Starting Notes:
Welcome back! I know that everyone is probably anxious about the ending of the last chapter. Disclaimer—this chapter was intended to be the finale of last chapter, but it was too tiring to write it all at once, and I separated it into a later chapter. That's why it's a direct follow-up, haha. If I had written it all together, it'd have been a 50k word chapter. :'D It's kind of my break chapter from having tons of duels to deal with, so while I still put in a lot of effort for the duel in this chapter (which is very complicated), it's a lot more lore than dueling-focused. Just saying that first! :)
Chapter 55: Disjecta Membra
Once upon a time, there was a boy.
Once upon a time, there was a girl.
Once upon a time, there was a boy who became a man.
Once upon a time, a man and a woman grew up and walked away from each other.
Once upon a time, there was a world whose people dared to call it a utopia.
Once upon a time, there was a world who gazed at a boy and a girl and thought, they are interesting.
Yes, these two are interesting.
Once upon a time, there was a world that unknowingly guided both the man and the woman who it found interesting to destruction.
Maybe that's enough.
After all, people can cry, and the world cannot. The world cannot cry for the people who have broken within it. All it can do is stare at those people and feel regret.
Oh, the world will think. This is what we made you.
You have become marked with stigma to everyone that sees you, and we have become anathema to you.
The hand wrapped itself around Yuno's wrist, tugging his arm back. Then, the hand tightened, twisting his wrist until the rock dropped from his hands.
Yuno turned over.
"... I'm not sure why you're playing the hero when it doesn't seem in character for you," he said, his voice sounding remarkably calm. Of course, that was just on the surface. When the ocean looked calm, it rarely actually was.
Hitoda Makishima, at the very least, could see the violence under it, a violence that did not belong to Yuno himself.
"You really shouldn't be here."
"If I wasn't here," Hitoda replied, "who's going to stop you from doing something you'll regret?" She shoved him back, away from Yuto.
"You have no clue what you're dealing with," Yuno replied. He turned his glowing eyes to her, but Hitoda remained mostly unfazed. He blinked in surprise.
"Oh," Hitoda said, smiling as though she was in the most natural situation in the world. Several unconscious people all around her, a collapsed building, her friend standing there and speaking in a way that was completely unlike himself, eyes glowing in a way that was certainly not normal. She walked over to look at Yuya and Yuri. Her expression didn't change. "Do tell me more. I'd love to know what exactly I have no clue about."
"... I knew you were nuts, but I don't think I realised how insane you were until now," Yuno replied.
Hitoda laughed. "Is that coming from him, or from you?"
Yuno went silent. He was staring at her—clearly trying to figure her out, or figure out what was going on here. For someone who had seemed so… in control of everything earlier, he now seemed genuinely flabbergasted by the situation.
"Yuno isn't particularly aware that I'm… like this." Hitoda sighed. "He likes to see the best in everyone, even when it's a stretch. It's why he reaches out and confuses everyone constantly. So it has to be you then, right?"
Yuno watched her.
Hitoda knelt down, examining Yuri and Yuya's wounds. "Hmm. That's not good. No wonder you went for Yuto first—they're both far more injured than he is. Not to mention the two idiots who fell from a collapsing roof in a situation that literally anyone could have predicted."
"Were you watching?" Yuno said. "How much have you seen?" It was almost conversational, as though they were just in VRAINS, discussing a new collaboration that they were about to do. As though Yuno hadn't just been about to kill another person right in front of her. "I don't have a personal problem with you—you're at the very least not a sanctimonious person who's going to lecture me, and you're usually on my side. But if you heard too much and you're going to tell everyone, I will have to get rid of you too."
Hitoda perched herself on the rubble. "Well," she said mildly, "that's no good. I like being alive."
Yuno narrowed his eyes.
"See, that's the issue with you." Hitoda shrugged. "You have his charm, sure, but you're a little too aggressive. If it was Yuno, he would've tried to carefully nudge me about the issue. Threatening me directly like that will just make me say no, regardless of whether I actually overheard you."
"Are you… trying to teach me something?" Yuno did not know how he had gotten into this surreal situation—he was supposed to be the surreal one.
"Maybe." Hitoda chuckled. "You're not exactly Yuno, but you're still something similar to him, right?" She pressed her hand to the rubble above Yuri. "I only got here when the roof collapsed. Barely avoided being buried too." She turned to him. "But that person told me that the rest wouldn't be able to make it, not from the positions where they were. If I was any later, you'd have smashed his head in."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"I like you," Hitoda said. "But as it stands, it appears I also like Yuto Kamisoka, just a little." She smirked. "Can't have you assimilating him when he hasn't learned how to become a better person yet."
Assimilating…
"How do you know that?"
"I know a lot of things about you," Hitoda said. "Not even from listening in—I just know." She tilted her head. "I dream a lot, after all." She stood up, walking over.
"Cut the crap," Yuno said bluntly. "No one alive in this world should know or remember who I am. Her fragments with the bracelets might have a chance, not that I care. And that despicable man who runs Fusion's school is an anomaly. But there can't be these many anomalies. Who are you, to know these things about me? Are you from that world too?"
"No," Hitoda said. She seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. "I am entirely my own person. But I know that you're both Yuno and not Yuno at the same time. I know that you're a piece of something else—someone else, I should say. And I know your name." She raised her hands. "Isn't the answer obvious? Who am I? Yuno knows me, but in another life, you knew me too, you know."
Yuno clearly took a moment to think, and then his mouth fell open in surprise.
"That's not it," he said tersely. "You—you can't be—"
"Hmm?" Hitoda seemed to enjoy his shock—seemed to enjoy taking away his control of the situation. "You don't remember? You used to call me nee-san, after all."
And somewhere else, in a state of non-existence, something screeched.
Because it knew.
It knew that this had to be a lie.
It knew that no matter how much it wanted this to be true, that person was gone.
Yuno covered his ears for a brief moment, hearing that screech echoing through his head. It didn't help, but when it ended, he lifted his head again.
"Surprised?" Hitoda asked.
"Don't lie to me," Yuno replied harshly. "That person—that person no longer exists. And she was not in that duel—me and her—"
"Yes," Hitoda agreed. "You and that woman were the only ones that were affected by it." She hummed. "You could call me… I guess a fancy term for it would be disjecta membra. I'm not one of six like you—I'm just a tiny, unremarkable piece of that person. Something left behind, though she's gone."
Disjecta membra—scattered fragments of history, of the past, pieces broken off the main that would never be restored to it. Surviving fragments of objects that should have been left in the past, things that had broken down until they could not be salvaged.
An example of it would be a piece of a broken vase, perhaps. The vase was gone, smashed to pieces, but centuries later, people could find the piece and say 'yes, this was a vase once'. They could see the story from the fragment, the whole from a single piece. But the original could never truly be restored. It would never truly exist again.
"Not everyone scattered as neatly through these worlds as you, little brother," Hitoda said—or rather, someone else said, borrowing Hitoda Makishima's vocal cords. But the intonation was different, the emphasis on syllables was different—
And the part of Yuno Sugisaki that could remember everything seized onto it in a moment of crystal clear familiarity.
"If it's really you," he said, letting that other self speak through him, "then you're not supposed to be stopping me."
Hitoda smiled wryly. She pressed a hand to the rubble that was crushing Yuri—and then, the bits of broken concrete vanished, as though it had never been there at all. She strode across the ruined building, doing the same to the rubble around Yuji and Yugo. She reached down towards the unconscious Serena, touching her bracelet for a moment, as though looking for something. She shook her head after a moment, taking a step back. She raised a hand to her forehead—clearly, doing that had already worn her out. It wasn't easy for her to remove those things at all. At the same time…
It was a silent statement of disagreement. After all, if she was really on his side, she would be letting him reclaim what was his, letting him finally achieve his goal—
And at the same time, it was a confirmation. She was altering and shifting reality itself, even if only in such a small way. That was the extent of it—she couldn't do any more of it.
He had only ever known one person who could do something like that.
"I can only remove things, unfortunately. I can't put them back together." Hitoda turned to him. She looked winded. "Let's speak plainly. I'm not her, and you're not him, either. I have a bit of her in my brain, but I'm still me; you're the bit of him that's lodged in Yuno's brain. But the Yuno that I know isn't currently at home now, so to speak. The other five are unconscious, and they're fine, he's already out of them because they 'lost'. That means that as long as you go down properly this time, at the same time as the other five, we can keep him back for a while longer."
