AUTHOR'S ANNOUNCEMENT
Hello, everyone.
Frost190 here.
It's finally here! My first Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS fanfic series! For those who have read the prologue oneshot Divine Record: Prologue should already know a bit about this fanfic. For those who haven't read the prologue chapter, I recommend reading it first before starting this story.
This story will be following the anime's flow but there'll be some changes, a partial rewrite to the anime. Partial as in not everything like I did with ARC-V. I'll skip certain moments or Duels that I believe don't need changing. I already decided how many chapters this story would be and this is definite. No changing. As I told you, I already wrote down the whole summary of each chapter from beginning to the end along with the cards, Duels, characters, etc. For my update schedule, I can't promise a quick update, it depends on my real-life work and other matters. I'll still try to find time to continue writing.
The name of the characters and the cards will follow the Japanese names. Although for the cards, I might use the TCG names depending on my preference.
I decided to start the story from Season 2 because I don't have many qualms with Season 1 of VRAINS anime, nor do I have many things that I want to change in the first season. Plus, I found it easier to incorporate OC characters into the story starting from Season 2. I also promise that characters like Jin and Miyu would play more roles later in the story.
This story will also have an original story arc that is not in the anime.
Now, I present you Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Divine Record!
CHAPTER 1
Blade of Hope – Holysaber
希望の刃「ホーリーセイバー」
(Kibou no Yaiba "Hōrīseibā")
Den City Cemetery – Den City
At first sight, Den City Cemetery seemed no different from other Japanese cemeteries in general. It was located near a shrine and a temple. Gravestones feature vertical columns made from black or grey stone with only names written on them. At the base of a gravestone, you will find vases for flowers and an incense stand. Narrow wooden planks called sotoba were placed near gravestones with cherry blossoms tree bent over them.
However, what made Den City Cemetery different from cemeteries in general was the few robots stationed there. There were two types of robots placed there: one was programmed to regularly clean up the gravestones and pick up trash within the vicinity, and another one was programmed to guard the cemetery from graverobbers or suspicious individuals while also regularly reporting to the person in charge of the cemetery. Visitors who come to the cemetery must first report whose grave they wish to visit to one of the robot guards who then will escort the visitors to the said gravestone and escort them back once they're done paying their respects to the deceased.
In this quiet cemetery, stood a tall young man of a slim to athletic build, placing a bouquet of white chrysanthemum flowers on the grave in front of him before joining his palms together to pray. He has short unkempt black hair that falls over his eyes with white highlights and a pair of lavender-colored eyes. He was wearing an unbuttoned white shirt over a grey short-sleeved T-shirt, black wrist band covering his left wrist, blue jeans, and dark-laced shoes.
"Kento."
The young man, Kento, turned to his left side, his eyes met with a pair of violet eyes of a young woman standing next to him. She has long black hair reaching past her back that she tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a turquoise-colored long jumper dress over a light pink short-sleeved shirt, a silver pendant with diamond-shaped gem, and white high-heeled Mary Jane shoes.
"You came to pick me up, Kazue?" Kento asked her with a soft smile.
"Yes, I do. You're not at your new house when I visited, so I figured you're here." Kazue smiled back, standing next to Kento in front of the gravestones and then prayed together with him.
"I take it you already prayed for your boyfriend as well before praying for my parents?" Kento asked while looking at a gravestone not far from them. Similarly, there was a bouquet of white chrysanthemum in front of the gravestone. The flowers were still fresh, which meant it hadn't been long since the bouquet was placed there. Of course, it wasn't. Because Kento placed that bouquet just a few minutes before he went to his parents' gravestone.
"Obviously. We both know that neither of us would miss praying for him whenever we come here." Kazue replied.
Once they were done praying, Kento and Kazue let the robot escort them out of the cemetery.
"Uncle and Auntie have been looking for you. You just moved to Den City this morning. There is still some furnitures that needs to be put in order back at your new house. Uncle and Auntie need your help to move them here and there. How could you just leave them without saying anything?"
"Sorry. I want to come here as soon as possible, so..." Kento smiled guiltily. He was so eager to come that he forgot about helping his uncle and aunt.
"My father already sent some people to help. By now, they should be done with placing all the furnitures. But that doesn't mean you can slack off with the clean-up." Kazue revealed. After she heard that her childhood friend would be moving to Den City, she arranged with her father to send out some people to help with the moving once Kento and his family arrived at their new house. Her house was only two blocks away from Kento's, so it's not a problem.
"I won't. You know that I'm close to being what people called a clean freak." Kento said. Having lost his parents when he was little and not wanting to trouble his aunt and uncle who took him in, he had learned to become self-sufficient, mainly cleaning, to the point of compulsively cleaning up any messes he could find. But he still understands restraint and won't just clean up someone else's place without getting permission first (unless he deems it necessary).
"Starting tomorrow, you'll attend Den Academy as a freshman. Finally, we can go to the same school." Kazue smiled happily. She had been waiting for this ever since she heard that Kento would move to Den City. Before, they could only meet during weekends or holidays.
"Since you'll be my senior, should I call you 'Kazue-senpai' or 'Hibiki-senpai' at school?" Kento asked jokingly. Kazue is 18, a year older than him. She's already in her third year of high school.
"No need for formalities. Just call me as usual. You wouldn't want me to call you 'Hijiri-kun' at school, don't you?" Kazue prefers for her childhood friend to continue calling her by her name without honorifics. If there are students who object, she'll take care of it.
"You got that right." Kento chuckled, sharing the same sentiment.
Hijiri Residence – Den City
True to Kazue's words, the moment they returned to Kento's house, Kento's uncle and aunt quickly had him help clean up the house, wiping the floors and windows. Kazue offered her help as well, but Kento's aunt kindly declined because she didn't want to trouble her and her family any more than they did, especially after Kazue called people from her house to help them out before Kento arrived. And so, while Kento and his uncle were cleaning, Kazue and Kento's aunt enjoyed themselves with some snacks and tea in the guest room.
After around two hours of cleaning, they were finally done and Kento was allowed to rest in his room with Kazue. Kento was lying with his back on his soft bed while Kazue was sitting on a cushion next to a small desk in his room, opening her laptop.
"Good work, Kento. With this, you won't have to do any housework tomorrow and just focus on your first day at school." Kazue said with her eyes still on her laptop.
"But there's still my side job, isn't it?" Kento retorted, sitting up on his bed as he faced Kazue.
"Yes. Father has already requested your help in programming the prototype of an android that the company and SOL Technology is planning to release." Kazue confirmed, still not facing away from her laptop.
"So now SOL Technologies is interested in the development of androids with Hibiki Enterprise?" Kento guessed.
Hibiki Enterprise. It was an electronics and electrical equipment manufacturing company owned by Kazue's father. The company specialized in robotics and was the one who produced the Roboppi maid robot series. It's the second biggest company after SOL Technologies, and sometimes the two companies formed a collaboration, mostly involving the making of new model of Duel Disks for Duelists. Kazue, being the daughter of the enterprise's owner, has been trained since she was a child to one day take over the company when she was old enough.
"Did you find out by hacking our company or SOL Technologies?" Kazue asked back, eyes finally glancing at Kento.
"No way. I don't need to hack to figure it out since the news made a fuss about SOL Technologies launching a new version of LINK VRAINS after the incident with Knights of Hanoi three months ago. And then not long after that your dad asked me to help him with a new android." Kento chuckled at the accusation.
"Yes. I don't know why SOL Technologies suddenly became interested in building an android. However, since it'll benefit Hibiki Enterprise, my father didn't see a reason to refuse." Kazue explained.
Both Kento and Kazue's confusion was an understatement. Since the company's founding, SOL Technologies' business has always been network or internet related. LINK VRAINS was their biggest success. That's why it's strange that even after developing a new LINK VRAINS, SOL Technologies now also wishes to produce androids through their partnership with Hibiki Enterprise.
"Maybe they're planning to expand their business? That often happens, right?" That was the only reason Kento could think of for the sudden interest in androids.
"Perhaps. Speaking about company, how about you consider working at Hibiki Enterprise once you graduate high school? Your programming skills are already above all the staff working at our company. Even my father acknowledged that." Kazue suggested, eyes twinkling with expectation.
Ever since he was young, Kento had shown interest in programming. To make it even better, he had talent, and just within a year after he started learning, he was already skilled enough to help with making various programs for Kazue's father and many others. People who knew of his skill hailed him as a genius. He and Kazue often made simple robots together, with Kazue mostly doing the mechanics while Kento doing the programming. Despite his interest, however, Kento hasn't felt any interest in working at any company.
"Or are you planning to open your own official agency? You know, like a detective agency specialized in sleuthing cases related to cybercrimes."
As a hacker, Kento accepted two jobs:
First, programming. For this job request, he helped his client to create a specific program that his client couldn't make themselves. He'd be willing to create any program that his client asks for except for viruses or any program that causes harm to others.
Second, sleuthing. For this job request, he serves as a detective and information broker. He'd investigate cybercrimes while also gathering various information within the network that he'd sell to his client if they only want information instead of full investigation.
He won't just accept any client either. Only highly skilled hackers and associates of them could gain access to his chatroom. And he'd make sure to do a background check on each of his clients before accepting requests from them.
"I'll think about my career later. For now, I just want to enjoy my high school life. No need to rush." Kento replied.
Kento understood that now he was in high school, he should start thinking about his career path soon. It's important to think from now on about his future. However, he didn't want to decide so quickly when there were many options out there. He didn't want to rush things only to regret it later.
Kento decided not to think too much and turned on the TV. The channel that he chose showed a news broadcast.
"SOL Technologies issued a statement for the capture of Playmaker, the hero who saved LINK VRAINS three months ago from the cyberterrorist organization, Knights of Hanoi. A bounty has been placed for Playmaker with SOL Technologies promising a big reward for anybody who captures Playmaker." The anchor said as she showed the image of Playmaker, a young man wearing a black and green bodysuit with golden stripes going across his body and a grey belt at the waistline. His hair colors were yellow and red with pink stripes and accents.
