have four or less damage," she continued "Your Vanguard recieves one damage and trigger effects for this check are nullified!"

Kai gritted his teeth and braced for impact as Dragonic Dark Overlord growled and unleashed two dark violet bursts of flames from its firearms at his Vanguard which roared loudly in pain upon taking the impact from the sudden attack from this ability. Gattling Claw Dragon flew past him from the top of his deck, confirming that his opponent had anticipated his next damage trigger and had sealed it in an instant. It landed in the damage zone, turning a dull colour as a result of being nullified. He turned back to face Akira who was now resting Imaginary Orthos' card to signal that she was boosting Dragonic Dark Overlord's next attack this time and with his back to the wall along with the trigger effect she applied to her Vanguard, the chances of escaping this attack would be slim in normal circumstances. However, both knew that the fight wouldn't close out that easily.

"I attack Cuélep again!" the Selector declared.

The shadow dragon roared as it took aim at Cuélep again, much to the surprise of the Dragon Beast SIGNI who squirmed in panic as Miwa soon realized what it was that she was aiming for.

"Now I see!" he gasped "By pushing Kai to five damage with a nullified trigger whilst he still had shield in hand, she's aiming her attacks at Cuélep to drain Kai's hand so he doesn't lose another column for his next turn!"

"In that case...!" Kai muttered as he revealed Dragon Knight, Gimel's card from his hand "Quintet Wall!"

The Dragon Knight in question then materialized in front of Cuélep before raising his shield, generating five green circles in front and beside him as from left to right, appeared Magnum Shot Dracokid, Mother Orb Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great, Dragonic Burnout and Dragonic Neoflame. In retaliation, Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" charged up both of its firearms instead of the single one that it intended to use and fired away at the six units, retiring them all in consecutive shots that shook the ground with small explosions with each successful hit. The Kagero user shielded his face from the resulting impacts before he returned his focus towards his two opponents.

"I end my turn," Akira spoke "At this moment, Orthos returns the Lady Healer of the Torn World in my damage zone to my deck."

(End Music)

End of Turn 7

Kai vs Akira

Hand - 5 : 7

Soul - 0 : 1

Damage - 5 : 3

Kai's Formation:
Perdition Dragon, Dragonic Neoflame (Locked) - Dragonic Overlord the End - Cuélep, Phantom Dragon
Red Pulse Dracokid - Calamity Tower Wyvern - Magnum Shot Dracokid

Akira's Formation
Albedo Condor - Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" - EMPTY
Full-armored Demon, Bahron - Imaginary Orthos - EMPTY

"Damn it," Miwa muttered "Not only did Akira bring herself back to 3 damage, but she pushed Kai back to 5."

"However, he has managed to save one of his columns without wasting too many cards from his hand," Neve commented "I suspect the End is only a prelude to what he truly has in store."

Kai glanced to his drop zone, noting the cards that had recently been put into there as a result of guarding all of Akira's attacks on the previous turn. It was if he was counting on there being that many cards there already for the present and now he felt the time was right to capitalize on that number that had been accumulated.

"Stand and draw!" he declared as he drew his next card. He then took one from his hand and held it up into the air "You burn in the scorching heat of purgatory, but you're resurrected again and again, emperor dragon! Feel uplifted among the flames, my avatar! Ride the Vanguard!"

(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: The Thunder Dragon Descends)

Dragonic Overlord the End then became enveloped in a blinding bright red glow that covered over its form completely before it began to change shape into the new unit that the Kagero user was now bringing forth as his new Vanguard. A pair of giant red coloured arms burst from the light wielding a pair of giant swords before the rest of the figure emerged, becoming very familiar to all but his opponent as the glow faded to reveal Dragonic Overlord in its more recent evolution as a unit.

"Perdition Emperor Dragon... Dragonic Overlord the Great!"

Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 11000/Kagero/Flame Dragon/Dragon Empire

Upon seeing the tremondous form that was the Great standing before it, Dragonic Dark Overlord made a hostile grow in response, causing the giant crimson dragon to roar loudly in response as they stared off once again.

"The Great...?!" Akira gasped "I never heard of this one!"

"Red Pulse Dracokid's skill!" Kai announced "I move it to the soul and look at the top five cards of my deck!"

After performing that action, he picked out one from amongst them and shuffled the others back into his deck. He then held the card he had just chosen up into the air, but not before switching the positions of Cuélep and Magnum Shot before retiring the latter.

"The roar of the inferno resonates in this dragon's spirit! This SIGNI will burn down all before her unstoppable rage!" he chanted before placing the card into the front row "Call the rear-guard!"

A torrent of flames burst out of the ground next to Dragonic Overlord the Great as a shadow began to rise within the raging inferno that had been summoned. Two large claws slashed away the column to reveal her presence as a humanoid being with both her dress and the pair of wings on her back being coated in gleaming steel. She glanced at Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" with a confident smile as she let out a loud roar of her own, leading into the Kagero user confirming the SIGNI's name.

"Bolshack, Phantom Dragon!"

