Update

E.T. 2000 pointed out an error in the duel between Athaliah and Numera. It was related to Shaddoll Dragon and Geomathmech Magma. So instead of Athaliah summoning Shaddoll Dragon in face-down defense position on her first turn, she summoned a copy of Shaddoll Squamata from her hand. This way, Squamata can destroy Magma with its Flip effect, allowing Numera to later on use Mathmech Superfactorial to bring back her Mathmech monsters and use them to Synchro Summon Geomathmech Final Sigma.

Response to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Kingdom Hearts Guy, E.T. 2000, ZeroMK7, Pancakes, Cosmic Cat, Pikachu99, ZarcEternal, Portal, Naruto1999, Electriuser, Guest, Guest, Just a Person, Guest, Edgar, Ambiguous, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 31 of Obscured Truth.

Hey, everyone! I hope you're all healthy and safe wherever you are. I also hope you enjoyed the previous chapter, as well as the many possibilities it opens up for the future.

But enough talk! Let's get to answering some reviews!

HunterHQ: Rachel's parents were on the run from regular loan sharks, not from Ace's associates. As for your comparison, it wasn't my intention for it to be that way. There's obviously differences between them though.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Hope you enjoy the chapter to come.

E.T. 2000: Yes. This was one of the darkest chapters I wrote for the entire story. In order to make it dark, I had to draw some elements from a horror movie or two. Also, Yuhiro wasn't left in Athaliah's care. Remember, he was one of the eight children from the Lost Incident. As for your theory, I have to say it's a great and educated guess. Let's see if you're correct down the road. Also, thanks for pointing out the error.

ZeroMK7: Happy you enjoyed the chapter. I sure hope you enjoy the rematch between Raguel and Lord Kazuma.

Pancakes: Rachel as a teacher? Although she's too young, she can definitely pass on some important wisdom to the other characters in the story. That's for sure.

Cosmic Cat: Thanks for the honest review. And to answer your question, Athaliah didn't hold back against Rachel. She destroyed Final Sigma using El Shaddoll Grysta, temporarily crushing Rachel's spirit in the process.

Pikachu99: Glad you liked the chapter. And hobbies for the OC's? Not sure. I'll have to post that as a future QOTC later on. Great idea.

ZarcEternal: Glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Portal: There was no rape in the previous chapter. To do that to a young character like Rachel would be completely unethical. If I unintentionally scarred you, I apologize. As for your question, it would depend on the situation that Raguel's facing at hand. He could use save Cyreath Hercules to weaken monsters in the Extra Monster Zones and attack directly, use Progleo and another monster to resurrect another Cyreath Link monster, or bring back Turboblaze Dragon for the winning blow. Also, Raguel is a male, not a female.

Naruto1999: Thanks very much not just for that comment, but for writing an appropriate review.

Electriuser: Yes. In defeating Athaliah, Numera is taking steps to overcome her trauma. And yes, Athaliah is such a cruel human being that will return in Season 2. I sure hope you enjoy this chapter and the next. After all, it's Lord Kazuma's time to shine.

Guest: My thoughts on Cyberse monsters appearing in Yugioh Sevens? I must say, it was a surprise for me. As for the Maximum monster that appeared in the episode, it reminded me of those Legend cards for the Pokémon Trading Card game. In regards for your question on whether I'll make a story for Yugioh Sevens, I'm not really sure to be honest.

Guest: First off, I'm glad my story Obscured Truth made it to your top 3 Yugioh VRAINS stories on Fanfiction. Second, even though the start wasn't the best, I'm really happy you chose to stick with it until now. I'll admit that this is the first time I wrote a story, and my first chapter wasn't the best. However, as I dived deeper into the story, it helped me figure out how best to differentiate it from the other VRAINS fanfics. Oh, and I just wanted to let you know I'll be writing past Season 3 for the story. As for your other question, not only will the OC of the Arc V story be using a real life deck, the story will be 100% original. That I can promise.

Just a Person: Your questions unfortunately fall into the spoiler category, so I'll answer them in a way that will leave you satisfied for now. For the first question: Back in Chapter 19, there was a card contest, and someone submitted a similar idea you put up in your review. You'll find out in Season 2 whether their idea will appear in the story. As for your second question, if you pay attention to the story, you might be able to answer it for yourself.

Guest: If you want the answer to your question, I encourage you to keep reading.

Edgar: Hi Edgar. Your previous two reviews were very inappropriate. As I had no way of sending you a PM, I had to delete them. I'll let it slide just this once, but for the future, please don't write anything inappropriate in your reviews.

Ambiguous: In Project: Apotheosis, Athaliah kidnapped not just children, but people of different ages as well. I can't tell you about Project VIII, so if you want a glimpse, read Chapter 31. However, what I can tell you is that the Crisis involves Project VIII, the Lost Incident, and Project: Apotheosis. They're all connected together.

Guest: Unfortunately, Miyu and Aqua won't interact with each other in Season 2. However, I do plan on doing a Season 4 for the future. So stay tuned!

And now it's time for the chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 32: Truths Revealed

In the Hanoi Stronghold...

"So Ace and Athaliah are dealt with..." Revolver muttered, crossing his arms as he looked at the recordings from their duels against Rosetta and Numera. For the most part, he was glad they were gone for now. After all, when someone else takes care of a problem for you, it certainly feels good.

"Regardless, our numbers are down." Infearno commented, as he materialized into the Hanoi Stronghold. "There's only four of us remaining to defend the Tower of Hanoi."

"That may be true, but all we need to do is simply destroy anyone who gets in our way." Revolver replied, as Infearno walked towards him. "After all, to save humanity, we must destroy the Ignis."

"We shall, Revolver." Infearno assured him. "Do not worry." A notification then came up, causing the two of them to look at a new recording, which showed Specter defeating Blue Angel in a duel. "It seems Specter defeated Blue Angel in their duel."

"I'll have him defend the bridges alongside Lord Kazuma." Revolver decided, closing the recording. He then turned to Infearno. "I trust your plan is almost complete?"

"On the contrary, it's been complete for quite a bit now." Infearno answered, turning to face Revolver. "Should everything go to plan, we'll be able to defeat both Raguel and Playmaker for good, as well as delete their Ignis's." He then dematerialized out of the Hanoi Stronghold, leaving Revolver alone.

If Revolver had to be honest with himself, a part of him didn't want Infearno's plan to succeed. Because if it did, he'd never get the chance to settle the score with Playmaker. But in the end, it was for the greater good of humanity. And Revolver was willing to accept that if it meant the Ignis were destroyed.

In LINK VRAINS...

Numera ran through the streets. She must have been seeing things. After defeating Athaliah, she noticed a tornado of rose petals. And the tornado carried Blue Angel right to the top before dropping her to the ground again. Numera theorized that a Knight of Hanoi was responsible for that tornado. If she hurried, then she could catch them before they escaped.

As Numera rounded the corner, she gasped. Blue Angel was lying on the ground, her wings ripped from her back and her hair fallen out of its twin tails.

"Blue Angel!" Numera shouted, running towards the fallen idol. But when she got within a few feet, the ground beneath her suddenly broke apart.

"What the-?" Massive vines covered in thorns emerged from the ground and formed a cage around Numera, imprisoning her. The vines then lit up on fire, forcing her to stay in one place, lest she get burned. "Some sort of firewall? Greg, can you get me out of this?"

"I'll try, Rachel." Greg responded, typing furiously on his laptop.

Meanwhile, Numera pressed a few buttons on her Duel Disk, hoping what she had on hand could help her. A sigma then appeared, which she grabbed and threw at the ignited vines. Unfortunately, the attempt resulted in embers bouncing off the vines and landing on her body, causing her pain.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Numera cried out, patting down the embers to cool them down.

"I wouldn't play around with those vines if I were you."

Numera turned around and gasped in surprise. She wasn't the only one imprisoned. A tall man with blue and teal hair in a fancy suit was also trapped by one of the blazing cages. And behind him was an old man with yellow eyes, a grey beard and black and grey hair. The man wore a lab coat with red outlines, a dark undershirt with a red stripe, black pants, and brown shoes.

"Just like Mr. Zaizen's cage, those vines are infected with a special computer virus," Dr. Kogami explained. "Lay one finger on them and you will suffer an agonizing end before becoming fragmented."

"Dr. Kogami." Akira said, immediately identifying the older man. "I thought you were gone forever."

"You would have been correct if SOL Technologies had their way." Dr. Kogami replied.

"SOL Technologies?" Akira repeated.

Dr. Kogami smirked in response. "Too bad they failed."

Numera raised an eyebrow. Kogami? From what Greg told her, Dr. Kogami was held responsible for running an unauthorized and unethical project. One that SOL Technologies had to cover up for the sake of their integrity. Then, three years later, he was declared dead. But here he was, well and fit, claiming that SOL Technologies killed him.

"How exactly does SOL Technologies have anything to do with your death?" Akira asked.

"And how are you alive in the first place?" Numera added.

"Are you seriously oblivious to the schemes of your corporate overlords?" Dr. Kogami asked Akira back, ignoring Numera's question.

"I was told that you left the company voluntarily." Akira countered.

"Unless they changed the definition, there was nothing voluntary about it." Dr. Kogami calmly responded back. "They wanted control of my creation, one that I spent every waking moment to develop. The Ignis." Akira let out a small gasp.

"But I refused to let those greedy fools have what was mine. And when the Lost Incident came to light, it changed everything. SOL Technologies issued out a massive coverup to conceal their role, as well as silence everyone involved."

While Numera listened to Dr. Kogami's story, she was putting the puzzle pieces together. The project SOL Technologies covered up was his creation of the Ignis, which was also-? She let out a small gasp. No way. Was Dr. Kogami's project also known as the Lost Incident? The one the corpses talked about when Numera stumbled into their room during Project: Apotheosis? If so, then...

"They used a virus to put me into a coma." Dr. Kogami continued. "So I wouldn't spill their secrets. I was alive in the literal sense of the word. But my son never lost hope. To the world, I was nothing more than a dead body. But he managed to recreate me in the virtual world, where I can continue living. While my physical body rests in an eternal slumber."

"The Lost Incident..." Numera muttered. "Tell me: Does it have anything to do with Project: Apotheosis?"

Dr. Kogami turned and gave her his full attention. "You know about Project: Apotheosis? How do you-?" It then dawned on him. "Ah. You were among the many kidnapped victims for that project. As for your question, yes. My project and Project: Apotheosis are the pillars that will elevate Project VIII in fulfilling its purpose."

