Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories

by scififan599

10 years ago, 8 children were kidnapped. One of them was Yasutake Narahiko, who today works as Morningstar, a bounty hunter in LINK VRAINS hunting criminals and hackers for companies like SOL Technologies. One day, he fights the Knights of Hanoi and encounters Playmaker, who was involved in the same incident. Follow him as he must decide whether to be Playmaker's ally, or his enemy

20. Chapter 20: An Old Score

Update

I've made changes to Thrilled Tunneler's effect. Now, when it attacks directly, instead of dealing halved damage, its attack points are halved until the End Phase. The reason why will become evident in Chapter 21.

---

Chapter 20: An Old Score

2 years ago…

Masako waited in line for her coffee. She liked little cafés like this; they always had an atmosphere of comfort, which was something rare for her since her parents' murder.

She got her coffee and turned to head to the table Tagoma had reserved but bumped into someone else.

"Oh, sorry," she said, looking at the man she'd bumped into.

"No worries," he said, smiling at her. He had pale skin and chin-length black hair. Brown eyes looked Masako up and down. If she had to guess, he was probably 16 or so. "It's my fault for not looking where I was going." He turned and headed over to a table by himself.

Masako watched him leave, then headed over to Tagoma's spot. He was looking at her through half-lidded eyes.

"Who's your new friend?" he asked her. Masako rolled her eyes at him as she sat down next to him.

"I just met him. Don't look too much into it."

"Excuse me."

The two looked up. The guy had come back and was standing in front of them. "Could we talk some more?" he asked Masako. "I… would like to know you better."

Masako raised an eyebrow. She didn't see a problem with that. She liked attention. "Okay, but why? We just bumped into each other."

The youth smiled at her. "I found myself entranced by your eyes. There's… an intensity in them. One I find attractive."

Masako found herself smiling. This man was charming, no doubt about it. Ignoring Tagoma's warning look, she said, "Sure, we can talk. I'm Masako Himura. What's your name?"

The man's smile became wider. "Issei Kamakura. A pleasure to meet you."

---

Present day…

Lilith looked out over the field and read the current situation.

Lilith: 4000 LP

Thaumiel: 3200 LP

Thaumiel had a jewel-shaped monster in his Extra Monster Zone. A shadow emerged from the center of the jewel and enshrouded it in darkness. Behind it was a monster shaped like a flying saucer with rainbow light emanating from it. Both were in Attack Position.

Qliphort Genius ATK 1600 LINK-2 ↙↘

Qliphort Disk ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 7 PS: 1

In his Spell & Trap Card Zones, there was a Set card, and two pillars of light on either end of his field. In the pillar on Thaumiel's right, there was a stone tablet with a blue crystal in the center. In the left pillar, there was a green and yellow spaceship with a green crystal in the center.

Qliphort Monolith Scale 1

Qliphort Scout Scale 9

"My turn! Draw!" Lilith looked at her cards and chose one. "I summon Magical Musketeer Kidbrave!" A young blonde man in a cowboy's outfit carrying a revolver appeared on her field.

Magical Musketeer Kidbrave ATK 1600 DEF 200 LVL: 3

Thaumiel chuckled. "I remember your Magical Musket monsters. They let you activate 'Magical Musket' Spell and Trap Cards from your hand, yes?"

"And I can do so during either player's turn," Lilith said. "I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon. This lets me perform a second Normal Summon or Set this turn. But that's not all it does." She gestured to her monster. "Kidbrave's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I can discard a 'Magical Musket' card and then draw two cards."

Lilith did so, then said, "Thanks to Double Summon, I summon Magical Musketeer Calamity!" A woman with short red and white hair wearing skintight brown leather appeared, carrying a rocket launcher.

Magical Musketeer Calamity ATK 1500 DEF 1300 LVL: 4

Thaumiel laughed again. "You based your avatar off this monster, didn't you? How lazy of you."

"Calamity is a powerful woman," Lilith said. "And I'm even stronger." She selected another card in her hand. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card Magical Musket – Fiendish Deal! With this card in play, 'Magical Musket' monsters I control cannot be destroyed by card effects." She then gestured to her field. "Calamity's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I can Special Summon a 'Magical Musket' monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position."

"I see," Thaumiel said, nodding. "That card you discarded with Kidbrave's effect was a monster card, wasn't it?"

Lilith ignored him and said, "Return to me, Magical Musketeer Caspar!" A young man in a red coat with wild blonde hair carrying a large pistol appeared on Lilith's field, summoned in Defense Position.

Magical Musketeer Caspar ATK 1200 DEF 2000 LVL: 3

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Magical Musket – Steady Hands!" Lilith declared. "And I'll target Kidbrave with it. Steady Hands now doubles Kidbrave's attack and defense points until the End Phase!"

Magical Musketeer Kidbrave ATK 1600→3200 DEF 200→400

"Caspar's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I can add a 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck to my hand, so long as it has a different name than the activated card."

Lilith took the card from her Deck and showed it to Thaumiel. "And I'll activate the card I just added. The Quick-Play Spell Card: Magical Musket – Cross-Domination! Since I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, this card lets me change the attack and defense points of one monster on the field to 0 and negate its effects until the end of the turn."

Thaumiel laughed. "Have you forgotten? Since Genius was Link Summoned, it is unaffected by Spell and Trap Cards!"

"Your Link Monster might be, but your other monster isn't! I'll change Disk's attack and defense points to 0!"

Qliphort Disk ATK 2800→0 DEF 1000→0

"Tch." Thaumiel grit his teeth. "So this is what you're going for. You aim to take Disk out with Kidbrave?"

"Yes," Lilith said. "I'm ending this right now, Thaumiel!" She gestured to the field. "Battle! Kidbrave, attack Qliphort Disk! Fourth Bullet!" Kidbrave aimed its revolver at Disk and fired a blast of yellow energy.

Thaumiel laughed. "Did you think it would be that easy?" He gestured to his own field. "Counter Trap activate! Negate Attack!"

"What?"

A barrier appeared in front of Disk and blocked Kidbrave's attack. "Negate Attack, like the name says, negates your attack," Thaumiel said. "Not only that, but it ends your Battle Phase. Did you really think I would let you win so easily?"

Lilith grit her teeth and looked at her hand. There were two Spell Cards in her hand. One was useless right now, but the other…

Lilith narrowed her eyes and remembered her duel with Terminus. He had exploited her Deck's major weakness in that it required a face-up Magical Musket monster in order to work. Issei was smart enough to know that. Even if he wasn't, there was no shame in being cautious.

"I Set one card," Lilith said. "I end my turn. And the attack and defense points of Kidbrave and Disk return to normal."

Magical Musketeer Kidbrave ATK 3200→1600 DEF 400→200

Qliphort Disk ATK 0→2800 DEF 0→1000

"Oh?" Thaumiel said. "A face-down card? That's not like you, Lilith. You must have learned a few lessons since our time together." He chuckled lightly. "Nevertheless, your efforts will amount to nothing. My turn! Draw!"

---

Morningstar ran down the street. "Cam, can you hear me?" he asked into his earpiece.

"Yeah, I can." Cam's voice came over the com, but there was static. "Interference is going to increase the closer you get to the Tower. I'll do what I can to strengthen the signal. Shouldn't be too hard with the equipment we have."

That was true; To keep a close eye on Morningstar, Cam had bought and designed some of the best communication technology on the planet. But even their tech had its limits.

"What about my drones? Did you find any more of them?"

"Afraid not. The Tower must have destroyed all of them."

Morningstar grit his teeth. "Great. Well, I still have the one in my Duel Disk. It'll suffice. Can you track our associates?"

"Afraid not. The only one I can find is Playmaker, and that's because Kusanagi hooked me up to his own LVSS Support System. He's not far ahead of you."

Morningstar nodded and picked up the pace. He had to hurry and reach the Tower before it was completed.

---

"I activate the Spell Card: Pendulum Paradox!" Thaumiel said. "With this, I can add two face-up Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand, so long as they have the same Scales but different names. I'll add Qliphort Helix and Qliphort Shell from my Extra Deck to my hand."

Lilith grit her teeth. Instead of being sent to the Graveyard when they left the field, Pendulum Monsters were placed face-up in the Extra Deck. That meant it was possible to summon them again. Of course, with only the Extra Monster Zone available to them, that normally meant only one could be summoned from the Extra Deck at a time. But with a Link Monster in the Extra Monster Zone…

Thaumiel pointed to the sky. "With the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 8 at the same time!" he shouted. "Come forth! My servants! From the Extra Deck, Qliphort Carrier and Qliphort Stealth! And from my hand, Qliphort Helix!"

A large white aircraft carrier with orange lines covering appeared, summoned to Genius's bottom-left Link Marker. To Genius's bottom-right Link Marker, a transparent fighter jet with only a visible central jewel was summoned. They were joined by a boat attached to spiral gold and silver bands. All three monsters were summoned in Attack Position.

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400 DEF 1000 LVL: 6 PS: 1

Qliphort Stealth ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8 PS: 1

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400 DEF 1000 LVL: 6 PS: 9

"The effects of my three monsters activate! When they are Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original attack points become 1800."

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400→1800 LVL: 6→4

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400→1000 LVL: 6→4

Qliphort Stealth ATK 2800→1000 LVL: 8→4

Thaumiel gestured to his Link Monster. "Qliphort Genius's monster effect! As two monsters were Special Summoned to its Link Markers at the same time, I can add one Level 5 or higher Machine monster from my Deck to my hand. I add a second Qliphort Stealth from my Deck to my hand."

Thaumiel took his card from his Deck and laughed. "It's time for me to get serious. I activate the Field Spell Card: Laser Qlip! With this card, I can Normal Summon one 'Qli' monster in addition to my Normal Summon. And the Normal Summons of 'Qli' monsters cannot be negated." Lilith grit her teeth. That meant Thaumiel could summon two new monsters this turn.

"I Tribute Qliphort Carrier and Qliphort Helix!" Thaumiel declared. "To Tribute Summon Qliphort Shell!" The aircraft carrier and boat disintegrated, and a monster resembling a silver top with green crisscrossing lines appeared on Thaumiel's field.

Qliphort Shell ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8 PS: 9

"And now my Deck's true power reveals itself! Since Carrier was Tributed, I can return one monster on the field to the hand!" Lilith's eyes widened. "I'll return your Kidbrave to your hand!" Lilith grit her teeth as Kidbrave disappeared from the field.