Bolshack, Phantom Dragon/Grade 3/Twin Drive!/POW: 6000/Dragon Empire/Dragon Beast/Dragon Empire

"Huh?" Miwa pondered "A Grade 3, but with 6000 power?"

"Just what kind of abilities could Bolshack have?" Neve interjected, sharing his curiosity.

"Not yet!" Kai declared as he held a hand over his Vanguard Circle "Seek the mate!"

A golden aura rose into the air as four trigger units from his drop zone arranged themselves on top of his deck before a file of light scanned through and pulled out the card he was seeking for this ability.

"Amid the purgatorial flames that consume everything, a new avatar of flames is born! Perdition Dragon, Dragonic Neoflame! Legion!"

The Legion Symbol flashed before everyone's eyes as Neoflame appeared beside Dragonic Overlord the Great, completing the Legion as a fiery red aura enveloped them and Bolshack who snarled underneath her breath.

"So this is your Legion Kai," Akira muttered before giving off a smile "I look forward to seeing what that and Bolshack can do for you."

"Don't underestimate me," Kai said sternly "Your overconfidence cost you dearly in our Selector Battle and it may come back to bite you."

"That was the old Aoi Akira's undoing," the Selector replied "But now, I will finally overcome the defeat that has been gnawing at me since our battle."

The Kagero user did not say another word, sensing that any possible attempt to reason with his opponent regarding her intentions and her current state would prove to be in vain. With that knowledge in mind, he proceeded on with his turn.

"Bolshack's skill activates!" he declared "During my battle phase, she gains 1000 power for every unit with the word Dragon in its race that is in my drop zone and depending on how many there are, she gains additional effects. I have at least 6, so she gains a Critical. If I have 10 or more whenever she attacks, she gets to retire one of your 10000 or less power rear-guards."

Bolshack, Phantom Dragon/POW: 6000 - 16000/Critical: 1 - 2

Bolshack let out a loud roar before taking flight and spitting out a large fireball that soared towards Bahron, striking the Cyberoid clone of Bahr and sending debris from its remains across the battlefield that vanished shortly afterwards. She then charged down from the air towards Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS", intending to strike the shadow unit with her claws, only for Lady Healer of the Torn World and Albedo Condor to get in the way of her path, causing her to hiss in annoyance as she retreated.

"Next, Overlord the Great, Neoflame!" Kai commanded "Attack Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS"!"

Dragonic Overlord the Great and Dragonic Neoflame opened their jaws as sparks within turned to roaring embers, taking aim at the shadow of the true Wind of the Apocalypse who merely grunted as it remained motionless.

"No guard," Akira replied.

"Twin Drive!" the Kagero user continued as he conducted his first check, unveiling Magnum Shot Dracokid. "Critical Trigger! I give the Critical to my Vanguard and power to Bolshack! Second check!" Luck was on his side as the second revealed Seal Dragon, Dobby "Stand Trigger! I give all the effects to Bolshack!"

Bolshack, Phantom Dragon/POW: 16000 - 26000

Bolshack once again hovered from the ground as she recieved both the trigger effects, thrilled she could take another shot at both Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" and retire the last of Akira's rear-guards in her next attack. As this happened, both the Great and Neoflame unleashed twin streams of flames at the dark counterpart, causing it to screech and howl loudly in pain as it writhed from the effects of the attack. The same aura as before enveloped Akira as she cried out in pain before proceeding to her damage check. The first card that she revealed was Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" before turning over the second to unveil Beloved Child of Superstring Theory.

"Draw Trigger...!" she coughed "I give 5000 power to my Vanguard!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord quickly recovered from the pain of the previous attack as it took up a defensive stance to brace itself for Bolshack's onslaught as she flapped her wings impatiently to await her card holder's command.

"Finish it, Bolshack!" he declared as she took flight and soared towards her opponent, but not before spitting another fireball that struck Imaginary Orthos, incinerating it in an instant.

Right when the Dragon Beast was about to strike the shadow unit, a Cyberoid that that had been in Akira's hand since the fifth turn of the fight came to the black dragon's defence.

"Lady Keeper of Virtual Reality!" the Selector announced before she coughed heavily some more, the strain of Dragonic Dark Overlord's influence beginning to take its toll on her body "P... Perfect Guard!"

(End Music)

Bolshack angrily slashed away at the barrier projected in front of her with her claws, but it was to no avail, causing her to angrily fly back to Kai's side of the battlefield. With the lack of attacks caused by his rear-guard Neoflame still being Omega Locked, he knew that there was nothing more he could do but try to defend himself against the onslaught of attacks Akira was going to send his way. However, that thought was not the least of his concerns and even he knew that was something he would not normally think about when it came to the Selector's own history with him and his friends.

"M... My turn...!" she declared as she staggered her hand towards her deck, only to suddenly stop as her eyes widened.

S... Something's wrong...! This power... it's...! Someone's...!

Before she could even realize the danger that she was now in, a sudden surge of the aura that enveloped Dragonic Dark Overlord previously was now coursing through her. Only this time, hints of dark red were added to the violet and black coloured mix of that power as she screamed out loudly in pain, moreso than before.

