Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth

by DivadX

Yuhiro Furutani, one of 8 children kidnapped 10 years ago by an unknown group, now works as Raguel, an agent in LINK VRAINS' Black Market. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who becomes his newest assignment. Follow Yuhiro as he now must decide who he wants to become: as both a duelist and as an individual.

100. Chapter 100: Hope Against All Odds

Response to Reviews

Thank you to Kingdom Hearts Guy, Guest, Pelacarpo, HunterHQ, Guest, KingOtakuOverYou, Guest, Ambiguous, Guest, Pikachu99, Anonymous, Guest, Guest, Unnamed, T.V. 2000, Guest, Kcufad and Guest for reviewing Chapter 99 of Obscured Truth.

Welcome to the one hundredth chapter, everyone! I want to thank every single one of you for reading the story and giving me feedback so I can make it better with each and every chapter. I do hope you enjoy this chapter, as it's the first chapter of 2024. As such, Happy New Year, everyone!

With that out of the way, let's get to answering reviews so we can move onto the chapter:

Kingdom Hearts Guy: We'll see what happens on the one hundredth chapter of 100.

Guest: Read the chapter to see who wins and loses the duels this chapter.

Pelacarpo: No, I haven't heard rumors about a ninth Yu-Gi-Oh series. It better be good, or else it'll flop like Sevens and Go Rush did.

HunterHQ: Yuhiro's not in his right mind, and he's desperate to reach the Root of All Knowledge by this point. Can you blame him for taking drastic actions? The other Shadow Giants are regular ones spawned by the Cursed Boundary Layer, while the little Shadow Giant represents the goodness Yuhiro has. Yuhiro and Yukage did have bad starting hands from the very beginning, and both brothers responded to it differently. Whereas Yukage formed his own path and had the pain morph him into the person he is today, Yuhiro had love and care from Roxy and the others so he can move forward from the pain. All of Yuhiro's clones are using copies of the original one's deck, so the copies would get destroyed once the clone's gone. Let me remind you that Watchman was weakened by using the Baptism Rite, so he'd lose if he attacked Jericho. His only option was to unfortunately retreat, which ended badly once Raguel found his location. Yes, Ai certainly owes a debt of gratitude to Aoi for saving Yusaku's life. If Arshad killed Rachel, his plans to reach the Root of All Knowledge would have been finished. It is ironic regarding Gil and Itachi, don't you think? One is walking free and is a prisoner to the past, yet the other is imprisoned yet strives towards making a better future. The fact that Yuhiro murdered Balius is something Gil will be grateful for, especially how Balius ruined his life by orchestrating the death of his adopted mother. It's unfortunate, as Arshad, Myojin and Ukyos' actions had made the Hanoi suffer. Still, at least they get some vengeance with Azrael being gone. There's a chance that SengokuQueen will help Akira in Season 3, but only once things back at Zandaka's dojo are in order. Maybe Brion can provide his assistance as well. Heck, I even see Percival and Demeter helping protect Akira too. I can confirm that Kitamura and the Guzik family were in the Den Jail the night Gil went to kidnap Chainslaver and Sharpshot. I do have a chapter planned out on how the Rickety Raiders came to be, but that will be later on in the story. Jericho does have a Link monster that can become a Link Spell card. I mean, Kairi wants to speak to Watchman and demand answers from him before pronouncing his sentence for his actions. Do note that Yuhiro's not in his right mind, and he has an ulterior motive for why he 'purposely' gave that plan away. Regarding your thoughts about the Hanoi fighting, I do want them to be more than researchers. For it's best to be prepared for anything that can happen next. And Yuhiro did tell the truth to the Hanoi regarding Arshad. For that's his blood. Yes, Aoi learnt how to cook in home economics classes, which was how she was able to teach Miyu how to make pancakes. And the Shadow Giant is small, as it's a quarter as tall as Windy while a regular Shadow Giant before corruption is as tall as Earth. Herald got Earth's data because it was in the G Golem Crystal Heart card, which the heroes retrieved following Go's defeat. As for Windy and Lightning's data, Ai sent it to World Gears back in Chapter 97 after learning what happened to Yusaku, knowing that it will enhance Herald's contingency. Regarding everyone else's reactions in Aoi facing Yuhiro, there was silence, only for it to be broken by Lord Kazuma. Besides, Yusaku owed Aoi a debt of gratitude for her risking her life to save him, so he would have allowed it despite his concerns. It'll take more than a warning to break the Hanoi's spirits because they are still intent on protecting humanity no matter what comes their way. Zero opened Pandora's eyes to the truth of the situation, which made her realize what would happen should Yuhiro succeed. Thus, her plan was to escape and be free, only for Yuhiro to prevent that from happening. Besides, Yuhiro was already aware of Pandora attacking Aoi and Akira without his permission, so he had to punish her for her actions. While the group obviously hasn't forgotten about Master Storm Access, they still need the right material and code in order to create it like Bohman did. Regarding how Yusaku got Turboblaze Dragon, I plan on putting a flashback in this chapter to explain that fact. Zero not only does have something to break duel anchors, he also has programs in place to ensure his data wouldn't be taken. For your question on the heroes being able to simply use their duel boards to ride out of the maze, I'll simply say this: Yuhiro used a data gale program to ensure no one could escape it. Let me remind you that the Hanoi won't stop hunting Ai even if Arashi or Takeru invoked the debt of gratitude to do so. For the Hanoi was formed to ensure mankind's safety from network threats, with one of them being the Ignis. Pieces of Dascium can be transferred to the network as long as you have the right programs and coding to do so. I mean, weapons and other things were in the network, so why couldn't Dascium metal be there too? Yes, Hercules/Alpha Mode is out of commission given how his twelve lives were eliminated. It'd take time for Hercules/Alpha Mode to restore all twelve lives, which is why he won't appear for a bit. As for Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Teferi, they were able to recover because their injuries were non-fatal.

Guest: In a way, everyone has made mistakes, whether they were small or big. They're still mistakes. And Yuhiro's not facing his mistakes, as he's trying to run away from them forever. Regarding Speed Spells and cards involving Speed counters, I might make them into normal cards if there's enough demand for it.

KingOtakuOverYou: Glad you liked the chapter. Just because Blue Maiden is intent on saving Raguel doesn't mean she won't give him a massive beatdown first. Poor Raguel needs to get some sense knocked into him. It's almost like how Yuya had to use force in order to make Kaito Tenjo in Arc V listen, especially given his one-man vendetta against Academia. So she isn't a hypocrite. Regarding the weapon, Herald made it in the event Raguel snapped, which has unfortunately happened. Had Raguel heeded Herald's warning, he could have stopped himself from succumbing to the Cursed Boundary Layer's malice. Given how Raguel's unable to accept that he is a person and not defined by his family, it makes sense what you're saying. He's so overwhelmed by pain that he'd rather take the easy route and achieve godhood than confront it head on.

Ambiguous: There is a cost in using the data clone program, for you can't just infinitely spam yourself like how Metal Cooler did it in Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler. On the topic of data clones, you'll see whether Yuhiro will be able to retain the ability in using one once the battle's over. If Ukyos and Jericho got involved, it'd be lights out for everyone, especially as Jericho's the one who instigated this whole mess. Jericho did try to capture Rachel back in Chapter 97, but Soulburner made him retreat, so that's one point in the heroes' favor. I mean, Yuhiro's not in the right frame of mind right now, especially with everything that's happened. The losses of Herald, Wraith and Azrael, along with how his family has hurt everyone, as well as being infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer have all contributed towards Yuhiro's madness. In terms of Yuhiro's personality by this point due to the Cursed Boundary Layer corrupting him, think of it as a mix of Vigilante Deku's personality from My Hero Academia, Dark Sakura's personality from Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel and Volo's personality from Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Yes, that's true. Jaden used Honest against Yusuke Fujiwara, which ultimately helped him win in the end. And Yuhiro's no masochist. He just doesn't know what to do with the pain because no one knows what it's like to be him. As a result, Yuhiro concluded in his mind that no one will ever be able to understand him, which means they can't help him move forward and recover from the pain.

Guest: Just read the duels to determine who wins and loses this chapter. If you got a problem with the end result, do note that it's ultimately my decision because it's my story. Though I am willing to entertain questions.

Pikachu99: Happy New Year! It's been a long while since I heard from you. I hope you're doing well. For Tigress, I'd say that she's between a tertiary and secondary character. While she obviously hasn't been a part of the Lost Incident, her parents played a role in kidnapping a few of the victims and bringing them to Dr. Kogami. So in a sense, she has a connection to it through her parents. That is true. Judai had to spend a great portion of Season 4 trying to recover, and got stronger because of what he learned. As for Yuya, while I do agree with you on your point, you have to take his dueling ideology of making people smile into account. Discarding Smile World meant he had to destroy his ideology, which led to his victory against Yuri. Just something to think over, that's all.

Anonymous: Revolver would make sure that the Hanoi don't go after Yuhiro moving forward by any means necessary once this entire mess is over. One example being that he'll monitor communications to ensure that any of the Hanoi members don't contact any bounty hunters to acquire their assistance. Believe it or not, there is a weakness in using the data clone program, which will be revealed this chapter at best. I can confirm that Speckles' daggers isn't able to retrieve Zero's data. Regarding your observations, I can see Takeru getting Salamangreat Blaze Dragon from Hideki. For Accesscode Talker, Yusaku will get it in a different way, and Aqua made Great Bubble Reef prior to her death.

Guest: Well, Yuhiro's been pushing himself lately. I mean, his Link Trigger has contributed to him lasting this long. He's going to need a long time to recover moving forward. If someone used Specter's trap program and lost either by deck out or duel winner condition, then the person who is captured would be freed.

Guest: Note that Azrael logged in whole, so issues such as food and rest aren't that much of an issue. Besides, you never know what types of food are out there in the network.

Unnamed: If Revolver dueled against Ai, then it would be pretty close. And if Yuhiro really wanted to buy SOL Technologies, he'd have to acquire a strong enough of stocks to do so. Still, he's not interested in purchasing SOL Technologies. Besides, he donates a good portion of money to the Den City Shelter to help it flourish.

T.V. 2000: Thank you for understanding. I also appreciate the applause you gave me for Chapter 99, for it was one of the longest ones I wrote so far. Yuhro didn't go after the higherups because he didn't deem them as threats. And yeah, just like Kaiba with Atem, Revolver was pissed at Playmaker for losing against Raguel. If Miyu faced Yuhiro, then he would be pushed off the edge to the point where he can't be saved. That would not be good for anyone. Do note that the little Shadow Giant contains all of Yuhiro's good qualities, so it won't attack Blue Maiden. And Aoi will give the Cyberse cards back to Yuhiro once this mess is over. As for your question on the glowing card, you're correct. Note that I've always provided a strong description to the best of my ability on what duel monsters look like so that readers can visualize them. Hey, I'm sure you'll be able to write a strong VRAINS fanfic in the future. Don't give up on it. Plan things out and you'll be ready to write it.

Guest: On that, we agree.

Kcufad: Glad you're liking the story so far. I encourage you to continue reading it, as it only gets better from here. Note that Takeya is Lord Kazuma's real world name, so don't worry about it. Regarding your comment about arrogance, everyone has it to some degree.

Guest: Funny you should mention that….

Given how important of a chapter this is, especially with the significant milestone it represents for this story, I encourage you all read it over a few times so you understand what is going on. Read over the previous chapters as well if you need clarification on what's going on, along with the events and factors that led up to this chapter. This way, you will not miss out on anything. I also encourage you to ask questions in your reviews as long as they are appropriate. Note that I won't answer questions that revolve around spoilers, as there are things I want to reveal in different chapters when the time's right.

But moving that aside, it's time for the one hundredth chapter of Obscured Truth to begin! I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 100: Hope Against All Odds

The screen is pitch black as the duel disks belonging to Yuhiro, Yusaku, Takeru, and Arashi slowly fall from the top, scattered around the screen, and leaving small trails of stardust behind them. All four duel disks hit an invisible ground in unison, causing them to explode into cards that were used by every character in the story so far. The cards continue to rain across the screen before the Cursed Boundary Layer blackens the screen completely, replacing it with a new scene.

The camera moves from left to right, showing a grassy field with Den City and the following characters: Yuhiro, Miyu, Aoi, Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi, Brea, Go, Roxy, Kusanagi, Greg, Quinton, Miles, Ryoken, Youta, Takeya, Akairo, Emma, Kengo, Akira, Brion, Rachel, Gil, Tsubaki, and Gekiryushi. The wind blows, causing each person's hair and clothes to be blown up a bit. The scene suddenly changes, revealing Playmaker, Raguel, Blue Maiden, Numera, Slipstream, Tigress and Aerith on one side. On the other side was Revolver, Specter, Lord Kazuma, Gil, and Soulburner, a destroyed LINK VRAINS behind them.

The screen then changes to show Yusaku and Ai in the streets of a raining Den City. Yusaku was looking down, and Ai was looking upwards, the rain drenching their clothes. Yusaku slowly looks up with a vexed expression, while Ai runs a hand through his hair and turns his gaze onward. In another area of Den City, Yuhiro is shown running as his strength was drained, having cried in despair as a silhouette of Yukage is shown with a smile before fading away in the rainy mist. A dark aura emits from Yuhiro as the Cursed Boundary Layer emerges from a large puddle and embraces him tightly before he logs into a desolate, forest-like area in LINK VRAINS that had a dead aura around it. A psychotic grin appeared on Raguel's face as Excalibur Morgan formed in his right hand.

Opposing Raguel was Playmaker, Soulburner and Slipstream, the three duelists thrusting their right hands forward as Firewall Dragon Darkfluid, Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix, and Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon appear behind the trio and fire beams of energy at Raguel. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Raguel is shown unharmed. Tentacles from the Cursed Boundary Layer appear behind Raguel, along with Cyreaths Pandora and Alastor on his right side, Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Teferi on his left side, and Deimos and Phobos floating above his right and left shoulders. Black, red, and purple particles merged with Excalibur Morgan as Raguel charges forward at Playmaker and the others, the latter having summoned Decode Talker's sword to block the attack. Nearby, Jericho is shown chasing after Blue Maiden and Numera, only for him to suddenly dodge numerous cannon blasts fired from Tigress nearby, hellbent on protecting the duo.

The Knights of Hanoi are shown next, with Revolver, Specter, Lord Kazuma, Baira, Faust, Dr. Genome, Dancho and Infearno appearing one by one. However, the images of Dancho and Infearno then dissipate before being replaced by Demeter and Ondina. Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty and a mischievous, fallen pixie-like angel with long pink hair whose attire consisted of a black dress with stockings, as well as a pair of wings on her back appeared behind the two of them.

The scene changes to show Zero in an unknown area in the network, frantically looking through screens as he tries to pinpoint the Cursed Boundary Layer's whereabouts before changing to show Jericho in his laboratory, who's looking at his findings with glee. Seven orbs, one white, one black, one yellow, one red, one brown, one green, and one blue orbit around him as he sadistically smiles at what he's seeing.

Kusanagi, Katsuya, and Jin are shown in Café Nagi driving away from the Cursed Boundary Layer, intent on escaping its wrath. Roxy is also shown in her car with Miyu, Rachel, and Aoi, also hoping to escape from the Cursed Boundary Layer before it gets them both.

In a forest-like area with a large facility in it, Watchman is shown carrying Numera as Alastor pursues the duo on the left, while Atalanta/Alpha Mode pursues the duo on the right. Alastor throws the chained, curved blades at Watchman, who hops to the side and dodges it before throwing a Black Key in response. He then hops forward to dodge Atalanta/Alpha Mode's berserk attacks as he throws two more Black Keys at her. Watchman slides back, three more Black Keys appearing in his right hand as he prepares himself to confront his and Numera's attackers, Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord appearing behind the duo as well to defend the both of them. Elsewhere, a corrupted Hercules/Alpha Mode slashes through the trees with Nine Lives in his hand, intent on pursuing Playmaker and Blue Maiden so he can destroy the two of them. At the last second, Decode Talker and Marincess Wonder Heart appear to block the unrelenting attacks, only for the clash to send them, along with Playmaker and Blue Maiden flying off the ground before landing on it. Decode Talker and Wonder Heart immediately get back up before engaging a corrupted Hercules/Alpha Mode in combat while Playmaker and Blue Maiden continue running from the chaos.

Cyreaths Medusa, Achilles, and two twins, one being a boy with short brown hair and green eyes who wore a white toga with gold cuffs and a black undershirt, the other a girl with long brown hair and green eyes who wore a white dress with gold armlets, look upward to the sky, trying to figure out who to side with as they contemplate their futures.

Yuhiro is shown looking at the destroyed Lost Incident facility lit up in flames, a content smile evident on his face as he lets out a loud and crazy laugh. He then walks away from it, ignoring the bodies in the area as he disappears in the darkness. The screen then jumps to the dark sky and the glowing red moon before being blackened completely.

In the network, at Jericho's server….

"Come on, come on!" Jericho said, as he infuriatingly typed on the digital keyboard, intent on completing his task since being forced to retreat due to the wounds Watchman inflicted on him. Being an ISO, Jericho was able to heal wounds that were on his body. However, ones that were inflicted by an Inquisitor were an interesting case, which meant it would slightly take longer than a normal wound for it to heal. But Jericho didn't have time for that, as right now, he was trying to figure out why the Hell Raguel didn't blow up due to all the energy accumulated in his body. Those who were infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer would eventually explode due to the energy that overflowed them, which in turn would lead to the invasion of their planet. Unfortunately, Raguel somehow didn't blow up yet, which was why Jericho was trying to figure out what was going on.

Eventually, a screen popped up on the large light-green monitor, which showed a scan of Raguel and how much energy he absorbed due to all the people he murdered. From what Jericho saw on the screen, it definitely seemed that Raguel took in all of this energy up until this point, which meant his experiment so far was a success. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing the red, glowing cracks on the scan of Raguel that opened and closed numerous times. It was as though something was preventing the overloaded energy in Raguel from bursting out of his body. Here's the problem! It looks like Raguel's Link Trigger is getting in the way here, Jericho realized in his mind, satisfied that he managed to find an answer to this problem. That had to be the case, for infected hosts never lasted this long before. While there were instances where it took longer for the Cursed Boundary Layer to eventually destroy its host, they were dealt with through a simple code given to Jericho and Urizen's other disciples should there be any resistance.

Jericho sighed. Even though he wanted to continue his experiment, the orders Urizen gave him in finding the final Ignis, synchronizing the Unity and scorching the world through Eschaton came first. Besides, all experiments came to an end at some point, so it was time to kill Raguel and weaken the planet for Urizen's arrival. "Okay, it's time to put in the override code and end the experiment. Override code Incursus!" Jericho typed the code on his digital keyboard, where a loading screen popped up on the monitor.

"Error…" the large light-green monitor said, as an 'Error' page with a yellow 'X' popped up on the monitor.

"What? What do you mean error?" Jericho demanded. "Override Code Incursus!" He typed the code in again after seeing what was on the monitor. Perhaps he may have typed it too fast on the digital keyboard. For sometimes, people missed a thing or two when typing in their passwords.

"Error…" the large light-green monitor repeated, much to Jericho's ire. Just what was going on here? Was the Override code not working? If so, what was the reason?

"Come on, come on, come on! Override Code Incursus!" Jericho typed in the code a few more times, only for the same result to pop up again and again. First, Raguel was subconsciously preventing himself from getting blown up thanks to his Link Trigger, and now the Override Code wasn't going through. Did Raguel manage to somehow seize control of the Cursed Boundary Layer himself without him knowing? Such a thing was impossible! Except for the ISOs and several others, no living being can fight back against it. Unfortunately, Jericho's belief in that no one could resist the Cursed Boundary Layer's powers was proven untrue after seeing Soulburner manage to escape from its grasp. Or at the very least, mitigate the damage before recovering from it.

Before Jericho could continue thinking, a notification popped up on the monitor, which got his attention as he clicked on it. When it opened up, it showed a map with a glowing dot on it that continued to grow bigger. Curious, Jericho zoomed in on the map, where it showed an active Tower of Hanoi gathering energy. It wasn't just that, as there were also pieces of data material going upwards that slowly hit pieces of the darkened sky as though they were sharp needles. What's more, there was a giant maze on the ground, where inside it were Playmaker and his allies dueling what appeared to be data clones of Raguel. Given on what Jericho saw from the screen, it seemed that someone else was most likely dueling the real Raguel right now.

"Okay, this is interesting…" Jericho muttered, a smirk on his face. It seemed that Raguel somehow managed to seize control of the Tower of Hanoi from the Knights of Hanoi earlier, which meant he'd most likely use it to try and find the Root of All Knowledge. When the Tower of Hanoi was used three months prior, it unwittingly opened a gateway to the dark net, where Jericho ended up going to Earth instead of Shalem due to his curiosity in the ISOs' next target. Besides, it was another opportunity for Jericho to succeed and earn Urizen's favor once again back then.

But right now, at the rate things were going, it meant Ai was going to get involved in trying to help Playmaker and his allies stop the Tower of Hanoi permanently.

A smirk appeared on Jericho's face as a zebra-skinned, humanoid demon with curved horns and long, black braids of hair attached to the back of his head appeared behind him, having fallen to a knee near his master. He had yellow, glowing eyes that were in the form of slits, along with a red, sharp-toothed grin. In his hands, he carried a large, burning blade. This duel monster would be perfect for the task Jericho was about to give him.

"Ah, Loki. My ace monster." Jericho stated, as he turned to face Loki. "Go out there and get a sample of the Dark Ignis for me, would ya? Use the chaos to your advantage." After hearing Jericho's orders, Loki nodded before teleporting out of Jericho's server, intent on completing his master's task. Jericho then turned back to the monitor before typing on the digital keyboard once again, the rest of his plan slowly coming together as he did so. When Jericho fought against Watchman several hours earlier, he put a tracker in the latter that was in the form of a dagger made of data material. One that, once stabbed into someone's skin, would enable someone else to track that person down in the network. In the event that Jericho failed, he would have a prize on hand to offer Urizen in exchange for clemency.

There, Jericho thought in his mind, as a digital map appeared on the monitor. He zoomed in on the area, where he saw a server that resembled a mix between a tropical forest and a tropical lake. Maybe this is where Arshad's residing, which gives me an opportunity to strike if I hurry, especially given the wounds I inflicted on him during our fight. After putting the coordinates onto his duel disk, Jericho logged out of his server, intent on capturing Watchman as quickly as possible. This way, he would win this battle one way or another.

Elsewhere, in the old server...

Zero calmly turned to the data clone of Raguel that had launched the duel anchor at the former, the latter having managed to gain the former's attention. So this is what Jericho was talking about regarding his contingency, Zero thought in his mind. Rather than risk going after Azrael given his willpower, Jericho went after Raguel because he knew how traumatic the war would be on his mind. He banked on the fact that Raguel would be consumed by pain to the point where he couldn't move on, which provided the opportunity for the Cursed Boundary Layer to infect him. In fact, it's likely that Jericho infected Raguel prior to his duel against Azrael, but a traumatizing event had to occur for that to happen. Nevertheless, if I'm to assist Playmaker and the others in destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer, I must destroy this data clone of Raguel in front of me first.

"What's the matter, old man? Are you silent upon seeing the new and improved me?" Raguel questioned.

"The new and improved you? Don't make me laugh, Raguel. If anything, that thing attached to your body has made you weaker." Zero responded.

"Weaker, you say? I've grown stronger after realizing the truth about this wretched world. How it's cruel and unforgiving to everyone no matter who you are, especially due to humanity's fatal mistake in letting sin infect it completely." Raguel smirked. "With this power, I am no longer helpless."

Zero glared at Raguel, an irritated look on his face. "On the contrary, you became more helpless the moment you allowed the Cursed Boundary Layer to control your mind, body and soul!" While Zero was disappointed that Raguel couldn't fight off its dark influence, and Jericho's control by extension, he was impressed with how Raguel was able to hold off for so long. In addition, Zero was also impressed with how Raguel was able to show some restraint compared to the numerous other victims that died thanks to the Cursed Boundary Layer. In a way, Raguel's willpower was superior as a result.

Raguel put a hand to his face and chuckled. "You're wrong, old man. I am no longer helpless, and with this power, I will rip a hole in the network and seize the Root of All Knowledge so I can become the One True God. Only by doing so will I be able to complete Project: VIII and make things right forever. After all, the Root of All Knowledge is my birthright with Azrael gone."

"Your birthright? Your birthright... was to die!" Zero shouted back, which made Raguel gasp. "If it weren't for your parents, then you would have died with your brother at the Den City Hospital a long time ago! For your parents provided you and your brother with their blood so the two of you can survive!"

"And just look where that got me right now. An accursed human whose existence only brings pain onto others!" Raguel infuriatingly replied. "Tell me something, old man: Was turning me into a monster a part of Project: VIII this entire time?"

"It was never the plan for you to become a monster! Nor was it the plan for you and your brother to be involved in the Lost Incident! Those things are on Watchman's head!" Zero countered.

"Watchman? An old fool that I've overcome at long last. If there's something we can both agree on, it's that he deserved what came to him." Raguel let out a laugh. "Then again, it doesn't matter what happens to him, as I have the opportunity to make you pay for your role in Project: VIII." He activated his duel disk. "However, I do wonder how you were able to force Watchman into fighting at full power back at the Tower of Light. Do me a favor and show me this unknown strength of yours to me. For just like back at your duel at Watchman, you will need it to win this duel. Otherwise, you'll lose everything you care about."

Zero frowned. He didn't want to duel against Raguel, but he had no choice right now because there was so much at stake here. The good thing is that Zero's data was safe, as he installed a program that would eradicate any attempt of someone trying to steal it. As such, he activated his duel disk. "Fine. I will duel you if that's what you want. Prepare yourself!"

"Same back to you." Raguel replied. "Show me your motivation if you can."

"Let's duel!" Raguel and Zero shouted in unison.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Zero: 4000 LP

"You challenged me, so it's only fair I go first, Raguel. My turn." Zero immediately said. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw the top three cards of my deck in exchange for sending two cards from my hand to my Graveyard." After Zero drew the top three cards of his deck, he took two of them and sent them to his Graveyard.

"Card of Compensation's effect now activates! Since it was sent from my hand to my Graveyard, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Zero then drew the top two cards of his deck.

"I activate the Field Spell card, Garden of Providence." Zero continued. "When this card is activated, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. In addition, all Light Cyberse monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points. Now come from my deck, Attron." A green-colored plant with a green blade as its tail, along with a pair of bladed wings appeared on Zero's field. Its eyes were integrated together as a visor, which dimly glowed. Growing from the back of its head were a set of three leaves, each one having an orange gem on them. An orange gem was also on top of its head as well.

Attron ATK: 1000 DEF: 100 LV: 3

Attron ATK: 1000 + 300 = 1300 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400

"Cyberse monsters?! How do you have them?!" Raguel demanded.

"I am not obligated to answer your questions." Zero firmly answered back. "I also activate the Spell card, Growth of Providence. This card lets me Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck to my field. Come from my deck, Femtron." A card popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and played. Soon, a green-colored thin plant with a branch as its tail, along with a pair of bladed wings appeared on Zero's field. Its eyes were integrated together as a visor, which dimly glowed. On its head were four green spikes that jutted backwards, each one having a green gem at the end of them. A green gem was also on top of its head as well.

Femtron ATK: 1400 DEF: 100 LV: 4

Femtron ATK: 1400 + 300 = 1700 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400

"I summon Zeptron from my hand to my field." A green-colored plant with a branch as its tail, along with two leaves sprouting from its head appeared on Zero's field. It had two orange gems, one on its body, and one on the stem connecting its head to the leaves.

Zeptron ATK: 500 DEF: 100 LV: 2

Zeptron ATK: 500 + 300 = 800 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400

"Appear, the circuit of providence!" Zero declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Light Cyberse monster. I set Attron into the Link Markers!" Attron went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Goledule Cryotron!" A large, green-colored thick plant with a branch as its tail, along with seven leaves sprouting from the top of its head appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had seven orange gems, one on each of its leaves, as well as one at the center of its body.

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 + 300 = 1300

"The effects of Attron, Goledule Cryotron and Garden of Providence activate in sequence." Zero began speaking. "First, when Attron is used as Link material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle it into my deck to draw a card from the top of my deck." A card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck before drawing the top card of his deck.

"Second, when Goledule Cryotron is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field." A card popped out of Zero's deck. "Come to me from my deck, Viscom Nanotron." A green bipedal, plant-like dragon with a long neck and two long leaves for wings appeared on Zero's field. It had a long appendage on each side of its body that had small spikes and ended with a hooked claw. It also had a long tail that ended with five branches, the middle three in the form of a trident, while the outer two ended in hooks. Its mouth had several teeth, which almost resembled that of a flytrap's mouth.

Viscom Nanotron ATK: 1800 DEF: 100 LV: 6

Viscom Nanotron ATK: 1800 + 300 = 2100 DEF: 100 + 300 = 400

"Then I'm allowed to shuffle one Light Cyberse monster from my Graveyard or banished zone back into my deck. I shuffle Cycliptron from my Graveyard back into my deck." Zero decided, as a second card popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and shuffled back into his deck. "In addition, Garden of Providence's effect now activates! As I Link Summoned a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can Special Summon a Light Cyberse monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field and gain life points equal to its attack points." A card popped out of his deck. "Come to me from my deck, Rontron." A green-colored plant with two small branches as tails, along with a pair of bladed wings appeared on Zero's field. A leaf that had three yellow gems sprouted from the top of its head. There were also three yellow gems at the center of its body as well.

Rontron ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 3

Zero: 4000 + 300 = 4300 LP

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of providence!" A second Link Portal appeared above Zero. "The summoning conditions are two or more Light Cyberse monsters. I set the Link 1 Goledule Cryotron, Femtron and Zeptron into the Link Markers!" Goledule Cryotron went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Femtron went into the bottom arrowhead and Zeptron went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Mothinear Lepidopteron!" A large moth whose body was covered in green and yellow pieces of hair, and had four large wings, two being long while the other two were short, appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Her wings were patterned with black, orange, yellow and blue colors, and also possessed prominent eye patterns on them. She had blue eyes that were large and slanted, with two mandibles on the sides of her head. Her abdomen was shaped like a wasp's, which included a large, retractable stinger. Finally, she had three pairs of insectoid legs, which consisted of a double-jointed front and middle pair, along with a triple-joined pair of hind legs.

Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2500 + 300 = 2800

"The effects of Goledule Cryotron, Femtron, Zeptron and Mothinear Lepidopteron activate in sequence." Zero began speaking. "First, when Goledule Cryotron is used as Link material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, that monster gains 1000 attack points until the end of my next turn." Mothinear Lepidopteron was surrounded in a light-green aura that increased her strength.

Mothinear Lepidopteron ATK: 2800 + 1000 = 3800

"Second, when Femtron is used as Link material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle it into my deck to add one card from my deck to my hand."

"Any card?" Raguel repeated out of surprise.

"That's correct." Zero confirmed. "I add Provident Pruning from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "Third, when Zeptron is used as Link material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse monster, I can shuffle this card into my deck to draw two cards in exchange for shuffling two cards back into my deck. I shuffle Provident Food Chain and Particle Acceleration back into my deck." After Zero drew the top two cards of his deck, he took the two declared cards and shuffled them back into his deck.

"Fourth, when Mothinear Lepidopteron is Link Summoned, I can target one Light Cyberse monster in my deck or Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field in a Main Monster Zone she points to. What's more, I gain life points equal to the Special Summoned monster's attack points. I target Goledule Cryotron in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it back to my field. In addition, since it has 1000 attack points, I gain 1000 life points. Return to me, Goledule Cryotron." At Zero's command, Goledule Cryotron reappeared on Zero's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Mothinear Lepidopteron pointed to. Soon after, a light-green aura surrounded Zero that increased his life points.

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 + 300 = 1300

Zero: 4300 + 1000 = 5300 LP

"Appear, for a third time! The circuit of providence!" Zero declared, as a third Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Light Cyberse monsters. I set the Link 1 Goledule Cryotron, Viscom Nanotron and Rontron into the Link Markers!" Goledule Cryotron went into the left arrowhead, Viscom Nanotron went into the bottom arrowhead and Rontron went into the right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Chimerator Gradientron!" A green, plant-like chimera with draconic wings, along with vines on its armor across its body appeared on Zero's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Mothinear Lepidopteron pointed to. On its back were pieces of spikes that jutted outwards, each one dripping with venom. Each of the three heads had long mouths that had numerous pieces of sharp teeth, along with pieces of fangs on their sides. However, there were a few differences between the three heads. The left head had red and white-skin, its teeth being curved-like while a lid was in its upper mouth. The right head had light-green skin, red glands with tips that curved outwards and small glands in its mouth. As for the middle head, it had sand-yellow skin, along with root-like horns resembling that of a bull. Last but not least, its tail had spider web-like patterns on its translucent skin, along with a suction-like mouth in the form of two sharp leaves.

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 2500 + 300 = 2800

"The effects of Viscom Nanotron and Rontron activate in sequence." Zero continued. "First, when Viscom Nanotron is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can target a Light Cyberse monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. However, it's banished once it leaves my field. Come back to me, Goledule Cryotron." At Zero's command, Goledule Cryotron reappeared on his field.

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 + 300 = 1300

"Second, when Rontron is used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, I can shuffle it back into my deck to Set a Spell or Trap card from my deck to my field. I shuffle Rontron back into my deck, and Set Provident Reversal from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled into his deck. Seconds later, another card popped out of Zero's deck, which he took and Set to his field.

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Zero concluded. Chimerator Gradientron's effect can be used during either of our turns should Raguel have a powerful monster on his field. It also has another effect should it leave the field by battle or Raguel's card effect. In addition, Mothinear Lepidopteron's second effect will let me shuffle cards back into his deck and inflict damage once my next turn comes around, and she'll increase the strength of my other monsters should she leave the field, he thought in his mind. Along with my three face-down cards, I will be more than safe once I activate them at the right moment.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "Since I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon Cyreath Damselfly from my hand to my field." A large, black-skinned creature that had dots all over its body appeared on Raguel's field. It had a total of four wings, along with a long tail that had a spike at the end of it. Attached to its body was armored plating that had a lightning bolt on it.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Damselfly into the Link Markers!" Damselfly went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Scorpius!" A huge scorpion, with large pincers and a long tail, appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Scorpius ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"As Damselfly was used to Link Summon a Link monster, I can add one 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my hand. I add Cyreath Lava Hound from my deck to my hand." Raguel decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "I now activate Scorpius' effect. Once per turn, when I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to a zone this card points to. Return, Damselfly!" At Raguel's command, Damselfly reappeared on his field, only in the Main Monster Zone Scorpius pointed to.

Cyreath Damselfly ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Next, I activate the effect of Cyreath Lava Hound in my hand. As you control a Link monster, I can Special Summon it to my field. However, if it's summoned using this effect, it can only attack Link monsters." An overweight, volcanic creature with small wings appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Scorpius and Lava Hound into the Link Markers!" Scorpius went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Lava Hound went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Teumessian Fox!" An orange fox with black stripes all over its body appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Teumessian Fox ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ↙️⬇️

"Lava Hound's second effect now activates! As it left the field, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Lava Pup' tokens to my field!" Raguel continued, as two smaller pups resembling Lava Hound emerged into existence on Raguel's field in defense position.

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"In that case, I activate Chimerator Gradientron's effect." Zero responded. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can shuffle one Light Cyberse monster on my field or in my Graveyard to not only banish a card on your field or in your Graveyard, but also inflict 1000 points of damage as well."

"What?" Raguel gasped.

"I shuffle Goledule Cryotron back into my Extra Deck, banish Teumessian Fox on your field and inflict 1000 points of damage. Provident Lash!" Goledule Cryotron turned into particles that went into Chimerator Gradientron's body, where its tail dashed forward so fast that it pierced through Teumessian Fox and hit Raguel, who was forced to take a step back as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"If you actually thought I would allow your strategies to flourish, you're a bigger fool than I thought earlier." Zero commented firmly.

"While I'll admit that you got one over me, you're sorely mistaken if you think your little counter's going to deter my turn! Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a third Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set both Cyreath Lava Pup tokens into the Link Markers!" One Lava Pup token went into the top arrowhead, while the other Lava Pup token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red seconds later.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Melinoe!" A young girl with brown eyes and black hair braided into a crown appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore dark-red robes that had different colored jewels on it. She also wore shoes that ended with a small blade on each of them. In her hands, she carried a small scepter that had purple claws surrounding the orb at the top.

Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"When Melinoe is Link Summoned, I can-." Raguel began speaking.

"I think not. Counter-Trap, activate! Provident Reversal!" Zero interrupted, having gestured to his field. "When you activate a card effect, I can not only negate that effect, but banish both it and all copies from your hand, deck and/or Graveyard. Furthermore, for the rest of this turn, Light Cyberse monsters I control are unaffected by your card effects."

"Why, you-!" Raguel grit his teeth as Melinoe turned into particles. "Nevertheless, when Melinoe leaves the field by battle or card effect, I can send a card on your field to your Graveyard. I send the face-down card on your left to your Graveyard." As if on cue, the face-down card on Zero's left turned into particles.

"That is nothing but a minor setback on my end compared to the setback you experienced just now, Raguel. Your deck relies on bringing out powerful monsters through numerous Link Summons, does it not? There's no way I will let you bring out a powerful monster that can impede me."

"Then it's a good thing I have other options available, such as this! Appear, for a fourth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A fourth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Damselfly into the Link Markers!" Damselfly went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Ceryneian Hind!" A female deer with light-brown skin appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Unlike other deer though, she had male-like antlers made of gold and hooves made of bronze. She also had a dappled hide as well.

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️

"When Ceryneian Hind is Link Summoned, I can draw the top card of my deck." Raguel explained, as he drew the top card of his deck. Upon looking at it, he smirked. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Doppelganger in my hand. Since I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand." A pale, shadowy man materialized itself on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"Appear, for a fifth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A fifth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Ceryneian Hind and Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Ceryneian Hind went into the top arrowhead, while Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Aletheia!" A woman who wore white Greek robes and a red piece of cloth wrapped around her neck appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. A chest plate was attached to the upper portion of her robe, along with a black strap with golden circles that was strapped to her right shoulder. On her head was a large, golden crown with thorns on it, which kept her hair bundled in place.

Cyreath Aletheia ATK: 2200 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"I summon Cyreath Wandering Soul from my hand to my field." Raguel continued, as an illusion of a man appeared on Raguel's field, with mist running throughout his body.

Cyreath Wandering Soul ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Next, I activate Aletheia's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a 'Cyreath' monster I control to Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster with a different name from my deck to my field. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of her effects if I Link Summoned her using a 'Cyreath' Link monster."

"Is that so?" Zero questioned, having raised an eyebrow. In a way, he was impressed with how Raguel was able to quickly recover from his losses, even though this was a data clone of him.

"I destroy Wandering Soul, and Special Summon Cyreath Chronicler from my deck to my field." Raguel decided, as Wandering Soul turned into particles before the former took a card from his deck and played it. Soon, a bald man who wore black, white, and golden robes over his body, with some parts of the robes having pieces of armor that emitted an orange color.

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"When Chronicler is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take a copy of Cyreath Mount Olympus and either activate it or add it to my hand. I think I'll do the former." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and played seconds later. "I activate the Field Spell card, Cyreath Mount Olympus. While this card is on my field, all 'Cyreath' monsters on my field gain 500 attack and defense points. What's more, they're unaffected by your monster effects."

Cyreath Aletheia ATK: 2200 + 500 = 2700

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"I also activate the effect of Wandering Soul from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' Wanderer token to my field." Raguel said, as a small ball of mist in the form of a ghost appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Wanderer Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, for a sixth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A sixth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set the Cyreath Wanderer token into the Link Markers!" The Wanderer token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Crimson Soul!" A small, humanoid spirit with fire on its orange skin appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone both Odysseus and Hades pointed to. It wore a crown that had a red, blue, and yellow jewel on it. Wrapped around its neck was a small cape that flowed behind it.

Cyreath Crimson Soul ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

Cyreath Crimson Soul ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Appear, for a seventh time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a seventh Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Aletheia and Chronicler into the Link Markers!"

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Circe!" A young woman with long pink hair, blue and green eyes, and fair skin appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had pointed ears, along with a golden tiara, a light tunic with a short skirt, and gladiator sandals. She also had a pair of falcon wings attached to her back. In Circe's hands was a staff that had a sun disk at the top, as well as a total of seven spikes.

Cyreath Circe ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Cyreath Circe ATK: 2400 + 500 = 2900

"Aletheia's second effect now activates! Since she was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can Set one 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my field. I Set Cyreath Eradication from my deck to my field." Raguel added, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "In addition, I activate Circe's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath Piglet' token to a Main Monster Zone a 'Cyreath' Link monster points to. As such, I Special Summon a 'Cyreath Piglet' token to one of the Main Monster Zones Circe points to. Soon, a pig with wings appeared in one of the Main Monster Zones Circe pointed to.

Cyreath Piglet ATK: 1200 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

Cyreath Piglet ATK: 1200 + 500 = 1700 DEF: 1200 + 500 = 1700

"Though your monsters are weaker, I'd be a fool to allow you to get the advantage." Zero suddenly spoke up, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Starry Cyberse!" The card showed a network with shooting stars falling down from the sky. There were also orange and light-blue hexagons in the area, along with two screens identifying the stats of the shooting stars. "When you Normal or Special Summon a monster, I can target a Cyberse monster I control that is in attack position and send the top three cards of my deck to my Graveyard. By doing so, the targeted Cyberse monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and it gains attack points equal to the combined levels of the monsters sent to the Graveyard by this effect times 100 until the End Phase."

"Really now?" Raguel inquired, having raised an eyebrow.

"That's correct. I target Chimerator Gradientron, and send the top three cards of my deck to my Graveyard." Zero took the top three cards of his deck and looked at them, a smile forming on his face after seeing each one before taking all three and sending them to his Graveyard. "The three cards I sent to my Graveyard were Viscom Nanotron, Floettetron and Emblem of Providence. The combined levels of Viscom Nanotron and Floettetron is 9, which means Chimerator Gradientron gains 900 attack points until the End Phase." A starry aura surrounded Chimerator Gradientron as its strength increased temporarily.

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 2800 + (100 X 9) = 3700

"You may have strengthened your monster, but it doesn't change anything! Appear, for an eighth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" An eighth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' Link monsters. I set the Link 3 Cyreath Circe and the Link 1 Crimson Soul into the Link Markers!" Circe went into the top, bottom-left and bottom arrowheads while Crimson Soul went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Ultimate hunter of Olympus! Advance on the chaotic hunting grounds, and relentlessly pursue your enemies until they're eliminated!" Raguel chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyreath Super Orion!" A very muscular man with shaggy black hair and a long yellow cape draped behind him appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a chest strap that had a single red jewel at the end, along with several circular symbols on it. He also wore dark-blue pants that had small pieces of armor around the knees, along with a belt that had three blue jewels on it. In his right hand, he carried a diamond club, while he carried a massive bow in the other hand.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬆️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500

"When Super Orion's Link Summoned, he's unaffected by your card effects for the rest of this turn. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to each of his effects." Raguel grinned after seeing the shocked look on Zero's face. "Artemis Hagnos!" A moon-like aura surrounded Super Orion, which protected him from whatever would come next. "In addition, when Crimson Soul is used for the Link Summon of a Link monster, not only does the Link Summoned monster gain 1000 attack points, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn as well!" Super Orion was surrounded in a fiery aura as his strength increased.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3500 + 1000 = 4500

"Appear, for a ninth time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A ninth Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one monster. I set the Cyreath Piglet token into the Link Markers!" The Piglet token went into the top arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Pseudo!" A watery spirit with one eye, two long arms, and a tail appeared in the Main Monster Zone Super Orion pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬆️

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 + 500 = 500

"Pseudo gains attack points equal to the attack points of one monster it's pointing to." Raguel informed Zero. "As it's pointing to Super Orion, that means it gains a total of 4500 attack points!" Pseudo morphed into a watery version of Super Orion before its strength increased.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 500 + 4500 = 5000

"Last but not least, I activate Mount Olympus' effect. Once, I can target one 'Cyreath' Link monster on my field and gain life points equal to its Link rating times 500. I target Super Orion, who is a Link 4 monster. That means I gain 2000 life points!" Raguel was surrounded in a golden aura as his life points increased.

Raguel: 3000 + (500 X 4) = 5000 LP

"Battle!" Raguel declared, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Pseudo attacks Chimerator Gradientron!"

"At this point, I activate Chimerator Gradientron's second effect." Zero responded. "When it battles, it or one other Light Cyberse Link monster I control gains 1000 attack points until the end of the damage step, while your monster loses 1000 attack points."

"But thanks to Mount Olympus, my monsters are unaffected by your monster effects." Raguel reminded Zero.

"I am already aware. I choose to increase Chimerator Gradientron's strength." Chimerator Gradientron let out a roar as its strength increased.

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 3700 + 1000 = 4700

"Regardless, you're still taking damage." Pseudo charged forward at Chimerator Gradientron and hit the latter with its fists, an explosion occurring in the process. While Chimerator Gradientron was obviously still standing, Zero winced on the other hand as his life points slightly dropped.

Zero: 5300 – 300 = 5000 LP

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 4700 – 1000 = 3700

"It's a good thing I tested the waters, as otherwise, I would have lost my strongest monster." Raguel continued. "The battle continues! Cyreath Super Orion attacks Chimerator Gradientron! Orion Horkos!" An arrow of pure energy materialized in Super Orion's right hand before he took and pulled it back with his bow, where he then fired it straight at Chimerator Gradientron. The arrow pierced through Chimerator Gradientron, which caused another explosion. However, just like before, Chimerator Gradientron remained standing while Zero winced once again, his life points having dropped for a second time.

Zero: 5000 – 800 = 4200 LP

"Oh, and one last thing. Super Orion can attack up to two times per turn, which means you're not going to get a reprieve any time soon. The battle continues once again! Cyreath Super Orion attacks Mothinear Lepidopteron! Orion Horkos!" An arrow of pure energy materialized in Super Orion's right hand before he took and pulled it back with his bow, where he then fired it straight at Mothinear Lepidopteron. The arrow pierced through Mothinear Lepidopteron and destroyed her in a massive explosion, which made Zero shield himself with his right arm as his life points dropped for a third time.

Zero: 4200 – 700 = 3500 LP

"When Mothinear Lepidopteron leaves the field, all Light Cyberse monsters I control gain 500 attack and defense points until the end of my next turn." Zero informed Raguel, as a green aura surrounded Chimerator Gradientron, which increased its strength.

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 3700 + 500 = 4200

"At least I got rid of a resource you could have used on your turn to strengthen your monsters in the long run." Raguel acknowledged. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Provident Reversal, Starry Cyberse, Crimson Soul and Super Orion ends." Auras surrounded Chimerator Gradientron and Super Orion, which reverted their strength to normal.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 4500 – 1000 = 3500

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 4200 – (100 X 9) = 3300

"Is this the so-called strength you got from being infected by that Cursed Boundary Layer? If this is the case, I'm disappointed because I faced far worse." Zero said, which made Raguel raise an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, old man? Compared to you, I have a more solidified field." Raguel pointed out. "When my next turn comes around, you'll be finished."

"Based on what you're saying, I can't help but notice a part of you is rushing despite setting up that strong field of yours." Zero raised an eyebrow. "Has your obsession with reaching the Root of All Knowledge made you impulsive, perhaps?"

"Impulsive? More like motivated!" Raguel clarified. "After seeing how Azrael was able to reach the Root of All Knowledge, I must reach it for myself!"

Zero gasped after hearing this information. Azrael was somehow able to find the Root of All Knowledge's location? Such a thing was impossible because only Zero and Kairi knew its whereabouts, especially how they'd rather die than spill the information to Urizen.

"Speaking of Azrael, there are some things he told me during our duel. How you split the Project: VIII data into pieces instead of destroying it when you had the opportunity to do so! Why didn't you destroy it at the time, old man?! If you had done so, then none of this would have happened!"

Zero sighed after hearing that question. "There are two reasons why I chose to split the data into three pieces instead of destroying it all at once. The first being that I was on the run and pressed for time, so I split the data before retreating into the network. From there, I gave a piece of it to worthy places and people that would protect the data, especially as to how it's confidential. The second reason was because I had hope for mankind."

"Hope? How ridiculous." Raguel scoffed.

"Then allow me to clarify what I mean by that answer. Though the world is cruel and unforgivable as you said, there are still humans on the planet whose intentions are pure and just. I had hope that there was a pure individual out there who would not only finish Project: VIII, but would uphold their ethical beliefs against the world's evils as well." Zero began speaking. "Will this person falter? Will they make mistakes? Of course that person would do so, as it is inevitable. However, my hope at the time was that the pure individual would rise above their mistakes and use a combination of collaboration, just methods and these findings so a prosperous future can be built for everyone."

Raguel crossed his arms. "If your goal was to see Project: VIII being repeated, then congratulations, you got your wish. I hope it was worth it in the end, as your departure had led to a ton of other shit happening later on, especially with SOL Technologies being the root of Den City's pain."

"What do you mean by that, Raguel?"

"Simple. While you were gone, SOL Technologies became rotten and corrupt not only due to the Black Market's establishment, but also how it supported unethical business operations. One example being Balius' trafficking operation in Central Japan, which led to the civil war and his death. Oh, and the company's attempt to build a high performance Ignis almost led to the death of a well-known Charisma duelist named Go Onizuka."

"What?!" Zero exclaimed, horrified with what happened to SOL Technologies while he was in the network. While his sons and the other executives obviously overthrown him, he never expected them to look the other way in the business partnership formed between the company and Balius. Nor did Zero expect his sons to allow SOL Technologies to assist in forming the Black Market, as well as the development and launch of a plan that nearly led to the death of a well-known celebrity. To put it simply, Zero being ousted by the other higher-ups due to Project: VIII's failure had resulted to a series of events that led SOL Technologies to where it is today.

"You are a coward in the end, old man!" Raguel accused Zero. "That time you spent hiding all of those years should have been used to take back control of SOL Technologies from your enemies. After all, you were the Dragon King, the first ruler of the company. Hell, you could have even helped us during catastrophic situations in the network. Where were you when the Tower of Hanoi activated? Where were you when the Turf War was initiated between the branches? Where were you when Azrael launched a joint attack on both LINK VRAINS and the real world? Where were you during the war in Mirror LINK VRAINS? All of the lives lost, or at the very least a majority of them, could have been avoided if you were there to help us!"

Zero pondered over the words Raguel had said up until now, still shocked with what he heard from him. He never expected SOL Technologies to become so vile since being overthrown, as he had faith in his sons to do better. Unfortunately, that faith had been misplaced. As for Raguel's other questions, he didn't know the full story as to what was happening behind the scenes. For Zero was assisting Kairi in fighting a war against Urizen at another area deep within the network. After all, Urizen was a far greater threat compared to the combined threat of Azrael, Lightning and Bohman. While this was a reasonable explanation on why Zero couldn't help it an end to those catastrophic situations, he felt guilty for not coming in to help sooner. "Raguel, I do agree with your words and what you're saying. My actions had led SOL Technologies to spiral out of control and become corrupt. Your accusation on me being a coward has merit, yes, but it was not for the reasons-."

"I'm not interested in your confessions, wretched human!" Raguel grit his teeth. "You made everyone pay the price through your cowardice, and now it's time you pay the price for your mistakes as well! So make your move right now! I look forward to ending you once my next turn comes around!"

"If this is what you want, then I'll oblige." Zero complied. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Growth of Providence from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Seedling' token to my field." Soon, a small, thin plant with a leaf on top of its head appeared on Zero's field in defense position. At the center of its body was a small, yellow gem.

Seedling ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Seedling ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 0 + 300 = 300

"Next, I activate the effect of Emblem of Providence in my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can draw two cards from the top card of my deck before shuffling one card back into my deck. I shuffle Provident Pruning back into my deck." After Zero drew the top two cards of his deck, he took a card in his hand and shuffled it back into his deck.

"From there, I activate the Spell card, The Menacing Eyes of the Sky Emperor." Zero continued. The card showed Yggdrago the Sky Emperor glaring downwards at a group of construction workers, infuriated for intruding on the territory it and its denizens were in. "By shuffling a Light Cyberse monster from my field or Graveyard back into my deck, I can target a monster you control and negate its effects. In addition, if the targeted monster was not a Link monster, I can change its battle position."

"That attempt will be in vain." Raguel taunted, as he gestured to his field so he can activate one of his face-down cards. To his horror, he couldn't do a thing. "What? Why can't I activate one of my face-down cards?"

"It's because I control a Link 3 or higher Light Cyberse Link monster, Raguel. To put it simply, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of The Menacing Eyes of the Sky Emperor if I control a Link 3 or higher Light Cyberse Link monster." Zero explained. "I shuffle Floettetron from my Graveyard back into my deck, and target Super Orion on your field." A card popped out of Zero's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled back into his deck. Soon, a silhouette of Yggdrago the Sky Emperor emerged before fiercely glaring at Super Orion, the latter surrounded in a red, blue and green aura that negated his effects.

"Then it's a good thing I have a backup plan." Raguel responded, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Cyreath Vanquishment! When I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can shuffle a card on your field back into your deck. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only negate the effects of cards you control up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters on my field, I also gain 500 life points for each card negated by this effect as well. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"Tch." Zero grit his teeth after hearing this information. That meant he couldn't use neither Chimerator Gradientron nor Garden of Providence's effects any longer.

"I negate Chimerator Lepidopteron and Garden of Providence's effects." Grey auras surrounded Chimerator Lepidopteron and Garden of Providence, their effects having been negated as the former groaned in pain. A dark aura then surrounded Raguel's body as his life points increased.

Chimerator Gradientron ATK: 3300 – 300 = 3000

Seedling ATK: 300 – 300 = 0 DEF: 300 – 300 = 0

Raguel: 5000 + (500 X 2) = 6000 LP

"Like I told you earlier, I have other ways of making a comeback." Zero reminded Raguel. "Appear, the circuit of providence!" A Link Portal appeared above Zero. "The summoning conditions are one Light Cyberse monster. I set the Seedling token into the Link Markers!" The Seedling token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Goledule Cryotron!" A second copy of Goledule Cryotron appeared on Zero's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Chimerator Gradientron pointed to.

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Just like before, when Goledule Cryotron is Link Summoned-." Zero began speaking.

"I think not. Trap card, activate! Cyreath Eradication!" Raguel interjected. "When you activate a card effect or summon a monster, I can negate the effect or summon and send it to your Graveyard. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation! So say goodbye to Goledule Cryotron!" A blade of energy headed towards Goledule Cryotron, which turned it into particles.

That means I won't be able to use either of Goledule Cryotron's effects, Zero acknowledged in his mind. "In that case, I activate the effect of Provident Restoration from my Graveyard." A silhouette of a card appeared, which showed lush green energy surrounding Mothinear Lepidopteron as she began restoring the desolate area she was on. This was evident by the grass and flowers slowly growing back from underneath the ground.

