Response to Reviews

Thank you to Kingdom Hearts Guy, ZeroMK7, HunterHQ, Noobmaster, Anonymous, Guest, Ambiguous, Unnamed, ZarcEternal, Guest, E.T. 2000, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 50 of Obscured Truth.

Hi, everyone! Looking at your reviews, I must say, I'm surprised by your positive reception to the Turbo Duel in the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Lastly, I want to thank everyone for your suggestions regarding this chapter. I hope to make the Hanoi Breakout far better than the anime portrayed it.

Just a heads up, for those of you who have forgotten, these are the Knights of Hanoi's real names with avatars:

Ryoken Kogami/Revolver

Youta Itsuki/Specter

Emon Uchida/Infearno

Takeya Naegi/Lord Kazuma

Zandaka Ikiagi/Dancho

Aso Watanabe/Faust

Kyoko Taki/Baira

Eizaburo Lee/Dr. Genome

Anyhow, let's get to reviews:

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I honestly don't see Miyu calling her avatar Gloriasword. It just doesn't seem right. Nor do I see her having a Trickstar monster based off of Zacian from Pokémon Sword and Shield. If anything, I'm considering Miyu's LINK VRAINS avatar to be based off of Saber Lily from Fate/Grand Order, with her name being Lily. They're just considerations, and will probably be changed over time.

ZeroMK7: Happy you enjoyed the chapter and duel. Unfortunately, I can't see Slipstream using Tech Genus/T.G monsters, as they're different attributes and types. Nor can I see him using Thunder Dragons, as they're of the Light attribute. However, I do have something in mind planned for Thunder Dragons.

HunterHQ: You're not the only person who loves ice cream, as I'm sure everyone loves it. Even in LINK VRAINS, everyone has pressure points that can cause real world pain, which is shown when Raguel was hit in the head by Haru's attack. While his injuries only consisted of a headache, it could get worse. With everything going on, the Project: VIII info is the last thing on everyone's minds, and until the mission is completed, they won't approach it. The topic, however, will be touched on prior to Lightning's official appearance. To be honest, I was actually debating on whether Slipstream should contact Yuhiro through the phone or email, and I ended up choosing email as that was the fastest method to contact someone. If people want more Turbo Duels in the future, then like Zack Snyder's Justice League, they need to request it. Slipstream came from Tokyo, to answer your question. Believe it or not, the deck for Slipstream was a three way tie between Speedroid, Dragunity, and Battlewasp. I ultimately chose Speedroid because it fit his character better. If I chose Dragunity, I'd have to give Slipstream a story regarding dragons. As for Battlewasps, his story would be different had I chose that deck.

Noobmaster: Genome, Faust, and Dancho were erased following their duels to ensure valuable information wasn't leaked, as well as the fact the data gale was present. Honestly, I don't know where Den City is in Japan. I hope you enjoyed the reference to Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. And thanks for pointing out the errors, as I corrected them immediately after seeing your review. Eventually, Specter, Soulburner, and Slipstream will use their Link Abilities. Miyu is rather a special case, as that answer will be revealed later on. How did Yuhiro see what Ai saw? Simple: A dream. I'll make an announcement on where the Turf War arc fits in the timeline.

Anonymous: Herald was indeed proven wrong in this chapter. If Akira contacted Yuhiro about Malf, it would definitely bring some stress for sure. Don't worry: The Hanoi breakout will be far better than how the anime portrayed it.

Guest: Of course there's a fallout going on between Akira and the bounty hunters. SOL Technologies is holding secrets on purpose because of their greed. Apotheosis means the elevation of someone to divine status, or deification. Also, thanks for the ideas.

Ambiguous: The hunters are obviously suspicious that Akira's been in contact with Raguel. Of all the bounty hunters, Blood Shepherd is most likely to exploit this to his advantage. Just because you make a contract with SOL Technologies doesn't make you a part of the company. In a way, you're a freelancer.

Unnamed: It's been a while for World Gears to appear, that's for sure. Of course the other World Legacy archetypes will show up, as indicated by the Crusadia, Mekk-Knight, and Krawler archetypes appearing. Lastly, Herald added layers of security to ensure no one could find it.

ZarcEternal: Slipstream's ace is obviously Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Originally, it was Stardust Dragon, but I changed it at the last minute. His mission will be revealed once he tells his backstory, that I can promise.

Guest: Oh yeah, the prison breakouts from 5D's and Arc-V. I actually forgot about that. There's a reason why Herald and Wraith are special, which won't be revealed until later on in Season 2.

E.T. 2000: Arashi means 'Storm', while Hada means 'Wings'. Together, his name means 'Storm Wings'. Like I said earlier, if people want more Turbo Duels in the future, then they have to let me know. There will be an original name for Playmaker's faction, that's for sure. Look, I get what you mean. Dragunity is an awesome deck, and they have strong Synchro monsters, along with recent support that can turn the tide of a duel. The problem is that almost all the monsters equip themselves to other monsters. If someone were to say destroy the equip cards and deal effect damage, that'd be detrimental. I chose Speedroid because someone would not expect their opponent that uses a deck based on toys of all things. That, and I'd have to come up with a story on how Arashi tamed dragons, similar to how the Targaryen's did so in Game of Thrones.

Guest: The Zekrom-based Cyberse Link dragon is known as Teravolt Dragon.

Now that all reviews are answered, let's get this chapter underway. Enjoy!

Chapter 51: The Hanoi Strikes Back

The sky appears, full of clouds. Playmaker races through the clouds on his duel board, followed by Raguel, Soulburner, and Slipstream. Two swords then slice the clouds completely to reveal NEW LINK VRAINS. One of the swords, a katana with symbols inscribed on the blade, crosses downwards to the left. Crossing downwards to the right was a typical western sword, with a golden rain-guard and a blue grip. The sword also had symbols inscribed on the blade as well. The two swords made a shining X, causing the Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS! logo to appear, and underneath it, the words "OBSCURED TRUTH" ominously appear.

Yuhiro and Yusaku are walking down the street to school. Naoki runs past them, a large smile on his face. Aoi walks past them on the other side, smiling lightly and blushing at Yusaku. Then Takeru walks up behind them and wraps one arm around Yusaku. He then wraps the other arm around Yuhiro, surprising him for a few moments before being pulled to the side by Rachel, who's clearly happy to see him. Yuhiro smiles back at her.

Tsubaki and Hideki are shown boarding an airplane as they head to their destination. After sitting down next to each other in their respective seats, Tsubaki looks out in the window, which shows a reflection of Rosetta, while Hideki picks up the airplane guide and reads it. In the sky above them is Ace, a malicious sneer on his face.

Go Onizuka is shown wearing a hoodie as he leaves the waterfront for the last time. Outside of his home, he encounters Kenmochi and Yoroizaka, who are waiting for him. Smirking, the three of them raise their left arms into the air and enter NEW LINK VRAINS, with Go in his new avatar riding beside his new allies. Stregone crosses his arms as he looks down at them, a look of shock and disappointment on his face.

Kusanagi is then shown with Roxy at a nearby picnic table, both enjoying food and laughter while talking about technology. Flame and Ai are shown arguing in Café Nagi, while Herald ends up getting annoyed with their bickering. As a result, he snaps his fingers, causing Progleo to jump onto the desk and startle Ai and Flame.

At SOL Technologies, Akira Zaizen and Hayami are shown in Queen's office, with Queen handing them a signed order regarding Playmaker and Raguel. A look of hesitation appears on Akira's face, but he hides it just in time.

Azrael and Wraith are then shown with Ace and Athaliah standing behind them, shrouded in shadow along with their ace monsters Zerrziel, Ruler of the Evil Eyed and El Shaddoll Construct. Standing behind Azrael and Wraith though, is a black, bipedal dragon with red sclera, white irises, and black pupils obscured in shadow. The dragon roars before disappearing with Zerrziel and El Shaddoll Construct. Jumping above Azrael and Wraith is Malf, sporting a demonic expression on his face. He then extends his right arm forward towards the screen, darkening it completely.

When the screen becomes clear, Playmaker and Raguel are shown riding their duel boards next to each other, with Cyberse Witch and Cyberse Magician in front of Playmaker, and Cyreath Hercules and Cyreath Medusa in front of Raguel. The two are chased by Blood Shepherd, who directs two copies of Battledrone Sergeant to fire at them. Although the two of them are hit by the explosions the missiles caused, they escape unharmed. Suddenly, Drachen orders Red-Eyes Black Dragon to fire at them. In response, Playmaker and Raguel are shown swerving left and right to avoid the consecutive fire blasts. Joining the young man in the hunt is Electrolyzer, who orders PSY-Framelord Omega to attack Playmaker, but Raguel turns his duel board around and activates a card, causing Hercules to glow a bright light before transforming into a colossal, statue-like man with long, shaggy black hair and elbow protrusions. His eyes glowing red, Hercules charged forward with his axe sword and clashed with PSY-Framelord Omega.