Playmaker. No matter where he went, Kento always heard about him these days. Even though three months had passed, Playmaker was still the topic of talk for many people. He was a vigilante who actively opposed the Knights of Hanoi, a group of hackers who had caused a lot of horrid incidents in LINK VRAINS, the Cyberspace where Duelists can take the form of an avatar and take part in Virtual Reality Duels. They were led by a man known as Revolver. Their hacking skills were first-rate, and they never left any traces within the network, making it difficult for authorities to track them down. Many had fallen victims to their atrocity, losing their accounts at their hands.
Three months ago, Playmaker finally succeeded in bringing down the Knights of Hanoi with the help of two Charisma Duelists, Blue Angel and Go Onizuka. Following the fall of Hanoi, Playmaker also disappeared from the network since then, nowhere to be seen.
The news made Kento raise an eyebrow.
"Why is the hero who saved LINK VRAINS being treated like a criminal? Isn't it very ungrateful of SOL Technologies after what he had done?" He wondered. SOL Technologies suffered the biggest impact from Knights of Hanoi's action three months ago, resulting in the closing of the old LINK VRAINS and creation of the new one. If Playmaker hadn't done anything, it could've been worse for them. And yet, they returned his good deed by treating him as a criminal?
"I heard Playmaker has something that originally belonged to SOL Technologies. I don't know the details myself." Kazue herself only knew from what she heard from her father, who himself didn't understand SOL Technologies' fixation with Playmaker.
"Don't tell me that Hibiki Enterprise is also looking for Playmaker." Kento didn't know well about Playmaker, and he was certainly not one of his avid fans, but he wasn't fond of hunting down a guy who had literally risked his life to save the whole network. Some of his acquaintances from Hibiki Enterprise and old classmates from his previous school were turned into Another by Knights of Hanoi, so Kento was grateful to Playmaker, Blue Angel, and Go Onizuka for their part in stopping the culprits.
"No, we don't. That is SOL Technologies' own problem. The partnership between SOL Technologies and Hibiki Enterprise is strictly for the development of the new android." Kazue had asked the same question to her father, and he assured her that Hibiki Enterprise would not interfere in the matters of Playmaker as it has nothing to do with them. Kazue also felt grateful to Playmaker, so knowing Hibiki Enterprise won't help SOL Technologies capturing the Duelist was good news.
Turning back to the news, the anchor now showed the new LINK VRAINS that has been launched. Players were excited with the updated LINK VRAINS, now starting to try out Speed Duel that quickly became popular after the Duel between Playmaker and a Knight of Hanoi. For a safety measure, there was program installed to automatically logged out players when they were in danger.
Watching those players having fun Dueling, Kento's mind wandered to the past when he was still a little boy. He loved playing Duel Monsters with his parents who used to be Duelists themselves. When he was old enough, they went out their way to ask Kazue's father to get him a Duel Disk that he was still using to this day. Back then, he aspired to become a professional Duelist and hoped to create his own cards one day.
But everything changed after that incident 10 years ago.
Kento was so immersed in his reminiscence that he didn't notice Kazue was staring at him with concern.
"Are you...interested in Speed Dueling?" Kazue asked hesitantly. Seeing him staring at the news that showed Speed Duel, her fingers fiddling with one another, showing her unease that Kento was quick to notice.
"No. Not yet. But you don't need to worry too much, Kazue. You know that I'm not as aversive to Dueling as I did before thanks to your boyfriend." Kento smiled gently in response. It wasn't a lie. It took years, but the thought of Dueling didn't scare him as it did before when he was younger. He was still uncomfortable, but he wasn't as scared anymore. And he owed that to Kazue and her boyfriend who were also his best friends, though the latter was no longer here with them.
He reached the remote, intending to change the channel. When he was about to press the button, the screen started to flicker.
"Huh?"
Kento blinked as the screen flickered again and this time showing a silhouette of something humanoid that made Kento drop his remote.
"Kento? What's wrong?" Kazue asked with worry.
Kento gasped and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before opening them again to see the TV screen.
It showed the same news about LINK VRAINS. No flickering or any weird silhouette. Kento sighed in relief at that.
"I guess it was just my imagination." Kento thought.
Noticing that Kazue still looked worried, Kento decided to change the subject, "I'm thinking of joining a club once I start school. Do you have a club recommendation?" Kento asked.
Looking at Kento's bright expression, Kazue understood that he didn't want her to be bothered by what they talked about earlier. He wasn't wrong. Worrying too much won't help him. Her boyfriend, who was also Kento's best friend, believed that he could eventually overcome his trauma. As Kento's childhood friend, Kazue should also put the same faith in him.
"Tomorrow, I'll show you around the school." Kazue promised.
The two of them began to discuss the android prototype they were working on, unaware that the TV screen behind them briefly flickered, showing the mysterious silhouette a few seconds before it disappeared again.
The Next Day – Den City High School
Though Kazue had already given him a heads up about his new school, the direct experience felt different. Den City High School felt more like a university in Kento's opinion. The classrooms resembled lecture halls and were equipped with an electronic whiteboard that can additionally be connected to a student's Duel Disk, allowing them to access videos of LINK VRAINS. Both teacher and students were also carrying electronic notepads instead of textbooks and pens for writing down lectures.
Now, Kento was standing in front of the whole class with his homeroom teacher next to him for self-introduction.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Kento Hijiri." Kento bowed politely to his new classmates as he introduced himself.
His new homeroom teacher was in the middle of typing his name when he was introducing himself, but paused when he didn't say anything else after his name.
"You may go on." She said, urging Kento to tell the class more about himself.
"..."
Unfortunately, Kento couldn't say anything else.
Kento has always been an introvert. He's not the type who could stand in front of the whole class being all smiley while introducing himself let alone be the first to strike up a conversation. That doesn't mean he's anti-social though. Otherwise, he would never have become friends with Kazue and her deceased boyfriend and some of his school friends in his previous school. It wasn't easy for him to talk with others unless it was something important or the other person was the one approaching him first.
Once, he did try to emulate some people he deemed a social person, trying to act all energetic and bubbly.
The result?
He failed miserably.
That one try was all that he needed to make him realize he wasn't that person and shouldn't force himself to become someone he's not.
The very least he could do for now was not to be hated by his classmates. Don't make an enemy of anyone in school and stay out of trouble. That was Kento's motto in living a peaceful school life.
Seeing Kento staying quiet, the homeroom teacher decided to continue the introduction in his place. She typed down Kento's full name on the whiteboard before facing her students.
"Hijiri is supposed to be a year older, but when he was little, he must repeat a year due to sickness, so he transferred to this school as a first-year. Everyone, I trust that you all be good to him." She finished the introduction with that and allowed him to take one of the empty seats available.
Kento decided to take a seat next to a boy with fair skin, green eyes, and dark blue hair that spikes outward in the back and contains light blue bangs with pink accents.
"Nice to meet you." Kento greeted him, which the other boy responded with a nod. After that, there was only silence between them as their teacher began her lecture.
While listening to the lecture though, Kento could hear whispers from some students not far from him.
"He looks gloomy."
"He gives off a total otaku vibe."
"This morning, I saw him coming to school with Hibiki-senpai."
"What?! For real?!"
Looks like he didn't give a good first impression to his new classmates. He reads manga and watch anime, but he won't call himself an otaku who'd like to collect figures and stuff. This wasn't a new thing and he had already gotten used to it. As long as nobody bullies or picks a fight with him, that's more than enough for what he considered to be a peaceful school life. Kento tried his best to ignore them and focused on the lesson.
Time passed and it was already the end of school hours. Nothing happened much today except during lunchtime. When Kazue came in to pick him up so she could show him around the school, most of his classmates were staring at them. After they had their lunch and returned to his classroom, his classmates surrounded him. With Kazue's help, he got acquainted with his classmates and memorized all their names at last. Although, they were actually more interested in Kazue than himself. But for his own sake, it's better to know the names of his classmates rather than not at all.
"Hijiri."
Four of his classmates approached him before he could leave the classroom. The four of them were frowning at him, their faces looked like they wanted to punch him. He already had a bad feeling about them even without them making those faces.
"Can I help you?" Kento asked, trying not to sound nervous.
"You sure look chummy with Hibiki-senpai. What kind of relationship the two of you have?" One of the guys asked with a frown.
"Huh?" Kento couldn't understand the question.
"And even on first name basis." One of them added.
Kento couldn't help but wonder why they were being so aggressive toward him when they just met today. Thinking about it, these guys have been glaring at him for a while since lunchbreak when Kazue invited him to have lunch together. He tried to ignore it, but that wouldn't be possible anymore since they confronted him first.
"Are you dating her?" One of them finally asked.
"What? No, we're just childhood friends! Why would you think we're dating?!" Kento raised his hands in denial. Why would they ask that right off the bat? Why does going to school together with Kazue mean he's dating her? There are a lot of guys and girls going to school together as friends, aren't they?
"Maybe..." After wondering, Kento has reached a conclusion and asked in naturally tactless way. "Do you maybe...like Kazue?"
"S...so what? What if we are?!" The four of them made a sound of agreement, their faces blushing red.
Outwardly, Kento was smiling awkwardly at them. Inwardly, he began to scan each of them. If there was one thing that Kento was proud of, he was a good judge of character. He couldn't explain it well, but he could always tell instinctively that someone is a good person, suspicious, or downright awful. These guys were not bad people by nature. The problem was they were one of those people who tend to judge people by their looks. Most guys like them see girls without makeup and are all disappointed.
"Yeah. They're no good."
"Too bad, she already has a boyfriend that she loves from a different school." Kento decided to drop the bomb. The reaction he got was as he expected, and he hid a smile of victory behind his fake sympathetic smile.
"HUH?! She has a boyfriend?! Seriously?!"
"But...it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, how could a pretty and kind girl like her don't have any boyfriend?"
"Right...it should be expected..."
Kento sighed in relief when those guys left with heartbroken crestfallen looks. He did hear that Kazue has admirers in school, but whoever thought that he would be confronted by them on his very first day at school. But thinking twice, perhaps it's better like this. The quicker they gave up on Kazue the better. The guys from before looked like the type who would talk about this to others. It would be only a matter of time until the news spread about Kazue having a boyfriend to all her admirers in this school. That would keep them away from her to a degree.
