Hey guys. Welcome back for another Chapter of Part 3 of Xyz. Things will be getting intense in these next few chapters so I hope that you're all looking forward to it. A lot of things are happening in this chapter.

But enough of that, let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 19: An Unusual Alliance

Astral World - Beach

Yuya and Astral moved outside to the beach. "From here on out, the gates will be much harder to unlock. And even if you succeed in opening them, the power could consume you. Are you ready?" Astral asked.

"Yes." Yuya nodded.

"Very well. The Third Gate is the Ritual Gate. The gate is about sacrifice. A lot of people see that sacrifice is a bad thing, but it can be a good thing. What have you sacrificed in order to become stronger?" Astral asked.

Yuya closed his eyes and looked back. "I sacrificed my old cards and I created new ones. I sacrificed the motto of my Duel School, to bring smiles to the world."

"I sense a lot of guilt from those sacrifices." Astral pointed out.

"Yusho has my old cards and he's using them to hurt people. And…I don't think I can ever accept my Duel School's motto anymore. You can't make everyone smile." Yuya said.

"The cards won't blame you. Even if you don't use them, you took care of them and not everyone has to follow one ideology in Dueling. Everyone has their own, what's important is that we follow through with what we believe in and let go of the guilt that burdens us." Astral said.

Yuya breathed in and he felt his heart change and his eye twitched a bit. "Your eye is changing; you have opened the Ritual Gate." Astral explained as Yuya's left eye was now 20% green.

"My eye changed because of the gates?" Yuya asked.

"Yes, when you used a specific summoning method, the gates are giving you the power, and as a result, you start become heterochromatic. Complete heterochromatic eyes are the result of a true Rank UP. The fact that you have noticed this means you are the one to achieve it." Astral said.

"What's the next gate?" Yuya asked.

Duel Lodge – Main Stairs

Alito cracked his knuckles as he stared down Sawatari, Gongenzaka, Serena, Dennis, Edo, Gloria, Grace, and Noro as well as the few Academia soldiers. "Time to go wild." Alito said.

"You're…" Dennis's eyes widened.

"Alito!" Gongenzaka said.

"Alito…you're one of the commanders of our bases." Edo recalled.

"Hmph, so you're Academia, good. Now I can get sweet revenge, just like I did to the other garbage Duelists." Pink lights were starting to float from the sky and the blue sky disappeared and the dark clouds were replaced with pink and red.

"Hey, what's with the pink lights?" Sawatari looked.

"Those that we have defeated get sent to the Barian World. And we're taking all of you down, whether you're Academia or Resistance." Alito smiled.

"You would go against your comrades?" Noro was shaking a bit.

"Heh, everything is for the Barian World. And we're almost at full power. Once Merag realized her destiny, she will lead the charge!" Alito smiled.

"Merag?" Gongenzaka questioned.

"Oh…you don't know. Well then again, she did just get back from the ruins we took her too." Alito said. "We're talking about your friend, Rio Kamishiro, she's one of us!"

"You're lying! Rio is not a Barian!" Serena refused to believe it.

"It's the truth and she's accepting her destiny; all she needs is one more push. But enough about Merag, it's time I take you lot out!" Alito unleashed powerful shockwave that made everyone brace themselves.

Astral World – Cliffsides

Yuya and Astral were now walking the path up the mountains. "We will open the last gates on this path to the top." Astral said. "Follow me."

Yuya followed Astral to where they found a table full of alchemic materials. "The fourth gate is the Fusion Gate. This gate is about harmony and balance. Take a look at this alchemic table."

"Alchemy is like Fusion. By merging two materials together in perfect ratio and balance do you get something new and powerful and if you change your mind, you can separate them. But forcing a Fusion can result in both materials being lost forever and final piece not being perfect." Astral explained.

"Like the ARC Area Project. Leo Akaba's fusion of the Four Dimension could destroy them." Yuya realized.

"That's right." Astral realized. "Because he is fusing them by force, his risking the loss of everything and everyone. Yuya, what can you do to bring harmony and balance to everyone?"

Yuya closed his eyes and he recalled the Friendship Cup tournament back in Synchro. Even though everyone hated them in the beginning and they were terrible at teamwork, they were able to help each other win and unite the City, all because they started to trust each other. He also recalled the aftermath of the Zero Reverse incident, how the Tops and Commons started working together to help each other.

"Everyone is different, but that's not a bad thing. It might be hard, but if we just take the time to understand one another and compromise, we can become stronger.

"That's right. Everyone is different, but that's okay. If everyone was the same, the world will be boring. Harmony is putting all of those differences together." Astral smiled as Yuya felt his heart change and his eye was now 40% green.

"Excellent, you have opened the Fusion Gate."

Duel Lodge – Back Stairs

Girag smiled as he had a monster behind him that was basically a large hand and all around him were Resistance and Academia members turning into light.

"How could you do this?!" Girag turned to Misawa, who was the only one left. "Weren't the Resistance your friends?!"

"Heh, the only thing those chumps are good for is giving power to Barian World. Now then, you're the last one left." Girag narrowed his eyes.

"Girag!"