"If you're her, you wouldn't fight me," Yuno said, feeling red hot anger beginning to wash away everything else—his sentimental feelings, that hope that had suddenly come alive again. "If you're her—"
"You've got it all mixed up," Hitoda replied. "I'm heartless. If it was just me, I wouldn't put myself in harm's way. I wouldn't try to save you. But it's because of those dreams that I know what it's like to care for someone. Even if I can't quite feel it myself, I know I do care for Yuno. Because of her, I know that I want to stop you too."
Because of her.
"... if that's the case," Yuno said, "I'll just kill you, take the part of her that's in you, and go along with my original plan."
Hitoda smirked. "I thought so," she said. She raised her hand. "Come on, Yuno. Miharu knocked you out of it once, but it seems that without using her bracelet, it didn't stick. I'll finish the job for her."
They both raised their duel disks, and the duel began.
Still between her and Yuno—
But acting as proxies for something else.
[DUEL!]
Hitoda Makishima: 4000LP
Yuno Sugisaki: 4000LP
[Turn 1: Hitoda] [H:5]
Hitoda glanced at the hand she had drawn and laughed.
I can't give you my actual deck, the voice in her head said, still somewhat weak. But that's the best I can do.
"Well, it's still better than nothing." She hummed. "We are up against your brother, who from what I've heard, is invincible." Then, she glanced at the five boys in various crumpled states on the ground. "Well. Maybe near-invincible."
Yes. But he's only acting through one of them now. If you defeat him, this should end for a while—it'll take him a while longer to have the strength to do something like this again.
Hitoda glanced at the glowing eyes of Yuno Sugisaki. She… did not like those eyes, right now.
She had first met Yuno when he was Boundless Sea. She hadn't even seen his face in real life until they'd had to flee their hometown. Back then, she had just been curious about what exactly was going on, and well, Boundless Sea was her friend. Helping him out hadn't sounded like a bad idea. So she had twisted things a little. The Knights of Hanoi had set up an anti-flight program, but a little flick of her finger had removed its influence on her Duel Board, and she had gotten Yuno out of there.
And she had come face to face with Yuno Sugisaki in the warehouse, right after that.
Seeing his face…
Seeing his face, so similar to that face in her dreams, had been enough to make her curiosity stay there. She had said that she was looking for a purpose. She had said that she was unhappy in that world, and perhaps in a way, that was true too. But in reality, the moment that she had seen Yuno, she'd had a very different thought.
'Ah. This person might be able to explain to me the reason for my existence.'
And no. A person could never be the only reason for another person's existence. It would be something bordering on obsession for that to be the case.
But at the same time, it had been fun, hadn't it? That single decision to follow Yuno. She had met people like Kyorin, like Nue, like Yuto, all these different people who were so interesting in their own ways. She had understood, for a while, what it felt like to be a companion to another person.
It wasn't half-bad.
So, she didn't mind it. And a part of her had been content with being near Yuno too—as though she had reclaimed something small that she had thought she would never be able to have again.
"Well," she said, "I've already come all this way. And well, he defeated me in Standard. I haven't gotten to repay that yet."
She met Yuno's gaze.
"Here we go," she said. "I'll set the Scale 1 Brightsoul Spirit in the Pendulum Scale." In her left Pendulum Scale, a bright gold spirit of flame appeared, rising upwards in the shape of a woman.
"That's not your usual archetype," Yuno said, raising an eyebrow. "Nor is it hers."
"Oh, it's always treated as a "Charmer" monster," Hitoda said. "As for why it's named that and doesn't follow the naming scheme of my monsters…" She laughed. "That's not something I can explain for now, since it's not just my secret to keep. But here. On the turn that I activate Brightsoul Spirit in the Pendulum Scale, during the Main Phase, I can add a FIRE, LIGHT or EARTH Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my deck to my hand." She picked up the card. "And I'll set the Scale 6 Shadesoul Spirit in the other Pendulum Scale." A dark spirit appeared, flame-like shadows swirling around her. "Shadesoul Spirit has the same effect as Brightsoul Spirit, but for a WATER, DARK or WIND Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points instead." She picked up another card.
She gestured forward.
"Continuous Spell, Awakening of the Possessed. And now, I'll set a monster facedown." She gestured to Brightsoul Spirit in the Pendulum Scale. "With the Pendulum Effect of Brightsoul Spirit, once per turn, I can target a monster I control in facedown Defense Position. I can flip that monster into face-up Defense Position. Come—Fairy Tail - Sleeper!"
A blonde girl in an orange dress appeared, eyes closed, dreamy mist floating around her. Bubbles were also floating amongst the mist, and a thick and fluffy pink tail could be seen behind her, tied up with a red ribbon in a bow.
[Fairy Tail - Sleeper (4*/1850/1000/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Flip/Effect)]
"That card…" Yuno tilted his head consideringly.
"When Fairy Tail - Sleeper is flipped face-up, I can Special Summon a monster from my hand," Hitoda said. "Come—Familiar-Possessed - Eria." A blue-haired girl appeared, a blue reptilian creature emerging behind her as she held up her staff.
[Familiar-Possessed - Eria (4*/1850/1500/WATER/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"And when I Normal or Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, I can activate the effect of Awakening of the Possessed," Hitoda said. "I'll draw a card." She glanced at the card. "Quickplay Spell, Spirit Charmers. I'll discard a card, and then I'll take two cards from my deck that belong to any of the following categories—"Charmer" monsters, "Familiar-Possessed" monsters or "Possessed" Spell or Traps." She picked up the two cards. "Then, one of them is directly set from the deck, and the other is added to my hand."
She set one of the cards in the Spell and Trap Zone, adding the other to her hand.
"I'll set a card facedown and end my turn." She now had Brightsoul Spirit and Shadesoul Spirit in the Pendulum Scales, along with Awakening of the Possessed and two set cards in her backrow. On her field, she had Fairy Tail - Sleeper in Defense Position and Familiar-Possessed - Eria in Attack Position.
"... I know that you didn't ask Reiji Akaba for Pendulum Monsters," Yuno said. "Pendulum Summon doesn't benefit you, just like it doesn't benefit us, since we can already swarm well enough. And I don't remember that Fairy Tail card. So…"
"It's a gift," Hitoda said. "Just like you've gotten gifts from him, I suspect."
[Turn 2: Yuno] [H:6]
"How'd you guess?" Yuno said, adopting a more casual tone. "Draw. I'll Normal Summon Marincess Blue Tang." The blue-haired girl appeared, her eyes darting to Yuno nervously as she floated in front of him. When she looked at Hitoda, she almost looked like she was pleading with her.
[Marincess Blue Tang (4*/1500/1200/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]
"When Marincess Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a "Marincess" monster from my deck to the graveyard. I'll choose Marincess Sea Horse. And now, open, my circuit of supremacy! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are a Level 4 or lower "Marincess" monster! I will set Marincess Blue Tang in the Link Markers! Shine, beautiful water creature that dwells in the depths! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Marincess Blue Slug!" The blue-haired Link Monster appeared in the Extra Monster Zone, looking just as skittish as Blue Tang.
[Marincess Blue Slug (L1/1500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↓)]
"Marincess Blue Slug's effect. When she's Link Summoned, I can add a "Marincess" monster from my graveyard to my hand, but I cannot Special Summon monsters this turn, except WATER monsters. And when Blue Tang is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a WATER monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add a "Marincess" monster from among them to my hand."
Hitoda was completely unsurprised, considering that this was always Yuno's starting move.
"I'll Special Summon Marincess Sea Horse from my hand to the Main Monster Zone that Marincess Blue Slug points to," Yuno said. The girl with blonde hair appeared right behind Blue Slug.
[Marincess Sea Horse (3*/1400/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]
"Open, my circuit of supremacy! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Blue Slug and Marincess Sea Horse in the Link Markers! Appear now, colourful idol of the reef! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Marincess Coral Anemone!" As the orange-haired woman appeared, Hitoda was once again completely unsurprised.
The truth was, outside the Link Dimension, who had watched Yuno more than her or Miharu? No one here knew his dueling style quite as well as the two of them did.
[Marincess Coral Anemone (L2/2000/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/←, ↓)]
The moment that Coral Anemone took form, Hitoda spoke up.
"You know, Kogami-san was very right," she said. "Cutting it off there is the best way to stop you." She flipped up one of her two set cards. "Trap Card, Possessed Partnerships. I will Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my hand or graveyard." She smirked. Come from the graveyard—Familiar-Possessed - Lyna." The white-haired young woman appeared, red feathered wings spreading out behind her, as though she was an angel.
