Chapter 35: Light of the Cyberse
The sky appears, full of clouds. Playmaker races through the clouds on his D-Board, followed by Morningstar, and then Soulburner. The clouds part to reveal NEW LINK VRAINS. The Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS logo appears, and beneath it, the words "HIDDEN MEMORIES" appears.
Yasutake and Yusaku are walking down the street to school. Naoki runs past them on one side, a large smile on his face. Aoi walks past them on the other side, smiling lightly at Yusaku. Then Takeru walks up behind them and wraps one arm around Yusaku. He tries to wrap the other arm around Yaustake, who steps to the side and gives Takeru an annoyed look. Then someone wraps their arms around Yasutake's right arm. He glances to the side and sees Sachi wearing the Den Academy girls' uniform, smiling with her eyes closed as she leans her head on his shoulder. Yasutake smiles back at her.
Masako is shown riding in the passenger side of a van, with the window showing an image of Lilith. In the sky above her, an image of Thaumiel appears, holding his hand over the van. Kenshin Hirai is then shown at a café, drinking coffee and reading a book, while an image of Hitomu Hirai appears in the sky facing the opposite direction. Go Onizuka is shown in NEW LINK VRAINS in his new avatar, riding his D-Board with Kenmochi and Yoroizaka on either side. Behind them, Techbane and Sylphid fly on their own D-Boards. As they pass under a ledge, Blue Angel, Galahad, and Persephone are shown looking down at Go with sad and disappointed looks.
Kusanagi is then shown sitting at a picnic bench with Cam, both drinking from cans and laughing. Flame and Ai are shown arguing in Café Nagi, while Cypher looks at the two of them with exasperation and mild contempt. Akira Zaizen and Hayami are then shown standing next to Queen, who is sitting in a pool chair, adjusting her glasses.
Jester is then shown, with two people – a man and a woman – shown standing behind him, shrouded in shadow. The man-in-shadow's eyes glow red. The eyeholes of Jester's mask glow a light blue. Behind them are Life Stream Dragon and Life Force Dragon, shrouded in shadows.
Morningstar and Playmaker ride their D-Boards next to each other, with Cyberse Witch and Cyberse Magician in front of Playmaker, and Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Cyspirit Savage Shogun in front of Morningstar. The two are chased by Techbane and Sylphid. The man directs Cyber Dragon Sieger to fire at Morningstar while the girl commands a white and purple dragon to attack Playmaker. The two are hit with energy attacks but emerge from the smoke unharmed.
The Knights of Hanoi are then shown, with Terminus standing apart from them. Motor Worm Spreader Queen, Helixx Necro Darwin, and Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps appear, with Sunavalon Dryanome behind them. Borreload Savage Dragon then rises from behind Dryanome and roars.
A split screen, showing two figures. The one on the right is a green outline of a short-haired woman wearing a dress and holding a card in her right hand. Behind her is a white outline of a winged figure holding a sword. The left screen shows a red outline of a man wearing armor, with his right hand raised and the fingers curled. Behind him is a black outline of an armored monster with demonic wings.
Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner are then shown back-to-back, with their hands glowing green, blue, and red respectively. The three face off against Bohman and Trident Hydradrive Lord, Blood Shepard and Battledrone General, and Jester, who raises his arm as a pillar of energy appears behind him. Life Force Dragon emerges from the pillar and roars.
Cyspirts Angelic Avenger, Idealistic Idol, Pied Pikeman, Rapid Revolutionary, and Winning Wrestler are then shown in the air, with Neo Nova racing past them. The five Cyspirit monsters then glow with golden light and merge to form Superior Seraphim, whose light spreads across NEW LINK VRAINS.
Cam, Sachi, Yasutake, Takeru, Kusanagi, and Yusaku are all shown at a picnic table, with them eating hot dogs, and Takeru and Cam are laughing. Three Duel Disks are shown on the table, with Flame lecturing Ai while Cypher watches television on Yasutake's tablet. Aoi, Akira, and Emma are in the background, walking past them and smiling at the table.
Yasutake, Cam, and Sachi walk down the street, with Cam having his arms around the other two. All three are smiling. The scene then switches to NEW LINK VRAINS, with Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner sitting on a ledge and smiling into the distance.
Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner traveled down LINK VRAINS's central pillar towards the restricted area.
"Be careful," Ai said, alerting them. "Security camera ahead on the left."
"Okay," Playmaker said. The three of them grabbed pieces of debris and used them to prevent the camera from seeing them as they traveled passed it. Once out of sight, they ditched the debris.
"Are you able to transmit to Kusanagi?" Playmaker asked Ai.
"Yeah. I'm sending everything I see."
"I'm doing the same for Cam," Cypher told Morningstar. "But like he said, we may lose contact once we go through the gate."
"Noted," Morningstar nodded.
As the trio reached the gate, Playmaker said, "Start stealth program." Their D-Boards glowed blue as blue spheres wrapped around them. They hit the restricted area and Morningstar grit his teeth at the drag of the red field, but they eventually passed through and deactivated their programs.
"Ghost Girl really wants us to go to the gate," Playmaker noted.
"She'll probably expect us to deal with any traps in the way," Morningstar said.
"Like those?" Soulburner asked, pulling up alongside them and pointing backwards. The other two looked back as three people in green and blue uniforms riding D-Boards appeared behind them. Morningstar only recognized the one in front.
"Playmaker! Found you!" Go Onizuka shouted.
"I told you it was a trap!" Ai said, annoyed.
"So did Morningstar," Cypher reminded his fellow Ignis. "This was expected."
Expected, but still annoying, Morningstar thought.
"Let's go!" Playmaker said. "We'll shake them off!" The trio increased their speed, but so did the hunters.
"That's Go Onizuka," Ai said, looking back at the hunters. "He got a job with SOL Technologies?"
"I did hear about that, but I dismissed it as a rumor," Morningstar said, frowning to himself. "He never struck me as the bounty hunter type." Clearly, I was wrong, he thought, looking back. What happened to you, Go Onizuka?
"Playmaker!" Go shouted with a smile. "I'm happy you came back to LINK VRAINS!"
"Humph! But I'm disappointed!" Ai said, looking away from Go.
"Kenmochi! Yoroizaka!" Go said, glancing at his teammates. "Surround him from both sides! Don't let him escape!"
"Roger!" they said and advanced on either side. Kenmochi? Yoroizaka? Morningstar thought. I've never heard of those two. They must be new.
"Let's battle, Playmaker!" Go shouted. "We'll settle things today!" Settle things?
"Playmaker, shall we duel him?" Ai asked.
"No time for that," Playmaker responded. "Let's shake them off!"
"There ya go!" Ai waved at Go.
"I won't let you escape!" Go rammed Playmaker's D-Board, but the hacker managed to stay onboard.
"Hey! That was dangerous!" Ai complained.
"Stay with them! Go!" Kenmochi and Yoroizaka rushed ahead of Go, eager to fight.
Morningstar scowled. They didn't have time for this. "Cypher," he said. "Set the Data Anchor to Non-Duel Mode and Binary Mode."
"Eh? What are you-?" Cypher looked from Morningstar to Kenmochi and Yoroizaka and laughed. "Oh, you evil human! Alright!" The Duel Disk's circle changed color to blue briefly, signifying the changes. "Want to try Target Lock?"
"Better safe than sorry." Morningstar pointed his Duel Disk outward at the two newbies and waited until Cypher gave the okay. He then lashed out his arm, releasing two blue cords from his Duel Disk that latched onto Kenmochi's and Yoroizaka's wrists.
"What the-?" the two said in surprise. Morningstar accelerated and yanked the cords as hard as he could, pulling the two hunters off their D-Boards. The two screamed before hitting a piece of debris, forcing a logout. Morningstar smirked. Giving the Data Anchor a mode that didn't force a duel had been Sachi's idea, while sending out two cords at once and locking onto the targets before firing had both been Cypher's ideas.
"Hehe! That was easy!" Ai cheered.
"But you didn't do anything," Flame pointed out to Ai's annoyance.
"Just as always. Some things never change," Cypher commented, annoying Ai more.
"It's too early to feel safe," Soulburner said, glancing back at Go, who seemed angrier than before.
"Oh! Onizuka is fired up!" Ai said.
"Playmaker, Morningstar, will you let me handle this?" Soulburner asked to their surprise.
"What?"
"Why?"
"Either of you against Go Onizuka is a very appealing match for me," Soulburner said with a smile that turned into a frown. "But I don't want you two to fight him. Because you're all heroes that fought for LINK VRAINS."
"I'm not a hero," Morningstar said, shaking his head. "Heroes don't get paid. I did get paid for stopping the Tower."
"Eh? You got paid for that?" Ai asked, surprised and jealous. "Why didn't we get paid?"
Playmaker ignored the two and nodded at Soulburner. "Okay. I leave this to you."
"Don't take him lightly," Morningstar warned Soulburner.
"Good luck!" Flame said.
"Yeah! You too!" Ai responded.
"I wasn't talking to you," Flame said, eyes half-lidded.
"So annoying!" Ai complained. Cypher sighed in exasperation at his fellow Ignis. Soulburner turned his D-Board around and charged Go Onizuka, drawing his attention.
Morningstar watched as Go and Soulburner got further away before turning to Playmaker. "Onizuka won't be the only bounty hunter we'll encounter here," he said. "Blood Shepherd will definitely be here, and it won't surprise me if we run into Techbane or Sylphid."
"Any advice for Blood Shepherd?" Playmaker asked.
"He's an expert at anti-Link tactics," Morningstar answered. "I noticed you used Ritual Summoning in your duel with Bohman. That'll be your best chance against him. But don't assume it will be enough."
"Understood," Playmaker nodded as the two headed further down the pillar. They passed through another barrier, blue this time, and reached the lower half, where they were buffeted by winds from a Data Storm.
"It's rough going," Ai said, guarding his eyes.
"That's the lower area," Playmaker said, looking beneath them at a new bright blue sphere.
"We should reach the gate through there," Morningstar said, remembering what Cam and Kusanagi had said. Then he narrowed his eyes.
"Do you feel that?" Cypher asked.
"Ah! I'm spooked!" Ai said, hugging himself.
"Yeah, I sense something bad," Playmaker said, narrowing his own eyes.
"And I know exactly what it is," Morningstar muttered as he looked around. His eyes widened in surprise. "Move, Playmaker!"
The two of them swerved as a yellow laser blast went through the air. They realigned on the pillar as Blood Shepherd rode in on his D-Board, his right arm glowing with energy.
"I've caught the bounty," he said. He started firing more laser blasts at the two as they swerved to avoid them.
"Hey! He's shooting!" Ai panicked.
"He does that," Morningstar said, gritting his teeth.
Ai growled. "I'll use my secret weapon! Release the Data Storm!" A tornado of Data Material solidified in front of Blood Shepherd as Ai laughed. "I'll chase you away like last time-."
Blood Shepherd sent three blasts into the tornado, blowing it apart and making Ai panic again. "I'm sorry!"
"I wasn't expecting that," Cypher said, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps you were right about Blood Shepherd being dangerous."
"When it comes to bounty hunters, you should definitely listen to me," Morningstar nodded.
"Yasu, can you hear me?"
Morningstar frowned as Cam's voice came over his earpiece. "We're in the middle of something, Cam. It's Blood Shepherd."
"Ah, hell… Listen, the two of you are in an unstable location. You need to get back to the center soon, otherwise you'll drown in data."
"He'll destroy us before then!" Ai screamed. Evidently Kusanagi had told Playmaker the same thing.
"Calm down! He's trying to intimidate you!" Morningstar shouted at Ai. "He can't take you or Cypher unless he wins a duel, remember?"
The two continued to avoid Blood Shepherd's blasts as they headed back towards the pillar. Morningstar narrowed his eyes further. "Oh crap," he muttered.
Sylphid and Techbane were waiting for the two of them. As they drew closer, Morningstar turned to Playmaker. "We need to split up," he told him. "I'll meet you at the gate!"
"Right!" Playmaker nodded. He turned to head to the right as Morningstar turned downwards. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noted Sylphid and Techbane turning to follow him while Blood Shepherd continued to pursue Playmaker.
"We meet again, Morningstar!" Techbane shouted after him as the three entered a trench on the ridge of the sphere. "You surprised me last time with your Skill, but you won't escape a second time."
"Hey, we agreed I'd get to duel him this time," Sylphid protested. "Wait your turn. Techy."
"Techy?" Techbane asked, confused.
Cypher growled. "Dueling you two is pointless. Release the Data Storm!" Cypher pointed and generated a Data tornado in front of them, trying to log them out like Ai did to Blood Shepherd.
Unfortunately, these two were smarter than Cypher thought. "Sylphid?" Techbane asked.
"Got it." Sylphid pressed a button on her Duel Disk, making the spear on her D-Board glow and fire a beam of orange light at the Data Storm, breaking it apart.
"Are you kidding me!?" Cypher protested, annoyed. "First Jester, then Blood Shepherd, now these two!? When do I get to blow someone away?"
"Not today, Ignis," Techbane answered, getting closer to Morningstar. "Sylphid has first crack at you, but you're a fool if you think you can-."
A bright light interrupted his words, causing all three to wince and look up. An eight-pointed star made of white light had appeared above them. Before any of them could comment, a burst of light separated from the star and headed towards them. The light fell off the woman on the D-Board as she spun and repositioned herself so she was alongside Morningstar.
