Responses to Reviews
Thank you to HunterHQ, pokemonking0924, kaisershadowhunter, TheBlazingButterfly777, TheRealD3lph0xL0v3r, Daemon of Wrath, LoneTaker, FlameFireZero X, InifnitySerpent, Anonymous, Dante687, jdkeller2000, savagemaster1999, Ethan Kironus, SavageWizar9000, Perseus678, Jason, Big duels, SakushiRyu, SwordSoul01, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 75 of Hidden Memories.
HunterHQ: Season 3 is the last season of Hidden Memories. I plan to end it on Chapter 120, as a reference to the anime.
kaisershadowhunter: Yasutake would never go for that. Even if it got him back online, he wouldn't fight against Yusaku, Aoi, and the others at this point. He is, after all, a former bounty hunter.
InifnitySerpent: Yasutake still has the Cyspirit Deck; his avatar was deleted, and Cyspirit Superior Seraphim's data was taken, but he still has the Cyspirit Deck. If need be, he can duel in the real world.
Anonymous: Who is Yuhiro?
Since this chapter didn't have a duel and I got it finished first, I decided to release this one ahead of Fifth Circuit Chapter 52. I hope you like it.
But first, a little announcement before we get to the chapter: Some of you asked about the profiles and original cards fics I've had. Well, I've decided to discontinue the profiles so I can focus more on the stories. And the OC cards? I'll be deleting it, but I'll be reuploading it in a different format, with a single chapter composing an entire season instead of just 5 chapters. Meaning the first chapter will be all the OC cards of Hidden Memories season 1, and the second chapter will be the cards of Fifth Circuit Arc 1.
That aside, please enjoy Chapter 76.
Chapter 76: Preparations
Morningstar's and Playmaker's Duel Disks fall in a black abyss, trailing starlight. They then explode into cards, with Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Decode Talker swiping across the screen. It changes to show an open sky and grassy field, where Yusaku, Yasutake, Takeru, Sachi, Aoi, Masako, Ryoken, Kenshin, Kusanagi, Cam, Akira, Go, Takeshi, Katsumi, Emma, and Kenjo stand. In a sweep of grass, it changes to show a stormy sky, under which Playmaker, Cassiel, Soulburner, Blue Maiden, Lilith, Revolver, and Terminus stand. The title "Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories" above them.
Yasutake is walking slowly across a bridge, a morose look on his face. Zahhak's unmasked face appears above him, looking off into the distance. He then turns his head to look down at Yasutake, his expression blank.
Under a black-and-green digital sky, a young man with dark silver hair wearing a gray dress shirt, silver blazer, and dark gray scarf leans on a balcony, a sad smile on his face as his amber eyes look out behind black-framed glasses. He pushes himself off from the balcony, showing an open door behind him where five shadows stand, one larger than the others and another distinctly feminine.
Yusaku stands at a street corner in the rain, his eyes closed as the rain washes over him. Behind him and facing the other way, the human Ai runs a hand through his hair, a conflicted expression on his face. Sachi sits underneath an umbrella at a café, sipping a coffee and reading on her tablet. Around the corner, Goldie watches her sadly before closing her eyes and turning away.
Akira and Aoi walk out of a hospital, while Takeshi and Persephone walk past them, Takeshi's brother Eiji between them, all three of them laughing. The interior of Café Junpei is then shown, Emily Garcia sitting at a table with Cam, both smiling. At a separate table, Shizuka Midori sips her coffee while a reflection of Sylphid winks in the window.
Masako Himura and Kenshin Hirai stand in front of two graves, their expressions grim. They then switch to Lilith and Terminus, with Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel standing behind Lilith and Subterror Behemoth Fiendess standing behind Terminus. The four then part, revealing Revolver, who raises his hand and unveils Borrelend Dragon, all three heads roaring.
Jormungand stands in the center of the Ark, the reactor behind him. He pushes his glasses up, the lenses showing Jester and Zahhak. It then cuts to Merlin, Techbane, a person with long pale pink hair wearing a gray jumpsuit with black armor, and a man with spiky black hair wearing an azure mask that leaves his mouth and red right eye exposed. Behind them, Witchcracter Golem Aruru, Cyber End Dragon, a violet-skinned humanoid in gray armor, and another humanoid with a dragonhead attached to its chest and left arm, stand. The scene switches to three women in armor, their faces shadowed, and behind them stand an armored knight wielding two swords, a red-armored knight wielding a single sword, and a blue armored knight with an elaborate lance propped on his shoulder.
Roboppi speeds by on their D-Board, Appliancers Laundry Dragon and Propelion behind them. Diana and Sylphid follow, VirtuaBeast Cryptograph Chimera and Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana at their sides. Ai and Goldie are then shown, back-to-back, a wild smile on Ai's face and a stoic, determined look in Goldie's eyes. Dark Templar AtIgnister and Holozoic Apex Beast – Ancient Ankylosaurus rise behind them. A blade then parts the screen, showing Ghost Girl and Blood Shepherd with Altergeist Memorygant and Battledrone General. They fly away, showing Go Onizuka, Galahad, and Persephone with Gouki The Powerload Ogre, Gaia the Magical Knight of Dragons, and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss at their sides.
The screen cuts to Akira and Blue Maiden side by side, Marincess Great Bubble Reef and Tindangle Acute Cerberus launching attacks and causing an explosion. The smoke fades, revealing Playmaker and Soulburner, Cyberse Clock Dragon and Salamangreat Violet Chimera at their sides. Cassiel then steps forward and holds up a card, with Cyseraph Guardian Michael forming behind her. The three duelists share determined looks, then cut to Yasutake Narahiko looking dejected opposite the young man with silver hair, who has a melancholic smile. The silver-haired boy then turns to the camera and winks, a hand raised in greeting.
December 25th, after midnight…
"Big sis!" Goldie took a step backward as a missile three-fourths her height slammed into her midsection. Roboppi looked up at her with a big grin. "We did it! Big bro and I got rid of Queen!"
"Did you now?" Goldie looked up. Ai was standing in front of a board, his back to them. "And the message?"
"Delivered!" Roboppi reported happily. "Zaizen'll get it in the morning."
"If things go as planned, he'll contact the others," Diana said. She and Sylphid followed Goldie into Ai's Linguriboh-shaped ship.
"Yo, Goldie!" Ai said cheerily, looking over his shoulder. "What took you so long?"
"We're not late," the Gold Ignis chided her compatriot. "In fact, we're just on time."
"We still beat you back here," Ai countered. His face turned serious. "Did you find it?"
Goldie opened her right hand and summoned the gold sphere. "Rothman had what I needed," she confirmed. "It'll take a while, but it should be done in time."
"Are we sure this whole thing is going to work?" Sylphid asked hesitantly, looking at Ai's board with a frown. "Zaizen's going to have to tell the Kings, or rather the King, about what happened to Queen. What's to stop Jormungand from sending the Enforcers to protect Zaizen?"