[Familiar-Possessed - Lyna (4*/1850/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"Then, since I now control two or more Attributes, I can destroy a card on the field. I'll choose your Coral Anemone." Hitoda shrugged. "I'm sure that you were planning on getting Marincess Wave, but as long as I don't let you have a Link 3 or higher monster on the field, it won't work out that way."
Coral Anemone exploded, before Yuno got the chance to use its revival ability.
"I'll use Coral Anemone's effect. Since she was sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add a "Marincess" card from my graveyard to my hand." Yuno picked up a card.
"And I'll use the effect of Awakening of the Possessed," Hitoda replied. "I'll draw a card, since I just Special Summoned a monster with 1850 attack points. And don't forget—for each Attribute I control, Awakening of the Possessed increases the attack points of all monsters I control by 300."
[Familiar-Possessed - Lyna: 1850 + 300 x 2 = 2450ATK]
[Familiar-Possessed - Eria: 1850 + 300 x 2 = 2450ATK]
[Fairy Tail - Sleeper: 1850 + 300 x 2 = 2450ATK]
"Best way to stop me…" Yuno snorted. "Do you really think that you've stopped me? I'll banish Marincess Sea Horse from the graveyard to Special Summon Marincess Springirl from my hand!" The girl with dark blue hair, dressed in dark silks, appeared on the field as well.
[Marincess Springirl (4*/1200/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]
"And I'll open the circuit of supremacy again. Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are one Level 4 or lower "Marincess" monster. I will set Marincess Springirl in the Link Markers! Beautiful angel floating through the ocean, ascend now! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 1! Marincess Sea Angel!" The white-haired girl appeared, deferentially lowering her head.
[Marincess Sea Angel (L1/1000/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/←)]
"When Marincess Sea Angel is Link Summoned, I can add a "Marincess" Spell from my deck to my hand. I'll add and activate Marincess Battle Ocean!" The waves splashed around them. "Now, since Springirl was used as Link Material, and I control a "Marincess" monster, Springirl lets me send one card from the top of my deck to the graveyard. And if it's a "Marincess" card, you take 200 damage!" He flipped it over. "Bingo!"
Bubbles shot straight towards Hitoda, lowering her life points.
Hitoda: 4000 - 200 = 3800LP
"And I'll activate the Spell Card, Marincess Dive!"
"Once per turn, when my opponent activates a Normal Spell or Trap while I control Fairy Tail - Sleeper, I can tribute another monster I control," Hitoda said. Lyna vanished, dissolving into light. "I can change the effect of that Spell or Trap to a different effect. Now, you must change a face-up monster I control to facedown Defense Position."
"I'll choose Familiar-Possessed - Eria," Yuno muttered. Eria changed to Defense Position, but Yuno's Spell faded, having been rendered useless by Sleeper's effect. "I'll Special Summon Marincess Sleepy Maiden from my hand by targeting Battle Ocean, so that Battle Ocean can't be destroyed while she's face-up!" The girl dressed in white and gold appeared, her light blue hair softly drifting around her.
[Marincess Sleepy Maiden (5*/500/2500/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]
"This is the problem of facing someone who has a deck where every card is an extender," Hitoda muttered.
"Says you?" Yuno replied. "Wasn't it you who told me that a Charisma Duelist always has to be able to recover from nothing?" He raised a hand, the circuit appearing above him. "Open, circuit of supremacy. Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two Cyberse monsters! I will set Marincess Sleepy Maiden and Marincess Sea Angel in the Link Markers! Link Summon! Link 2! The resourceful water mage of the cyber world! Splash Mage!" A mage appeared in a white robe with glowing blue lines running across it. Icy blue hair escaped the head of the cloak as steel blue eyes stared forward. The mage held up a silver staff, water flowing all around him.
[Splash Mage (L2/1100/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↗, ↘)]
"Splash Mage's effect. I cannot Special Summon monsters this turn, other than Cyberse monsters. I can target a Cyberse monster in the graveyard and Special Summon it in Defense Position with its effects negated. Return—Marincess Sleepy Maiden." The blue-haired girl reappeared on the field. "Open, circuit of supremacy! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are at least two WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Sleepy Maiden and the Link 2 Splash Mage in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 3! Lovely sea idol arriving for the finale of the performance! Marincess Marbled Rock!"
Right. This monster, which Hitoda hadn't known he had until they had headed to Standard. A defensive terror.
[Marincess Marbled Rock (L3/2500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/←, ↓, →)]
"Battle Ocean's effect. I'll equip Marincess Blue Slug, Marincess Sea Angel and Marincess Coral Anemone to Marbled Rock and give her 600 attack points for each, and she also gains an additional 200 attack points, since she's a "Marincess" monster."
[Marincess Marbled Rock: 2500 + 600 x 3 + 200 = 4500ATK]
"Marbled Rock's effect. I'll add a "Marincess" card from my graveyard to my hand." Yuno swiped up a card. "Marincess Marbled Rock attacks your Fairy Tail - Sleeper. That one, at the very least, isn't defended by any of your Traps.
"Very true," Hitoda said. Her other set card flipped up. "Continuous Trap, Unpossessed."
Marbled Rock still crushed her monster, but Unpossessed's effect activated, as it glowed.
"When a monster I control is destroyed by battle or card effect, once per turn, Unpossessed lets me Special Summon a Spellcaster monster with 1500 defense points from my deck, whose Attribute is different from the destroyed monster! I can also choose to Special Summon that monster in face-up Attack Position or facedown Defense Position! Come from the deck, Fairy Tail - Luna!"
A blue-haired girl appeared, orange fox ears peeking through her hair. She was holding onto a red fan, and she was surrounded by scrolls and leaves. She resembled a shrine maiden with her appearance.
It was yet another one of the monsters which that person had given her.
[Fairy Tail - Luna (4*/1850/1000/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"Trap Card, Marincess Current!" Yuno said, playing the card straight from his hand. "Since I control a Link 3 or higher "Marincess" Link Monster, I can activate this card from my hand. When a "Marincess" Link Monster I control destroys a monster you control by battle, I can inflict 400 damage to you times that monster's Link Rating!" A beautiful aqua blue stream of water shot forward, hitting Hitoda, though she braced herself against it.
Hitoda: 3800 - 400 x 3 = 2600LP
"I'll end my turn," Yuno said. He now had four cards in his hand.
[Turn 3: Hitoda] [H:3]
… well, it wasn't that bad yet.
"Draw," Hitoda said. "I'll activate the effect of Fairy Tail - Luna. Once per turn, I can target a monster you control. You can send another copy of that monster from your deck or Extra Deck to the graveyard. But if you don't, I can return both Luna and that monster to the hand."
"Well, the answer is obvious." Yuno placed down a card. "Trap Card, Marincess Wave. I can activate this card from my hand if I control a Link 3 or higher "Marincess" Link Monster. I'll negate the effect of Fairy Tail - Luna, and my monsters are unaffected by your card effects until the End Phase."
"... I thought so," Hitoda said with a laugh. "It's never that easy." Luna's effect was cut off, but that was fine. "I'll Flip Summon Fairy Tail - Sleeper." The sleepy girl in an orange gown appeared in front of her. "And since Fairy Tail - Sleeper was flipped face-up, I can Special Summon another monster from my hand. Come—Eria the Water Charmer!"
The more placid form of the blue-haired girl from earlier appeared on the field.
[Eria the Water Charmer (3*/500/1500/WATER/Spellcaster/Flip/Effect)]
"I'll open the multi-coloured circuit! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two monsters, including a WATER monster! I will set Eria the Water Charmer and Fairy Tail - Luna in the Link Markers! Appear now, ascended figure of the earth! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle!" Eria's evolved form appeared, wearing the same brown robe. Next to her was a small fishlike blue creature, with its many fins slowly gliding through the air.
[Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle (L2/1850/WATER/Spellcaster/Link/Effect/↙, ↘)]
"Since I Special Summoned a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, I can draw a card with Awakening of the Possessed." Hitoda gestured forward. "Eria's effect. Once per turn, I can Special Summon a WATER monster in my opponent's graveyard to a zone that she points to! Come! Marincess Springirl!" The girl with dark blue hair appeared on her field.
The truth was, if Yuno hadn't chosen to equip Coral Anemone to Marbled Rock, Hitoda could have brought it back and used its effect too. But this was fine.