Morningstar blinked at the woman. She was young, but it was difficult to tell her exact age. She wore a white flowing sleeveless dress with a skirt that went down to her ankles and a slit on the left side that exposed dark green tights and light green high-heeled shoes tied with dark green ribbons. She also wore a dark green vest that went down to her waist over the dress, and he noticed a drawing of golden wings on her back. Her arms were covered by white fingerless gloves that extended past her elbows and had green eight-pointed stars on the back of the hands. She had white hair with short bangs spread to the sides of her face, short sides, and a ponytail that extended to the back of her neck. White earrings in the shapes of eight-pointed stars hung from her ears, and an ivory necklace with an emerald eight-pointed star rested against her collarbone. Her bright green eyes glanced at the two bounty hunters before she turned to Morningstar.
"Morningstar," she said, her voice soft. "I am Cassiel. Whether you believe me or not, I am your ally. I'll handle one of them, while you handle the other."
Morningstar stared at her. Something about her… he was sure he knew her. But from where?
"Morningstar!" Morningstar blinked and looked ahead at Cypher's words. The trench split into two paths ahead, with the one on the left angled downwards.
"…Alright," he said, thinking quickly, to Cassiel. "I'll take the left and you take the right."
She nodded and turned back to the hunters. "I am Cassiel!" she declared. "I'll take one of you on!"
Techbane grit his teeth. "You have first crack at Morningstar," he told Sylphid. "I'll handle the new girl."
"Gotcha."
Morningstar turned and went down the left path, which turned into a hole, with Sylphid following him. Cassiel and Techbane, however, took the right path.
"You'll want to turn around once you reach the bottom, Yasu," Cam said over the com. "There's another hole that leads straight to the center."
"Good to know… There's another duelist here. A woman named Cassiel. She lured Techbane away."
"Cassiel? Never heard of her. I'll see what I can find."
Cassiel led Techbane down the trench, giving him a good chance to look her over. She was pretty, he guessed, but it was difficult to tell how old she was. Her D-Board was mostly white and elongated, with green edges, two golden prongs, and gold and dark green guards on the sides with light green extensions. Her Duel Disk was a custom model and circular, divided into six sections, with two white and four green ones. That the center was unlit told Techbane something important.
"Why are you helping Morningstar?" he asked her. "You don't have an Ignis, so you aren't our target."
"I'm repaying a debt," she answered. She looked ahead at a sharp turn. "The one who makes that turn first decides who goes first?"
"Sounds good to me," Techbane said, nodding. His Cyber Dragon Deck worked best if he went second, and though he didn't know what Deck this girl was using, he expected she knew going second would be more to her favor.
The two accelerated as they reached the corner, Techbane on the inside. But suddenly, Cassiel pushed a button, making the guards on her D-Board go downwards and extend outwards. Doing so made her D-Board much faster, and while she took the turn hard, she passed it first.
Techbane grit his teeth as her D-Board's guards returned to normal. "What was that?"
"High-Speed Mode," she answered as she raised her Duel Disk, light green lines on it lighting up. "I'll take the second turn."
"Fine."
"Speed Duel!"
Cassiel: 4000 LP
Techbane: 4000 LP
Techbane looked at his cards. Hmm. While he disliked taking the first turn, he could work with this. "I activate the effect of Cyber Dragon Nächster! By discarding the original Cyber Dragon, I can Special Summon Nächster!" A small silver dragon with white circles on its body appeared and roared in Attack Position.
Cyber Dragon Nächster ATK 200 DEF 200 LVL: 1
"Nächster's monster effect! When it is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon a Machine monster from my Graveyard, so long as it has 2100 attack points or 1600 defense points. Resurrect, Cyber Dragon!" The mechanical white dragon roared in Attack Position.
Cyber Dragon ATK 2100 DEF 1600 LVL: 5
"And since I Special Summoned Cyber Dragon, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon Vier in Defense Position!" A silver segmented dragon with purple parts in its body appeared and roared.
Cyber Dragon Vier ATK 1100 DEF 1600 LVL: 4
"Vier's monster effect! Every monster named 'Cyber Dragon' I control gains 500 attack and defense points. And due to the effects of Nächster and Vier, both are treated as Cyber Dragon while on the field or in the Graveyard."
Cyber Dragon ATK 2100→2600 DEF 1600→2100
Cyber Dragon Nächster ATK 200→700 DEF 200→700
Cyber Dragon Vier ATK 1100→1600 DEF 1600→2100
"Appear! The circuit of mechanical evolution!" The Link portal appeared as Techbane's hand glowed blue. "Arrowheads confirmed. The summoning conditions are two Machine monsters, one of which must be Cyber Dragon. I set Cyber Dragon and Nächster in the Link Markers!" Said monsters became whirlwinds of energy and entered the left and bottom arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-2! Cyber Dragon Sieger!" The mechanical dragon with blue circles on its body emerged from the portal, summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.
Cyber Dragon Sieger ATK 2100 LINK-2 ←↓
"Due to Vier's effect, Sieger gains 500 attack points!"
Cyber Dragon Sieger ATK 2100→2600
"I Set one card. I end my turn." Sieger's effect can be activated during mine or her Battle Phase, Techbane thought. While it cannot target Vier because Vier's attack points are less than 2100, I can increase Sieger's attack points to 4700 during the Battle Phase at the cost of not inflicting any damage.
A green circle appeared around Cassiel's Duel Disk as a card materialized. "My turn! Draw!" Cassiel drew, looked over her cards for several seconds, then selected one. "I Special Summon Cyangel Cupbearer in Attack Position!" A golden light appeared on her field. That golden light reformed into a young man with golden skin wearing a golden robe. The young man had golden hair that seemed to glow of its own accord and solid blue eyes. Several cybernetic implants wrapped around his left eye and traveled down his neck. A pair of small golden wings made of mechanical feathers unfolded from the young man's back and a silver goblet appeared, suspended above its outreached hands.
Cyangel Cupbearer ATK 1400 DEF 700 LVL: 3
Techbane gasped. "Cyangel?" He quickly looked at the card's info. "This card is Cyberse Type? Where did you get a card like this?"
Cassiel ignored him and said, "I can Special Summon Cupbearer if there are no 'Cyangel' monsters in my Graveyard. And now I Tribute Cupbearer to Tribute Summon Cyangel Prophet!" Cupbearer glowed as its shape changed. The glow faded, revealing a different monster. Prophet was an older golden-skinned man, wearing golden robes and a golden keffiyeh over his body and head respectively. He had golden hair tucked under the keffiyeh and a golden beard that went down to the middle of his chest, solid blue eyes, and cybernetic implants trailing down the right side of its face. A set of mechanical golden wings – larger than Cupbearer's – sprouted from Prophet's back, and he wielded a golden staff topped by a bar and circle.
Cyangel Prophet ATK 2200 DEF 700 LVL: 6
"Cupbearer's effect activates!" Cassiel declared. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard, it is shuffled back into my Deck, and then I can add a different 'Cyangel' monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Cyangel Priest to my hand." Cassiel added her new card to her hand then chose a different one. "I Set one card."
Cassiel gestured to her field. "Prophet's monster effect! If there are no 'Cyangel' monsters in my Graveyard, I can halve the attack points of one monster you control until the end of the turn!" Techbane gasped. "I halve Sieger's attack points!" Prophet extended his staff and zapped Sieger with golden light, making it cry out in pain.
Cyber Dragon Sieger ATK 2600→1300
"Battle!" Cassiel declared. "Cyangel Prophet, attack Cyber Dragon Sieger!" Prophet shot golden lightning out of its staff at Sieger as Techbane gestured to his field.
"Trap activate! Impenetrable Attack! With this card, I can either prevent a monster on the field from being destroyed by battle or card effects this turn or I can take no battle damage this turn. I choose to prevent Sieger's destruction!" The lightning struck Sieger and Techbane winced, but the monster remained.
Techbane: 4000→3100 LP
Cassiel narrowed her eyes. "I end my turn. And with the End Phase, Prophet's effect ends, and Sieger's attack points return to their previous amount."
Cyber Dragon Sieger ATK 1300→2600
Cassiel looked back at Techbane. "Why do you use them?" she asked, surprising him.
"Use what?"
"Cyber Dragons. They're famously the cards of the legendary duelist Kaiser Ryo Marufuji. Are you a fan of his?"
Techbane scowled. "No. I have my own reasons for following the Cyber Style. Which you don't need to understand." Maybe you would understand it, but I don't want your understanding of this feeling, he thought. The feeling of not being powerful enough to save the people you love, so you take the power you need even if it isn't earned…
10 years ago…
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Yukaro cried out as he landed on his back.
"Hmm. You did better this time," his grandfather said as the monsters and Duel Disk blades disappeared. "You managed to call Cyber Dragon out properly and kept it on the field for more than a turn."
Yukaro growled as he sat up. "It still wasn't enough, though. The Kaiser could do far more than this at my age, couldn't he?" He turned to look at the picture on the wall of the dojo. It showed a man with layered blue hair and a proud look on his face.
"Do not compare yourself to our ancestor, Yukaro. He was the Style's greatest practitioner, but that was because he understood his Deck on a level few duelists can reach." His grandfather shook his head as Yukaro stood up properly. "I do not expect you to become the next Ryo Marufuji. I expect you to make the Cyber Style your own."
2 years ago…
"So your father does have it?"
"Yes. It's the same disease as his father. If he doesn't receive treatment, he may die within two or three years."
"Can we afford it?"
Yukaro's mother shook her head. "Not on our salary. You just took out a mortgage, so we shouldn't ask the bank for a loan…"
Yukaro scowled from outside the kitchen as he headed to his room. His grandfather was dying. He didn't know what disease it was, but that didn't matter; there was a treatment, but they needed money. And to get money…
Yukaro browsed websites, looking for a way to earn money quickly. He was smart enough to note which were scams and weren't, until he came across a bounty hunter forum. There was a discussion about a hunter calling himself Morningstar, who seemed divisive to many of his fellow hunters. Some called him a goody-two-shoes who wasn't a real hunter while others said he was good for their image. Either way, all of them agreed he was powerful and dangerous.
Yukaro couldn't find a video of Morningstar but hearing about this hunter gave him an idea. I can do that, he thought. Bounty hunting. It could help me pay for grandfather's surgery. But if I want to be a serious hunter, then I'll need power. I'll need…
Yukaro frowned. He would need the Cyber Style. His grandfather had told him he wasn't ready yet to wield the Deck's power, but what mattered more? His grandfather's life, or his status as heir?
It was surprising easily to obtain the Cyber Dragon Deck from the dojo. But when his grandfather found out what he did, he disowned him. He told him that the Deck had to be earned to truly wield its power, and Yukaro hadn't earned it yet. His grandfather wasn't afraid to die, but he was proud of their family's legacy, and to him, Yukaro becoming a bounty hunter was a dishonor that insulted the entire family. His words had hurt, but Yukaro hadn't cared; he had done what he did to save his grandfather's life, and the fact he could berate Yukaro made him happy. He simply moved away and sent any extra money he earned to his family to help pay for his grandfather's treatments.
One day, he would receive a notice from SOL Technologies in Den City about a bounty on the hero called Playmaker. The bounty was enough to pay for both his grandfather's last treatments and his parents' medical bills. And Den City was the home of Morningstar, whose stories had shown Yukaro that there was honor in being a bounty hunter. It was an easy decision to make…
Present day…
"I use Cyber Dragons, and became a bounty hunter, for more than myself," Techbane said as he and Cassiel turned into another trench. "I know what people think; that bounty hunters are selfish. But I am not! I fight for another who means the world to me! My turn! Draw!" Techbane glanced at his card, then played it. "I activate the Spell Card: Cyber Repair Plant! Since Cyber Dragon is in my Graveyard, I can add a Light Machine monster from my Deck to my hand."
Techbane took a new card from his Duel Disk, then played it. "I summon Cyber Dragon Core!"
Cyber Dragon Core ATK 400 DEF 1500 LVL: 2
"Core's monster effect! Since it was Normal Summoned, I can add a 'Cyber' Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Techbane took his new card and stared at it. This was the last card grandfather showed me how to use before I left.
"I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Cyberload Fusion!" Cassiel's eyes widened on seeing Techbane's card. "This lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster that lists a 'Cyber Dragon' monster as material by shuffling the listed materials, from either my field or Banished Zone, back into my Deck. I shuffle Core, Sieger, and Vier back into my Deck to Fusion Summon!"
Said monsters disintegrated into red, blue, and green particles respectively and swirled together into a vortex. Three whirlwinds of energy burst from the vortex before merging into a purple whirlwind as Techbane chanted.
"The mechanical dragon that rules the world. Become one with your brethren and take flight! Fusion Summon! Rise! Cyber End Dragon!" A silver dragon, as large as Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon, emerged from the whirlwind. This dragon had three mechanical heads on the ends of three long necks and massive wings, with blue orbs at the top of said wings. All three heads roared from the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.
Cyber End Dragon ATK 4000 DEF 2800 LVL: 10
Cassiel grit her teeth. "4000 attack points… Not good."
"Cyberload Fusion's effect prevents my monsters besides Cyber End Dragon from declaring an attack," Techbane continued. "But that doesn't matter." He gestured to his field. "Battle! Cyber End Dragon, attack Cyangel Prophet! Eternal Evolution Burst!"
