The Noise were practically swarming all over the city. Hibiki, Tsubasa and Miku were doing their best to fight off the threat.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Dark Flame Shot!" Hibiki shouted. "Junk Warrior! Scrap Fist!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon unleashed a ball of flames that obliterated multiple rogue Duel Monsters. Meanwhile, Junk Warrior sped along the battlefield, smashing apart any enemies.
"Destiny HERO - Dogma!" Miku shouted. "Death Chronicle!"
Dogma blasted apart the rogue Duel Monsters with violet energy from his chest.
"Black Luster Soldier!" Tsubasa shouted. "Chaos Blade!"
Black Luster Soldier's blade beam tore through the Noise, but it was getting ridiculous with how many monsters there were now. At this rate, they'd be overwhelmed.
"Miku! Now's a good time to try out our new friends!" Hibiki shouted, pulling out the card.
"Right!" Miku pulled out her card as well.
"Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"
"Destiny HERO - Dystopia!"
In a burst of light, the two monsters were summoned to the field alongside them. Clear Wing let out a fearsome roar, while Dystopia had his arms crossed as they faced down the enemies.
"Whirlwind Helldive Slasher!" Hibiki shouted.
"Dystopia Blow!" Miku called.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon became a whirlwind of power as it rammed right through the enemy. Dystopia charged up energy in his fist and took out the rogue Duel Monsters, one by one.
"Is this enough…?" Tsubasa muttered. The enemy numbers seemed to be growing as fast as they could take them out.
As the Noise attacked the city, Chris Yukine stuck to the back alley. She stayed out of their view, tightly gripping her fist. She heard a roar and pulled out her cards, holding up Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.
"You want me to help them?" Chris asked. "Hah, not a chance."
The cards glew, and their roars were only heard by Chris.
"So what if I owe that girl, Miku?" Chris said. "She was paying me back for earlier anyways. We're already even."
The cards glew brighter.
"No, I don't want to be friends with them! They annoy me!"
The glow slightly faded.
"H-Hey! Stop crying you two!" Chris said. "Quit it!"
The glow faded further.
"Fine!" Chris yelled. "Once I find Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon and the rest of them, I'll go help them! Is that good enough?!"
The cards glew bright again.
"Jeez, you guys are always handfuls…" Chris muttered, slipping her cards away before walking further down the alley.
She put one hand on the wall, stopping to remember.
The flames that had taken her family… and Finé was the one that saved her life.
But now… she wasn't so sure.
She grumbled as she continued to walk.
An enemy Kuraz the Light Monarch held out his hand, ready to blast away several of their monsters.
"Dichroic Mirror!" Hibiki shouted.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon unleashed light from her wings, obliterating the monster. Clear Wing spread her arms, growing stronger.
"Noble Justice!" Miku shouted.
Destiny HERO - Dystopia held out his hand, and a vacuum of air shot out at a Megalosmasher X, sucking it into his palm. The hero closed his fist, destroying the shark-like dinosaur. But even with the support of their new allies, the Noise and Duel Monster army outnumbered them by a ridiculous amount.
"We're getting nowhere." Tsubasa said, as Black Luster Soldier slashed apart another monster. "We need a way to destroy them all at once…"
"All at once…" Hibiki widened her eyes. "I got it! Pick us up, Clear Wing!"
"They seem to be handling themselves fine, Commander." Aoi told Genjuro.
He nodded with a smile. "Good. Hopefully they'll be able to handle things and get back in time-"
The lights started to flicker again, and the area shook. Fujitaka looked at the screen, only to see static where the camera feed should've been.
"What's going on?" He said. "Our cameras aren't picking up the feed outside."
"I'll go check." Genjuro said. "Ogawa, with me."
The younger man nodded, as the two left the bridge to find the cause.
As soon as they did, Ryoko smiled to herself.
Clear Wing Synchro Dragon dropped off the trio atop a tall building. The Noise and Duel Monsters climbed the sides, and were moving fast.