Girag saw Reiji, O'Brien, Reira and Tsukikage. "Now the Dimension Guardians are here."

"You're…Misawa Daichi." Reiji recalled his picture.

"If you're gonna fight me, it'll have to wait." Misawa glared at Girag. "I have business to deal with this Barian."

"So, you're a Barian like Misael." Reiji fixed his glasses.

"Oh, so you're the one that defeated Misael? Interesting, I'll take you on." Girag said. "Once you're gone, Merag will have an easier time taking over this place for us."

"Who's Merag?" Tsukikage questioned.

"Oh, you know her. She goes by the name Rio Kamishiro and she's one of us, a Barian." Girag explained.

"Rio is a Barian…" O'Brien was surprised.

"That's…that's not true. Rio is…Rio is our friend." Reira spoke up. Though Reira didn't know Rio that well, he knew that she was a kind and gentle person and would never do anything like the Barians are doing now.

"It's the truth kid. Your friend has been lying to you from the beginning. She knew she was a Barian when she used the Over Hundred Number card." Girag grinned.

"You're lying! You're lying!" Reira cried.

"Shut up, brat!" Girag fired lightning at Reira.

"Reira!" Reiji shielded Reira as the lightning hit him. The lighting was so powerful that Reiji blacked out.

"Big Brother!" Reira cried.

"Reiji." Tsukikage check on him. "He's alive…"

"That's cowardly of you, attacking an innocent child." O'Brien glared at Girag.

"Even enemies can show respect to each other." Misawa got Girag's attention. "That's something that our leader, Kaiser taught us. Even if they are our enemies, I refuse to stand by and let you have your way with them." Misawa opened his jacket to reveal six decks.

"Six decks?" Tsukikage noticed.

"Behold! These six decks are packed with my blood and soul! Wind, as swift as a gale! Water, as peaceful as rain! Fire, as aggressive as a blaze! Earth, as unmovable as land! Dark, thinning its evil to Light the way!" Misawa explained his decks.

"Heh, it doesn't matter what deck you use, I'll burn it to ashes with my Giant Hand Red!" Girag declared.

"Then, I'll use this deck to defeat you!" Misawa inserted his deck into his Duel Disk.

"I'm…I'm fighting too!" Reira ran forward and activated his Duel Disk.

"Hey, wait!" O'Brien was gonna stop Reira but Tsukikage put his hand out to stop him. "Tsukikage?"

"Hey, you need to get back." Misawa warned.

"You can't beat him alone." Reira said. "He took out multiple Duelists by himself. These Barians are super strong that they made my brother suffer! I know we're enemies, but at least for now, let's work together."

"You can just Reira." Tsukikage supported. "He is a child genius. And…he wants to protect his brother, nothing more."

Misawa looked at Reira and then back at Girag. "Well, I have studied his patterns, but he hasn't shown his full power. Fine, but if I say forfeit, you forfeit and run."

"Yes." Reira nodded.

"Time to make mincemeat out of you nerds." Girag activated his Duel Disk.

"Field Magic: Dimension Gates." Reira's Duel Disk created the gates.

"Duel!" Reira, Misawa and Girag declared.

Astral World

Yuya and Astral made it to a clearing where there were multiple animals and flowers everywhere. "The next gate is the Synchro Gate. This gate is about connections and bonds. This gate should be the easiest to open, since you have Accel Synchro."

"Yeah, I formed a lot of connection. Not just with the Dimension Guardians, but all of the people that I have met in the other dimensions." Yuya rolled up his sleeve to look at his Signer Dragon Mark. "No matter how far away we are, we're always connected, and we're willing to help each other out. No matter what."

Yuya felt his heart change and his eye was now 60% green. "The Synchro Gate has been opened." Astral declared.

Duel Lodge – Side Cliffs

"Go! Neo Tachyon!" Misael destroyed the monsters of more Duelists and sending them off to the Barian World. "Pathetic…"

"That's enough!" Misael saw Rin, Crow, Jim and Aki heading towards him. "Dimension Guardians, I hope you can provide more of a challenge."

Karen trembled from behind Jim. "It's okay, Karen." Jim assured her.

"Rargh!" A loud roar, caught everyone's attention. Stomping onto the area was Kenzan and his eyes were silted. "Rargh!" Kenzan charged towards Misael. "Get lost!" Misael sent a shockwave to send Kenzan flying back towards the Guardians. "Just fall like your pathetic soldiers."

"How dare you mock my friends?!" Kenzan's eyes changed back and forth.

"Hey, what's up with this guy?" Crow was confused by Kenzan's behavior.

"Kenzan is a special Duelist. Before he was recruiting into Academia, he got into an accident that resulted in him having a bone transplant. But the bone was actually that of a dinosaur. As a result, Kenzan has Dinosaur DNA, which can cause his animal instincts to emerge." Jim explained. "But even when Dueling with his instincts, he's very strong."

"Dinosaur DNA…that actually sounds really cool." Rin admitted.

"Is it, really?" Aki sweat dropped at Rin's declaration.

"I don't care if your dragon is that tough, I'm gonna destroy it with my dinosaurs!" Kenzan activated his Duel Disk.