Kento purposely left out the most important detail that her supposed boyfriend had already passed away. He didn't tell them for two reasons: One, Kazue is still very much in love with her deceased boyfriend, and two, as her childhood friend and her boyfriend's best friend, he won't let just any guy make a move on her. He won't approve of someone like those guys as her new boyfriend.
"Kento."
Speak of the devil.
Kazue came to his class, her bag in hand. It was about time. Kazue already agreed to show him all the school clubs and then they'll go home together. He was about to get ready when those guys questioned him. Judging from her face, she waited in front of the class and overheard his conversation with her admirers. She didn't say anything, but Kento had already known her for a long time to know that she was thankful to him.
She must've her own share of problems because of her admirers. His spreading the news about her already having a (dead) boyfriend would make things easier for her from now on.
The two of them then left the classroom, ignoring the stares they got.
"We have many clubs here. What kind of clubs you are interested to join?" Kazue asked as they were walking to where most of the club rooms were.
Kento didn't have an idea what club might be good for him. He had considered joining Kazue's robotic club or kendo club since his uncle has been teaching him kendo since he was young, but he also thought of trying out different activities for once apart from his usual routine with Kazue and his uncle.
"Fujiki~ are you going to join the Duel Club or not?"
Kento stopped when he noticed two students that he recognized. Both were from his class. One was chubby with long hair and the other one was the guy who sat next to him during this morning's lecture. He just remembered that he didn't get to ask his name this morning. He doesn't know the name of the chubby guy either.
"Just seeing once and not giving an answer is a mockery to the Duel Club, you know!" The chubby guy told the other guy, Fujiki, who looked indifferent.
"Did the club president say that?" Fujiki asked back calmly.
"N-no... The President said that 'if he is interested, he'll come back again. It's not something I'm going to force on him', so..."
"In other words, you have your own reason why you want a new member right away?"
"I-it can't be helped, we're going to a training camp soon, but there's an odd number of members participating! Zaizen won't be coming because she must help her brother with something! Also, rather than being alone all the time, you should spend your times more with people, it would be fun!"
From their conversation, it seemed that the chubby guy was a member of Duel Club who tried to get Fujiki to join the club to even the numbers of participants.
"Hm? Oh, you're the transfer student! Kento Hijiri, right?!" The chubby guy noticed Kento and Kazue.
"H-hi. Umm...sorry, I haven't gotten your name." Kento replied shyly. He was taken aback that he forgot.
"I'm Shima! Naoki Shima! You better remember it well! Don't be like Fujiki who forgot before!" Shima jabbed at said person who didn't look particularly annoyed, but his face showed how he wanted to get away from here quickly.
"I'm Yusaku Fujiki. Nice to meet you." Yusaku introduced himself and said nothing further.
"You come here to join the Duel Club, Hijiri? You're wearing Duel Disk, even though it's still an old model like Fujiki's! Are you copying Playmaker?" Shima barraged him with questions all too excitedly. Since Fujiki didn't show an interest in joining, he now shifted his attention to Kento, who was still new to the school.
"Err, no, I'm–"
"Don't just stand there! Come inside, we'll show you how great the Duel Club is! You too Fujiki, come on!"
Before either Kento or Fujiki could decline, Shima had already pushed them inside. Kazue didn't even have the chance to stop him and could only follow them behind. There were four other students inside the club room, three boys and one girl.
Kento recognized the girl. Aoi Zaizen, the younger step-sister of SOL Technologies' security manager, Akira Zaizen. He learned about her during one of his works requested by Kazue's father. And after some digging (hacking) of information, he also learned that she's the real-life identity of the famous Duelist Idol, Blue Angel. Unlike her bubbly persona as Blue Angel, Aoi Zaizen was rather quiet.
"People can show a different side online that they can't show others in real life..." Kento thought to himself.
"President! Here, this is Kento Hijiri, he is a new student who just transferred today! He is interested in Duel Club! Even Fujiki also returned!" Shima, again, pushed Kento and Yusaku to the front before they could say anything.
"More like we're being dragged here..." Kento inwardly sweat-dropped as he was face-to-face with the Duel Club members who introduced themselves as Sato, Tanaka, Suzuki, and Zaizen.
That was when Kazue finally came out from behind them, revealing herself. Shima was too focused on bringing them in that he forgot about Kazue who was with Kento.
"Hibiki-senpai? You're interested in Duel Club?" Zaizen recognized Kazue who came in.
"Oh, no. I was in the middle of showing Kento around the school when Shima brought him here, so I followed him." Kazue told them.
"Shima-kun, did you bring them here without their consent? I told you that we shouldn't force people to join our club." The club president scolded Shima, who sheepishly trying to come up with excuses. "My name is Hosoda. I'm the president of Duel Club. I apologize on Shima-kun's behalf."
"I-it's okay. Please raise your head! I know Shima-kun doesn't mean anything bad. He loves Duel Monsters and this club, that's why he's so eager to have more members. Right, Shima-kun?" Kento could tell from Shima's eagerness that he loves Duel Monsters. He also went out of his way to invite Fujiki, who looked like the type who didn't talk much based on their exchange, showing he was trying to be friendly. He is not a bad person.
"R-right! And look, Hijiri also has a Duel Disk! That means he Duels, right?!" Shima took that chance to justify his action, pointing at Kento's Duel Disk. It was an older model with a lavender-colored orb outlined by a white circle with a silver side.
"The Duel Disk is also the older model. If you join the Duel Club, you can get the newer model from Zaizen's brother." Shima added, emphasizing his Duel Disk to tempt him into joining.
"Shima." Zaizen called with a soft but stern tone, angry at him for using her connection with her brother to tempt a new member. Again. Kento couldn't blame her for that.
"Sorry, I don't Duel often, actually. I mostly use this Duel Disk for other things." Kento revealed apologetically. Other than the Duel Disk being the last thing his parents gifted to him, he mainly used it for his sleuthing job. Though Duel Disk was mainly used for Dueling, it also has various functions that allowed him to use it for other things that don't involve Dueling. Seeing Shima's disappointed face, he felt a little sorry for crushing his expectation.
"Besides, if Kento wants a new Duel Disk, he can always ask me, his childhood friend. With my connection, Kento can get a new Duel Disk whenever he wants. He simply chooses not to." Kazue intruded. That finally silenced Shima. Everybody in the whole school knew that being the daughter of the CEO of Hibiki Enterprise, all Kazue needed to do was ask her father and he'd immediately get the Duel Disk for her. Shima's last attempt to tempt Kento into joining the club was thus foiled. Or so she thought.
"I guess it won't hurt to listen a bit more about Duel Club." Kento said. While he didn't like Shima's attempts to get him to join, Kento didn't have the heart to flat-out refuse when Shima showed so much enthusiasm.
"Hijiri...! Thank you!" Shima was touched by Kento's good will.
"Then, Hosoda-san, I can't stay for long, but can you please start your club as usual to give me the general idea what you're usually doing?" Kento requested to the club president. Hosoda and other club members also seems nice. The least he could do was allow them to introduce the Duel Club. Who knows, maybe he'll change his mind and will try out Duel Club despite his reservations. Thinking about it, joining Duel Club might help him with his problem.
"Very well, you may take a seat, Hijiri-kun. You too, Fujiki-kun." Hosoda took them to their respective seats.
Kento was too focused on the Duel Club that he had forgotten about Fujiki who was next to him. His expression remained neutral, but Kento could tell that Fujiki was reluctant to be here. It's clear he has no interest whatsoever in joining the Duel Club. But he still took a seat and listened. He's being considerate.
"Kento, are you sure?" Kazue whispered worriedly as she took a seat next to him.
"I'll just stay for a bit to listen about Duel Club. If I want to join a club, I should know what the club is doing first, right? I will make my decision after I visit all other clubs too." Kento reasoned. Kazue wasn't too convinced but relented.
Hosoda then began explaining the rules of Master Duel and Speed Duel. Even though he never logged into LINK VRAINS, he still followed the update of Dueling rules as part of his 'therapy', so he pretty much aware of the rules of Master Duel and Speed Duel. But he hasn't tried out those rules himself since he rarely Duels, so this explanation will help refresh his mind. Maybe Hosoda chose to go with those explanation because he said he rarely Duels. He appreciated Hosoda for his consideration.
Then the explanation shifted to Monster Card, the main focus of the card game. The president explained how each card was differentiated, which consisted of their names, Type, ATK, DEF, Level, and their Attribute.
"Speaking about Attributes, it is said that there exists the seventh Attribute, the DIVINE-Attribute." Sato suddenly said.
"Oh, I heard about that too. It's an ultra-rare Attribute created by the founder of SOL Technology during the company's early days, right?" Tanaka also remembered.
"Isn't that just a rumor? If it does exist, then there should've been at least one card being disclosed to the public or at the very least another rumor that someone has a DIVINE-Attribute card." Suzuki said with a scoff, feeling skeptical about its existence. "Since there's no one using DIVINE-Attribute card, it's the same as non-existent."
Listening to them, the so-called DIVINE-Attribute caught Kento's attention. It didn't interest him much, but it didn't sound foreign to him.
"Right. Unnamed and Ghost Girl did ask if I ever heard about DIVINE-Attribute three months ago." Kento remembered. But he then dismissed the thought as nothing of importance. Whether cards with that Attribute really exist or not was not his concern.
"That's enough, let's continue the topic at hand." Hosoda interrupted the three of them.
It took around 30 minutes and Hosoda ended his lecture.
"Thank you for taking your time with us. We would be happy if you decided to join. But you don't need to force yourself, Hijiri-kun, Fujiki-kun. There's no point in having a new member if the said member doesn't like being here." The President replied before Shima could say anything, assuring Kento and Fujiki that nobody in the club would take offense if they decided not to join. Instead, he gave him the Duel Club flyer.
Kento was grateful for the President's understanding. With that, they excused themselves from the Duel Club.
"Then, I'll be going head. See you tomorrow, Hijiri." Fujiki also excused himself, going home first. Kento could tell that Fujiki felt relieved that he could finally go home after being stuck in the Duel Club.
"I'm sorry, Kento. I should've spoken earlier before Shima-kun dragged you." Kazue apologized.
