Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories

by scififan599

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

50. Chapter 50: Memories of Pain

Responses to Reviews

Thank you to Shrouded Absol, HunterHQ, D3lph0xL0v3r, Unnamed, Anonymous, Noobmaster, pokemonking0924, Ethan Kironus, TheSupremeKingParadoxDragon, savagemaster1999, ThePLOThand, animegamefanatic, and Nirvash Neo for reviewing Chapter 48.

And thank you to HunterHQ, guardian of the aura Aurasoul, Daemon of Wrath, KamenRiderNexus98, LoneTaker, Anonymous, Unnamed, Unknown, Noobmaster, FlameFireZero X, D3lph0xL0v3r, savagemaster1999, ZarcEternal, TheSupremeKingParadoxDragon, Season 3, Thaumiel, JaneValentine007, SakushiRyu, pokemonking0924, Asteriud, ThePLOThand, sanedimentio, DeathZReaper09, Ethan Kironus, Decode Talker, Shrouded Absol, DivadX, and Guests for reviewing Chapter 49.

HunterHQ: Bohman's still active; he just took a loss to Jester on top of his losses to Playmaker. And Jester and Zahhak are definitely human.

Guest: Don't worry. Jormungand is one of a kind.

Now, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy with the COVID-19 pandemic that's going around. And I hope you enjoy Chapter 50!

---

Chapter 50: Memories of Pain

In a black landscape, Morningstar and Zahhak stand back-to-back. The two walk away from each, Morningstar's eyes closed. His eyes then open and they both spin around, right arms raised. Their fists connect, generating a flash of light. When the light fades, Mirror LINK VRAINS is shown, with the title "Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories" overlaying it.

Yasutake, Sachi, and Masako are shown on one side of a picnic table, across from Yusaku, Takeru, and Aoi. Takeru talks animatedly and Masako laughs heartedly while the others lightly smile. At a nearby table, Cam and Emily are sitting and chatting with a standing Kusanagi, coffee and hotdogs in front of them. Back at the first table, Masako whispers in Sachi's ear while smirking, making the other girl blush as Yasutake and Aoi give her flat glates.

Kengo Dojun is standing in front of a grave that he places flowers on. Emma is off in the distance, holding her own flowers and watching with a frown. Yukaro is shown slumped over a hospital bed, his head in his hands and a wild look in his eyes. Akira is watching a monitor, his hands steepled and concern in his eyes. The monitor shows Go Onizuka strapped to a chair and performing an exercise. Hayami looks over Akira's shoulder nervously while Queen watches smugly in the background.

Takeshi and Katsumi appear standing outside an arcade, talking amicably with each other. Shizuka walks past them, listening to music on her headphones. She briefly stops and turns her head to look at them out of the corner of her eye, then turns and continues walking. At a nearby table, Kenshin, Ryoken, and Spectre are shown drinking coffee. Ryoken then smirks and raises his left hand. He snaps his fingers.

Morningstar and Playmaker appear, back-to-back, with Cyspirit Rapid Revolutionary and Decode Talker appearing behind them. They then spiral downward and are replaced by Cassiel and Soulburner, who have Cyseraph Blazing Uriel and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Heatleo fills the screen with orange flames, and when they dissipate, Blue Girl and Lilith appear, Trickstar Holly Angel and Magical Musket Mastermind Ottokar behind them. They are then replaced by Galahad and Persephone, Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos and Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss behind them.

The screen cuts to the interior of a palace, where Bohman sits cross legged, his eyes closed. His eyes open and glow. Windy is then shown, wearing a cape and eyepatch, riding Stormridership Bahamut Bomber through Mirror LINK VRAINS. Far below him, in a field of flowers, Jin Kusanagi stands with Lightning as the Ignis raises his hand, a legion of Armatos Legio Centurions and Decurions forming behind him, with Armatos Legio Magnus Dux in the center. The screen pans to show Diana and Goldie across from the Light Ignis. The duo sweeps their right arms to the side as VirtuaBeast Cryptograph Chimera appears and roars.

Techbane and Sylphid are shown back-to-back in shadows, their heads lowered. Techbane raises his head to face a cloaked man, while Sylphid raises hers to face Thaumiel, anger in her expression. Galahad appears riding his D-Board and plays a card. Black Luster Soldier – Soldier of Chaos appears behind him. The screen changes to Go Onizuka, now much thinner with a blank look on his face with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle next to him. Soldier of Chaos's blade then meets King T Wrextle's fist, making sparks fly. Galahad's and Go's faces are shown over the monsters, with Galahad shouting while Go's face remains blank.

Spectre appears and smirks, Sunavalon Dryanome growing behind him and two Sunvine Thrashers on either side. Terminus takes his place, Subterror Behemoth Fiendess and a new Subterror Behemoth monster appearing behind him. The two monsters breathe blue flames and envelop the screen. When the flames dissipate, Revolver appears, Borreload Savage Dragon, Borreload Furious Dragon, and Borreload eXcharge Dragon behind him. The dragons roar and then glow with green, purple, and yellow energy.

A chain whips across the screen, before pulling back and reattaching the scythe top to its handle. Cydevil Prideful Helel swings its scythe down and connects with Cyspirit Savage Shogun's sword. Sparks fly as Morningstar and Zahhak are revealed on their D-Boards, facing each other with Morningstar's face set in a grimace. The screen changes to Cassiel, Cyseraph Guardian Michael with her, facing off against a cloaked man with a beard, who is supported by a monster in black armor wielding a staff and a woman in purple and white robes and hat, wielding her own staff.

Lilith and Terminus are then shown, back-to-back, their hands raised. They bring their hands down, and Magical Musket Sovereign Ottokar and Subterror Behemoth Fiendess appear and shoot blasts of energy and fire. The blasts impact, but when the smoke fades, Jester is shown unharmed. His mask then breaks, his face splitting into a sadistic grin as his Infinity Transformation takes hold. He raises his own arm as Life Force Trihexa forms behind him and roars.

Morningstar and Zahhak face off against each other in a field of flowers. The former raises his arm as Cyspirits Savage Shogun, Cosmic Crusader, and Martial Mameluke materialize behind him. The three Cyspirits then merge and form Cyspirit Superior Seraphim, who faces off against a massive twelve-winged figure wrapped in shadows.

Yasutake is then shown with Sachi, the two on a hill of grass and the former sleeping with his head in the latter's lap, a pine tree in the background. Sachi looks down on Yasutake's face, a loving smile on her face. Yasutake opens his eyes and both look upwards as the screen jumps to the sky and sun.

---

"Are you ready, Morningstar?"

The former bounty hunter narrowed his eyes. "Yes!"

"Good! Come, Data Storm!"

Morningstar watched as the Data Material swirled around him. At a much higher intensity than any Storm he'd been in before. He grit his teeth and reached out his hand, trying to parse through particles as he fought against the wind.

For a brief second, he could see the gate. He could see something on the other side of the gate. But it was blurry. So blurry that he couldn't even make out its shape before the Storm tore his arm off.

"GAAAAHHH!" Morningstar screamed as he fell back on his D-Board, breathing hard.

"Partner!"

"Log him out, Cypher!"

"Roger!"

---

Yasutake groaned as he opened his eyes and rubbed his right arm. Damn phantom pains, he thought as he left the sealed room.

"You alright, Yasu?" Cam asked worriedly. Sachi soon left her own cubicle, a look of extreme concern on her face.

"Yes," he moaned as he sat down. "Just some phantom pains. They'll fade in a bit."

"So it didn't work?"

Yasutake looked up at the screen that connected them to Café Nagi and the concerned faces of Takeru, Yusaku, and Kusanagi. He shook his head. "No. The Data Storm was too strong."

"If I hadn't logged you out," Cypher said, emerging from his Duel Disk. "It would have shredded you. At that level, you would have received mental damage."

"I can't believe that even my enhanced protections didn't do anything," Ai said in surprise. "They were enough for Playmaker to use Neo Storm Access in a dense Data Storm."

"That Data Storm your partner got a Synchro Monster from wasn't strong enough for this," Cypher replied. "By my calculations, we need a Storm about three to four times stronger than that."

"That much?" Takeru asked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

Cypher nodded. "Going off of Cryptograph Chimera's energy output, yes."

Yasutake grimaced. "And the enhancements that you and Ai made aren't powerful enough to protect us from that."

"Sad to admit, but no, they aren't."

"So it's impossible," Yusaku said, frowning to himself. "We can't use Neo Storm Access or Hurricane Heavensgate to obtain an Overlimit Link Monster."

Yasutake nodded reluctantly. After Yusaku and Takeru returned to the real world, they'd shared information on what had happened to each group. Yusaku's revelations about Bohman, that he was a 3rd generation AI created by Lightning with the purpose of uniting the Ignis had been surprising. Cypher was dismissive of it, however; he insisted Lightning was chasing a fool's dream and that it would only end in disaster, something Ai and Flame agreed with.

But it was Yasutake's and Sachi's experiences that drew far more attention. Ai and Flame were glad to hear that Goldie was safe and that she was still on their side, but they along with their origins and Kusanagi were just as confused as them about what Goldie meant by the "true enemy," Ouroboros. Evidently, none of them had ever heard of a group by that name, though Kusanagi did recognize the name for its alchemical significance. And since they had no information on Ouroboros, they decided to focus on Goldie's other significant revelation: Overlimit Link Summoning.

Yasutake had been disappointed when Ai and Flame confirmed Cypher's words that they couldn't create a Link-6 monster even while working together. At least, not in time for it to be of use. So instead, they decided to test it out with Hurricane Heavensgate, after improving it with upgrades Ai shared from Neo Storm Access (Cypher had been miffed about that, mostly because Ai hadn't told him anything about upgrading his Skill). Unfortunately, as Yasutake could confirm, those upgrades weren't enough.

"Is there any way to make it easier?" Takeru asked. "Without increasing the Data Storm's density?"

Cypher shrugged. "Theoretically yes; we could increase the strength of my partner's or Playmaker's Link Sense so they can find the monster more easily. But…" He narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea how to do that."

"Me neither," Ai admitted. "Link Sense isn't something you can just train with like a muscle. Hmm… Maybe we could do something if the other Ignis were with us."

"If they were, or at least Goldie was, we wouldn't be having this discussion," Cypher reminded him.

Yasutake frowned. "I think it's safe to say we've reached an impasse on this matter. What do you all say we move on?" Sachi, Cam, Cypher, Ai, Flame, Yusaku, Takeru, and Kusanagi all nodded. "Alright. Did you make contact with Zaizen last night?"

"We did," Yusaku confirmed. "Ai and myself told him about Lightning and Windy." His eyes narrowed. "And about Thaumiel."

Yasutake's frown deepened as Sachi and Takeru mirrored his expression. That had definitely been an interesting conversation yesterday…

---

Last afternoon…

Yusaku and Takeru entered Café Junpei. Behind the counter, Cam caught sight of them and jerked his head toward the stairs. Nodding, the duo headed for them.