"Do you really think you can beat me alone?" Misael mocked.

"I'm gonna back him up!" Rin ran up next to Kenzan and activated her Duel Disk.

"Rin, what are you doing?!" Aki scolded.

"You do realize I'm the enemy. I can stab you in the back." Kenzan glared at Rin.

"Look, the way I see it, he's gonna eliminate both of us so we have better odds of defeating him if we work together. After he's gone, then we can duke it out." Rin said.

"A temporary alliance, huh?" Kenzan sighed. "Alright, but once he's gone, we're enemies again."

"I can live with that." Rin activated her Duel Disk.

"For the Barian World, for Merag!" Misael activated his Duel Disk.

"Field Magic: Dimension Gates." The gates appeared around the Duelists.

"Duel!" Rin, Kenzan and Misael declared.

Astral World

Yuya and Astral arrive at a lake. "We are nearing the end. How do you feel?" Astral asked.

"I feel…good." Yuya admitted. "Like, everything that was holding me down was lifted from my shoulders. It still hurts to remember what was loss but it's also driving me to keep going."

"That means your heart is still pure even after obtaining most of the power." Astral said. "Just two more gates and you will have achieved true Rank Up. I have a feeling you know what the next gate is."

"The Xyz Gate." Yuya answered.

"Yes. The Xyz Gate. This gate deals with the power of Chaos and Rank-Up. As you know, the Astral World has Rank-Up while the Barian World has Chaos. We are from different worlds with different powers, but are we really that different?" Astral asked.

"Separate worlds, separate powers…but they do have something in common. The Xyz Monsters." Yuya said.

"That's right. The Xyz Monsters is the chain link that connects both the Astral World and the Barian World. And some Xyz Monsters are exception in wielding both the power of Chaos and the power of Rank-Up." Astral produced a Duel Disk. "Come forth! Hope!"

Astral summoned a large warrior wearing yellow armor and it created four different versions of himself using Chaos and Rank-Up.

"Chaos and Rank-Up are actually one in the same. You can't have Rank-Up without Chaos, and you can't have Chaos without Rank-Up." Astral said.

"Neither is good or bad, but it depends on the one who uses them." Yuya closed his eyes and he felt his heart change and his eye was now 80% green.

"The Xyz Gate is fully opened." Astral smiled.

Heartland City – Forest

"Don't worry, we're on our way back!" Akari spoke to Asuka on their Duel Disks.

"Okay, but don't push yourselves." Asuka ended the call. She sighed but still had a look of worry.

"What's wrong, Asuka?" Yuzu asked.

"I'm just full of worry right now." Asuka covered her face with her hands. "Jonouchi almost got killed, Yuya is gone in another world we don't know about and there's still no sign of Rio and Rua."

"You shouldn't worry about them. They're all strong and they can take care of themselves." Johan said confidently.

"I know…I know that it's just…right now they're the most important people in my life. I don't want to lose them." Asuka admitted.

"Don't cry, Tenjoin!" Asuka yelped as Jun Manjoume suddenly appeared in front of her. "I, Manjoume Thunder, will ease your worries. Just take my hand in marriage and we will talk to the Professor in sparing them." Manjoume got down on one knee and extended his hand.

"M-Manjoume…" Asuka sweated nervously.

"You're, Academia!" Yuzu prepared to fight him.

"Hey, pipsqueak, stay out of this. The adults are talking." Manjoume shooed Yuzu away.

"Manjoume…I don't have any interest in romance right now." Asuka stepped away.

"Nonsense." Manjoume said. "You need a strong man in your life and there's only one man for that. One! Ten! Hundred! Thousand! Manjoume Thunder!"

"He's really full of himself." Johan crossed his arms.

"He's a dork." Yuzu bluntly stated.

A white light crashed down near them, revealing Durbe. "There you are, coward." Durbe glared at Manjoume.

"Who are you calling a coward?! Have you never heard of tactical retreat?" Manjoume shouted at Durbe.

"But Aniki, you basically ran away screaming like a girl." A spirit form of Ojama Yellow appeared.

"Yeah, you even said yourself that you're no match for him." Ojama Green appeared.

"Isn't it better to be honest with your feelings if you want to impress the girl?' Ojama Black appeared.

"Will you three runts get away from me!" Manjoume started swatting the Ojama Brothers, who dodged all of his strikes.

"What is he doing?" Yuzu was confused as Manjoume was just swatting air.

"Uh, well he can kind of see Duel Monster Spirits, like me. And his partners are, well, the Ojama Brothers." Johan answered. Yuzu shivered at the thought of Ojama cards.

"Ah, I got it!" Manjoume exclaimed. "Tenjoin, let's team up and defeat this guy!"

"Team up?" Asuka questioned.

"An alliance and with your help I can get a good word to the Professor and he'll forgive you for your crimes! Well, Tenjoin, will you fight beside me!" Manjoume once again got on his knee like he was gonna propose.

He was rewarded with a smack from a paper fan. "Asuka isn't in the right mind to work with you. So, as much as I hate to say this, I will work with you." Yuzu activated her Duel Disk.

