The White Room
(Selector Spread Wixoss OST: Iona and Akira)
Urith was still an enigma to many around the White Room and although she knew when to behave in front of both her superiors and the cybernetic soldiers of the Star-vaders, even they held no idea as to her true intentions that hid inside her the confines of her mind, whatever those may be. Although she found her possession of Iona's body to have been beneficial to her own needs, particularly in covering her tracks for her schemes within her own world, it was how very few of the girls she had broken apart had even dared to speak up against her, knowing that she had her masquerade of a social status as a powerful weapon that she could use freely if she felt like it if any of the adults she despised could prove to be a thorn in her side.
And then there was Aoi Akira, her now former pawn to some of her conquest following the acquisition of Iona's body. To this hour, she still found it amusing of how easy it was to take advantage of the Selector's newfound hatred for Kai at the time and how easily the guise of their 'intimate' relationship could be used as a way to keep her on a leash that she was free to dispose of at any time. She had not counted on her sudden change of behaviour when she had acquired Dragonic Dark Overlord and how she suddenly wanted to fight fairly, even having her own suspicions on how that might have actually happened. Now that the cruel demanoured Selector had sent her to the Kyzylkum Desert in the other world, she felt confident the isolation and heat of the endless wastes would be enough to make her loose end disappear once and for with no potential threats to stand in her way.
Walking into the White Room itself, she saw a grovelling Futase being hit in the gut and knocked backwards with a violent swipe from Mayu, angered not just by the former's defeat to Kamui, but from the carelessness of her loss from the card she used to travel between dimensions. Amused by what was happening, Urith chose to remain at a distance and observe for herself without interruption.
"You dared to LET your card be taken by the one who set the units captured by Remember free?!" the mastermind exclaimed in fury "DO YOU HAVE ANY NOTION OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR BLUNDER?!"
"But Mayu... the card will only react to my bio-imprint...!" the former LRIG wheezed "It will be completely useless to them...!"
"I don't want to hear your excuses! Especially given that the creation of a new card for Miyako and the repair of her cracked gemstone which is why we cannot bring her back here safely will still take a long time!" Mayu growled "An object of mine is now in the possession of the enemy, especially given Christopher Lo's profile, which means potential information of this dimension and the White Room could be at the fingertips of Kai Toshiki! Be fortunate we can still retrieve you through your lens!"
Futase merely looked down at the floor glumly in shame, humiliated at the mere fact she had completely underestimated not just Kamui, but the entire Nova Grappler clan. One that many cardfighters argued to this day was still the most vulnerable of being susceptible to Link Joker's speciality of Lock which could have easily crippled their stratagem. But because she did not count on her opponent's unexpected use of Cat Butler along with the fact he was willing to take all of his dominated units' attacks head on, she was now on the recieving end of Mayu's wrath. She then heard a sinister chuckle coming from Urith, which caused her to scowl as she got back up to see her approach the pair.
"Trouble, Futase?" she remarked "I even heard your new trial run with the Schwarzschild Fusion went awry before the fight even ended."
"Shut up Urith...!" Futase scowled "Katsuragi just got lucky! He won't succeed again...!"
"If you say so," Urith replied smugly with a playful shrug "Then again, wouldn't it be amusing if Tokura found out after you decided to take a page from my book in your last fight with her."
"You...!"
"Enough!" shouted Mayu, bringing the pair's attention back to her "Urith, what are you doing here?"
"Merely 'browsing'" the cruel demanoured Selector replied "It seems after your Dragonic Dark Overlord project failed on Planet Cray, so too did Akira. But that's of little concern, she has finally been dealt with accordingly and properly... disposed."
The mastermind upon hearing of what her underling described to be the respective fates of Akira and Dragonic Dark Overlord, paused in what she was about to say next, relaxing herself a little in her composure.
"And just how did you decide to dispose of our loose end?" she asked.
"I dropped her in the middle of one of the world's desolate and harshest deserts in Kai's dimension," the cruel demanoured Selector replied "Only the outlying edges are considered tourist attractions and she's hundreds of miles away from there. She won't even last three days."
Her smile then suddenly dropped as this time, it was Futase's turn to start giggling a little in amusement, causing her to turn to the punished former LRIG who held a bitter smile on her lips, partially out of amusement.
"You said you disposed of 'Aki-lovely' properly?" she spoke "It appears your track record of clearing up your loose ends has gone as sour as your farce of a relationship."
"What do you mean?" Urith asked with a raised eyebrow.
As soon as she finished her question, Mayu snapped her fingers, causing one of the gates covering a nearby window in front of them to open up. The view changed from the dark recesses of this dimension to display an aerial view of the Kyzylkum Desert, more specifically over the shelter where Rive and Chrono Dran resided. To the cruel demanoured Selector's surprise, Akira was still alive and well within company, speaking with the cloaked man and his draconic companion, now redressed fully in his small robes from head to tail.