"Are you sure about this, Tachibana?" Tsubasa asked. "If this doesn't work, it's almost certain we'll lose all of our life points."
"It'll be fine!" Hibiki said.
"Saying this on top of a tall building, surrounded by Noise and Duel Monsters does not inspire confidence, Hibiki." Miku said.
Hibiki shrugged, before taking her cards off her Duel Disk. Tsubasa and Miku did the same, and their monsters faded away. The first few rogue Duel Monsters had reached the top.
"Take it away, Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki said.
Tsubasa nodded, before pulling out a card and placing it on her Duel Disk.
"When the forces of light and darkness combine, they open the gates of chaos!" Tsubasa chanted. "I summon, Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!"
The massive dragon of the apocalypse rose, letting out a mighty roar. All the Noise and Duel Monsters stopped in their tracks. Several of the Duel Monsters turned around to try and escape, but they had no such luck.
"Burn everything!" Tsubasa shouted. "Cemetery of Fire!"
Chaos Emperor Dragon reared back his head, before unleashing a massive stream of fire from his mouth. The flames acted like a liquid, practically drowning all of the monsters in a sea of flames. Every single one of the monsters shattered, and the Noise went with them. After the massacre, Chaos Emperor Dragon shattered as well, and Tsubasa fell to one knee.
"Tsubasa-san!" Hibiki said, leaning down and supporting her friend.
"I'm fine." Tsubasa said. "That just took a lot more out of me than I thought."
"It worked." Miku said, as her visor retracted. "Not a single one was left."
"Then it's mission accomplished!" Hibiki grinned as she contacted HQ. "Hear that? We did it!"
All Hibiki and the others got was static.
"Huh?" Hibiki tapped her D-Gazer again. "Commander? Hello? Anyone?"
"The communications are cut off." Tsubasa realized. "Something's wrong."
Tsubasa's words proved to be true, as Lydian Private Duel Academy was under attack. Students were screaming as several Duel Monsters were attacking the school. Dragons fired blasts of energy from their mouths at the dorms, while the smaller monsters were chasing after the students.
"This isn't like how they said it was!" Yumi Itaba shouted as she ran with her friends. "The textbooks never said Duel Monsters act like this!"
She ran into a corner with Shiori and Kuriyo. The Noise and Duel Monsters closed in on them, before a voice called out.
"Earth Armor Ninja!"
With a slash of its blade, an armored ninja in a brown gi appeared, slashing apart the rogue Duel Monster. He held up his blade to defend the girls. Ogawa ran onto the scene, holding up his Duel Disk. Genjuro was right behind him, ready to activate his own.
"You three, get away!" Genjuro told them. "We'll handle this!"
"Wait, you can summon the monsters to fight?" Shiori asked.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Kuriyo said, as she and Shiori activated her Duel Disks.
"They're just holograms!" Yumi said. "This isn't like anime where-!"
"Heroic Champion - Excalibur!" Kuriyo shouted.
"Fortune Lady Every!" Shiori called.
A red and silver warrior with a massive broadsword appeared at Kuriyo's side, while a girl in white robes and teal hair with a black tail and red staff appeared next to Shiori.
"Cut in Two! Finishing Attack of True Sword!" Kuriyo shouted.
Excalibur swung his sword and slashed several rogue Duel Monsters in half.
"It worked?!" Ogawa said, as he and Genjuro were stunned at this development.
"Oh holy crap, it's exactly like anime!" Yumi shouted. "My turn! Let's go, Dragonmaid Sheou!"
A massive black and white dragon with red highlights flapped her wings next to Yumi.
"This… is… AWESOME!" Yumi shouted as her dragon blasted the rogue Duel Monsters and Noise.
Genjuro narrowed his eyes as the girls fought off the enemy. Several of the other students picked up on this and started summoning monsters of their own. Normally, they'd have to be chosen by the Duel Monsters to be able to actually fight in a Noise Duel, yet Tomosato and Fujitaka were able to do so without issue, though that was against Chris. Then Ogawa did it as a throwaway attempt and it worked, and now we have several students able to do it as well. What's going on…?