"What purpose?!" Akira demanded. "Is part of it forming the Knights of Hanoi to get revenge on SOL Technologies?"

"No." Dr. Kogami answered. "This isn't about revenge, nor does it have to do anything with Project VIII. It's about one and only one thing. Destroying the Ignis."

"But why?"

"I created the Ignis to guide humanity into finding its purpose and obtain salvation." Dr. Kogami began to explain. "However, I learned that they would be the cause of humanity's extinction. That's why they must be destroyed."

"Humanity's extinction?" Numera repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

Dr. Kogami turned to Numera. "The Ignis may be AI programs, but I programmed them to have free will. A distinction that will make them more dangerous than I thought possible." He looked upwards to the Tower of Hanoi. "I must erase my mistake. Before it costs humanity... everything."

"But at what cost?!" Akira demanded. "Just look at what you did to my poor sister!"

"She logged in of her own free will, though," the voice of Infearno pointed out, as he exited out of a portal and walked to where Dr. Kogami was. "And her foolishness led to her undoing."

"It's you!" Akira snarled, looking at Infearno. "Have you come here to mock me of my pain?"

"Infearno, there's no need to mock Mr. Zaizen for his loss." Dr. Kogami calmly told him. He then turned to Akira. "I do wish it wasn't this way, but what I can promise you is this. Her sacrifice will not go to waste."

"Because you'll be using her consciousness data to feed your Tower..." Akira replied. "You are a madman."

"The world needs madmen to protect humanity from threats that more timid men would cower away from." Dr. Kogami pointed out. "I'm destroying the Ignis to save humanity not only from them, but from other, more dangerous threats beyond the network as well." He turned to Infearno. "They're in your hands now, as promised." He then warped behind a gateway after saying that.

"Dr. Kogami!" Akira shouted. He then turned back to Blue Angel. "Aoi! Oh no! Aoi!" He and Numera both watched in horror as Blue Angel broke apart into blue data and quickly disintegrated.

"You should have cared about yourself, Zaizen..." Infearno taunted, getting Akira's attention. "If you did, you would be spared of the pain you're experiencing now. But rest assured. You'll eventually join her as data."

"How dare you say that!" Akira furiously said, turning to Infearno. "You have no right to say that! Nor do you have any idea of what it's like to really care for someone!"

"On the contrary, I do." Infearno expressionlessly replied, snapping his fingers and causing the cages to release embers of fire onto Akira and Numera. He then walked over to where Akira was. "Believe it or not, I too cared for someone, and it cost me... everything. At the same time though, the pain enlightened me to the truth."

"Enlightened you?" Akira repeated. "What do you mean?"

"That's something I'll have you ponder as I prepare your roles for my plan." Infearno said, turning around and preparing to exit through a portal behind him. But before he could leave, Numera spoke up.

"Your plan has something to do with Raguel and Playmaker, doesn't it?" Numera theorized, causing Infearno to turn to her.

"It does indeed." Infearno confirmed. "For someone who's young, you sure have ways of surprising people, Numera. But that doesn't matter right now. What happens next is the big event. One where you'll both be responsible for Raguel and Playmaker's defeats." He then exited through the portal after that.

"Were you able to find a way out of this trap?" Numera asked Greg.

"It's got some sort of code I can't break through." Greg replied. "You need a top-notch hacker to crack it. But I'll keep trying, so please sit tight."

"Alright." Numera conceded, scowling. Realizing there was nothing she could do, she turned to Akira. "I'm sorry about your sister."

Akira, hearing this, turned his head to Numera. "Aren't you a little too young to be caught up in all this?"

"Why yes, yes I am." Numera answered. "But I'm not letting something as silly as that stop me from being here, am I?"

Akira chuckled. "You're right on that. What's your name?"

"Numera."

"Even though you're younger than the others who logged in, I sure am grateful you came to fight the Hanoi." Akira said. "Do you know what Infearno has in store for us?"

"No clue." Numera answered. "But I have faith in Raguel that he'll save us before it happens."

"You know, Raguel?" Akira asked, now curious.

"Yes. I logged in to help him, but look where it got me." Numera sighed. She smiled sadly at Akira. "I know it's not much consolation, but if Raguel and the others destroy the Tower, I'm sure your sister will be set free."

Akira frowned. "I hope you're right. But Revolver and Infearno are dangerous opponents. And the man who defeated Aoi..."

Numera's smile grew. "We'll get through this. Don't worry."

Meanwhile, in another area of LINK VRAINS...

Raguel and Playmaker ran through the streets. At first, they were joined by Go and Stregone, who wanted to follow them. However, they eventually split up in groups of two to cover more ground. As Raguel and Playmaker kept running, he was grateful for his knowledge on the secret shortcuts in the network. It allowed him and Playmaker to make up for lost time.

Eventually, they reached two massive suspension bridges over the ocean, side by side.

"These bridges are the fastest route to the Tower," Playmaker said. He turned to Raguel. "Ai and I will take the bridge on the right. You and Herald take the bridge on the left."

"Very well." Raguel nodded. "Good luck, Playmaker."

Playmaker nodded and headed for the right bridge, while Raguel headed for the left bridge.

As Playmaker made it to the bridge on the right, he glanced over at the Tower. One of the rings was complete, and another was about halfway done. That meant they only had four and a half hours left. "Just past this bridge, we can get to the Tower," he said.

"You mean the one that's slowly disintegrating?" Ai asked, emerging out of Playmaker's Duel Disk. "Let's find an alternate route. If it dissolves with us on it, we're going down, and I do mean down!"

"There's no time." Playmaker stated, as he started running down the bridge.

"You know, if all these sparkly bits of code weren't being sucked up to be used for some sinister scheme, it'd actually be pretty." Ai observed. "Like confetti."

"I fail to see anything beautiful about this deliberate attempt to end the world," Playmaker said, "but please. Continue."

"Sheesh. Will you be serving up any peanuts during this guilt trip?" Ai replied, having noticed he crossed a line.

Eventually, Playmaker and Ai made it near the end of the bridge.

"We're almost there," Playmaker said.

"Almost is correct," the voice of Specter said, causing Playmaker to stop in his tracks. The space in front of him warped as someone stepped out. Playmaker narrowed his eyes.

"You're Specter, aren't you?" Playmaker surmised.

"Yeah. He's the Knight of Hanoi who kicked Kitamura's ass." Ai stated.

"Oh. My reputation precedes me. Yes. I am Specter." Specter confirmed to Playmaker.

"We have no time for you." Playmaker said.

"Then you should open your schedule and pencil me in because I am the one who stands between you and the Tower of Hanoi." Specter replied. "And guess what? I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. When I defeat you, I'll do to you exactly what I did to Blue Angel."

"What have you done with Blue Angel, Specter?" Playmaker demanded.

"Let's just say I left her in a state true to her name." Specter calmly replied. "You know. The kind of blue you feel after you've been completely and utterly defeated. But please. See for yourself."

Playmaker looked up, only to see a cloud of blue data traveling through the air. It was a much brighter blue than the other data particles around it. Specter reached out and the data traveled to his hand, where it hung in the air. The data briefly reflected an image of Blue Angel before they went to the Tower.

"She's been reduced to data!" Playmaker realized, much to Specter's amusement.

"Does it hurt to see her like that?" Specter scoffed. "I certainly do hope so, because the more suffering that I spread, the more joy I feel."

Playmaker growled. "How could you..."

"My, my, Playmaker." Specter said, spreading out his arms. "Those sound like fighting words to me."

"You're right." Playmaker agreed. "Because they are."

In response, Specter placed one hand over the other. "Excellent, Playmaker. Then we should get started right away, yes?"

"Duel!" both duelists shouted, ready to throw down.

Meanwhile, at the left bridge...

Raguel ran down the bridge. Glancing to his right, he narrowed his eyes.

"You see that Herald?" Raguel asked.

"That looks like Specter!" Herald said, looking in the same direction Raguel was looking in. "And he's dueling against Playmaker!" He turned to Raguel. "We have to keep going. Playmaker and Ai can handle themselves."

"Right." Raguel nodded. He was about to keep running when he heard ominous laughter in the air. Looking ahead, Raguel gasped as the air in front of him warped. In mere moments, Lord Kazuma stepped out of it, a gleeful look on his face. "Lord Kazuma..."

"For once, you get my name right. Well done, Raguel!" Lord Kazuma said, clapping his hands. "Although I wish I had a little more time to train, I've been looking forward to our rematch."

"That's fine with me. I'll be glad to... Wait. What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing good, Raguel." Herald stated. "Nothing good."

"Your little friend's correct, Raguel." Lord Kazuma said. "Tell me. Does the name Rosetta ring any bells?" Raguel's eyes widened upon hearing that name.

"What did you do to Rosetta, Lord Kazuma?" Raguel demanded.

"Why, I defeated her." Lord Kazuma calmly answered. He then turned to his left. "And if you think that's bad, my comrade Specter defeated Blue Angel as well."

"What?" Raguel and Herald said at the same time, with Progleo's head emerging from the Duel Disk upon hearing the news.

"Blue Angel's... gone?" Progleo said, his voice containing disbelief. Since the events concerning Rosetta, Progleo had been feeling guilty for treating Blue Angel meanly. He wanted to apologize and make things right with her. But now... now he lost that chance. "You Hanoi meanies are dead!"

Lord Kazuma laughed at Progleo's statement as he turned to face Raguel. "Man, I got you all riled up. But in case you don't believe me, here's some evidence." He then pressed a few buttons on his Duel Disk, causing red pieces of data to float above it. The data briefly reflected an image of Rosetta before it went to the Tower.

"Rosetta!" Raguel said, narrowing his eyes at Lord Kazuma.

Lord Kazuma smirked. "A tricky duelist like her forced me to use my newest discovery to win the duel. But that's in the past. Now we're in the present."

Raguel growled. "You... you'll pay not just for Rosetta, but for SengokuQueen as well."

"Don't worry. Once you're defeated, you'll go to the same place I sent both of them." Lord Kazuma stated, pointing to the Tower. "And your Ignis will go bye-bye!"

Raguel growled again and activated his Duel Disk. "I'll make sure you answer for what you've done."

"I'll rip you and the other guy a new one!" Progleo growled, barring his fangs. Herald, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes fiercely at the opponent they were about to face.