"What?!" she gasped "I had Photon program those coordinates after careful deliberation into her card before she fought Kai! How did any kind of civilization find her?!"
"I believe that is the question I should be asking you!" Mayu scowled "If she defected from us during her last fight with Kai because she developed a sense of 'honor' overnight, then we cannot leave her alive as a potential threat!"
Urith although partially shocked from this development eventually regained her composure as she continued to watch the window's view of her former companion, Chrono Dran and Rive, unaware of the latter two's identities. As the view zoomed in and focused over the trio one by one, her sneer returned as the view of the cloaked man's hood had revealed his green eyes and the scar across his nose to her, recognition of some kind having returned to her mind when she decided to study over the histories of the world's most famous cardfighters in history in preparation for the invasion of the other world.
So the history books aren't as they say as they are... she chuckled darkly within her thoughts Shindou Rive is actually alive.
"Urith, Futase," Mayu spoke, bringing the pair's attention towards her "After you secure the cells for your recent captures, I want you to head to that desert later tonight and dispose of our loose end, once and for all!"
"Understood Mayu..." Futase sighed as she begrudgingly looked to Urith and motioned for her to follow.
The cruel demanoured Selector simply let off a scoff and passed the former LRIG so she could head to the Pit to deal with this minor task as she saw it and then deal with Akira once and for all so she wouldn't be a problem in the future. As she was going down the corridor with Futase too busy looking at the ground in her trudging walk, she fished out a picture of Aichi that Mayu acquired for her through her occasional window views from Umr's card a few days ago. In spite of the circumstances that separated him from Kai, Ruko, Kamui and Kiyoi, he still appeared his usual happy self and that kindness and innocence within the Royal Paladin user was something she thrived to twist for her own machinations.
"It won't be long now Aichi-kun..." she whispered to herself "Giving you hope and obliterating it... that has proven to be the breaking point for those who ended their lives before. But you need not fret... unlike them, I plan to help with rebuilding you."
She then gave the photo a small peck with her lips before hiding it back inside her pocket, continuing on her way to the Pit to carry out her assignment before she would leave for the other world to tie up one of her final loose ends.
(End Music)
Vanguard World: Kyzylkum Desert
As the sun began to set over the evening horizon, Akira had joined Rive and Chrono Dran back at their shelter where the trio had gathered inside the makeshift building for her to share her tale. Before the three of them had settled down, the Selector had finished nourishing on some bread that Rive had managed to acquire from one of the nearby villages on the outlying borders of the desert. At first, she was reluctant to take it having known how scarce food and water could be in environments such as this, but eventually relented and accepted the pair's small gift, settling her otherwise restless stomach following the results of her last cardfight. The draconic creature, having recovered his missing cloak and wrapped it back around him, looked up to the girl in front of him, curious about what she had to offer and how she came into possession of Dragonic Dark Overlord.
"Are you ready to tell us everything?" he asked.
Akira said nothing, but nodded to show her compliance to the request of her two companions with Rive keeping a close glance upon her, wanting to ensure what he was hearing was the fully the story.
"As you already know, I'm Aoi Akira," she began "I'm... not exactly from around here as you can already tell."
"Your dialect appears to be natural Japanese," the cloaked man replied "I assume you come from that country."
"You could say that," the Selector said, though one could tell her wit was somewhat dry within her tone "I come from the lower recesses of Tokyo... but it's from a completely different world. One where instead of having Vanguard as the most popular card game or even existing, we have something else that is the centerpiece of my journey here."
"A parallel Earth then..." Chrono Dran murmured as he held his right hand to his cheek "If what you're saying is true, then what is that world's game then?"
The girl looked down upon the draconic creature and reached into her hoodie's right pocket, pulling out three Wixoss Cards, each adorned with the colour of Red and depicting different images, placing them down in front of the rug between herself and her two hosts. It appeared that despite losing all of her units after her fight with Kai, her non-LRIG and non-SIGNI cards that had not changed to suit the rules of Vanguard had not suffered the same fate as the deck she used then. Chrono Dran picked up the card titled Fissure of Condemnation, observing it closely and turning it over to reveal the card backing and the message upon it, which expanded his widened curiosity.
"A Girl prayed to fulfill her wish. Scattered strange gene "wixoss" all around the world fusion into one form. Searching in vain for a fight..." he read aloud, with Rive looking on the backs of the two cards he held to read the same message "Victory will be the only way for her wish to revolutionalize. Now, shall her "Wish Across" be... conquered."
Both of them turned to Akira who had her eyes closed, spelling out the answer to them plain and clearly, if a little blunt as well.