"And since Helix was Tributed, I can target and destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your field!" Thaumiel said, gesturing to Lilith's field. "I'll destroy your Continuous Trap! Fiendish Deal!" Lilith flinched from her card exploding, but then smirked.

"You seem to have forgotten Fiendish Deal's effect," Lilith said. "When you destroy it with a card effect, I can add one 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck or Graveyard to my hand. I'll add Steady Hands from my Graveyard to my hand!"

Thaumiel chuckled. "I see what you are planning. When I attack Calamity or Caspar, you'll activate Steady Hands from your hand and double your monster's attack points. A solid strategy. Too bad it's pointless." He gestured to his field again. "Qliphort Shell's monster effect! Since it was Normal Summoned by Tributing at least one 'Qli' monster, it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase! And if it attacks a Defense Position monster, Shell will inflict piercing battle damage!"

Lilith grit her teeth again. That was bad. Two attacks and the ability to inflict piercing battle damage?

Thaumiel gestured to the pillar on his left. "Qliphort Scout's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, I pay 800 Life Points to add one 'Qli' card from my Deck to my hand. This time, I'll add the card Saqlifice." Thaumiel only laughed softly as his Life Points went down.

Thaumiel: 3200→2400 LP

"And now, I'll activate the Equip Spell Card: Saqlifice. And I'll equip it to Qliphort Stealth!" Stealth glowed as Thaumiel's new card was equipped. "Saqlifice increases Stealth's attack points by 300 and prevents it from being destroyed by battle."

Qliphort Stealth ATK 1800→2100

"But that is not all Saqlifice does," Thaumiel continued. "It also treats the equipped monster as two Tributes if I Tribute it to summon a 'Qli' monster." Lilith gasped. "That's right. Thanks to my Field Spell, I can Normal Summon again. And by Tributing the Qliphort Stealth treated as two monsters, I Tribute Summon my second Stealth!" Stealth disintegrated, only to reappear again. This time however, its attack points and Level were their original values.

Qliphort Stealth ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8 PS: 1

"Qliphort Stealth's monster effect! When it is Tribute Summoned, I can return one card on the field to the hand." He pointed at Lilith's field. "I'll return Caspar from your field to your hand!"

"Tch." Lilith grit her teeth as Caspar disappeared.

"Stealth's is not the only effect that activates. Since Saqlifice was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add one 'Qli' monster from my Deck to my hand. I'll add Qliphort Cephalopod to my hand."

Thaumiel looked at his new card and chuckled. "Of course, it doesn't matter what I add. This is the end for you, after all." He gestured to his field. "Qliphort Genius's monster effect! Once per turn, I can target one face-up card on each of our fields! And until the end of the turn, the effects of those cards are negated!" Lilith gasped again. "That's right, Lilith. I negate the effects of Qliphort Disk and Magical Musketeer Calamity!" The dark aura that Genius emitted spread to Disk and Calamity, overpowering them. Calamity screamed as she was depowered.

Thaumiel laughed. "With Calamity's effects negated, you can't activate any 'Magical Musket' Spell or Trap Cards from your hand! So, is there anything you have to say before you lose?"

Lilith looked at the monsters Thaumiel had on his field. Qliphort Disk, Qliphort Genius, Qliphort Shell, and Qliphort Stealth. Three of them had 2800 attack points and the last one had 1800 attack points. And one of them could attack twice. Lilith grit her teeth.

"Nothing to say? Very well then. Let silence be your epitaph." Thaumiel gestured to the flying saucer. "Battle! Qliphort Disk, attack Magical Musketeer Calamity! Piece Break!" Disk gathered energy which it fired at Calamity. Before it hit-.

"I activate my face-down Quick-Play Spell Card!" Lilith declared. "Magical Musket – Power Shot!" The card showed Calamity's rocket launcher bursting with red light. "This card increases the attack points of one 'Magical Musket' monster I control by 800 until the end of the turn! In addition, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!"

Magical Musketeer Calamity ATK 1500→2300

"Your monster may survive, but you will still take damage!" The blast hit Calamity. Calamity screamed, but she wasn't destroyed. Lilith winced from the attack's backlash.

Lilith: 4000→3500 LP

Thaumiel chuckled. "So you'll survive this turn. But… this turn will hurt." He gestured to a different monster. "Qliphort Stealth, attack Calamity! Hindrance of Wisdom!" Stealth loaded missiles which it fired at Calamity. Again, Calamity wasn't destroyed, but Lilith was pushed back.

Lilith: 3500→3000 LP

Thaumiel gestured to a third monster. "Your turn, Qliphort Shell! Attack Calamity with Merciful Concealment!" The outer points on Shell charged red lasers which it fired at Calamity. The monster survived, but Lilith winced again.

Lilith: 3000→2500 LP

"And remember. Because Shell was Tribute Summoned, it can attack twice! Merciful Concealment!" Lilith cried out from the backlash of Shell's lasers. The force was enough to knock her off her feet.

Lilith: 2500→2000 LP

Thaumiel laughed. "I think that's enough for this turn. I don't want to end this so soon. I Set one card and end my turn. Thus, the effects of my Genius and your Power Shot end."

Magical Musketeer Calamity ATK 2300→1500

Thaumiel gestured to the pillar on his right. "Qliphort Monolith's Pendulum effect! During the End Phase, I draw cards equal to the number of 'Qli' monsters I Tributed this turn. I Tributed three, so I draw three cards." He drew and laughed as Lilith stood up. "It is your turn, my old friend. Please make it count."

Lilith glared at Thaumiel. "Your Helix," she said.

"Oh? What about it?"

"It could destroy any Spell or Trap Card. You could have destroyed my face-down card instead of Fiendish Deal. But you didn't. Why?"

Thaumiel pretended to think about and laughed. "Why? Well, I did suspect that it was a card to either block my attack or reduce the damage. But I wanted you to use it." His voice lowered. "I don't want this to end so quickly, Masako. I want to take my time. I want to whittle away your Life Points as slowly as I possibly can. And I want you to watch helplessly as I do it." He clenched his fist. "I want you to suffer, Lilith. Like you made me suffer. Only then will I be satisfied."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. This man… how had she let Issei fool her into believing he was a good person when they first decided to work together?

---

2 years ago…

"Issei, I can't see."

"I want it to be a surprise. And I don't trust you not to open your eyes."

Masako laughed as she felt Issei's hands cover her eyes. She'd seen the apartment where he lived alone before. So what did he want to show her? All she knew was it better not be a bed, because Tagoma would kill her if it was.

"Alright. Here we are."

Issei removed his hands from Masako's eyes. She gasped in surprise. She was looking at a desk with several computers on it. On one of the monitors was information about the LINK VRAINS network.

"You asked what I do for a living," Issei said. "I figured I would finally show you." He stood in front of the computers to face her. "The truth is… I'm a hacker. I break into things like corporations and steal their data."

"You steal information from companies?" Masako said, her eyes widened. "Isn't that illegal?"

"Technically yes but look at what I'm breaking into." Issei drew her attention to one of the screens. "This insurance company's CEO cheated his customers out of millions of dollars. This pharmaceutical mogul rose prices on his products to the point where almost no one could buy them." Issei turned to look at Masako. "I hack into these companies and expose their secrets to the world. People like them… they're nothing more than scum, but they wrap themselves in fancy suits and think it makes them above right and wrong. I bring these people to the attention of the authorities to bring them down."

"That's… amazing, Issei." Masako stared at him with wide eyes. "But… but why are you showing me this?"

Issei smiled. "Because I want you to join me, Masako. I can't fight this battle alone forever. I'll need help. And I know you're smart and skilled; you'd be a powerful ally. Perhaps even more powerful than Morningstar."

"Morningstar? Who's that?"

Issei gout a faraway look in his eye. "A bounty hunter in LINK VRAINS. He only appeared a year ago, but he's already regarded as one of the best. I want to be famous like him. For the world to know my name." He returned his attention to Masako. "I can see it in your eyes, Masako. You know I'm doing the right thing. What do you say? You want to join me in LINK VRAINS?"

Masako thought about it. Tagoma wouldn't like it, but she was feeling rebellious. And accepting would mean she would get to see Issei more.

She smiled at him. "I'd love to join. But… I don't have an avatar. Or a Duel Disk or Deck."

"I can change that." Issei gave her a blood-red Duel Disk with a small screen. "This is based off the schematics for a new Duel Disk I found in SOL Technologies' databanks. I already loaded a Deck; the archetype's name is Magical Musket."

"Magical Musket, huh…"

"As for the avatar, well… it's ultimately up to you what kind you want."

"I suppose so… What's your avatar?"

Issei smiled. "My avatar's name is Adam. The first human to be created by God."

"Is that so? Then why don't I call myself Eve?"

Issei laughed. "That isn't bad, but it's kind of plain. 'Plain' isn't the word that comes to mind when I look at you." He held his chin in one hand as he thought. Then he smiled. "I know! What about Lilith? She was Adam's first wife before she was cast out by God."

"Eh? Doesn't that make her evil? I don't want to be named after something evil!"

"Good and evil are in the eyes of the beholder. Look at Morningstar; his name refers to Satan, but he's a good guy. You could be just like him."

Masako thought about it and smiled. Carrying the name of evil and being on the side of good… there was something appealing about that.

"Alright," she said. "From now on, I'm Lilith. A pleasure to meet you, Adam."

Issei laughed and wrapped Masako in his arms. She closed her eyes and hugged him right back.

If only she had kept her eyes open. Maybe then she would have seen the sadistic smile that had spread over Issei's face…

---

Present day…

"My turn! Draw!" Lilith looked at her cards, then chose one. "I activate the Spell Card: Magical Musket – Criminal Bounty!" The card showed Zakiel, Calamity, and Caspar. The latter two were tied up together while Zakiel was grinning at a chest filled with gold. "As I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, I can discard two cards and then draw three cards." Lilith discarded the Caspar and Kidbrave that Thaumiel had returned to her hand, then drew. She then gestured to Calamity.

"Calamity's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in her column, I can Special Summon a 'Magical Musket' monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position! Return to me, Caspar!" The young man reappeared on Lilith's field.

Magical Musketeer Caspar ATK 1200 DEF 2000 LVL: 3

"And now I'll Tribute Calamity to Tribute Summon my ace monster!" Lilith declared as Calamity disappeared. "Come to me, Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel!" A portal of light appeared on her field, out of which a blue demon emerged. It wore a long black coat and spread large red wings from its back. Long hair framed its face, which was obscured by a red mask. Zakiel lifted its two pistols and gave a wide smile.

Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel ATK 2500 DEF 2500 LVL: 8

Thaumiel chuckled softly. "So… there it is."

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Magical Musket – Steady Hands!" Lilith said. "And I'll target Zakiel with it!"

Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel ATK 2500→5000 DEF 2500→5000

Thaumiel growled. 5000 attack points? Not good.

"Caspar's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I can add one 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck to my hand, so long as it has a different name. I'll add a second Cross-Domination from my Deck to my hand."

Lilith took her new card, then chose a different one. "I activate the Spell Card: Monster Reborn! With this, I Special Summon Kidbrave from my Graveyard in Attack Position!" The cowboy carrying a revolver reappeared on Lilith's field.

Magical Musketeer Kidbrave ATK 1600 DEF 200 LVL: 3

Lilith narrowed her eyes. Thaumiel had one face-down card, which she was sure was a Trap Card to either protect his monsters or prevent battle damage. But she didn't have any other options.

"Battle! Zakiel, attack Qliphort Genius!"

"Tch!" Thaumiel grit his teeth. "Trying to end this in one attack?"

"Go, Zakiel! Seventh Bullet!" Zakiel charged its handguns and fired two blasts of red energy. The attack struck Genius, causing a massive explosion.

Lilith waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, Genius was gone, but Thaumiel's Life Points hadn't changed.

"Sorry to spoil your fun," Thaumiel said. "But I activated the Trap Card Impenetrable Attack. This card allows me to either prevent a monster's destruction by battle or negate all battle damage I would take. I chose the latter."

Lilith narrowed her eyes but continued her turn. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Magical Musket – Cross-Domination! And I'll target Qliphort Shell with it!" The silver and green top glowed as its effects were negated and its attack and defense points went down.

Qliphort Shell ATK 2800→0 DEF 1000→0

"Kidbrave's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I discard the Magical Musketeer Wild in my hand to draw two cards!" Lilith drew, then gestured to her monster. "Go, Kidbrave! Attack Shell! Fourth Bullet!" Kidbrave fired a shot at Shell, destroying it.

Thaumiel chuckled. "Smart move. Shell could attack twice and inflict piercing battle damage, so you decided to prioritize it over Disk and Stealth. Your tactics haven't changed that much, Lilith."

"Tch." Lilith grit her teeth, then said, "I end my turn. And then the effect of Steady Hands ends and Zakiel's attack and defense points return to normal."

Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel ATK 5000→2500 DEF 5000→2500

Thaumiel laughed. "Tell me something, Lilith. How does it feel? To be stymied twice in your efforts to defeat me?"

Lilith didn't answer. Instead, she just glared at him.

Thaumiel sighed. "You always have to ruin my fun, don't you? Very well. My turn! Draw!"

After Thaumiel drew, Lilith said, "I activate the Trap Card Magical Musket – Desperado from my hand!"

"What?"

"Since I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, Desperado lets me destroy one face-up card on the field!" Lilith declared. "I'll destroy Qliphort Monolith!" Her Trap Card fired a red beam at the stone in the pillar and disintegrated it, causing the pillar to vanish.

Thaumiel growled as Lilith continued. "Caspar's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in its column, I can add one 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck to my hand aside from Desperado. I'll add Magical Musket – Last Stand to my hand."

Thaumiel clenched his fists then unclenched them and laughed. "Very clever, Lilith," he said. "You activated your card during my turn so you could use Caspar's effect again. And instead of targeting one of my monsters, you disrupted my Pendulum Scale so I couldn't Pendulum Summon again. Not to mention Zakiel's effect. It lets you draw cards during the End Phase, yes? I take back what I said earlier; your tactics have improved since we last dueled."

And you have one more trick up your sleeve, Thaumiel thought. That card you added – Last Stand – can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap Card. Meaning that if I set another card in the Pendulum Zone, you can negate its activation and destroy it. Very clever. But it won't save you, betrayer.

"Qliphort Scout's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, I pay 800 Life points to add a 'Qli' card from my Deck to my hand. I add a second Qliphort Disk from my Deck to my hand."

Thaumiel: 2400→1600 LP

Your Last Stand card can only be activated if I activate a Spell or Trap Card, Thaumiel thought. It doesn't stop me from activating the effects of Continuous Spell Cards like Scout.

"With the Scale 1 Qliphort Disk, I reset the Pendulum Scale!" A second flying saucer appeared in a pillar of light on Thaumiel's right.

Qliphort Disk Scale 1

"Not happening!" Lilith said, selecting a card from her own hand. "From my hand, I activate the Counter Trap Card Magical Musket – Last Stand! Since I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, the activation of one Spell or Trap Card is negated, and that card is destroyed! So your Disk is wiped out!" The monster in the pillar shattered.

"Normally, Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck when destroyed," Thaumiel said. "But because you negated Disk's activation, that means it goes to the Graveyard."

Lilith ignored him and gestured to one of her monsters. "Kidbrave's monster effect! I discard Magical Musketeer Doc and draw two cards!"

Thaumiel laughed. "So, you managed to disrupt my Scale. Too bad it's only temporary. I activate the Spell Card: Trap for Trap!"

Lilith's eyes widened. "What?"

The card showed one Trap Card crumpling and disintegrating while another Trap Card shone brightly in the background. "This is a very special Spell Card. If I banish a Trap Card from my Graveyard, I can activate a Normal Trap Card from my hand." Lilith gasped in surprise. "I banish the Negate Attack in my Graveyard to activate the Trap Card Qlimate Change! With this card, I can add up to three face-up 'Qli' Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand. I'll add Qliphort Carrier, Qliphort Helix, and Qliphort Monolith from my Deck to my hand."

Lilith grit her teeth. "Damn it," she muttered. "I only slowed him down."

Thaumiel laughed. "That was a clever trick, destroying my Pendulum Scale. But as you can see, it was only temporary. I reset the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith!" The massive stone returned to the pillar on Thaumiel's right.

Qliphort Monolith Scale 1

"With the reset Pendulum Scale, I can now Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 8 at the same time!"

"You can," Lilith said. "But I still have moves to make."

"Hmm?" Thaumiel said, surprised at the interruption.

"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Magical Musket – Fiendish Barricade from my hand!" Lilith declared. The card showed Zakiel standing in front of Caspar, with its wings forming a shield. "So long as Fiendish Barricade is in play, you cannot remove 'Magical Musket' monsters I control from the field with card effects!"

Thaumiel gasped, then laughed. "I see. So that means I can't return your monsters to your hand with Carrier's effect. Oh well." He gestured to the sky. "Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My servants! From the Extra Deck, Qliphort Shell! And from my hand, Qliphort Carrier and Qliphort Helix!"

The top-like monster reappeared, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. In the Main Monster Zones, the aircraft carrier and boat attached to a spiral materialized, both summoned in Attack Position.

Qliphort Shell ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8 PS: 9

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400 DEF 1000 LVL: 6 PS: 1

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400 DEF 1000 LVL: 6 PS: 9

"And as before, since all three monsters were Special Summoned, their original attack points become 1800 and their Levels become 4."

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400→1800 LVL: 6→4

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400→1800 LVL: 6→4

Qliphort Shell ATK 2800→1800 LVL: 8→4

Thaumiel started to laugh. "You have evaded me long enough, Lilith," he said. "I said before that I would make you suffer before you lose. Well, now I will show you true despair." He gestured once more to the sky. "The monster I am about to summon cannot be Special Summoned and can only be Normal Summoned by Tributing 3 'Qli' monsters. I Tribute Carrier, Helix, and Shell to Tribute Summon Apoqliphort Skybase!"

The three monsters turned into energy and traveled upwards into the sky. When they hit the clouds, they disappeared. Suddenly, a bright light spread throughout the sky. Lilith covered her eyes to keep herself from being blinded.

---

Morningstar looked to his right, gasped, and stopped running.

"Yasu?" Cam said. "You've stopped moving. What's wrong?"

Morningstar didn't answer. He just continued to stare, his eyes wide as something descended from the sky.

"Yasu?"

Morningstar gasped. "Sorry, Cam," he said. He turned and resumed running for the Tower.

---

Lilith watched in awe of the monster that descended. It was a massive battle platform, easily larger than any monster she'd ever seen, even larger than Terminus's Subterror Behemoth monsters. It was colored mostly white with gold bands interlaced across it. She couldn't see it from the ground, but on the top part of Skybase, there was a black tower, serving as central command.

Apoqliphort Skybase ATK 2900 DEF 2500 LVL: 9

Thaumiel laughed. "Impressive, isn't it?" he said. "This is the ultimate machine of war. And the second most powerful monster in my Deck."

Lilith's eyes widened even further. The second most powerful? Thaumiel had a monster even stronger than this?

"But Skybase isn't what you have to worry about at the moment," Thaumiel said as he gestured to Lilith's field. "Since I Tributed Helix, I can destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your field! Say goodbye to Fiendish Barricade!" An explosion engulfed Lilith's card, but to Thaumiel's surprise, Fiendish Barricade remained when the smoke cleared.

Lilith smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but Fiendish Barricade cannot be destroyed by card effects once per turn. Meaning you can't activate Carrier's effect either."

"Hmm," Thaumiel said. "Disappointing, but irrelevant. Besides, it won't change what comes next." He gestured to the monster above him. "Skybase's monster effect! Once per turn, I can take control of one of your monsters until the End Phase!"

Lilith gasped. "What!?"

"I think I'll take control of your precious Zakiel!" Lilith stared, eyes wide, as Zakiel disappeared from her field and reappeared on Thaumiel's.

I-It's alright, Lilith thought. Skybase's effect lasts until the End Phase. If I survive this turn, Zakiel will return to me, and then I can use its effect to gain new cards.

Thaumiel started laughing again. "I know what you're thinking," he chided Lilith. "You're thinking I'll attack you with Zakiel. Sorry, but I have a different plan in mind. Or have you forgotten about my Field Spell?"

Lilith's eyes widened. "Oh yes. Laser Qlip lets me Normal Summon a second time, so long as it's a 'Qli' monster." Thaumiel gestured to his field. "I Tribute Qliphort Disk and Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel to Tribute Summon Qliphort Cephalopod!" Disk and Zakiel disappeared and were replaced by a worm-like machine monster. It was primarily green and white, with a red crystal in its forehead.

Qliphort Cephalopod ATK 2800 DEF 1000 LVL: 7 PS: 9

Lilith grit her teeth. Great. Not only did she lose Zakiel, but she had to face a new Qliphort monster.