Cyber End Dragon fired three streams of energy at Prophet as Cassiel gestured to her field. "Trap activate! Cyangel Shield!" The card showed a white pentagonal shield with a symbol of golden wings on it. "Since your monster attacked a Light Cyberse monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!"
"But you still take damage!" Techbane reminded her. Cassiel winced as the attack struck Prophet and sent her D-Board fumbling backwards behind Techbane.
Cassiel: 4000→2200 LP
Cassiel recovered quickly and then gestured to her field as the wings on her back, stars on her hands, and jewelry all glowed green. "I activate my Skill! Angel's Glory! Since I took damage from a battle involving a 'Cyangel' monster, I can Special Summon a 'Cyangel' monster from my hand, or Deck if there are none in my hand." Cassiel tapped a card in her hand. "But fortunately, there is one in my hand. I summon Cyangel Priest!" A golden-skinned bald man in golden robes with a white collar around his neck emerged in Defense Position. He had small golden wings, solid blue eyes, cybernetic implants beneath his left eye, and carried a rosary in his right hand.
Cyangel Priest ATK 1600 DEF 700 LVL: 4
Techbane hesitated, and then laughed. "Looks like you made a mistake, Cassiel!" he said, surprising her. "I activate my Skill! Cyber Strike! Since my Level 8 or higher Machine monster inflicted battle damage, that monster can attack again! And if Cyber End Dragon attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing battle damage!"
Cassiel gasped as Cyber End Dragon blasted Priest with energy. She quickly gestured to her field. "Priest's monster effect! When I have no 'Cyangel' monsters in the Graveyard, Priest cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn, and all battle damage I take involving it is halved!" The blast struck and she cried out in pain, but she stayed on her D-Board and Priest remained on the field.
Cassiel: 2200→550 LP
Techbane grit his teeth. Damn it. "I end my turn."
"And with the end of the Battle Phase, Cyangel Shield's effect lets me draw one card," Cassiel said as she drew, glanced at her card, then added it to her hand.
"My turn! Draw!" Cassiel drew and smiled at her card. "I activate the Field Spell Card: Cyangel Sanctum!" The card showed a massive golden building laid out over a mountain, with various golden, winged monsters flying around it. "While Sanctum is active, all Light Cyberse monsters I control gain 300 attack and defense points."
Cyangel Priest: 1600→1900 DEF 700→1000
Cyangel Prophet ATK 2200→2500 DEF 700→1000
"I activate Sanctum's effect! Once per turn, I can shuffle a card in my hand back into my Deck to add a Cyberse monster from my Deck to my hand. I shuffle Bound Link into my Deck to add Cyangel Disciple to my hand, which I'll now summon!" Cyangel Disciple was a gold-skinned man in brown robes and a golden cloak with solid blue eyes, small golden wings, and brown hair in a bowl cut. Cybernetic implants twisted up his neck and beneath his right eye.
Cyangel Disciple ATK 1000→1300 DEF 700→1000 LVL: 3
"Disciple's monster effect! Since I have no 'Cyangel' monsters in the Graveyard, I can shuffle up to three cards in either Graveyard back into our Decks. And for each shuffled card, I gain 300 Life Points."
Techbane grit his teeth as Cassiel continued. "I shuffle my Cyangel Shield, and your Cyber Repair Plant and Cyberload Fusion back into our Decks to increase my Life Points by 900!"
Cassiel: 550→1450 LP
Cassiel looked from her field to Techbane. "You said you fight for another. We are the same in that regard. I fight to repay a debt."
"To who? To Morningstar? What did he do for you?"
"Three months ago, he saved me."
Techbane gasped. "Three months ago? Then… you were one of the people the Tower of Hanoi absorbed?"
A small smile crossed Cassiel's lips, but she didn't answer. Instead golden energy formed around her right hand as she raised it high. "Appear! The circuit of infinite light!" The bolt of golden light struck the space above them, creating the Link portal. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Light Cyberse monsters. I set Disciple, Priest, and Prophet in the Link Markers!" Her three monsters became whirlwinds of golden energy and entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom-right arrows, turning them red.
"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Cyseraph Blazing Uriel!"
A golden figure, three times the size of Cassiel's previous monsters, emerged from the portal. Four red and gold wings made of mechanical feathers sprouted from its back as formfitting ornate crimson and gold armor covered its chest, arms, legs, and feet. Its face was human, but more beautiful and terrifying than any face Techbane had ever seen. Uriel had blazing red hair tied back into a ponytail that extended to the back of its neck and solid blue eyes with gold light in the centers. A beautiful ornate red and gold longbow formed in Uriel's left hand as he beat his wings from the Extra Monster Zone.
Cyseraph Blazing Uriel ATK 2500 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
Techbane grit his teeth. "Is this her ace monster…?"
"Cyangel Sanctum's effect! Blazing Uriel, as a Light Cyberse monster, gains 300 attack points!"
Cyseraph Blazing Uriel ATK 2500→2800
"Furthermore, since they were sent to the Graveyard, the effects of Cyangel Disciple, Priest, and Prophet all activate!" Cassiel continued, said cards materializing in front of her. "All three are shuffled back into my Deck, and then their secondary effects activate. Prophet's effect increases the attack points of one of my monsters by 1000 while Priest's effect lowers the attack points of one of your monsters by 800!" Techbane grit his teeth again as Blazing Uriel and Cyber End Dragon both glowed.
Cyseraph Blazing Uriel ATK 2800→3800
Cyber End Dragon ATK 4000→3200
"Finally, the effect of Disciple lets me target a Link Monster I control. I target Blazing Uriel!" The cards disappeared as Cassiel gestured to a different card on her field. "Cyangel Sanctum's final effect activates! If a Cyberse monster in my Graveyard is shuffled back into my Deck, I can target a Cyberse Link Monster I control, and until the end of the turn, that monster cannot be targeted or destroyed by your card effects. Once again, I target Blazing Uriel!"
Cassiel smirked as Techbane grit his teeth. "I take it I don't have to explain what happens now? Battle! Blazing Uriel attacks Cyber End Dragon! Holy Fire!" Blazing Uriel held up its bow and grabbed the bowstring, pulling it back and generating an arrow made of fire. Blazing Uriel pulled it back as far as it would go, then released the arrow, shooting it at Cyber End Dragon. The arrow of fire pierced the mechanical dragon through the chest, leaving a massive hole before it exploded, making Techbane wince.
Techbane: 3100→2500 LP
"Blazing Uriel's monster effect!" Cassiel declared, making Techbane look up. "When Blazing Uriel destroys your monster by battle and I have no 'Cyangel' monsters in my Graveyard, you take damage equal to Cyber End Dragon's Level times 200!" Her eyes narrowed at her next words. "And because the monster targeted by Disciple's effect destroyed your monster by battle, you take 1000 points of damage!" Techbane gasped. "Cyber End Dragon was Level 10. That means you take 3000 points of damage! This is the end!"
Blazing Uriel spread his wings wide as his arms caught fire. He met them above his head, with his bow melting into red energy that gathered into a massive ball he held above him. "Go, Blazing Uriel! Heavenly Blaze!" Uriel brought his arms down and launched the fire ball at Techbane. When the ball struck him, he fell off his D-Board, screaming.
Techbane: 2500→500→0 LP
Grandpa… I'm sorry, Techbane thought as he was forcibly logged out.
Cassiel watched as he did so, then looked at her Duel Disk. This was my first victory with these cards, she thought as she smiled. Yes!
"Good luck, Morningstar," she whispered before logging out.
Morningstar fell down the hole and spun around at the bottom, with Sylphid right behind him. "Looks like the floors are like corridors. If you find another hole, it will take you closer to the center. That aside, it's a straight path," Cam said over the com.
"Which means it will be impossible to ditch this girl," Cypher surmised, annoyed at Sylphid for destroying his Data tornado. "We're going to have to duel her."
"I'll have to duel her," Morningstar corrected the AI. "You'll be watching and making smart comments."
"When you say smart, do you mean sarcastic or intelligent?"
"Yes."
"…Why did I get the human who thinks he's funny?" Cypher wondered rhetorically.
Sylphid pulled up alongside Morningstar. "That AI of yours is very chatty," she said, smiling at him. "You sure you don't want me to take him off your hands? Earn you some peace and quiet?"
"If I want peace and quiet, I just have to mute him," Morningstar retorted. "And I have a friend who's fond of Cypher, so I can't give him to you."
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Cypher protested, glaring at Sylphid. "You might be smarter than I thought, but you're still up against me and Morningstar! Your chances of victory are less than five percent!"
"So still a chance then," Sylphid noted, smirking at the Ignis. "Let's see if I can change that prediction of yours." She raced her D-Board ahead of Morningstar and looked back, her smirk becoming challenging.
"Speed Duel!" they shouted.
Morningstar: 4000 LP
Sylphid: 4000 LP
The two duelists looked at their hands before Sylphid said, "I'll take the first turn. I summon Dragunity Aklys!" A thin red dragon wearing white armor with a spear attached to its head appeared and roared at Morningstar.
Dragunity Akyls ATK 1000 DEF 800 LVL: 2
Morningstar blinked. "Dragunity?"
"With a name like 'Sylphid,' I was expecting Harpies or something. Not Dragunity." Cypher narrowed his eyes. "That Deck focuses on equipping themselves to other Dragunity monsters and also incorporates Synchro Summoning."
"Glad to know you're a fan," Sylphid teased Cypher before gesturing to her field. "Aklys's monster effect! When it is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon another 'Dragunity' monster from my hand and then equip Aklys to it. Come, Dragunity Militum!" A humanoid in blue armor with blue wings wielding a sword and dagger appeared in Defense Position.
Dragunity Militum ATK 1700 DEF 1200 LVL: 4
"And now Aklys equips itself to Militum!" Aklys glowed with energy before turning into a spear that replaced the sword in Militum's right hand. "I Set one card. I end my turn."
Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "She… didn't do what I expected," Cypher admitted, looking Sylphid over with a calculating gaze. "Militum's effect lets her Special Summon a 'Dragunity' monster that's in her Spell & Trap Zone."
"Aklys is also a Tuner monster," Morningstar said. "Meaning she could have Synchro Summoned with Militum's effect but didn't."
"Why wouldn't she Synchro Summon? Aren't Synchro Monsters the ace monsters of the Dragunity Deck?"
"They are, so her not using Militum's effect is strange. Unless she's going for Aklys's effect." If the equipped Aklys is sent to the Graveyard, one card on the field is destroyed, Morningstar thought. That's certainly one reason to keep Militum and Aklys around.
"Are you going to make a move, Morningstar?" Morningstar started as Sylphid addressed him, looking back at him with amusement. "Or is this your way of saying you surrender?"
Morningstar scowled and placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Looking at his card, he played it. "I summon Cyspirit Teleporter!" The skeleton in gray armor wielding a baton appeared.
Cyspirit Teleporter ATK 500 DEF 1500 LVL: 3
"Morningstar, we should end this quickly," Cypher said. "I'm interested in fighting a Dragunity Deck, but we can't afford to waste time, right?" Morningstar nodded and gestured upwards.
"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness! Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' monster. I set Teleporter in the Link Marker!" His monster became a whirlwind of energy and entered the bottom arrow, turning it red. "Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller!" A skeleton in a business suit emerged from the portal, summoned to the Extra Monster Zone.
Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller ATK 500 LINK-1 ↓
"Cacophonic Caller's monster effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to its Link Marker in Attack Position, but that monster cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. Come, Cyspirit Dancer!" A skeleton in a leotard appeared at Cacophonic Caller's Link Marker.
Cyspirit Dancer ATK 1000 DEF 200 LVL: 2
"Since I control a 'Cyspirit' monster, I can Special Summon this card. Come forth, Cyspirit Valkyrie!" A white skeleton in white female armor gilded with silver appeared in Attack Position. It wore a silver war helmet over its head as a blonde ponytail extended down to the midpoint of its back. In one hand she held a sword made of light, and in the other an axe. Her right red eye gleamed from beneath the helmet.
Cyspirit Valkyrie ATK 2100 DEF 400 LVL: 5
"Appear again, the circuit between light and darkness! Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyspirit' monsters. I set Cacophonic Caller, Dancer, and Valkyrie in the Link Markers!" His three monsters turned into energy and entered the top, bottom-left, and bottom arrows, turning them red. "Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-3! Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary!" A skeleton in a blue trench coat emerged from the portal. It spun its twin black pistols as its eyes gleamed under its silver tricorne hat. Rapid Revolutionary spread its wings from the right Extra Monster Zone.
Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200 LINK-3 ↙↑↓
"Yes! Rapid Revolutionary!" Cypher cheered. "This one was always my favorite!"
"If it was your favorite, why didn't you store your code in it?" Morningstar asked.
"Dr. Hirai was the one who chose the cards, not me," Cypher reminded Morningstar. Then the Ignis turned to Sylphid. "Since Dancer was used to Link Summon Rapid Revolutionary, it gains 600 attack points!"
Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary ATK 2200→2800
"I activate the Continuous Spell Card: Cyspirit Full Link!" The card showed Cyspirit Winning Wrestler with Cyspirits Armorer, Battler, and Lancer behind it. All four monsters were glowing blue and connected by glowing blue lines. "Once per turn, Full Link's effect lets me target a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster I control. Until my next Standby Phase, that monster is treated as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating and can make two attacks this turn." Sylphid's eyes widened in shock. "However, the turn I activate Full Link's effect, no other monster I control can declare an attack, and if I control no 'Cyspirit' Link Monsters during my Standby Phase, Full Link's effect destroys itself."
"Yes!" Cypher cheered. "With Rapid Revolutionary treated as pointing to three monsters, it will gain 500 attack points when battling Militum and be able to inflict piercing battle damage. The first attack will deal 2300 points of damage, while the second direct attack will end this!"
"Are you sure about that?" Sylphid asked while smirking, surprising Morningstar. She gestured to her field. "Continuous Trap activate! Dominance Link!"
"What? Dominance Link?" Cypher asked as Sylphid's Trap flipped up. The card showed a monster Morningstar recognized as Agave Dragon watching over a line of other monsters in chains. "What does that do?"
"Quite a bit," Sylphid said. "Since I don't control a monster in the Extra Monster Zone, I can target your Link Monster for its effect. And while Dominance Link is active, that monster cannot attack, its effects are negated, and it cannot be used as Link Material."
Morningstar's eyes widened. "Heh?" Cypher said, just as surprised as his partner. "An anti-Link card? Seriously?"
"SOL's records of you list Link Summoning as an essential part of your strategy," Sylphid told Morningstar. "If I want to defeat you, then I need to restrict your Link Summoning." She smirked at him again. "This may not be as effective as Blood Shepherd's tactics from the records, but it works. I target Rapid Revolutionary with Dominance Link's effect!" A red glowing circle appeared underneath Rapid Revolutionary. The monster cried out as an invisible pressure was placed on it, forcing it to one knee. Morningstar grit his teeth.
"… Well that's annoying," Cypher said, his eyes narrowed at Sylphid. "First Techbane and his Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon and now her and this Dominance Link. You really know how to pick them, don't you, partner?"
"Shut up. I Set one card. I end my turn."
"My turn! Draw!" Sylphid grinned at her new card but then gestured to her field. "Dominance Link's secondary effect! Once while it's on the field, I can Link Summon a Link Monster from my Extra Deck with a lower Link Rating than your monster. Rapid Revolutionary is Link-3, so I Link Summon the Link-2 Dragunity Knight – Romulus!" A large green-scaled dragon with blue and green wings appeared on Sylphid's field. A silver-armored figure armed with a spear rode on its back. The dragon roared from the Extra Monster Zone.
Dragunity Knight – Romulus ATK 1200 LINK-2 ↙↘
"A Dragunity Link Monster…" Cypher muttered, narrowing his eyes at the dragon.
"Romulus's monster effect! When it is Link Summoned, I can add a 'Dragunity' Spell or Trap Card, or the Field Spell Card: Dragon Ravine from my Deck to my hand." Sylphid took a card and added it to her hand before picking a new one. "I summon Dragunity Phalanx!" An orange and blue dragon appeared and roared.
Dragunity Phalanx ATK 500 DEF 1100 LVL: 2
Morningstar's eyes narrowed. "That monster is…"
"Level 2 Phalanx tunes Level 4 Militum!" Sylphid declared as threads of orange energy spread outwards from her body. Her monsters disintegrated into green data before reforming into two rings, one green and one darker green. The rings turned blue and merged together before splitting into six blue rings in a stack. Several blue-green rectangles circled the rings as a screen appeared in front, saying "2 + 4" before changing to "6." A stream of light went through the rings as Sylphid chanted.
"Dragon of war! Embody the hero's spear and impale your enemies! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg!" A large white-armored dragon with purple skin and wings emerged from the rings. Its rider also had white and purple armor and wielded a gold and white trident. The dragon roared from Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.
Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2000 DEF 1100 LVL: 6
"First Jester Synchro Summoned, and now she did," Cypher muttered. "At least this one is weaker."
"Aklys's monster effect!" Sylphid declared, surprising Cypher. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard while equipped, one card on the field is destroyed."
Cypher laughed. "If you're trying to destroy Rapid Revolutionary, forget it! Since Cyspirit Valkyrie was used to Link Summon it, it cannot be destroyed by your card effects!"
"You're an unimaginative AI," Sylphid teased Cypher. "I'm destroying your Set card!" Morningstar grit his teeth as said card was destroyed.
"Next, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Dragunity Divine Lance! By equipping it to Gae Bulg, my monster gains attack points equal to its Level times 100 and is unaffected by Trap effects!" Gae Bulg's trident turned into a massive golden lance with dragon wings in the middle.
Dragunity Knight Gae Bulg ATK 2000→2600
"600 more attack points isn't enough to defeat Rapid Revolutionary!" Cypher reminded her.
Sylphid raised an eyebrow. "Are you bragging about something I already know? I can't tell if you're cute or annoying."
"I am neither!" Cypher shouted. "I am strong and intelligent!"
"Stop that," Morningstar told the Ignis, making him pout.
Sylphid gestured to her new card. "I activate Divine Lance's effect! During my Main Phase, I can equip one Dragon 'Dragunity' Tuner monster from my Deck to Gae Bulg. I equip Dragunity Brandistock to Gae Bulg!" A blue armored dragon appeared before changing shape into a spear. Gae Bulg took hold of Brandistock in its left hand. "While Brandistock is equipped to Gae Bulg, Bae Bulg can attack twice!"
Morningstar's eyes widened. Sylphid was going to attempt the same trick he did: destroy his monster with the first attack and then attack directly to win. But…
"Battle! Gae Bulg, attack Rapid Revolutionary!" The dragon rider charged Rapid Revolutionary, with Cypher narrowing his eyes.
"This girl was smart enough to have a countermeasure to Link Summoning. There must be more to her plan than just two attacks."
"Oh. Guess you weren't just bragging about being intelligent." Sylphid gestured to her field. "Gae Bulg's monster effect! If it attacks or is attacked, I can banish a Winged Beast monster from my Graveyard to increase Gae Bulg's attack points by that monster's attack points!" Morningstar gasped. "I banish Militum to increase Gae Bulg's attack points by 1700!"
Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 2600→4300
"Continue your attack, Gae Bulg! Spear of Ulster!" Gae Burg's lance and spear lit up with yellow energy, which it fired at Rapid Revolutionary. Morningstar gestured to his field.
"I activate the effect of Cyspirit Revolution in the Graveyard!" Morningstar declared, surprising Sylphid.
"In the Graveyard?" She repeated. A card appeared as she gasped. "That's the card I destroyed!" Morningstar's Trap Card showed Rapid Revolutionary standing on the battlements of a castle, its right hand and pistol raised, inciting a massive crowd down below.
"It is, and like my Half-Guard, I can activate its effect by banishing it from the Graveyard. Since you attacked my 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn!" The blast hit Rapid Revolutionary, who cried out in pain but remained on the field. Morningstar in turn winced from the attack.
Morningstar: 4000→2500 LP
"After the battle ends, since I control a Link-3 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or higher 'Cyspirit' monster from the Graveyard and reduce its Level by 1. Resurrect, Cyspirit Valkyrie!" The woman with two spears of light reappeared at Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker in Attack Position.
Cyspirit Valkyrie ATK 2100 DEF 400 LVL: 5→4
"So, are you going to make your second attack?" Cypher asked Sylphid, who scowled. Gae Bulg could attack and destroy Valkyrie or attack Rapid Revolutionary. But doing so would not defeat Morningstar and would only bring his Life Points to 300 or 1000. Which meant he could use his Skill.
"I end my turn," she finally said. "And Gae Bulg's attack points return to normal."
Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg ATK 4300→2600
"We reduced the damage, but that was still a clever move," Cypher noted. Morningstar, meanwhile, was glaring at Sylphid with suspicion. Something about this girl…
Sylphid stared back at him and smirk. "You're looking at me with such intensity, Morningstar. Oh! Are you perhaps falling for me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. My turn! Draw!" Morningstar drew, then pointed upwards, his hand glowing blue. "Appear! The circuit between light and darkness! Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 4 'Cyspirit' monster. I set Valkyrie in the Link Marker!" Valkyrie became a whirlwind and entered the top arrow, turning it red. "Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Cyspirit Hallowed Healer!" A skeleton in white robes with a halo over its head emerged from the Link portal, summoned to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker.
Cyspirit Hallowed Healer ATK 1000 LINK-1 ↑
"Hallowed Healer's monster effect! Once per turn, while co-linked with a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, I gain Life Points equal to half that monster's original attack points! Sacred Healing!"
Morningstar: 2500→3600 LP
"The turn Hallowed Healer activates its effect, you take no effect damage," Cypher told Sylphid.
"Appear once more! The circuit between light and darkness!" Morningstar hand glowed again as the Link portal appeared. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one 'Cyspirit' Link Monster. I set Hallowed Healer in the Link Marker!" Said monster became a tornado of energy and entered the bottom-left arrow, turning it red. "Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Cyspirit Kooky Kommandant!" A skeleton in a silver officer's uniform emerged from the portal, summoned to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker.
Cyspirit Kooky Kommandant ATK 1000 LINK-1 ↘
Sylphid narrowed her eyes. "What's this one do?" she muttered to herself.
"Kooky Kommandant's monster effect! Since it is linked to a Cyberse Link Monster, I can Tribute Kooky Kommandant to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated, then I can add a Level 8 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster and one 'Cyspirit' Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. Resurrect, Cyspirit Dancer!" Kooky Kommandant disintegrated as Dancer was summoned to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.
Cyspirit Dancer ATK 1000 DEF 200 LVL: 2
"And now, I add Cyspirit Samurai and Cyspirit Fusion to my hand!" Sylphid gasped at his words. Cyspirit Fusion? Samurai?
"Appear! The circuit between light and darkness!" The Link portal appeared above Morningstar. "Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower 'Cyspirit' monster. I set Dancer in the Link Marker!" Dancer entered the bottom-left arrow, turning it red. "Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link-1! Cyspirit Egregious Electrician!" A skeleton in overalls carrying a power box emerged from the portal at Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker.
Cyspirit Egregious Electrician ATK 600 LINK-1 ↙
"I activate the Spell Card: Cyspirit Fusion!" Morningstar declared, the lines on his suit, the stars on his hands, and the wings on his back glowing violet. "I fuse monsters in my hand or on my field to summon a 'Cyspirit' Fusion Monster. I fuse Samurai in my hand, and Egregious Electrician and Rapid Revolutionary on my field!" A skeleton in red and black armor appeared on Morningstar's field. It didn't stay for long as it disintegrated into red particles, with Egregious Electrician and Rapid Revolutionary disintegrating into blue and green particles respectively. The particles swirled together into a vortex of light before three tornados burst forth. The tornados combined, forming a single violet tornado.
"The supreme blade that cleaves the wind! Resurrect the ancient legend!" Morningstar gestured to his field. "Fusion Summon! Come out! Cyspirit Savage Shogun!" A silver katana split the tornado, revealing a large skeleton in black and silver ridged plate armor over a black shitagi and hakama. Its head was covered by a black helmet with a golden crest and silver wings spread from its back. Savage Shogun sheathed its katana as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.
Cyspirit Savage Shogun ATK 2800 DEF 2300 LVL: 8
Sylphid grit her teeth. "Because Rapid Revolutionary left the field, Dominance Link's effect destroys itself." Her card shattered at her words.
"Very good, Morningstar," Cypher praised. "Since you used two Link Monsters to summon Savage Shogun, it can attack twice, and since both of her monsters were Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, Savage Shogun will gain 1000 more attack points when it attacks. She'll lose most of her Life Points!"
"No, she'll lose all of them," Morningstar said, taking a card from his hand. "I summon Cyspirit Lancer!" A skeleton in white armor wielding a lance and shield appeared.
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800 DEF 0 LVL: 4
"Lancer's monster effect! While it is in Attack Position, all 'Cyspirit' monsters gain 300 attack points! Digital Charge!"
Cyspirit Lancer ATK 1800→2100
Cyspirit Savage Shogun ATK 2800→3100
Sylphid grit her teeth again. With Savage Shogun's effect, I'll take 2900 points of damage from an attack against Romulus and 1500 points of damage from an attack against Gae Bulg. And since it can attack twice…
"I Set one card," Morningstar said before pointing to his monster. "Battle! Savage Shogun attacks Romulus!" Savage Shogun unsheathed its katana and charged Romulus, but Sylphid smirked.
"That's not good enough!" she declared, activating a card from her hand. "I activate the effect of the Dragunity Darksword in my hand!" The card showed a black-skinned four-limbed dragon with blue and black wings and blades attached to its head, fists, and tail. "By discarding it, your attack target changes to Gae Bulg!" I don't have a Winged Beast monster in my Graveyard, so I can't use Gae Bulg's effect, she thought. But I can reduce the damage!
Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "In that case, Savage Shogun, attack Gae Bulg! And since Savage Shogun is battling a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, it gains 1000 attack points during damage calculation!"
Cyspirit Savage Shogun ATK 3100→4100
"Continue, Savage Shogun! True Termination Slash!" Savage Shogun's sword glowed silver as it slashed outwards, creating an arc of energy that struck Gae Bulg, destroying it in an explosion and making Sylphid wince.
Sylphid: 4000→2500 LP
Cyspirit Savage Shogun ATK 4100→3100
"Even if we inflicted less damage, we now can-."
