Response to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Guest, ZeroMK7, E.T. 2000, Donjusticia, Pikachu99, and Kingdom Hearts Guy for reviewing Chapter 26 of Obscured Truth.

Hello, everyone! As always, I hope you're healthy and safe wherever you are. Before I answer reviews, there's something I wanted to talk about, which is your concerns revolving around Tsubaki. What I'll say is this: While there are a few similarities to Akiza from 5D's, there are also many differences. For instance, while Akiza has both her parents, Tsubaki only has her father.

I want to assure you all that I don't plan on having Tsubaki go down the same route Akiza did. Rather, I plan on taking her character in an interesting direction, which will help her forge her own identity. You also need to keep this in mind: Tsubaki just reunited with her father, and them catching up takes time. Time Tsubaki hasn't had until now. If you're curious about what I mean, then I encourage you to continue reading the story.

Also, stay tuned at the end of this chapter, as there will be one more Arc V announcement.

With that out of the way, let's get to the reviews:

HunterHQ: A good point you raise up regarding Tsubaki using Black Rose Dragon all the time. There's two reasons why she constantly relies on Black Rose Dragon. One: She was so trapped in her negative emotions that she couldn't use other cards. Two: It's actually a symbol of what her character initially represents when she first appeared. As I said earlier, I plan on taking Tsubaki in a direction that will help develop her character.

Guest: You'll find out what Playmaker and Ai have been up to either this chapter, in the next Roxy's Reports, or in Chapter 28.

ZeroMK7: Thank you very much for liking the chapter. First, I like your suggestion. Second, allow me to clarify your confusion: The reason why the place-holder title was called Pendulum's Rebirth was because it was a reference to how the Original Dimension split into four different dimensions.

E.T. 2000: I appreciate your constructive criticism. Please be at ease. As I said at the top, I plan on taking Tsubaki's character in an interesting direction. The main difference between the first and second duel between Rosetta and Raguel was this: In the second duel, Rosetta was not thinking clearly, and was ruled by her negative emotions. Whereas in the first duel, she was more calculative. As for your question regarding Herald, I'm happy to answer it. All of Herald's abilities focus on creating rather than destroying. First, he has a very strong photographic memory, which helps him remember vital information when creating new programs. Second, he can use Data Storm Material to create shields that can be used to reduce or eliminate damage, which can be used for defense or for holding unstable programs in place until a remedy's found. Third, using Data Storm Material, Herald can enhance either other programs or other things in and out of LINK VRAINS.

Donjusticia: The design for Cyreath Caster was based off of Caster from Fate Stay/Night, not from Fairy Tail. Also, thanks for the heads-up regarding grammar.

Pikachu99: If I told you, it'd be spoilers.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Thanks very much. I appreciate it.

Anyhow, it's time for the final chapter of the Cyberse Hunt arc. I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 27: Revenge of the Hanoi

In the LINK VRAINS division of SOL Technologies...

To the shock and horror of Raguel, Rosetta, and Hideki, Infearno was already in the vault, along with a device that was penetrating the barrier that protected World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy.

"Raguel. Rosetta. Mr. Kinoshita." Infearno said, turning around to face the trio, a wicked smile on his face. "I'm glad you all can make it. Let's have a little chat, shall we?"

"How did you get in this vault?!" Hideki demanded from Infearno. "There's no way you could have gotten in this easily!"

"Oh, please." Infearno dismissed him. "It would have happened eventually, Mr. Kinoshita. One way or the other."

"What does he mean, dad?" Rosetta asked Hideki, getting his attention.

Hideki looked down to the ground in shame. "I almost made a deal with him. In exchange for World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy, he would give the program to save your life."

"That was one simple, yet effective scenario." Infearno interrupted, holding up a finger. He then held up a second finger. "The other scenario was scaring you just enough so you would contact either Playmaker, or more preferably Raguel for help. While that was the longer option, I am a patient man, and in the end, you delivered a condolence gift to me. A chance to not only acquire World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy for the Knights of Hanoi, but to defeat Raguel and take his Ignis from him!"

He was soon bathed in a dark aura, and before Raguel could warn Rosetta and Hideki, Graff and Cir emerged and attacked them, with the former lunging at Rosetta and pinning her to the ground, while the latter bearhugged Hideki.

"To think I'd get a chance to eat human flesh again." Graff said, relishing his victim. "Oh please let me eat this one!"

"Oh will you shut up, Graff?" Cir told his demon comrade. "We're to restrain, not eat!"

"Let them go!" Raguel demanded from Infearno, shocked at what he just did. "They have nothing to do with this!"

Infearno's response was to simply smirk. "But you're wrong, Raguel. Rosetta got herself involved when she joined us, while Mr. Kinoshita was dragged in when he created a powerful Cyberse card. One that relates to the Cyberse World itself."

"I don't know what you plan on doing with World Gears," Herald interrupted, emerging out of Raguel's Duel Disk, "but it will never surrender its power to you and the Knights of Hanoi!"

"Whatever your intentions are, we're stopping them here and now!" Raguel added.

"I'm afraid you won't succeed." Infearno responded, shaking his head. "For even if you do, you'll suffer a greater loss... Yuhiro Furutani."

Raguel's face paled in horror upon hearing Infearno say his name. He managed to figure out his real-life identity. But how?

Raguel thought back to people he encountered over the past few days. There was Watchman and his two allies, Rosetta, Dancho, Emon Uchida at Uchida Industries...

Hang on. Emon Uchida also had a scar over his face, just like the one Infearno has right now. Hell, the two of them looked practically alike. Which meant only one thing. Infearno was Emon Uchida the entire time. And he had the golden ticket to escape this sticky situation.

"Yuhiro. The hell happened?" Roxy asked over the earpiece, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Something really, really bad." Raguel answered her. "But I luckily have some information that will keep Infearno at bay." He then turned to Infearno. "I don't know how you managed to figure out my real-life identity, but believe it or not, I also know yours. So it looks like we're on the same playing ground once again!"

To Raguel's surprise, Infearno laughed. "I'd expect no less from you, Raguel. A classic Mexican Stand-off indeed. If our words can't break this stalemate, then perhaps our cards will!" Raising his left hand, which glowed with dark energy, Graff and Cir turned into energy as they returned to Infearno's Duel Disk. He then raised his right hand, trapping Rosetta and Hideki in separate, fiery cages.

"I told you to keep Rosetta and Hideki out of this!" Raguel reiterated to Infearno, upon seeing Rosetta and Hideki in the separate, fiery cages.

"I only did this to prevent them from escaping and alerting the others." Infearno replied. "After all, I want an audience for this duel. Besides, you want to save them, don't you?" He snapped his fingers, causing the cages to start shrinking, much to the dismay of everyone else.

"Raguel, you have to fight!" Rosetta told him. "We can't do anything while we're in these cages, but you can stop him. I know you can!"

"Rosetta's right, Raguel." Hideki added. "We both trust you to defeat this psychopath."

Seeing that there was no other option, Raguel nodded his head. "All right." He turned back to Infearno. "If you want a rematch so badly, you got one!"

"I'm glad to see you've decided to accept my challenge." Infearno stated, activating his Duel Disk. "But before we begin, I want inform you of something else for this duel."

Raguel raised an eyebrow as he also activated his Duel Disk. "And what would that be?"

Infearno gestured to the mechanical device that was penetrating the barrier surrounding World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy. "This device right here is currently trying to break through the barrier World Gears has foolishly established around itself. As we duel, the device will absorb the energy that's generated, powering it up to higher levels. If you beat me in time, you'll be able to shut the device down and save your friends. Otherwise, World Gears will belong to the Knights of Hanoi."

"So all we have to do to win is stop you before the device reaches maximum power?" Herald inquired.

"Yup. It's that simple." Infearno confirmed. "But if at any point you or your ally tries to do something funny, your two friends will pay the price."

"Infearno." Raguel said, getting his attention. "This time, I'll finish you for good!"

"You can try." Infearno taunted back.

"Duel!" Raguel and Infearno said at the same time.

Infearno: 4000 LP

Raguel: 4000 LP

"I'll let you make the first move, Raguel." Infearno said. "Let's see how much you've evolved since our last duel."

"Bring it on!" Raguel replied, looking at his cards. "My turn! I'll start by summoning Cyreath Beastmaster from my hand!" A short, armored creature wearing a horned helmet on its head and armor over its body jumped onto Raguel's field. It carried a short axe in its right hand. On its back, it carried a large horn.

Cyreath Beastmaster ATK: 0 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

"When Cyreath Beastmaster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from my hand. Come, Cyreath Wandering Soul!" Beastmaster grabbed the horn on its back and blew into it, causing a loud sound. Soon, an illusion of a man appeared on Raguel's field, with mist running throughout his body.