"Cephalopod's monster effect!" Thaumiel declared. "If it is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a 'Qli' monster, and you have more monsters in the Graveyard than I do, I gain Life Points equal to the differences times 300, then you take the same amount of damage!"

Lilith's eyes widened in surprise. "I only have one monster in my Graveyard," Thaumiel said. "The Qliphort Disk you destroyed with Last Stand. But you have four monsters in the Graveyard. That means I gain 900 Life Points and you take 900 points of damage!" Thaumiel laughed and Lilith winced as they both glowed.

Thaumiel: 1600→2500 LP

Lilith: 2000→1100 LP

"Next, I activate the Spell Card Pendulum Halt!" Thaumiel declared. "Since I have at least three monsters with different names face-up in my Extra Deck, I can draw two cards." He looked at his cards, laughed, then turned to Lilith.

"Do you want to hear something interesting?" he asked her.

"No," Lilith said.

"Oh, but I think you do," Thaumiel said. "It relates to my avatar's name. And yours."

Lilith's eyes widened. "What? What are you talking about?"

Thaumiel briefly laughed. "The Qliphort monsters represent the Qliphoth," he said. "In Jewism mysticism, the Qliphoth are the representations of evil or impure forces. There are ten such representations, and they make up the Qliphoth Tree, otherwise known as the Tree of Death. And every one of those representations is associated with two things: a spiritual force, and a demon."

He gestured to Skybase. "This monster you see before you is connected to the demon Satan himself. And the spiritual force it represents is known as the twins of God. It is the shadow side of the crown of God. And its true name is Thaumiel."

"…So what?" Lilith asked. "Are you trying to say you're the Devil?"

Thaumiel laughed. "Of course not. That title belongs to Morningstar. No, what I'm saying is that I'm not a devil, an angel, or even a human. I'm a force of nature, dedicated to destroy that which is created. And no matter who I face, I will destroy everything."

Lilith was silent for three seconds, then said, "You're insane. You know that, right?"

Thaumiel laughed again. "That's the reaction I expected. I thought you were special when we first met, but then I saw you were just like the rest of humanity; flawed, imperfect. A fake. Not part of the true reality. And just like them your mind is too small to comprehend what I seek to become."

He paused, then said, "Of course, it is not just me that is connected to the Qliphoth. You are too. But, why don't we forget that for the moment? I'm starting to get bored."

Thaumiel gestured upwards. "Battle! Apoqliphort Skybase, attack Magical Musketeer Kidbrave! Shadow of Imbalance!" Several tubes opened on Skybase's sides, releasing dozens of missiles that the hatches. Lilith watched with growing dread as the missiles neared her field. The missiles hit Kidbrave, creating a massive explosion.

Thaumiel watched the smoke gather. Skybase's attack points are 2900 and her Kidbrave's attack points were 1600, he thought. With only 1100 Life Points, she won't have survived this.

When the smoke cleared, he gasped. Lilith remained standing, her Lie Points untouched. "Sorry, but you'll have to get used to disappointment. Since you declared an attack while I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, the battle damage from your attack becomes 0."

Thaumiel growled from underneath his mask. He clenched his fist as he said, "Well then, I'll just have to keep hitting you! Cephalopod, destroy Caspar! Fire of Restraint!" The red gem in Cephalopod's front section gathered red light, which it fired at Caspar. Lilith shield herself from the backlash with her arms.

"And now there's nothing standing between you and my Stealth," Thaumiel said. "Goodbye, old friend. End this, Qliphort Stealth! Hindrance of Wisdom!" Stealth loaded missiles and fired them at Lilith. She shielded herself again as they exploded around her.

Thaumiel glared then gasped as the smoke cleared. Again, Lilith was standing, though her legs were increasingly wobbling. Unlike last time, however, her Life Points had changed.

Lilith: 1100→550 LP

"…How?" Thaumiel asked, his voice lower than usual.

Lilith smirked at him. "If you attack me directly, I can send Fiendish Barricade to the Graveyard to reduce the battle damage to 0," she said. "And all it costs is halving my Life Points."

Thaumiel was silent, but then he started laughing. "Amazing," he said. "Just when I think I'm finally rid of you, you somehow hold on by the skin of your teeth. It's admirable. It's just a shame it's so annoying."

Thaumiel selected the last cards in his hand. "I Set two cards face-down. I end my turn. Normally, the effect of my Monolith would activate and let me draw new cards, but since I activated Pendulum Halt this turn, I cannot add cards from my Deck to my hand. It's your turn, Lilith."

"Right." Lilith placed her hand above her Duel Disk, then winced. This duel was beginning to take its toll on her. The constant attacks, her barely surviving… It was nothing like it had been the last time they had fought. The last time, and the first time, Lilith's heart had broken…

---

2 years ago…

Lilith logged into the server and looked around in horror.

"Adam! What is this?"

Adam, whose avatar was a young man wearing a white cloak, turned to look at her, but then turned back to the screen he was looking at.

"It's my latest challenge," he said. "I found a flaw in the system. I thought it would be fun to exploit it."

"A challenge?" Lilith repeated, shocked beyond horror. "A-Adam… people are dying!"

"Yes," he said nonchalantly. "They are."

He moved to the side so Lilith could see the screen. It showed an intersection where there had been a pileup. The traffic lights had stopped working, so the cars had all crashed into each other. The screen shifted to show a train fail to stop at its station and continue speeding along its route. It then shifted to show several more intersections, all with crashed cars and people either running around or lying on the ground, covered in blood.

"N-No," Lilith said, her voice small. "T-This must be a lie. Y-You wouldn't do this. Y-You said you worked for justice!"

"Justice?" Adam finally turned to face her. His face was distorted with a sadistic grin. "Don't you remember what I said? Good and evil are in the eye of the beholder. That was the only truth I told you. I don't care about justice or avenging the wronged."

"W-What?" Lilith said, her entire body shaking. "N-No. Y-You said you broke into companies to help the people they wronged!"

Adam laughed. "Yes, I did say that. And you believed it? You really are stupid, Lilith. No…" His smile became even wider and disturbing. "No, I don't hack into companies to help people. I hack into them to release their secrets. To cause panic and chaos. Think about it; a company responsible for guarding secrets suddenly has those secrets released to the public. There is always distress, always panic when this happens. That is what I live to see; people understanding that no matter how hard they try to organize the world, chaos will always be a part of it."

Lilith kept shaking as he continued. "Really, these people are fools. Thinking they can impose order on the world? Chaos is the natural order of things; most of the world is just in denial. But I'm not. I know the truth. And I embrace it. That humans are meant to fight against each other. And destroy each other."

"…You used me," Lilith said quietly. "You lied to me. Everything was a lie, wasn't it?"

Adam thought about it. "Not as much as you would think. I was completely honest about what I do for a living; I just lied about my reasons. Though that doesn't make you less of a fool."

"…Adam… I loved you," she said in shock. Adam laughed cruelly in response.

"Love? You think so? Well, let me tell you something, Masako. Yes, I used you. I used you like so much of humanity will use you. At least I'm honest about it. And yet…" He narrowed his eyes in disgust at her. "It was so easy to manipulate you. You're like a child, desperately looking for someone, anything, to cling to. People like you… disgust me. Looking at the world with wide eyes, trusting the first person who smiles at you. Here's the truth, Masako: no one cares about your thoughts or emotions; they only care about your looks. To them, you're just a doll, a trophy, meant to be put on a shelf and forgotten."

Lilith was still shaking, but now it was rage. "…Stop it," she said, her voice low. "…Stop it now, Adam."

Adam smirked. "Why would I do that? I don't want the fun to end."

Lilith raised her Duel Disk. "I'll make you stop."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You'll duel me to restart the system? Alright, then. I could use a little more personal entertainment." He raised his own Duel Disk. "It's pointless though. There's no way a fake like you can defeat me."

---

Present day…

"My turn! Draw!" Lilith looked at her card, but before she could make a move, Thaumiel gestured to his field.

"Continuous Trap activate! Re-qliate!" Thaumiel laughed as his card activated and glowed. "With this card, you're finished, Lilith. If a Level 4 or lower monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, or if a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, that monster's effects are negated until the end of the turn. And for the latter kind of monster, it is banished when it leaves the field."

Lilith grit her teeth. That card meant her Magical Musket monsters couldn't use their effects if they were Normal Summoned, and if she Special Summoned Zakiel, it wouldn't be able to use its effects either. But that wouldn't stop her.

"I summon Magical Musketeer Starfire!" A woman in a black and blue belly dancer's outfit appeared on her field.

Magical Musketeer Starfire ATK 1300 DEF 1700 LVL: 4

Starfire might not be able to activate her effects, Lilith thought. But I can still turn this duel around.

"I activate the Spell Card: Magical Musket – Armed Rebellion!" The card showed weapons being handed to Caspar, Doc, Wild, and Starfire. Wild was smiling crazily at the mini-machinegun given to him. "Since I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, I can Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower 'Magical Musket' monsters from my Graveyard. Come to me, Magical Musketeer Calamity and Magical Musketeer Kidbrave!" The red-haired woman carrying a rocket launcher and the blonde-haired young man carrying a revolver reappeared on Lilith's field, both in Attack Position.

Magical Musketeer Calamity ATK 1500 DEF 1300 LVL: 4

Magical Musketeer Kidbrave ATK 1600 DEF 200 LVL: 3

"The monsters Special Summoned by Armed Rebellion cannot attack and have their effects negated," Lilith continued. "And if they leave the field, they are banished."

Thaumiel laughed. "Then what is the point of summoning them? The only monster you can attack with is too weak for any of my monsters."

"You're wrong," Lilith said, glaring at Thaumiel. "You may have given me this Deck, but I have improved on it. And I've been given a gift by a good friend to defeat you."

Lilith gestured to the sky. "Appear! The circuit of the devil's bullet!" Her hand glowed blue as the Link portal appeared in the sky above.

"What!?" Thaumiel screamed. "T-That's not possible! You don't have any Link Monsters!"

"Arrowheads confirmed!" Lilith shouted. "The summoning conditions are 3 'Magical Musket' monsters! I set Calamity, Kidbrave, and Starfire in the Link Markers!" All three monsters became whirlwinds of energy that entered the bottom-left, bottom, and bottom-right Link Markers, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar!"

The monster that appeared was similar in appearance to Zakiel, but only in structure. Its skin was colored white, while the trench coat it wore was a mixture of red and gold. White angelic wings spread out from its back, while silver hair hung from its head, topped with a golden crown. Ottokar hefted two massive pistols as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.

Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar ATK 3000 LINK-3 ↙↓↘

"W-What is this?" Thaumiel asked. Even though his face was covered, Lilith could tell he was staring at her new monster. "I've never heard of this monster before…"

Lilith smirked. "Now who's panicking?" she asked him. "Since Calamity and Kidbrave left the field, they are banished by Armed Rebellion's effect. And since Link Monsters don't have Levels, your Re-qliate Trap Card won't work on it. And now I'll activate the Spell Card: Magical Musket – Urgent Battle!" The card showed Ottokar with its wings spread, raining gunfire down into an army. "With this card, Ottokar can attack up to three of your monsters this turn! In exchange, the attack and defense points of monsters on the field cannot be changed by card effects this turn."

Thaumiel growled. Three attacks? Ottokar was more powerful than all of Thaumiel's monsters, and it could attack all three?

Lilith gestured to her field. "Ottokar's monster effect! When a Spell or Trap Card is activated in the column of a zone it points to, I can banish one Level 4 or lower 'Magical Musket' monster from my Graveyard, and then activate its effect as Ottokar's!"

Thaumiel growled again. That meant she could activate any of her monster's effects!

"I banish Caspar from the Graveyard! And that means I can add a 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck with a different name from Urgent Battle!" A transparent image of Caspar reappeared then shattered. "I add a second Cross-Domination from my Deck to my hand." As she did so, she smirked at Thaumiel. "It's a good thing you lowered my Life Points. I can't activate this effect of Ottokar's if my Life Points are 1000 or more." Thaumiel growled in response.

Lilith pointed to Thaumiel's field. "It's finally time for payback, Thaumiel! Ottokar, attack Apoqliphort Skybase! Ultimate Bullet!"

Ottokar laughed as it hefted both its pistols and pointed them at Skybase. The pistols charged and fired two massive bursts of yellow energy at Skybase, which pierced the underside. Thaumiel cringed as Skybase started to explode all over before finally being destroyed in a massive explosion.

Thaumiel: 2500→2400 LP

"And I'm far from done! Continue your attack, Ottokar! Destroy Cephalopod and Stealth! Double Ultimate Bullet!"

Ottokar laughed again as it pointed a handgun at each monster and fired. The shots pierced each monster's armor, destroying them instantly. Thaumiel cried out as his Life Points took two separate hits.

Thaumiel: 2400→2200→2000 LP

Lilith smirked. "Now you're the one with no monsters, Thaumiel," she gloated. "How does it feel to be powerless?" Thaumiel didn't respond. Instead, he just clenched his fist.

"It's still my turn, and I think I'll repeat what I did last turn. I activate the effect of Armed Rebellion in my Graveyard! Since I control a 'Magical Musket' monster, I can banish Armed Rebellion to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your field! I'll destroy Qliphort Monolith!" Her card reappeared on the field and blasted Monolith, but before it hit-.

"Trap activate!" Thaumiel declared. "Qlife's End! When this card is activated, it Special Summons itself as an Effect Monster!" A rainbow-colored gem appeared on Thaumiel's field in Attack Position.

Qlife's End ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"The turn I activate Qlife's End, 'Qli' Spell and Trap Cards I control cannot be destroyed by card effects!" The blast hit Monolith, but it dissipated. Lilith narrowed her eyes, but then gestured to her field.

"You may have prevented me from destroying your card, but in so doing, you activated Ottokar's effect!"

"What?" Thaumiel said with surprise. "But you already activated Ottokar's effect!"

Lilith smirked. "Ottokar can activate its effect up to three times per turn," she revealed. "I'll banish Magical Musketeer Doc from my Graveyard. Doing so lets me add one 'Magical Musket' card from my Graveyard to my hand. I'll return Desperado from my Graveyard to my hand."

After doing, Lilith said, "I Set one card. I end my turn."

Thaumiel was silent, so Lilith spoke up. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you fell apart just from taking a little damage?"

"…How dare you."

"Eh?" Lilith was surprised by Thaumiel's tone.

"How dare you," he said in a low voice. "How dare you damage me. I am beyond you and the rest of humanity! I am the only real one! The rest of you are fakes! I will punish you for damaging me!" He placed his hand on his Duel Disk. "My turn! Draw!"

Lilith spoke up before he could. "I activate the Trap Card Magical Musket – Desperado! With this, I destroy your Monolith!" The card appeared and blasted Monolith, destroying it.

"And since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in the column of a zone it points to, Ottokar's effect activates!" Lilith continued. "I banish the Magical Musketeer Wild from my Graveyard to activate its effect! I shuffle three 'Magical Musket' cards in my Graveyard back into my Deck and then draw one card." Lilith shuffled Criminal Bounty, Power Shot, and Steady Hands back into her Deck, then drew.

Thaumiel was silent again, but then started laughing, louder and louder. Lilith narrowed her eyes at him.

"You fool!" he shouted, raising his head. "You should have destroyed Scout! Now you've given me the key to your ruin!" He gestured to the pillar on his left. "Qliphort Scout's Pendulum effect! I pay 800 Life Points to add one 'Qli' card from my Deck to my hand!"

Thaumiel: 2000→1200 LP

After taking the card, Thaumiel laughed. "Do you remember what I told you? About how Skybase represents a force that I named myself after?"

He didn't bother to wait for Lilith's reply. "Well there's another force, and its name is Lilith." Lilith's eyes widened in surprise. "And you're about to see the monster that represents that force!"

Thaumiel gestured to the only monster on his field. "If I Tribute Qlife's End to Tribute Summon an 'Apoqliphort' monster, it counts as three Tributes! I Tribute Qlife's End to call upon the ultimate weapon of mass destruction!"

Qlife's End flew up into the atmosphere as it started to glow. Once it reached the clouds, it burst into light so bright that Lilith covered her eyes. When the light faded, and she could see again, Lilith gasped.

A massive structure – one even larger than Skybase – had appeared in the sky. It consisted of a central platform attached to four legs. It was colored white and purple, with crisscrossing lines all over it. The insides of its legs radiated rainbow light.

"Behold!" Thaumiel shouted. "My most powerful monster, and the last monster you will ever see! Apoqliphort Towers!"

Apoqliphort Towers ATK 3000 DEF 2600 LVL: 10

"A Level 10 monster?" Lilith said with surprise.

Thaumiel laughed. "This is the worst monster for you to face, Lilith," he said. "For you see, so long as Towers is on the field, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 attack and defense points!" Lilith gasped as Ottokar lost attack points.

Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar ATK 3000→2500

"And that is merely Towers' first effect!" Thaumiel continued. "I activate its second effect! Once per turn, you must send a monster from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard!"

Lilith grit her teeth. Since Ottokar was the only monster on her field, she would normally have to send it. Thankfully…

"I discard the Magical Musket Minion Kilian in my hand," she said, disappointing Thaumiel.

He scoffed. "No matter. This is more satisfying to watch anyway. I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Apoqlipse of Destruction!" The card showed Towers releasing powerful laser beams outwards across a landscape, destroying everything in its path. "Since I control an 'Apoqliphort' monster, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 attack and defense points!" Lilith growled as Ottokar's attack points decreased again.

Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar ATK 2500→2000

"Apoqlipse of Destruction has one more effect," Thaumiel revealed. "When an 'Apoqliphort' monster attacks, you cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards!" Lilith gasped as Thaumiel laughed. "Not that it would do you any good anyway. I know what your face-down card is, and my Towers is unaffected by Spell and Trap effects!"

Thaumiel laughed again, more maniacally than ever. "This… this is the end, Masako! Prepare to become nothing more than data! Prepare to join the world in oblivion!" He gestured to his field. "Apoqliphort Towers, attack and destroy Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar! Judgment of the Divine!"

Countless purple lasers erupted from all over Towers and fired outwards. They bended so that they headed towards Ottokar. Lilith faced the lasers, a determined expression on her face.

The blast hit, creating a massive explosion that funneled upwards into the sky. When Morningstar looked back, he gasped at the sight of the explosion. "What is that?" he wondered aloud.

"Masako!" Tagoma shouted into his earpiece. "Oi! Little girl! Can you hear me!?"

Thaumiel watched as the smoke began to clear and started to laugh again. "At last…" he said, ecstatic. "At long last… I am finally free of her." His laughter increased in volume.

That was until he heard someone say, "Think again."

He stopped laughing and watched as the smoke finally started to dissipated. Lilith was still standing, breathing heavily, her clothes torn, and her Life Points almost gone. But she was still there.

Lilith: 550→50 LP

"…No!" Thaumiel suddenly shouted. "No, that's not possible! You should be defeated! You should be dead! How is it you are still alive!?"

Lilith smirked and held up a card. It showed an impish little creature holding a massive anti-tank weapon. "By banishing the Magical Musket Minion Killian from my Graveyard," she explained. "It halved the battle damage I took."

Thaumiel growled. "Even so, you lost your monster-." Then he gasped as the rest of the smoke cleared and Ottokar was revealed to be still standing. "H-How?"

"Since Ottokar doesn't point to any monsters, it cannot be destroyed by battle," Lilith said. She started to laugh. "You failed, Thaumiel. I'm still here."

Thaumiel growled again but then started to laugh. "You may still be here," he said. "But you won't be for long. Towers has 3000 attack points and your Sovereign only has 2000. And since it's a Link Monster, it cannot change to Defense Position. On my next turn, this duel is over! I end my turn."

Lilith lifted her hand, but then stumbled and fell to one knee.

"Oi, Masako, are you alright? Can you still fight?"

Lilith managed a smirk. "Of course I can, Tagoma," she said. "I managed last time, didn't I?"

---

2 years ago…

Adam yelled as he was thrown backward on the ground. Her monsters disappearing, Lilith ran up to the screen and pressed some buttons, hurriedly reactivating the public safety systems. She watched as the streetlights started working again and the trains finally stop. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"How… how dare you…"

Lilith turned around to look at Adam, glaring up at her from the ground. "How dare you ruin my fun," he said, hate glimmering in his eyes. "I'll return the favor." He logged out after saying that.

Realizing immediately what Adam was planning on doing, Lilith logged out too.

Masako opened her eyes just in time to see Issei charge her. She tried to dodge, but Issei's computer room was too narrow. She ended up on the floor, with Issei's hands around her neck.

"You stopped my fun!" Issei shouted at her, spittle dripping from his mouth, his eyes wide and crazed. "You ruined my plan! For that, I'll kill you, bitch! You can join the rest of the fakes!"