The screen then shifts to Slipstream watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, while Raguel duels Electrolyzer. Noticing Haru, who's also watching the duel between Playmaker and an obscured Bohman, Slipstream takes a card and summons Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, who roars at the boy. Haru, in response, takes a card and summons Hydradrive Nagini, who hissed at Clear Wing in the process.

Blue Angel and Rosetta are shown in NEW LINK VRAINS at a picnic table, laughing and enjoying each other's company. The two of them then turn their heads towards the duels going on in the sky, a look of concern on each of their faces.

Watchman's group is then shown, with Percival standing slightly apart from them as he makes a fist with his left hand. Simorgh, Bird of Sovereignty and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon appear before a massive, red-skinned demonic looking monster with golden elements, several eyeballs embedded on its body and four tentacles with bladed claws rises from behind them.

The Knights of Hanoi are shown summoning their monsters. Motor Worm Spread Queen, Helixx Necro Darwin, and Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps first appear before fading into the background. Next is Dark Magician, Berserker of the Tenyi, and Lucifer, Condemner of the Burning Abyss, with Sunavalon Dryanome behind them. Borreload Savage Dragon then rises from behind the four monsters and roars loudly.

Akira is shown at Green Park with Emma, Gekiryushi, and Aoi, giving them details on finding the Ignis. Emma proceeds to make a flirtatious gesture at Akira, making Gekiryushi facepalm and comment on how flirting can be useful at a time like this. The two women then begin to argue, with Akira and Aoi trying to break up the argument.

Yuhiro and Progleo are shown with Miyu at the Den City Hospital, trying to help her walk. Miyu, who's using the parallel bars, ends up slipping, only for Yuhiro to immediately catch her from behind and help her stand up. Roxy then runs out of nowhere and starts pummeling Yuhiro, causing Miyu to almost fall backwards again to their shock. Catching her this time though is Medusa, who appears behind her and smiles, much to everyone's relief. Miyu smiles back, grateful for Medusa's help. The screen then flips around before showing Yuhiro on his knees, clasping an unconscious Miyu's hand in sadness and rage.

Cyreaths Hercules, Medusa, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus are then shown in the air, with Turboblaze Dragon racing past them. The five of them prepare to attack alongside Turboblaze Dragon, who unleashes his Desolation Flare attack as well.

Raguel and Herald are then shown on top of a tower, facing off against Azrael and Wraith in a duel. Behind Raguel and Herald is Turboblaze Dragon, while behind Azrael and Wraith is the black, bipedal dragon from earlier in the opening. Both dragons roar at each other. Raguel reeves up his sword, while Azrael unsheathes his katana before the two of them and their dragons charge at each other.

Yuhiro, Roxy, Miyu, Kusanagi, Takeru, and Yusaku are all shown sitting outdoors at a picnic table near the Den City Hospital, all of them eating hot dogs, and Takeru, Kusanagi, and Roxy are laughing. Three duel disks are shown on the table, with Flame lecturing Ai while Herald plays a game on Yuhiro's tablet.

Yuhiro, Roxy, and Miyu are sitting down on a bench outside the Den City Hospital, with Medusa standing nearby them and Progleo on Roxy's lap. Miyu proceeds to rest her head on Yuhiro's shoulder, causing him to blush as she smiles. Yuhiro smiles back at her, while Roxy and Medusa both smile at them, happy they're able to find happiness with each other. The scene then switches to NEW LINK VRAINS, with Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner standing on a building and looking out into the radiant sky.

Earlier in the evening, in LINK VRAINS, at the Hanoi Stronghold...

Deep within the Hanoi Stronghold, a series of voices echoed through a seemingly empty room with a viewing screen in the dead center of it.

"There's a new Ignis on the scene."

"Along with a new duelist."

"Yes. Soulburner and Flame."

A series of voices echoed as Specter, Dr. Genome, Faust, Dancho and Lord Kazuma materialised in the room looking over images of recent events.

"I also learned that the Cyberse World has been destroyed, and it wasn't by us." Faust continued.

"We may have an unexpected ally who wants to eradicate the Ignis just as badly as we do." Specter stated with interest. "Perhaps humanity's coming to their senses."

"I doubt that." Faust countered. "If that was truly the case, we wouldn't have to continue our work in secret, Specter. They still lay blame on the Knights of Hanoi for attempting to destroy all of LINK VRAINS and the entire network."

"Of course they blame us." Dr, Genome said with a chuckle as he held his chin. "Because that is precisely what we tried to do after all."

"To save mankind from the threat of the Ignis, it was a small price we had to pay." Specter affirmed.

"We know that, but they don't." The five turned to the direction of the voice, as Revolver walked into the room, with Infearno by his side. "People are like sheep. We need to herd them before they run off like a cliff."

"Master Revolver. Infearno. Good to see the both of you." Specter bowed, as well as the other Knights of Hanoi before turning to Infearno. "How is Uchida Industries doing?"

"Other than suffering a major setback, it's actually doing well." Infearno answered. "Following the events from three months ago, everyone blamed me for the Knights of Hanoi hacking into my building project and turning it into the Tower of Hanoi. As such, I was forced out of my own company, and SOL Technologies would have taken it over entirely had it not been for an old friend stepping in to take control of Uchida Industries in my absence."

"If you recall, Infearno's old friend was one of the scientists from the Lost Incident ten years ago." Revolver reminded the others somberly. "But enough about that, as we have other matters to discuss. I've done some digging, and was able to successfully uncover Soulburner's true identity thanks to our spy, Drachen. In the real world, Soulburner's name is Takeru Homura."

"Then our next move is quite clear." Specter said. "We must pay Takeru a visit."

"Just a visit?" Dr. Genome asked, a hand still on his chin. "I think it's the perfect opportunity to capture him and destroy his Ignis. Why bother to hunt for him in LINK VRAINS when he's statistically less than three bus stops away?"

Specter smiled back. "That does sound easier when you put it that way."

"Then what are we standing around here for?" Faust questioned. "Think about it. Along with Takeru Homura, we also know Playmaker and Raguel's identities in the real world, which are Yusaku Fujiki and Yuhiro Furutani respectively. If we move now, we can destroy their Ignis's one by one, which is something we should have done from the start."

"No!" Revolver sharply interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "You fail to see the bigger picture. Our mission's not to destroy one or three Ignis, but to destroy all of them! In addition, we'll settle things with them in the network only, not anywhere else! Do I make myself clear?"

Faust bowed in response. "Most certainly, sir." He was rather taken aback by how sharply Revolver would object even though what he said was rather logical. Even if he was a man of honour, Faust could tell there was something a bit different about Revolver this time around. He couldn't figure out what it was though.

"And we know more than anyone that Playmaker and Raguel won't be easily defeated." Infearno narrowed his eyes at Revolver's words to ensure the message got across to everyone. having experienced their power firsthand. Despite the lines they crossed before, the Hanoi still retained their morals and boundaries.

"Indeed…." Dancho added with a serious tone. It wasn't just him who was defeated, each of the Knights of Hanoi suffered a defeat by their hands. If they were to avoid another failure, they had to learn from their mistakes and up their game so that the chances of defeat would go down.

"You see, I only learned of Soulburner's true identity by having Drachen observe Playmaker and Raguel in the real world, as well other potential targets." Revolver stated. "So wasn't it right not to end him?"

"Yes, you're wise as always." Faust replied, bowing once again.

"Let's just keep our eyes on them for now, and see if they lead us to the other Ignis." Revolver turned and looked down as the photo changed to Ai before switching to Flame and then Herald. "Even though I'd like nothing more than to wipe those disgusting smirks off their faces."

"I see. You intend to use a long-term approach to find the other Ignis." Specter hypothesized, understanding Revolver's endgame.

"Yes." Revolver confirmed his subordinate's theory. "With that out of the way, let's rehash everything we know, in case we overlooked something that can help us."

"There's this newcomer. His name is Bohman." Faust began, as the screen revealed Bohman before switching over to the events that transpired recently from Jin's room in the recovery facility. "And he certainly knows how to make a shocking first impression, as Bohman was able to steal consciousness data from Jin, who's Shoichi Kusanagi's younger brother."

"Jin Kusanagi was also a victim of the Lost Incident." Revolver recalled, his voice filled with guilt as he frowned. "After the Lost Incident, he was hospitalized at the Den City Lakeside Rehabilitation Center." He shook off the memory before turning to Faust. "Regarding what you said Faust, that's similar to how Baira's virus worked to create the Another victims."

"Except with greater efficiency." Specter pointed out.

Dr. Genome smiled. "You should feel extremely lucky that Baira's not around to hear you say that. I don't think it'd be wise to comment on someone who can amputate your data with the strike of a key."

"Since we don't know what else Bohman's capable of, it would be wise to be especially careful moving forward." Infearno advised the group.

"Which is why we're going over the information." Revolver reminded Infearno before going back to the screen. "What else do we know about this man?"

"Not as much as we like." Faust answered with disappointment.

"Well, he did emerge from a television set and into the real world." Dr. Genome said. "That means his avatar must be of the highest quality if he can survive both in the real world and the network."