"I will send Marincess Springirl and Fairy Tail - Sleeper from the field to the graveyard," Hitoda declared. "Come from the deck. Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte!" The two monsters dissolved into water, before a large azure reptile appeared, letting a sharp hiss.
[Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte (5*/2000/200/WATER/Reptile/Effect)]
"Gagigobyte's effect!" Hitoda declared. "I can send a random card from your hand to the graveyard, and then we both draw a card!" A card fell from Yuno's hand and the two of them drew a card at the same time. Hitoda looked at it, before she placed it down. "Continuous Spell, Fairy Tail Tales!" Another Continuous Spell appeared on her field—now, this made for three cards in her backrow. Glowing blue fairies and butterflies began to fly around her field. "I'll Normal Summon Fairy Tail - Rochka!" A girl with wide eyes and pale blonde hair in braids appeared, a ferret's tail emerging from her back. She held onto a blue present, hiding her face shyly behind the present.
[Fairy Tail - Rochka (4*/1850/1000/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"When Fairy Tail - Rochka is Normal Summoned, I can give you 500 life points," Hitoda said. The female monster in front of her skipped forward, opening the present. A warm glow surrounded Yuno, who raised a hand, looking at the monster in confusion.
Yuno: 4000 + 500 = 4500LP
"But in exchange for that, you have to give me a present too," Hitoda said with a wink. "It's a very fair exchange, don't you think?" She took three cards from her deck without looking at them, and above her, a hologram showed Yuno the cards. "You look at the top three cards of my deck, and you give me one. The other two will be shuffled back into the deck. So? Which one is it going to be?"
Yuno looked at them, before he shrugged. "Take the one on the left," he said.
Hitoda took the card, shuffling the other two back into her deck. She glanced at it.
She looked back at Yuno for a moment.
… is that a sign, perhaps?
"I will activate the effect of Fairy Tail Tales," Hitoda said. "I can reveal a Spellcaster monster in my hand with 1850 attack points with a different name from the cards that I control—and once this effect resolves, I can Normal Summon it. Come—Familiar-Possessed - Aussa!" The bespectacled girl with tomboyish brown hair appeared.
[Familiar-Possessed - Aussa (4*/1850/1500/EARTH/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"I've had control of the whole duel so far," Hitoda said, narrowing her eyes. "And I'm going to keep it. Since I control a Spellcaster monster, I can Special Summon Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness from my hand!" A small, furry brown mammalian creature with bat-like red wings appeared.
[Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness (4*/1500/200/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]
"I'll send both Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness and Familiar-Possessed - Aussa from my field to the graveyard! Come from the deck! Awakening of the Possessed - Nefariouser Archfiend!" A much larger version of the mammal from before appeared, wings cutting through the air easily, carrying the smell of musty mud with it.
[Awakening of the Possessed - Nefariouser Archfiend (5*/2000/200/EARTH/Beast/Effect)]
"When Nefariouser Archfiend is Special Summoned with its own summoning condition, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard with its effects negated! Return—Familiar-Possessed - Lyna!" The blonde-haired girl reappeared, and now, Hitoda controlled five monsters. Familiar-Possessed - Lyna. Nefariouser Archfiend. Gagigobyte. Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle. Fairy Tail - Rochka.
"That's a pretty large field, but you only control three Attributes," Yuno said with a smirk. "It's not enough to even touch Marbled Rock."
"I know," Hitoda said. "That's not my purpose!" She snapped her fingers. "Open again, multi-coloured circuit! Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are at least two monsters with different names, except Tokens. I will set Fairy Tail - Rochka, Familiar-Possessed - Lyna, Awakening of the Possessed - Nefariouser Archfiend and Awakening of the Possessed - Gagigobyte in the Link Markers! Verdant winds are born as the sands of time fall away! An arrow that flies through the eternal gale! Now, huntress with divine power, tamer of every beast beneath the sky! Strike down any who try to pull tricks in your presence! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 4! Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess!" The white-haired woman appeared, sitting on her loyal steed. The light green beast let out a growl. Apollousa raised an arrow, nocking it on her bow, staring forward at Yuno.
[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess (L4/?/WIND/Fairy/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↓, ↘)]
"Apollousa's attack points are equal to the number of materials used for her Link Summon times 800!"
[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: ? → 800 x 4 = 3200ATK]
"Gagigobyte and Nefariouser Archfiend's effects activate," Hitoda declared. "Since they were sent from the field to the graveyard, I can add a "Possessed" Spell or Trap or their corresponding Attribute Spirit Art from my deck to my hand." She added two cards from her deck to her hand. "I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."
[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: 3200 + 300 x 2 = 3800ATK]
[Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle: 1850 + 300 x 2 = 2450ATK]
Yuno raised an eyebrow.
"Well?" Hitoda said, still smirking. "All yours."
[Turn 4: Yuno] [H:4]
"Draw," Yuno said. "Apollousa negates monster effects… you're trying to stop me from taking Marincess Wave back, aren't you?"
The side of Hitoda's lip quirked up.
"Why are those cards so kind?" Yuno said quietly. "Those Fairy Tail cards. Each of them are fair. You give up the same amount as what you ask me to give up. If she could make more powerful cards, why is she making ones that are kind instead?"
"Don't you know why?" Hitoda said.
"If I knew, I wouldn't ask, would I?" Yuno snapped. "It's ridiculous. Back in that world, she was the only one that I ever saw as stronger than me, until she… so why?"
"If you have to ask, then you've already forgotten," Hitoda responded. She smirked. "I don't want to hurt you, Yuno. I just want to defeat you."
"Ridiculous," Yuno muttered. "I will activate the effect of Marincess Marbled Rock. Will you respond?"
"Apollousa's effect," Hitoda said. "When a monster effect is activated, I can lower her attack points by 800 to negate that effect. Windblume Arrow!" The arrow surrounded by wind shot forward, negating Marbled Rock's effect.
[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: 3800 - 800 = 3000ATK]
"You didn't even hesitate there. Weren't you afraid that it was a trap?"
"Oh, I know it's a trap," Hitoda said, her voice completely confident. "But I'm not afraid of it. Come get me if you can."
Yuno stared at her. "Spell Card, Marincess Dive," he said. "I'll Special Summon a "Marincess" monster from my deck, or a non-Link "Marincess" monster from my graveyard. Come from the deck, Marincess Pascalus." The pink-haired girl appeared on the field, her pink scarf flowing behind her and a blue heart hairpin in her hair.
[Marincess Pascalus (4*/1200/2000/WATER/Cyberse/Effect)]
"When Marincess Pascalus is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a "Marincess" monster from my hand in Defense Position."
"I'm not responding to that one," Hitoda said cheerfully. "Bring out who you like."
"Come—Marincess Blue Tang!" The blue-haired girl appeared on his field. "I will activate the effect of Marincess Blue Tang. I will send a "Marincess" card from my deck to the graveyard."
"No response to that either."
"... I know that your "Possessed" Spells and Traps only protect your archetypal monsters," Yuno said. "I don't understand where your confidence comes from." He pointed forward. "I have more effects than you could ever hope to negate. Open, my circuit of supremacy. Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two WATER monsters! I will set Marincess Pascalus and Marincess Blue Tang in the Link Markers! Float through the water, away from the dangerous predators that seek our trail! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Marincess Sea Butterfly!" The woman dressed in the purple veil appeared, singing softly—almost mournfully.
[Marincess Sea Butterfly (L2/1800/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↑, →)]
"I will activate Blue Tang's effect. Since it was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a WATER Link Monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add a "Marincess" card from among them to my hand.
"I know," Hitoda said with a grin. "Because you want me to use Apollousa's effect on that. And then you will chain Sea Butterfly's effect, and I won't be able to respond to it." She waved a hand. "No deal."
"I will activate Sea Butterfly's effect," Yuno continued. "Since she was Link Summoned and I control only WATER monsters, I can Special Summon a Link 1 "Marincess" Link Monster from my Extra Deck, and treat it as a Link Summon."
"That one needs to be negated," Hitoda agreed. "But there's no need for me to sabotage my monster to do it. Who said that I set both of the cards that I searched? Trap Card—Metaverse."
She plucked a card from her deck.
"I can add a Field Spell from my deck to my hand, or activate it directly. I'll activate it directly." She hummed. "I've never used this one before. It was a card that a certain friend of mine gave to me, back when I was home—a souvenir, perhaps? I never told you that I knew that person either, did I? That's another explanation, I guess…" She held out the card. "I actually sided it in right before this duel—it's usually not in my deck, since it's a counter to specific cards. It's funny though—that person couldn't have known about all of this, but the card is still strangely fitting to our circumstances."