Masako's vision started to black out as she reached out. She finally managed to grab a nearby hard drive. Ripping it away from its cords, she hit Issei in the head with it. Issei was sent tumbling off her from the blow, dazed and blinking. Coughing, Masako stood up and ran out of the room.

"You're not getting away from me, Masako!"

Masako headed for the kitchen. There was no doubt in her mind that Issei planned to kill her. She needed something to defend herself with. She quickly found a drawer and opened. She pulled out a steak knife and whipped around just in time to see Issei try to charge her again. She lashed out with the knife and made him cry out with pain.

Issei backed away from her, his hand covering his face. He glared at her as blood dripped from the left side of his face.

"You… how dare you?" he said, his eyes filled with rage. "How dare you cut me? How dare a fake like you hurt me?"

"I'm not fake," Masako said, her voice shaking as she held the knife outwards. "I'm real."

Issei laughed. "You think so? Like I said, guys will only glance your way for your looks. They won't care about what's underneath. As far as they're concerned, you're just a trophy, something to brag about. You will never be real to them!"

Issei took a step forward, but-.

SMASH!

Issei collapsed, unconsciously on the ground. Masako gasped. Behind him was Tagoma, carrying the laptop he'd just smacked Issei with.

"I got your message," Tagoma said, referring to the message Masako had sent him when she started her duel. "It took me a while to get here."

"T-Tagoma," Masako whimpered, her eyes watering. She dropped the knife and stumbled over to Tagoma, who reached out and hugged her.

"Easy, easy, little girl," Tagoma whispered to her. "It's alright. It's over now. Issei can't hurt you now."

Masako didn't say anything. She only cried into Tagoma's shoulder.

---

Present day…

Lilith stood up with some difficulty and put her hand on her Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Lilith looked at her card and frowned.

Thaumiel laughed on seeing her frown. "I guess you didn't get what you needed. Too bad! Now end your turn so I can destroy you!"

Lilith looked at her card, then looked up at Thaumiel. "I'm wondering something," she said, surprising Thaumiel.

"Oh? And what's that?"

"What Galahad might do in my shoes," she said. "Or Morningstar. Or Playmaker, or Go Onizuka, or Blue Angel. The lot of them came here to save people, and I just joined them to get revenge against Terminus."

Thaumiel scoffed. "What does it matter what they would do? Your path is your own."

"…On that, we can agree," Lilith said. She thought it over, then said, "I think I know what they would do. Galahad and the Charisma Duelists would try to understand you. They would try to get you to come over to their side. Morningstar and Playmaker would most likely just defeat you, but they would listen to your motivations."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "Now, me… I don't care at all why you do what you do, Thaumiel. You're a sick waste of human space, and me attempting to understand you is a waste of effort on my part."

Thaumiel laughed. "Such sweet talk, Lilith. Are you sure you hate me?"

"Yes," Lilith answered instantly. "I hate you. I hate you for what you did in Osaka. I hate you for what you did to me. You used me, manipulated me into doing your dirty work, and then you tried to kill me. I'm not going to listen to you. I'm going to defeat you. And send you back to prison where filth like you belongs."

Thaumiel laughed again. "You think you can defeat me? Your Life Points are at 50 and your only monster has only 2000 attack points. You have a useless Set card and one card in your hand. What chance do you have?"

Lilith smiled, startling Thaumiel. "Just the chance I need," she said. She then gestured to her field. "I activate my face-down Quick-Play Spell Card: Cross-Domination! With this, your Towers' attack and defense points become 0 and its effects are negated!"

Thaumiel laughed. "Were you not listening? Towers is unaffected by Spell and Trap effects! That means you just wasted your card!"

"It wasn't a waste," Lilith said, causing Thaumiel to stop laughing. "Your monster may be immune to Spell and Trap effects, but mine isn't!" She gestured to her field again. "Ottokar's monster effect! Since a Spell or Trap Card was activated in the column of a zone it points to, I can banish the Magical Musketeer Starfire from my Graveyard and activate its effect as Ottokar's!"

"What!?"

"Starfire lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Magical Musket' monster from my Deck in Defense Position," Lilith said. "And now Ottokar has that power. Join your king, Magical Musketeer Caspar!" A young man with wild blonde hair carrying a handgun appeared, summoned to Lilith's field in Defense Position.

Magical Musketeer Caspar ATK 1200 DEF 2000 LVL: 3

"Your Re-qliate Trap Card only negates the effects of Level 4 and below monsters if they are Normal Summoned," Lilith said, reminding Thaumiel of his card's effects. "Since Caspar was Special Summoned, its effects remain. And that is why I'll win!"

She took the only card in her hand and played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon! This lets me perform two Normal Summons this turn! But far more importantly…" She then gestured to the left side of her field. "Caspar's monster effect! Once per turn, if a Spell or Trap Card is activated in its column, I can add one 'Magical Musket' card from my Deck to my hand, so long as it has a different name from the activated card. And the card I'll add…"

Lilith took the card from her Deck and showed it to Thaumiel. "…Is the one I'll now activate. The Quick-Play Spell Card: Magical Musket – Steady Hands! And with this, Ottokar's attack points become twice its original attack points!" Ottokar roared as it glowed red and its attack points increased.

Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar ATK 2000→6000

"W-What?" Thaumiel said, shaking in disbelief. "6-6000 attack points? N-No, this is impossible! This is supposed to be my revenge! I'm supposed to win this duel! I'm the only real one in this world!"

"No," Lilith said, narrowing her eyes. "You're just a sick person, Issei. A very sick person. And just like before, you'll lose to me!" She gestured to her Link Monster. "Battle! Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar, attack Apoqliphort Towers!"

Ottokar spread its wings and launched into the air. Once it was parallel with Towers, it charged both of its guns.

"End this, Ottokar! Ultimate Bullet!" Ottokar released a massive blast of yellow energy at Towers. It pierced the center structure of Towers, going straight through it. Once the energy dissipated, it showed a hole going through to the other side. Towers soon started to explode all over as it fell to the ground.

"No! Thaumiel shouted in disbelief. "I trained to win! I became stronger than anyone! I will not lose now!"

"You already have, Issei," Lilith said, quietly. She watched as Thaumiel's monster collapsed on top of the screaming duelist, creating a massive dust cloud. When the dust settled, Towers had disappeared, but Thaumiel was lying on his back, defeated.

Thaumiel: 1200→0 LP

Thaumiel coughed and laughed softly as he raised his head to look at Lilith. His mask had cracked and fallen off him, so Lilith could see his face. The face framed by long black hair, and a scar she gave him.

"This… this isn't over," he said as his body started to turn red. "I'll come back, Masako. I always will." He smirked at her as his body disintegrated. "You'll never be free of me." After saying that, he broke apart completely, leaving Lilith alone.

"Looks like he became part of the Tower," Tagoma said. "…You okay, little girl?"

Lilith sighed. "No, Tagoma. Issei was right; this isn't over. We'll need to find him in the real world and bring in him once the Tower is taken care of."

"Agreed," Tagoma said. "Someone like that is too dangerous to leave walking around. But like you said, the Tower takes priority."

Lilith took a step forward, then promptly fell to her knees. "Damn it," she said, gritting her teeth as she shakily stood up. "That duel was more intense than my previous ones."

As she finally stood up straight, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye and gasped. A massive tornado of wind and rose petals was reaching upwards to the sky.

"What the-?" she said. "What is that?" Having a bad feeling, Lilith started running towards the tornado.

---

2 years ago…

Masako leaned against the car window, looking out at the Osaka skyline, barely seeing it. Tagoma was driving, and neither of them were talking.

After he saved her and deleted all records of Lilith from Issei's equipment, Tagoma had called the police over to arrest Issei. They had found him tied up, with the evidence of his actions waiting for them. Masako and Tagoma had watched on the news as Issei was hauled out, spitting and laughing at the police. At first, Masako had been heartbroken to learn the truth. Now she just looked at Issei with disgust.

Deciding they needed a change of scenery, Masako and Tagoma had packed up and left their apartment. They planned to head to Kyoto. Hopefully, they could start anew there.

"So…" Tagoma said, breaking their silence. "Are you going to delete your avatar?"

Masako didn't respond for a few minutes, then said, "No." Her voice was hard. "Issei may have suggested it, but's it mine. I won't let him take that from me." She looked at the Duel Disk on her wrist. The Duel Disk Issei had given her. "I'll keep the Magical Musket Deck he gave me, too. It will be too much of a hassle to get a new Deck."

Besides, Masako thought. I need to remember what happened. No matter how much it hurts, I need to remember.

Masako steeled her resolve. Issei had taken a great deal from her, but he would not destroy her. She would keep moving forward, no matter what he had said.

Here's the truth, Masako: no one cares about your thoughts or emotions; they only care about your looks. To them, you're just a doll, a trophy, meant to be put on a shelf and forgotten… You will never be real to them!

That was what Issei had said to her. His words had hurt, but when Masako looked back, she realized he had a point. At school, guys flattered her, told her she was beautiful. But they never asked her what she thought or what she liked. They were shallow people. Not fakes like Issei had said they were, but shallow.

But you're wrong, Issei, Masako thought. There are people out there who would love me for me. Who would see me for who I really am. I know it. And one day… I'll meet someone like that.

"So what's next?" Masako asked Tagoma. "Back to odd jobs to get by?"

"…That's what I was thinking," Tagoma said. "But… I think we might have another avenue."

Masako looked at him curiously. "I was just thinking… that maybe you could put that avatar of yours to good use. There are companies out there who put prices on people's avatars and data. There's good money in that area."

Masako raised an eyebrow. "You mean bounty hunting? I'm not sure I like the idea of going after people for money."

"It's just a suggestion," Tagoma said. "There are some bad apples out there. I've heard about this one guy named Blood Shepherd who's particularly ruthless. But then there are people like Morningstar who everyone seems to like."

Masako thought about it. She remembered Issei talking about Morningstar, and when he had suggested the name Lilith for her. Good and evil are in the eyes of the beholder. Look at Morningstar; his name refers to Satan, but he's a good guy. You could be just like him.

Masako smiled. That was an idea she liked. "Alright then," she said. "We'll be bounty hunters."

And one day, she thought. I'll meet Morningstar. And see what side the Devil is really on.

---

Lilith vs. Thaumiel

Lilith has 4000 LP, 5 cards in her hand, and no cards on the field. Thaumiel has 3200 LP, 2 cards in his hand, 1 Set card, the Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith and the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zones, Qliphort Genius (1600/2/↙↘) in the Extra Monster Zone, and Qliphort Disk (2800/1000/7/1) in Attack Position.