"He can't," Diana responded. "If he did, Zaizen would pick up on the true nature of SOL's relationship to Ouroboros. And then it wouldn't be long before Playmaker and the Knights of Hanoi find out." She looked at the board as well. "The Final Ascension Plan has progressed as far as it has because Jormungand has operated in secrecy. He can't afford to tip his hand right now. Not when Zaizen's own actions will be enough."
"But are we sure Zaizen will call Playmaker and the others?" Sylphid pressed on. "Since this is SOL's business, wouldn't he want to keep it in the company?"
"He won't," Ai said. "I wouldn't call Zaizen a friend necessarily, but I know enough to know how he'll respond." He smiled sadly. "He'll call for Playmaker and the others, and then the Knights of Hanoi will come knocking when they see a chance to kill the last free Ignis."
"That they know of," Goldie pointed out. In contrast to Ai's smile, she was frowning. "I will admit this plan is a gamble. It heavily relies on our impressions of a lot of people's character. If it was just me, Diana, and Sylphid, I don't think I would try this."
She glanced at her fellow Ignis. "But you're confident in this plan, and you know the people involved better than me. If you believe this plan will succeed Ai, then I'll believe you."
"I do believe it will." Ai closed his eyes with a rueful smile. "Though if things end the way we hope, we're going to get yelled at quite a bit."
"Don't worry, big brother!" Roboppi cheered. "If they get upset with you, I'll be standing in the corner, silently cheering you on!"
"Why in the corner?" Ai exclaimed. "Aren't you going to be at my side and support me?"
"Because Roboppi is smarter than that," Goldie said smugly. "They take after me in that regard."
"Don't worry, big brother, big sis!" Roboppi repeated. "Once we're done, all Jormungand's base are belong to us!"
Goldie's eye twitched before she glared at Ai, who suddenly found the opposite side of the room to be very interesting. "I thought I told you to stop showing Roboppi memes."
December 25th, Noon…
"Zaizen, the Queen's defeat is bad for SOL Technologies."
"If the public finds out, SOL Technologies' stock will crash!"
"Zaizen, bring this situation under control immediately."
As the hologram faded, Jormungand frowned to himself. He had to admit, this wasn't an outcome he had foreseen.
Ai teaming up with Goldie and Diana? That he had predicted easily; the Gold Ignis would naturally convince the Dark Ignis that Jormungand's plan was wrong. And he had of course assumed they would reappear before the Final Ascension Plan was initiated. But he had been wrong about what actions they would take.
He had given Queen the plans for the SOLtiS to spread the VR Inducers, but SOL's reach was limited outside of East Asia. The Final Ascension Plan was meant to cover the entire world. Jormungand had circumvented that issue through Alba Research, the company Weissmann had used as a front to fund his work and the company Merlin and Techbane officially worked for. Alba Research had contracts with multiple international companies, and those connections had been used to spread machines with VR Inducers hidden in them across the world. SOL and the SOLtiS were just one cog in spreading the machines.
Jormungand had assumed that when Ai and Goldie made their move, they would go after Alba Research, as the source of the VR Inducers. But they hadn't. Instead, they had gone after SOL. That told him they weren't aiming to stop the distribution of the Inducers. No, they had something else in mind.
"They know, don't they?"
Jormungand looked over his shoulder at Zahhak and raised an eyebrow. "Know what?" he asked. "That I am the Kings, or the final part of the plan?"
"Both. Either."
The 3rd Anguis hummed in thought. "Both is more likely," he admitted. "I don't entirely know what those two are capable of, aside from less than me. But Diana knows Ouroboros and how we operate. With her knowledge, they could likely piece together my influence over SOL. And the second part… if they've been monitoring SOL, they could have learned about it."
That had to be the real reason Ai and Goldie were targeting SOL. Spreading the VR Inducers across the planet wasn't enough; Jormungand also needed to activate them and power them up. And to that end, he had Queen work on building a satellite. The given reason was the hope to eventually reopen LINK VRAINS and spread it across the world: create a virtual world that the entire planet could enjoy instead of just one city.
It was true in a sense; it just wouldn't be one they could log out of.
Jormungand had chosen SOL to build the satellite for two reasons. The first was practicality: Alba Research was an advice firm and just didn't have the necessary facilities to build a satellite and launch it into space. SOL did, and furthermore it was the only company that Jormungand had such a controlling interest in. The second reason was sentimentality; Dr. Hirai had worked at SOL, and even if the man had crippled Jormungand, he still had a hand in his birth. The Divine Ignis would always be grateful for that at least.
"If Ai and Goldie take Zaizen's command key, they'll take control of SOL and be able to prevent the satellite's launch," Jormungand thought aloud. "That must be their end goal."
"Then shouldn't we try to protect Zaizen?" Zahhak asked.
"That will be the last-resort plan," Jormungand answered. "I have a good idea on what Zaizen will do to resolve the situation, and if it works, we won't have to intervene. For now, we'll just observe. That being said, I will assemble everyone tomorrow to inform them of the situation." He smiled. "Besides, the Stahlritter's plane arrived this morning; they need some time to get over their jet lag."
"Hmm. Then I'll wait until then." Zahhak logged out at those words.
BEEP-BEEP
Jormungand looked over at the communication alert. "Ah." He answered the call. "HK-73. I assume your mission is complete?"
"Confirmation: Affirmative, Master Jormungand," the AI duelist said. "I arrived at the former Cyberse World and discovered a change. I am sending the pictures now."
Barely a second later, Jormungand received the images and opened them. A hill with five stones. And multicolored flowers.
He frowned. "Good work, HK. Return to the Ark and await further orders."
"Confirmation: Yes, Master." The call terminated at that.
Tombstones for the Ignis Ai and Goldie believed died with Bohman, the Divine Ignis thought. If they knew the truth, would they join me? Doubtful; it might actually increase their resistance to the Final Ascension Plan, thinking he had tricked the others to join him. But that thought aside…
"You returned to Cyberse World, so you must have seen the simulations Lightning left behind," Jormungand muttered. "His last act of spite, determined to take the remaining Ignis to the grave with him." Pointless because of Jormungand and Zahhak, but it must have had an impact on the Dark and Gold Ignis. "Ai, Goldie… you know what will happen should you stop the Final Ascension Plan. So why? Why are you resisting me?" He frowned to himself. "Do you actually want your origins to die?"
December 25th, Late Afternoon…
"You got an email from Zaizen?" Cam asked. He was in the backroom of Café Junpei, Yasutake and Sachi on either side of him. On the screen and calling from Café Nagi were Kusanagi, Yusaku, and Takeru.
"My anonymous address did, yes," Kusanagi confirmed. "It says he wants to meet Playmaker, Soulburner, and Cassiel. LINK VRAINS is shut down now, but he's waiting at Central Station."
"Is it a trap?" Takeru wondered.
"That doesn't seem like Zaizen's style," Yasutake said.
"It is pretty unlikely," Kusanagi agreed. "After what happened with Bohman, SOL Technologies removed Playmaker from the wanted list."
Cam frowned and looked at Sachi. "Did you hear anything from Aoi?"