"As you two already figured out now, your world has Vanguard. Mine has Wixoss."
"So then, whilst ours revolves around our imagination, yours revolves around wishes," Rive commented "I wonder what kind of wish would take place to bring upon that scar and the damage from Dragonic Dark Overlord?"
The Selector merely scoffed at his query, though it came off as more of a bitter chuckle as if she was now at the point of casually discussing these events to her two companions who were now getting more inquisitive by the second.
"You're half right," she muttered "But not every game of Wixoss is just about wishes. There are the Selector Battles where players who carry living LRIGs can do battle to reach the ideal form so their wish can come true, the Eternal Girl. Or at least, that's supposedly what's believed to have happened."
"Supposedly?" Chrono Dran pondered, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"I won't lie, I don't know exactly how a Eternal Girl comes to be, but I have seen familiar human faces that have become LRIGs," the Selector answered "But if you do happen to lose three Selector Battles, not only do you lose your right as a Selector, but your LRIG too and your wish... well, it gets tainted and the worst possible luck is inflicted upon you depending on what it is. I should know because I lived through that once before."
"So then you were one of these Selectors that participated in those battles," said Rive, looking up from the cards he was holding to the girl in front of him "What was your wish?"
Akira paused for one moment, causing her hosts to glance at her with initial confusion and partial suspicion. A part of her had expected the two to not feel that she was trustworthy, especially with what she was now about to admit to them. She sighed and took a few seconds to collect her thoughts, knowing what she was about to say next would most definitely put the pair on thin ice with her.
It's not like I've got anything to lose unlike the last few times I've been questioned she muttered I've practically lost everything except my Dragonic Dark Overlord and knowing Urith... she's likely creating gossip back home on how I'm missing, maybe even presumed dead. This is nothing new as I've come to see now...
"My wish in my initial run of the Selector Battles... was to dethrone Urazoe Iona and lay claim to the family fortune she held."
(Insert Music: Transformers Micron Legend OST: Uncanny Devastor)
"Dethrone?" Rive asked "For what purpose?"
"If I were to describe my social status outside modelling and the Selector Battles, my life you could sum up as being in the gutter," she commented "I took up that job so I could outshine my competition and to pull myself out of that place, no matter the cost. Whether it would be take on personas with names attached like "Aki-lucky", physically attacking perceived threats or stomping on the happiness or wishes of others."
Chrono Dran having heard everything the Selector admitted to dropped the single card he was holding in shock. From what he could make it, it seemed as though they had ended up harboring a nasty person who by chance had somehow ended up in the desert. He was about to reply when Rive held an arm right in front of the draconic creature, as if to stop him from acting irrationally in response to this new information.
"Dran, there's more to this story we've yet to understand," the cloaked man said firmly "Let her continue."
"But if what's she saying is true, then nursing her back to health was a mistake!" he protested "If we keep her here, she'll reveal our location to Ryuzu...!"
When that name had left his mouth, Chrono Dran clenched his teeth in frustration as he realized his mistake far too late. Despite harboring some partial annoyance to his companion for inadvertently blurting out the name Ryuzu, Rive directed no anger or frustration towards him, instead keeping his glance and attention firmly on Akira whose eyes had blinked in curiosity when she heard what had just been said.
"Please, continue Akira," he said.
"Right," she said, deciding to press her newest query back for later "As you can probably guess, my bad luck and my attitude not only cost me my job at first, but also my first Selector run and contributed to the scar you can see. It also led me to developing a hatred for the opponent who defeated me there, Kai Toshiki and creating an obsession for commanding his Dragonic Overlord as my own."
"You also said something about Urith, right?" asked Chrono Dran "Did she give you that Dragonic Dark Overlord card?"
"Yeah..." Akira glumly admitted, thinking back to the end of her last fight with Kai "When she somehow kicked Iona out of her own body... she actually pulled me back into my lost job and actually gave me hope that I could get my revenge on Kai and everyone who beat me." Her glum expression then became a bitter smile. "How ironic. She never changed from that bitch of a LRIG... she used me from the start and I even ignored Kai who tried to warn me before our last fight... and I just played the fool until the end."
She then palmed her face, chuckling bitterly into her hand as Rive merely stared at her, having absorbed all of the information she had told them about her life up to this point.
"So then... why did you do it?" he asked.
Akira stopped laughing as she then glanced up at her accomplice who moved forward towards her, stopping a little in front of her where the two could now look at one another more closely.
"I'm sorry... what do you mean?" she asked back, confused on how he worded his question in this context.
"You said it yourself that you aimed to bring yourself out of poverty," Rive answered as his gaze narrowed "Yet I do not understand why you resorted to doing the awful things you did in the first place. So, why did you do it?"