"So we're dealing with a highly skilled hacker. Someone comparable to our level." Faust deduced. "And since he specifically targeted Jin, he might have some connection to the Lost Incident as well. There can't be too many who fit this criteria. Also, Shoichi is Playmaker's partner, meaning Playmaker won't stay quiet."

"And neither would Raguel." Infearno added as he recalled back on the boy's sense of justice and companionship. In his mind, the ideals Raguel had were still pathetic, even though Infearno respected him for holding onto them for so long. The fact that their ideals and beliefs were opposite meant they were reflections of the same mirror. As a result, it made Raguel and Infearno similar in a way.

"I'm sure Playmaker cared none of that when he went after Bohman." Revolver said. "All he cared about was retrieving Jin Kusanagi's consciousness data for Shoichi."

"Yes, but Bohman had a new weapon in his disposal." Faust responded, as the image of Bohman activating Judgment Arrows using his Skill Marker's Portal appeared. "Similar to a Link monster, this Link Spell has Link arrows of its own."

"This opens up dueling strategies that never existed before." Specter interjected. "It seems like something SOL Technologies would invent. Do you think Bohman works for them?"

"I doubt it." Revolver answered.

"Obviously, that's the only answer, Revolver." Lord Kazuma interrupted, his arms crossed as he let out a small laugh. "If Bohman worked for SOL Technologies, he would have had the company's insignia on their avatars. Besides, Bohman wasn't the only one who used Judgment Arrows." The screen then shifted to Haru activating Judgment Arrows using his Skill. "This is Haru, who also appeared at the same time Bohman did, only in the network. Based on the file footage, he claimed to be Bohman's little brother."

"Do we know anything else about Haru?" Dancho asked, curious. If they knew anything about Haru, they'd be one step closer to completing the mystery regarding Bohman.

"Aside from him working alongside Bohman, I'm afraid not." Lord Kazuma replied with a frown. "However, we do know that the duo breached SOL Technologies' security perimeter. I'm sure the company is not happy that their defense had more holes than a golf course."

"I don't know if Bohman and Haru are our allies or enemies." Dr. Genome said, pondering this information. "However, I can't hate anyone who gives SOL Technologies a hard time."

"SOL Technologies has taken steps to control the situation." Faust explained, getting Dr. Genome's attention. "They formed a team of bounty hunters to take care of trouble, including tracking down Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner. The company even managed to recruit Go Onizuka."

"That must have been an impressive pitch." Specter sarcastically commented, finding it hard to believe. To him, that move hinted both SOL Technologies' desperation to find the Ignis, and Go's desperation to defeat Playmaker. "Did they offer him something other than the money?"

"Whatever they offered, they were able to convince Go to fight for them." Revolver said. "You could say that he no longer cares about prestige, rank, or honor. Now, he just looks for a fight, like a bully." He scoffed with disgust as he looked at Go, knowing that a man of his caliber was wasting his talents by chasing after meaningless goals.

"He truly has fallen from grace, just like me." Dancho admitted. "I may have my honour, but Go is just petty and selfish." The screen then changed to Soulburner defeating Go Onizuka with Salamangreat Emerald Eagle.

"If Soulburner was able to defeat Go Onizuka, that makes him a formidable duelist." Specter commented, pleased with the performance. He was even more interested by Soulburner not only using Reincarnation Link Summoning, but also Ritual Summoning as well. "We must not underestimate him."

"Indeed." Revolver agreed. "I had Drachen join the team of bounty hunters so he could report back to us on all of SOL Technologies' activities. This, combined with Uchida Industries being taken care of by one of our old friends, will enable us to stay one step ahead of our enemies."

"Go Onizuka and Drachen aren't the only bounty hunters who signed up." Infearno said, as the screen changed to Kenmochi and Yoroizaka. "We don't need to concern ourselves of these two, as they're nothing more than insects that can be squashed. However..." The screen changed to that of Electrolyzer. "This one seems to have caught my eye."

"According to Drachen's report, his name in the real world is Brion Miyahara, the last prince of Central Japan." Revolver explained to the others. "Like Numera, he too suffered at the hands of Project: Apotheosis. This is partially our responsibility as well, for my father launched the project alongside the Hanoi Project."

"Master Revolver, what exactly is Project: Apotheosis?" Specter asked. The other Knights of Hanoi looked to Revolver as well, wanting to know more.

"A sub-project along with the Hanoi Project." Revolver began explaining, getting everyone's attention. "Years ago, three scientists launched a project that, if successful, would ensure that humanity forever survived. The goal: Reaching the Root of all Knowledge. However, humanity couldn't do it alone. So the three men decided to use all of SOL Technologies' resources to launch two sub-projects. One that would focus on creating unique AI with free will, and one that would prepare a chosen human being to become the Construct. Or in other words, someone to unify the Ignis and humanity together to reach the Root."

"Seriously? A Root?" Lord Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is so special about this-?"

"Quiet!" Dancho snapped. "Revolver wouldn't be sharing this information if it wasn't important."

Revolver nodded at Dancho before continuing. "To create the first batch of Ignis, the scientists decided to use eight different teenagers as test subjects so they could learn about the world's problems through various trials. Unfortunately, an incident occurred during the project that led to one of the scientists losing their life. Afraid of what would happen to the world if SOL Technologies continued with the project, one of the scientists destroyed the evidence before leaving with his newly-formed family. As for the third scientist, he was sworn into secrecy after aiding the other scientist."

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, except for Infearno and Revolver. The other Knights of Hanoi didn't know about another Lost Incident occurring before the one from ten years ago. And teenagers were used as subjects? What else were the Knights of Hanoi not aware of? How would this information affect their plans?

"I intend to look into the matter myself to get the answers needed." Revolver promised the others before turning to Infearno. "Do we know anything else about Electrolyzer?"

"Well, he was exiled from Central Japan following a coup from his uncle Balius." Infearno replied. "As such, he's working for money to one day take his homeland back."

Lord Kazuma let out a laugh, getting everyone else's attention. "For some reason, I've seen this situation before. But where, oh where, was it? Oh yeah! The Lion King, when Scar killed Mufasa by making him fall to his death before getting trampled by a stampede of wildebeests!" Everyone sighed, knowing Lord Kazuma's observation was not helpful at the moment.

"Moving on." Faust said, as the screen changed. "There is another new player. A boy calling himself Slipstream."

"According to his duels against Haru, Electrolyzer, and Raguel, Slipstream uses the 'Speedroid' deck. It not only focuses on rapid Synchro Summons, but also uses lockdown strategies as well." Specter explained. "Although he obviously lost against Raguel, he defeated Electrolyzer and forced a tie against Haru."

"There's also the matter of him showing up out of nowhere." Dr. Genome continued. "He was able to hack through SOL Technologies' security and assist Raguel. Not only that, no one was able to find any traces afterwards."

"Thus making him an efficient hacker." Revolver finished. "From what happened, I know this can't be coincidence. We should therefore look into this further." And if Slipstream really is one of the victims from the Lost Incident, something big will happen in the future, that's for sure, he thought.

"Playmaker, Soulburner, and Raguel went to the Restricted area." Faust said. "With Go Onizuka, Drachen, and Electrolyzer pursuing them. If SOL Technologies was behind this, then Bohman and Haru wouldn't have needed to escape to that area."

"Why would those three go to the Restricted area?" Dr. Genome questioned.

"They found a mysterious gate there, which theoretically may lead to the boundaries of LINK VRAINS and eventually to Bohman and Haru." Faust answered.

"Seriously?" Specter raised an eyebrow. "What a foolish mistake. Once you take the teensiest step into the Restricted area, your avatar and account are immediately targeted and deleted. Every duelist that's sane knows there's nothing beyond the edge of LINK VRAINS."

"But what if you and every sane duelist are wrong?" Revolver spoke with a tone that challenged Specter's claim. "Think, Specter. Wouldn't that make it the perfect place to hide? I've analyzed the portal's digital signature, and it has all the markings of an Ignis algorithm."

"So you think the Ignis created that gate?" Faust asked.

"I don't think it. I know it." Revolver replied. "So whoever Bohman and Haru are, they must have some connection to the Ignis."

"Yes. That makes sense."

"But there is one man that intrigues me." Dr. Genome spoke up. "SOL Technologies recently hired a man named Blood Shepherd. Among all the other bounty hunters, he's infamous for his excellent hacking techniques and doing whatever it takes to capture his prey."

"Blood Shepherd..." Faust muttered. "I've heard rumours about him."

"I read up on him too." Infearno added. "Blood Shepherd once worked with Raguel and Ghost Girl on a mission. If I'm being honest, I would love to see how Raguel handles himself against him in a duel."

"His motivations aren't very mysterious." Dr. Genome commented. "An AI derailed his life and sent his poor mother to the hospital. Ever since that day, he's pursued AI's relentlessly, and has a great hatred against them."

"But it's unconfirmed whether he has the intellect and skills that rival Dr. Kogami." Faust pointed out.

"Uh, could I say something really quick?" Lord Kazuma asked. "Drachen's report did say that Blood Shepherd was able to break through the data storm. So it's a possibility for him to either learn those skills quickly, or already possess them."