She shook her head. "I haven't talked to her since yesterday," she answered. "But what should we do?"
"We should go," Yusaku responded. "Something must have happened."
Yasutake nodded. Then recalled an important detail and suppressed his grimace. "We'll be listening in from here, Sachi," he told her, gesturing to Cam and himself. Sachi frowned at him, picking up on what he wasn't saying. On what he wished he could do.
"I'll be going with all of you this time," Kusanagi said. "I want to hear it from Zaizen directly."
"I actually never created a LINK VRAINS avatar in the first place, so I'm content with being back here," Cam said. He looked at his sister again. "Good luck." Her response was a reassuring smile. She stood up and walked for her sealed room, but not before placing a hand on Yasutake's shoulder and lightly squeezing it.
"Into the VRAINS!"
Cassiel, Playmaker, and Soulburner materialized in an empty Central Station. Next to them, Kusanagi in a baseball cap and red overcoat appeared. The four stepped forward and looked around, only for two people to materialize a few feet away.
"Thanks for coming, Playmaker, Soulburner, and Cassiel," Akira Zaizen welcomed them. Blue Maiden smiled at Cassiel, who smiled back. Akira looked at the fourth member. "And you're…?"
Kusanagi stepped forward and held out his hand. "I'm Unnamed. I provide support."
"So you're the guy. Nice to meet you." Akira shook his hand, then looked at Cassiel. "I understand the timing might be bad, but how is Morningstar?"
"He's on the outside, watching us," Cassiel said. She held out her Duel Disk, and a screen of static appeared.
"Zaizen, Blue Maiden." Yasutake's voice came out of the speaker. "I might not be able to help directly, but I can support you like Unnamed does."
"And me!" Cam spoke up. "You can call me Overwatch. And no comments about Blizzard."
Akira didn't know what Blizzard was, though Blue Maiden seemed to, judging by the twitch in her lips. "I see. Even if you aren't here, it's good to know you're listening."
"What did you want to talk about?" Soulburner interrupted, walking up to Unnamed's side.
"Let's wait until everyone arrives."
"Others are coming?" Playmaker questioned.
With impeccable timing, several people materialized in the room. Playmaker, Soulburner, and Cassiel blinked in surprise.
"Blood Shepherd!" Playmaker exclaimed. "Ghost Girl!"
"Go Onizuka! Galahad!" Soulburner added.
"Persephone! And Lilith!" Cassiel finished.
"Yo," Lilith greeted, waving at Cassiel. "Been a while since we met like this, hasn't it?"
"Go Onizuka," Playmaker said. "You're okay now?"
"Sort of," Go shrugged. "Thanks to Galahad and Persephone."
Galahad scoffed. "All I did was kick your ass. Thank Persephone for the helping hand."
"If you brought together this lineup, something big must have happened," Unnamed surmised.
"Has Ouroboros reappeared?" Cassiel asked.
"No; this problem isn't related to them," Akira responded. He walked over to stand in the middle of the station. "I'll keep this short. Yesterday evening, SOL Technologies' top executive was attacked."
"You mean Queen?" Yasutake asked.
"How disturbing," Ghost Girl said.
Akira summoned a screen. "The culprit committed the crime by hacking my company's SOLtiS."
"You were attacked by your own product?" Blood Shepherd asked. "How funny."
"It's not funny for us," Akira chided. "The culprit stole Queen's code key to our mainframe."
"So that's what this is about," Ghost Girl realized. "You want us to retrieve it?"
"That makes sense for you, but not me, Galahad, or Go," Persephone told her.
"Persephone is right. I don't want you to retrieve the key; I want you to protect me."
"Protect you?" Go repeated. "What do you mean?"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "The culprit's coming for you, aren't they?" she realized.
"They are," Akira confirmed. "The code key is split into two parts. Queen has one, and I have the other. It won't work unless you combine the two. The culprit left a message saying they'll attack me in three days and steal the code key."
"That's why you want us to protect you," Playmaker said.
"Umm, I'm clueless about these things," Soulburner admitted. "What happens if the code key is stolen?"
"They can infiltrate SOL Technologies' central computer. And completely take over the company."
"SOL Technologies has over 30% share of Den City's network," Unnamed informed them. "It plays a major role in the city's infrastructure."
"So if the culprit takes the code key, they can inflict serious damage to Den City," Yasutake finished.
"And they can take over all the SOLtiS," Blue Maiden reminded them. "They're on the market now, after all."
"Okay, that's definitely a problem," Soulburner said.
"Not to sound insensitive, but why are you telling us this?" Cam, er, Overwatch, wondered. "SOL's code key being taken is definitely bad news, but why come to us? I can understand Blood Shepherd, Blue Maiden, and Ghost Girl. Even Go Onizuka and Lilith. But why ask for Playmaker's, Cassiel's, and Soulburner's help?"
"Because of the culprit's identities," Akira answered. "They revealed them in the message they left."
"How audacious," Blood Shepherd commented.
"'Identities'?" Lilith picked up. "There's more than one?"
"There are four of them, though only two of them attacked Queen." Akira raised his right hand. "This is the message they left behind."
The screen changed to show two teens sitting on two chairs, one gold and one purple. They were a boy and a girl, with the boy wearing a cape with epaulettes over a light purple button-up shirt, and the girl wearing a black vest over a white button-up shirt.
"Hi!" the boy said cheerily, waving at them.
"Hooray!" A child with blue hair wearing a blue-and-black coat appeared on screen, then stepped behind the boy.
"Zaizen, I defeated the Queen," the boy said.
"That's right," the child confirmed.
Cassiel noticed the diamonds on their necks. "Those are SOLtiS," she realized.
"With Queen's defeat, you are now acting CEO of SOL Technologies, Akira Zaizen," the girl said. Unlike the boy's cheery tone and smile, her tone and face were dead serious. "We now have the Queen's code key."
"Who's controlling these SOLtiS?" Playmaker wondered. The girl didn't sound familiar, but the boy…
"Oh yeah, we should reintroduce ourselves," the boy remembered. "We do look pretty different from before." He brought a hand to his face. "I'm Ai."
Everyone except Blue Maiden and Akira gasped. "Ai?" Playmaker repeated in shock.
"Which would mean-!" Cassiel exclaimed, looking at the girl.
"And I am Goldie," she confirmed. Akira and Blue Maiden looked at Cassiel and Playmaker apologetically.
"I'm Roboppi!" the child announced.
"Roboppi?!" Soulburner repeated, recalling the cleaning robot from Yusaku's home.
"And you already met me." Everyone gasped again as a woman in a black jumpsuit and visor stepped into frame, standing behind the seated Goldie. "But just to remind you, my name is Diana."
"The woman from before," Ghost Girl recalled.
"Zaizen, we're coming for your code key three days from now, at 1800 hours," Ai said. "I know you just became CEO, but… sorry. Enjoy the position for three days."
"We have a goal in mind, and we need SOL's code key to achieve it," Goldie said. Her eyes narrowed. "Being your opponent is unfortunate, but necessary right now."