Lord Kazuma laughed as he activated his Duel Disk. "Then let's not wait any longer, shall we? After all, we're on a clock here."

"Duel!" Raguel and Lord Kazuma said at the same time.

Raguel: 4000 LP

Lord Kazuma: 4000 LP

"Just like our last duel, I'll be going first." Lord Kazuma stated. "I'll start by activating the Field Spell card, Secret Village of the Spellcasters! As long as I control a Spellcaster monster, you can't activate any Spell cards. But if I control no Spellcaster monsters, I can't activate any Spell cards."

"Not this again..." Raguel complained. The last time they dueled, Raguel was limited with only using monsters and trap cards. And even with those, he barely won the duel. Which meant the first step was destroying that Field Spell.

"It's a pain in the ass, that's for sure..." Herald agreed, facepalming.

"Next, I activate the effect of Magician's Soul from my hand." Lord Kazuma continued, ignoring his opponent's comments. "I can send a Level 6 or higher monster from my deck to the Graveyard to activate one of two effects. I choose effect one, which lets me Special Summon this card from my hand. Emerge, Magician's Soul!" As Lord Kazuma took a card from his deck and sent it to the Graveyard, spectral silhouettes of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared on his field. Surrounding the pair was a purple, dark magical circle.

Magician's Soul ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I activate Magician's Soul's other effect! I can send up to two Spell or Trap cards from my hand or field to my Graveyard, and in doing so, I get to draw that many cards." Lord Kazuma took two cards in his hand and sent them to the Graveyard before drawing two new ones from his deck. Looking at them, he smirked. "I now tribute Magician's Soul to Tribute Summon Dark Magician Girl!" As Magician's Soul disappeared, a teenage girl in blue robes with a pink skirt and small pink cape leapt onto Lord Kazuma's field. She had long, blond spiky hair that extended to the middle of her back. On top of her head was a blue wizard's hat with pink rings encircling it. She also wore high-heeled blue boots with pink rings as well. In her hands, she carried a scepter.

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician or Magician of Black Chaos in the Graveyards," Lord Kazuma explained, as Dark Magician Girl powered up.

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 + 300 = 2300

"So he sent Dark Magician to the graveyard..." Raguel muttered. Whatever Lord Kazuma was planning, it was anything but good.

"I activate the second effect of Soul Servant from my Graveyard." Lord Kazuma added. "By banishing this card, I can draw cards equal to the number of 'Palladium', Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl monsters with different names on my Field and in my Graveyard. Since Dark Magician is in my Graveyard, and Dark Magician Girl is on my field, I get to draw two cards." He drew the top two cards of his deck. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn. You're up, Raguel."

At the right bridge...

Specter just completed his turn by Link Summoning Sunavalon Dryas, as well as setting a card face-down on his field.

"What a strange strategy..." Playmaker muttered, looking at Sunavalon Dryas. "But with it, he was able to defeat Blue Angel. I wonder how he pulled it off."

"Well, you better figure it out quicker than her." Ai pointed out. "Because you saw how she ended up."

"Yes. I know."

"But you know what's really creepy about this guy? He. Doesn't. Blink. It's like totally mesmerizing. It's as though he's staring into my soul."

"How can an AI have a soul?" Playmaker replied, but before he could get an answer, Specter interrupted their conversation.

"Now be nice." Specter said. "You should be treating your pet with a little more respect."

"I hate to agree with a Knight of Hanoi," Ai said, "but he does have a point."

"Ai, I am not going to argue with you." Playmaker stated, in a tone that ended the conversation.

"Oh my, do I detect a spot of trouble between you two?" Specter hypothesized. "You really ought to get on the same page if you wish to defeat me."

"Thanks for the tip, but I can handle this duel just fine without being lectured by a Knight of Hanoi." Playmaker dismissed.

"I beg to differ, Playmaker." Specter rebutted. "I think you can learn a lot from the Hanoi. Take me as an example. While you and your Ignis squabble like children, I have not a single qualm serving Master Revolver to my utmost capabilities."

Playmaker gritted his teeth. "How can you think that? Don't you know what Revolver has done? Or the people he's hurt?" In response, Specter calmly smiled to himself.

"Of course I do. I was by his side when he made those decisions."

"It's always those that never suffered true tragedy that can speak of it so callously." Playmaker said.

"Ah. That is where you're very much incorrect, Playmaker." Specter replied. "Because truth be told, I have endured as much suffering as you."

"I seriously doubt that Specter." Playmaker said. Unfortunately for him, Specter's eyes widened as he continued.

"I know of the Lost Incident. When eight kids were taken and isolated from society. These children were locked in separate rooms, ensuring they were kept apart from each other." In saying this, Playmaker's eyes widened, his attention now fully obtained. Hook and Sinker. "Now have they been able to see those faces Playmaker, you would know that this face here belonged to one of those children."

"Aw glitch." Ai said in surprise.

"You were one of the taken?" Playmaker asked.

"That's correct." Specter confirmed. "Just like you. Although my takeaway from that event differs from yours."

"What do you mean?" Playmaker demanded, shocked to hear what Specter just told him. "The Knights of Hanoi put us through agony. Yet you joined them. Why?"

"I'm sorry. Did you say agony?" Specter clarified. "I felt no agony whatsoever." He let Playmaker process that information before continuing. "See, it really just depends Playmaker on the point of view of experience. And my point of view was of someone who grew up in an orphanage."

He smirked. "Even though there were other children, none of them wanted to play with me. It was as if I was a ghost. A specter. Day after day, this was my reality. This was my agony. Until the Lost Incident that is. At that moment, someone finally took an interest in me. Locked in a room with nothing but a VR set was... nice."

"It was... nice?! It was horrible..." Playmaker replied, trying to process the story Specter was telling him.

"Really? Was it? It seems this is where our opinions diverge." Specter said. "For the first time ever, someone was focusing on me. They wanted to learn how skilled I was. Sure, their training methods were a bit harsh, but at the end of the day, it made me a better duelist. Not only did I no longer feel alone, but I also learned to embrace pain as a joyful comfort as well." He laughed. "Yes, yes, I know. This must all sound a bit out there to someone such as yourself, Playmaker."

Specter then spread out his arms wide. "Someone who's devoted his whole life to getting revenge for the exact same thing that I'm currently celebrating." He sighed at that last part. "But alas, all good times had to come to an end when they rescued me against my will and returned me to the orphanage. How they thought that would better my life, I still do not understand. If I didn't feel alone before, it was a hundred times worse now. The adults and children treated me carefully, as though I'd break at any moment."

Playmaker stood in silence as he continued listening to Specter's story.

"So finally, I chose to run away from the orphanage. To go back to the only home I've ever known. Only to find it locked away. Knowing this, I sat there and waited."

"You waited?" Playmaker said.

"For my wishes to come true. For them to come back so that I could relieve the best time of my life." Specter responded, smiling. "While they didn't come back, he did. When I saw him, I knew without a doubt. He was the one I was born to serve."

"It was Revolver..." Playmaker realized.

"He's been running the chaos and crazy since day one." Ai added.

"It seems so." Playmaker agreed with him. "And Specter's another one of his puppets."

For a few moments, Specter's face was registered with confusion regarding Playmaker's comment. "No, no," he said, his calm and composed look returning. "I serve Revolver because I want to, not because I have to. I owe him everything. He taught me that happiness doesn't come from rainbows and lollipops. Rather, it comes from grit and grime."

"So let me get this straight." Playmaker said, compiling the information together. "You're saying you... enjoyed the Lost Incident, and that you serve Revolver willingly?"

"Correct and correct." Specter affirmed, the calm smile still maintained on his face.

"Hey, there's no point trying to reason with this guy." Ai advised Playmaker. "He doesn't have any reason in the first place. Besides, if you waste anymore time, that Tower will be completed, and Herald and I will be dead."

"You couldn't be anymore true, my little friend." Specter said. "Besides, while you're dueling with me, my ally Lord Kazuma is dueling against Raguel. And once you're both defeated, our mission will be complete!"

"We'll see about that!" Playmaker defiantly responded. "My turn! I draw!"

Meanwhile, at the left bridge...

"Seriously?" Herald said, looking at the other bridge. "I know looks can be deceiving, but Playmaker's opponent summoned a tree of all things?"

"Never underestimate Specter." Lord Kazuma stated, looking at Specter and Playmaker's duel. "His deck may not look intimidating, but it does have some nasty surprises."

"I'll remember that when I actually duel him." Raguel said. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. Perfect. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Cyreath Satyr from my hand." A creature with the upper body of a man and the horns and legs of a goat appeared on Raguel's field. The creature had bronze pieces of armor on its head, arms, and legs, as well as long claws on its hands.

Cyreath Satyr ATK: 2300 DEF: 1400 LV: 5

"Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Satyr into the Link Markers!" Satyr went into the bottom-left arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Skull Wing!" A small skull with wings in the right Extra Monster Zone on Raguel's field.

Cyreath Skull Wing ATK: 300 LINK-1 ↙️

"Now I summon 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.

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 your Secret Village of the Spellcasters!" Nymph flapped its wings and created a windstorm that headed right for Lord Kazuma's Field Spell card, but...

"Did you really expect me to fall for the same trick twice?" Lord Kazuma asked. "Continuous-Trap, activate! Magician's Combination! Once per turn, this card lets me tribute either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl to Special Summon one or the other from my hand or Graveyard, as long as its name is different. By doing so, I can negate the activated effect. I tribute Dark Magician Girl to bring back Dark Magician from my Graveyard!" A gateway then appeared from the card, which Dark Magician Girl went into before disappearing from the field.

Then a spellcaster in dark blue armor with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on his field. On the edges of the plates were curved trimmings of contrasting shade. He had blue-colored skin and white hair, and in his right hand was a dark blue rod.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"I have chortles!" Lord Kazuma declared with glee, as Magician's Combination fired a blast that went through the windstorm and hit Nymph, turning it into particles.

"He didn't use that card the last time we faced him." Herald stated. "Which meant he made some upgrades just for this duel."

"Then let's try something else." Raguel suggested. "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

"Appear, for a second time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A second Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are two 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Skull Wing, which is a Link 1 monster, and Cyreath Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Skull Wing went into the top arrowhead, while Doppelganger 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 ⬆️⬇️

"Skull Wing's effect." Raguel continued. "Since it was used to Link Summon, you take 300 points of damage!" A silhouette of Skull Wing appeared and went through Lord Kazuma, causing him to shiver slightly.

