Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains - The Truth of the Circuit
MASSIVE OVERHAUL!!!
I made 180 changes to this fic to properly incorporate the Master Rule 4 rules. So, every character is changed, some cards are gone, get its effect changed and new cards were added, and the OC MC is kinda goofy, but can be serious at some time (well, this has not been changed whatsoever). All in all, with new storylines and crippling depression (this is me, not the story), we will all move forward so we can reach the truth together!
Chapter 1: Masked, the HERO of Link VRAINS
LINK VRAINS: Unknown Area
Heavily Breathing*
A hooded man wearing a white uniform with a mask that covers everything on his face except his face heavily breaths as he was getting away from something, or someone.
"Darn it… Communication is busted… But at least I got away-"
"Who said that you got away from me?" A male voice said.
Thud*
A person falls down from the sky. The white hooded man stared at the person in front of him. It was a man wearing white helmet and breastplate on top of black short sleeve jacket and dark brown leather pants with yellow stripes including a maroon belt, maroon boots and a grey Insert-type Duel Disk.
"You… Who are you?! Do you know who you are facing right now?!" The white hooded man asked.
"Oh, I know who you are, Knight of Hanoi." The masked man said to him. "And to answer your question, I'm Masked. The HERO of Link VRAINS."
"A hero…?" The KoH said. Then, he slowly started laughing. "HAHAHA!!! What kind of foolery is this?! A person in front of me calling himself the 'Hero of Link VRAINS'? Are you mad?"
"Laugh all you want. I eat guys like you for breakfast." Masked said as he raised his left forearm, which is where his Duel Disk is attached.
"A duel? Heh, it is a mistake that you challenged me, fool!" The KoH raised his left forearm.
"Duel!" Both of them shouted.
Masked: 4000 LP
VS.
Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP
"I will go first." Masked said.
Turn 1: Masked
He then looks at his hand. "First of all, I'll activate Xtra Take Over. I can send up to five cards from the top of my Deck to the GY, and I'm sending all five cards."
Masked then excavated five cards from the top of his Deck and sent them to the GY.
"Hmm… There's nothing I can use now.
"I'll end my turn." Masked suddenly said.
"What? Is this what a guy who called himself the 'Hero of Link VRAINS' can do? Pathetic." KoH said. "It's my turn!"
Turn 2: Knight of Hanoi
"I draw!" He then looks at his hand. "Perfect hand to demolish a delusional guy like you."
"First of all, I'll activate Hand Destruction! Both of us discard two cards and also draw two cards!"
Both KoH and Masked discarded two cards from their hands, and drew two cards from their Deck.
"And this is where the fun begins!" The KoH shouted. "I'll summon Jack Wyvern!"
Jack Wyvern ATK/1800 Lvl: 4
"And if you control a monster on your field, I can Special Summon this to my side of the field from my hand! Come on out, Hack Worm!"
A wyrm that almost looks like Jack Wyvern are summoned to his field.
Hack Worm ATK/400 Lvl: 1
"With it on the field, I can activate Jack Wyvern effects!" The KoH exclaimed. "I'll banish this card and one other Machine monster I control to Special Summon a DARK monster in my GY."
"A DARK monster…?" Masked then realised what card the KoH just discarded back then. "Don't tell me…"
"Yes, it is! Come forth, Cracking Dragon!"
"ROAR!!!" The black mechanical dragon roared loudly.
Cracking Dragon ATK/3000 Lvl: 8
" Cracking Dragon, huh?" Masked said without a slight of interest.
"It's time to end this." The KoH said as he activated a card from his hand. "I'll activate the Equip Spell, Axe of Despair, and equip it to my Cracking Dragon. It gains 1000 ATK!"
Cracking Dragon ATK/4000
"Battle! Cracking Dragon, attack this buffoon directly. Traffic Blast!"
The dragon then directed a heat blast at Masked.
Boom*
A huge shockwave is created after the attack, creating a thick smoke around the duelling area.
"Heh, what a waste of time." As the KoH about to leave, a voice can be heard from the smoke.
"Hey, this isn't over yet." Masked said, as he was fine as ever. However, there was a man in white robes standing in front of him.
"How are you still standing?!"
"Oh, yeah… I activated the second effect of Support SORCERER - Peacemaker. If my opponent's monster attacks directly, I can Special Summon this card from my GY and immediately end the Battle Phase. But it will banish itself if it leaves the field." Masked explained.
"Tch… You are able to survive this turn, but it won't be long." The KoH said. "I set two cards face-down and I'll end my turn."
"Heh, my face-down cards are Sakuretsu Armor and Limiter Removal. If he tries anything funny, I can activate these cards."
"Well then, it's my turn."
Turn 3: Masked
"I draw." After he drew the card, he activated a card effect from his GY. "I activate Xtra Take Over. During the Standby Phase, except the turn this card sends to the GY, I can banish this card to draw a card from my deck."
He drew a card and instantly activated it.
"I'll then activate the Spell Card, Harpie's Feather Duster to destroy all of your Spell Cards."
"What?!" The KoH plan is screwed up right now, but he can still make a play. "In that case, I'll activate the Quick Play Spell, Limiter Removal to double my Cracking Dragon ATK!"
"Nah, I won't allow that." Masked said as he activated a card to respond to KoH card. "I activate the Quick Play Spell, Forbidden Lance to reduce your Cracking Dragon ATK by 800 and make it unaffected by the effects of other S/T Cards."
"Grr…" All of KoH's plans are in fumbles right now. As of now, all of his S/T Cards are destroyed, lowering his Cracking Dragon ATK.
Cracking Dragon ATK/2200
But hey, at least he have-
"And I'll activate Effect Veiler effect to negate the effect of Cracking Dragon until the end of this turn."
Now the fate of the KoH is set.
"Aight, it's time to make my move." Masked said. "I'll activate the Field Spell, Xtra Society HQ."
A colourful wave emitted from Masked Duel Disk.
"When this card is activated, I can add one Support monster card from my Deck to my hand." His Deck Slot then ejected a card. "And I'll add Support HERO Honest Eclipser."
After that, he pointed his index finger to the sky, as a lightning bolt shot out from his finger.
"Appear, the circuit to the truth!" A Circuit appears in the sky. "Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning requirements are one Effect Monster. I set Peacemaker into the Link Markers!"
The monster then flies into the bottom arrow.
"Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1, Wonderiboh!"
"Kuri, Kuri!" A Winged Kuriboh with a red sorcerer hat appeared on the right Extra Monster Zone.
Wonderiboh ATK/300 Link 1 (B)
"Now then, I'll activate the second effect of Xtra Society HQ. If I control no monster on the Main Monster Zone, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Support monster from my hand. And I'll Special Summon Honest Eclipser!"
An Honest wearing a suit of armour and a helmet appears in the middle Monster Zone.
Support HERO Honest Eclipser ATK/1000 Lvl: 3
" Honest Eclipser effects! I'll return this card back to my hand." Masked said.
"You returned a monster that you just summoned back to your hand?" The KoH is confused on why Masked made that move.
"By doing this, I can Special Summon any Level 4 or lower Support monster from my Deck." He explained. "Appear, Support HERO Sub Zero!"
A bluish white armoured man with a cape appears on the middle Monster Zone, replacing Honest Eclipser.
Support HERO Sub Zero ATK/700 Lvl: 3
" Sub Zero effects activated when he was Special Summon. If he's the only monster in my Main Monster Zone, I can draw two cards." Masked then drew his cards. "Then, I'll activate Wonderiboh effect! During the turn it was Link Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Effect Monster from my GY. Revive, Support MECH D-Cerberus!"
A mechanical dog with three heads appears on the Monster Zone that Wonderiboh points to.
Support MECH D-Cerberus ATK/900 Lvl: 3
"Both Wonderiboh and D-Cerberus effects activated!" Masked shouted. "If you control a monster with more than 1900 ATK, D-Cerberus can tribute itself to summon its other two copies from my Deck."
He sent the monster to the GY, as his Duel Disk ejected two cards from his Deck. He picked the cards and placed them on the field.
Support MECH D-Cerberus ATK/900 Lvl: 3
Support MECH D-Cerberus ATK/900 Lvl: 3
"Then, It's Wonderiboh turn. When a monster is summoned to the zone that its point to, I can banish a Spell Card to add another Spell Card that has a different name than the one I banished." Masked explained. "I banish Harpie's Feather Duster to add Link Weapon to my hand."
" Link Weapon? That's an Equip Spell that can only be equipped to a Link Monster with Link Rating equal or lower than 3." The KoH stated. "Don't tell me that-"
"Appear! The circuit to the truth!" Another Link Circuit appears in the sky. "Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning requirements are one monster with different card types. I set Wonderiboh into the Link Markers. Circuit Combine!"
It then flies to the bottom marker.
"Link Summon! Link 1, Xtra Support MECH Blaze Runner!"
A robotic man wearing a white armor with red lines appeared on the right Extra Monster Zone.