"Interesting." The other Knights of Hanoi turned to Revolver as he spoke up. "It seems our interests are aligned. If I didn't know any better, he sounds like a member of the Knights of Hanoi."

"Yes, but he's one not to be trusted." Specter warned Revolver. He was right, as if the Hanoi made one misstep, Blood Shepherd would become a dangerous enemy.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Be that as it may, Blood Shepherd failed to stop Playmaker from entering the portal." Faust stated.

"Following Blood Shepherd's defeat, Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner entered the mysterious gate. And that was the last time we heard from them." Revolver said. "You see, once they entered the gate, their signals vanished."

"Of course they did." Specter had a smirk on his face as the other Knights of Hanoi turned to him. "It's because they were disintegrated the very moment they entered the Restricted area."

"And I'm not as optimistic." Revolver replied. "With the destruction of the original Cyberse World, it's possible that the Ignis are creating a new Cyberse World hidden beyond the borders of LINK VRAINS."

"You mean a secret home world that no one will be able to reach?" Faust theorized.

"If the Ignis are capable of doing that, their abilities are evolving much faster than anticipated." Revolver answered, confirming Faust's theory. "Making them more dangerous than ever, and it's not just the Ignis. Playmaker and Raguel's skills are evolving as well. The both of them are mastering new dueling techniques as we speak."

Infearno frowned. "The White Ignis has given Raguel a new Skill. On top of that, he incorporated Pendulum, Ritual, and Xyz Summoning into his deck." The footage from Raguel's recent duels played, showing Raguel performing each summoning method, along with his new Skill.

"As for Playmaker, he recently mastered Ritual and Fusion Summoning." Revolver continued, as the footage from Playmaker's duel against Blood Shepherd played, showing him perform both summoning methods. "No one has managed to combine Link Summoning with other summoning methods until now." Deep down, Revolver believed that all of the Knights of Hanoi had to make upgrades to their decks. Otherwise, they'd be left behind in the dust once again.

"They truly are our greatest enemies." Specter agreed. "We must form a counter-plan immediately."

"Playmaker, Soulburner and Raguel are dangerous, but they are accounted for," Infearno said, feeling confident that Drachen will monitor them in the real world. "In the meanwhile, we have other unknowns that are of concern and not to be overlooked."

The screen was soon replaced by images of three individuals that brought everyone's attention together, two of which Revolver didn't expect to see again: Ace, Athaliah and Speckles. It showed footage of someone breaking Ace and Athaliah out of the prison transport and into the night. As for Speckles, the footage shifted to Raguel dueling and defeating him in a duel.

"It was a mistake to form a deal with Ace and Athaliah." Revolver admitted. "At some point, we must rectify this error. Permanently."

"We know their identities both in the network and in the real world." Lord Kazuma explained. "There's also this individual named Speckles. I did some research on him, and found out that his real name is Saburo Inoue. When I asked Drachen about him, he told me that Speckles took a leave of absence from school."

"What's more is that Speckles was the one who aided Kitamura in breaking into our Stronghold." Dr. Genome added. "It shows that he's proficient as a hacker. One that committed a heinous amount crimes as well, such as stealing personal information, killing people in the network, and more."

"It was a grave mistake in underestimating Kitamura." Revolver said. "While he's an incompetent fool, he does have connections and resources. If we find Kitamura, we'll find Speckles as well."

"But could all three of them be working together?" Faust asked.

"It's possible." Infearno answered. "If Ace wanted to re-establish his footing in the Black Market, he would need strong allies."

"I'll investigate the matter personally." Lord Kazuma volunteered. "As I once worked in the Black Market as a duel assassin, I can call in some old favors to get information. With your permission of course, Revolver."

"Consider it granted." Revolver affirmed. "The Black Market aside, we have another threat to deal with. An unknown AI named Malf." The screen then showed Malf stabbing Drachen before clobbering Electrolyzer in one blow. "His abilities enabled him to defeat both Drachen and Electrolyzer instantly, like they were flies irritating him."

"From what Raguel said in this recording, Malf's also responsible for the many deaths in the Black Market as well, and it's growing as we speak." Faust added, a grave look of concern on his face. "He's definitely not working for SOL Technologies, that's for sure."

"But he's a dangerous AI, nonetheless." Dr. Genome stated. "After all, he has a Duel Winner Skill called Delusional Heartbeat, which enables him to instantly win the duel if certain criteria are met, no matter how many life points the opponent has. Not only that, but Malf attempted to blow himself up and take Raguel and the White Ignis with him following their duel."

"Had that succeeded, we would have had one less Ignis to deal with." Specter mused. "Look what happens next." The Knights of Hanoi watched the screen, which showed pieces of purple skin coming back together, forming into Malf. "An AI that can not only kill humans in the network, but also regenerate upon blowing up will make him a deadly opponent to deal with." He turned to Revolver. "Master Revolver, do you think the Ignis created Malf as a weapon to combat us?"

"That is a very likely scenario." Revolver hypothesized, pondering this possibility. "If it's true, then the fight against them has become harder."

"Malf wasn't the only person who appeared." Dancho informed the group, as the screen shifted to Azrael.

"Hey! That's the azure-overcoated man who ruined my performance!" Lord Kazuma shouted in shock, only for Infearno to sigh and glare at his comrade. "I mean, your indigenous plan to capture Raguel and Playmaker's Ignis's." That obviously didn't work, for Infearno still maintained the glare at Lord Kazuma for what seemed like a minute.

"The azure-overcoated man is someone we should not take too lightly." Infearno explained. "Not only was he able to cut through my trap like Swiss cheese, he also infiltrated the Tower of Hanoi and stole valuable information before wiping our severs clean. We lost much data and resources as a result of his interference, which is the main reason why it took so long to regroup."

"And he also took the data required to make Gradius!" Lord Kazuma cried. "I will always remember that AI, for he served his purpose dutifully."

"The azure-overcoated man also stole the Another Virus data as well." Dancho added. "That means we'll have to create a new virus to delete the Ignis."

"We'll get onto that in due time." Revolver assured Dancho. "Regarding the azure-overcoated man, he recently rendered Miyu Sugisaki unconscious, just like how Bohman did with Jin." The screen changed to show Yuhiro helping Miyu walk again. "Miyu Sugisaki was able to recover from the Lost Incident thanks to her perseverance. However, her parents were supposedly killed by a car crash two years ago. I did some investigating, and found out that an assassin was hired to kill them and Miyu. Had she not fell into her first coma at the time, she would have likely ended up dead."

A somber silence fell among the Knights of Hanoi once Revolver finished his explanation. Dr. Genome, Faust, and Lord Kazuma didn't know how to react, while Dancho, Infearno, and Revolver had looks of regret registered on their faces.

"Do you think this azure-overcoated man is in league with Bohman and Haru?" Faust questioned.

"If that were the case, the azure-overcoated man would have had Judgment Arrows in his disposal." Specter answered. "But this is a possibility we can't overlook. Not when there's so much on the line."

"Revolver, there is something I'm curious about." Infearno said, getting Revolver's attention. "How was Miyu able to wake up from her coma the first time?"

"That, I don't know." Revolver admitted. "What I do know is that when she fell unconscious for a second time, Raguel immediately logged into LINK VRAINS to get her back. At that point, things got ugly fast." They watched as Drachen summoned Red-Eyes Black Dragon and got involved in the chase, causing Azrael to escape from Raguel. "Even though Drachen put up a good fight against Raguel in their duel, he unfortunately lost in the end."

"It's likely that Raguel will bare his fangs at SOL Technologies for preventing him from saving the one girl he loves." Dr. Genome said, chuckling.

"And I think he'll bare his fangs against us if we're not careful." Revolver told Dr. Genome, giving him a hard glare to ensure his point got across. "May I remind you of what he did to Lord Kazuma and Infearno during their duels?" He snapped his fingers, causing the screen to show footage of Raguel summoning Cyreath Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, which finished Lord Kazuma off. As for Infearno, Raguel brought out Cyreath Zeus, Lord of the Storm, and used his effect to negate Lucifer, Condemner of the Burning Abyss's effects before destroying him. Zeus's effect also doubled his attack, which cost Infearno the duel, regardless of whether or not he used Absolute End.

"Oh yeah. I remember that." Lord Kazuma commented. "Raguel's voice switched from regular to monstrous, back and forth before he ordered his new monster to practically wash away any chances I had of winning."

"Raguel's ability enhances his physical and mental abilities, but at the cost of his emotional state, which increases the chances of him making mistakes." Infearno explained. "If you use that to your advantage, then you'll likely be able to defeat him."

"What I want to know is how he acquired Cyreath Poseidon and Zeus." Faust wondered.

"I'm with Faust on this one." Dancho agreed. "I also want to know how Raguel acquired Cyreath Hades."

"It's simple: The White Ignis created it ahead of time by using data material." Revolver answered. "Unlike Playmaker and I, where we can use Storm Access to acquire a Cyberse monster from the data storm that fits a specific situation, the Ignis have to abide by two factors when making new cards for their respective duelists. First, the Ignis use data material to make the cards, which acts as their energy source. Second, they're not allowed to make cards that break the game. Therefore, the Ignis have limits in terms of energy and rules."