Cyreath Wandering Soul ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll Set Cyreath Beastmaster and Cyreath Wandering Soul into the Link Markers!" Beastmaster went into the bottom arrowhead, while Wandering Soul went into the right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Cyreath Minotaur!" A creature with the head and tail of a bull, as well as the body of a man, appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He wore a fauld around his waist, and on each of his wrists was some armor. Minotaur swung his axe at Infearno, ready for battle.

Cyreath Minotaur ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ➡️⬇️

"I activate the effect of Wandering Soul from my Graveyard!" Raguel continued as he thrust out his right hand. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath Wanderer' token to my field." A small ball of mist in the form of a ghost appeared on Raguel's field and was summoned to the Main Monster Zone Minotaur was pointing to.

Cyreath Wanderer Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are one monster! I'll set the Cyreath Wanderer token into the Link Markers!" The Wanderer token went into the top arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Pseudo!" A watery spirit with one eye, two long arms, and a tail appeared in the Main Monster Zone Minotaur was pointing to.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬆️

"Pseudo's effect! It gains attack points equal to the monster it points to!" Raguel stated, as Pseudo morphed its body to look like a watery version of Minotaur.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 + 1800 = 1800

"I Set three cards face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded. Even if Infearno tries something, he thought, I can at least slow him down.

"My turn! I draw!" Infearno said, drawing the top card of his deck. "Tell me, Raguel: Why didn't you summon Hercules, your beloved ace monster? Is there some part of you that's afraid of me destroying him again, just like I did in our last duel?"

"You let Hercules get destroyed?!" Herald said, turning to Raguel. "That's one of my favorite cards, you know!"

"There was nothing I could do to save him at the time, Herald." Raguel responded. He then directed his attention to Infearno. "And to answer your question, I'm simply playing it smart. After all, like Lord Kazuma and Dancho, you are a threat. One that can become dangerous if I'm not careful."

"An interesting answer." Infearno replied. "Lets see how it holds up." He looked at his cards for a brief moment. "I activate the Field Spell card, Dis, City of the Burning Abyss!" Hellish fire briefly surrounded the Duel Field before dissipating. "Now all 'Burning Abyss' monsters I control cannot be destroyed by their own card effects, nor can they be targeted by other card effects! Next, I activate the Spell card, Pre-Preparation of Rites! Not only does this card let me add a Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand, I can also add a Ritual Monster from my deck or Graveyard to my hand whose name is listed on that Ritual Spell!" Two cards popped out of Infearno's deck, which he added to his hand.

"I activate the Ritual Spell card, Good and Evil in the Burning Abyss! This card lets me tribute monsters from my hand or field whose combined levels equal or exceed that of the stated Ritual Monster, and then summon it from my hand. I tribute the Level 3 Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss and the Level 3 Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my hand."

A dark red magic circle with six flames appeared on his field, along with Graff and Scarm. Both demonic creatures disintegrated into light and entered the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of dark red light.

"The contract's been made!" Infearno chanted, his Duel Disk's screen and black sections glowing dark red. "Demonic leader residing in the eighth circle of Hell! Accept these two sacrifices and serve your master! Ritual Summon! Rise, Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss!" A red-skinned demon in blue armor soon emerged from the portal and onto Infearno's field. It wielded two swords, one blue and one red, and also had a tail resembling a dragon's head.

Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2700 DEF: 2000 LV: 6

"Remember me, boy?" Malacoda asked Raguel, as he brandished his swords. "I look forward to making you suffer!"

"Your monsters can talk?!" Herald exclaimed, shocked at what he just saw and heard. "Raguel, did you know of this?"

"I learned of this before we met, Herald." Raguel answered. "Honestly, I hate these demons with all my being."

"This surprises you, Ignis?" Infearno asked Herald, getting his attention. "Considering how your little pet cub can talk, what you're seeing is proof that the impossible is the possible that is yet to be discovered."

Upon hearing what Infearno just said, Hideki's eyes widened. Hang on, he thought. I heard that phrase before. But who said it? Come to think of it, the man in front of everyone looked familiar. Very familiar. Unless...

"You better start talking, Infearno!" Herald said in anger. "How are your monsters talking? Did you input data material from the Cyberse into them?!"

"If I told you, then you'd be surprised. Or angry. Or both. Whatever the result, it works in my favor." Infearno cryptically responded. "Let's get back to the duel, shall we? I activate the effects of Graff from my Graveyard! Since Graff was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my deck! Serve me, Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A muscular demon resembling a bull with grey blue skin and broken blue horns snorted upon being summoned to Infearno's field.

Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"At your humble service, master." Cir said, ready for battle.

"That's good to hear, Cir." Infearno told the demon. "I summon Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my hand." A winged demon with no arms and long white hair soon joined Infearno's field.

Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1000 DEF: 1900 LV: 3

"Ah, Cir!" Farfa said. "Great to see you again! It's been a while since we last chatted, hasn't it?"

"We can chat once we grind this puny human to the dust!" Cir replied, causing Farfa to sigh.

"Man, it's all work and no breaks for you, isn't it?"

"Appear, the circuit of blood and death!" Infearno declared, as a Link Portal opened in the sky above him. "The summoning conditions are two Level 3 monsters. I'll set Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning into the Link Markers!" Cir went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Farfa went into the bottom-right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 2! Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss!" An enormous, demonic armored horse with black skin galloped onto Infearno's field, in the right Extra Monster Zone. The horse had glowing blue horns on its head, along with a mane of blue fire. Its hoofs were also alit with blue fire.

Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"Prepare to fall before my might!" Geryon screeched, as it reared on its hind legs for a brief moment.

"Okay, that's a new one." Raguel muttered, upon seeing Geryon. I expected him to Link Summon Cherubini, he thought. Looks like he made some upgrades since our previous duels.

"The effects of Cir and Farfa both activate!" Infearno said. "First, since Cir was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Burning Abyss' monster from my Graveyard! Return, Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A draconic fiend with wings and claws emerged from a fiery portal and onto Infearno's field. Upon seeing Raguel, it licked its lips, eager to sink its teeth into him.

Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 3

"Second, since Farfa was sent to the Graveyard, I can target one monster on the field and banish it until the End Phase!"

"Shit!" Raguel cursed. He was not expecting this at all.

"I target Cyreath Minotaur." Infearno decided, as he fired a hellish blast of energy from his hand at Minotaur, causing him to vanish from the field. "And since Pseudo no longer points to Minotaur, it loses its attack boost."

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 1800 – 1800 = 0

"It's time to battle! Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss attacks Cyreath Pseudo!" Graff lunged at Pseudo, sinking its teeth into the watery spirit before ripping it to shreds. Raguel grit his teeth as his life points dropped.

Raguel: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"Attack him directly, Malacoda! Abysmal Destruction!"

"Oh, this is going to feel great!" Malacoda said, as its swords lit up on fire. The demon then charged at Raguel, but...

"Not so fast, Infearno!" Raguel interrupted. "Trap card, activate! Cyreath Petrification!" The card showed a woman with very long, light-purple hair and wearing an eye cover firing a petrification beam at Goblin Attack Force, turning them to stone. "When this card is activated, not only can I negate the attack, I can reduce your monsters attack points to zero and negate its effects until the end of my next turn!"

"Hmph." Infearno replied, as Cyreath Petrification fired a beam at Malacoda, temporarily turning it into stone. "No matter. Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss attacks you directly! Wild Charge!"

"Take this, boy!" Geryon said, running at full speed towards Raguel!

"Raguel, do something!" Herald panicked.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Providence!" Raguel said, gesturing to one of his face-down cards. The card showed Cyreath Hercules jumping out of nowhere to protect Cyreath Archer, Icarus, and Gargoyle from an army of Cyreath Shades. "When this card is activated, immediately after this effect resolves, I can Link Summon one 'Cyreath' Link Monster by shuffling 'Cyreath' monsters from my Graveyard to my deck and/or Extra Deck!" He pointed to the sky. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters. I'll shuffle Cyreath Pseudo, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Beastmaster into my deck and Extra Deck to set them into the Link Markers!" One blast of energy went out of Raguel's Graveyard and into the top arrowhead, while the other one went into the bottom-arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Ride into battle! Link 2! Cyreath Chariot Commander!" A ghostly skeletal figure whose entire body was made up of blue flames rode onto the field, in the right Extra Monster Zone. It wore a helmet with jagged, uneven horns, and had an outfit consisting of gauntlets, a pauldron over its left shoulder, a tattered gladiator's skirt, and broken-down metallic boots.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"I expected you to do that, Raguel!" Infearno suddenly exclaimed, a malicious smirk on his face. "I activate Geryon's effect! Since its pointing to a 'Burning Abyss' monster, it can attack you directly, but any battle damage you take is halved!" Geryon jumped over Chariot Commander and into a blue portal that materialized out of nowhere.