Lord Kazuma: 4000 – 300 = 3700 LP

"Next, I activate Doppelganger's effect from my Graveyard! By banishing a 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard, I get to Special Summon this card to my field in attack position. I banish Satyr to activate its effect and summon it back!" Doppelganger, for a second time, materialized itself onto Raguel's field, only in the Main Monster Zone Chariot Commander was pointing to.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

"I'll now use Chariot Commander's effect! Once per turn, when a monster is summoned to a zone this card points to, I can destroy one card you control! And I choose your Secret Village of the Spellcasters!"

"Sayonara, Secret Village of the Spellcasters!" Herald said, as Chariot Commander threw a fireball at the Field Spell, turning it into particles. He turned to Raguel. "We can now use our deck's potential, Raguel."

"Against this guy, we'll need every resource available to win." Raguel agreed. He pointed his right hand to the sky. "Appear, for the third time! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A third Link Portal appeared above Raguel. "The summoning conditions are one 'Cyreath' monster! I'll set Cyreath Doppelganger into the Link Markers!" Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Cyreath Headhunter!" A female ninja wearing a purple and black robe appeared on Raguel's field in the Main Monster Zone Chariot Commander was pointing to. Her face was covered in darkness, except for the eyes, which were black with a yellow-orange sclera.

Cyreath Headhunter ATK: 1000 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Battle! Cyreath Headhunter attacks Dark Magician!" Headhunter ran at Dark Magician and pulled out two poisonous daggers.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" Lord Kazuma said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you seriously planning on self-destructing this early in the duel?!"

"When Headhunter battles a monster whose attack points are higher than its own," Raguel explained, "I can immediately destroy that monster without taking any battle damage. Simple as that."

"Say whaaaaaatttttt?!" Lord Kazuma replied in shock, as Headhunter evaded Dark Magician's attack and stabbed her poison daggers into his chest, turning him into particles. "If that's the case, I activate my other Trap card! Magician Navigation! This card lets me Special Summon Dark Magician from my hand. It also lets me Special Summon one Level 7 or lower Dark Spellcaster monster from my deck. Come out, Dark Magician!" A second copy of Dark Magician appeared on Lord Kazuma's field.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"And thanks to Magician's Navigation, I Special Summon Apprentice Illusion Magician from my deck." A woman in purple robes and hat, along with high heel boots, appeared on his field. She had spiky, white hair that went to the back of her neck. In her hand was her own scepter.

Apprentice Illusion Magician ATK: 2000 DEF: 1700 LV: 6

"Apprentice Illusion Magician's effect!" Lord Kazuma continued. "When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Dark Magician' from my deck to my hand!" As Lord Kazuma said this, a card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand.

"Damn it..." Raguel muttered under his breath. Not only could he no longer attack this turn, Lord Kazuma was able to summon two monsters to his field on Raguel's turn.

"You recall what Apprentice Illusion Magician can do, right Raguel?" Herald asked.

"Yeah." Raguel confirmed. "It wasn't good." Going back to the duel, he said, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Lord Kazuma said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I activate the second effect of Soul Servant from my Graveyard!"

"What?" Raguel said. "How are you able-?" Then it hit him. Of course...

"It's called having duplicates of more than one card, Raguel." Lord Kazuma emphasized. "People in tournaments do this alllllllll the time, so why shouldn't I? Anyway, just like before, I can banish this card to draw cards equal to the number of 'Palladium', Dark Magician, and Dark Magician Girl monsters with different names on my Field and in my Graveyard. I have one Dark Magician Girl and one Dark Magician in my Graveyard, as well as one Dark Magician on my field. What does that add up to?" He put up a hand to his ear. "Well, I'm waaaaiiittttiiinnnggg."

"Three..." Raguel grudgingly answered.

"That's right!" Lord Kazuma confirmed. "I get to draw three cards!" He drew the top three cards of his deck. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Dark Magical Circle! I get to look at the top three cards of my deck for a 'Dark Magician' or a Spell or Trap card listing 'Dark Magician' specifically in its text. Then by revealing it to you, I get to add it to my hand." Lord Kazuma looked at the top three cards of his deck before choosing one. "I reveal to you the Quick-Play Spell card, Dark Burning Magic! And because I revealed a card to you, I'm allowed to rearrange the remaining two cards in any order and place them on top of my deck. This shall do for now." One card was placed on the other before returning to Lord Kazuma's deck.

"Now I summon Magician's Rod from my hand." A spectral version of a spellcaster with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on Lord Kazuma's field. It carried a long rod in it's hands.

Magician's Rod ATK: 1600 DEF: 100 LV: 3

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I get to add a Spell or Trap card that specifically lists the card 'Dark Magician' in its text from my deck to my hand. Let's see here. How about this one?" A card popped out of Lord Kazuma's deck before he added it to his hand. "Okay, I think I'm all set. Battle! Dark Magician attacks Cyreath Headhunter! At this point, I activate the second effect of Apprentice Illusion Magician! By sending her from my field or hand to the Graveyard, my attacking monster gains 2000 attack and defense points during damage calculation only!" As she disappeared from the field, Apprentice Illusion Magician released a magical spell from her scepter aimed towards Dark Magician, powering him up as she disappeared from the field to the Graveyard.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 + 2000 = 4500 DEF: 2000 + 2000 = 4000

"I don't think so, Kazuma!" Raguel said. "While I control a 'Cyreath' Link monster with a higher Link Rating, you can't target her for attacks or effects!"

"Hmph. Very well. Dark Magician will instead attack Cyreath Chariot Commander." Lord Kazuma responded. "Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician fired a magical blast from his dark blue rod at Chariot Commander, but...

"I activate my face-down Trap card, Link Showdown!" Raguel said. "When a Link Monster I control battles a monster my opponent controls with higher attack points, my monster gains attack points equal to its Link Rating times 500! Since Chariot Commander's Link Rating is two, it gains 1000 attack points!" Chariot Commander roared as its strength increased.

Cyreath Chariot Commander ATK: 2000 + (500 X 2) = 3000

The magical blast fired from Dark Magician then hit Chariot Commander, turning it into particles.

Raguel: 4000 – 1500 = 2500 LP

"The battle continues!" Lord Kazuma said. "Magician's Rod attacks Cyreath Headhunter!" On his command, the long rod being carried by a spectral spellcaster fired a magical blast at Headhunter, turning her into particles. The resulting explosion soon after caused Raguel to fly off his feet and onto the ground.

Raguel: 2500 – 600 = 1900 LP

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn, which means Dark Magician's strength returns to normal. Make your move if you can."

Dark Magician ATK: 4500 - 2000 = 2500 DEF: 4000 - 2000 = 2000

At the right bridge...

Playmaker was in a sticky situation. Not only was Specter able to regain his life points due to Sunavalon Dryas' ability, he was able to Special Summon Sunvine Gardna from his Extra Deck to the Main Monster Zone Dryas was pointing to.

Luckily, Playmaker had a plan to deal with this predicament. It all hinged on the three link monsters he had on his field.

The first Link monster, Binary Sorceress, was a white humanoid monster with blue and red arrows on its chest and upper legs.

The second Link Monster, Multi Sledgehammer, was a green armored monster that carried a large black hammer.

The third Link Monster, Binary Blader, was a purple humanoid monster with blades attached to its wrists.

If everything went according to plan, then Specter would be finished this turn.

"Since I just attacked with a Cyberse Link Monster," Playmaker said, "Multi Sledgehammer gains one Hammer Counter!" A light lit up on a blade attached to Multi Sledgehammer.

Multi Sledgehammer HC: 0 + 1 = 1

"Next, I activate Binary Sorceress's effect. Once per turn, I can cut the attack points of one of the monsters on my field in half. By doing so, I can give those attack points to another monster. I cut Binary Sorceress's attack points in half and give them to Binary Blader." As Binary Sorceress's strength was cut in half, Binary Blader's strength went up.

Binary Sorceress ATK: 1600 / 2 = 800

Binary Blader ATK: 1800 + 800 = 2600

"Battle!" Playmaker declared. "Binary Blader attacks your Sunvine Gardna! And Specter, this won't be a single attack."

"What? What do you mean?" Specter asked.

"While your monster won't be destroyed, Binary Blader is allowed to attack twice," Playmaker explained. Binary Blader charged at Sunvine Gardna, intent on cutting it in two.

"Can't say the same for your life points." Ai commented. "Because they're about to be cleaved!"

"I activate Gardna's effect." Specter responded. "For every one of Sunavalon Dryas' Link Markers, it decreases the damage I would have taken by 800!" Binary Blader slashed Sunvine Gardna, causing the creature to take a few steps back. "So instead of taking 2000, I'm only taking 1200 points of damage." Specter winced as he also stepped back.

Specter: 4000 – (2000 – 800) = 2800 LP

"I'll take any damage I can get." Playmaker stated. "Because Binary Sorceress's effect kicks in! It restores my life points equal to the damage you just took." Binary Sorceress turned around and extended its arms to Playmaker. Its hands glowed a yellow light as his life points increased.

Playmaker: 4000 + 1200 = 5200 LP

"And since I attacked with a Cyberse Link Monster, it gains another Hammer Counter!" A second light lit up on a blade attached to Multi Sledgehammer.

Multi Sledgehammer HC: 1 + 1 = 2

"You're not the only one who profits." Specter said. "Trap card, activate! Sunavalon Glorious Growth! When I take damage, this card lets me Special Summon a 'Sunvine' token to my field." A small, dark brown plant with a golden center appeared on Specter's field in attack position.

Sunvine Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"In addition, I'm allowed to use my Token and other monsters to Link Summon!"

"What?" Playmaker said, surprised, while Ai emerged from his Duel Disk.

"But the manual states you can't Link Summon during our turn!" Ai pointed out.

"Appear! The future circuit that lights up our path!" Specter declared, as a Link Portal appeared beneath Sunavalon Dryas. "The summoning conditions are two or more Plant monsters! I'll set the Sunvine token, and Sunavalon Dryas and Sunvine Gardna, which are both Link 1 monsters, into the Link Markers!" Gardna went into the bottom-left arrowhead, the Sunvine token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, and Dryas sent vines into the bottom arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Sunavalon Dryanome!" The tree grew even bigger and changed. Instead of a face, it now had a pink-skinned woman growing from the center, where she was covered by the rose around her. There were now more bushes around the base with more branches surrounding it. Red pods swung from it as it was summoned to the right Extra Monster Zone.