Xtra Support MECH Blaze Runner ATK/1000 Link 1 (B)
"Appear once again, the circuit that leads to the future!" Another circuit appears again. "Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning requirements are two Effect Monsters! I set Sub Zero and one of my D-Cerberus into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!"
Sub Zero went to the top marker while D-Cerberus went to the bottom marker.
"Link Summon! Link 2, Xtra Code Talker!"
"Hah!" A grey armored man with gold outline and red lines on his black skin holding a short sword is summoned under Blaze Runner Link Arrow.
Xtra Code Talker ATK/1300 Link 2 (T/B)
"Wait a minute…" The KoH did a quick scan on the monster, and he couldn't believe what he just saw. "A Cyberse?!"
"Yes." Masked answered. "And by using them, I'll defeat you!"
He then pointed towards the sky again.
"Appear once more, the circuit to the truth!" The circuit appears for the fourth time. "Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning conditions are two or more Effect Monsters! I set my last D-Cerberus, Xtracode Talker and a card in my hand!"
"What?!" The KoH said. "That's against the rules!"
"It is not, as the card in my hand said, that if I'm about to summon a Link Monster a Link Rating above 3, I can use this card in my hand as a material!" Masked revealed the card, which almost looked similar to Xtra Code Talker. "And I'll set Support HERO Xtra Coder into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!"
D-Cerberus went to the bottom, while Xtra Code Talker and Xtra Coder went to the bottom left and bottom right.
"Link Summon! Appear, the mightiest Cyberse! Link 3, Xtracode Talker!"
A monster then materialises on the field, revealing a knightly person with grey armour with golden outline and red lines all over its black skin. And on his right hand, he wielded a black longsword.
Xtracode Talker ATK/2300 Link 3 (BL/B/BR)
"A-A Link 3 Cyberse Monster?!"
"I'll activate Xtra Coder, Xtracode Talker and Xtra Code Talker effects!" Masked said, ignoring the KoH. " Xtra Code Talker effects first. If this card is used as a Link Material for a Link Monster with original ATK of 2300 or more, I can add one Monster Card or a Spell Card from my Deck to my hand. And I'll add the Spell Card, Xtra Infiltrator."
"Next, it's Xtracode Talker effects! If he's Special Summoned, I can add one Favourite card to my hand." Masked continued. "And I'll add the Equip Spell, Code of Justice."
"What?! But the card name doesn't have any Favorite in it?!"
"Did I forget to mention that this card is treated as a Favorite card? If not, my bad." Masked said nonchalantly. "And now, it's Xtra Coder effect! If he's used to Link Summon a Link-3 or higher monster, I can target one monster on my field to increase their ATK equal to their original one. And I chose Xtracode Talker! Xtra Charge"
Xtracode Talker ATK/4600
" Blaze Runner effects! If this card points to a monster with different card types, he increases their ATK by 1000. Heat Motivator!"
A red aura enveloped the monster it points to.
Xtracode Talker ATK/5600
"I'm not done yet, as I'll activate the Spell Card, Xtra Infiltrator. I send two cards from the top of my Deck to add a Spell Card from either GY to my hand." He said as he sent two cards from his Deck to the GY.
"From either of our GY?!"
"Yeah, and I'll be borrowing your Axe of Despair." Masked said as the card materialised in his hand. "And now the circuit to victory has already been set!
"I'll activate Axe of Despair to Xtracode Talker to increase his ATK by another 1000!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/6600
"6600 ATK?!" The KoH is worried about his situation right now.
"Then, I'll activate Link Weapon and equipped it to Xtracode Talker! I can only equip this card to a Link Monster with a Link Rating of 3 or lower. And it increases Xtracode Talker ATK equal to his Link Rating times 500!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/8100
"And I'll activate the last Equip Spell on my hand, Code of Justice! I can equip this card to a Link Monster with a Link Rating of 3 or higher. And it goes to Xtracode Talker! It also increases Xtracode Talker ATK equal to his Link Rating times 500."
The monster now is covered with white aura.
Xtracode Talker ATK/9600
"But that's not only its effect, It also gained another effect equal to the number of cards the equipped monster points to."
"What?! But he's in the Main Monster Zone. How come he pointed to any Monster Cards?!"
"I said 'cards', not 'monsters'. How about you take a great look at the field right now." Masked said to him.
The KoH inspected the field board, and instantly understood what Masked meant.
"T-This is…!"
Since Xtracode Talker is in the Main Monster Zone, all of his Link Arrow, which is bottom left, bottom and bottom right, points to the S/T Zone. And the zone it points to is occupied with Axe of Despair, Link Weapon and Code of Justice.
"Yes. When the equipped monster points to more than a single card, it gains 500 ATK equal to the amount of cards it points to. And since Xtracode Talker points to three cards, it gains another 1500 ATK!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/11100
"I'm not done yet, as I'll activate Xtracode Talker effect!" Masked continued. "This card, and the monsters it points to, gains 500 ATK for each card he points to. With this, his ATK increases by another 1500 ATK! Xtra Integration!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/12600
"1-12600 ATK?!" Now, the KoH is doomed.
"Battle! Xtracode Talker, attack his Cracking Dragon!" Masked ordered.
"Hah!" Xtracode Talker then leaped forward with his sword in the front.
" Code of Justice doesn't allow you to activate any card or effects when the equipped monster is involved in a battle while it points to three or more cards." Masked added. "And, it also doubled the damage you received involving the equipped monster while it points to two or more cards."
"D-DOUBLED?!" The KoH shouted.
"Finish this for good, Xtracode Talker! Xtracode Slash!"
"Hah!"
Xtracode Talker slashed the dragon in half.
Boom*
"ARGH!!!" The KoH screamed loudly.
Knight of Hanoi: 4000 LP - (12600 ATK - 2200 ATK) x 2 = 0 LP
Bam*
His body then sent flying off from the top of the building. But Masked then fires off an anchor from his Duel Disk to latch it on the KoH's leg, preventing him from falling down.
"Grr…" The KoH stared at Masked, who's standing near the edge of the building.
"Now then, let me ask a few questions, and if your answer satisfies me, then I'll let you go. How's that sound?" Masked said to him.
"N-Never!"
"Well, you do you."
Click* Zzz*
Masked pressed a button on his Duel Disk and a lighting current zapped through the anchor wire and hit the KoH.
"ARGH-"
The KoH then is then forcibly logged out, and has his account deleted by the anchor.
" Sigh*" Masked sighed loudly "No luck, huh… Well then, I can continue tomorrow."
He then logged out from Link VRAINS.
…
"..." On a building next to the one that Masked and the KoH duels, there's a man with a similar get up as Masked, blending himself with the scenery. "Another win. As expected from you…"
Real Life: Den City's High School
"Okay, class. Make sure you memorised page 105 till 109. We will have a quiz related to those topics." A woman wearing a suit said. "Alright, class is dismissed."
Mumble* Mumble* Mumble*
A lot of students stood up after the teacher left the class. However, a boy with grey hair and purple eyes, wearing a school uniform with a red tie and a new Duel Disk created by Sol Technology on his left wrist stood up and packed his things. He then walked to the side and climbed through the stairs. As he walks, he glances over the individual who is currently sleeping with his head laying on his arms on the table.
"Yusaku Fujiki, huh? How many times has he been sleeping in class? And how many times has he skipped class this week… Nah, it's not my problem. Even though he does sleep during class and occasionally skips it, his grade is above average. So he's either a genius, a lazy and unethical bum, or both at the same time." The grey haired boy ignored him and continued to walk away until he left the class.
"Yo, Hiratani!" A person stopped him by patting his shoulder. He then turned around and looked downward. He saw a chubby boy who's wearing the same uniform as him.
"Shima? Is there anything that you want with me?" The grey haired boy asked.
"Yeah." He said. "I want to talk to you about something."
"Which is…?"
The chubby boy then leaned towards him.
"Have you heard about Playmaker?"
"Playmaker…" The grey haired boy wondered. "The guy who always fought the group called 'The Knights of Hanoi' or something?"
"Yeah!"
"Sorry, man. I'm busy this evening." He replied. "Oh… I know, how about you wake Fujiki up? Maybe he's interested in your story on Playmaker."
"Wait, really?"
"If you don't try, then you wouldn't know." The grey haired boy then stared at something near Yusaku. "Insert-type Duel Disk, huh? Seems like someone appreciates the classic card-to-card game."
"Ok… Oh, and the Prez wants you to join the next club meeting, as you haven't attended one for a while." The chubby boy said to him.
"Alright. See ya tomorrow." The grey haired boy said to him. He then walked out of the class. "Playmaker, huh-"
Bam*
As he walked out of the class, he accidentally bumped into another student.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" He quickly said.
"Oh, no. You don't have to." A feminine voice said. In front of him is a girl with fairly long hair that reaches her shoulders wearing round glasses and the same uniform as the grey haired boy. "Yukiya Hiratani… Is it?"