The Knights of Hanoi nodded, acknowledging that they understood Revolver's explanation. With the Ignis being forced to conserve their energy, as well as abide by certain rules, it gave the Hanoi a head start in upgrading their decks. After all, by doing so, the chances of victory would go up tremendously.

"That being said, if Raguel were to go rogue and become an enemy to everyone, we should prepare for the worse case scenario." Revolver narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, actually afraid of what would happen if that were to come true.

"Master Revolver, we will ensure that doesn't happen!" Specter reassured him. "We have a mission to protect humanity, after all. Not just from the Ignis, but from anyone who threatens them."

"The promise we made to Dr. Kogami hasn't changed." Faust added. "No matter what happens, we'll always be by your side." The other Knights of Hanoi nodded in agreement with Specter and Faust's statements.

Revolver lightened up after hearing this. "Thank you, everyone," he finally said. "For staying by my side all these years. This debt of gratitude is something that neither my father nor I will ever be able to repay you for."

"The most important thing in life is family." Dancho told Revolver. "We're not going anywhere, no matter what." Revolver smiled, glad that his allies will always be by his side.

"With that out of the way, we still have a mission to do." Revolver announced. He turned to Infearno. "Is everything ready?" Said man nodded back. "Then let us proceed." The Knights of Hanoi then proceeded to log out of the Hanoi Stronghold, one by one. Unbeknownst to them, Azrael and Wraith was watching them through a screen.

Later on, in the evening, in the real world...

The Knights of Hanoi were on Ryoken's boat, now heading straight for the offshore maximum security prison. Sometime after Kyoko's location in the real world was discovered, she was taken to a hospital to recover from what happened. Once she regained consciousness, Kyoko was eventually shipped to the prison because she refused to share any intel.

"Master Ryoken." Youta spoke up as Emon, Takeya, Zandaka, Aso, and Eizaburo walked up to their leader. "We're good to go."

"Kyoko is in a state of the art prison dedicated to big time criminals." Aso explained, as he brought up the schematics onscreen. "It runs on an auto-lock computer system, thus making escape practically impossible." Aso clicked on a section of the map, which was where Kyoko was held.

"I've already hacked into all of their security cameras." Eizaburo smirked confidently. "I put them on an infinite loop so that they won't see anyone who comes in or out. In addition, I shut down their motion detectors, which we can run around as often as we like."

"We could have freed Kyoko much sooner had we not lost all our resources." Zandaka pointed out.

"There's nothing we can do about that now." Ryoken told Zandaka. "As for our current situation, one problem is taken care of. As for our boat, won't they see it coming to the island?" Ryoken knew that if they made even the slightest mistake, it would result in them having their Hanoi reunion in the slammer.

"Yes, they can." Eizaburo replied. "If it wasn't for the fact that I spoofed their radar to make us one hundred percent invisible."

"I've rerouted the guards patrol routes so that we won't have any unexpected run-ins." Aso explained. "Plus, all the gates leading to Kyoko's cell are unlocked. However, we'll only have twenty minutes to complete this mission."

"So that's the second problem accounted for." Ryoken said. "Anything we need to know about the entrances?"

"There are a total of three entrances." Infearno answered. "The first answer is obviously through the front gate. However, there is a problem. Not only are the guards there stationed with a three hour switch, both of the front towers have a security bot and two infrared scanners."

"So a frontal assault will likely cause the alarms to go off and mess with our mission..." Ryoken deduced. "However, there is obviously a way to bypass that."

"And in the event there isn't, we can always take one of the other two entrances." Takeya added. "Speaking of which, what other options do we have?"

"The second answer would be through the sewers, at this point." Emon pointed at an area on the screen. It was on the far-right of the prison, just near the dock. "The pro with this option is that we'll be able to evade security. The con, however, is that it'll take too long to locate Kyoko's cell through the sewers."

"EW!" Takeya commented, grossed out by that idea. "Please tell me that the third answer is better! Please!" His panic ended when Zandaka grabbed his ear.

"Calm down, Takeya, and let the man speak!" Zandaka told Takeya, pulling his ear.

"Thank you, Zandaka." Emon then turned back to the screen. "The third answer would be to enter from the back through the courtyard." He pointed to a section of the courtyard. "Inmates are allowed to get exercise once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once during the evening. While we'll be able to blend in with the crowd, there's a chance of getting discovered by both the inmates and possibly security."

Ryoken stood up from his seat and walked towards the other Knights of Hanoi. "May I ask you something, Emon? Why don't you summon your demons and have them knock the guards unconscious?"

"Because it would alert the guards upon seeing an unconscious body." Emon answered, narrowing his eyes. "They'll likely raise the alarm and increase security, which would be detrimental to our mission."

Ryoken frowned. "Very well. Since each of the entrances has its pros and cons, we should vote on the best option. All in favor of entrance one, raise your hand." Takeya, Eizaburo, Emon, and Youta raised their hands. "Alright. Raise your hands in favor of entrance two." Not a single Knight of Hanoi raised their hands for entrance two, as the sewer route would be the hardest to find Kyoko's prison cell. That, and they obviously didn't want to be drenched in the sewer's smell. "Last but not least, raise your hands in favor for entrance three." Zandaka and Aso raised their hands. "Okay, looks like we're going with entrance one."

"SWEET!" Takeya cheered for joy. "We can finally use the outfits!" He ran downstairs to grab something, and when he returned, the Knights of Hanoi noticed that Takeya was carrying several metal suitcases. He then gave each of the suitcases to the other Knights of Hanoi, a look of joy on his face.

"Spy outfits?" Aso questioned, opening the black spy outfit up and looking at it.

"Yup!" Takeya confirmed. "There's a green button on the right side of the outfit. Before pressing it, think of a piece of clothing you always wanted!" Aso did so, and when he pressed it, the outfit changed to that of a tuxedo, impressing him.

"I must say, I'm impressed." Aso admitted.

"How exactly did you get these outfits? And what are they made out of?" Eizaburo asked out of curiosity. "I definitely want to study it once I get the chance."

"I purchased them on the Black Market." Takeya answered. "Each of the outfits are made out of unstable molecules, allowing the wearer to change their clothing to whatever they desire! This is done through a connection between the wearer's thoughts and the molecules attracting each other to fulfil their request."

"I see that each outfit comes with a rather unique mask." Ryoken stated, holding it up. The mask was clear, evident by the honeycomb-like elements on it.

"That, my friend, is known as a photostatic veil." Takeya explained, walking over to where Ryoken was. "It stretches over someone's face in order to mimic the appearance of someone else's face. However, a DNA and voice sample is required for each one. Rest assured though, I got plenty in case the day came we would need them."

"This will make our mission to rescue Kyoko much easier than expected. Well done, Takeya." Youta praised him.

"With the technology Takeya gave us, we'll be able to go through the front gate and enter the prison through the front gate." Ryoken said. "Six of us will disguise ourselves as guards, while one of use will take the role of a captured prisoner from the Knights of Hanoi. Once we get inside, we'll find Kyoko and rendezvous with the captured member before escaping."

"If we're going to do this, Ryoken, I'll have you know that I don't intend to play the role of a prisoner." Zandaka told him. "I'm too old to play that role, anyway."

"But for this plan to work, someone has to play the prisoner role." Eizaburo pointed out.

"That's why we'll decide through a simple game." Ryoken decided, going over to the nearby cabinet and getting a paper cup, along with several straws. "Whoever draws the shortest straw has to play the role of the prisoner."

The Knights of Hanoi nodded in agreement, walking over to where Ryoken was. Once he snapped his fingers, everyone pulled out a straw at once. The person who drew the shortest straw was...

"Aw, come on! I lost!" Takeya complained. "But I provided the equipment for the mission!"

"If it's any consolation, you'd play the role perfectly." Youta tried to console Takeya.

"Ryoken, we're almost at the offshore maximum security prison." Emon informed Ryoken.

"Good. Let's put these outfits on and rescue Kyoko." Ryoken replied. Once the boat reached the dock, the Knights of Hanoi disembarked from it, having taken on their disguises and roles for the mission. They escorted a handcuffed Takeya up the steps that were nearby the dock, turning right and approaching the front entrance. Sure enough, there were two guards stationed at each of the towers, as well as a security bot and two infrared scanners.

"Halt!" one of the guards said through a mic. "Who is this prisoner you're escorting?"

"Lord Kazuma, a member of the Knights of Hanoi." Aso answered back to the guard. The name he took on was James Limberton, a cop serving in the force before going missing. I can't believe Takeya chose our fake identities, he thought.

"The other Knights of Hanoi will free me, this I swear!" Takeya snarled at the others.

"Could you repeat that, please?" the other guard asked from the other tower, also using a mic.

"This is Lord Kazuma, an infamous criminal not just from the Black Market, but a member of the Knights of Hanoi as well!" Emon shouted back. The name he took on was Deacon Gripper, one that Emon was displeased with. "If you don't believe us, open the gate and we'll show you!"

