Chapter 55: Unusual Continuation

The months following the conclusion of the battle against Z-ARC had been chaotic for Ren and Izumi to say the least. Ren having just been freed from Z-ARC's subtle, or sometimes not-so-subtle control, and Izumi having her best friend back. Declan had met up with them not long after the battle's conclusion and informed them of the damage control that may have to be done. Z-ARC had somewhat resembled Ren the closest, and in addition, some may have put together that Ren was Z-ARC, or at least part of him, based on noticed temperament, as for a not insignificant portion of his life he'd been under Z-ARC's influence.

The two had quickly been offered jobs at the Akaba Corporation, both acting as data analysts, particularly of Duel Energy, partially so Declan could keep an eye on Ren and partially because they both needed a way to get off the ground following the Dimensional War and the two had quickly risen through the ranks.

"Sir, reports of Pendulum Energy are skyrocketing, the intensity of that energy being almost comparable to Mr. Akaba's!" One of the analysts that worked under Ren, also partially as a secretary, reported,

"Well, that confirms Declan's theory," Ren mused to himself, "Pay them no mind. I believe that Paradise City has entered a new era of dueling that will prosper."

"Understood, Sir. Furthermore, Miss Izumi has requested to meet with you about confidential business."

"Thank you. Which room?"

"Her office, Sir."

"I'll be right there," Ren decided, "Keep up the good work!" He announced to the team sitting at the desks in front of him,

"Thank you, Sir!" They all almost uniformly replied, and Ren stepped out of the room and headed to Izumi's office. It turned out that she was waiting for him, and they headed into her office, shutting the door behind them,

"So, Izumi, what's that about?" Ren inquired,

"Declan assigned us a new project. Project Den, he calls it." Izumi replied,

"I presume that it has to do with that new Den City?"

"Exactly. My team has reported insanely strong Link Energy coming from that direction, and Declan wants us to investigate."

"How strong exactly? And not just us, I'd hope!" Ren joked,

"Of course we won't be alone! Declan's also invited our fellow fragments to be a part of this project, albeit they haven't been briefed on it yet. And the energy is roughly equivalent to Fusion Energy from someone of the former Fusion Dimension, for example."

"You don't think there was a Link Dimension, do you?"

"Maybe, but we'll have to wait and see. Besides, he didn't possess Corrupting Tail as a part of his form when he was first split, so maybe not."

"Anything else before Declan calls us up?"

"Well, he also did a scan of their rough technological and socio-economic status. For the latter, it's closer to Paradise City, but with a larger Upper Middle Class, and something in that city seems to be putting immense strain on the electrical grid. As if there was a perpetually online game being run across the city itself on a scale none of the other dimensions even conceived of."

"Huh. You think we'll have time for a coffee before we get called in?"

"Probably not if you're speaking of sitting down for one. I heard that they're only waiting on Celina and Yuri to arrive."

"Well, I guess we should also head up then after getting some to go."

"Yeah."

"You go first, I'll catch up." Ren smiled, and Izumi nodded, leaving Ren alone in the office. Exhaling, he pulled a stack of cards out of his pocket. Said cards had somehow miraculously appeared on his bedside the morning after Z-ARC had been defeated, granted with some omissions, but later discussion and observation had confirmed that Yuya had ended up with those cards. "You know, I only just realised why you left these cards to me," Ren smiled, speaking to himself, "And well, I'll make sure your wish is fulfilled and seen all across the world. But first, I suppose this issue that Declan wants us to tackle will need to be seen through. Who knows though? Perhaps that day will occur while we're out solving the issue." Ren tucked the cards back into the pocket he pulled them out from and left the office, shutting the door behind him.

Hey all, thanks so much for reading! I'll keep things brief, as I'm uploading this alongside the overall finale! I'm also so sorry for the delay. I intended to have this chapter out over a month ago, and the chapter before this one perhaps a week earlier, but I recently got absolutely swamped with exams and as such I had no time to really write. But good news! I've since finished my exams, and so I have practically infinite time to write now!

Thanks so much for waiting you all, and I'll see you in a few minutes I believe. - NightWingBOI