"But I wanted—" Manjoume was quickly silenced when Yuzu gave him a glare that could kill him instantly. "Okay." Manjoume squeaked as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Even if it's 2 on 1, you won't beat the Barians!" Durbe activated his Duel Disk.

"Oh dear, better get out of the way." Johan pushed Asuka away.

"Field Magic: Dimension Gates." The gates appeared around the field.

"Duel!" Yuzu, Manjoume and Durbe declared.

Duel Lodge – Training Dojo

Academia soldiers were blown away and they flew past Kaiser who remained unresponsive. He looked to see Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, Rise Falcon, Lyrical Eagle Dragon and Red Demon's Dragon Scarlight.

"Kaiser!" Kaito glared at Kaiser.

"Kaito Tenjo…" Kaiser spoke. He then looked at Shun. "You seem different. Last time you trembled at the sight of me."

"Believe it or not, the loss against you has helped me grown stronger. Now you'll regret not turning me into a card." Shun declared.

"We'll see, but you're gonna have to wait your turn." Kaiser looked at Kaito. "I have unfinished business with you."

"As do I, I will never forgive you for what you did to my family." Kaito activated his Duel Disk.

"So now you know the pain I felt when you took my little brother from me." Kaiser said. "Perhaps now I can have an actual challenge." Kaiser activated his Duel Disk. He then grunted as he held his heart. "Endure it, my heart. I still have to complete my mission. I have to do what I did to Shun to Kaito. Only after that…"

"Something's wrong with him." Jack noticed Kaiser's pained expression.

"What do you mean?" Ruri questioned.

"You all stay out of this! This is my fight!" Kaito shouted.

Above in trees, Nash and Vector watched. "Hey, this is getting pretty good. When do we strike?" Vector asked.

"When Merag approaches…you take down Kaito and I will…" Nash looked at Ruri.

"How do you know she's gonna come this way? She could be at the other entrances?" Vector asked.

"There's another reason for those red scarves given to the Resistance. And you'll see it soon." Nash explained.

"Duel!" Kaito and Kaiser declared.

Kaiser LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Kaito LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"I'll go first. Draw!" Kaiser drew his card. "I summon Armored Cybern (DEF: 2000, LV: 4) in Defense Position! I set one card and end my turn!" Kaiser summoned a weaponized monster to the field.

Kaiser LP: 4000, Hand: 4
Kaito LP: 4000, Hand: 5

"A Defense Monster? Don't mock me! My turn! Draw!" Kaito drew his card. "I summon Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400, LV: 4)!" Kaito summoned his Cipher monster. "When there is a Cipher Wing on my field, I can Special Summon another Cipher Wing (ATK: 1400, LV: 4) from my hand!" Kaito summoned another Cipher Wing.

"Next, from my hand, I activate the Continuous Magic: Double Exposure! This card doubles the Levels of my Cipher Wings!" The Levels of the Cipher Wings changed.

Cipher Wing x2 (LV: 4→8)

"I Overlay my two Level 8 Cipher Wings!" Both of Kaito's monsters turned into light and entered the spacelike portal in front of him. ""Galaxy shining in the darkness, dwell in the demonic god of revenge and become my very servant! Xyz Summon! Descend, Rank 8! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon (ATK: 3000, RNK: 8, OVU: 2)!" Kaito summoned his ace monster.

"I use one of Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's Overlay Units to activate its Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can negate an opponent's Monster's effect, and take control of it until the End Phase of this turn! I choose your Armored Cybern! Cipher Projection!"

Cipher Dragon (OVU: 2→1)

Cipher Dragon consumed the Overlay Unit and had its wings hit Armored Cybern and it transferred to Kaito's field. "And then, it becomes a copy of Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, gaining its name and stats!"

Armored Cybern (ATK: 3000, DEF: 2500)

"If he attacks, the Duel is over." Ruri smiled.

"No, it's not that simple." Jack crossed his arms.

"I switch Armored Cybern to Attack Position! Battle! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, attack Kaiser directly! Cipher Stream of Destruction!" Cipher Dragon let out its breath attack.

"Quick-Play Magic: Quick Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon a monster from my hand! Come! Cyber Valley (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Kaiser summoned another Cyber Monster. "Cyber Valley's has three Monster Effects, I'm activating the first one, I banish this card to draw one card and end the Battle Phase!" Kaiser drew a card as his monster was banished and Cipher Dragon's attack disappeared.

"Tch…I set two cards and end my turn! At this moment, Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's effect ends and control of the monster's return to their owners." The Armored Cybern went back to Kaiser's field with its stats returned.

Armored Cybern (ATK: 0, DEF: 2000)

Kaiser LP: 4000, Hand: 4
Kaito LP: 4000, hand: 1

"Not a bad tactic, taking my monster and using it against me. If it were anybody else, it would deal a psychological shock. But real Duels are more than that, you're still just a novice in my book! My turn! Draw!" Kaiser drew his card.

"By discarding one Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, to Special Summon Cyber Dragon Nachster (ATK: 200, LV: 1)!" Kaiser summoned another Cyber Dragon monster. "This monster is treated as Cyber Dragon on the field or in the Graveyard."