"I'm okay. It wasn't unpleasant. I'm just surprised by Shima. Anyway, let's continue our tour. How about we start with clubs you can recommend for me?" Kento quickly pointed at the other club rooms, distracting Kazue before her guilt consumed her.
He briefly glanced back at the Duel Club, which caused a tightening feeling in his chest.
Kento's Room – Hijiri Residence
"Phew. That's quite eventful." Kento sighed while drying his hair with his towel. He came out from the bathroom, feeling refreshed after taking a nice warm bath.
Aside from what happened during lunch break, his first day at school was as peaceful as he had hoped for. After school, Kento and Kazue returned to their respective homes, but Kento promised to visit her house to help with programming the new android prototype that Hibiki Enterprise is working on.
He looked at the fliers on his desk. Those were fliers given by every club that he visited during his tour with Kazue. Each one of them looked like a pack of hyenas waiting for their prey. He thought only Shima would show such eagerness, but apparently, all the clubs in Den City High School have at least one or two members who'd like to literally drag someone to become a new member of their club.
One of the fliers fell from the desk and he picked it up. It's the Duel Club's flier that the club president gave to him. Seeing the flier as he picked it up, a memory resurfaced in his mind.
"You lose!"
The memory just came in a flash.
The notification of his failure. Then came the electric shock that electrocuted his entire body. Everything hurt. Every damn thing. He winced across the floor. He lies so still, breathing shallowly. His vision darkened for minutes. His brain stuttered for a moment and his eyes took in more light than he expected, every part of him went on pause while his thoughts were trying to catch up.
"If I die...this pain will end..."
Kento covered his left wrist with his right hand. Closing his eyes, trying to shake away the memory, the sinister urge, that he had been trying to forget for the past ten years. He turned to the wristband he was wearing, eyes focusing on the wristband until a different memory resurfacing in place of the nightmare.
"You used to like Dueling but now not anymore?"
There he was. His best friend, who had extended a helping hand to him.
"But you're still wearing your Duel Disk everywhere. That means you really don't want to hate it, don't you? Because it holds your memories with your parents."
That's right. His parents were Duelists in their youth, so when he showed interest in Duel Monsters, his parents taught him how to Duel and gifted him a Duel Disk. Those times learning how to Duel with his parents was one of the happiest memories in his life, one he wished to treasure forever. But then that incident happened 10 years ago, causing him to fear the mere thought of Dueling and consequently ruined one of his most cherished memories with his late parents.
He didn't want that. He didn't want the memory of the joy that he shared with his parents, the thing that connected him with his parents, to forever be tainted by those hellish days he suffered.
"Let's do it step by step. It'll take time, but I'm sure you can enjoy Dueling again like you used to. Don't worry, I'll help you out! Let's try enjoying Dueling together!"
Kento's breathing became steady. His heart rate was slowing down. His fearful gaze subsided into sorrow the more he stared at the wristband.
"Just when I believed I'm going to start enjoying Dueling again...you left this world..." Kento murmured as he remembered his deceased best friend. He then gasped as he realized he was close to returning to his bad habit again. "No! Don't be so pessimistic! I can do this. He and Kazue already helped me so much. I can't let our efforts becoming in vain."
Kento picked a white T-shirt with a blue stripe pattern on the center to wear, now ready to go to Kazue's house. He wore his Duel Disk and then departed, having already told his uncle and aunt beforehand. His uncle was still at work and his aunt had an appointment to meet with her friend. They wouldn't be home until late at night, so the house was empty.
"Hello, Big Bro!"
When Kento opened the door to head out, a young fair-skinned boy with messy gray hair and olive-colored eyes wearing a green T-shirt and green short pants greeted him cheerfully. Kento recognized him as Minoru Hibiki, Kazue's younger brother who is still in his first-year elementary school.
"Minoru-kun!" Kento the boy by his waist and then with a grunt, lifted the grinning boy up over his shoulder for a while before putting him down again.
"You came to pick me up? Thank you. Good boy." Kento affectionately ruffled the boy's head, making the boy smile proudly.
"Now that Big Bro lives here, we can play together every day!" Minoru said so happily.
Kento had been helping Kazue take care of her little brother since he was born. Whenever he came to visit and their parents were away, he'd babysit Minoru together with Kazue. Often being taken care of by Kento, in Minoru's eyes, Kento was technically his older brother. Before he moved, every Saturday and Sunday, Minoru would always wait for Kento to come to his house so they could play. Kento also considered Minoru like his younger brother.
"Come on! Let's go! Big Sis is already waiting for you!" Minoru eagerly pulled Kento's hand, wanting him to go to his house immediately. Kento just let the boy pull him until they noticed something in front of the fence of his house.
"Hm? What's this?" Minoru pointed at a cardboard box.
There was a cardboard box placed in front of the fence just beneath the mailbox. Kento picked up the box. There was nothing written but a note that said 'For Kento Hijiri'. He carefully opened the box. Inside was a small, toy sized robot. It's similar to the Roboppi robot series, but its body was mostly bright pink with emerald wheels and cobalt spheres. It has a white neck and stomach with mitten shaped cyan hands. On top of the robot was a USB.
"Who sent this?" Kento tried to look for anything that could tell him who the sender was, but there was nothing. Looking at the USB, perhaps he'll find out who the sender was if he checks what's inside the USB.
Holding the box with him, Kento rushed out to Kazue's house with Minoru in tow.
Kazue's Room – Hibiki Residence
Arriving at Kazue's house, Minoru wanted to play with his 'big bro' in his room, but Kazue reminded him that Kento came to their house to help with their father's work. That left Minoru dejected and pouting.
"Minoru, once I'm done with my work, I'll play with you. Let's play the new game that you said you bought yesterday. Just the two of us. Okay?" Kento gently told the pouting boy.
"Promise? Just the two of us?" Minoru raised his pinky finger while asking which Kento took with his own pinky.
"Yes. Pinky swear." Kento promised.
And that was enough to convince Minoru to wait patiently in his room.
Now, Kento was sitting face-to-face with Kazue in her room. She was inspecting the robot that Kento brought. The work that her father had requested to get help was put aside for a moment. Checking the robot, save for the colors, it was no different from the other models Hibiki Enterprise had manufactured. This type, however, was more specialized in gardening than house cleaning.
"I don't find anything suspicious from this robot. It has exactly the same function as the company has been producing." Kazue told Kento after she finished dissembling and then reassembling the robot.
"That leaves this USB then." Kento looked at the USB he was holding. He thought he should check the robot just in case before checking the USB. Fortunately, it doesn't seem that the robot has anything that can cause harm to them.
Kento inserted the USB into Kazue's computer. Just like when he opened the box, what was inside the USB was something that Kento didn't expect.
A nameless online avatar.
The avatar is in a form of a young man with white eyelashes and white hair reaching below his shoulder partially pulled back in a braided half ponytail with a swirl on top resembling a halo. The bangs were silver colored with lavender-colored lines. The avatar wears a silver jumpsuit, lavender panels down the front and sides underneath the arms, and a leading the back to hang loosely from the hem of the coat. The avatar wears a silver trench coat lined with white lines patterning both the inside and the outside of the coat with two wing shaped patterns on both sides of the coat. He also wears white and grey fingerless gloves.
Aside from the avatar, there was also another file containing a website address.
Typing the address, it showed a gate.
"A gate? Does the sender is trying to tell you to go to this site using the avatar?" Kazue wondered skeptically.
Looking at the gate, Kento felt a strange sensation, like something was tingling on his head. There was something – someone on the other side of the gate.
"I'll try to connect the LINK VRAINS system to enter it." Kento said, surprising Kazue.
"Wait, you're going? We don't know what's behind that gate. What if whoever sent this is trying to lure you into something dangerous?" Kazue objected. Kento's hacker alterego is quite well-known among the hacker community. There were various people who had lured Kento into a trap before. Their reasons ranging from personal grudge, to force him to work for them, etc.
"But it's not like we have other options. Maybe whoever sent this to me is waiting on that website. I'll go with this avatar for now. If I don't return for a long time, I trust you to help me." Kento picked up his Duel Disk. Though before he had no interest logging into LINK VRAINS, he still set the Duel Disk to LINK VRAINS system in case he ever decided to try logging in. He didn't insert any card though.
"I... I could feel it. There's something behind that gate. I'm sure of it..." Kento added.
Kazue understood what he was referring to. He sensed a presence in the network. It was a secret between them that nobody else knew. Ever since the incident ten years ago, Kento was able to sense a presence within the network. He could feel it even when he was offline. Kento never told anyone about this because he knew how crazy it sounds. Kazue was the only one whom he confided in about this secret. Even then, it took a few times until he proved to her that this ability was real.
"No. I'm coming too. It's better for both of us to go. If it turns out to be dangerous, for safety measure, I've installed a program that would automatically log us out in our Duel Disk." Kazue insisted, already wearing her Duel Disk. Unlike Kento's, it's the newest model made by herself for her family's company. Even though her programming skill is lesser compared to Kento's she could still do at least this much.
Kento knew there was no point trying to convince her to stay. Once she made up her mind, convincing her otherwise was next to impossible.
"Before we go, we should give this avatar a name." Kazue suggested.
"Name... Do you have any idea? When it comes to giving name, you're better than I do." Kento asked.
Kazue stared at the avatar and then back to Kento and then to the avatar again. After a few minutes of thinking, Kazue typed the name:
Holysaber.
"It's an English name combining your last name and first name. You're also training in kendo with your uncle three times a week, right? I believe it fits you." Kazue looked proud at the name she came up with.
"Holysaber... Yeah, that doesn't sound bad." Kento accepted the name. He could always trust Kazue with her naming sense.
With that decided, Kento and Kazue then sat on armchairs, making sure they were in comfortable position before finally uttering,
"Into the VRAINS!"
Streams of blue data surrounded their bodies, sending their consciousness into the network.
Unknown Site – Network
Opening his eyes, he found himself in what appears to be a desolate land.
He looked at his own body. Though he couldn't see his own face, from the clothes he was wearing, he's now in the form of his avatar, Holysaber.
"How do you feel with your new avatar?"
Turning behind him, stood an Egyptian young woman with sort black hair and brown eyes wearing a cream-colored sleeveless one-piece dress with golden-colored leather covering the chest and the bottom similar to a sarong. Gold armor covered her collarbone with red data-like patterns on the armor. Underneath the dress was a gold-colored legging covering her legs. She also wears a pair of gold armor covering her arms.