"Why did Yasutake ask us to come here?" Ai asked from Yusaku's Duel Disk once they were out of earshot.

"I don't know," Yusaku answered.

"He told us about what happened with Goldie and Diana over the video; what could he have to tell us in person that he couldn't then?" Flame wondered.

"We'll find out soon," Takeru said as they arrived at the second floor.

They entered the house and promptly blinked. Yasutake and Sachi were sitting on the living room couch, the former's Duel Disk on the table, opposite a very pretty dark-haired girl wearing black leather.

The lone boy nodded at the two, his face carefully blank. "Thanks for coming by."

"No problem," Yusaku said, eyeing the other girl. His eyes narrowed. "Masako Himura," he remembered.

The girl's lips twitched into a light smirk. "And you're Yusaku Fujiki. We didn't talk at all during school, so I'm glad you remembered me. It's nice to properly meet you."

"Yeah." Yusaku turned to look at his companion and blinked. Takeru was staring at Masako, his lips slightly parted.

"Takeru?" The boy jumped a bit and his eyes refocused on Yasutake, who was flatly glaring at him.

"M-My bad!" he said nervously, his cheeks red as he turned back to Masako. "I'm Takeru Homura. It's nice to meet you. I-I didn't mean to stare, it's just that you're-."

"Hot?" the girl offered with an amused smile. "Relax, Homura. I'm used to guys staring at me. And you're cuter than most of them." Her eyes roved over him and Yusaku. "So, I'm meeting the famous Playmaker and Soulburner in person. I have to admit, I'm a little underwhelmed."

The teens blinked in shock before turning as one to Yasutake, who shook his head. "I didn't tell her," he affirmed. "She figured it out on her own."

"Why don't we all sit down?" Sachi offered.

"Agreed," Masako nodded. "This is going to take some time."

Takeru sat down next to Yasutake and Sachi, while Masako sat down in her lone chair. Yusaku opted to grab a chair from the dining room and pulled it over to the couch.

"So, why are you here, Himura?" Yusaku asked.

"Before that!" Ai interjected, popping out of his partner's Duel Disk. "How did you know about Yusaku and Takeru?"

Masako smirked at the AI. "The Dark Ignis. I did see you at the Tower of Hanoi, but I didn't get the chance for a closer look. And you know what? You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

Ai hunched over as if a great spear had pierced his chest. "Don't dodge the question." Flame emerged from Takeru's Duel Disk. "How did you find out about our partners?"

Masako raised an eyebrow as she turned to Yasutake. "You didn't tell them about me?"

Yasutake glanced at the other two boys before turning back to her. "I told Yusaku about you, and Sachi knows as much as me, but Takeru's new."

Masako sighed. "Fair enough." She turned back to the other two. "I guess I'll start with the obvious. I'm Lilith."

"Eh?" Takeru blinked. "Lilith? The bounty hunter that fought at the Tower of Hanoi?"

She chuckled. "I don't know about 'fought.' All I ended up doing was being a hostage." She noticed the frown on Yasutake's face and plowed on. "But more than that, I am also Masako Hirai. The daughter of Dr. Hitomu Hirai."

Takeru's and Flame's eyes widened. "Dr. Hirai… He was Dr. Kogami's lead assistant for the Hanoi Project," Flame said.

"He was also killed eight years ago," Yusaku said, his face and voice solemn. "Along with his wife."

Takeru frowned. "That's…"

Masako sighed. "It is what it is," she muttered. "After that, I went on the run with a man named Tagoma. Took my mother's maiden name and moved around." Her expression darkened. "Until Osaka…"

"Osaka?"

"The Breaking of Osaka," Yusaku remembered, making Takeru tense up. "Yasutake told me that you knew the man responsible. And that you captured him."

She nodded. "Issei Kamakura. At least, that's the name I knew. Nowadays, he goes by the name Thaumiel. I stopped him and he was arrested. But he showed up during the Tower of Hanoi incident, free from prison."

"Ever since the Tower of Hanoi," Yasutake said, "Masako's been hunting Thaumiel across the country."

"So if you're here, then that means…"

"Thaumiel's in Den City?" Ai finished Yusaku's thought.

Masako nodded. "I've tracked Issei all over Japan the last three months, and my latest clue puts him in Den City right now."

"And you want our help finding him," Flame surmised.

"And stopping him," Sachi added.

"Tagoma is already looking for clues to his real-life location," Masako said. "But we found a few signs that he was working in LINK VRAINS. That's what I want your help investigating."

"Sachi and I already agreed to help," Yasutake said. "Considering how much damage Thaumiel did to Osaka, he isn't someone we want on the loose."

Yusaku frowned to himself. "This is a volatile situation we're in," he said, crossing his arms. "We have enough enemies at the moment to deal with." Then he opened his eyes and met Masako's gaze. "But Yasutake is right; Thaumiel isn't an enemy we can afford to ignore. You'll have my help in catching him."

"Mine too," Takeru affirmed with a nod.

Masako smiled in thanks. "I'm glad to hear that. And just so you know, this isn't a one-sided deal. I'll be helping you guys out too."

Yusaku's frown returned. "I'm not sure that something you want to do."

"It is," Masako assured him. "Yasutake told me about the two Ignis who have gone rogue. My father had a hand in their creation, so as his daughter, I have a responsibility regarding them But more importantly…" Her face morphed into a scowl. "I have questions for Zahhak. Questions I'll have answered whether you accept my help or not."

"Questions?" Takeru repeated.

"What are you talking about?" Flame asked.

"I told all of you before." The humans turned to look as Cypher emerged from Yasutake's Duel Disk. The Silver Ignis had been uncharacteristically silent the whole conversation, and the look on his face was dead serious. "When I left Cyberse World, Dr. Hirai and I made three Cyberse archetypes: the Cyspirits, Cyangels, and Cydemons."

"My father had files on those cards on his laptop," Masako said. "The Cyspirits were the only ones made into physical cards. The Cyangels and Cydemons, however, were stored on separate hard drives. Tagoma retrieved the Cyangels' hard drive shortly my parents' deaths. And three-and-a-half months ago, I gave that hard drive to Sachi." She winked at the other girl, who blushed lightly. "But the Cydemons…" Masako's eyes narrowed. "They disappeared."

"Only to reappear eight years later, in the hands of Zahhak," Yusaku realized, his eyes narrowing.

A savage grin broke across Masako's face. "Even if he isn't the one who killed my parents, he's the best clue I have. So I'm going to help you guys fight him. Considering how powerful he is, you'll need all the help you can get."

---

Present day…

"We can't afford to ignore the other Ignis," Yasutake said. "But nor can we ignore all the other threats at our door."

"Thaumiel, SOL's bounty hunters, Revolver and the Knights of Hanoi." Yusaku frowned. "And Ouroboros…"

Cam frowned. "Kusanagi and I tried to find anything on Ouroboros, but there's practically nothing on them. If we hadn't seen Zahhak or Jester with our own eyes, I'd think that the Gold Ignis was pranking us."

"Pranks aren't Goldie's style," Cypher said. "If she's so worried about this Ouroboros group that she would fight them alone, then they must be dangerous."

"She said Revolver might have information on them," Sachi remembered. "Have you seen him since his visit?"

Yusaku shook his head. "No. And we have no way to contact him."

"I did ask Masako if she contacted her uncle," Yasutake added. "But she said she wasn't able to reach him. And the bookstore he owns says he's on vacation."

"So we can't reach Terminus either." Kusanagi frowned. "I'm not sure how I feel about asking the Knights of Hanoi for help…"

"I don't like it," Takeru said, gritting his teeth. "Asking the people who hurt us to help us…"

"None of us like it," Yasutake assured him. "But we need to work with what we have."

"Agreed," Yusaku said. "For now, I think we need to search for the missing Ignis."

"Aqua and Earth," Ai said. "I don't know where the former is, but the latter is an idiot! He doesn't show up when it's important!"

"Aqua went missing before Cyberse World was attacked," Flame reminded him. "Earth is probably searching for her."

"Do you think either of them would join up with Lightning and Windy?" Yasutake asked.

"I think it's pretty unlikely," Cypher responded. "Aqua isn't the type to go along with plans like Lightning's."

"But Lightning won't ignore those who don't obey him," Flame said.

"So they're in danger," Sachi said with a concerned frown.

"We have to find them quickly!" Ai said.

Cam smirked. "Then it's a good thing we're ready. Right, Kusanagi?"

The purple-haired man smiled back. "Yeah. It's finally complete."

"You two found something?" Ai asked.

"Earth has been appearing in LINK VRAINS on-and-off for the last few days," Kusanagi explained. "Cam, Yusaku, Yasutake and I identified suspicious traces. Earth may be hiding somewhere among them."

The two older men pulled up maps of LINK VRAINS with several red dots on them.

"There's so many spots!" Ai noticed. "He's been wandering that much?"

"As I said, Earth is likely searching for Aqua," Flame pointed out.

"He is the type to take things seriously," Cypher agreed. "He'd search all of LINK VRAINS if he had to."

"We'll have to search all of these spots to find him," Takeru said with a frown.

"It isn't ideal," Yusaku agreed. "But at the moment, it's our best plan to find Earth."

"Before you go off, you should take a look at this." Cam pressed some buttons and made a few blue dots appear on the map. "While we were looking for Earth, Kusanagi and I also looked into any rumors about Thaumiel. We managed to find some signals that matched the one Masako gave us in these spots."

"You want us to hunt for Thaumiel as well?" Sachi asked.

"We might as well get a head start on this," Yasutake agreed. "I'll send Masako a message to meet us in LINK VRAINS."

Yusaku nodded. "Let's get this done."

The four teens stood up and entered their sealed rooms.

"Deck set! Into the VRAINS!"

---

Shizuka yawned as she walked into Akira Zaizen's office.

"Oh, Shizuka!" She looked up at Yukaro, who was sitting on the room's couch. "You got the message too?"

She nodded and leaned against the wall of the room. "Yeah. It went out to all the bounty hunters. Said it would be an emergency meeting."

"This is a waste of time." She turned to look at Blood Shepherd leaning against the opposite wall, his face covered like always. "The Ignis are on the move, and Zaizen calls us in for a meeting."

"I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't important."

The three bounty hunters turned as Akira walked into his office, flanked by Kenmochi, Yoroizaka, and Hayami. The two other bounty hunters stopped at the wall while Hayami followed Akira and stood behind his desk as he sat down.

"What did you call us in for, Zaizen?" Blood Shepherd asked.

"And where's Onizuka?" Yoroizaka asked. "I've been trying to reach him for a while, but he won't answer."

"Go Onizuka is working on a special project at the moment," Akira answered. Shizuka noticed how Yukaro tensed up at those words. "He'll be done soon, though. In the meantime, I received some information from a trusted source."

"A trusted source?" Yukaro repeated.

"Who was it?" Shizuka asked.

"They prefer to keep anonymous, and I trust them enough to repay that," Akira deflected. "But they informed me that a dangerous criminal was active in LINK VRAINS. One Issei Kamakura."