"Provident Restoration? When was that card-?" Raguel began speaking, before he gasped. "That was the card sent to your Graveyard on my previous turn."

"Indeed." Zero confirmed. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Light Cyberse monster from my Graveyard. Return to me, Goledule Cryotron." At Zero's command, Goledule Cryotron reappeared on his field.

Goledule Cryotron ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit of providence!" Zero stated, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Light Cyberse Link monsters. I set the Link 1 Goledule Cryotron and the Link 3 Chimerator Gradientron into the Link Markers!" Goledule Cryotron went into the top arrowhead, while Chimerator went into the left, bottom and right arrowheads, turning all four of them red.

"Great caretaker dwelling deep within the Yggdrasil! Let your power cleanse the world of its impurities! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Nidhoggron Collidertron!" A massive, light and dark green-colored lindwyrm with wings on her back, a draconic head connected to her long neck, as well as two clawed forelimbs appeared on Zero's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On her scaly skin were pieces of green plated armor. Specifically, on her forelimbs, back and tail. Her draconic head also had plated armor on the top, along with horn-like ears at the back. Each of her violet-colored wings had pieces of green plating on the outlines, which formed into sharp, leaf-like blades that had spikes at the end of them. As for her tail, it ended with a spiky protrusion.

Nidhoggron Collidertron ATK: 3500 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"What kind of monster is this?" Raguel questioned, having sensed the energy radiating from Nidhoggron Collidertron.

"The one that will be your end." Zero simply answered. "The effects of Nidhoggron Collidertron and Goledule Cryotron activate in sequence. First, when Nidhoggron Collidertron is Link Summoned, I can shuffle all cards on your field and Graveyard back into your deck. Then for each card shuffled from your field back into your deck by this effect, Nidhoggron Collidertron gains 500 attack points. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of her effects."

"WHAT?!" Raguel's eyes widened in terror after hearing this information.

"Go, Provident Renewal!" Nidhoggron Collidertron let out a loud roar as she released a shockwave of energy, which headed towards at Raguel's field seconds later that consumed every card on his field. The shockwave even hit Raguel's Graveyard seconds later as it returned every card that was there back into Raguel's deck. When the light died down, Raguel had no cards left on his field, much to his horror. He also checked his Graveyard, having gasped upon seeing that all the cards once there were shuffled back into his deck. "As you had four cards on your field that were shuffled back into your deck, that means Nidhoggron Collidertron gains 2000 attack points! Provident Transcendence!" Nidhoggron Collidertron was surrounded in a green aura that increased her strength.

Nidhoggron Collidertron ATK: 3500 + (500 X 4) = 5500

"Second, like before, when Goledule Cryotron is sent to the Graveyard as Link Material for the Link Summon of a Light Cyberse Link monster, that monster gains 1000 attack points until the end of my next turn." A second light-green aura surrounded Nidhoggron Collidertron as her strength further increased.

Nidhoggron Collidertron ATK: 5500 + 1000 = 6500

"Battle!" Zero declared. "Nidhoggron Collidertron attacks you directly! At this point, her second effect activates! When she battles, you cannot activate cards and effects until the end of the damage step."

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed, shock evident on his face.

"This is the end, Raguel! Provident Obliteration!" Nidhoggron Collidertron flew high into the air as light-green energy surrounded her entire body, which went into her maw. She then fired it at Raguel, a massive explosion occurring seconds later that sent him flying off the ground, his life points having dropped to zero in the process.

Raguel: 6000 - 6500 = 0

Zero sighed as he saw the data clone of Raguel disintegrate into particles. He didn't want to duel against Myojin's son, but it was needed in order for him to stop the Cursed Boundary Layer. Then again, it was a data clone, which meant the real Raguel was technically alive. Still, what Raguel said to Zero during their duel had clearly haunted him. Based on how Zero was unable to help during the events threatening the network and real world, along with him being outed by SOL Technologies, it raised a concerning question in his mind. Was he ultimately no better than Watchman in the end? No! That wasn't the case! If Zero was no better than Watchman, then he would have used the situation to act for his own benefits only, not for the benefits of others. Besides, Zero was here in the first place to eradicate the Cursed Boundary Layer and not only ensure that Jericho's plans were put to a halt, but to also protect humanity as well. As such, Zero made a vow in his mind that he would be a better ally to Playmaker and the others than Watchman ever was to them. No secrets and lies. Just the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less. Having acquired this resolve, Zero stepped forward, his hands glowing with light-green energy as he tried to destroy the barrier surrounding the Tower of Hanoi.

WHOOSH!

Another data anchor emerged out of nowhere as it tried to force Zero into a duel against another of the data clones. To their surprise and horror, Zero grabbed the data anchor and practically snapped it in two.

"What? That's impossible!" one of the data clones of Raguel shouted, as the others unleashed data anchors of their own against Zero. Before even one of the data anchors could hit him, Chimerator Gradientron appeared out of nowhere and practically ate them all. As if on cue, Mothinear Lepidopteron flew in and divebombed the data clones of Raguel, which destroyed all of them at once.

"Mothinear Lepidopteron. Chimerator Gradientron. Take care of the clones. I will handle this." Zero instructed his duel monsters before returning back to his task in destroying the barrier surrounding the Tower of Hanoi. More data clones of Raguel appeared in an attempt to either force Zero into another duel or at the very least destroy him. In response, Chimerator Gradientron and Mothinear Lepidopteron engaged them in combat, intent on protecting Zero until his task was finished.

Meanwhile, at another area in the old server...

"It's time to duel!" Raguel and Blue Maiden said in unison.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Blue Maiden: 4000 LP

"I'll be going first, Raguel. My turn." Blue Maiden said. "I activate the Spell card, Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw three cards from the top of my deck in exchange for sending two cards from my hand to my Graveyard. I send Marincess Pascalus and Schooling from my hand to my Graveyard." She drew the top three cards of her deck before taking the two declared cards and sending each one to her Graveyard.

"I summon Marincess Blue Tang from my hand to my field." A woman who wore a black vest over a blue dress, as well as had her long blue hair tied in a ponytail appeared on Blue Maiden's field.

Marincess Blue Tang ATK: 1500 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

"When Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Marincess' monster from my deck to my Graveyard." Blue Maiden explained. "I send Marincess Sea Horse from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of her deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard.

So Blue Maiden's going with her main opening move for her strategy. Almost like the one she used against Bohman, Raguel thought in his mind. While that's indeed effective, Blue Maiden will need to use some new tricks if she wants to have any chance of defeating me.

"Shine! The circuit of love, friendship, and bonds!" A Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are one Level 4 or lower 'Marincess' monster. I set Marincess Blue Tang into the Link Markers!" Blue Tang went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Marincess Blue Slug!" A little girl wearing a blue dress that had yellow dots, along with dark-blue and purple hair with yellow highlights appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Okay! I'm gonna give it my best!" Blue Slug promised Blue Maiden, only for the former to scream in fear upon seeing Raguel. "W-W-What's happened to him? And what's that energy emitting from his body?"

"Raguel's been taken over by a wretched Curse, Blue Slug. But we're going to free him from it." Blue Maiden responded, before redirecting her attention to the duel. "The effects of Blue Slug and Blue Tang activate in sequence. First, when Blue Slug is Link Summoned, I can add one 'Marincess' monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Sea Horse right back to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"Second, when Blue Tang is sent to the Graveyard to Link Summon a Water Link monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add one 'Marincess' card amongst the three to my hand, as well as shuffle the other two into my deck." Blue Maiden looked at the top three cards of her deck. "I add Marincess Wave to my hand." She took one card and added to her hand before shuffling the other two into her deck.

"I activate the effect of Marincess Sea Horse from my hand, which lets me Special Summon her to a Main Monster Zone a 'Marincess' Link monster on my field points to." Blue Maiden continued, as a girl wearing a pink and golden dress who had blond hair appeared on her field in the Main Monster Zone Blue Slug pointed to.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"Shine for a second time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A second Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are one Level 4 or lower 'Marincess' monster. I set Marincess Sea Horse into the Link Markers!" Sea Horse went into the left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Marincess Sea Angel!" A little girl in a white dress with long white hair, and the Marincess emblem on her forehead appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Blue Slug pointed to.

Marincess Sea Angel ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬅️

"Yay! I'm on the duel field! I'm on the-." Sea Angel began cheering, before letting out a shriek of horror as to what was happening. "W-W-What's going on? What happened to Raguel?"

"I asked that same question earlier, Sea Angel. But to sum it up, Raguel's infected by a curse that's hurt the Cyberse before." Blue Slug told Sea Angel, who gasped after hearing this information.

"Tick tock, my friend. There's only so much time you have left to try and stop me." Raguel interjected, which not only stopped the conversation between Blue Slug and Sea Angel, but made Blue Maiden glare back at him as well.

"I'm well aware of that, Raguel." Blue Maiden snapped back. "I do, however, wonder if you're aware of this? When Sea Angel is Link Summoned, I can add one 'Marincess' Spell card from my deck to my hand. I add Marincess Dive from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard.

"Shine, for a third time! The circuit of love, friendship, and bonds!" A third Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two Water monsters. I set the Link 1 Marincess Blue Slug and Sea Angel into the Link Markers!" Blue Slug went into the left arrowhead, while Sea Angel went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Marincess Coral Anemone!" A young woman with orange hair appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore a white and pink dress with yellow frills resembling that of a jellyfish over purple tights.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

"Alright! Don't worry, Blue Maiden! With my assistance, you'll win this duel!" Coral Anemone assured Blue Maiden, the latter nodding back in response as the former looked at what was going on. The energy radiating from Raguel's body… it hurt the Cyberse before. I'll make sure it doesn't hurt my sisters nor the other Cyberse, she vowed in her mind.

"I activate Coral Anemone's effect." Blue Maiden continued, "Once per turn, I can target one Water monster with 1500 or less attack points in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field to a Main Monster Zone she points to. I target Blue Slug in my Graveyard and Special Summon her back to my field." Soon, Blue Slug reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Coral Anemone pointed to.

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Shine, for a third time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A third Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Marincess' monsters. I set the Link 2 Marincess Coral Anemone and the Link 1 Blue Slug into the Link Markers!" Coral Anemone went into the top and bottom-left arrowheads, while Blue Slug went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Marincess Coral Triangle!" A woman with light-green hair that was tied in a bun with purple-colored coral hairpins appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Her attire consisted of a light-green top and a long, dark-blue skirt that had strands of jellyfish at the back. Wrapped around her forearms were pieces of pink coral that wrapped into a swirl. Bits of blue coral poked out of her back, along with graceful blue fins resembling wings.

Marincess Coral Triangle ATK: 1500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"I'm with you, Blue Maiden! You have my word!" Coral Triangle vowed, having narrowed her eyes at the opponent in front of her.

"You have a new 'Marincess' Link monster?" Raguel inquired. "How did you-?" He gasped after putting two and two together. "I see. So Hideki made each of you new cards to improve your decks, hasn't he?"

Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes after hearing Raguel's question. "If we're to stand a chance at stopping you and freeing you from that Cursed Boundary Layer, then we had to make upgrades to our decks." While she would answer Raguel's question, she wouldn't confirm that Hideki was behind this, or else Raguel would probably go after him for helping those he deemed his enemies. "Allow me to show you what I mean! First, when Coral Anemone's sent to the Graveyard, I can target a 'Marincess' card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I add Sea Horse right back to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"I activate Coral Triangle's effect! Once per turn, I can send a Water monster from my hand to my Graveyard to add a 'Marincess' Trap card from my deck to my hand. I send Marincess Basilalima from my hand to my Graveyard, and add Marincess Circulation from my deck to my hand!" After Blue Maiden took a card from her hand and sent it to her Graveyard, a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Blue Maiden concluded. "Do your worst, Raguel."

Raguel let out a chuckle. "If that's what you want, then I'll gladly comply. For compared to the futile efforts of humans, the One True God will succeed. My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Glorious Cyreaths. When I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard and draw the top card of my deck." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which glowed with a dark light before dimming. "Come from my deck, Cyreath Chronicler." A bald man who wore black, white, and golden robes over his body, with some parts of the robes having pieces of armor that emitted an orange color.

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Seconds later, Raguel drew the top card of his deck.

"When Chronicler is Normal or Special Summoned, I can take a copy of Cyreath Mount Olympus and either activate it or add it to my hand. I think I'll do the former." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and played seconds later. "I activate the Field Spell card, Cyreath Mount Olympus. While this card is on my field, all 'Cyreath' monsters on my field gain 500 attack and defense points. What's more, they're unaffected by your monster effects."

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000 DEF: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"In that case, I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Eisbahn." Blue Maiden suddenly said. "While I control a Water monster, any non-Water monsters on the field are shifted to defense position." As if on cue, a cold wind fired out of the card, which changed Chronicler's battle position.

"I see. So you wish to make this a battle between Link monsters, huh? Then I'll make that happen." Raguel promised. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Chronicler into the Link Markers!" Chronicler went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red in the process.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 + 500 = 800

"I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cyreath Domain Tartarus." Raguel continued. "While this card is on my field, 'Cyreath' monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points, and can no longer be targeted or destroyed by your card effects." Skull Wing was surrounded with energy as its strength increased.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 800 + 300 = 1100

With that card out on Raguel's field, his monsters can no longer be dealt with through card effects, Blue Maiden acknowledged in her mind. As a result, she had to either get rid of both Mount Olympus and Domain Tartarus first or destroy Raguel's monsters in battle. The worst being Domain Tartarus's effects, especially its second one.

"I also activate Tartarus' second effect. Once per turn, I can send one 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard to Special Summon one 'Alpha/Mode' Link monster from my Extra Deck whose name includes the tributed Monster's name from my Extra Deck, and if I do, I can treat it as having been Special Summoned by the effect of 'Alpha Mode Activate'. Using Tartarus' effect, I send Cyreath Atalanta from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard." Soon, a silhouette of a sharp-eyed huntress who wore beautiful verdant green clothing and had emerald eyes appeared on Raguel's field. She had long and unkempt hair, which was green at the front and different blond styles at the back. In her left hand, she carried a jet-black bow. Within several seconds, a massive portal that had the symbols of Olympus on it appeared above him before Atalanta jumped into it, causing it to glow a bright light.

"Huntress pushed to her breaking point! Don the belt of the Calydonian Boar, and avenge the fallen children!" Raguel chanted. "Alpha Mode Summon! Link 3! Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode!" A sharp-eyed huntress who wore beautiful black and white clothing with dark-blue outlines and had yellow eyes appeared on Raguel's field at the Main Monster Zone Skull Wing pointed to. She had long and unkempt hair, which was light pink at the front and white at the back. She also wore a set of black, animal like armor on her legs, chest, and arms, each having pink cracks on them. Strapped to her right arm was the head of the Calydonian Boar, which had yellow eyes and two curved tusks on it, blood dripping from its mouth.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 + 500 + 300 = 3700

"Hehehe… Now you're finished…" Atalanta/Alpha Mode muttered, having grit her teeth at Blue Maiden.

"Great. Raguel managed to bring out a strong Link monster by only using one card to do so…" Blue Maiden quietly said to herself. This… was going to hurt.

"I activate Atalanta/Alpha Mode's effect!" Raguel stated. "When Atalanta/Alpha Mode is Special Summoned using 'Alpha Mode Activate', you take 500 points of damage for every card on your field! Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to her activation as well! Since you have two cards on your field, that means you take 1000 points of damage! Tauropolos Catastrophe!" A jet-black bow made of pure energy appeared in Atalanta/Alpha Mode's hand before she fired a single arrow to the sky, which caused a storm of dark arrows to fall down from the sky and towards Blue Maiden, several of them hitting her as her life points decreased.

Blue Maiden: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

Blue Maiden checked the field on her duel disk, where she gasped upon realizing which zones Atalanta/Alpha Mode was pointing to. Specifically, the Spell & Trap card zone. If Raguel drew what I think he drew through Glorious Cyreaths' effect, then this is going to get worse than I expected, she realized in her mind.

"Let's see if you're prepared for this, Blue Maiden! I activate the Link Spell card that judges the world and serves the One True God! Go, Judgment Arrows!" Within seconds, a galaxy-like style portal appeared before disgorging bright lightning that landed in the Spell & Trap card zone Atalanta/Alpha Mode pointed to, where it revealed itself as none other than Judgment Arrows.

Judgment Arrows↖️⬆️↗️

Blue Maiden grit her teeth in anger. Even though she already knew that Raguel had Judgment Arrows, it still broke her heart that he'd use the card of their common enemy. "How could you use the card that caused nothing but pain, Raguel? Have you forgotten who created that card in the first place?!"

"A card is nothing more than a card, Blue Maiden. There's nothing wrong with using a card to strengthen your deck, especially a card that was once wielded by your enemies." Raguel taunted back. "Before you can ask how in the world did I get this card, you could say it was in Ace's deck when I chopped his left forearm off with Excalibur."

"Judgment Arrows was in Ace's deck?" Blue Maiden inquired out of confusion.

"Lightning must have gave it to Ace as a reward for the service he performed during the Turf War. However, a human such as himself could never wield that card properly." Raguel smirked. "The One True God such as myself, on the other hand, will wield it better than any human or AI that had done so before!"

"But Judgment Arrows was the card that symbolized the war between the Ignis and humanity. That card's creation led to seven out of the eight Ignis being destroyed!" Blue Maiden angrily reminded Raguel.

"I know, but it doesn't change the current situation, does it?" Raguel questioned back, which made Blue Maiden stiffen up upon hearing it. "Judgment Arrows served a creator that was insignificant and pathetic. One that deserved to die for his crimes. Every. Single. One of them. This time, it will serve someone that is worthy of wielding it, and that person is myself, the One True God."

Raguel's so warped in his thinking that he deems the issues and struggles of others as insignificant compared to his own. All because of how he's different compared to everyone else, Blue Maiden angrily thought in her mind. She remembered how Raguel told Soulburner not to parade his losses around, yet the former was doing so right now. How ironic. "I dealt with Judgment Arrows before, Raguel. I'll deal with it again."

"In that case, there's no need to repeat Judgment Arrows' effects because you and I both know what it does once it hits the duel field." Raguel commented. "But I digress. Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Skull Wing into the Link Markers!" Skull Wing went into the left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Plutus!" A six-armed fiend with dark-grey skin appeared on Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top-right Link Marker, which caused him to be co-linked with Atalanta/Alpha Mode. His face resembled that of a grey demon with no teeth, replaced by patches of skin that connected the top and bottom portions of the mouth together. He wore golden armor pieces on his head, shoulders, and the lower section of his arms. He also had a blue tarp wrapped around his waist as well. In Plutus's right hand was a spear-like cleaver.

Cyreath Plutus ATK: 1200 LINK-1 ⬅️

Cyreath Plutus ATK: 1200 + 500 + 300 = 2000

"When Plutus is Link Summoned, I can target one Link monster he points to and place 'Greed' counters on him." Raguel explained. "Plutus is pointing to Atalanta/Alpha Mode at the moment, who is a Link 3 monster. That means Plutus gains three 'Greed' counters." Three golden orbs appeared in the top set of Plutus's hands.

Cyreath Plutus GC: 0 + 3 = 3

"In addition, since Skull Wing was used as Link Material, you take 300 points of damage!" A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Blue Maiden, who shivered as her life points dropped.

Blue Maiden: 3000 – 300 = 2700 LP

"I now activate Plutus's second effect." Raguel added. "I can remove 'Greed' counters from him to draw cards equal to the number of 'Greed' Counters removed. I remove three 'Greed' Counters to draw three cards." The golden orbs disappeared as Raguel drew three cards.

Cyreath Plutus GC: 3 – 3 = 0

"Even with this power, I'm not as foolish as to be reckless during a time like this. As such, I activate Mount Olympus's effect. Once, I can target one 'Cyreath' Link monster I control, and gain life points equal to its Link rating times 500. I target Atalanta/Alpha mode, who is a Link 3 monster. That means I gain 1500 life points!" A golden aura surrounded Raguel as his life points increased.

Raguel: 4000 + (500 X 3) = 5500 LP

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Marincess Coral Triangle! And just in case you need a friendly reminder, Judgment Arrows doubles Atalanta/Alpha mode's attack points!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode was surrounded in a golden aura that doubled her strength.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 3700 X 2 = 7400

Raguel grinned. "I also forgot to mention something. Any battle damage Atalanta/Alpha mode inflicts is doubled."

"What?!" Blue Maiden gasped in shock after hearing this information. If this attack goes through, I'll end up taking a total of 11,800 points of damage and lose the duel, she realized in her mind. Talk about overkill.

"Now, Atalanta/Alpha Mode! Prepare to attack!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand as Atalanta/Alpha Mode was surrounded in dark energy, ready to attack.

"I think not, Raguel. I activate the Trap card, Marincess Circulation from my hand." Blue Maiden responded. "Before you say anything, I can activate this card from my hand when I control a Link 3 or higher 'Marincess' monster. Next, by targeting a Water Link monster I control and returning it back to my deck, I can Special Summon one 'Marincess' Link monster with the same Link rating but a different name from my Extra Deck to my field and treat it as a Link Summon. What's more, it can't be destroyed by battle this turn in exchange for not attacking directly."

"Really now? Well, whatever monster you bring out, it won't make much of a difference." Raguel snarked back, ready for what was to come.

"I return Coral Triangle back to my Extra Deck and Special Summon Marincess Marbled Rock from my Extra Deck to my field!" Coral Triangle turned into particles that returned back to Blue Maiden's duel disk. Within seconds, a woman in a red dress with spiky violet hair appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Spiked coral sat atop her shoulders, and fins adorned the sides of her dress. She also carried a fan-like weapon in each of her hands.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

"I'm at your beck and call, Blue Maiden! Leave this to me!" Marbled Rock promised, ready for battle as a light-blue aura surrounded her body.

"How sweet. Then Marbled Rock will be the one to pay the price!" Raguel stated, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Destroy Marbled Rock, Atalanta/Alpha Mode! Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Marbled Rock, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, intent on destroying the latter and inflicting damage to Blue Maiden.

"I activate Marbled Rock's effect." Blue Maiden responded. "When you declare an attack, I can send one 'Marincess' monster from my hand to my Graveyard to not only prevent her from being destroyed by battle, but also take no battle damage as well. I send Sea Horse from my hand to my Graveyard." Watery energy appeared in Marbled Rock's hands as she used them to form a watery wall, which Atalanta/Alpha Mode landed on instead before the former pushed the latter back using the watery wall. As a result, Atalanta/Alpha Mode was forced to retreat back to Raguel's field in anger.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 7400 / 2 = 3700

"Hmph. You survived the attack. But I still have one other monster to attack with." Raguel reminded Blue Maiden. "The battle continues! Cyreath Plutus attacks Marincess Marbled Rock! And like before, Judgment Arrows' effect activates!" Plutus was surrounded in a golden aura that increased his strength temporarily.

Cyreath Plutus ATK: 2000 X 2 = 4000

Plutus then charged forward and brought down the spear-like cleaver onto Marbled Rock, who caught it with her hands as the light-blue aura from before protected her from destruction. Blue Maiden, on the other hand, winced as her life points dropped.

Blue Maiden: 2700 – 1500 = 1200 LP

Cyreath Plutus ATK: 4000 / 2 = 2000

"Heh. Worthless insect." Raguel scoffed. "I think that's enough for the time being. I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." He let out an exasperated sigh afterwards. "Do yourself a favor and surrender, Blue Maiden. If Playmaker, the strongest duelist in LINK VRAINS, couldn't defeat me in our duel, what makes you think you have any chance against me?"

"That's simple, Raguel. I made a promise to Roxy and Miyu to bring you back home, and I intend to fulfil it. My turn! I draw!" Blue Maiden said, as she drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Marincess Dive. This card lets me activate one of two effects. I choose effect one, which lets me target one non-Link 'Marincess' monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field. I target Marincess Blue Tang in my Graveyard, and Special Summon her from my Graveyard to my field!" Soon, Blue Tang reappeared on Blue Maiden's field.

Marincess Blue Tang ATK: 1500 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

"Just like before, when Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Marincess' monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Marincess Mandarin from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of her deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard. "I also activate the Spell card, Marincess Formation!" The card showed Coral Triangle using a stream of water to quickly move from one area of the ocean to another, having managed to evade a gigantic sea creature. "By sending a 'Marincess' card from my deck to my Graveyard, I can target a 'Marincess' Link monster in my Extra Monster Zone and move it to a Main Monster Zone it points to. I send Marincess Sea Star from my deck to my Graveyard, and move Marbled Rock down to the Main Monster Zone she points to." After Blue Maiden took a card from her deck and sent it to her Graveyard, a whirlpool surrounded Marbled Rock before teleporting her to the Main Monster Zone she pointed to.

"From there, I activate the effect of Mandarin in my Graveyard." Blue Maiden continued. "As I control two or more 'Marincess' monsters, I can Special Summon her to my field. However, she's banished once she leaves the field." Soon, a pink-haired girl in an orange robe over a blue skirt appeared on Blue Maiden's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Marbled Rock pointed to.

Marincess Mandarin ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1

"Shine! The circuit of love, friendship, and bonds!" A Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two Water monsters. I set Marincess Blue Tang and Mandarin into the Link Markers!" Blue Tang went into the left arrowhead, while Mandarin went into the bottom arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Marincess Coral Anemone!" A second copy of Coral Anemone appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Marbled Rock pointed to.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

"Since Mandarin left my field, it's banished." Blue Maiden reminded Raguel. "But moving that aside, Blue Tang's second effect activates! Just like before, when Blue Tang is sent to the Graveyard to Link Summon a Water Link monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add one 'Marincess' card amongst the three to my hand, as well as shuffle the other two into my deck." Blue Maiden looked at the top three cards of her deck. "I add Marincess Battle Ocean to my hand." She took one card and added to her hand before shuffling the other two into her deck.

Raguel chuckled. "Your deck is powerful, Blue Maiden, but only if your strategies reach full fruition. I'm not as foolish as to let such a thing happen again."

"What?"

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Hypnotism!" Raguel gestured to his field. The card showed a reanimated G Golem Invalid Dolmen attacking Marincess Wonder Heart and Coral Anemone at Battle Ocean, his eyes having glowed red upon being reborn. Nearby was Aletheia and Thuellai Charybdis, the former responsible for such a deed. "When you Special Summon a monster while I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can not only take control of that monster, but also negate its effects and treat it as a 'Cyreath' monster. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"Oh no!" Blue Maiden exclaimed out of shock.

"I will now take control of your Coral Anemone for myself!" Raguel said, as Hypnotism glowed with an eerie purple color, which surrounded Coral Anemone seconds later. Soon, she turned into particles before reappearing back onto Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top-left Link marker.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 + 500 + 300 = 2800

Just great! I needed Coral Anemone to build my combos further, Blue Maiden cursed in her mind. That meant she had to find another way to bring out one of her ace monsters, so it was a good thing she had a backup plan in mind. "In that case, I activate the effect of Marincess Schooling from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Marincess' monster from my Graveyard, and for the rest of this turn, it isn't destroyed by battle or card effects. What's more, should the monster Special Summoned be a 'Marincess' Link Monster, I can draw the top card of my deck. I Special Summon Coral Anemone from my Graveyard back to my field." Soon, the first copy of Coral Anemone reappeared on Blue Maiden's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

Seconds later, Blue Maiden drew the top card of her deck.

"I'm back from the Graveyard. What did I miss, Marbled Rock?" Coral Anemone asked, only to gasp upon seeing the other Coral Anemone under Raguel's control. "Oh dear…"

"We'll free her, Coral Anemone. We'll free her." Marbled Rock gently assured Coral Anemone.

"That's right, Marbled Rock! This duel's not over yet!" Blue Maiden agreed, before refocusing her attention on the duel. "I activate Coral Anemone's effect. Once per turn, I can target one Water monster with 1500 or less attack points in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field to a Main Monster Zone she points to. I target Sea Horse in my Graveyard and Special Summon her back to my field." Soon, Sea Horse reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Coral Anemone pointed to.

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"Then I activate Marbled Rock's second effect. Once per turn, I can target one 'Marincess' card in my Graveyard and add it back to my hand. I add Marincess Basilalima from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand. "I summon Marincess Basilalima from my hand to my field." A red-haired woman who wore a green dress with dark-blue patches on the sleeves and shoulders appeared on Blue Maiden's field. Pieces of white and pink fabric were attached to her lower waist, which was covered by a large clamp shell attached to each side so they were covered up. On her chest was the Marincess emblem.

Marincess Basilalima ATK: 600 DEF: 2100 LV: 4

"I now activate Basilalima's effect." Blue Maiden continued. "Once per turn, I can banish a 'Marincess' Trap card from my Graveyard to add a 'Marincess' Trap card from my deck to my hand with a different name. I banish Marincess Circulation, and add Current from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"Shine, for a second time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A second Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two Water monsters. I set Marincess Sea Horse and Basilalima into the Link Markers!" Sea Horse went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Basilalima went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Marincess Crystal Heart!" A heart made up of light-blue crystals that had dark-blue crystals at the center in the form of a heart appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Coral Anemone pointed it. It had a golden outer rim, along with six spikes protruding out of it. A white, bubbly fog attached to a female face with yellow eyes also appeared before circling around Crystal Heart.

Marincess Crystal Heart ATK: 0 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"Crystal Heart…. The monster that Aqua gave to Earth once upon a time…." Raguel recalled. Given Blue Maiden's setup right now, he knew what would happen next, which meant precautions had to be prepared just in case. "Like I told you, Blue Maiden. Even if with this power, I'd be a fool not to prepare for what's to come. Trap card, activate! Cyreath Unleashed Rites! This card lets me Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon a 'Cyreath' monster from my Extra Deck by using 'Cyreath' monsters on my field. In addition, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can also use 'Cyreath' monsters in my Graveyard as material by banishing them. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of this card's effects if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"What?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed.

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Plutus, and the Link 2 Marincess Coral Anemone, which is treated as a 'Cyreath' monster, into the Link Markers!" Plutus went into the left arrowhead, while Coral Anemone went into the bottom and right arrowheads, turning them red in the process.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Odysseus!" A man wearing dark-purple armor all over his body appeared on Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top-left Link Marker. Silver armaments were attached his upper chest, which spread to each of his shoulders. There were also pieces of silver armaments also attached to his thighs, as well as on his forearms. He also wore a helmet that was coated in silver, which had dark-blue eyes on it. A black cape was attached to his shoulders, which flowed for a few seconds before dropping down.

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: 2500 + 500 +300 = 3300

"There won't be any mercy for someone like you! I won't stop until you're brought down for good!" Odysseus declared, hellbent on eradicating the enemy in front of him.

Raguel brought out that same monster during his duel against Playmaker, and it proved to be quite troublesome for him, Blue Maiden recalled in her mind. Combined with Judgment Arrows, Odysseus is powerful in both offense and defense. What's more, Raguel's monsters are practically invulnerable due to Domain Tartarus and Mount Olympus on his field, which means I can only destroy them by battle. However, his other cards are a different story. If I go after them, then Raguel's field will slowly fall apart. But first, I need to make some preparations. "I activate the Field Spell card, Marincess Battle Ocean. Now all 'Marincess' monsters I control gain 200 attack points." Marbled Rock, Coral Anemone and Crystal Heart were surrounded in blue auras that increased their attack points.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

Marincess Crystal Heart ATK: 0 + 200 = 200

"Shine, for a third time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A third Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two or more Water monsters, including a copy of 'Marincess Crystal Heart'. I set the Link 2 Marincess Crystal Heart and Coral Anemone into the Link Markers!" Crystal Heart went into the left and right arrowheads, while Coral Anemone went into the bottom-left and bottom-right arrowheads, turning all four of them red.

"Guardian of the ocean! Heed the cry of its denizens, and purge the impurities that have hurt them! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 4! Marincess Wonder Heart!" A pale-skinned woman with pink eyes that wore a blue dress the colour of water appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Crystal Heart was attached to her exposed chest, which glowed light blue. She had dark-blue hair where the sides were in the form of small clams, along with a long, wide piece of hair that extended down to the back of her neck. A gold and dark-blue crown sat on top of her head.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2400 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2400 + 200 = 2600

"It seems I'm needed to deal with monsters such as yourself." Wonder Heart commented, before narrowing her eyes in pure fury after sensing the Cursed Boundary Layer's energy. "That thing... That monster needs to be expunged from this world. It won't hurt my sisters nor this world!"

"You vowed to stop Bohman, yet you failed to do so." Atalanta/Alpha Mode taunted Wonder Heart, which made the latter furious.

"There's only so much I can do in battle, Atalanta! Neither Blue Maiden nor myself could see what could happen next!"

"And yet you failed." Atalanta/Alpha Mode grinned upon seeing the shocked expression on Wonder Heart's face.

"Calm down, Wonder Heart! Don't let Atalanta's taunts get to you! What happened in the past doesn't matter. For I believe in you, especially with the support I'm about to lend you now." Blue Maiden told Wonder Heart, before redirecting her attention back to the duel. "Coral Anemone's effect activates. When Coral Anemone is sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Marincess' card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Sea Star from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"I now activate Battle Ocean's second effect. When a 'Marincess' Link monster is Special Summoned to the Extra Monster Zone, I can target that monster, and equip up to three 'Marincess' Link monsters with different Link ratings from my Graveyard to that monster!"

"You've got to be kidding me..." Raguel seethed. Despite his attempt to slow Blue Maiden down, she persevered and continued her turn as though nothing happened. Still, Blue Maiden had to use a few more resources in order to bring out Wonder Heart.

"I equip Blue Slug and Coral Anemone from my Graveyard to Wonder Heart!" Blue Maiden decided, as silhouettes of Blue Slug and Coral Anemone appeared before turning into particles, which went into Wonder Heart and powered her up. "And a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped with other 'Marincess' Link monsters gains attack points equal to the total Link rating of those monsters times 300. Blue Slug is a Link 1 monster while Coral Anemone is a Link 2 monster, which means Wonder Heart gains 900 attack points!"

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2600 + (300 X 3) = 3500

Blue Maiden equipped two Link monsters instead of three to boost Wonder Heart's attack points, Raguel observed in his mind. She only did this so she can activate Spell and Trap cards when they're needed. I would have done the same thing if I were in her shoes.

"I now activate the effect of Sea Star in my hand. By sending it to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Marincess' monster on my field, and increase its attack points by 800 until the end of this turn. I target Wonder Heart!" After Blue Maiden sent a card from her hand to her Graveyard, Wonder Heart was covered in a blue aura, which increased her strength.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 3500 + 800 = 4300

"Heh. If Judgment Arrows wasn't on my field, your monster would be strong enough to deal with one of my own." Raguel said. "But it's there, so you'll lose Wonder Heart the moment you attack."

"Are you sure about that, Raguel?" Blue Maiden inquired back, which made Raguel raise an eyebrow in response. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Marincess Hydromancy." The card showed Aqua Argonaut and Wonder Heart raising their weapons high into the air, the bubbly fog from Crystal Heart morphing into a watery serpent that orbited around the duo. "Battle! Marincess Wonder Heart attacks Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode!"

"Judgment Arrows doubles Atalanta/Alpha Mode's attack points through its effect." Raguel callously reminded Blue Maiden, as a golden aura surrounded Atalanta/Alpha mode that doubled her strength.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 3700 X 2 = 7400

Blue Maiden frowned, only for it to turn into a smirk seconds later. "I was waiting for that, Raguel. Hydromancy's effect activates! When a 'Marincess' Link monster battles, your monster not only loses attack points equal to my monster's attack points until the end of the damage step, its effects are negated as well."

"What?!" Raguel gasped as the bubbly fog from Crystal Heart emerged from Hydromancy and formed into a watery serpent that hit Atalanta/Alpha Mode before draining her strength.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 7400 – 4300 = 3100

"Even with Judgment Arrows, your monster's still going down!" Blue Maiden thrusted out her right hand. "Do it, Wonder Heart! Sparkling Surge!"

"Begone!" Wonder Heart shouted, as a dark-blue longsword appeared in her hands before charging forward at Atalanta/Alpha Mode. She brought the longsword down onto Atalanta/Alpha Mode, only for the latter to raise her arms and grab the blade in order to stop it in its tracks. Wonder Heart broke the lock and slashed Atlanta/Alpha Mode with the longsword, which caused a massive explosion seconds later that pushed Raguel back several feet as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 5500 – 1200 = 4300 LP

"Ugh…" Raguel moaned in pain, as she struggled to get himself together. His Link Trigger soon kicked in, which healed the pain in his body.

"Wonder Heart's second effect activates! After damage calculation, when she battles your monster, I can Special Summon a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped to it in exchange for negating its effects. I Special Summon Coral Anemone back to my field." Blue Maiden decided, as Coral Anemone reappeared on Blue Maiden's field.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 4300 – 600 = 3700

"There's more to come, Raguel! I activate the Trap card, Marincess Current from my hand." Blue Maiden added. "Just to remind you, I can activate this card from my hand because I control a Link 3 or higher 'Marincess' Link monster. Next, when a 'Marincess' Link monster I control destroys a monster you control, you take damage equal to its Link rating times 400. In addition, if the monster destroyed in battle was a Link monster while I control a Link 2 or higher 'Marincess' monster, you take damage equal to its Link rating times 500!"

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed.

"Wonder Heart's Link rating is four, while Atalanta/Alpha Mode's Link rating is three, which means you take 3100 points of damage!" Two Link Portals appeared before a burst of water fired out of them, which hit Raguel and sent him flying off the ground, his life points having dropped even more by the time he landed on his back.

Raguel: 4300 – 3100 = 1200 LP

Raguel grit his teeth as he slowly stood up on his feet, red, glowing cracks appearing on his body due to the damage he took just now. "My body... it's... ugh..." Soon, his Link Trigger immediately began healing him from the overwhelming pain coursing through his body. Within a few seconds, the pain was over, though it made Raguel pant in agony afterwards.

"I end my turn, which means Sea Star's effect ends, and I can activate another of Wonder Heart's effects." Blue Maiden began speaking, as a red aura surrounded Wonder Heart, which reduced her strength.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 3700 – 800 = 2900

"At the end of my turn, I can target a 'Marincess' Link monster that was Special Summoned by Wonder Heart's effect and re-equip her with that monster. I target Coral Anemone." Coral Anemone turned into particles that returned to Wonder Heart, which increased her strength.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2900 + (300 X 2) = 3500

I can only use Hydromancy's effect once per turn, during either of our turns, so it wouldn't be worth attacking Odysseus with Marbled Rock or Coral Anemone, Blue Maiden cursed in her mind. The worst part was that I couldn't use one of Wonder Heart's effects because of Mount Olympus making Raguel's monsters unaffected by my monster effects. If I'm to truly deal damage, I must get rid of Mount Olympus, Domain Tartarus and Judgment Arrows.

Elsewhere, at another area in the old LINK VRAINS...

WHOOSH!

Ai and Roboppy dodged an attack from one of the two Shadow Giants, which were spawned to try and destroy them. Or in this case, capture Ai and destroy Roboppy given due to the former's importance in Raguel's plan. Once Playmaker and the others began battling against Raguel's forces, Ai and Roboppy snuck in before immediately getting through the maze program Raguel set up earlier, where the duo found an opening with a set of stairs going downward. Using the chaos as a smokescreen, Ai and Roboppy immediately entered the opening and went down the stairs, only for the duo to be greeted by two Shadow Giants seconds later. It seemed that someone else was already occupying Raguel's attention, which meant the duo's mission in throwing a wrench in his plan was about to become easier. But first, they had to deal with the Shadow Giants in their way.

"Look out, Roboppy!" Ai exclaimed, having dodged a punch from one of the Shadow Giants just now before firing a blast of purple data material from his hand, which had little effect. Roboppy immediately dodged an attack from the other Shadow Giant, where he pulled out a gun resembling a combination of an elephant and a vacuum cleaner before firing a laser out of it at his opponent. The laser blast hit the Shadow Giant, but only pushed it back as it regained its bearings.

Roboppy pulled out three grenades resembling sockets at the Shadow Giant from his pocket, which blinded it in time for him to evade its next attack. From there, a long whip that had a batter charger on both ends appeared in Roboppy's hands, where he swung it at the Shadow Giant in order to try and hold it down. After circling the Shadow Giant, the battery charger end swung around and headed towards Roboppy, who grabbed it and slammed both ends onto the ground. Upon doing so, electrical energy emitted from the whip that electrocuted the Shadow Giant and prevented it from moving. Once this was done, Roboppy pulled out two disks with blades at the end before throwing them at the Shadow Giant, which pierced right through it seconds later.

"Okay, the Shadow Giant I'm facing is weakened, master." Roboppy reported.

"Well done, Roboppy. It seems the training you went through has paid off." Ai rolled out of the way to avoid the Shadow Giant's attack before a greatsword with a violet blade appeared in his hands. The blade glowed with rainbow energy as he swung it forward, which released a small, rainbow-colored blade that hit the Shadow giant and made it stagger backwards. From there, a yellow and gold-colored lance appeared in Ai's hands before spinning it in front of him, which released electrical energy that hit the Shadow Giant and restricted its movements.

"They're restrained, master. Can we please use the cool technique you taught me?" Roboppy smiled out of excitement, wanting to utilize the cool technique Ai showed him while the two of them were hiding in the network.

"Yes we can, Roboppy. Yes we can." Ai confirmed, as purple energy generated in his hands before putting it to his right side. Cyan energy generated in Roboppy's hands before he put them to his right side as well. "Ka...Me..."

"Ha...Me.." Roboppy continued.

"HA!" Ai and Roboppy shouted at the same time, the duo immediately firing their energy at the same time, which destroyed the two Shadow Giants seconds later. The both of them let out a pant of exhaustion, having managed to overcome their foes. Still, they couldn't falter, as the two of them had a plan to carry out. One that would throw a monkey wrench in Raguel's plans.

Ai and Roboppy ran down the dark hallway, where they hid behind a wall to ensure they weren't seen. Poking his head over the wall, Ai saw Blue Maiden in the middle of a duel against Raguel. If Playmaker wasn't able to defeat Raguel even at full power, then what hope did Blue Maiden have? After all, she couldn't defeat Bohman despite all her best efforts, as well as catching him off guard a few times. Nevertheless, it was better for Blue Maiden to be the one to duel Raguel compared to the Hanoi, who would ruthlessly kill him upon achieving victory.

"Master, is the coast clear?" Roboppy quietly inquired.

"Not exactly, Roboppy." Ai quietly replied back, which led Roboppy to also poke his head over the wall. "If we get to the giant Spatial Cube quickly, we can launch our secret weapon. Though we should be wary in case Raguel set up any guards or Shadow Giants like the ones we saw earlier."

"Lead the way, master." Ai and Roboppy quickly turned right and ran down the slope in order to not be seen by anyone. The two of them continued to run, only to notice several centurions guarding the Spatial Cube. As such, Ai and Roboppy blended into the shadows before eliminating each one, having managed to cover ground one step at a time. Even though there were multiple centurions, Ai and Roboppy had no problem silently disposing them due to their abilities compared to them.

Unfortunately, just when they were close to the Spatial Cube, another Shadow Giant spawned out of nowhere to dispose of the duo. Or more specifically, capture Ai and eliminate Roboppy due to the former's importance in Raguel's plans. Nevertheless, the Shadow Giant immediately slammed its arm down onto the ground, which made Ai and Roboppy roll out of the way to avoid the attack. Ai immediately raised his right arm in front of him, where the greatsword with a violet blade appeared in his hands. The gun resembling a combination of an elephant and a vacuum cleaner appeared in Roboppy's hands as he fired a laser out of it at the Shadow Giant, which distracted the giant enemy as Ai ran forward while brandishing the greatsword in his hands. He slashed the Shadow Giant with the greatsword, which made it take a step back upon impact. However, the attack did little as the Shadow Giant responded by slamming its arms to the ground once again, which caused a shockwave that sent Ai and Roboppy off the ground before they landed on their backs. The Shadow Giant then dragged its arms towards Roboppy, intent on destroying him.

"Roboppy, look out!" Ai said, as he quickly ran and pushed Roboppy out of the way, which resulted in the former being hit by the attack instead. As a result, Ai hit the ground before rolling onto it numerous times. Unbeknownst to him, Loki appeared in the shadows and sliced a medium-sized piece of algorithm off of Ai's body using the large, burning blade in his hands. The wound wouldn't obviously kill Ai, as the goal was to obtain a piece of the algorithm for Jericho. After acquiring the algorithm, Loki teleported out of the area with a laugh, having managed to succeed in his mission.

"Master! I'll avenge you!" Roboppy stated, as he turned up the dial on the weapon in his hands before firing a massive laser on it, which made the Shadow Giant take several steps back upon being hit. After throwing three grenades resembling sockets at the Shadow Giant from his pocket, Roboppy moved Ai out of harm's way while the Shadow Giant staggered, having been temporarily blinded by Roboppy's onslaught of attacks. "Are you okay, master?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little winded. Mind helping me up on my feet, Roboppy?" In response, Roboppy helped Ai stand up on his feet, having shaken off the blow of the previous attack. "Thanks. Provide some cover for me." He narrowed his eyes. "We've wasted enough time as it is."

Roboppy nodded in agreement before firing lasers from the gun in his hands once again at the Shadow Giant, which made it stagger more upon each impact. Rainbow energy surrounded the greatsword in Ai's hands as he charged forward and slashed the Shadow Giant with it. The Shadow Giant let out a groan of pain before falling to the ground, where Ai jumped in the air and brought down the greatsword onto it upon landing. With that final attack, the Shadow Giant turned into particles, having finally been defeated.

Ai wiped the sweat off of his forehead, glad that the enemy was defeated. "Excellent job, Roboppy. Let's get to the Spatial Cube fast."

"Right!" Roboppy responded, as the two of them raced over to the altar that contained the Spatial Cube. Upon doing so, Roboppy pressed a button on his duel disk, where a computer chip resembling Ai's head popped up. Ai did the same thing, where a computer chip popped out of his duel disk. He charged them both up using data material before pressing another button on his duel disk, where a violet card hovered above it. From there, Ai put the other computer chip back into his duel disk seconds later, which glowed purple as if to confirm that the connection had been established. Once that was done, he nodded to Roboppy, who threw one of the two computer chips into the Spatial Cube while Ai threw the violet card at the same time. This way, Ai and Roboppy would be able to cover up their tracks in the event Raguel noticed something was odd. "All done."

"All done indeed." Ai agreed, a smirk evident on his face. The program hidden in the computer chips would drain the data material out of the Spatial Cube, which would slow down its progress big time. That same data material would then go over to Ai and power him up. For based on how Bohman was able to unleash a swarm of Link 5 monsters by using Master Storm Access, Ai would need to go beyond that if he was to prepare for what's to come. As if on cue, the Spatial Cube glowed a purple color, which indicated that the process had begun. Alright, Playmaker. Roboppy and I played our part. We'll leave the rest to you, Ai thought in his mind, as he and Roboppy logged out of the old server, having completed their task.

Meanwhile, at another area in the old server….

Tigress had dueled Raguel numerous times in the past so they could help each other get stronger for whatever challenges that would come next. After all, friendly competition between allies never hurt them. However, the way Raguel was dueling right now was more ruthless than she could have ever imagined. What irked Tigress specifically was how Raguel was ahead of her in both the field and life points, despite the former having a slightly better field.

Tigress: 2100 LP

Raguel: 4000 LP

On Tigress's field were the monsters Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe and Construction Train Signal Red. Nothing else. She did, however, have two cards in her hand. One being Snow Plow Hustle Rustle, while the other was Heavy Freight Train Derricrane. Raguel, on the other hand, had Cyreath Revenant and Blazing Orthros on his field, along with a face-down card. While Revenant had no Overlay Units, Blazing Orthros still had two that can be used when it battles. Raguel also had Cyreath Ley Line and a face-down card in his Spell & Trap card zone, which he can use to counter Tigress's strategies. In addition, Raguel had Cyreath Argo in his Field Zone in prevent his monsters from being destroyed by card effects. Despite all of these advantages, Raguel had no cards in his hand.

Cyreath Revenant ATK: 2900 DEF: 1800 RNK: 3 OU: 0

Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2800 DEF: 2300 RNK: 4 OU: 2

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe ATK: 4000 DEF: 4000 RNK: 11 OU: 2

Construction Train Signal Red ATK: 1000 DEF: 1300 LV: 3

"My turn! I draw!" Tigress said, as she drew the top card of her deck. If I play this right, this should work, she thought in her mind. "I'll start by activating the Spell card, Offerings to a Higher Power. By sending a monster from my field to my Graveyard, I can draw the top two cards of my deck. I send Construction Train Signal Red from my field to my Graveyard and draw!" After Construction Train Signal Red turned into particles, Tigress drew the top two cards of her deck.

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Special Schedule. This card lets me target a Machine monster in my Graveyard with 3000 or less attack points and Special Summon it to my field in defense position. However, it can't change its battle position in exchange. Come back to me, Super Bullet Express Train!" At Tigress's command, Super Express Bullet Train reappeared on her field.

Super Express Bullet Train ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 10

"Heavy Freight Train Derricrane's effect now activates from my hand once again! Just like before, when an Earth Machine monster is summoned to my field, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field in exchange for halving its attack and defense points." Tigress reminded Raguel. "Return to me, Derricrane." Seconds later, Heavy Freight Train Derricrane reappeared on her field.

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 10

Heavy Freight Train Derricrane ATK: 2800 / 2 = 1400 DEF: 2000 / 2 = 1000

Raguel will expect me to bring out another copy of Gustav Max so I can bring out another copy of Juggernaut Liebe to my field and overpower him with firepower, Tigress thought in her mind. As much as I hate to admit this, a change in strategy is therefore needed. "I overlay the Level 10 Super Express Bullet Train with the Level 10 Heavy Freight Train Derricrane!" A mechanical, galaxy-like portal appeared behind her as Super Express Bullet Train and Heavy Freight Train Derricrane turned into streams of dark-blue and yellow energy that went into the portal, where a pillar of light erupted from it seconds later.

"When the hero dashing across the sky joins hands with the princess of the sea, the wonders of this great big world bloom with endless possibilities!" Tigress chanted. "Xyz Summon! Come on out! Rank 10! Skypalace Gangaridai!" A massive, white and maroon-colored airship with two center cabins that had two larger cylinders attached to them appeared on Tigress' field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had yellow outlines on the front of the cylinders, along with a small cylinder attached to the sides with six long antennas, which resembled wings. Each of the cylinders had two silver disks attached to them, all four of them sprouting a silver antenna that was glowing red. At the lower back were two maroon missiles ready to be used.

Skypalace Gangaridai ATK: 3400 DEF: 3000 RNK: 10 OU: 2

"So you have a new monster. About time you changed up your strategy…" Raguel muttered. "But regardless, as long as Revenant is on my field, you cannot activate monster effects on your field."

"I'm already aware of that, Raguel. You don't need to remind me." Tigress snapped back. "I activate the Spell card, Xyz Treasure. With this card, I get to draw a card from the top of my deck for each Xyz monster on the field. You have two Xyz monsters on your field and I have two on mine, which means I can draw four cards." She drew the top four cards of her deck seconds later.

"From there, I activate the Equip Spell card, Snatch Steal, which requires me to equip it onto a monster you control. I equip it onto Revenant." A golden emblem surrounded Revenant seconds later. "Then I'm allowed to take control of your monster."

"What?" Raguel gasped, shocked at what he just heard as Revenant jumped onto Tigress's field. Upon doing so, a red aura surrounded Revenant, which decreased its strength.

Cyreath Revenant ATK: 2900 – 300 = 2600 DEF: 1800 – 300 = 1500

"Now that Revenant's on my side of the field, I can use monster effects again." Tigress told Raguel. "Which means I can do this! I activate Gangaridai's effect! Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit to target and destroy one of your cards." One of the two Overlay units orbiting around Gangaridai went into the front center cabin.

Skypalace Gangaridai OU: 2 – 1 = 1

"While Argo's on my field, my 'Cyreath' monsters can't be destroyed by your card effects." Raguel reminded Tigress, before he gasped. "Unless-!"

"I target and destroy Ley Line! Titanic Dive!" One of the maroon missiles attached to Gangaridai broke off and dropped down onto Ley Line, turning it into particles as a massive explosion occurred. "And here's the best part, Raguel! When Gangaridai destroys a card, you take 1000 points of damage!" The explosion sped forward to where Raguel was, who was forced to shield himself as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"However, the turn Gangaridai uses its effect, it can't attack." Tigress continued. "But that's not going to deter me! For I activate Juggernaut Liebe's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can increase its attack and defense points by 2000 until the end of this turn. However, no other monsters I control can attack in exchange." One of the two Overlay units went into Juggernaut Liebe's cannon barrel, which extended outwards even further than before as its strength increased.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe OU: 2 – 1 = 1

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe ATK: 4000 + 2000 = 6000 DEF: 4000 + 2000 = 6000

"Derricrane's second effect activates! Just like before, when it's detached from an Xyz monster and sent to the Graveyard to activate that Xyz monster's effect, I can target a card you control and destroy it."

"That's not good..." Raguel muttered.

"I target and destroy Argo!" Tigress decided, as Argo turned into particles. As a result, Blazing Orthros was surrounded in a red aura, which returned his strength to his original amount.

Cyreath Blazing Orthros ATK: 2800 – 300 = 2500 DEF: 2300 – 300 = 2000

"Let's end this! Battle!" Tigress declared. "Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe attacks Cyreath Blazing Orthros!" The massive cannon on Juggernaut Liebe began charging up yellow energy.

"I didn't expect you to catch me off guard, Tigress, but it'll take more than that for you to defeat me." Raguel said, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Cyreath Conjuration!" The card showed Charon ferrying a group of prisoners inside a dark cave in Tartarus, mist appearing around the area as it formed into wispy creatures that haunted them. "When this card is activated, I can send one 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Graveyard to activate that card's effect."

"A Trap version of Double Spell?" Tigress questioned in surprise.

"Yes and no. For this card gives me more options to choose from." Raguel clarified. "I send the Quick-Play Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force from my deck to my Graveyard and activate it." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "This card lets me target one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster on my field or in my Graveyard, and Special Summon one 'Cyreath' Xyz monster whose rank is one higher than the targeted Xyz monster by using it as Xyz Material. I target Blazing Orthros, and rebuild the Overlay Network!" A bolt of white and orange energy shot upwards, which caused the galaxy portal to reappear as a result. Blazing Orthros turned into orange energy that went into the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Guardian of the underworld! Incinerate all those who stand in my way, and turn them into ash! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Appear! Rank 5! Cyreath Scorching Cerberus!" A dark-grey, three headed hound with red cracks and flames pulsing in his body appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a golden, metal collar around each of his three necks that also emitted small flames. Attached to those collars were black, broken chains that swung loosely behind him.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 5 OU: 3 Scale: 0

"The best part is that if you control any face-up cards, Cyreath Force's second effect negates their effects!" Raguel added.

"What?!" Tigress exclaimed out of shock, as a pulse of energy erupted from a silhouette of the card, which headed straight towards her field and greyed out every single card on her field. This was indicated by how Skypalace Gangaridai, Juggernaut Liebe, Snatch Steal and Revenant were all covered in grey auras that stripped them of their effects.

Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe ATK: 6000 – 2000 = 4000 DEF: 6000 – 2000 = 4000

"And with Snatch Steal's effect negated, that means Revenant returns back to my field." As if on cue, Revenant jumped back onto Raguel's field, the latter having managed to regain control of the former. "What will you do now, Tigress?"

"Keep going, that's what!" Tigress immediately answered, as she thrusted out her right hand. "A battle replay occurs! Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Juggernaut Liebe will instead attack Cyreath Revenant! Catastrophe Cannon!" Juggernaut Liebe turned to Revenant before firing the yellow energy inside its cannon, which caused a massive explosion that destroyed the latter seconds later. Raguel was pushed back several feet due to the explosion, his life points dropping in the process.

Raguel: 3000 – 1400 = 1600 LP

Had it not been for Raguel's face-down card activating his Rank-Up-Magic card by sending it to his Graveyard, I would have won this turn, Tigress cursed in her mind. Then again, if I know Raguel, he would have survived one way or another. Thus, I need to prepare for what's to come, especially with the effects Raguel's new monster has now that it's on the field. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Mystik Wok. By tributing a monster on my field, I gain life points equal to its attack or defense points. I tribute Juggernaut Liebe!" Juggernaut Liebe turned into yellow particles, which surrounded Tigress as her life points increased.

Tigress: 2100 + 4000 = 6100 LP

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn. At this point, Super Bullet Express Train's effect now activates. Just like before, since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can target a Machine monster in my Graveyard with a different name and add it back to my hand. I add Construction Train Signal Red from my Graveyard to my hand." Tigress concluded, as a card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"You were close, Tigress. I'll give you that. However, it wasn't enough to defeat me." Raguel commented. "Then again, you could never reach my level of strength, especially as you're neither a Knight of Hanoi nor someone who has an Ignis."

"I may be neither of those things, Raguel, but that doesn't make me a weak duelist. You of all people should know that!" Tigress snapped back.

"I obviously agree with your point, Tigress. As evident by our friendly duels, you've grown stronger over time." Raguel crossed his arms. "But moving that aside, you wouldn't be here today had your parents not played a role in the Lost Incident. Specifically, how they were hired to kidnap some of the victims."

Tigress sighed before looking down at the ground. "I'm already aware of that, Raguel. How a random person showed up at our doorstep one day and provided my parents with a contract for a job, as well as a large sum of money to get it done. If there's one thing I'm grateful for, it's that I was barred from joining the mission. Otherwise, it'd get worse for me."

"It would have indeed." Raguel agreed. "What were the names your parents went by as criminals, huh? I think they were Burgmeier and Vernie? Either way, it doesn't matter."

"Didn't you and Roxy already assure me that my parents' actions were their own? That I shouldn't be judged by association?"

Raguel nodded his head. "Of course we did, Tigress. Despite the role your parents played in the Lost Incident, we still accepted you as our friend. For you shouldn't blame the child for their parents' actions." To his surprise, Tigress let out a laugh. One that was sad, but at the same time humorous. "What's so funny?"

"The second part of your answer just now, along with how it applies to the situation we're in." Tigress answered, which got Raguel's attention. "You say that you shouldn't blame the child for the actions of their parents, yet you're taking the blame for the actions your parents and your brother have caused to people. As a result, you're carrying a burden that will ultimately destroy you if you keep this up."

"That is different. My family has been responsible from the very beginning for making others suffer." Raguel snarled. "By obtaining the Root of All Knowledge and becoming the One True God, not only will sin be destroyed forever, I can ensure that the pain my family has inflicted onto others has been rectified as well!"

Tigress sighed. While Raguel sought the Root of All Knowledge to eliminate sin, it seemed that a part of him wanted to make amends on behalf of his family for all the pain they caused to those involved in this mess. But if this was Raguel's way of atoning for his family, it was seriously messed up. "Though the situation may be different as you say, Raguel, it still doesn't change that you're taking the blame for the actions others have caused. It makes you a hypocrite as a result."

"Excuse me?" Raguel blinked after hearing this response.

"You heard me. Through the answer you gave me earlier, you indirectly declared yourself a hypocrite for saying that you shouldn't take the blame for the actions others caused." Tigress pointed her right finger at Raguel. "As such, I'll not only drive that message home by defeating you in this duel, but also remind you of the power family has on people."

"That's only if you win, Tigress. For you will need a lot more than words if you wish to defeat me." Raguel pointed out. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck.

"Trap card, activate! Damage Diet!" Tigress interrupted, having gestured to one of her two face-down cards. "For the rest of this turn, all damage I would take is halved."

"So you activated it in advance before I did anything. How clever." Raguel frowned. "I activate Scorching Cerberus' effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit and banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, one monster you control loses attack points equal to the banished monster's attack points. In addition, Cerberus gains attack points equal to that monster's lost attack points until the end of my next turn. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Cerberus' effects. I banish Erymanthian Boar in my Graveyard, which means your monster loses 2500 attack points while Cerberus gains 2500 attack points! Magma Storm!" One of the Overlay Units went into Scorching Cerberus's middle mouth before all three heads fired a blast of fire at Gangaridai. It took the form of a fiery version of Erymanthian Boar as it hit Gangaridai and left it in scorch marks.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus OU: 3 – 1 = 2

Skypalace Gangaridai ATK: 3400 – 2500 = 900

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 3000 + 2500 = 5500

"In addition, once per turn, during either of our turns, when your monster's attack points are changed, you take damage equal to the difference between its current and original attack points! And let me remind you that you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Cerberus' effects." Raguel added.

"What?!" Tigress exclaimed, shocked at what she heard just now. While she read Scorching Cerberus' effects on her duel disk, it still shocked her that Raguel would have a powerful duel monster as this one.

"As Skypalace Gangaridai's original attack points were 3400 and it's now at 900 attack points, that means you take 2500 points of damage."

"But thanks to Damage Diet, all damage I would take this turn is halved."

"Damage is still damage, Tigress." Raguel replied. "Lava Plume!" Scorching Cerberus let out a shout as fiery energy erupted from his body, which hit Tigress and caused her to take several steps back as her life points slightly dropped. The good thing was that the impact had lessened at the last second, which led to less pain she had to endure.

Tigress: 6100 – (2500 / 2) = 4850 LP

"Battle!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Scorching Cerberus attacks Skypalace Gangaridai! Oh, and just in case you didn't know, when Scorching Cerberus battles, you can't activate cards or effects during the Battle Phase."

"Oh no!" Tigress shouted. That meant she couldn't use Construction Train Signal Red's effect to save her monster!

"Go, Scorching Cerberus! Scorching Overdrive!" The fire pulsing in Scorching Cerberus's body enveloped him in a blazing inferno as he charged forward at Skypalace Gangaridai, who proceeded to slash it with such force that it caused a fiery explosion. As a result, Tigress was sent flying off the ground, her life points having decreased as she landed on her back.

Tigress: 4850 – (4600 / 2) = 2550 LP

"Unless you have a card in your hand that lets you attack an additional time, you have no choice but to end your Battle Phase." Tigress told Raguel, as she slowly got up on her feet.

"Then I have good news for you, Tigress. The card in my hand isn't one that will allow my monster to attack an additional time." Raguel responded.

Tigress smirked after hearing that answer. "Trap card, activate! Xyz Reborn! I can not only target an Xyz monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it back to my field, I can also attach this card to that monster as an Overlay Unit. Return to me, Gangaridai." At Tigress' command, Gangaridai reappeared on her field, with Xyz Reborn turning into an Overlay Unit that began orbiting around it.

Skypalace Gangaridai ATK: 3400 DEF: 3000 RNK: 10 OU: 1

As much as I want to bring back either Gustav Max or Juggernaut Liebe, something's telling me not to do so, Tigress thought in her mind. I don't know what it is, but it's better to be cautious by bringing Gangaridai out than to be reckless right now. Not when I have one last chance to defeat this data clone of Raguel in front of me.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Damage Diet's effect ends." Raguel took the remaining card in his hand and Set it to his field. "I'll be honest, Tigress. I didn't expect you to catch me off guard this duel, especially considering two factors. One: You have a new monster I didn't know about until now. Two: You made preparations so that you could not only survive this turn, but so you can bring back your monster. However, you have no chance against Scorching Cerberus, so I advise you to make your last turn count. If you fail to do so, you'll ultimately lose."

"If this is truly my last turn, then I'll not only make it count, but make it one hell of a turn as well!" Tigress declared. "My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck and stiffened upon looking at it. "I activate the Spell card, Magical Mallet. When this card is activated, I can shuffle any number of cards back into my deck before drawing the same amount. I shuffle Construction Train Signal Red and Snow Plow Hustle Rustle into my deck, and draw!" Tigress took the two other cards in her hand and shuffled them back into her deck. Once that was done, she proceeded to draw the top two cards of her deck. However, Tigress grit her teeth upon looking at one of them.

Oh boy. I knew I'd play this card at some point, but I didn't expect to draw it now, Tigress thought in her mind. Then again, this card is my ultimate test to overcome my doubts for good.

"You look like you didn't draw some good cards, did you, Tigress?" Raguel taunted. "If that's the case, then you have only one option, which is to use Gangaridai's effect to destroy either my face-down card or Scorching Cerberus and inflict 1000 points of damage. However, that will mean your monster won't be able to attack. But just to give you some motivation, I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Primordial Aura. When this card is activated, I can target a 'Cyreath' monster on my field and equip it with this card. While the targeted monster is equipped with this card, it's unaffected by your card effects. I target Scorching Cerberus." A fiery aura surrounded Scorching Cerberus seconds later.

Tigress looked up Primordial Aura's effects to make sure there wasn't anything else that would catch her off guard, which led her to gasp upon reading its second effect. "You have got to be kidding me..." The moment I try to inflict damage while Primordial Aura's in Raguel's Graveyard, he can simply banish it to reduce all damage he would take during the turn to zero, she realized in her mind.

"Have you finally grasped the situation you're in? Have you finally realized that your strength is nothing compared to the One True God's divinity? Have you conceded that no matter what you do, you'll never defeat me?" Raguel's words snapped Tigress out of her thoughts.

"My answer's no to all three of those questions you asked me just now, Raguel." Tigress quickly answered. "For even one card can make a difference. Starting with this! I activate Gangaridai's effect! Once per turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit to target and destroy one of your cards. I target and destroy Primordial Aura. Titanic Dive!" The remaining Overlay Unit orbiting around Gangaridai went into the front center cabin.

Skypalace Gangaridai OU: 1 – 1 = 0

Then one of the maroon missiles attached to Gangaridai broke off and dropped down onto Primordial Aura, turning it into particles as a massive explosion occurred. "And just like before, when Gangaridai destroys a card, you take 1000 points of damage!" The explosion sped forward to where Raguel was, who was forced to shield himself as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 1600 – 1000 = 600 LP

"But your monster cannot attack the turn it uses its effect, Tigress." Raguel reminded Tigress.

"I know that, which is why I'm doing this! I activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force! This card lets me target one Xyz monster I control and Special Summon one Chaos Xyz monster that's one Rank higher than the targeted monster by using it as Xyz Material. I overlay Skypalace Gangaridai into the Overlay Network! Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!" Skypalace Gangaridai turned into a gold and black stream of energy that went into a galaxy portal that appeared above Tigress. Upon doing so, the portal exploded into energy.

"Mechanical palace orbiting above the sky and sea! Immerse yourself with the power of Chaos, and open the gates of even greater possibilities onto this universe!" Tigress chanted. "Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 11! Chaos Xyz Skypalace Babylon!" A massive, grey and dark-purple airship with a red crystal at the top in the form of an antenna, along with four wings at the back that had glowing green dots and turrets at the end of each one appeared on Tigress' field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had yellow outlines on the sides of the ship, along with dark-purple outlines at the far back. There were also two red, glowing crystals embedded on the ship, as well as red lines pulsing through its entire body. At the front of the ship, it had two mechanical components that were in the form of a massive horn on each side, with dark-yellow blocks connecting them to it. In addition, the front of the ship had a massive cannon that was inside it, as evident by the center glowing with light-green energy. A red diamond shaped crystal then appeared in front of Babylon, representing its Overlay Unit.

CXyz Skypalace Babylon ATK: 3800 DEF: 4000 RNK: 11 COU: 1

"..!" Tigress let out several shouts of panic as a blue fleur-de-lis emblem with a cross section enclosing a red diamond at the center appeared on her forehead. She was then surrounded in a glowing red aura before letting out a scream of pain.

"Are you that foolish, Tigress?! Using a member of the Deadly Seven is suicide!" Raguel exclaimed. "Those monsters cannot be controlled, and any attempt in doing so will result in your undoing!"

As Tigress let out several painful breaths before falling on her knees, she ended up having a panic attack, her vision having been distorted as a result. She was, however, able to recognize two masked individuals. Specifically, her parents. The ones who tried to raise Tigress by training her strictly so she can survive the harshness of this world. They were then replaced by a bright light, where silhouettes of people then appeared in front of her. Gabriella. Yuhiro. Roxy. Viola. Aithne. Eloise. Another group of people Tigress met recently also appeared briefly in front of her one by one. Yusaku. Takeru. Arashi. Aoi. Rachel. Miyu.

Damn it! I'm not going to let something like this consume my mind, body and soul. Not when there's so much at stake, Tigress vowed in her mind, as she raised her right arm to reach for the bright light. That's why... this won't be the end! Upon grabbing the light, Tigress snapped out of her panicked state, the blue fleur-de-lis emblem suddenly snapped in two before falling down the ground. While the red aura still surrounded Tigress, it calmed down as she stood up on her feet.

"What?! How are you not consumed by that power?!"

"It's really simple, Raguel. The purity of one's heart is the factor that enables one to control a member of the Deadly Seven." Tigress began speaking. "Specifically, a type of purity that must have no conflict within the person so they can not only master themselves but seize control of it as well. And to answer any hypothetical question you may have on how I was able to get this card, well, let's just say there was one good thing my parents did. For their crime a long time ago gave me what I needed to open the path to victory."

Flashback: Several hours earlier, in the real world, at Brea's house….

"This is a very risky idea, Brea. Very risky." Roxy warned Brea, as the latter pulled a small box out a drawer before closing it again.

"I know, Roxy. With what happened, I'll need all the firepower I can get if I'm to defeat Yuhiro." Brea acknowledged, as she walked back to the dining table in the kitchen before sitting down on one of the chairs. When Roxy arrived with the new cards earlier, Brea was overjoyed upon seeing them. She wasn't the only one happy, as Gabriella was happy to see Roxy at her doorstep, having learned that the two of them finally reconciled after all of this time. While Roxy originally intended on simply dropping off the cards before heading back home, Gabriella firmly insisted that she stay, as she wanted to know what in the world was going on. This led Roxy to inform Gabriella on recent events, which shocked her once the former finished telling the tale.

"I'm still surprised that your parents managed to somehow steal a member of the Deadly Seven like that. Very surprised." Roxy rubbed her eyes with her hands. This… was going to be a long night, that's for sure. As if on cue, Rufus walked into the kitchen and went over to Roxy, which led the latter to pet the former.

"Well, at least my parents did some good, as they got a few cards that can help in the fight to come." Brea opened the box, which revealed a few cards as she took three of them in her hands. Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force, Skypalace Gangaridai and CXyz Skypalace Babylon. This duel monster and its evolution by extension was a member of the Deadly Seven, a group of cards that no one could wield. This was because they were corrupted and filled with chaotic energy that came from outer space, which they called Chaos. Based on reports, anyone who tried to wield one of the seven cards either experienced great pain or temporarily went mad before losing any memories of recent events. While it was said that they could only be wielded by those who went through great pain, Brea had another theory in mind. Maybe pain was simply a factor that defined one's soul. Perhaps it can also be wielded by those who had a strong spirit or no conflict whatsoever inside themselves. This was something Brea was willing to test out for herself.

"Using those cards is still dangerous, young lady." Gabriella snapped at Brea sternly. "Need I remind you that those cards in your hands were ones your parents stole all those years ago?"

"Yes, I know that, Gabriella. But you need to understand that I have to do this." Brea replied. "Yuhiro has to be saved from that Shadow and the person who sent it to infect him. If he's not stopped now, something far worse will come down the road."

"If it's any consolation, Gabriella, Brea's not going alone." Roxy added. "Playmaker and his allies will also be going with her to put an end to this madness."

Gabriella put a hand on her chin, having pondered the information she heard just now. While she was glad that Brea wasn't going in alone, she did worry about her health and wellbeing. After all, someone had to take care of Brea following the arrest of her parents, who were both criminals. "I'll be honest with you, Brea. I'm not happy that you're taking this massive risk, especially as it could cost you your life. The last thing I want is for you to suffer."

"Gabriella..." Brea muttered.

"But you did inherit your dumbass father's stubbornness, and given how you're a part of this situation, you'll jump in so you can help end it." Gabriella sighed. "If you wish to go and fight, I won't stop you. You have my support."

Brea's mouth opened slightly upon hearing those words. "Seriously? You'll let me fight?"

"One way or another, you'll enter the fight, so I might as well stop being your overprotective godmother." Gabriella commented, only for her to gasp upon receiving a sudden hug from Brea.

"You'll always be my godmother, Gabriella. Don't you ever forget that." Brea said. "And don't worry. I'll be back home. You have my word." The two shared a tender embrace before letting each other go.

"I have to say, Brea. After looking at these cards, they're certainly powerful." Roxy said, which caught Brea and Gabriella's attention. "They also have the Wind attribute instead of the Earth attribute. Either this is odd, is just a coincidence, or a sign that Arashi's somehow having an influence on you."

"What?" Brea's jaw dropped as a small blush appeared on her face. "There's no way in Hell Arashi has an influence on me. How dare you say such a thing!"

Gabriella chuckled upon seeing Brea's embarrassed expression on her face. "Hahaha. It seems the boy who saved you from that bear and rescued your dog has had some form of impact on your life."

"Must you join in tormenting me as well, Gabriella?!" Brea demanded. "This is not the time to be teasing me!"

"Like I said, Gabriella, Brea's in safe hands. She'll be back home before you know it." Roxy commented, with Gabriella nodding in understanding as she turned to Brea.

"Just stay safe out there, alright?" Gabriella requested.

"Of course, Gabriella. I'll do my best." Brea assured Gabriella, the blush having gone down after the topic changed from her embarrassment to concerns for her safety.

Flashback End: Present Day….

"You could say that while my parents were complete douchebags, at least they did one thing right in giving me the firepower I require to defeat you." Tigress said. "But moving past that, Rank-Up-Magic Barian Force's second effect activates! I can target an Xyz monster you control and detach all of its Overlay Units and attach them to the Xyz monster Special Summoned through its effect. The best part is that for each Overlay Unit detached by this effect, your monster loses 300 attack points."

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed.

"I target Scorching Cerberus!" Scorching Cerberus groaned in pain as his two Overlay Units went over to Babylon, the former being surrounded in pink energy that decreased his strength. The drained Overlay Units then turned into red diamond shaped crystals upon heading over to Babylon.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus OU: 2 – 2 = 0

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 5500 – (300 X 2) = 4900

CXyz Skypalace Babylon OU: 1 + 2 = 3

"Very clever of you, Tigress. However, Scorching Cerberus is still stronger than your monster." Raguel pointed out.

"That's true, but not for long." Tigress responded. "I activate the Spell card, Aurora Draw. As I have no other cards in my hand, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." She drew the top two cards of her deck and smiled after looking at them.

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Shield and Sword. This card lets me switch the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field until the end of this turn." Soon, Cerberus and Babylon were surrounded in auras that switched their strength.

Cyreath Scorching Cerberus ATK: 4900 – 2400 = 2500 DEF: 2500 + 2400 = 4900

CXyz Skypalace Babylon ATK: 3800 + 200 = 4000 DEF: 4000 – 200 = 3800

"Scorching Cerberus's effect activates! Once per turn, during either of turns, when your monster's attack points changed, you take damage equal to the difference between its current and original attack points! And let me remind you that you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Cerberus' effects." Raguel reminded. "As Skypalace Babylon's original attack points were 3800 and it's now at 4000 attack points, that means you take 200 points of damage." Tigress grit her teeth as her life points slightly decreased.

Tigress: 2550 – 200 = 2350 LP

"Battle!" Tigress declared, having shook off the pain that briefly went through her body. "CXyz Skypalace Babylon attacks Cyreath Scorching Cerberus! Destiny Demolisher!" Energy gathered within Babylon before firing it in the form of a massive blast at Scorching Cerberus, which enveloped the latter completely as a massive explosion occurred.

"Sorry, but I'm not going down this turn. If I would take damage, I can banish Primordial Aura from my Graveyard instead." A translucent barrier covered Raguel to protect him from the explosion. "Furthermore, I take no further battle or effect damage for the rest of this turn."

"Tch." Tigress grit her teeth. Due to what Raguel did just now, there was no point in using Babylon's second effect to inflict effect damage. Even though she already knew what Primordial Aura's second effect was, it still irked her that she was so close in winning the duel. Or that's what Raguel thought, anyway.

Raguel chuckled upon seeing the look of frustration on Tigress' face. "Ah, Tigress. You were so close, yet so far in defeating me this turn. Despite your best efforts, you failed to win the duel. The only thing you can do now is end your turn, as when my next turn comes, you'll lose."

"Lose?" Tigress chuckled back in response. "You really think I'm going to stop now, Raguel? In fact, the remaining card in my hand will ensure I win this turn."

"What the Hell are you talking about? Thanks to Primordial Aura, I take no further damage for the rest of this turn." Raguel reminded Tigress. "Even if you have a card that lets you attack again or inflict effect damage, it won't be worth it."

"That is true, but Primordial Aura's effect only lasts for this turn. So let's speed things up, shall we?" Tigress replied. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Turn Jump."

"Oh no! Not that card!" Raguel eyes widened after seeing it on Tigress' field.

"Here's how this card works. This card moves the turn count of the duel by three turns, where I can then resume play during my Battle Phase." Soon, a clock appeared in front of Tigress, which began turning as energy flowed across the duel field and it literally sped things up to move to Tigress' next Battle Phase. "As a result, the effects of Shield and Sword, along with Primordial Aura technically both come to an end." Skypalace Babylon was surrounded in a red aura that reverted its attack points to normal.

CXyz Skypalace Babylon ATK: 4000 - 200 = 3800 DEF: 3800 + 200 = 4000

"Now that it's a new Battle Phase, it's pretty much over for you!" Tigress declared. "Battle! CXyz Skypalace Babylon attacks you directly! Destiny Demolisher!" Energy gathered within Babylon before firing it in the form of a massive blast at Raguel, which sent him flying off the ground as a massive explosion occurred. He screamed as he turned into particles, his life points having dropped to zero by the time the explosion dissipated.

Raguel: 600 – 3800 = 0

Tigress let out several panted breaths as she stumbled over before falling on her hands and knees, the duel over at last. Even though she won, the ability in using a Chaos Xyz monster still a toll on her, as evident by her strength being depleted. I'll have to train more if I'm to use this monster without using up so much of my strength moving forward, Tigress thought in her mind.

"Brea, are you there? Are you okay?" Roxy asked over the comms.

"Tired, but I'm okay." Tigress replied back, as she took some deep breaths in order to steady herself. "I'll be honest: I didn't think I'd be able to use a Chaos Xyz monster with that kind of strength and live to tell the tale."

"The Deadly Seven aren't called deadly for nothing, Brea. That being said, how are you feeling? You managed to finally defeat Yuhiro in a duel at long last."

Tigress shook her head, as if to deny that statement. "No, Roxy. This duel didn't count because it was a data clone of Raguel. What's more, Raguel's not his usual self. I won't consider myself as having reached his level of strength until I defeat the real him in a duel."

"I hear you, Brea." Roxy said on the other end. "While you were dueling against that data clone, I managed to find a way out of this maze. Just follow the coordinates I sent you, and it'll be smooth sailing from here."

"Got it." A smile appeared on Tigress' face as she continued running forward, not just to get out of this maze, but so she can find the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code was and shut it down. Hopefully, by the time she arrived, someone else would have defeated the real Raguel by that point. For once that was done, they can shut the Tower of Hanoi down for good.

Elsewhere, in the old server…

Revolver had been in tough duels before, and this one was among them. Just like in his duels against Lightning and Playmaker, this one had high stakes, as Revolver was fighting to ensure humanity was safeguarded from threats in the network. What made this duel unique, however, was that the threat was a human being. Should Revolver lose, then humanity would face a situation that was not only from within them, but one they weren't prepared for as well.

Revolver: 1300 LP

Raguel: 2250 LP

On Revolver's field was his only monster, which was Borreload Dragon. Except for his Field Spell card, Boot Sector Launch, he unfortunately had nothing else on his field. Nor did he have any cards in his hand. Raguel, on the other hand, had plenty of cards on his field. For starters, he had numerous monsters such as Cyreath Super Orion, Odysseus and Chronicler. In addition, Raguel had a face-down card, along with the face-up Continuous-Trap card Cyreath Dominion. Due to Dominion, all of Raguel's monsters were unaffected by whatever card effects Revolver wanted to use on them. What's more, Raguel had four cards in his hand that he can use to counter Revolver's strategies. To put it simply, Revolver was in a tricky situation right now.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 LINK-4↙️⬆️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: 2500 LINK-3⬅️⬇️➡️

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Borreload Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"What exactly do you mean by my role, Raguel? I know exactly what I did, along with what happened afterwards." Revolver commented.

"True, but it's not what you think it is." Raguel replied. "Let me ask you a question: What motivated you into ending the Lost Incident?"

Revolver frowned after hearing that question. "What motivated me into ending the Lost Incident was ensuring that the victims were freed from their suffering once I found out the truth about my father's project."

"Yes, that certainly is true, but it isn't at the same time. For a child such as yourself at the time would never have been able to acquire the truth without some inside help."

"Inside help?" Revolver repeated.

"Yes. You heard me. Inside help." Raguel confirmed. "Has a part of you ever wondered how you were able to easily obtain the information that led you to end the Lost Incident? Has a part of you even questioned where you got the idea to uncover what was really going on, along with where to start?"

Revolver pondered this over. This question did make him curious. For at the time, he assumed that his father would immediately let him look at the research just to show the fruitful results it was producing. After all, Dr. Kogami would never make the research public until all the findings were collected and accounted for within ethical boundaries. In addition, Revolver took comfort that the research his father was doing was ultimately just and for the good of mankind.

"It's remarkable how children are innocent and unaware on what's really going on, which sparks their curiosity on learning new things. But once something becomes known, it can never become unknown again, which satisfies their curiosity at the cost of their innocence."

"Where are you going with this, Raguel? I suggest you tell me before I knock that request into your thick head." Revolver warned Raguel, who merely chuckled back in response.

"So insistent on knowing the truth, huh? Very well. I'll explain it to you." Raguel conceded. "As you know, eight Ignis were born due to the Lost Incident. One of those Ignis was pissed upon seeing what his origin went through, along with what he and I went through when we were kids."

"The Space Ignis…" Revolver muttered. Just like with Lightning, it appeared that Wraith had interacted with Azrael during the Lost Incident. But unlike with Lightning, Wraith had begun to cooperate with Azrael from the very beginning instead of tormenting him.

"Correct, Revolver. After Wraith analyzed everything Azrael and I went through, he took action by exploiting any opportunities that came up. Ones that would ensure the Lost Incident would come to an end. A golden opportunity, however, popped up once you entered the picture."

Revolver narrowed his eyes after hearing this information. Based on what Raguel was saying, Wraith had begun orchestrating the Lost Incident's end from the very beginning upon learning what Azrael and Raguel had went through as kids. The crazier thing was that Wraith found an opportunity once Revolver entered into the picture. But how was Wraith able to figure out Revolver's relation with Dr. Kogami as the latter's child? While it would normally take Wraith a while to put the pieces together, he and Herald were the strongest of all eight Ignis, which meant it'd take less time for him to figure things out. And was Herald aware of Wraith's plans from the start? That was something Revolver wanted to know about himself.

"Once you appeared, Wraith 'motivated' you into seeking out the truth by showing you footage and pictures of what the Lost Incident victims went through during the night." Raguel continued, which made Revolver gasp out of shock. "You were so curious on finding out the truth that it caused you nightmares for a very long time, didn't it?"

"Those nightmares I had… they were born the moment Wraith showed me what the eight victims were really going through…" Revolver realized. "He gave me clues so I'd be more likely to investigate the truth at the cost of my mental being." He grit his teeth in anger after coming to the ultimate conclusion. "Wraith, and by extension Azrael, used me as a pawn just to end the Lost Incident."

"Exactly. Hook and sinker." Raguel smirked. "In a way, both Wraith and Azrael were ultimately the ones who ended the Lost Incident. You were just an unwilling pawn used to complete the goal. Though I am grateful to Dr. Kogami because he managed to do what my father could not. He managed to successfully create eight Ignis meant to be used in reaching the Root of All Knowledge. What's more, Project: Apotheosis came to be through Dr. Kogami, which gave birth to a Construct needed for that same goal. After all, destiny ordained that these tasks would be complete. In a way, you're a prisoner of destiny, just like I am. For you had to suffer the repercussions of your father's actions, with one example being that you would never be able to see him again."

"A prisoner of destiny, you say? How ridiculous." Revolver frowned. "If you're justifying all your actions by saying that they're multiple attempts in order for your family to try and find the Root of All Knowledge, then you're even more ridiculous than I thought you were, Raguel."

Raguel raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Simple. You've focused so much on fulfilling your family's destiny that you're no longer caring about the costs that need to be paid in order for you to succeed. And even if you did care, you'd justify them by saying they were for the greater good. By this point, it's like you're not even using your own words!" Revolver shouted back, which made Raguel gasp.

"My... own words?" Raguel repeated.

"You heard me. You're nothing more than a mere imitation because of your choice in following a dead family's beliefs." Revolver narrowed his eyes sternly after getting his point across. "On the topic of mere imitation, you're trying to emulate what Azrael did so you wouldn't miss him, am I not correct?"

"W-W-What?" Raguel couldn't help but blink after hearing that sentence. Did a part of him truly miss Azrael after all of this time? No. This couldn't be it. That reason couldn't be why Raguel was trying to reach the Root of All Knowledge in the first place! But was it?

"If that's the case, then you can deal with the pain yourself! It's my turn! I draw!" Revolver said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Trigger Jam in my Graveyard. Since I control a 'Borrel' Link monster, I can Set it back to my field. However, it's banished once it leaves my field. Just in case you need a reminder, you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of Trigger Jam's effects while I control a 'Borrel' Link monster."

"I already know that." Raguel replied, as Revolver took a card from his Graveyard and Set it back to his field in the Spell & Trap card zone.

"Then let's see if you know this. I activate the effect of Deletion Dragon in my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can Special Summon one Dark Dragon monster from my deck or Graveyard to my field. However, it's attack and defense points are reduced to zero, and it can't attack while it's on my field." A card popped out of Revolver's deck. "I banish Deletion Dragon from my Graveyard, and Special Summon Frangirokket Dragon from my deck to my field." A grey metal dragon with silver rings on its body, a bullet on its head and green holographic wings appeared on Revolver's field in defense position.

Frangirokket Dragon ATK: 1700 DEF: 400 LV: 4

Frangirokket Dragon ATK: (1700 – 1700) + 300 = 300 DEF: (400 – 400) + 300 = 300

"I now activate Borreload Dragon's effect." Revolver continued. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can target one monster on the field and lower its attack and defense points by 500! You can't activate cards or effects in response to this effect as well! I target Frangirokket Dragon!" Borreload Dragon let out a roar as a red aura surrounded Frangirokket Dragon, which decreased its attack and defense points.

Frangirokket Dragon ATK: 300 – 500 = 0 DEF: 300 – 500 = 0

"Frangirokket Dragon's effect now activates! If it's targeted by a Link monster's effect, I can normally banish a card on your field. However, if you control more monsters than I currently do, I can banish cards on your field up to the difference between us."

"Crap..." Raguel muttered.

"You have three monsters on your field while I control one, which means I can banish up to two cards on your field. I banish Dominion and your face-down card." Revolver decided, as Frangirokket Dragon's entire body turned into a bullet that went into the gun barrel in Borreload Dragon's chest. The gun barrel rotated as Borreload Dragon opened its mouth and fired a golden beam that split into two before piercing Dominion and Raguel's face-down card, turning each one into particles in the process.

"Since I control a Dark Dragon Link monster, I can Special Summon Camouflage Dragon from my hand to my field." A green and brown-colored bipedal mechanical dragon with small arms appeared on Revolver's field. Two antennas were attached to its body, with one on its head while the other was below its neck. It also had a long tail that ended in two fins and a sharp spike.

Camouflage Dragon ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 1

"Manifest, my circuit!" Revolver said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Dark Dragon monster. I set Camouflage Dragon into the Link Markers!" Detector Dragon went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Reloader Dragon!" A red bipedal dragon with yellow pieces of armor on its knees, hands and feet, along with rotors and a long spine attached to its sides appeared on Revolver's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On top of its head was a metallic horn that covered upwards in the form of a hook. It had a long tail that had dark-blue outlines on the sides, which ended with a bolt. Blue energy erupted from the rotors to form into electrical wings that cackled before taking shape. In front of its chest was a blue core that glowed before dimming.

Reloader Dragon ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️

"When Reloader Dragon's Link Summoned, I can-." Revolver began speaking.

"How foolish, Revolver. I activate Super Orion's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when-." Raguel began countering back, before something caught his eye. "What? Why can't I activate Super Orion's effect?"

"Because of Camouflage Dragon's second effect. When it's used as material for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link Summon of a Dark Dragon monster, that monster gains an additional effect. Specifically, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of its effects. You could say it's blended into the environment so much you can't find it in the first place." Revolver revealed, which made Raguel grit his teeth in frustration after hearing this information. "But moving forward before you interrupted me, when Reloader Dragon is Link Summoned, I can target one Dark Dragon Link monster on my field to activate one of two effects. I can either draw cards equal to its Link rating in exchange for not adding cards from my deck to my hand for the rest of this turn or Special Summon 'Rokket' monsters from my Graveyard up to the targeted Link monster's Link rating with their effects negated. I think I'll choose the first effect and target the Link 4 Borreload Dragon to draw four cards!" Revolver immediately drew the top four cards of his deck.

"I activate Reloader Dragon's second effect. Once per turn, when it's in the Extra Monster Zone, I can Special Summon one Dark Dragon monster from my Graveyard to my field. Return to me, Borreload Furious Dragon." At Revolver's command, Borreload Furious Dragon reappeared on his field.

Borreload Furious Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"I now activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Bayonet Punisher." Revolver added. "This lets me apply a number of effects in sequence depending on the card types of 'Borrel' monsters that are on my field and in my Graveyard. And since I control a monster with 3000 or more attack points, you cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card."

"WHAT?!" Raguel exclaimed, which made Revolver smirk upon seeing fear on the former's face.

"First, since there's a 'Borrel' Fusion monster on my field, I can banish one monster on your field. I banish Odysseus!" As if on cue, Odysseus turned into particles, much to Raguel's fury. "Second, when there's a 'Borrel' Link monster on my field, I can banish three cards that are in your Graveyard." A screen popped up, which allowed Revolver to see the cards that were in Raguel's Graveyard. "I banish Cyreath Pendulum, Khalkotauroi and Mount Olympus from your Graveyard." The three declared cards were instantly banished from Raguel's Graveyard, much to his horror.

"Battle!" Revolver declared. "Borreload Furious Dragon attacks Cyreath Chronicler! Conquest Borrel Cannon!" A gun barrel extended out of Borreload Furious Dragon's mouth, which charged up energy before releasing it in the form of a purple stream that tore through Chronicler and destroyed him seconds later. An explosion soon occurred that pushed Raguel back, his life points having decreased in the process.

Raguel: 2250 – 500 = 1750 LP

"The battle continues! Borreload Dragon attacks Cyreath Super Orion! At this point, I activate Borreload Dragon's second effect. At the start of the damage step, when it attacks a monster you control, I can-."

"Planning on controlling my strongest monster, Revolver? Think again." Raguel interrupted. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Flage from my hand. When you activate a card effect, I can Special Summon this card from my hand to my field and negate the effect. Now come to me, Cyreath Flage." A one eyed, long, gelatinous green mass with dark spots on its body and two blades for arms appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Flage ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2

"Then I'm allowed to activate an additional effect depending on the type of card negated by this effect. Since I negated a monster effect, I can place a 'Cyreath' counter on your monster. Oh, and do note that your monster cannot attack nor activate its effects while it has a 'Cyreath' counter." Flage released a ring of energy from its eye at Borreload Dragon, which hit the latter and greyed it out seconds later.

Borreload Dragon CC: 0 + 1 = 1

"So it's basically a 'Cyreath' version of Vijam the Cubic Seed... How annoying..." Revolver muttered. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn. At this point, Frangirokket Dragon's effect now activates. Since it was destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Rokket' monster from my deck to my field with a different name. Emerge from my deck, Anesthrokket Dragon!" A green and yellow metal dragon with green holographic wings and a syringe on its head appeared on Revolver's field in defense position.

Anesthrokket Dragon ATK: 0 DEF: 2200 LV: 1

Anesthrokket Dragon ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 2200 + 300 = 2500

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "What you did to evade me in your last turn was clever, Revolver. However, this is the beginning of the end for you."

"Really now? Then allow me to defy your prediction." Revolver responded, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Forbidden Droplet! I can send any number of cards from my hand or field to my Graveyard, and choose as many effect monsters you control up to the number of cards sent to the Graveyard by this effect. Until the end of this turn, their attack points are halved, and their effects are negated. You can't activate cards or effects of the same type in response to the cards I send from my hand or field to my Graveyard."

"What?" Raguel gasped after hearing this information.

"I send Reloader Dragon from my field to my Graveyard and choose Super Orion." Within several seconds, Super Orion groaned as his effects were negated and his attack was halved temporarily.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 3000 / 2 = 1500

"I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Manifestation." Raguel said in response. "This card lets me Special Summon one 'Cyreath' token to my field. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon three 'Cyreath' tokens to my field instead. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects. As I control Super Orion, who is a Link 4 monster, that means I can Special Summon three 'Cyreath' tokens to my field!" Soon, three, translucent orbs of energy with golden wreaths on their heads and eyes appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Token ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 1

Cyreath Token ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 1

Cyreath Token ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LV: 1

Great. Now Raguel has enough monsters to bring out another powerful Link monster, Revolver cursed in his mind. I need to wait for the right moment to activate Trigger Jam so that Raguel's current turn will be put to a halt. Once it ends, I'll make a counterattack that will end this duel in my favor!

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set one of the Cyreath tokens into the Link Markers!" One of the three Cyreath tokens went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Ceryneian Hind!" A female deer with light-brown skin appeared on Raguel's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Super Orion pointed to. Unlike other deer though, she had male-like antlers made of gold and hooves made of bronze. She also had a dappled hide as well.

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️

"When Ceryneian Hind is Link Summoned, I can draw the top card of my deck." Raguel explained, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I tribute Ceryneian Hind to Tribute Summon Cyreath Arbitrator from my hand to my field." After Ceryneian Hind turned into particles, an orange-eyed man whose body was in the form of pure energy that wore pieces of armor on his shoulders, forearms, waist and legs, each of which had a skull emblem on them appeared on Raguel's field. Covering his head was a Corinthian helmet that had eyeholes, a nose guard and large cheek pieces on the sides of it.

Cyreath Arbitrator ATK: 1400 DEF: 1400 LV: 5

"You traded your Link monster for one that has higher attack points." Revolver noted, having thought this over as he looked up Arbitrator's effects on his duel disk. He hadn't seen a Tribute Summon in quite a while, which meant only one thing. That monster most likely has a powerful effect or two, and I need to get rid of it fast, he realized in his mind.

"I activate Arbitrator's effect. When it's Normal or Special Summoned-." Raguel began speaking.

"I don't think so!" Revolver interjected, as he gestured to his field. "Counter-Trap, activate! Trigger Jam! Just like before, when you activate a card or effect, I can negate the activation and send it to your Graveyard. In addition, you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of its effects if I control a 'Borrel' Link monster."

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth as Arbitrator turned into particles. His frustration, however, changed to a grin seconds later. "Though you managed to stop one of my strategies, Trigger Jam's now gone, which means you can't stop what's to come! I activate the effect of Ouroboros in my Graveyard. Just like earlier, as I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon it back to my field. Return to me, Ouroboros." At Raguel's command, Ouroboros reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Ouroboros ATK: 800 DEF: 1600 LV: 3

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set Cyreath Ouroboros and the remaining two Cyreath tokens into the Link Markers!" Ouroboros went into the top arrowhead, one of the Cyreath tokens went into the bottom-left arrowhead and the remaining one went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red in the process.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Magus!" A woman whose attire consisted of a white dress that had a blue and red chest plate in the middle, along with a visor covering her eyes appeared on Raguel's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Super Orion pointed to. Golden outlines were around the chest plate, along with a blue and red gem at the center. She wore long, dark-blue and red gloves that had a light-blue and red glow on each of them. On top of her head was a headdress that had a mirror attached to the front, which was adorned with a golden outline. Attached to her arms was a fur coat, with one side being dark-blue while the other side was red. Mirrors of different shapes and colors orbited around her body.

Cyreath Magus ATK: 2000 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"The effects of Ouroboros and Magus activate in sequence." Raguel began speaking. "First, when Ouroboros is used as material for the Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' monster, I can have all monsters you control lose 500 attack points until the End Phase."

"Not this again..." Revolver seethed, as a silhouette of Ouroboros appeared once more before releasing a hiss of energy at the monsters on his field, which made all three of them groan in pain seconds later.

Borreload Dragon ATK: 3000 – 500 = 2500

Borreload Furious Dragon 3000 – 500 = 2500

Anesthrokket Dragon ATK: 300 – 500 = 0

"Second, when Magus is Link Summoned, I can take two 'Cyreath' Pendulum cards from my deck and put them in my Pendulum Zones." Two of the mirrors orbiting around Magus flew to Raguel's left and right sides on his field, which glowed with energy. Two cards then popped out of Raguel's deck, which he immediately took seconds later. "I now place Cyreath Endymion and Cyreath Sigma in the Pendulum zones." Soon, two pillars of light appeared on Raguel's left and right sides.

In the pillar of light on his right was a small, red and white-chromed robot with orange lines. It had orange eyes and a small mouth on its face, along with a ribbon on top of its head. It carried two small swords in its left and right hands.

In the pillar of light on his left was a man wearing bright-white and purple robes all over his body. The man had brown hair and a beard on his face. In his right hand, he carried a long scepter with a purple orb at the top.

Cyreath Sigma Scale: 1

Cyreath Endymion Scale: 8

"Those are the Pendulum cards you used against Infearno, right?" Revolver guessed before chuckling.

"They are, Revolver. What's your point?" Raguel inquired back.

"It doesn't surprise me that you'd use cards representing your allies in your quest to achieve the Root of All Knowledge. While the only difference here is that you're using them against their will, there's no way I'll let you use their effects to boost your strategies." Revolver thrusted out his hand. "I activate Borreload Furious Dragon's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can target one monster I control and one card you control before destroying them both. I target Anesthrokket Dragon and Sigma. Null Borrel Trigger!" Anesthrokket Dragon turned into a bullet that went into the gun barrel in Borreload Furious Dragon's chest. The gun barrel rotated as Borreload Furious Dragon opened its mouth and fired a violet beam that headed towards Sigma, destroying it seconds later.

"You-!" Raguel clenched his fists as his body shook in pure fury. This was the third time in a single turn that Revolver stopped Raguel's strategies, and the latter would make the former pay for this transgression. "You want to play like this?! Fine! Have it your way! I activate Magus' second effect. Once per turn, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard and replace this monster's effects with that card's original effects until the End Phase. I target Thanatos in my Graveyard."

"Not good..." Revolver muttered, as a mirror with a reflection of Thanatos appeared in front of Magus, which temporarily surrounded her in a purple aura.

"I now activate Magus' newest effect courtesy of Thanatos." Raguel continued. "Once per turn, I can target a monster you control to not only increase Magus' attack points by half of that monster's original attack points until the End Phase, I also gain life points equal to half of its original attack points as well. I target Borreload Furious Dragon on your field, which means Magus gains 1500 attack points and I gain 1500 life points." Magus released a blast of energy from one of the mirrors that hit Borreload Furious Dragon, which caused particles to flow over to where Raguel was as it surrounded his body, his life points having increased as a result. As for Magus, those same particles surrounded her body, which increased her strength temporarily.

Cyreath Magus ATK: 2000 + 1500 = 3500

Raguel: 1750 + 1500 = 3250 LP

"Last but not least, I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Empowerment. By tributing one 'Cyreath' monster, I can double the attack and defense points of one other 'Cyreath' monster on my field until the End Phase. I tribute Flage to double Super Orion's attack points!" Flage turned into particles, which were absorbed by Super Orion before his strength increased.

Cyreath Super Orion ATK: 1500 X 2 = 3000

"Your defiance ends here and now, Revolver! Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Super Orion attacks Borreload Furious Dragon! Orion Horkos!" An arrow of pure energy materialized in Super Orion's right hand before he took and pulled it back with his bow, where he then fired it straight at Borreload Furious Dragon.

"If you think I'm losing this turn, Raguel, think again!" Revolver gestured to his field. "Counter-Trap, activate! Negate Attack! This card negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase!"

"Damn you!" Raguel seethed, as the arrow of light was sucked into Negate Attack, which practically nullified it. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Empowerment, Magus, Ouroboros and Forbidden Droplet end." Soon, auras surrounded Super Orion, Magus, Borreload Furious Dragon and Borreload Furious Dragon which rejuvenated the former while the latter groaned in pain once her temporarily abilities were taken away. As for Borreload Dragon and Borreload Furious Dragon, the two of them roared once their strength returned to them.

Cyreath Magus ATK: 3500 – 1500 = 2000

Borreload Furious Dragon ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

Borreload Dragon ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

"Anesthrokket Dragon's effect also activates! Since it was destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Rokket' monster from my deck to my field with a different name. Rise, Rokket Recharger!" A red metal dragon with grey plating on its chest, green holographic wings and a missile with a light-blue tip appeared on Revolver's field in defense position. Attached to its back was a full moon clip.

Rokket Recharger ATK: 0 DEF: 2100 LV: 4

Rokket Recharger ATK: 0 + 300 = 300 DEF: 2100 + 300 = 2400

"What a disappointment, Raguel. While the data clone of you is definitely powerful, I had hoped to duel the real you so I can ensure you paid for your brother's transgressions against the Hanoi." Revolver remarked. "But in all honesty, a pale imitation never had the chance to defeat a true duelist."

"Watch your mouth, Revolver. We may be even now, but the odds will fall back into my favor once my next turn comes around." Raguel warned Revolver. "After all, just as your destiny is to ultimately lose to me in the end, my family's destiny will be fulfilled one way or another."

Revolver chuckled in response, which made Raguel raise an eyebrow. "Believing in destiny now all of a sudden, Raguel? How pathetic."

"Excuse me?"

"If you actually thought you'll win this duel just because your family's destiny in finding the Root of All Knowledge dictates it, then you're a bigger fool than I thought you were earlier." Revolver began speaking. "Since we learned about your existence, I assumed you were nothing more than an irritating pest that had to be dealt with like Playmaker. However, I never anticipated the situation between your family and the Hanoi to get this personal, especially after how Azrael made us suffer in his attempt to make your family proud."

"Shut up! I've seen the Root of All Knowledge with my own eyes, Revolver! Such a thing exists!" Raguel protested.

"If that's the case, then where's the proof? For without it, then we can't fully come to a conclusion around this topic." Revolver frowned. "That's your mistake in the end, Raguel. Destiny does not, and never has dictated what happens in the future because humans forge it through their own willpower. Your desire to finish what your family started has caused you to imitate them to the point you'll believe anything as long as it satisfies that goal. You are not your own person. No. You're just a hollow shell! One that needs a brutal wake up call! As for this duel, cards and life points decide how it starts and ends! For as long as you have a single life point left, then the duel is never truly over, as anything can happen!"

Raguel chuckled back in pure anger. "Fine! If that's what you believe, then make your damn move. Prove your point not with your words, but with your cards."

"As you wish! My turn! I draw!" Revolver said, as he drew the top card of his deck and gasped after looking at it. If he wanted to win this turn, he had to bait Raguel into using Super Orion's effect. Revolver would also have to bait Raguel into using his face-down card as well so all options were clear to go. To put it simply, everything depended on this turn. "I activate Borreload Furious Dragon's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns-."

"Sorry, but I won't allow that effect to work a third time." Raguel interrupted. "I activate Super Orion's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, I can negate that effect and send it to the Graveyard. Refraction Boomerang!" Super Orion's diamond club glowed silver as he threw it at Borreload Furious Dragon, which returned back to his hand before the latter turned into particles. "What's more, I'm then allowed to shuffle a card on either player's field back into their owner's deck."

"And you and I both know which card you'll pick..." Revolver muttered, knowing exactly what card Raguel will choose to shuffle.

"I shuffle Borreload Dragon back into your deck." As if on cue, Borreload Dragon turned into particles. While Borreload Dragon couldn't be targeted by card effects, Super Orion's effect didn't target, which meant Raguel was allowed to shuffle it back into Revolver's Extra Deck with no worries.

"Manifest, my circuit!" Revolver said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Level 4 or lower Dark Dragon monster. I set Rokket Recharger into the Link Markers!" Rokket Recharger went into the left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Striker Dragon!" A second copy of Striker Dragon appeared on Revolver's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Striker Dragon ATK: 1000 LINK-1⬅️

"When Striker Dragon's Link Summoned, I can-." Revolver began speaking.

"There's no way I'll let you use either of Striker Dragon's effects, Revolver! Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Erosion!" Raguel interrupted. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can banish a 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard to negate the effects of a card you control until the End Phase. What's more, I can activate one of three effects depending on the card negated. In addition, you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"Is that so?" Revolver raised an eyebrow.

"I banish Ouroboros from my Graveyard and negate Striker Dragon's effects until the End Phase!" As if on cue, a dark grey aura surrounded Striker Dragon before it groaned in pain, its effects having been negated in the process. "And because a monster's effect was negated, I gain life points equal to that monster's original attack points. Since Striker Dragon's original attack points are 1000, that means I gain 1000 life points!" A dark aura surrounded Raguel as his life points increased.

Raguel: 3250 + 1000 = 4250 LP

And now that your counters have been used up, it's time to end this, Revolver thought in his mind, having succeeded in baiting Raguel into using his effects. "I activate the Spell card, Ultimate Slayer. By sending a monster from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard, I can target a monster you control that's the same type and shuffle it right back into this deck. Oh, and you can't activate monster effects in response to this card's activation."

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed, having realized that Revolver managed to find a way around Super Orion's effects. Specifically, the final effect.

"I send Overburst Dragon from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard and target Super Orion!" After Revolver took a card from his Extra Deck and sent it to his Graveyard, an arrow of light emerged out of Ultimate Slayer and pierced right through Super Orion, turning it into particles that returned back to Raguel's Extra Deck. "And with Super Orion gone, I'm officially safe to go all out this turn, starting with this! I activate the Spell card, Card of Demise. This card lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. However, during the fifth Standby Phase after this card's activation, I must send all cards from my hand to my Graveyard." He then drew the top five cards of his deck.

"I activate Boot Sector Launch's second effect." Revolver continued. "Once per turn, when you control more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon 'Rokket' monsters from my Graveyard with different names to my field in defense position. As you control two monsters while I control one, that means I can bring out one 'Rokket' monster back to my field. Return to me, Shelrokket Dragon!" At Revolver's command, Shelrokket Dragon reappeared on his field.

Shelrokket Dragon ATK: 1100 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

Shelrokket Dragon ATK: 1100 + 300 = 1400 DEF: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"I activate the effect of Reloader Dragon from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Dark Dragon monster from my Graveyard. I banish Reloader Dragon and Special Summon Booster Dragon from my Graveyard back to my field!" Within seconds, Booster Dragon reappeared on Revolver's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Booster Dragon ATK: 1900 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"I summon Estrangement Dragon from my hand to my field." Revolver added, as a grey, serpentine dragon with pieces of silver armor on its body appeared on his field. On each of its sides was a single leaf, with one leaf being colored red on the left while the one on the right was colored green. It also had long purple ears, which resembled that of a bat's ears.

Estrangement Dragon ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

"When Estrangement Dragon is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a copy of it from my deck to your field. However, it's sent to the Graveyard at the end of this turn." A card popped out of Revolver's deck, which he played. Soon, a copy of Estrangement Dragon appeared on Raguel's field.

Estrangement Dragon ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

"Manifest, my circuit!" Revolver shouted, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more effect monsters. I set the Link 1 Striker Dragon, the Link 2 Booster Dragon and Shelrokket Dragon into the Link Markers!" Striker Dragon went into the left arrowhead, Booster Dragon went into the right and bottom-left arrowheads while Shelrokket Dragon went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"My new wind that pierces through the closed world! Link Summon! Rise! Link 4! Borreload Dragon!" Borreload Dragon reappeared on Revolver's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Borreload Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

Revolver smirked, knowing what to do next. "Everything is set for this! I activate the Spell card, The Fang of Critias! When I activate this card, I can send one Trap card from my hand or field to my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a monster from my Extra Deck whose name is both listed on that monster and can only be Special Summoned by this card's effect."

"The Fang of Critias?! You have the third Legendary Dragon?!" Raguel shockingly inquired.

"Whereas Lord Kazuma has Timaeus while Drachen has Hermos, I have Critias, Raguel. What's to come will lead to your end." Revolver responded, as a dark-blue, bipedal dragon with light-brown wings, a blue gem on his head, spikes on the sides of his head and on his knees appeared on his field. A card then popped out of Revolver's hand, which appeared beside Critias. Both Critias and the card disintegrated into blue and red particles of energy, which swirled into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy then shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Legendary Dragon! Immerse yourself with the reflective power, and unleash it upon the world! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Mirror Force Dragon!" A dark-blue, bipedal dragon with light-purple eyes, a yellow gem on top of his head, and tusks on the sides of his head and knees appeared on Revolver's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Borreload Dragon pointed to. He had a long, spiky tail that ended in a spike that was in between two silver prongs. He also had four wings, each of which had a luminescent, blue-silver membrane that glowed with bright energy before dimming.

Mirror Force Dragon ATK: 2800 DEF: 1200 LV: 8

"Mirror Force Dragon?" Raguel repeated, before snapping out of his shock. "I don't know what you're planning, Revolver, but it'll lead to your ruin one way or another! Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Strife! While this card is on my field, all monsters you control must battle, if able. And just in case you were up to anything sneaky, I activate Strife's second effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster on my field and one other 'Cyreath' monster on my field or in my Graveyard. By doing so, I can have the first target gain attack points equal to the second target's attack points until the end of this turn. I target Magus on my field and Hades in my Graveyard, which means the former gains the latter's 3000 attack points!" Magus was surrounded in a purple aura that increased her strength.