Turn 2: Lilith

Lilith draws. She Normal Summons Magical Musketeer Kidbrave (1600/200/3). Kidbrave's effect lets Lilith activate "Magical Musket" Spell/Trap Cards from her hand during either player's turn. She activates the Spell Card Double Summon, letting her perform a 2nd Normal Summon this turn. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in Kidbrave's column, Lilith can discard 1 "Magical Musket" card and draw 2 cards. She discards Magical Musketeer Caspar. Lilith Normal Summons Magical Musketeer Calamity (1500/1300/4). Lilith activates the Continuous Trap Card Magical Musket – Fiendish Deal from her hand. Now "Magical Musket" monsters she controls cannot be destroyed by card effects. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in Calamity's column, Lilith can Special Summon 1 "Magical Musket" monster from her GY in Defense Position. She Special Summons Caspar (1200/2000/3) in Defense Position. Lilith activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Magical Musket – Steady Hands, targeting Kidbrave for its effect. Kidbrave's ATK/DEF becomes double its original ATK/DEF until the End Phase (Kidbrave: 1600→3200/200→400). Because Lilith activated a Spell/Trap Card in Caspar's column, she can add 1 "Magical Musket" card from her Deck to her hand, so long as it has a different name than the activated card. She adds Magical Musket – Cross-Domination to her hand. Lilith activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Cross-Domination, targeting Qliphort Disk, changing its ATK/DEF to 0 and negating its effects until the end of the turn (Disk: 2800→0/1000→0).

Kidbrave attacks Disk, but Thaumiel activates his face-down Counter Trap Card Negate Attack, negating Kidbrave's attack and ending the Battle Phase. Lilith Sets 1 card. She ends her turn, and the ATK/DEF of Kidbrave and Disk return to normal (Kidbrave: 3200→1600/400→200) (Disk: 0→2800/0→1000).

Turn 3: Thaumiel

Thaumiel draws. He activates the Spell Card Pendulum Paradox, which lets him add 2 face-up Pendulum Monsters with the same Pendulum Scale but different names from his Extra Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Helix and Qliphort Shell from his Extra Deck to his hand. (Pendulum Paradox is activated in the same column as Calamity, but her effect does not activate because there are no "Magical Musket" monsters in Lilith's GY). Thaumiel Pendulum Summons Qliphort Carrier (2400/1000/6/1) to Genius's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position and Qliphort Stealth (2800/1000/8/1) to Genius's bottom-right Link Marker in Attack Position from his Extra Deck, and Qliphort Helix (2400/1000/6/9) in Attack Position from his hand. Since Carrier, Helix, and Stealth were all Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original ATK becomes 1800 (Carrier: 2400→1800/6→4) (Helix: 2400→1800/6→4) (Stealth: 2800→1800/8→4). Since 2 monsters were Special Summoned to Genius's Link Markers at the same time, Thaumiel can add 1 Level 5 or higher Machine monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds a second Qliphort Stealth from his Deck to his hand. Thaumiel activates the Field Spell Card Laser Qlip. During his Main Phase, he can Normal Summon 1 "Qli" monster in addition to his Normal Summon/Set. Thaumiel Tributes Carrier and Helix to Tribute Summon Qliphort Shell (2800/1000/8/9). Since Carrier was Tributed, Thaumiel can target and return 1 monster on the field to the hand. He targets and returns Kidbrave to Lilith's hand. Since Helix was Tributed, Thaumiel can target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field and destroy it. He targets and destroys Fiendish Deal. Since Fiendish Deal was sent to the GY by an opponent's card effect, its effect activates, letting Lilith add 1 "Magical Musket" card from her Deck or GY to her hand. She adds Steady Hands from her GY to her hand. Since Qliphort Shell was Normal Summoned by Tributing at least 1 "Qli" monster, it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase, and if it attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage.

Thaumiel activates the effect of the Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zone, paying 800 LP (Thaumiel: 3200→2400 LP) to add 1 "Qli" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Saqlifice from his Deck to his hand. Thaumiel activates the Equip Spell Card Saqlifice, equipping it to Qliphort Stealth. Stealth gains 300 ATK, cannot be destroyed by battle, and is treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a "Qli" monster (Stealth: 1800→2100). Thaumiel Tributes Stealth to Tribute Summon a second Qliphort Stealth (2800/1000/8/1). Since Stealth was Tribute Summoned, Thaumiel can target one card on the field and return it to the hand. He targets and returns Caspar to Lilith's hand. Since Saqlifice was sent from the field to the GY, Thaumiel can add 1 "Qli" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Cephalopod to his hand. Thaumiel activates the effect of Genius, targeting Qliphort Disk and Calamity on Lilith's field, negating their effects until the end of the turn.

Disk attacks Calamity, but Lilith activates her face-down Quick-Play Spell Card Magical Musket – Power Shot, targeting Calamity. Until the End Phase of the turn, Calamity gains 800 ATK and cannot be destroyed by battle this turn (Calamity: 1500→2300). The attack continues, but Calamity is not destroyed (Lilith: 4000→3500 LP). Stealth attacks Calamity (Lilith: 3500→3000 LP). Shell attacks Calamity (Lilith: 3000→2500 LP). Since Shell was Tribute Summoned, it can attack twice per turn. Shell attacks Calamity (Lilith: 2500→2000 LP). Thaumiel Sets 1 card. He ends his turn, and the effect of Power Shot ends (Calamity: 2300→1500). The effect of the Qliphort Monoloth in Thaumiel's Pendulum Zone activates, letting him draw cards equal to the number of "Qli" monsters he Tributed for Tribute Summons this turn. He draws 3 cards.

Turn 4: Lilith

Lilith draws. She activates the Spell Card Magical Musket – Criminal Bounty. Since she controls a "Magical Musket" monster, she can discard 2 cards then draw 3. She discards Caspar and Kidbrave and draws 3 cards. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in Calamity's column, Lilith can Special Summon 1 "Magical Musket" monster from her GY. She Special Summons Caspar (1200/2000/3) in Defense Position. Lilith Tributes Calamity to Tribute Summon Magical Musket Mastermind Zakiel (2500/2500/8) via its effect. Lilith activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Steady Hands, targeting Zakiel and making its ATK/DEF equal to double its original ATK/DEF until the end of the turn (Zakiel: 2500→5000/2500→5000). Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in the same column as Caspar, Lilith can add 1 "Magical Musket" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Magical Musket – Cross-Domination. Lilith activates the Spell Card Monster Reborn, Special Summoning Kidbrave (1600/200/3) from her GY in Attack Position.

Zakiel attacks and destroys Qliphort Genius, but Thaumiel activates his face-down Trap Card Impenetrable Attack and chooses to take no battle damage during the Battle Phase this turn. Lilith activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Cross-Domination, targeting Shell. Shell's ATK/DEF become 0 and its effects are negated until the End Phase (Shell: 2800→0/1000→0). Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in the same column as Kidbrave, Lilith discards Magical Musketeer Wild and draws 2 cards. Kidbrave attacks and destroys Shell. Lilith ends her turn, and the effect of Steady Hands ends (Zakiel: 5000→2500/5000→2500).

Turn 5: Thaumiel

Thaumiel draws. From her hand, Lilith activates the Trap Card Magical Musket – Desperado. Since she controls a "Magical Musket" monster, she can target and destroy 1 face-up card on the field. She destroys the Qliphort Monolith in Thaumiel's Pendulum Zone. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in the same column as Caspar, Lilith can add 1 "Magical Musket" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Magical Musket – Last Stand from her Deck to her hand. Thaumiel activates the effect of Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zone, paying 800 LP (Thaumiel: 2400→1600 LP) to add Qliphort Disk from his Deck to his hand. Thaumiel activates the Scale 1 Qliphort Disk in his Pendulum Zone, but Lilith activates the Counter Trap Card Magical Musket – Last Stand, negating the activation of an opponent's Spell/Trap Card as she controls a "Magical Musket" monster and destroying it. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in Kidbrave's column, Lilith discards Magical Musketeer Doc and draws 2 cards. Qliphort Disk is sent to the GY. Thaumiel activates the Spell Card Trap for Trap. By banishing Negate Attack from his GY, he can activate 1 Normal Trap Card from his hand. Thaumiel activates Qlimate Change from his hand. The effect of Qlimate Change lets Thaumiel add up to 3 face-up "Qli" Pendulum Monster Cards from his Extra Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Carrier, Qliphort Helix, and Qliphort Monolith from his Extra Deck to his hand.

Thaumiel activates the Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith in his Pendulum Zone. Lilith activates the Continuous Spell Card Magical Musket – Fiendish Barricade from her hand. So long as Fiendish Barricade is face-up, "Magical Musket" monsters Lilith controls cannot be removed from the field by Thaumiel's card effects. Thaumiel Pendulum Summons Qliphort Shell (2800/1000/8/9) from the Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position, and Qliphort Carrier (2400/1000/6/1) and Qliphort Helix (2400/1000/6/9) from his hand, both in Attack Position. Since Carrier, Helix, and Shell were all Special Summoned, their original ATK becomes 1800 and their Levels become 4 (Carrier: 2400→1800/6→4) (Helix: 2400→1800/6→4) (Shell: 2800→1800/8→4). Thaumiel Tributes Carrier, Helix and Shell to Tribute Summon Apoqliphort Skybase (2900/2500/9). Since Helix was Tributed, Thaumiel can target and destroy 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field. He targets Fiendish Barricade, but Fiendish Barricade's effect prevents it from being destroyed by card effects once per turn. Thaumiel activates Skybase's effect, targeting Zakiel and taking control of Zakiel until the End Phase. Thaumiel Tributes Disk and Zakiel to Tribute Summon Qliphort Cephalopod (2800/1000/7/9). Since Cephalopod was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster and Lilith has more monsters in her GY than Thaumiel, Thaumiel gains LP equal to the difference x 300 and Lilith takes the same amount as damage. The difference is 3 (Thaumiel: 1600→2500 LP) (Lilith: 2000→1100 LP). Thaumiel activates the Spell Card Pendulum Halt. Since he has 3 or more face-up Pendulum Monsters with different names in his Extra Deck, he draws 2 cards.

Skybase attacks Kidbrave, but Lilith activates the effect of Fiendish Barricade, reducing the battle damage to 0 since she controls a "Magical Musket" monster. Kidbrave is destroyed. Cephalopod attacks and destroys Caspar. Stealth attacks Lilith directly, but she activates the effect of Fiendish Barricade, sending it to the GY and halving her LP to reduce battle damage to 0 (Lilith: 1100→550 LP). Thaumiel Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn. The effect of Pendulum Halt prevents him from adding cards from his Deck to his hand, so the effect of Qliphort Monolith does not activate.