"Akira?!" Kai gasped before noticing something happen within the bind zone of her table.

Within the empty space, a flame bearing the same multicolours of the aura that was attacking the Selector was burning away, manifesting a rectangular shaped object within its heat. Neve and Miwa could only stare in shock at the turn of events that was happening

"What's going on?!" he exclaimed "When did you add that card?!"

"T... This isn't me...!" she screamed back, fighting against whatever it was that had amplified the power flowing through her to a dangerous level "But... there's no way anyone could control that power but...!"

Her eyes suddenly widened as she had realized the culprit who could have been responsible for adding that strange unknown card to her bind zone against her will. But still, she could not believe it would be that person she was thinking of until...

"Bravo Akira," a familiar voice chuckled darkly as the sound of clapping could be heard "Now your final test can begin."

The boundary of flames that encircled the battlefield suddenly parted on the far right as the identity of the voice that had just spoken out had indeed confirmed itself to be only one person and it was one that almost everyone present knew. Her sneer was easily recognizable as she stepped forward into the area, the fiery walls resealing themselves behind her as she entered.

"Urith?!" Miwa gasped.

"My, so we meet again scum," the cruel demanoured Selector spat "I see you still have some spirit in spite of our... encounter last night, wouldn't you say?"

"Urith...?!"

(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Urith)

Urith then turned around to face the writhing and agonized Akira who was now down onto one knee as a result of the pain she had endured so far and only one thing was present within her eyes. Utter confusion riddled with panic as she watched her direct her sneer towards the very person she had been using for her schemes up until this point.

"I knew I couldn't trust you with your newfound pride," she scoffed "But it hardly matters now Akira. Alive or dead once this fight concludes, you have now served my purpose."

"Purpose...?" she breathed in disbelief, before cringing in pain "What the hell are you saying?!"

"So it was you that had allowed Akira to return to the Selector Battles by giving Milulun to her as a new LRIG," Kai muttered, causing her to look to him "You knew that she wouldn't take kindly to defeats she suffered or to certain people she wanted to overthrow for the sake of her own survival. In other words... she's been your pawn from the beginning, just as we all thought."

As Akira was about to respond to the Kagero user's deduction, not believing that Urith would be willing to stab her in the back at a moment's notice, she suddenly paused and began to think back to the day the cruel demanoured Selector approached her in Urazoe Iona's body. She was at her lowest and it was only through the guise of making peace with the girl she despised did she get her career as a model back and her role as a Selector to hunt down Kai and anyone who would oppose her plans. But with the few threats Urith herself made for the Selector to keep her role and the sudden surge of power from Dragonic Dark Overlord that was affecting her body to the point of damaging it, now she was beginning to question if what she had been doing all this time since that day was really just to be used as a stepping stone for greater ambitions.

"U... Urith...?!" she gasped "Is this true...?!"

"What can I say," Urith replied with a sneer "I have my ways of doing things. I just needed you to dirty your hands for me until the time came for me to acquire Tawil as my own. And I don't see why you should complain, if you survive the sudden surge of power, the card I gave you, the one you refused to put in your deck is about to help you win this fight."

"Why would you do this to me?!" Akira cried "I can win this on my own! I want to beat the hell out of Kai and the others... but I'm not about to cheat to win it!"

"Well, you don't have a choice anyway," the cruel demanoured Selector scoffed as she raised her hand "Either you will serve your role until the end, or I will make you do it for me!"

Then, in addition to the pain that she was already suffering from, Akira found her limbs moving against her will to pick herself off of the ground and to pick up the card that her now former mistress was forcing her to use. She wanted to stop or to cry for help, but given what everyone knew of her past actions before she decided to change some of her ways since the beginning of the day, perhaps such thoughts were meaningless. Still, she wanted to fight Kai from the beginning on her own terms and she wanted to do it fairly, but now, it seemed that was a long forgotten hope now.

"What should we do?" Miwa muttered "If that card is a Grade 5 something that Urith's trying to force Akira to use that wasn't part of her deck..."

"But the rules of Vanguard are absolute," Neve replied "Once a fight starts, it cannot be stopped, no matter what."

Kai could only watch on as Urith's control over Akira had now forced the Selector back onto her feet and was making an effort to use the card that she had illegally added to her bind zone face down. She tried to fight against the force that was controlling her movements, but with the immense pain and damage the power of Dragonic Dark Overlord was continuing to do to her, she was only succeeding in slowing down said movements. Soon, he made a decision.

"Aoi Akira," he began as she looked up to him "There are attrocities that you have committed against me and my friends that I doubt I can forgive you for. But I can agree that this fight cannot continue fairly if Urith forces you to play that card she has just added to your board."

"W... What are you saying...?" she coughed, trying to prevent her hand from picking up said card as best she could.

"I will only ask you once," the Kagero user replied "What do you want to face me as? The role you have played for Urith up to now or a Selector that will truly experience Vanguard for the first time?"