Cyreath Magus ATK: 2000 + 3000 = 5000

Revolver frowned after hearing this information. Despite knowing that his monsters were now forced to attack, it didn't bother him, especially when you took Mirror Force Dragon's effect into account. "If it's a battle you want, Raguel, then I'll gladly grant you one! But first, I activate Borreload Dragon's effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can target one monster on the field and lower its attack and defense points by 500! You can't activate cards or effects in response to this effect as well! I target Estrangement Dragon!" Borreload Dragon fired a blast of energy from its mouth that hit Estrangement Dragon and further decreased its strength.

Estrangement Dragon ATK: 1500 – 500 = 1000 DEF: 1500 – 500 = 1000

"In addition, I activate the Spell card, Solidarity. When I have one original type of monster in my Graveyard, all monsters of that same type gain 800 attack points! Since I have only Dragon monsters in my Graveyard, that means all other Dragon monsters I control gain 800 attack points!" Borreload Dragon and Mirror Force Dragon roared as their strength increased.

Borreload Dragon ATK: 3000 + 800 = 3800

Mirror Force Dragon ATK: 2800 + 800 = 3600

Estrangement Dragon ATK: 1500 + 800 = 2300

"Battle!" Revolver declared. "Mirror Force Dragon attacks Cyreath Magus! Mirror Burst Flash!" Luminescent blue-silver energy charged into Mirror Force Dragon's mouth before he fired it at Magus.

"How foolish. Strike back, Magus!" Raguel ordered, as Magus thrust her right hand in front of her, which sent the mirrors orbiting around her body towards the beam Mirror Force Dragon. The mirrors went through the beam and hit Mirror Force Dragon, only for him to stagger before energy surrounded his body. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Mirror Force Dragon's effect activates! At the start of the damage step, when he battles a monster whose attack points are higher than or equal to his attack points, you take damage equal to the total difference in attack points between his and all other monsters you control with lower attack points."

Raguel raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"If you're confused, allow me to do the math." Revolver began explaining. "The monster with the lowest attack points on your field is Estrangement Dragon, who has 1000 attack points while Mirror Force Dragon's attack points are 3600, which means you take 2600 points of damage! Mirror Bullet!" Arrows of luminescent, blue-silver energy fired out of Mirror Force Dragon's wings, which hit Raguel as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 4250 – 2600 = 1650 LP

"Then once this done, Mirror Force Dragon destroys all monsters you control without damage calculation. Or to sum everything up, you are the one who loses both life points and monsters while I escape unharmed."

"WHAT?!" Raguel gasped in horror.

"Do it, Mirror Force Dragon! Absorption Reflection!" Revolver declared, as Mirror Force Dragon's wings glowed with luminescent, blue energy before he fired it at Raguel's field, which destroyed Magus and Estrangement Dragon seconds later. Once it dimmed down, Raguel's eyes widened upon seeing that he no longer had any monsters on his field.

"This…. This can't be…. How am I losing…?"

"The Knights of Hanoi stood by me ever since after the Lost Incident, and I did the same for them. Whereas we stood together from the very beginning, your decision to emulate Azrael and try to finish your family's destiny has led you to betray your friends. Not only did you end up alone as a result of your foolish choice, you will also share your brother's fate." Revolver thrusted out his right hand. "Let's end this! The battle continues! Borreload Dragon attacks you directly! Thunder Borrel Cannon!" A gun barrel extended from Borreload Dragon's mouth before it charged up energy and fired it in the form of a yellow stream that hit Raguel, which caused a massive explosion that sent him flying off the ground, having fully disintegrated into particles by the time his life points dropped to zero.

Raguel: 1650 – 3800 = 0

Father…. Knights of Hanoi…. This was all for you, Revolver thought in his mind, having managed to avenge his comrades and Dr. Kogami at the same time.

"Ryoken, are you there?" Baira asked through the comms.

"Yes, I am, Kyoko." Revolver answered.

"Are you happy with yourself now that you got payback on Raguel, Ryoken?" Yua also inquired.

"That wasn't the real Raguel, mother. That was a data clone. Nothing more. Nothing less." Revolver emphasized back. "And don't worry. When this is over, the Hanoi shall no longer go after Raguel."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'll explain the details after Raguel's plans have been stopped for good. Signing off." After pressing a button on his earpiece, Revolver then continued running forward, intent on reaching the area where the Tower of Hanoi's source code was so he can shut it down. Hopefully, by the time he arrived, someone would have finished the real Raguel off and shut the Tower of Hanoi down themselves.

Meanwhile, at another area in the old server….

While Soulburner's duel against Raguel was even for the time being, he didn't expect to struggle against a data clone version of the latter. If he were to duel against the real Raguel, then he'd be in a far worse situation than he already was in right now. The good news was that Soulburner not only had a strong field, but a lot of life points as well so he can survive what's to come for Raguel's coming turn.

Soulburner: 6050 LP

Raguel: 6200 LP

On Soulburner's field was Salamangreat Heatleo and Violet Chimera, along with two face-down cards. In addition, he also had two cards in his hand ready to be used for when his next turn came. On Raguel's field were only two cards, which consisted of his only monster in Cyreath Alastor, as well as the Continuous-Trap card Cyreath Erosion. Raguel also had two cards to use for his coming turn as well. To sum it up, while Soulburner had the advantage for now in terms of field presence, one card can determine who has the upper hand in a duel.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK: 2800 DEF: 2000 LV: 8

Cyreath Alastor ATK: 5300 DEF: 3000 LV: 8 Scale: 9

"I'll be honest, Raguel. Even though this is a data clone of you, you're still strong." Soulburner commented. Again, Soulburner would be in a far worse situation if he were dueling against the real Raguel. The one who was at full power. Yet, Soulburner could feel like this data clone was only using a portion of the real Raguel's strength.

"As much as I appreciate the compliment, it doesn't change the situation you're in." Raguel responded. "I will break through your defenses once my next turn comes around, which will lead to the beginning towards your defeat."

Soulburner frowned back in response. "Is that what you believe, Raguel? Your taunts and proclamations of victory aren't going to destroy my spirit. Not as long as it burns on."

"Ah, yes. Spirit. The driving force that enables someone to persevere in response to adversity, which allows them to do great things and inspire others to follow in their footsteps." Raguel sighed. "While this is good, it's unfortunately bad for humanity if the wrong humans are inspired by others despite their best intentions. While I envy humans for being able to persevere through dark times, I pity them as well because their ideas and leadership sometimes breed dark results."

"Really now? Do you think you're setting the best example on how to move forward in response to loss?" Soulburner questioned, which got Raguel's attention.

"What exactly do you mean by that question?"

"It's simple. Based on the actions you've committed recently, you're setting a bad example on what not to do when you experience a major loss in your life." Soulburner firmly answered. "Think about the multiple people you've killed in your nightly feedings, Raguel! Those people had relatives, children and loved ones that they'll never see again because of your actions! You've destroyed any chance of them experiencing life to the fullest!"

"If you're talking about the scum and criminals I've murdered, it was necessary because of how their actions hurt others." Raguel countered back. "Murderers, rapists, hypocritical leaders and so much more had to answer for their mistakes against others. Since mankind practically has a flawed justice system and doesn't have the spine to do what's right, I stepped in and ensured the scales were balanced. For their blood made things right."

"And did you think about the consequences that can occur as a result of the people you've murdered?!" Soulburner made a fist with his right hand. "Imagine how the people who viewed you as a hero would react if they saw the monster you were right now. They'd be disgusted with what you've become. Hell, I'm disgusted with what you've done, as well as the monster you turned into!"

Raguel crossed his arms. "That is your viewpoint, Soulburner. Where you see something as wrong, I see something as right. Does it make me a monster? I guess it does. Though I am curious on something. Why would you want to assist in saving a monster such as myself?"

"Because like I told you earlier, I'm here to save you from all the pain you've been blinded by!" Soulburner reminded Raguel.

"I'm not blinded by anything, Soulburner. If anything, I've been enlightened with the truth Azrael shared with me about this world." Raguel callously responded. "But if you're so insistent on keeping this duel going, then I'll gladly oblige. My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "Since you control a Link monster, I can Special Summon Cyreath Lava Hound from my hand to my field. However, if it's summoned using this effect, it can only attack Link monsters." An overweight, volcanic creature with small wings appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Lava Hound into the Link Markers!" Lava Hound went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Hephaestus!" A deformed blacksmith carrying a heated rod and a walking stick appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a short brown tunic around his waist.

Cyreath Hephaestus ATK: 500 LINK-1↘️

"Lava Hound's second effect now activates! As it left the field, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Lava Pup' tokens to my field!" Raguel added, as two smaller pups resembling Lava Hound emerged into existence on Raguel's field in defense position.

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"I also activate Hephaestus' second effect. Once per turn, when I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can add a Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Ley Line from my Graveyard back to my hand." A card popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he took and added back to his hand.

Even if I were to do something, Raguel has two cards that not only negates the effects of my cards, but also grant an additional benefit to him as well depending on the type of card negated by this effect, Soulburner cursed in his mind, having looked up all of Erosion's effects earlier to ensure he was familiar with them. I need to time this just right so I can not only bait Raguel into activating them, but also survive this turn as well!

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Hephaestus, along with both Cyreath Lava Pup tokens into the Link Markers!" Hephaestus went into the top arrowhead, one of the two Lava Pup tokens went into the left arrowhead and the other went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Shadow Flame!" A man who wore a black jumpsuit that consisted of a black cloak with fur at the top and blazing tips at the ends, along with red-colored sleeves and mechanical boots appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On his sleeves were golden outlines, along with a small piece of armor strapped to each side. The man wore a hood over his face, which also had golden outlines. Covering his face was a red and white mask that had eye holes, which allowed his orange eyes to see through it. In his hands were two weapons resembling that of a combination between a tonfa and a sickle.

Cyreath Shadow Flame ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️↘️

"Really, Raguel? You actually went and put the word Flame as a part of your monster's name? You got some nerve…" Soulburner seethed angrily.

"If memory serves, Herald made the monster in Flame's honor. I did not make it." Raguel corrected Soulburner, the former offended by the latter's accusation. "But moving that aside, I activate the effect of Unleashed Rites in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can add a 'Cyreath' card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only add two 'Cyreath' cards from my deck or Graveyard to my hand, you also can't activate cards or effects in response to Unleashed Rites' effects. Thus, I add Cyreath Ceremony and Castor & Pollux from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"From there, I activate the Ritual Spell card, Cyreath Ceremony. This card lets me tribute 'Cyreath' monsters on my field or hand whose total levels equal or exceed the Level of the 'Cyreath' Ritual monster I'm summoning from my hand. However, if I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can also use 'Cyreath' monsters in my deck by sending them from my deck to my Graveyard."

"Here we go..." Soulburner muttered. As much as he wanted to use his face-down cards to stop Raguel's card, he still needed to wait for the right time to activate it.

A card popped out of Raguel's deck. "I send the Level 7 Cyreath P.H.A.N.T.O.M from my deck to my Graveyard." Soon, a white and orange magical circle with seven flames appeared on Raguel's field, along with a silhouette of an armored warrior with purple eyes and spikes on its arms, shoulders, and helmet. In its hands were two ghoulish swords. It disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of bright light.

"The contract has been made! With the blessing of Zeus, the twins shall accept this offering and go into battle!" Raguel chanted. "Ritual Summon! Appear, Cyreath Castor & Pollux!" A set of siblings, which were a brother and a sister, appeared on Raguel's field. Both siblings wore white and black clothing along with sandals, as well as a wreath on their heads. However, there were a few differences. The brother named Castor had a long, two-pieced white cape, and his weapon was a discus. The sister named Pollux had a golden emblem on her upper chest, and also carried a sword in her right hand.

Cyreath Castor & Pollux ATK: 2200 DEF: 2200 LV: 7

"I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cyreath Ley Line. When this card is activated-."

"I don't think so, Raguel!" Soulburner interrupted. "Counter-Trap, activate! Salamangreat Roar! When a Spell or Trap card, or monster effect is activated while I control a 'Salamangreat' Link monster, I can not only negate the card, but destroy it as well!"

"What?" Raguel frowned as Ley Line turned into particles once more. "Persistency will only do so much for you, Soulburner. It'll take more than that if you intend to defeat me. I activate Shadow Flame's effect. Once per turn, I can target a monster you control and have it lose 500 attack points for every card you control other than the targeted monster until the End Phase. In addition, you take damage equal to the attack points your monster lost."

"Tch." Soulburner grit his teeth. Just as he managed to get himself out of one trap, he was now in another one.

"I target Violet Chimera on your field." Raguel decided. "As you have your face-down card and Heatleo other than Violet Chimera, that means your monster loses 1000 attack points and you take 1000 points of damage! Shadow Sear!" Shadow Flame turned into a pitch-black flame that quickly dashed forward and slashed Violet Chimera using his sickles before zooming in and doing the same to Soulburner, which made the both of them groan in pain seconds later.

Salamangreat Violet Chimera ATK: 2800 – (500 X 2) = 1800

Soulburner: 6050 – (500 X 2) = 5050 LP

"Battle!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Castor & Pollux attacks Salamangreat Violet Chimera! Hymn of the Twin Gods!" Castor and Pollux charged forward at Violet Chimera before slicing him with the discus and sword numerous times. The two of them then finished him off with a combined attack that caused a massive explosion, which made Soulburner grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Soulburner: 5050 – 400 = 4650 LP

"When Castor & Pollux destroy a monster by battle, I can activate one of two effects. I choose effect one, which lets me banish one card you control until the End Phase." Raguel told Soulburner.

"What?!" Soulburner exclaimed.

"I banish Heatleo! Oblivion Correction!" The discus Castor had in his hands began to open up into a massive portal, which sucked Heatleo in for the time being, infuriating Soulburner. However, unbeknownst to Raguel, a small smirk formed on Soulburner's face seconds later. "The battle continues! Cyreath Alastor attacks you directly!"

"I activate the effect of Salamangreat Parro from my hand." Soulburner suddenly said. "When you declare an attack, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field." A parrot with sharp blue wings, a long, yellow tail with red and blue feathers on the sides appeared on Soulburner's field. Not only did fire emit from the top of its head, but also its chest as well in the form of a 'V'.

Salamangreat Parro ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 5

"And when Parro is Special Summoned, I can target one 'Salamangreat' monster in my Graveyard, and make its attack points become that targeted monster's attack points. I target Violet Chimera, who has 2800 attack points. That means Parro's attack points become 2800." Parro let out a loud screech before its strength increased.

Salamangreat Parro ATK: 2000 + 800 = 2800

"Then your monster will be the one to feel my wrath." Raguel said. "A battle replay occurs. Cyreath Alastor attacks Salamangreat Parro! Unrelenting Fury!" Alastor charged forward at Parro, intent on destroying it.

"Yeah, I really don't think so, Raguel. If a 'Salamangreat' monster I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish Balelynx from my Graveyard instead." Soulburner replied, as a fiery aura surrounded Parro, which protected it from the attacks Alastor unleashed using the blades in his hands and the large sword attached to his back. As a result, a massive explosion occurred, which made Soulburner wince before his life points dropped.

Soulburner: 4650 – 2500 = 2150 LP

"I end my turn, which means the effects of Shadow Flame and Castor & Pollux end." Raguel concluded with irritation, as Heatleo reappeared on Soulburner's field, much to his relief.

Salamangreat Heatleo ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"Good to have you back on the field, buddy." Soulburner told Heatleo.

"Glad to be back, Soulburner." Heatleo replied. "Let's knock some sense into Raguel, shall we?"

"You couldn't say it any better, Heatleo! My turn! I draw!" Soulburner drew the top card of his deck. "I activate Foxy's effect from my Graveyard. When there's a face-up Spell or Trap card on my field, I can send one 'Salamangreat' card from my hand to my Graveyard to not only Special Summon it back to my field, but also destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field as well."

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed. With Erosion gone, that meant he couldn't use it anymore to negate the effects of Soulburner's cards!

"I send Salamangreat Ascetic from my hand to my Graveyard and destroy Erosion." Soulburner decided. "Return to me, Foxy!" Soon, Foxy reappeared on Soulburner's field.

Salamangreat Foxy ATK: 1000 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

Then within several seconds, Erosion turned into particles, much to Raguel's ire.

"I blaze the circuit that scorches the path to the future!" A Link Portal appeared above Soulburner. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Salamangreat' monsters. I set the Link 3 Salamangreat Heatleo and Foxy into the Link Markers!" Heatleo went into the top, left and right arrowheads while Foxy went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Fiery remnants of the majestic creature! Merge with one another, and reawaken from your slumber to protect the land and its denizens!" Soulburner chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!" A humanoid who wore dark-red crimson armor with light-red plating on his chest appeared on Soulburner's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His curved shoulder pads each had light-red spikes that curved upwards. On the sides of his arms and the back of his legs were light-red spikes that projected outwards. He also wore a phoenix-like helmet that had two large, winged-like horns on the sides, as well as a light-red spike that curved outward. Emitting from his back were a total of six fiery wings.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"You won't hurt anyone else! Not on my watch!" Pyro Phoenix exclaimed.

"Hurt anyone else, you say, Pyro Phoenix? I've already hurt a lot of people. Conflict always leads to suffering, which I intend to destroy soon." Raguel told Pyro Phoenix lamentably. The way he said it was not of malice, but of regret instead.

"But at what cost?!"

"Words aren't going to be enough to stop him, Pyro Phoenix. Sometimes, force is needed to make someone listen." Soulburner calmly told Pyro Phoenix before turning back to the duel. "I also activate the effect of Perseverance from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, all 'Salamangreat' monsters I control are unaffected by your card effects for the rest of this turn."

"Damn it..." Raguel let out a growl after hearing this information. That meant he couldn't use Alastor's effect to negate Pyro Phoenix's effects! But the monsters Soulburner would bring out, on the other hand, were a different story.

"I activate Pyro Phoenix's first effect. Once per turn, I can target one Link monster in your Graveyard and not only Special Summon it back to your field, but also reduce its attack points to zero. I target Circe!" Soon, Circe reappeared on Raguel's field, only in the Main Monster Zone. Within seconds, Circe was surrounded in a fiery aura that dropped her strength down to zero.

Cyreath Circe ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Cyreath Circe ATK: 2400 – 2400 = 0

"I also activate Pyro Phoenix's second effect. Once per turn, when a Link monster is Special Summoned to your field, you take damage equal to its original attack points." Soulburner added. "Since Circe's original attack points were 2400, you take 2400 points of damage."

"What?" Raguel said, as flames enveloped him that pushed him back a few feet, his life points having decreased in the process.

Raguel: 6200 – 2400 = 3800 LP

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Pot of Acquisitiveness! I can target three of my monsters that are banished and shuffle them back into my deck. By doing so, I can draw the top card of my deck. I shuffle the banished Spinny, Pyro Phoenix and Balelynx back into my deck and Extra Deck and draw!" Three cards appeared beside Soulburner, which he took and shuffled back into his deck and Extra Deck. Once that was done, he drew the top card of his deck.

"I also activate the Spell card, Aurora Draw. Since this is the only card I have in my hand, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Soulburner continued, as he proceeded to draw the top two cards from my deck. "Next, I activate the Trap card, Metaverse. This card lets me take a Field Spell card from my deck and either activate it or add it to my hand. I choose the former."

"A card that lets you activate Field Spell cards from your deck?" Raguel repeated.

"That's right." Seconds later, a card popped out of Soulburner's deck before he played it. "From my deck, I activate the Field Spell card, Salamangreat Shrine! Once per turn, if I Link Summon a 'Salamangreat' Link monster, I can use one 'Salamangreat' Link monster I control with the same name as the entire material. I set Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix into the Link Markers!" Pyro Phoenix burst into flames and went into the magical circle above the duel field, causing it to burst into flames.

"Majestic creature of the land and sky! Throw yourself in the surging flames, and be reborn with immortal power!" Soulburner chanted. "Super Reincarnation Link Summon! Be reborn! Link 4! Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix!" Pyro Phoenix reappeared on Soulburner's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, only his wings emitted blue fire, and were combined to form two bird-like wings.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 2800 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"Thank you for helping me regain my strength, Soulburner. I won't let you down." Pyro Phoenix vowed.

"You certainly won't, Pyro Phoenix." Soulburner responded, before gesturing back to the duel. "When Pyro Phoenix is Reincarnation Link Summoned, I can destroy all cards on your field."

"All cards on my field?!" Raguel repeated.

"That's right, Raguel!" Soulburner thrusted out his right hand. "Tear Raguel's field asunder, Pyro Phoenix! Sacred Fury!"

"Take this!" Pyro Phoenix shouted, as blue fire emitted from his hands before firing it at Raguel's field, which spread out into massive beams of energy.

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Monolith from my hand." Raguel said. "I can target one 'Cyreath' monster I control, and it's not only unaffected by your card effects, it also can't be destroyed by battle as well." A silhouette of blue plate in the shape of a square that had purple engravings on its surface appeared before firing particles that surrounded Alastor, which protected him from one of the fiery beams, while the others destroyed Castor & Pollux, Circe and Shadow Flame before turning them into particles.

"In that case, I activate the effect of Roar in my Graveyard. When I control a 'Salamangreat' Link monster that was Link Summoned using a monster with the same name as material, I can Set it back to my field. However, it's banished once it leaves my field." A card popped out of Soulburner's Graveyard, which he took and Set to his field. "I also activate Parro's second effect. By tributing it, I gain 2000 life points." Parro turned into particles that surrounded Soulburner as his life points increased.

Soulburner: 2150 + 2000 = 4150 LP

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Perseverance and Monolith effect ends." Soulburner concluded. There was no point in attacking now that Alastor managed to survive, and even if Soulburner wanted to attack, he'd only deal minimal damage to Raguel. That meant Soulburner had no choice but to prepare for what was to come by increasing his life points. What's more, the wise thing to do was be patient, which... wasn't Soulburner's strongest trait.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel angrily said, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! DNA Transplant!" Soulburner interrupted. "While this card's on my field, I can-."

"Ah, I see what you're planning. You intend to make my monsters Fire attribute in order to protect your monsters with one of Shrine's effects, right?" Raguel guessed, which made Soulburner gasp in response. "I'm afraid that's something I won't allow. I activate Alastor's effect. Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, I can not only negate it, but also activate an additional effect depending on the type of card negated. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to his activation."

"I already know that, Raguel. So just do it already."

"If you insist. Abnormal Pressure!" DNA Transplant turned into particles, which went into Alastor as he screamed further. "As a Trap card's effect was negated, Alastor is unaffected by the effects of your cards for the rest of this turn."

Unbeknownst to Raguel, Soulburner smirked. Even though it's a bummer that I can no longer make Alastor weaker with my card effects, I did manage to force Raguel into using Alastor's effect, which means I can use my other card effects, he thought in his mind.

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Remains in my hand." Raguel stated. "By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard during either player's turn, one 'Cyreath' monster I control gains 500 attack and defense points until the end of my turn. I target Alastor." A grey aura surrounded Alastor as his strength temporarily increased.

Cyreath Alastor ATK: 5300 + 500 = 5800 DEF: 3000 + 500 = 3500

"Let's end this! Battle!" Raguel thrusted out his right hand. "Cyreath Alastor attacks Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix! At this point, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Confrontation! When your monster battles, I can-."

"That won't happen, Raguel! Counter-Trap, activate! Salamangreat Roar!" Soulburner interrupted. "Just like earlier, when a Spell or Trap card, or monster effect is activated while I control a 'Salamangreat' Link monster, I can not only negate the card, but destroy it as well! So say goodbye to Confrontation!" Several seconds later, Confrontation turned into particles. "And with that out of the way, I activate the effect of Revive in my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Salamangreat' monster I control and one 'Salamangreat' monster with the same name in my Graveyard to shuffle the latter back into my deck. What's more, the targeted 'Salamangreat' monster gains attack points equal to its original attack points until the end of this turn."

Raguel frowned. "So your monster's getting stronger as a result."

"Exactly. I target Pyro Phoenix on my field and shuffle a copy of it right back into my deck." A card popped out of Soulburner's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled back into his Extra Deck. Soon, a fiery aura surrounded Pyro Phoenix that increased his strength.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 2800 + 2800 = 5600

"Even though you increased your monster's strength, it's still not enough to stop me! Resume your attack, Alastor! Unrelenting Fury!" Alastor charged forward at Pyro Phoenix, intent on eliminating the latter.

"No, Raguel! You're the one who will be stopped this turn, just like how Malf lost on his own turn back in Mirror LINK VRAINS!" Soulburner responded. "I activate the Trap card, Salamangreat Wildfire!" The card showed bright fire emerging out of Salamangreat Shrine as it cleansed the land, with Pyro Phoenix using his wings to ensure they moved forward non-lethally. Salamangreats Heatleo, Sunlight Wolf, Balelynx, Almiraj, Emerald Eagle, Miragestallio and Burst Gryphon let out a roar of joy upon seeing the land return to its former glory. "I can target a 'Salamangreat' monster I control and double its attack and defense points in exchange for it not attacking directly!"

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed.

"I target Pyro Phoenix!" Within seconds, Pyro Phoenix was surrounded in a fiery aura that further increased his strength.

Salamangreat Pyro Phoenix ATK: 5600 X 2 = 11200

Raguel's eyes widened in shock as to what was going on. "How is such a thing... possible?"

"If you hadn't thrown everything away for power, then you actually would have been able to prepare more in advance, Raguel!" Soulburner told Raguel before gesturing over to Pyro Phoenix. "Finish this, Pyro Phoenix! Sacred Fire!"

"Begone!" Pyro Phoenix shouted, as his body was immersed with blue fire before flying towards Alastor and dodging his attacks. He pierced right through Alastor's body and incinerated him to a crisp upon impact, which caused a massive explosion that sent Raguel flying off the ground, his life points having dropped to zero by the time he turned into particles.

Raguel: 3800 - 5400 = 0

Soulburner panted, having proceeded to take several deep breaths in order to recompose himself. Despite being a data clone of Raguel, the duel was ultimately tiresome for Soulburner because it took the latter everything he got in order to defeat the former. He was also grateful that the new cards Hideki made for him helped, or else the duel would have been more troublesome to win.

"Awesome job, Soulburner." Kusanagi praised Soulburner over the comms.

"Thanks, Kusanagi. I appreciate it." Soulburner replied.

"I managed to map out a route through this massive maze Raguel set up. Still can't believe he had time to even set it up in the first place."

"Neither can I, Kusanagi. Neither can I." Soulburner took one more deep breath in before letting it out, having managed to regain his focus. With his duel against the data clone of Raguel now over, he had to go to the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code was and shut it down in order to end this madness. As such, Soulburner ran forward, intent on fulfilling that goal.

Elsewhere, in the old server...

"You cannot defy me, mortal! My turn! I draw!" Raguel angrily said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the effect of Unleashed Rites from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can add a 'Cyreath' card from my deck or Graveyard to my hand. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only add two 'Cyreath' cards from my deck or Graveyard to my hand, you also can't activate cards or effects in response to Unleashed Rites' effects. Thus, I add Cyreath Selector and Dispel from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

That's not good! Raguel now has more cards he can use to further unleash his strategies, Blue Maiden thought in her mind. She didn't know what else could be in Raguel's deck now that he had enhanced it, so anything could happen next.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Dispel. Once per turn, this card lets me target a Spell or Trap card on your field and destroy it. I target and destroy Marincess Hydromancy. Get out of my sight!"

"Oh no!" Blue Maiden gasped as Dispel fired a purple blast at Hydromancy, turning it into particles. With Hydromancy gone, that meant Blue Maiden could no longer weaken Raguel's monsters during the Battle Phase.

"With Hydromancy gone, I activate Odysseus' effect." Raguel continued. "Once per turn, I can target up to two 'Cyreath' monsters in my Graveyard and Special Summon them to Main Monster Zones he points to. As such, I Special Summon Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Chronicler from my Graveyard back to my field." At Raguel's command, Atalanta/Alpha Mode appeared on Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top Link marker, while Chronicler appeared in the left Main Monster Zone Odysseus pointed to. As if on cue, a cold wind fired out of the card, which changed Chronicler's battle position.

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️➡️

Cyreath Chronicler ATK: 2500 + 500 + 300 = 3300 DEF: 2000 + 500 + 300 = 2800

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 2900 + 500 + 300 = 3700

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Selector. When this card is activated, I can send the top card of my deck to reveal three 'Cyreath' cards from my deck to you that have different names. You choose one for me to add to my hand, one for me to shuffle back to my deck, and one for me to send to my Graveyard."

"Hang on a minute. You're letting me choose?" Blue Maiden inquired, having raised an eyebrow at what she just heard. While it was great that she got the opportunity to get a say in the card Raguel would add to his hand, there was obviously a catch.

"That's correct, Blue Maiden. I want to at least give you a chance to defend yourself, after all." Raguel replied, as he took the top card of his deck and sent it to his Graveyard. "I reveal Cyreath Grand Treasure, Providence and Guardian from my deck." The three declared cards appeared in front of Blue Maiden on a screen for her to look at each one.

Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes as she carefully analyzed each of the three cards that were in front of her. With Grand Treasure, Raguel would be able to acquire more resources to use. The worst part was that he'd be able to get more cards to his hand if he controlled a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. Providence would allow Raguel to Link Summon by shuffling monsters from his Graveyard back into his deck and/or Extra Deck. The worst part was how it was a Quick-Play Spell card, which would give Raguel one of two choices. He could either activate it during his Battle Phase and bring out a powerful monster so he can press onward with his attacks, or use it on his opponent's turn in order to impede their strategies. Last but not least, Guardian's effect would not only prevent Raguel's monsters from being destroyed by battle or card effects, but also halve any battle damage Raguel would take as well. With all of these factors taken into account, Blue Maiden knew what decision to make.

"I've made my decision, Raguel." Blue Maiden spoke up, which got Raguel's attention. "I choose for you to add Guardian to your hand, send Providence to your Graveyard and shuffle Grand Treasure back to your deck." One card appeared in Raguel's hand, one card shuffled itself back into Raguel's deck, and the last card went into Raguel's Graveyard. There was no way Blue Maiden would let Raguel get the upper hand in this duel.

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Doppelganger from my hand." Raguel responded. "If I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon it from my hand to my field." A pale, shadowy man materialized itself on Raguel's field, only to switch to defense position upon being hit by a cold wing that fired out of Eisbahn.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 + 500 + 300 = 1300 DEF: 500 + 500 + 300 = 1300

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I set Cyreath Chronicler and Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Chronicler went into the top arrowhead, while Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Melinoe!" A young girl with brown eyes and black hair braided into a crown appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore dark-red robes that had different colored jewels on it. She also wore shoes that ended with a small blade on each of them. In her hands, she carried a small scepter that had purple claws surrounding the orb at the top.

Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 + 500 + 300 = 1800

"When Melinoe is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my deck to my field." Raguel explained. "I Special Summon Cyreath Barbarian from my deck to my field." A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and mustache appeared on Raguel's field seconds later. Eisbahn fired a cold burst of wind that hit Barbarian and changed his battle position.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 + 500 + 300 = 2300 DEF: 1000 + 500 + 300 = 1800

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Melinoe and Barbarian into the Link Markers!" Melinoe went into the top and bottom-left arrowheads, while Barbarian went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red in the process.

"Embodiment of death itself! Ascend from the underworld and unleash the funeral song of ire onto your prey!" Raguel chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Thanatos!" A tall, pale-skinned muscular man with short spiked white hair and golden eyes, which had dark circles around them appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a hood that covered the top of his head, as well as a cape attached to his back. Attached to his shoulders, forearms and legs were pieces of armor that each had a purple, glowing eye at the center of them. In his hands, he carried a whitish magenta energy scythe.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 + 500 + 300 = 3500

"The effects of Melinoe and Barbarian activate in sequence. First, when Melinoe's used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link monster, you take 500 points of damage." A silhouette of Melinoe appeared before firing magical energy from her scepter, which hit Blue Maiden and made her take a step back as her life points dropped.

Blue Maiden: 1200 – 500 = 700 LP

"Second, when Barbarian's used to Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster gains 500 attack points." Raguel added, as Thanatos' strength increased.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000

Had Raguel Link Summoned Thanatos to one of the Main Monster Zones Judgment Arrows was pointing to, his monster would have grown stronger, Blue Maiden thought in her mind. But he summoned Thanatos to the right Extra Monster Zone so he can bring out more monsters from his Extra Deck. I hate to admit it, but that's clever.

"Last but not least, I activate Thanatos' effect. Once per turn, I can target a monster you control to not only increase Thanatos' attack points by half of that monster's original attack points until the End Phase, I also gain life points equal to half of its attack points as well. I target Wonder Heart. Soul Harvester!" Thanatos charged forward and swung his scythe at Wonder Heart before slashing her, which caused particles to flow over to where Raguel was as it surrounded his body, his life points having increased as a result. As for Thanatos, those same particles surrounded his body, which increased his strength temporarily.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 4000 + (2800 / 2) = 5400

Raguel: 1200 + (2800 / 2) = 2600 LP

"At my command, you shall fall! Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Odysseus attacks Marincess Marbled Rock!"

"I don't think so, Raguel!" Blue Maiden interrupted. "I activate Wonder Heart's effect. When a 'Marincess' monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can change the attack target to her instead."

"That's fine. Because your monster will be destroyed one way or another." Raguel acknowledged. "Odysseus' effect now activates! When he battles a Special Summoned monster, his original attack points are doubled until the end of the damage step. Aegis Enhancement!" Odysseus let out a roar as his strength increased.

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: (2500 X 2) + 500 + 300 = 5800

"And don't forget about Judgment Arrows' effect!" A golden aura surrounded Odysseus as his strength increased further.

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: 5800 X 2 = 11600

"Now, Odysseus! Brutal Beatdown!" Raguel shouted, as Odysseus charged forward, intent on destroying Wonder Heart.

"I activate another of Wonder Heart's effects." Blue Maiden responded. "When she battles, I can target a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped to her to not only prevent her from being destroyed by battle, but to reduce battle damage to zero as well for that battle. Oh, and note that this effect is not once per turn. I target Coral Anemone." A silhouette of Coral Anemone appeared beside Wonder Heart as the two of them held off Odysseus' onslaught of punches and kicks. When those didn't work, Odysseus retreated back to Raguel's field.

"After that battle, I must Special Summon the targeted 'Marincess' Link monster to my field with its effects negated. Return to my field, Coral Anemone." At Blue Maiden's command, Coral Anemone reappeared on her field.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 3500 – 600 = 2900

Cyreath Odysseus ATK: (11600 / 2) – 2500 = 3300

"But because you Special Summoned a monster while I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can use Hypnotism's effect to take control of it and treat it as a 'Cyreath' monster in exchange for negating its effects." Raguel reminded Blue Maiden. "Thus, I take control of your Coral Anemone." Hypnotism glowed with an eerie purple color, which surrounded Coral Anemone seconds later. Soon, she turned into particles before reappearing back onto Raguel's field at Judgment Arrows' top-left Link marker.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: (2200 – 200) + 500 + 300 = 2800

"The battle continues. Cyreath Thanatos attacks Marincess Wonder Heart. Waltz of Chaos!" Thanatos charged forward at Wonder Heart, intent on destroying her.

"I activate Wonder Heart's effect once again." Blue Maiden replied. "Just like earlier, when she battles, I can target a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped to her to not only prevent her from being destroyed by battle, but to reduce battle damage to zero as well for that battle. This time, I target Blue Slug." A silhouette of Blue Slug appeared beside Wonder Heart as the two of them pushed back against the scythe Thanatos tried to slash Wonder Heart that was his hands. When that didn't work, Thanatos retreated back to Raguel's field.

"After that battle, I must Special Summon the targeted 'Marincess' Link monster to my field with its effects negated. Return to my field, Blue Slug." At Blue Maiden's command, Blue Slug reappeared on her field.

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 LINK-1 ⬇️

Marincess Blue Slug ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2900 – 300 = 2600

"But because you no longer have any 'Marincess' Link monsters equipped onto Wonder Heart, you can no longer use her effect." Raguel told Blue Maiden, who didn't respond. Everything was set for this attack. Thanks to Atalanta/Alpha Mode's other effect, Raguel would be able to clear Blue Maiden's field quickly, as well as inflict massive battle damage. "The battle continues! Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode attacks Marincess Wonder Heart! And just like before, Judgment Arrows' effect activates!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode was surrounded in a golden aura that doubled her strength.

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 3700 X 2 = 7400

"Finish this, Atalanta/Alpha Mode! Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode charged forward towards Marbled Rock, dark energy surrounding her before she jumped high into the air, intent on destroying the latter and inflicting damage to Blue Maiden.

"I activate the effect of Hydromancy from my Graveyard." Blue Maiden interjected. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Marincess' monster I control and send all other 'Marincess' monsters I control to my Graveyard. Then the targeted 'Marincess' monster gains attack points equal to the combined attack points of the 'Marincess' monsters sent to my Graveyard by this effect until the End Phase."

"Strengthen your monster all you want. It won't change your upcoming defeat." Raguel defiantly said back.

"I send Marbled Rock and Blue Slug to my Graveyard, whose combined attack points are 4400. That means Wonder Heart gains 4400 attack points!" Blue Slug and Marbled Rock turned into particles that went over to Wonder Heart, who was surrounded in a light-blue aura as her strength increased.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2600 + 4400 = 7000

"As for your comment about my upcoming defeat, allow me to prove you wrong." Blue Maiden added. "I also activate the effect of Formation in my Graveyard. When a 'Marincess' monster I control battles, I can banish this card to not only prevent it from being destroyed by battle or card effects this turn, but also halve all damage I would take from battles involving it."

"What?!" Raguel gasped after hearing this information.

"I banish Formation and target Wonder Heart!" Wonder Heart was surrounded in a second light-blue aura seconds later, only this one was sturdier in order to protect her.

"Nevertheless, you'll still be taking battle damage." Raguel reminded Blue Maiden, as Atalanta/Alpha Mode dived down in an attempt to destroy Wonder Heart. However, Wonder Heart blocked the attack using her longsword, which caused a burst of air to ripple through the duel field upon impact. Blue Maiden winced before falling on one knee, her life points having dropped seconds later.

Blue Maiden: 700 – ((400 X 2) / 2) = 300 LP

Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode ATK: 7400 / 2 = 3700

"Hmph. So you survived, but only barely. Your feeble resistance will eventually come to an end, though. I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Thanatos, Hydromancy and Formation now end." Raguel concluded, as Thanatos was surrounded in a red aura, which decreased his strength.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 6400 – 1400 = 5000

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 7000 – 4400 = 2600

"You know, I realized something interesting based on what happened just now, Blue Maiden. It has to do with Wonder Heart and how you used her effect several times to ensure you both survived."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Raguel?" Blue Maiden asked.

"There was a way you could have stayed in the duel against Bohman had you used that strategy a little more correctly. To put it simply, you could have gotten one more chance at victory if you planned things more carefully in response to Bohman's strategies." Raguel firmly explained, which made Blue Maiden raise an eyebrow.

"M-M-More carefully? Even though I lost against Bohman, I gave it everything I got. Sometimes, losing is inevitable, and it's better to lose with your head held high than let fear consume you."

"Well, it turns out, there was something else you should have taken into account during the duel." The Cursed Boundary Layer emitted from Raguel as pieces of shadowy ribbons appeared in his hand before fading away. "This power I've accepted has shown me a truth on how you could have survived. For a duelist must always be prepared for the unexpected, and you were unable to do such a thing."

Blue Maiden gasped. She couldn't prepare for the unexpected during her duel against Bohman? That was a lie. Blue Maiden gave it her all against Bohman in order to try and defeat him before losing at his hands. Just what was Raguel going on about? He obviously didn't doubt her abilities as a duelist, as she wouldn't be here fighting against him if that were the case. Yet a part of Blue Maiden wanted to know what Raguel saw due to the Cursed Boundary Layer's power. She needed to know. "What do you mean by your comment, Raguel?"

"Do you remember when you used Wonder Heart's effect in order to stop Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's attacks, only for Bohman to make you send a monster to your Graveyard every time so he can attack again?" Raguel asked. "While you couldn't have avoided those attacks, there were two ways you could have survived the turn and continued the duel."

"Oh yeah? And how would I have survived, huh? Bohman made me send monster after monster to my Graveyard so Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch could continue attacking. After Wonder Heart was destroyed, her effect let me bring Crystal Heart back to my field, and I was also able to use Crown Tail's effect to halve the battle damage before bringing her out to my field." Blue Maiden recalled, only for her eyes to widen out of shock upon realizing what just happened. "Oh no..."

"It seems you realized it, huh? The fact that there was something you could have done to survive in the end. Allow me to elaborate on the two ways you could have survived." Raguel held up one finger. "One: You didn't have to necessarily bring Crystal Heart back to your field with Wonder Heart's effect. If you didn't Special Summon Crystal Heart back to your field, you still could have brought out Crown Tail and sent her to the GY as per Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch's effect, which would have stopped him from attacking again because you had no monsters on your field. Even if Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch could attack, you could have banished Crown Tail to reduce the damage by 12000, thus allowing you to continue the duel." He held up a second finger. "Two: Had you chose to Special Summon Crystal Heart, along with Special Summoning Crown Tail in defense position, you could have sent Crystal Heart to your Graveyard instead, and Tesseract Hydradrive Monarch would not deal any battle damage due to him destroying a monster in defense position. It's the little things that can determine whether you win or lose a duel, don't you agree?"

Blue Maiden gasped out of shock upon processing over this information. She hated to admit it, but what Raguel was saying was true. There were two ways Blue Maiden could have survived Bohman's turn had she thought through the situation a little more. If Blue Maiden had chosen one of the two options Raguel told her about, then she could have stayed in the duel and be granted one final chance to defeat Bohman.

"Just as I failed to protect Herald, your inability to further analyze the situation has prevented you from protecting Aqua!" Raguel finished.

"You're right, Raguel. I failed to protect Aqua, but it's only through failure that one can grow." Blue Maiden spoke up, which got Raguel's attention. "Want to know something else? Even if it's hard to move forward, it's better than remaining stuck and holding onto something bad that would make you rot from the inside out."

"But without the past, you'll never be the person you are today." Raguel narrowed his eyes. "My failure in protecting Herald, along with accepting my family's destiny, is the motivation I needed to ensure it's completed forever. By acquiring the Root of All Knowledge, I will become the One True God and use its power to eradicate sin from this universe forever. This way, the inhabitants living on it will never be infected by such a vile curse again. Besides, they've been crying out for a savior the moment sin was introduced to this universe, so it's only fair for someone to answer that cry, don't you agree?"

Blue Maiden sighed, disappointed with what Raguel said just now. "Honestly, I pity you, Raguel."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"It's because you've allowed yourself to stay stuck in the past based on what you said just now!" Blue Maiden answered, which made Raguel gasp. "Just like you and Miyu, I lost my parents. If it weren't for Akira, I'd experience the same pain the two of you went through all those years ago. But rather than focus on what you lost, you should instead be grateful for what you have. For example, you found someone to take you in after your struggles, while Akira and I had to survive with no one else until he got a career at SOL Technologies. While life can give you a bad hand, it doesn't give you the right to lash out on others."

"Oh, I'm grateful, alright. I'm grateful with learning the truth about this blighted world, and how my beliefs are practically useless." Raguel replied. "I've had enough with everyone's suffering, Blue Maiden. I need to be like this if the universe is to be saved forever from sin. Like I told you earlier, you'll have to defeat me if you wish to put a stop to my plans."

Blue Maiden took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "If you want me to prove that humanity is still good despite its mistakes, then I'll show you right now." She opened her eyes. "My turn! I draw!" Blue Maiden drew the topic card of her deck and gasped upon looking at it. It's one of the cards Herald made! If I draw the other one, and I'll be able to make a counterattack, she realized in her mind. This will definitely help her with the duel. However, if Blue Maiden wanted to play it, she'd have to get rid of Raguel's face-down card first. After all, it was certain that the face-down card would negate her effects, so it was best to bait Raguel into using it in order to catch him off guard later on. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Marincess Blessing. When this card is activated, I can-."

"How pointless." Raguel remarked. "Counter-Trap, activate! Cyreath Reprisal!" The card showed a giant Zeus firing down lightning at a spartan with white skin and a red tattoo on the left side of his face and body, who was using a massive sword to try and withstand his wrath. "When you activate a card effect, I can not only negate the effect, but also destroy it as well. What's more, if I control a 'Cyreath' Link 3 or higher monster, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of 'Cyreath' cards on my field and/or in my Graveyard."

"What?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed in shock as a blast of energy erupted out of Reprisal, which turned Blessing into particles. On the plus side, she was able to bait Raguel into using his face-down card. However, it meant that she could no longer activate cards or effects in response to the activation of Raguel's 'Cyreath' cards that were on his field and/or in his Graveyard for the rest of this turn. "In that case, I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards." Blue Maiden drew the top two cards of her deck seconds later.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Double Cyclone. This card lets me target a Spell or Trap card on each of our fields and destroy them. I target Eisbahn on my field and Hypnotism on your field, and destroy them!" As if on cue, a yellow cyclone emerged out of Double Cyclone and destroyed Eisbahn, while a red cyclone emerged and destroyed Hypnotism.

"As Hypnotism left the field, all monsters that I've taken control of with its effect are banished." Raguel said, as the copy of Coral Anemone turned into particles seconds later. "Also, note that with Eisbahn gone, any non-Water attribute monsters I bring out moving forward can no longer be forced to change to defense position."

"In addition, I activate the effect of Marincess Pascalus from my Graveyard. By banishing her from my Graveyard, I can target one 'Marincess' Spell or Trap card in my Graveyard and add it back to my hand. I banish Pascalus and add Current from my Graveyard back to my hand." Blue Maiden decided, as a card popped out of her Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"Prepare yourself for this, Raguel! With the Scale 0 Cyreath Macarios and the Scale 10 Cyreath Adele, I will now set the Pendulum Scale!" Soon, two pillars of light appeared on Blue Maiden's left and right sides.

In the pillar of light on Blue Maiden's left was a boy with short brown hair and green eyes. His attire consisted of a white toga with gold cuffs and a black undershirt.

In the pillar of light on Blue Maiden's right was a girl with long brown hair and green eyes. Her attire consisted of a white dress with gold armlets.

Cyreath Macarios PS: 0

Cyreath Adele PS: 10

"Are you ready for this, Adele?" Macarios asked.

"I am, Macarios. Let's do this!" Adele responded.

"Cyreath cards? How the Hell do you-?!" Raguel began speaking, before letting out a gasp after putting two and two together. Herald must have made them prior to the war in Mirror LINK VRAINS, and didn't tell me about it, he realized in his mind.

"It seems you figured it out, haven't you?" Blue Maiden taunted. "But to confirm your suspicions, Herald made these cards so we can free you from your madness! And let me tell you now that the 'Cyreath' cards Herald made not only support the archetype, but Cyberse monsters in general as well!"

"What?" Raguel's eyes widened in shock after hearing this information. While his field was solidified, he didn't know what effects Macarios and Adele had, so it was more important than ever for him to be cautious. Otherwise, Raguel would pay the price for his arrogance.

"Let me show you what I mean! I activate Macarios' Pendulum effect. When I have no monsters in the Pendulum Zone, I can Pendulum Summon Cyberse monsters from my Graveyard!"

"From your Graveyard?" Raguel repeated out of surprise and curiosity.

"That's right, Raguel!" Blue Maiden confirmed. "Go, Celestial Pendulum Summon! Return from my Graveyard, Blue Tang, Sea Horse, Basilalima, and Sea Star!" Macarios and Adele fired glowing energy from their hands down to the ground, which caused a portal to appear seconds later as five lights emerged. The lights hit the field and then dissipated, revealing five monsters.

The first was Blue Tang.

The second was Sea Horse.

The third was Basilalima.

The fourth was a girl who wore a black undershirt and green baggy pants. She had violet-colored boots, as well as orbs attached to her shoulders and armbands attached to her arms. Her hair was colored dark green, which jutted outwards in the form of spikes. Wrapped around her neck was a long white scarf.

Marincess Blue Tang ATK: 1500 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

Marincess Basilalima ATK: 600 DEF: 2100 LV: 4

Marincess Sea Star ATK: 800 DEF: 400 LV: 2

Marincess Blue Tang ATK: 1500 + 200 = 1700

Marincess Sea Horse ATK: 1400 + 200 = 1600

Marincess Basilalima ATK: 600 + 200 = 800

Marincess Sea Star ATK: 800 + 200 = 1000

"I activate Blue Tang's effect. Just like before, when Blue Tang is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Marincess' monster from my deck to my Graveyard. I send Marincess Crown Tail from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of her deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard.

"Shine, the circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" Blue Maiden said, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more Water monsters. I set Marincess Blue Tang, Sea Horse and Sea Star into the Link Markers!" Blue Tang went into the left arrowhead, Sea Horse went into the bottom arrowhead and Sea Star went into the right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Marincess Marbled Rock!" A second copy of Marbled Rock appeared on Blue Maiden's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Wonder Heart pointed to.

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️➡️

Marincess Marbled Rock ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

"Blue Tang's second effect activates! Just like before, when Blue Tang is sent to the Graveyard to Link Summon a Water Link monster, I can excavate the top three cards of my deck and add one 'Marincess' card amongst the three to my hand, as well as shuffle the other two into my deck." Blue Maiden reminded Raguel, as she looked at the top three cards of her deck. "I add Marincess Typhoon to my hand." She took one card and added it to her hand before shuffling the other two into her deck.

"I also activate Marbled Rock's effect. Once per turn, I can target one 'Marincess' card in my Graveyard and add it back to my hand." Blue Maiden continued. "I add Sea Star from my Graveyard back to my hand." A second card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added back to her hand.

"Shine, for a second time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A second Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters, except tokens. I set the Link 3 Marincess Marbled Rock and Basilalima into the Link Markers!" Marbled Rock went into the left, top and right arrowheads, while Basilalima went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Protector of the Cyberse World! Let out a shriveling howl of victory, freedom, and coexistence, and fight to keep the ones you love safe!" Blue Maiden chanted. "Link Summon! Arise! Link 4! Rasterliger!" A white-furred liger with orange eyes appeared on Blue Maiden's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Wonder Heart pointed to. He had a large, circular armored collar that had red lines and panels attached to his neck. Metal braces were attached on his legs and feet, each of them having blue, glowing lines. He also had armor pieces on his body, which had two camera-like blasters attached to the sides. Finally, a metal plate was attached to the top of his head.

Rasterliger ATK: 2000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"RL..." Raguel muttered, shocked and heartbroken that Rasterliger was in this fight despite the latter choosing to do so of his own free will.

"Raguel, I don't want to fight you, but you've given me no choice." Rasterliger told Raguel before letting out a growl at the latter.

"Just leave it to me, Rasterliger. I got it under control." Blue Maiden reassured Rasterliger, before refocusing her attention on the duel. "I activate Adele's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can target monsters in your Graveyard and Special Summon them to Main Monster Zones a Cyberse Link monster points to. However, their effects are negated, and they can't attack while they're on the field."

"You're summoning monsters from my Graveyard?" Raguel questioned out of surprise.

"You heard me." Soon, a digital screen showing the cards in Raguel's Graveyard appeared in front of Blue Maiden. "I Special Summon Cyreath Melinoe and Doppelganger from your Graveyard to my field." Macarios and Adele fired energy from their hands down to the ground, which caused a portal to appear seconds later as Melinoe and Doppelganger appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zones Rasterliger pointed to.

Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"Shine, for a third time! The circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A third Link Portal appeared on Raguel's field. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters, including a 'Cyreath' Link monster. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Melinoe and Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Melinoe went into the top and bottom arrowheads, while Doppelganger went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Bewitch those that dare gaze upon you!" Blue Maiden chanted. "Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Cyreath Medusa!" A woman with very long, light-purple hair appeared on Raguel's field in remaining Main Monster Zone Wonder Heart pointed to. She wore a short, black dress with violet lines that covered her waist. She also had black sleeves with four violet chokers across her arms, along with high-stockings and boots. Her eyes were covered by a violet eye cover, with two silver straps on it. In her left and right hand, she carried a long chain with a dagger at the end of it.

Cyreath Medusa ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️↘️

"I appreciate you summoning me in this duel, Blue Maiden. Let's win this fight both for Raguel's sake and to stop this madness." Medusa stated, as she took off her violet eye cover, where violet-colored lighting radiated around her before dissipating.

"Stop this madness? If this plan succeeds, then everything that's infected humanity will be freed! Not just that, but the children will be forever safe as well!" Atalanta/Alpha Mode exclaimed, which got Medusa's attention.

"And are you willing to make the children who are currently alive suffer just to reach your goal, Atalanta?" Rasterliger inquired, which made Atalanta/Alpha mode gasp out of shock in response.

"H-How dare you ask such a question…." Atalanta/Alpha mode grit her teeth, infuriated that her dream would be used as a weapon just to try and stop her.

"Herald showed me how compassionate and kind humans have become since eons ago. As a result, I've been able to gain a better understanding of mankind, as well as see the selfless potential they have as a species." Medusa stated. "In honor of what Herald did for me, I'll make sure Raguel is saved."

"That's right, Medusa! We'll save Raguel together!" Blue Maiden said, which led Medusa, Rasterliger and Wonder Heart to nod in agreement. "I activate Rasterliger's effect. Once per turn, I can target a Link monster in either of our Graveyards and increase his attack points equal to the targeted Link monster's attack points until the end of this turn. I target Marbled Rock in my Graveyard, who has 2500 attack points! That means Rasterliger gains 2500 attack points! Integration Increase!" Rasterliger howled as a blue aura surrounded his body, which increased his strength.

Rasterliger ATK: 2000 + 2500 = 4500

"Last but not least, I activate Sea Star's effect from my hand. By sending it to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Marincess' monster on my field, and increase its attack points by 800 until the end of this turn. I target Wonder Heart!" After Blue Maiden sent a card from her hand to her Graveyard, Wonder Heart was covered in a blue aura, which increased her strength.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2600 + 800 = 3400

"Battle!" Blue Maiden declared. "Rasterliger attacks Cyreath Atalanta/Alpha Mode!"

"Need I remind you that when a monster Judgment Arrows points to battles-." Raguel began speaking.

"Nope, I haven't forgotten, Raguel!" Blue Maiden interjected. "Which is why I got this! I activate Medusa's effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate and destroy it! Go, Mystic Eyes!" Medusa prepared to fire a beam of light from her eyes at Judgment Arrows, only for Raguel to summon Excalibur Morgan before black, red, and purple particles merged with it and increased the sword's size. He swung the strengthened Excalibur Morgan at Medusa, who immediately jumped on the wall and began running as he directed the blade to try and injure her.

Medusa quickly jumped to the ground and continued running to evade Raguel's attacks, having used her increased speed to do so. She tried to land a blow on Raguel, only for him to block the attack before making her retreat. Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes as she saw the brief fight in front of her. Compared to his battle against Playmaker, Raguel was using a reduced portion of his strength just to try and defeat Medusa. It's because if Raguel goes all out, he'll destroy the Tower of Hanoi's core and any hope he has in trying to find the Root of All Knowledge, Blue Maiden realized in her mind.