Yuno narrowed his eyes.
"Field Spell," Hitoda declared. "Fire Prison!"
And orange and red flames shot up around them, swirling around.
Both Marbled Rock and Sea Butterfly cringed away from it instinctively.
"In the Fire Prison, Dragon monsters gain 300 defense points, so that's a nice boost to that monster of yours, if you bring him out," Hitoda explained. "But that's not the main effect. If any Link Monsters are face-up on the field, neither player can Link Summon a Link Monster with a lower Link Rating than the Link Monster with the highest Link Rating on the field. Monsters cannot attack, except Link Monsters. A useless effect back in our world, but a little more potent here."
She clapped her hands together.
"And if there are two or more Cyberse Link Monsters on the field, the following effects are applied. The activated effects of Cyberse monsters are negated. And Cyberse monsters cannot attack, cannot be targeted for attacks, and cannot be targeted for card effects."
"An anti-Cyberse card that helps Dragons…" Yuno's eyes widened. "Since when did you have that card?"
"Oh, a while." Hitoda leaned back. "You're not the only person who held back to make themselves more appealing as a Charisma Duelist, you know. I've had Apollousa long before we even left Den City. And well, most people back home don't use Link 4 monsters. If you used Link 4 monsters, then you could hypothetically lock off all your opponents' Link Monsters, don't you think?"
Sea Butterfly's effect was negated by Fire Prison. So was Blue Tang's.
"Why would that person give you a card that countered Cyberse monsters?" Yuno asked. "They're only commonly used by SOL bots, especially since they were commemorative for the release of VRAINS. Even so… it's weird to have a card that counters only Cyberse monsters."
"Who knows?" Hitoda shrugged. "I didn't care enough to ask. They gave it to me, so I took it. It's just a prototype, anyway. What can you do now?"
"... plenty," Yuno replied. "It just means that I have to summon a Link 4 or higher Link Monster. And once there's only one Cyberse Link Monster on the field, all of those negative effects won't work anymore. You won't suppress me that easily." Those glowing eyes closed for a brief moment. "Open, my circuit of supremacy. Arrowhead confirmed. The conditions are at least two WATER monsters. I'll set the Link 3 Marincess Marbled Rock, along with Marincess Sea Butterfly, in the Link Markers."
He tilted his head.
"... I still haven't figured out a good summoning chant. I can't be bothered, really… Circuit Combine. Link Summon. Link 4. Marincess Leafking Seadragon!" The green and black male monster appeared on the field, wings of fragile seaweed-like membranes and shadows slowly batting back and forth. The man fidgeted with the shackles of dead coral on his wrists, idly looking away. The kasa covered his face, though right now, a smirk could still be seen.
[Marincess Leafking Seadragon (L4/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, ↘, →)]
Hitoda looked at the monster. A complicated feeling arose in her heart.
Black and green. Dragon-like.
… this feeling wasn't really hers. Even if Hitoda knew a little by virtue of that presence, it wasn't nearly enough. Nor did she really want to know more.
"So there you are," she murmured. "That's the form you've taken in that deck of his."
"When Marincess Leafking Seadragon is Link Summoned, if it has the highest Link Rating of all monsters on the field, even if it's tied, I can destroy cards you control, up to the number of WATER Link Monsters I control."
"You're using that effect with only one Link Monster?" Hitoda commented.
"Have you left me any other choice?" Yuno replied coldly. "I will destroy Apollousa!"
"Well, I can't allow that," Hitoda said casually. "Apollousa, if you will? Windblume Arrow!"
[Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess: 3000 - 800 = 2200ATK]
And then, Yuno smirked.
"Well, that would have been nice, but I have a different way of doing it," he said flippantly. "Anyway, since Maarincess Marbled Rock was sent to the graveyard, Marincess Coral Anemone was destroyed and sent to the graveyard. Then, since Marincess Coral Anemone was sent to the graveyard, I can add a "Marincess" card from my graveyard to my hand. And since I control a Link 3 or higher Link Monster, I can activate this card from my hand. Trap Card, Marincess Tearful Devastation. If you control more cards than me, I can tribute a WATER Link Monster I control and destroy cards on the field, up to the Link Rating of the tributed monster."
He was tributing the monster that represented… himself?
"I will tribute Marincess Leafking Seadragon and destroy Apollousa, Unpossessed, Awakening of the Possessed and Fire Prison!" The three cards all exploded—leaving just Fairy Tail Tales and Eria on Hitoda's field, along with her Pendulum Scales. "And that strips your monster of any defences that it had before this. Furthermore, if Marincess Leafking Seadragon is sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Link 3 or lower WATER Link Monster from my Extra Deck, and gain life points equal to the Special Summoned monster's Link Rating times 1000. This is treated as a Link Summon."
He plucked out a card from his Extra Deck. Hitoda tensed up.
"Cybernetic dragon that crosses into reality! Now, infuse yourself with the ocean waves that crash against the shore, and pull the world into your magnetic field! Come—Magnetic Current Link Dragon!" Yuno's ace appeared, roaring loudly.
[Magnetic Current Link Dragon (L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)]
Yuno's life points shot up.
Yuno: 4500 + 1000 x 3 = 7500LP
"Magnetic Current can only target Level 5 or higher monsters for its effect," Yuno said. "Furthermore, Leafking Seadragon's effect stops it from activating its effect this turn anyway. It can't be destroyed by battle either. However, Tearful Devastation also stops monsters with a lower Link Rating than the tributed monster from attacking this turn."
Hitoda raised an eyebrow. "So it's Great Bubble Reef then," she said.
"Why not Hydrostatic Current?" Yuno challenged.
Hitoda smiled wryly. "You got away with it against Miharu, because she was in too much distress to call out properly," she said. "But Hydrostatic Current is Yuno's will. Just like Dark Requiem is Yuto's, just like Crystal Wing is Yugo-kun's. You can try to claim the rest, but those things, the embodiment of their will… you can't use those without allowing them to breathe. If you use it, it means letting Yuno surface from where you've buried him. Do you really think that I can't wake him up if you let him breathe?"
Yuno stared at her.
"So, it's Great Bubble Reef," Hitoda concluded. "Well?"
"... I'll be honest," Yuno murmured. "... I despise you, I think. I'll set a card and end my turn."
[Turn 5: Hitoda] [H:2]
Hitoda drew a card.
Right now, both of their fields were in ruins. On her field, she had lost all those Spells and Traps that made her difficult to face in the first place. All she had left was Eria, along with Fairy Tail Tales and a set card. Meanwhile, Yuno's field just had Magnetic Current—and a set card. He had one card left in hand, which Hitoda still had to be careful of, but… generally, things seemed a lot more manageable now.
Hitoda breathed in slowly.
"I will banish Possessed Partnerships from my graveyard," she said. "I can take a "Possessed" Continuous Spell or Trap from my graveyard and place it directly on my field face-up. Return—Awakening of the Possessed." The Continuous Spell reappeared on her field. "Eria's effect. I will Special Summon a WATER monster from your graveyard to my field. Naturally, I will choose Marincess Marbled Rock."
"Not Leafking Seadragon?" Yuno replied.
"You wish," Hitoda said with a sharp laugh. "If I brought it back, you'd just attack it. Once it was sent to the graveyard, you could get another monster for free." Marbled Rock appeared right behind Eria. Hitoda looked at the female monster, who looked back and nodded determinedly—ready to lend Hitoda her strength. "I will use the effect of Fairy Tail Tales. I will reveal Familiar-Possessed - Hiita in my hand, and I'll Normal Summon her." The red-haired girl appeared on the field, looking rather sharp and aggressive.
[Familiar-Possessed - Hiita (4*/1850/1500/FIRE/Spellcaster/Effect)]
"Since I Normal or Special Summoned a Spellcaster monster with 1850 attack points, I can draw a card." She swiped up a card from her deck. "I'll have your monster become the foundation of my will to save you."
She took that card from her Extra Deck.
"You can call this the debut," she said with a wink. "Though you might not remember after this, little brother." And when she said those words, she did genuinely mean them—because there was some genuine affection in her heart for Yuno Sugisaki, something independent of her past life.
"Open, multi-coloured circuit!" She shouted. "Arrowhead confirmed! The conditions are two or more monsters, including a Link Monster! I will set Familiar-Possessed - Hiita and the Link 3 Marincess Marbled Rock in the Link Markers!"
And around her, the world erupted into bright flames.