Sunavalon Dryanome ATK: 0 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"We'll never hear the end of it if we lose to a tree..." Ai lamented.

"Obviously." Playmaker agreed with Ai.

"Glorious Growth's second effect!" Specter said. "I regain life points equal to the damage I just took. Also, you take damage equal to the amount that I took."

Specter: 2800 + 1200 = 4000 LP

Then a red vine emerged from the leaves and whipped out towards Playmaker, making him stagger a bit.

Playmaker: 5200 – 1200 = 4000 LP

"Oh my, Playmaker. It appears we're both back at square one again." Specter commented.

"As long as Specter has that Trap card and his tree, he'll regain his life points and damage us again and again." Ai told Playmaker.

"Specter has the ultimate defensive deck," Playmaker realized. "One that Blue Angel couldn't break through. His strategy revolves around Sunavalon Dryanome."

"Yeah. So unless we figure out a way to chop it down, we'll be fragged as well."

"Ah, but it's easier said than done." Specter said. "Because if you attack Dryanome, those attacks will be redirected to me."

In hearing this, Playmaker immediately made up his mind. "Binary Blader, attack Specter directly!" Binary Blader leapt forward and slashed Specter, causing him to take a few steps back as

Specter: 4000 – 2600 = 1400 LP

"And due to Binary Sorceress's effect," Ai added, "we'll gain life points equal to the damage you took!" Binary Sorceress turned around for a second time and extended its arms out to Playmaker, which glowed with a yellow light as his life points went up.

Playmaker: 4000 + 2600 = 6600 LP

"Dryanome's ability activates!" Specter responded. "Since you dealt me damage, up to three times during either player's turn, I can Special Summon a 'Sunvine' Link Monster next to its Link!" Dryanome's eyes glowed red as one of its bulbs popped and another Gardna appeared, summoned to Dryanome's bottom Link-Marker.

Sunvine Gardna ATK: 600 LINK-1 ⬆️

"Then I regain life points equal to the damage I just took." Red vines emerged from the leaves and wrapped themselves around Specter, increasing his life points as he smiled.

Specter: 1400 + 2600 = 4000 LP

"And thanks to Glorious Growth, just like before Playmaker, you take damage equal to the life points I previously lost." Specter continued, as one of the red vines whipped out and hit Playmaker for a second time.

Playmaker: 6600 – 2600 = 4000 LP

"Regardless, Multi Sledgehammer's effect activates." Playmaker said, as a third light lit up on a blade attached to Multi Sledgehammer.

Multi Sledgehammer HC: 2 + 1 = 3

"Multi Sledgehammer's additional effect! Since you control a monster and Multi Sledgehammer is co-linked with a Cyberse Link Monster, it can attack you directly! And when it declares an attack, I can remove all Hammer Counters to have it gain 1000 attack points for each counter removed until the End Phase." The lights disappeared from Multi Sledgehammer as its hands wrapped around its hammer. It grew new arms and hefted its heavier weapon.

Multi Sledgehammer HC: 3 – 3 = 0

Multi Sledgehammer ATK: 1000 + 3000 = 4000

Specter gritted his teeth in seeing that Multi Sledgehammer could potentially end the duel.

"Deuces, Specter!" Ai cheered.

"Go, Multi Sledgehammer!" Playmaker declared. "Attack Specter directly and end this duel!"

"Wait! So all those silly and useless attacks were just a setup to erase my life points all at once? How did I miss it?!" Specter exclaimed. Suddenly, a smirk formed on his face. "I activate Glorious Growth's other effect. Once per turn, when a monster you control attacks me directly, that attack is negated!"

"Oh no!" Playmaker exclaimed, as Multi Sledgehammer stopped charging, its hammer a few meter's from Specter's body.

"Then I redirect that attack to one of my 'Sunvine' monsters!" Specter continued, as Sunvine Gardna stepped in front of him. Multi Sledgehammer slammed its hammer down onto Gardna, struggling to destroy it. "Sunvine Gardna's effect reduces the damage I take by 800 times the number of Link Markers Dryanome has. Which means I can reduce damage by 2400!" Multi Sledgehammer pushed Gardna back before swinging its hammer and destroying Gardna for good.

Specter: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"Binary Sorceress's effect activates once again!" Playmaker replied, as Binary Sorceress turned around and extended out its arms to him, bathing him in a golden light.

Playmaker: 4000 + 1000 = 5000 LP

"And just like before, the effects of both Dryanome and Glorious Growth both activate!" Specter responded. "Come forth, Sunvine Gardna!" Dryanome's eyes glowed red as one of its bulbs popped and another Gardna appeared, summoned to Dryanome's bottom Link-Marker.

Sunvine Gardna ATK: 600 LINK-1 ⬆️

As some of the red vines behind Dryanome wrapped around Specter and restored his life points, another of them whipped out and hit Playmaker, returning both players to 4000 life points.

Specter: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 LP

Playmaker: 5000 – 1000 = 4000 LP

"Gardna's other effect! Since it was destroyed, your Battle Phase ends!" Playmaker gritted his teeth in annoyance upon hearing that.

Composing himself, he took a card and said, "I Set one card face-down and end my turn. That means Binary Blader, Binary Sorceress, and Multi Sledgehammer return to their original attack points."

Binary Blader ATK: 2600 – 800 = 1800

Binary Sorceress ATK: 800 X 2 = 1600

Multi Sledgehammer ATK: 4000 – 3000 = 1000

"Do you see now, Playmaker?" Specter asked. "All your efforts to defeat me were for naught. You intended on defeating me this turn, but this tree behind me prevented that from happening. And it will orchestrate your demise as well!"

"Just because you speak with confidence doesn't make it true." Playmaker stated.

"Oh, but it is true, Playmaker." Specter replied. "Why, you may ask? Perhaps its due to my special connection with the green. One that spans to my earliest days. At this tree behind me, I inhaled my first, sweet breaths of air. You might think I would have been scared, but on the contrary, I was comforted. While I was under the tree's motherly embrace, it protected me from the elements and the wild animals."

Specter closed his eyes and smiled. "Eventually, I was found and brought to the orphanage. But I wish I had never been discovered because the greatest peace I ever knew was there in that tree hollow. Which is why I went back every day to visit. That was, until the Lost Incident. Though I did enjoy the experience, the only downside was not being able to visit this tree." His eyes opened and he scowled. "So after I was 'saved', that was my first stop. And my last visit there. During the six months I was captured, the tree had been cut down. My protector was gone. For what? To make pencils? That's when my attachment to society had been severed completely. The only place for me now is by Master Revolver's side, where I will serve him for all time!"

"What do you expect from me, Specter? Understanding? Sympathy? Concern?"

Specter gasped. Playmaker's face was hard, his eyes set. "Are those the reasons why you're telling me this?" He closed his eyes. "Because you won't be getting any of those things from me."

Playmaker opened his eyes and glared at Specter. "You claim you're able to remember the time you spent under that tree. But that's completely farfetched. You know why? It's because no human can remember their time as a baby. Any beliefs you had about that tree was likely a figment of your own imagination."

Specter growled. How dare Playmaker say that?

"Oh, snap!" Ai commented.

"Your backstory and how you met Revolver doesn't matter to me," Playmaker continued, ignoring Ai. "You want to know what does matter? It's that you're working with the Knights of Hanoi, which makes you one of the enemies I must defeat to shut down the Tower."

"I see..." Specter muttered, before he started laughing again. "If that's what you think, then it's only natural we resume the duel."

"Just begin your turn." Playmaker replied.

"With pleasure!" Specter complied. "My turn! I draw!"

At the left bridge...

Raguel slowly stood up, having received the brunt of Lord Kazuma's attacks.

"Okay, that really stung." Raguel said, panting.

"You know what else stings? The fact we have no cards on our field!" Herald added in a panic. Lord Kazuma then laughed at their misery, causing both Herald and Raguel to look up at him.

"Are you seriously laughing at our pain during a time like this?!" Raguel exclaimed, now clearly pissed off with Lord Kazuma.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Lord Kazuma responded, a wide smile on his face. "Just as I said before, the suffering of others puts a smile on my face!"

Raguel gritted his teeth in annoyance. "I'm honestly surprised that Revolver allowed a psychopath like you to join the Knights of Hanoi."

Lord Kazuma was taken aback. "A psychopath? Me?" He laughed to himself. "Oh, no, no, no, my friend. Just as I told Rosetta before her untimely defeat, I'm just like everyone else. In other words, I'm like you. A human being."

Raguel raised an eyebrow. "You? A human being? I find that highly unlikely."

"I have to agree with Raguel." Herald added. "There's a term for your craziness, and it's called being a psychopath."

Lord Kazuma shook his head. "But you're mistaken, Ignis," he said. "The Knights of Hanoi, including myself, are all just normal people with a common goal. While you and the others may call us crazy, insane, or evil for our goals, we're anything but that. Instead, we seek to protect humanity from beyond the network. Even if it means sacrificing a few to save the majority."

"That still doesn't answer my question on how the Hanoi allowed a psychopath like you to join their ranks." Raguel pointed out.

"In that case, it's time for me to reveal my backstory." Lord Kazuma replied with glee, excited to share his story with Raguel.

Flashback: Ten years ago, at a middle school in Den City...

"You see Raguel, everyone has something that makes them who they are. For you, it was the pain of the Lost Incident. But for me, well, it was eventually the complete opposite."

It was in the afternoon. A young Takeya was waiting in line near the gymnasium with two other students in front of him. He wore a yellow-buttoned up shirt with a small bow tie, along with dress pants. In his hands, he carried a few flashcards containing his jokes.

Why? Because today was his school's talent show, and it was his chance to shine.

"It all started that fateful afternoon at my school's talent show."

Takeya looked over his flashcards and muttered the words under his breath to ensure his entire comedy act had been memorized. Even though his parents were majorly busy, they had promised that they would arrive at the talent show to witness his act. The man at the door then got Takuya's attention by tapping his shoulder. He then opened the door for him.

"You're up, Takeya," the man said. An excited Takeya then fast-walked into the gymnasium and waited at the designated spot, where he was to be called for his act.

"Now ladies and gentlemen," a female announcer said to the audience. "Please welcome Takeya Naegi!" The audience clapped as Takeya excitedly walked onto the stage and headed to where the microphone was. He briefly looked at the audience and saw that... his parents were not there.

He chuckled to himself. Oh well. He could rub it in their faces later. After all, the show had to go first.