"Kazue?! It's you?!" Holysaber exclaimed in shock.
"I'm going by the name Ryuki online, so please call me Ryuki. I'll also call you Holysaber while we're online." Ryuki chuckled in amusement at Holysaber's reaction.
"Ryuki? No offense, but the name doesn't sound matching with your avatar design." When hearing the name Ryuki, Holysaber's image was that of a Japanese woman wearing a kimono or yukata or Japanese armor.
"That's exactly why. Having a mismatching name and avatar would make it harder for people to figure out my offline identity. Don't you think so?" Ryuki explained her reason.
"You're not wrong there." Holysaber couldn't deny that.
"Anyway, where are we now?" Holysaber looked around them.
They had arrived at the site, but the place they were in looked like a city that had been wrecked down in a war. There was nothing but debris and rubble of destroyed buildings and even some big holes like meteorites have fallen there.
"What is this place? What happened here?" Ryuki looked at their surroundings worriedly.
Holysaber and Ryuki decided to walk further, hoping to find someone or something that could give them a clue about the one who told them to come here. However, until they reached what looked like a destroyed tower, they still couldn't find anything noteworthy. But Holysaber doubted it was just a prank. The sender went as far as providing him with a high-quality avatar, there was no way he told him to go to this place for nothing.
Also, Holysaber didn't understand why, but since he arrived here, his chest hurt so much. It was strange. This was the first time he ever stepped foot here. This was even the very first time he ever logged into the network. Yes, it was an unpleasant sight, but why does it hurt so much like he was the one being hurt?
The sound of falling rock alerted them to go to a defensive stance, looking in alert at the direction of the sound.
"Who's there?!" Holysaber shouted.
From behind one of the rubbles, a small creature came out. A creature with white fur, green hands and feet, a pair of purple eyes, and a golden halo above its head.
"Kuri!"
Upon seeing Holysaber, the creature flew and latched itself to Holysaber's chest. In his surprise, Holysaber looked at the creature's feature and recognized a certain Duel Monster with similar feature.
"A...Kuriboh...?" Holysaber said uncertainly. It looked like a Kuriboh, but he had never seen this type of Kuriboh before.
"Kuri!" The Kuriboh nestled itself on Holysaber's shoulder, tickling him with its soft fur.
"My, so cute!" Ryuki commented, immediately charmed by the monster's cuteness. "It seems to like you."
Admittedly, Holysaber also found this Kuriboh latching on to him was so sweet, but he was also confused why would this Kuriboh took an instant liking to him when they've just met. Looks like the lesson of 'never talk to a stranger' doesn't apply to Duel Monsters. Or maybe its instinct could tell they were harmless?
"Hey! Saint Kuriboh! Where are you going?!"
"Rikuriku!"
Following behind the Kuriboh, two more small creatures came out. One was a humanoid creature and one looked like another Duel Monster that seemed to be another type of Kuriboh.
"Who are you two?! Are you guys the ones who destroyed my homeland?! Get away from Saint Kuriboh!" The humanoid creature threw an accusing finger at them.
"W-what?!" Holysaber was taken aback by the sudden accusation.
Hearing the humanoid creature raise his voice, the Kuriboh latching on Holysaber, Saint Kuriboh, let go and spread its hands while facing the two creatures.
"Kuri! Kuri!"
Saint Kuriboh made a gesture that in human terms, appeared to be shaking head, meaning it was trying to tell the other two creatures that Holysaber and Ryuki were not the ones responsible and meant no harm. The AI, though unable to understand what Saint Kuriboh was saying, seemed to at least understand what it was trying to convey to him.
"Not them? But then who are they? Why are they here? Nobody except the Ignis supposed to know this place!"
Ryuki stepped in, taking a step closer to the two creatures who were glaring and took a defensive stance.
"We came here after receiving a message containing an address to this site. We just arrived here and looking for the person who sent the message to us." Ryuki kindly explained to them. Her posture was relaxed, she raised her hands to show she meant no harm.
"Ryuki, what are you doing? Are you sure it's okay to let your guard down like that?" Holysaber asked in a whisper. They appeared harmless, but he had long learned not to judge by appearance alone. Ryuki only nodded before turning to them again.
"I've seen you before. You're the A.I. that was with Playmaker, right?" Ryuki kneeled them so she at least didn't appear too tall for them.
"Huh? A.I. that was with Playmaker?" Holysaber blinked. He only ever saw Playmaker on the pics shown in the news. None of the pics shown included this small creature. She said this creature is an A.I., but the way he moved and spoke didn't look like an A.I. at all. He looked so...alive.
"Oh! Finally! There's someone who recognized me as Playmaker's partner! Ai-chan is so happy!" The A.I. cried tears of joy, making Holysaber even more astonished.
"Is he really an A.I.?" Holysaber couldn't help but be skeptical. But that's not what is important right now. "Looks like you're not the one who sent the message to us. Can you tell us what happened here then?"
A.I. or not, these two were the only ones they found after arriving here. Perhaps knowing more about this place from them will give some clues about the person who sent the package to him.
"Before you're asking someone a question, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" The A.I. demanded. He was still suspicious.
That...surprisingly made sense. He said this place is his homeland (albeit already reduced to mere rubble), so technically he's the host. As outsiders who came without permission, it's a common courtesy for Holysaber and Ryuki to introduce themselves first. Holysaber also didn't sense any malicious intention from this A.I., only wariness. Self-introduction won't harm anybody. Not like they're going to reveal their real-life identities.
"I'm Holysaber and she's Ryuki. We are–"
Click
Holysaber paused when he heard the sound. Looking behind him and above, he saw someone.
A man cladded in basil green overcoat with shamrock green cauldrons and numerous ornamental belts and straps. The lining of his coat is silver, and he also wears black gloves, black pants and boots that match his jacket. His right arm was prosthetic. His head was completely covered by the hoodie and a mask in resemblance of Melpomene mask from Greece. He was riding a D-Board, also matching his outfit.
The guy pointed his prosthetic arm down, revealing a gun barrel. Seeing the light from the barrel, Holysaber knew what was coming.
"Everyone, get down!" Holysaber pushed down Ryuki, the A.I., and the round monster, evading the gunshot right on time before it could hit them.
"What?! Who is that guy?! Why is he attacking us?!" The A.I. looked at their assailant in panic.
"We can ask about that later, now he must run! Run!"
Holysaber ushered them to run. Nobody objected when a guy was attacking right behind them. They took cover in one of the rubbles, but Holysaber knew it would only be a matter of time until their attacker shot down all the rubble and found them.
"His arrival is too much for a coincidence. The one who sent that package was most likely that guy." When Holysaber noticed him, he immediately pointed his gun at them. He made that shot without targeting anybody specifically, meaning that any of them got shot was good for him.
"Since he knew about this place and that A.I. said someone destroyed his home, it's also possible that he was the one responsible. But why did he send this site's coordinate to me?" Holysaber wondered if this has something to do with the painful feeling that he felt when he arrived here.
Only one way to find out.
"I'll distract him, you guys run away."
Holysaber told Ryuki and the others and quickly ran out from their hiding place before receiving any objection. He ignored Ryuki's call, focusing on running as fast as he could and away from them. As he had hoped, the masked assailant followed him. What was surprising, however, was that he jumped out from his D-Board and ran on foot chasing him.
"What? It would've been easier for him to chase me with his D-Board. Is he making fun of me? Or...I'm the one he's targeting?"
Holysaber entered a destroyed building that appeared to be similar to a Greek temple. Despite its state, Holysaber felt a bit more comfortable just by entering this place. He would like to savor that comfort if not for a crazy guy trying to kill him right behind. And to make things worse, he reached a dead end with no way to escape. The attacker was slowly closing in.
"Kuri!"
"Huh?" Holysaber blinked when he heard the voice. He turned to his side and was surprised to see that Saint Kuriboh was there. "Y-you're following me?! It's dangerous! Go away!"
"Kurikuri!" Holysaber didn't need to ask for a translation to know that the Kuriboh refused to leave.
Right when Holysaber was ready to try to convince it again, Saint Kuriboh reached the halo above its head. Its other hand then took Holysaber's arm that was wearing the Duel Disk and placed the halo above it.
"Kuri!"
As if it was a cue, the halo started shining brightly, creating a pillar of light that reached the sky above. Outside, Ryuki and the others could see the pillar of light.
"What's that light?!" Ryuki looked at the light coming out from the ruins where Holysaber went to.
"That light...could it be...!" The AI seemed to recognize the light. He flew to the ruins in a hurry, ignoring Ryuki and Linkuriboh behind him.
Engulfed within the bright warm light, flashes of scenes came into his mind. Each didn't linger long, but he could see the A.I. from before and other A.I.s the same as him. How this world used to be before it was destroyed. It was almost overwhelming him until he saw a vision of someone.
A strangely familiar A.I.
This A.I. was like the one he met earlier, but this one has an oval-shaped head with six strands pointing down in resemblance of hair and boot-like legs. He has markings in the shape of thin lines and a wing-shaped marking on his chest over his silver-tinted white body. His eyes were diamond-shaped and arctic blue in color.
The A.I. was staring at him.
"Rise up, *****."
Right when Holysaber heard the A.I.'s words to him, the light dissipated. He was back at the destroyed temple with Saint Kuriboh and the mysterious attacker. The A.I. was nowhere to be seen. He looked at his Duel Disk and was shocked to find the supposed empty Duel Disk now had been inserted fully with cards.
"A deck?" Holysaber blinked. He looked at Saint Kuriboh. "You're giving this to me?"
"Kuri!" Saint Kuriboh confirmed.
At the sight of the deck, the mysterious attacker raised his own Duel Disk. Holysaber didn't recognize the design the same as the ones sold in the market, so it must have been personally made. But based on how there wasn't any card like his Duel Disk, it must be based on the newest model that has its cards completely digitized.
"Duel." The attacker finally spoke and activated his Duel Disk.