"To be honest," Hitoda said, "I'm still pathetically weak compared to her. And I really want to save you using just my own power… but I don't think I can do it. And well, the card's already been there for the last half of my life." She launched into a chant. "Souls of the dead that have left their bodies, settle into my form and become the fuel for my destructive strength, which has no limit. My inhuman heart and soul will burn themselves to cinders before my will ever fades. Become fueled by the will to live, which transcends any cold logic! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 4! Flames that cling to life—The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit!"
She felt her heart immediately lurch. She had only summoned this monster twice before, but every time, it made her heart feel like it was going to explode.
A bright flame exploded out from behind her, curling around her, forming a bunch of seemingly disconnected spheres of flame. They danced around each other, slightly connected by a thin line of flame. The creature that formed was nothing humanoid. It was just flames, flames and more flames—
And between the flames was something strange. A translucent, ghostly heart. It was nothing solid. It was made of many, many overlaid and translucent shapes. Hitoda had looked at them once. The strange shapes were hard to make out, but very briefly, Hitoda had thought that they looked like eyes. The flames themselves all seemed to be like ghosts—eating away at the heart in the middle.
[The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit (L4/3000/FIRE/Fairy/Link/Effect/↙, ↖, ↗, ↘)]
"That's not right," Yuno said after a moment. He clutched at his head. "I… know what that should look like, and that's not right…"
"It isn't right, because it's mine now," Hitoda said—not to Yuno, but to this other spirit in his body. And no, she was not disregarding the fact that this other soul was monstrous. She had seen it herself—any later, and Yuno's hands would have committed a crime that Yuno himself would never have done. If that had happened—
If that had happened, Hitoda would never have forgiven this strange, hateful fragment.
But it hadn't happened. And Hitoda didn't see a villain.
She just saw a strange, dark reflection of the person that she knew.
"Because she is dead," Hitoda said. "Things die all the time. That's just how it is. But once something dies, it is not right to bring them back to life. That's why we struggle so hard to say that this is our life to live." She took a step forward. "Things die, and new things are born from them. That's how the world works. You… have to understand that too."
"... and what if it's easier to not understand?" Yuno replied. "What if it's easier to die?" His gaze had never left the monster. It was as though he was searching for something in it.
"... then even I can't help but feel sorry that it ended up like that for you," Hitoda finally said. Magnetic Current turned to Yuno as well, letting out a soft growl, before turning to her. "I am sorry, for what it's worth, that you feel like this. Because if you feel like this, it means that the person who you all were born from felt it so deeply that not a single one of you escaped feeling like it. I'm sorry that he felt so strongly that he wanted to die, that all six of you feel it. But your life does not just belong to you. And it doesn't belong to him either. It's your life to live… no matter what anyone else says to you."
"... I don't believe you," Yuno said. He finally turned away from the monster. "I don't believe you. If you say that it's your life to live, then why did you get close to me in the first place?" His eyes were still glowing, but there was something more like Yuno to the voice now. "Don't you care for me only because I was him?"
"Hah." Hitoda shook her head. "Do you think that I'm the kind of person to do something only because someone else told me that it should be that way? You idiot. If I wasn't a Charisma Duelist, I would call you something much worse. I cared for Yuno long before I saw his face. I cared for him because I liked him. Not everything about you ties back to him. Alright?"
The creature behind Yuno's eyes looked at her.
"Come on, Yuno," Hitoda said with a shrug. "What are we fighting for? Ask yourself that, and don't just do what he tells you to do, alright?"
"... just shut up," Yuno muttered. "Just shut up! I don't need you to lecture me! You're not even supposed to be involved in this at all! It's just supposed to be me and R—you're supposed to be safe, and out of all of this! Even if she reached out to you, there's no reason why you should have listened to her and come here when you should have known that I would destroy every single person that stopped me from getting what I want!"
"No reason?" Hitoda laughed. "Getting involved for no reason… my reason is you."
"But you can't feel for me! So that reason doesn't exist, not unless you're thinking about the person that I was—in which case, you wouldn't stop me!"
Hitoda looked at him. "... so, are these the consequences of not talking?" She murmured. She raised her head. "I'll tell Yuno everything when I'm talking to him again then." She pinched her nose. "The reason why I could bring myself to care about him in the first place… I'll tell him when he's back to his senses."
She resumed the duel.
"This effect doesn't matter much, because you don't currently have an applicable monster on the field. When The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit is Link Summoned using monsters of at least two different Attributes, all monsters you control have their Continuous Effects negated until the End Phase. And you must pay 600 life points to activate cards or effects." Flames streamed across the field.
Yuno watched her.
"Once per turn," she murmured, "I can banish a card that Blazing Stasis Spirit points to. And I can take control of a monster my opponent controls until the End Phase."
Blazing Stasis Spirit was in her leftmost Main Monster Zone. It was pointing to Eria with its top-right Link Marker. However…
It was also pointing to a certain card with its bottom-left Link Marker.
Hitoda lifted up Brightsoul Spirit from her Pendulum Scale.
"I'll banish Brightsoul Spirit to take control of Magnetic Current Link Dragon. Soul-Possessing Ignition!"
The flames shot forward, lightning up the metal around Magnetic Current and pulling the dragon over to Hitoda's side of the field.
"Taking control of my monster…"
"See?" Hitoda smirked. "It's something that you and I share in common now."
"... even if we share it, I won't let you get away with it." Yuno flipped up his set card. "Trap Card, Marincess Circulation! I will return Magnetic Current Link Dragon to the Extra Deck and swap it out for a "Marincess" Link Monster with the same Link Rating! This is treated as a Link Summon, and the summoned monster cannot attack directly or be destroyed by battle this turn!"
Magnetic Current dissolved into bubbles. Yuno winced as he paid the life point cost that had been set by Hitoda's monster.
Yuno: 7500 - 600 = 6900LP
"You… gave up on Magnetic Current?"
"I didn't give up," Yuno replied. "I just… won't let someone use Magnetic Current against me. Magnetic Current is mine, my partner, no one else can use him against me—"
"If he's yours," Hitoda countered, "does he also belong to that person?"
Yuno looked like he had been struck in the face.
"If you can call him yours but you're reluctant to give him up to that person," Hitoda said, "aren't you acknowledging that you are not that person?"
"... just shut up and stop trying to make me doubt myself!" Yuno held out a card. "Come—Marincess Coral Triangle!" The green-haired woman appeared on the field, wearing frilly blue and green skirts as she stared forward calmly.
[Marincess Coral Triangle (L3/1500/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↙, ↑, ↘)]
"And I summoned her to the Extra Monster Zone," Yuno explained. "So—Battle Ocean's effect. I will equip Marincess Coral Anemone, Marincess Leafking Seadragon, and Marincess Sea Butterfly from the graveyard to Coral Triangle. She will gain 600 attack points for each, plus 200 attack points."
[Marincess Coral Triangle: 1500 + 600 x 3 + 200 = 3500ATK]
Yuno: 6900 - 600 = 6300LP
"I still control two different Attributes, so Awakening of the Possessed will power up both Eria and Blazing Stasis Spirit!"
[Eria the Water Charmer, Gentle: 1850 + 300 x 2 = 2450ATK]
[The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit: 3000 + 300 x 2 = 3600ATK]
Hitoda raised a finger. "Blazing Stasis Spirit will attack Marincess Coral Triangle."
Coral Triangle wasn't destroyed, but Yuno still took a small amount of damage.
Yuno: 6300 - 100 = 6200LP
"I'll end my turn," Hitoda said.
[Turn 6: Yuno] [H:2]
"Draw," Yuno said. "You said that it's 600 life points for each card or effect I activate… fine. I'll activate the Trap Card, Marincess Wave from my hand!"
He… must have added that back with Coral Anemone's effect two turns ago. And then, he saved it for this turn…
Yuno: 6200 - 600 = 5600LP
"I will target and negate your monster's effects. And my monsters are unaffected by your card effects until the End Phase."
Waves washed around them, drowning the flames from earlier.
"I don't need your compassion," Yuno said, and the glow in his eyes seemed to intensify—absolute madness filled them. "Once the two of you left me, I outgrew any need for kindness!" His own monster looked at him—her usually serene expression was filled with concern instead. "All I need to do is just… stop caring, stop living… that's all I want! Your flames can't lock me down if I wash them away! Trap Card, Marincess Bubble Elevator! If you control a monster with an equal or higher Link Rating to the monster with the highest Link Rating I control, I can destroy a monster you control! And I can activate this card from my hand if I control a Link 3 or higher "Marincess" Link Monster!"