"Behind you!" Ogawa shouted.
Yumi turned around to see several of the Duel Monsters had gotten to her from behind. Dragonmaid Sheou wouldn't be able to reach her in time.
But another dragon could.
"Photon Stream of Destruction!"
A blast of energy obliterated every one of them, and everyone heard a flap of wings as Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon descended.
"You're…!" Genjuro realized.
Chris was standing on the back of the dragon, arms crossed. She looked around, before scoffing.
"Oh, so a bunch of randos can summon Duel Monsters now?" Chris snarked. "I'm starting to feel less special."
"Hey! We're not just a bunch of randos!" Yumi called up to her.
"Are you here to help us?" Genjuro asked.
"Don't be ridiculous." Chris said as she jumped down from her dragon. "You guys have something that belongs to me."
"The rest of your cards…" Genjuro remembered.
"I'm gonna have to ask you to give them back to me." Chris said. "I could hear Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon crying. We'll keep the situation under control here."
Genjuro looked and saw Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon obliterate several more monsters and Noise, supported by the Duel Monsters of the various students.
"Very well, I'll leave it to you." Genjuro said. "Ogawa, with me!"
Ogawa nodded, as the two ran off back to the Sector Two HQ.
"Alright!" Chris shouted, placing two more cards on her Duel Disk. "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Number 39: Utopia!"
The two Xyz monsters took to the field, and Yumi shouted out in awe. "Kyaaa! She has Utopia!"
"That's right!" Chris grinned. "Let's take them all down!"
The elevator dropped down to the underground HQ, and both Ogawa and Genjuro stepped out of it.
"Do you remember where we left her cards?" Genjuro asked Ogawa.
"Cyber Energy Shock!"
Ogawa and Genjuro looked down the hall to see Aoi and Fujitaka get knocked into a wall. Their life points dropped to zero and their monsters shattered. While their injuries weren't life threatening, the damage was quite visible.
"You two!" Genjuro shouted as he and Ogawa ran over. "What happened?!"
"Turns out… there was a traitor in our midst…" Tomosato coughed out.
Genjuro and Ogawa looked up to see who was walking down the hall, equipped with a repaired Solomon's Duel Disk.
"Ryoko?" Genjuro said, stunned.
"Ryoko's on sabbatical, honey." The woman said with a smirk.
"Finé…" Ogawa guessed.
"Bingo."
There was a small flash of gold, as Ryoko's hair unfurled and loosened itself, and the brown turned into a brilliant shade of blonde. Somehow, her lab coat seemed to sharpen at the hem.
"So she was the one that manipulated Chris." Genjuro realized. "Ryoko… did you cause that accident at Zwei Wing's last concert as well?"
The smile on Finé's face told him everything.
"Now, I'll ask nicely." Finé said. "I know where you stored Artifact Durendal, but only you have enough clearance to get to it. How about you give it to me and I won't have to send you to the Shadow Realm?"
"You should know me by now, Ryoko." Genjuro said, activating his own Duel Disk and slotting in his deck. "But I'll beat Finé out of you if I have to."
Finé chuckled as she held up Solomon's Duel Disk. "Ah, you always were a foolish man."
"Ogawa." Genjuro said. "Get Tomosato and Fujitaka to the surface and out of here. And check for anyone else that might still be down here.
"Yes sir!" Ogawa said.
The ninja duelist grabbed his two Sector Two coworkers, disappearing almost instantly. Hearing them disappear, Genjuro and Finé both drew 5 cards.
"Duel!"
Their life point counters both sat at 4000.
"I'll start things off by playing this!" Finé said, placing a spell into the Duel Disk. "Cost Down! I'll discard a card, and this lowers all the levels of the monsters in my hand by two. Then, since the level of the monster has lowered from 6, I'll normal summon my now level 4 Jinzo!"
The tall green cyborg stood with his arms crossed, boasting an impressive 2400 attack points.