"Ah, yes. That's me." Yukiya said. "How do you know me?"
"Oh, you have been kind to the talk from fellow students, especially the girls." The white haired girl explained. "It seems like they're interested in you."
"Ah, that explains the letters. Nobody in this day and age writes letters like that anymore. People nowadays prefer to email someone" Yukiya thought. "Well, I'm not really interested in that 'kind' of thing. I have a lot of stuff to do. So, I can't focus on that kind of stuff right now."
"I see. I understand that really well. You can't be distracted by many things, or you will lose sight of your goal."
"Right. Anyway, I really need to go right now."
"Ah, sorry for taking your time."
"Don't worry about it." Yukiya then walked past her. After taking a few steps, he turned back to face the girl. "Um… May I ask for your name?"
"Oh, it's Ryouha. Ryouha Kagiya."
"Ryouha… Kagiya-san… Alright, see you tomorrow." Yukiya said, then left.
"Yukiya Hiratani…" Ryouha muttered. "I wonder what the others see in him. He's just an average guy."
She then walked the opposite way from him.
Den City's Apartment: Yukiya's Resident
"I'm home." The grey haired boy said as he pulled off his shoes and arranged them tiddly on the floor. He then went inside.
"..." He stared at the clean, yet empty living room. By empty, the living room literally doesn't have any furniture at all.
"Welcome back, Yukiya-sama!" A robotic voice said. The grey haired boy, Yukiya, stared down to see a grey small toy sized cleaning robot on the floor.
"Ah… I'm back." Yukiya kneels down and pet the little robot on its head. He then walked to a room with a fingerprint machine on the doorknob. He pressed his thumb slightly to open up the door, revealing a room with a chair in front of a table with a couple of monitors plugged to a supercomputer and a massaging chair. He then placed his bag to the side and pulled out a grey Insert-type Duel Disk from it.
Yukiya then took off his new Duel Disk on his left wrist and equipped the Insert-type one instead.
After that, he sat down in front of his computer and got into business.
Click* Click* Click*
"SOL Tech is going to do an all-range scan in Link VRAINS?" He muttered. "Really? There's a big event tonight. Why did they choose to do that…
"Wait… If there's a big event tonight, the cams would be focused on that. Which means… They're searching for someone, or something that the public can't see. However…
"Link VRAINS will be vulnerable during that state. If Hanoi decided to attack… Actually…"
Yukiya then stood up and instantly sat down on the massage chair.
"Just a few hours before the scan starts. I guess that I can rest a bit." He then picks up an eye mask next to the chair and wears it. After a few minutes, he had fallen asleep.
You lose!
Zap*
"ARGH!!!" A boy wearing a VR Headset is electrocuted as he loses the duel. "Huh… Huh…"
He then stood up, even though his body was all weak.
"Ugh…" Even though he's weak physically, his mental strength is enough to compensate for all of this torturous day-to-day routine. "How many days did I stay here… Everyday is a duel, eat and sleep, duel, eat and sleep, duel, eat and sleep… I'm getting sick of this…"
"Kuri, kuri?" A hairy beast with wings cry at him.
" Winged Kuriboh… I don't know if I'm hallucinating or I could literally see you right now, but I'm glad that you're here to accompany me." The boy with grey hair said to it.
"Kuri, kuri!" It then got closer and hugged him.
"Thank you…" He then noticed that there's no notification for him to continue duelling again. "Seems like it's night time…"
Vroom*
The boy looked up and noticed that there's a drone going down while holding a silver plate.
After the drone landed the plate, it flew up again. The boy then went towards the plate.
"A full meal, huh…" He picked up the plate and walked to the corner of the room. He covered himself with a red blanket next to him and proceeded to eat the food. As he was drinking the milk, he heard a feminine voice speaking to him.
"You…"
"...Huh?" The boy looked up, but saw no one. "...I'm totally hallucinating right now."
"Don't give up now…" The voice continues.
"That voice again… Am I going crazy right now?" The boy muttered. "I just want to get out of here…"
"One thing…"
"Huh…?"
"Think only of a single thing in your mind. Whether it's winning, waiting for the food to come, sleeping or getting home. Cast away everything in your thoughts and focus on a single goal. Clear your mind and you will be able to defeat even the strongest foe in the world."
"Clear… my mind?" The boy muttered. "Think only about a single thing…"
He continued to eat his food, as the words kept replaying in his mind.
A few days later…
You lose!
Zap*
"ARGH!!!" The boy then gets electrocuted again after losing in a streak. "Huh… Huh…"
He slowly breathed in and out, as he stood still.
"Another loss…" He muttered. "Will I even get out of this place…"
Duel Challenge Reactivate! Duel Start!
Then, the words on his VR Headset appear, as a silhouette appears in front of him.
Yukiya Hiratani: 4000 LP
VS.
???: 4000 LP
"Turn 1." A voice said.
Turn 1: ???
"Activate Chicken Game. Chicken Game effect. First Effect."
???: 3000 LP
"Draw. Special Summon Junk Forward."
Junk Forward ATK/900 Lvl: 3
"Tribute Junk Forward to Tribute Summon Jinzo."
Jinzo ATK/2400 Lvl: 6
"Activate Amplifier and equip to Jinzo. Set 1 card. End turn."
"Ok…" Yukina muttered. "Just clear your mind and focus…"
He closed his eyes and started thinking.
"A card in his hand, a Chicken Game on the field, Jinzo with Amplifier and a set card… The card in his hand is probably a Niburu, which means I can only summon four monsters times before its effect can be activated. Since he has Jinzo with its Equip Spell, he can activate his trap cards. And this trap card he could have something along the lines of returning or shuffling cards back to the Deck, since my Deck doesn't have that many monsters that are unaffected by card effects. If my prediction is correct, then I can win this turn." Yukiya muttered. "It's my turn!"
Turn 2: Yukiya Hiratani
"I draw! When you control monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight from my hand!"
The knightly monster appears on the field.
Lord Gaia the Fierce Knight ATK/2300 Lvl:7
"Then, I Normal Summon Marauding Captain!"
A knight with two swords appeared on the field.
Marauding Captain ATK/1300 Lvl: 3
"When he's summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower monster in my hand. Come, Command Knight!"
The female knight gracefully landed on the field.
Command Knight ATK/1600 Lvl: 4
The grey haired boy then points to the sky.
"Appear, my circuit!"
A small circuit appears in the digital world.
"Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning requirements are three monsters with different names. I set Lord Gaia, Marauding Captain and Command Knight into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!"
The three monsters then went towards the top, bottom left and bottom right of the circuit.
"Link Summon! Link 3, Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos!"
"Hah!" The knight with a sword and shield on his hand appears on Yukiya's side.
Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos ATK/3000 Link 3 (BL/T/BR)
"Then, I'll activate the Equip Spell, Noble Arms - Arfeudutyr and equip it to Black Luster Soldier! Next, I'll activate another Equip Spell, Assault Armor to him! I'll then send this card to make Black Luster Soldier to gain an additional attack!
"After that, I use Noble Arms - Arfeudutyr effect to reduce Black Luster Soldier ATK by 500 to target one set card you control and destroy it! Since there's only one set card you control, that would be the obvious target!"
Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos ATK/2500
Boom*
The set card was destroyed.
" Drowning Mirror Force, huh? But it seems like you're the one who's going to drown!
"And to top it off, I use your Chicken Game second effect to destroy itself! Grr…!"
Yukiya Hiratani: 3000 LP
Boom*
The Field Spell destroyed itself.
"Battle! Black Luster Soldier, attack Jinzo!"
"Hah!"
He slashes Jinzo in half.
Boom*
???: 3000 LP - (2500 ATK - 2400 ATK) = 2900 LP
" Black Luster Soldier effects kicked in! If he destroys a monster, I can activate either of his three effects. And I'll use his first effect, which increase his ATK by 1500!"
Black Luster Soldier - Soldier of Chaos ATK/5000
"And since I used Assault Armor effect, he can attack again! Go, Black Luster Soldier! Chaos Blade!"
"Hah!" After the last strike, all of the AI in Yukiya's VR Headset's LP reached 0.
???: 2900 LP - 5000 ATK = 0 LP
You win!
He saw the words on the VR Headset.
"Oh wow… I guess clearing out your mind and only focusing on a single thing does help. This is the first time I win a duel this easily."
After a few seconds, a familiar voice spoke to him.
"Congratulations on the win…"
"You…" Yukiya takes off the VR Headset and looks around the top. "Where are you? Are you trapped here as well?"
"You don't have to worry about me. All of this… Will end soon…"
"What do you mean by that?" Yukiya asked. But after a few seconds, he hasn't received a reply. "Hey, what do you-"
Click*
The light in the room suddenly turned off.
"Huh?"
Creak*
Suddenly, the wall in front of him opened and a few guys in orange uniforms came in.
"Ah… So that's what the voice meant…" Slowly, the boy slowly closed his eyes, as his leg felt weak, causing him to faint.
