Chapter 39: The Battle Ends, The War Begins
"What do you mean this was their plan? You'd better have a good explanation for this, or you'll wish those scum had carded you!"
Shay, unfazed by Kaiba's threat, shoved the teenager off of him.
"Serena insisted on it. We'd just managed to lose their trail…"
The quintet ducked into an alley, not daring to make a sound as a squad of soldiers raced past.
"God damn it, they're everywhere! That's the fifth platoon we've avoided."
"Why don't we just duel them? I took out three of them easily, how tough can they be?"
"That won't do us any good! There's too many of them for us to duel all of them!"
"Well, we have to do something!"
It was then that Serena and Barrett knew what they had to do.
"You guys go on ahead, we'll turn ourselves in."
"What? Are you crazy?"
"Why would you give yourself over to them?"
"Because they'll leave you alone if I do. If this was an actual invasion, they'd have leveled all of these buildings. This is just a mere recovery team meant to capture dissidents and create chaos before retreating. I won't let them do to this city what they did to Heartland."
"But what about The Professor, Serena? If you go back, you'll never get out again."
Serena smirked.
"I only said I would turn myself in, I said nothing about going back."
"Huh?"
"Barrett and I have an ally in Duel Academy who will help us escape. Once we do, we can find out where Lulu and Rin are being held and help them escape."
"Are you insane? There's no way the two of you can do all of that by yourselves!"
"I know the island's guard patrols in and out. I've already plotted the best escape route."
Shay sighed, realizing that the two of them weren't going to give up.
"Alright, but be careful. And when you see Lulu, tell her the Phoenix rises from the ashes. It's our code phrase to let others in the Resistance know we're someone they can trust."
Serena nodded, but before she and Barrett could leave, Shay stopped her.
"You may not be my sister, but you do share her face. I can't bear to lose her again, so please be careful."
Serena nodded, and without another word she and Barrett walked out into the street.
Kaiba sighed, realizing that there was nothing else they could do.
"Fine, let's get to Leo Corp. Declan has a lot to cover."
With that, the four set off once again.
When they reached Leo Corp, they found, to their relief, that they weren't the only ones there. Yuya, Zuzu, Gong, Sylvio, Julia, Kit, and Dipper had also made it, as well as two identical twin ninjas guarding the entrance. And from the looks of their fellow survivors, they were not there without reason.
"What the hell is going on? I was in the middle of a duel when these creeps came in and finished him off and made him disappear!"
"We know you can hear us, Akaba! Come out and face us!"
The two ninja remained unfazed by the shouting, simply holding the mob back.
"Mr. Akaba andd Kaiba are busy at the moment. Please be patient."
"And who are you, the wonder twins?"
"I am Sun Shadow, and this is my brother Moon Shadow. It's our duty to protect them."
Just then, the door behind them opened, and the ninjas stepped to the side to reveal Declan standing there.
"Excellent, you've all arrived. Come in, we have a lot to discuss."
Uncertain, the gathered duelists stepped into the main duel arena. Seto Kaiba was there, unimpressed by the selection.
"This is the best we could get?"
"My security team is searching for more survivors, but for right now this will be the main group of Lancers."
"Lancers? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Nakajima, playback the video."
"Yes, sir."
In a flash, the arena around them disappeared, and was replaced by the ruins of Shay and Yuto's home. Anyone not aware of the invasion already were horrified by the destruction and carnage.
"What is all this?"
"Who would do such a thing?"
"My father. Those people who attacked you are from a place called Duel Academy in the Fusion Dimension. My father has turned them into his own personal army and invaded The Xyz Dimension, carding the inhabitants of Heartland and causing widespread destruction."
Everyone stayed silent, taking it all in. Eventually, the footage ceased, returning the room to the way it was.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but know this: What happened today was just a prelude to what they're capable of. They were only here to reclaim fugitives, carding people was their secondary objective. If they wanted to…"
He let the sentence hang there. Everyone remained silent, letting the information sink in before Declan continued.
"I know this is a lot to take in. I'm sorry that I had to show you this, but I need you to understand what we're facing. That's why I'm imploring you to join forces with me, so we can stop them from doing this to more people. But if you feel that you are able to do this, you may leave now. But know this: if you stay, there will be no going back."
The gathered group looked around at each other, a shared look of confusion among them. At last, Yuya broke the silence.
"I'm in. I don't condone using dueling for violence, but if its to stop this senseless mayhem, I'll do what must be done."
Gong stepped forward next.
"If Gong backed out now, Gong would bring shame to his heavystrong style. You can count Gong in."
One by one, all of them agreed, until only Zuzu remained. For a moment, she remained silent, taking all of it in. But at last, she gave her answer.
"If it means keeping my friends and family safe, then I'll do it."
"Excellent. For now, you may return to your normal lives. We'll contact you with more information as it comes available."