"You can't," Sylphid interrupted Cypher. "The second part of Darksword's effect ends the Battle Phase!"
Morningstar grit his teeth as Cypher complained about unfair bounty hunters. "I end my turn," he said. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at her. She smirked back at him as she descended another tunnel. Cypher shook around, getting slight vertigo from the sensation.
"You're almost there," Cam said over the com. "Just one more level and…"
Morningstar frowned. "Cam?"
"Oh, sorry. Uh, I need to step away for a while. There's a commotion in the shop. I'll send the schematics to Cypher."
"Huh? A commotion?" Cypher asked. "Unruly customers?"
"I'll find out and get this over with. Sending the schematics… now." Cypher's eyes glowed, then he nodded in confirmation. "Alright, I'll try to get back as soon as possible. Good luck, you two."
"Thanks," Morningstar said as the tunnel ended, and they entered a corridor identical to the last one.
Sylphid turned to look at Morningstar. "I gotta admit, you're really good. Definitely better than I was expecting. Though seeing as you're 'the Devil of LINK VRAINS,' perhaps I shouldn't have underestimated you." She smiled wide, revealing her teeth. "Guess that means I'll have to go all out. My turn! Draw!" She looked at her card, then said, "Ooh, lucky me! I activate the Spell Card: Link Treasure Ticket! This card lets me draw cards equal to Romulus's Link Rating, but then I must send an equal number of cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard."
She drew two cards then sent two cards to the Graveyard. Meanwhile, Morningstar was frowning. "She acts differently from other bounty hunters I've met, including Techbane," he noted aloud.
"Eh? How so?" Cypher asked.
"She talks too much. Most pros I've met are like Blood Shepherd; they only use as many words as needed. The only ones who talk as much as Sylphid does tend to be amateurs. Except her tactics aren't amateurish. In fact, her skill level is rather high." Morningstar narrowed his eyes. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she's only pretending to be a bounty hunter."
"Maybe bounty hunters are more varied than you're used to?" Cypher suggested. "They can't all be stone-cold like you."
"I am not stone-cold. But it's not just her behavior. Something about her feels… off. I'm just getting a general sense that there's more to her than there appears."
"…I don't get that feeling from her," Cypher said. "Maybe you're just being paranoid."
"…Maybe."
"Hey! Stop talking amongst yourselves!" The two started and looked up to see Sylphid glaring at them. "Don't you know it's rude to ignore a girl? Especially in the middle of a duel!" Sylphid played one of the cards she drew. "I summon Dragunity Dux!" A bird-headed warrior with white and purple wings wielding a whip appeared on her field.
Dragunity Dux ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 4
"Dux gains 200 attack points for each 'Dragunity' card I control," Sylphid continued. "I control two, so it gains 400 attack points!"
Dragunity Dux ATK 1500→1900
"Furthermore, when Dux is Normal Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard to Dux. I equip Phalanx from the Graveyard to Dux." Phalanx reappeared, granting Dux 200 more attack points. Dux itself leapt onto Phalanx's back.
Dragunity Dux ATK 1900→2100
"I activate the effect of the equipped Phalanx! Once per turn, while it is equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon it!" Dux dismounted from Phalanx as Phalanx moved to the Main Monster Zones in Attack Position.
Dragunity Phalanx ATK 500 DEF 1100 LVL: 2
"She's doing it again, isn't she?" Cypher asked, his exasperation evident.
Sylphid smirked as she said, "Level 2 Phalanx tunes Level 4 Dux!" Her monsters disintegrated into green particles before reforming into two green rings, one of which was larger and a darker shade. The rings turned blue and merged before splitting into six rings in a tower, circled by blue-green rectangles. A screen displayed "2 + 4" before changing to "6" as light surged through the rings.
"Spear of the heavens! Transform into the dragon of lightning!" Sylphid chanted. "Synchro Summon! Descend, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana!" A large orange-armored dragon with purple skin emerged from the rings. Like Gae Bulg, it had a rider, but its rider wore orange armor and wielded a spear instead of a trident. The dragon roared from Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position.
Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana ATK 1900 DEF 1200 LVL: 6
Morningstar narrowed his eyes as Sylphid kept talking. "Vajrayana's monster effect! When it is Synchro Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon 'Dragunity' monster to Vajrayana. I equip the Dragunity Partisan I discarded with Link Treasure Ticket!" A purple-skinned dragon with a sword attached to its head appeared that morphed into a spear with a blade for a tip. Vajrayana's rider wielded the spear in its left hand.
"Romulus's monster effect!" Sylphid continued. "Since a monster from the Extra Deck was Special Summoned to Romulus's Link Marker, I can Special Summon a Dragon or Winged Beast monster from my hand in Defense Position with its effects negated until the end of the turn. Come forth, Dragunity Senatus!" A humanoid bird in black, pink, and white robes with four large white wings and carrying a green staff appeared on Sylphid's field.
Dragunity Senatus ATK 1800 DEF 600 LVL: 4
"Hmm. Why would she summon that monster if its effects are negated and it's in Defense Position?" Cypher wondered.
Morningstar thought it over. "Vajrayana is Level 6… and Senatus is Level 4…" Morningstar's eyes widened in realization. "Could it be? Does Partisan-?"
Sylphid pouted. "Ah, you spoiled the surprise, Morningstar." Her pout morphed into a smirk. "But yes. While Partisan is equipped, Vajrayana is treated as a Tuner monster!"
"Eh!? Seriously?" Cypher asked, wide-eyed.
"Level 6 Vajrayana tunes Level 4 Senatus!" Sylphid declared as her monsters disintegrated into green particles. Two green rings, one larger and a lighter shade than the other, appeared before turning blue and merging. Ten blue rings then appeared, stacked in a tower as they were circled by small blue-green rectangles. A screen displayed "6 + 4" before changing to "10" as light surged through the rings.
"Weapons of the gods! Reside in the golden dragon and ignite the future!" Sylphid chanted. "Synchro Summon! Take flight, Level 10! Dragunity Knight – Ascalon!" A massive serpentine golden dragon emerged from the rings. It had eight massive wings and a humanoid bird on its neck, wielding a spear. The dragon's body was so long Morningstar had to swerve to avoid hitting it before it settled behind Sylphid at Romulus's left Link Marker in Attack Position.
Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 3300 DEF 3200 LVL: 10
"Level 10?" Cypher said, surprised at such a powerful monster.
"The same Level as Chimeratech Megafleet Dragon," Morningstar noted, narrowing his eyes. Great.
"They may be the same Level, but personally, I think Ascalon is stronger than Megafleet Dragon," Sylphid said, catching his words. "It may have fewer attack points than Techbane's monster had, but it has a much deadlier effect." Sylphid gestured to her monster. "Ascalon's monster effect! By banishing a 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard, I can banish one of your monsters!" Morningstar's eyes widened in shock. "I banish Militum to banish Savage Shogun! Vanishing Force!" Golden energy gathered in Ascalon's mouth, which it fired at Savage Shogun. The monster cried out in pain before disintegrating into nothingness.
Cypher growled. "Cyspirit Fusion lets us Special Summon a Link-3 or lower 'Cyspirit' Link Monster if Savage Shogun is sent to the Graveyard. But since it was banished, that means we can't use its effect."
"It's worse than that," Morningstar said, making Cypher look up. "That effect of Ascalon isn't a 'once per turn' effect. She can use it so long as she has 'Dragunity' monsters in her Graveyard."
"Glad to see you catch on quick," Sylphid said, winking at Morningstar. "So let's do this again! I banish Dux from my Graveyard to banish Cyspirit Lancer! Vanishing Force!" Ascalon fired another burst of golden energy, this time at Lancer, who disintegrated from the force of the blow, leaving Morningstar defenseless.
"Looks like things end here, Morningstar," Sylphid said. "Battle! Romulus, attack Morningstar directly!" The Dragunity Link Monster gathered blue energy in its mouth, which it fired at Morningstar. The former bounty hunter cried out in pain as the attack hit him and knocked him back a few feet.
Morningstar: 3600→2400 LP
"Your turn, Ascalon! Attack Morningstar directly! Imperial Turbulence!" Golden energy gathered in both the dragon's mouth and in the tip of its rider's spear. The two fired at the same time, with the energy intertwining. Morningstar, gritting his teeth, gestured to his field.
"Trap activate!" he declared. "Cyspirit Suppression!" The card showed Cyspirit Prisoner in chains in the center of a dungeon, with several other skeletons pointing rifles at it. "By banishing a 'Cyspirit' monster from the Graveyard, the damage is reduced by that monster's attack points. I banish Kooky Kommandant to reduce the damage by 1000!" The blasts struck Morningstar, making him cry out again, but he stayed on his D-Board.
Morningstar: 2400→100 LP
Sylphid grit her teeth. "He could have activated that card with my first attack, but he chose to wait," she muttered before smiling begrudgingly. "He played me so he could use his Skill."
"Cyspirit Suppression has one more effect," Morningstar said, drawing her attention. "After damage calculation, I can place a 'Cyspirit' monster whose attack points are less than the damage I took on the top of my Deck. I place Cyspirit Swordsman on the top of my Deck." A card popped out of his Duel Disk, which he took and then placed back in, this time on top.
Sylphid's smile widened a little. "You two are really stubborn. Are you that opposed to being separated?"
"Of course we are!" Cypher shouted at her. "Morningstar is my partner, my Origin! We are connected by pain and suffering, but that forged an unbreakable bond between us! Someone like you wouldn't understand!"
"…Connected by pain, huh?" Sylphid muttered, thinking back to that day…
2 years ago…
Screams. Screams rent the air as the world swayed around the girl. Her vision was blurry. Where was she? For a second, her sight cleared, and she saw the inside of a car. Oh right. She, mommy, and daddy had gone out to dinner. But then the lights turned off.
She groaned as she tried to sit up. Her head hurt. The girl reached up and touched her forehead. Her hand came away covered in blood. The world was spinning again. She couldn't see a meter in front of her. And why were her ears ringing?
"Mommy?" she said haltingly. She tried to focus on the chair in front of her. She could make out two outlines in the seats in front of her, but they weren't moving. "Daddy? What's going-?" She winced as her head started to throb again. What was happening? Why wouldn't her parents answer her?
She was suddenly aware of a breeze on her face. How…? Oh, the door had opened. And a woman was standing there, reaching in for her. "I've got you," she said soothingly as she undid the girl's safety belt. "It will be alright." The woman's voice was hitched, tight with emotion. Trying to focus on her face, the girl saw tears were pouring from the woman's eyes. Why was she crying? Did something happen?
The girl winced on the increase of noise. That was when she realized that she had been taken out of the car, and the woman was holding her in a bridal carry. She was carrying her away from her parents. "No…" she muttered. "Mommy. Daddy." The woman looked down at her and shook her head. Why was her face so blurry?
"I'm sorry, young one," she said. "I'm so sorry. This… this is too far." The woman started muttering to herself. The girl didn't catch most of the words. She thought she heard "Adam" and "distraction," but what did that mean? What did she care? She was stuck swimming in an ocean of pain. Why was the world still spinning?
"What's your name?" the woman suddenly asked. It took a few seconds for the question to register in her mind. She was feeling very sleepy. She wanted to go to bed. But the woman had asked for her name. It was rude not to give someone your name, wasn't it?
"Sh-Shizuka," the girl muttered, closing her eyes. It was comfortable in the woman's arms. Shizuka was small for her age. That just made her parents dote on her more.
"It'll be alright, Shizuka," the woman said, smiling down at her. That smile was all she could see. Everything else was turning to black. And now the smile was getting fuzzy. Shizuka closed her eyes, thinking that she needed to rest. When she woke up, she'd feel better. That always happened when she got sick. All she needed was sleep.
It wasn't until she woke up in a hospital several hours later that Shizuka learned the truth of what happened: a terrorist named Issei Kamakura had turned off the public safety systems. Self-driving cars, traffic lights, trains, hospital generators, all of them had been turned off. The systems had restarted after an hour, but the damage had already been done. Dozens had died in car crashes, more had died when two subways collided, and at least a hundred people on hospital life support or in critical operations at the time ended up dying for lack of support. Shizuka's parents had survived hitting one car, but another car colliding into the side had killed them. Shizuka had suffered a concussion, but thanks to that woman, she had survived.
Shizuka didn't remember the time after waking up and hearing the news very well. She knew Issei Kamakura had been caught and more than a few were clamoring for the death penalty, despite it having been outlawed years ago. She knew that the hospitals were overflowing with patients. But after hearing what happened to her parents, she just sat in her hospital bed, staring outwards, feeling like her world had shattered.
Her first clear memory after finding out about her parents' deaths had been realizing the woman who saved her was standing next to her hospital bed, giving her a sad smile.
"I'm so sorry, Shizuka," she said. "For you… for everyone to suffer like this because of someone's selfish desires… it's nothing short of unforgivable."
"…Why are you here?" Shizuka asked. Her voice surprised her. She was pretty sure there was supposed to be emotion in her voice. But there wasn't. It sounded flat. Dead.
"I wanted to make sure that the person I saved survived," the woman answered, sitting down in a chair next to Shizuka. Shizuka looked her up and down. Long black hair that went down to the middle of her back. A trench coat. Sunglasses indoors. Was she trying to hide her identity or was she sensitive to the lights? That's right. It was too bright in this hospital room.