Holysaber gritted his teeth. He hated it, but he was not given a choice in the matter. It's either he Duel or he's screwed. The thought of Dueling still didn't sit well with him, but any reservations he had were pushed aside because of the direness of the situation and he wasn't the only one in danger.
"I must protect Ryuki and the others!"
Holysaber finally activated his Duel Disk as well.
"Duel!"
Holysaber LP: 4000
Unknown LP: 4000
Holysaber drew until he had five cards in his hand. Looking at the cards, he was surprised for two different reasons.
First, all Monster Cards he drew were DIVINE-Attribute. It's the rumored seventh Attribute that he heard so many times since he began his job as a hacker. The seventh Attribute that was supposedly non-existent. Now, he's holding more than one DIVINE-Attribute card in his hand. It was surreal.
"No way. DIVINE-Attribute does exist..." Holysaber felt like pinching himself to make sure this wasn't a dream.
Second and the strangest of all, he knew these cards. Even without having to read the cards' description, he somehow knew what these cards were for, like the back of his hand. Their ATKs, their effects, and all others.
"Is this having something to do with those visions I had?" That was the only answer Holysaber could reach. Ever since he had those visions, he somehow knew some things that he had no prior knowledge of.
"I'm taking the first turn." The unknown attacker declared.
"From my hand, I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf." The attacker summoned a black-colored Boeing AH-64 Apache type helicopter shaped monster with the head of a wolf in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf (MACHINE/WIND/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1200/LV: 4)
The general data about the summoned monster appeared on both players' Duel Disk screens. Following the set programming for Duel, both players cannot see the effects of cards controlled by their opponents until the said opponent declares all the card effects or if they take control of the opponent's cards. This was done to ensure fairness for both Duelists and brings more unpredictability to the Duel.
"If this card is Normal Summoned from my hand, I can Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token." The attacker summoned a small, white-colored plane-shaped monster in Defense Position next to Tetherwolf.
Mecha Phantom Beast Token (MACHINE/WIND/ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 /LV: 3)
"Tetherwolf's Level increased by the total Levels of all Mecha Phantom Beast Monster Token I control." The attacker revealed, increasing Tetherwolf's Level from 4 to 7.
"I set a card and end my Turn." The attacker concluded.
Holysaber touched the card on top of his Deck. After that incident 10 years ago, he stopped Dueling. When he started again after being coaxed by his best friend, he had only done it the traditional way, using hand-drawn paper as a makeshift field, without having to use his Duel Disk. This was the first time he's Dueling like this. The feeling was almost like when he was forced to Duel using the VR inducer back then. The thought broke a cold sweat from him.
"Calm down. I'm not in that place anymore."
Holysaber tried his upmost best to push aside the negative thoughts he had in his mind. He mustn't get distracted now. He can do this. Knowing the Deck he's using is convenient for him. He must win this Duel. Not only for his own sake, but also for Ryuki's sake.
Just as Holysaber thought of this, from the direction of the entrance they came from, Ryuki, Dark Ignis, and Linkuriboh arrived.
"Holysaber!" Ryuki called out, her voice filled with concern.
The three of them looked at what had transpired in front of them. Their mysterious assailant was raising his Duel Disk and had two monsters on his Field. Across him, Holysaber was holding a Duel Disk as well and unlike before that was empty, it has a full Deck stacked. They were in the middle of a Duel.
"Holysaber, are you okay...?" Ryuki asked her childhood friend. She had the right to be worried. After all, Holysaber had always been reluctant when it comes to Duel-related things, especially the virtual one. Just seeing VR equipment was enough to make him frozen stiff. But here he was, facing someone in a Duel.
"I guess?" Holysaber himself wasn't sure if he's really okay. Even he himself was surprised that he was still standing, Dueling against someone. He did focus on pushing his negative thoughts aside, but he never thought it'd work when it didn't before. The only explanation he could think of was his survival instinct took over in a moment of desperation.
"Stand back, I'll deal with him!" Holysaber told them before facing his opponent again.
"My Turn! Draw!" Holysaber looked at the card. Just a glance at the picture of the card without reading the effect, he immediately knew what kind of effect it had.
"I summon Olympios Stratos – Akolouthos!" Holysaber summoned a monster in the form of a humanoid young child with green eyes and short blonde hair. It was wearing a white cloak, long black socks, white shoes, and a black belt with a holster filled with papers.
Olympios Stratos – Akolouthos (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)
"That's Divine Ignis' monster! You're using his deck?!" Dark Ignis pointed at Akolouthos with astonishment.
"Saint Kuriboh gave me the deck." Holysaber told him immediately. He didn't want to be accused of stealing it.
"It's DIVINE-Attribute...! It does exist?! It's not just a rumor?!" Ryuki exclaimed, equally as shocked as Holysaber when he saw his cards.
"Hehehe! Yeah, it exists! But only my best bud can make those cards!" Dark Ignis said with pride. But then he stared at Holysaber. Questions in his mind. "Saint Kuriboh not only being very attached with that guy but even went as far as giving him Divine Ignis' deck. Who is he?"
Saint Kuriboh had always been timid to everyone but Divine Ignis, him, and Linkuriboh. Even for him and Linkuriboh, it took months to finally get Saint Kuriboh to open up to them. And yet this guy succeeded in winning over Saint Kuriboh in their first meeting and Saint Kuriboh even allowed him to use his master's deck. Usually, Saint Kuriboh would've gone all savage if anybody dared to carelessly touch his master's deck without permission. Perhaps watching him Duel would help him see what Saint Kuriboh saw in him.
"When I don't have any cards on my Spell or Trap Zone, I can Special Summon Olympios Stratos – Archon from my hand!" Holysaber Special Summoned a monster in the form of a humanoid young adult with premium-blond hair and blue eyes. It was wearing a white cape with blue as an inverted color, white and golden top, black shoes, and black pants.
Olympios Stratos – Archon (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 200/DEF: 500/LV: 2)
"When I control two or more Olympios Stratos monsters on my Field, I can Special Summon Olympios Stratos – Kalogeros from my hand!" Holysaber Special Summoned another monster, this time in the form of a humanoid adult wearing a long beige coat, black pants, and a large silver-ornamented hat. He was holding an orb decorated with silver bird-shaped ornament.
Olympios Stratos – Kalogeros (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000/LV: 5)
"I activate Akolouthos' effect! I can Release this card and add its DEF value to the ATK of another Olympios Stratos monster I control!" Holysaber Released Akolouthos, adding its DEF to Kalogeros, increasing the latter's ATK.
Olympios Stratos – Kalogeros ATK: 1500 = 2500
"Since an Olympios Stratos monster's original ATK or DEF is changed, I can activate Archon's effect! The Olympios Stratos monster whose ATK or DEF is changed can attack twice, but at the end of the Turn, Archon will be sent to the Graveyard!" Holysaber declared. Following his declaration, Archon raised his bronze staff, showering Kalogeros with a bluish light, granting Kalogeros the opportunity to attack twice.
"Battle! I attack Mecha Phantom Beast Tetherwolf with Kalogeros!" Holysaber declared his Battle Phase.
Kalogeros raised his orb. The orb began to shine, forming smaller light orbs that spinning rapidly behind him as he conjured a concentrated crystal surrounded by firefly-shaped flames and fired it at the Mecha Phantom Beast monster. The crystal shattered into six pieces, with three pieces hurling towards the opposing monster.
"When I control a Mecha Phantom Beast Token, Tetherwolf cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects." The attacker revealed.
"But you still take damage!" Holysaber reminded.
Three crystal shards pierced Tetherwolf's body, causing it to crash down. The unknown attacker got pushed back from the blow of the fall.
Unknown LP: 4000 = 3200
"Once again, I attack Tetherwolf!" Holysaber declared his second attack.
Kalogeros' remaining crystal shards hurled forward, once again piercing the Mecha Phantom Beast monster.
Unknown LP: 3200 = 2400
"I set a card and end my Turn." Since Holysaber finished his Turn, Archon was sent to the Graveyard, but its effect still applies to Kalogeros.
"Wow. Not bad! Go, kick his butt, Holysaber!" Dark Ignis cheered, which was mimicked by Linkuriboh next to him.
Ryuki, however, didn't share the same optimism. Everything was so sudden that she couldn't help but keep worrying for Holysaber, hoping he wouldn't suffer any panic attack soon. Holysaber might be able to stand right now because they were in danger, but hysterical strength in the moment of desperation was not something that can last long. And not counting the fact his opponent was trying to off them, Ryuki sensed that there was more danger to him than he lets on. He's not someone to be underestimated.
"Kento...please, get through this..." Ryuki prayed in her heart.
"My Turn. I summon Mecha Phantom Beast Sabre Hawk." The attacker summoned a grey-colored monster in the shape of Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk with the head of saber-toothed cat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.
Mecha Phantom Beast Sabre Hawk (MACHINE/TUNER/WIND/ATK: 2100/DEF: 100/LV: 4)
"Sabre Hawk's Level is increased by the total Levels of all Mecha Phantom Beast Token I control." Like he did with Tetherwolf, he increased the Level of Sabre Hawk from 4 to 7.
"Two Level 7 monsters... Is he planning to...!" Ryuki gasped as she realized what the unknown attacker's next move would be.
"I Overlay Tetherwolf and Sabre Hawk." The attacker held out both his arms with their palms flat and facing downward and then placed his right hand over his left as the Overlay Network appeared underneath the Xyz Materials. Tetherwolf and Sabre Hawk became bits of data and entered nodes on the Overlay Network, which was similar to the Arrowhead portal when performing a Link Summon. Once they were set, energy flowed in four beams past the unknown attacker creating a portal in front of him.
"Xyz Summon. Appear, Rank 7, Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack." He summoned a white-colored monster in the shape of Antonov An-225 Mriya plane with dragon head to his Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.
Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack (MACHINE/XYZ/WIND/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1200/RNK: 7/ORU: 2)
"An Xyz Monster?!" Dark Ignis exclaimed in shock.
"I activate Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack's effect. Once per Turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon 2 Mecha Phantom Beast Tokens." The attacker detached one of two Overlay Units, Special Summoning two Tokens to his Field.
"I activate Magic Card: Air Force Gear. If I control two or more Machine Type Tokens on the Field, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Mecha Phantom Beast from my Deck." The attacker Special Summoned a monster in the form of yellow-colored Harrier jump jet with the head of a leopard.