The waves and bubbles crashed down, destroying her Blazing Stasis Spirit. Hitoda collapsed for a moment, clutching at her chest in pain.
"I can then gain life points equal to the total Link Rating of WATER Link Monsters in my graveyard, on my field and as Equip Cards, times 400. Blue Slug, Sea Angel, Sea Butterfly, Coral Anemone, Coral Triangle, Marbled Rock, Leafking Seadragon!"
Yuno: 5600 + 400 x 16 = 12000LP
"See?" Yuno narrowed his eyes. "You can't ever reach me! You can't ever cut me down! I'm invincible—beyond your pathetic attempt to imitate a dead woman! Attack and destroy Eria!"
Coral Triangle dashed forward, destroying the blue-haired woman. Eria had lost 300 attack points, going down to 2150 attack points, so Hitoda took a large amount of damage.
Hitoda: 2600 - 1350 = 1250LP
"Do you see the difference between us? I have practically ten times your life points! You can't do anything to me! I'm invincible!"
"... do you hear yourself right now?" Hitoda replied. Some might have been softer, but her voice was harsh. "You bastard!"
That seemed to snap Yuno out of his mad reverie for a brief moment, even if his eyes were still the same.
"Those words aren't yours! None of that is yours at all!" Hitoda shook her head. "Do you remember Miharu? Do you remember how she fought you and put in everything that she could just to try and snap you out of it? Miharu Kogami is not the same as the woman who left you behind! She did everything to cling to you, and you're just letting him hold onto you like this? You're just letting him pull you away from her like this? Even if you're not exactly the same, your feelings can't be that different, if you're a part of Yuno too! Even if you feel nothing for me, can you tell me that you really feel nothing for her, the person who you hurt with your own hands on his order?"
Yuno blinked.
That's right.
My purpose is to die, but before I die…
Can I really die without seeing her safe and sound?
You hate her.
Even if that's the case, I'm the only person allowed to...
There was someone who wanted to use me against her.
Use us.
I don't like being used.
Can I really die without eliminating everyone else who dares to hurt her, when they're not worthy?
Hitoda lowered her duel disk, dashing forward, catching Yuno as he toppled to the ground.
"Damn it," Yuno muttered. Their monsters vanished from around them. "Why'd you have to give me a reason? I was all set to kill you, too…"
"A reason to want to live?" Hitoda laughed. "Nothing wrong with that. If you agreed with that, then that means that you already had that reason, no?" She tapped his wrist. "I guess that means there's three of you, huh? The original, Yuno, and… you. You're the one that I don't quite understand."
"... there isn't a need." Yuno breathed out. His lips spread into a bitter but wicked grin. "... I'll still try to destroy you all. I'll still do his bidding when he gathers enough strength to call me out. You won't be rid of me. But at the very least…"
"Be selfish," Hitoda chided. "Admit it to yourself."
"... he told me to be cruel to her, because she's a fragment of that person. But she's…" Yuno shook his head. "She's my… ugh." He refused to answer, and then he shut his eyes. Hitoda could feel when he passed out, and she sighed, falling down as well.
That was close.
He was right. I lost that duel. Even acting through one, that person is stupidly strong…
Will we really be strong enough to face that one day?...
This really shouldn't have been my duty. If not for the fact that R_'s counterparts are all being hindered by others, it would never have fallen to me.
She was exhausted. That had been far more difficult than it should have been. Despite the short number of turns… well, they had been extremely long, mostly because both of them had far too many counters for each other.
She looked at Yuno.
Carefully, she brushed a hand through his hair.
"I barely even know much… only the small amount that I've dreamed of. I guess I'll figure it out when you wake up. I can't tell you about any of that, but… I guess it might be time to finally tell you about that other thing."
And she sat there in silence, even as war continued to rage in the city.
Whatever supernatural things had gone on here—they did not stop humans from being humans.
And the Lancers had far more enemies to face.
OC Cards:
Brightsoul Spirit
(4*/S1/1000/1500/LIGHT/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect)
Pendulum Effect: During your Main Phase, if this card was activated this turn: You can add 1 FIRE, LIGHT or EARTH Spellcaster monster with 1500 DEF from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Brightsoul Spirit" once per turn. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 monster you control in facedown Defense Position; change that monster to face-up Defense Position.
(This card is always treated as a "Charmer" card.) If this card is destroyed: You can add 1 "Possessed" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand, or 1 Spell/Trap with "Charmer" or "Familiar-Possessed" in its card text from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Brightsoul Spirit" once per turn.
Trivia: I initially was going to create a new form for Lyna and Dharc, but then it just felt off, especially because Charmers already have a lot of stuff. In the end, I decided to not name them Charmers, just to make it obvious that they don't quite belong in the deck—that they're made by something external.
Shadesoul Spirit
(4*/S6/1000/1500/DARK/Spellcaster/Pendulum/Effect)
Pendulum Effect: During your Main Phase, if this card was activated this turn: You can add 1 WATER, DARK or WIND Spellcaster monster with 1500 DEF from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Shadesoul Spirit" once per turn. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster you control; change that monster to facedown Defense Position.
(This card is always treated as a "Charmer" card.) If this card is destroyed: You can add 1 "Possessed" Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand, or 1 Spell/Trap with "Charmer" or "Familiar-Possessed" in its card text from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate this effect of "Shadesoul Spirit" once per turn.
Marincess Sea Butterfly
(L2/1800/WATER/Cyberse/Link/Effect/↑, →)
2 WATER monsters
If this card is Link Summoned and you control only WATER monsters: You can Special Summon 1 Link-1 "Marincess" Link Monster from your Extra Deck. (This is treated as a Link Summon.) You can only use this effect of "Marincess Sea Butterfly" once per turn. While you control this face-up card in the Monster Zone or Spell/Trap Zone, co-linked WATER monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.
Marincess Leafking Seadragon
(L4/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, ↘, →)
2+ WATER monsters
(This card is always treated as a Cyberse monster.) If this card is Link Summoned, and it has a higher Link Rating than all other Link Monsters on the field (even if it is tied), or it is the only Link Monster on the field: You can destroy cards your opponent controls, up to the number of WATER Link Monsters you control, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the total Link Rating of all Link Monsters you control x 400. While your opponent controls a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Ritual or Pendulum Monster, this card cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 Link 3 or lower WATER Link Monster from your Extra Deck, and if you do, gain LP equal to that monster's Link Rating x 1000. (This is treated as a Link Summon.) The monster Summoned by this effect cannot activate its effects this turn, and it cannot be destroyed by battle during the turn that it was Summoned. You can only activate each effect of "Marincess Leafking Seadragon" once per turn. You can only control 1 "Marincess Leafking Seadragon".
Marincess Tearful Devastation
(Trap)
If your opponent controls more cards than you do: You can Tribute 1 WATER Link Monster you control; destroy cards on the field, up to the Link Rating of the Tributed monster, and monsters with a lower Link Rating than the Tributed monster cannot declare an attack this turn, also, you cannot Special Summon monsters for the rest of this turn, except WATER monsters.. If you control a Link-3 or higher "Marincess" monster, you can activate this card from your hand.
Magnetic Current Link Dragon
(L3/2500/WATER/Dragon/Link/Effect/←, ↓, →)
3 monsters with different names, including a Link Monster
Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls; negate its effects, then, place that opponent's monster in a Main Monster Zone this card points to and take control of it until your opponent's next End Phase, and if you do, your opponent gains LP equal to the original ATK of the targeted monster. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Set 1 Trap from your GY to your field. It can be activated this turn.
The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit
(L4/3000/FIRE/Fairy/Link/Effect/↙, ↖, ↗, ↘)
2+ monsters, including a Link Monster(s)
If this card is Link Summoned using monsters of at least 2 different Attributes: Until the End Phase, all monsters your opponent controls have their Continuous Effects negated (even if they were not on the field at the activation of this effect.) Your opponent must pay 600 LP to activate cards or effects. You can banish 1 card this card points to and target 1 monster your opponent controls; take control of that monster until the End Phase. Effect left unrevealed. You can only activate each effect of "The Watcher - Blazing Stasis Spirit" once per turn.
Marincess Bubble Elevator
(Trap)
If your opponent controls a Link Monster with a Link Rating equal to or higher than the Link Monster with the highest Link Rating you control, or if your opponent controls a Fusion, Xyz, Synchro or Ritual Monster: You can target 1 monster they control; destroy it, and if you do, gain LP equal to the total Link Rating of WATER Link Monsters in your GY, in your Monster Zones and treated as Equip Spells on your field x 400. If you control a Link-3 or higher "Marincess" monster, you can activate this card from your hand.