"Next, I activate Nachster's effect! When this card is summoned, I can Special Summon a monster with 2100 Attack or Defense Points from my Graveyard! Appear! Cyber Dragon (ATK: 2100, LV: 5)!" Kaiser summoned his Cyber Dragon.

"Next, I Normal Summon Cyber Dragon Drei (ATK: 1800, LV: 4)! Kaiser summoned another Cyber monster. "When this monster is Normal Summoned, all Cyber Dragon monster on my field become Level 5! And this monster is treated as Cyber Dragon while on the field or in the Graveyard.

Cyber Dragon Drei (LV: 4→5)
Cyber Dragon Nachster (LV: 1→5)

"I Overlay my Level 5 Cyber Dragon Drei and Nachster!" The two monsters turned into light and entered the spacelike portal in front of Kaiser.

"Mechanical Dragon with a light as bright as the sun, appear on this battlefield and shine for everyone to see! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 5! Cyber Dragon Nova (ATK: 2100, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Kaiser summoned his Xyz Monster.

"You have an Xyz Monster too?!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Did you really think I would stick to the same strategies forever?" Kaiser questioned. "A True Duelist always evolve, and learns something new, even if it's from their enemies."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Kaiser is right." Shun said. "My loss against him and my match against his fake clone helped me embrace Fusion, even though it was my enemy."

"So, in a way, Kaiser helped you." Ruri looked at Kaiser.

"Hey, hey, this guy is kind of interesting." Vector eyed Kaiser.

"Remember the plan, Vector." Nash scolded.

"Even though you summoned an Xyz Monster, it's still weaker than my Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon." Kaito said.

"Didn't you hear me; I learn from my enemies! I Overlay the Rank 5 Cyber Dragon Nova!" Kaiser overlayed Cyber Dragon Nova.

"What?!" Kaito gasped along with Shun and Ruri.

"Mechanical Dragon, go beyond your limits and soar to infinity and beyond! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 6! Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 2100, RNK: 6, OVU: 3)!" Kaiser summoned an evolved Cyber Dragon Xyz Monster.

"You even mastered advanced Xyz Summon." Shun said.

"I activate Cyber Dragon Infinity's monster effect! Once per turn, I can select one monster in Attack Position and have it become an Overlay Unit. I choose your Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Cyber Dragon Infinity roared and the first Galaxy-Eyes started to turn to an Overlay Unit.

"I activate the Trap Card: Double Cipher! I detach all Overlay Units from Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon and Special Summon a Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon from my Extra Deck, ignoring the summoning conditions! Descend! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon (ATK: 3000, RNK: 8)!" Kaito brought out another Galaxy-Eyes just as his first one was turned into an Overlay Unit.

Cyber Dragon Infinity (OVU: 3→4)

"Cyber Dragon Infinity gains 200 Attack Points for every Overlay Unit it possesses." Kaiser added.

Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 2100→2900)

"It's still weaker than Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, but he's not done, not by a long shot." Jack narrowed his eyes.

"I activate Armored Cybern's effect! This card becomes an Equip Card to a Cyber Machine-type monster! I equip it to Cyber Dragon Infinity!" The armored weapon attached itself to the Xyz Cyber Dragon.

"Then, I activate its effect, by decreasing the equipped monster's Attack Points by 1000, I can destroy one card on the field! I destroy Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" The cannon fired a shot at Kaito's monster.

Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 2900→1900)

"I won't let you! I activate my Trap Card: Cipher Deterrent! One Cipher monster on my field cannot be destroyed in battle or card effects this turn, also, when it battles, its Attack Points are doubled!" Kaito played his second trap.

"Useless! Cyber Dragon Infinity's Monster Effect! By using one Overlay Unit, it negates the activation of a card on the field and destroy it!" Cyber Dragon Infinity consumed an Overlay Unit and Kaito's Trap was destroyed.

Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 1900→1700, OVU: 4→3)

"It's Attack Points went down but…" Ruri got worried.

"Kaito has no monster to defend himself with." Jack said. "This Kaiser fellow anticipated his every move. He knew what Kaito was gonna do and came up with the perfect countermeasures for him. He's definitely worthy of the title Kaiser."

"Battle! Cyber Dragon Infinity! Direct Attack! Infinity Burst!" Cyber Dragon Infinity unleashed its breath attack and it struck Kaito sending him flying back.

Kaito LP: 4000→2300

"Cyber Dragon! Direct Attack! Evolution Burst!" Kaiser's mechanical dragon towered over Kaito and unleashed its attack point blank, making Kaito scream in pain as the ground around him formed into a crater.

Kaito LP: 2300→200

"Kaito!" Ruri cried out.

"3800 points of damage just like that." Shun was surprised. "And against Kaito no less."

"And he's still not serious." Jack spoke, surprising Ruri and Rin.

"What?" Ruri gasped.

"Look at his face." Jack gestured to Kaiser's face, which was stoic and uninterested. "He is bored and not challenged. That's the look I would give to my opponent's during the Exhibition Matches back home."

"Oh wow, this is a classic." Vector smiled. "He's holding back on purpose just so he can give the other person a fighting chance. And when they evolve, bam! I love it!" Vector clapped giggly.