She was about to reply immediately, only to stop and think carefully about how she wanted to answer his question, now understanding it better thanks to his extra clarification. Eventually by the time Chrono Dran decided to come in closer and sit between the two of them, the Selector had finally gathered her thoughts together to give both Rive and the draconic creature her most honest answer.
"I did those things... because I believed that's what they did to get to the top," she said "But ever since Dragonic Dark Overlord starting affecting me, I thought back to the time I stole the original Dragonic Overlord where it lectured me on true strength in a Selector Battle. It was then I finally realized, far too late... that Kai was not the person I thought he was."
She then clenched her fist in frustration, mentally recalling how Urith tried to manipulate the fight into her favour by forcing her to play a card that she had illegally manifested into her bind zone. Although she had learned hours before then that she had to respect her opponents in a fierce fight, that moment was something she could kick herself over and over for not learning of Urith's deception sooner before Kai had to act to have the fight continue so it could end fairly.
"And to think... I should've paid more attention when I got handed her notebook!"
"Notebook?" Chrono Dran pondered "Do you still have it?"
Akira shook her head, confirming she no longer had it when she came to this world. She then thought back to the time it had entered her temporary possession earlier in the day back in her world.
Flashback; Akira's POV
"Before I came back to this world, I was leaving to the studio to check on everything before I would fight Kai."
Akira who was dressed in her black cloak was strolling the streets of Tokyo within the other world, pondering more to think about how she would even the playing field, even when Dragonic Dark Overlord had shown it could evolve into The ABYSS. She held Milulun's card in hand also before she would later have given her away to Sakuya, the LRIG herself in a half-cheery mood when she had discovered the damage the dark aura of Dark Overlord's card had inflicted upon her Selector.
"Hey Akira, is this really alright?" she asked.
"I've done what I need to do," the Selector replied with a slight frown "But if there's one thing I've learned, this Dragonic Dark Overlord I have... that may not even be enough to best him."
"And what do you think can beat Kai-lun?" Milulun inquired.
"The answer's more simple than you think," Akira muttered "If I want to beat Kai, I have to think like him."
"By copying his mannerisms?"
The girl shook her head in response to that claim, though the blue LRIG could easily tell that she wasn't flat out denying her question, wondering what else she had in mind to put herself on equal terms with the opponent she had been planning to face again after so long.
"I've been thinking about something after nearly blacking out from my own card," Akira answered "Until today, I always hated the guts of anyone who beat me... I used every trick in the book outside of the Selector Battles to get where I am and to try and pull myself out of my own living hell..."
She then brought out her Dragonic Dark Overlord card and gazed down at it, imaging Kai and the real Dragonic Overlord in front of it for a brief moment.
(End Music)
"Unlike Urith or any other bitch standing smugly at the top, he didn't step on the feelings of others... he never even felt the need to," she murmured "Maybe that and the fact he's always fought fairly... is why I could never beat him."
As she put away both cards back into her hoodie's pocket beneath her cloak, she turned around and her eyes widened, just in time to catch a small squarish shaped book with numerous notes sticking out of the closed pages as bookmarks. At first, she was uncertain as she looked to the right to see a lock like mechanism that would normally keep the book shut until its owner unlocked it, but as she noted it was unlocked, she grew confused as she then looked at a girl with black hair and green eyes panting to catch her breath.
"Akira!" she cried out "Take that book and run!"
"Urith's notebook?" Akira breathed as she finally recognized the frontal design of the book in question "Why are you giving me this Harumi?! And how the hell did you unlock it?!"
"How I picked the lock doesn't matter...! But why I want you to read it...!" Harumi panted before she then glanced up directly into the Selector's eyes "Because it may be the key to your own survival!"
(Cardfight! Vanguard Unreleased Soundtrack: Presence of the Void)
The girl's eyes suddenly widened in shock as she was hearing those word, uncertain about the meaning behind them at the time.
"I know what you've done as Urith's pawn, serving her in a relationship you wanted to reciprocate," Harumi muttered before glaring back at her "You want to start doing something right for a change? Start thinking for yourself and get clear from here so you can read this book and see what Urith's got planned for you!"
Akira at first wanted to reply back before looking back down at the notebook she held, realizing that if Urith was to discover that she held it and the fact it was unlocked, it would certainly end ugly for her. Deciding for once to take the advice of someone from her fanclub sincerely, she ran out of the streets and over to the nearby park where she was certain that she was out of sight. When she eventually caught her breath, she looked down at the notebook and took interest in many of the bookmarks that stuck out.
"Hey Aki-lun, what was all that about?" asked Milulun.
"Milulun, if I want to find out what Harumi was blabbing out, I need you to stay quiet," Akira replied in a hushed manner, the LRIG from the card within her pocket immediately complying upon realizing the implications.