End Notes:
Sigh. I still feel like I could have done better on the chapter, but in the end, if I keep rewriting, I'll be stuck here forever. I'll just stick a "come back later" note on this chapter and post it. I still think that the chapter is pretty good—just that I'm 1) a perfectionist and 2) have anxiety whenever I post anything, haha.
At least we finally get some answers on the lore!... if a little vague. :)
Fairy Tail monsters and Charmer monsters actually gel surprisingly well, since Fairy Tail monsters are Spellcaster monsters with 1850 attack points, and they provide disruption. There's no Duel Summary for this chapter, because… well, Chapter 54 tired me out. :D That's really it. And since it's a DNF, there's much less use in it.
And I guess that's the slight difference between this story and canon! In this story, we value communication over beating the crap out of each other!... though dueling is still pretty important, Berserk!Yuno is still good enough to defeat most people at this stage, because, well… yeah, of course he is. But that's not the point. Even if Hitoda had defeated him, with all that fucked up shit, the moment that Zarc got back enough strength, he would just have done it again. In that sense, no matter what, Zarc wins, as long as Berserk!Yuno isn't talked out of it. Which is why Hitoda does speak up to try and understand what's going on. But no, Berserk!Yuno has not been defanged yet.
And yes, I'm confirming that here. Yuno, Berserk!Yuno and Zarc are three separate entities. The role that they play is very different. :) And that's the same for the other Yu-boys. I can't talk about literally anything else in the chapter though.
'Disjecta membra' is a term for a surviving fragment of an ancient artefact. It's something that proves the existence of the artefact that it was made from, but there are parts of it that are missing—it can never become a whole again.
Also, I swear there's a good reason for Hitoda having Fire Prison! She was always intended to have it, haha. I think there's one very obvious conclusion to draw from it, but Hitoda herself will explain once Yuno is actually… you know, conscious again. But yeah, since the Cyberse aren't actually enemies like they are in VRAINS canon, this isn't really a specially designed weapon against the Cyberse. It's just a card that Hitoda happened to get. :D
This is actually my sixth draft of this duel. I was trying really hard to balance it out and not overcomplicate things, and then I realised that balancing made it boring in like the fifth draft. I'd rather show that Hitoda can actually control Yuno's moves decently well… well, until he ends up going into Zarc mode and just bursts through it with raw power. In general, I thought that worked better for storytelling.
Next chapter, we go to some of the other Lancers! :) Don't worry, the Yu-boys aren't done for this arc just yet—most of them still have a role to play. But they're currently all unconscious, and there are plenty of others to deal with! :)
Review responses!
To NightWingBOI, I'm flattered! :) To be fair, I've been writing fanfiction for almost ten years now, and I really do think that the best way to get better at writing is simply to write. :) When you try out stuff and figure out what works and what doesn't, it helps with later writing. I'll admit that Six Dimensions is probably the second-longest fic I've ever written, haha. Also, liking Dark Requiem is based. I love the design of Dark Requiem too.
To LHOCIN, I personally don't ship Serena and Yuri in canon, which is why it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to write them, haha. I'm glad you enjoyed! As for what you said about Synchro Summoning, I totally get that! I started actually learning how to duel when VRAINS came out, which meant that I kind of had to learn them all at once, and Synchro was definitely harder than the others.
To the Guest who commented about Serena's bracelet being the only one to 'run out'... yup! For now, that's the case. :)
To phantomdragons, no, I agree that it's easier to convey something like that in anime form! It took me a long time to structure the chapter properly, haha. And thank you for catching the Dorian Grey reference. Yes, that's entirely intentional. :) And I'm happy to hear that you like the chapter. Chapter 54 is probably my favourite chapter of any fic I've ever written, and that's not an exaggeration, haha. It's one of those chapters that I planned out long before I even posted the fic. And I'll take getting you to like Barrett as an achievement!
To Ben23ten, thank you so much for pointing out the mistakes! I went back and fixed them up, but I think it's a consequence of jumping between duels, haha. I tend to mess up what's already on the field. No worries about pointing stuff like that out—even if I don't have time to fix it immediately, it's still better to know than to not know! :) Oh, and I'd totally be down to hear more about why you like Clear Wing more though! I enjoy essays :D
To Combo Enthusiast, aww, I'm honoured! :) That's probably one of the best compliments I've gotten on this site. I don't know anything about Iruma, sorry. And currently, Yuno, Yuto and Yugo are the only ones with evolutions for their dragons! I think that the chapter you're talking about might be 31? Also, it's an interesting theory, but I can't comment on it, haha. Once again though, thank you for your support!
To the Guest who was talking about Sailor Moon Crystal soundtracks, while I'm not personally familiar with Sailor Moon, I appreciate getting to know what you like listening to! :)
To Bryz0n, yeah, Yuzu has somewhere else to be! :) I'm not quite sure what you mean by paladins, so would you mind elaborating on that more?
To Kewllife42, thanks for the compliment and the review!
To Unlucky-Fausto, mm, the flaw in Barrett's card was something that occurred to me back in the Standard arc. Yuya is still searching for his ideal, but he's definitely going to find it in the future. Hmm, I'm not sure what exactly you mean by an anti-Judai? That's a part of your review that I don't really understand, sorry. When it comes to Berserk Mode, there'll be a bit clearer of an explanation in the future, but for now, it's intentionally vague. Haha, Yuji and Yugo will probably settle things properly in the future. :) Mm, I played Lunalights back before Sabre/Emerald Bird/Yellow Marten were released, when White Rabbit-Black Sheep was a pretty consistent combo to play. Like I said, Songbird Dancer was made back then too. And yup, summoning methods definitely mean bonds in this story!... for the most part. While Songbird Dancer supports Rank Up, I didn't want her to immediately Rank Up after figuring out Xyz Summoning, since that felt a bit fast. Heh, thanks for the review anyway! I had fun reading it.
To Mr. Owl, Leo Akaba was very tough for me to figure out how to handle, especially in the context of this story! On one hand, he's the worst villain in YGO, which means that no matter what I do with him, it'll probably still be a better writing decision than Arc-V. I don't want to spoil things, but I will say that in general, I was not very happy with how easily Arc V forgave him at the end. :) That's all. Yugo and Yuji will get to interact properly in the future. Ray is definitely going to get more of a showing in the future, yup! And not just in relation to Zarc, but as a character in her own right. I'm actually kind of glad that someone asked about that. I was a bit conflicted on how I presented these early arcs, because I was well aware that with the way I had structured things, most things to do with Ray would have to be relegated to the third arc and onwards. *shakes fist at air* It's what happens when I stick half the Ray counterparts in a tower! I know it's for storytelling, but I just really want them out already.
To the Guest asking for my favourite duel from each series, honestly, I don't have a good memory. But from what I can remember, for DM, it's probably Kaiba vs Yugi in Battle City, because that one's iconic. For GX, it's a strange pick, but it's probably Ryo vs Yubel/Johan. For 5Ds, uh, Carly vs Jack ate my brain when I first saw it, because holy shit. For ZEXAL, I actually really liked Kaito vs Mizael. Arc-V is Shun vs Sora. And VRAINS… ok, that one's harder. Probably Yusaku vs Akira or Yusaku vs Ai. Both hit me pretty hard when I first watched them. And I'm borrowing your question for the QOTC! :D
To kikuruhime, you called it. Like, I'm genuinely surprised and impressed. Yes, Hitoda being the one to calm down Yuno and get him to stop was always in the cards. I'll take everything as a compliment! :D
To cardfan135, haha, they'll communicate. Will that stop canon events from happening? *shrugs*
And to everyone in general, thank you so much for your positive response to the last chapter! I really appreciate it! I know I talk about this a lot, but I always get very anxious about posting chapters, especially if they're ones that take as long as the previous chapter. Ironically, the more I like a chapter and think it's good, the more my anxiety acts up about it. So I do mean it when I thank you all for your responses—thank you for being my readers! :) Both those of you who have stuck around for so long, and those of you who have just caught up now!
QOTC: A guest asked me this and I was curious, so—what's everyone's favourite duel from each series? (Excluding Rush Duels, since I don't really watch those series.)
The next chapter is a little longer than usual, unless I choose to cut it, so it'll also take a while! :D See you all then!