"Vector, there!" Nash pointed towards a path leading to where the others are. He saw Rio carrying Rua up the steps.

"Oh, Nash, you know me so well! Why let Kaiser finish off Kaito, when I can swoop in and do it myself! Now to time it just right." Vector was ready to move.

Kaito grunted as he sat up. "From my hand, I activate Cipher Angel's effect! When the Battle Phase ends, if I received Battle Damage from an Xyz Monster, by sending this card to the Graveyard, I gain 500 Life Points for every Overlay Unit that monster possesses."

Kaito LP: 200→1700

"I set one card and end my turn!" Kaiser finished his turn. "At this moment, Armored Cybern's effect ends, and my Cyber Dragon Infinity's Attack Points go up.

Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 1700→2700)

Kaiser LP: 4000, Hand: 1
Kaito LP: 1700, Hand: 0

"To be honest, I'm disappointed." Kaiser said. "I would have expected you to evolve and get stronger since you are one of the best Duelist the Resistance has to offer. But it seems I was wrong. You haven't grown one bit, that's why you don't deserve to reunite with your brother, you're a coward!"

"I'm the coward…you're the one that went after my family! My little brother can't Duel, but you turned him into a card!" Kaito growled. "Not just Haruto, but all of the children of Heartland! You monsters turned them into cards when they couldn't fight back. Your brother could fight back, but not them!"

"My turn! Draw!" Kaito drew his card. "I activate the Rank-Up Magic - Final Stand! This card's activation and effect cannot be negated! This card Special Summons an Xyz Monster from the Graveyard! Revive! Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!" Cipher Dragon returned to the field.

"Then, I use it as material to Xyz Summon an Xyz Monster that is two ranks higher!" Galaxy-Eyes turned into light and flew into the sky. "Galaxy shining in the darkness, become glad in the armor or revenge and descend as my strongest servant! Rank Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 10! Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 4000, RNK: 10, OVU: 1)!" Cipher Dragon reappeared but this time clad in armor.

"With this, the winning conditions have changed." Kaito said. "If the Xyz Monster summoned by Final Stand is destroyed, I will lose the Duel automatically! But I'm ending this right now! I activate Full Armor Cipher Dragon's effect! By using all of its Overlay Units, I destroy all monsters on the opponent's field and deal half of their Attack Points as damage and this effect cannot be negated!" Full Armor Cipher Dragon shined its wings down on Kaiser's monsters and destroyed them.

Kaiser LP: 4000→1600

"Hell Kaiser! Are you ready to repent?!" Kaito glared at Kaiser with hatred. "Battle! Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Cipher Dragon! Direct Attack! Full Armor Cipher Stream of Destruction!" Full Armor Cipher Dragon roared down at Kaiser.

Kaiser took most of his cards out of his deck and threw them forward. The cards absorbed most of the attack but a bit hit Kaiser, making him fall to his knee.

Kaiser LP: 1600→500

"What?!" Kaito gasped. "Why was the damage reduced?"

"I activated the Trap Card: Power Wall. When this card is activated, I send any number of cards from my deck to the Graveyard and reduce the damage by 100 for each card sent to the Graveyard. I discarded 31 cards to reduce the damage by 3100." Kaiser explained.

"But you only have one card left, next turn, I win." Kaito declared.

"No…I can't allow you to win, not yet." Kaiser clutched his heart. "I still have a mission to complete. Once I complete it, my legacy as Hell Kaiser will be etched throughout all the dimensions. A legacy that will surpass that of the Dragon Soldiers. My final Duel, my Duel against Leo Akaba will be the best one I will have!"

"You want to Duel against Leo Akaba?" Kaito's eyes widened. "But why?"

"Heh…" Kaiser said. "Sometimes to defeat your enemies, you must fool your allies. But the question remains, who's my enemies and who's my allies? Who did I antagonize in order to get stronger, who did I praise to lower their guard? Who did I entrust the future of the Fusion Dimension?"

"Wait…you mean all this time…" Shun realized what Kaiser was talking about.

"Bravo! Bravo!" A clap was heard as Vector appeared. "Man, you are a good actor, you should have your own show. And I have just the perfect title, The Shocking Truth!"

"Vector?" Ruri was surprised.

"And now here's my version of the Shocking Truth! Da da da duuun!" Vector transformed into his Barian form. He then activated his Duel Disk.

"Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Points."

Vector LP: 4000→2000, Hand: 5

"He's a Barian!" Jack exclaimed.

"You're not interfering!" Shun was gonna activate his Duel Disk.

"Don't think about it." Nash appeared in front of Shun.

"Ryoga? You too!" Shun was surprised.

"Everything is for the Barian World, and I will do whatever means to protect it." Nash declared.

"Ahh!" Everyone saw a copy of Nash grab Ruri by her hair.

"Ruri!" Shun shouted but was silenced by a punch in the gut by Nash.

"You!" Jack punched Nash, but Nash turned into a water and the real Nash, briefly let go of Ruri, making her trip and fall on the floor, appeared before Jack and punched him square in the face.