"At the time, I didn't know what to think. I always knew Urith had her notebook on hand sealed with a cover lock, but it appeared the girl that gave it to me had picked it open. Still practicing my impersonation of Kai and trying to think through his mindset to get an advantage over him, I reluctantly opened the notebook."
At this point, the Selector took note of the bookmark label that was titled "White Room", curious as to its exact meaning and opening the book up to the page that it was stuck on. When she did, she was surprised to find that whatever this "White Room" was, it wasn't just a singular room as she had previously believed. Then upon recognizing the design of the arena she trained within to supress the aura of Dragonic Dark Overlord amongst the sketches she saw, something clicked in the back of her mind that this wasn't the first time she had heard of the place being offhandedly mentioned to her.
"There was something about a White Room, like one of the arenas of the one she took me to when I trained to supress the pressure from Dragonic Dark Overlord. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but figuring I wouldn't be getting anything out of Urith, I took pictures of the pages detailing the blueprints of the White Room and its security measures.
Bringing out her phone, she took pictures of the pages that detailed the many areas of the White Room, from that arena to Photon's Lab, the prison blocks of the Pit and Mayu's throne room. Upon flicking to the next page, she could see listings of the many Star-vaders that patrolled the tunnels leading to each area and how great in number they were stationed in, growing more curious by the second. When she took the last photograph, she could see a bookmark label with her name on it, leaving confusion present on her face as she slowly turned the page. When she eventually did, one word lay before her eyes that took up the entire page, making her blood run cold as she mentally read it.
D... Disposable?!
"Akira."
Hearing Urith's voice from somewhere behind her, Akira quickly shut the notebook and triggered the lock as silently as she could before hurriedly turning around to see that fortunately, she had been out of earshot from her actions as she was approaching her.
"My, you certainly seem jumpy. Then again, given the match I promised you, who could blame you for fumbling to the pressure slightly," she commented before then noticing the notebook as she came up to her "Why do you have my notebook?"
"Harumi gave it to me," the Selector replied, trying to not let her tone speak out faster than intended "I don't know why she gave it to me... but it was still locked if you're wondering."
"Really now?" Urith pondered playfully as she took it out of her hands "I was wondering why it wasn't in Iona's room of the studio where I last kept it. Then again, she was always one of the nosier types around your fanclub."
"Yeah... I'll see to it she's reprimanded when I return from the other world."
The cruel demanoured Selector then observed Akira's facial expressions, having noted some uncertainty in her voice when she gave her response at this very moment.
"You seem troubled," she murmured with a sinister sneer "Did Harumi really bother you that much?"
"No," the Selector replied firmly "Just a minor distraction. I'll see you in the other world."
"Suit yourself then."
And with that, Akira turned away from Urith and left her on her own, deciding to take care of final task before she would go to the other world to fight Kai and settle her score with him once and for all.
If you really see me as a disposable Urith... then I'll take pleasure dealing with you with the Dragonic Overlord I will win from Kai.
Present
"After that... I fought Kai," Akira continued "When that aura got the better of me... Urith tried to sabotage the fight by forcing me to ride a card she illegally slipped into my bind zone. It was only after he offered to help... to give me a chance to experience Vanguard proper in a fair fight did I realize he was right and I was wrong. I think you know the rest."
The rest of the shelter remained silent as Chrono Dran and Rive looked at one another, pondering what more to do now that she had given her side of the story at hand and what little she truly knew of the Selector Battles themselves and why her former group had been attacking this world's cardfighters. The draconic creature held a hand to his chin before whispering into the cloaked man's left ear, causing the Selector herself to watch the pair before looking down at Dragonic Dark Overlord's card.
(End Music)
"So... you got anything else to lecture me about?" she sighed "That wouldn't be surprising, given I'm in the last place any human being would want to be within."
"Not at all," Rive replied "Dran told me that after he supressed the aura of your Dragonic Dark Overlord, that he sensed there was something else amiss with the card."
"What do you mean?" the Selector asked.
"When I looked over the card, it was clear to me that unit held a malicious aura around it," answered Chrono Dran "It reminded me of something years ago, but in your case..."
"Well, spill it already!" she huffed.
"What Dran is trying to tell is..." the cloaked man interjected "Even though that unit still exists, something's abnormal about the card itself to keep affecting you this way and I may have an idea of how to get to the bottom of it."
Akira said nothing, wanting to listen carefully to what the person in front was telling her, causing her to pick up Dragonic Dark Overlord's card and briefly look down upon it, wondering what idea the pair had in mind.
"We must travel to an ancient celestial observatory not far from this shelter," Rive spoke as he got up onto his feet "In the near 15th century, it was established here to observe the movement of stars. But as you may soon discover, that is not all there is to it."