"When Jinzo's on the field, you can't use trap cards." Finé explained. "I'll then end my turn."
"Then it's my turn!" Genjuro shouted. "Draw!"
Genjuro looked at the cards in his hand. He had just what he needed to destroy Jinzo.
"I'll activate the spell card, Double Summon!" Genjuro said. "This will allow me to summon two monsters instead of one this turn! Then I'll normal summon, Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw and Battlin' Boxer Shadow!"
Glassjaw was a muscular green man taller than Genjuro, with black boxing gloves and headgear. Shadow was a dark gray boxer that also had black gloves and headgear, but was covered in wraps to look like a ninja.
"With my level 4 Glassjaw and level 4 Shadow, I build the overlay network!" Genjuro shouted.
The two boxing monsters turned into beams of light, which entered a swirling portal on the ground.
"Settle your differences in the ring, and become a fist stronger than steel!" Genjuro chanted. "Xyz Summon! Enter the ring! Rank 4! Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser!"
From the portal jumped out a mighty boxer, in red, gold and silver armor. It had two wings on the back, and the number 79 on the left of its abdomen. Armed with mechanical brass knuckles, it boasted 2300 attack points.
"Nova Kaiser gains 100 attack points for each overlay unit it has!" Genjuro added. "And then I'll activate his ability to add another Battlin' Boxer from my hand as another overlay unit!"
Nova Kaiser slammed his knuckles together, as his attack points jumped to 2600.
"Then I'll activate the spell card, Fissure!" Genjuro declared. "This will destroy your monster with the lowest attack points, and since you only have one monster…"
A hole opened up underneath Jinzo, swallowing up the cybernetic creature in one go.
"Go! Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser!" Genjuro ordered. "Nova Knuckle!"
Finé raised her arm to protect herself, but it failed to do anything, as Nova Kaiser punched her in the stomach, before following up with a right hook, and finishing with an uppercut. She was launched into the ceiling, before crashing back down on the ground.
"Turn end. Had enough, Ryoko?" Genjuro asked, as her life points dropped to 1400.
Finé simply started to chuckle as she slowly stood up.
"Oh, I have had enough… of your foolishness." Finé said. "I draw!"
Finé looked at the card she drew, and smirked.
"Since you control an extra deck monster and I don't, I special summon Cipher Twin Raptor!"
Genjuro widened his eyes, seeing the familiar mechanical dinosaur take to the field.
"And because I control a Cipher monster, I can then special summon Cipher Wing from my hand!" Finé added.
The mechanical wings of light flew next to Cipher Twin Raptor.
"You're using Chris-kun's cards…" Genjuro realized. "Why?"
Finé laughed. "She left them behind. These monsters will do well to serve me."
Genjuro tightened his fist in anger. Seeing Finé use cards that don't belong to her, to someone she manipulated, that was beyond enraging.
"Once it reaches the next turn, I'll have to take those cards back for her." Genjuro said.
"There won't be a next turn, my dear Genjuro-kun." Finé taunted, causing Genjuro to grit his teeth. "Because I activate Cipher Twin Raptor's ability, and I discard Cipher Etranger to special summon another Cipher Wing from my deck."
A second set of wings took to the field.
"And when I discard Cipher Etranger, I can add one Cipher spell or trap to my hand." Finé said. "And I choose Rank-Up-Magic Cipher Ascension! And now, I tribute one Cipher Wing, to increase the other Cipher Wing and Cipher Twin Raptor's levels by 4 each!"
The second Cipher Wing went up in light particles, as both the first Cipher Wing and Cipher Twin Raptor's levels jumped from 4 to 8.
"And with these two, I'll build the overlay network!" Finé declared.
The two Cipher monsters entered the swirling portal on the ground. Finé began to chant as the portal grew stronger.
"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!"
Genjuro grimaced, seeing one of Chris' ace monsters take the field. It let out a roar, which Genjuro wrongly guessed was intimidation.
Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon was crying.