"I..."

As she felt herself about to pick up the card, her right sleeve of the robes she wore fell backwards, revealing the bracelet she had been wearing since she had been enrolled into Mayu's forces with little to no knowledge of anyone in the higher ups of the White Room save for Chaos Breaker. She had reluctantly swallowed her pride when having to follow Urith around as her lap dog but now, unless she made a choice, her pride wouldn't matter in the least. There was only one thing on her mind and she wanted to accomplish it as she had intended from the very beginning of this day.

(End Music)

"I want to beat you!" she answered "I want to do it fairly, Kai!"

Upon nodding in response, he saw the bracelet she had been wearing and soon realizing how it was this was happening, held his right hand to his chest, clenching it into a fist.

"Master fragment of the Seed!" he announced "Give me your power now!"

"Don't Kai!" Neve called out "If you're not careful, you could...!"

Upon issuing that command, the Kagero user felt energies from the Seed fragment within him materialize around his body in a dark red aura, much like the power of Reverse whenever it infected someone. He cringed in pain from the use, but opened his eyes and pointed right towards the Selector as it shot away from him like a missile and struck the bracelet, shattering it in an instant. Akira suddenly drooped forwards, feeling the hold of Urith disappear from her as she looked at the card that she attempted to sabotage the fight with and immediately threw it into the battlefield's boundary, burning it to ashes in an instant.

"GAH!"

Urith cringed in pain and cried out alound as she clutched her forehead, scowling loudly as she did not have time to fully react to her specialized card and her full control over Akira being rejected at the same time.

"Now, leave this fight undisturbed!" Kai declared as both Dragonic Overlord the Great and Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" turned their full attention to the weakened Selector who growled under her breath.

"Damn you, Kai Toshiki!" she seethed before vanishing from the battlefield with her blank card, knowing it would be better to retreat than to risk their wrath and recieve the real damage of the two solid imaged units if she was to attempt such a thing again.

Staggering backwards for a moment, Akira eventually regained her footing as the amplified aura died down slightly, resulting in her looking down to her table. She panted heavily as she managed to get ahold of her bearings before facing Kai and picking up the cards she had dropped, ready to resume the fight from the beginning of her next turn on a moment's notice.

"Now... what's say we finish this Kai," she huffed.

"Come with everything you have," he replied calmly.

"Okay, I'm confused," Miwa pondered "Even though she was being used by Urith... she's not exactly good now, is she?"

"The conclusion to this fight will reveal everything," Neve responded "But if she wanted to face Kai fairly from the start, of which she has so far... perhaps a change might not be impossible for even the likes of her."

(Insert Music: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Sound Duel 3: Bohman)

Right after the former Quatre Knight had made his point however, the dark aura from Dragonic Dark Overlord suddenly engulfed Akira again as she coughed from the return of the strain.

"Akira, what's happening?!" Kai gasped "I thought I freed you from Urith's control!"

"This isn't Urith's doing..." she replied "I knew this would happen when I continued using Dark Overlord. But I'm not about to let that stop me."

She then drew her next card before observing the field and what cards remained in Kai's hand, taking a deep breath to calm herself and to recover from the mental stress the aura had done to her throughout the fight. Afterwards, she began with two words everyone knew.

"Final Turn!" she announced.

Although Kai still had a sizable hand to get him through this turn, he knew from the fight's twists and turns so far that his opponent had proven to be no pushover. He slightly gritted his teeth as he continued to watch from his side of the field, wondering it was that she was planning to do to end the fight on this turn as she had proclaimed.

"First, I call!" she announced as she placed five cards onto her rear-guard "Binary Star! Neharan! Bahron! Orthos! And...!"

As each of the four rear-guards she had called so far had been all familiar faces seen throughout the fight, the two clones of Bahr and Nehalem took their places in the Selector's left column whilst the remainder of the back had been filled by the Cyberoid wielding Twin Blades and the Cyber Beast that had manipulated her damage zone early on. Then the face down card she had placed as her fifth rear-guard turned face up and revealed itself to be...

"Dragonic Dark Overlord!" Miwa gasped.

"Then there's no doubt anymore," Kai murmured as he watched the shadow version of his unit manifest onto the rear-guard "She's finally coming at me with everything she's got."

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

"Here I come!" Akira announced before coughing in pain as the aura tightened its grasp over her "Neharan attacks the Great!"

"Dobby!" Kai responded as the Seal Dragon got inbetween the two units, taking the brunt of the Cyberoid clone's lance.

"Next, The ABYSS attacks Bolshack!" she continued as Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" took aim at Bolshack who scowled at the predicament she was in.

Kai said nothing this time, showing he had no intention of blocking the attack against his rear-guard. This had only served to make Miwa concerned at the situation he was in. Akira then moved onto conducting her Twin Drive, revealing her first check as Asteroid Wolf.

"Critical Trigger!" she announced "I give it all to my Vanguard! Second check!"

She pulled out her next card from the top of her deck and turned it over, revealing Pulse Monk of the Quaking Foot, making Miwa cry out in panic.