Shizuka tensed up as Yukaro blinked and Blood Shepherd lowered his head.

"Issei Kamakura?" Kenmochi repeated. "I've never heard that name."

"Is he important?" Yoroizaka asked.

"He is probably the single most dangerous hacker I know of." The duo and Yukaro turned to Blood Shepherd as he spoke in a grave tone. "He's the man responsible for the Breaking of Osaka."

Yukaro's eyes widened as Kenmochi and Yoroizaka gasped.

"The Breaking of Osaka?" "From two years ago?"

"Yes. Though I understand he's supposed to have spent the last two years in a high-security prison."

"Officially, yes," Akira agreed. "But my source provided evidence that Kamakura had escaped and has been active across Japan over the last three months, under the new name of Thaumiel." His eyes narrowed. "I don't know why he's in Den City, but my source wouldn't have said anything if they weren't certain."

"Considering Kamakura's actions, he is definitely someone to not take lightly," Blood Shepherd agreed.

"Did your source say anything about what he might be planning?" Yukaro asked. "Or where he might be in the real world?"

Akira shook his head. "They didn't have that information. But they believed he would be using LINK VRAINS as a base for whatever he has planned." He raised his head and gave the gathered bounty hunters a serious look. "I've already spoken to Queen, and while the Ignis are still the top priority, SOL is assigning a high-priority bounty to the capture of Thaumiel, aka. Issei Kamakura. Whatever he is here for, it is absolutely nothing good."

Blood Shepherd nodded. "I'll find him and bring him in. But the Ignis remain my priority."

Yukaro, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka nodded in agreement. Akira smiled slightly before noticing that Shizuka hadn't moved. "Ms. Midori?"

The others all turned to her and Yukaro couldn't help but blink at the look on her face. Her skin had turned ashen while her mouth had morphed into the most expressive scowl any of them had ever seen on the stoic girl. And her eyes… they were filled with a massive green fire.

"Shizuka?" Yukaro said worriedly. She pushed herself off the wall and left the room.

Akira narrowed his eyes as he watched her leave. Blood Shepherd turned to him. "What do you know of her background?"

"She's from Hokkaido," Akira answered. "But nothing more than that." But if her reaction to the bounty on Kamakura was anything to go by…

---

Shizuka exited SOL by the front door and stopped outside. She took her phone out and made a call.

"Hello?"

"Did you know?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"I know a lot of things, Shizuka. You'll have to be more specific."

She scowled. "Don't joke with me on this, Diana," she said warningly. "Did you know that Issei Kamakura was loose?"

"…Yes, I did," she admitted reluctantly.

"And you didn't tell me. Why?"

"We didn't need you worried." A different voice answered this time. It was feminine like Diana's, but there was an artificial quality beyond that of the phone. "We were afraid that if you knew about Kamakura, you would go after him. And that is not a good idea."

"Well, it's too late for that now, Goldie," Shizuka said with a deep scowl. "Zaizen was warned that Kamakura is in Den City. By an anonymous source."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. "It must have been Playmaker," Diana said. "He likely told Zaizen about Lightning and Windy. But how would he know about Thaumiel?"

"The bounty hunter known as Lilith, real name Masako Himura, went chasing after Thaumiel three months ago," Goldie spoke up. "She returned to Den City a couple days ago. She likely got Morningstar and Playmaker involved in hunting him."

"Do you know where he is? What's he's in Den City for?"

"…It would be best to leave this to Playmaker and his group," Diana evaded.

"Diana is right; Thaumiel isn't a threat you can handle."

"Do you really expect me to just ignore Kamakura being here after what he did?" Shizuka growled, her hands shaking. "After my parents…"

"I know what he did to you, Shizuka," Diana said softly. "What do you really think you're ready for something like that?"

"I won't know until I try. And if you don't help me, I'll just go off on my own."

…

Diana sighed into the phone. "Alright. I know how much this means to you. Goldie and I found a few spots that Thaumiel might be hiding out at in LINK VRAINS. I'll send them to you."

Shizuka smiled. It wasn't a big one. But it was more than she was used to in the real world. "Thank you, Diana."

"Just promise to send a message if you find him. And be careful."

"I promise. And I will."

---

Cassiel, Morningstar, Playmaker, and Soulburner rode their D-Boards in the air.

"Hey guys!"

The four looked up as a fifth D-Board traveled down towards them. The woman riding it wore lots of dark brown leather and had messy red hair that reached the back of her neck.

"Lilith," Morningstar said with a nod.

"I got your message," she said. "You have some hints on Thaumiel?"

"Cam thinks he's somewhere in LINK VRAINS, but we need to search for him," Morningstar said.

"We also need to search for the two missing Ignis," Playmaker said. "We'll split up and search."

The others all nodded. "Playmaker and I will head up," Morningstar said. "Soulburner and Cassiel will head down. Lilith can search the central area."

"Alright!" The five then split apart, each headed a different direction. As they separated, Cassiel looked over at Lilith and bit her lip, frowning to herself. She… wasn't sure what to make of the other girl.

---

Two nights ago…

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Yasutake?" Masako looked up and winked at the wide-eyed Cam. "You too, Cam. Has Yasutake been a good boy since I left?"

"Miss. Himura?" Cam said as he blinked. "How'd you get through the locked door?"

"Trade secret," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah well, we're in the same trade, so I'd like to know."

"Masako," Yasutake said, finally getting over his shock. "What are you doing here?"

The teenager in question pouted. "What kind of welcome is that? Aren't you glad to see me? I was hoping for a hug, or maybe even a smile. Is that so wrong?" She spread her arms suggestively.

CRACK.

Yasutake blinked and turned his head slightly to see Sachi with a rather disturbing look on her face. Her left eye and lips were twitching, and her hands were clenching over and over. Yasutake felt a sudden urge to leave the room, but he suppressed it. Because he had something far more important to do.

"Three months." Masako blinked at the serious expression on Yasutake's face. "The last time I heard from you was three months ago. You said you would stay in contact. But I didn't hear anything about you. Why?"

The smirk on Masako's face dropped as an apologetic frown took its place. "I am sorry about that. But after Issei evaded me and Tagoma in Sapporo, I found out my accounts were being tracked. I had to shut them down so I could follow Thaumiel more easily." Her frown turned into a smile, but it was no less apologetic. "I did want to tell you, but that would have meant giving away my position. Sorry."

"…" The teenager sighed. "I'll accept that as a reasonable excuse. So. What are you doing here now?"

Masako's lips twitched. "I need a favor. I'm pretty sure you're busy, what with everything going on. But this can't wait. Not anymore."

---

Present day…

She'd told them about Thaumiel and her hunt. About the events in Tokyo, the AI duelists he'd stolen from the Hanoi, and his Virtual Reality Inducer. She'd asked for their help in tracking him down.

Cam and Yasutake had both been hesitant but had ultimately agreed. Neither of them disputed the potential threat Thaumiel posed, but they had felt their priorities should be on the Ignis and Ouroboros instead. Eventually, they decided to tackle both issues, and the next day, they had brought Yusaku and Takeru over to discuss it with them.

Cassiel, for her part, was still uncertain. Not about Masako's favor; she believed her about Thaumiel being dangerous and the urgency behind catching him. No, what she was uncertain about was Masako herself. And how she felt about her.

On the one hand, she was grateful to Masako. She had given her the Cyangels and thus the ability to fight at Yasutake's side. But more than that, she had helped bring Yasutake out of his shell. Her, Aoi, and Yusaku had helped him become more social. She had been his friend.

But none of that changed the cold hand that gripped her heart when Masako had smiled at Yasutake. Or the empty feeling in her stomach.

---

Sylphid grit her teeth as she looked around the area. "Nothing here. Although…" She raised her Duel Disk and pressed a few buttons, releasing a powerful scan. She had done this at the last few areas she had checked and found nothing. But this time, she did find something. An island platform, hidden behind a cloaking screen.

The teenage girl narrowed her eyes and tapped another button. "Diana," she said. "I found something. Mark my location."

"Marked," her caretaker replied. "Please be careful, Sylphid."

"I will," she promised. She hung up, then released a pulse from her Duel Disk, disrupting the cloaking program and revealing the large hidden island. It was mostly mountainous, though there was a large cave entrance on one side.

Sylphid narrowed her eyes. Doesn't look like some supervillain's lair. But this wouldn't be cloaked if there was nothing here. She rode her D-Board up to the entrance of the cave and performed another scan. No boobytraps. Whoever hid this place either had complete confidence in their stealth program… or the trap is deeper in. She frowned to herself. One way to find out.

She jumped off her D-Board and ran into the cave, her visor giving her night vision to find her way through the cave. Eventually, she found a set of large double-sided doors. An image of ten spheres connected by lines rested on them. Sylphid narrowed her eyes as she pushed through the doors and entered the cavern beyond.

The room was massive, covered in stone tiling with pillars holding the ceiling up. The edges of the cavern's walls trailed up to a ceiling made of glass. Two other sets of doors were on the other side of the room, each likely leading to a different room.

The female bounty hunter walked into the room, but once she set her foot down on the tiles, an alert sounded. She gasped as eight spikes shot out of the ground, circling the room. Electricity shot between the spikes, forming a cage of electricity around her. She quickly pressed a button on her Duel Disk, but nothing happened. She was being blocked from logging out.

"Well… this is unexpected."

Sylphid tensed and turned around as the air rippled and a masked man in long white robes stepped into the cage.

"I built this little trap for Masako, but it seems I caught a different fly in my web. Who are you, little girl?"

She grit her teeth. "Sylphid. A bounty hunter for SOL Technologies. Are you Thaumiel?"

"You know of me? It seems Masako has gotten less selective about her help." He looked her up and down. "I don't care for insects, but I can't have you buzzing off and telling your handlers where I am. And…" He turned back to look at the sealed doors on the right. "I do need to kill some time. So I'll deal with you now." He raised his left arm and Duel Disk.

Sylphid broke into a wide grin. "That's exactly what I was hoping for!" She raised her own Duel Disk.

"Duel!" they shouted.

Sylphid: 4000 LP

Thaumiel: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first turn," Thaumiel declared. "I summon Frontline Observer!" A machine with a claw and gun attached along with a propeller atop it appeared.

Frontline Observer ATK 1000 DEF 1500 LVL: 4

"I Set two cards. I end my turn." He gestured to his field. "Frontline Observer's effect activates! During the End Phase of the turn it was Normal Summoned, I can add an Earth Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Qliphort Scout to my hand."

Sylphid narrowed her eyes. "Pendulum huh? This is going to be trickier than I thought."

---

"Earth appeared!" Morningstar blinked as Kusanagi's voice came over his earpiece. "I'm sending all of you the location! Go immediately!" Looking at the map Kusanagi sent, Morningstar saw that it was pretty far from Cassiel, Lilith, and Soulburner. So he would have to-.

RING.