Chris froze, as Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon blasted away another rogue Duel Monster. Her dragon followed as well, looking around.
"You heard that too, huh?" Chris said. "That must mean…"
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon roared in rage, realizing what had happened to his fellow Galaxy-Eyes brethren.
"I'm never forgiving her…" Chris said in a low voice. "Let's go!"
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon picked up Chris, flying towards the elevator. Several of the Noise got in their way, blocking their path. Their movements weren't natural, almost like they were being controlled.
"So she fixed up Solomon's Duel Disk." Chris said. "Doesn't matter. Photon Stream of Destruction!"
"I'd say that won't finish me off, but I remembered what you added to your hand earlier." Genjuro frowned.
"Oh, good to see you're paying attention." Finé said. "I then activate Rank-Up-Magic Cipher Ascension!"
A yellow portal of energy formed on the floor, and Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon sank into it, sparking with electricity.
"Rank-Up-Magic lets me summon a Cipher monster from my extra deck, by using an Xyz monster that's one rank lower." Finé explained. "Rank-Up, Xyz Change!"
The portal on the ground exploded with energy, as Finé started to chant.
"Say farewell to Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, and hello to a Monster of even greater galactic power! Now bare witness, as the same fantastic powers that forge the universe forge this most mighty creature! Descend, Rank 9! Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!"
A massive dragon with red armor and two extra heads on its shoulders descended. It was larger than Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, and its wings were brighter and larger. It threw its head up, letting out a roar that cracked the steel they stood on. And its attack points…
"4500?!" Genjuro shouted.
"I activate Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's ability!" Finé shouted. "By detaching three overlay units, I can take your monster and turn it into another Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon!"
All of the orbs entered the dragon's chest, as it shone its wings at Nova Kaiser.
"Cipher Super Projection!"
The light washed over Genjuro's monster, transforming it into a ghostly copy of Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, and pulling it to Finé's field.
"It's over for you, my dear Genjuro-kun." Finé chuckled. "Now, battle! Neo Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon! Attack his life points directly and end this duel! Cipher Stream of Horror!"
All three of the Cipher Dragon heads charged up energy in their mouths, before blasting straight at Genjuro. The beams all converged into one massive stream of energy, and Genjuro took it head on.
When the light from the blast faded, it showed that the attack had blasted him into the wall, but he was still on his feet. Finé walked over, realizing that Genjuro was knocked out.
"So he took the attack head-on without flinching." Finé said, as she pulled the clearance key from his pocket. "I'm impressed. Perhaps he would've survived the Shadow Realm, had I chosen to send him there. Although…"
Her eyes glew gold, and she held out her hand to banish his soul… yet she stopped.
"No, I can't waste my time on this. Not when I'm so close…"
As she walked away, she didn't realize she had grabbed her own wrist to stop herself. The doors closed behind her.
Several moments after they did, the ceiling caved in, letting Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon drop through the hole with Chris in tow.
"Where the hell is she?!" Chris yelled.
She turned to see Genjuro unconscious, still standing.
"Oi!" She ran over, trying to rouse him. "What happened?"
Genjuro groaned, opening his eyes. "Forgive me… I couldn't stop her…"
"No time for that!" Chris shouted. "Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! Get us out of here!"
Her loyal dragon nodded, grabbing the two of them and flying out of the massive tunnel he had created.
"Chris-kun… she has your cards…"
Chris frowned. "I know. And I'm gonna get them back, no matter what."
The doors slid open, and Finé walked into the vault. Sitting in the glass case was the card that she was looking for; Artifact Durendal. She smashed the glass with her fist, and drew it out.
"Finally… the time has come!" She shouted.
She raised her arm, and the card started to shine with tremendous light.
"Dragonmaid Sheou! Light 'em up!"
With one final blast of fire, the monster obliterated them. There wasn't a single rogue Duel Monster or Noise in sight.
"Yes! We did it!" Yumi shouted, punching a fist into the air. "This really was like an anime!"
"Happy to serve you, Master."