The Selector decided not to answer back, believing it would be best to follow along with the man in front of her once again and find out the answers for herself, whatever those were. Chrono Dran then scurried onto Rive's right shoulder and sat there, motioning to the girl before them it was time to leave for the ancient observatory, whatever it could be. The trio then exited the shelter and stepped forth into the desert, no longer as hot as it was earlier due to the halfway set sun in the far distance.
It took nearly half an hour of what seemed like almost endless wandering across numerous dunes and plains of nothing but sand, but eventually they came up to a large mountain like structure that curved around in a odd shape and was divided into different levels. Akira said nothing so far, but admitted mentally to herself that the sight was something to behold, not imagining a place such as this in the middle of the desert. After a few minutes, the trio found themselves inside the celestial observatory where it was a large cavern within the tall structure and a hole at the very top allowing what little daylight was left to illuminate the open space. On the ground right beneath the hole was a small circular pedestal with some steps leading up to it.
"So what's the actual story behind this place?" asked Akira "When you said it was a observatory, I was at least expecting some ancient and rusted machinery for a pre-modern telescope or something."
"There is a legend among this place, which concerns the pedestal before us," Rive answered "Long ago, a swordsman from the Planet Cray descended to my world in this area and scattered seals containing six dark and evil dragons from centuries ago to keep them safe from those from that distant world who would abuse their power. Although ordinary people would not think of much if they were to discover this place, it is believed that some of the space-time connection to Cray lies in this mountain."
"Which I'm guessing Dran here knows still exists," the Selector remarked bluntly.
"That's right," the draconic creature replied "If we are to find the truth of this Dragonic Dark Overlord, about what it is and why it has been afflicting physical damage to you, then the mysticism of the observatory may help you."
Akira then noticed something about the pedestal that felt oddly familiar to her, yet she had no idea why she had suddenly felt that way. Running towards it on instinct, she wiped away some of the sand to reveal...
"A Vanguard Circle...?" she breathed.
"That's correct," Rive replied "Stand up onto it, bring out Dragonic Dark Overlord's card and follow my instructions carefully. If we are successfully, your journey of discovery may begin."
The Selector glanced back at the pair, wondering what they were up to as she climbed onto the Vanguard Circle and held the card in question out in front of her.
"Now close your eyes and relax," said Chrono Dran, causing the girl to reluctantly follow through with those instructions as the draconic creature hopped onto her shoulder.
"Any reason why you're on me?" she asked bluntly.
"If we are to succeed, you may require Dran's assistance," Rive answered back "Now then... the concept may be foreign to you given your prior experiences, but listen carefully to what I say. Imagine it."
Akira kept her eyes closed firmly, doing her best to keep relaxed and focused, yet she had no idea what to imagine having had little familiarity with the existence of Planet Cray until her last fight with the cloaked man. When she decided to finally try however, Chrono Dran held his hands together as a blinding white light shone from the pedestal's Vanguard Circle and enveloped the entire cavern.
?
"W... Where the hell are we?!"
Akira gasped in shock at seeing the unfamiliar settings around them, a wide open white coloured plain obscured by a black coloured sky-like environment with streams of purple bursting out of the ground and the environment around her. Chrono Dran who was on her shoulder gazed around, feeling that something ominous was tampering with the Selector's imagination.
"This is your imagination, I think..." the draconic creature replied "But it seems like the card's aura has also been at work ripping it apart."
"What happens if it does rip apart?" she asked.
"I... don't know," he answered glumly "And I have a bad feeling we don't want to find out."
"That's something we can agree on at least."
The pair then proceeded to tread forwards with caution into the unknown that was Akira's crumbling imagination, not knowing what it was they could encounter here in their search for the truth to what Dragonic Dark Overlord really was and why it had been afflicting her in the way it did. So far, it had led to nothing and it continued to yield no further results for the next five minutes.
Then as if it was out of nowhere...
"Lucky-lucky, Aki-lucky...!"
(Selector Infected Wixoss OST: Battle ~ Negative Chain)
"Akira?" Dran asked, causing the Selector to glance back "Did you say something...?"
"I didn't say that!" she snapped back "And frankly, I don't do that anymore!"
The draconic creature was unaware of why she was being so apprehensive about the words that we spoken just now. He knew they were hers in a way, but perhaps from memories she did not want to relive. As they journeyed further on, he continued to keep watch over her as more words she had spoke began to sound out in the space around them.
"Gooseygooseygooseygoosebumps!"
"Incest lover!"
"Nah-nah-nah-naahh...!"
"Shut up...!" Akira growled beneath her breath as she clutched her forehead with her right hand.