Beep* Beep* Beep*
Yukiya's Duel Disk started beeping.
"Hmm…" He slowly opened his eyes. "The scan has already started…"
Yukiya then stood up, while his Duel Disk ejected a Deck Slot that was already filled with a Deck.
"Dive Mode: Standby." When he said that, the massage chair then morphed into the floor, and created a circle under the mat he stood on. "Neuron Link Stabilisation… 100%. Damage Absorber… 100%. Server Network… 100%. All regulations has been checked."
Yukiya then held both of his hands towards the front.
"Into the VRAINS!" He shouted, as the circle around him formed a cylinder, covering his whole body.
ID: Masked
Password: ••••••••
Neuron Link Loading…
Into the VRAINS!
Yukiya consciousness is teleported to a closed off space where he can enter LINK VRAINS. Here, this is where his avatar is materialised.
His school uniform is changed to a tight grey bodysuit, while a white breastplate materialises on his chest. Seconds later, both of his black short sleeve jacket and dark brown leather pants with yellow stripes including the maroon belt, and his maroon boots also materialised. Then, his grey metal backpack also materialised on his back. And lastly, the helmet that dubbed Yukiya as the Masked also materialised. With that, his identity as the Masked had already been completed.
Masked then warped into the location that has a lot of people, as those places are the ones that KoH usually roamed around.
Link VRAINS: Hanoi's Lair
Two people are staring at the view of Link VRAINS while SOL Technology scans its server.
"Den City's security level has begun to decrease." A grey haired man with white uniform said to the other person.
"Heh!" The person with a transparent mask smiled. "I was waiting for this moment!"
Then, two green circles formed behind him, teleporting two people behind him. One of them is a male Knight of Hanoi, and the other one is a female Knight of Hanoi.
"Revolver-sama, did you call for me?" The male KoH said to him, while the female one stayed silent.
"The Ignis will flee to Link VRAINS. Do whatever it takes to capture the Ignis." Revolver said to the male KoH.
"Roger." The male KoH then disappeared to fulfil his mission.
"..." The female KoH doesn't do any movement and is still silent from the beginning.
"Why are you still here?" Revolver asked her.
"...What we are doing right now will hurt a lot of people." The female KoH said.
"I know." Revolver replied. "However, the Ignis is a threat that must be eliminated at once. But first, we need to find the Cyberse World through it first before we eliminate it."
"Don't worry too much, Adrianne-sama." The grey haired man said. "A small sacrifice is needed for this operation to succeed."
"Stay quiet, Spectre." Adrianne said to him.
"Understood." Spectre bowed and backed down.
"Then, what should I do?" She asked Revolver.
"Here." The screen then suddenly shows two pictures, one was a duellist named Playmaker, and the other was Masked. "These two duelists have slowed down our operation. Unfortunately, these are the only sources we can find through the Knights before their accounts were deleted. If you happen to stumble into either of them, duel and defeat them."
"Are you sure that either of them will appear in Link VRAINS?" Adrianne asked.
"I'm sure. Whenever we make our moves, both of them will in some way or another try to disturb our operation. With one of them gone, our operation will run smoothly." Revolver explained.
"I see… I will scout the area to see whether they're there just like you say."
"Okay. Don't do anything reckless." Revolver said to her.
"You out of all people doesn't deserve to say that, Ryoken." Adrianne then disappeared from the lair.
Swoosh*
Masked then dive down from the sky. As he almost reaches the ground, he widens up his arms and legs, materialising a wingsuit on his clothes. He then glided to the nearest building and landed safely.
"So much so for wingsuiting." He muttered. "But damn, the Hanoi really went hard here. As if they wanted to destroy the Link VRAINS or something. But they're the key to the truth. So I can't eliminate them all. But gotta find them first for me to interrogate."
Masked then jumped down from the building and opened his wingsuit to scout the area.
"This whole place is a mess…" Adrianne said, as she watched the city that was crumbled by Number 10's Cracking Dragon on top of the building that was still intact. "Is this all worth it to find a single Ignis? I know that the Ignis will lead to the downfall of humanity. However…"
Swoosh*
Her thoughts then were interrupted by the powerful gaze of wind.
"Wait… This feeling…"
"Don't tell me…" Masked, who's still gliding can feel it too.
Few seconds later, a purple wind then streamed through beside the building.
"Data Storm!" Both of them shouted.
"But how come there's a Data Storm in the middle of Link VRAINS?" Masked muttered. "From what I know, the only thing that can cause this is a program that houses a potent Data Material. Don't tell me the things that the SOL Tech are searching for are… If that's the case, the Hanoi are definitely after it as well."
He then closed off his wingsuit and fell down straight to the Data Storm.
"D-Booster!" Masked shouted. After a few seconds, a hybrid surfboard with a thruster on its rail soars down from the sky. He then landed on the surfboard's deck and surfed through the Data Storm.
"I can't believe a Data Storm would appear in the middle of Link VRAINS." Adrianne muttered. "The Ignis must have caused this. If that's the case, then Number 10 must have engaged with Playmaker in a Speed Duel. Which means, only one person left that Revolver wanted me to hunt. But where could he be…"
Swoosh*
Adrianne felt the strong current of the Data Storm. And also, she also heard loud thrusters being emitted from the Data Storm.
"What's that?!" She looked down and saw a person wearing a helmet surfing through the Data Storm. "Oh, it's just one of the people that Revolver wanted me to duel… ?!"
After she noticed this, she immediately leaped backwards.
"I guess that Speed Duel Simulator really helped me this time." Adrianne then ran swiftly and jumped from the building. "C-Booster!"
A black longboard with green lines on it soars down from the sky. She then landed on the deck and surfed through the Data Storm to chase after her target.
"Wait… Why did I feel like I was being chased by someone?" Masked muttered. He then turned around, and saw a person who surfed the Data Storm just like him. "A KoH?! But… A girl? There's a girl in KoH? That's new to me."
"Bounty Hunter, Masked." Adrianne said as she got closer to him. "The one who dubbed himself the HERO of Link VRAINS. And the one who always interrupts our operation."
"Yup! That's me!" He replied. "Didn't know I was famous among the Hanoi's, especially with a lady. Cha, chau!"
"Stop joking around. I have a task in hand, which is to eliminate you from our way." She said to him.
"Scary…" Masked muttered. "But I'll accept your challenge. Since we're here, how about we do a Speed Duel? If you win, you can do whatever you want with me. And if I win, I'll be able to do whatever I want with you. Hehehe…"
"What a creep…" Adrianne muttered. She must definitely win this duel.
"Okay then, let's begin…" Masked then turned around and surfed past Adrianne.
"Speed Duel!" Both of them exclaimed.
Masked: 4000 LP
VS.
Adrianne: 4000 LP
"I'm the one who's going to move first!" Masked exclaimed.
Turn 1: Masked
"First, I'll activate Xtra Take Over to send five cards from the top of my Deck to the GY." Masked excavated cards from his Deck and sent it to the GY. "Then, I'll send three cards from the top of my Deck to the GY in order to Special Summon Support HERO Advanced Trooper in defense!"
A red trooper with a blaster appears on the field while covering his body with it.
Support HERO Advanced Trooper DEF/2100 Lvl: 3
"A level 3 monster that has 2100 for his ATK and DEF? Furthermore, he has eight cards on his GY. What could he be planning…" Adrianne muttered.
"After that, I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
"Hmm… A solid board. However, it's not enough to stop me. It's my turn!" Adrianne exclaimed.
Turn 2: Adrianne
"I draw!" She took a look at the card that she drew. "I set a card face down. Then, I'll activate Heavy Storm to destroy every Spell and Trap card on the field.
"What?! That means the card that you set will also be destroyed!" Masked said, as both of their set cards are destroyed.
" Torrential Tribute and Drowning Mirror Force. Those are dangerous cards that you have in your Deck. But it's not going to help you either way."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Let me show you what I meant by that. By activating a Trap Card!"
"Trap Card?! Don't tell me…"
"Yes. It's the card that I destroyed with my Heavy Storm. All for Zero effect activated! If this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon a monster with either 0 ATK or DEF. Using its effect, I summon Cracking Chobham Dragon in defense."
"Roar! " A Cracking Dragon with extra armor on its body appears on the field.
Cracking Chobham Dragon DEF/3000 Lvl: 8
"A new Cracking Dragon?!"
"It's not. You may haven't seen any Knights using cards like this. It's because Cracking Dragon Deck is my specialty." Adrianne explained.
"That means… She's the strongest among the KoH." Masked concluded.
"I'll activate Chobham effects! If it's Special Summoned, I can target one monster on your side of the field and decrease its ATK or DEF depending on what position Chobham was Summoned by 200 times the target Levels until the end of this turn, and then deal the lost ATK as damage to you. Crack Fall!"
"Roar!"
Support HERO Advanced Trooper DEF/1500
"Grr…!"