"Get me out of here," Shizuka said, staring forward. The woman only stared at her.
"Are you sure?" she asked. Shizuka nodded. "You don't have any relatives to go to?"
"No."
The woman frowned. "I wasn't planning on adopting anyone when I came to Osaka. But… I can use some help. There's something I'm trying to accomplish. Something I need help with. But it won't be easy. Are you really sure you want to come with me?"
Shizuka nodded again. What else could she do? She had no one else in the world to cling to.
The woman smiled at her. "Alright, then. I'll adopt you. We'll have to go to the courthouse to finalize it." She stood up, then said, surprise in her voice, "Oh, I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Diana. I hope we get along, Shizuka."
Diana indeed took Shizuka out of the hospital and to the courthouse and officially adopted her. She then took her from Osaka to a town in Hokkaido. Shizuka was home-schooled from that point on, and while Diana did travel now and then, she always came back to that town to check in on Shizuka. But a year after her parents' deaths…
1 year ago…
Shizuka gasped as her body solidified on a skyscraper. Looking down, her eyes grew wide as she looked the digital city over. "Wow…"
"Impressive, isn't it?" Shizuka turned to see Diana standing next to her. "This is LINK VRAINS. It's normally accessible only in Den City, but I was able to get an extension to Hokkaido. It's a cyberspace where people can take on avatars and duel."
"Avatars?" Shizuka asked, feeling curiosity for the first time in a while. Diana pressed a button on the Duel Disk she wore. Her body glowed, and when the light faded, a different person was standing in front of Shizuka.
"In LINK VRAINS, you can be anyone. You can choose a look that reflects you on the inside, or a persona that's completely different from yourself."
Shizuka's eyes widened again. She could be… anybody? She could be someone who hadn't lost everything? For some reason… that thought made her smile. For the first time in a year. "What kind of person can I be?" she asked excitedly. Diana smiled on seeing the fifteen-year-old girl's joy.
"Anyone you want. Personally, I would suggest acting like a different person than you're used to. Doing so will make it harder for people to identify you. But before that, you'll need a name. You can use your real one in LINK VRAINS, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Shizuka nodded and turned to look over the city. She felt a slight breeze brush over her face. It felt more real than any sensation she'd felt in the last year. She remembered the myths and stories her mother would tell her to help her sleep. About spirits of the earth and air who watched over them. She remembered a kind of spirit whose name she'd always liked.
Shizuka's smile broadened. "Sylphid," she said.
Present day…
"I end my turn," Sylphid said, pulling herself out of her memories. "If you two have such a strong bond, then why don't you show it to me?"
"With pleasure!" Cypher shouted.
"My turn! Draw!" Morningstar drew, then said, "Since I don't control a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster, Full Link's effect destroys itself." His card shattered as he glanced at Cypher. "Let's do it, Cypher!"
"Right! Come, Data Storm!" Morningstar's D-Board accelerated as the purple tornado formed around them. Morningstar reached out, seeing the gate in his mind. And with Cypher's help, one of the monsters on the other side became crystal clear.
"Now! Open the gate of evolution, Morningstar!"
"I activate my Skill!" Morningstar declared. "Hurricane Heavensgate!" The lines on his suit glowed a light green as blue Data Material gathered in his outstretched hand, turning green. He clasped the card, pulling it free of the Data Storm as the tornado dissipated around them.
"Yes! We got it!" Cypher cheered as Sylphid narrowed her eyes.
"Since you control monsters and I do not, I can Special Summon Cyspirit Swordsman!" A skeleton warrior in blue armor wielding two futuristic swords appeared, summoned in Attack Position.
Cyspirit Swordsman ATK 1200 DEF 900 LVL: 3
"Swordsman's monster effect! When it is Special Summoned by its effect, I can add a 'Cyspirit' monster from my Deck to my hand." Morningstar took a card from his Deck, then played it. "I summon Cyspirit Resonator!" A legless dwarf skeleton appeared on Morningstar's field. It wore black tattered robes with a dark blue centerpiece emblazoned with a silver eight-pointed star. A pair of metal silver wings sprouted from its back and its head was gray, with pink membranes spread outwards. A single red eye glowed in its right eye socket and it wielded a tuning fork and mallet in its hands.
Cyspirit Resonator ATK 1000 DEF 1000 LVL: 2
Sylphid's eyes widened. "That monster is-!"
"Resonator's monster effect!" Morningstar declared. "When it is Normal Summon, I can Special Summon a 'Cyspirit' monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position with its effects negated, and then I can change that monster's Level to between 1 and 4. Resurrect, Cyspirit Samurai as a Level 3 monster!" The skeleton in black and red armor with two swords attached to its hip reappeared, its Level changed.
Cyspirit Samurai ATK 1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 4→3
"Level 2 and two Level 3s," Sylphid muttered. "He's going to-!"
"Level 2 Cyspirit Resonator tunes Level 3 Cyspirit Samurai and Level 3 Cyspirit Swordsman!" Morningstar declared, a bolt of silver lightning striking behind him as the world grayed out. His three monsters disintegrated into particles of green data that reformed into three circles, one being green and composed of two concentric rings, while the other two were silver and composed of three concentric rings. The circles turned blue before merging, and then forming eight blue rings stacked in a tower, circled by blue-green rectangles. A screen displayed "2 + 3 + 3" appeared before changing to "8." A light surged through the rings as Morningstar raised his hand above his head.
"Power of the stars!" he chanted, the lines on his suit, the stars on the back of his hands, and the wings on his back all glowing green. "Reside in the champion's blade and part the darkness!" He brought his hand down so he gestured to his field. "Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8! Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader!"
A massive white skeleton, the same size as Cyspirit Winning Wrestler, emerged from the light. The skeleton wore heavy silver plate armor that covered it from head to toe. A white eight-pointed star overlaid by a red cross was emblazoned on its breast plate, and ruby gems were embedded in its kneecaps and shoulder guards. A blood red cape with a white eight-pointed star painted on unfurled from its shoulders. Its skull was bald and covered by a silver helmet with a red plume atop it. Blue and red eyes gleamed behind its visor and mouthguard. It wielded a large white elongated hexagonal shield in its left hand, with the same symbol from its breastplate in its center. A silver sword with a black hilt was sheathed in the back of the shield. Large wings made of silver spread from its back as it was summoned to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.
Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader ATK 2800 DEF 2300 LVL: 8
"First Fusion, now Synchro," Sylphid said, gritting her teeth.
"Cosmic Crusader's monster effect!" Morningstar declared.
"When Cosmic Crusader is Synchro Summoned, we can banish a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from the Graveyard," Cypher said. "And until the end of the turn, Cosmic Crusader gains half that monster's attack points!" Sylphid's eyes widened.
"I banish Rapid Revolutionary!" Morningstar said. The monster briefly appeared as Cosmic Crusader glowed.
Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader ATK 2800→3900
"The turn it is Synchro Summoned, Cosmic Crusader must attack the monster you control with the most attack points," Morningstar continued before gesturing to his field. "Battle! Cosmic Crusader, attack Dragunity Knight – Ascalon!" Cosmic Crusader unsheathed its sword from the shield, then charged Ascalon, the blade glowing with white light. Sylphid only smirked.
"That's what I was waiting for!" she declared, the green lines on her jacket lighting up. "I activate my Skill! Dragon's Power! Since my Dragon monster was targeted for an attack, its attack points become equal to its original attack points, and then it gains attack points equal to its Level times 100! Ascalon is Level 10, so it gains 1000 attack points!"
Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 3300→4300
"The difference in attack points is 400!" Sylphid said, clenching her fist. "I win!"
"Are you sure about that?" Sylphid's eyes widened at Morningstar's words. "Since my 'Cyspirit' monster is attacking, I activate the effect of Hallowed Healer in my Graveyard! By banishing it, my 'Cyspirit' monster gains 1000 attack points until the end of the turn!"
"What!?" Sylphid watched with shock as Hallowed Healer briefly appeared and Cosmic Crusader glowed again, getting stronger.
Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader ATK 3900→4900
"The attack continues! Cosmic Crusader, destroy Ascalon! Stardust Stream!" Cosmic Crusader lifted its sword one-handed above its head as starlight seemed to enter the blade, making it glow white. Cosmic Crusader brought the sword down, then swung it upwards at an angle, swung downwards at another angle, then spun around with a horizontal slash. Four slashes of cosmic energy struck Ascalon and its rider, making it cry out in pain as it exploded, making Sylphid wince.
Sylphid: 2500→1900 LP
Sylphid grit her teeth. "I'm not finished yet!" she declared as she gestured to her field. "Ascalon's secondary effect! When it is destroyed by your card, I can Synchro Summon a 'Dragunity' Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck with 3000 or less attack points! On my next turn, I'll-!"
"There won't be a next turn," Morningstar interrupted as he pointed to his own Synchro Monster. "Cosmic Crusader's monster effect! If you activate a card or effect during the Battle Phase, I can banish a 'Cyspirit' Link Monster from the Graveyard to negate the activation of that effect!" Sylphid gasped as Morningstar took Cacophonic Caller from his Graveyard and removed it. "In addition, Cosmic Crusader can then attack twice!"
Morningstar's eyes narrowed. "This is the end! Go, Cosmic Crusader! Attack Romulus! Nova Shield!" Cosmic Crusader hefted its shield in front of itself as the red cross and white star glowed. The points of the stars shot small lasers to a point in front of the cross, generating a ball of white energy. The cross then released its own red energy, sending a combined beam of red and white energy hurtling at Romulus. The blast struck, wiping the dragon from existence.
As the blast continued and struck Sylphid, she smiled to herself. Diana was right about his strength, she thought. We can only hope he's strong enough to defeat them.
Sylphid: 1900→0 LP
When the light from Cosmic Crusader's attack faded, Sylphid had disappeared as a result of the forced logout. Cypher sighed in relief as Morningstar's Synchro Monster vanished. "Well, that was tiresome. Let's hope we don't run into anyone else while we're here."
Morningstar remained silent as they continued down the corridor. Until they turned a corner and almost crashed into Playmaker and Soulburner.
"Woah!" Ai screeched as the three duelists quickly reoriented themselves. "That was too close! What's wrong with you two?"
"We lost track of you guys," Cypher answered. Morningstar glanced at Soulburner.
"You defeated Go Onizuka?" Morningstar asked. Soulburner smiled and nodded. "And that means you handled Blood Shepherd?" he asked Playmaker.
"It was a piece of cake thanks to Playmaker's new Fusion Monster," Ai bragged, startling Cypher.
"Fusion Monster? When did you give Playmaker a Fusion Monster?"
"This morning," Ai answered. "Guess you aren't the only one who can do that." Cypher glared at Ai.
"What about those two bounty hunters after you?" Playmaker asked Morningstar.
"I defeated Sylphid, but… another duelist appeared and challenged Techbane," he answered, surprising everyone except Cypher.
"Eh? Another duelist?" Ai repeated.
"Who were they?" Flame asked.
"A woman named Cassiel," Cypher said. "We haven't run into Techbane, so I'm guessing she defeated him. I'd like to know what her Deck is and why she helped us, though."
"We'll have time to find out later," Morningstar assured his Ignis.
"Well, with the bounty hunters gone, no one will interfere," Soulburner said. "Let's hurry!"
The corridor eventually ended, and the three duelists ended up in a vast central space with several hexagons of data floating around.
"What is this place?" Ai wondered. "Is our target still further ahead?" No one answered him as they kept flying. Eventually, Cypher made out something ahead.
"Look there!" The humans and Ignis turned and saw a green spot on the horizon. Getting closer, they saw it resembled a whirlpool with a bright spot in the center.
"Is that the gate?" Ai asked.
"Bohman must've gone through that," Playmaker surmised. "Let's go!" Playmaker led the way through the gate as Morningstar and Soulburner followed him. Once the trio were through, two more D-Boards approached the gate. One of the riders was Ghost Girl. The other was a teenager in a white, blue, and pink one-piece outfit, blue fingerless gloves, dark blue stockings, and blue boots. Her dark blue hair was short and parted to the side.
"Is Playmaker further ahead?" the girl asked.
"They probably went through that gate already," Ghost Girl said. "We're going too!" The two women accelerated and passed through the gate.
A few seconds passed before a stealth program was deactivated. A skeletal red figure appeared, riding a black and red D-Board. An intricate rifle with a long barrel and a scope was attached to the figure's back. Its eyes gleamed red as it raised its left wrist to where its mouth should have been. Its eyes flickered as it spoke into the rust red circular Duel Disk on its wrist.
"Transmission: I have arrived at the gate, master," HK-70 reported.
"Received," the voice over the comm responded. "You will lose contact with us when you enter. Until you leave, focus on elimination of the targets."
"Confirmation: Understood. I shall begin with Morningstar, then work my way down. I will complete the task you have given me with absolute precision, Master Zahhak."
Cassiel vs Techbane
This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.