"I bet you're wondering why, aren't you?" Ai asked. "Well, it's actually pretty simple. We need the code key to-."
At that moment, the footage of the three AI and one human cut out and was replaced by a redheaded man in a black blazer dancing to an upbeat tune.
"We're no strangers to love," the man crooned. "You know the rules, and so do I."
The expressions of everyone in the room flattened as they stared at the video. Everyone except Cassiel and Soulburner, who just looked confused.
Akira chose that moment to cut the video. "Before you ask," he said. "That wasn't something I added to the video; it was in the original."
"…That is something Ai would do," Overwatch groaned.
Soulburner blinked and looked at Lilith. "What… was that?" he wondered.
The former bounty hunter raised an eyebrow. "You've never seen the Rickroll before?" she asked.
"No. What's a Rickroll?"
"I've never seen it either," Cassiel admitted. "Was it a music video?"
"I'll explain it later," Yasutake said painfully.
"That… ending, aside," Unnamed said. "This means that Ai and Goldie attacked Queen?"
Soulburner shook his head and regained focus. "That's right! Why would Ai do this?"
"I don't know," Akira denied. "That's all they left behind. But it's clear they're declaring war on SOL Technologies."
"I heard Ai vanished, but he actually wants revenge on SOL?" Ghost Girl wondered.
"Considering what Queen did to Earth, I can't entirely blame him," Overwatch muttered.
"He's an AI," Blood Shepherd said simply. "He and the Gold Ignis have become humanity's enemy."
"We don't know that!" Cassiel denied, turning to glare at the bounty hunter. "Goldie never showed any hatred for humanity! Not from what I saw!"
"And yet they have attacked a human company, and announced their intent to attack another human," Blood Shepherd countered. "Playmaker, I bet you know where they are."
"Hey, you're accusing Playmaker?" Soulburner said angrily.
"He's the human who's friendliest with the Dark Ignis," Blood Shepherd said.
"Stop it!" Akira spoke up. "He fought for humans and AI to coexist! If he knew, he would have already acted!"
"That's true," Go agreed. He frowned. "But it doesn't explain their actions."
"It doesn't," Ghost Girl agreed. She looked back where the screen had been. "The woman Diana; she protected me and Akira against Bohman, and she said it was with the Gold Ignis's program." She frowned. "For her to turn against humanity, and for a human to go along with it… it doesn't make sense."
"It could have been an alliance of convenience," Blood Shepherd dismissed.
"Or something could have changed within the last few months," Persephone spoke up.
"It must have for this to happen," Galahad agreed. He looked at Cassiel's Duel Disk. "Morningstar, I remember you telling me about the Gold Ignis. How she stayed out of Lightning's war because she was focusing on Ouroboros. On Jester and Zahhak." He frowned. "Could this attack on SOL have something to do with that?"
"…The possibility can't be dismissed," Yasutake admitted. "But Zaizen isn't part of Ouroboros; I don't see how attacking him would equal fighting them."
"Neither do I," Cassiel said forlornly. "Goldie… I only met her once, but this isn't like her. If she's attacking SOL, there must be a greater reason."
"Well, she isn't sharing it," Lilith said. "So unless she shows up before the 28th, we can't get any answers."
"Playmaker, Cassiel," Akira spoke up. "I know what I'm asking is tough on both of you. But I want you two to help me. You know the most about Ai and Goldie out of anyone here."
The two duelists frowned. "Give us some time," Playmaker finally said. Cassiel nodded in agreement.
Lilith frowned in sympathy at the duo. Ryoken's going to need to hear this, she thought.
Yasutake, Sachi, Yusaku, and Takeru, sat around a table in Café Junpei. After Zaizen's call, the latter two had come to the Café to talk in person, and Cam had started up the stove to cook some late supper.
"This is an unexpected situation," Yasutake said with a frown.
"That's putting it mildly," Yusaku agreed.
Takeru frowned and then looked up. "I'm thinking of going back home."
The other three blinked and looked at him. "You are?" Sachi asked.
"Yeah. I couldn't say it yesterday when we were celebrating, but I miss my grandparents and everyone else. But not now. I want to meet Ai again, and I never got to meet Goldie before." His eyes narrowed in resolution. "If I learn what they're thinking, I might learn more about Flame. That's why I'll help Zaizen."
"I see," Yusaku responded.
"What about the rest of you?" Takeru asked. "What are all of you going to do?"
Sachi frowned. "I want to know what Goldie is thinking," she answered. "I want to understand her. I never got the opportunity to fight alongside her like the three of you did with your partners, but I still want to have a relationship with her. That's why I'll help Zaizen; so I can understand Goldie."
"I'll help too," Yasutake agreed. "I might only be able to provide support, but if Sachi is willing to fight, then I'll do my absolute best to help her." The girl smiled in thanks. "What about you, Yusaku?"
"…Ai was smiling," the hacker said. "He was having fun. He hurt people, as if it was a game."
The others grimaced at his words. "But I want to trust Ai," Yusaku continued. "I want to believe that he has a reason for what he is doing."
"…We all do," Takeru said, with Yasutake and Sachi nodding in agreement.
December 26th, Morning…
Akira materialized in a dark place covered in green lines, standing across from two people.
"You actually came alone," Revolver noted.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Akira replied. He glanced at the third person in the room. "Though I was surprised to receive your message from Lilith."
"I've been working with the Hanoi for the past couple of months," the former bounty hunter explained. "We both want something, so teaming up was the natural conclusion."
"It is," Revolver agreed. "Did you find the Dark Ignis's and Gold Ignis's location?"
"We're doing the best we can, but I doubt we'll find them," Akira answered.
"You're right. The Dark Ignis is better at fleeing than we are. He did hide from us in the network for five years."
"And Goldie has been hiding from Ouroboros for almost as long apparently," Lilith said.
"If we can't find them, my life will end on the 28th."
"The two free Ignis are powerful enemies, but I won't let that happen," Revolver promised. "I have a plan."
Akira frowned. "I can't believe the Knights of Hanoi are going to protect me."
Revolver glanced over his shoulder and raised his right hand. "Come!" He snapped his fingers, and a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a feminine AI with a body in various shades of blue and white, with solid red eyes, and the top half of the right side of her head was reflective.
"Who is she?" Akira asked.
"It's an AI we created to hunt the Ignis," Revolver answered.
"Nice to meet you," the AI said. "My name is Pandor."
Akira raised an eyebrow. "In Greek mythology, Ignis was the fire taken from the world of the gods to give humans knowledge. But that disgusted the gods, so they sent a woman to bring calamity to humans. Her name was Pandora. I never thought you would create an AI similar to the Ignis."
"It is kind of antithetical to the Knights' beliefs," Lilith agreed, even though she had already met Pandor.
"It's inevitable that AI with free will will come into existence," Revolver said. "But I won't let them do whatever they like. This is how the Knights are taking the initiative. Pandor has a built-in program that limits free will. If it starts to view humans as the enemy, those thoughts will automatically be erased."
"That kind of control is possible?" Akira asked.