"Where'd he go?" Herald asked. The next thing Raguel and Herald knew, Geryon appeared out of the blue portal on their right side and rammed into them, causing them to fall to the ground.

Raguel: 3000 – (1600 / 2) = 2200 LP

"In that case, I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Infearno concluded. "At this point, the effect of Farfa ends, while Scarm's effect activates. First, your Cyreath Minotaur returns to your field." Minotaur reappeared on Raguel's field, only in the Main Monster Zone. It was clear that it was angry with Infearno for what he did.

Cyreath Minotaur ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ➡️⬇️

"Second, since Scarm was sent to the Graveyard this turn, I get to add a Level 3 Dark Fiend monster from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Infearno's deck, which he added to his hand. "In just one turn, I almost halved your life points, Raguel. If you can't bounce back from something as minor as this, I don't think you'll have the strength to protect those you care about."

"Shut up!" Raguel replied, standing back up. "This duel's just getting started, and just like before, I'll kick your ass."

"Is that so?" Infearno inquired. Soon, streams of energy from the Duel Field briefly appeared before going into the device behind him.

"Energy levels increased by 35%," the device said.

"We better finish him quickly." Herald advised Raguel. "Otherwise, we'll lose World Gears."

"Right!" Raguel agreed with him. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Pandora's Box! This card lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand. However, I must discard a 'Cyreath' monster from my hand at the end of my turn, or I'll take 2000 points of damage." He then drew the top five cards of his deck.

"Judging from the cards we got," Herald said, briefly looking at them before going back to the Duel Field, "and the two monsters on our field, I think we can make a comeback."

"Obviously." Raguel replied. "I summon Cyreath Barbarian from my hand!" A man with spiked cuffs, close-cropped blond hair and mustache joined Raguel's field.

Cyreath Barbarian ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters with different names! I'll set Cyreath Minotaur, which is a Link 2 monster, and Cyreath Barbarian, into the Link Markers!" Minotaur split into two and went into the top and bottom arrowheads, while Barbarian went into the left arrowhead, turning them red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Go wild and smash everything in your way! Link 3! Cyreath Erymanthian Boar!" A bulky, massively built suidae with short and relatively thin legs jumped onto Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Chariot Commander pointed to, resulting in the both of them being co-linked with one another. It had brown fur with light green elements all over its body, along with a mane of dark fur. It also had four tusks at the front of its head. While the two biggest ones were long and curved inward, the two small ones were hooked slightly forward.

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️⬇️

"At this point, the effects of Chariot Commander, Erymanthian Boar, Barbarian, and Minotaur activate!" Raguel explained. "I'll first use Chariot Commander's effect. When a monster is summoned to a zone this card points to, I can destroy one card you control! And I'll choose Dis, City of the Burning Abyss!" Chariot Commander threw a fireball at Dis, City of the Burning Abyss, destroying the Field Spell card completely.

"I now activate Erymanthian Boar's effect! While its co-linked, both it and the monsters it's co-linked with gain 500 attack points. They also can't be targeted by card effects either!" Erymanthian Boar snorted as it and Chariot Commander were surrounded by a light-green aura, powering up.

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 + 500 = 2500

"Barbarian's effect! Since it was used to Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster gains 500 attack points!"

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500

"Last but not least, I activate Minotaur's effect!" Raguel continued. "Since it was used as a Link Material for a Link Summon of a 'Cyreath' Link Monster, this turn, it can attack all monsters you control once each!"

Infearno's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. So Raguel's acquired some new skills since we last met, he thought. His duels against Lord Kazuma and Dancho have evolved him further as a duelist. But I'll be the one to end him!

"Way to go, Raguel!" Herald cheered. "We can finish the duel this turn!"

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Erymanthian Boar first attacks Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss!" Erymanthian Boar charged forward at Graff, but...

"Continuous-Trap card, Chains of the Burning Abyss!" Infearno interjected. The card showed the ruler of Hell, Lucifer himself, summoning chains to bind Dante and Virgil in place, a wicked smile on his face. "When a monster you control attacks, I can tribute one 'Burning Abyss' monster I control to prevent it from attacking while this card is on the field. I tribute Malacoda!" The petrified Malacoda exploded into particles, which went into the card. Soon, blazing chains emerged from Chains of the Burning Abyss and wrapped themselves around Erymanthian Boar, stopping it from running and making it squirm in the process.

"We just had him!" Herald cursed, clearly upset that Infearno got away.

"Oh come now, Ignis." Infearno said. "I don't want this duel to end just yet. After all, there's still more I want to show you."

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded. "I also discard Cyreath Nymph from my hand to avoid the 2000 penalty for activating Pandora's box." He then sent Cyreath Nymph to his Graveyard.

"My turn! I draw!" Infearno said. Suddenly, more wisps of energy emerged from the Duel Field and went straight into the device.

"Energy levels at 50%," the device said.

"Looks like you're running out of time, Raguel." Infearno then looked at the card in his hand. "I activate the Spell card, Card of Sanctity. Now each of us gets to draw until we have six cards in our hands." Both he and Raguel drew the top five cards of their respective decks. "I summon Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from my hand." A pink-skinned demon with horns, wings, and a wooden staff appeared on Infearno's field.

Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 100 DEF: 2100 LV: 3

"Crap..." Raguel muttered.

"What is it, Raguel?" Herald asked out of concern.

"You're about to find out, Herald," was all Raguel told him.

"Level 3 Rubic tunes Level 3 Graff!" Infearno declared, as he smiled upon what was about to happen. A bolt of orange lightning struck him as the world greyed out and his two monsters disintegrated into particles. Two rings, one black and the other purple, appeared before turning blue and merging. Six blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to "6" as light surged through the rings.

"The poet's guide through Hell and Purgatory!" Infearno chanted. "Return to the earth once more and guide the traveler in his quest! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" A man in a white tunic, brown vest, and large hat emerged from the light. He carried a large golden guitar with blue flames spouting from the ends in his hands. As Virgil was summoned to the left Main Monster Zone Geryon was pointing to, he strung a few chords on his guitar.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2500 DEF: 1000 LV: 6

"I activate Graff's effect! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my deck! Emerge, Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A grey skinned demon with wings, claws, three spiked horns, and long black hair soon joined Infearno's field.

Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1500 DEF: 300 LV: 3

"I activate Virgil's effect!" Infearno continued. "By discarding a 'Burning Abyss' card, I can target one card on your field or in your Graveyard, and shuffle it back into your deck! Since I can't target your monsters due to your Erymanthian Boar, I'll discard Draghig, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to return the face-down card on your right back into your deck!" Virgil strummed several chords and blasted the face-down card with blue fire, disintegrating it completely.

"Damn it..." Raguel muttered.

"There goes one of our cards." Herald lamented.

"Draghig's effect activates!" Infearno added. "As it was sent to the Graveyard, I can choose one 'Burning Abyss' card from my deck and place it right on top of it!" After contemplating for a few moments, he chose a card, which went straight to the top.

"I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Rise of the Burning Abyss!" The card showed Malacoda with Graff, Cir, Scarm, Rubic, Calcab, and Farfa roaring in triumph as they glowed with fiery energy. At the background was the shadow of Lucifer, who was responsible for giving them power. "All 'Burning Abyss' monsters on my field gain 500 attack points while this card is on the field!" Geryon, Cagna, and Virgil were soon surrounded with fiery energy.

Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1600 + 500 = 2100

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2500 + 500 = 3000

Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1100 + 500 = 1600

"It's time to battle, Raguel!" Infearno declared, a smile on his face. "Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss attacks your Cyreath Chariot Commander! Hell's Rhapsody!" Virgil strummed his guitar and blasted orange fire, which was headed straight for Chariot Commander!

"I activate the Trap card, Cyreath Resolve!" Raguel said. "By banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, my monster is not destroyed, and any battle damage I take is cut in half this turn. I banish Cyreath Beastmaster!" A brief veil surrounded Chariot Commander, protecting him from the orange fire. Despite the veil, Raguel still had to put his arms in front of him to protect himself from the embers that bounced off it.

Raguel: 2200 – (500 / 2) = 1950 LP

"Have you forgotten about Geryon's effect, Raguel?" Infearno reminded him. "Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss attacks you directly!" Geryon charged and went through a blue loop, briefly disappearing from the Duel Field.

"And have you forgotten that Cyreath Resolve halves any battle damage I take for the turn?" Raguel countered back. The blue loop then reappeared on his left, as Geryon emerged right out of it. Raguel pulled out his sword and blocked Geryon's horns as they clashed with one another. Geryon then lifted its head up, breaking the struggle before hitting his opponent to the ground.