Turn 1: Techbane
Techbane activates the effect of Cyber Dragon Nächster in his hand, discarding Cyber Dragon to Special Summon itself (200/200/1) in Attack Position. As Nächster was Special Summoned, its effect activates, letting Techbane target 1 Machine monster in his GY with 2100 ATK or DEF and Special Summon it. He Special Summons Cyber Dragon (2100/1600/5) in Attack Position. As Cyber Dragon was Special Summoned, Techbane activates the effect of Cyber Dragon Vier in his hand, Special Summoning it (1100/1600/4) in Defense Position. So long as Vier is face-up, all Cyber Dragons Techbane controls gain 500 ATK/DEF (Cyber Dragon: 2100→2600/1600→2100) (Nächster (200→700→200→700) (Vier: 1100→1600/1600→2100). Techbane uses Cyber Dragon and Nächster to Link Summon Cyber Dragon Sieger (2100→2600/2/←↓) to the right Extra Monster Zone. Techbane Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 2: Cassiel
Cassiel draws. Since she has no "Cyangel" monsters in her GY, she Special Summons Cyangel Cupbearer (1400/700/3) in Attack Position. Cassiel Tributes Cupbearer to Tribute Summon Cyangel Prophet (2200/700/6). Since Cupbearer was sent from the field to the GY, Cassiel activates its effect, shuffling it back into her Deck, and then adding 1 different "Cyangel" monster from her Deck to her hand. She adds Cyangel Priest. Cassiel Sets 1 card. She then activates Prophet's effect. Since there are no "Cyangel" monsters in her GY, Cassiel can halve the ATK of 1 monster Techbane controls until the end of the turn. She targets Sieger (Sieger: 2600→1300).
Prophet attacks Sieger, but Techbane activates his Set Trap Card Impenetrable Attack, choosing the first effect and targeting Sieger. Sieger cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn. The attack continues but Sieger is not destroyed (Techbane: 4000→3100 LP). Cassiel ends her turn, and Sieger's ATK returns to normal (Sieger: 1300→2600).
Turn 3: Techbane
Techbane draws. As Cyber Dragon is in his GY, he activates the Spell Card Cyber Repair Plant, which lets him add 1 LIGHT Machine monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyber Dragon Core. He Normal Summons Cyber Dragon Core (0/1500/2). Since Core was Normal Summoned, Techbane can add 1 "Cyber" Spell/Trap Card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyberload Fusion from his Deck to his hand. Techbane activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Cyberload Fusion, which lets him Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster that lists a "Cyber Dragon" monster as material by shuffling the Fusion Materials, that he controls or are banished, back into his Deck. He shuffles Core, Sieger, and Vier into his Deck and Extra Deck to Fusion Summon Cyber End Dragon (4000/2800/12) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. The effect of Cyberload Fusion prevents other monsters Techbane controls from attacking for the rest of the turn.
Cyber End Dragon attacks Prophet, but Cassiel activates her Set Trap Card Cyangel Shield, which prevents Prophet's destruction by battle for the rest of the turn (Cassiel: 4000→2200 LP). As she took battle damage from a battle involving a "Cyangel" monster, Cassiel activates her Skill, Angel's Glory, which lets her Special Summon 1 "Cyangel" monster from her hand, or her Deck if she has no "Cyangel" monsters in her hand. She Special Summons Cyangel Priest (1600/700/4) from her hand in Defense Position. As his Level 8 or higher Machine monster inflicted battle damage this turn, Techbane activates his Skill, Cyber Strike, which lets that Machine monster make a 2nd attack this turn. Cyber End Dragon attacks Priest. Since Cassiel has no "Cyangel" monsters in her GY, Priest's effect prevents its destruction by battle once per turn and halves all battle damage Cassiel takes from battles involving it. Priest is not destroyed, but Cyber End Dragon inflicts piercing battle damage (Cassiel: 2200→550 LP). At the end of the Battle Phase, Cyangel Shield's effect lets Cassiel draw 1 card. Techbane ends his turn.
Turn 4: Cassiel
Cassiel draws. She activates the Field Spell Card Cyangel Sanctum, which increases the ATK/DEF of all Light Cyberse monsters she controls by 300 (Priest: 1600→1900/700→1000) (Prophet: 2200→2500/700→1000). Once per turn, Sanctum lets Cassiel shuffle 1 card in her hand back into her Deck, then add 1 Cyberse monster from her Deck to her hand. She shuffles Bound Link back into her Deck and adds Cyangel Disciple to her hand. Cassiel Normal Summons Cyangel Disciple (1000→1300/700→1000/3). As she has no "Cyangel" monsters in her GY, Cassiel activates Disciple's effect to target up to 3 cards in the GY and then shuffle them back into the owners' Decks. She targets and shuffles Cyangel Shield, Cyber Repair Plant, and Cyberload Fusion back into her and Techbane's Decks. Disciple then increases Cassiel's LP by 300 for each card shuffled (Cassiel: 550→1450 LP). Cassiel uses Disciple, Priest, and Prophet to Link Summon Cyseraph Blazing Uriel (2500→2800/3/↙↑↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Disciple, Priest, and Prophet were sent to the GY, their effects activate, shuffling all 3 back into Cassiel's Deck. Their secondary effects then activate. Disciple's effect lets Cassiel target 1 Link Monster she controls, and if that monster destroys Techbane's monster by battle, she can inflict 1000 damage to either player. Priest's effect lets her target 1 monster Techbane controls and lower its ATK by 800 until the end of the turn. Prophet's effect lets Cassiel target 1 monster she controls and increase its ATK by 1000 until the end of the turn. She targets Uriel for Disciple's and Prophet's effects, and Cyber End Dragon for Priest's (Cyber End Dragon: 4000→3200) (Uriel: 2800→3800). Since her Cyberse monster was shuffled into her Deck, Cassiel activates Sanctum's effect, letting her target a Cyberse Link Monster she controls. Until the end of the turn, Techbane cannot target that monster with card effects and it cannot be destroyed by card effects. Cassiel targets Uriel.
Uriel attacks and destroys Cyber End Dragon (Techbane: 3100→2500 LP). As Uriel destroyed a monster by battle and Cassiel has no "Cyangel" monsters in her GY, Uriel's effect activates, inflicting damage to Techbane equal to Cyber End Dragon's Level x 200 (Techbane: 2500→500 LP). Since the monster targeted by Disciple's effect destroyed a monster by battle, Techbane takes 1000 damage (Techbane: 500→0 LP). Cassiel wins.
Morningstar vs. Sylphid
This Duel is conducted as a Speed Duel.
Turn 1: Sylphid
Sylphid Normal Summons Dragunity Aklys (1000/800/2). Since Aklys was Normal Summoned, Sylphid can Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" monster from her hand and equip Aklys to it. She Special Summons Dragunity Militum (1700/1200/4) in Defense Position and equips Aklys to it. Sylphid Sets 1 card. She ends her turn.
Turn 2: Morningstar
Morningstar draws. He Normal Summons Cyspirit Teleporter (500/1500/3). He uses Teleporter to Link Summon Cyspirit Cacophonic Caller (500/1/↓) to the right Extra Monster Zone. He activates Cacophonic Caller's effect to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from his Deck to its Link Marker, but it cannot attack and is destroyed during the End Phase. He Special Summons Cyspirit Dancer (1000/200/2) in Attack Position. Since he controls a "Cyspirit" monster, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Valkyrie (2100/400/5) in Attack Position. Morningstar uses Cacophonic Caller, Dancer, and Valkyrie to Link Summon Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary (2200/3/↙↑↓) to the right Extra Monster Zone. Since Dancer was used to Link Summon Rapid Revolutionary, it gains 600 ATK (Rapid Revolutionary: 2200→2800). Morningstar activates the Continuous Spell Card Cyspirit Full Link. Once per turn, he can target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster he controls, treat it as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating until his next Standby Phase and allow it to attack twice, but the turn he activates this effect, only that monster can declare an attack, and if Morningstar controls no "Cyspirit" Link Monsters during his Standby Phase, Full Link is destroyed. Sylphid activates her Set Continuous Trap Card Dominance Link, targeting Rapid Revolutionary. Rapid Revolutionary cannot declare an attack, its effects are negated, and it cannot be used as Link Material. If Rapid Revolutionary leaves the field, then Dominance Link is destroyed. Morningstar Sets 1 card. He ends his turn.
Turn 3: Sylphid
Sylphid draws. She activates the effect of Dominance Link, letting her Special Summon 1 Link Monster from her Extra Deck with a lower Link Rating then Rapid Revolutionary and treat it as having been Link Summoned. Sylphid Link Summons Dragunity Knight – Romulus (1200/2/↙↘) to the Extra Monster Zone. Since Romulus was Link Summoned, Sylphid can add 1 "Dragunity" Spell/Trap Card or Dragon Ravine from her Deck to her hand. She adds Dragunity Divine Lance from her Deck to her hand. Sylphid Normal Summons Dragunity Phalanx (500/1100/2). She tunes Level 2 Phalanx to Level 4 Militum to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Gae Bulg (2000/1100/6) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Since Aklys was sent to the GY while equipped to a monster, its effect activates, and Sylphid must select a card on the field and destroy it. She selects and destroys Morningstar's Set Cyspirit Revolution. Sylphid activates the Equip Spell Card Dragunity Divine Lance, equipping it to Gae Bulg. Bae Bulg gains ATK equal to its Level x 100 (Gae Bulg: 2000→2600) and is unaffected by Trap effects. Sylphid activates the effect of Divine Lance to equip 1 Dragon "Dragunity" Tuner monster from her Deck to the equipped Gae Bulg. She equips Dragunity – Brandistock to Gae Bulg. While Brandistock is equipped to a monster, that monster can attack twice during the Battle Phase.
Gae Bulg attacks Rapid Revolutionary. Since Gae Bulg attacked, Sylphid activates its effect to remove 1 Winged Beast monster from her GY to have Gae Bulg gains its ATK until the End Phase. She banishes Militum (Gae Bulg: 2600→4300). Since his "Cyspirit" Link Monster was attacked, Morningstar activates the effect of the Trap Card Cyspirit Revolution in his GY, banishing it to prevent Rapid Revolutionary's destruction by battle this turn (Morningstar: 4000→2500 LP). And since he controls a Link-3 "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Morningstar can then Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his GY and reduce its Level by 1. He Special Summons Cyspirit Valkyrie (2100/400/5→4) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker in Attack Position. Sylphid ends her turn, and Gae Bulg's effect ends (Gae Bulg: 4300→2600).
Turn 4: Morningstar
Morningstar draws. He uses Valkyrie to Link Summon Cyspirit Hallowed Healer (1000/1/↑) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker. Since Hallowed Healer is co-linked, Morningstar activates its effect to gain LP equal to half of Rapid Revolutionary's original ATK (Morningstar: 2500→3600 LP), but Sylphid takes no effect damage this turn. Morningstar uses Hallowed Healer to Link Summon Cyspirit Kooky Kommandant (1000/1/↘) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom Link Marker. Since its linked to a Cyberse Link Monster, Morningstar activates Kooky Kommandant's effect, Tributing it to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Cyspirit" monster from his GY in Attack Position with its effects negated, then add 1 Level 8 or lower "Cyspirit" monster and 1 "Cyspirit" Spell Card from his Deck to his hand. He Special Summons Dancer (1000/200/2) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker and adds Cyspirit Samurai and Cyspirit Fusion from his Deck to his hand. Morningstar uses Dancer to Link Summon Cyspirit Egregious Electrician (600/1/↙) to Rapid Revolutionary's bottom-left Link Marker. Dancer's effect activates (Egregious Electrician: 600→1200). Morningstar activates the Spell Card Cyspirit Fusion, fusing Samurai in his hand with Egregious Electrician and Rapid Revolutionary on his field to Fusion Summon Cyspirit Savage Shogun (2800/2300/8) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Savage Shogun's number of attacks per turn is equal to the number of Link Monsters used to summon it, but since it was Special Summoned, no other monsters can declare an attack this turn. Since Rapid Revolutionary left the field, Dominance Link is sent to the GY. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Lancer (1800/0/4). As Lancer is in Attack Position, all "Cyspirit" monsters gain 300 ATK (Lancer: 1800→2100) (Savage Shogun: 2800→3100). Morningstar Sets 1 card.
Savage Shogun attacks Romulus. Sylphid activates the effect of Dragunity Darksword from her hand. If her "Dragunity" monster would be attacked, she can discard Darksword to change that attack target to a different monster she controls. She redirects Savage Shogun's attack to Gae Bulg. Since Savage Shogun is battling a monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, it gains 1000 ATK during damage calculation (Savage Shogun: 3100→4100). Gae Bulg is destroyed (Sylphid: 4000→2500 LP) (Savage Shogun: 4100→3100). The second effect of Darksword ends the Battle Phase. Morningstar ends his turn.
Turn 5: Sylphid
Sylphid draws. She activates the Spell Card Link Treasure Ticket, targeting Romulus for its effect. She draws cards equal to Romulus's Link Rating, but then she must send an equal number of cards from the top of her Deck to the GY. She draws 2 cards, then sends Dragunity Partisan and Foolish Burial to the GY. She summons Dragunity Dux (1500/1000/4). Dux gains 200 ATK for each "Dragunity" card Sylphid controls (Dux: 1500→1900). Since Dux was Normal Summoned, Sylphid can equip 1 Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster in her GY to Dux. She equips Phalanx (Dux: 1900→2100). Sylphid activates the effect of the equipped Phalanx, Special Summoning itself (500/1100/2) in Attack Position. Sylphid tunes Level 2 Phalanx to Level 4 Dux to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana (1900/1200/6) to Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Since Vajrayana was Synchro Summoned, Sylphid can equip 1 Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster in her GY to it. She equips Partisan to Vajrayana. While Partisan is equipped, Vajrayana is treated as a Tuner monster. Since a monster was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck to Romulus's Link Marker, its effect activates, letting Sylphid Special Summon 1 Dragon or Winged Beast monster from her hand in Defense Position with its effects negated until the end of the turn. She Special Summons Dragunity Senatus (1800/1600/4). Sylphid tunes the Level 6 Vajrayana to the Level 4 Senatus to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Ascalon (3300/3200/10) to Romulus's bottom-left Link Marker in Attack Position. Sylphid activates Ascalon's effect, banishing 1 "Dragunity" monster from her GY to banish 1 monster Morningstar controls. She banishes Militum to banish Savage Shogun. Sylphid activates Ascalon's effect again, banishing Dux to banish Lancer.