Masked: 4000 LP - 600 = 3400 LP
"She dealt the first blood…" Masked muttered.
"Then, I activate Machine Duplication! I can target one Machine monster I control with 500 less ATK and Special Summon two other monsters with the same name as it from my Deck." Adrianne explained.
"She planned to build a defensive board on top of dealing 1200 damage to me…" Masked thought that was what she's going to do. However…
" Chobham name is treated as Cracking Dragon when it's on the field or GY." She stated.
"What?! That means…!"
"Come! Both of my Cracking Dragon!" Adrianne exclaimed.
Both of the dragons then flew beside Chobham.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Cracking Dragon ATK/3000 Lvl: 8
Cracking Dragon ATK/3000 Lvl: 8
"Two-No, three Cracking Dragon on the field?!" Masked now is worried, because this is the first time he faced three of these monsters at once.
"Now, it's time to open up the circuit to the future!" Adrianne said while pointing her right hand towards the sky, making the circuit appear. She then went inside the circuit with her monsters. "Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning requirements are 3 Level 5 or higher DARK Machine monsters with the same name. I set Chobham and both of my Cracking Dragon into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!"
Three of the monsters then went into the bottom left, bottom and bottom right markers.
"Link Summon! The titan that will rule them all! Come! Link 3, Cracking Titan!"
Thud* Creak*
A giant black robot with green lines on his body appears on the left Extra Monster Zone.
Cracking Titan ATK/3000 Link 3 (BL/B/BR)
"Link 3 monster with 3000 ATK… This must be her Ace Monster." Masked muttered.
" Cracking Titan cannot be affected by Link Monsters effect, also, if the materials to summon this card include a Cracking Dragon, it is also unaffected by Spells and Traps."
"That's one hell of a monster…"
"Then, if you control a monster on your field, I can Special Summon Crack Wyrm from my hand in defense!"
A wyrm that almost looks like Cracking Dragon are summoned to his field.
Crack Wyrm DEF/0 Lvl: 1
" Crack Wyrm cannot be targeted for an attack while I control a Cracking monster. And this card name is also treated as Cracking Dragon while on the field or GY." Adrianne explained, which makes Masked frowned. "Which means I can activate Machine Reproduction. I target one Machine monster that I control with less than 500 ATK and Special Summon two monsters with the same name as it to my field from my GY, but they cannot activate their effects this turn.
"Reborn, my Cracking Dragons!"
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Cracking Dragon ATK/3000 Lvl: 8
Cracking Dragon ATK/3000 Lvl: 8
"Her Cracking Dragons is back…" Masked muttered.
"Now, I activate Cracking Titan abilities! He gains 200 ATK for each Level that monster it points to has. Both Cracking Dragon has 8 Levels, that equals to 16. Which means, Cracking Titan gains 3200 ATK! Titan Integration!"
Cracking Titan ATK/6200
"A monster with 6200 ATK that's immune to Spells, Traps and Link Monsters effect? I'm in deep danger now…"
"Battle!" Adrianne entered her Battle Phase. " Cracking Titan, attack his Advanced Trooper! Traffic Impact!"
Creak*
It raised its right hand and formed it into a fist. Then, it send its fist towards Advanced Trooper.
" Cracking Titan effect! If it was Link Summon using one or more Cracking Dragon, it can deal piercing damage." Adrianne stated.
"Wha-"
Boom*
Masked didn't even get to finish his words. The impact created a thick black smoke.
"This duel is already over…" She muttered.
"Is that what you think, is it?" A voice said from behind the smoke.
After she went through it, she saw Masked is still standing.
"How… How are you still standing?" She asked.
"By doing this!" Masked raised his Duel Disk, which shows a female wizard with dark pink outfit. "I activated Support SORCERESS - Trapsister from my GY. I can banish it to activate a Trap Card from either my hand or GY. And the card I activate from my GY is Power Wall!
"For each card I send from the top of my Deck to the GY, I can reduce the battle damage by 500. I send 10 cards, which means I reduce the damage to 5000."
"And among the 10 cards sent to the GY, I can activate its effect to Special Summon itself. Go, Support BEAST ES-Cape Kuriboh!"
"Kuri, Kuri!"
Support BEAST ES-Cape Kuriboh DEF/200 Lvl: 1
"Due to Machine Reproduction effects, you cannot activate Cracking Dragons effect this turn. So I won't receive any damage." Masked stateed.
"You managed to survive this… However, Cracking Titan also has another effect when it uses two or more Cracking Dragon as its materials." Adrianne added. "After the battle, it deals damage equal to the Original ATK or DEF of the monster it battles depending on which one was higher. But since both Advanced Trooper Original ATK and DEF were 2100, it dealt that amount of damage to you instead! Traffic Bomb!"
An orb formed on Cracking Titan arm, as he threw it at Masked.
"Ugh…!"
Masked: 3400 LP - 2100 = 1300 LP
"With that, I'll end my turn." Adrianne said. Masked is relieved to know that it's his turn now. "And this is when my skill is activated!"
She suddenly said, surprising him. The mask on her eyes glows dark green.
"I activate my skill, Crack Termination! During my End Phase, I can deal 200 damage to you for each Cracking monster I control. I control four Cracking monsters, including Crack Wyrm that was treated as Cracking Dragon while on the field.
"Which means you will receive 800 damage! Go, my monsters!"
Both Cracking Dragons and Crack Wyrm blasted Masked, while Cracking Titan threw an energy ball at him.
"ARGH!!!"
Masked: 1300 LP - 800 = 500 LP
The blast made him lose control and fell off from his D-Booster.
"Is this… The end…" Masked muttered as he fell to the ground. He slowly closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
Thud*
"Huh?" He felt like someone grabbed his left arm. He then looked upward and was shocked. "HUH?!"
It was Adrianne who saved him from falling.
"Why… Why did you save me?" Masked asked her.
"Because our duel isn't over. When you put your mind into something, then you need to finish it until the very end. If we're going to finish this duel, then we will finish it until there's a winner." She said to him.
Masked was very surprised to hear that.
Vroom*
His D-Booster then gets closer to him. He immediately jumped over and landed on it.
"You… Can you tell me your name?" Masked asked.
"It's Adrianne." She replied.
"Adrianne… I will remember your name." He said while gazing towards the front. "She's right. When you do something, you need to finish it until the very end.
"There's a reason why I'm always after the Hanoi's during their operation. And it's to reach the truth. By reaching the truth, the world will be exposed to it. By reaching the truth, I can know the real purpose of the incident. By reaching the truth…
"Think only of a single thing in your mind. Whether it's winning, waiting for the food to come, sleeping or getting home. Cast away everything in your thoughts and focus on a single goal. Clear your mind and you will be able to defeat even the strongest foe in the world."
"I can reach you, and personally thank you for saving my life!
"It's my turn!"
Turn 3: Masked
Glow*
The stripes on his clothes glow brightly.
"Now go, my partner! Show the world what you were made of!"
"DRAW!!!" He drew a card from his Deck. "This card…"
Also, Masked swear that he can hear someone's voice in his head. Maybe it's the adrenaline rush.
"I activate Xtra Take Over! I banish it to draw a card. Then, I open the circuit to the truth!" A circuit appears in the sky. "Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning requirements are one Effect Monster. I set ES-Cape Kuriboh to the Link Markers. Circuit Combine!
"Link Summon! Link 1, Wonderiboh!"
"Kuri, Kuri!"
Wonderiboh ATK/300 Link 1 (B)
"After that, I'll return Trapsister that was banished back to the GY to Special Summon Support MECH Recovery Lancer!"
A robot with a lance appears in the zone that Wonderiboh points to.
Support MECH Recovery Lancer ATK/0 Lvl: 1
"Since it has no ATK, Cracking Dragon has no effect on it." Adrianne stated.
"I then activate Wonderiboh effects! I banished Xtra Infiltrator to add Link Weapon to my hand."
"Once again, I open up the circuit to the truth! Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning requirements are two Effect Monsters. I set both Wonderiboh and Recovery Lancer into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!
Both of the monsters went towards the top and bottom markers.
"Link Summon! Link 2, Xtra Code Talker!"
"Hah!"
Xtra Code Talker ATK/1300 Link 2 (T/B)
"A Cyberse monster…" Adrianne muttered. No wonder Revolver told her to eliminate him.
"I activate Xtra Code Talker and Trapsister effects!" Masked exclaimed.
" Trapsister?!"
"I banished her to activate the Trap Card in my GY, which is Torrential Tribute! All monsters on the field are destroyed!"
Boom*
"He even destroyed his own Cyberse monster. But Cracking Titan cannot be affected by Spell and Trap effects." Adrianne stated.
"I know." Masked said, revealing his Xtra Code Talker being fine as ever. "When Recovery Lancer is used as a Link Material, the Link Monster it was used to summon cannot be destroyed by card effects.
"Also, since all of your Cracking Dragons leave the field, Cracking Titan attack goes down."