Raguel: 1950 – ((2100 / 2) / 2) = 1425 LP

"Raguel!" Rosetta cried out.

"Yuhiro. Are you there?" Roxy asked over the earpiece. "You're barely surviving out there, aren't you?"

"Yeah, no kidding Roxy." Raguel muttered back, as he used his sword to prop himself off the ground. Half of my life points are already gone, he thought. Although he's gotten stronger, I have to defeat him for good!

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Infearno concluded.

"You need to stop this madness!" Hideki said to Infearno, getting his attention. "I don't know what you or the other Knights of Hanoi want with World Gears, but it will only bring pain and despair onto innocent people!"

"Pain and despair, huh?" Infearno replied, thinking over what Hideki just said. "I'm fine with that."

"So you're fine with hurting innocents for whatever twisted goal you have?" Hideki asked in shock. "I'll tell you now, I won't let you!"

"And how do you plan on doing that? After all, you and your daughter are trapped."

Hideki then smirked, taking Infearno by surprise. "It's simple. If you don't stop right now, I'll tell the world of your connection to the Hanoi, Emon Uchida!" Except for Raguel, everyone's eyes widened upon hearing Infearno's identity. Even Roxy, who was watching the duel back in Café Matsuo, was caught off guard by this.

"Emon Uchida is Infearno this whole time." Roxy realized. Then a feeling of dread started forming in her stomach. I think you probably made him angry, Mr. Kinoshita, she thought.

"I didn't expect a dog of SOL Technologies to also figure out my identity." Infearno said through gritted teeth. "But you'll remain silent, or else the consequences will be on your head!" He made a fist with his right hand, as it glowed with blazing energy. Soon, the cages surrounding Rosetta and Hideki started glowing, scorching them with burn wounds.

"Rosetta! Hideki!" Raguel cried out, turning to face them. He turned back to Infearno. "Stop hurting them!"

"As long as Mr. Kinoshita keeps his trap shut, like the good dog he is, I'll see no need to hurt him nor his precious daughter." Infearno assured him. "Now, lets get back to the duel, shall we? After all, you're on the clock."

"Screw you!" Raguel said. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck.

"We have to free Erymanthian Boar first." Herald reminded him. "And thanks to Infearno's Card of Sanctity, our hand is refilled. Let's use this turn and inflict as much damage as possible on him."

Raguel nodded. "I activate Erymanthian Boar's second effect! Once per turn, I can target one 'Cyreath' monster in my Graveyard, except a Link Monster, and Special Summon it to a zone it points to. Come back, Cyreath Nymph!" A blue-skinned, four winged creature with two stubby legs and a small beak, along with a spiked tail, appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Erymanthian Boar was pointing to.

Cyreath Nymph ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4

"If Nymph is Normal or Special Summoned while I control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster," Raguel explained, "I can destroy one Spell or Trap card on your field. And I choose Chains of the Burning Abyss!" Nymph flapped its wings, generating a small windstorm that blew Chains of the Burning Abyss off the field, turning it into particles. As a result, the chains restraining Erymanthian Boar disappeared.

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Doppelganger from my hand! Since I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A pale, shadowy man materialized itself on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

But just before Raguel could continue his turn, Progleo's head appeared underneath Herald.

"You want to beat up this meanie, right Progleo?" Herald asked the cub, to which he nodded.

"Don't worry Progleo." Raguel said. "I'll grant your wish." He pointed to the sky. "Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared in the sky. "The summoning conditions are two monsters except Tokens! I'll Set Cyreath Nymph and Cyreath Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Doppelganger went into the left arrowhead, while Nymph went into the right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Progleo!" A white-furred cub with orange eyes emerged from the Link Portal and was summoned to the Main Monster Zone Erymanthian Boar was pointing to, resulting in the both of them being co-linked with one another. The cub had a satellite dish around its neck, as well as an old video recorder on his back. He also had a small brace on each of its claws, and a small coil attached to his tail. Upon being summoned, Progleo barred his fangs at Infearno.

Progleo ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

Progleo ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Make me proud, Progleo!" Herald cheered.

"I'm gonna rip you a new one!" Progleo growled at Infearno.

"I activate the Field Spell card, Cyreath Grand Hall!" Raguel said. "Now all 'Cyreath' monsters I control gain 200 attack points! I'll also use Grand Hall's second effect. Once per turn, I can target one 'Cyreath' Link Monster I control, and shuffle cards from my Graveyard into my deck equal to its Link Rating! I target Erymanthian Boar!" As Chariot Commander and Erymanthian Boar powered up, three cards popped out of Raguel's Graveyard, which he shuffled into his deck.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar ATK: 3500 + 200 = 3700

"I'll also summon Cyreath Shade from my hand." A grey-armored warrior from head to toe jumped onto Raguel's field. His helmet looked like that of an eerie ghost. Wisps of smoke emitted from his armor.

Cyreath Shade ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Cyreath Shade ATK: 1000 + 200 = 1200

"When Shade is Normal Summoned," Raguel explained, "I can target one face-up Spell or Trap card you control and Set it. You're not allowed to activate it in response until the End Phase. I target your Rise of the Burning Abyss!" Shade pointed his right hand at Rise of the Burning Abyss, causing the wisps of smoke to obscure Rise of the Burning Abyss completely. As a result, the fiery energy surrounding Virgil, Cagna, and Geryon temporarily dissipated.

"In other words," Herald said, "your monsters are back to their original strength."

Infearno, in response, did not react to Herald's comment.

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK: 3000 – 500 = 2500

Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1600 – 500 = 1100

Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2100 – 500 = 1600

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" Raguel declared, as a second Link Portal appeared over his head. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Cyreath' monsters, including a 'Cyreath' Link Monster! I'll set Cyreath Chariot Commander, which is a Link 2 monster, and Cyreath Shade into the Link Markers!" Chariot Commander split into two tornadoes of energy that went into the top and bottom arrowheads, while Shade went into the bottom-right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Bewitch those that dare gaze upon you! Link 3! Cyreath Medusa!" A woman with very long, light-purple hair jumped out of the Link Portal and appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, resulting in her and Erymanthian Boar being co-linked with one another. She wore a short, black dress with violet lines that covered her waist. She also had black sleeves with four violet chokers across her arms, along with high-stockings and boots. Her eyes were covered by a violet eye cover, with two silver straps on it. In her left and right hand, she carried a long chain with a dagger at the end of it.

Cyreath Medusa ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬆️⬇️↘️

Cyreath Medusa ATK: 2300 + 500 + 200 = 3000

"Very well done." Infearno praised Raguel. "Two strong Link 3 monsters and a Link 2 monster. All co-linked together."

"I don't need your praise!" Raguel responded. "All I need is for you to get lost!" He thrusted out his right hand along with Herald. "Battle! Progleo attacks Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! Playful Pounce!" Progleo ran forward and lunged at Cagna, destroying the demon and turning it into particles.

Infearno: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"Cagna's effect activates!" Infearno said. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can send one 'Burning Abyss' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my Graveyard!" A card popped out of Infearno's deck, which he took and sent to his Graveyard.

"Cyreath Medusa attacks Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" Raguel said, continuing the battle. "Bloody Lash!" Medusa's chain and dagger in both her hands were coated in blood, before she whipped it at Virgil. However...

"How ignorant of you!" Infearno said. "Trap card, activate! Suffering in the Burning Abyss! This card-!"

"Is not going to help you!" Raguel suddenly finished. "Medusa's effect! Once per turn, during either player's turn, when you activate a card effect, I can negate and destroy it! Go, Gorgon's Break!" Medusa temporarily took off her violet eye cover and blasted a beam of light at Suffering in the Burning Abyss, turning it into stone and making it crumble into pebbles. "Did you really expect me to fall for the same trick twice? Resume your attack, Medusa!" Medusa then sped forward and sliced and diced Virgil, causing him pain before turning into yellow particles.

"Virgil, no!" Infearno screamed, as his life points dropped.

Infearno: 3600 – 500 = 3100 LP

"I activate Virgil's second effect! Since he was destroyed by battle or card effect, I can draw one card from my deck!" Infearno then drew the top card of his deck.

"You're up, Erymanthian Boar!" Raguel said. "Attack Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss!" Erymanthian Boar charged forward and pointed its tusks at Geryon, stabbing them into Geryon's body and causing the horse to fall to the ground before being destroyed.

Infearno: 3100 – 2100 = 1000 LP

"Way to go, Yuhiro!" Roxy said over the earpiece. "Just a little more to go!"

"Yes!" Herald cheered. "Now we're the ones in the lead!"

"You got this, Raguel!" Rosetta told him.

"It's... not over yet, boy." Infearno interrupted the momentary celebration. "I activate the Trap card, The Traveler and the Burning Abyss! I can target any number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters that were sent to the Graveyard this turn and Special Summon them back in defense position! Return, Virgil and Cagna!" Two fiery portals appeared on Infearno's field, which Cagna and Virgil jumped right out of.

Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1500 DEF: 300 LV: 3

Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2500 DEF: 1000 LV: 6

"Yeah, but it doesn't change the fact we're in the lead, bub!" Herald replied. Raguel rolled his eyes at that comment.

"Taunting him is not going to help the situation at hand, Herald." Raguel told him. He then redirected his attention back to the duel at hand. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." The next thing he and Herald knew, more wisps of energy emerged and went into the device.

"Energy levels at 65%," the device said.

"My turn! I draw!" Infearno said, drawing the top card of his deck. "Once again, I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Rise of the Burning Abyss, which grants all 'Burning Abyss' monsters on my field 500 attack points!"

"You forgot about Cyreath Medusa's effect!" Raguel responded. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can negate and destroy it! Gorgon's Break!" Medusa temporarily took off her violet eye cover and blasted a beam of light at Rise of the Burning Abyss, turning it into stone and making it crumble into pebbles. But to Raguel and Herald's surprise, Infearno laughed.

"You fell for the second effect of Rise of the Burning Abyss, boy!" Infearno exclaimed. "Since this face-up card was destroyed by your card effect, I can draw cards equal to the number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters I control, with a maximum of five!" He then drew the top two cards of his deck.

"Great." Herald moaned. "He found a way to get more cards."

"I summon Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A demonic centaur with wings soon joined Infearno's field.

Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"Appear, the network of suffering!" Infearno declared, as his hand glowed red and a galaxy portal appeared in the sky above the duelists. "Materials confirmed! The summoning conditions are two Level 3 monsters! I overlay the Level 3 Calcab and Cagna!" Both demons turned into streams of purple and grey energy and entered the portal, where a pillar of light soon erupted from its center.

"Xyz Summon! Begin your adventure through the depth of Hell! Rank 3! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" A man with long, dark blue hair in a ponytail was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone on Infearno's field. He wore red clothing, a laurel on his head, and a small bag on both sides of his body. On the right side of his body was a small, sheathed sword.

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1000 DEF: 2500 RNK: 3 OU: 2

"I activate Dante's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can choose a number from one to three, and send that many cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard. And by doing this, Dante gains 500 attack points for each card sent from the top of my deck to the Graveyard until the End Phase! I'll send three cards so that Dante gains 1500 attack points!" Infearno sent the top three cards of his deck to the Graveyard, while one of the lights behind Dante went into his fist, boosting his power temporarily.

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss OU: 2 – 1 = 1

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1000 + 1500 = 2500

"Calcab's effect! Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can target one Set Spell or Trap card you control and return it to your hand! I choose the left one!" A blast of light erupted from Infearno's Graveyard and hit Raguel's face-down card, returning it to his hand.

Raguel narrowed his eyes in frustration. This wasn't looking good at all.

"Why stop there, when I can activate Virgil's effect as well!" Infearno added. "By discarding a 'Burning Abyss' card, I can target one card on your field or in your Graveyard, and shuffle it back into your deck! I'll discard The Terminus of the Burning Abyss to shuffle your other face-down card back into your deck!" Virgil strummed several chords and blasted the face-down card with blue fire, disintegrating it completely.

"Raguel has no more face-down cards left to help him!" Rosetta realized, upon looking at his field.

"You no longer have Spell or Trap cards to help you, Raguel." Infearno taunted him, as he thrusted out his right hand. "Battle! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss attacks your precious Progleo!" Before Progleo could react, Dante pulled out his sword and slashed the cub, causing him to scream in pain before dying in a massive explosion.

"Progleo, no!" Herald lamented, as Raguel's eyes widened in shock at what Infearno just did, who had no regret whatsoever. Raguel was soon launched back to the ground from the explosion.

Raguel: 1425 – 1000 = 425 LP

"Since Dante attacked, I must change him to defense position." Dante returned to Infearno's field and took a kneeling stance beside Virgil. Infearno then took the remaining card in his hand and said, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn. As such, Dante's attack points go back to his original amount."

Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss ATK: 2500 – 1500 = 1000

"Even after enduring up until now, you're still powerless to save those you care about, Raguel. So just accept the ugly truth and surrender now."

"You're... wrong." Raguel muttered, as he slowly got up. "I am not giving up, nor am I powerless. I will continue to fight for those the Hanoi have already hurt, for those the Hanoi currently threaten, and... I'll fight to make sure she's safe, and happy again!"

"What interesting declarations, Raguel." Infearno said, a hand on his chin. "Tell me, are you fighting for Miyu Sugisaki by any chance?"

Raguel's eyes widened upon hearing that question. He was starting to shake. Roxy was also staring at the monitor, shaking. "How... how do you know about that?" Raguel's voice was deathly low.

Infearno narrowed his eyes and smirked. "When I've theorized your identity, I wanted to absolutely make sure that my theory was correct. So I ended up searching all throughout Den City for camera recordings and compared them to you in LINK VRAINS. And eventually, I found what I was looking for." He then pressed a few buttons on his Duel Disk, and soon, a blue screen appeared in front of him, showing a video recording at the Den City Hospital.

Raguel instantly recognized that recording. It was when Roxy was tired, and he volunteered to visit Miyu in her place for the night.

"Hey Miyu," the recording of Yuhiro said to the long, red-haired girl. "It's me. It's Yuhiro." After a few seconds, the recording of Yuhiro continued talking. "I brought you flowers." He placed them in the water glass near her bed. "Roxy says hi, you know. She... she misses you." Yuhiro struggled to get that last part out.

Satisfied with Raguel's reaction, Infearno turned off the recording.

"Dad... do you know who this Miyu is?" Rosetta asked Hideki.

"I don't know." Hideki answered, turning to face Rosetta. "But from what we're seeing, she's someone who's really important to Raguel."

Someone who's important to someone else, Rosetta recalled in her mind. As a result of her mother's death, Hideki, who was important to her, couldn't be there when she needed him. This led Rosetta to run away from home, where she eventually encountered Ace in LINK VRAINS. For six years, she thought he filled the void, but after seeing her father willing to start over regardless of what she did, it led to their reconciliation.

Raguel was in shock, a thousand thoughts running through his head. But out of all those thoughts, a single one stood out: pure rage. This man in front of him dared to threaten Miyu?!

"Infearno..." Raguel muttered, his head facing the ground. "You... dare threaten Miyu?!" He raised his head and glared at the older man. "Leave her and my friends alone!"

Infearno smiled. "Yes, that's it, boy. Embrace your rage, and let it consume you!"

"Yuhiro, listen to me!" Roxy pleaded, succeeding in getting her own anger under control. "He wants you to get angry and make mistakes."

"Yeah!" Herald agreed with her, trying to reason with Raguel. "If you let your emotions control you, then you won't be able to control your powers!"

"I. Don't. Care!" Raguel snarled back, before letting out a shout and unleashing a burst of hazy, white energy around him. Soon, he was surrounded by that same energy, with the translucent shadow of an angel from before floating behind him.

When Raguel looked at Infearno, his eyes now glowed burning red.

"Oh dear." Herald muttered, retreating into the Duel Disk. "Desperate times call for desperate measures." Rosetta and Hideki, who just saw what happened, were filled with horror as well.

"My turn! I draw!" Raguel said in a deep, echoing voice, as he drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Cyreath Legionnaire from my hand!" A muscular man in golden armor, shin pads, braces, and helmet with red feathers appeared on Raguel's field. He carried a small sword and massive shield.

Cyreath Legionnaire ATK: 1700 DEF: 1000 LV: 4

Cyreath Legionnaire ATK: 1700 + 200 = 1900

"Appear, the circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky, above Raguel's head. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters! I'll Set Cyreath Medusa, which is a Link 3 monster, and Cyreath Legionnaire into the Link Markers!" Rider split into three tornadoes of energy that went into the top, left, and right arrowheads, while Legionnaire went into the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! The Embodiment of Truth is given to mankind! Link 4! Turboblaze Dragon!" A white-color bipedal dragon with blue irises and black pupils, as well as a long and slender neck roared as he emerged from the Link Portal to the right Extra Monster Zone on Raguel's field, resulting in him and Erymanthian Boar being co-linked with one another. He had a long, voluminous wispy mane streaming out from the upper side of his snout and outwards from his head, with two protrusions resembling ears on the top of the mane. His arms were slender and arm-like with a wing-like appearance and four fingers on his claws. He had a feathered chest, with long feather-like protrusions jutting out of his thighs. On his feet were large grey claws, three at the front and one positioned at the back to resemble high heels. He also had a jet engine-like tail, with two large bands similar to the front and ribbon like extensions.