"Now she gets a double Critical?!" he exclaimed.

Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS" then fired a barrage of violet coloured bullets at Bolshack who cried in pain before being sealed away in a pair of black rings, resulting in her becoming Locked. The black dragon then set its sights upon Dragonic Overlord the Great and Dragonic Neoflame who remained in defensive stances. It then took flight and charged towards both whilst bringing down both of the blades held in its upper arms, only for Wyvern Guard, Barri to get in the way, the barrier projected being enough to ward off the attack. However on the other side...

"Twin drive!" Akira declared as she immediately conducted both, one after the other to reveal...

"Another double Critical?!" Neve gasped as he saw that the checks were in fact two Pulse Monks.

Dragonic Dark Overlord/POW: 11000 - 21000/Critical: 1 - 3

The rear-guard Dragonic Dark Overlord roared loudly as it recieved both of the trigger effects, before it pointed its own Sword of Apocalypse towards its true counterpart who merely remained motionless in response. Knowing full well of what his opponent planned to do next, Kai braced himself, expecting the full fury of the unit that was about to attack him with.

"Finish it, Dragonic Dark Overlord!" the Selector declared "Eternal Violet Inferno!"

Dragonic Dark Overlord opened its jaw and began gathering violet coloured embers to concentrate into a single devastating attack which would be enough to end the fight if it could it its opponent successfully.

"Magnum Shot Dracokid and Mother Orb Dragon guards!" Kai commanded as the two Flame Dragons appeared in front of the Great and Neoflame.

The shadow unit then unleashed a beam of scorching violet coloured flames at both Magnum Shot and Mother Orb, engulfing them in a large explosion that shook the battlefield and forced everyone within to their knees. When the smoke and dust settled, Dragonic Overlord the Great was still standing unharmed from the force of the attack, but only barely. Then just like before, the aura that had been affecting Akira since the very beginning of the fight returned once again, only this time, it seemed stronger than ever before, even without Urith affecting it.

"I've come too far to fail now...!" she yelled "I retire all of other my rear-guards as the cost!"

As soon as she picked up Dragonic Dark Overlord's card from the table, all of her rear-guards on the battlefield as well as her Vanguard became engulfed in a sea of dark black and violet coloured flames that incinerated all of them in an instant as she shoved the card she had picked up back onto her Vanguard Circle.

"Superior ride with 10000 more power, Dragonic Dark Overlord!"

The silhouette of the original Dragonic Dark Overlord then began to rise through the inferno before slashing it away with its own Sword of Apocalypse, revealing it once more in all of its glory as it stared off with Dragonic Overlord the Great. The two dragons of shadow and flame growled fiercely at one another as they prepared for what looked like their final showdown.

(End Music)

In spite of the strain that the aura empowering her had put her through, Akira managed to throw her right hand towards Dragonic Dark Overlord's card and rest it, a signal for the final attack to be waged. The black dragon took flight and hovered above the ground, still remaining above her side of the battlefield and ready to strike.

"Finally... the moment I've been awaiting has arrived..." she breathed as she looked over to Kai whose expression had not changed in the slightest since the turn had begun.

"Aoi Akira..." he murmured before looking to his hand and throwing out both of the remaining cards onto his Guardian Circle, revealing Blue Ray Dracokid and Dragonic Burnout as the final cards that he had left to defend himself with "Even if you have managed to go as far as evolving Dragonic Dark Overlord on your own, it seems you still haven't fully understood the meaning of true strength."

(Cardfight! Vanguard OST: Ren's Power)

"What?!" she muttered before cringing in pain from the aura around her again "What the hell... are you saying...?!"

"True strength is something you must grasp with your own efforts," he replied calmly as the two Flame Dragons manifested in front of Dragonic Overlord the Great and Neoflame "However, that is something you cannot learn in a single day as you have claimed. It takes a great deal of time and dedication to Vanguard to fully grasp that definition and it is not something you can attain by yourself. Urith was the only person you trusted until today's events, yet you still believe you have attained true strength by a unit you did not originally gain with your own efforts."

Akira opened her mouth to say something, only to immediately stop, allowing Kai's words to sink into her mind, something that even surprised Miwa considering her attitude in their previous fight.

"Her conviction has been shattered," Neve muttered to himself "With Urith having manipulated her to this point, she must be wondering if the road she took to fight Kai again was worth it."

"... No!" she replied angrily "I threw away everything to the side for the one chance to face you and I won't waste it!"

As the aura began to take ahold of her once again, the Selector moved her shaking hand towards her deck to conduct her Twin Drive for Dragonic Dark Overlord's final attack with the shield presented before her being only a small fraction ahead to stop the attack. All she needed was a single trigger to break through the defending guardians and victory was finally hers. But as she was about to turn over the card to reveal it, she felt her vision beginning to go hazy as a result of prolonged exposure to the pressure of Dragonic Dark Overlord's power for this long over the course of the fight.

"F... First check...!" she coughed as she turned the card to reveal Binary Star, Twin Gunner, no trigger marking being present on the card, much to her frustration.