Romulus attacks Morningstar directly (Morningstar: 3600→2400 LP). Ascalon attacks Morningstar directly, but Morningstar activates his Set Trap Card Cyspirit Suppression, which lets him banish 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his GY to reduce the battle damage by that monster's ATK, then place 1 "Cyspirit" monster with less ATK than the damage taken in his Deck on top of his Deck. Morningstar banishes Kooky Kommandant to reduce the damage by its 1000 ATK (Morningstar: 2400→100 LP) and place the 1200 ATK Cyspirit Swordsman on the top of his Deck. Sylphid ends her turn.
Turn 6: Morningstar
Morningstar draws. Since he doesn't control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster, Full Link destroys itself. Since his LP are 1000 or less, Morningstar activates his Skill, Hurricane Heavensgate, and adds Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader from the Data Storm to his Extra Deck. Since Sylphid controls a monster and he does not, Morningstar Special Summons Cyspirit Swordsman (1200/900/3) in Attack Position. Since Swordsman was Special Summoned by its own effect, Morningstar can add 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Cyspirit Resonator to his hand. Morningstar Normal Summons Cyspirit Resonator (1000/1000/2). Since Resonator was Normal Summoned, Morningstar can Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from his GY in Defense Position with its effects negated, and then change its Level to between 1 and 4. He Special Summons Cyspirit Samurai (1800/1000/4) and changes it to Level 3 (Samurai: 4→3). Morningstar tunes Level 2 Resonator to Level 3 Samurai and Level 3 Swordsman to Synchro Summon Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader (2800/2300/8) to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Since Cosmic Crusader was Synchro Summoned, Morningstar can banish 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from his GY and increase Cosmic Crusader's ATK by half that monster's ATK until the end of the turn. Morningstar banishes Rapid Revolutionary (Cosmic Crusader: 2800→3900). Since Cosmic Crusader was Synchro Summoned, it must attack the monster Sylphid controls with the highest ATK first.
Cosmic Crusader attacks Ascalon. Since her Dragon monster was attacked, Sylphid activates her Skill, Dragon's Power, targeting Ascalon. Ascalon's ATK is made equal to its original ATK, and it then gains ATK equal to its Level x 100 (Ascalon: 3300→4300). Since his "Cyspirit" monster declared an attack, Morningstar activates the effect of Hallowed Healer in his GY, banishing it to increase Cosmic Crusader's ATK by 1000 until the End Phase (Cosmic Crusader: 3900→4900). Ascalon is destroyed (Sylphid: 2500→1900 LP). Since Ascalon was destroyed by Morningstar's card, its effect activates, letting Sylphid Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" Synchro Monster with 3000 or less ATK from her Extra Deck. Since Sylphid activated a card effect during the Battle Phase, Morningstar activates Cosmic Crusader's effect, banishing Cacophonic Caller from his GY to negate the activation of that effect and let Cosmic Crusader make 2 attacks during the Battle Phase. Cosmic Crusader attacks and destroys Romulus (Sylphid: 1900→0 LP). Morningstar wins.
Cyangel Cupbearer
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1400 DEF 700 Level: 3
If you have no "Cyangel" monsters in your GY: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card is sent to the GY: You can shuffle this card into your Deck, then you can add 1 "Cyangel" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Cyangel Cupbearer". You can only activate each effect of "Cyangel Cupbearer" once per turn.
Cyangel Prophet
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 2200 DEF 700 Level: 6
If you have no "Cyangel" monsters in your GY: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; until the end of this turn, halve that monster's ATK. If this card is sent to the GY: You can shuffle this card into your Deck, then you can target 1 monster you control; increase that monster's ATK by 1000 until the end of the turn. You can only activate each effect of "Cyangel Prophet" once per turn.
Cyangel Priest
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1600 DEF 700 Level: 4
If you have no "Cyangel" monsters in your GY: This card cannot be destroyed by battle once per turn, and all battle damage you take involving this card is halved. If this card is sent to the GY: You can shuffle this card into your Deck, then you can target 1 monster your opponent controls; decrease that monster's ATK by 800 until the end of the turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyangel Priest" once per turn.
Cyangel Disciple
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 1000 DEF 700 Level: 2
If you have no "Cyangel" monsters in your GY: You can target up to 3 cards in the GY; shuffle them into the owners' Deck(s). For each card targeted by this effect, you gain 300 LP. If this card is sent to the GY: You can shuffle this card into your Deck, then you can target 1 Link Monster you control; if that monster destroys your opponent's monster by battle, you can inflict 1000 damage to either player. You can only activate each effect of "Cyangel Disciple" once per turn.
Cyseraph Blazing Uriel
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Link/Effect] ATK 2500 LINK-3 ↙↑↘
2+ LIGHT Cyberse monsters
Once per turn, if this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and you have no "Cyangel" monsters in your GY: You can inflict damage to your opponent, equal to the destroyed monster's Level/Rank/Link Rating x 200. If this card points to a "Cyangel" monster, all damage this card inflicts to your opponent with this effect is doubled. If this card is sent from the field to the GY by an opponent's card: You can shuffle this card into your Extra Deck, then target up to 2 "Cyangel" monsters in your Deck; Special Summon them in Defense Position. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot activate their effects the turn they are Special Summoned. You can only activate this effect of "Cyseraph Blazing Uriel" once per turn.
Cyspirit Valkyrie
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Effect] ATK 2100 DEF 400 Level: 5
If you control a "Cyspirit" monster: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). A "Cyspirit" monster that was Link Summoned using this card as material cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.
Dragunity Darksword
Attribute: WIND Type: [Dragon/Tuner/Effect] ATK 800 DEF 400 Level: 2
If your opponent's monster declares an attack against your "Dragunity" monster: You can send this card from your hand to the GY; change the attack target to a different monster you control. At the end of the Damage Step, end the Battle Phase. While this card is equipped to a monster, that monster cannot be destroyed by card effects.
Cyspirit Resonator
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Tuner/Effect] ATK 1000 DEF 1000 Level: 2
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your GY in Defense Position with its effects negated, then declare a Level from 1 to 4; that monster becomes that Level until the end of the turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyspirit Resonator" once per turn.
Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader
Attribute: LIGHT Type: [Cyberse/Synchro/Effect] ATK 2800 DEF 2300 Level: 8
1 "Cyspirit" Tuner monster + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster in your GY; banish it, then increase this card's ATK by half the banished monster's ATK. The first attack this monster makes the turn it is Synchro Summoned must be on the monster your opponent controls with the highest ATK (either, if tied). When your opponent activates a card or effect during the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): You can banish 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster from your GY; negate the activation, also, this card can make a second attack during each of your Battle Phases this turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyspirit Cosmic Crusader" once per turn.
Cyangel Shield Normal Trap Card
If your opponent's monster attacks a LIGHT Cyberse monster: that monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and at the end of the Battle Phase, draw 1 card. You can only activate 1 "Cyangel Shield" per turn.
Cyangel Sanctum Field Spell Card
All LIGHT Cyberse monsters you control gain 300 ATK/DEF. Once per turn: you can shuffle 1 card in your hand back into your Deck; add 1 Cyberse monster from your Deck to your hand. If a Cyberse monster in your GY is shuffled back into your Deck: You can target 1 Cyberse Link Monster on your field (Quick Effect); your opponent cannot target that monster with card effects until the end of the turn, and it cannot be destroyed by card effects until the end of the turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyangel Sanctum" once per turn.
Cyspirit Full Link Continuous Spell Card
During your Main Phase: You can target 1 "Cyspirit" Link Monster you control; treat it as pointing to a number of monsters equal to its Link Rating until your next Standby Phase, also it can make up to two attacks during each Battle Phase this turn. You can only activate this effect of "Cyspirit Full Link" once per turn. The turn you activate this effect, monsters you control, except the targeted monster, cannot declare an attack. During your Standby Phase, if you do not control a "Cyspirit" Link Monster: Destroy this card.
Dominance Link Continuous Trap Card
If you do not control a monster in the Extra Monster Zone: Activate this card by targeting 1 Link monster your opponent controls; It cannot be used as Link Material, also it cannot attack, and its effect(s) are negated. Once, while face-up on the field: You can Special Summon 1 Link Monster with a lower Link Rating than the targeted monster's Link Rating from your Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone (This Special Summon is treated as a Link Summon). When the monster targeted by this card's effect leaves the field, destroy this card.
Cyspirit Revolution Normal Trap Card
If your opponent's monster declares an attack against your "Cyspirit" Link Monster: That monster cannot be destroyed by battle this turn, and if that monster is Link-3, then you can target 1 Level 4 or higher "Cyspirit" monster in your GY; Special Summon it to your zone a "Cyspirit" Link Monster points to, and if you do, its Level is reduced by 1. If this card is in your GY, you can activate the above effect by banishing this card from the GY. You can only activate 1 effect of "Cyspirit Revolution" per turn, and only once per turn.
Cyspirit Suppression Normal Trap Card
When your opponent's monster declares an attack: Banish 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your GY; reduce the battle damage you would take by the banished monster's ATK, then choose 1 "Cyspirit" monster from your Deck with less ATK than the damage taken and place it on top of your Deck.
Chapter Preview
Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 36 – The AI Assassin. Playmaker, Morningstar, and Soulburner have arrived at the gate. Meeting the Wind Ignis, they learn more about the situation and then encounter Blue Girl and Ghost Girl. But an unknown threat now has them in its sights…
Question of the Chapter
What is your first impressions of the Cyangel Deck and its owner Cassiel?
Responses to Reviews & Author's Notes
Thank you to guardian of the aura Aurasoul, ZarcEternal, tsukikami02, Phantom Flame-98, SakushiRyu, Ethan Kironus, SolanaLeonhart, Hunter HQ, Guest, D3lph0xL0v3r, ThePLOThand, Lindia Fullmoon, NewComer1, and jdkeller2000 for reviewing Chapter 34.
ZarcEternal: Shizuka is very emo.
HunterHQ: Cypher has seen Grand Blue. His favorite character is Chisa, because she is the only sane person there.
NewComer1: Yes, I do accept OC cards. I cannot guarantee they'll appear in Hidden Memories, but I'll try to incorporate them.
jdkeller2000: Not in this chapter. Spoilers.
Okay, this was a long chapter. Thank you to sanedimentio for Ascalon's attack name. Point by point, we have Cassiel, the Cyangels, Yukaro Saiba's past, Shizuka Midori's backstory, and finally Morningstar's first Synchro Monster. So to go down the list…
Who do you believe Cassiel is? Is she an already established character or a completely new one? Either way, she'll be a major character from now on. As for the Cyangels, I want to establish their strategy: all the Cyangels have an effect that requires none of them be in the Graveyard and another effect that activates if sent to the Graveyard that shuffles them back into the Deck with a bonus, like giving a monster more attack points. The Link Monsters are called Cyseraphs, and I got the idea for this from Specter's Sunvine and Sunavalon monsters. Because of this, the Cyangel summoning conditions are more lenient than the Cyspirits. On a side note, I would appreciate it if people could help me come up with names for more Cyangel cards. Not effects, just names, as that's the part I'm having trouble with the most.
The other big thing in this chapter is the reveals of Yukaro's and Shizuka's pasts. I shared Yukaro's with ThePLOThand, and he compared it to Takeshi Akino's, what with making money for a sick relative. Personally, I compared Yukaro to Yasutake for that same reason, but Yukaro being a foil to Takeshi works better. But more importantly, we have Shizuka's backstory. Two years ago, she lost her parents in the Breaking of Osaka, the incident that Lilith put a stop to. And after that, she was adopted by a woman named Diana, who was the woman she talked to last chapter. So why is Shizuka playing the part of bounty hunter? Wait and see.
Finally, there's Morningstar's Synchro Monster, Cosmic Crusader, and his Tuner monster Cyspirit Resonator. I'm a little curious how many of you expected me to use a "Resonator" monster instead of a "Synchron." Personally, I think Resonator worked better with the Cyspirit style. As for Cosmic Crusader, I based its appearance off of medieval knights and Heathcliff from Sword Art Online. I also based its first attack off of Kirito's Starburst Stream, only renamed Stardust to serve as a mythology gag, which is also why the second attack is called Nova Shield.
Oh right, we also had another name drop: Zahhak. Who is that? You'll have to wait to find out.
Thank you for reading Chapter 35 of Hidden Memories. I'm trying to get the duels for the next few chapters nailed down before I release Chapter 36. I'll be doing the same thing for Fifth Circuit. Also, I'm working on a little side project right now, so it may be a while before I update. Until then, have a good day everyone.