Black, red and purple particles merged with Excalibur Morgan before its size increased once again, which Raguel swung towards Medusa in another attempt to try and injure her. However, she dashed to the wall nearby and jumped onto it before running upwards, having managed to evade the attack. Medusa quickly bounced off the wall towards Raguel, her eyes glowing a violet color as she fired a beam of light from them at Judgment Arrows, which turned it into particles. The same beam of light also made Raguel groan in agony upon realizing that his movements have gone stiff, as evident by the skin having rustled. This also gave Medusa an opening to land a blow on Raguel with her feet, energy pouring into it as she forced Raguel back several feet.

"The accursed Mystic Eyes…" Raguel muttered, as his Link Trigger kicked in to try and heal him from the aftereffects. Before Raguel can do anything else, Medusa appeared out of nowhere and slashed him with the chained daggers in her hands, which made the former grit his teeth as he took a step back. Seconds later, Medusa retreated back to Blue Maiden's field, having managed to stun Raguel temporarily.

"Excellent job, Medusa!" Blue Maiden stated. "For with Judgment Arrows gone, Odysseus and Atalanta/Alpha Mode are as good as dead!"

"Not necessarily, Blue Maiden!" Raguel snarled, as he took a card in his hand in order to play it. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Guardian from my hand! When this card is activated, 'Cyreath' monsters-."

"Sorry, but I won't let you! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Marincess Typhoon! When you activate a card or effect, I can negate the effect and banish it!"

"WHAT?!" Raguel exclaimed, as Guardian turned into particles seconds later.

"In addition, if I control a Link 2 or higher 'Marincess' monster, I can banish cards you control up to the number of 'Marincess' Link monsters I control." Blue Maiden added. "Since I currently control only one 'Marincess' Link monster, that means I can banish one card. As such, I banish Domain Tartarus." A typhoon of water blasted out of the card and consumed Domain Tartarus, which turned it into particles. Within seconds, three arrows of light appeared before piercing Atalanta/Alpha Mode and Odysseus, turning the both of them into particles as Raguel gasped in horror on what just happened. Thanatos also groaned in pain as his strength decreased.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 4000 – 300 = 3700

"But because Domain Tartarus left the field, I can target a 'Cyreath' Link monster on my field and shuffle 'Cyreath' cards from my Graveyard back into my deck and/or Extra Deck up to its Link rating." Raguel told Blue Maiden. "I target Thanatos, who is a Link 3 monster. That means I can shuffle three cards from my Graveyard back into my deck and/or Extra Deck. I shuffle Cyreath Providence, Hypnotism and Reprisal back into my deck." Three cards popped out of his Graveyard, which he took and shuffled back into his deck.

"That won't matter, Raguel. For you'll lose on this turn!" Blue Maiden fiercely responded. "A battle replay occurs! Rasterliger attacks Cyreath Thanatos! Combination Sequence!" The cameras attached to Rasterliger's sides blasted Thanatos, which gave Rasterliger the opening to strike the latter down. He charged forward and tore Thanatos to shreds through a combination of claw strikes and body maneuvers, which caused a massive explosion seconds later. Raguel then winced as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 2600 – 800 = 1800 LP

"I activate Thanatos' final effect. When he leaves the field by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon him back to my field. However, he's banished once he leaves my field." As if on cue, Thanatos reappeared on Raguel's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

Cyreath Thanatos ATK: 2700 + 500 = 3200

Blue Maiden smirked. In the next minute or two, she'd win this duel. "The battle continues! Marincess Wonder Heart attacks Cyreath Thanatos! Sparkling Surge!"

"Take this!" Wonder Heart shouted, as a dark-blue longsword appeared in her hands before charging forward at Thanatos. She swung the longsword at Thanatos, who blocked it using his scythe. However, Wonder Heart broke the weapon lock and slashed Thanatos with the longsword, which caused an explosion that pushed Raguel back a few feet as his life points dropped once again.

Raguel: 1800 – 200 = 1600 LP

"It's time to end this once and for all! Once again, I activate the Trap card, Marincess Current from my hand!" Blue Maiden said. "Just like before, when a 'Marincess' Link monster I control destroys a monster you control, you take damage equal to its Link rating times 400. In addition, if the monster destroyed in battle was a Link monster while I control a Link 2 or higher 'Marincess' monster, you take damage equal to its Link rating times 500!"

"This… this can't be! I'm actually about to lose?!" Raguel exclaimed.

"Yes you are, Raguel. Your loss was sealed the moment you not only allowed that Cursed Boundary Layer to infect your mind, body and soul, but also due to your decision to abandon everyone else just for pursuing power!" Blue Maiden thrusted out her right hand. "Wonder Heart's Link rating is four, while Thanatos' Link rating is three, which means you take 3100 points of damage!" Two Link Portals appeared before a burst of water fired out of them, which went towards Raguel and hit him as a massive explosion occurred. The same explosion sent Raguel flying off the ground, who landed on his back as his life points dropped to zero.

Raguel: 1600 – 3100 = 0

"It's finished…" Rasterliger acknowledged.

"Yes. The duel is over." Medusa stated. "Well done, Blue Maiden. Let's go on over and initiate the next phase of the plan."

"I'm on it." Blue Maiden replied, only for her and the others to hear several chuckles. Ones that were a combination of both pain and anger. The quartet saw Raguel slowly get up on his feet, a black and red aura having surrounded his body. "What?! How are you still alive?!"

"It's impossible. The duel's over when a duelist's life points drop to zero." Wonder Heart said.

"If that's the case, then why haven't you and the others disappeared?" Raguel taunted angrily, his Link Trigger having healed him from the pain Medusa inflicted onto him earlier. "I survived thanks to a little special card in my Graveyard."

"Special card? What do you-?" Blue Maiden began speaking, before she let out a gasp. "Wait. Don't tell me the card you sent to the Graveyard through Selector's effect-!"

"Yup. That card was the one who prevented me from losing." Raguel smirked. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Tartarus Gates from my Graveyard. Once per duel, when my life points hit zero, I can end the Battle Phase and gain life points equal to the monster with the highest attack points on your field."

"My field?" Blue Maiden gasped. This... was really bad for her.

"That's correct. Rasterliger is the monster with the highest amount of attack points, which means I gain 4500 life points!" Raguel said, as his life points increased.

Raguel: 0 + 4500 = 4500 LP

"Then Tartarus Gates' second effect lets me bring out Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode from my Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning conditions." Within seconds, a massive set of iron gates with small flames at the top appeared behind Raguel, which emitted black smoke before they slowly opened. However, before they could fully open, a clawed hand emerged and smashed them apart. Emerging from the destroyed gates was a massive and tall beast resembling a hybrid between man and bull that appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. The beast had white skin all over his body, a massively long and wild white mane, white hair, red scars all over his body, and very long horns that were not only cracked, but were also colored red halfway. He wore iron armor like a corset over his bulky and scarred body, along with iron rings around his arms and legs. The beast also wore a broken iron mask that resembled a bull's head, with the right side being the only remaining piece of it. As a result, only his left inhuman red and yellow eye that was showing.

Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode ATK: 3500 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode ATK: 3500 + 500 = 4000

"Can't you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins? The eldritch presence icing your heart?" Raguel tauntingly asked each question. "If you thought the One True God can be taken down that easily, you're sorely mistaken! Behold Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, Blue Maiden! My ultimate trump card against those who think they got the upper hand against me!"

Great! Just when victory was in my sight, Raguel managed to somehow survive the duel, Blue Maiden cursed in her mind. I need to bring his life points down to zero again if I'm to officially win this duel. "I end my turn, which means the effects of Sea Star and Rasterliger end." Wonder Heart and Rasterliger were surrounded in auras that reverted their strength back to normal.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 3400 – 800 = 2600

Rasterliger ATK: 4500 – 2500 = 2000

Meanwhile, in the real world, at Café Matsuo...

"Oh, you have gotta be kidding me..." Roxy commented, as she and Miyu saw Yuhiro managing to somehow stay in the duel despite Aoi's best efforts in trying to end it. It seemed that Yuhiro had an ace in the hole in the event his opponent was able to stay ahead of him in the duel. For not only was Yuhiro able to bring his life points back above 4000, but also summon a new monster to his field as well. One that was anything but good for sure. If Herald were here, he'd call this a deus ex machina, Roxy thought in her mind.

"GAAAAH!" Miyu shouted, her eyes having widened upon sensing that something amiss was going on. While she didn't know the specifics, she did know that things were going bad for Aoi and the others.

"Miyu, what's wrong?" Roxy turned to Miyu, having seen the distraught look on her face. Before Roxy could say anything else, Miyu stood up from her chair and exited from the backroom, the former immediately following after the latter. "Miyu, please tell me what's going on!"

"I'm going to log into the network and help Aoi. Something very bad's going on, and she needs my help." A determined look appeared on Miyu's face, knowing what she had to do and the role she had to play if Yuhiro was to be stopped. For Miyu was unwilling to let everyone else suffer just so they can save someone she loved.

In response to this, Roxy stood in Miyu's way. "We agreed on this, Miyu. You're to help on the sidelines only after-." But before Roxy could say anything else, Miyu pushed her aside and began running upstairs, with the former following after the latter. "Please get back here, Miyu!"

Having ignored Roxy's words, Miyu quickly opened the door to her room before slamming it shut, having grabbed a box filled with books and put it near the door to ensure it didn't open. She then went over to her desk and opened one of the drawers, which contained her duel disk as she took it out. "I told you, auntie. Aoi needs help to stop Yuhiro. I can sense it." Miyu quickly put the coordinates in her duel disk, having memorized them before Aoi logged into the network.

"Miyu, get back here! It's too dangerous-!" Roxy began speaking, as she forced the door open.

"Deck Set! Into the VRAINS!" Miyu shouted, as a blue sphere surrounded her body, which prevented Roxy from going near the former. Roxy gasped after seeing that Miyu logged into the network, having failed to stop her niece from making such a reckless decision.

Roxy ran downstairs, knowing that the only way she can help Miyu would be to guide her from the backroom. Please be safe out there, Miyu. Please be safe, she thought, as she typed the network ID from Miyu's duel disk on the digital keyboard. After a few seconds, it popped up on the screen, which indicated that she was alive and well. Roxy then pressed a button on the digital keyboard in order to open a conference call, where it rang for a few moments before a screen showing Kusanagi popped up.

"Hey, Roxy, is everything-?" Kusanagi began asking.

"Miyu logged into the network just now, Kusanagi!" Roxy reported, which led Kusanagi to gasp in response. "I'd rather the Hanoi not know what happened just now, so let's just keep this between us, okay?"

"Hey, I get it. If Jin did what Miyu did just now, I'd be in the same position you're in right now." Kusanagi assured Roxy.

"Just... help me keep an eye on her and make sure she's okay. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt on the battlefield."

Kusanagi nodded on the other end. "I'll do my best." He hung up on his end, which led Roxy to let out a sigh.

Looks like Yuhiro and I aren't the only stubborn ones here, Roxy thought in her mind, as she typed on the digital keyboard, intent on clearing the way so Miyu can assist Aoi in freeing Yuhiro from the Cursed Boundary Layer. While Roxy knew that Miyu would log into the network, she didn't expect Miyu to log in and assist the others on the battlefield. Still, she felt that a part of her knew the role Miyu would play in saving Yuhiro. It was as if Herald predicted this would happen. Just be careful out there, Miyu. And don't worry. Kusanagi and I got your back.

Several minutes later, in the old server...

Aerith logged into the old server, having looked around the area so she can gain an awareness of her surroundings. It appeared that she was some distance away not just from the battles, but from the Tower of Hanoi as well. After turning around, Aerith found the Tower of Hanoi, as evident by the only massive structure in the old server.

KABOOM!

Aerith turned her head to see where the sound came from, and upon doing so, she noticed a group of Raguel data clones battling against Chimerator Gradientron and Mothinear Lepidopteron. In addition, Zero was firing light-green energy from his hands at the barrier surrounding the Tower of Hanoi in order to destroy it. Having analyzed the area, Aerith slid down the slope so she can continue making her way to the Tower of Hanoi, where Blue Maiden was at right now. After all, the sooner Aerith made it to the Tower of Hanoi, the sooner she can help Blue Maiden against Raguel.

She rolled out of the way to avoid the chaos of the fight, intent on making sure no one could see her. However, Aerith's luck ran out once one of the Raguel data clones was sent flying back from Chimerator Gradientron's attack.

"No! It can't be! What are you-?!" one of the data clones of Raguel began speaking before Chimerator Gradientron practically tore it apart, much to Aerith's surprise. As if on cue, Mothinear Lepidopteron eliminated the rest by piercing each one with her stinger. Both duel monsters then set their sights on Aerith, who glared back at them in response by putting on a brave face.

KABOOM!

The barrier surrounding the Tower of Hanoi was destroyed seconds later, which was evident by pieces of it falling to the ground, having turned into data particles upon doing so.

"Enough, Chimerator Gradientron and Mothinear Lepidopteron! Leave the girl alone!" Zero exclaimed, as his two duel monsters turned into particles. He went over to Aerith, a curious expression on his face. "A bystander such as yourself shouldn't be here. Leave before things get more chaotic than they already are."

"I'm not a bystander! I'm here to save Raguel from himself!" Aerith told Zero, who narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know Raguel, child? Are you actually aware of-?" Zero's eyes soon glowed-light-green, which allowed him to scan Aerith from the bottom to the top. He gasped upon seeing traces of light-blue energy emit from Aerith's body. That's impossible. Could this mean that the girl in front of me is a victim of the Lost Incident, he wondered in his mind. There was only one way Zero would be able to confirm this theory. "Are you the Water Ignis' true Origin?"

"What? Are you talking about Aqua?" Aerith's eyes glowed light-blue to determine if Zero was telling the truth, and sure enough, he was.

"Please answer the question, child. It's a matter of life and death here."

Aerith gathered her thoughts before responding. "Yes. I am Aqua's Origin. She was created when I was in the Lost Incident."

"I see." Zero responded, having thought this over. Given how Playmaker and the others were currently battling against Raguel's forces, it was only a matter of time until the Origin of the Water Ignis would show up to assist them. All this time, he assumed that Blue Maiden was a victim of the Lost Incident, but it turned out that wasn't true. Standing in front of him now was Aerith, Aqua's true Origin. For it was Aerith, not Blue Maiden, who was a part of the Lost Incident ten years ago. "You said you were here to save Raguel from himself, yes?"

"I am, and I know what's happening right now, along with who's responsible for this mess." Aerith assured Zero. "We even have a weapon to save Raguel from the creature that infected his mind, body and soul."

"Really now?" Zero raised an eyebrow, curious on what Aerith meant by that last part. Did Playmaker and the others begin creating the weapon when the Cursed Boundary Layer first appeared? Or was it made by someone else who predicted that it would appear later on? Maybe it's possible to free someone from the Cursed Boundary Layer's grasp without killing them after all, Zero thought in his mind. Having made his decision, he pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused Mothinear Lepidopteron to appear beside him. "My duel monster will take you to where you need to go."

"And what about you? Surely, you'll assist the others, right?"

Zero nodded in confirmation, knowing what he had to do to assist in destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer and stopping Raguel. Kairi did say once that they would have to reveal themselves to Playmaker and the others at one point, so it was better for Zero to show himself now than wait later. This way, he can at least catch Jericho off guard and make him trek carefully regarding his plans, thus giving Playmaker and his allies time to prepare for the former's next appearance. Chimerator Gradientron soon appeared, which Zero hopped onto seconds later. "I will help your friends. Good luck." With that, Zero jumped down from the area he was on and onto the ground, intent on fulfilling his promise.

Aerith approached Mothinear Lepidopteron before raising her left palm in front of her, wanting to assure the latter that she meant no harm. To Aerith's surprise, Mothinear Lepidopteron allowed her to pet her, which she did. Having managed to gain Mothinear Lepidopteron's trust, Aerith hopped onto her back before she took off and flew towards the Tower of Hanoi. I'm almost there, Aoi. Just hang on a little longer, as I'll be there to help you save Yuhiro, Aerith thought in her mind, a determined expression having appeared on her face.

Elsewhere, in the old server…

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"I activate the Trap card, Marincess Wave from my hand." Blue Maiden interjected, wanting to make sure she survived this turn. "Just in case you need a reminder, I can activate this card from my hand if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Marincess' Link monster. When I control a 'Marincess' Link monster, I can target a monster you control and negate its effects until the end of this turn. What's more, if I control a Link 2 or higher 'Marincess' Link monster, all monsters I currently control are unaffected by your card effects until the end of this turn."

Raguel blinked in response to being interrupted. "What?"

"While Mount Olympus protects your monsters from my monster effects, I can still target them with Spell and Trap cards now that Domain Tartarus is gone. As such, your new monster won't be able to use his effects this turn. I target Asterios/Lostbelt Mode!" A wave of water that was reinforced by a gust of wind emerged out of Wave before heading straight towards Asterios/Lostbelt Mode!

"Sorry, but it's going to take much more than that to stop my new monster!" Raguel gestured to his field, a calm grin evident on his face. "For Asterios/Lostbelt Mode is unaffected by your card effects while there is a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard. In addition, control of this card cannot be switched. Shadow Port!" A shadowy portal appeared behind Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, which enabled him to dodge the wave of water and wind fired out of Wave, much to Blue Maiden's ire. Seconds later, he reappeared on Raguel's field alive and well.

On the plus side, at least my monsters are safe for this turn, Blue Maiden assured herself in her mind.

"I also activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cyreath Shadows." Raguel continued. The card showed Pandora in a black, muddy pit as she struggled to stand up on her feet. A look of horror was on her face as several tall obround shadow creatures that had no hands, feet, or head began dancing around her in glee. Each of the shadow creatures had no hands, mouth, feet, or head, which meant they only had arms and legs in the form of ribbons. On their bodies were eight glowing dots, six of which were in the form of a circle, one in the middle of that circle, and the last one underneath the bottom dot, all of which were their eyes. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can Special Summon 'Cyreath Shadow' tokens to my field up to the Link monster on either of our fields with the highest Link rating. If there's a tie, I get to choose. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"Either of our turns?" Blue Maiden repeated. If that was the case, Raguel would be able to bring out monsters on her turn.

"That's correct." Raguel confirmed Blue Maiden's worst fear. "Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, Rasterliger and Wonder Heart are the three monsters with the highest Link rating of four on the field. As such, I'll choose Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, who is a Link 4 monster. That means I can Special Summon four Cyreath Shadow tokens to my field." Four tall, obround shadow creatures that had no hands, feet, or head appeared on Raguel's field. Each of the shadow creatures had no hands, mouth, feet, or head, which meant they only had arms and legs in the form of ribbons. On their bodies were eight glowing dots, six of which were in the form of a circle, one in the middle of that circle, and the last one underneath the bottom dot, all of which were their eyes.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

Upon seeing the Shadow tokens, the small Shadow giant trembled in fear, knowing that things are only going to get worse for Blue Maiden from here. A ripple of energy soon emanated from the Shadow tokens, which made the small Shadow giant escape from his current hiding spot and run over to another rock for refuge.

"Those tokens have unknown attack points." Blue Maiden noted. She hated unknowns, as they resulted in anything but good for the duelist facing against them.

"I activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's second effect." Raguel added, which got Blue Maiden's attention. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, I can send a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum monster from my deck or Extra Deck to grant him a new effect that he retains as long as that type of monster is in my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Sigma, which is a Pendulum monster, to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "And because I sent a 'Cyreath' Pendulum monster to my Graveyard, I can activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's newest effect he gained just now! I can negate the effects of cards on your field up to the number of monsters you control until the End Phase! Oh, and this card's activation and effect cannot be negated."

Blue Maiden gasped in horror after hearing this information. "What?!"

"You have three monsters on your field, which means I can negate up to three cards on your field until the End Phase. I negate the effects of Battle Ocean, Macarios and Adele! Shadow Quake!" A large hammer appeared in Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's hands, which he brought down onto the field as a massive earthquake shook Blue Maiden's field. This caused black auras to surround Battle Ocean, Macarios and Adele before draining their effects away from them temporarily. Wonder Heart also groaned as her strength was depleted.

Marincess Wonder Heart ATK: 2600 – 200 = 2400

"Now that's out of the way, let's bring this duel to a close, shall we? Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode attacks Marincess Wonder Heart! Labyrinth Cleaver!" Two giant labrys appeared in each of Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's hands as he charged forward, intent on destroying Wonder Heart.

"I activate the effect of Marincess Crown Tail from my Graveyard." Blue Maiden immediately responded. "By banishing her from my Graveyard, for the rest of this turn, I take no battle damage that is less than or equal to the total Link rating of the 'Marincess' Link monsters with different names in my Graveyard times 1000."

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed. That practically meant Blue Maiden would survive this turn.

"Blue Slug and Sea Angel are Link 1 monsters, Crystal Heart and Coral Anemone are Link 2 monsters, Marbled Rock is a Link 3 monster and Wonder Heart is a Link 4 monster. That means any battle damage I would take that is less than or equal to 13000 is practically dropped to zero!"

Asterios/Lostbelt Mode charged forward and brought down the two giant labrys in his hands down onto Wonder Heart, who blocked it using her broadsword. However, Asterios/Lostbelt Mode managed to break through the blade lock completely before slashing Wonder Heart, which caused a massive explosion seconds later that pushed Blue Maiden back several feet.

"I also activate Wonder Heart's final effect!" Blue Maiden added, having managed to steady herself. "When she's destroyed, I can Special Summon Crystal Heart from my Graveyard back to my field." At Blue Maiden's command, Crystal Heart reappeared on her field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Marincess Crystal Heart ATK: 0 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

Given how Blue Maiden used Crown Tail's effect to reduce battle damage practically down to zero, there isn't any point in me attacking for the rest of this turn, Raguel acknowledged in his mind. He'd have another opportunity to defeat Blue Maiden once his next turn came around. And should Blue Maiden attack one of the Shadow tokens... well, she'd get a nasty surprise in the end. What's more, he can use Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effect during either player's turn, which would give him an advantage down the , Crystal Heart being on Blue Maiden's field would make things harder down the road due to Battle Ocean granting whatever monster using Crystal Heart as Link material the ability to be unaffected by card effects, so it was better to get rid of it now than risk it becoming a problem down the road. "The battle continues! One of the Cyreath Shadow tokens attacks Marincess Crystal Heart!" One of the Cyreath Shadow tokens charged forward and smashed Crystal Heart into pieces, which turned the latter into particles.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Wave, Asterios/Lostbelt Mode and Crown Tail end." Raguel concluded, as Battle Ocean, Macarios and Adele were surrounded in auras that liberated them from Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effects. "Don't you see? You can resist all you want, but you'll fall in the end, just like how Playmaker eventually lost to me. And just like with Playmaker, you'll let everyone you cared about down."

"Like how you let those you cared about down these past few days?" Blue Maiden asked, which made Raguel raise an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? I didn't let anyone down."

"Yes, you did, Raguel. You let down the people in your life who wanted to help you heal and move forward, such as Roxy, Stregone, Miyu and so many others." Blue Maiden emphasized. "Even if that's the case, there are still others who see you as a symbol of hope when they needed it. For instance, when Rosetta was still working at the Alpha Branch, you treated her as someone who needed help instead of as an enemy because you saw the goodness within her. As a result, you managed to help Rosetta leave Ace's control. There's also Phoenix, who had trouble moving on from his mom's death and his dad's imprisonment following the Disbandment Armistice. The fact that you were one of the many people who spent time with Phoenix enabled him to move forward from his tragedy. Hell, if it wasn't for you, I bet Windy would have made Slipstream suffer more a long time ago."

"A symbol of hope? Don't be ridiculous." Raguel scoffed.

Blue Maiden pointed her right index finger at Raguel. "I'm not ridiculous because that fact's true. If you weren't around, then Miyu wouldn't have someone to live for, and the fact that you're here meant you had a role in helping us triumph over our enemies. The world needs the real you, Raguel, not someone who's become a puppet by their family's sins. You must realize the truth before it's too late for you to do so."

Raguel frowned. "You're right. The universe does need me. But I wonder whether it needs you, especially after all of your failures."

"My failures?" Blue Maiden repeated.

"You heard me. Your desire to duel Playmaker and get recognition from your brother has led to you getting infected by the Hanoi's virus. Even though you matured since then, you still weren't strong enough to defeat Specter when the Tower of Hanoi was activated. As a result of you losing, your brother was captured and used by the Hanoi as a hostage along with Numera in an attempt to eliminate myself, Playmaker and our respective Ignis'." Raguel narrowed his eyes as he drove each point home. "And earlier, I mentioned how you could have survived against Bohman if you were only able to plan ahead a little bit more. If you were stronger, you could have prevented Aqua from dying in the first place!"

Blue Maiden's eyes widened before she began to have a panic attack, having remembered each of her failures. It was… unfortunately true. Back when Blue Maiden was Blue Angel, she just wanted Akira to acknowledge that she can take care of herself. That she was no longer the little girl he had to protect all those years ago when they lost everything. After Blue Maiden woke up from her coma, she strove to get stronger to keep the people in LINK VRAINS safe, and her efforts paid off upon defeating Baira. But despite getting stronger, she was unable to get past Specter's unorthodox strategies, which led to her defeat. Months after the Tower of Hanoi, Blue Maiden upgraded her deck to ensure that she would be able to win duels moving forward. This also paid off, as she was able to play a role in ending the Turf War. And when Blue Maiden acquired the 'Marincess' deck from Aqua, she strove to master it so she can help Raguel rescue Miyu's consciousness data from captivity. Unfortunately, despite being able to utilize her new deck proficiently, Blue Maiden lost at Bohman's hands. The worst part of it all was that Aqua died because Blue Maiden wasn't strong enough.

"Now do you understand, Blue Maiden? When compared to the One True God, human endeavors will always fail no matter what their intentions are." Raguel said, as Blue Maiden's panic attack led to her falling on her knees. "In the end, humans will always feel helpless and alone."

"Don't let Raguel's words get to you, Blue Maiden!" Medusa warned Blue Maiden, only for the latter to put her hands on the sides of her head. Rasterliger also barked in order to get Blue Maiden's attention, which sadly didn't work.

"Aqua... Herald... Roxy... Miyu... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry I failed, everyone..." Blue Maiden lamented, tears having began to fall from her eyes.

"Is this your first taste of hopelessness? Humans cling to hope because of fear, so when all is lost, they cannot survive." Raguel continued, having fully glared at Blue Maiden. "You're not worthy of leading the future. Not at your level of strength. In the end, just like everyone else, you're all alone."

"You're wrong, Raguel. Blue Maiden's not alone, and she never has been," a voice loudly said, which made everyone turn their heads to see who was talking. Emerging from the hallway and onto the battlefield was Aerith, a firm and courageous expression on her face.

"Wait. Is that-?" Medusa began speaking.

"No! It can't be!" Raguel exclaimed, shocked at what he was seeing. Did Miyu log into the network just now?

"Aerith, is that you?" Blue Maiden quietly asked, as Aerith ran over to where the former was.

"Yeah, it's me, Blue Maiden." Aerith confirmed, having helped Blue Maiden stand up on her feet. Unfortunately for Blue Maiden, she stumbled over, which led Aerith to put her right arm around the former's left shoulder. "Like I said, you're not alone. Not now. Not ever. Oh, and you don't need to bear the weight of everything on your shoulders, okay? It's okay to ask for help, don't you think?"

Blue Maiden gasped and thought this over. Aerith was right! She wasn't alone, and never has been from the very start! Blue Maiden then reflected on the good she did since all those months ago. She helped liberate the deathstalkers from the Beta Branch, and even freed Sandalphon from the brainwashing Clarice put her through. In addition, Blue Maiden triumphed in her duel against Enzo, which led him to willingly surrender to the authorities and provide information on how to stop Ace. From what she remembered, Enzo's sentence was massively reduced due to his cooperation, to the point where he only had to spend four to five months in jail in exchange for further helping the authorities down the road. Overall, Blue Maiden came a long way since meeting Raguel and Playmaker, as she wouldn't be the person she was today had it not been for them. Overall, she wouldn't let her insecurities and failures tie her down any longer! "You're right, Aerith. There's nothing wrong with asking for help. Just keep me steady, hold the cards for me and draw, okay?"

"Of course! Leave it to me!" Aerith promised, a grateful smile evident on her face.

"So you stand against me too?! I thought you'd be wise and stay on the sidelines, Aerith!" Raguel commented furiously. He honestly didn't expect Miyu to log into the network and somehow find her way into the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code was at to assist Blue Maiden. But how could that be possible? Raguel's maze program would have made the search close to impossible, seeing how it trapped people there. Damn it! Roxy, Kusanagi and the Hanoi must have found a way to break it, he realized in his mind. That meant Raguel didn't have much time left to charge the Tower of Hanoi with enough data material so it can open a hole in the network, which mean he had to end this duel soon.

"I'm standing with the others so I can help in saving your life, Raguel, and that is a promise I intend to keep!" Aerith vowed. As if on cue, Rasterliger and Medusa readied themselves for what was to come. They weren't the only ones, as Adele and Macarios also readied themselves for whatever moves Raguel planned to use next during the duel.

"My turn! I draw!" Blue Maiden said, as Aerith helped her draw the top card of her deck.

"I activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effect once again!" Raguel interjected. "Just like earlier, I can send a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum monster from my deck or Extra Deck to grant him a new effect that he retains as long as that type of monster is in my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Aetos Dios, which is a Synchro monster, from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Raguel's Extra Deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "And because I sent a 'Cyreath' Synchro monster to my Graveyard, I can activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's newest effect he gained just now! Now all monsters you currently control lose 500 attack points, and they can't attack for the rest of this turn."

"What?" Blue Maiden gasped after hearing this information while Aerith's eyes widened out of shock. That meant Blue Maiden couldn't attack any of Raguel's monsters with either Rasterliger or Medusa for the rest of this turn!

"Go, Asterios/Lostbelt Mode! Shadow Break!" A massive axe appeared in Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's hands as he swung it forward, which caused a wave of energy to be released that hit Rasterliger and Medusa. The two of them let out a groan of pain as their strength was decreased temporarily.

Rasterliger ATK: 2000 – 500 = 1500

Cyreath Medusa ATK: 2300 – 500 = 1800

"In that case, I activate Adele's Pendulum effect." Blue Maiden responded. "Once per turn, I can target monsters in your Graveyard and Special Summon them to Main Monster Zones a Cyberse Link monster points to. However, their effects are negated, and they can't attack while they're on the field."

"This again…" Raguel muttered. He knew that Blue Maiden would most likely bring out Achilles next, as none of the monsters in his Graveyard had the Water attribute.

"I Special Summon Cyreath Melinoe and Skull Wing from your Graveyard to my field." Macarios and Adele fired energy from their hands down to the ground, which caused a portal to appear seconds later as Melinoe and Skull Wing appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zones Rasterliger pointed to.

Cyreath Melinoe ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"I also activate the Spell card, Moray of Greed. By shuffling three Water monsters into my deck, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Blue Maiden said. "I shuffle Marincess Sea Horse, Sea Angel and Blue Slug into my deck and Extra Deck, and draw!" Three cards popped out of Blue Maiden's deck, which Aerith took and assisted Blue Maiden in shuffling them back into her deck and Extra Deck. After doing so, Blue Maiden drew the top two cards of her deck.

"Shine, the circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Melinoe and the Link 1 Skull Wing into the Link Markers!" Melinoe went into the left and bottom arrowheads, while Skull Wing went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Achilles!" A man with spiky green hair, except for a single bang that hung over the left side of his face, appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore silver armor on his body, with the chest piece featuring a bird. Wrapped loosely around his body was an orange cloak, which flowed behind him for a few moments. In his hands, he carried a lance that had a small, metal blade at the end of it.

Cyreath Achilles ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ⬅️⬇️↘️

"Great to be here, Blue Maiden! Let's knock some sense into Raguel, shall we?" Achilles said, with Blue Maiden nodding in agreement. He gasped upon seeing Aerith beside her. "Wait a minute. Is that-?"

"Yes, it is, Achilles. Yes, it is." Medusa simply confirmed.

Achilles let out a chuckle. "Despite being told to stay on the sidelines, you still find a way to get on the frontlines, huh? If I were in your shoes, I'd do the same thing, Aerith."

"I'll give you some help in a moment, Achilles." Blue Maiden told Achilles before gesturing to her field. "I now activate the Equip Spell card, Cyreath Jewelled Blade and equip it onto Achilles!" The lance in Achilles' disappeared before being replaced with a dagger-like sword with a jewelled blade, which glowed with a rainbow color. Achilles flourished the new weapon in his hands, having been able to master using it within seconds. "The equipped Cyberse Link monster not only gains 1000 attack points times its Link rating, it can also attack all monsters you control once each."

"What?" Raguel said in surprise as a rainbow aura surrounded Achilles, which increased his strength.

Cyreath Achilles ATK: 2400 + (1000 X 3) = 5400

"Battle!" Blue Maiden thrusted out her right hand. "Cyreath Achilles attacks Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode!" Achilles charged forward at Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, the jeweled blade shining with a rainbow color in the process.

"Not so fast! Trap card, activate! Cyreath Resolve!" Raguel interrupted. "By banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, 'Cyreath' monsters I control can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, and any battle damage I take is halved for the rest of this turn. I banish Melinoe from my Graveyard."

"But you're still taking battle damage, Raguel." Blue Maiden reminded Raguel, as a rainbow-colored stream of light emerged from the jewelled blade, which Achilles brought down onto Asterios/Lostbelt Mode seconds later. Despite having endured the impact, Asterios/Lostbelt Mode was forced to take a step or two back, having been stunned by the attack. As for Raguel, he was forced to brace himself as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 4500 – (1400 / 2) = 3800 LP

"The battle continues! Cyreath Achilles attacks the first Cyreath Shadow token!" Achilles charged forward once again in order to try and destroy the first Shadow token.

"Cyreath Shadows has an additional effect!" Raguel responded. "When a 'Cyreath Shadow' token battles a monster with higher attack points, its attack points become equal to the attack points of the 'Cyreath' monster with the highest attack points on my field until the end of the damage step."

"What?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed.

"Asterios/Lostbelt Mode has 4000 attack points! That means the Shadow token gains 4000 attack points!" The Shadow token let out a growl as its strength increased.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 500 + 4000 = 4500

Achilles brought down the rainbow-colored stream of light that emerged from the jewelled blade onto the first Shadow token, who was pushed back upon impact. Raguel also winced as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 3800 – (900 / 2) = 3350 LP

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 4500 – 4000 = 500

So that's why the tokens have unknown attack points, Blue Maiden figured out in her mind. When they battle a monster who's stronger, they become stronger in response. But I can't stop now. Not when I have an opportunity to deal massive damage. "The battle continues! Cyreath Achilles attacks the second Cyreath Shadow token!" Achilles charged forward at the second Shadow token seconds later.

"Shadows' second effect activates!" Raguel reminded Blue Maiden, as the second Shadow token let out a growl before its strength increased.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 500 + 4000 = 4500

Achilles brought down the rainbow-colored stream of light that emerged from the jewelled blade onto the second Shadow token, who was pushed back upon impact. Raguel also winced for a second time as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 3350 – (900 / 2) = 2900 LP

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 4500 – 4000 = 500

"The battle continues again! Cyreath Achilles attacks the third Cyreath Shadow token!" Blue Maiden said, as Achilles fearlessly charged forward at the third Shadow token. In response, the third Shadow token let out a growl as its strength increased temporarily.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 500 + 4000 = 4500

Achilles brought down the rainbow-colored stream of light that emerged from the jewelled blade onto the third Shadow token, who was pushed back upon impact. Raguel winced for a third time as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 2900 – (900 / 2) = 2450 LP

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 4500 – 4000 = 500

"The battle continues one more time! Cyreath Achilles attacks the fourth Cyreath Shadow token!" Achilles fearlessly charged forward one more time at the fourth Shadow token, having spun the jewelled blade in his hands before doing so.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 500 + 4000 = 4500

Achilles brought down the rainbow-colored stream of light that emerged from the jewelled blade onto the fourth Shadow token, who was pushed back upon impact. Raguel winced for a fourth time as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 2450 – (900 / 2) = 2000 LP

Cyreath Shadow ATK: 4500 – 4000 = 500

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Asterios/Lostbelt Mode and Resolve ends." Blue Maiden concluded, as an aura surrounded Rasterliger and Medusa that freed them from the pain through their bodies.

"You just need to survive this turn, Blue Maiden. Once you do so, you'll be able to defeat Raguel." Aerith assured Blue Maiden, who nodded back in agreement as the two of them prepared themselves for whatever strategies Raguel planned to use next on his turn.

Meanwhile, in another area of the old server...

Since he had been found by his mentor Kazuma Saromi, Lord Kazuma had been training in order to hone his skills as a duelist. Not just as a duelist, but as a duel assassin, and eventually a member of the Knights of Hanoi. After Lord Kazuma found out that Azrael was the one who murdered his mentor, he was hellbent on getting revenge in their duel, but failed to succeed in the end. While Lord Kazuma was glad to learn that Azrael was gone upon waking up from his coma, he was still pissed that he couldn't settle the score against his mentor's killer. Thus, Lord Kazuma had to settle for Azrael's hybrid-brother in Raguel, and the duel was going well so far for him.

Raguel: 2200 LP

Lord Kazuma: 2000 LP

On Lord Kazuma's field was Illusion of Chaos, along with Royal Decree and Dark Magical Circle. Aside from that, he only had one card in his hand. As for Raguel, he had Lernaean Hydra, a Set monster and a card face-down. He had three cards in his hand. So for now, things were pretty even overall.

Illusion of Chaos ATK: 2100 DEF: 2500 LV: 7

Cyreath Lernaean Hydra ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"I have to say, Raguel. I didn't expect you to incorporate Flip Summoning into your deck. Yet despite that little surprise, things are quite even between us in this duel." Lord Kazuma said.

"Only for now, Lord Kazuma. For once your turn is finished, I will eliminate you and everyone else who stands in my way towards becoming the One True God." Raguel replied, only for Lord Kazuma to laugh in response. "What's so funny?"

"You're still going on about becoming the One True God? So boring, if you ask me. I mean, what can you offer compared to all the other religions and beliefs out there? I mean, there are even people in this world who don't give a shit about religion in the first place. If all you got to offer is fear and power, then I pity any poor souls that choose to follow you because you'd become nothing more than a mere dictator."

Raguel narrowed his eyes. "You think I'm nothing more than a dictator? At least I'll be the only one left for people to follow once everything dividing humanity is wiped out, and that includes different religions."

"Blah blah blah. If I were to uncover the truth behind your words, I'd say you're trying to justify your actions." Lord Kazuma guessed. "Need I not remind you of the crimes you committed on the Black Market a long time ago? Hell, SOL Technologies committed crimes before the Hanoi even existed, yet you didn't go after the company. You went after us."

"What difference does it make? You Hanoi scum ran the Lost Incident and caused nothing but suffering to everyone who was involved in your schemes, as well as kickstarted events that brought us here right now!" Raguel countered.

"People involved? You hearing yourself right now, Raguel? Or are you just going cuckoo?" Lord Kazuma taunted. "You ruined a bunch of lives by going out at night and murdering people despite them not deserving it. However, you killed them anyway. If anything, you're no better than the Hanoi, SOL Technologies and your own brother combined based on the words you said and the events that occurred recently."

"What?!" Raguel grit his teeth in anger after hearing that accusation.

"You heard me, also-ran. You're no better than humanity itself. Gods don't make mistakes, yet the fact that you, a person proclaiming himself to be one, made mistakes makes you no better than a human. Simple as that." Lord Kazuma let out another laugh after he finished speaking.

"Shut up! I am the One True God! I don't make mistakes because I and only I know what will be best for mankind!" Raguel exclaimed. "After everything humans went through, they deserve freedom from sin, which I intend to deliver to them!"

"To paraphrase Game of Thrones, any man who must say 'I am the One True God' is no One True God." Lord Kazuma heartlessly replied, which made Raguel gasp. "Anyhow, your proclamations and justifications bore me, Raguel, so let's just resume the duel so I can shut you up for good, alright? My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck.

"Quick-Play Spell card, activate! Cyreath Dispel!" Raguel gestured to his field. "Like earlier, I can target one Spell or Trap card you control and destroy it. I destroy Royal Decree!" Dispel fired a purple blast at Royal Decree, which turned it into particles, much to Lord Kazuma's annoyance.

Well, it was going to be destroyed one way or another, Lord Kazuma reminded himself in his mind. The good thing is that I'm now free to go all out. "I activate the Spell card, Card of Burial Magic. By banishing three Spell cards in my Graveyard, I can draw the top two cards of my deck. I banish Jewel of the Dark Magician, Secret Sanctuary of the Spellcasters and Chaos Form from my Graveyard and draw!" After three cards from Lord Kazuma's Graveyard turned into particles, he proceeded to draw the top two cards of his deck.

"I summon The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion from my hand to my field." A purple-colored floating sphere resembling that of a brain appeared on Lord Kazuma's field. It had mechanical pieces attached to its body, such as cores, buttons, tubes and straps. Red tentacles were also on its surface, along with a small set of tentacles at the bottom.

The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion ATK: 1000 DEF: 1600 LV: 3

"That's not a Spellcaster monster." Raguel voiced the obvious. "What exactly are you planning, Lord Kazuma?"

"Simple. I'm planning to win this duel!" Lord Kazuma answered. "I activate the Spell card, Fusion!" The card showed silhouettes of a fiend and a dragon spinning together to form a purple and light-blue swirl, with a galaxy in the background. "This card lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by sending monsters from my field to my Graveyard as Fusion Materials."

Raguel let out a chuckle. "I doubt whatever Fusion monster you could bring out would help you win this duel."

"Then let's see how you react to this! I activate The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion's effect! When it's used as Fusion Material, I can substitute it for any one Fusion Material monster as long as the other Fusion Material monsters are correct. The monster that the Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion is substituting for is... Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed, as The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion morphed to form into a massive, white and blue-colored bipedal dragon with three heads extending from his neck. He also had two long wings, along with a long tail. On each of his heads was a red mark resembling that of a spear.

"I use Illusion of Chaos and The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion, which is being used as a substitute for Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, as Fusion Materials!" Lord Kazuma said, as Illusion of Chaos broke into red particles while The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion, which was rechristened as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, broke into blue particles before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Legendary practitioner of the dark arts! Join forces with the ultimate creature of destruction and raze the battlefield with your combined might! Fusion Summon! Descend now! Level 12! Dragon Magia Master!" A massive, white-colored, bipedal dragon with three heads extending from his neck appeared on Lord Kazuma's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On each of their heads was a red mark resembling that of a spear. Standing on the dragon's body was a blue-skinned man who had long black hair, along with a blue scepter that had a green gem at the end. His attire consisted of a form-fitting black jumpsuit that had black and red straps all over it, as well as two red rings on his upper body.

Dragon Magia Master ATK: 5000 DEF: 4000 LV: 12

"What kind of monster is this?" Raguel inquired.

"The one who's going to be a real pain in your ass, Raguel." Lord Kazuma answered. "If this card was made for me earlier, I could have been able to defeat Azrael. Still, at least I can defeat you to avenge my mentor's death. Battle! Dragon Magia Master attacks Cyreath Lernaean Hydra! Chaos Lightning Blast!" Electrical, white energy charged up in each of the dragon's mouths while black energy charged up in the sorcerer's scepter. Both dragon and man fired them at once, which combined to form into a chaotic, black and white stream of lightning that incinerated Lernaean Hydra to pieces before a massive explosion occurred. The same explosion pushed Raguel back several feet as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 2200 – 2000 = 200 LP

"Consider yourself lucky, Raguel. For if I had two more monsters on my field, you would have been defeated this turn. But if past history has indicated anything, it's that you're too stubborn to be defeated when your back's against the wall. I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel angrily said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I Flip Summon Cyreath Hecatoncheires to my field!" A massive, rock-hardened humanoid with numerous arms on its body appeared on Raguel's field. These arms were ones that jutted out of its four main arms, each of which had a fully formed hand with fingers. Around its forehead were spikes that were bound to it. On its midsection was a set of strong and well-defined muscles resembling that of a six pack.

Cyreath Hecatoncheires ATK: 2800 DEF: 2100 LV: 8

"When Hecatoncheires is Flip Summoned, I can draw the top two cards of my deck." Raguel drew the top two cards of his deck. "Since I control a 'Cyreath' Flip monster, I can Special Summon Cyreath Markswoman from my hand to my field." A woman with black hair who wore dark-blue armor on her body appeared on Raguel's field. Around her neck was a bone-toothed necklace, along with small bone pieces decorating her armor. In her hands, she carried a large bow that had a skull in the middle, while a quiver containing arrows was strapped to her side.

Cyreath Markswoman ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400 LV: 3

"I now activate Markswoman's effect." Raguel continued. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when I control a 'Cyreath' Flip monster, I can-."

"Stop right there, Raguel! I activate Dragon Magia Master's effect!" Lord Kazuma interrupted. "During either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate the activation and destroy that card. Chaos Nullification!" As if on cue, Markswoman turned into particles, much to Raguel's ire.

"I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Reborn, which lets me-."

"Sorry, but that's gonna be denied as well! I activate Dragon Magia Master's effect once again! During either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate the activation and destroy that card. Chaos Nullification!" As if on cue, Reborn turned into particles, much to Raguel's ire once more.

"How the Hell were you able to activate that effect twice?!" Raguel demanded, before he gasped. "Unless-?"

"Dragon Magia Master's effect can be used once per turn in response to each card type. So to put it simply, I can activate its card effect up to three times during either of our turns." Lord Kazuma gleefully announced, which made Raguel growl back after hearing this information.

"For your impudence, you will pay the ultimate price, Lord Kazuma! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Providence. When this card is activated, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon one 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Extra Deck, by shuffling 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard to my deck and/or Extra Deck!"

"Oh, what a killjoy. You still have that broken card, don't you?" Lord Kazuma rolled his eyes after speaking.

"There's nothing wrong with having a powerful card on your hand, am I not correct, Lord Kazuma?" Raguel taunted. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I shuffle Cyreath Markswoman and Pane back into my deck to set them into the Link Markers!" Markswoman went into the top arrowhead, while Pane went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Aletheia!" A woman who wore white Greek robes and a red piece of cloth wrapped around her neck appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. A chest plate was attached to the upper portion of her robe, along with a black strap with golden circles that was strapped to her right shoulder. On her head was a large, golden crown with thorns on it, which kept her hair bundled in place.

Cyreath Aletheia ATK: 2200 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"I now activate Aletheia's effect. Once per turn, I can destroy a 'Cyreath' monster I control to Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster with a different name from my deck to my field. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of her effects if she was Link Summoned using a 'Cyreath' Link monster. I destroy Hecatoncheires on my field and Special Summon Miner from my deck to my field!" After Hecatoncheires turned into particles, a small, male individual wearing mining gear and carrying mining equipment appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Miner ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LV: 3

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Miner into the Link Markers!" Miner went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Hephaestus!" A deformed blacksmith carrying a heated rod and a walking stick appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a short brown tunic around his waist.

Cyreath Hephaestus ATK: 500 LINK-1↘️

"Since Miner was used to Link Summon, I can add any card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Hewdraw from my Graveyard to my hand." Raguel decided, as a card popped out of his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "In addition, I activate Hephaestus' effect. Once per turn, when I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can add one Spell or Trap card from my Graveyard to my hand. I add Cyreath Fusion from my Graveyard to my hand." A second card popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand.

Great. Raguel's going to Fusion Summon really soon, Lord Kazuma cursed in his mind. The good news is that I have a card which will keep my monster safe in the event of a worst-case scenario.

"Appear, for a third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 2 Cyreath Aletheia and the Link 1 Hephaestus into the Link Markers!" Aletheia went into the top and bottom-right arrowheads, while Hephaestus went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Go wild and smash everything in your way!" Raguel chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyreath Erymanthian Boar!" A bulky, massively built suidae with short and relatively thin legs appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had brown fur with light green elements all over its body, along with a mane of dark fur. It also had four tusks at the front of its head. While the two biggest ones were long and curved inward, the two small ones were hooked slightly forward.

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️⬇️

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

"Since Aletheia was used as Link Material for the Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Set one 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my field. I Set Cyreath Eradication from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand. "It's time to end this, Lord Kazuma. I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Fusion. Just like earlier, this card lets me Fusion Summon one 'Cyreath' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using 'Cyreath' monsters from my hand or field. In addition, if you control a Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, or Link monster, I can also use one 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Extra Deck as Fusion Material as well!"

"Oh, boy. Here we go…" Lord Kazuma muttered.

"I use Cyreath Hewdraw in my hand, Erymanthian Boar on my field and Galactic Squid from my Extra Deck as Fusion Materials!" Raguel decided, as a silhouette of a red-skinned octopus with a white underbelly and four tentacles, along with black eyes flashing yellow dots and multiple rows of teeth within its maw appeared beside Erymanthian Boar. A silhouette of Hewdraw also appeared beside Erymanthian Boar and Galactic Squid seconds later. They broke apart into red, blue and green particles before they went upwards and swirled into a vortex. Three tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Ferocious serpent in the deepest part of the ocean! Immerse yourself with the roughest waters, and drown my enemies in eternal despair!" Raguel chanted. "Fusion Summon! Emerge! Level 10! Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis!" A massive, dark-blue serpent with sharp and rough skin, as well as three long tentacles that ended in sharp blades on each side of his body appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had sharp fangs in the top portion of his mouth, while the bottom portion of his mouth had regular teeth. On top of his head was a pair of horns, which resembled that of a mammoth's tusks.

Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis ATK: 3300 DEF: 2500 LV: 10 PS: 1

"Well, this is unexpected indeed..." Lord Kazuma admitted, having looked up the effects of Thuellai Charybdis before letting out a gasp.

"This monster's stronger than Lernaean Hydra, and allow me to show you why!" Raguel exclaimed. "When Thuellai Charybdis is Fusion Summoned, I can either add a 'Cyreath' card from my deck to my hand or send it to my Graveyard. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of his effects. I add Cyreath Ley Line from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"There's no way in Hell I'll let you fully capitalize on your new monster's effects! I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Forbidden Chalice!" Lord Kazuma interjected. "This card lets me target a monster on the field and negate its effects in exchange for it gaining 400 attack points until the End Phase."

"What?" Raguel stiffened up.

"I target Thuellai Charybdis!" A grey aura surrounded Charybdis that drained him of his effects before changing into a golden one, which increased his strength temporarily.

Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis ATK: 3300 + 400 = 3700

"Even though you were able to stop Thuellai Charybdis' effects, there are still other moves I can do, such as this one!" Raguel rebutted. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Cyreath Ley Line. During my Main Phase, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster and send up to three 'Cyreath' monsters from my deck to my Graveyard. Then for each one sent to the Graveyard by this effect, the targeted 'Cyreath' monster gains 1000 attack points until the End Phase."

"Which means your monster's going to become stronger than Dragon Magia Master." Lord Kazuma realized.

"Exactly. I target Thuellai Charybdis and send Whelp, Wandering Soul and Myrmekes from my deck to my Graveyard, which means Thuellai Charybdis gains a total of 3000 attack points until the End Phase!" After Raguel took three cards from his deck and sent them to his Graveyard, Charybdis was surrounded in a dark-blue aura that increased his strength.

Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis ATK: 3700 + (1000 X 3) = 6700

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis attacks Dragon Magia Master! Torrential Submergence!" Black, ghoulish energy appeared in Charybdis' mouth before firing it at Dragon Magia Master, who responded with a combined attack of magic and lightning in the form of a beam. However, the black, ghoulish energy overpowered the counterattack and destroyed Dragon Magia Master in response. As a result, a massive explosion occurred that sent Lord Kazuma flying off the ground, having landed on it by the time his life points decreased.

Lord Kazuma: 2000 – 1700 = 300 LP

"You may have destroyed Dragon Magia Master, but it has one final effect." Lord Kazuma told Raguel. "When it leaves my field due to you by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon one 'Blue-Eyes' monster, or one 'Chaos' ritual monster or one 'Black Luster Soldier' Ritual monster from my Graveyard or Extra Deck."

Raguel laughed after hearing this information. "Go ahead and bring out whatever pathetic monster you wish to summon next. No monster in your deck can survive Charybdis' wrath."

"Well, at least I know which monster will help me win this duel. Return to me from my Graveyard, Magician of Chaos!" At Lord Kazuma's command, Magician of Chaos reappeared on his field.

Magician of Chaos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LV: 7

"Magician of Chaos's name becomes Dark Magician while he's on my field or in the Graveyard." Lord Kazuma reminded Raguel. "And just like earlier, when Dark Magician is Normal or Special Summoned to my field, except during the damage step, Dark Magical Circle's effect lets me-."

"I think not. I activate the effect of Cyreath Eunomia from my hand." Raguel interrupted. "By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can negate the activation of a card effect." A woman with silver hair, carrying a silver sword and a small court scale, briefly appeared on Raguel's field. The woman wore a black and white dress, with a diamond choker. Eunomia threw the silver sword at Dark Magical Circle, turning it into particles.

"You may have gotten rid of Dark Magical Circle, but Magician of Chaos can still use his effect. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when a Spell or Trap card is activated, I can target one card on your field and destroy it. I target and destroy your face-down card." The staff in front of Magician of Chaos then fired a blue magical circle, restraining Raguel's face-down card before turning it into particles, much to his ire.

Had I destroyed Charybdis with Magician of Chaos or Dark Magical Circle, I would have lost due to his final effect upon leaving the field, Lord Kazuma acknowledged in his mind. I had hoped to use Dark Magical Circle and Magician of Chaos's effects in conjunction to get rid of both of Raguel's cards in the Spell & Trap card zone, but as long as I got rid of an obstacle, I'll be satisfied one way or another. Therefore, the only way to ultimately get rid of Charybdis is to destroy it with a monster strong enough to bring Raguel's life points all the way to zero.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Ley Line and Forbidden Chalice end." Raguel concluded, as Charybdis was surrounded in a golden aura that restored his effects, only for a grey aura to replace it before returning his strength to normal.

Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis ATK: 6700 – (1000 X 3) – 400 = 3300

"My turn! I draw!" Lord Kazuma said, as he drew the top card of his deck. Yes! This is just what I needed to win this turn, Lord Kazuma thought in his mind. "I activate the Spell card, Reckoning of Dark Magic!" The card showed Dark Magician of Chaos hovering above the ground, his scepter in front of him as magical energy tore into the portal in front of him, a silhouette of a three-headed dragon emerging out of it. "When I control a Dark Spellcaster monster, I can Special Summon one 'Dark Magician' monster or one monster that has 'Dark Magician' in its text from my deck or Graveyard to my field. However, if I control a Dark Spellcaster Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster, I can Special Summon any Light or Dark monster from my Graveyard to my field instead!"

"How foolish of you, Lord Kazuma. That move will be your undoing!" Raguel told Lord Kazuma. "I activate Whelp's effect from my Graveyard. During either of our turns, when you activate a card effect-!"