"For now." Revolver looked back as Pandor suddenly split into four.
"We're harmless to humans," the four copies said in-sync.
"There are four?" Akira exclaimed.
"We four are linked together," the original Pandor explained. "If one battles an enemy, all data will be shared with the other three." She then dematerialized.
"Look at your Duel Disk," Revolver instructed. Akira raised his arm and gasped as the vanished Pandor reappeared.
"We're loaded with all duel data, up to the present," a copy explained.
"We'll use it to help the duelist by figuring out the enemy's intentions."
"AIs are best at predicting another AI's intentions," Revolver said.
"We will protect you," the last copy promised.
"I'm counting on you," Akira said. "But what do you want in return? I know the Knights have their own intentions."
"Outside of defeating the last Ignis? There is one thing we want." Revolver's eyes narrowed. "We want SOL to run a scan program on the network."
Akira blinked. "A scan program?"
"The program is our joint creation," Lilith explained. "It's designed to work like the Tower of Hanoi's, but with a different target in mind than the Light Ignis."
Akira's eyes narrowed in realization. "Ouroboros."
"That's right." Revolver grimaced. "Setting aside their possession of the Silver Ignis, one of Ouroboros's Enforcers killed a dear friend of ours and his wife. That act cannot go unpunished."
"Revenge on Jester is the only reason I'm working with the Hanoi," Lilith said. "We're going to make him pay for killing my parents."
"…Alright," Akira said. "I don't necessarily approve, but I understand. If the Hanoi help defeat Ai and Goldie, then I'll use SOL to run your scan program."
"Thank you." Revolver frowned. "That being said, there is one more thing we need to discuss, Zaizen."
December 26th, Afternoon…
"Brother!" Akira turned to look at Aoi. The latter had found him out in Den City, looking up at a Jumbotron. "Is it safe to be out here? And shouldn't you be at work?"
Akira smiled abashedly. "I wish you didn't run into me here. I wanted to burn where I live into my memories."
Aoi frowned. "Brother…"
"Since I'm a target, I must be feeling scared," Akira confessed. "And I got everyone involved. How pathetic."
Aoi looked down, then back up. "Brother, are you hungry? I know a delicious hot dog stand." She led him away from the crowd and pointed to a less-crowed part of Central Square. "Over there!"
Akira looked where she pointed and saw Café Nagi, with Kusanagi giving a woman a bag. "Thanks again."
The temporary CEO gasped. "He's…" He remembered that man; he had been the one to duel Playmaker in Mirror LINK VRAINS. He then blinked as another person walked in front of them.
"Zaizen," Yusaku noticed.
"You're…"
A few minutes later, Akira, Aoi, and Yusaku were standing in an out of the way playground. "I see," Akira said. "You're Playmaker. So back when the Hanoi hurt Aoi… I know it's late but thank you." He smiled again. "It feels weird to meet you in real life."
"I was just fighting for myself at the time," Yusaku replied. "I don't need thanks."
"I see." Akira's phone buzzed. He answered it. "Hmm? I see. Okay. I'll be right there." He hung up, then looked at the two teens. "Sorry. I have to return to work." He walked away, only to turn back. "Playmaker- I mean, Fujiki. I'm glad I could meet you. If you'll excuse me."
Akira walked away from them to a side street. A part of him worried about leaving Aoi with Yusaku, but he knew Aoi wasn't in any danger.
"You shouldn't walk alone these days. You never know who might be around."
Akira tensed and spun on the spot. His eyes widened. "You!"
"Thank you. I hope to see you again." Cam smiled as he handed over the coffee and muffin. When the customer went to a table, he sighed. It was good to get back into the mundane. With everything else going on, he needed something to distract himself.
"Hello stranger."
He looked up and smiled. "Hello, Emily," he responded. The woman had her strawberry-blonde hair down and was wearing a dark blue coat over her clothes. "How was your Christmas?"
"It was good. I'm sorry I couldn't spend it with you, but my boss needed something done urgently."
"Don't worry, I understand," Cam chuckled. "Can I get you anything?"
"The usual. And… could we talk?"
Cam blinked at the nervousness in her face and voice. "Sure. I can take my break early."
Several minutes later, Cam and Emily were sitting at a table in a corner, an iced caramel mocha and cinnamon apple scone in front of the latter and a black coffee and lemon poppyseed muffin in front of the former.
The two talked about Cam's Christmas Eve party with Yasutake, Sachi, and the others, while Emily told him about having a small event with two friends she made in Den City. And then the main topic came up.
"So… you're leaving?" Cam asked.
Emily nodded sadly. "On New Years. My work here in Japan is almost done, and my boss needs me to return to San Diego. And as much as I'd like to, it isn't something I can put off."
"…I see." Cam smiled softly. "So… this is it?"
"…Yes," she confirmed. "I did enjoy our time together but-."
"Don't." Cam held up his hand, cutting her off. "I knew you'd be leaving eventually. I just didn't want to acknowledge it." He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I… How serious were you about us?"
"…I did know I would have to go," Emily admitted. "I figured that I might as well enjoy myself. I had more fun with you than I thought I would but… all good things must come to an end eventually."
"…Yeah, I guess they do." Cam sighed. "Would you like to have a going away party? Or dinner or something?"
"…I think it would be best if we didn't," Emily said. "That would only make it harder."
Cam studied her for a bit and then nodded slowly. "Fair enough. So this is goodbye?"
"I… might stop by on New Years Eve," Emily allowed. "Though I'm not certain enough to promise anything."
"Alright." Cam smiled. "I did have fun. If you're ever in Den City again, feel free to stop on by."
The woman smiled. "I will," she promised.
The two finished their drinks and snacks, and then Cam returned to the counter while Emily left. Once she was outside and out of Cam's point-of-view, she frowned to herself.
This is for the best, she thought. It's for the best that this ends on a high note.
December 26th, Evening…
Merlin and Techbane materialized in the atrium of the Ark. "Did Jormungand tell you what this assembly is about?" the latter asked.
"He did not, but if he called everyone together, it must be something important." Merlin frowned. "I assumed we would only be called in when the Final Ascension Plan was ready to begin, but that shouldn't be for a few days still."
"It doesn't matter why we've been called; we just need to do our jobs."
Techbane looked over at the speaker. It was a tall and muscular man, wearing a white jumpsuit with silver chest armor, an azure gauntlet with a silver glove on his right hand, azure greaves, and light silver sneakers. A silver scarf was wrapped around his neck, and an azure mask covered the top half of his face, exposing a single red right eye. His black hair was spiky and swept backwards, with his bangs covering the left side of his face. Like many Enforcers, he wore a belt with an infinity symbol.
But that wasn't the man's most notable feature. That would be the mechanical left arm he had, with light blue lines painted over the white metal, and a silver infinity symbol on his shoulder.
Merlin smiled. "Erebus!" he exclaimed. "I see you're as goal oriented as ever."
Techbane blinked. This is Erebus? He knew the Enforcer No. VIII had arrived in Japan, but he hadn't had the opportunity to meet him yet. The first impression he got was that the man reminded him of Blood Shepherd, what with the mechanical arm.