"Akira... are those things you've said in the past?" Chrono Dran asked.
But as he finished his question, he and the Selector felt a barrage of past sayings overlap and repeat over one another and each other, causing more violent streams of purple to burst out of the ground and the environment around them. The voices got louder and louder as the girl felt she could no longer take their presence anymore and thrust out her arms, knocking the draconic creature off her shoulder as she did so.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" she screamed out, her voice echoing throughout the space "I'M... I'M NOT THAT PERSON ANYMORE!"
"Oh...? The real Akira would never abandon being Aki-lucky, would she?"
The purple coloured streams that were breaking apart the space that was Akira's imagination stopped momentarily before changing their paths and converging on a spot right in front of her. Eventually when their energy was assimilated, they began to take the shape of a humanoid figure and it was one that was very and all too familiar to the pair. When colour eventually manifested as well, the two of them could see that in front of them, was a second Aoi Akira with her eyes nothing but soulless black shells of their former selves.
"Just who the crap are you, imposter?!" Akira demanded as she pointed a finger towards the newly manifested doppelganger.
"Eh? Isn't that obvious?" the other Akira replied in her innocent sounding voice "My name's Aoi Akira, but you already know that."
"Very funny, just why are you taunting me with my own words?!" the Selector snapped back.
The doppelganger simply laughed in response, angering the girl before her even more as Chrono Dran could only watch on in bewilderment, wondering what kind of scenario this was. When he analyzed and processed what he was seeing through his mind, his eyes suddenly widened as he thought back to a while ago when he was talking with Rive.
"Rive... was pitting Akira against her past misdeeds incarnate your plan from the beginning?" he pondered in worry.
"Don't be absurd, Aki-lucky is a invincible girl who climbs over the adversity of poverty using any and all tricks in the book to do so no matter," the doppelganger continued in her mocking tone "After all, we both know there are no imposters in this imagination, just you and me."
"You're NOT me!" Akira yelled back "I learned from my mistakes before I fought Kai and I finally understood why I've been wrong labelling him and anyone like him the way I've been doing these last few years!"
"And was that the right thing to do?"
"Huh?"
The aura around the doppelganger caused her to suddenly vanish as Akira glanced around the space, feeling very on edge that her past misdeeds had taken physical form to taunt her and do whatever it was that was worse than she had already done. Then without warning, her shadow began to warp and contort as Chrono Dran had suddenly noticed.
"Akira, look out!" he cried out loud, watching the doppelganger rising through it.
Before the Selector could react in anticipation, the other Akira grabbed her neck within a very tight grab and held up a blunt knife towards it, the sharp edge inches from touching the skin and slitting it. The real Akira knew she was now in trouble, for if she attempted to make any false move now, the weapon she once carried around with her at all times would be the object that would easily end her life.
"You JUST had to be a complete idiot, didn't you?!" the doppelganger scowled "If you had never opened Urith's notebook, she'd never had considered disposing of you and Dragonic Overlord would be ours!"
"I... don't regret what I did!" Akira coughed as her double tightened her grip on her neck "Kai's the reason we're even still alive after that fight...!"
"He's YOUR enemy!" she angrily yelled "You've already been doing what you believed in for the last six years, going after weaklings like Iona and you believe that he of all people can make your life any better?!"
"Who said he had to... AAGH!"
The girl screamed as she felt the chokehold straining her neck with Chrono Dran crying out in worry as he sensed that if this continued, it could have an adverse effect on her real body outside of this fractured imagination. She felt her vision beginning to fade as the sharp edge of the blade was now milimeters away from her neck, oxygen being choked out of her as she realized the situation before her.
Is... is this how it ends...? she muttered in her thoughts Being killed off by myself... what a way to go out. Fitting after everything I did.
She then imagined the faces of everyone who she ever encountered, whether she attempted to ruin their lives in one way or another, or otherwise. From people like her own mother to the real Iona, Ruko, Yuzuki, Hitoe, all the cardfighters she had battled against and finally, the one person who she thought after her last fight against him to be a worthy opponent for the first time in her life.
(End Music)
Kai... I'm sorry, but your hope was wasted on me.
"Your imagination is your power."
Huh...?
(Cardfight! Vanguard V Series OST: Kai's Willpower)*
Akira blinked, upon believing she had heard the Kagero user's voice within her mind, with words she had never even heard from him or even considered for him to speak to her. Then when she recalled where it exactly she was, everything began to make sense to her as she found herself relaxing in the tightened grasp of the doppelganger, who was wondering what was going on.
"That's right... this is my imagination..." the Selector muttered before smiling "Even if it's being ripped apart... it's still my own...!"
"What are you smiling about?!" growled the doppelganger "In that case, I'll slit your throat and send you straight to...!"