Morningstar blinked as a call came in. "What the-?" Cypher blinked. "Who's calling us?"

The former bounty hunter answered. "This is Morningstar."

"It's Diana."

Morningstar blinked again. "Diana?"

"What is it?" Cypher asked. "Is Goldie finally willing to talk?"

"I'm not calling about Goldie," Diana said. "I know Lilith contacted you to help you find Thaumiel. Well, I believe I know where he is in LINK VRAINS."

Morningstar gasped. "You're sure? And how do you know Thaumiel?"

"He and I have… a history. But yes, I know where he is. I'm sending you the location now."

Morningstar nodded as a new map came up. "Thanks for the help, Diana."

"You're welcome. But be careful. One of SOL's bounty hunters was seen in the vicinity. They may have engaged Thaumiel on their own."

"Which one?" The words barely escaped Morningstar's lips before Diana hung up. He grit his teeth.

"While I'm glad Diana is helping us with this," Cypher said, "every time she speaks, I feel like I'm left with more questions than answers."

"Agreed." Morningstar opened a call to the others. "Everyone, I got a message. A possible location for Thaumiel."

"Really?" Lilith asked. "Where?"

"I'll send it to all of you." Morningstar sent Diana's message to the other four. "It's located in the lower area. Playmaker and I will go find Earth. Soulburner, Cassiel, and Lilith can go find Thaumiel."

"Agreed," Playmaker said.

"Good luck!" Ai said over the comm.

"We'll find him!" Soulburner said.

"Be safe, Morningstar," Cassiel offered.

"You too." Morningstar ended the call and steered his D-Board towards the coordinates Kusanagi sent over.

"You're not worried about Cassiel facing Thaumiel?" Cypher asked inquisitively.

The teen shook his head. "Of course I'm worried. But Cassiel is stronger than she was before. And Soulburner and Lilith will be with her." He frowned. "I'm more concerned about the bounty hunter Diana mentioned. They have no idea what they're getting into."

---

"My turn! Draw! I activate the Field Spell Card: Dragon Ravine! Once per turn, by discarding a card, I can activate one of two effects. I discard Dragunity Phalanx to activate the first one, which lets me add a Level 4 or lower 'Dragunity' monster from my Deck to my hand. I add Dragunity Dux to my hand, which I'll now summon!" A humanoid bird in white and blue armor armed with a riding crop appeared.

Dragunity Dux ATK 1500 DEF 1000 LVL: 4

"Dux's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard to it. I equip Dragunity Phalanx to Dux!" A blue and orange dragon with two spears attached to its head briefly appeared before morphing into a two-pronged trident that Dux held in its right hand. "Dux also gains 200 attack points for each 'Dragunity' card I control."

Dragunity Dux ATK 1500→1900

"I activate the equipped Phalanx's effect! Since it is equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon it!" The spear reformed back into a dragon in Attack Position.

Dragunity Phalanx ATK 500 DEF 1100 LVL: 2

"Now, Level 2 Phalanx tunes Level 4 Dux!" Sylphid declared as threads of orange energy spread outwards from her. The birdman and dragon disintegrated into green data before reforming into two rings, each a shade of green. The rings merged and then formed a tower of six rings. A screen appeared before the rings and displayed "2 + 4" before changing to "6." Light surged through the rings as Sylphid chanted. "Spear of the knight! Become a dragon of legend! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Gae Dearg!" A large red and purple dragon with a humanoid bird in red and purple armor riding its back emerged from the rings at the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Gae Dearg ATK 2400 DEF 800 LVL: 6

"Dragunity, huh?" Thaumiel mused. "That Deck focuses on Synchro Summoning and equipping monsters. A rather amusing strategy."

"Gae Dearg's effect activates! Once per turn, I can add a Level 4 or lower Dragon or Winged Beast monster from my Deck to my hand. But then, I must discard a Dragon or Winged Beast monster." Sylphid took a card from her Deck, then sent a different card to the Graveyard.

"Battle!" Sylphid declared. "Gae Dearg attacks Frontline Observer!" The dragon charged the machine, but Thaumiel gestured to his field.

"Trap activate!" he declared. "Soul Transition! As I control no Special Summoned monsters, I Tribute a Level 4 Normal Summoned monster to draw two cards!" Frontline Observer disintegrated as Thaumiel drew.

Sylphid blinked and then pointed at him. "In that case, Gae Dearg will attack you directly!"

"That's not going to work either," he said mockingly. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Enemy Controller! With its first effect, I change your Gae Dearg to Defense Position!" Sylphid gasped as her monster shifted.

"So? Do you have any other moves to make? Anything else you want to try?"

Sylphid grit her teeth at Thaumiel's mocking tone. "I Set three cards. I end my turn."

"It seems a bounty hunter like you can't do too much," Thaumiel said mockingly. "Then, if you don't mind, I'll end this quickly. My turn! Draw! With the Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith and the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Two pillars of lights appeared on either side of Thaumiel's field. One contained a large green and yellow ship with a crystal in its center while the other held a large green tablet with red lines crisscrossing over it.

Qliphort Monolith Scale 1

Qliphort Scout Scale 9

Sylphid grit her teeth. "Pendulum Summoning. This isn't good…"

"Scout's Pendulum effect activates!" Thaumiel declared. "By paying 800 Life Points, I add a 'Qli' card from my Deck to my hand."

Thaumiel: 4000→3200 LP

"And now, with the set Pendulum Scale, I can Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 8 at the same time!" Thaumiel shouted. "Come forth! My servants! Qliphort Carrier and Qliphort Helix!" A portal opened between the pillars. Two lights shot out of the portal, and then reformed into a large orange and white airship and a brown and yellow ship shaped like a spiral. Both monsters were summoned in Attack Position.

"Since Carrier and Helix were Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original attack points become 1800."

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400→1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 6→4 PS: 1

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400→1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 6→4 PS: 9

"I Tribute Carrier and Helix to Tribute Summon Qliphort Shell!" The two ships disappeared and were replaced by a massive top with fins attached to its sides.

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

"Since Carrier and Helix were Tributed, their effects activate! One monster on the field is returned to the owner's hand, and one Spell or Trap Card on the field is destroyed." Sylphid's eyes widened. "I return your Synchro Monster to your hand and destroy your left Set card!" She gasped as her dragon and Set card disintegrated.

"Hmm," Thaumiel said, looking at the sent card. "Sakuretsu Armor? That would have been deadly." He turned back to Sylphid. "The Tribute Summoned Shell's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned by Tributing a 'Qli' monster, it can inflict piercing battle damage and attack twice during each Battle Phase!"

Sylphid gasped. "This was an amusing diversion, but it must come to an end. Shell attacks you directly! Merciful Concealment!" Shell's fins fired red lasers at Sylphid, who cried out in both shock and pain as she was sent tumbling back several feet before landing on her back.

Sylphid: 4000→1200 LP

"W-What the-?" Sylphid grumbled. "What the hell was that? That level of pain was…"

Thaumiel chuckled. "You noticed? The pain was much higher than it should be, wasn't it?" He gestured to the electrical cage. "This is a very special program of mine. In addition to preventing you from logging out, it also increases the power behind my attacks, and makes taking damage far more painful than it would be otherwise."

"W-Why?" Sylphid asked as she pushed herself up to a kneeling position. "Why would you-?"

"I did say this trap was meant for someone else," Thaumiel reminded her. "Someone I happen to despise, in fact. You could say that this is my attempt to punish her more."

Sylphid growled. "Whether it was meant for me or not, it isn't going to stop me! Trap activate! Dragunity Rising!" The card showed a blue-scaled dragon with a blue-armored rider, flying up towards the noonday sun. "Since I took battle damage, I can Special Summon a 'Dragunity' Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck whose attack points are less than or equal to the damage I took!"

"Oh?"

"I took 2800 points of damage, so I summon the 1900-attack point Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana!" A purple and orange dragon with a spear-wielding rider appeared on her field at the right Extra Monster Zone and roared in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana ATK 1900 DEF 1200 LVL: 6

"Dragunity Rising's effect then increases my Life Points by Vajrayana's attack points."

Sylphid: 1200→3100 LP

"Hmm. So you restored your Life Points. But you seem to have forgotten that Shell can attack twice. Merciful Concealment!" Shell fired more lasers at Vajrayana, but Sylphid just braced herself.

"The monster summoned by Dragunity Rising cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of the turn!" she revealed. Indeed, the lasers struck, but Vajrayana stood firm and remained on the field.

"But you still take the damage," Thaumiel reminded her. A few of the lasers moved past Vajrayana and struck Sylphid, who was pushed back again as she screamed from the pain.

Sylphid: 3100→2200 LP

The girl grit her teeth. "Continuous Trap activate! Dragunity Legion! Once per turn, I can activate one of two effects. I activate the second effect to equip a 'Dragunity' monster I control with a 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard. I equip Aklys to Vajrayana!" A red dragon in white armor with a spearhead attached to it appeared before changing into a red and silver spear that Vajrayana held in its right hand.

"I see. You activated that Trap Card now so you could use its effect again on your next turn. Well, it won't make a difference. I Set two cards. I end my turn." Thaumiel gestured to the side. "Qliphort Monolith's Pendulum effect activates! During the End Phase, I draw a card for each 'Qli' monster that was Tributed for a Tribute Summon." He drew two cards and nodded. "Now then, take your turn. And I would suggest making it count."

---

"Cassiel!"

The green-haired girl looked to the side as Lilith came near. "You got the coordinates?" she asked.

Cassiel nodded. "Yeah. It should be around here somewhere."

"Cassiel! Lilith!" The two turned as Soulburner rode up to them. "This is where Diana said Thaumiel was, right?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Flame narrowed his eyes. "I'm detecting something. A stealth program, I believe. Give me a few seconds." He held out his hand as he performed a search of the area. "There!" A cloaked island unveiled itself before them.

Lilith frowned as the three humans touched down and she looked at her Duel Disk's readout. "That cloaking program is similar to Thaumiel's other works. This place definitely has some connection to him."

"Let's go," Soulburner said.

"Don't be too hasty," Cassiel advised. "There's probably traps."

"There are definitely traps," Lilith agreed. "Issei is too smart for his own good."

The trio walked into the cave, Flame keeping an eye out for traps. When it got too dark, he lit a digital flame that illuminated the way, up until they reached a set of double-sided doors. Nodding to each other, Lilith and Soulburner pushed the doors open. Just in time to hear someone.

"…I would suggest making it count."

The trio of humans and the Ignis all gasped on seeing the massive cavern, or rather the large electrical cage and the two people inside it.

"Thaumiel!"

The two trapped in the cage turned to look at their guests.

Soulburner gasped. "That's-!"

"Sylphid?" Cassiel said in surprise.

The bounty hunter narrowed her eyes. What are they doing here? How did they find this place?

"Well, I was wondering when you would come by, Lilith," Thaumiel drawled. "Sadly, this is an inopportune time. Would you mind waiting while I trounce this bounty hunter?"