A few moments passed before one of the guards responded. "Alright. Please approach the front gate with the prisoner. We'll need a scan of the prisoner's hand to confirm his DNA scan matches with our records." The group proceeded to do so, with Ryoken motioning for Takeya to put his hand on the scanner. After doing so, they waited for a moment or so before the guard spoke up. "Okay. His DNA matches. You may proceed." As if to confirm what he said, the front entrance opened, allowing the Knights of Hanoi to proceed inside.

Once they reached inside, a guard at the counter made Takeya sign some documents before motioning him to go over to the camera, where he had his mugshot taken. After that was done, the guard made Takeya return to the other Knights of Hanoi before handing them a security card.

"Take this prisoner to Cell Block 3D," the guard at the counter instructed them. The Knights of Hanoi escorted Takeya upstairs to the third floor, just as the guard instructed them to do so. Their plan was rather simple: After getting past the guards, they'd split into two groups. One group would escort Takeya to his cell, while the other group would go to the computer infrastructure room and eliminate every single Hanoi member's DNA scan and records, thus giving all of them a clean slate.

Ryoken, Zandaka, and Eizaburo headed to the computer infrastructure room, while Aso, Youta, and Emon took Takeya over to his prison cell. Once the former group entered inside, they noticed several technicians working on various parts of the infrastructure.

"Oh, good," one of the technicians said. "Security sent some guards to keep an eye here. You mind telling us your names?"

Ryoken stepped forward. "My name is Justin McLarty, and these two are Trent Carlucci and Alejandro Blackmer," he said, gesturing to Zandaka and Eizaburo. Deep down in his mind, Ryoken wished he got a say in the fake personas Takeya chose for their mission.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," another technician said, tipping his hat. "Hey Trent, would you mind holding your flashlight at this point right here? I'm trying to reroute the circuitry here, and could use some help."

"Why, of course." Zandaka answered, nodding to Ryoken as he went forward to where the technician was. After getting close, he pinched the technician at the neck, instantly knocking him out.

"What the-?!" a technician shouted, before Zandaka charged forward and rammed him to the wall, knocking him out as well. Noticing another technician heading to the nearby desk, Zandaka raced there and pushed the back of their head with enough force to knock him unconscious. As for Ryoken and Eizaburo, they pursued the remaining technicians and knocked them out by attacking their sides, causing both technicians to fall to the floor out of shock.

"Alright Eizaburo, you're up." Ryoken told him, as Eizaburo ran to the desk and began typing in a series of algorithms. It took a few minutes, but Eizaburo was eventually able to find the DNA scan and records for each Hanoi member.

"Ryoken, we should get a USB stick of the data, just in case." Zandaka advised him. Ryoken nodded before motioning to Eizaburo, who pulled out a nearby USB stick and cleared it before downloading the information onto it.

"And with one press of a button, we're off the map!" Eizaburo announced, pressing the 'Enter' key, which deleted their DNA scans and records.

"Master Ryoken." Youta said through the earpiece. "We located Kyoko's cell. Rendezvous at Cell Block 3P."

"Copy that." Ryoken replied. "Let's move." The remaining Knights of Hanoi ran out of the computer infrastructure room before locking it with their key card. From there, the trio went on to reunite with the other group, who was waiting for them before proceeding to Kyoko's cell.

At Cell Block 3M, Kyoko sat on her bed inside her, bored out of her mind as she stared at the bare empty wall for what seemed like forever. For the past three months since her reawakening, she found herself in the Den City Hospital, having been taken there by Shoichi Kusanagi and Yusaku Fujiki, whom she deduced now as Playmaker and his ally. After all, no one else could have tracked Kyoko down and informed the authorities of her whereabouts. Even though they were her enemies, she was grateful they got her body to the right care, though Ryoken would've likely done that too. How ironic for a doctor being needed to be sent to the hospital herself.

After Kyoko woke up, she let herself get arrested but was loyal to Revolver and the Hanoi to the very end, and refused to share any info to the police before being incarcerated. Since then, she had been reflecting upon everything that had transpired following the Lost Incident to her defeat against Blue Angel. As Kyoko reflected on past events, she realized how she once lost hope, but had faith she could regain it one day. While she did have some regrets about infecting people, Kyoko knew it was for a good cause. What's more, if she were to have another chance, she would fulfil Dr Kogami's goals the right way.

During her imprisonment, Kyoko sometimes felt doubtful she would be rescued and perhaps this was a just fate for her to be locked away and ogled on camera at by the guards like she was on an R rated movie. That, in her opinion, was a fate worse than death. Despite that minor detail, she didn't give up hope till the end, which was something Blue Angel gave her.

Suddenly, the prison door opened, getting her attention. She was expecting a guard to deliver her usual prison food, but Kyoko raised an eyebrow upon looking at the squad of guards who arrived at her door. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, irritation evident in her voice. To her surprise, the guards ripped their faces off, revealing seven familiar faces. "Well, what took you so long, Ryoken? I was getting bored." A smile fell on her face upon looking at Ryoken and the others.

"Good to see you to." Ryoken replied, a smile on his face.

"So what did I miss? I'm assuming the Ignis are up to no good?" Kyoko guessed. Although Ryoken was the one who purged Kyoko for her treachery, she had no regrets for her actions. Plus, Ryoken was loyal to those whom he held dear to him, thus making her punishment only a temporary one.

"That's right." Ryoken answered, holding out his hand to her. "And we most definitely could use your assistance, Kyoko." She nodded before following the others out.

"I'm assuming you have a plan to get out of here?" Kyoko asked the others, curious on what they came up with.

"Don't worry Kyoko. We have everything taken care of." Eizaburo assured her.

"We rerouted the guard's patrols and put the cameras on an infinite loop." Aso added. "That means we can walk out of here."

Elsewhere, at the Light Ignis's palace...

Azrael and Wraith watched as the Knights of Hanoi successfully entered the offshore maximum security prison. They were not only able to get in easily, but also tricked the guards into letting them find Baira's prison cell. The one thing the Knights of Hanoi didn't take into account was that Azrael and Wraith were watching them the entire time.

"Their plan was a good one." Wraith commented. "I was worried that the Hanoi lost their edge."

"How boring and predictable." Azrael said, a frown on his face. "There's no action or resistance whatsoever. Given how pathetic security is there, it makes sense."

"All of this could have been avoided had the prison used locks and keys." Wraith added. "Either hire a warden to guard the keys, or throw them away."

Azrael narrowed his eyes. "There's no such thing as happily ever after. This I know from experience. Let's show them that in reality, things rarely go according to plan."

"I concur." Wraith agreed, a malicious smirk on his place. "Let's give them a good show." He then disappeared from Azrael's duel disk, intent to carry out the plan.

Azrael smirked as he looked at the screen. Now, we'll see what happens when a monkey wrench is thrown into their plans, he thought.

Meanwhile, at the offshore maximum security prison...

The Knights of Hanoi eventually reached the bottom floor of the prison, having successfully evaded both the guards and the cameras. As they walked down the floors, Kyoko learned from Zandaka that each Hanoi member's DNA scans and records were erased, enabling them to hide in plain sight once again. Emon also informed her of the azure-overcoated man, and how his interference made the Hanoi lose much data and resources. If it weren't for him, the Hanoi would have rescued her sooner.

Ryoken added that they have a new ally in his best friend, Akairo Gekido. His role was to spy on SOL Technologies and report back to them on new developments, as well as keep an eye on Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner in the real world. Kyoko was surprised with the appearance of another Ignis, with Youta telling her that the Hanoi had to mobilize and step up their game if they were to defeat the Ignis once and for all. Lastly, Takeya informed her about the recent deaths in the Black Market by an AI called Malf, who worked with the azure-overcoated man.

"If we were to capture Malf though, Eizaburo and I could pick him apart and create a new anti-Ignis virus that's more powerful than the Another virus." Kyoko suggested, much to Eizaburo's glee and to the approval of the other Knights of Hanoi.

"And that's why you're the witty one in our group." Aso commented with a smirk.

"Stop it, Aso..." Kyoko couldn't help but blush at the comment.

"There it is! The entrance!" Takeya announced. "This was too easy!"

BEEP! BEEP!

The Knights of Hanoi gasped, realizing that the alarms were on. The front entrance then sealed off, preventing them from just walking out off the offshore maximum security prison.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" Zandaka furiously whispered, pulling on Takeya's ear for a second time.

"I thought the virus was supposed to keep the cameras occupied for five more minutes..." Aso whispered to Eizaburo.

"It was..." Eizaburo whispered back.

"Quickly, to the back entrance!" Ryoken told the group, running back to the center of the bottom floor of the prison before heading to the back entrance. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived at the center of the floor, multiple guards were waiting for them.

"Freeze!" the captain shouted through a microphone. "Knights of Hanoi, you are under arrest for various crimes, including the Another virus and the Tower of Hanoi! Surrender now, for you are outnumbered! You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to-!"