After clearing his throat, he muffled some laughter and a snort before he began. "Hello, it's good to be here." He then started laughing again. "Sorry. Just a little excited, that's all."

"Tell us a joke already!" one of the people in the audience shouted.

"I will, I will!" Takeya shouted back. He composed himself again before beginning. "Okay, okay. Here's the first one. What did the duck say when she bought a lipstick? Huh?" The air was silent before Takeya muffled some laugher and resumed his joke. "Put it on my bill! Do you get it? Or you want me to repeat it again?" To his delight, there was some laughter amongst the audience in mere moments.

"Glad you like the joke! Here's another one!" He laughed a bit to himself, causing the audience some concern. "Again, I'm sorry. It's just excitement." Takeya cleared his throat. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes! What did Winnie the Pooh say to his agent?" There was a moment of silence before he finished with, "SHOW ME THE HONEY!" This time, he got a louder and more positive reaction from the audience.

"Okay, now we're talking!" Takeya said, actually happy with how his comedy act was going. This caused him to laugh at himself, only a bit louder than intended. Luckily, he stopped himself, or else he would have been noticed. Looking at the time, Takeya realized there was enough time for one more joke. Time to pull out the big guns. "Alright, everyone! I got time for one more joke! You ready?" He waited a moments before resuming. "Why does Santa Claus have a big sack? HE ONLY COMES ONCE A YEAR!"

Instead of a positive reaction, there was a loud gasp of shock from the audience. Immediately, they started booing at Takeya.

"That joke was inappropriate!"

"Did your mother raise you with a potty-mouth?"

"Get off the stage!"

"Uh, hold on everyone." Takeya said, trying to calm the audience down. Unfortunately, he started laughing to himself again, giving the audience the wrong idea and pissing them off even more.

"Should this kid even be at school?"

"Something's obviously not right with you!"

"Get off the fucking stage!"

The female announcer from before ran to the stage and gave Takeya a look as if to say, "Get out." Takeya ran off the stage in tears upon realizing what happened. As he ran out of the school, he kept hearing the snide remarks of his classmates.

"Did your laugh impediment catch you again, Naegi?"

"What a loser."

"Your jokes were always horrible! Get a life, will ya?!"

"My loneliness meant I had no one to comfort me in dire situations like that dreadful night. Well, except for my golden retriever puppy who I called Biscuit. By the time I arrived home though, I realized he fell ill. My one companion who helped me through troubling times was suffering from some god-forsaken tumor. And unfortunately, his later death led me to abandon the comforts of home."

One month later, on a rainy day...

Takeya ran away from home just three days following Biscuit's death. Since his parent's weren't around, he concluded that they wouldn't care at all if he simply exited their lives. So Takeya took Biscuit's body to the Den City Cemetery and buried him in a dug up hole he made himself. After saying goodbye to his one friend, he walked out of the cemetery and into the outskirts of Den City, where he spent the next month in a garbage bin out of boredom. This would be his home until he died either by starvation or something else.

"For an entire month, I lived on the outskirts of Den City, believing I wasn't needed. I had no intention of returning to my parents, for we abandoned each other. In fact, one day, I planned on killing myself just to do one last thing. However, something else happened that day."

One night, Takeya was sitting amongst the wall, letting the rain pour down on his face. The laughing fits kept returning, only this time, he didn't forcibly stop them. What was honestly the point? He tried suppressing them, only for it to come out worse than before. And at even worser times too. His eyes then fixated on a piece of shrapnel as an idea formed in his mind. I'll end it here, he thought, as he reached over to the shrapnel and grabbed it with his right hand. It will be the final act of Takeya Naegi the Comedian! A sadistic smile formed on his face as he put both arms on the shrapnel and put it some distance to his chest. On the count of three. One. Two. Thr-.

Takeya then heard the door in front of him open, his eyes now fixated on a man with short black hair and wearing a dark green suit with a pair of glasses. When the man turned to look at Takeya, his stoic and expressionless expression made him drop the shrapnel.

"Who are you?" the man asked, walking over to Takeya. "And why are you out in the rain like this?"

"I'm... I'm Takeya Naegi." Takeya introduced himself. He then started to laugh at himself.

"What's so funny?" the man inquired, now raising an eyebrow as he knelt down to the boys level.

"I'm sorry. It's... this laughing disorder I have." Takeya replied, muffling his laughter. "It's... a curse that I can't get rid of."

"What one considers a curse, another can be considered a blessing," the man said, now standing up as he got Takeya's attention. "The world may have thrown you away, but you must try to be happy, even if it means hurting others." The way the man said it was in a voice of understanding and authority at the same time.

"I can teach you how, but only if you choose to come with me. Do you understand?" Immediately, Takeya stood up, now knowing what to do.

"I accept your offer." Takeya said. "By the way sir, what's your name?"

"You can call me Kazuma Saromi." Kazuma responded. "Come, let's get out of this weather."

"For the next six years, Kazuma Saromi taught me to always seek joy in whatever I did. Even in the unethical things. Not only did that man give me an apprenticeship in his cover job at a local barista, but he also let me join the black market as well. Sadly, after the best six years of my life, he died while on assignment."

Six years later, at an apartment in Den City...

Takeya was sitting on a couch watching TV, a bored look clearly on his face. Using Kazuma's teachings, he was able to make a decent living as a duel assassin. However, none of the assignments were entertaining to him. So while he wasn't occupied, he tried to return to his childhood dream of being a comedian, but that didn't work out. Takeya took out a card from his deck pocket and looked at it, letting himself laugh in the process.

Ah yes. The Dark Magician deck. One of the precious things Kazuma left him in his will, along with a large inheritance. During one of Kazuma's assignments, he was tasked with stealing the deck from the Den City museum. Takeya smirked to himself. The world will never know that the deck in the Den City museum is nothing more than a fake, whereas the one in his hand was an eligible copy of the King of Games' deck.

"In the six years following Kazuma's death, I was bored. Of course, my duel assassin missions on the black market and my attempt to return to comedy as a cover job kept me occupied. However, I felt that something was missing. And one day, I finally found the answer I was looking for."

Takeya's computer then started beeping, getting his attention. Getting up on the couch, he made his way to the desk and sat at the desk chair to see what the problem was. Upon looking at the screen, he realized that someone was trying to steal his inheritance! Like hell I'll let you steal my inheritance, Takeya thought, as he furiously typed on his computer. Within minutes, a wide grin spread on his face, indicating that he prevented the hacker from breaking in.

But then something else happened. The computer went blank for a few seconds before starting up again. Only this time, it showed a series of coordinates highlighted in green:

39tjwpehg032-tjwjpgjwdd-kj3m54p59

"Huh..." Takeya muttered, looking at the screen. If someone sent him these coordinates, it meant only one thing. "Very well. Looks like I'll accept your invitation." He grabbed the Duel Disk beside his computer and strapped it onto his left wrist. "Into the VRAINS!"

In LINK VRAINS...

Lord Kazuma materialized into a dark room that was lit up with neon-green lights. What the hell is this place, he wondered to himself. However, his thoughts went out the window as the air in front of him warped. Stepping out of it was a fair-skinned man with grey hair and light blue eyes. He wore a white suit with grey outlines and a black stripe on his chest, as well as white shoes.

"I take it you're the one who invited me here?" Lord Kazuma asked.

"Not necessarily," the man answered. "I'm just a spectator for the main event." He stepped to the side as a tan-skinned man with yellow eyes without irises or pupils, as well as black hair with orange and red highlights materialized into the room. He wore a white sleeveless coat with a white jumpsuit under it, black and red boots, a black-colored Duel Disk, with red accents, and gold-bullet shaped earrings. He also had a visor shaped in the form of a mask covering his face.

"I'm Revolver, leader of the Knights of Hanoi," the man introduced himself. "And beside me is Specter." He turned to face Lord Kazuma. "You are Lord Kazuma, yes?"

"Correct." Lord Kazuma confirmed. "If you know about me, then you're aware of what I do, right?"

"Oh, we're aware, Lord Kazuma." Specter replied. "You're a duel assassin on the black market. Someone hired to eliminate pesky duelists and acquire their cards if necessary."

"We also know about your life outside of LINK VRAINS." Revolver added, much to Lord Kazuma's surprise. "How you failed to be a comedian, and the boredom that followed. Deep down, you want to do something so spectacular that it fulfils your dreams and job at the same time."

Lord Kazuma put a hand to his chin as he thought about what Revolver said. Even though he was content with what he had, there was still a part of him that was still... bored. At that moment, the words of Kazuma Saromi appeared in his head. The world may have thrown you away, but you must try to be happy, even if it means hurting others. "You make a valid point, Revolver. No matter what I do to obtain happiness, I get bored in the end."

"Which is why the Knights of Hanoi have a solution to your dilemma." Revolver pointed out, getting Lord Kazuma's attention. "There's an enemy that will take a long time to kill. And since they are a species, you'll have the chance of showing off your best performances."

"Plus," Specter added, "we've heard about your work in the barista. As we'll be spending who knows how long to kill this enemy, we'll be needing the best coffee to get through those long days and nights." Revolver turned to look at Specter before raising an eyebrow at him.

"How interesting." Lord Kazuma thought it over. "This is a golden opportunity I cannot pass. I accept!"

"Not so fast." Revolver suddenly said. "You can't just join the Knights of Hanoi. You must prove yourself." He readied his Duel Disk.

Lord Kazuma smirked. A Duel Initiation? This was awesome. "If you insist." He also readied his own Duel Disk. "But a fair warning: I'm unpredictable."

"I don't expect anything less from a duel assassin."

"Duel!"

Flashback End: Present Day...

"I may have lost the duel against Revolver," Lord Kazuma said, "but my dueling skills were just enough to impress him, which led me to where I am today." He laughed at himself. "You see, Raguel? We're all human beings molded into the people we are today based on past events. You may think of me as a psychopath, but just like the Knights of Hanoi, I'm still a human being at the core. Surely, my story gets you thinking, right?"

Raguel narrowed his eyes at Lord Kazuma.

"Why so serious, Raguel? If anything, there should be a smile on that face of yours! Instead of looking at me like that, you should-."

"You want to know what I think?" Raguel coldly asked, interrupting Lord Kazuma and making him gasp. "I think your sob story's pathetic. All I hear is someone trying to justify the crazy, psychotic state they put themselves in!"

Lord Kazuma gritted his teeth in anger. "You dare... say that about my story?!