Then the condition she was facing from the exerted pressure began to affect her further as she began staggering backwards away from the table and towards the edge of the barrier. As she got closer to the flames, Kai was about to say something until she stopped and stepped forwards away from the boundary, lifting up her head as veins from across what appeared to be was visible of her body including her legs were now completely bolded out.

"No way!" gasped Miwa.

"The damage by that power must have affected her entire body by now!" Neve muttered.

"I won't lose!" she screamed "Even if this power destroys me, whether my opponent is rich or overpowered, I will put everything into this last attack!"

"Just what are you planning to do?" Kai asked sternly.

"My name is Aoi Akira!" the Selector yelled "For myself and only myself, I will defeat you Kai! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

As if her scream had acted like some kind of trigger, Dragonic Dark Overlord suddenly became engulfed with a blaze of scorching violet coloured flames and spread its wings, sending a gale that forced everything in front of it and the Selector to its knees including the Guardians Kai had called upon to protect Dragonic Overlord and Neoflame. The gale also sent the top card of Akira's deck high into the air and once it had subsided, it had begun to fall back down towards the battlefield. The dark counterpart then leapt forward and soared towards its opponents in a fiery blaze before Akira then leapt forward and skidded across the pavement towards her table with her right fist clenched, slowly being reeled forwards as she closed the distance. As she did so, she threw off the robes that she had been wearing over her recognizable clothes.

"ETERNAL VIOLET... LIFE INFERNO!" she commanded loudly before thrusting her fist forward upon stopping at her table.

As this was happening Dragonic Dark Overlord then smashed itself into Blue Ray Dracokid along with Dragonic Burnout and pushed them straight into Dragonic Overlord the Great, causing flames to erupt from its blazing body across all ends of the battlefield.

"NGH!" Kai groaned, struggling to stand his ground in the face of the immense heat as he shielded his face and glanced towards his opponent through what little he could see.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Akira screamed loudly with all her might before the card from her second drive check flew downward past her eyes, still unknown to all at the present.

Then before she or anyone could confirm what it was, a large explosion erupted from the power struggle as flames and smoke erupted and engulfed all that were within the battlefield, forcing them to cover their faces from both the heat and the intensity of the explosion. Neve and Miwa coughed loudly as smoke and ashes blew in their direction whilst they felt themselves being pushed back from the force of the inferno. The fires soon erupted and shot up straight into the sky, torching the once blue colour to one of orange and violet and breaking through the clouds until they reached the upper atmosphere.


Meanwhile further away across the city from where the fight was taking place, dozens of people had noticed the column of flames piercing through the sky from where the supposed final attack was being waged. Amongst those people were Kamui and Kiyoi who had just left Card Shop PSY and had noticed the towering inferno burst from the distance, unaware of the exact cause of it.

"What the heck is that?!" the Nova Grappler user exclaimed.

"I don't know..." the former blue LRIG murmured "But something about this feels familiar..."

"Let's go then!" Kamui replied as the two hurried towards the source of the flames.


Elsewhere, much further away from the battlefield, Ruko could only stare towards the column of erupting flames that was continuing to torch the once peaceful sky above, shocked at what was unfolding whilst unaware of the exact cause. She grew worried, wondering if Kai's confrontation with Akira was what appeared to be responsible for this turn of events.

"What could be going on?" she pondered.

"Tama doesn't know..." the girl of white replied from her card.

"I wish I knew myself..." Yuki interjected from her own "But something feels unnatural from that column of flames."

The Selector could only watch on from where she was standing, praying that whoever was nearby to what she was witnessing would be alright, if it all.


Kai groaned loudly as he tried to stand his ground, feeling himself shift backwards from where he was standing and struggling to stay upright from the force of the blast as he tried to stand his ground. Eventually, the backlash had stopped causing him to stand upright as smoke began to clear, revealing both and his table to Miwa and Neve who coughed loudly as they tried to see through to him. With the flames having expired at this point, the sky slowly began to regain its lost colour.

"Kai's still standing!" Miwa called out with a smile "He hasn't taken damage!"

"But if he's taken no damage..." Neve replied "Then what was her second check?"

Smoke continued to billow around the battlefield as it cleared up to reveal that Dragonic Dark Overlord had indeed fallen short of finishing the fight as it was on the ground a few inches away from the Great and Neoflame who merely glanced down at it. Then, it cleared up some more to eventually reveal the form of Akira who had remained eerily silent and very still.

"Akira?" Kai pondered aloud, now seeing that something was indeed very wrong with his opponent.

She just stood motionlessly, her eyes completely blank as smoke poured from her body and eventually cleared away from her table to reveal her second drive check had uncovered Dragonic Dark Overlord, meaning her last ditch attack to end the fight had not just failed, but the backlash from the earlier impact had appeared to have worsened her condition from earlier severely.

(End Music)

Seeing that there was nothing else his opponent could do, the Kagero user merely closed his eyes and drew his final card, looking down upon it as he did so and turned his attention on ahead to face her.