"I am an Enforcer and a soldier," the man replied to Merlin. "To be anything less would be an insult to my employer." He looked over at Techbane. "You're the new Enforcer? No. XII?"
"Y-Yes. My name is Techbane. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Erebus grunted in acknowledgement. "We'll see if you end up as an asset or a liability."
"Uh…"
"Oh, don't be rude to the new boy, darling! As his seniors, we have a responsibility to guide and nurture him."
A new person had walked in from a side corridor, and they were… a lot. They wore a gray jumpsuit with black vambraces and greaves covering their forearms and shins, white cuisses covering their thighs, a white breastplate wrapped around their chest, and white gloves covering their hands. The heels and soles of their high-heeled shoes were pink, and black claws tipped their fingers. But the most noticeable things about their appearance were the black tail that ended in a pink spike, the long pale pink hair, and their dark pink eyes.
The androgynous person smiled at the three other Enforcers. "It's good to finally meet Merlin's new protégé," they said cheerily. "I am Chimera, Enforcer No. VI. I apologize for this grump; he has a chronic condition where he must bring the mood of any location he's in down."
Techbane found himself just staring at the… eccentric individual in front of him. "I-It's alright."
The Enforcer No. III found himself chuckling. "Chimera, stop teasing the young man. He's still new to all this."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm just having fun." Chimera held out his hand and Techbane shook it. "I do hope we have fun working together. You couldn't possibly be more of a mood killer than the male Debbie Downer here."
Erebus breathed an aggrieved sigh. "Every time," he muttered. "Every time. Is it too much to ask that you take these things seriously?"
"We've worked together how many times and you're still asking that?" Chimera gasped in shock. "Wait, don't tell me! All this time… have you just been interested in my body? Have you never bothered to learn anything about me?"
Erebus's single visible eye twitched. "Stop that," he demanded. "How many times will you give people the wrong idea before it gets old?"
"Never!" Chimera said happily.
"Uh…" Techbane turned to Merlin. "He… she…?"
"They," Merlin clarified quietly with a smile. "Chimera prefers 'they'."
"…Okay, they… seem very… interesting."
Merlin chuckled again. "You don't need to sugarcoat it; Chimera is well aware of how they come across to others. Not only do they not care, but they take considerable joy in making people uncomfortable. As for them and Erebus, the two have worked together many times, and despite their arguments, they are each other's best friend."
"No lie in any of that!" Chimera agreed. "Though it's an utter pain to get this one to admit to any of that."
"Do you know why we were summoned, Chimera?" Erebus interrupted, clearly wanting to get things moving. "Jormungand's summons didn't include details."
Chimera sighed. "To business then? Pity. But no, I don't know why we were called early either. I tried asking Zahhak earlier, but he just ignored me."
"Would that I could do the same," Erebus muttered.
Chimera's jaw dropped in horror, but before they could start their routine again, three new people materialized. More specifically, three young women.
"So you're already here," the girl in the middle said. She was the tallest and likely the oldest, with gold hair worn in a ponytail and heterochromatic eyes – the left red and the right yellow. She, and the other two girls, wore black jumpsuits underneath white-gold armor covering their chests, shoulders, hips, arms, and legs. They each had a belt with a black infinity symbol, and a circlet on their heads with white feathers on the sides. Hers had a diamond in the center. "Chimera, Erebus, Merlin; it's been a while."
"That it has, Athena," Merlin said with a smile. "Have you and the Stahlritter been enjoying Japan?"
The shortest girl snorted. Her crimson hair was wavy and had orange highlights in the front, while her eyes were light blue. In the center of her circlet was a ruby. "We just got here yesterday, and we haven't had the time to go anywhere or do anything," she said. "If it was up to me, we wouldn't even be here."
"Now now, Sakuya," the middle girl chided. Her skin was light brown, and her flowing white hair reached her mid-back while her violet eyes showed a certain amusement. Her circlet had a sapphire in the center. "Just because you haven't had the chance to go to Akihabara yet doesn't mean you should take it out on them."
The redhead, Sakuya, blushed in annoyance and turned to her fellow. "I am not interested in going to Akihabara, Parvati!" she said. "I don't even want to be here! We serve Lady Arianrhod, the 7th Anguis, not the 3rd. We should not be here!"
"Both of you, stop it," Athena chided, looking over her younger colleagues with a stern eye. "Lady Arianrhod sent us with instructions to obey Jormungand's orders, and we will do so. Do either of you wish to disappoint her?"
Sakuya hesitated and sighed. "No, Athena. I'll behave."
"As will I," Parvati assured her leader.
Athena nodded and then looked over at Techbane. "You're the newest Enforcer, correct? I am Athena, leader of the Stahlritter. These are Sakuya and Parvati. All three of us are sworn to the service of the 7th Anguis Arianrhod, but she has ordered that we assist Jormungand with his plan. It will be a pleasure to work with you."
"L-Likewise," Techbane said, nodding to her. "I haven't met Arianrhod or really heard anything about her, but I look forward to learning."
"You should hope so," Sakuya said smugly. "Lady Arianrhod is the strongest in all of Ouroboros after all!"
Techbane tilted his head. "I thought that was Zahhak?"
Merlin cleared his throat. "Zahhak is the strongest Enforcer certainly, but Arianrhod is widely regarded as the strongest of the Anguis. The two did duel once to see who was stronger, but the result was… inconclusive."
"They drew?"
"The duel did not finish," Athena corrected with a frown. "And at the point it stopped, the duel could have gone either way."
"Ah, you're all here."
The conversation ended as the gathered Enforcers and Stahlritter turned in response to Jormungand walking into the atrium, Jester and Zahhak right behind him.
"I know you all have questions, but I'd like to dive right into things," the 3rd Anguis said. "At midnight on Christmas Eve, the Queen of SOL Technologies was attacked, and her half of the SOL code key was taken from her."
"Code key?" Techbane repeated.
"It is the program to give one access to SOL Technologies' mainframe," Jester explained. "It is split between Queen and Akira Zaizen. And now, another party has half of it."
"Not only that, but those responsible left a message for Zaizen. On the 28th, they are planning to attack him and take his half."
"SOL Technologies is the company responsible for LINK VRAINS, right?" Sakuya asked. "Why would you care about this company?"
"Because Jormungand is SOL's majority shareholder," Athena answered her. "I did some research, and you're using SOL to further the Final Ascension Plan?"
"I am," the 3rd Anguis answered. "At this moment, SOL is building a satellite for the final part of my plan. A satellite that is nearly complete and is due to be launched on the 30th." He frowned. "If SOL's code key is completed, they can stop the satellite's launch and halt the Final Ascension Plan."
"So that's why you care about this," Erebus surmised. "Who is the responsible party? I'll hunt them down and eliminate them."
"It's unfortunately not that easy, Erebus. The ones responsible are the Dark and Gold Ignis, alongside Diana and an unknown AI called Roboppi."
Techbane, Parvati, and Sakuya gasped while Merlin's, Chimera's, and Athena's eyes widened.