Sylphid growled as she whipped her head back around. "Trounce me? I'm not going to lose to you! My turn! Draw!"

"Continuous Trap activate!" Thaumiel declared. "Re-qliate! Now, if a Level 4 or lower monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn. And if a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn, and then it is banished when it leaves the field."

"That's a rather bad card," Flame commented.

"But won't it hurt him as well?" Cassiel asked.

"Thaumiel uses a 'Qli' Deck," Lilith explained. "It focuses on a combination of Pendulum and Tribute Summoning, while overwhelming the opponent. And whenever a 'Qli' monster is Special Summoned, it automatically becomes Level 4. That makes them immune to Re-qliate's effect." She glanced at the Ignis. "Flame, can you get around this barrier?"

"I'll try. But it might take a while." His eyes narrowed as he examined. "This is remarkably well coded. But I should be able to break through eventually." He placed his hands against the barrier, creating sparks as fire flickered across his palms.

Sylphid grit her teeth. "If I can't use the monsters I summon, then I'll make do with what I have on the field! I activate the Spell Card: Cards of Consonance! By discarding a Dragon Tuner monster with 1000 or less attack points, I can draw two cards. I discard Dragunity Voulge."

She drew, then played one of her cards. "I activate the Equip Spell Card: Dragunity Divine Lance and equip it to Vajrayana!" A golden lance with wings in the center appeared, which replaced the spear in Vajrayana's left hand. "The monster equipped with Divine Lance is unaffected by Trap effects, and it gains attack points equal to its Level times 100!"

Dragunity Knight Vajrayana ATK 1900→2500

"Vajrayana's effect activates! By sending a card equipped to it to the Graveyard, its attack points are doubled until the end of the turn! I send Aklys to the Graveyard!" The spear in Vajrayana's right hand disintegrated as the dragon roared.

Dragunity Knight Vajrayana ATK 2500→5000

"That's the same move she used against me!" Soulburner remembered.

"It's a pretty good trick," Lilith said with a smirk. "She needs to power her monsters up to match Thaumiel's."

"That's true…" Cassiel frowned. "Soulburner, isn't Sylphid acting strange? When she dueled Morningstar, she seemed more free-spirited, didn't she?"

The lone male frowned and nodded. "Yes. When we dueled, she was very chipper and relaxed. Now though… she's very serious."

Lilith joined him in frowning in thought. It could just be that her opponent isn't someone to joke around with, but…

"Aklys' effect activates!" Sylphid declared. "If it is sent to the Graveyard while equipped to my monster, one card on the field is destroyed!"

"Sorry," Thaumiel interjected, "but the Normal Summoned Shell is unaffected by the activated effects of monsters with a lower Level or Rank."

The girl frowned. "In that case, I'll destroy Qliphort Scout!" The green and yellow ship in the blue pillar disintegrated. "Divine Lance's effect activates! Once per turn, I can equip a Dragon 'Dragunity' Tuner monster from my Deck to Vajrayana. I equip Dragunity Brandistock to Vajrayana!" A small blue dragon with a blade attached to its head appeared before morphing into a blue spear that Vajrayana gripped in its right hand. "While Brandistock is equipped, Vajrayana can attack twice during the Battle Phase!"

"Yes!" Soulburner cheered. "Two attacks will finish it!"

Masako frowned. "It won't be that easy…"

"Battle! Vajrayana attacks Qliphort Shell! Divine Thunderbolt!" Vajrayana's rider raised both its spears and shot golden bolts at Shell, while the dragon itself fired golden energy. The three blasts converged on Shell, destroying it and pushing Thaumiel back, making him grunt in pain.

Thaumiel: 3200→1000 LP

Lilith blinked. "That attack felt more… intense than it should have."

"With good reason." The three watchers turned to Flame, who was still trying to get through the barrier. "There's some sort of pain-inducing program active in this area. It makes the damage from attacks hurt far more."

Cassiel's eyes widened. "Why would he make something like that?"

"Because he's sick," Lilith grumbled, glaring at Thaumiel through the barrier.

Thaumiel chuckled as he took a few steps forward. "Impressive. For some no-name bounty hunter, you're not too bad."

Sylphid narrowed her eyes. "I may be a no-name bounty hunter, but I'm still going to be the one to take you in. You escaped once before, but it won't happen again. You'll pay for what you did to Osaka and my family!"

The trio of watchers' eyes all widened. "Wait," Cassiel said, "did she say-?"

"Osaka?" Soulburner repeated.

"Oh no," Lilith muttered, frowning in sympathy.

"Hmm? Osaka? Oh… I see. You lost your parents in the Breaking, didn't you?" Thaumiel asked. "Tell me, was it from the subway crash? Or were they in the hospital? Or on the streets?"

"A car crash," Sylphid growled. "My parents died because of you. Because you turned off the public safety systems." Her eyes narrowed. "And despite your crime, you run free. I cannot allow that. So I'll take you down here and now!" She pointed to her field. "Brandistock is equipped to Vajrayana, so it can attack twice! Vajrayana attacks you directly! Divine Thunderbolt!" Three blasts of golden energy traveled towards Thaumiel, who just chuckled.

"I activate the effect of Swift Scarecrow in my hand!" he declared. "When you declare a direct attack, I can discard Swift Scarecrow to negate that attack!" A metal scarecrow with an engine attached to its spine appeared and was blasted to pieces by Vajrayana's attack, but the beams never touched Thaumiel. "Swift Scarecrow's effect then ends the Battle Phase."

Sylphid growled. "I activate Dragunity Legion's effect! I equip Dragunity Voulge from my Graveyard to Vajrayana!" A serpentine green dragon wearing silver armor appeared. A pole with an angled blade was attached to its back, with the blade above its head. The dragon then morphed into a polearm with a similar head, which Vajrayana took in its right hand, replacing Dragunity Brandistock. "While Voulge is equipped to Vajrayana, you cannot target my monster with card effects."

"Thaumiel's monsters activate effects when they are Tribute Summoned or Tributed," Lilith remembered. "One of them in particular can return a monster to the hand."

"So that's a smart play to make," Cassiel said in understanding.

"I Set one card," Sylphid said. "I end my turn. During the End Phase, Vajrayana's effect ends."

Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana ATK 5000→2500

"You may have survived this turn, but you won't survive the next," she warned. "I'll defeat you and bring you to justice!"

"Ha!" Thaumiel scoffed. "Justice? Justice is a word the powerful use to placate the masses, a word the less fortunate use to make their existence less miserable. It is a word without meaning. The only true state of the world is chaos. I learned that a long time ago."

"What?" Cassiel asked.

"What is he talking about?" Flame wondered.

"It doesn't matter," Lilith said dismissively.

"What do you mean?" Sylphid asked cautiously. While she didn't care too much, she had to admit she was curious.

"My father was a local politician," Thaumiel explained, his voice unexpectedly soft. "It was me, him, and my mother. But my father's career was failing. He was frustrated by this. And he took those frustrations out on my mother and myself. And my mother took her frustrations out on me." Soulburner's and Cassiel's eyes widened. "I forget the number of times they struck me, how many times I was locked in a closet, how many times I was denied food. But those days eventually came to an end.

"In order to bolster his failing career, my father tried to take on the local Yakuza group. But he underestimated how powerful they were, how much influence they held. So the gang came to our house. We tried to hide, but they found all of us. And then their leader shot my father and mother in front of me."

Cassiel, Flame, and Soulburner all gasped. Lilith frowned to herself, a smidgen of sympathy breaking through despite herself. "The group then took me in and found out I had a talent for computers. Eventually, I broke free. But not before the chief taught me a valuable lesson: that order is an illusion. Chaos is the natural state of the world. Attempting to impose order, attempting to restrain yourself, is just foolishness. So that's what I do; I remove order. I take away the safety nets people set up. And in that moment, when people realize that their precious order is gone, they show who they truly are."

Sylphid scowled. "Is that why you committed the Breaking of Osaka? Because you wanted to see how people would act?"

"What I wanted was for everyone to see the world as I do," Thaumiel clarified. "To understand that chaos is natural, and order is foolish. To make them suffer as I once suffered, so they can grow in the same way. You're a perfect example of that; compare yourself now to how you were before the Breaking. You have become much stronger than you were before, haven't you?"

Sylphid's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I should thank you for killing my parents?"

"No. I don't expect you to." Thaumiel chuckled again. "But you became stronger because of the Breaking, didn't you? At the very least, you should acknowledge that." He raised his Duel Disk. "But we've wasted enough time on this tedious discussion. Let's get this duel over with. My turn! Draw! Trap activate! Qlimate Change! This lets me add up to three 'Qli' Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand. I add Helix, Scout, and Shell to my hand."

Lilith's eyes narrowed. "With Scout back in his hand…"

"I reset the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout!" The spaceship reappeared in the pillar of light on the side of Thaumiel's field.

Qliphort Scout Scale 9

"Scout's Pendulum effect activates! I pay 800 Life Points to add Saqlifice from my Deck to my hand."

Thaumiel: 1000→200 LP

"With the reset Pendulum Scale, I can now Special Summon monsters between Levels 2 and 8 at the same time! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My servants! From the Extra Deck, Qliphort Carrier! And from my hand, Qliphort Helix and Qliphort Shell!" A white and orange airship emerged from the Pendulum portal at the Extra Monster Zone, while a spiral brown and yellow ship and a purple top with fins attached were summoned to the Main Monster Zone. All three monsters were in Attack Position. "And since Carrier, Helix, and Shell were Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original attack points become 1800."

Qliphort Carrier ATK 2400→1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 6→4 PS: 1

Qliphort Helix ATK 2400→1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 6→4 PS: 9

Qliphort Shell ATK 2800→1800 DEF 1000 LVL: 8→4 PS: 9

"Since their Levels changed, they are unaffected by Re-qliate's effect," Cassiel noted. "…Hey, Lilith. That story Thaumiel told-?"

"Are you asking if I knew?" Lilith asked. When Cassiel nodded, the bounty hunter said, "No. Issei never talked about his past. I did ask a few questions, but all he told me was that he had been alone for the last few years."

"It's kind of sad," Soulburner said softly. "That he had to go through all of that…"

"No," Lilith shook his head. "Don't sympathize with him. That's what he wants. And that's what makes him so dangerous."

"What do you mean?"

"I activate the Equip Spell Card: Saqlifice!" Thaumiel said. "And equip it to Carrier. Carrier gains 300 attack points, cannot be destroyed by battle, and if I Tribute it for a 'Qli' monster, it counts as two monsters."

Qliphort Carrier ATK 1800→2100

"I Tribute Carrier to Tribute Summon Qliphort Cephalopod!" A large white and green ship with a red crystal on its bow took the place of the orange and white ship.

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

"The Tribute Summoned Cephalopod's effect activates! When it is Tribute Summoned by Tributing a 'Qli' monster, I gain Life Points equal to the difference in the number of monsters in our Graveyards times 300 and you take the same amount of damage." Sylphid's eyes widened. "I have two monsters in my Graveyard, and you have three. So I gain 300 Life Points and you take 300 points of damage!" Both duelists glowed, but only Sylphid winced.