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ⬆️⬇️⬅️➡️

Turboblaze Dragon ATK: 3000 + 500 = 3500

"I activate Turboblaze Dragon's first effect!" Raguel continued. "When he's Link Summoned, the effects of all monsters you control are negated! Heat Veil!" The jet engine-like tail that Turboblaze had soon began to charge up before he unleashed waves of volcanic energy at Dante and Virgil, covering both of them in scorch marks.

"In addition, Legionnaire's effect activates! Since it was used to Link Summon, the Link Summoned monster can inflict piercing battle damage this turn!"

Good, Infearno thought. Almost there.

"Time to battle!" Raguel declared. "Erymanthian Boar first attacks Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" Erymanthian Boar charged forward, its tusks pointing at Virgil before using them to stab him. As a result, he turned into yellow particles and vanished from the field.

"Virgil's effect!" Infearno said. "Just like before, I can draw one card from my deck since he was destroyed by battle or card effect!" He drew the top card of his deck.

"It's time to finish this!" Raguel continued. "Turboblaze Dragon attacks Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss! Desolation Flare!" The jet engine-like tail glowed orange with power as Turboblaze flew up into the air and charged up an orb of orange fire. After gathering enough energy, Turboblaze fired it at Dante. "Turboblaze's additional effect! If this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you take damage equal to the destroyed monsters attack points!"

KABOOM!

The ball of fire hit Dante upon impact, enveloping him and Infearno in a fiery blast.

"It's over, Infearno!" Raguel told him. "This duel, and any plans you've had, are forever finished!"

But to Raguel's shock and horror, Infearno was still standing along with Dante. In addition, his life points did not drop at all!

"Ever the fool, boy." Infearno reprimanded him, as he crossed his arms. "And forever condemned to fail!" Immediately, wisps of energy emerged from the Duel Field and went into the device.

"Energy levels at 88%," the device said.

"How did you survive that attack?!" Raguel demanded.

"Simple. I activated the Quick-Play Spell card, Command Silencer." Infearno stated. "Not only does this negate your attack, I get to draw one card from my deck." He drew the top card of his deck.

Raguel grit his teeth in anger. "You... deceived me..."

"I'm afraid you deceived yourself." Infearno responded, laughing to himself. "You honestly think you can protect the people important in your life? Wrong! No matter how much you fight back, you can't protect anyone!"

"Okay, I'm back." Herald said, emerging from Raguel's Duel Disk. "What did I-?" He looked at the Duel Field before turning to Raguel, who was in a state of shock. "Raguel, please tell me what happened."

"I... I let my emotions control me..." Raguel realized in his own voice, as the words Infearno told him sunk in his mind. The aura surrounding him then dissipated, and his eyes returned to their normal, grey color. "I... I cost us the duel..."

"Don't say that." Herald replied, getting his attention. "You still got two cards you can use. We can still make a comeback!"

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Raguel concluded, although hesitantly.

"My turn! I draw!" Infearno said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn. This card lets me Special Summon one monster from either of our Graveyards to my field. Return, Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" At Infearno's command, the demonic centaur with wings reappeared on his field.

Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"I summon Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A demon with long wings, a white visor covering his eyes, and shoulder-length white hair flew onto Infearno's field. A piece of demonic breastplate armor with teeth and eyes covered his upper chest. Chains were wrapped around his forearms, and pieces of white fur were on his shoulders and legs.

Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"Appear, the circuit of blood and death!" A Link Portal appeared above Infearno. "The summoning conditions are two or more 'Burning Abyss' monsters! I'll set Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss, Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss, and Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss into the Link Markers!" Dante went into the bottom arrowhead, Calcab went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Alich went into the bottom-right arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! O Guardian of Hell, grant me the power to punish my enemies, and burn them all to the ground! Link 3! Phlegyas, Guardian of the Burning Abyss!" A demonic giant standing eight feet in height emerged from the Link Portal to the right Extra Monster Zone on Infearno's field. He had massive feet with small spikes on his thighs, along with muscular arms. Over his magma-hardened body were more spikes, along with cracks around his head that were glowing. On top of his head was a large crown, and at the sides were two curved horns. Phlegyas' eyes glowed bright orange as he roared at Raguel.

Phlegyas, Guardian of the Burning Abyss ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

Infearno's Link Monster is just as strong as Cyreath Hades, Raguel thought, upon looking at Phlegyas. But if I can hold out for this turn….

"When Phlegyas is Link Summoned," Infearno explained, "I can destroy cards you control equal to the number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters I used as Link Material! Since I used three 'Burning Abyss' monsters, I can destroy three cards. Therefore, I'll destroy your Turboblaze Dragon and Erymanthian Boar, along with the face-down card on the right! Hellish Firaga!"

"What?!" Raguel exclaimed in shock, as Phlegyas fired three fireballs from his hands, which burned Turboblaze, Erymanthian Boar, and the face-down card on his right.

"Our monsters are gone, just like that!" Herald exclaimed.

"Calcab's effect!" Infearno said. "Since it was sent to the Graveyard, I can target one Set Spell or Trap card you control and return it to your hand! I choose your remaining face-down card!" The last card on Raguel's field exploded into particles and returned to Raguel's hand.

"But without that card..." Hideki began.

"Raguel's defenseless." Rosetta finished for him.

"Battle!" Infearno declared. "Phlegyas, Guardian of the Burning Abyss attacks you directly, Raguel! Hellfire of Rage!" Phlegyas' hands glowed as he raised them high in the air, causing the ground underneath Raguel and Herald to heat up. The next thing they knew, they were engulfed by the erupted inferno, causing them to scream in a lot of pain for several seconds before it dissipated. Soon after, Raguel fell to the ground in a state of unconsciousness.

Raguel: 425 – 3000 = 0

"Yuhiro, NO!" Roxy screamed, shocked by seeing Raguel lose against Infearno.

"Raguel!" Rosetta cried out to him, while Hideki was just shocked at what they saw. Immediately, wisps of energy emerged from the Duel Field and went into the device.

"Energy levels at 100%," the device said, before unleashing a blast of energy that penetrated the barrier surrounding World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy.

"As I told you earlier," Infearno said, walking over to Raguel, "you can't protect anyone. Not Miyu, not Rosetta or Mr. Kinoshita, nor anyone else for that matter." His right hand started glowing as he pointed it to Raguel and Herald. "Your journey ends... now." He then fired demonic energy at them, intent on capturing Herald for good...

...But upon seeing that Herald was in trouble, World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy released two wisps of energy that went into the Ignis, healing him from his wounds and waking him up.

"GET BACK!" Herald said, thrusting out his hands in front of him and using all the strength he had. As a result, he unleashed a barrier that pushed Infearno back to the other side of the room.

"How?!" Infearno exclaimed, caught off guard by what happened. He then turned to World Gears of Theurological Demiurgy upon putting two and two together. "YOU MEDDLESOME CREATURE!" Infearno then blasted demonic energy at World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy, making it scream in pain before finally turning it into multi-colored particles. The particles then went into the device, which stored the card.

"World Gears of Theurological Demiurgy safely absorbed," the device said. "Commencing transfer now." In seconds, Infearno received a notification on his Duel Disk, indicating that he got the card.

"World Gears, no!" Herald cried out, stricken with grief at seeing what Infearno just did. "Give it back right now!"

"I think not, Ignis." Infearno replied, turning to face Herald, along with everyone else. "If it weren't for Revolver's order, I'd kill you all myself. But that doesn't mean I can't cause some collateral damage. Do it, Phlegyas! Hellfire of Rage!" Phlegyas roared as his hands glowed. Soon, to everyone's horror, except for Raguel, the entire ground underneath them started heating up, with cracks beginning to form.

But then out of nowhere, several tornadoes of cubic, orange energy appeared and stopped the ground from cracking. The other tornadoes then went through Phlegyas more than once, destroying the demonic giant and turning him into particles.

"STOP THIS!" Watchman exclaimed, as one of the tornadoes landed on the ground, which he emerged out of. "I shall not let you take World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy!"

"You came!" Herald cheered, looking at Watchman. "So happy you got my message. But what took you so long?"

Watchman briefly turned his head at Herald before firing a blast of cubic energy at the fiery cages, freeing Rosetta and Hideki.

"Who... who are you?" Hideki asked Watchman. "Are you Raguel's ally?"

"So nice of you to drop by, Watchman." Infearno interrupted. "It's been a long time since we chatted, hasn't it?"

"We may be on opposite sides, but there's still time to do what's right." Watchman stated. He then extended out a hand to Infearno. "Hand World Gears over to me, Emon. There's more at stake than you realize."

"And what may that be, Arshad?" Infearno asked with a hint of venom. "The lives of innocent people caught in the crossfire? The ongoing 'Crisis' you keep preaching about to Raguel and his allies? Or... is there something more? Something you're keeping a secret." He smirked. "If you think I care about such things, you are mistaken. I have no heart."