"Shun! Jack!" Ruri was gonna get up until a foot stomped on her head, making her cry in pain.

"Ryoga! What are you doing?!" Kaito shouted.

"Hmph, you have other things to worry about. They're all yours, Vector!" Nash took Ruri away with him.

"My turn! Draw!" Vector drew his card. "I activate the Rank Up Magic – The Seventh One! I Special Summon Number 104: Masquerade Magician – Shining to the field and then Rank it up!" Vector summoned his Over Hundred Number and then made it soar into the sky.

"When the force of Barian born from Chaos will cover up the light, the great darkness will dance! Appear! Chaos Number 104: Masquerade Magician – Umbral (ATK: 3000, RNK: 5, OVU: 1)!" Vector summoned his Chaos Number.

"Chaos Number…" Kaiser looked at it.

"Heh, it's almost time." Vector smiled as he heard footsteps in the distance.

Astral World – Top of the Mountain

"We have made it to the final gate. Once you open this gate, you will have achieved true Rank-Up and combined with the power of Chaos, you will evolved even your strongest monsters." Astral said.

"Let's do it." Yuya smiled.

"The final gate was recently discovered thanks to you. It is the Pendulum Gate and it is the hardest gate to open. The Pendulum swings back and forth in a never-ending battle within oneself. The goal is to get that pendulum to stop." Astral explained.

"How do I get it to stop?" Yuya asked.

"As I said, the pendulum swinging back and forth is a never-ending battle within oneself. In order to end the battle, you must find inner peace. To do that, you must move on from your tragedies." Astral said.

"But…the tragedies, they give me hope. They make me believe that its possible to get everything back. I can't give up that hope." Yuya argued.

"I'm not saying you should give up hope. I'm saying that you need to accept that there are some things you can't change. You must let go." Astral said.

Yuya seemed was now conflicted and that made his Pendulum swing back and forth. No wonder Astral said this would be the hardest gate. "I…I'll try…"

Yuya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He thought of Yuto, Yugo and Yuri sacrificing themselves, his father being turned into that monstrous dragon, his mother splitting the world. "You need to let go." Astral advised.

Yuya started to pant but then he saw something else.

"Giant Hand Red! Attack!" He saw Reira being blown back along with O'Brien, Reiji, Tsukikage and Misawa being damaged.

"Caestus! Blow them away!" Gongenzaka was punched so hard that he was knocked out of his iron sandals and Serena, Dennis, Sawatari, Edo, Noro, Gloria and Grace screamed.

"Tachyon Dragon! Incinerate them!" Rin and Kenzan were cursed by the dragon's power while Crow, Aki and Jim were suffering from the shockwaves.

"Unholy Demon! Destroy that dragon!" He saw Melodious Flower Dragon being destroyed and Yuzu screaming in pain along with Manjoume, Asuka and Johan.

"Kill them!" A maniacal laughter echoed as Kaito, Shun, Jack and Kaiser were all blown away.

"Jonouchi, stay with me! Stay with me!" Akari was giving Jonouchi CPR as he was pale as a ghost.

"Almost there, Rua. Almost there." Rio was exhausted and the light in her eyes was disappearing as Rua got heavier for her.

"Abyss, once more!" He saw a giant monster loom over a tied-up Ruri and it drowned her with water and she was struggling to breath. "Call him! Call Yuya Sakaki!"

"You…have to…kill me…" Ruri coughed out water. Ruri was then drowned once more.

Yuya gasped as he opened his eyes. "I have to leave! Everyone is in danger!" Yuya got up.

"Wait, Yuya, you can't!" Astral shouted. Yuya summoned his D-Wheel and rode off. "This is bad, if he goes without mastering the last gate, he'll lose himself!"

"Dark Rebellion, take me back!" Yuya drove and played Dark Rebellion to head back to the Xyz Dimension.

Vector vs Kaito vs Kaiser

"Now it's time for the main star of the show! I activate another Rank-Up Magic Card in my hand! Rank-Up Magic – Imaginary Force! This Ranks Up my Chaos Xyz Monster into a Chaos Imaginary Xyz Monster!" Umbral flew into the sky once more.

"Magician of the Barian World, now is the time to take in all of the chaos in the world and give everyone the judgement of death! Chaos Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 10! Chaos Imaginary Number 104: Masquerade Magician – Grim (ATK: 4000, RNK: 10, OUV: 2)!" Vector summoned a magician dressed as the Grim Reaper.

At that moment, Rio came up to the stairs. "Kaito!"

"Rio!" Kaito turned to her.

"Yay! Merag's here!" Vector cheered happily. "The Surprise Guest of the Shocking Truth is here! Kaito, your little girlfriend is one of us! She's a Barian, you're enemy!"

"What?" Kaito gasped.

"Kaito…it's true, I'm a Barian." Rio chose not to lie. "But…I'm still gonna fight for you and the Resistance. Once that's over, I'll leave the Xyz Dimension and stay in the Barian World."