"…I see," Erebus continued, his body language tense. "Then this is an even higher priority. Where are they? I'll bring the traitor in."
"What?" Sakuya growled, glaring at the Enforcer. "You're not taking in Diana! She's ours!"
"You are too weak to challenge her," Erebus dismissed.
"Excuse me?!"
Jormungand cleared his throat, cutting off the argument before it could start. "I have already attempted to find them, but I have been unable to do so. In all likelihood, they will only appear when they attack Zaizen."
"Then perhaps we should protect Akira Zaizen?" Chimera suggested. "If they are targeting him, then wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"
"I had considered that, but Zaizen has already taken matters into his own hands," Jormungand said. "He has approached a number of duelists in Den City and asked them to protect him."
"Who?" Athena asked.
"The ones who fought against the us and the Light Ignis two months ago, alongside Go Onizuka and Blood Shepherd. Among them is Playmaker, the origin of the Dark Ignis, and Cassiel, the origin of the Gold Ignis."
"Playmaker," Athena mused. "I read Arianrhod's file on him. He is the one who, with the leader of the Knights of Hanoi, tied with Zahhak."
"He did," the eponymous Enforcer confirmed. "It was... unexpected."
"The point is that they will be defending Zaizen from the remaining Ignis, and in all likelihood, the Knights of Hanoi will take this chance to kill what they believe to be the last free Ignis," Jormungand said. "Most of them are familiar with Ouroboros from the war with Lightning, and if any of you show up to protect Zaizen, they'll realize something is wrong." His eyes narrowed. "For that reason, we won't interfere in the battle between them and the Ignis. We will observe, and only intervene should Ai and Goldie emerge victorious."
"…Very well," Erebus said. "I would personally prefer to eliminate the enemy myself, but I have no objections to this approach."
"Neither do I," Chimera agreed. Everyone else nodded.
"The question must be asked though," Merlin spoke up. "If the two Ignis manage to obtain the full code key and take SOL Technologies from you, how will the Final Ascension Plan recover?"
Jormungand smirked at that. "It will not be delayed at all," he assured him. "I have contingencies in place should something happen to the satellite. The only thing those two can do is delay the inevitable. They cannot stop it."
With that, everyone departed, with Jormungand returning to the central reactor. Despite his confidence in his plan's success, he needed to be sure. Which meant he had one last person to talk to.
He opened a video channel. He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it in stupefaction.
"Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me!"
"Galileo!" "Galileo!" "Galileo!" "Galileo!"
"No no no! That's not high enough. You need to raise your voice higher."
"How can I do that? I have your voice; if you can't reach that note, how can I?"
"I created you, so obviously you should be able to do what I need you to do."
"So you make us to do something you can't? Doesn't that make us superior to you?"
"Don't be ridiculous; you cannot create like I can."
"Ahem." Jormungand coughed into his fist, getting the attention of the four individuals on the call. The four identical individuals.
Well, not entirely identical; they all wore the same outfit of a gray dress shirt, black shirt, silver blazer, dark gray scarf, and black jeans. But only one had amber eyes behind his glasses; the others had gray eyes.
"Oh, Jormungand!" The amber-eyed one greeted. "I wasn't expecting you to call."
"I wasn't expecting to make one, Cypher." The Divine Ignis looked over the other three. "This is…?"
"I made copies of myself," the Silver Ignis explained. "I wanted to sing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, but I needed other voices. But I knew the others wouldn't be interested, so I figured this approach would work the best."
"It certainly isn't something I thought of doing," Jormungand admitted. "That aside, I have some news."
Cypher's eyes lit up with understanding. "Ah. Did Ai and Goldie make a move? I'm guessing they did something you didn't think they would."
"They did," the Third Anguis admitted easily. "They're attempting to take control of SOL Technologies. In two days, they'll attack Akira Zaizen to take his code key."
"Really?" Cypher hummed to himself. "Well, are you telling me this because you want me to fight them?"
"No; I expect them to fail in their objectives. But in case they do succeed, I'll need you to be on guard; if they gain access to LINK VRAINS, they'll discover the towers."
"And that the others are alive," Cypher finished. "Maybe you should tell them the other Ignis are still alive? That might give them pause."
It might, but Jormungand didn't want to bank on that possibility. "For now, continue your work. But if Zaizen loses control of SOL, be prepared to repel any investigations."
"I'll work on that. You're going to tell the others?"
"I am. Good day, Cypher."
"You too, Jormungand."
The Divine Ignis ended the call, then paused before he opened another channel. "Copies of oneself… hmm…"
December 27th, Evening…
"Phew," Kusanagi breathed, wiping sweat off his brow. "Another long day of work." He frowned to himself. Ai and Goldie are attacking Zaizen tomorrow. Takeru, Yasutake, Sachi, Cam, and I are helping him, but Yusaku still hasn't decided. Is he-?
"Excuse me." Kusanagi blinked his thoughts away and looked down at the blonde teenage girl in front of Café Nagi.
"Oh sorry. What can I get you?"
The girl looked at the menu on the side. "Do you have any sandwiches besides hot dogs?"
Kusanagi's eye twitched. "I don't have sandwiches. This is a hot dog stand. And whoever told you hot dogs are sandwiches lied to you."
"Is that so? Then two hot dogs and two bottles of water to go, please."
"Coming right up."
A few minutes later, Kusanagi handed her a bag and two waters, and she handed him the payment. "Thank you."
"Yeah!" Kusanagi watched her walk away, then looked up at the sky. It's getting late, he thought. Now would be a good time to close up shop. He shut off the grill, but when he turned to the cash register, he blinked at the envelope stuck underneath it.
"What?" he whispered. That wasn't there before. Kusanagi pulled the envelope out from under the register and opened it. There was a letter inside. He read the first few lines and his eyes widened.
"I need to call the others!"
December 28th, Evening…
Everyone stood inside of a pyramid structure. Akira had set up a server where he would hide, and with him was almost everyone he had called to Central Station before.
"Thank you, everyone," Akira said in relief, looking over the crowd. Go Onizuka, Galahad, and Persephone stood to one side, Blood Shepherd stood in the back, Ghost Girl, Lilith, and Blue Maiden were grouped together, and to Akira's left were Cassiel, Soulburner, and Playmaker. "Thanks for coming." He looked at one person in particular. "I must admit, I wasn't sure if you would come, Playmaker."
"I don't want to fight Ai," the hacker responded. "But as his partner, it's my duty to stop him from committing more crimes." His eyes narrowed. "More than that, I want to know why he is doing this."
"I feel the same way about Goldie," Cassiel said. "If she is attacking SOL Technologies, then there must be a reason."
"I know." Akira gave the two, and Soulburner, a meaningful look. "When this is over, hopefully we will have that reason."
"Is this everyone?" Go asked.
"No. There are others."
Everyone turned as six people materialized into the area.
"Revolver!" Soulburner exclaimed.
"Terminus!" Cassiel said.
"Spectre and the three Knights of Hanoi!" Ghost Girl finished.