Watchman glared at Infearno. "Then you leave me no choice." He activated his Duel Disk. "I'll have to take it back by force."

Infearno laughed at him. "I'm afraid that won't work." He then pressed a button on his Duel Disk, causing the device beside him to start beeping. "You can duel me for World Gears, or you can save everyone from this bomb. I am told the yield is quite impressive."

Rosetta then charged at Infearno, hellbent on punching him. Unfortunately, he caught the punch and threw her straight down to the ground easily.

"Rosetta!" Hideki cried out, running to his daughter.

"You have thirteen seconds." Infearno ominously warned Watchman, before logging out.

Wasting no time, Watchman released cubic energy from his hands, surrounding the device in a barrier before it blew up, reducing the explosion's range and preventing it from destroying the server.

"Are you okay?" Hideki asked Rosetta, offering her a hand.

"Yeah." Rosetta answered, accepting it and letting him pull her up. Noticing Raguel, she then ran over to him and tired to wake him up. "Raguel! Wake up! Are you there?"

"He's still alive." Watchman told her, as he walked to where she was. "But he'll have to log out and recover for a bit." Kneeling down to Raguel's level, he logged him out of the server before turning to Rosetta. "So, I heard you were the one who stole the Cyberse cards, am I correct?"

"You are." Rosetta admitted truthfully. "But be assured: I intend on getting them back." Watchman narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to look down at the ground in shame.

"Please, sir." Hideki interrupted. "Give my daughter a chance to make up for what she's done. Part of what's happened is my fault, as not only did I create World Gears, I pushed Rosetta away."

"Which led to the events that occurred." Watchman finished for Hideki, standing up. "Whether you like it or not, you're both a part of something bigger now. We'll be in touch." He then logged out in a flash of cubic energy.

Knowing there was nothing else that can be done right now, Rosetta and Hideki logged out as well.

At Café Matsuo, in the backroom...

Yuhiro walked out of the closed-off space, breathing hard and limping, with tears running down his cheeks. He would have fallen over had Roxy not ran over to catch him.

"It's okay..." Roxy told him, as she put his arm around her shoulder. "It's okay... You did your best." She then led him slowly out of the backroom and upstairs to the living room. Once they made it there, Roxy helped him sit down on the couch.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Yuhiro suddenly said, feeling a sharp pain all over his body. "I forgot Infearno's 'Burning Abyss' monsters dealt real pain." He stood up, but slowly to ensure he got his balance.

"No kidding." Roxy agreed. "I mean, you were consumed by hellfire in that duel. How much of it hurt your-?" She gasped upon seeing the burn marks all over Yuhiro's body. "Good lord. It's a cold shower for you, mister."

After helping Yuhiro walk to the bathroom (and ensuring that he didn't fall over in the process), he took the coldest shower ever, while Roxy and Herald waited outside of the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes.

"You remember what you told me, Roxy? The warning you gave me a while back?" Yuhiro asked her, as he opened the door slightly, letting Roxy slip the fresh clothes to him quickly.

"That no matter how skilled you were, you'll eventually face someone you can't beat?" Roxy recalled, as Yuhiro exited the washroom.

"Yeah. It definitely applied here." Yuhiro admitted. "Even after using everything I had against Infearno, he still beat me."

"Let's go to the living room and talk." Roxy said, helping Yuhiro walk downstairs and back to the living room. Once the two of them sat down on opposite couches, Roxy was the first to speak.

"Okay, so let's go over what happened. You and Herald went with Mr. Kinoshita and Rosetta to acquire World Gears after dinner."

"The next thing we know, Infearno was somehow already in the server." Herald interrupted, emerging from Yuhiro's Duel Disk. "He and Yuhiro dueled, and while we were able to hold our own, in the end, he beat us."

"That pretty much sums it up." Yuhiro said, a despondent look on his face. "What pisses me off is that he not only knows my identity, he also knows about Miyu. If anything, Infearno learned about your connection with her as well, Roxy."

Roxy crossed her arms. "That bastard... At least we know he's really Emon Uchida, though."

"Am I cursed?" Yuhiro suddenly asked, looking at his hands. More tears started to run down his cheeks. "During the duel, I couldn't control my anger, and ended up unleashing my powers. As a result, I couldn't think clearly, for all I wanted to do was just... rip Infearno apart. If I can't control my powers, am I able to really protect anyone... or am I doomed to fail?"

Seeing Yuhiro starting to break down, Roxy walked over to where he was and sat down beside him before pulling him in for a hug.

"It's normal to be uncertain of yourself." Roxy told him. "Not just that, but to be scared as well. What you're feeling is totally normal. We'll figure this out one day at a time."

Yuhiro released himself from the hug. "All right. Thanks. I guess I really needed to hear that."

"Perhaps we can ask Watchman." Roxy suggested. "After all, he might provide a clue as to-."

Suddenly, Yuhiro's Duel Disk started glowing, surprising everyone. The next thing they knew, a holographic image of Watchman appeared beside Herald, giving him a scare.

"AAH!" Herald shrieked. "You could have warned me!"

"My apologies." Watchman said. "But this is urgent."

"Look, Watchman." Yuhiro began, picking up his Duel Disk. "I'm sorry for not retrieving World Gears." But before he could continue, Watchman interrupted him.

"We can't change the past, but we can change the future."

Yuhiro raised an eyebrow. "So, you're not upset with me?"

"I am upset. But there's no use in lamenting about what happened." Watchman answered. "All we can do is move forward."

"So I'm guessing you want us to keep an eye on the network over the next couple of days?" Roxy asked him.

"Correct. If something odd comes up, or you manage to detect World Gears, investigate immediately. I'll do the same with Percival and Demeter." He was about to end the call when Yuhiro spoke up.

"Wait. There's something I need to ask you." After Yuhiro turned to Roxy, who nodded her head in reassurance, he turned back to Watchman and asked, "These powers that have been appearing. Every time they appear, it's when I can't control my emotions. What exactly are they?"

Watchman thought about it for a few seconds before responding. "It's called Link Trigger."

"Link-what?"

"Each of the children from the Lost Incident carries a unique ability with them." Watchman explained. "Yours is called Link Trigger. It enhances your physical and mental abilities both inside and outside of a duel."

"Is that why Yuhiro doesn't act like himself sometimes?" Herald asked Watchman, to which he nodded.

"Precisely. The secret to mastering Link Trigger is full, mental control. If you exercise it enough, then it will be your greatest weapon." Watchman then noticed something. "We shall speak more on this later, when you have healed." The holographic image of him then disappeared.

"Remind me to not share a space with a holographic image of somebody else." Herald told Yuhiro and Roxy, in which they laughed. "What? This duel disk is my home, and I don't want intruders invading it!"

Progleo then jumped out of Yuhiro's Duel Disk and onto Yuhiro's lap.

"You did good today, little buddy." Yuhiro said to the cub, ruffling his fur. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you during the duel."

"It's okay." Progleo replied, licking Yuhiro's face. "We'll get the meanie next time."

"In that case," Roxy said, standing up. "I think I'll-."

"No." Yuhiro said, stopping her. "I think I'm calling it a night." He then stood up and tried to walk upstairs. However, he would have fallen over had Roxy not ran over and caught him.

"You want some help?"

"No." Yuhiro answered. "I can manage." He then went slowly upstairs on his own to his bedroom, with Progleo following him. Roxy sighed as she went back to the nearby couch and sat on it. She then took off her glasses and started crying, having been overwhelmed with what transpired today.

Once he made it to his bedroom, Yuhiro literally fell on top of it, tired from everything that happened. He then sat up slowly on top of his bed, as Progleo jumped on it. Yuhiro let the cub rest on his lap, happy for the comfort Progleo was giving him. Miyu, he thought. You are one of the most important people I care about in this world. Even though I failed you today, I won't stop fighting for you. This I promise. Smiling to himself, Yuhiro finally closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

Meanwhile, in the Hanoi Stronghold...

Infearno looked at the World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy card in his hand, a look of satisfaction on his face. He was on a stairway above a massive hole, which continued to leak with data.

Within moments, Revolver materialized inside the Hanoi Stronghold and walked over to where Infearno was.

"Well done, Infearno." Revolver praised him. "You have brought honor to the Knights of Hanoi today. Consider all your failures forgiven as your reward."

"Thank you, Revolver." Infearno said, giving a slight bow. "Although there were a few complications, I managed to succeed in the end."

Revolver raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"When I tried to capture Raguel's Ignis," Infearno began to explain, "World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy provided its remaining energy to it, preventing me from obtaining it. Also, Arshad appeared and attempted to stop me, but I luckily got away in the end."