"Knights of Hanoi! Split into pairs of two and rendezvous at the back entrance!" Ryoken instructed, splitting into pairs of two soon afterwards.

"They chose the second option! Pursue them!" the captain told the other officers, as they pursued the various pairs. Kyoko and Aso went to the entrance nearby, with Takeya and Youta going to the bottom-right staircase. Ryoken and Emon headed straight for the left staircase, while Zandaka and Eizaburo went to the bottom-left staircase.

Zandaka was able to defeat each of the coming guards at them using his martial arts skills to aim for their pressure points. This cleared the way for him and Eizaburo to reach the back entrance.

"I have to say, even though you're old, you still got it." Eizaburo commented.

"Do not call me old!" Zandaka warned his comrade, causing Eizaburo to chuckle. More guards arrived at both sides, causing the two to stand back to back. "You take these guys, I'll take the others." Nodding in agreement, Zandaka raced forward and proceeded to bicycle kick the first guard, landing on the ground before sweeping the next guard off his feet and heading to the coming guard. As for Eizaburo, he evaded the taser attacks from the guard in front of him before redirecting it to him and his comrades.

"Whew, that was a doozy!" Eizaburo said.

"Let's go!" Zandaka urged him. Suddenly, two duel anchors shot out of nowhere, preventing both members of the Hanoi from leaving.

"These duel anchors prevent you from leaving unless you beat us in a duel," the guard explained, as his ally arrived beside him. "Soon, you'll be outnumbered"

"My, it's good to duel again." Eizaburo said, readying his duel disk.

"I can agree with you on that." Zandaka replied, also activating his duel disk. "Let's teach these guards a lesson they'll never forget!"

"Duel!" all four duelists shouted in unison.

Eizaburo Lee and Zandaka Ikiagi: 4000 LP

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 LP

"As this is a Tag Duel, we'll be sharing fields, life points, and Graveyards, while alternating every turn." Security Guard 1 explained.

"We'll abide by those rules." Zandaka replied, with Eizaburo nodding as well.

"I shall go first." Eizaburo announced, looking at his hand. "I'll start by activating the Spell card, Graceful Charity. While this card lets me draw three cards, I have to discard two cards in exchange." After Eizaburo drew three cards, he sent two cards in his hand to his Graveyard. "Then I activate the Spell card, Graveyard Incubation, which lets me target two 'Helixx' monsters in my Graveyard with the same name and Special Summon them to our field. However, their attack and defense points are reduced to zero, their effects are negated, they can't attack or be tributed, and can only be used as material for a Link Summon. Return, two copies of Helixx Marmotroll!" Soon, two copies of the same monster appeared on Eizaburo and Zandaka's field. Both monsters were a green furred marmot with a bulky, humanoid body covered in armour, each one carrying a mace.

Helixx Marmotroll ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 5

Helixx Marmotroll ATK: 2600 DEF: 0 LV: 5

Helixx Marmotroll ATK: 2600 – 2600 = 0

Helixx Marmotroll ATK: 2600 – 2600 = 0

"I'll now build my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above Eizaburo. "The summoning conditions are two 'Helixx' monsters. I'll set both copies of Helixx Marmotroll into the Link Markers!" One Marmotroll went into the top arrowhead, while the second Marmotroll went into the bottom arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! You're up! Link 2! Helixx Gothiclone!" A creature with sheep-like features and a humanoid body wearing regal clothes, as well as two horns on its head, appeared on Eizaburo and Zandaka's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Helix Gothiclone ATK: 0 LINK-2 ⬆️⬇️

"From there, I summon Helixx Dreadrat to my field." Eizaburo continued, as a hellish rat with armor and flaming ears appeared on his and Zandaka's field in the Main Monster Zone Gothiclone pointed to.

Helixx Dreadrat ATK: 1200 DEF: 2000 LV: 5

"Dreadrat can be Normal Summoned without tributes if I control a 'Helixx' monster." Eizaburo smirked. "With that, I end my turn. Okay guards, one of you may go now."

"My turn! I draw!" Security Guard 1 said. "I'll start by summoning Armor Canine – Cannonboxer from my hand." A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"When Cannonboxer's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon an 'Armor Canine' monster with a lower Level from my hand. Emerge, Armor Canine – Bullcopter!" A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides also appeared on their field in attack position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK: 600 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Bulldog's effect!" Security Guard 1 continued. "When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my-!"

"Not so fast!" Zandaka interrupted. "I activate the effect of Ash Blossom and Joyous Spring from my hand! If you either add a card from your deck to your hand, Special Summon from your deck, or send a card from your deck to your Graveyard, I can discard this card to negate that effect!" A little with short white robes and a grey shirt, as well as a cherry ribbon appeared before blowing a kiss at Bullcopter, greying it out in the process.

"Tch!" Security Guard 1 gritted his teeth. "In that case, I activate the Spell card, Polymerization from my hand! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material. I use Cannonboxer and Bulldog on my field to Fusion Summon!" Cannonboxer disintegrated into red particles, while Bulldog disintegrated into blue particles before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Cannon-like guard dog, become one with the flying beast, and become a new power that shakes the heavens!" Security Guard 1 chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress!" A large dark-blue and yellow mechanical dog with cannons at its sides and a tower at its rear appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"Bullfortress's effect! For each Polymerization and/or 'Fusion' card I send from my hand to my Graveyard, Bullfortress gains 1000 attack points. I send Re-Fusion and Fusion Reserve from my hand to my Graveyard!" As Security Guard 1 sent two cards from his hand to his Graveyard, Bullfortress roared as it powered up.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 + (1000 X 2) = 4000

"Battle!" Security Guard 1 declared. "Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress attacks Helixx Gothiclone!" Bullfortress fired two cannon shots at Gothiclone, intent on destroying it. However, Eizaburo smirked.

"I activate Gothiclone's effect!" Eizaburo responded. "When it battles your monster, its attack points become equal to your monster's attack points until the end of your turn!" Gothiclone was surrounded in a red aura as it powered up.

Helixx Gothiclone ATK: 0 + 4000 = 4000

"Also, the first time Gothiclone would be destroyed, it's not!" As if to prove Eizaburo's point, Gothiclone imitated Bullfortress's attack by firing two dark bursts of energy at it, destroying the large mechanical dog before blowing it up into pieces.

"Oh, and there's one last thing." Eizaburo added. "Since I used it's effect to avoid destruction, I can tribute one monster it points to and inflict damage to the both of you equal to that monster's attack points!"

"What?!" Security Guard 1 exclaimed, with Security Guard 2's face turning pale.

"I tribute Dreadrat, which means you take 1200 points of damage!" Dreadrat ran across the field before biting Security Guard 1's arm, making him scream in pain as it slashed Security Guard 2 in the face using its tail. Seconds later, Dreadrat vanished.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 – 1200 = 2800 LP

"You'll regret this, Knight of Hanoi!" Security Guard 1 snarled. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Zandaka said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I summon Tenyi Spirit – Adhara from my hand!" A brown, misty serpentine dragon appeared on Eizburo and Zanada's field.

Tenyi Spirit – Adhara ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I then activate the Spell card, Tenyi Rising!" The card showed Monk of the Tenyi summoning Tenyi Spirits Adhara and Shthana to the dojo grounds. "This card lets me Special Summon a 'Tenyi' monster from my hand if I control a 'Tenyi' monster on my field with a different name. Arise, Tenyi Spirit - Vishuda!" A blood, red misty serpentine dragon also appeared on Eizaburo and Zandaka's field.

Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda ATK: 1500 DEF: 2500 LV: 7

"Level 1 Tenyi Spirit – Adhara tunes the Level 7 Tenyi Spirit – Vishuda!" Zandaka declared, as a bolt of green lightning struck him and the world greyed out before his two monsters disappeared into particles. Two rings, one brown and one red appeared before turning blue and merging. Eight blue rings stacked in a tower appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 7" in front of them. The screen changed to "8" as light surged through the rings.

"Fallen student! Let your soul corrupt you, and unleash the darkness within!" Zandaka chanted. "Synchro Summon! Roar, Level 8! Draco Berserker of the Tenyi! A muscular, corrupted ogre with scaly skin and spikes appeared on Eizaburo and Zandaka's field in the Main Monster Zone Gothiclone pointed to. He had long, billy goat horns on his head, as well as long and wild bushy blue hair that went down to the back of his waist.

Draco Berserker of the Tenyi ATK: 3000 DEF: 0 LV: 8

"A Level 8 Synchro monster with 3000 attack points?!" Security Guard 1 exclaimed before composing himself. "Continuous-Trap card, activate! Fusion Trench! Now only Fusion monsters can attack while this card is on the field."

"So you're playing defensively, huh?" Zandaka raised an eyebrow. "In that case, I better help prepare for our eventual victory. I activate the Equip Spell card, Ring of Magnetism, and equip it onto Gothiclone." A green ring appeared on Gothiclone's finger, which resonated with magnetic energy. "Now the equipped monster loses 500 attack and defense points. In exchange, you can only attack the equipped monster."