"You cannot! For when I control a Dark Spellcaster Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster, you can't activate cards or effects in response to its activation!" Lord Kazuma responded back, which made Raguel gasp upon hearing this news. "Return to me, Dragon Magia Master!" At Lord Kazuma's command, Dragon Magia Master reappeared on his field, much to Raguel's horror.

Dragon Magia Master ATK: 5000 DEF: 4000 LV: 12

"As a Spell or Trap card was activated, I can activate Magician of Chaos's effect once again to target and destroy-."

"I don't think so! Continuous-Trap, activate! Cyreath Erosion!" Raguel interrupted. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when you activate a card effect, I can-."

"Sorry, but that's gonna be denied! I activate Dragon Magia Master's effect! During either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate the activation and destroy that card." Lord Kazuma countered. "Chaos Nullification!" As if on cue, turned into particles. "Now that your card's gone, I can resume using Magician of Chaos's effect to target and destroy Ley Line." The staff in front of Magician of Chaos then fired a blue magical circle, restraining Raguel's face-down card before turning it into particles.

"This… This is impossible. I'm about to lose to a clown like you?! A clown that I've defeated before?!"

"Yup. After all, a fake such as yourself can never defeat a true duelist." Lord Kazuma answered. "But before I finish you off, there are a few things you should know. First, I want to thank you very much for defeating Azrael. You've done the Hanoi a great service."

"A great service?" Raguel repeated angrily.

"Yup. By defeating Azrael, you indirectly avenged all the pain we experienced at your brother's hands. So on behalf of the Hanoi, I want to thank you very much. Oh, and you know all those data clones you recently made to prevent us from reaching your location?"

"Yeah? What about them?" Raguel raised an eyebrow, wanting to know what Lord Kazuma was talking about.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there's a weakness in using the data clone program." Lord Kazuma revealed. "The consumption of data material aside, it's a very bad idea to create multiple data clones of yourself. After all, when a data clone is destroyed, it goes back to the owner and absorbs whatever the clone experienced. Since you created a bunch of clones, you're going to get an overwhelming amount of pain from the other duels your clones are participating in against the others once they're over."

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed, shock and fear evident in his tone.

"As much as I want to see the real version of you writhe in agony in front of my eyes, I can at least get some satisfaction by defeating you. After all, I not only want to avenge my mentor and dish out your family's well-deserved comeuppance, but also settle the score between us as well." Lord Kazuma snapped his fingers. "Ladies and gentlemen, for my last act, I shall make my opponent disappear! Battle! Dragon Magia Master attacks Cyreath Thuellai Charybdis! Chaos Lightning Blast!" Electrical, white energy charged up in each of the dragon's mouths while black energy charged up in the sorcerer's scepter. Both dragon and man fired them at once, which combined to form into a chaotic, black and white stream of lightning that incinerated Thuellai Charybdis before a massive explosion occurred. The same explosion sent Raguel flying off the ground, having turned completely into particles by the time his life points dropped to zero.

Raguel: 200 – 1700 = 0

"Kazuma Saromi, this performance and duel was for you, as you have now been avenged…" Lord Kazuma muttered, having succeeded in avenging his mentor at long last. He didn't just succeed in avenging his mentor, as he defeated Raguel in a duel, even though it was a data clone of him.

"Takeya, are you there?" Aso asked from the comms.

"Loud and clear, Faust." Lord Kazuma answered.

"We received word that Master Revolver has just finished defeating a data clone of Raguel. He's heading over to the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code is at."

Lord Kazuma rolled his eyes. If Revolver wasn't dueling the real Raguel, that meant either Playmaker or one of the others was responsible for doing so. Great. Just great. What chance do the others have if even the mighty Playmaker couldn't defeat Raguel, Lord Kazuma frustratingly thought in his mind. Perhaps Playmaker found where the real Raguel was and challenged him to a rematch so the former can rectify his loss against the latter. Well, there was only one way for Lord Kazuma to find out who was ultimately dueling against the real Raguel. "Send me Revolver's location, Faust. The sooner I regroup with him and the others, the better."

"There's no need, Lord Kazuma. He's heading to the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code is at as we speak." Aso explained. "In the meanwhile, we found a way to break through Raguel's maze program, and are working with Playmaker's allies to disable it permanently."

"That's great news, Faust. Revolver and I will update you once we reach the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code is at. Signing off." After Lord Kazuma pressed the button on his earpiece, he ran forward upon seeing the walls begin to crumble into pieces, having found an opening to do so. Just like Aso said, Raguel's program was beginning to fall apart, which meant Lord Kazuma and the others can complete their mission in stopping Raguel and putting an end to this battle for good. Besides, Lord Kazuma was curious on whether Playmaker was someone else was dueling the real Raguel since Revolver was not right now. But he'll only get that answer once he regroups with the others, so he continued running in order to find them. For once the real Raguel was found, it would be the end for him and his messed-up plans in trying to obtain godhood.

Elsewhere, in another area of the old server...

Things were difficult right now for Slipstream, as this was one of the most intense duels he had ever fought in. In fact, this duel was just as intense as the one he had against Azrael back in Mirror LINK VRAINS. Even though Slipstream dueled against Raguel before, the duel back then was a pleasant match between friends. This time, Slipstream was dueling to save Raguel from himself. But for him to succeed in this goal, he had to defeat Raguel in this high-stakes duel.

Raguel: 5800 LP

Slipstream: 2350 LP

On Slipstream's field was his only monster Clear Wing Fast Dragon, his Continuous-Trap cards Dragon's Wing and Synchro Zone, as well as the Field Spell card Speedroid Grand Derby. Unfortunately for Slipstream, he had no cards in his hand. Raguel, on the other hand, had a more solidified field. He had Cyreath Aetos Dios and Underkeeper on his field, along with two face-down cards and his Field Spell card Cyreath Mount Olympus. Last but not least, Raguel had two cards in his hand. To put it simply, Raguel was in the lead in terms of both monsters and life points.

Clear Wing Fast Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7 PS: 4

Cyreath Underkeeper ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Aetos Dios ATK: 3300 DEF: 2700 LV: 8

"Dude, this is seriously insane. A part of you has to know that, right, Raguel?" Slipstream inquired.

"If you're talking about the duel, there's nothing insane about it. For I have the advantage right now." Raguel responded. "But if you're talking about what's happening right now, then there's nothing insane about my actions. For they will contribute towards a better universe."

"A better universe? What a great way to justify genocide." Slipstream sarcastically commented. "If you ask me, your goal's just a big waste of your time and effort. You could have been using it to build a memorial for Herald instead so you can begin healing!"

Raguel frowned after hearing that comment. "Building a memorial, you say? It wouldn't have changed anything."

"Yes, it would have, Raguel. If you chose to build that memorial, you would have been able to acknowledge reality and begin the journey of healing. Instead, you've taken up a cause that you think is noble, but has malice and pain seeped into it! Ones that will seep into other people if you're not able to stop before it's too late!"

"Really, now? If I recall, you wanted to get revenge on Windy for what he did to your cousin. You even advocated for letting the Hanoi finishing him off just before the war began!" Raguel reminded Slipstream.

"Yeah, you're right on that. I did want to get revenge on Windy. The unfairness of it all nearly made me no better than him." Slipstream admitted with a sigh. "But I became better than that because of the time I spent with you, Herald and everyone else. Hell, Herald was one of the people who gave me the advice needed so I can do the right thing in the end. As such, I'll ensure that Herald's memory lives on not just by defeating you, but by making sure you're freed from that Cursed Boundary Layer as well! My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Roll of Fate! When this card is activated, I can roll a six-sided dice and draw cards equal to the result in exchange for sending that many cards from the top of my deck to your Graveyard."

"Really now? Are you actually willing to gamble in response to such impossible odds?" Raguel questioned, having raised an eyebrow out of curiosity seconds later.

"Even when the odds are against me, I trust in the combination of hope, cards and luck, Raguel. Go, Dice Roll!" A dice appeared in front of Slipstream, which he grabbed and threw into the air. After it landed on the ground and rolled for a few moments, the dice stopped on a six, much to Slipstream's joy. "WAHOO! Since the dice landed on a six, I get to draw the top six cards of my deck in exchange for sending six cards from the top of my deck to my Graveyard." Slipstream drew the top six cards of his deck before taking another six cards from his deck and sending them to his Graveyard.

"I don't know what cards you've drawn just now, but there's only so much I can allow you to do in a turn." Raguel interrupted, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Cyreath Vanquishment! When I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster, I can shuffle a card on your field back into your deck. However, if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only negate the effects of cards you control up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters on my field, I also gain 500 life points for each card negated by this effect as well. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"Oh no!" Slipstream exclaimed.

"I control two 'Cyreath' monsters, which means I can negate the effects of two cards on your field. As such, I negate Clear Wing Fast Dragon and Follow Wing's effects." A grey aura surrounded Clear Wing Fast Dragon and Follow Wing, which made the former groan in pain as her effects and Follow Wing's effects were negated temporarily. A dark aura then surrounded Raguel's body as his life points increased.

Raguel: 5800 + (500 X 2) = 6800 LP

It looks like I'll need to change up my strategy if I'm to win this duel, Slipstream thought in his mind. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Burial from a Different Dimension. This card lets me target up to three banished monsters and return them back to my Graveyard. I target and return Ohajikid, CarTurbo and Tri-Eyed Dice from my banished zone back to my Graveyard." Three silhouettes of cards appeared beside Slipstream before returning to his Graveyard.

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Variety Comes Out. I can return a Synchro monster on my field back into my Extra Deck to Special Summon Tuner monsters from my Graveyard whose levels equal that Synchro monster's level. However, I can't Synchro Summon for the rest of this turn."

Raguel laughed after hearing this information. "Are you so desperate to win that you'd forgo the main strategy of your deck? How ridiculous, if you ask me."

"Sometimes, you just need to feel the flow and adapt, Raguel. After all, that's what a true duelist does in the face of adversity." Slipstream replied. "I shuffle Clear Wing Fast Dragon back into my Extra Deck, whose level is seven. As such, I Special Summon Tri-Eyed Dice, Red-Eyed Dice and CarTurbo back to my field." After Clear Wing Fast Dragon turned into particles, three monsters appeared on Slipstream's field.

The first was a purple dice shaped like a three-shaped pyramid with a red eye and three orbs orbiting around it.

The second was Red-Eyed Dice.

The third was a red and white card with a small engine with a blue battery on top, along with small engine parts and a thin blue box underneath it.

Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice ATK: 300 DEF: 1500 LV: 3

Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1

Speedroid CarTurbo ATK: 800 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"Since Clear Wing Fast Dragon left the field, Follow Wing is now sent to the Graveyard." As if on cue, Follow Wing turned into particles. "It's time to kick my circuit into overdrive!" A Link Portal appeared above Slipstream. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Speedroid' monsters. I set Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice, Red-Eyed Dice, and CarTurbo into the Link Markers!" Tri-Eyed Dice went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Red-Eyed Dice went into the bottom arrowhead, and CarTurbo went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Mechanical dragon residing within the launch bay! Boot up, and crush my enemies so I can seize victory in this fight! Link Summon! Arise! Link 3! Hi-Speedroid Altair!" A large, green, black and silver mechanical dragon with a long-curved tail appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Its head had two horns protruding outwards, along with two spikes doing the same. As for its purple-lensed eyes, they were in the form of sensors. Its widespread wings consisted of six silver blades that were attached to a large saucer-like disk on both sides. Attached to its chest was a green collar that had a motor inside it. At the end of its tail was two yellow prongs on the sides, each having a small spike on them. Finally, there were two, large blades attached to the underbelly that curved outwards, resembling that of legs.

Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"You have another 'Speedroid' Link monster?" Raguel questioned, surprised that Slipstream had another 'Speedroid' Link monster in his disposal.

"Yup! This one was a real pain in the ass for your brother to deal with, and you'll experience that same struggle!" Slipstream answered. "When Altair is Special Summoned, or a 'Speedroid' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to during either of our turns, I can not only send a card you control to your Graveyard, but inflict 500 points of damage as well. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects!"

"So it's basically a stronger version of Stormridership Bahamut Bomber..." Raguel grit his teeth. He couldn't activate any cards or effects in response to Altair's effects, which meant this was going to difficult to fight against.

"I send Mount Olympus from your field to your Graveyard. Thunder Flare!" Altair fired electricity from its tail at Mount Olympus, which turned it into particles before it went over to Raguel and made him wince as his life points slightly dropped. At the same time, Aetos Dios and Underkeeper groaned as their strength returned to normal.

Raguel: 6800 – 500 = 6300 LP

Cyreath Aetos Dios ATK: 3300 – 500 = 2800 DEF: 2700 – 500 = 2200

Cyreath Underkeeper ATK: 2500 – 500 = 2000

"After doing so, Altair gains 500 attack points, and like I told you before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects." Slipstream reminded Raguel. "Thunder Booster!" The motor in Altair's body turned on as its strength increased.

Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 2800 + 500 = 3300

"I also activate the Spell card, Giant Trunade. This card returns all Spell and Trap cards on the field back to their owner's hands."

"Crap…" Raguel seethed, as a massive burst of wind erupted out of Giant Trunade and hit the field. Grand Derby and Synchro Zone turned into particles that went back to Slipstream's hand, while Raguel's face-down card popped right back into his hand. Raguel had hoped to use his face-down card to protect his monsters should Mount Olympus leave the field, but he had to Set it back to his field during his next turn in order to use it.

"I now activate the Field Spell card, Speedroid Grand Derby once again." Slipstream said. "Just like before, when this card is activated, I can send one 'Speedroid' card from my deck to my Graveyard to add a 'Speedroid' card with a different name from my deck to my hand. I send Speedroid Scarecrow from my deck to my Graveyard and add Speedroid Gum Prize from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Slipstream's deck, one of which he sent to his Graveyard, while he added the other to his hand.

"Last but not least, I activate the effect of CarTurbo in my Graveyard. By banishing it and one other 'Speedroid' monster from my Graveyard, I can have all Wind monsters I control gain 800 attack points until the end of the turn. I banish CarTurbo and Ohajikid from my Graveyard." Soon, Altair was surrounded in a red aura, which temporarily increased its strength.

Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 3300 + 800 = 4100

"Battle!" Slipstream declared. "Hi-Speedroid Altair attacks Cyreath Underkeeper! Shock Cannon!" Altair's mouth opened as green energy formed inside its maw before firing it at Underkeeper, who turned into particles as Raguel winced, his life points decreasing in the process.

Raguel: 6300 – 2100 = 4200 LP

"Very clever, Slipstream. However, it'll take more than that to defeat me." Raguel told Slipstream.

Slipstream grinned back, looking forward to catching Raguel off guard for what's to come. "Really, now? Then let's see how you react to this! I activate Altair's final effect! When it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can send a 'Speedroid' monster from my deck to my Graveyard and inflict damage to you equal to that monster's attack or defense points, whichever is higher! And just like before, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects." He took a card from his deck and sent it to his Graveyard. "The monster I just sent to the Graveyard was Speedroid Skull Marbles, which has 3000 defense points compared to its 0 attack points. That means you take 3000 points of damage! Spinal Saucer!"

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed, as green energy formed underneath Altair's wings before being launched at Raguel, which took the form of Skull Marbles upon impact. As a result, Raguel was forced to shield himself as he was pushed back several feet, his life points decreasing in the process once again.

Raguel: 4200 – 3000 = 1200 LP

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn, which means CarTurbo's effect ends." Slipstream concluded, as a red aura surrounded Altair, which returned its strength to normal.

Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 4100 – 800 = 3300

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel angrily said, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Synchro Zone!" Slipstream interjected. "Just like earlier, while this card is on my field, the both of us can only attack with Synchro monsters. In addition, I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Speedroid Launch! This card lets me target one monster you control, and Special Summon one 'Speedroid' monster from my deck or Graveyard whose attack points are less than or equal to your monster's original attack points."

"Is that so?" Raguel raised an eyebrow.

"Yup! I target Aetos Dios, whose original attack points are 2800. That means I can Special Summon Speedroid Razorang from my deck to my field." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck, which he took and played. Soon, a golden boomerang that unfolded its arms and had a chrome head with a red visor on it appeared on Slipstream's field in one of the three Main Monster Zones Altair pointed to.

Speedroid Razorang ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Altair's effect activates once again! Just like earlier, when Altair is Special Summoned, or a 'Speedroid' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to during either of our turns, I can not only send a card you control to your Graveyard, but inflict 500 points of damage as well. In addition, you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Altair's effects."

"Oh no!" Raguel exclaimed, knowing what Slipstream intended to do next.

"I send Aetos Dios from your field to your Graveyard. Thunder Flare!" Slipstream decided, as Altair fired electricity from its tail at Aetos Dios, which turned him into particles before it went over to Raguel and made him wince. Within several seconds, his life points dropped once again.

Raguel: 2000 – 500 = 1500 LP

"After doing so, Altair gains 500 attack points, and as I pointed out to you earlier, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of its effects. Thunder Booster!" The motor in Altair's body turned on as its strength increased.

Hi-Speedroid Altair ATK: 3300 + 500 = 3800

"You, a mere pest, dare try to get an advantage over me?! The One True God?!" Raguel exclaimed. "For such a transgression, I will put you in your proper place! I activate the effect of Periphas from my Graveyard. When I control no 'Cyreath' monsters, I can Special Summon him from my Graveyard back to my field. However, he's banished once he leaves my field. Return to me, Periphas!" At Raguel's command, Periphas reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Periphas ATK: 1400 DEF: 1100 LV: 4

"Then I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Reborn, which lets me Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to my field. Return to me, Aetos Dios!" At Raguel's command, Aetos Dios reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Aetos Dios ATK: 2800 DEF: 2200 LV: 8

"Next, I activate Peirphas' effect." Raguel continued. "Once per turn, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster on my field, and change its level from one to eight until the end of this turn. I target Aetos Dios, and change his level to six!" Soon, Aetos Dios was surrounded in an ash-colored aura, which changed his level in the process.

Cyreath Aetos Dios LV: 8 – 2 = 6

"Oh, great. Despite my best efforts at stopping Raguel from bringing out stronger monsters, he's now about to bring out his strongest Synchro monster so far…" Slipstream muttered, knowing what was coming next.

"I tune the Level 4 Cyreath Periphas with the Level 6 Aetos Dios!" A bolt of golden lightning struck Raguel as the world greyed out around him and his two monsters disintegrated into particles. Two rings, one grey and one gold, appeared before turning blue and merging. Ten rings, stacked in a tower, appeared, a screen displaying "4 + 6" in front of them. The screen changed to "10" as light surged through the rings.

"Scourge of the mightiest skies! Dive downward, and strike my foes with your merciless wrath!" Raguel chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Cyreath Anemoi Gryphon!" A large, yellow-skinned quadrupedal gryphon that wore black armor with golden lines on it appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. On top of the armor pieces on his tail and legs were bone-like pieces that had spikes on them. In addition, on his neck was a bone resembling that of a spine, which was connected to a bone mask with yellow lines that was on his head.

Cyreath Anemoi Gryphon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 10 PS: 11

"When Anemoi Gryphon is Special Summoned, I can place 'Pierce' counters on your field up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters I control with different names on my field, and the best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to any of Anemoi Gryphon's effects! I place a 'Pierce' counter on Altair. Piercing Hurricane!" Anemoi Gryphon flapped his wings as a hurricane was fired out, which had spikes orbiting around it that struck Altair. A grey aura surrounded Altair seconds later, which stripped it of its effects.

Hi-Speedroid Altair PC: 0 + 1 = 1

"Also, note that while cards have 'Pierce' counters, they can no longer activate their effects. In addition, any monsters that have 'Pierce' counters can no longer attack." Raguel told Slipstream, which made the latter grit his teeth. "I also activate Anemoi Gryphon's second effect. Once per turn, when he's Synchro Summoned using a 'Cyreath' Synchro monster, I can target a monster that has a 'Pierce' counter on it and not only take control of that monster, but also treat it as a 'Cyreath' monster. In addition, I can remove that 'Pierce' counter from the targeted monster as well, and like earlier, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of either of Anemoi Gryphon's effects!"

"Oh, bloody Hell…." Slipstream muttered, knowing what would happen next.

"I target and take control of Altair! Pierce Absorption!" Anemoi Gryphon's wings glowed yellow as the 'Pierce' counter on Altair glowed the same color, which dragged it to Raguel's field before it removed itself and returned to his wings. "Battle! Cyreath Anemoi Gryphon attacks Speedroid Razorang! Cyclone Shredder!" Anemoi Gryphon flew forward as dark, luminous energy surrounded his body, spikes firing out of his wings that hit Razorang numerous times in the process. The energy surrounding Anemoi Gryphon then turned him into a massive drill that hit Razorang, which caused an explosion upon impact that turned the latter into particles. Slipstream used his arms to shield himself as the explosion pushed him back several feet, his life points having decreased seconds later.

Slipstream: 2350 – 1000 = 1350 LP

"I'd attack with Altair, but given how only Synchro monsters can battle, it looks like you've earned yourself a reprieve." Raguel taunted, only for Slipstream to let out a chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"I'm glad you asked, Raguel." Slipstream answered. "To start, when I take battle or effect damage, I can Special Summon Speedroid Gum Prize from my hand to my field." A white gum box appeared on Slipstream's field before transforming into a small, robotic warrior.

Speedroid Gum Prize ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Gum Prize's second effect! The turn it was Special Summoned, I can immediately Synchro Summon one Synchro monster from my Extra Deck using monsters on my field!"

Raguel smirked upon hearing this information, having let out a laugh seconds later. "How joyful. A monster effect you can't fully use because you have no other monsters on your field."

"You're right. I don't have other monsters on your field, but you do, Raguel!" Slipstream replied, as he gestured to his field. "Trap card, activate! Synchro Material! This card lets me target a monster you control, and if I Synchro Summon this turn, I can also use that monster as Synchro Material in exchange for giving up my Battle Phase!"

"You could have used Tri-Eyed Dice's effect to negate my attack. Unless..." Raguel gasped. "You planned for this…"

"I can confirm that for certain!" Soon, Anemoi Gryphon turned into particles that went over to Slipstream's field. "I tune the Level 1 Speedroid Gum Prize with the Level 10 Cyreath Anemoi Gryphon!" A bolt of green lightning struck Slipstream as the world greyed out and his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one white and one yellow, appeared before turning blue and merging. Eleven blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 10" in front of them. The screen changed to "11" as light surged through the rings.

"Duel runner that revs up on the endless road! Imbue yourself with the dragon's essence and increase your speed to everlasting heights!" Slipstream chanted. "Synchro Summon! Let's rev it up and kick this duel into overdrive! Level 11! Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider!" A blue and white dragon-styled duel runner with glowing yellow wheels and a long tail that had a spike at the end appeared on Slipstream's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Attached to its sides were two neon green crystals that acted like wings, with two other crystals attached to the sides as though it were armor. Its front consisted of two pieces of blue armor with spikes on the sides, along with a wind deflector that was in the form of neon green crystals. It also had two yellow eyes, which were located just underneath the front. It even had blue-colored arms that were clasped on the front wheel's sides.

Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider ATK: 3500 DEF: 2000 LV: 11

"Gum Prize's third effect! When it's sent to the Graveyard as Synchro Material, I can draw the top card of my deck and reveal it to you before sending it to the Graveyard. If it's a 'Speedroid' monster, the Synchro monster that used this card as Synchro Material gains attack points equal to the sent monster's original attack points. I draw!" Slipstream drew the top card of his deck and looked at it before showing it to Raguel. "The card I drew just now is Speedroid Horse Stilts, which means Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing rider gains 1100 attack points!" Soon, Clear Wing Rider was surrounded in a white aura that increased its strength.

Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider ATK: 3500 + 1100 = 4600

"Last but not least, I activate Grand Derby's second effect." Slipstream added. "Once per turn, during either of our turns, when a 'Speedroid' monster I control leaves the field by battle or card effect, I can Special Summon a 'Speedroid' monster with a different name from my deck or Graveyard to my field." A card popped out of Slipstream's deck. "I Special Summon Speedroid Transformer from my deck to my field." Soon, a silver, green, and white dragon-styled car appeared on Slipstream's field before transforming into a robotic warrior that wore a visor over its eyes.

Speedroid Transformer ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500 LV: 8

"I'll be honest, Raguel. If this plan didn't work, then I would have negated your attack. Still, I'm surprised that the same tactic I used against you in our previous duel worked again. I suppose there are some things not even a god can see coming, don't you agree?" Slipstream grinned after saying those words.

"Not only do you have a new 'Hi-Speedroid' Synchro monster on your field, you also brought out another monster to your field as well. That little trick of yours... How could I not see it coming..." Raguel muttered in anger, as he looked at the cards in his hand. Unfortunately, the only thing he can do was to prepare for what was to come. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"You want to know something, Raguel? It's that you're delusional right now." Slipstream suddenly spoke up, which got Raguel's attention.

"Delusional? What do you mean by that comment?" Raguel inquired.

"Dude, you're so warped in your thinking that you've failed to realize what else was going on while you were drunk with power." Slipstream answered. "In case you didn't know, the same Cursed Boundary Layer that has infected your mind, body and soul has practically torn Herald's server apart! In fact, I believe that event caused you to snap in the first place!"

Raguel gasped out of genuine shock after hearing this information. "No. This can't be…"

"And on top of that, we encountered the dude who was responsible for murdering the Ignis. You know? The man with the glasses? We found out his name's Jericho, and if I were to hypothesize anything, it's that he sent the Cursed Boundary Layer specifically after you for his messed-up plans! If that's the case, he could have been responsible for trapping your brother in the network!"

"I see. So Jericho's responsible for everything that's happened, such as the death of the Ignis..." Raguel muttered. "Rest assured, Slipstream. After I become the One True God, I'll ensure that Jericho dies for murdering the Ignis, trapping my brother in the network and the role he played during the war in Mirror LINK VRAINS."

"You're still hellbent on becoming the One True God even after learning who's responsible for causing you pain, murdering the Ignis, destroying Herald's server and trapping your brother in the network?! Fine! If it means defeating you in order to get you to listen, then I'll gladly oblige! My turn! I draw!" Slipstream said, as he drew the top card of his deck. Raguel's facedown card is probably one that negates effects, while he also has a card in his hand to negate attacks, he hypothesized in his mind. Thus, if Slipstream was to win this turn, he had to play this carefully. "I activate the Spell card, Comeback. This card lets me target a monster you control that was originally my own and take control of it once again. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation."

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth as Altair turned into particles before reappearing back on Slipstream's field, glad to be back on its owner's side.

"In addition, I activate the effect of Wings of Misdirection from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard and two cards on my field, I can not only increase the attack points of a monster I control by 800, but I can also negate the activation and effects of all cards you control until the End Phase!"

"What?!" Raguel gasped in horror after hearing this information. That meant he couldn't use his face-down card any longer, and at the rate things were going, he'd end up losing soon!

"I target Clear Wing Rider, and banish Grand Derby and Synchro Zone from my field!" Slipstream decided. After Grand Derby and Synchro Zone turned into particles, yellow, glowing feathers appeared that hit Raguel's field before greying it out completely. The feathers then surrounded Clear Wing Rider as its strength increased temporarily.

Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider ATK: 4600 + 800 = 5400

And now it's time to test my other theory out, Slipstream thought in his mind. If he had to guess, Raguel would have a card in his hand to not only negate one of his attacks, but also summon a monster on the field so he can protect himself. But the only way for Slipstream to test that theory was to attack. "Battle! Hi-Speedroid Altair attacks you directly! Shock Cannon!" Altair's mouth opened as green energy formed inside its maw before firing it at Raguel.

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Rippler from my hand." Raguel responded. "If I control no monsters, I can Special Summon this card from my hand and negate the attack!" Soon, a ghoul wearing digital pale robes appeared on Raguel's field in defense position, carrying a small metal wand and triangle. Rippler hit the triangle using its wand, having managed to turn the beam Altair fired into particles.

Cyreath Rippler ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1

"That move's futile, Raguel, and you of all people should know that!" Slipstream thrusted out his right hand, knowing that the duel's end was in sight. "The battle continues! Speedroid Transformer attacks Cyreath Rippler!" Transformer charged forward and smashed Rippler with its fist, which turned the latter into particles.

"How... How are you so powerful?! You never lost anything!" Raguel told Slipstream.

"It's not about loss, Raguel. Strength is a choice! Fighting like hell to protect what's important! You threw away everything you ever had! No wonder you never had true power!" Slipstream replied, which made Raguel gasp. "The battle continues! Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider attacks you directly! Delta Accel Smash!" Neon, green energy surrounded Clear Wing Rider as it began charging forward at Raguel. A white silhouette of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon soon appeared just above Clear Wing Rider before the two of them joined together to form into a powerful force of energy. The energy then hit Raguel and caused a massive explosion upon impact, which sent him flying off the ground as his life points dropped to zero, having turned into particles in the process.

Raguel: 1200 - 5400 = 0

Slipstream smiled after the duel concluded, glad that it was over. "Wow... I can't believe it... I actually won..." Even though that wasn't the real Raguel, Slipstream felt pride that he was able to defeat him in a duel. However, the duel was not easy, as it took everything he got just to get from one turn to another. Still, the fact that Slipstream managed to defeat a data clone of Raguel showed just how far he grew as both a duelist and as an individual.

"You're looking tired, Slipstream." Kusanagi commented through the comms, which got Slipstream's attention.

"A little bit, yeah. I'll be honest, I thought I was about to lose at some moments of the duel." Slipstream admitted.

"Well, it's a good thing you came out on top, right?" Kusanagi responded. "I spoke to Soulburner earlier, and he also finished his duel against a data clone of Raguel. I'll send you the coordinates so you can get out of this maze and rendezvous with the others."

"That would be great. Thank you, Kusanagi." Soon, a notification popped upon Slipstream's duel disk, which contained a set of coordinates that would enable him to get out of the maze. Having obtained it, he ran forward, intent on rendezvousing with the others so the group can shut the Tower of Hanoi down for good. Hang on, Raguel. We're gonna free you from that Cursed Boundary Layer and whatever plans Jericho has for you, Slipstream vowed in his mind, as he continued running in order to fulfil that promise.

Meanwhile, at another area in the old server...

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I will admit that you caught me off guard a few times, especially due to the new cards Herald made before his death. But nevertheless, this duel will still end in my victory! I activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effect once again! Like before, I can send a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum monster from my deck or Extra Deck to grant him a new effect that he retains as long as that type of monster is in my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Lernaean Hydra, which is a Fusion monster, from my Extra Deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Raguel's Extra Deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "And because I sent a 'Cyreath' Fusion monster to my Graveyard, I can activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's newest effect he gained just now! I can declare a card type, and you must shuffle all cards of the declared type on your field back to your deck and/or Extra Deck!"

"What?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed, while Aerith gasped. It was as if the two of them knew which card type Raguel would declare with this effect.

"I declare Monster. Shadow Shed!" A giant mace appeared in Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's hands as he swung it around and slammed it to the ground, where spikes soon emerged that sent Rasterliger, Medusa and Achilles flying off the ground before all three of them turned into particles. "And with that out of the way, I activate the Ritual Spell card, Cyreath Calamity. This card lets me tribute 'Cyreath' monsters on my field or in my hand whose total levels equal or exceed the Level of the 'Cyreath' Ritual monster I'm summoning from my hand. I'm also allowed to banish 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard as well for the Ritual Summon!"

Without Eisbahn on the field, Raguel will be able to attack with monsters that don't have a Water attribute, Blue Maiden cursed in her mind. While a part of her regretted destroying Eisbahn to get rid of Hypnotism, it was necessary at the time so she can try to defeat Raguel. If it weren't for Raguel's trump card, then this duel would have already been over by now.

"I tribute two of my Cyreath Shadow tokens on my field!" Within seconds, a black hole with eight purple flames appeared on Raguel's field, along with two of the four Shadow tokens. Both monsters disintegrated into light and entered into the center of the black hole, which unleashed a burst of purple light.

"Human scorned by the rest of mankind! Break free from your shackles and punish humanity for its transgressions! Keep avenging until retribution has been fully unleashed!" Raguel chanted. "Ritual Summon! Come before us, Level 8! Cyreath Alastor!" A black-armored knight with multicolored shapes resembling eyes, a spiked plume on his helmet, and with dark-steel plates on his arms appeared on Raguel's field. Strapped to his sides were a pair of jagged, chained blades, each one having a demonic red-orange glyph pattern on them. Attached to his back was a long sword with a massive blade, as well as a set of arms that had large hands, each one having three claws.

Cyreath Alastor ATK: 0 DEF: 3000 LV: 8 Scale: 9

Cyreath Alastor ATK: 0 + 500 = 500 DEF: 3000 + 500 = 3500

"Vengeance will be mine, and you will pay for your-." Alastor began speaking, before seeing two familiar figures in front of him. Ones that he thought were dead a long time ago. "No. It can't be."

"Dad!" Macarios and Adele cried out at the same time.

"Dad?" Blue Maiden and Aerith repeated out of confusion. Were Macarios and Adele Alastor's children this entire time? Because if they were, then Herald creating them to help free Alastor from the Cursed Boundary Layer's control was one way to stop Raguel.

"Macarios? Adele? My... children?" Alastor spoke, before letting out a growl as the Cursed Boundary Layer seeped into his body and began trying to retake control of him. Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes upon seeing this. It seemed that Alastor was fighting back against the Cursed Boundary Layer's control.

"Be quiet, Alastor. They're illusions that are to be dealt with. Do not forget who you are and who you serve." Raguel commented, before directing his attention to the duel. "The effects of Calamity and Alastor activate in sequence. First, since Calamity was used to Ritual Summon Alastor, your life points are halved!"

"What?!" Blue Maiden exclaimed, who was caught off guard as a black hole appeared above her and Aerith before lightning fired out of it, which caused the two of them to wince in pain seconds later. Aerith immediately took action and began healing Blue Maiden, having recovered slightly faster than the latter before doing so. Seconds later, Blue Maiden's life points were halved.

Blue Maiden: 300 / 2 = 150 LP

"Second, when Alastor is Ritual Summoned, I can banish one monster from each of our Graveyards and/or our Extra Decks, and he gains attack points equal to the combined attack points of the monsters banished by this effect. The best part is that you can't activate cards or effects in response to his activation!" Raguel continued, which made Blue Maiden grit her teeth in pure anger and frustration. Aerith also grit her teeth in anger, as that meant Raguel would be able to get rid of one of Blue Maiden's best monsters. "I banish Marincess Wonder Heart from your Extra Deck and Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea from my Extra Deck, which means Alastor gains a total 5400 attack points. Verg Avesta!" Alastor let out an animalistic scream as his strength increased.

Cyreath Alastor ATK: 0 + 5400 = 5400

"Last but not least, I activate Cyreath Shadows' first effect, which lets me Special Summon 'Cyreath Shadow' tokens to my field up to the Link monster on either of our fields with the highest Link rating. If there's a tie, I get to choose. Oh, and you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. As Asterios/Lostbelt Mode is the Link monster with the highest Link rating on the field, that means I can Special Summon up to four 'Cyreath' Shadow tokens to my field. But for now, I'll Special Summon two 'Cyreath' Shadow tokens to my field." Soon, two more Shadow tokens appeared on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 4

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

Cyreath Shadow ATK: ? + 500 = 500 DEF: ? + 500 = 500

"It's time to end this! Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Alastor attacks you directly! Unrelenting Fury!"

Alastor leaned forward, the Cursed Boundary Layer having managed to regain control of him for Raguel. His red eyes glowing, Alastor charged forward at Blue Maiden and Aerith before jumping into the air so he can swing the chained blades at both of them. However, Alastor disappeared and suddenly teleported behind Raguel, having pressed the chained blades at his throat before the latter could react. This resulted in everyone gasping out of surprise seconds later.

"W-W-What are you doing?!" Raguel exclaimed.

"Living for the future." Alastor answered. Having taken Herald's advice a long time ago, he looked into the truth about his own legend, and realized the gods were ultimately responsible for his suffering. Not just his suffering, but for the deaths of his family and those he swore to protect. No longer would he avenge and fight for the divine. Now, Alastor would avenge mankind itself and ensure all humans were safe from unholy threats such as the Cursed Boundary Layer. For seeing Macarios and Adele, his own children, alive had reignited a spark of hope within Alastor. After all, if something as miraculous as this could happen, then hope still lived.

"You'll die for this, just like how Pandora died for her actions." Raguel seethed, as the large hands attached to Alastor's back proceeded to restrain the former's movements further.

"Pandora? You killed her?" Aerith questioned. Based on what Raguel just said, it could be that all three possible theories on why Pandora helped Blue Maiden and the others were true. What Roxy told Pandora had an effect on her in the end, which made the latter second guess whether her goals were worth it. In addition, seeing Blue Maiden and Playmaker defeat Hercules/Alpha Mode in combat might have led Pandora to begin doubting Raguel's mission, which lead her to ultimately betray her creator in the end. Lastly, it was very likely that someone cured Pandora and opened her eyes to the truth about the current situation.

"I didn't kill Pandora, as she chose to kill herself to prevent me from executing her." Raguel answered, as he continued to struggle so he can break free from Alastor's grasp. "And before you ask, Blue Maiden, I didn't give Pandora the command to attack you and her brother. So even though she killed herself, it still served as perfect restitution for going behind my back."

Blue Maiden narrowed her eyes after hearing that explanation. Raguel was many things, but he wasn't necessarily a liar. Pandora must have somehow figured out where Akira and I were before attacking us, Blue Maiden thought in her mind.

Raguel continued to struggle so he can break free from Alastor's grasp. "This is your last warning, Alastor. Release me and resume your attack, or suffer for your defiance."

"That won't happen, Raguel. Besides, I'm already dead." Alastor taunted back, which made Raguel gasp in response. "Blue Maiden. Aerith. Now."

"Right!" Blue Maiden said, as she gestured to her field. "If I would take damage by battle or card effect, I can banish Jewelled Blade from my Graveyard instead. What's more, I not only take no further damage for the rest of this turn, I can also send a card from your field to your Graveyard and activate one of three effects depending on the type of card sent to the Graveyard by this effect."

Raguel blinked as he continued to try and break free from Alastor's grasp. "What?"

"I send Alastor from your field to your Graveyard!" A rainbow-colored blast of energy appeared out of nowhere and headed over to Raguel's field, which hit Alastor and sent him to the former's Graveyard. "And since a monster was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Cyberse Link monster from my Graveyard or banished zone whose attack points are less than or equal to the damage I would have taken from that battle."

"But since Alastor's attack points were so high, that means you can bring out any Cyberse Link monster back to your field." Raguel realized.

"That's correct. I Special Summon Coral Anemone from my banished zone back to my field." A second torrent of water emerged on Blue Maiden's field, where Coral Anemone emerged from it seconds later.

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

Marincess Coral Anemone ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

"I also activate the Trap card, Marincess Purification!" Blue Maiden continued. The card showed water spraying down onto a desolate ground, with Marbled Rock having directed the water's movements so that each portion of it was nourished. "When this card is activated, I can target a 'Marincess' monster in my Graveyard or banished zone and gain life points equal to its original attack points. I target Marbled Rock in my Graveyard, who has 2500 attack points. That means I gain 2500 life points!" Blue Maiden was surrounded in a light-blue aura that increased her life points.

Blue Maiden: 150 + 2500 = 2650 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Raguel frustratingly concluded, knowing that he couldn't do anything else for the time being. Even if he attacked with Asterios/Lostbelt Mode or the Shadow tokens, Blue Maiden wouldn't suffer any more battle damage for this turn. The worst part was that he didn't have any cards in his hand that would enable him to inflict effect damage, so the only thing Raguel could do right now was keep his guard up. For once his next turn came around, he would officially win this duel.

"Don't you see, Raguel? Alastor's bond with his children gave him the strength needed to fight back and prevent you from winning this turn." Aerith commented. "If the bond with his children indicates anything, it's that you can acquire great strength by working with others and remembering what you're fighting for. Blue Maiden and I will show you that bonds are a true source of strength by defeating you in this duel!"

Raguel laughed in response. "Believe it or not, I thought the same thing a long time ago, Aerith. How bonds can enable someone to keep going during great adversity. However, my eyes were opened to the truth when Azrael came to the picture. He told me that bonds were nothing more than crutches that I ended up relying on for strength. In order for one to unlock their true power, they have to ultimately cast them all aside to do so!"

"What?!" Aerith's eyes widened after hearing Raguel's response. Did Azrael's words truly hurt Raguel to the point where he would destroy all of his beliefs?!

"But that's only from your brother's perspective!" Blue Maiden shouted, which got Raguel's attention. "He formed that truth based on the experiences only he went through. Plus, circumstances change with time, which enables someone with the opportunity to change their truth instead of being tied down by it forever."

"Do not try to twist my brother's words, Blue Maiden. For he spoke the ugly truth about reality and how painful it is." Raguel stated. "No matter how many friendships you forge with others, it's ultimately yourself against everyone else."

"And you're seriously accepting what he said as true?! The Raguel I know wouldn't let anything shatter his true beliefs. He'd hold onto them and keep fighting to the very end!" Aerith reprimanded Raguel before turning to Blue Maiden. "He isn't listening, Blue Maiden. We'll need to hit him with an attack hard enough so he'll listen."

"The only true way we'll be able to make him listen to us is to end this duel, Aerith. But I get what you mean." Blue Maiden commented, before refocusing her attention on the duel. "My turn! I draw!" Aerith assisted Blue Maiden in drawing the top card of her deck.

"I activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effect once again!" Raguel suddenly interrupted. "Just like earlier, I can send a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum monster from my deck or Extra Deck to grant him a new effect that he retains as long as that type of monster is in my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Blazing Orthros, which is an Xyz monster, to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Raguel's Extra Deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "And because I sent a 'Cyreath' Xyz monster to my Graveyard, I can activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's newest effect he gained just now! You take damage equal to the attack points of the monster with the highest amount of attack points on your field!"

"What?!" Blue Maiden and Aerith gasped in horror after hearing this information.

"Taste the wrath of the One True God, Blue Maiden and Aerith! Shadow Flare!" Soon, gauntlets appeared in front of Asterios/Lostbelt Mode, which he took and strapped to his arms. He then pointed them at Blue Maiden, Aerith and Coral Anemone before waves of fire emerged from each one, which headed straight towards the trio seconds later. An explosion soon occurred that sent Blue Maiden, Aerith and Coral Anemone flying off the ground, the three of them landing on their backs seconds later. As if on cue, Blue Maiden's life points dropped.

Blue Maiden: 2650 – 2200 = 350 LP

"Blue Maiden. Aerith. Are you both okay?" Coral Anemone quickly inquired, having rushed over to see if Blue Maiden and Aerith were safe and sound.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Blue Maiden answered, as Coral Anemone helped the former stand up on her feet slowly before doing the same for Aerith. Blue Maiden nearly stumbled, only for Aerith to put her right arm around the former's left shoulder to ensure she regained her balance. "I activate Coral Anemone's effect. Once per turn, I can target one Water monster with 1500 or less attack points in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it to my field to a Main Monster Zone she points to. I target Crystal Heart in my Graveyard and Special Summon it back to my field." Soon, Crystal Heart reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in the Main Monster Zone Coral Anemone pointed to.

Marincess Crystal Heart ATK: 0 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

Marincess Crystal Heart ATK: 0 + 200 = 200

Raguel narrowed his eyes at what just happened. While Blue Maiden lost a majority of her life points, both her spirit and Aerith's spirit didn't waiver from the effect, especially how she brought out Crystal Heart back to her field. He obviously knew what Blue Maiden's other Link 4 monster was, along with the effects it wielded. "You plan on bringing out Aqua Argonaut, right, Blue Maiden? If so, then even with Battle Ocean, your monster will not help you win."

Blue Maiden smirked. "You're right on one thing, Raguel. Aqua Argonaut won't be the monster that will help me win. Instead, I'll bring out someone else to help me out. Shine, the circuit of love, friendship and bonds!" A Link Portal appeared above Blue Maiden as a card from her Extra Deck glowed with light-blue colored light. "The summoning conditions are two or more Water monsters. I set the Link 2 Marincess Crystal Heart and Coral Anemone into the Link Markers!" Crystal Heart went into the left and bottom-left arrowheads while Coral Anemone went into the bottom and right arrowheads, turning all four of them red.

"Deep blue droplets in the mother's ocean! Gather together to purify the planet so a prosperous future can be forged! One shining with light!" Blue Maiden and Aerith chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Marincess Great Bubble Reef!" A planet between two hands appeared before dissolving into droplets that fell down into an ocean. A light then emerged from the ocean, where a big droplet of water jumped out of it before breaking apart. Seconds later, a woman with light-violet eyes whose attire consisted of a dark-blue cardigan with wide sleeves over a light-blue dress that had the Marincess emblem in the middle appeared on Blue Maiden's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. Attached to the back of the cardigan was a massive pink ribbon that rested on her shoulders. She had very long, light-blue hair that reached up to her nape, which included a side bang on each side of her hair as well. The end portion of it was also tied into a bushy ponytail. Attached to the sides of her head were a pair of yellow horns that jutted outwards. In her hands, she carried a scepter that was in the form of a violet flower with a light green pistil inside it.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 2600 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️⬇️➡️

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 2600 + 200 = 2800

"I didn't want it to come to this, but you need to be stopped." Great Bubble Reef said, as she got ready for battle.

Raguel gasped out of shock upon seeing how Great Bubble Reef resembled Aerith, having been caught off guard by what he saw. Did Blue Maiden ask Hideki to create a card resembling Aerith? If so, then this was definitely one way to piss Raguel off, as such a transgression cannot go unpunished.

"Blue Maiden, why does Great Bubble Reef look like me?" Aerith asked.

"Aqua made this card before her death because she knew this would happen." Blue Maiden answered. "She believed that you would play a major role in saving Raguel, which was why she made the card to look just like you."

"I see. I'm flattered." Aerith smiled, happy to hear this information.

"You got some nerve to ask Hideki to make a card resembling Aerith, Blue Maiden. Some nerve indeed." Raguel snarled in anger, which got Blue Maiden and Aerith's attention. "For such a transgression, you will taste the One True God's full power when my next turn comes around!"

"Like I told Aerith just now, Raguel, Aqua made this card because she knew this situation would occur." Blue Maiden explained. "Just like with Herald, she believed you can be saved not just from your madness, but from the Cursed Boundary Layer as well. In Aqua and Herald's memory, along with the promise I made to Roxy and Aerith, I won't let any of them down! Starting with this! When Coral Anemone's sent to the Graveyard, I can target a 'Marincess' card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I add Sea Star right back to my hand once again." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand.

"Battle Ocean's second effect activates as well! When a 'Marincess' Link monster is Special Summoned to the Extra Monster Zone, I can target that monster, and equip up to three 'Marincess' Link monsters with different Link ratings from my Graveyard to that monster!"

"Oh, great. Not this again..." Raguel hissed, knowing what would come next.

"I equip Coral Anemone and Marbled Rock onto Great Bubble Reef!" Blue Maiden decided, as silhouettes of Coral Anemone and Marbled Rock appeared before turning into particles, which went into Great Bubble Reef and powered her up. "Just in case you need a reminder, a 'Marincess' Link monster equipped with other 'Marincess' Link monsters gains attack points equal to the total Link rating of those monsters times 300. Coral Anemone is a Link 2 monster while Marbled Rock is a Link 3 monster, which means Great Bubble Reef gains 1500 attack points!"

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 2800 + (300 X 5) = 4300

"Next, I activate Macarios' Pendulum effect. Like before, if I have no monsters in the Pendulum Zone, I can Pendulum Summon Cyberse monsters from my Graveyard! Go, Celestial Pendulum Summon! Return from my Graveyard, Basilalima!" Macarios and Adele fired glowing energy from their hands down to the ground, which caused a portal to appear seconds later as a light emerged. The light hit the field and then dissipated, which revealed Basilalima.

Marincess Basilalima ATK: 600 DEF: 2100 LV: 4

Since Blue Maiden used Moray of Greed's effect to shuffle some of her 'Marincess' monsters back to her Extra Deck, she wasn't able to Pendulum Summon that many of them back to her field, Raguel thought in his mind. However, it could be that she didn't need all of them for her strategies.

"Wait a minute, Blue Maiden. Why did you only bring out one monster back from your Graveyard? If you brought out more, we could have used them to bring out stronger monsters." Aerith said.

"Don't worry, Aerith. This situation is under control." Blue Maiden assured Aerith, before redirecting her attention back to the duel. "I activate Basilalima's effect once again. Once per turn, I can banish a 'Marincess' Trap card from my Graveyard to add a 'Marincess' Trap card from my deck to my hand with a different name. I banish Marincess Current from my Graveyard, and add Bubble Ring from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Maiden's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"I activate Great Bubble Reef's effect. Once per turn, during either of our Standby Phases, I can banish a Water monster from my field or my Graveyard to draw a card from the top of my deck. I banish Basilalima from my field!" Basilalima turned into particles seconds later, where Aerith helped Blue Maiden draw the top card of her deck afterwards. "Basilalima's effect now activates! Since she was banished, I can target a monster I control and increase its attack points by 600. I target Great Bubble Reef!" Great Bubble Reef was surrounded in a light-blue aura that increased her attack points.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 4300 + 600 = 4900

"Great Bubble Reef's second effect also activates!" Blue Maiden continued. "Each time a monster is banished face-up, she gains 600 attack points until the end of the turn." Great Bubble Reef was surrounded in another light-blue aura that further powered her up.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 4900 + 600 = 5500

"I activate Adele's Pendulum effect. Once per turn, I can target monsters in your Graveyard and Special Summon them to Main Monster Zones a Cyberse Link monster points to. However, their effects are negated, and they can't attack while they're on the field. I Special Summon Plutus and Doppelganger from your Graveyard to my field." Macarios and Adele fired energy from their hands down to the ground, which caused a portal to appear seconds later as Plutus and Doppelganger reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in the two Main Monster Zones Great Bubble Reef pointed to.

Cyreath Plutus ATK: 1200 LINK-1 ⬅️

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"I also activate the effect of Purification from my Graveyard." Blue Maiden added. "By banishing it from my Graveyard when I control a 'Marincess' Link monster, I can not only take control of a monster on your field until the End Phase, but also change its attribute to Water as well."

"Control of Asterios/Lostbelt Mode cannot be switched, and he's unaffected by card effects while I have a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard." Raguel reminded Blue Maiden.

"I don't plan on taking control of Asterios/Lostbelt Mode. Instead, I'll take control of one of the Shadow tokens on your field!" Blue Maiden decided, as the Shadow token immediately groaned before turning into particles, where it reappeared on her field. A blue aura surrounded the Shadow token, which not only changed its attribute to Water, but cleansed it as well.

Cyreath Shadow Token ATK: 500 – 500 = ?

Cyreath Shadow Token: Dark Water

"Blue Maiden, look…" Aerith muttered, as the Shadow token shrunk down to its original size, which was as tall as Earth.

"I see it too, Aerith. It looks like those little guys aren't necessarily bad by choice." Blue Maiden stated. This confirmed Blue Maiden's suspicions, as they were ordinary creatures. But being born from the infected host's malice and despair has also affected them as well upon being brought out. All except for one, which contained Raguel's goodness within him in his case. Blue Maiden hoped that the small Shadow giant was safe, as if he was killed, it'd be much harder to save Raguel.

"Shine, for a second time! The circuit showing love, friendship and bonds!" A second Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters, including a 'Cyreath' Link monster. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Plutus, Doppelganger and the Shadow token into the Link Markers!" Plutus went into the top arrowhead, Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead and the Shadow token went bottom-right arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Bewitch those that dare gaze upon you! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 3! Cyreath Medusa!" Medusa reappeared on Blue Maiden's field in one of the two Main Monster Zones Great Bubble Reef pointed to.

Cyreath Medusa ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️↘️

"I am back to assist." Medusa said, before turning to Blue Maiden and Aerith. "Are the two of you ready to end this?"

"Yes!" Blue Maiden and Aerith answered at the same time.

"I activate Sea Star's effect from my hand once again!" Blue Maiden immediately said. "By sending it from my hand to my Graveyard, I can target one 'Marincess' monster on my field and increase its attack points by 800 until the end of this turn. I target Great Bubble Reef!" After Blue Maiden sent a card from her hand to her Graveyard, Great Bubble Reef was covered in a blue aura, which increased her strength.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 5500 + 800 = 6300

"Battle!" Blue Maiden thrusted out her right hand. "Marincess Great Bubble Reef attacks Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode!"

"I think not, Blue Maiden." Raguel said, as he gestured to his face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Link Showdown! When a Link monster I control battles a monster you control with higher attack points-."

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen!" Blue Maiden interrupted. "I activate Medusa's effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate and destroy it! Go, Mystic Eyes!" Medusa prepared to fire a beam of light from her eyes at Link Showdown, only for Raguel to summon Excalibur Morgan once again as black, red, and purple particles merged with it and increased the sword's size. He swung the strengthened Excalibur Morgan at Medusa, who evaded the attacks and used her momentum to further increase her speed. She tried to close in on Raguel in order to use her attack, only for him to intercept it by swinging Excalibur Morgan in response, more black, red and purple particles merging with the blade to increase its size. As a result, Medusa was forced to run up the wall nearby so she can evade the attack, having proceeded to bounce off it seconds later.

Using the momentum from bouncing off the wall, Medusa quickly swung the chained daggers in her arms at Raguel, who blocked them quickly with Excalibur Morgan before it charged up with energy once again. Seeing this, Medusa dodged the attack and quickly regained her footing before evading more attacks from the strengthened Excalibur Morgan. She swung the chained daggers in her hands towards the wall nearby, each of them hitting a piece of it before catapulting herself towards Raguel, her eyes glowing a violet color in the process. Before Raguel could react, Medusa fired a beam of light from them at Link Showdown, which turned it into particles. The same beam of light also made Raguel groan in agony once again upon realizing that his movements have gone stiff, as evident by the skin having rustled. This also gave Medusa an opening to land a blow on Raguel with her feet, energy pouring into it as she forced Raguel back several feet.

"Damn it... Not this again..." Raguel cursed under his breath, as Medusa quickly sped in and slashed Raguel numerous times with the chained daggers in her hands so fast that he couldn't react in time to block them. Hey eyes glowed violet once again before firing another beam of light at Raguel, who groaned in agony as his skin became rustled once again, his Link Trigger kicking in to heal him from the aftereffects. Medusa then retreated back to Blue Maiden's field, having succeeded in slowing Raguel down.

"He's been stunned, Blue Maiden and Aerith." Medusa stated. "Finish this."

"With pleasure!" Blue Maiden complied, only to nearly stumble over after saying this, which led Aerith to keep the former steady. "It's time for this duel to come to a close, Raguel! Marincess Great Bubble Reef attacks Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode! Oceanic Aria!"

"Farewell!" Great Bubble Reef said, as magical energy charged up in her scepter before she fired it straight at Asterios/Lostbelt Mode.