"Looks like Nash was right, he's the reason you hold on to your human feelings." Vector glared. "Looks like I'll take out the trash! I activate Grim's effect! By using a Chaos Overlay Unit, I can send any number of cards from my deck to the Graveyard to lower an opposing monster's Attack Points by 500 and the opponent also takes 100! Let's see, how many should I send? You only have 1700 Life Points, so four should be enough…by why do that when I can just reduce your pathetic dragon to nothing! I send eight cards to the Graveyard!"

"Vector, no!" Rio cried.

"First card!" Vector discarded the first card and Grim swung its scythe at Galaxy-Eyes Full Armor Cipher Dragon, damaging the armor and Kaito got cut as well.

Galaxy-Eyes Full Armored Cipher Dragon (ATK: 4000→3500)
Kaito LP: 1700→1600

"Second one!" The same thing happened and both Kaito and Galaxy Eyes got cut.

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 3500→3000)
Kaito LP: 1600→1500

"Stop it!" Rio shouted.

"Third!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 3000→2500)
Kaito LP: 1500→1400

"Fourth!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 2500→2000)
Kaito LP: 1400→1300

Kaiser gritted his teeth as he held his heart.

"Fifth!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 2000→1500)
Kaito LP: 1300→1200

"Sixth!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 1500→1000)
Kaito LP: 1200→1100

Rio set Rua down against a tree and ran.

"Seventh!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 1000→500)
Kaito LP: 1100→1000

"Eight!"

Full Armor Cipher Dragon (ATK: 500→0)
Kaito LP: 1000→900

"Vector enough!" Rio shouted as she was about to activate her Duel Disk.

"Not yet!" Vector fired chains that trapped Rio and making her fall. "You're gonna miss the best part."

"Vector, don't! Please!" Rio begged.

Vector gasped and he held his head. "I-It's not me…" Vector started sounding different.

"Vector?" Rio was confused.

"The…imaginary power…belongs to the Astral World." Vector said before he screamed in pain again and got sadistic.

"Time for the big finale! Battle! Grim, attack Galaxy-Eyes Full Armored Cipher Dragon! Death Blade!" Vector ordered Grim. Grim charged and raised its scythe.

"NO!" Rio cried as Grim decapitated the dragon and sending Kaito flying back towards the Duel Lodge and his head hit the wall hard.

Kaito LP: 900→0

The chains around Rio disappeared and she got up. "Kaito!" Rio ran to Kaito and knelt down to him. "Kaito! Kaito! Kaito!" Rio shook Kaito but he didn't respond. Rio put her hand on his chest and she felt it get wet. She looked at her palm and it was covered in blood.

"Kaito…" Rio pulled Kaito closer to her as tears fell down her face.

Heartland City – Kamishiro House

Yuya appeared in a flash of light in a decorated house. He quickly got off and noticed his foot was wet with water. "Ruri! Ruri!" Yuya shouted as he started running around and opening doors, trying to find Ruri.

He then opened the door to the living room and he saw Ruri on the floor. "Ruri!" Yuya quickly ran to her and knelt down. He put two fingers on her neck. "No…" He put his head on her chest to hear her heartbeat but there was nothing. "No!"

Yuya then tried doing CPR on Ruri, but nothing changed after he did it three times. "No…" Yuya cried and he held Ruri in his arms. "Ruri…"

"She was loyal until the end." Nash appeared behind Yuya. "Loyal, but a fool… But now that you're here, the Astral World's final hope is…"

"No…" Yuya muttered.

Duel Lodge – Training Dojo

"No…" Ruri trembled as she continued to hold Kaito.

Heartland City

"NO!" Two screams echoed throughout the city and huge burst of fire and ice engulfed the entire town, catching everyone, including the Barians off guard. Half of the city was now blazing hot and the plants and water dried up while the other half was covered in ice, killing the plants and freezing the water.

Duel Lodge – Training Dojo

Rio's Barian tattoo covered her entire body and she changed into her Barian Form.

"Ah, love the breeze!" Vector opened his arms to the cold storm.

Kaiser grunted as he stood up. "This is bad…" Kaiser had no choice. He went to Rua and picked him up while dragging Shun and Reiji away.

Heartland City – Kamishiro Residence

"Wh-What is this?!" Nash was taken aback by the power Yuya was releasing. He then saw that Yuya was changing. His body was now scaly like a dragon, he drew horns on his head and his eyes changed from red and part green to gold yellow and they became silted. He then grew fangs and his nails got sharper and two large wings sprout from behind him.

"What are you?!" Nash asked.

"I…" Yuya said. "I WILL KILL ALL BARIANS!

Duel Lodge – Training Dojo

"The imaginary power…the Astral World…" Rio clenched her fist. "I WILL KILL ALL THOSE AFFILIATED WITH ASTRAL WORLD!"

"I think I acted too well." Vector started to sweat.

And that is the end of Chapter 19. I think this is one of my longest chapters to date. We're going back to regular schedule so stay tuned for the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.

Preview: Consumed by grief, Yuya and Rio unleash their unstable power in rage against the Barians and Astral World respectively. With their plan backfired, Nash and Vector try to tame the two Guardians. With things getting out of control, Kaiser makes contact with an old ally who has finally recovered and is bringing help.

Next Time: Dragon Demon and Frozen Witch