"Yeah, thanks for-" Yumi's eyes widened as she turned to Sheou. "Did you just talk?!"
"Good job you three." Ogawa said, suddenly appearing next to them. He was carrying both Aoi and Fujitaka. "Leading the charge isn't easy, I can tell you that."
"Huh?" Kuriyo said, eyes wide. "How did you-?"
"No time to explain." Ogawa said, as he put down the two he was carrying. "Can someone get them to the medical wing of the school?"
Several of the students that had stayed to fight took up the task, taking the two injured members of Sector Two.
"The school's pretty trashed now…" Shiori looked around sadly.
"I'm sure we'll be able to repair this." Kuriyo said.
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon rose out of the hole, landing nearby. Chris hopped down from the claw, before helping Genjuro stand.
"Hey, are you gonna be fine?" She asked.
"I've taken worse." Genjuro reassured her. "I'll be fine after I rest a bit."
"Commander!" Ogawa called, running forward and helping him walk.
"I wasn't able to beat her." Genjuro frowned. "Now she has access to Artifact Durendal."
"But what is she going to do with-?"
The ground underneath them all shook. Kuriyo quickly pulled both Shiori and Yumi close. Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon closed his wings on Chris, Genjuro and Ogawa.
"Huh?! What's going on?!" Yumi yelled.
Several pillars rose from the ground around them, creating something akin to a ruined temple. There was a flash of golden light, as Finé appeared between two of them. Her dress had changed drastically. She was now dressed in a white linen tunic with gold trimmings that went to her ankles. She had a white veil on her head that went down to her shoulders. Solomon's Duel Disk had changed from silver to gold. But what was most noticeable was that she had a sword strapped to her waist; Artifact Durendal.
"W-Who's that?" Shiori asked.
"Finé…" Chris clenched her fist.
"It's been a while since I've had all of my power." Finé said, looking at her hand. "Now I can complete the goal I've had for thousands of years."
"Ryoko… what is your plan?" Genjuro asked.
"I don't believe I have to tell a loser." Finé said. "Worms like yourself don't deserve to know."
"Then how about you face me?" Chris said, stepping up.
"Oh my dear little Chris." Finé chuckled. "You think that you have a chance? You've never defeated me."
"I'll promise you this." Chris said, before pointing at her. "Before this day is over, I'll finally beat you! Once that happens, I'll be taking back my cards!"
"How interesting." Finé said.
She drew her sword, before stabbing it into the ground. Darkness expanded from the weapon, ending with her and Chris together in a shadowy dome. The others were all locked off, but could see it all happen.
"What in the world…?" Kuriyo said.
"The hell?" Chris looked around to see the darkness around them. "Explain!"
"I thought I'd make things more unique." Finé said, before a glowing eye of gold appeared on her forehead. "I'm sure you know what a Shadow Game is, don't you?"
Everyone outside the dome gasped. Chris scoffed.
"You think that's gonna scare me?" Chris said.
"Because we've known each other for a bit, I'll offer you this, Chris." Finé said. "You can either join me once more… or lose this Shadow Game, and your soul."
"I told you already." Chris said. "I'm beating you today."
"Chris!" Genjuro shouted. "Don't!"
"I accept the challenge!" Chris yelled.
Finé started to chuckle, before she threw her head back in insane laughter. Chris nearly stumbled, as a platform rose beneath her. She looked forward to see another floating platform under Finé, as well as dozens of other ones throughout the arena at different heights. The cards flew out of both of their Duel Disks, scattered all over the battlefield at different altitudes. Chris could hear the cries of her monsters, with Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon's being the loudest.
I'll get you back, guys. Chris told her cards. I promise.
A/N: Nothing much to say here, aside from a Duel Monsters take on the canon events in Symphogear.
But instead of Chris joining the others, she was the first one to reach Lydian. And now? She'll be the first one to compete in a Shadow Game.
Next time, Chris vs Finé in a Shadow Game. Who will turn out victorious in this battle?
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.