Mecha Phantom Beast Harrliard (MACHINE/WIND/ATK: 1800/DEF: 800/LV: 4)
"While I control Tokens, Dracossack and Harrliard cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects." The attacker revealed.
"I see, all Mecha Phantom Beast monsters share that same effect..." Holysaber frowned. This would make it difficult for him in the next turn unless he destroys those Tokens first.
"I activate Harrliard's effect. I Release 1 Token to Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Monster from my hand." The attacker Released one of his two Tokens and summoned a monster in the form of black Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft in the shape of batoidea fish.
Mecha Phantom Beast Raystailth (MACHINE/WIND/ATK: 100/DEF: 2100/LV: 3)
"I activate Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack's additional effect. By Releasing 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Monster, I can target 1 card on the Field and destroy it, but it cannot attack this Turn." The attacker Released Harrliard, allowing Dracossack to extend its dragon head and devoured Holysaber's Kalogeros.
"Ah! He destroyed the strongest monster on Holysaber's Field! Now he's wide open!" Dark Ignis shouted in dismay as Holysaber's Monster Zones were both empty.
"Battle. I attack directly with Raystailth." The attacker declared his Battle Phase. Raystailth flew up above Holysaber.
"I activate Air Force Gear's additional effect. I can banish this card and a Machine Type monster in my Graveyard to switch the ATK of a Machine Type monster I control with another monster on either player's Field until the end of this Turn." The attacker banished Air Force Gear and Tetherwolf from his Graveyard, switching Raystailth's ATK with Dracossack's ATK.
Mecha Phantom Beast Raystailth ATK: 100 = 2400
"I activate Trap Card: Hymn of Sleep! When my opponent declared Battle Phase while I have a face-up DIVINE element monsters in my Graveyard, I can change that monster's position to Defense Position!" Holysaber opened his Reverse Card, the only card he had left on his Field. Unfortunately, his opponent had already anticipated that.
"I activate Raystailth's effect. I can Release 1 token to destroy 1 Magic or Trap card on the Field." The attacker Released the remaining Token to destroy Holysaber's Trap.
Raystailth sent out a small bomb that quickly destroyed the Trap Card before it could take effect. With Holysaber's Trap being destroyed, Raystailth continued its attack. It opened fire, sending out a bigger black bomb that exploded right above Holysaber, sending him flying back.
Holysaber LP: 4000 = 1600
"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Aerial Blow. When a WIND Attribute Monster I control inflicts battle damage to opponent, that opponent will be inflicted additional damage equal to half of a WIND Attribute monster I control." The attacker wasn't finished, activating another card from his hand right after the attack.
From the card, a strong gust of wind came out and blew away Holysaber until he hit the wall behind him.
Holysaber LP: 1600 = 400
"When Raystailth inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I can Special Summon 1 Token to my Field." The attacker added, summoning a new Token in Defense Position.
"I set a card and end my Turn." He finished. Raystailth's ATK then reverted to normal.
Mecha Phantom Beast Raystailth ATK: 2400 = 100
"You gotta be kiddin' me... That guy destroyed all the cards on Holysaber's Field just like that!" Dark Ignis held his head in panic. The situation didn't look good for Holysaber.
"He used Dracossack's effect to destroy Holysaber's only monster and then summoned Raystailth because he anticipated Holysaber's Trap while also using it to attack so he could summon a Token after he used up the other Tokens he had. To think he calculated that far..." Ryuki was right not to underestimate Holysaber's opponent.
Holysaber winced in pain from the attack. This was online, so it didn't physically damage his real body, but the pain he felt was very real. He sluggishly back on his feet, one hand on the wall to hold himself up until he faces the Field again. However, he then realized how much he was trembling. This wasn't a new reaction. He had experienced many times, so many that he lost count.
Seeing the Field, a realization dawned on him. He didn't have any monster on his Field. The cards in his hand won't be enough to get him out of this situation. He had lost so many LP.
"Am I... going to lose...?"
It was like a switch inside him was being pressed.
Then, his world turned upside-down in a second.
It felt as if his lungs weren't there as he tried to bring air in. He could feel his muscles straining and the thoughts in his head turn from fear to dizzy confusion. Already his thoughts were becoming jumbled, like he was in a nightmare. All his eyes could see were no longer the temple or the opponent in front of him, but two words that popped out the moment his LP was reduced to nothing.
"You lose!"
Holysaber could hear the air moving through his bronchioles like they were some kind of weird instrument. Already he felt as if concrete had been poured into his airways. The panic and lack of air drove him to start gasping, breathing as if the oxygen had been sucked from the air around him. Holysaber doubled over and then fell to his knees, one hand on the ground to support his weight.
It hurts...
His mind reverted to that of a child again. A child lying down in a white room. He could barely move a finger. Every muscle has seized up. His body was struggling to recover, to repair the damage. The usefulness of his thoughts evaporated some time ago, yet his mind churns on in the darkness. He realized then that he had been holding his breath, and he let his air out in a rush, twinging with pain. The pain brought tears to his eyes.
"H-hey, what's wrong with him?" Dark Ignis asked worriedly as he looked at Holysaber.
Ryuki gasped when Holysaber's face whitened and fell on his knees. Her biggest fear now came true at the worst possible moment.
Holysaber looked at his hands. He saw the small hands, the ones he had ten years ago. He mentally returned to when he was still 7 years old. He couldn't move his little body at all. No. He didn't want to move anymore. He was too exhausted. He wanted to go back home. He had had enough. How many Duels they'd force him to do until they're satisfied? Hadn't he already fought enough? What had he ever done that he deserves this? Was it because he slacked off from his school studies? Was it because he secretly broke his mother's favorite vase? Was it because he lied to his father wanting to buy a book when he actually used the money given to buy a toy? Because he wasn't a good boy?
I can't take this anymore...
I don't want to do this anymore...
I don't want to Duel anymore...
I don't want to be in pain anymore...
If living means I must continue being in pain, I'd rather die!
The thought hit him then.
Die.
That's right. That's the right answer, isn't it? Even if he went back home, nobody would be waiting for him. His parents were not there anymore to welcome him back. But, if he died, he could be with his parents. They'll be together forever in Heaven. Nobody can hurt them over there. They'll be happy forever and ever. That's right. Not even the evilest person in the world can reach him if he's in the afterlife, right?
If I die, I will be free from this pain.
If I die, I won't have to Duel anymore.
He just needs to stay still then. Give up on everything. Don't do anything. Don't try to fight back. Just let it end.
I can finally be...
"Holysaber!"
As he was about to drown in the dark depths, a voice jolted him awake. His swimming vision started to return. Before his eyes could see anything, his head turned to his right side, following where the voice was coming from. Like a spell just had been cast on him, his foggy vision cleared, and he could see Ryuki standing over there.
Ryuki was fidgeting. From the way her teeth repeatedly retract from her lower lip indicated that she was trying her best not to bite her lip. Her hands were trembling, which she wrung together in hope of stopping the trembling. Though her eyes looked like she couldn't bear to watch him and wanted to look away, she didn't. Her eyes stayed on him and only him. Their eyes met.
"Let's go back home together!"
Ryuki finally yelled out. This was the only thing she could think of to help her childhood friend right now. Usually, she would embrace him as tight as she could, and if he started to bite his tongue, she would use her hand as something for him to bite. But that won't be possible in this situation. The only thing she could do right now was to remind him. To remind him that she'll be there with him. He wasn't alone like he was ten years ago.
And that's exactly what Holysaber needed to hear.
His time had stopped after that incident ten years ago. No matter how much he tried to forget, those dark days kept chaining him down, refusing to let him go. There were many times he had thought of giving up. The ones who held him, the ones who helped him every time he had given up was Kazue, who never left his side since his return that day, and...
"Even if it takes time, I'm sure you'll enjoy dueling again one day, Kento."
His best friend who took him out of his shell. If it weren't for his best friend, he wouldn't be here Dueling. Let alone Dueling, he wouldn't have been able to wear a Duel Disk if his best friend didn't give him the courage to try. He wouldn't have been able to touch a card if not for his best friend giving him the push he needed. Even though he's gone now, everything that he had taught him still etched deeply in Holysaber's heart.
"I can't give up. If I lose, he'll target Ryuki and the others. I can't let that happen. I already lost one friend. I don't want to lose another friend."
Holysaber slowly stood up once more. The fear was still there, but it wouldn't stop him. Questions he had about the mysterious assailant were forgotten. He couldn't be careless about them now. He mustn't think of anything that is unnecessary. Focus on the task at hand. If he wants to protect his friend, he must win. Losing is not an option. Don't think of anything but to win.
"I won't let him lay a finger on Kazue!"
BADUMP
Holysaber felt his soul was brought to a different space as the beating in his heart intensified. He felt a pulse then, coming from his Deck. He saw it. A figure of a man. There was no word spoken between them, yet Holysaber somehow knew that he was calling for him. He has been waiting for him.
"My Turn!" Holysaber drew Saint Kuriboh from his Deck, and immediately summoned it. "From my hand, I summon Saint Kuriboh!"
Saint Kuriboh (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 300/DEF: 200/LV: 1)
"When a DIVINE-Attribute monster is Normal or Special Summoned to my Field, I can Special Summon Olympios Stratos – Lerefs from my hand!" Holysaber summoned a monster in the form of a humanoid man with short blond hair and red eyes with white robes over red garbs, both laced with silver outlines and wielding a bible.
Olympios Stratos – Lerefs (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500/LV: 4)
"I activate Lerefs' second effect! Once per Turn, I can halve its ATK to add 1 Olympios Stratos Spell Card from my Deck to my hand."
Olympios Stratos – Lerefs ATK: 1500 = 1250
"I activate Field Spell: Mount Olympus!" As Holysaber activated the Field Spell, their surroundings changed to that of a grassy field filled with clouds and white pillars in the shape of 12 Olympian Gods in Greek mythology.
"When this card is activated, I can add 1 Olympios Stratos monster from my Deck to my hand." Holysaber added one card from his Deck.