Raguel narrowed his eyes in pure frustration as his Link Trigger continued to heal him, having regained his movement seconds later. "Blue Maiden. Aerith. This duel is not over yet. Not while I have cards to play. I activate the third and final effect of Shadows on my field! By sending this card and all Shadow tokens from my field to my Graveyard, 'Cyreath' monsters I control can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn, and damage I would take for the rest of this turn is reduced by 500 for each Shadow token I sent to my Graveyard by this effect."

"What?" Blue Maiden and Aerith gasped after hearing this information.

"I send all three remaining Shadow tokens from my field to my Graveyard, which means any damage I would take for the rest of this turn is reduced by 1500." All three remaining Shadow tokens turned into particles that formed into a massive, shadowy-like shield, which covered Raguel's field as the magical energy fired from Great Bubble Reef's scepter hit it instead. While Asterios/Lostbelt Mode survived the attack, Raguel slightly winced before his life points dropped.

Raguel: 2000 – (2300 – (500 X 3)) = 1200 LP

And I was so close too, Blue Maiden cursed in her mind, as she looked at the two cards she drew this turn in her hand. These two cards together would ensure her victory once her next turn came around. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Great Bubble Reef, Sea Star and Shadows end." A red aura surrounded Great Bubble Reef, which returned her strength returned to normal.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 6300 – 800 – 600 = 4900

Elsewhere, at another area in the old server…

Playmaker had been through plenty of rough duels since he began his crusade against the Hanoi all of those months ago. Duels that tested his mind, body and spirit in different situations. Each time, Playmaker managed to persevere and win, thus enabling him to protect those he cared about. He had to keep winning so that the pain he experienced from the Lost Incident upon losing would never hurt him again. Unfortunately, when Playmaker dueled against Raguel, he ended up losing on his own turn. Even after everything Playmaker threw at against Raguel, he still lost after a very long time. Such a loss began to replay itself in Playmaker's mind, as the horrors of that duel ended up making him relive the pain he felt during the Lost Incident. However, like from back then, Playmaker had to confront his trauma before he could move on. In this case, in order for Playmaker to gain a sense of closure and make the scales even again, he had to defeat Raguel.

Raguel: 3700 LP

Playmaker: 2550 LP

On Playmaker's field was Turboblaze Dragon, Cyberse Quantum Dragon, Encode Talker and Cynet Optimization, along with a single card in his hand. Raguel, on the other hand, had Cyreath Lord Gaol, Tranquility, Domain Tartarus and a single face-down card on his field. He also had two cards in his hand. So to sum it up, while things were even right now, the duel was only going to get fiercer from here.

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

Cyberse Quantum Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

Encode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Lord Gaol ATK: 2900 LINK-3 ⬅️↙️➡️

"How? How in the world did you convince Turboblaze Dragon to fight with you?!" Raguel angrily demanded. "I didn't want him to get involved in this fight! Not after everything that's happened!"

"Turboblaze Dragon chose to help us of his own free will, Raguel." Playmaker answered. "As for how he's in my deck, you're not the only one who made preparations for the fight to come."

Flashback: Several hours earlier, in the real world, at Café Nagi...

Roxy let out a sigh as she headed over to the Den City Plaza, which was where Café Nagi was usually located. While everyone else was busy with creating the weapon, she received a call from Hideki saying that the cards were ready. Having picked them up from him several minutes earlier, Roxy decided to go to Café Nagi first so she can deliver some of the new cards to Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi. After all, the three of them will need upgrades if they were to get stronger. But before Roxy left Café Matsuo to pick up the cards, a voice told her to get the cards belonging to Turboblaze Dragon and his evolution in Yuhiro's bedroom. While she thought she was hearing things at the time, a part of her knew that Turboblaze Dragon was somehow telepathically talking to her. As such, Roxy went to Yuhiro's bedroom and grabbed the cards belonging to Turboblaze Dragon and his evolution before taking a taxi to go to the Kinoshita residence, which was where she picked up the cards. From there, Roxy took the cab to the area nearby Den City Plaza so she can walk over to Café Nagi and give Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi the cards Hideki made them. She would have been here sooner had Miyu not insisted on her not driving for the entire day. While what Miyu said was certainly true, Roxy still felt that she had the energy to drive on her own. Still, Roxy had to agree with Miyu on the fact that things were very hectic for the past while, so it was better safe than take an unnecessary risk. Upon reaching Café Nagi, she noticed Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi sitting down around a table, with Kusanagi making hot dogs.

"Okay, here you guys are. Three hot dogs each with a drink and a side of fries." Kusanagi said, as he brought the meal over to where Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi were.

"Thank you very much, Kusanagi. Making that weapon to fight against Yuhiro was definitely exhausting." Takeru commented, as he took a bite from his food.

"Of course it was exhausting, Takeru. All of us had to work together in controlling a freakin' data storm, especially one that was amplified by Yusaku's Link 5 monster." Arashi told Takeru.

"The effort did pay off, as now we have a weapon to fight back against Yuhiro and the Cursed Boundary Layer." Yusaku reminded Takeru and Arashi.

"Combined with Herald's contingency, we'll certainly be able to free Yuhiro from the Cursed Boundary Layer and put a stop to whatever plans Jericho has for him." Roxy spoke up, as Yusaku, Takeru, Arashi and Kusanagi all turned their heads to see her approach Café Nagi. She then walked over to the counter, intent on ordering food.

"Seems like someone's hungry." Kusanagi remarked.

"Of course I'm hungry, Kusanagi. I need food if we're going to get through the rest of this day." Roxy replied. "One hot dog combo with water, please."

"Coming right up." Kusanagi immediately began cooking Roxy's meal after she paid him, where she then grabbed a chair and put it at the table Yusaku, Takeru and Arashi were at.

Roxy then pulled a small package out before opening it, which contained the cards Hideki made for everyone else. Each set of cards had an elastic band around them that were in different colors in order to identify which set of cards belonged to the duelist. "Okay, the set of cards with the green elastic band for Arashi, while the set of the cards with a red elastic band for Takeru. And finally, the set of cards with the purple elastic band is for Yusaku."

"Awesome!" Arashi exclaimed, as he received his set of cards from Roxy, with Takeru and Yusaku receiving their own respective sets of cards seconds later. "Sweet! These cards are amazing!"

"You can say that again, Arashi." Takeru agreed, having looked at his own set of cards. "Of the cards I got, I didn't expect to receive a 'Salamangreat' Synchro monster and a few Tuner monsters. Tell the person who made the cards that I'm extremely grateful for them."

"But when you think about it, very few people have been able to make Cyberse cards, Takeru." Yusaku pointed out, which got Takeru's attention as the former looked at his own set of new cards. "Aside from the Ignis, Dr. Kogami and Yuhiro are the only ones who made Cyberse cards."

"And now we can add Hideki onto that list." Kusanagi commented, having carried a tray that contained Roxy's meal before handing it to her.

"Thank you very much." Roxy said, as she immediately began eating her meal.

"Still, there should only be a few people at a time who can make Cyberse cards, Kusanagi. The last thing we need is for loads of people to wield Cyberse cards all of a sudden." Yusaku continued talking.

"I get what you're saying, Yusaku. You're concerned about how humans will treat their Cyberse cards if they become common all of a sudden." Arashi deduced, which led Yusaku to nod as if to confirm the former's point. "It's like how humans exploited dragons for their own nefarious methods in the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy."

"Speaking of Cyberse cards and dragons, do you remember how I said that we needed to talk once you guys returned from the network, Yusaku?" Roxy inquired.

"What about it, Roxy? Is there some new information you need to share with us?" Yusaku questioned back, which led Roxy to take two cards out of her pocket.

"I want you to use these when you duel against Yuhiro in the network." Roxy handed the cards over to Yusaku, who took them before looking at each one.

"I wasn't aware that Turboblaze Dragon evolved until now." Yusaku narrowed his eyes as he closely analyzed the Turboblaze Desolation Dragon card, along with his effects. Ones that will definitely be useful against Yuhiro for the battle to come.

"If I were to guess, Herald used the last of his power to evolve Turboblaze Dragon before dying so Yuhiro would be able to defeat Azrael." Kusanagi theorized.

"Yeah, but there's a great chance Wraith would have done the same for Teravolt Dragon." Takeru pointed out.

"But moving the topic of Azrael aside, I want you to use Turboblaze Dragon and his evolution in your rematch against Yuhiro, Yusaku." Roxy explained.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Roxy? Using Turboblaze Dragon against Yuhiro would aggravate him even further." Arashi warned Roxy.

"There's no need to worry, Arashi. Turboblaze Dragon communicated with me just now. He said he wants to fight and help save Yuhiro." Yusaku assured Arashi.

"Aha! So it wasn't just me then! Turboblaze Dragon communicated to you telepathically as well just now, Yusaku. Just like he did with me." Roxy commented, with Yusaku smiling back in confirmation.

"Thank you very much, Roxy. With Turboblaze Dragon at my side, I'll defeat Yuhiro this time and bring him to his senses." This was true. For the last time Yusaku dueled against Yuhiro, he lost because he wasn't aware of the new strategies the latter had at his disposal. But Yusaku was now aware of these strategies, and with Turboblaze Dragon at his side, he'll be the one to come out on top.

Flashback End: Present Day...

"Roxy gave Turboblaze Dragon to me not just so I can prepare for this duel, but so I can ensure you're brought back to your senses as well." Playmaker finished, which made Raguel narrow his eyes.

"I see. So despite my best intentions, Turboblaze Dragon chose to fight against me in the end." Raguel surmised, a sorrowful expression evident on his face.

"I chose to assist your friends because the pain that's been haunting your mind in has turned you into something you're not." Turboblaze Dragon stated. "You're not the only one who lost someone, Raguel. The battle in Mirror LINK VRAINS made me lose both Teravolt Dragon and Herald, and I'm not losing anyone else!"

"Here's the thing about loss, Turboblaze Dragon. It can motivate you to do great things. In this instance, the overwhelming pain's motivated me to finish what my family started. Besides, given how humans can never truly move forward due to their sinful nature, it falls onto me to ensure that sin is eradicated from this universe forever."

"What?!" Playmaker exclaimed.

"You have no right to decide that over every creature in this universe, Raguel!" Turboblaze Dragon shouted. "Each creature has been given free will so they can trek their own path with the life given to them! Even though you're in a lot of pain from what happened recently, it still doesn't give you that right!"

Raguel narrowed his eyes and sighed, a pure look of sadness evident on his face. "On the contrary, it does, Turboblaze Dragon. Even though I'm a part of this world, I'm not at the same time. That is why I have the right and the responsibility to ensure the universe's cleansed of sin completely. Only by doing so would my family's wrongs be rectified."

"Based on what you just said, it seems you recently lost faith in humanity, Raguel." Playmaker figured out, which made Raguel gasp.

"Lost faith… in humanity?"

"That's right. If I were to guess, you lost faith in humanity because you've decided in your mind that humans can never be redeemed. Yet that's only one perspective, Raguel. You forgotten that humans have the capacity to make things right, Raguel, but only if their hearts can be changed. Otherwise, divisions will continue to occur among mankind."

"This loss of faith in humanity has also led you to betray us, hasn't it?" Turboblaze Dragon added, which also made Raguel gasp. "It's not just us you betrayed, as you betrayed yourself and your own deck by falling into despair. If you had trusted us to help you through your pain, then not only would you be able to retain some faith in mankind, none of this would be happening right now as well!"

"I… I didn't want you to get involved in this fight, Turboblaze Dragon. After everything that happened in Mirror LINK VRAINS, I wanted to make sure you were free from further conflict…" Raguel began trying to justify the reason why he didn't want Turboblaze Dragon to get involved.

"It's no excuse for what you've done, Raguel! I chose to get involved because Herald wanted me to make sure you were safe physically and mentally!" Turboblaze Dragon let out a loud growl after saying those words, which made Raguel's eyes widen out of shock in response. "I will fulfil the mission Herald gave me, and ensure you realize the error of your ways when this is over, Raguel."

"Is that so?" Raguel turned to Playmaker. "You and I both know that words mean nothing in a duel. They only prolong it. If you want me to listen, then you'll have to do it through your cards."

"Very well, Raguel. Prepare yourself! My turn! I draw!" Playmaker said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Link Treasure Ticket. I can target one Link monster I control, and draw cards equal to that monster's Link rating. In exchange, I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my deck to my Graveyard. I target Turboblaze Dragon, who is a Link 4 monster. That means I can draw the top four cards of my deck, and send four cards from the top of my deck to my Graveyard." After Playmaker drew the top four cards of his deck, he took four more cards from the top of his deck and briefly looked at them before sending each one to his Graveyard.

"Next, I activate the effect of SIMM Tablir from my hand. By revealing this card to you, I can not only Special Summon it from my hand to a Main Monster Zone a linked Link monster points to, I can also target one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster in my Graveyard and add it back to my hand. I target and add Backup Secretary from my Graveyard to my hand!" A card popped out of Playmaker's Graveyard, which he took and added to his hand. Soon, a small, black-colored tapir with light-blue feet and a short nose trunk that had silver lines on it appeared on Playmaker's field. It also had a chrome plate on its body that had orange lines on the sides.

SIMM Tablir ATK: 0 DEF: 1800 LV: 5

"Since I control a Cyberse monster, I can Special Summon Backup Secretary from my hand to my field." Playmaker continued, as a woman with white clothes and a purple cape appeared on his field.

Backup Secretary ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"I now activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cynet Crosswipe. By tributing a Cyberse monster on my field, I can target and destroy a card on your field."

"Ah, I see. You can't target my monsters with your card effects, so you plan on going after my other cards instead." Raguel hypothesized.

"That's right." Playmaker confirmed. "I tribute SIMM Tablir on my field to target and destroy Domain Tartarus." Both SIMM Tablir and Domain Tartarus turned into particles, which caused a red aura to surround Lord Gaol that returned his strength to normal.

Cyreath Lord Gaol ATK: 2900 – 300 = 2600

"That wasn't too wise, Playmaker. For when Domain Tartarus leaves the field, I can target a 'Cyreath' Link monster I control and shuffle 'Cyreath' cards from my Graveyard back into my deck up to that monster's Link rating. I target Cyreath Lord Gaol, who is a Link 3 monster. That means I can shuffle three cards. Thus, I shuffle Cyreath Strife, Providence and Confrontation from my Graveyard back into my deck." Three cards popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and shuffled back into his deck. "Oh, and just in case you thought you had the upper hand, I activate the Continuous-Trap card, Cyreath Dominion. While this card is on my field, my 'Cyreath' monsters are unaffected by your card effects."

Which means I'm back at square one again, Playmaker thought in his mind. Due to Dominion's effect, I won't be able to use Cyberse Quantum Dragon's effect to return Raguel's monsters back to his deck and/or Extra Deck. While I know that doesn't negate or destroy my cards, I should still keep my guard up for what's to come. "I summon Stack Reviver from my hand to my field." A small, white machine with green eyes and two, mechanical arms with prong-like hands at the ends appeared on Playmaker's field. In both sides of its body were blue data cards, while it carried one of them in its left, prong-like hand.

Stack Reviver ATK: 100 DEF: 600 LV: 2

"I will now create my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are two monsters except tokens. I set Backup Secretary and Stack Reviver into the Link Markers!" Backup Secretary went into the

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Binary Sorceress!" A white, humanoid creature with blue and red arrows on its upper chest and legs appeared on Playmaker's field in the Main Monster Zone Turboblaze Dragon pointed to, which resulted in both monsters being co-linked with one another. Its arms ended with two large fists, each of which had wire-like fingers on them. On the sides of its head were two spikes, one being blue and the other being green. Wires were also attached to them, which flowed downwards from its head.

Binary Sorceress ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

"When Stack Reviver is used for a Link Summon, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Cyberse monster that was also used for that Link Summon in defense position." Playmaker stated. "Return, Backup Secretary." At Playmaker's command, Backup Secretary reappeared on his field.

Backup Secretary ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"But I'm not done here! I will now create my circuit for a second time!" A second Link Portal appeared above Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are two effect monsters. I set Backup secretary and Cyberse Quantum Dragon into the Link Markers!" Backup Secretary went into the left arrowhead, while Cyberse Quantum Dragon went into the right arrowhead, turning them both red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! S:P Little Knight!" A black-haired girl with green eyes that had a headband around her forehead appeared on Playmaker's field in the Main Monster Zone Binary Sorceress pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. Her black hair was tied up in a tight ponytail, which had a green hair pin keeping it in place. She wore a yellow tank top, a black skirt, silver-armored boots that had yellow armor pieces on them and silver socks going up to her knees. A long, black scarf that had yellow spear patterns covered her lower face so she can hide her identity. Strapped around her shoulder was a scabbard that carried a sword. In her hands, she carried kunais.

S:P Little Knight ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

"You'd trade one of your stronger monsters for a Link 2 monster? It must have a powerful effect." Raguel noted.

"As you know yourself, you should never underestimate a weaker monster, especially when it has effects that can change the entire outcome of a duel." Playmaker replied. "I activate S:P Little Knight's effect! When she's Link Summoned using a Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster as Link Material, I can target a card on the field or in either of our Graveyards and banish it in exchange for my monsters not attacking directly this turn."

Raguel's stance shifted before he tensed up, realizing what Playmaker's plan was. "What?"

"Dominion makes only your monsters unaffected by my card effects. However, any other card you have is fair game. Thus, I target and banish Dominion." S:P Little Knight suddenly vanished before appearing on Raguel's field and slashing Dominion with the kunais in her hands, turning it into particles in the process.

If this keeps up, I'll end up losing, Raguel realized in his mind. I can't let this happen! "I activate the effect of Cyreath Mimesis from my hand! By sending this card from my hand to my Graveyard, I can target a 'Cyreath' card in my Graveyard and apply that target's effect before shuffling it back into my deck."

"Because you activated a card or effect-." Playmaker began speaking.

"Sorry, but while I control a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum or Link 3 or higher monster, you can't activate cards or effects in response to its activation." Raguel firmly interrupted. "I send Mimesis from my hand to my Graveyard to activate Guardian's effect from my Graveyard. For the rest of this turn, 'Cyreath' monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, and any damage I would take is halved." Soon, a small, one-eyed cyclops with a flaming head and a starry cape attached to its body appeared on Raguel's field. It spread out its cape and released energy from it that took the form of Guardian before disappearing, which began orbiting around Lord Gaol. Once that was done, a card popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he took and shuffled back into his deck.

"You're still going to take damage one way or another, Raguel." Playmaker pointed out. "Battle! S:P Little Knight attacks Cyreath Lord Gaol! At this point, I activate Encode Talker's effect! When a monster he points to battles a monster you control with higher attack points, I can not only make my monster unable to be destroyed by battle, but also reduce all battle damage I would take to zero." S:P Little Knight stood down seconds later.

"Then I can either have Encode Talker or one monster he points to gain attack points equal to the attack points of your monster until the end of this turn. As such, I increase Turboblaze Dragon's attack points!" A bright blue aura surrounded Turboblaze Dragon as his strength increased.

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 + 2600 = 5600

"The battle continues! Turboblaze Dragon attacks Cyreath Lord Gaol! Desolation Flare!" Playmaker shouted, as Turboblaze Dragon's jet engine-like tail glowed with power before he flew up into the air and charged up an orb of orange fire. After gathering enough energy, Turboblaze Dragon launched the orb of fire at Lord Gaol, who raised his arms in front of him in order to push back against the blast. After a few moments, he was able to withstand for the blast and survive the impact. Raguel, on the other hand, let out a grunt of pain as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 3700 – (3000 / 2) – 2200 LP

"Binary Sorceress's effect now activates! When a monster co-linked to it deals battle damage, I gain life points equal to the damage you took." Binary Sorceress turned around and extended its arms to Playmaker, the latter's body glowing as his life points increased.

Playmaker: 2550 + 1500 = 4050 LP

"Ah, I see. You increased Turboblaze Dragon's attack points instead of Encode Talker's so you can use Binary Sorceress's effect to gain life points and prepare for what's to come." Raguel figured out. "Still, neither Encode Talker nor Binary Sorceress have enough attack points to deal me more damage this turn. Your best option would be to end your turn right now."

"End my turn, you say? I still have other moves to make, Raguel." Playmaker replied. "I end my Battle Phase. I will now create my circuit for a third time!" A third Link Portal appeared above Playmaker. "The summoning conditions are two or more monsters. I set the Link 3 Encode Talker and the Link 2 Binary Sorceress into the Link Markers!" Encode Talker went into the top, left and right arrowheads while Binary Sorceress went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Firewall Dragon!" A massive blue and white dragon with circles all over his body appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, which resulted in both him and Turboblaze Dragon being co-linked with one another.

Firewall Dragon ATK: 2500 LINK-4 ⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️

"I activate Firewall Dragon's effect! Once, when it's on the field, I can return monsters on the field or Graveyard back to their owner's hands up to the number of monsters co-linked to this card. Firewall Dragon is co-linked with both Turboblaze Dragon and Lord Gaol, so I can normally return up to two monsters. However, you only control one at the moment, so I return Lord Gaol back to your Extra Deck. Go, Firewall Dragon! Emergency Escape!" Firewall Dragon fired blue electricity from his head at Lord Gaol, which electrocuted the latter into particles and returning him back to Raguel's Extra Deck.

"I see. Despite my best efforts, you managed to get rid of Lord Gaol in the end…" Raguel muttered, impressed and annoyed that Playmaker was able to eliminate the former's monster. He could have used his face-down card to ensure Lord Gaol was safe, but wanted to save it once he brought out a stronger monster to his field.

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means Encode Talker's effect ends." Playmaker concluded, as Turboblaze Dragon was surrounded in an aura that returned his strength to normal.

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 5600 – 2600 = 3000

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he drew the top card of his deck. "That attempt at defeating me was your last one, Playmaker. For on this turn, you will lose! I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Comradeship. When you control more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard with different names back to my field equal to the difference. You have three monsters on your field while I have none, which means I can Special Summon three 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard. Return to me, Lava Hound, Asclepius and Ceryneian Hind!" At Raguel's command, Lava Hound, Asclepius and Ceryneian Hind reappeared on his field.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

Cyreath Asclepius ATK: 2500 LINK-3⬅️⬆️➡️

Cyreath Ceryneian Hind ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ↙️

"I activate S:P Little Knight's second effect." Playmaker suddenly responded. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can target a face-up monster I control and one face-up monster you control before banishing both of them until the end of this turn."

"What?" Raguel gasped.

"I banish S:P Little Knight herself on my field and Asclepius on your field." S:P Little Knight disappeared and emerged out of nowhere before stabbing Asclepius using the kunais in her hands, which led the two of them to turn into particles seconds later.

"You may have managed to get rid of Asclepius, but I still have other strategies I can fall back upon, such as this one! Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel replied, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster. I set Cyreath Lava Hound into the Link Markers!" Lava Hound went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"Lava Hound's second effect activates! Since it left the field, I can Special Summon two 'Cyreath Lava Pup' tokens to my field!" Raguel continued, as two smaller pups resembling Lava Hound emerged into existence on Raguel's field in defense position.

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

Cyreath Lava Pup Token ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"In addition, I activate Tranquility's second effect. When I Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Link Summon a 'Cyreath' monster, I can not only Special Summon one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard to my field, but decrease the attack points of one monster you control by that monster's attack points as well until the End Phase. I Special Summon Lava Hound back to my field and decrease Firewall Dragon's attack points!" At Raguel's command, Lava Hound reappeared on his field. Within several seconds, Firewall Dragon groaned in pain as his strength diminished temporarily.

Cyreath Lava Hound ATK: 2200 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

Firewall Dragon ATK: 2500 – 2200 = 300

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel said, as a second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more 'Cyreath' monsters. I set the Link 1 Cyreath Skull Wing and Ceryneian Hind, as well as both Lava Pup tokens into the Link Markers!" Skull Wing went into the left arrowhead and Ceryneian Hind went into the right arrowhead while Lava Pup token went into the bottom-left arrowhead and the other Lava Pup token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all four of them red.

"King of the Gods, stand together with your brethren, and ensure that Olympus conquers this evil before you! Link Summon! Come forth! Link 4! Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm!" A muscular, white-haired man with pure white eyes appeared on Raguel's field in the Extra Monster Zone. His attire consisted of a white toga, with a golden side guard on each arm.

Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬅️➡️↘️

"Skull Wing's effect now activates!" Raguel added. "As it was used as Link Material, you take 300 points of damage!" A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Playmaker, who shivered as his life points dropped.

Playmaker: 4050 – 300 = 3750 LP

"And just in case, I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Primordial Aura. When this card is activated, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster on my field and equip it with this card. While the monster's equipped with this card, it's unaffected by your card effects. As such, I equip it onto Zeus." A fiery aura surrounded Zeus seconds later.

While Primordial Aura's on the field, it makes the equipped 'Cyreath' monster unaffected by my card effects, and if it's in the Graveyard, Raguel can simply banish it to reduce all damage he would take for the turn to zero, Playmaker thought in his mind. Zeus can also negate the effects of one of my cards before doubling his attack points until the End Phase. In addition, should Zeus leave the field, Raguel can destroy all of his 'Cyreath' monsters on his field to bring Zeus back. What's more, it can't be destroyed by card effects. While it's a strong formation, it's one I can certainly break with the right cards.

"Prepare yourself, Playmaker! Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm attacks Firewall Dragon!"

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Security Block." Playmaker began speaking. "When this card is activated-."

"Stop right there! I activate Zeus's effect! Once, if you activate a card effect, not only can I negate that effect, I can destroy that card as well. In addition, Zeus's attack points are doubled until the End Phase! Divine Absorption!" Two lightning bolts appeared in Zeus's hands, which he threw at Security Block, turning it into particles.

Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm ATK: 3000 X 2 = 6000

"This is the end for you, Playmaker! Lightning of Olympus!" Zeus then fired the massive lighting in his hands that headed straight towards Firewall Dragon!

"It's not over yet, Raguel!" Playmaker gestured to his other face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Half Unbreak! I target one monster I control, and that monster can't be destroyed by battle for the rest of this turn. In addition, any battle damage I would take is halved."

"Tch." Raguel grit his teeth, annoyed that Playmaker was able to escape from the jaws of defeat once again.

Soon, several bubbles emerged out of Half Unbreak and appeared around Firewall Dragon before combining to form into a massive one that covered his body. The lightning hit the bubble formed by Half Unbreak, which caused an explosion to occur upon impact that pushed Playmaker back several feet. When the dust settled, it showed Firewall Dragon, who was safe and sound.

Playmaker: 4050 – (5700 / 2) = 1300 LP

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means the effects of Zeus, Tranquility and S:P Little Knight end." Raguel concluded, as Zeus's and Firewall Dragon's strength returned to normal while Asclepius and S:P Little Knight reappeared on their owner's fields.

Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm ATK: 6000 / 2 = 3000

Firewall Dragon ATK: 300 + 2200 = 2500

Cyreath Asclepius ATK: 2500 LINK-3⬅️⬆️➡️

S:P Little Knight ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

"Would you like to know something interesting, Raguel?" Playmaker asked.

"What would that be, Playmaker? Is it acknowledgement that I've defeated you not once, but twice?" Raguel asked back.

"Of course not. It's what you did just now during your turn." Playmaker gestured to Turboblaze Dragon. "You could have attacked Turboblaze Dragon with Zeus on your turn after his attack points doubled, yet you didn't. You chose to attack Firewall Dragon instead."

Raguel frowned after hearing that statement. "It's because Firewall Dragon had lower attack points, which meant Tranquility's effect would bring it down to nearly zero. Had it not been for Half Unbreak, you would have lost."

"But there's another reason, isn't there?" Playmaker guessed, which made Raguel stiffen up in response. Having seen this, Playmaker smirked seconds later. "Despite everything you said about humans not being able to move forward due to their nature, a part of you isn't able to let go of the people who are in your life. Had you done so, you would have no problem in pursuing the Root of All Knowledge and fulfilling your family's destiny."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your inability to let go of things has shown me that deep down, you don't want to let the people in your life go because you'd fully become a monster if you did so. This was evident by how you didn't attack Turboblaze Dragon with Zeus. For deep down, you don't want to destroy the monster Herald made."

"It isn't just that, Raguel. By you not attacking me, it's show us that you can still be saved." Turboblaze Dragon continued.

"No! This can't be! I've sacrificed everything just to reach the Root of All Knowledge! I did this in order to finish what my family started!" Raguel tried to deny the words Playmaker and Turboblaze Dragon said just now. But were the words they said true? Was Raguel ultimately not able to fully let go of everything that was in his way to pursue his mission? Did it mean he had some humanity inside him after all despite everything that's happened? "Stop with your mind games, both of you! I will not be deterred with your words!"

"Then let's finish this, Raguel. My turn! I draw!" Playmaker said, as he drew the top card of his deck.

"I activate the effect of Manifestation in my Graveyard." Raguel suddenly interjected. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, for the rest of this turn, you take 300 points of damage every time you activate a card effect. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, you can't activate cards or effects in response to either of Manifestation's effects while I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster."

"I see." Playmaker frowned. That meant if he activated a total of five card effects, he would lose this turn. But Playmaker wouldn't need to use that many card effects because he had everything he needed to win this duel. "I summon Leotron from my hand to my field." A silver mechanical lion with an orange mane appeared on Playmaker's field.

Leotron ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"I will now create my circuit!" Playmaker said, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are one Normal monster. I set Leotron into the Link Markers!" Leotron went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Link Spider!" A black mechanical spider with light-blue eyes all over its body and light-blue eyes appeared on Playmaker's field in the Main Monster Zone Turboblaze Dragon pointed to.

Link Spider ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Playmaker, the conditions have been met." Turboblaze Dragon commented, having looked over Playmaker's duel field.

"Indeed, they have, Turboblaze Dragon. Indeed, they have." Playmaker agreed, knowing what he needed to do now that everything was set up for what was to come next. "I will now create my circuit for a second and final time!" A second Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are three or more Cyberse Link monsters with different names. I set the Link 1 Link Spider, the Link 2 S:P Little Knight and the Link 4 Turboblaze Dragon and Firewall Dragon into the Link Markers!" Link Spider went into the top arrowhead, S:P Little Knight went into the left and right arrowheads, Turboblaze Dragon went into the bottom-left arrowhead and Firewall Dragon went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all five of them orange. Seconds later, waves of energy surrounded the Link Portal as it filled with energy.

"Impossible!" Raguel exclaimed. "Don't tell me-!"

"The Embodiment of Truth takes form for humanity! A form that unites everyone towards a cause for the greater good! A cause that will ensure prosperity for all!" Playmaker chanted. "Link Summon! Appear! Link 5! Turboblaze Desolation Dragon!" A tall, white-colored bipedal dragon with red irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck appeared on Playmaker's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with the two protrusions on his head having merged to form into a long, bright and blazing one. His four arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his glowing, fiery claws. On his head was a golden piece of armor, with fiery-golden armor pieces on his feathered chest and body. Each of his feet had large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. The jet-like engine tail now had bands that expanded outwards, which revealed feathers on the sides.

Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 4000 LINK-5 ↙️⬅️⬆️➡️↘️

"This duel is as good as over for you, Raguel!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon cried out, before turning to Playmaker. "Are you ready, Playmaker?"

"Yes!" Playmaker confirmed. "When Turboblaze Desolation Dragon is Link Summoned using 'Turboblaze Dragon' as Link material, I can not only negate the effects of all monsters on your field and destroy them, I can also increase his attack points by 500 for each monster destroyed by this effect. What's more, you can't activate cards or effects in response to the activation of his effect."

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed, before composing himself. "But Zeus's unaffected by your card effects thanks to Primordial Aura, and due to Manifestation's effect, you'll be taking 300 points of damage."

"I'm aware, Raguel. It's still worth the risk." Playmaker responded. "Clangorous Desolation Burst!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's jet engine-like tail opened up as its bands expanded outwards, with the feathers in it spiking upwards before it began charging up. Once that was done, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon unleashed waves of energy at Zeus, Asclepius and Lava Hound. While Zeus withstood the waves of energy, Asclepius and Lava Hound screamed in pain before scorch marks siphoned their strength and turned each one into particles. After doing so, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon roared as his strength increased. Playmaker, on the other hand, grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 4000 + (500 X 2) = 5000

Playmaker: 1300 – 300 = 1000 LP

"Battle!" Playmaker thrusted out his right hand. "Turboblaze Desolation Dragon attacks Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm! And when he battles, you can't activate Spell or Trap cards or effects until the end of the damage step!"

"Go ahead and attack, Playmaker! I'll still be in this duel, and when my next turn comes-." Raguel began speaking.

"No, Raguel. There won't be a next turn for you." Playmaker interrupted. "I activate the effect of Cross Debug in my Graveyard. When a Link monster I control battles a Link monster on your field, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to target a Link monster in my Graveyard and increase my Link monster's attack points by the targeted Link monster's attack points. What's more, my Link monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn."

"Cross Debug? How and when did it end up-?" Raguel gasped before putting two and two together. "That was one of the cards sent to your Graveyard through Link Treasure Ticket's effect!"

Playmaker smiled upon seeing the shocked look on Raguel's face. "That's correct, Raguel! I banish Cross Debug from my Graveyard and target Turboblaze Dragon in my Graveyard, which means Turboblaze Desolation Dragon gains 3000 attack points!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon let out a loud roar as his strength increase. As for Playmaker, he grit his teeth in pain for a third time before his life points dropped.

Turboblaze Desolation Dragon ATK: 5000 + 3000 = 8000

Playmaker: 1000 – 300 = 700 LP

"Finish this duel, Turboblaze Desolation Dragon! Chronos Desolation Supernova!" Turboblaze Desolation Dragon's jet engine-like tail glowed with power before he flew up into the air, his four arms glowing with a bright color as he began charging up a massive orb filled with hot energy. The orb then split into three large ones as he launched them at Zeus, where they each hit him in a series of explosions. Raguel let out a loud scream of pain as he was sent flying off the ground, having turned into particles by the time his life points dropped to zero.

Raguel: 2200 - 5000 = 0

Playmaker narrowed his eyes and sighed as he saw the data clone of Raguel turned into particles. Had it not been for Turboblaze Dragon, then his chance of losing against Raguel would have increased. But nevertheless, Playmaker overcame all odds and defeated Raguel in the end. However, a part of Playmaker felt empty inside. He felt as though the score between himself and Raguel hadn't been settled. It obviously wasn't because they were enemies, but because Playmaker needed some sense of closure in order to move on.

"You okay, Yusaku?" Kusanagi inquired on the other end.

"I am, Kusanagi. But..." Playmaker began answering, before his eyes suddenly widened, having recalled how Raguel brutally defeated him using Excalibur Morgan. Specifically, the despair and helplessness he felt during the Lost Incident going through his head upon the duel's conclusion.

"Easy there, Yusaku. Take some deep breaths. Deep breath in. Deep breath out." Hearing Kusanagi's voice, Playmaker proceeded to take several deep breaths before letting them out, having managed to calm down upon doing so.

"Thank you, Kusanagi. I appreciate your advice very much."

"No prob, buddy. But given everything that's happened, you're still feeling the trauma from losing after so long, don't you?" Kusanagi guessed through the comms.

Playmaker sighed after hearing Kusanagi's question. "After the Lost Incident, I strove to keep winning so I would never have to feel the pain again. But to think I'd lose after all of this time…" It wasn't just Playmaker losing the duel that made him feel empty and traumatized. It was how he ultimately lost in the end. Specifically, Playmaker fighting tooth and nail to his final breath just to survive, only to be brutally finished off seconds later.

"I hear you, Yusaku. If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way, especially after trying to stay in the game with little to no strength left physically and mentally." Kusanagi assured Playmaker. "Look, if you want to talk about it when this is over, I'm more than happy to lend an ear."

"Thank you again, Kusanagi. I appreciate it very much." Playmaker replied.

"Great to hear, buddy. With that settled, I have some good news. Roxy, the Knights of Hanoi and I were able to find a way to break apart Raguel's maze program, and are doing so right now as we speak." As if on cue, the walls in some sections of the maze began to crumble into pieces. "Oh, and I spoke to Soulburner and Slipstream earlier. They finished their duels against the data clones of Raguel and are heading to the Tower of Hanoi as we speak."

If Soulburner and Slipstream weren't battling against the real Raguel, then either Blue Maiden, Revolver or Lord Kazuma is doing so right now, Playmaker thought in his mind. While Lord Kazuma and Revolver were strong duelists, Playmaker hoped in his mind that Blue Maiden would be the one to duel against the real Raguel. For while the two Hanoi members would mercilessly pummel Raguel before letting him live due to the debt they owe Slipstream, Blue Maiden would utilize compassion with her dueling abilities and the cards Herald made to defeat Raguel in the end. "Send me the coordinates to reach the others, Kusanagi. We'll need all hands-on deck if we're to shut the Tower of Hanoi down for good."

"On it." Kusanagi responded, as a notification appeared on Playmaker's duel disk, which showed him the coordinates on where to go next. "Just be careful out there, Yusaku."

"I'll tread carefully, Kusanagi. You have my word." Playmaker assured Kusanagi, as he ran forward and jumped over pieces of the destroyed wall in front of him before continuing to run forward towards his destination. He and the others would see to it that this madness would come to an end. For if Playmaker and the others lost this battle, then while Raguel would appear to win, Jericho would ultimately be the victor here. This was something Playmaker was hellbent on preventing, as he fought too hard just to lose everything he cared about.

After a few minutes of running, Playmaker eventually managed to find the others, only they were engaged in battle against a group of centurions. This was evident by Soulburner using the blades resembling Heatleo's claws to slash one of them down, Slipstream dodging another centurion's attacks and throwing shurikens at his opponent, and Tigress firing arrows from the crossbows in her hands to blast one of them down. Revolver and Lord Kazuma were also there, the former using what looked like a double-barrelled gun that fired data material while the latter was using martial arts to counter the centurion's attacks.

"About time you showed up, Playmaker." Revolver commented, having fired another round of data material bullets that hit a few centurions.

"Given by how everyone else is here, it seems that Blue Maiden's the one dueling against the real Raguel." Playmaker observed, having summoned Decode Sword to block one of the centurion's attacks. He broke the lock and proceeded to slash the centurion with Decode Sword in his hands.

"Well, no shit, sherlock." Lord Kazuma said, having thrown a centurion over him before smashing its face with his foot.

"But on the plus side, we've rendezvoused with one another, which means we can assist Blue Maiden in battling the real Raguel." Soulburner pointed out, having proceeded to evade the attacks of two of the centurions and cutting each one down with the blades resembling Heatleo's claws.

"That's if we get past these centurions Raguel set up, Soulburner." Tigress countered, who rolled out of the way to evade the centurion's attack before firing explosive arrows from her crossbow, which destroyed it seconds later.

"The good thing is that there's not many left to destroy." Slipstream spoke up, avoided the centurion's attack before throwing shurikens out of his hands, which spun around and glowed with data material as they sliced the centurion in two. "Once this is done, our allies in the real world can help us locate the Tower of Hanoi's source code." As if to prove Slipstream's point wrong, several more centurions suddenly spawned in the area, which proceeded to charge at the six duelists.

"You just had to jinx the situation, didn't you?" Tigress inquired, who raised an eyebrow at Slipstream.

"Give me a break, Tigress. Even I wasn't anticipating Raguel to create an endless army of centurions. I mean, he'd have to have an endless supply of data material to do so."

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, Chimerator Gradientron emerged out of nowhere and proceeded to practically tear the centurions apart, having caught them all off guard. Chimerator Gradientron munched its teeth on several centurions in order to tear them into pieces, and even jumped into the air briefly before landing on the ground, having sent the remaining ones falling down on their backs. Before any of the centurions could further react, Zero fired light-green energy from his hands at all of them, which incinerated each one.

"The boy's correct. Raguel doesn't have an endless supply of data material. He's only using the data material absorbed by the Tower of Hanoi to do so, and I believe he doesn't have much left." Zero explained, having hopped off of Chimerator Gradientron.

"Ha! I knew something amiss was going on!" Slipstream said, only for Tigress to punch him in the arm in response. "Ow..."

"Who are you?" Playmaker inquired, before his eyes narrowed as he sensed something. "And is that-?"

"Yeah, Playmaker. I think I'm sensing the same thing." Soulburner realized. "He somehow must have a Cyberse monster just like us."

"You can call me Zero, and all each of you need to know is that we have a common enemy right now." Zero said. "The Cursed Boundary Layer."

"So that's what the Shadow is called…" Revolver muttered. While he was glad to have another ally helping the group in stopping Raguel, it still remained to be seen on what Zero's true ambitions were in this battle. For the last thing Revolver needed was to deal with another version of Watchman. However, the difference was that Zero had Cyberse monsters under his command. If this man is working for the last Ignis, then he'll end up becoming an enemy later on. But if he's fighting for humanity's best interests, he could be a powerful ally down the road, Revolver thought in his mind. Yet why did this man look so familiar?

"I spoke with another of your allies recently. She said she'll be assisting Blue Maiden in stopping Raguel. If we hurry, we can provide further assistance."

"Great. Blue Maiden's dueling against Raguel?! That's promising. She'll probably lose to Raguel by the time we get there." Lord Kazuma complained.

"Shut up, pal. I have faith in Blue Maiden's skills as a duelist, and if Playmaker and his friends believe she can do it, then I share that same belief." Tigress told Lord Kazuma, before turning to Zero. "Can you take us to where Blue Maiden is?"

"Of course. For I found the path just now." Zero answered, having gestured the others to follow after him. The group found what appeared to be an opening, which led them to go down the steps, having entered into a new area. One that consisted of non-lethal fire in the form of shining red and black lights that were attached to the dark cavern's walls, each one managing to successfully illuminate it. Small pieces of watery data material dropped down from the ceiling, as well as from the walls with each second that passed. In a way, the dark cavern resembled that of a dragon's lair.

"Once we go down this hallway, we'll reach the area the Tower of Hanoi's source code is at." Revolver commented, having remembered this area from all those months ago. He turned to Playmaker afterwards. "Your faith in Blue Maiden better not be misplaced, Playmaker. Otherwise, I'll take over and ensure Raguel loses for good."

"My faith in Blue Maiden isn't misplaced, Revolver. You'll see soon enough." Playmaker spoke back, as he and the others ran down the hallway, intent on assisting Blue Maiden and Aerith in defeating the real Raguel.

Meanwhile, at another area of the old server...

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said, as he angrily drew the top card of his deck. "That… was your last chance to try and defeat me, Blue Maiden. But now, it's time for your defeat. I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Genesis from my hand."

"From your hand?" Blue Maiden and Aerith repeated, which made Raguel grin upon seeing the shock on their faces.

"Did you actually think you were the only one who could activate Trap cards from your hand? Well, just in case you planned on making any rebuttals, I can activate Genesis from my hand if I control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. As Asterios/Lostbelt Mode is a Link 4 'Cyreath' monster, I'm allowed to do so." Raguel's grin turned into a smirk seconds later. "From there, Genesis lets me shuffle one 'Cyreath' Link monster from my Graveyard back into my Extra Deck to shuffle cards on your field up to that monster's Link rating. However, if I shuffled a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster back into my Extra Deck with this effect, you can't activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation."

"Oh no!" Blue Maiden gasped after hearing this information. Given how Raguel had a few 'Cyreath' Link 3 monsters in his Graveyard, it was obvious he'd shuffle one of them back into his Extra Deck so he can shuffle up to three cards on Blue Maiden's field back into her deck and/or Extra Deck. "Just note that while Battle Ocean's on the field, any 'Marincess' Link monsters that were Link Summoned using Crystal Heat as Link Material are unaffected by your card effects."

"I know that, which is why one of the cards I'm going after is that one." Raguel responded. "I shuffle Odysseus back into my Extra Deck, who is a Link 3 monster. That means I can shuffle up to three cards back into your deck and/or Extra Deck. I shuffle Battle Ocean, Macarios and Adele back into your deck." Battle Ocean, Macarios and Adele turned into particles that returned back into Blue Maiden's deck. As if on cue, Great Bubble Reef let out a groan as her strength decreased.

Marincess Great Bubble Reef ATK: 4900 – (300 X 5) – 200 = 3200

"I activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's effect! Like before, I can send a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Pendulum monster from my deck or Extra Deck to grant him a new effect that he retains as long as that type of monster is in my Graveyard. I send Cyreath Castor & Pollux, which is a Ritual monster, from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Raguel's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard. "And because I sent a 'Cyreath' Ritual monster to my Graveyard, I can activate Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's newest effect he gained just now! I can banish cards on your field up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters I control. Since there's currently only one 'Cyreath' monster I control, that means I can banish one card you control. As such, I banish your face-down card. Shadow Rave!" A giant claymore appeared in Asterios/Lostbelt Mode's hands as he swung it forward at Blue Maiden's field, which hit her face-down card and turned it into particles.

Raguel took the bait, thinking that Bubble Ring would impede his progress, Blue Maiden thought in her mind, as she looked at the two cards in her hand. Yes, Bubble Ring does have two strong effects, but he didn't take into account the cards I have in my hand. For based on what happened in this duel, even the so-called One True God can be caught off guard by the unknown.

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode attacks Cyreath Medusa! Labyrinth Cleaver!" Asterios/Lostbelt Mode charged forward, intent on using the two labrys in his hands to destroy Medusa.

"I don't think so, Raguel! I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Rho Aias from my hand!" Blue Maiden responded. The card showed a massive, light-pink, translucent shield with seven layers resembling an iridescent flower being fired out by Cyreath Avatar in order to protect numerous Cyberse creatures from beam-like attacks coming towards them. "When a Cyberse Link monster battles, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects for the rest of this turn, and any damage I would take is reduced by the combined Link rating of all Cyberse Link monsters I control times 1000. Oh, and in case you were wondering how I was able to activate Rho Aias from my hand, I was able to do so since I control a Link 3 or higher Cyberse monster."

"What?!" Raguel's eyes widened in shock as Blue Maiden raised her right hand in front of her, while Aerith raised her left hand in front of her, light-pink energy firing from their hands. Light-pink energy also appeared in Great Bubble Reef's scepter before she fired it out of her weapon. All three energies combined to form into a light-pink, translucent shield with seven layers resembling an iridescent flower, which the labrys hit instead of the two monsters. Afterwards, the seven flower petals made of light pushed Asterios/Lostbelt Mode back with a powerful shockwave all the way to Raguel's field. Blue Maiden, Aerith and Great Bubble Reef nearly stumbled over upon impact, the attack being stronger than the trio anticipated.

"I also activate the effect of Cyreath Bellerophon from my hand." A silhouette of a card appeared, which showed a white Pegasus. "During either player's turn, when a Cyberse Link monster battles a monster you control, I can send this card from my hand to my Graveyard to inflict damage to you equal to that monster's original attack points. However, if I control Cyreath Medusa, you take damage equal to the monster on either of our fields with the highest original attack points. If it's a tie, I get to choose. Oh, and I can also activate this card from my hand if I control a Link 3 or higher Cyberse monster."

"OH NO!" Raguel exclaimed, a horrified look evident on his face. At the rate things were going, it was clear who was about to win. "After all this power I've gained... I'm about... to lose it all again?"

"Given how Medusa's on my field, you take damage equal to the monster on either of our fields with the highest original attack points. As Asterios/Lostbelt Mode is the monster on the field with the highest attack points of 3500, it's lights out for you." Blue Maiden stated, before turning to Medusa. "Do it, Medusa!"

"Right!" Medusa replied, as a red circle appeared in front of her, which a white Pegasus soon emerged out of. "BELLEROPHON!" She immediately got on Bellerophon before it charged forward, a massive burst of light emerging in front of it as though it was a missile. Bellerophon pierced through Asterios/Lostbelt Mode and continued charging towards Raguel, which hit him as a massive explosion occurred. The burst of light sent Raguel flying upward and zigzagged across the area as it dragged him painfully across the wall. Pieces of Raguel's armor broke off as the burst of light sent him downward to the ground, which caused one final explosion that sent Medusa flying off of Bellerophon before she landed on the ground. As for Raguel, he was lying on the ground in pain, his life points having dropped to zero.

Raguel: 1200 – 3500 = 0

"Blue Maiden!" a voice cried out, which led Blue Maiden and Aerith to turn behind them as Playmaker, Soulburner, Slipstream, Tigress, Revolver, Lord Kazuma and Zero arrived in the same area they were in.

"Playmaker... You guys are okay..." Blue Maiden said, grateful to see that they were safe.

"You actually did it. You actually defeated Raguel when no one else could." Revolver remarked, having narrowed his eyes at what just happened. Where Playmaker failed, Blue Maiden was able to defeat Raguel in the end and prove everyone wrong. But who is that person beside Blue Maiden? Could it be Miyu Sugisaki, he wondered in his mind.

"Hey, Revolver. Look. The Tower of Hanoi's practically out of data material." Lord Kazuma stated, which got everyone's attention.

"Which means it's no longer operational." Soulburner finished, having realized the same thing everyone else concluded with.

The fight was close to being over. All they had to do was shut the Tower of Hanoi down.

Suddenly, Raguel let out a cry of pain as a blast of dark energy erupted from his body and went upwards. That same dark energy practically pushed Raguel upward, where he regained his footing before clenching his head. As if on cue, the seven data clones that he unknowingly absorbed during his duel against Blue Maiden resonated in his body, which made him relieve all the words said during their duels. This made Raguel's eyes widen as a result, having pushed him to the verge of tears.

"Raguel!" Aerith exclaimed out of concern, having ran to help him. However, tendrils from the Cursed Boundary Layer erupted out of Raguel's body, which immediately raced towards the group!

"Stay back!" Zero shouted, as light-green energy appeared in his hands before he fired it at the tendrils, which destroyed each one. Unfortunately, the clash resulted in pushing the group back several feet.

"Oh, dear God! What have I done?!" Raguel realized, as the trauma from all the duels continued to overwhelm him. However, that trauma was nothing compared to what Raguel realized just now.

In his duel against Blue Maiden, he ended up hurting Aerith, the girl he loved.

The girl who risked everything to help her best friend bring him back to his senses.

"I hurt her. I hurt the person who's the most precious thing to me in this universe." Raguel let out a loud wail, having managed to somehow regain his sanity. He hugged himself, as if to prevent the energy he accumulated all of this time from coming out. "I hate myself for such a sin. And now... now I have to stop myself before anyone else gets hurt!" With a loud cry, Raguel activated his Link Trigger and turned into his demonic form before everyone's eyes, which made them gasp before they were pushed back several feet.

"Are you serious right now? Raguel can turn into a demon all of a sudden?!" Tigress questioned, but before she could ask anything else, tendrils of the Cursed Boundary Layer whipped out of Raguel and tried to destroy the group.

"Take cover! Now!" Zero ordered the others, light-green energy appearing in his hands before he destroyed each tendril while everyone else took cover behind the large rocks nearby. The jewelled blade appeared in Blue Maiden's hands before she slashed it forward, where a rainbow-colored stream of light destroyed the remaining tendrils. Unfortunately, more shadowy tendrils from the Cursed Boundary Layer erupted out of Raguel before heading over to the group.

"Wait, everyone. Look!" Soulburner stated, as everyone saw the tendrils either lose power or at the very least miss their target on purpose. They saw Raguel grab his body and tear off a piece of the Cursed Boundary Layer with his amplified strength, only for it to stitch itself up again. He did this numerous times, each attempt weakening the Cursed Boundary Layer, where it responded by further tightening its grip on Raguel.

"He's actually fighting back against the Cursed Boundary Layer… He managed to regain his sanity…" Zero muttered in awe and wonder, having managed to blast down several tendrils from the Cursed Boundary Layer with the light-green energy from his hands.

With a loud scream of pain, Raguel continued to try and tear off the Cursed Boundary Layer, only for it to continuously stitch itself up again before tightening its grip on its host. More shadowy tendrils erupted from Raguel's body and headed towards the group despite fighting back against it. A shield resembling that of Encode Talker's appeared beside Playmaker, who grabbed it before using it to protect his allies alongside Zero from the shadowy tendrils. This was Encode Shield, the weapon that Encode Talker wielded upon being summoned to Playmaker's field, just like with Decode Sword.

"My thanks, Playmaker." Revolver said.

"No problem." Playmaker replied, as he pushed back against the shadowy tendrils released from Raguel's body.

"I never thought Raguel would have this power inside of him this entire time." Revolver aimed the double-barrelled gun at his hands before firing it at each shadowy tendril and destroying it. He obviously couldn't aim it at Raguel, especially given how the Cursed Boundary Layer was practically protecting its host, so the best thing was to weaken its defenses.

"Neither did I, Revolver. In a way, it's a blessing that neither Azrael nor Raguel used this power against us." Lord Kazuma acknowledged, with Revolver nodding in agreement as the two of them and Playmaker took cover behind the rocks.

Blue Maiden slashed the jewelled blade forward, which released a rainbow-colored stream of light that destroyed more of the shadowy tendrils. More still erupted out of Raguel's body and headed towards the group, only for Zero to fire light-green energy at each one in response. Tigress fired her crossbow at a few of them while Soulburner fired arrows from the bow that appeared in his hand, having succeeded in destroying more of them. Unfortunately, the combined efforts of everyone failed to completely break through the Cursed Boundary Layer's defenses.

"Wait a minute! I see something!" Aerith said, as she narrowed her eyes at the opening on Raguel's chest that appeared each time he tried to free himself from the Cursed Boundary Layer. "Blue Maiden, hand me the Rule Breaker dagger and the jewelled blade!"

Blue Maiden pressed a button on her duel disk, which led the Rule Breaker dagger to appear seconds later. She then handed both it and the jewelled blade to Aerith, knowing what needed to be done. "Go save him, Aerith."

"Are you serious right now?! If you're planning on letting that girl give a big, heroic speech to-." Lord Kazuma began speaking, only for Slipstream to punch the former to shut him up.

"Shut your mouth or we're all screwed." Slipstream hissed. "Do not forget the debt you and the other Hanoi owe us for saving Revolver's mother."

"Raguel!" Aerith yelled, which got Raguel's attention.

"Aerith..." Raguel muttered, before letting out a gasp of loud pain as he continued to tear pieces of the Cursed Boundary Layer off of his body, only to reappear all over again. "You have to get away from here! Take the others and go! Leave me here to die!" Shadowy tendrils erupted from Raguel's body as they converged onto Aerith, who rolled out of the way while Zero fired light-green energy to destroy some of them. Unfortunately, more shadowy tendrils from the Cursed Boundary Layer appeared out of nowhere and headed towards Aerith, which led her to use the jewelled blade to protect herself.

"No! I am not leaving you here to die! Not when you need to live on and move forward!" Aerith continued to run forward, her goal on saving Raguel on saving Raguel still intact. Tigress, Revolver, Slipstream, Soulburner and Zero fired bullets, arrows, shurikens and energy from their respective weapons in order to slow the Cursed Boundary Layer's attacks down.

Raguel opened his mouth to try and say something, but found that he could not for several moments after hearing this information. Instead, he continued to tear his body apart in order to try and continue removing the Cursed Boundary Layer off of him, only for those efforts to fail. "Don't you know what I've done, Aerith? I've killed so many people over the past few days that I've lost count. All dead because of my actions. Do you really believe I deserve to live after all of the terrible things I've done?!