"RIDE THE VANGUARD!"
Upon closing her eyes and relaxing herself to concentrate within her own imagination, Akira's body began to glow a bright orange and change shape as a suddenly gale sent the doppelganger flying onto her back, dropping the knife which shattered like glass all at once. The shadowy figure could only watch in utter disbelief as the silhouette began to grow taller and taller until the glow faded to reveal an all too familiar unit that the real Akira had once craved to possess for herself as her loud voice boomed from the giant red flame dragon's jaws.
"DRAGONIC OVERLORD!"
"Impossible!" the doppelganger exclaimed "You choose to hide behind the image of a unit you don't even have?!"
The imaged Dragonic Overlord glanced down at its claws, with Akira's conscience now being what drove its instinct, actions and thoughts in this fractured imagination.
"This is... what it feels like for Kai," the Selector spoke out before glancing down at her now cowering double "You're right about one thing. You are me, but not the whole me. Just another part who makes up who am I."
"What the CRAP do you mean?!" the doppelganger shrieked "Didn't you want to overthrow him and everyone else no matter what it takes and take everything they have?!"
"I'm NOT them!"
The double blinked in confusion as she looked up at the imaged Dragonic Overlord, a afterimage of the real Akira taking shape in front of its giant figure and giving her answer.
"Not Iona, not Urith, not Noriko... not even Kai," she continued "Just Akira. And whether I deserve the respect of anyone I come across, that NO longer matters to me! From here on out, I'm going to forge my own path where my past misdeeds and everyone's perceptions will no longer hold me back!"
When her afterimage vanished, she leant back in Overlord's image and opened its jaw, gathering a high concentration of flames which she unleashed right at her frozen and frightened doppelganger who could only scream loudly as she was reduced back to a puddle of dark energy which faded when the flames dispersed. Overlord's image then shattered like glass as Akira floated back down to the ground, walking towards a startled, yet amazed Chrono Dran.
(End Music)
"Akira..." he breathed.
"You alright?" she asked, picking up the draconic creature into her arms.
"Y... Yeah," he replied "It seems like Rive sent us into your imagination to confront your past mistakes before we could find out more about Dark Overlord."
The Selector in a unexpected action gave a small sincere smile to Chrono Dran who was a little bewildered at first before smiling back, happy that the girl before him had at least come out of some kind of unpleasant behaviour for the time being.
"So... what now?" she asked, her expression changing back to ponder.
"With the damage to your imagination repairing itself, we should be able to..."
A loud rumble suddenly echoed across the space as it then began to shake violently as the environment around them slowly began to become enveloped in a blinding white flash of light.
"W... What's going on?!" she gasped.
"Akira!" cried Chrono Dran.
Akira turned around to find his form beginning to fade from out of this plane with blinding lights from all sides threatening to consume the pair all at once and potentially separate them from one another.
"Dran!" she called out as she leapt out to grab him.
When she eventually caught the draconic creature in her hands, her dive ended up becoming a tackle as the creature in question suddenly flashed a cyan blue as the pair were eventually enveloped in pure white. Whilst Chrono Dran was forced to keep his eyes shut from the blinding nature of their light sources, Akira struggled to do so. When she had grabbed him in the midst of this situation, a flurry of images flooded her mind as she tried to keep her sanity at the least somewhat intact as they went by in a flash.
"Chrono..."
The images finally stopped when they displayed only a single one, with the voice of Chrono Dran from a time long ago entering her mind.
Inside the workings of a giant laboratory, he hovered in front of a large portal that led towards the lands of the Dark Zone from Planet Cray. In front of him, a young boy reached out to touch the draconic creature with his hand. He had bright green eyes and bright red hair with the middle of it being swirled with a twinge of pinkish hair that acted as a outline of sorts.
"Akira! Akira!"
Akira stirred from her slumber as she pulled herself off the Vanguard circle mural and looked at a worried Chrono Dran who suddenly became relieved when she regained consciousness.
"Dran... Did we... make it back here?" she asked.
"You certainly did, scum."
Her eyes suddenly widened as she got up onto her feet, just in time for her, Rive and the draconic creature to watch as purple flames went across the walls of the cavern, eventually, looping back around towards the entrance to prevent their escape. She scowled upon recognizing whose voice it belonged to as she jumped from the pedestal to join Rive, gazing at Urith who clapped mockingly as she entered their view. Behind her, came Futase who had now joined her.
"Who are you?!" the cloaked man demanded.
"They've found us!" Akira interjected, causing him to turn to her "Urith and Futase!"
"That is right," the cruel demanoured Selector chuckled "And I thank you for leading us all the way... to pull the curtain on Vanguard's history books."
*This plays when Kai first rides Dragonic Overlord the Great.