Cracking Titan ATK/3000
"Impressive…" Adrianne commented.
" Xtra Code Talker effects goes on! I Special Summon D-Cerberus from my GY and activate its effect to tribute itself to summon its two other copies from my Deck!"
Support MECH D-Cerberus ATK/900 Lvl: 3
Support MECH D-Cerberus ATK/900 Lvl: 3
"I then opened up a new circuit to the truth! Arrowhead Confirmed! I set Xtra Code Talker and one of the D-Cerberus. Link Summon! Come forth! Link 3, Xtracode Talker!"
"Hah!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/2300 Link 3 (BL/B/BR)
"A Link 3 Cyberse Monster… This must be your Ace Monster." Adrianne said to Masked.
"Yeah. And I'll activate his-"
"Before that, I'll activate Crack Wyrm effect! I banish this card, and its effect states that every Link Monsters on the field cannot attack until the end of the next turn!" Adrianne exclaimed.
"What?!" Masked is shocked to hear that. " Xtracode Talker is the only monster in my Deck that can overwhelm her Cracking Titan. And none of my Main Deck Monsters are high level enough to destroy it, nor have enough ATK to deal huge damage. Seems like I need to resort to it then…" Masked thought to himself. "I add Code of Justice and Xtra Coder through Xtracode Talker and Xtra Code Talker effects. Then, I banished Advanced Trooper to Special Summon Support HERO Rising Blaze from my Deck."
A weaponless red knight appears under the zone that Xtracode Talker points to.
Support HERO Rising Blaze ATK/1300 Lvl:3
" Xtracode Talker effects! Since he pointed to two cards, it gains 1000 ATK. Xtra Integration!"
Xtracode Talker ATK/3300
"Sadly, he cannot attack." Adrianne said. "But I still think that you still have some other plays to make, right?"
"Of course I have. By doing this!" Masked raised his Duel Disk upward. "Data Material: The Seed! Full Release!"
A huge wave of Data Storm appears out from his Duel Disk, forming a huge tornado.
"You can summon a Data Storm?!" She said.
"Yes. But it only has a single purpose. And I will use it effectively! D-Booster, Turbo Mode!"
Click* Vroom*
Masked flew straight into the Data Storm.
"Once per duel, when my LP is under 1000, I can add a random Cyberse Extra Deck Monster into my Extra Deck from a Data Storm!" Masked exclaimed. He then sank his hand into the Data Storm "HUOH!!!"
Vroom*
His D-Booster goes faster, as it makes him swirl upwards to the top.
Other side of Link VRAINS
Playmaker, who has finished dealing with Number 10, is standing on top of a building while a stream of Data Storm is flowing next to it.
"Anyway, you should log out now." His Duel Disk said to him.
"Wait for the moment!" A muscular voice said. Playmaker turned around and saw Go Onizuka.
"I found you, Playmaker!" He exclaimed. "Now, duel me!"
"Your actions are quite flashy." Now, there a feminine voice speaking in front of him. And it was none other than Blue Angel. "Now, prepare yourself!"
" Sigh*" Playmaker signed. "I have no time for this-Ugh!"
Suddenly, he knelt down to the floor while holding his head with his right hand.
"Oi, what's wrong with you?"
"Are you okay?"
Both Go and Blue Angel asked him.
"Playmaker… This is…" His Duel Disk said, as it was feeling it as well.
He then stared at the huge tornado that was quite far from their location.
"A tornado… In Link VRAINS?" Go said as he saw it.
"That doesn't seem natural at all…" Blue Angel commented.
"Yusaku!" A voice said through Playmaker's intercom. "This is the chance for you to escape!"
He then suddenly ran and jumped from the building to the Data Storm and landed on his D-Board.
"Hey, wait!" Blue Angel tried to chase him, but failed.
"Tch! He feld!" Go said as he punched his palm. "I wonder what's the deal with that tornado over there."
"I think that's the same tornado that Playmaker goes into when he duels a Knight of Hanoi when he used his skill back then. If I remember correctly, it's called a Data Storm." Blue Angel explained.
"Data Storm…" As he stared at it, Go noticed a grey silhouette inside of the Data Storm, spinning at rapid speed. "Hey, is there any chance that there's a person inside that tornado?"
"Well… The chances are slim-to-none. So…"
Both Go and Blue Angel stared at each other before sprinting and parkouring through the building to get to the Data Storm.
Back at the Duel…
"HAH!!!" Slowly, a single card started forming on his hand. "I activate my Skill!
" Storm Access!"
Then, a black silhouette with green outline holding something like a huge battle axe slashed the Data Storm, causing it to disappear. Masked then went down and joined Adrianne again to resume the duel.
" Storm Access…" Adrianne said as she scanned the Data Storm that Masked used his Skill on. "It's the same Skill that Playmaker uses against Number 10. Meaning, the card that he obtained just now are…"
"Behold, Adrianne! This is the true power of the Cyberse! Appeared for the fourth time, the circuit to the truth!" Masked said as he pointed towards the sky, making the circuit appear.
"Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning requirements are 3 Effect Monsters, including a DARK monster. I set Xtra Coder from my hand, Rising Blaze and the DARK monster, D-Cerberus, into the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!"
Three of the monsters then flew towards the top left, top right and bottom arrow of the circuit.
"Link Summon! Descent, the executioner of the Cyberse! Link 3, Crackcode Talker!"
A monster similar to Xtracode Talker, but buffier and more rigid, appears on the middle Main Monster Zone. The colour of his armour is black with a grey outline and there's green lines on his black skin. Lastly, he's wielding a black halberd with green lines over it.
Crackcode Talker ATK/2300 Link 3 (TL/B/TR)
"Crackcode Talker?" Adrianne muttered.
Xtracode Talker ATK/2800
"I'll activate both Rising Blaze and Xtra Coder effects! Crackcode Talker gains ATK equal to his original ATK!"
Crackcode Talker ATK/4600
"And before we went to Rising Blaze effect, let's talk about Crackcode Talker effects first." Masked said. "This card gains ATK equal to half of the monsters that he points to. Since he pointed towards both Xtracode Talker and Cracking Titan, he gains half of their ATK. Traffic Integration!"
Crackcode Talker ATK/7500
"Now we move onto Rising Blaze special effects. I target one monster on my side of the field and gain LP equal to its ATK. And I'm choosing Crackcode Talker as my target."
Masked: 8000 LP
"So much so for lowering his LP down." Adrianne muttered.
"And lastly, I'll activate Code of Justice and equip it to Crackcode Talker. It gains 1500 ATK for each card it points to." Since Masked places the Equip Spell under his arrow, Crackcode Talker now points to three cards.
Crackcode Talker ATK/9000
"Then, I activate Link Weapon and equipped it to Crackcode Talker to increase his ATK even more."
Crackcode Talker ATK/10500
"10500 ATK…"
"Battle!" Masked exclaimed. " Crackcode Talker, attack Cracking Titan! Crackcode Conclusion!"
"Hah!" He then swiped his halberd, releasing a green energy slash at Cracking Titan.
" Cracking Titan may not be destroyed. However, you still receive damage from the battle." Masked stated.
The energy slash passed through Cracking Titan and went towards Adrianne.
"UGH…!"
Adrianne: 4000 LP - (10500 ATK - 3000 ATK) = 0 LP
Adrianne fell off from her C-Booster due to the impact.
Swoosh*
Masked then fires off an anchor from his Duel Disk and wraps it around Adrianne's right forearm. He then flew towards a nearby building and landed her on top of it, and later jumped off from his D-Booster to land next to her.
"Why did you save me?" Adrianne asked him.
"So that I won't owe you anything." He answered. "And also, remember our bet earlier?"
"The one where the winner gets to do anything to the loser? No, thank you." She quickly rejected the idea.
"What?! I even went inside the Data Storm to win the duel. Do you know how dangerous it is?!" Masked grunted.
"It's not my problem. You're the one who chose to do it." Adrianne said while crossing her arms.
"Technically, you're right. However, I still need some compensation for this duel."
"Fine… If you answer my question, I will comply with your wishes." She said.
"Great! Ask me anything."
"Why did you decide to disturb the Knights of Hanoi in its operation?"
"To reach the truth." Masked answered in a serious tone.
"The truth…? What truth are you trying to reach?"
"You will understand when I'll start asking you questions." He said.
"Okay. What wishes did you have for me?"
"Simple. It's an easy question if you have an answer to it." Masked said. "Do you know about Project Hanoi?"
Adrianne's whole body twitches when she heard about that word.
"Project… Hanoi…" She muttered.
"From your body language, I know that you knew something about it. So, speak your mind out."
" Sigh*" She signed. "Project Hanoi is a research conducted by kidnapping seven children with the age of 6, and forcing them to Duel every day. If they do well, they will have a fully nourishing meal. If not, they will get the bare minimum to survive through the day."