Thaumiel: 200→500 LP

Sylphid: 2200→1900 LP

"Since Saqlifice was sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Qli' monster from my Deck to my hand." Thaumiel took the card, then played a different one. "I activate the Spell Card: Qlimax Draw!" The card showed a glowing red crystal set atop several cards scattered on a desk. "Since I control a Tribute Summoned 'Qli' monster, I can draw two cards, but I cannot Special Summon except by Pendulum Summon for the rest of the turn."

"And he's already used his Pendulum Summon," Flame recalled as Thaumiel drew. "So he can't use those cards."

"Don't be so sure," Lilith warned the Ignis.

"I activate the Spell Card: Double Summon! This lets me Normal Summon or Set a second time this turn." Thaumiel dipped his head as his eyes behind his mask gleamed. "Believe it or not, I do feel some regret that things have turned out this way." Sylphid gasped. "So I think I'll end this now. I Tribute Cephalopod, Helix, and Shell to Tribute Summon Apoqliphort Towers!" Thaumiel's three monsters turned into orbs of red, yellow, and purple energy and shot upwards to the ceiling, where they merged into a multicolored light. Sylphid winced and covered her eyes, as did Soulburner, Cassiel, and Lilith. When the light faded, the four humans looked up and all of them except Lilith gasped. A massive purple, white, and gold structure supported by four legs had appeared. The machine covered the entire field as it touched down on the ground, shaking the arena.

Apoqliphort Towers ATK 3000 DEF 2600 LVL: 10

"T-That's-."

"Thaumiel's ace monster," Lilith finished Cassiel's thought.

"The Tributed Helix's effect activates! I send your Set card to the Graveyard!"

Sylphid grit her teeth as her card disintegrated and Thaumiel chuckled. "The Normal Summoned Towers is unaffected by Spell and Trap effects," he explained, "as well as the activated effects of monsters whose original Level or Rank is lower than its own. And so long as Towers is on the field, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 attack and defense points."

Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana ATK 2500→2000 DEF 1200→700

"But that isn't the effect you need to worry about," Thaumiel said. "Towers' effect activates! Once per turn, you must send a monster from your hand or your field to the Graveyard!" Sylphid gasped.

"Dragunity Voulge keeps Thaumiel from targeting Vajrayana with card effects," Cassiel remembered.

"But this effect doesn't target, nor does it destroy," Soulburner said with a grimace.

"And she has no cards in her hand, so she can't dodge it," Lilith said grimly.

Sylphid grit her teeth. "I send Vajrayana to the Graveyard," She said reluctantly. Her monster disintegrated at her words, as did the three monsters equipped to it.

"Time to put an end to this. Battle! Apoqliphort Towers attacks you directly! Judgment of the Divine!" Several purple lasers shot out of panels all over Towers straight towards Sylphid, who grimaced as the lasers hit, creating several thunderous explosions.

"Sylphid!" Cassiel cried out in worry.

"How much longer until you break through, Flame?" Soulburner wondered anxiously.

"I'm almost through," the Ignis assured him. "This program is tougher than it looks."

Lilith narrowed her eyes before they widened in surprise. "Look!" The others turned as the smoke began to clear. "Sylphid's not done!"

The smoke vanished, revealing a bruised and disheveled bounty hunter, but she was still on her feet.

Sylphid: 1900→800 LP

"Hmm? How did you survive my attack?"

Sylphid smirked as she held up a card. "I banished the Trap Card Protection Wings from my Graveyard," she explained. The card showed a set of green wings made of energy. "Since you attacked me directly, I could banish a Dragon monster from my Graveyard to reduce the damage by that monster's attack points. I banished Vajrayana, reducing the damage by 1900."

"To 1100," Flame realized.

"Protection Wings' effect then lets me draw two cards."

Thaumiel chuckled. "Not bad, little bounty hunter. You've fought very well. "You've clearly become stronger. Proof that pain pushes you forward. I Set one card. I end my turn. During the End Phase, Monolith's Pendulum effect activates! I Tributed four monsters this turn, so I draw four cards."

---

"There he is!" Cypher said, pointing downwards. Morningstar noticed and dipped his D-Board down, joining Playmaker in pursuing the robed man chasing after Earth and his support avatar.

"Cypher! We found Earth!" Ai said. Then he turned forward and put his hands by his nonexistent mouth. "Earth!"

The Earth Ignis blinked. "Ai? And Cypher?"

"Playmaker," the robed man said, turning with a smile. "Morningstar too."

"Who are you?" Playmaker asked.

"I'm SOL's bounty hunter."

Morningstar's and Playmaker's eyes widened.

"I recognize that voice," the former said.

"Can it be?"

The man tore his robe off, revealing a much thinner Go Onizuka, to the shock of the humans and Ignis present.

"I already challenged him to a duel," Go said, glancing back at Earth. "Playmaker, I'll deal with you after him." The two hackers grimaced at the man.

"I won't let you lay a hand on Aqua!" Earth declared.

"Speed Duel!"

"They started their duel!" Ai said panickingly. "But why has Onizuka lost so much weight?"

"It's not just the weight loss," Cypher said, his eyes narrowing. "There's… something off about him."

"Agreed," Morningstar said with a frown. His eyes… they're a lot dimmer than they used to be.

---

"My turn! Draw!" Sylphid looked at her card and her eyes narrowed. "…You aren't wrong," she admitted. "I have become stronger because of the pain I suffered. Because I lost my parents, I had to grow up. I had to become better. But even if that's true, it doesn't excuse what you've done! The blood of hundreds that is on your hands!"

"Hmm," Thaumiel scoffed. "Do you think I don't know that? I know what I am and what I've done. I know that what I have done is monstrous. So why are you reminding me?"

"Because despite everything you've done, I can't help but hold some sympathy for you," Sylphid admitted. "Having to go through what you did… if I had gone through it, I would probably end up the same way." Her eyes narrowed further. "I'll end this duel now, and make sure you face the punishment you deserve and get the help you need!"

"Oh? Bold statement. And how are you going to do that?"

"Like this! I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card: Mystical Space Typhoon! With this, I'll destroy Re-qliate!" Thaumiel gasped as his Continuous Trap Card disintegrated.

"Yes!" Soulburner cheered. "Now she can activate monster effects!"

"I summon Dragunity Legionnaire!" A muscular birdman with green wings and white and gold armor appeared.

Dragunity Legionnaire ATK 1200 DEF 800 LVL: 3

"Legionnaire's effect activates! When it is Normal Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragon 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard to it. I equip Voulge to Legionnaire." The green dragon in silver armor with an angled blade attached to its head appeared, with Legionnaire leaping onto its back. "And now I activate the Spell Card: Sealed Potential!" The card showed a Duel Field, specifically a Monster Card in the Spell & Trap Zone wrapped in chains, but the chains were breaking. "This lets me Special Summon a monster from my Spell & Trap Zone. Come, Dragunity Voulge!" Legionnaire leapt off the friendly dragon as the dragon took its place in Attack Position.

Dragunity Voulge ATK 900 DEF 700 LVL: 3

"Don't forget that thanks to Apoqliphort Towers' effect," Thaumiel reminded her, "your Special Summoned monsters lose 500 attack and defense points!"

Dragunity Voulge ATK 900→400 DEF 700→200

"That won't stop me!" Sylphid declared. "Level 3 Voulge tunes Level 3 Legionnaire!" Her two monsters disintegrated into green particles before reforming into two green rings, one a darker shade than the other. The rings merged before turning into a tower of six rings. A screen displayed "3 + 3" before changing to "6" as light surged through the rings. "The hero's spear that pierces the heavens! Embody the dragon of unity! Synchro Summon! Arise, Level 6! Dragunity Knight – Luin!" A large purple and blue dragon with four wings, a long tail, and a blade attached to its forehead emerged from the light, a four-winged robed birdman on its back. The dragon roared as it was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Luin ATK 1200→700 DEF 1900→1400

Cassiel's eyes widened. "That's a Synchro Tuner monster!" Lilith's and Soulburner's eyes also widened in realization.

"Luin's effect activates! When it is Special Summoned, I can equip a 'Dragunity' monster from my Graveyard to it. I equip Dragunity Dux to Luin!" A birdman with a riding crop appeared and sat behind Luin's rider. "I activate Dragunity Legion's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a 'Dragunity' monster from my Spell & Trap Zone in Defense Position. Come, Dux!" The birdman leapt off the dragon's back at her words. "And while Dux loses attack points thanks to your monster's effect, it also gains 200 attack points for each 'Dragunity' card I control."

Dragunity Dux ATK 1500→1000→1600 DEF 1000→500 LVL: 4

Sylphid's eyes widened. "It's time to end this! Level 6 Luin tunes Level 4 Dux!" Sylphid's monsters broke apart into green data before reforming into two green circles, one a lighter shade. The rings merged and then formed a tower of ten rings. 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 large golden serpentine dragon emerged from the light. It spread its eight wings and its rider raised its spear as the dragon itself roared in Attack Position.

Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 3300→2800 DEF 3200→2700 LVL: 10

"Sylphid's ace monster!" Soulburner recalled.

"It's strong, but it isn't strong enough to defeat Towers," Lilith said, looking from monster to monster.

"Luin's additional effect activates!" Sylphid declared. "When it is sent to the Graveyard, I can equip it to Ascalon." Luin reappeared before morphing into a large sword that Ascalon's rider hefted in its left hand. "And so long as Luin is equipped to Ascalon, it gains 1000 attack and defense points!"

Dragunity Knight – Ascalon ATK 2800→3800 DEF 2700→3700

"You were saying?" Flame smugly said to Lilith, who ignored the Ignis and smirked.

Sylphid shared Lilith's expression. "Ascalon can beat Towers, but that's not all it can do; Ascalon is Level 10, the same Level as Towers. That means it can use its effects against it!" She gestured to her field. "Ascalon's effect activates! By banishing Legionnaire from my Graveyard, one monster you control is banished! Vanishing Force!" Ascalon gathered golden energy in its maw and then fired that energy at Towers.

"That won't work! Counter Trap activate!" Thaumiel declared. "Overwhelm! Since I control a Tribute Summoned Level 7 or higher monster, Ascalon's effect is negated and it is destroyed!" The Trap Card shot its own beam back at Ascalon. The two beams met before the Trap Card's overpowered Ascalon's and struck the dragon, destroying it in an explosion.

"No!" Flame shouted.

"Her dragon!" Cassiel said concernedly.

Thaumiel chuckled. "You'll have to try harder than that! You should have just attacked!"

"Yes, maybe I should have." He tilted his head at the confidence in Sylphid's voice. When the smoke cleared, he saw she wore a confident smirk. "But now the way is clear! Ascalon's final effect activates! When it is destroyed by your card, I can Special Summon a 'Dragunity' Synchro Monster with 3000 or less attack points from my Extra Deck and treat it as a Synchro Summon!"