"That's right," Akira confirmed. "I'm having them help in this battle."
"Because of me," Lilith revealed. "I've been in contact with the Knights for the past few months, and I told them about this." Even got their help on a new Deck.
"I see," Blood Shepherd said. "If we're hunting Ignis, everyone has the same goal."
"I thought your goal was to get revenge on SOL Technologies?" Persephone recalled, gazing at them with suspicion.
"Since the Light Ignis's scheme was revealed, we no longer desire revenge against SOL Technologies," Revolver answered.
"But brother, it doesn't change the fact that they committed crimes," Blue Maiden pointed out.
"It does not," Galahad growled in agreement. "I refused to work with them against Lightning; why would I agree to work with them now?"
"Because after this, we will take responsibility for our crimes," Revolver said, making Galahad's and Soulburner's eyes widen. "As you said, our crimes don't just vanish. Once everything is done, we'll hand ourselves in.
"Really?" Playmaker asked.
"Right now, the Knights of Hanoi have two goals: To kill the Ignis, and to get revenge on Ouroboros for his murder of our colleague." Revolver's eyes narrowed. "Once those are done, we won't have a reason to continue."
"So after you kill Ai and Goldie, what are you going to do?" Cassiel asked.
"I have agreed that, once this is done, to run a scan program of the network," Akira spoke up. "One designed to find traces of the organization Ouroboros. That will lead to Jester."
"Once we have him, we will come forward and confess our crimes to the public," Revolver continued. "From there, we'll atone for our sins."
"…If you're turning yourselves in after this, I guess I can work with you this time," Galahad said reluctantly.
Soulburner grit his teeth. "You're right Revolver, but it doesn't feel right."
"…Tell us when you find Jester." Everyone turned to Cassiel's solemn look. "I can't say I want revenge precisely, but I do want him to answer for everything he has done."
To Masako, to me, and to Yasu, went unsaid.
"Agreed," Playmaker said. "If you want to go after Ouroboros Revolver, then I'll help too."
"…I'll remember that," Revolver promised.
"If the Knights of Hanoi confess the truth, SOL Technologies won't get off scot-free," Ghost Girl pointed out to Akira.
"You're right. But that can't be helped." Akira narrowed his eyes. "Trust built upon lies will eventually be exposed."
"Since you're currently the top executive, you'll take the fall. You'll take responsibility for what you didn't do?"
"That's how companies are structured. And I accept it."
Blue Maiden frowned. "Brother…"
Ghost Girl frowned but nodded. "Fine. If that's how you feel, I won't say anything more."
"What's the plan?" Revolver asked.
Akira called up screens of the pyramid and the surrounding area. "The battle will take place here. They'll come from somewhere on the outskirts. We're currently at the center."
The image of the pyramid changed to an overhead blueprint. "We're in the circle courtyard at the center. Only two routes connect to the outside. Blue Maiden, Terminus, and I will stay in the courtyard. Most of you will situate yourselves at the routes' gateways. Blood Shepherd, Ghost Girl, Lilith, Baira, and Persephone will take the east. On the west will be Go Onizuka, Dr. Genome, Faust, Spectre, and Galahad. Playmaker, Cassiel, Revolver, and Soulburner will be at the outside gateways."
"So we're the first line of defense," Playmaker surmised.
"Yes," Akira confirmed. "If you see the enemy, go there."
"Confirm something for me," Galahad spoke up. "Can't you deal with Ai's and Goldie's attack without logging into the network?"
"No," Blood Shepherd denied. "If he's attacked in real life, they may steal his consciousness."
"But what if they steal his body while he's in the network?" Soulburner asked.
"Don't worry about that," Akira assured him. "They definitely can't reach me."
"You prepared countermeasures," Lilith realized.
"Revolver, provide Blue Maiden, Ghost Girl, and Go Onizuka with that special something."
"Special something?" Go repeated.
Revolver pressed a few buttons and then looked at the three individuals. "Look at your Duel Disks."
The trio raised them and blinked in unison. "I sent you Pandor, an anti-Ignis AI."
A small, feminine humanoid rose from their Duel Disks.
"Everyone, get to your positions!" Akira commanded.
The Linguriboh ship approached the area.
"They've gathered at the center!" Roboppi reported.
"So Zaizen did get everyone," Ai confirmed.
"Including the Knights of Hanoi," Goldie noted.
"How much of this can Jormungand see?" Diana wondered.
"Unfortunately, I'm not sure," the Gold Ignis replied with a grimace. "He is absolutely watching this – he would be a fool not to – but I can't sense his program."
That made the others grimace. "It'll probably be best to act as though he can see and hear us while we're fighting," Diana surmised.
"Then let's put on the show of a lifetime!" Ai proclaimed. The front of Linguriboh lifted, and the four occupants leapt out and summoned their D-Boards. "Come! Let's stop for nothing!"
And hope they forgive us once this is over.
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 77 – Hanoi's Steadfast Defense. The battle has begun! While Goldie's and Ai's tactics keep the strongest duelists busy and Roboppi fights Ghost Girl & Blood Shepherd, the two free Ignis and Diana face off against the Knights of Hanoi…
Question of the Chapter
Which new Ouroboros character are you most interested in seeing more of?
Author's Notes
This was mostly a prep chapter, setting things up for Chapter 77 and beyond. It corresponds with Episode 105 of the anime and includes content around the OCs.
I'll start with Ouroboros's part. Of course, the Final Ascension Plan is global, and the SOLtiS aren't being sold around the globe; they're just in East Asia. So Jormungand has other ways to spread the VR Inducers around the world. But Ai and Goldie aren't after the SOLtiS; they're after the satellite that Jormungand is having SOL build to trigger his signal. Of course he has a contingency in place, but do they know that?
Then we got character introductions: Erebus, Chimera, Athena, Parvati, and Sakuya. Erebus is Enforcer No. VIII, and he is the serious, no-nonsense sort. Credit to savagemaster1999 for his creation. Next we have Chimera, Enforcer No. VI, SakushiRyu's creation. I know there are people confused about them, so I'll clear it up: Chimera is gender-fluid. I am cisgender myself, so I don't know how accurately I can portray a gender-fluid character; my primary source on gender-fluidity is Alex Fierro from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, which is fictional as well. I will do my best to portray Chimera respectfully, but I do hope their personality shines through. And on their personality, they and Erebus are the Straight Man & Wise Guy duo, so I hope you enjoy that.
Then we have the Stahlritter: Athena, Parvati, and Sakuya. Athena's and Sakuya's names were suggested by savagemaster1999, and Parvati's was given by SavageWizar9000. Athena is the leader of the trio and the most goal-oriented. Parvati is more relaxed but does focus on the job. And Sakuya is the youngest and most ill-tempered towards other people. What Decks do these five use? We'll see, won't we?
And most importantly, we saw some hints towards the future. Did you catch all of them? Tell me in the reviews!
Thank you once again for reading Chapter 76 of Hidden Memories. Please leave a review of your thoughts on the chapter, and look forward to Chapter 77!