Turn 6: Lilith

Lilith draws. Thaumiel activates his face-down Continuous Trap Card Re-qliate. Now, if a Level 4 or lower monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn. And if a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn, and it is banished when it leaves the field. Lilith Normal Summons Magical Musketeer Starfire (1300/1700/4). She activates the Spell Card Magical Musket – Armed Rebellion. Since she controls a "Magical Musket" monster, she can Special Summon 2 Level 4 or lower "Magical Musket" monsters from her GY in Attack Position, but they cannot attack, their effects are negated, and they are banished when they leave the field. Lilith Special Summons Calamity (1500/1300/4) and Kidbrave (1600/200/3). Lilith uses Calamity, Kidbrave, and Starfire to Link Summon Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar (3000/3/↙↓↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since they left the field, Calamity and Kidbrave are banished. Lilith activates the Spell Card Magical Musket – Urgent Battle, targeting Ottokar. This turn, Ottokar can make up to 3 attacks on Thaumiel's monsters. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in a column Ottokar points to, Lilith activates its effect, banishing 1 Level 4 or lower "Magical Musket" monster from her GY and activating its effect as Ottokar's effect. Lilith banishes Caspar from her GY, and then adds a "Magical Musket" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Magical Musket – Cross-Domination.

Ottokar attacks Skybase, destroying it (Thaumiel: 2500→2400 LP). Ottokar attacks and destroys Cephalopod (Thaumiel: 2400→2200 LP). Ottokar attacks and destroys Qliphort Stealth (Thaumiel: 2200→2000 LP). Lilith activates the effect of the Armed Rebellion in her GY, banishing it to target and destroy Qliphort Monolith, but Thaumiel activates his face-down Trap Card Qlife's End, Special Summoning itself as an Effect Monster (1800/1000/4) in Attack Position. The turn Qlife's End is Summoned, "Qli" Spell/Trap Cards Thaumiel controls cannot be destroyed by card effects. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in a column Ottokar points to, Lilith activates its effect, banishing Doc from her GY, and activating its effect to add 1 "Magical Musket" card from her GY to her hand. She adds Desperado from her GY to her hand. Lilith Sets 1 card. She ends her turn.

Turn 7: Thaumiel

Thaumiel draws. Lilith activates the Trap Card Magical Musket – Desperado from her hand, targeting and destroying Qliphort Monolith. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in a column Ottokar points to, Lilith activates its effect, banishing Wild from her GY, and activating its effect to shuffle 3 "Magical Musket" cards in her GY back into her Deck and draw 1 card. She shuffles Criminal Bounty, Power Shot, and Steady Hands in her GY back into her Deck, then draws 1 card. Thaumiel activates the effect of Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zone, paying 800 LP (Thaumiel: 2000→1200 LP) to add 1 "Qli" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Apoqliphort Towers. The effect of Qlife's End lets it be treated as 3 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of an "Apoqliphort" monster. Thaumiel Tributes Qlife's End to Tribute Summon Apoqliphort Towers (3000/2600/10). So long as Towers is on the field, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF (Ottokar: 3000→2500). Thaumiel activates Towers' effect, forcing Lilith to send a monster from her hand or field to the GY. Lilith discards the Magical Musket Minion Kilian from her hand. Thaumiel activates the Continuous Spell Card Apoqlipse of Destruction. Since he controls an "Apoqlipghort" monster, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF (Ottokar: 2500→2000), and when an "Apoqliphort" monster attacks, Lilith cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards.

Apoqliphort Towers attacks Ottokar, but Lilith activates the effect of Magical Musket Minion Kilian in her GY, banishing it to halve the battle damage she would take. The attack continues, but since Ottokar does not point to any monsters, it cannot be destroyed by battle (Lilith: 550→50 LP). Thaumiel ends his turn.

Turn 8: Lilith

Lilith draws. She activates her face-down Quick-Play Spell Card Cross-Domination, targeting Apoqliphort Towers for its effect. However, Towers is unaffected by Spell/Trap effects, so Cross-Domination has no effect. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in a column Ottokar points to, its effect activates, and Lilith banishes Starfire from her GY to activate her effect. Lilith can now Special Summon one Level 4 or lower "Magical Musket" monster from her Deck in Defense Position. Lilith Special Summons a second Caspar (1200/2000/3). Lilith activates the Spell Card Double Summon, letting her perform a second Normal Summon this turn. Since a Spell/Trap Card was activated in Caspar's column, Lilith can add a "Magical Musket" card from her Deck to her hand. She adds Steady Hands from her Deck to her hand. Lilith activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Steady Hands, targeting Ottokar for its effect and making its ATK equal to double its original ATK (Ottokar: 2000→6000) until the end of the turn.

Ottokar attacks and destroys Towers (Thaumiel: 1200→0 LP). Lilith wins.

---

Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Fiend/Link/Effect] ATK 3000 LINK-3 ↙↓↘
3 "Magical Musket" monsters
During either player's turn, you can activate "Magical Musket" Spell/Trap Cards from your hand. Up to thrice per turn, if a Spell/Trap Card is activated in the same column as a zone this card points to: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower "Magical Musket" monster in your GY; Banish that monster and activate its effect as this card's effect. You cannot activate this effect if your LP are 1000 or higher. If this card points to no monsters, it cannot be destroyed by battle.

Magical Musket Minion Kilian
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Fiend/Effect] ATK 1000 DEF 200 Level: 2
During either player's turn, you can activate "Magical Musket" Spell/Trap Cards from your hand. If a "Magical Musket" monster you control is battling, you can banish this card (from your GY); all battle damage you take this turn is halved. You can only activate this effect of "Magical Musket Minion Kilian" once per turn.

Magical Musket – Power Shot Quick-Play Spell Card
Target 1 "Magical Musket" monster you control; until the end of the turn, it gains 800 ATK and cannot be destroyed by battle. You can only activate 1 "Magical Musket – Power Shot" per turn.

Magical Musket – Criminal Bounty Normal Spell Card
If you control a "Magical Musket" monster: Discard 2 cards, then draw 3 cards. You can only activate 1 "Magical Musket – Criminal Bounty" per turn.

Trap for Trap Normal Spell Card
Banish 1 Trap Card from your GY; This turn, you can activate 1 Normal Trap Card from your hand. You can only activate 1 "Trap for Trap" per turn.

Magical Musket – Fiendish Barricade Continuous Spell Card
"Magical Musket" monsters you control cannot be removed from the field by an opponent's card effect. Once per turn: If an opponent's monster declares an attack while you control a "Magical Musket" monster; you can make the battle damage you take from this battle 0. The first time this card would be destroyed by an opponent's card effect each turn, it is not destroyed. When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, you can send this card you control to the GY and pay half your LP; make the battle damage you take from this attack 0. You can only control 1 "Magical Musket – Fiendish Barricade".

Magical Musket – Armed Rebellion Normal Spell Card
If you control a "Magical Musket" monster: Target 2 Level 4 or lower "Magical Musket" monsters in your GY; Special Summon them to your field in Attack Position with their effects negated. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack and are banished when they leave the field. If you control a "Magical Musket" monster: You can banish this card from your GY and target 1 Spell/Trap Card on your opponent's field; destroy it. You can only activate each effect of "Magical Musket – Armed Rebellion" once per turn.

Magical Musket – Urgent Battle Normal Spell Card
Target 1 "Magical Musket" monster you control; this turn, it can make up to three attacks on monsters during the Battle Phase, also your other monsters cannot attack. The ATK/DEF of monsters on the field cannot be changed by card effects the turn you activate this effect. You can only activate 1 "Magical Musket – Urgent Battle" per turn.

Apoqlipse of Destruction Continuous Spell Card
All Special Summoned monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF. If an "Apoqliphort" monster you control attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. If there is no "Apoqliphort" monster on the field, send this card to the GY.

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Chapter Preview

Next Time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 21 – Nature's Revenge

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Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes

Thank you to HunterHQ, uyigho98, ClearwingYuta, Guest, ThePLOThand, Frost190, sanedimentio, D3lph0xL0v3r, Nirvash Neo, BladeKnightmare, Lindia Fullmoon, GreenD109, Ethan Kironus, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 19 of Hidden Memories.

Nirvash Neo: Yes, both the Cyangel and Cydemon archetypes will appear in season 2, but I won't say who will use them. As for them including the other summoning methods, I haven't decided on that yet. I do plan on each archetypes having at least 8 Link Monsters, but that's it at this point.

Lindia Fullmoon: I like your idea of Shockwave Dragon, especially its design, but there's one problem with it: It's too powerful. If it appears, I'm going to have to nerf it. On another note, I've been thinking about incorporating Cyberse Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters in season 2. I won't say how they'll appear, but I was wondering if I could rewrite Shockwave Dragon as a Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monster – after it is nerfed, of course. Like I said, though, good design.

Credit to ThePLOThand for the creation of Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar. I changed its effects around so that Lilith wouldn't use it immediately, but I like how it turned out.

Okay, this chapter featured the remainder of the duel between Lilith and Thaumiel. Since Lilith lost both of her previous duels, I needed to have her win this one. That meant creating a lot of OC cards for the Magical Musket archetype. If not for those cards, Thaumiel would have won this. sanedimentio is right; Qliphorts are stupid powerful.

We also had the backstory between Lilith and Thaumiel shown, and quite frankly, it was tricky to write. I hope it ties into why Masako likes Yasutake, as well as her liking of Morningstar. I also hope that it shows just how despicable Thaumiel, or Issei, really is. He is someone I hope everyone will hate.

Small note: Originally, I was planning for Tagoma to betray Masako and duel her in this chapter. He was going to use a Vendread Deck and would be fighting because Hanoi offered him a large sum of money. But I decided not to, because I wanted to have Masako's guardian not be a total ass. This change also allowed me to incorporate one of the worst people you can imagine into this story.

In case anyone is wondering, I do intend for Thaumiel to return, if only because I think it would awesome for him to duel Soulburner. It is too much of an opportunity for a character voiced by Yuki Kaji to face someone named Issei. But I don't have a set idea on when that would be or how it would happen, so it's just an idea at this stage.

Thank you for reading Chapter 20 of Hidden Memories. Please post a review of what you thought of the chapter. What did you think of the flashbacks? What did you think of Thaumiel? Feedback is very important to me, and the continual improvement of Hidden Memories.