"Oh, I dare!" Raguel responded, a furious expression registered on his face. "Your sob story's nothing more than an excuse to make yourself high and mighty. That's another of the reasons why I see you only as a psychopath!"

For a brief moment, Lord Kazuma's eyes widened. He then started laughing. "I see. Then we are at an impasse. Make your move so I can pummel you to the ground!"

"Go ahead and try!" Raguel taunted. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck before looking at the field. As long as Magician's Combination is on his field, he thought, he'll be able to negate the effects of any cards I activate outside of the Battle Phase before destroying them. Which means I'll have to do something about it first. "To start, I activate the Spell card, Cyreath Treasure. By discarding a 'Cyreath' monster from my hand, I get to draw two cards from my deck." He took a card and sent it to his graveyard before drawing two cards from his deck. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Chiron from my hand. By revealing this card, I can Special Summon it, as well as one 'Cyreath' monster from my Graveyard! In exchange, I can only attack with 'Cyreath' Link monsters this turn! And the monster I choose to bring back is Doppelganger!" Doppelganger, for a third time, materialized itself onto Raguel's field.

Cyreath Doppelganger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 4

Then a creature with the upper body of a man and the lower body and legs of a horse joined the field. He had long brown hair tied into a ponytail at the end, along with green eyes. He also wore an archaic style of dress with leather armor being clad onto it. Chiron strung his bow at Lord Kazuma, ready for battle.

Cyreath Chiron ATK: 2100 DEF: 1600 LV: 6

What is Raguel planning, Lord Kazuma wondered. I could use Magician's Combination to stop him right now, but I'll let him build up his moves. Then at the right moment, I'll put a stop to it and wipe out his field!

"I activate the effect of Cyreath Wandering Soul from my Graveyard!" Raguel continued. "By banishing it, I can Special Summon one 'Cyreath Wanderer' token from my Graveyard." A small ball of mist in the form of a ghost appeared on Raguel's field.

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

"I'll also activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Cyreath Dispel! Since I control a 'Cyreath' monster, I can target one Spell or Trap card on your field and destroy it! I choose your Dark Magical Circle!"

"You think that's going to work?!" Lord Kazuma said. "I activate the effect of Magician's Combination on my field! Once per turn, this card lets me-."

"Do nothing." Raguel interrupted him, surprising his opponent. "I activate the effect of Cyreath Eunomia from my hand in response. By sending her from my hand to the Graveyard, I can negate the activation of a card effect and banish it!" A woman with silver hair, carrying a silver sword and a small court scale, briefly appeared on Raguel's field. The woman wore a black and white dress, with a diamond choker. Eunomia threw the silver sword at Magician's Combination, causing the card to vanish from Lord Kazuma's field. Lord Kazuma gritted his teeth as Cyreath Dispel fired a purple blast at Dark Magical Circle and destroyed it. Damn it, he thought. He's starting to irritate me!

Raguel pointed his hand to the sky. "Appear! The circuit showing the highest mountain!" A Link Portal soon appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are exactly three 'Cyreath' monsters! I'll set Cyreath Chiron, Cyreath Doppelganger, and the Cyreath Wanderer token into the Link Markers!" Chiron went into the bottom-left arrowhead, Doppelganger went into the bottom arrowhead, and the Wanderer token went into the bottom-left arrowhead.

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! From the depths of Tartarus, emerge, and claim the souls of those who oppose you! Link 3! Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld!" A grotesque, demonic large man wearing a blazing helm on his head and cloth around his waist, with chains wrapped around his body and spikes on his back, emerged from the Link Portal and appeared on Raguel's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. He carried two clawed chain blades, with each blade emitting a purple glow.

Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld ATK: 3000 LINK-3 ↙️⬇️↘️

"That's the monster you used to defeat Dancho..." Lord Kazuma realized.

"I'm well aware of that." Raguel told him. "And he will also be your demise as well." He thrusted out his right hand. "I activate Hades' first effect! Once per turn, I can target one face-up monster you control and place that monster to a zone Hades points to and take control of it! However, it cannot attack the turn I activate this effect! Therefore, I target and take control of Dark Magician!"

"Continuous-Trap, activate!" Lord Kazuma suddenly interjected. "Eternal Soul! Now every Dark Magician in my Main Monster Zones are unaffected by your card effects! At this point, the effect of Magician of Dark Illusion now activates! Since I successfully activated a Spell or Trap card, I can Special Summon this card from my hand!" A dark ominous shadow with eyes that resembled Dark Magician appeared on his field. In his right hand, he carried the same scepter that Dark Magician had.

Magician of Dark Illusion ATK: 2100 DEF: 2500 LV: 7

"And just a heads-up, Magician of Dark Illusion's name becomes 'Dark Magician' while on the field, thus letting it reap from Eternal Soul as well." Lord Kazuma added, much to Raguel's annoyance. "Since my Dark Magicians are unaffected by your new monster's effect, there's only one option available, Raguel. That is, unless you want to waste it."

"If that's the case," Raguel said, "I'll target and take control of your Magician's Rod! Soul Removal!" Hades swung his clawed chain blades around and around, before lashing them out at Magician's Rod, ripping its soul out of its body before vanishing from Lord Kazuma's field and reappearing in the middle Main Monster Zone on Raguel's field.

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

"Circuit combine! Link Summon! Emerge! Link 1! Cyreath Pseudo!" A watery spirit with one eye, two long arms, and a tail appeared in one of the Main Monster Zones Hades was pointing to, resulting in the both of them being co-linked with one another.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬆️

"Pseudo's effect! It gains attack points equal to the monster it points to!" Raguel added, as Pseudo morphed into a watery image of Hades.

Cyreath Pseudo ATK: 0 + 3000 = 3000

"Battle!" Raguel declared. "Cyreath Hades, Lord of the Underworld attacks Magician of Dark Illusion!"

"Trap card, activate!" Lord Kazuma said, gesturing to one of his face-down cards. "Black Illusion! Now until the end of this turn, Dark Spellcasters I control with 2000 or more attack points can't be destroyed by battle, their effects are negated, and are unaffected by your card effects! Which means I'll still have my field of monsters!" A purple aura surrounded Dark Magician and Magician of Dark Illusion.

"But that won't stop you from taking battle damage!" Raguel countered. "Soul Materialization!" Raising his clawed chain blades in the air, Hades summoned several souls out of them. At his command, the souls flew towards Magician of Dark Illusion before Hades jumped forward and slashed him using his clawed chain blades. As a result, an explosion occurred, causing Lord Kazuma to shield his eyes using his right arm. When it dissipated, Magician of Dark Illusion was still standing.

Lord Kazuma: 3700 – 900 = 2800 LP

"Pseudo will also attack your Magician of Dark Illusion!" Pseudo jumped forward and slashed Magician of Dark Illusion using a watery copy of Hades' clawed chain blades. Lord Kazuma's body fizzled as his life points dropped once again.

Lord Kazuma: 2800 – 900 = 1900 LP

"Nice one, Raguel!" Herald cheered. "We're now tied up with this guy!"

"I end my turn, which means Black Illusion's effect ends." Raguel concluded, knowing he couldn't make anymore moves for now. Still, if Lord Kazuma planned on destroying Hades with a card effect, he could tribute Pseudo to negate it. In other words, as long as Lord Kazuma didn't have a monster that had more than 3000 attack points, Raguel would be fine.

However, much to Raguel's shock, Lord Kazuma started laughing.

"What the hell's so funny?" Raguel demanded.

"Oh, Raguel." Lord Kazuma stated. "You absolutely have no idea of what you done." He then continued laughing, only it was much crazier than before.

"Be specific! What exactly are you going on about?" Raguel demanded once again.

"Why tell you when I can show you instead?!" Lord Kazuma maliciously smiled as he snapped his fingers, confusing Raguel as a hologram appeared beside him. And to his horror, the hologram showed Numera in a cage with burning vines.

"Numera!" Raguel said.

"Raguel!" Numera cried out, confused and surprised.

Roxy, who was watching this at Café Matsuo's backroom, was shocked. "What is Numera doing in a cage?" she asked Raguel over the earpiece. "Wasn't she supposed to head to the Tower?"

"She was." Raguel answered Roxy. "But something happened, and..." His eyes widened as he put two and two together. Looking at Lord Kazuma, he said, "You! Have you sunk so low that you would hold a child hostage to win?!"

"Now hold on, hold on." Lord Kazuma attempted to placate Raguel, which obviously didn't work. "As much as I want to take full credit for doing this, I have to give him a portion of it for the idea."

"Him?" Raguel repeated with an eyebrow raised, as the air warped beside Lord Kazuma. Stepping out of it was none other than Infearno. "How great. It's you."

Infearno smirked back. "Hello again, Raguel. I suppose you're wondering what's going on. Well, all I'll tell you is that you're not the only one in this dilemma." He then gestured to the other bridge, causing Raguel to look at the direction where Infearno was looking at.

"Playmaker's about to be in the same situation I'm in..." Raguel realized.

At the right bridge...

Playmaker's field was set. In his right Extra Monster Zone was Underclock Taker, which was a purple tube with a white disc hovering above it. He also just Link Summoned Excode Talker, a green armored giant with shields on his wrists, to the Main Monster Zone Underclock Taker was pointing to. As a result, both of them were co-linked with one another.

Underclock Taker ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬅️⬇️

Excode Talker ATK: 2300 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️

"Excode Talker's effect activates!" Playmaker said. "Monsters it points to gain 500 attack points and can no longer be destroyed by card effects!" Underclock Taker glowed as its strength went up.

Underclock Taker ATK: 1000 + 500 = 1500

"Do whatever you want." Specter dismissed Playmaker's pointless move. "It won't hinder my strategy now that it's taken root."

"Guess again, Specter." Playmaker replied. "Because Excode Talker has a second effect! Since it was successfully Link Summoned, for every monster in the Extra Monster Zone, one of your Main Monster Zones can't be used. Grasp Zone!" Excode Talker formed two balls of green energy and flung them at the two Main Monster Zones Sunavalon Daphne was pointing to, creating large holes in the process.

"Oh no!" Specter said in shock, as he realized that Playmaker figured out how his combo worked.

"Next, Underclock Taker's effect activates!" Playmaker continued. "One of your monsters loses attack points equal to the attack points of the monster that Underclock Taker points to. Therefore, your Sunvine Thrasher loses 2300 attack points, which is the same amount that Excode Talker has."