Hearing those words sparked painful memories for Masked. He recalled the very memories of trying to win a duel by using anything in his arsenal against the AI that used a Toxic Deck that doesn't allow him to do anything. If he wins or or doesn't lose in the first five turns, he would get a full meal. However, if he loses badly throughout the day, he will only have a box of milk to fill his stomach for the day. And the red blanket… That's the only thing that he can tug on whether he feels scared or depressed.
"Then, the research was cut short because an anonymous person reported it to the police, causing the research to end in 6 months."
"I already knew about that. Well, let's narrow down my question. What is the purpose of this project?"
"The purpose…?" Adrianne said. She then noticed Masked body started shaking vigorously. "Masked… Don't tell me that-"
"There you are!"
Both of them then turned around and saw Go Onizuka climbing the edge of the building.
"So you're the one who also went inside the huge data tornado or whatever it's called, huh?" He said to Masked. Go then turned to Adrianne. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"I'm just an innocent bystander who just specifically happened to be on top of this building with this guy I met for the first time in my entire life." She answered.
"I see…" Go now is trying to go through all of her words.
"How come you are so much faster than me when you're clearly heavier?!" Blue Angel then climbed the building using her whip. As she landed, she saw Masked, Adrianne and a thinking Go there. She then asked Adrianne, "Hey, is it me or your clothes look oddly similar to the ones that the Knights of Hanoi wear?"
"Oh, it's because I'm a Knight of Hanoi in the first place." She answered.
"What?!" Blue Angel, Go, who's mind is already cleared and Masked, is confused by her statement.
"Why are you surprised by it? Didn't you already know that?" She asked the masked man beside her.
"I mean, it's surprising that you're telling the truth when you're already making an effort to lie about it." Masked said to her.
"The ruthless and barbaric Go Onizuka is pretty easy to deceive. However, when it comes to Blue Angel, I'd rather tell the truth."
"What?! Are you telling me that I'm easy to be fooled?!" Go exclaimed.
"Yes, and yes." Adrianne replied. She then turned to the blue haired girl "Oh, Blue Angel, do you think that this is a suitable time to ask for an autograph?"
"I think not…"
"Ah, what a shame…"
"Someone clearly is favoured over the other one." Masked said to Go.
"Just shut it!"
"Enough!" Blue Angel shouted. "Can we not forget that she's a Knight of Hanoi?"
"Oh, right…" Go Onizuka then clenched his fist. "Now then, little girlie. How about you-"
"Look over there!" Adrianne points towards a direction. "It's the Exodia the Forbidden One!"
"What?! Really?! It's one of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters! I heard that if you have all five pieces of it, you can instantly win a duel!" The one who shouted all of that is indeed…
…
…
The great Masked-sama itself.
Both Blue Angel and Go are flabbergasted when they saw Masked like that.
"What? It's a rare card." He said to them.
"It is. However, there's no The Forbidden One over there, is it now?" Blue Angel said, as she pointed towards the bland sky of Link VRAINS.
"NO!!! You tricked me-" Masked turned around, just to see no Adrianne over there. "Where did she go?"
"Seems like she used this chance to escape from us." She explained.
"Oh, bullocks…"
"Ehem!" Go cleared his throat. "Anyway… I just lost the mood to duel. So…"
Go then instantly logged out from Link VRAINS.
"That's the number 1 Charisma Duelist for you, everyone." Masked muttered. He then turned to the blue haired girl. "How about you, Blue Angel?"
"I… Think that I should log out too." In a matter of seconds, she also logged out from here.
"Well…" Masked now is all alone. "Aside from not acquiring any info about Project Hanoi, I guess that I can compensate for it with obtaining Crackcode Talker."
He then logged out from Link VRAINS.
…
"Seems like you have mastered the control to The Seed, Masked." The person with similar clothes as Masked muttered. "Use it more and you will obtain even more Cyberse Extra Deck Monsters."
Real World: An Apartment in Den City
Click*
An orb of light slowly disappeared, as a girl with white hair wearing Den City's school uniform stood up from a massage chair.
Ring* Ring* Ring*
A phone is ringing nearby on the table next to a round pair of glasses. The girl then picked up the phone.
"Hello, Ryoken." The girl said to the phone.
"Ryouha. If you answered this, then you must have logged out." The voice said to her.
"Yes. What do you want now?"
"I have some things regarding the duelists that you faced."
"You mean Masked? I lost to him. That's all."
"But like Playmaker, he also uses a Cyberse card and wields the same Skill as him. And the data from the duel showed that he's more skillful in terms of controlling the Data Storm."
"If that's what you think, then it's probably the truth."
"Oh, and also. After your duel, I lost every means to contact you. Mind telling me what happened afterwards?"
"Oh, that? After the battle ended, Masked tried to capture me using one of his gadgets after I tried to flee without giving him any questions."
"I see… Well then, you can rest for now. I will contact you for a meeting with the others."
Beep*
" Sigh*" Ryouha sighed, as she put her glasses on. "It's a tiring day…"
She then takes a seat on the sofa in the living room. Then, she takes a glance at the picture frame in front of her. It was a picture of two adult men and women with white hair and black hair, wearing a lab coat, and a single white haired little girl.
"From that reaction alone, Masked must be one of the kids from back then…
"Father, Mother… Fate sometimes can be cruel, huh?"
Central Den City: Café Nagi
"Ugh…" A male highschooler goes out from a space while holding his head.
"Yusaku!" An older guy with purple hair then supported him and brought him to sit on a chair. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. It's just a headache." He said. Then, Yusaku turned to his Duel Disk. "Hey, explain to me what happened back then, or I will delete you."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't pester me like that." An eyeball appears on his Duel Disk. "Seems like your Link Sense back then was tingling a little bit too hard."
"Explained in a language that I can understand."
"In other words, there is someone else that can control a Data Storm back then. And it's possible that they also used Storm Access to get a Cyberse card."
"Wait, if you're telling the truth, then there are others who also use Cyberse Cards, right?" The purple haired guy said to it.
"That's right. But the distribution of Cyberse Cards to outsiders is pretty rare. Unless…"
Both Yusaku and the purple haired guy get closer to hear it.
"Dunno. My memories are all fuzzy."
"Kusanagi-san." Yusaku turned to him. "Let's plug this in and see what we can find in his memory bank."
"I agree." Shouchi said, as he took a seat next to him and turned on his computer.
"Hey, what are you saying just now?! That's an invasion of my privacy-" The Duel Disk said before it was mute.
Den City's Apartment: Yukiya's Resident
"...Are you serious right now?" Yukiya is reviewing the match between Playmaker and Number 10 on his computer. "So there's another person who uses Cyberse Cards… And unlike mine, he used a pure Cyberse Deck…
"Playmaker… Seems like you're not a myth."
He then closed the streaming website and entered a program on his computer.
"The Seed is stable as usual… But damn, housing a Data Material in a computer is hard. This computer cost a couple of gazillion Yen. Well, those bounty payments from SOL Tech are definitely worth it.
"Now then… After doing some homework, I can go to bed." He stood up and turned off his computer and took off his Insert-type Duel Disk. Yukiya places the Duel Disk on top of his table and takes the modern one out from this room.
OC Skills:
Adrianne:
Crack Termination - During your end phase, deal 200 damage to your opponent for each "Cracking" monster you control.
OC Card Gallery:
Masked:
Monster:
Support HERO Xtra Coder:
Cyberse/LIGHT/Lvl 3/1300 ATK/1100 DEF
If a monster(s) you control would be used as Link Material for a Link 3 or higher Link Monster, this card in your hand can also be used as material. If this card is sent from the hand or field to the GY as material for the Link Summon of a "Code Talker" monster: You can target 1 monster you control; Its ATK are doubled until the end of the next turn. You can banish this card with 1 "Support" monster in the GY (Quick Effect): Special Summon 1 Link 2 monster from your Extra Deck (This is treated as a Link Summon). You can only use each effect of "Support HERO Xtra Coder'' once per turn.
Support HERO Advanced Trooper
Warrior/EARTH/Lvl 3/ATK 2100/DEF 2100
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by sending 3 cards from the top of your deck to your GY. Once per turn, if this card is in your GY (Quick Effect); banish this card and Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Support" monster from your deck. You can only use this effect of "Support HERO Advanced Trooper" once per turn.
Support HERO Sub Zero
Warrior/WATER/Lvl 3/ATK 700/DEF 1000
Once per turn, if this card is Special Summoned while you control no monster in the Main Monster Zone: You can draw 2 cards. •If this card is banished: You can draw 2 cards, then return 1 card to your deck to the bottom of your deck. If there's a WATER monster on the field when this effect is activated, draw 3 cards and then discard 1 card to the GY instead.
Support HERO Rising Blaze
Warrior/FIRE/Lvl 3/ATK 1300/DEF 600
You can tribute this card (Quick Effect): Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Support" monster from your deck. If this card is sent to the GY while you control a monster: You can target 1 monster you control on the field; gain LP equal to its ATK. You can only each "Support HERO Rising Blaze" effect once per turn.