"What?" Thaumiel gasped.

"Come to me, Level 8! Dragunity Knight – Barcha!" A serpentine green dragon with four limbs and two sets of wings emerged at the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Barcha had an elongated blade at its chin and a winged rider on its back.

Dragunity Knight – Barcha ATK 2000→1500 DEF 1200→700 LVL: 8

"Barcha's effect activates! When it is Synchro Summoned, I can equip any number of Dragon 'Dragunity' monsters in my Graveyard to Barcha." Thaumiel gasped again. "I equip Aklys, Brandistock, Luin, and Voulge to Barcha!" The four mentioned dragons briefly appeared before morphing into one red and blue spear, and one polearm with an extended blade. Barcha's rider grasped both weapons in its hands. "Since Luin is equipped to Barcha, it gains 1000 attack and defense points. And Barcha itself gains 300 attack points for each 'Dragunity' card equipped to it!"

"There are four cards equipped," Flame noticed.

"That means Barcha gains 1200 attack points!" Soulburner said.

"On top of the 1000 attack points from Luin," Cassiel reminded him.

Dragunity Knight – Barcha ATK 1500→2500→3700 DEF 700→1700

"W-What?" Thaumiel said in shock. "W-What is this?"

"This is your end!" Sylphid declared. "All the people who lost their lives because of you, all of the people who were hurt by you; they are crying out for me to defeat you! This is the justice you managed to evade!"

Thaumiel gasped. "So… these are the consequences? Of trying to teach the world the truth? Of trying to make people understand?"

"There is no truth in you," Sylphid said dismissively. "Learn the truth of your actions here and now! Barcha attacks Towers! Marathas Force!" Barcha gathered green energy in its maw and fired it at Towers as Thaumiel clutched his head.

"No! This cannot be! All of my efforts, everything I've fought for! Has it all been for nothing?!

"Is that what you expected me to say?"

Sylphid gasped at the mocking tone in Thaumiel's voice. "I activate the Trap Card: Eqlipse Bringer from my hand!" he declared. The card showed a massive tree attached to a sephirot tree floating in the air. The two trees collectively blocked out the sun, spreading darkness on the world below. "I can activate this card from my hand when I control an 'Apoqliphort' monster. Now, by banishing 'Qli' Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck, I can banish an equal number of cards from your Spell & Trap Zone!"

Sylphid's eyes widened in shock. "W-What?"

"I banish Carrier, Cephalopod, Helix, and Shell!" Thaumiel shouted gleefully. "To banish Aklys, Brandistock, Luin, and Voulge from your field!" The two spears Barcha's rider held disintegrated, leaving the rider grasping at nothing. "And since its equipped cards were banished, Barcha's attack points return to normal!"

Dragunity Knight – Barcha ATK 3700→1500

"No!" Cassiel shouted.

"But without those Equip Cards-!"

"She'll lose," Lilith said, finishing Soulburner's thought with a grimace.

Thaumiel laughed out loud at the expression on Sylphid's face. "Too funny! You thought you actually stood a chance against me! What was it you were going to do? To bring me in? To make me face justice? There is no real justice in the real world! It is an illusion the public creates so they can sleep at night!"

Sylphid grit her teeth. "Even if you defeat me, another will! Your father must have believed in justice if he took on the Yakuza!"

"Oh? Did he? Well, if he was real, he might have."

"W-What?"

Thaumiel laughed even louder. "You actually bought that story I told? Well, I hate to break it to you, little bounty hunter, but I lied! I was never part of a Yakuza group, nor was my father a politician!"

"What?" Cassiel said in shock.

"Thaumiel!" Lilith shouted. "Why would you tell a story like that if it isn't true?"

"Isn't it obvious, Lilith?" he asked amusedly. "To mess with you and those new friends of yours! You all have such big hearts that you can't help but sympathize with a sob story like that. That's why I told it; to earn your sympathy, and then to see your faces when you realized it wasn't true!"

"You bastard!" Soulburner shouted at the laughing maniac. "What is wrong with you?! You laugh at something like that?!"

"What is wrong with me? Oh there's plenty, child. But just because there's something wrong with me, does that mean I must have some tragic backstory." Thaumiel glared at all of them. "There are people like that; people who the world has hurt so badly that all they want is to hurt the world back, to make other people as miserable as they are. But then there are others, others who don't have an excuse like that. They… just want to watch the world burn and laugh at the chaos. Take a guess as to which I am."

Sylphid grit her teeth as Thaumiel gestured to his field. "Your dragon is still attacking! Apoqliphort Towers, put an end to this farce! Judgment of the Divine!" Panels opened all over Towers' body and shot purple lasers outwards. The lasers bended and converged into a beam that struck Barcha's attack. The two beams paused, but the purple one soon overpowered the green one and struck Barcha. A powerful explosion rippled across the arena, blowing Sylphid off her feet with a scream.

Sylphid: 800→0 LP

Sylphid was flung backwards and struck the electrical barrier. Her screams increased in volume as electricity sparked all over her body.

"Sylphid!" Cassiel and Lilith screamed.

"Flame!" Soulburner shouted.

"I've got it!" the Ignis shouted, finally disabling the barrier. When the barrier fell, so did Sylphid, her face hitting the ground. The trio ran up to her.

"Sylphid!" Cassiel cried out in concern, picking the girl up and turning her over. The bounty hunter groaned as her body twitched and spasmed.

"What's happening?" Lilith asked as she and Soulburner kneeled next to them. "Why isn't she logging out?"

"She's been knocked unconscious; VRAINS's safety features should have kicked in by now," Soulburner agreed. "Unless-!"

They turned to Thaumiel, who chuckled. "What did you do, Thaumiel?" Lilith asked, her voice low.

"That barrier may have kept her trapped here, but it wasn't what was keeping her from logging out," the man said tauntingly. "Unless I let her out, she's not going anywhere.

"You bastard!" Soulburner growled as he pushed himself up. "I'll make you-!"

CRASH!

The occupants of the cavern all gasped as a green lightning bolt broke through the glass ceiling and struck the ground. Sparks flew around as shards of glass splattered the ground around them. The five conscious occupants shielded their eyes until the light died down, at which point they could see the intruder. And when they saw him, Cassiel and Soulburner gasped, while Lilith's eyes widened and Thaumiel became very still.

A man kneeled as the ground around him smoked from the lightning strike. He wore a white lab coat lined with red, and his black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back. Silver highlights flitted through his bangs and his left eye was covered by a silver mask with yellow markings on it. The man opened his right brown eye and glared at Thaumiel.

"That's-!" Cassiel breathed.

"Uncle?" Lilith said softly.

"Terminus…" Thaumiel whispered.

---

Sylphid vs. Thaumiel

This Duel is conducted as a Master Duel.

Turn 1: Thaumiel

Thaumiel Normal Summons Frontline Observer (1000/1500/4). He Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn. During his End Phase, the effect of the Normal Summoned Frontline Observer activates, letting Thaumiel add 1 Earth Pendulum Monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Scout to his hand.

Turn 2: Sylphid

Sylphid draws. She activates the Field Spell Card Dragon Ravine. She activates Dragon Ravine's effect, discarding Dragunity Phalanx to add 1 Level 4 or lower "Dragunity" monster from her Deck to her hand. She adds Dragunity Dux to her hand. Sylphid Normal Summons Dragunity Dux (1500/1000/4). As Dux was Normal Summoned, Sylphid can equip 1 Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster from her GY to it. She equips Dragunity Phalanx to Dux. Dux gains 200 ATK for each "Dragunity" card Sylphid controls (Dux: 1500→1900). As Phalanx is equipped to a monster, Sylphid activates its effect to Special Summon it (500/1100/2) in Attack Position. Sylphid tunes Level 2 Phalanx to Level 4 Dux to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Gae Dearg (2400/800/6) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Sylphid activates Gae Dearg's effect to add 1 Level 4 or lower Dragon or Winged Beast monster from her Deck to her hand, then discard 1 Dragon or Winged Beast monster. She adds Dragunity Voulge to her hand and discards Dragunity Aklys.

Gae Dearg attacks Frontline Observer. As he controls no Special Summoned monsters, Thaumiel activates his Set Trap Card Soul Transition, which lets him Tribute the Level 4 Normal Summoned Frontline Observer to draw 2 cards. A replay occurs and Gae Dearg attacks Thaumiel directly. Thaumiel activates his Set Quick-Play Spell Card Enemy Controller, targeting Gae Dearg and activating its 1st effect. Gae Dearg is changed to Defense Position. Sylphid Sets 3 cards. She ends her turn.

Turn 3: Thaumiel

Thaumiel draws. He activates the Scale 1 Qliphort Monolith and the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zones. Thaumiel activates Scout's effect, paying 800 LP to add 1 "Qli" card from his Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Carrier from his Deck to his hand (Thaumiel: 4000→3200 LP). Thaumiel Pendulum Summons Qliphort Carrier (2400/1000/6/1) and Qliphort Helix (2400/1000/6/9) from his hand in Attack Position. As Carrier and Helix were Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original ATK becomes 1800 (Carrier: 2400→1800/6→4) (Helix: 2400→1800/6→4). Thaumiel Tributes Carrier and Helix to Tribute Summon Qliphort Shell (2800/1000/8/9). As Carrier and Helix were Tributed, Thaumiel can target and return 1 monster on the field to the hand, and target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field and destroy it. Thaumiel returns Gae Dearg to Sylphid's Deck and destroys her Set Trap Card Sakuretsu Armor. As Shell was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster, it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase, and if it attacks a Defense Position monster, it inflicts piercing damage.

Shell attacks Sylphid directly (Sylphid: 4000→1200 LP). As she took battle damage, Sylphid activates her Set Trap Card Dragunity Rising, which lets her Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" Synchro Monster from her Extra Deck, so long as its ATK is less than or equal to the damage she took. Sylphid Special Summons Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana (1900/1200/6) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. Sylphid then gains LP equal to that monster's ATK (Sylphid: 1200→3100 LP). Shell attacks Vajrayana, but the monster Special Summoned by Dragunity Rising cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects the turn it is Summoned (Sylphid: 3100→2200 LP). Sylphid activates her Continuous Trap Card Dragunity Legion. She activates its 2nd effect to equip 1 "Dragunity" monster from her GY to 1 "Dragunity" monster she controls. Sylphid equips Aklys to Vajrayana. Thaumiel Sets 2 cards. He ends his turn. During the End Phase, Monolith's effect lets Thaumiel draw cards equal to the number of "Qli" monsters he Tributed for Tribute Summons this turn. He draws 2 cards.