"Final Turn," he spoke, though there was a lack of fierceness in his voice when he said those two words unlike other times he said the phrase "I retire Calamity Tower Wyvern and call Grapeshot Wyvern. Add 2000 power to the Great."

As Calamity Tower Wyvern vanished from Kai's side of the battlefield, the red coloured Wyvern that defended Dragonic Overlord the End earlier in the fight had reappeared in the back row, this time to help the Great finish the fight. As both Dragonic Overlord and Dragonic Neoflame turned their attention on the downed Dragonic Dark Overlord who could only gaze back at them without so much as making a noise, they unleashed a combined stream of flames that went hurtling towards them.

The motionless Akira who had not made any sign or movement slightly opened her right hand, dropping the two Pulse Monk of the Quaking Foot she held onto the Guardian Circle. The two Cyberoids appeared onto the battlefield in front of her weakened Vanguard, projecting a barrier that was deflecting away most of the flames for the present.

"Twin Drive," Kai continued calmly as he turned over the first card as Dragonic Overlord the Great and unveiling the second card as Blue Ray Dracokid "Critical Trigger."

Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great and Perdition Dragon, Dragonic Neoflame/POW: 28000 - 33000/Critical: 1 - 2

The power boost from the trigger effects was enough to enhance the effects of Dragonic Overlord and Neoflame's combined attack to shatter the shield and incinerate the last guardians that Akira had unwittingly called to protect Dragonic Dark Overlord. The attack soon connected with the black dragon who simply remained within the blaze, until the heat was too unbearable and it lost its physical form, returning to nothing more than a shadow that faded away from the battlefield along with the remainder of all of their units on the battlefield. The force of the blast was enough to knock Akira onto her back as her sixth damage emerged as Lady Keeper of Virtual Reality.

As the fiery walls around them expired and Kai had picked up his cards, the Selector's table faded away and all of her cards fell to the ground with a lone copy of Dragonic Dark Overlord that flew down into the palm of her right hand. As Kai and the others began to approach her, the remainder of her deck suddenly burst into flames, incinerating all but the one card she had left. Once they had been reduced to ashes, they heard a voice from behind them.

"Hey Kai!"

The three of them turned around to see Kamui and Kiyoi hurrying over to where they were, stopping just in front of them. When they looked beside Kai to see Akira, the two of them couldn't help but ponder about her state.

"What happened to Akira?" the former blue LRIG asked.

"She put everything she had on the line just to try and beat Kai..." Miwa replied, though one could tell even he did not feel happy despite the success for Kai avenging his loss from the night before.

(Insert Music: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS Sound Duel 3: Eyes That See the Truth)

Before Neve could make a comment on what had transpired over the course of the fight, they could hear a weak groan from across the lonely square, seeing that it had come from the Selector in question.

"Akira!" Kai called out as they hurried over to her.

Akira blinked her eyes, finding that she had little to no strength left in her limbs as a result of her last ditch attempt to defeat her opponent once and for all. She barely managed to move her hand with enough strength to slip the lone card depicting Dragonic Dark Overlord into her hoodie's pocket. Turning her head to the right, she saw the group approach her with the Kagero user at the front, kneeling down to speak with her.

"Kai..." she groaned, almost in a whisper "... I guess I could never beat you after all, huh..."

"If you did not hold back with Dragonic Dark Overlord on your third turn for defense, you would have eventually won," he replied.

"Huh..." the Selector muttered with a bitter smile on her lips before looking to Kiyoi "... How embarassing for you to see me like this Piruluk-tan... Especially after acting high and mighty earlier..."

"Akira..." she murmured quietly, having no further words to say to her about what had transpired this day.

"I don't get it," Kamui muttered "You were gunning for Kai the whole time, so why did you convince Valeos to save me back there when Remember had been cheating in Kiyoi's fight earlier?"

"Who knows..."

Everyone could only stare at Akira when she said those words, confused about why she seemingly had little reason to do so, when she could have left Kiyoi to suffer alone during that bout out of spite for her uncooperative nature as her first her LRIG. She then looked back to Kai, expecting him to have more to lecture her about after making a mess of herself in an effort to put their fight to an end on her own terms.

"Aren't you going to say something...?" she asked weakly "Especially since I didn't think that Urith... would betray me..."

"I don't know if I can forgive you for what you've done to me and friends," he answered "But today, in spite of your desperate method of in your attempt to win and Urith's attempt to make you finish the fight her way, you approached me today as a true fighter. I am proud to call you my opponent, Aoi Akira."

"Well then..." she murmured before looking up to the sky "... I guess I do owe you something for getting Urith off my back..."

The Mark of Penalty then manifested above her as a solid image, leaving the others pondering as to what she intended to do next. Slowly raising her right arm, she grabbed ahold of it with her hand and pulled up her left hand onto it in turn. Then with what little strength she had left, she pulled them apart in one swift motion, shattering it completely as the fragments then vanished. Then, Miwa gasped as he looked to his hand, seeing his Mark of Penalty shatter into nothingness before he pulled out his deck, seeing all of his card return back to normal.