Support HERO Honest Eclipser
Warrior/DARK/Lvl 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1800
Once per duel, during your Main Phase: You can return this face-up card from the field to the hand, and if you do, Special Summon 1 "Support" monster from your deck. You can only use each of the following effects of "Support HERO Honest Eclipser" once per turn. During the Damage Step, when a monster you control battles (Quick Effect): You can send this card from your hand to the GY; that monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling, until the end of this turn. If this card is in the GY when a monster you control battles a monster with higher ATK than it (Quick Effect): You can banish 2 "Honest" monsters from your deck; that monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the opponent's monster it is battling, until the end of this turn.
Support BEAST D-Cerberus
Machine/DARK/Lvl 3/900 ATK/300 DEF
If your opponent controls a monster with more than 1900 ATK; Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is Summoned while your opponent controls a monster with more than 1900 ATK: You can tribute this card, and if you do, special Summon up to 2 other "Support BEAST D-Cerberus" from your hand or Deck. You can only activate each effect of "Support BEAST D-Cerberus" once per turn.
Support BEAST ES-Cape Kuriboh
Fiend/DARK/Lvl 1/ATK 300/DEF 200
During damage calculation, if your opponent's monster attacks (Quick Effect): You can discard this card from your hand or banish this card from your GY; you take no battle damage from that battle. You can use this effect of "Support BEAST ES-Cape Kuriboh" up to three times per battle. You can only use each of the following effects of "Support BEAST ES-Cape Kuriboh" once per duel. If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon this card. If this card is banished: You can Special Summon this card.
Support SORCERESS - Trapsister
Spellcaster/DARK/Lvl 4/ATK 1000/DEF 900
You can send 1 face-up Trap Card from either side of the field to Special Summon this card. When this card is Special Summon: Add 1 Trap Card from your Deck or GY to your hand. (Quick Effect) Banish this card from your GY; you can activate 1 Trap Card from your hand or GY. You can only use each effect of "Support SORCERESS - Trapsister" once per turn.
Support MECH Recovery Lancer
Machine/WATER/Lvl 1/ATK 0/ DEF 1000
You can return 1 "Support" monster that was banished to Special Summon this card. If this card is sent to the GY as material for the Link Summon: That monster cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this card is banished: Add 1 "Support" monster that was banished to your hand, except this card. You can only use each effect of "Support MECH Recovery Lancer" once per turn.
Extra Deck:
Xtra Support MECH Blaze Runner
Machine/FIRE/Link 1 (B)/ATK 1000
1 monster with different card types (Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link)
You can only Link Summon this card to the Extra Monster Zone. Your opponent's monster cannot target this linked card for attacks. The monster with different card types (Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link) that this card points to gains 1000 ATK points. If the monster that this card points to battles a monster, your opponent cannot activate card effects.
Wonderiboh
Fairy/LIGHT/Link 1 (B)/ATK 300
1 Effect monster
(This card is always treated as an "Support" card.)
If this card points to a card, every damage that you receive will be 0. You can only use each of the following effects of "Wonderiboh" once per turn.
•You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your GY, but it cannot attack.
•If a monster is summoned to the zone that this card points to: Banish 1 Spell Card from your GY, and if you do, add 1 Spell Card with a different name than the card that was banished.
•During damage calculation, if your opponent's monster attacks directly (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your Graveyard; you take no battle damage from that battle.
•If this card is banished: Return 1 Spell Card from your GY to your hand.
Xtra Code Talker
Cyberse/LIGHT/Link 2 (T/B)/ ATK 1300
2 Effect Monsters
If this card is Link Summoned: You can special Summon 1 monster from your hand or GY to a zone that this card points to. If this card is used as material for a Link Summon of a monster with original ATK of 2300 or more: You can add 1 Monster or Spell Card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Xtra Code Talker" once per turn.
Xtracode Talker
Cyberse/LIGHT/Link 3 (BL/B/BR)/ATK 2300
2 or more Effect Monsters
When this card is Link Summoned: Add 1 "Favorite" card in your Deck or GY to your hand. Gains 500 ATK for each card it points to. Once per turn, when your opponent activates a card or effects while this card points to more than 2 cards (Quick Effect): You can negate the activation, and if you do, banish that card.
Crackcode Talker
Cyberse/DARK/Link 3 (TL/B/TR)/ATK 2300
3 Effect Monsters, including a DARK monster
If this card points to 2 or more cards, or is co-linked to a Link-3 or higher monster, negate the effects of face-up monsters while your opponent controls them. Gains ATK equal to half ATK of the monster that this card points to. When your opponent activates a card or effect (Quick Effect): You can Tribute 1 card that this card points to; negate the activation, and if you do, banish that card.
Spell:
Xtra Take Over
Normal Spell
Send up to 5 cards from the top of your Deck to the GY. You can only use this effect of "Xtra Take Over" once per turn. If this card is in your Graveyard (Quick Effect): You can banish this card; draw 1 card. You cannot activate this effect the turn this card is sent to the GY.
Xtra Infiltrator
Normal Spell
Send 2 cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard: Select 1 Spell Card in either GY, and add it to your hand until the end of the turn. You can only activate 1 "Xtra Infiltrator" per turn.
Code of Justice
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Link Monster with Link Rating of 3 or higher. During the Main Phase, if this card is in your GY (Quick Effect): You can banish 2 monsters from your GY; add this card to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Code of Justice" once per turn. Apply the following effects this turn, depending on the number of monsters it currently points to.
•1 or more: The equipped monster gains 500 ATK for each monster it currently points to.
•2 or more: Your opponent cannot activate card or effects when the equipped monster battles.
•3 or more: The equipped monster deals double damage when it battles.
•4: After damage calculation, if the equipped monster destroys your opponent's monster by battle: Destroy shuffle all cards your opponent controls back to their Deck.
Link Weapon
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Link-3 or lower monster. Increase the equipped monster ATK equal to its Link Rating times 500. If the equipped monster is about to be destroyed by battle or card effect, destroy this card instead. You can only activate 1 "Link Weapon" once per turn.
Xtra Society HQ
Field Spell
When this card is activated: You can add 1 "Support" monster from your Deck to your hand. The summon of a monster with different card types (Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link) cannot be negated. This card cannot be affected by your opponent's card effects as long as you control a Link Monster. You can activate each effect of "Xtra Society HQ" once per turn;
•If you control no card in your Main Monster Zone: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand
•During your Main Phase, if you control this card: You can target 1 monster in your GY that was destroyed by battle or card effect; Special Summon that target, ignoring its summoning conditions.
•If this card is in your GY: Banish 1 monster from your GY; Set this card.
Adrianne:
Monster:
Crack Wyrm
Machine/DARK/Lvl 1/ATK 400/DEF 0
This card's name becomes "Cracking Dragon" while on the field or in the GY. If only your opponent controls a monster, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). Your opponent cannot target this card for an attack while you control another "Cracking Dragon". If your opponent controls a Link Monster during their Main Phase 1 (Quick Effect): You can banish this card; Link Monster(s) on the field cannot declare an attack. You can only use this effect of "Crack Wyrm" once per turn.
Cracking Chobham Dragon
Machine/DARK/Lvl 8/ATK 0/DEF 3000
This card's name becomes "Cracking Dragon" while on the field or in the GY. When this card is Special Summoned: Target 1 monster on your opponent's field; make that monster lose ATK or DEF (Depending on this card position) equal to its Level x 200 (until the end of this turn), and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK or DEF lost by this effect. If this card is destroyed: You can Special Summon 1 "Cracking Dragon" from your Hand, Deck or GY. When "Cracking" monster(s) you control would be destroyed by battle or card effect while this card is in your GY (Quick Effect): You can banish this card instead.
Extra Deck:
Cracking Titan
Machine/DARK/Link 3 (BL/B/BR)/ATK 3000
3 Level 5 or higher DARK Machine monsters with the same name
Cannot be affected by Link Monster effect. Gains 200 ATK for each Level that a monster(s) this card points to has. Monsters this card points to cannot attack, except if they were co-linked with this card. If this card was Link Summoned using "Cracking Dragon" as its materials, this card is unaffected by Spell and Trap cards. This monster gains these effects for each "Cracking Dragon" that were used to Link Summon this card.
•1 or more: This card can inflict piercing damage
•2 or more: After damage calculation, if this card attacked an opponent's monster: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's original ATK.
•3: Cannot be destroyed by battle with a Level 8 or lower monster or Link-3 or lower monster.
Spell:
Machine Reproduction
Normal Spell
Target 1 Machine monster you control with 500 or less ATK; Special Summon up to 2 monsters from your GY with the same name as that face-up monster, but they cannot activate their effects this turn.
Trap:
All for Zero
Normal Trap
Special Summon 1 monster with 0 ATK or DEF from your GY. If this card is destroyed: You can Special Summon 1 monster with 0 ATK or DEF from your hand or Deck.