"So Arshad appeared to try and help Raguel..." Revolver's father said, materializing into the Hanoi Stronghold beside his son. "It appears he can no longer see reason. We must deal with him."

"I couldn't agree more, Dr. Kogami." Infearno approved, addressing the old man by his name.

"You promised, remember father?" Revolver reminded Dr. Kogami, crossing his arms. "You said you would try to persuade him to re-join us, old friend to old friend. Or are you going back on your word?"

Dr. Kogami sighed as he turned to Revolver. He then pressed the sides of his nose for a brief moment. "I do remember making that promise, Revolver. But as I told you before, we have to draw the line if he refuses to help us. Do you understand?"

Revolver nodded, aware of what needed to be done if Watchman continued to fight the Knights of Hanoi. "Yes, father."

"Good." He then turned to Infearno. "May I have World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy?"

"Of course." Infearno complied, pressing a few buttons on his Duel Disk. Once the card took physical form, he handed it over to the older man. In Dr. Kogami's right hand was World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy, while in his other hand was a small, red glowing cube.

"Ironic, is it not?" Dr. Kogami said, looking at World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy. "The very thing that aided the Ignis will now be their ruin." He then looked at the cube. "And with this cube, humanity will finally be freed from not only the Ignis, but of what lies beyond the network."

Dr. Kogami then turned his palms and dropped both of them down into the depths of the hole. Soon, the light at the bottom of the hole started glowing a deep magenta, as a tentacled sphere of energy started absorbing data and expelling red electricity.

"Soon, my friends, humanity will be saved. This I promise..."

Card Gallery

Cyreath Beastmaster (LV: 4/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 0/DEF: 1500)

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Cyreath' monster from your hand. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Beastmaster' once per turn.

Rise of the Burning Abyss (Continuous-Spell card)

Effect: While this card is on your field, 'Burning Abyss' monsters you control gain 500 ATK. If this face-up card is destroyed by your opponent's card effect: You can draw cards equal to the number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters on your field (max. 5). You can only use this effect of 'Rise of the Burning Abyss' once per turn.

Cyreath Providence (Quick-Play Spell card)

Effect: When this card is activated, immediately after this effect resolves, Link Summon 1 'Cyreath' Link Monster from your Extra Deck, by shuffling only 'Cyreath' monsters from your Graveyard to your Deck/Extra Deck.

Cyreath Petrification (Normal Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent declares an attack with a monster they control: Negate the attack, and if you do, reduce that monsters ATK to 0; also, its effects are negated until your End Phase. You can only activate 1 'Cyreath Petrification' per turn.

Chains of the Burning Abyss (Continuous-Trap card)

Effect: When your opponent attacks with a monster they control: You can tribute 1 'Burning Abyss' monster on your field; that monster cannot attack while this card is on your field. When that monster leaves the field: Destroy this card.

Geryon, Steed of the Burning Abyss (LR: 2/Fiend/Dark/ATK: 1600/↙️↘️)

Effect: 2 Level 3 monsters. While this card points to a 'Burning Abyss' monster, it can attack your opponent directly, but any battle damage your opponent takes is halved. Once per turn: You can tribute 1 'Burning Abyss' monster this card points to, then target 1 card your opponent controls; send it to the Graveyard.

Cyreath Erymanthian Boar (LR: 3/Cyberse/Earth/ATK: 2500/⬅️⬆️⬇️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Cyreath' monsters with different names. While this card is co-linked, it and its co-linked monsters gain 500 ATK; also, your opponent cannot target any of them with card effects. You can target 1 'Cyreath' monster in your Graveyard, except a Link Monster; Special Summon it to your zone this card points to. You cannot Special Summon monsters the turn you activate this effect, except 'Cyreath' monsters. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Erymanthian Boar' once per turn.

Cyreath Medusa (LR: 3/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 2300/⬆️⬇️↘️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Cyreath' monsters, including a 'Cyreath' Link Monster. Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a card effect: You can negate that effect, and if you do, destroy it. If this card is in your GY: You can tribute 1 'Cyreath' Link-2 or higher monster your control; Special Summon this card to your field. You can only use this effect of 'Cyreath Rider' once per turn.

Phlegyas, Guardian of the Burning Abyss (LR: 3/Fiend/Dark/ATK: 3000/↙️⬇️↘️)

Effect: 2 or more 'Burning Abyss' monsters. When this card is Link Summoned: You can destroy cards your opponent controls equal to the number of 'Burning Abyss' monsters used as Link Material. Once per turn: You can tribute 1 'Burning Abyss' monster this card points to; this card gains ATK equal to the original ATK of the tributed monster until the End Phase.

QOTC

Between Dancho, Infearno, and Lord Kazuma, which Knight of Hanoi do you think is the most dangerous so far in the story?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 28: Haunted Performance. Following his loss against Infearno, Yuhiro, along with Roxy, scour the network for any signs of World Gears of Theurlogical Demiurgy. Suddenly, he's drawn into the underbelly of LINK VRAINS by a strange and frightening feeling. As he begins his search, the Knights of Hanoi make their move...

Chapter 29: The Tower Cometh. The Knights of Hanoi have launched their ultimate weapon: The Tower of Hanoi. Raguel, Playmaker, and their allies log into LINK VRAINS to unite and stop the Hanoi's plan. With guidance from Watchman, they split up to reach the Tower and eliminate any remaining members of the Hanoi. As Rosetta makes her way on foot, she's caught off guard by someone she thought was killed a while ago...

Author's Notes

Ah, it's so good to finish a chapter, especially one as epic as this! I'm happy to be finishing the Cyberse Hunt arc prior to the school year coming up, and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Anyhow, let's get to the recap!

The chapter follows up from Chapter 26, where Raguel, Rosetta, and Hideki log into the vault, only to find Infearno already there. This soon leads to the rematch between Raguel and Infearno, and surprise, Infearno gets a win for a change!

There were two reasons why I wanted Infearno to win this time around. One: To prove that he's no longer playing around. I want to establish him as an actual threat by having him know about not only Yuhiro's identity, but about Miyu and Roxy as well. Two: It helps Yuhiro's character development.

When a character loses a duel, it helps them reflect on what happened, as well as confront any personal dilemmas facing them. From there, they can heal and bounce back. I want to give Yuhiro a chance to develop not only as a character, but as a person by experiencing loss. This is my hope for Yuhiro following this chapter. Let me know what you think of this.

We also learn about the name of Yuhiro's power: Link Trigger. It's an ability that, in Watchman's words, "enhances the physical and mental abilities of a duelist both inside and outside of a duel". The secret to mastering it is mental control. What are your thoughts on Link Trigger? How do you think it will affect the story?

It's time for a few announcements before I talk about the Arc V Fanfic. First off, with the Tower of Hanoi arc coming up, I want to do an update on Roxy's Reports. The next report will focus on Ace and Rosetta, and will occur right after the events of Chapter 27. Once that's done, then I'll proceed straight to the Tower of Hanoi arc.

Second, the school year is coming up, and it will be different compared to last years. What does this mean for Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth, you may ask? Well, the time it takes to write chapters will vary depending on how schoolwork will be managed due to COVID-19. The time it takes to write chapters may be shorter, while others will be longer. This is due to the upcoming duels that will appear in the Tower of Hanoi arc, as well as assignments. But please be assured: I'm not abandoning this story. I intend to finish it all the way.

Alright, it's time for the Arc V announcements! First off, I like to announce the official title of the upcoming Arc V Fanfic: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V: The First Pendulum.

Second, I want to talk about legacy characters. Okay, guys. I want to make this story as different as possible compared to other well-known Arc V fanfics. How, you may ask? While most Arc V Fanfics have been using characters such as Hell Kaiser Ryo (who's pretty common), I'll be using different legacy characters. I won't specify who, as I'm still deciding who will be in it, but they will have proper roles in the story. Please let me know which legacy characters you think will appear in the story following the Original Dimension arc, as I want to hear your thoughts.

Third, I want to talk about when the fanfic will be released. With the first-year anniversary of Obscured Truth coming up in October, I want to finish the Tower of Hanoi arc and wrap up the first season. By doing so, I want to gain the experience and confidence of writing an entire season before starting The First Pendulum.

Lastly, I want to talk about how you want the chapters to be released. Do you want me to alternate between both stories, or do you want me to release new chapters at the same time? Let me know what you think.

Thank you for reading Chapter 27 of Obscured Truth. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter in your reviews below. In addition, constructive criticism is always welcome, as it helps make the story even better. If you know of anyone who would be interested in reading the story, don't hesitate in showing them.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? The duel between Raguel and Infearno? Were you surprised by Infearno winning for a change? Or was it something else?

Next chapter, the Tower of Hanoi arc finally begins! See you next time!