"You set the units you captured free...?" he breathed in disbelief.

But he did not recieve an answer as Akira had fallen unconcious by this point before a bright glow suddenly blinded the group as her blank card fell out of her pocket. As Kai fought to see through blinding light, the motionless Selector vanished from sight immediately before the card responsible for that act burned up into embers, resulting in that light eventually dying down. The group could only stare at where she had laid, with too may questions on their mind as to why she acted the way that she did recently and for what reason.

"She disappeared..." Neve murmured "But to where?"

"It would seem that Akira's fate has been affected by the hands of Mayu and Urith..." Kai replied as he turned to face them "Whatever their intentions are."


The White Room

Staring at the window that had observed the cardfight until the very end and its aftermath, Urith had regained her sinister smile upon looking at her own blank card. She then turned away from there and began walking deeper into the dimension's recesses with her deck around the LRIG Tawil in hand, seemingly not disappointed by the outcome despite her earlier frustration.

"Ah well," she scoffed "Akira played her part until the very end, perhaps now she will now spend her final moments in a place that could be considered the fires of hell she originally wanted Kai to suffer. Now then..."

She then looked down at the deck's topmost card, depicting Tawil in the Level 5 form she had used to attack the country of Japan in Kai's world the night before and for the essence of Ut'ulls to issue her threat of revival to them.

"It's time that I settled things with him... by my hand."

(End Music)


Vanguard World: ?

The unconscious body of Aoi Akira lay within an endless region of sand in the midst of a scorching hot desert, the place where her now incinerated blank card had taken her to as a result of Urith's personal meddling. She remained motionless as the afternoon sun continued to beat down upon the land she was on as well as her body which had already been damaged heavily by the use of Dragonic Dark Overlord's powers. All seemed hopeless for her as if she did not recover consciousness or be moved to a safer place in this harsh environment, she would likely succumb to starvation or dehydration from the heat and who knew what would happen next.

Over from a nearby dune, a strange figure that was very short in height, cloaked in a wrapped white robe, hopped over the top of the hill of sand and looked around, as if it was seeking the area for something in question. A small but long white tail was present from the back of the being and it had a pair of small black dot like eyes on its mostly obscured face. Soon it noticed the Selector and hovered down the slope before running across the desert to reach her.

"Strange..." he spoke, the voice sounding like that of a child "She appears to be the source of the disturbance... yet it feels like this girl has been poisoned for some reason."

The figure then turned back to the dune it had crossed over to find Akira to see a tall man wrapped in the same kind of robes that he was in, albeit tailored more appropriately for his height. Upon reaching the top, the green eyes of which were the only visible part aside from his hands gazed down upon the Selector, pondering about what to do following his small associate's discovery.


And there we go! The long awaited fight between Kai and Akira draws to a close with Kai emerging once again as the victor as Urith discards her companion, finding her of no further use to her cause and ambitions. Now the Selector finds herself stranded in a desert far from Japan, in the hands of two characters that are yet to play a pivotal part in Vanguard and Cray's future. Meanwhile, Miyako and Serra demonstrate the punishment for defeat to anyone who follows Mayu's cause a second time, that being a one way trip to her White Room's Pit as her's and Chaos Breaker's prisoners. The general also possesses Anjou Tokoha and sends her out under her command to seek out Ruko and steal her LRIGs for her. What will happen next? Find out on the next chapter of Stand Up, the LRIG! and I'll see you next time! Please share your thoughts in the reviews and I look forward to seeing you on the next chapter.


Story Original Cards debuting this chapter:

Dragonic Dark Overlord "The ABYSS"
Grade 3
Twin Drive!
POW: 11000
Kagero
Abyss Dragon
Dragon Empire
[CONT]: This card is also a Link Joker.
[AUTO](VC): When this unit's attack hits a rear-guard, if you have a card named "Dragonic Dark Overlord" in your soul and all of your rear-guards (min. 1) have Link Joker as their original clan name, Lock that rear-guard instead of retiring it.
[AUTO](VC)[1/Turn]: At the end of the battle this unit attacked a rear-guard, {COST|Soul Blast (1) Grade 3 & Choose two cards from your hand and discard them}, [Stand] this unit. Then if the number of cards in your opponent's damage zone is four or less and their Vanguard is Grade 3 or greater, choose your opponent's Vanguard and deal one damage to it. If you do, triggers cannot be activated during that damage check.

Re-adapted Cards debuting this chapter:

Bolshack, Phantom Dragon
Grade 3
Twin Drive!
POW: 6000
Dragon Empire
Dragon Beast
Dragon Empire
[CONT](RC): During your battle phase, this unit gets [Power]+1000 for each card with the word "Dragon" in their race in your Drop Zone. If the number is six or more, this unit also gets [Critical]+1.
[AUTO](RC): When this unit attacks, if the number of cards in your Drop Zone with the word "Dragon" in their race are ten or more, choose one of your opponent's rear-guards with 10000 or less [Power] and retire it.