"Mount Olympus' second effect! Once per Turn, I can discard a card in my hand to Special Summon 1 Level 5 or lower Olympios Stratos monster from my Deck in Defense Position." Holysaber immediately discarded that he just drew to summon a monster in the form of a humanoid woman with long blond hair that is tied back in a small ponytail by small blue bow and blue eyes with same attire as Lerefs but with blue garb and wielding a silver-colored staff decorated with blue jewels.
Olympios Stratos – Lereia (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0/LV: 5)
His heart was pounding faster, the voice that only he could hear became louder, and the form that only he could see became clearer. Saint Kuriboh turned at him and smiled, which Holysaber returned the same.
"I'm sorry making you wait... Let's do this!" Holysaber's gaze sharpened. He raised his hand up.
"Appear! The circuit that lights up the future!" As Holysaber declared, Arrowhead portal appeared above him.
"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 2 effect monsters. I set Saint Kuriboh, Lerefs, and Lereia in the Link Markers! Circuit Combined!" Saint Kuriboh, Lerefs, and Lereia turned into hurricanes that went to the Bottom-Left marker, Top marker, and Right marker, respectively.
"Sacred sword that embodies hope. Descend from the heavenly sky and guide the tormented souls away from evil oppressors! Link Summon! Appear, Link 3, Olympios Stratos – Elpizo Harpe!" Holysaber summoned the Link Monster in the form of a humanoid male with white and silver armor with lavender spikes on the knees and pauldrons and holding a white harpe sword on the right hand.
Olympios Stratos – Elpizo Harpe (CYBERSE/DIVINE/LINK/ATK: 2300/LNK: 3/LM: Bottom-Left, Top, Right)
"Oh! Here it is! Divine Ignis' ace monster! It's been forever since I last saw it!" Dark Ignis cheered happily at the sight of the familiar Link Monster. With that monster summoned on the Field, Dark Ignis was confident that Holysaber's victory had now been assured.
"Trap Card: Ensnaring Tornado! When my opponent Special Summoned a monster from the Extra Deck, that monster can only attack WIND Attribute monster I control with the highest ATK!" The attacker opened his face-down card the moment Elpizo Harpe appeared on the Field. The tornado came out and its force began to pull the Link Monster towards it.
"I activate Lereia's effect! When this card is in the Graveyard and I control a DIVINE-Attribute Link Monster on my Field, I can Special Summon it to the zone pointed by the Link Monster's Link Arrow, but at the end of Turn, Lereia is banished!" Holysaber summoned back Lereia in the zone pointed by Elpizo Harpe's Bottom-Left Arrow.
"I activate Elpizo Harpe's effect! When this card points to a monster, it gains an ATK equal to the difference between the ATK of a monster linked by its arrow and my current LP! Miracle Invocation!" Elpizo Harpe held his sword close to his chest with its blade facing downwards. His body glowed as Lereia pointed staff at the Link Monster and gave her energy. Holysaber's LP was 400 while Lereia's ATK was 2000, making it 1600 difference and Elpizo Harpe's ATK increased equal to that point.
Olympios Stratos – Elpizo Harpe ATK: 2300 = 3900
"Now it's ATK is higher than Dracossack!" Ryuki exclaimed in relief. Now Holysaber has his chance. She could see the path to victory for him.
"Battle! I attack Mecha Phantom Beast Dracossack with Elpizo Harpe!" Holysaber declared Battle Phase. Elpizo Harpe leaped forward, gripping his sword tight, ready to raise it.
"At this moment, Mount Olympus' last effect is activated! During Battle Phase, all Olympios Stratos monster gains 200 ATK for each Olympios Stratos monster in my Graveyard!" Holysaber added. There were 5 Olympios Stratos monsters in his Graveyard, which made the total ATK that Elpizo Harpe and Lereia received was 1000 points.
Olympios Stratos – Elpizo Harpe ATK: 3900 = 4900
Olympios Stratos – Lereia ATK: 2000 = 3000
"Go, Elpizo Harpe! Katharos Slash!"
Despite the incoming attack, the unknown assailant didn't look perturbed. He merely stood still and watched as Elpizo Harpe swung his sword down at the Xyz Monster, cutting it down into two and blew it up, destroying the Xyz Monster completely.
Unknown LP: 2400 = 0
The assailant was blown away, falling on his back. He lay still, staring at Holysaber who let out a sigh of relief. Behind the mask, he closed his eyes, focusing on the voice speaking to him from the other side.
[[Good job. You have successfully accomplished your mission.]]
NEXT CHAPTER
Chapter 2 – Pursuit of the Truth
ORIGINAL CARDS:
Holysaber's Card
Saint Kuriboh (CYBERSE/DIVINE/EFFECT/ATK: 300/DEF: 200/LV: 1)
When Saint Kuriboh is on the Field, all DIVINE-Attribute monsters cannot be destroyed by Battle or Card effect (except itself). As long as this card is pointed by an Olympios Stratos Link Monster, you'll recover 200 LP each time both players perform Link Summon.
Olympios Stratos – Akolouthos (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) – When there's an Olympios Stratos monster whose ATK or DEF is changed, that monster can attack twice, but at the end of the Turn, this card will be sent to the Graveyard.
Olympios Stratos – Archon (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 200/DEF: 1000/LV: 2) – When you don't have any cards on your Spell or Trap Zone, you can Special Summon Olympios Stratos – Archon from your hand.
Olympios Stratos – Kalogeros (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1000/LV: 5) – When you control two or more Olympios Stratos monsters on your Field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.
Hymn of Sleep (Trap Card) – When your opponent declared Battle Phase while you have a face-up DIVINE-Attribute monsters in your Graveyard, you can change that monster's position to Defense Position.
Olympios Stratos – Lerefs (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 1000/DEF: 500/LV: 4) – When a DIVINE-Attribute monster is Normal or Special Summoned to your Field, you can Special Summon Olympios Stratos – Lerefs from your hand. Once per turn, you can halve its ATK to add 1 Olympios Stratos Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.
Mount Olympus (Field Spell) – When this card is activated, you can add 1 Olympios Stratos monster from your Deck to my hand. Once per Turn, you can discard a card in your hand to Special Summon 1 Level 5 or lower Olympios Stratos monster from your Deck in Defense Position. During Battle Phase, all Olympios Stratos monster gains 200 ATK for each Olympios Stratos monster in your Graveyard.
Olympios Stratos – Lereia (CYBERSE/DIVINE/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0/LV: 5) – Once per Turn,while this card is in the Graveyard, you can banish 1 DIVINE monster in the Graveyard to negate the effect of a monster on the Field.
Olympios Stratos – Elpizo Harpe (CYBERSE/DIVINE/LINK/ATK: 2300/LNK: 3/LM: Bottom-Left, Top, Right) – When this card points to a monster, it gains an ATK equal to the difference between that monster's ATK and your current LP. (More effect to be added later)
Unknown's Card
Air Force Gear (Magic Card) – If you control two or more Machine Type Tokens on the Field, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Mecha Phantom Beast from your Deck. You can banish this card and a Machine Type monster in your Graveyard to switch the ATK of a Machine Type monster you control with another monster on either player's Field until the end of this Turn.
Aerial Blow (Quick-Play Spell) – When a WIND Attribute Monster you control inflicts battle damage to opponent, that opponent will be inflicted additional damage equal to half of a WIND Attribute monster I control
Ensnaring Tornado (Trap Card) – When your opponent Special Summon a monster from the Extra Deck, that monster can only attack WIND Attribute monster you control with the highest ATK.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
How is it for the first chapter? It became longer than I thought it would. My hands won't stop typing. I guess I overdid it? I still hope you enjoy reading it. I'm sorry if you think it's too long. (^_^)
Kento uses "Olympios Stratos" deck, which is an original archetype that doesn't exist in the game, so all the cards would be purely my own creations. Its monsters are all DIVINE-Attribute monsters. Unlike the DIVINE-Attribute monsters in the YGO manga that is considered extremely powerful and only for god monsters, DIVINE-Attribute monsters here are still powerful but not to the point of, for example, how the Egyptian God Cards are treated in the original YGO manga and such. But it's considered ultra rare cards that only Kento possesses it. There are other things too, but further detail would be a spoiler, so I'll stop here.
Unlike my ARC-V fanfics, I decided not to include the next chapter preview because I think that not knowing what will happen beforehand would incite more curiosity and give more surprises for the next chapter. But if you prefer for me to include a preview of the next chapter, I'll reconsider adding it in the next chapter.
TRIVIA
- Sotoba is a wooden plank frequently to be seen in cemeteries and monastery grounds in Japan. Inscriptions on the board are usually the name of the deceased. They are Buddhist prayer sutras for the deceased. Traditionally they are burned at the end of the year and replaced at the beginning of the new year to keep the prayers fresh.
- Like Yusaku's Playmaker pseudonym, Kento's online pseudonym, Holysaber, is based on his own name. His family name, Hijiri is written with kanji 聖 means holy or sacred. His first name, Kento, is written with kanji 剣道. The kanji 剣 (ken) means sword or blade. If following the order of Japanese naming, his name should be Hijiri Kento, and thus, the name Holysaber (not including the kanji 道). Alternatively, Kento's name can also be read as "Kendo", referring to him learning kendo with his uncle.
- Kazue's online pseudonym, Ryuki, is written with the kanji 龍 (ryuu), which means dragon, and kanji 姫 (hime, alternatively can be read as ki), which means princess, so her pseudonym means Dragon Princess. The choice of her name is related to the deck she's using.
- Kento's deck, Olympios Stratos, is Greek for Olympian Army. It is based on Greek mythological deities, objects, and the sorts. I initially wanted to give the deck name Caelestia Ordo, which means Heavenly Order in Latin, because Lightning's Armatos Legio is also a Latin name, but decided to go with Greek to give it more distinction and it fits more with the theme that I've decided.
- Meaning of Olympia Stratos monsters' name in Greek:
1. Akolouthos: Follower or attendant
2. Archon: Ruler
3. Kalogeros: Monk, friar
4. Lerefs: Priest
5. Lereia: Priestess
6. Elpizo Harpe: "Elpizo" means hope, while harpe is a sword in Greek mythology famously known to be used by Perseus to cut Medusa's head.
Please do not forget to review this chapter. I'd like to know your opinion, feedback, criticism, etc.