Turn 4: Sylphid

Sylphid draws. Thaumiel activates his Set Continuous Trap Card Re-qliate. If a Level 4 or lower monster is Normal or Flip Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn, and if a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned, its effects are negated until the end of the turn and it is banished when it leaves the field. Sylphid activates the Spell Card Cards of Consonance, which lets her discard the Dragon Tuner Monster Dragunity Voulge to draw 2 cards. She then activates the Equip Spell Card Dragunity Divine Lance, which she equips to Vajrayana. Vajrayana gains ATK equal to its Level x 100 and is unaffected by Trap effects (Vajrayana: 1900→2500). Sylphid activates Vajrayana's effect, sending the equipped Aklys to the GY to double its ATK until the end of the turn (Vajrayana: 2500→5000). As Aklys was sent to the GY while equipped to a monster, Sylphid can select and destroy 1 card on the field. She destroys Scout. Sylphid activates the effect of Divine Lance to equip 1 Dragon "Dragunity" Tuner monster from her Deck to Vajrayana. She equips Dragunity Brandistock to Vajrayana. While Brandistock is equipped, Vajrayana can attack twice during the Battle Phase.

Vajrayana attacks and destroys Shell (Thaumiel: 3200→1000 LP). Vajrayana attacks Thaumiel directly. As Sylphid's monster declared a direct attack, Thaumiel activates the effect of Swift Scarecrow in his hand, discarding it to negate Vajrayana's attack and end the Battle Phase. Sylphid activates the effect of Dragunity Legion to equip Dragunity Voulge from her GY to Vajrayana. While Voulge is equipped to Vajrayana, Thaumiel cannot target Vajrayana with his card effects. Sylphid Sets 1 card. She ends her turn, and Vajrayana's effect ends (Vajrayana: 5000→2500).

Turn 5: Thaumiel

Thaumiel draws. He activates the Trap Card Qlimate Change, which lets him add up to 3 face-up "Qli" Pendulum Monsters from his Extra Deck to his hand. He adds Qliphort Helix, Qliphort Scout, and Qliphort Shell from his Extra Deck to his hand. Thaumiel activates the Scale 9 Qliphort Scout in his Pendulum Zone. Thaumiel activates the effect of Scout, paying 800 LP to add Saqlifice to his hand (Thaumiel: 1000→200 LP). Thaumiel Pendulum Summons Qliphort Carrier (2400/1000/6/1) from his Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position, and Qliphort Helix (2400/1000/6/9) and Qliphort Shell (2800/1000/8/9) from his hand in Attack Position. As Carrier, Helix, and Shell were Special Summoned, their Levels become 4 and their original ATK becomes 1800 (Carrier: 2400→1800/6→4) (Helix: 2400→1800/6→4) (Shell: 2800→1800/8→4). Thaumiel activates the Equip Spell Card Saqlifice, equipping it to Carrier. Carrier gains 300 ATK, cannot be destroyed by battle, and can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a "Qli" monster (Carrier: 1800→2100). Thaumiel Tributes Carrier to Tribute Summon Qliphort Cephalopod (2800/1000/7/9). As Cephalopod was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a "Qli" monster and Sylphid has more monsters in her GY than Thaumiel, Thaumiel gains LP equal to the difference x 300 and Sylphid takes the same amount of damage (Thaumiel: 200→500 LP) (Sylphid: 2200→1900). As the monster Saqlifice was equipped to was sent to the GY, Thaumiel can add 1 "Qli" monster from his Deck to his hand. He adds Apoqliphort Towers to his hand. As he controls a Tribute Summoned "Qli" monster, Thaumiel activates the Spell Card Qlimax Draw, which lets him draw 2 cards. Thaumiel activates the Spell Card Double Summon, which lets him Normal Summon/Set a 2nd time this turn. Thaumiel Tributes Cephalopod, Helix, and Shell to Tribute Summon Apoqliphort Towers (3000/2600/10). As Helix was Tributed, Thaumiel activates its effect, targeting and destroying Sylphid's Set Protection Wings. While Towers is on the field, all Special Summoned monsters lose 500 ATK/DEF (Vajrayana: 2500→2000/1200→700). Thaumiel activates Towers' effect to make Sylphid send 1 monster from her hand or field to the GY. Sylphid sends Vajrayana to the GY.

Towers attacks Sylphid directly. As she is being attacked directly, Sylphid activates the effect of her Trap Card Protection Wings in the GY, banishing it and Vajrayana to reduce the damage by Vajrayana's ATK. The attack continues (Sylphid: 1900→800 LP). Sylphid can then draw 2 cards. Thaumiel Sets 1 card. He ends his turn. During the End Phase, Monolith's effect activates, and Thaumiel draws 4 cards.

Turn 6: Sylphid

Sylphid draws. She activates the Quick-Play Spell Card Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting and destroying Re-qliate. Sylphid Normal Summons Dragunity Legionnaire (1200/800/3). As Legionnaire was Normal Summoned, she can equip 1 Level 3 or lower Dragon "Dragunity" monster in her GY to Legionnaire. She equips Voulge to Legionnaire. Sylphid activates the Spell Card Sealed Potential, which lets her Special Summon 1 Monster Card from her Spell & Trap Zone. She Special Summons Voulge (900→400/700→200/3) in Attack Position. Sylphid tunes Level 3 Voulge to Level 3 Legionnaire to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Luin (1200→700/1900→1400/6) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Luin was Special Summoned, Sylphid can equip 1 "Dragunity" monster in her GY to Luin. She equips Dux to Luin. Sylphid activates Dragunity Legion's effect to Special Summon Dux (1500→1000/1000→500/4) in Defense Position. Dux gains 200 ATK for each "Dragunity" card Sylphid controls (Dux: 1000→1600). Sylphid tunes Level 6 Luin to Level 4 Dux to Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Ascalon (3300→2800/3200→2700/10) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Luin was sent to the GY, Sylphid can equip it to 1 "Dragunity" monster she controls, and that monster gains 1000 ATK/DEF. She equips Luin to Ascalon (Ascalon: 2800→3800/2700→3700). Sylphid activates Ascalon's effect, banishing Legionnaire from her GY and targeting Towers, attempting to banish it. As he controls a Level 7 or higher Tribute Summoned monster, Thaumiel activates his Set Counter Trap Card Overwhelm, negating the activation of Ascalon's effect and destroying it. As the Synchro Summoned Ascalon was destroyed by Thaumiel's card, Sylphid can Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" Synchro Monster with 3000 or less ATK from her Extra Deck and treat it as a Synchro Summon. Sylphid Special Summons Dragunity Knight – Barcha (2000→1500/1200→700/8) to the right Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. As Barcha was Synchro Summoned, Sylphid can equip any number of Dragon "Dragunity" monsters in her GY to it. She equips Aklys, Brandistock, Luin, and Voulge to Barcha (Barcha: 1500→2500/700→1700). Barcha gains 300 ATK for each "Dragunity" card equipped to it (Barcha: 2500→3700).

Barcha attacks Towers, but Thaumiel activates the Trap Card Eqlipse Bringer from his hand as he controls an "Apoqliphort" monster. By banishing a number of face-up "Qli" Pendulum Monsters from his Extra Deck, he can banish an equal number of cards from Sylphid's Spell & Trap Zone. Thaumiel banishes Carrier, Cephalopod, Helix, and Shell to banish Aklys, Brandistock, Luin, and Voulge (Barcha: 3700→1500). The attack continues and Barcha is destroyed (Sylphid: 800→0 LP). Thaumiel wins.

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Sylphid:

Dragunity Voulge
Attribute: WIND Type: [Dragon/Tuner/Effect] ATK 900 DEF 700 Level: 3
When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" monster from your hand, then equip it with this card. While this card is equipped to a monster, that monster cannot be targeted by your opponent's card effects.

Dragunity Rising Normal Trap Card (name credit to SakushiRyu)
When you take battle damage: You can Special Summon 1 "Dragunity" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck with ATK less than or equal to the damage taken, and if you do, gain LP equal to that monster's original ATK. The monster Special Summoned by this effect cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects until the end of the turn.

Protection Wings Normal Trap Card
When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack: Banish 1 Dragon monster from your GY; reduce the battle damage you would take by that monster's ATK, and if you do, draw 2 cards. If this card is in your GY, you can activate the above effect by banishing this card from the GY. You can only activate "Protection Wings" once per turn.

Sealed Potential Normal Spell Card
Target 1 Monster Card in your Spell & Trap Zone; Special Summon it in Attack Position. You can banish this card from your GY; target 1 monster you control, then equip 1 monster from your GY to that target. You can only activate each effect of "Sealed Potential" once per turn.

Thaumiel:

Qlimax Draw Normal Spell Card
If you control a Tribute Summoned "Qli" monster: Draw 2 cards, also for the rest of the turn, you cannot Special Summon, except by Pendulum Summon. You can only activate "Qlimax Draw" once per turn.

Eqlipse Bringer Normal Trap Card
Banish any number of face-up "Qli" Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck; banish cards from your opponent's Spell & Trap Zone equal to the number of banished monsters. If you control an "Apoqliphort" monster, you can activate this card from your hand.

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Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Hidden Memories. Chapter 51 – Correcting Mistakes. Terminus has reappeared! Determined to protect his niece, the Knight of Hanoi challenges Thaumiel to bring an end to his threat. Meanwhile, Go Onizuka duels the Earth Ignis while Morningstar, Playmaker, and Blue Girl watch, but near the end, they receive some unexpected guests…

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Question of the Chapter

Since I'll be making a crossover of Persona 5/VRAINS, which Yu-Gi-Oh! series would be suited for crossovers with Personas 3 and 4?

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Author's Notes

Thank you to SakushiRyu for providing the name of Dragunity Rising and providing feedback on the Dragunity cards. I also want to thank Haoh Ryu Z-ARC for providing feedback on Sylphid's and Thaumiel's new cards.

This is a rather dense chapter to go through. The first part of it is mainly exposition; the main characters all catching up and comparing notes. We had Yusaku and Takeru meet Masako and agree to help her find Thaumiel. I included this because I wanted her involved in the fight against the Ignis, which she'll help with when we reach Mirror LINK VRAINS. She also knows their identities thanks to her father, but she isn't going to tell anyone.

But while Masako's interactions with everyone was a big part of this update, this chapter truthfully belongs to Shizuka Midori, or Sylphid. Since she's a victim of Thaumiel's actions, I wanted her to confront him at some point, and this was as good a point as any. As for what Thaumiel is doing in LINK VRAINS, that will be revealed in a later chapter.

We also had Thaumiel's backstory, or rather what he claimed to be his backstory but is in fact a lie. Why did I have him tell a lie like that? Because I want people to hate him. He's the kind of person who would tell total lies just to yank the rug out from under them, all in an effort to mess with them, much like Spectre did against Blue Angel. And much like Morningstar made Spectre pay for it in Chapter 22, Terminus will make Thaumiel pay next chapter.

Thank you for reading Chapter 50 of Hidden Memories! I'm going to be taking a short break from fanfiction for a bit, partly so I can write the duels for the next few chapters of my two fics so I have a head start. But also because Trails of Cold Steel 3 comes out on Steam on the 24th, and Persona 5 Royal comes out the 31st, and I want time to play both games. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter and your answer to the QOTC.