"It's an easy picking for us!" Ai commented, as Thrasher's strength was depleted, but not entirely.

Sunvine Thrasher ATK: 3200 – 2300 = 900 ATK

"No. My absolutely perfect defense formation is falling apart! This can't be!" Specter lamented.

"But that's the reality." Playmaker countered. "I finally broke your combo, so I broke you." Specter gritted his teeth in anger.

"In other words, you're toast!" Ai added, wiggling his fingers. He turned to Playmaker. "Now go finish this guy off already so we can move on, okay?"

Specter sighed and closed his eyes. "All right, fine. You leave me no choice but for me to play my ace in the hole." He snapped his fingers, causing a hologram to appear beside Playmaker.

Turning to his right, Playmaker saw Akira, who was also in a cage with burning vines. "Zaizen?!" His eyes widened.

"Is that you, Playmaker?" Akira asked.

"This is all sorts of bad!" Kusanagi exclaimed, as he watched the duel in Café Nagi.

"You were wrong to think I was out of options. There's the game, and there's the game outside the game." Specter stated. "I know what you're thinking, Playmaker. That I was responsible for bringing Zaizen into this. But the thing is... Well, I'll have him explain it."

"And who would that be?" Playmaker asked, turning to Specter. The air then warped beside Specter, as another copy of Infearno stepped out of it.

"It's the Boogeyman of the Hanoi!" Ai shirked.

"I seen you before. You're Infearno, aren't you?" Playmaker said, recognizing Infearno.

"Hello again, Playmaker." Infearno said. "Now that everything is in place, I think we can all have a nice, civilized chat on the dilemma you and Raguel are now in." He then gestured for Playmaker to look at the other bridge, which he did. Inspecting it further, he saw Numera in a similar cage, only she was beside Raguel.

"As you see on the other bridge, Playmaker, Numera and your friend Zaizen were captured by my personal program while they were in LINK VRAINS. If Zaizen touches the blazing vines, he'll suffer an agonizing end before turning into data."

"So what?" Playmaker said.

"Just don't touch the vines." Ai stated. Unfortunately, that wouldn't work, as the fires surrounding the vines continued to spread, causing Akira to take a step back.

"I doubt that will work." Infearno responded. "After all, I linked Specter's life points to Zaizen's cage even before the duel began."

"Or in other words, if I get hurt by your attacks, Zaizen will eventually meet his doom!" Specter added. As if to demonstrate, he bit into his hand and tore away some flesh, revealing data beneath. Akira was forced to take a step back as the fires grew around the vines.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Ai pointed out. "Super cheating!"

"I don't care." Specter laughed at the entire dilemma that was unfolded in front of him. "If the Hanoi did care, we wouldn't have done it! And if this was my plan, I wouldn't have done it either!"

"We'll do whatever it takes to destroy the Ignis." Infearno emphasized with a straight, yet satisfied face. "Nothing more, and nothing less. But now is where you choose, Playmaker. You can sacrifice Zaizen's life and defeat Specter, or end your turn now and risk putting everything on the line."

Playmaker was clearly angry. He didn't like the choices that were presented to him, but what logical choice was there?

"Listen, Playmaker." Akira said, trying to get Playmaker's attention. "Forget about me." Playmaker stared at Akira, unable to make a decision.

"Yeah!" Ai stated. "Listen to Zaizen!"

But all Playmaker could do was close his eyes and say, "I end my turn, which means Underclock Taker's effect ends."

Sunvine Thrasher ATK: 900 + 2300 = 3200

"WHAT?!" Ai exclaimed.

"Playmaker..." Akira muttered. Specter couldn't help but laugh, while Infearno smiled.

"Yes. That's the problem with having a conscience. You're not able to make tough decisions when you need to." Specter said. "Now if it was me, I would let Zaizen die. But no. You let your one opportunity to defeat me pass. I bet you think you're being noble, and every single person in the world would think the same too." He smirked. "But they're wrong. You're just too weak!"

"What happens from here on out is your doing, Playmaker." Infearno said. "May you be haunted by your mistake." He turned to Specter. "I leave the rest to you." The air warped behind him as he took a step back, disappearing from the duel.

At the left bridge...

Raguel turned and faced Infearno. "Let Numera go, Infearno. She shouldn't be dragged into this duel."

Infearno simply chuckled at Raguel's demand. "Let them go? I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, Numera and Zaizen were captured by my personal program while they were in LINK VRAINS. And if Numera touches the blazing vines, she'll be incinerated before turning into data."

"What?"

"Then all she has to do is stay still." Herald said, coming up with a solution. Unfortunately, the fire started heating up, causing Numera to take a step back. Seeing this, Lord Kazuma laughed.

"That solution won't work, Ignis." Infearno stated. "You see, Lord Kazuma's life points are linked to Numera's cage." He turned to Lord Kazuma. "Care to explain the rest?"

"Of course!" Lord Kazuma replied, delighted to explain this villainous plot. "As you damaged me, the fire surrounding Numera's cage continued to spread. But to put it in terms you understand, if I get hurt..." Lord Kazuma punched himself in the gut, causing the fire surrounding Numera's cage to grow once again. Raguel gasped upon seeing this. Numera scowled as she took a step away from them.

"...the fires will continue to grow!" he finished. "You get it? So feel free to continue damaging me." The way Lord Kazuma said this was almost like he was daring Raguel to do it.

"The both of you are cowards!" Numera shouted at Lord Kazuma and Infearno. "You can't beat Raguel on your own, so you had to use me as a hostage to win!"

"And yet it's totally fun to do so!" Lord Kazuma replied, laughing to himself.

"Raguel's one of the reasons you logged into LINK VRAINS, correct Numera?" Infearno asked her. "If so, then it means you're another one of his allies. Someone he gets to fight alongside with. And..." He turned his gaze to Raguel. "Someone that he cares about, just like how he cares about Miyu Sugisaki. The one person he cares about the most in the world."

Raguel snarled at Infearno, trying to control his emotions. "Leave... Miyu... out of this..."

"Thus proving my point." Infearno smiled. "You can't protect Miyu, nor can you protect Numera from her coming demise." He turned to Infearno. "Give him your most sadistic performance yet."

"With pleasure!" Lord Kazuma replied, as the air warped behind him as he took a step back, disappearing from the duel.

"Get back here, Infearno!" Raguel shouted, now infuriated with him for involving Numera. Meanwhile, Numera couldn't help but look at Raguel. Miyu Sugisaki, she thought. If she's the one person Raguel cares about in the whole world, that means he was thinking about her this whole time!

Lord Kazuma laughed so loudly that it got Raguel's attention. "Oh, this is perfect!"

"Perfect?! Perfect?! Is going along with Infearno's plan to take someone hostage perfect to you?!" Raguel demanded.

"He did promise that if I went along with this, I'd be able to defeat you and destroy your Ignis." Lord Kazuma replied, still smiling. "So get ready, Raguel! BECAUSE THE REAL SHOW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"

Card Gallery

Cyreath Headhunter (LR: 1/Cyberse/Dark/ATK: 1000/⬇️)

Effect: 1 'Cyreath monster. If this card battles a monster with higher ATK: Destroy that monster, and neither player takes any battle damage from that battle. While you control a 'Cyreath' Link Monster with a higher Link Rating, your opponent cannot target this card for attacks.

QOTC

Were you surprised with Lord Kazuma's backstory? Of the three Jokers, which one do you think resembles Lord Kazuma the most?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 33: The Vicious Beast Roars. Thanks to Infearno's machinations, both Numera and Akira are held hostage. This has allowed Specter to mercilessly push Playmaker to the brink of defeat. Meanwhile, Lord Kazuma seizes the opportunity to unleash a Dark Magician combo that cannot be broken, making Raguel suffer in the process. Pushed to his limits and filled with pure rage, Raguel unleashes his Link Trigger, and calls on a dangerous new Link Monster...

Chapter 34: Confrontation. Once, they were allies. The two of them worked together to finish off what Project VIII started. Now, Watchman confronts Dr. Kogami, planning to defeat him to stop the Tower of Hanoi. However, Revolver volunteers in his father's place, intending on stopping Watchman once and for all...

Author's Notes

Hello, everyone! I sure do hope you enjoyed this chapter filled with a lot of content. Let's do a quick recap, shall we?

As mentioned in the previous chapter, I only included the important parts for Specter and Playmaker's duel, which would be Specter's backstory and his connection to his mother tree. There was also the duel between Lord Kazuma and Raguel. I intended to show five out of the ten turns, but I decided to do four. Why? This way, I can show you more dueling action in the next coming chapter, as there was a lot of exposition in this chapter.

Now a lot of you mentioned you wanted to see something new, so I made a change. Instead of Specter and Lord Kazuma solely creating the plan to use Numera and Akira as hostages, I had Infearno capture and give them to his Hanoi allies. He did this for one reason: To exploit Raguel and Playmaker's weaknesses and have Lord Kazuma and Specter defeat them. Were any of you surprised by that?

Then there's Lord Kazuma's backstory. Major credit goes to Electriuser for sending it to me before I typed this chapter. It's a bit similar to the Joker's backstory in The Killing Joke and the Joker movie, where the Joker tried to be an aspiring comedian. Only for things to go downhill from there, where he eventually became the Clown Prince of Crime we all know and love today. Someone once asked me which Joker Lord Kazuma took after, so I thought to put it up for this week's QOTC. Let me know your thoughts on it if you can.

Now I have an announcement. The next few weeks for me are going to be busy because of projects, and I also have two finals spread out in the beginning of December. This means I won't be able to work on the story for the next two to three weeks, as school takes priority during this time. However, there is some good news. I'll be able to work on the next chapter over my breaks when I have the chance. If all goes well, I'll be able to put up the next chapter before Christmas.

To make up for this, I posted not one, but two chapter previews for what's to come. May this get you excited, as lots of stuff is about to throwdown. I sure do hope you're looking forward to the conclusion of Raguel and Lord Kazuma's duel, as well as the coming duel between Watchman and Revolver!

Thank you for reading Chapter 32 of Obscured Truth. As always, please let me know your thoughts about the chapters below in your reviews. Also, constructive criticism is appreciated, as your tips and advice helps make the story better. In addition, don't forget to favorite and follow the story. That way, you will get a notification once the next chapter is released.

Tell me what your favorite part of this chapter was in your reviews if you have the chance.

Stay tuned for what's to come, as next time, the vicious beast roars!