"You do!" Aerith answered, having evaded another attack from the Cursed Boundary Layer using the jewelled blade. Cover fire from the others was also provided to ensure she could make her way to Raguel. "Can't you see? You took your lives, which means you need to take responsibility for your actions!"

"What?" Raguel blinked, having been forced to redirect his focus to tearing into his own body once more so he can prevent the Cursed Boundary Layer from hurting the others. Several shadowy tendrils appeared to try and stop Aerith, only for her to use the jewelled blade to destroy them.

"You heard me. You need to live on so that you can take responsibility for every single one of your actions! And I'll make sure you atone for all of them." Having gripped Rule Breaker and the jewelled blade firmly, Aerith ran forward to Raguel, having almost reached him.

"Aerith..." Raguel quietly said, as he used the last of his strength to rip off the Cursed Boundary Layer off his body, which caused an opening to appear on his chest. In response, the Cursed Boundary Layer sent more shadowy tendrils towards Aerith, only for the others to quickly shoot them down with the weapons in their hands.

"Prepare yourself, Raguel. This is but the beginning of your atonement, so grit your teeth." Aerith stated, as she finally reached Raguel, close to completing her mission. Raguel raised his chest and aimed the weak spot at Aerith, the latter bringing Rule Breaker down and stabbing him with it. The energies from Ai, Herald, Wraith, Aqua, Flame, Windy, Earth and Lightning flowed out of Rule Breaker and seeped into the Cursed Boundary Layer before destroying it completely. This was evident by the traces leaving Raguel's body and disintegrating it into particles, having lost its existence as a result.

Aerith caught Raguel and stopped him from falling, having proceeded to gently lay him onto the ground. She gently stroked his hair and kissed him on the forehead, glad to see that he was okay. Seeing that the battle was finally over, the small Shadow giant emerged out of hiding before racing over to see if Raguel was okay. Aerith turned her head upon seeing the small Shadow giant, happy to see that he survived. For this meant that Raguel's goodness ultimately persevered over his suffering. Having noticed that Raguel was about to log out due to being unconscious, the small Shadow giant turned into a blanket in order to comfort him, the two of them logging out of the network together seconds later. Aerith smiled once more, having succeeded in saving Raguel from himself.

"Is it over?" Zero asked, as he and the others emerged out from behind the rocks they hid behind.

"Yeah, it's over." Aerith confirmed, having stood up on her feet.

"Moving that aside, it's time to finish what we came here to do." Lord Kazuma interjected, having turned to Revolver. "Shall we put an end to this?"

"We shall." Revolver confirmed, as he and Lord Kazuma pulled out the gadgets and activated them, which released a wave of red data each that headed towards the Spatial Cube. Upon impact, the red wave tore the Spatial Cube apart and destroyed it completely seconds later. As if on cue, notifications popped up on Playmaker's, Soulburner's, Slipstream's and Tigress' duel disks, where they saw that the same gadget was deleted permanently from their arsenal. "Now no one will ever be able to create nor activate another Tower of Hanoi."

"It's for the best." Playmaker agreed with Revolver's comment. After everything that's happened, no one didn't want another Tower of Hanoi to appear, or else it'd cause other kinds of trouble for everyone. Suddenly, the entire server shook as pieces of the cavern began to fall apart.

"What's happening?" Tigress asked, as she and the others were trying to regain their balance.

"The Tower of Hanoi was connected to this old server. With it gone, the old server will be destroyed as well." Revolver explained.

"Kusanagi, we could really use an evacuation right now." Slipstream said, having pressed a button on his earpiece.

"One evacuation coming right up." Kusanagi responded on the other end, as he, Roxy and the Hanoi typed on their digital keyboards from their separate areas to begin the logout process. Zero fired light-green energy from his hands to create a shield that surrounded him and the others, which protected the group from the falling pieces of debris.

"We will meet again, everyone." Zero told everyone else. "In the meanwhile, be assured that Watchman will get what he deserves for his crimes. I also promise that I will be a better ally than he ever has been to you."

"We'll hold you to that, Zero." Soulburner responded, as everyone else logged out seconds later, the logout process having been completed. A blaring notification then popped up on Zero's duel disk, which he looked at, and gasped upon reading it.

Someone managed to break into his server.

"Oh no…" Zero immediately logged out of the old server as it was fully destroyed, intent on figuring out who managed to acquire access into his server. And whoever it was, it was anything but good.

Several minutes later, at Zero's server…

Fire scorched the ground on Zero's server as Jericho emerged from the cave, having carried the restrained Watchman over him. It was only a matter of time until Jericho captured Watchman due to the tracker he put in the latter. As a result, he now had a special prize to give to Urizen should things go south. Arsene, Captain Kidd, Loki and Goemon battled against the security systems Zero set up, having managed to buy the time Jericho needed to break into the cave holding Watchman and capturing him in the process.

Jericho looked at the notification on his duel disk, having realized that Zero was in the area. "Okay, guys. Let's get out of here before the old man realizes that I broke in here." Arsene, Captain Kidd, Loki and Goemon returned to Jericho's duel disk before he logged out of Zero's server, having managed to secure his prize. Seconds later, Zero appeared in his server, a horrified look on his face upon seeing the charred area. Light-green energy appeared in Zero's hands before he released it throughout the area, which cleansed it of the wounds it suffered.

"Just what happened here?" Zero asked himself, as he raced down to the cave to see if Watchman was okay. If Watchman somehow perished in the flames, then Kairi wouldn't be able to get information out of him on why he betrayed everyone. Having entered inside, Zero walked slowly and kept his guard up just in case something would try to attack him. After ensuring that there was no one there, Zero ran down to the end of the cave, where he saw the broken vines on the ground.

Watchman must have escaped somehow, Zero thought in his mind. This was impossible, especially when you took into account how wounded Watchman was. Did he have unknown allies Zero didn't know about? Or was there another factor in play? One that Zero couldn't expect.

Zero raised his right hand above him as light-green energy surrounded it, which led a digital screen to float down towards him. "Show me what happened here." Footage began to play, where it showed the Cyberse monsters in Zero's care battling against someone that had intruded upon the server. He gasped as he saw them getting slaughtered by humanoid creatures while a person quickly dashed into the cave. Having noticed something, Zero zoomed in on the footage, where he saw the same person exit the cave with a restrained Watchman in tow. After doing so, Zero's eyes widened upon putting two and two together, along with who was there.

Jericho somehow broke in and captured Watchman.

"Damn it!" Zero punched the ground, angry that he couldn't see this coming despite all the defenses and programs he set up to protect his server. This led him to summon another digital screen using light-green energy that appeared in his hand, where he checked to make sure nothing else was stolen. While Zero set up numerous security programs to ensure that nothing was stolen, it didn't hurt to double check. After looking through it very carefully, Zero let out a sigh of relief. Nothing else was stolen, which meant that things were okay for now.

As such, Zero pressed a button on his duel disk, which caused it to ring before someone picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kairi. It's Dairoku." Zero said. "I have some good news and bad news."

"Good news and bad news?" Kairi repeated on the other end. "What happened?"

"The good news is that the Cursed Boundary Layer has been destroyed, and Raguel has been saved."

Kairi opened her mouth in order to try and say something, but she couldn't because of the joy she was experiencing right now. The fact that the person who was infected by the Cursed Boundary Layer can ultimately be saved was great news indeed. What's more, with the Cursed Boundary Layer's destruction, the planet was safe from Jericho for now. "That's awesome to hear, Dairoku." She suddenly stopped speaking after remembering that there was bad news as well.

"Jericho managed to somehow break into my server while I was assisting Playmaker and the others." Zero continued talking, which made Kairi gasp.

"What?! Was anything important stolen?"

"No, but Jericho did free Arshad from captivity. Since Arshad was weakened after his duel against Raguel, Jericho's goal must have been to capture him so he can be tortured for information."

"And steal any data you may have in the process if possible." Kairi finished surmising. "On the plus side, it's a good thing Jericho didn't succeed in taking any data, or else our enemies would gain an advantage."

"Indeed." Zero agreed. "Kairi, in the battle to destroy the Cursed Boundary Layer and free Raguel, I made the choice to reveal myself to Playmaker and his allies. They now know of my existence."

"I knew that would happen at some point, Dairoku. That's why I'm not mad at you. However…" Kairi gathered her thoughts before speaking. "Since you made that decision, you'll need to be more active than ever moving forward. Assist Playmaker and his allies when you can, and after Raguel's recovered from his wounds, help him get the strength needed so he can return back to action. If you also manage to find Ai somewhere in the network, please grant him sanctuary in your server. The last thing we need is for Jericho to complete the Unity."

"I promise I'll do that, Kairi. But what about Arshad? Given how Jericho captured him, he'll most likely turn him into a puppet to use against us."

"My request is still the same regarding Arshad, Dairoku. Bring him back to me alive. I have some questions for him regarding his actions." Kairi reminded Zero. Before anything else can be decided for Watchman, she wanted to know the reasons on why Watchman betrayed Myojin by seeking the Root of All Knowledge for himself. "But moving that aside, the fact that you revealed yourself to Playmaker and the others has given us an unexpected advantage."

"Oh? How so?" Zero asked.

"Simple. It'll make Jericho think twice of acting now that you're going to be helping in person versus on the sidelines."

Zero nodded in agreement. In a way, it did make sense, as Zero was now able to officially collaborate with Playmaker and the others in fighting against what was to come. With that knowledge, they would be able to stop Jericho and force him back to the dark net. What's more, they can eventually take the fight to Urizen and stop him forever. "What you're saying does have some merit, Kairi."

"Of course it does! We have an opportunity to seize here!" Kairi shouted, which made Zero wince upon hearing how loud she suddenly got. "Make sure your server's been repaired, and ensure that security's up to date. In addition, make sure you fulfil the previous orders I gave you to the letter. With what's happened, we can't afford to take any chances."

"Leave this to me, Kairi. I won't let you down." Zero promised, having ended the call. It looks like I'm past the point of no return here, he lamented in his mind, as he began to head to the exit of the cave. Still, it'll be good to officially work with Playmaker and his allies, as he can now provide them with the knowledge needed to fight back against Jericho and Urizen. What's more, Zero had a chance to take SOL Technologies back from his sons. If he succeeded, then he can ensure the company would rectify its mistakes and move forward to a better, prosperous future. One that would serve the people versus its own interest.

Having exited the cave, light-green energy surrounded Zero's hands as he got to work, wanting to resume repairing his server and making sure the security programs were re-established before resuming the current requests Kairi gave him.

Elsewhere, in a different area in the network...

Jericho logged back into his laboratory, satisfied that he was able to capture Watchman as Arsene, Captain Kidd, Goemon and Loki followed after him. It wasn't just that, as he was able to destroy Zero's base of operations as well. This meant Zero would have no choice but to set another one up, which would prevent him from assisting Playmaker and the others.

"Okay! Arsene, Captain Kidd and Goemon. Take Arshad down to one of the cells downstairs. Make sure he's absolutely restrained. For we can't take any risks now that we have a valuable prisoner for the Great One." Jericho ordered, as Arsene, Captain Kidd and Goemon took Watchman and went downstairs in order to lock him up in one of the vacant cells. Loki soon appeared beside Jericho, which got his attention.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot the mission I sent you on. Were you successful in getting a piece of Ai's algorithm, Loki?" In response to Jericho's question, Loki opened his palm, where purple-colored pieces of an algorithm appeared above it. Jericho pressed a few buttons on his duel disk, which caused a scanning wave to appear that proceeded to scan the purple-colored pieces. His eyes then widened out of shock upon seeing that the purple-colored pieces were ultimately a part of an Ignis algorithm. Specifically, Ai's algorithm. "Well done. Return to me at once." As if on cue, Loki turned into particles before returning back to Jericho's duel disk.

Jericho walked over to the large light-green monitor ahead of him as he hummed a happy tune, satisfied with the way things were going right now. Capturing Watchman was a great start towards his coming success. If Raguel died and the Cursed Boundary Layer scorched the Earth through Eschaton, that meant the Root of All Knowledge would be on the verge of being found. Thus leading to the New Epoch later on. "Okay, computer. Show me the Cursed Boundary Layer's status, along with the planet's weakened condition." A radar sonar appeared on the screen, which began scanning the network. The scan suddenly stopped and showed an alert screen on the large light-green monitor before announcing something Jericho didn't anticipate hearing at all.

"Cursed Boundary Layer destroyed..." the large light-green monitor said, which made Jericho gasp in response.

"Woah, woah, woah, what? Don't be absurd!" Jericho exclaimed, as he quickly typed on the digital keyboard to see if this was the case. Unfortunately, after a minute of typing, there were no signs of the Cursed Boundary Layer on the screen. This was evident by a group of massive dots zooming out before each one turned into particles. "Computer, initiate a scan for any remaining Shadow Giants now!"

"Scan initiated..." the large light-green monitor said, as a radar sonar appeared on the screen, which began scanning the network. After a minute had passed, the scan had stopped, the number zero appearing beside the radar as well. Jericho gasped upon seeing the number zero on the screen. "No Shadow Giants detected…. Cursed Boundary Layer destroyed…"

"Impossible..." Jericho's eyes widened as he took a step or two back, having come to the unfortunate and ultimate conclusion. That the Cursed Boundary Layer had somehow been destroyed by Playmaker and his pesky allies. His hands turned into fists as a purple and black-colored aura began to surround his body, which cackled with electricity seconds later. "GRAAAAGH!" Jericho let out a loud scream as waves of energy radiated from him before being fired outwards, which caused the whole area began to shake. Some of the computer screens began to crack while other pieces of equipment started to cease functioning. The ripples of energy were so violent that some of the computer screens broke entirely, while other pieces of equipment were torn apart into pieces.

When the dust settled down, it showed an infuriated Jericho, still surrounded in the purple and black-colored aura. Not only was he angry with what happened, he was shocked that the Cursed Boundary Layer was destroyed completely. Such a thing was impossible because Jericho assumed that no species had the capability of fighting back against it. But it turns out that assumption was ultimately incorrect, as evident by how Raguel was able to fight back against the Cursed Boundary Layer upon regaining his senses, which gave his allies time to destroy it and free him. And for humans of all species to succeed in completing such a task?! This was a pure insult to Jericho because of all the things he did not see coming until recently, this was clearly the worst one.

But despite losing the Cursed Boundary Layer, Jericho still achieved a few small victories by obtaining a piece of Ai's algorithm and capturing Watchman, as now he can track Ai wherever he is in the network. However, this wasn't enough, as Jericho would need two more pieces if he were to succeed in building the Unity, especially now that Raguel's allies would make great strides to ensure Numera wasn't captured again.

SOL Technologies.

And Albinor Inc., Urizen's old company.

Those two companies together had the resources needed to ensure that the Unity can be built. After all, since Jericho knew that the Root of All Knowledge was on Earth, he can simply scorch it using Eschaton before finding where it is on the planet. Speaking of Earth, Jericho also knew some old allies that would assist him, as they served Urizen before. The good thing was that Jericho knew who to start with, having approached the massive, large light-green monitor and the digital keyboard in front of him. Seconds later, drones appeared before getting to work on repairing the systems and making sure they were operational once again.

This was the last straw for Jericho. No longer would Jericho operate in the shadows and take any more chances. Now, Jericho would emerge and make his enemies suffer for their transgressions against him personally, and Urizen by extension. Damn Raguel! Damn Playmaker! Damn Soulburner! Damn Slipstream! Damn the meddlesome Knights of Hanoi! Damn Tigress! Damn Blue Maiden! Damn Aerith! Once Jericho was finished, not only will his enemies know true despair, but suffer slow deaths for their transgressions against him as well!

In the sunset over Den City, Yuhiro, Miyu, and Arashi are depicted with Yusaku, Aoi, and Takeru looking out over the area.

Silhouettes of Earth, Windy, Aqua, Flame, Lightning, Herald, and Wraith are shown as Ai clenches his heart in despair before morphing into his human form. The screen shifts to the real world, which shows Roboppy looking out a window as a silhouette of his human form is shown with him.

Jin, Kusanagi, and Katsuya look at the starry skies, grateful smiles on their faces as they do so, glad to be reunited with one another, Silhouettes of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon and Codebreaker Virus Berserker appear in the area to ensure the peaceful moment wasn't disrupted.

Emma and Kengo Dojun are shown at the Den City hospital visiting his mother as she wakes up, happy to see her son again. A light-blue glow briefly surrounds her body before dimming, as though it were blessing her. In another area of the hospital, Roxy is shown lovingly embracing Miyu with joy, Aoi also smiling after seeing her wake up. Nearby is Yuhiro, who smiles as he watches the group. However, he lowers his head in sadness as he recalls everything that had to be sacrificed for this moment to occur.

Akira is shown rushing over to a helicopter, intent on completing an urgent business assignment. Hayami follows after him in a hurry, having also been called to assist him in completing the assignment.

A split screen then pops up, showing Tsubaki spending time with Hideki on one side, while Gekiryushi is training at the Shinpi-Tekina dojo, people happy to see the dojo being rejuvenated on the other side. Portrait of Zandaka, Kataru, and Arakan are also in the background. A second split screen appears next, showing Greg and Rachel spending time with one another, while Gil is looking at documents with the Bit and Boot under his command.

The screen then shows Youta, Ryoken, and Takeya looking over a high platform, with Yua, Kyoko, Aso, Eizaburo, and Mikuru in the background watching them. It then shifts to show Emon looking over Beatrice's grave at the cemetery before fading away.

A portrait of everyone riding their duel boards in LINK VRAINS appears on a table as Yusaku and Yuhiro put down their duel disks, having accepted everything that's happened as they strive to move forward towards a brighter future.

Card Gallery

Raguel:

Cyreath Monolith (LV: 5/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 0/DEF: 2000)

Effect: During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your field or hand to your GY, then target 1 'Cyreath' monster you control with a different name; for the rest of that turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle, also, it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Monolith' once per turn.

Cyreath Mimesis (LV: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 400/DEF: 800)

Effect: During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to your GY and target 1 'Cyreath' card in your GY; shuffle that card back into your deck, and if you do, apply its effect. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum or Link 3 or higher monster. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Mimesis' once per turn.

Cyreath Hecatoncheires (LV: 8/Cyberse/Flip/Earth/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2100)

Effect: FLIP: When this card is Flip Summoned: You can draw the top two cards of your deck. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Hecatoncheires' once per turn.

If you control a 'Cyreath' monster with a different name: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field. If this card battles a monster your opponent controls. The first time this card would be destroyed by battle or card effect, it is not destroyed.You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Hecatoncheires' once per turn.

Cyreath Markswoman (LV: 3/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400)

Effect: During either player's turn, when you control a 'Cyreath' Flip monster (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 card your opponent controls. If this card is destroyed by battle or card effect and sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your deck to your field in face-up or face-down defense position. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Markswoman' once per turn.

Cyreath Flage (LV: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 0/DEF: 0)

Effect: When your opponent activates a card effect while this card is in your hand (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field, and if you do, negate the activation, and if you do that, apply 1 of the following effects based on the type of card negated by this effect:

Monster: Place 1 'Cyreath' counter on a monster your opponent controls. While that monster has a 'Cyreath' counter, it cannot attack, also, it cannot activate its effects.

Spell: Shuffle 1 card your opponent controls back into their deck.

Trap: Send 1 card your opponent controls to their GY with a different name.

You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Flage' once per turn.

Cyreath Shadows (Continuous-Spell card)

Effect: During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can Special Summon 'Cyreath Shadow' tokens to your field up to the Link monster on either player's field with the highest Link rating (if it's a tie, you get to choose) (LV: 4/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: ?/DEF: ?). If a 'Cyreath Shadow' token battles a monster your opponent controls with higher ATK while this card's on your field: You can have your monster gain ATK equal to the 'Cyreath' monster you control with the highest original ATK on your field until the end of the damage step. You can send this card and all 'Cyreath Shadow' tokens you control to your GY; for the rest of this turn, 'Cyreath' monsters you control can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, also, any damage you would take is reduced by the number of 'Cyreath Shadow' tokens you sent to the GY times 500. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Shadows' once per turn.

Cyreath Conjuration (Normal Trap card)

Effect: When this card is activated: You can send 1 'Cyreath' Spell or Trap card from your deck to your GY; apply that card's effect. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Conjuration' per turn.

Cyreath Tartarus Gates (Normal Trap card)

Effect: If your opponent Special Summons a monster to their field: You can Special Summon 1 'Cyreath' monster from your hand, deck or GY to your field, and if you do, its ATK is doubled until the End Phase. If your life points reach 0 while this card is in your hand, face-down on your field, GY or banished: Gain LP equal to the monster with the highest ATK on either player's field, and if you do, Special Summon 1 'Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode' from your Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning conditions. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Tartarus Gates' once per duel.

Cyreath Hypnotism (Continuous-Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent Special Summons a monster while you control a 'Cyreath' Link monster: You can take control of that monster, and if you do, negate its effects, and if you do that, it is treated as a 'Cyreath' monster. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster. If this card leaves the field: Banish all monsters you've taken control of by this effect. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Hypnotism' once per turn.

Cyreath Reprisal (Counter-Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent activates a card effect: You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If you control a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster the turn you activate this effect, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of 'Cyreath' cards on your field and/or in your GY for the rest of this turn. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Reprisal' per turn.

Cyreath Magus (LR: 3/Cyberse/Water/ATK: 2000/↙️⬆️↘️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Cyreath' monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can take 2 'Cyreath' Pendulum monsters from your deck and place them in your Pendulum zones. During your Main Phase: You can target 1 'Cyreath' monster in your GY; replace this card's effects with the targeted monster's original effects until the End Phase. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Magus' once per turn.

Cyreath Shadow Flame (LR: 3/Cyberse/Fire/ATK: 2400/⬅️⬆️↘️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Cyreath' monsters. You can target 1 monster your opponent controls; that monster loses 500 ATK for each card your opponent controls until the End Phase, except the targeted monster, and if you do, your opponent takes damage equal to the ATK lost by this effect. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can tribute 1 'Cyreath' monster you control; Special Summon the destroyed monster to your field to a Main Monster Zone this card points to, and if you do, activate 1 of the following effects:

This card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase for the rest of this turn, but any damage it inflicts is halved.

Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Special Summoned monster's original attack points.

You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Shadow Flame' once per turn.

Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode (LR: 4/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 3500/⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️)

Effect: Must be Special Summoned either by the effect of 'Alpha Mode/Activate' or by 'Cyreath Tartarus Gates', and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Unaffected by your opponent's card effects, also, control of this card cannot be switched while you have a Link 3 or higher 'Cyreath' monster in your GY. During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can send 1 'Cyreath' Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum or Link monster from your deck or Extra Deck; activate 1 of the following effects (you can only activate 1 of the effects below per turn) (This card retains the effects below while that type of 'Cyreath' monster is in your GY):

Ritual: Banish cards your opponent controls up to the number of 'Cyreath' monsters on your field.

Fusion: Declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell or Trap); your opponent mush shuffle all cards of the declared type back into the deck.

Synchro: All monsters your opponent currently controls lose 500 ATK until the End Phase; also, they can't attack for the rest of this turn.

Xyz: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the monster they control with the highest ATK on their field.

Pendulum: Negate the effects of cards your opponent controls up to the number of monsters on their field until the End Phase.

Link: Gains ATK equal to the Link rating of the 'Cyreath' Link monster sent to the GY by this effect X 1000 until the End Phase.

This activation and effect cannot be negated. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode' once per turn.

Blue Maiden:

Cyreath Macarios (LV: 4/Cyberse/Pendulum/Tuner/Light/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500/Scale: 0)

Pendulum Effect: If you control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones and would perform a Pendulum Summon: You can Pendulum Summon Cyberse monsters from your Graveyard whose original levels are between your set Pendulum Scales. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Macarios' once per turn.

Effect: During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 Cyberse monster you control; for the rest of this turn, that monster is unaffected by your opponent's monster effects. If this card leaves the field by battle or your opponent's card effect: You can add to your hand, OR Set 1 Spell or Trap card from your deck to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Macarios' once per turn.

Cyreath Adele (LV: 4/Cyberse/Pendulum/Tuner/Light/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500/Scale: 10)

Pendulum Effect: If you control a Cyberse Link monster: You can target monsters in your opponent's GY; Special Summon them to Main Monster Zones your Cyberse Link monster points to, but negate their effects, also, they can't attack. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Adele' once per turn.

Effect: During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 Cyberse monster you control; for the rest of this turn, that monster is unaffected by your opponent's Spell and Trap effects. If this card leaves the field by battle or your opponent's card effect: You can add to your hand, OR Special Summon 1 Cyberse monster from your deck to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Cyreath Adele' once per turn.

Cyreath Bellerophon (LV: 8/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000)

Effect: Cannot attack, unless you control a Link 4 'Cyreath' or 'Turboblaze' monster or 'Rasterliger'. If this card is on your field and a Cyberse Link monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls (Quick Effect): You can send this card to your GY; inflict damage to your opponent equal to your monster's original attack points. If you control 'Cyreath Medusa' the turn you activate this effect: Your opponent takes damage equal to the monster with the highest attack points on either player's field (if it's a tie, you get to choose). If you control a Link 3 or higher Cyberse monster: You can activate this card from your hand. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Bellerophon' once per turn.

Marincess Formation (Normal Spell card)

Effect: You can send 1 'Marincess' card from your deck to your GY, then target 1 'Marincess' Link monster in your Extra Monster Zone; move it to a Main Monster Zone that monster points to. If this card is in your GY and a 'Marincess' monster you control battles: You can banish this card from your GY; this turn, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle, also, any damage you would take from battles involving it is halved. You can only use each effect of 'Marincess Formation' once per turn.

Marincess Hydromancy (Continuous-Spell card)

Effect: During either player's turn, when a 'Marincess' Link monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls (Quick Effect): You can have that monster lose ATK equal to the attack points of the 'Marincess' Link monster you control until the end of the damage step, also, negate its effects. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 'Marincess' monster you control; send all other 'Marincess' monsters on your field to your GY, and if you do, you can have the targeted monster gain ATK equal to the combined ATK of the 'Marincess' monsters sent to the GY by this effect until the End Phase. You can only use each effect of 'Marincess Hydromancy' once per turn.

Cyreath Jewelled Blade (Equip Spell card)

Effect: Equip only to a Cyberse Link monster. The equipped Cyberse Link monster gains ATK equal to its Link rating times 1000; also, it can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. If you would take damage by battle or card effect while this card is in your GY: You can banish this card from your GY instead, and if you do, send 1 card your opponent controls to their GY, then activate 1 of the following effects depending on the card sent to your opponent's GY by this effect:

Monster: Special Summon 1 Cyberse Link monster from your GY or banished zone whose ATK is less than or equal to the damage you would have taken.

Spell: Cyberse monsters you currently control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects for the rest of this turn.

Trap: Gain LP equal to the monster with the highest original ATK on either player's field.

You take no further damage the turn you use this effect. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Jewelled Blade' per turn. You can only control 1 'Cyreath Jewelled Blade' on your field.

Marincess Purification (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 'Marincess' monster on your field or in your GY; gain LP equal to its original ATK. If you control a 'Marincess' Link monster: You can banish this card from your GY; take control of 1 monster your opponent controls until the End Phase, and if you do, its attribute is changed to Water until the End Phase. You can only use each effect of 'Marincess Purification' once per turn.

Cyreath Rho Aias (Normal Trap card)

Effect: If a Cyberse Link monster you control battles a monster your opponent controls: You can activate this effect; for the rest of this turn, Cyberse Link monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, also, any damage you would take for the rest of this turn is reduced by the combined Link rating of all Cyberse Link monsters you control times 1000. If you control a Link 3 or higher Cyberse monster: You can activate this card from your hand. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Rho Aias' per turn.

Zero:

The Menacing Eyes of the Sky Emperor (Normal Spell card)

Effect: You can shuffle 1 Light Cyberse monster from your field or GY back into your deck, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; negate its effects. Then, if that monster wasn't a Link monster: You can change its battle position. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Link 3 or higher Light Cyberse monster. You can only activate 1 'The Menacing Eyes of the Sky Emperor' per turn.

Provident Restoration (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 Light Cyberse Link monster you control; this turn, it is unaffected by your opponent's card effects. If this card is in your GY: You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 Light Cyberse monster from your GY to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Provident Restoration' once per turn.

Starry Cyberse (Normal Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent Normal or Special Summons a monster to their field: You can target 1 Cyberse monster you control; send the top three cards of your deck to your Graveyard, and if you do, you can have the targeted monster gain ATK equal to the combined levels of the monsters sent to your Graveyard by this effect times 100 until the End Phase, also, this card cannot be destroyed by battle this turn. You can only activate 1 'Starry Cyberse' per turn.

Chimerator Gradientron (LR: 3/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 2500/⬅️⬇️➡️)

Effect: 2 or more Light Cyberse monsters. During either player's turn (Quick Effect): You can shuffle 1 Light Cyberse monster from your field or GY back into your deck; banish 1 card from your opponent's field or GY, and if you do, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. If this card battles: You can have this card or 1 Light Cyberse Link monster gain 1000 ATK until the end of the damage step, also, your opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK. If this card leaves the field: You can add 1 Light Cyberse monster from your deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of 'Chimerator Gradientron' once per turn.

Nidhoggron Collidertron (LR: 4/Cyberse/Light/ATK: 3500/⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️)

Effect: 2 or more Light Cyberse Link monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can shuffle all cards on your opponent's field and GY back into their deck, and if you do, you can have this card gain 500 ATK for each card shuffled from your opponent's field back into their deck by this effect. If this card battles, your opponent cannot activate cards and effects until the end of the damage step. If this card leaves the field: You can Special Summon 1 Link 3 or lower Light Cyberse monster from your Extra Deck to your field (this is treated as a Link Summon). Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects. You can only use each effect of 'Nidhoggron Collidertron' once per turn.

Revolver:

Frangirokket Dragon (LV: 4/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 1700/DEF: 400)

Effect: When a Link Monster's effect is activated that targets this face-up card on the field (Quick Effect): You can destroy this card, then banish a card on their field, OR, if they control more monsters than you do: You can banish cards your opponent controls up to the difference. During the End Phase, if this card is in the GY because it was destroyed on the field by battle or card effect and sent there this turn: You can Special Summon 1 "Rokket" monster from your Deck, except 'Frangirokket Dragon'. You can only use each effect of Frangirokket Dragon' once per turn.

Camouflage Dragon (LV: 1/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 500/DEF: 500)

Effect: If you control a Dark Dragon Link monster: You can Special Summon this card from your hand to your field. A Dark Dragon Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster that uses this card as material gains the following effect:

Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of each of this card's effects.

You can only use each effect of 'Camouflage Dragon' once per turn.

Reloader Dragon (LR: 1/Dragon/Dark/ATK: 1500/⬇️)

Effect: 1 Dark Dragon monster. When this card is Link Summoned: You can target 1 Dark Dragon Link monster you control; activate 1 of these effects:

Draw cards equal to the targeted Dark Dragon Link monster's Link rating, but you can't add cards from your deck to your hand for the rest of this turn.

Special Summon 'Rokket' monsters to your field up to the targeted Dark Dragon Link monster's Link rating, but negate their effects.

During your Main Phase, if this card's in the Extra Monster Zone: You can Special Summon 1 Dark Dragon monster from your Graveyard to your field. You can only use each effect of 'Reloader Dragon' once per turn.

Lord Kazuma:

Fusion (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, by sending face-up monsters from your field to your Graveyard as Fusion Material.

Reckoning of Dark Magic (Normal Spell card)

Effect: If you control a Dark Spellcaster monster: You can Special Summon 1 'Dark Magician' or 1 monster that has 'Dark Magician' in its text from your deck or GY to your field. If you control a Dark Spellcaster Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster, you can Special Summon 1 Light or Dark monster from your GY to your field instead. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to this card's activation if you control a Dark Spellcaster Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz or Link monster. You can only activate 1 'Reckoning of Dark Magic' per turn.

Soulburner:

Salamangreat Wildfire (Normal Trap card)

Effect: Target 1 'Salamangreat' monster you control; double its ATK and DEF, but it cannot attack directly while it's on the field. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 'Salamangreat' monster you control; inflict damage to your opponent equal to its original ATK. You can only activate 1 'Salamangreat Wildfire' effect per turn, and only 1 that turn.

QOTC

We have reached 100 chapters at long last! What are your favorite moments/duels/characters/quotes so far in this story? Also, which of the duels against Raguel and his army of data clones did you ultimately like from Chapter 99 and this chapter?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 101: The Story of Rasterliger. A week had passed since Yuhiro had been liberated from the Cursed Boundary Layer. Thanks to the heroes' combined efforts, the Cursed Boundary Layer has been destroyed, Jericho's plans have been put to a halt and Yuhiro had been saved from his madness. As everyone processes recent events and contemplate how to best move forward, Rasterliger ponders not just on how things reached to this point, but what the Cyberse World was like before its destruction...

Author's Notes

Massive credit goes to HunterHQ for helping in reviewing the duels.

Again, this was a very long chapter to write due to me focusing more on quality compared to quantity. After all, Obscured Truth has hit a massive milestone, so I wanted to give the story the proper respect it deserves by creating a chapter that showed just how far it become back when it started in October 2019. That being said, I do hope you all enjoyed the time and effort I put into this story so far. And again, writers do have other matters to take care of outside of writing. The good news, however, is that with this massive chapter done, the amount of time it takes to writing and posting a chapter should be back to normal. Ex. Every three to four weeks. But enough talking, as we have a massive recap to go over:

I'll start by talking about the duels that have occurred this chapter starting with the second part of the heroes versus the data clones of Raguel. Based on your reviews, some of you were betting on who would win and lose during the past few chapters, especially as the heroes are battling against Raguel's army. Here's the thing: When I first drafted the plan in having everyone duel against Raguel, one of two options were presented in front of me. One: I can recreate the duel against Zarc in Arc-V for this story, where he practically destroyed the strongest duelists in the show before losing against Reira. Two: I can have everyone duel against a data clone of Raguel while Blue Maiden duels against the real Raguel. As to why I chose Blue Maiden out of everyone else to duel against the real Raguel, that will be covered later on in the Author's Notes. But moving that aside, with what the heroes went through recently, it's only fair that they get a few victories under their belt, don't you agree? That's why I went with option two.

In the second part of Tigress' duel against Raguel, when we last saw her, she was struggling against him. She was able to catch Raguel off guard by using her new Xyz monster Skypalace Gangaridai, with its appearance being able to expand her arsenal in firepower. In response, Raguel used a Trap card to activate Rank-Up-Magic Cyreath Force from his deck, which in turn enabled him to bring out Scorching Cerberus to his field. Following that turn, we learn that Tigress already told Raguel and Roxy a long time ago about how her parents, under the codenames Burgmeier and Vernie, were hired to kidnap a few of the victims for the Lost Incident. At that time, Raguel and Roxy forgave her because she didn't play a part in their actions. Just because they were her parents doesn't make her responsible for their actions. Will Tigress tell the others about this information? Yes, but not right now obviously.

It's here where Tigress points out the hypocrisy in Raguel's words, saying that the child shouldn't be blamed for their parents' actions, yet he's taking the burden and blame of the pain his family brought onto other people. One that will ultimately destroy him if he keeps this up. After surviving Raguel's turn, Tigress responds by bringing Skypalace Gangaridai back before using Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force to use it as an Overlay Unit and summon CXyz Skypalace Babylon to her field. How did Tigress get her hands on such a powerful monster, especially one that is a member of the Deadly Seven? It's simple. Burgmeier and Vernie stole it from the Black Market and put it in storage so no one else can use it. That, and so they can find someone to sell it to. However, this wasn't meant to be, as Tigress putting those cards in her deck gave her the advantage against Raguel. She even used the Turn Jump Quick-Play Spell card to evade Raguel's cards, thus securing her the win in the end.

In the second part of Revolver's duel against Raguel, when we last saw him, he was struggling in both life points and cards. Here, Raguel reveals the truth to Revolver on how Azrael and Wraith used him as a pawn to end the Lost Incident. As such, Revolver realizes that Azrael and Wraith ultimately were the ones who ended the Lost Incident, not him. After Raguel says that Revolver's a prisoner of destiny just like him, the latter counters by saying that the former's a mere imitation. All because of how Raguel allowed his family's beliefs to justify his own actions. While Revolver makes a strong counterattack in response to Raguel's strategies, Raguel was able to put a complete stop to his turn, where the latter responds by bringing out a new Link monster in Cyreath Magus both to set up his Pendulum cards and throw Revolver off guard.

After declaring that he won't let destiny decides his fate, Revolver begins his final turn by making Raguel use up his negates so he can proceed with his turn. Not only does Revolver get rid of one of Raguel's strongest monsters in Super Orion, he also uses The Fang of Critias to bring out Mirror Force Dragon to his field. That's right, ladies and gentlemen! The Fang of Critias has finally appeared in his story. We all knew Revolver would use it at some point after learning that he had the card back in Chapter 44. With the combined strength of Mirror Force Dragon and Borreload Dragon, Revolver was ultimately able to win against the data clone of Raguel.

In the second part of Soulburner's duel against Raguel, when we last saw him, the duel was even between the two duelists. Here, Soulburner scolds Raguel both for setting a bad example on what not to do when someone experiences a loss and for killing scores of people as well. He even tells Raguel that he never considered the consequences for his actions as well. For in murdering those people, Raguel robbed them of any chance they had to redeem themselves. Having had enough, Raguel brought out a new Link monster in Cyreath Shadow Flame and his Ritual monster Castor & Pollux to break through Soulburner's defenses despite him surviving in the end. In response, Soulburner used a combination of Pyro Phoenix, Perseverance, Metaverse and Shrine to clear away Raguel's field, where ended up surviving by protecting Alastor using Monolith's effect. Despite this minor delay, Soulburner was able to win on Raguel's turn by using a Trap card to increase Pyro Phoenix's strength to the point where he was able to destroy Alastor and reduce Raguel's life points to zero. This is a callback to how Soulburner defeated Malf back in Chapter 89, as just like with Malf, the data clone with Raguel's arrogance costed him the duel.

In the second part of Lord Kazuma's duel against Raguel, when we last saw him, both duelists were even against one another. Lord Kazuma wasn't struggling against Raguel at all. In fact, Lord Kazuma tells Raguel that he's nothing more than a mere dictator due to offering fear and power only, and even reminds him of the crimes he committed during his time in the Black Market. Despite the counterpoints Raguel made by saying that the Hanoi jumpstarted the Lost Incident and caused the events to occur up until now, Lord Kazuma merely replies by saying that the former's no better than the Hanoi, SOL Technologies and Azrael combined.

As such, Lord Kazuma immediately uses The Dark – Hex Sealed Fusion along with Illusion of Chaos in order to bring out his strongest monster yet: Dragon Magia Master. I originally planned on having Lord Kazuma use Mirage Knight in this duel, but this was a much easier option to use upon seeing Dragon Magia Master online. Thanks to this monster, Lord Kazuma was able to massively reduce Raguel to the brink of defeat, who responds by Fusion Summoning Thuellai Charybdis and destroying it on his turn. However, Lord Kazuma brings Dragon Magia Master right back to his field using Reckoning of Dark Magic, but reveals something to Raguel before the duel ends. It's the weakness of the data clone program.

Some of you were wondering just what the data clone program's weaknesses were aside from needing data material to use it, and the flaws are now revealed: When a data clone is destroyed, it goes back to the owner and absorbs whatever the clone experienced. Since Raguel created a lot of data clones, he'll end up receiving a ton of pain from the other duels they're participating in. What's more, his strength will be split as well, thus making it a little bit easier for the heroes to win as well. After revealing this information, Lord Kazuma proceeds to use Dragon Magia Master to prevent any chance Raguel would have of surviving, thus securing him the win in the process. Lord Kazuma finally defeated Raguel and avenged Kazuma Saromi. Simple as that.

In the second part of Slipstream's duel against Raguel, when we last saw him, he was massively struggling against Raguel. This was in both life points and duel field, as Raguel was ahead of Slipstream in both factors. Here, Slipstream says that Raguel's goal in reaching the Root of All Knowledge was a waste of time because it was seeped in malice and pain. That same goal even infected others as well, such as Watchman and Azrael, and look how those two ended up. When Raguel counters by saying that Slipstream wanted revenge against Windy, and even advocated for the Hanoi to do so, Slipstream acknowledges that fact. He also says that the time he spent with Raguel and the others changed him for the better, so in Herald's memory, he won't give up now. As such, Slipstream immediately acquires more cards before bringing out Altair and using it to deal massive damage to Raguel, who responds by Synchro Summoning Anemoi Gryphon and dealing massive damage. However, Slipstream counters by using a combination of Gum Prize and the Trap card Synchro Material not just to take Raguel's monster, but use them both together to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Clear Wing Rider. Here, Slipstream reveals that Jericho destroyed Herald's server and was responsible for trapping Azrael in the network, which genuinely catches Raguel off guard because he didn't know the truth until now. From there, Slipstream uses Altair and Clear Wing Rider together to defeat Raguel once and for all. It just goes to show just how much Slipstream's grown as a duelist, don't you think?

In the second part of Playmaker's duel against Raguel, when we last saw him, he was slightly struggling against Raguel despite having a strong field. Here, Playmaker reveals that Roxy gave Turboblaze Dragon to him for the fight because he made the choice to do so despite Raguel not wanting his beloved monster getting involved in the battle. Turboblaze Dragon adds that he made the choice to fight because of the promise he made to Herald to keep Raguel safe both physically and mentally should he die. He even says that the pain Raguel's consumed with doesn't give him any excuse to hurt others. Playmaker and Turboblaze Dragon also hypothesize that Raguel lost his faith in humanity because he thinks they can never be redeemed, with the two of them vowing to show that this is only one perspective. As such, while Playmaker struggled on his turn, he was able to deal damage to Raguel, gain life points and remove one of his monsters.

Raguel responded immediately by Link Summoning Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm, and after ensuring that he's protected, attacks Firewall Dragon instead of Turboblaze Dragon. In Raguel's mind, the reason he did it was a tactical one, as Firewall Dragon was weaker. However, Playmaker counters by saying that Raguel isn't truly able to let go of the people in his life. If he was, he wouldn't hesitate in eliminating anyone who would get in the way of his goal. Ultimately, this inability to let go has shown that Raguel has some humanity left in him. Having confirmed this, Playmaker immediately Link Summons Turboblaze Desolation Dragon to his field, which meant Roxy gave that card to Playmaker as well. Despite the struggle, Playmaker defeated Raguel in the end using the monster Herald made a long time ago. Will there be a duel between Playmaker and the real Raguel later on? Yes, as Playmaker has some unfinished business to take care of with Raguel if he's to move forward from losing against the latter. Trauma can be a real pain in the ass, don't you think?

The last duel involving a data clone of Raguel was against Zero, who had come to assist the heroes in stopping him and destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer. After scolding Raguel for allowing the Cursed Boundary Layer to infect him, along with pointing out that he would have died had it not been for Myojin and Lyla, Raguel counters by saying that Project: VIII has turned him into nothing more than a monster. If there was one thing Raguel and Zero could agree on, it's that Watchman deserved to be punished for their crimes. With that, their duel begins, with Zero solidifying his field with two strong Link 3 Cyberse monsters and a few other cards. After being denied an answer to how Zero has Cyberse monsters, Raguel proceeds to solidify his field before launching an onslaught of attacks, only for Zero to survive thanks to the defenses he set up on his previous turn.

From there, Raguel reveals to Zero that Azrael managed to find the Root of All Knowledge, and demands answers on why Zero didn't destroy the Project: VIII data all those years ago. Zero's answer: He still had hope despite everything that happened. Zero had faith that there was a pure individual out there who would not only finish Project: VIII, but would uphold their ethical beliefs against the world's evils as well. What's more, Zero hoped that this person would use a combination of collaboration, just methods and these findings so a prosperous future can be built for everyone. As for the other reason, it was because Zero was on the run, and being pressed for time, was forced to split the data into pieces. In response, Raguel tells Zero what happened to SOL Technologies since he was gone, and how unethical it became following his disappearance. He hammers that point home by calling Zero a coward, for if he were around, then the tragic events that had happened since his disappearance would have never happened. I do want to highlight a difference between Zero and Watchman: Whereas the former admits his mistakes and how it caused events to occur, along with a genuine desire to repent, the latter admits the truth but bends it to his favor. Nevertheless, Raguel doesn't necessarily know the entire story and truth on why Zero disappeared and what he was doing since then.

Following that back and forth conversation, Zero finishes Raguel off by using his other strongest monster aside from Yggdrago the Sky Emperor: Nidhoggron Collidertron. Again, I wanted to provide diversity and more strategies for the 'Tron' archetype rather than it just focusing on bringing out only one monster in Yggdrago the Sky Emperor, so I hope this duel shows just how versatile the archetype has become. Still, Zero wins the duel by destroying the data clone of Raguel, and if he dueled against the real Raguel, then he'd still win despite it being a harder challenge. You could say Zero would be forced to use both Nidhoggron Collidertron and Yggdrago the Sky Emperor together to win. After this, Zero proceeds to work on destroying the barrier surrounding the Tower of Hanoi, which he eventually succeeds in doing so.

But anyhow, the main duel highlighted in this chapter was the duel between Raguel and Blue Maiden. Some of you are probably thinking: Why did I choose Blue Maiden of all people to duel against the real Raguel? Well, the anime did Blue Maiden very bad justice, as after her duel against Haru, she lost against powerful opponents, which in turn disgraced how powerful the 'Marincess' deck is. You could say people ended up calling her 'Fodder Maiden' as a result. The second was because of the bond between Blue Maiden and Raguel. Like I said back in Chapter 76, the friendship between Blue Maiden and Raguel is similar to that of Shirou Emiya and Saber's relationship in Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works. Both Raguel and Blue Maiden trust one another and are loyal to the point where they're close, best friends. It's nothing romantic, it's just they trust one another deeply. You could say they're almost like siblings.

Regardless, Blue Maiden was able to handle herself quite well against Raguel when compared to Playmaker and Watchman. How? Well, for starters, Blue Maiden was prepared compared to Playmaker and Watchman, who didn't know what new cards Raguel had up his sleeve. The two of them tried to handle the situation physically and tactfully, and though they came close, they brutally lost in the end. Here, Blue Maiden had new cards Raguel didn't expect her to have, such as the new 'Marincess' cards and the 'Cyreath' cards Herald made as well. Some of which include Medusa and Achilles, and Rasterliger even joins in on the fight to assist Blue Maiden as well. What's more, Blue Maiden managed to appeal to the remaining goodness Raguel had within him despite being corrupted by the Cursed Boundary Layer. So she used a combination of logic, words and cards in order to defeat Raguel... or so she thought after depleting his life points the first time around.

Just when Raguel was about to lose, he uses a card to not only restore his life points, but also bring out Cyreath Asterios/Lostbelt Mode as well. For its appearance, it's based off of Asterios in his Lostbelt version from Fate/Grand Order. As to how I came to the idea of Raguel managing to resume the duel despite appearing to lose, I drew inspiration primarily from how Kiryu managed to stay in his duel against Lotten using Infernity Zero, as well as when he used Zero Gate of the Void to bring out Void Ogre Dragon, which were both from Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. The former from the anime and the latter from the manga. Upon bringing it out, Raguel manages to break Blue Maiden's field piece by piece before psychologically reminding her of her failures, as well as the consequences they produced due to them. Ex. Being used as a slave by the Hanoi, Akira being captured and used as a hostage to try to Playmaker and Raguel unable to resume their duels against the Hanoi, and finally, Aqua's death.

All of these psychological attacks impact Blue Maiden, only for Miyu to log into the network as Aerith and remind Blue Maiden that she's never alone. How did this happen? Simple. Upon sensing that things weren't going well for Blue Maiden, Miyu immediately logged into the network despite Roxy's attempts to try and stop her from doing so. Given how Blue Maiden was weakened throughout the duel, Aerith appears to assist her in drawing cards from her deck and making sure that she didn't pass out from physical and/or mental exhaustion. You could say I took inspiration from Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's once again, where Carly helped Jack Atlas draw cards from his deck before playing them for him during his duel against a mind-controlled Tetsu Trudge.

As for the 'Cyreath' cards Blue Maiden used against Raguel, the Pendulum cards were Cyreath Macarios and Adele, where their appearances are based off of Macarios and Adele themselves from Fate/Grand Order. It's revealed in this duel that they are Alastor's children who died a long time ago in his legend, which is what made him the person he is today! Seeing them alive gives him the willpower and strength needed to fight back against the Cursed Boundary Layer, where he restrains Raguel long enough for Blue Maiden and Aerith to counter Raguel's attack seconds later. The other ones she used were Cyreath Bellerophon, which is the name of a man who rode a Pegasus in Greek Mythology, the jewelled blade created back in the previous chapter to fight back against the Cursed Boundary Layer, and Rho Aias, which is the shield used by Aias the Great in the Trojan War.

Alongside those cards, one of the key cards that helped Blue Maiden win the duel was Marincess Great Bubble Reef, which Aqua created before the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc, having heeded Herald's warning after he told her and the other Ignis about his nightmare back in Chapter 82. Shoutout to T.V. 2000 for being the only one to guess what the light-blue glowing card was in Blue Maiden's card back in Chapter 99. Great Bubble Reef played a role in the duel, as it was thanks to her that Raguel's strength was further depleted, and it even shook his resolve because he didn't want to attack the duel monster resembling Aerith. He chose to attack Medusa with Asterios/Lostbelt Mode instead, but this ultimately cost him, as Blue Maiden used a combination of Rho Aias, Bellerophon, Medusa and Great Bubble Reef to ultimately defeat him on his own turn. I'll just say it now: Regardless of who Raguel attacked on his turn, the result would have been the same. He would have lost. When creating this duel, I took inspiration from the Shirou and Rider vs Saber Alter fight in Fate/Stay Night: Heaven's Feel Part III: Spring Song, as I wanted to match this duel in terms of intensity with the one between Raguel and Playmaker back in Chapter 97.

With the duels having been recapped, I want to talk about the other scenes that occurred this chapter. One of which involved Jericho, who was recovering from the injuries Watchman inflicted on him back in Chapter 98. After looking into why Raguel didn't explode from the massive energy in his body due the Cursed Boundary Layer, he finally found out that Raguel's Link Trigger was preventing this from happening. However, this has caused Raguel great pain in exchange, which has contributed towards his deteriorating mental health. Jericho tries to use the override code in making Raguel explode, only for it to unfortunately not work, much to his ire. After realizing that the heroes are battling against Raguel at the Tower of Hanoi, Jericho sends one of his duel monsters named Loki to acquire a sample from Ai's algorithm so he can create a tracker to track him down. For those of you who are wondering, Loki is the Persona Goro Akechi uses near the end of the Persona 5 video game.

Another of the scenes in this chapter that doesn't have a duel involves Ai and Roboppy, where they went to assist the heroes in stopping Raguel. How? Well, Ai and Roboppy created a device that would drain data material out of the Tower of Hanoi the moment it entered inside the Spatial Cube. That same data material would then be transferred over to Ai, and while the purpose was to stop Raguel's plans, there was another reason on why Ai did it, which will be revealed next chapter. Still, this was no easy task, as Ai and Roboppy had to fight through a lot of centurions and Shadow giants. Nevertheless the two of them succeeded in putting the device inside the Tower of Hanoi before logging out of the old server. But unbeknownst to them, Loki managed to get a sample of Ai's algorithm during the fight, having successfully completed his task for Jericho.

Following the end of the duels, the heroes rendezvous with one another, having managed to defeat Raguel and his army. It's here where Zero reveals himself officially to the heroes, having realized that the time has come for him to show his presence, especially given the threat they faced just now in the Cursed Boundary Layer. Raguel, having lost his duel against Blue Maiden, as well as absorbing his data clones, finally breaks down before he realizes what he had done, where he tries to use his Link Trigger to rip the Cursed Boundary Layer so the heroes can escape while he takes it with him. Here, Aerith declares that she won't let Raguel die because he has to atone for all the crimes he committed recently, such as the scores of people he murdered while under the Cursed Boundary Layer's influence. As such, she stabs Raguel with Rule Breaker, the combined energies of all eight Ignis successfully destroying the Cursed Boundary Layer and freeing him as a result. The small Shadow giant also emerges out of hiding before going to Raguel and comforting him as the two of them log out together.

With that, Revolver and Lord Kazuma shut the Tower of Hanoi down, which in turn leads to the destruction of the old server. Zero assists in the log out process by protecting the heroes from the falling debris, where he promises them that Watchman will be punished for his crimes. Within seconds, he gets a notification on his duel disk, where he realizes that someone broke into his base!

This immediately leads to the next scene, where we learn that Jericho managed to break into Zero's base and capture Watchman. How did Jericho do this, may you ask? Well, it's revealed that when Jericho fought against Watchman back in Chapter 98, he put a tracker on him, which means he can track his whereabouts in the network no matter where the latter is. As a result, Jericho was able to capture Watchman, but not before laying waste to Zero's server. When Zero arrives, he goes to see if anything else was stolen, and the good news was that Jericho wasn't able to steal anything else from his server. Besides, even if Jericho tried, there was no guarantee that he'd succeed because Zero would have taken precautions to ensure this wouldn't happen. After Zero reports the good and bad news to Kairi, she tells him that her requests regarding Watchman haven't changed, as he's to bring him to her no matter what. She also tells Zero that he'll have to assist Playmaker and the others moving forward because he made the choice to reveal himself. What's more, Kairi asks Zero to

And then we go to the final scene, where Jericho's joy is short-lived upon realizing that the Cursed Boundary Layer was destroyed by humans of all species. He's angry beyond measure, especially how his plans have been halted due to the efforts of Raguel and the others. For him, this is the last straw. Having seen how the power of bonds has thrown a monkey wrench in his plans, Jericho plans to use that against them by calling up some old allies of his own. Just who are these allies Jericho plans on calling to his side? While I won't provide any names, I will say that for those of you who read the story closely so far, you might know the names of at least three of them. If not, then you'll know the names of these allies and the decks they wield this season. I do hope you look forward to their appearances in the chapters to come!

With everything having been recapped, I want to thank you all for reading Chapter 100 of Obscured Truth. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favourite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released. If you can also answer the QOTC, that would be awesome as well.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? The duels? Ai and Roboppy managing to sneak past Raguel's defenses before disrupting his plans? Aerith arriving to assist Blue Maiden when it seemed that all hope was lost? Raguel finally being freed at last from Jericho's grasp? Or was it something else?

If there are any of you who didn't enjoy the chapter, I get it one hundred percent. For I can't please everyone and what their expectations are when it comes to this story. All I ask for is that you appreciate the effort and time I put into this chapter, as this is one of the hardest and longest chapters I ever wrote so far in the story (it's over 90,000 words!).

That's all for now, folks. Since the next two chapters are mostly slice of life chapters, it should take far less time to complete compared to this one, don't you all agree? And besides, the heroes need to recuperate from what happened, especially for what's to come down the road. I will see you all in the chapters to come!