Both Security Guard 1 and 2 frowned upon hearing this. Since Gothiclone had no attack points whatsoever, the effect was not detrimental to the Knights of Hanoi. If the guards chose to attack, that meant they would lose the duel. As such, Eizaburo and Zandaka were forcing them to utilize a Stall strategy.

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Zandaka concluded. "Let's see what the second Security Guard has got to show us."

"My turn! I draw!" Security Guard 2 said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I'll start by summoning Armor Canine – Cannonboxer from my hand." A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"When Cannonboxer's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon an 'Armor Canine' monster with a lower Level from my hand. Emerge, Armor Canine – Bullcopter!" A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides also appeared on their field in attack position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK: 600 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Bulldog's effect!" Security Guard 2 continued. "When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand immediately. "I activate the Spell card, Polymerization from my hand! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material. I use Cannonboxer and Bulldog on my field to Fusion Summon!" Cannonboxer disintegrated into red particles, while Bulldog disintegrated into blue particles before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Cannon-like guard dog, become one with the flying beast, and become a new power that shakes the heavens!" Security Guard 1 chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress!" A large dark-blue and yellow mechanical dog with cannons at its sides and a tower at its rear appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"Bullfortress's effect! For each Polymerization and/or 'Fusion' card I send from my hand to my Graveyard, Bullfortress gains 1000 attack points. I send Polymerization and Battle Fusion from my hand to my Graveyard!" As Security Guard 2 sent two cards from his hand to his Graveyard, Bullfortress roared as it powered up.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 + (1000 X 2) = 4000

"Trap card, activate!" Zandaka interrupted. "Dark Tournament! Not only must all monsters be changed to face-up attack position, they must also declare an attack as well! In addition, when a monster battles, they cannot be destroyed by battle."

"And thanks to Ring of Magnetism, you can only attack the equipped monster, which is Gothiclone." Eizaburo added.

"Oh no!" Security Guard 2 exclaimed. Even if I use my Equip Spell card Fusion Weapon, it won't matter, he thought. Security Guard 2 had no choice now, but to attack. "Battle! Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress attacks Helixx Gothiclone!" Bullfortress fired two cannon shots at Gothiclone, intent on destroying it.

"I activate Gothiclone's effect!" Eizaburo responded. "When it battles your monster, its attack points become equal to your monster's attack points until the end of your turn!" Gothiclone was surrounded in a red aura as it powered up.

Helixx Gothiclone ATK: 0 + 4000 = 4000

"And just like before, the first time Gothiclone would be destroyed, it's not!" As if to prove Eizaburo's point, Gothiclone imitated Bullfortress's attack by firing two dark bursts of energy at it, which Bullfortress survived this time thanks to Dark Tournament.

"Lastly is Gothiclone's third effect!" Eizaburo continued. "Since I used it's effect to avoid destruction, I can tribute one monster it points to and inflict damage to you equal to that monster's attack points!"

"This can't be!" Security Guard 2 exclaimed, with Security Guard 1 dreading what was about to happen.

"Let this be a warning to those who oppose the Knights of Hanoi!" Zandaka told the guards before turning to Eizaburo. "Finish them."

"With pleasure." Eizaburo complied, a smirk on his face. "I tribute Draco Berserker, which means the both of you take 3000 points of damage!" Draco Berserker roared as he charged forward at both Security Guards 1 and 2, clotheslining them in the process.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 1200 – 3000 = 0

"We need to rendezvous at the back entrance!" Zandaka said with a serious tone, the both of them running past the unconscious guards in the process.

In another area of the prison, Aso and Kyoko took an alternate route to reach the back entrance. That route ended up taking them to a massive dining room, where they used the chairs and tables as speed bumps against the guards.

"How many of these guards are there?" Kyoko questioned.

"What they lack in strength, they do make up for it in numbers." Aso admitted. "This way!" Taking Kyoko's hand, the two of them entered the kitchen, hoping they can use it as a shortcut. Using a spatula and several shelves as door blockers, they headed for the other end of the kitchen. However, two duel anchors shot out of nowhere, preventing both members of the Hanoi from leaving. Both Kyoko and Aso realized that the anchors came from an entrance nearby.

"These duel anchors prevent you from leaving unless you beat us in a duel," the guard explained, as his ally arrived beside him. "Once our backup arrives, you'll be under arrest."

"That's where you're wrong." Aso responded. "We'll be the ones escaping today."

"Let's take out the trash!" Kyoko told Aso, who agreed with a nod.

"Duel!" all four duelists said in unison.

Aso Watanabe and Kyoko Taki: 4000 LP

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 LP

"As this is a Tag Duel, we'll be sharing fields, life points, and Graveyards, while alternating every turn." Security Guard 1 explained.

"That works for us." Aso responded, with Kyoko nodding back at him.

"Ladies first!" Kyoko announced, as she looked at her hand. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Temple of the Kings! This card lets me activate a Trap card the turn I Set it! Next, I summon Dark Mummy Probe from my hand!" A blue-skinned mummy with one red eye and bandages all over its body, as well as torn clothing appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field. Its left arm was covered with massive bandages, with pins attached to it.

Dark Mummy Probe ATK: 700 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"From there, I activate the Spell card, Monster Restitch! By tributing one 'Dark Mummy' monster, I can Special Summon three 'Dark Mummy' tokens to our field. I tribute Probe!" As Probe exploded into pieces, three will-o-wisps that glowed with purple flames appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field.

Dark Mummy token ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 1

Dark Mummy token ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 1

Dark Mummy token ATK: ? DEF: ? LV: 1

"I'll now stitch my circuit!" Kyoko declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are three 'Dark Mummy' tokens. I'll set my three 'Dark Mummy' tokens into the Link Markers!" The first Dark Mummy token went into the top arrowhead, the second went into the right arrowhead, and the third went into the bottom-left arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Arise, Link 3! Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps!" A green-skinned, female mummy with long black hair appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had red eyes, a face mask, and a breastplate on her body. Also, half of her body was wrapped in bandages, with some of them wrapped around her legs. Lastly, her arms were replaced with curved blades.

Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps ATK: 2400 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️➡️

"I Set one card face-down." Kyoko continued. "And thanks to Temple of the Kings, I can activate the card I just Set! The Trap card, Back to the Front! It lets me target a monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to our field in defense position. Return, Probe!" At Kyoko's field, Probe reappeared on her and Aso's field.

Dark Mummy Probe ATK: 700 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I Set another card face-down and end my turn." Kyoko smirked. "The faster one of you go, the faster we can escape."

"You Knights of Hanoi won't escape, that we can promise!" Security Guard 1 snarled. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I'll start by summoning Armor Canine – Cannonboxer from my hand." A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"When Cannonboxer's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon an 'Armor Canine' monster with a lower Level from my hand. Emerge, Armor Canine – Bullcopter!" A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides also appeared on their field in attack position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK: 600 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Bulldog's effect!" Security Guard 1 continued. "When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand immediately. "I activate the Spell card, Polymerization from my hand! This card lets me Fusion Summon a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters in my hand or field as Fusion Material. I use Cannonboxer and Bulldog on my field to Fusion Summon!" Cannonboxer disintegrated into red particles, while Bulldog disintegrated into blue particles before swirling into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Cannon-like guard dog, become one with the flying beast, and become a new power that shakes the heavens!" Security Guard 1 chanted. "Fusion Summon! Come forth! Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress!" A large dark-blue and yellow mechanical dog with cannons at its sides and a tower at its rear appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 6

"Bullfortress's effect! For each Polymerization and/or 'Fusion' card I send from my hand to my Graveyard, Bullfortress gains 1000 attack points. I send Polymerization and Fusion Substitute from my hand to my Graveyard!" As Security Guard 1 sent two cards from his hand to his Graveyard, Bullfortress roared as it powered up.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 2000 + (1000 X 2) = 4000

"Battle!" Security Guard 1 declared. "Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress attacks Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps!" Bullfortress fired two cannon shots at Surgical Forceps, intent on destroying her.

"Your decks are predictable against us!" Kyoko interjected, gesturing to her face-down card. "Trap card, activate! Current Corruption Virus! By tributing one Dark monster with zero defense points, I can change the attack points of all monsters that have 2000 or less defense points to zero until the end of your third turn after activation. In addition, their effects are negated, nor can you activate the effects of monsters in your hand!"

"What?" Security Guard 1 said in shock.

"I tribute Probe!" For a second time, Probe exploded into particles, only they went into Current Corruption Virus before emitting large pink rings, which hit Bullfortress and Security Guard 1 and 2's hands, negating the effects of their monsters.

Full Armor Canine – Bullfortress ATK: 4000 – 4000 = 0

"Strike back, Surgical Forceps!" Kyoko ordered, as Surgical Forceps evaded the cannon blasts and sliced Bullfortress, destroying it and causing Security Guard 1 and 2 to shield their faces from the explosion.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 – 2400 = 1600 LP

"You'll regret that..." Security Guard 1 muttered. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Aso said, drawing the top card of his deck.

"Continuous-Trap card, activate!" Security Guard 1 interrupted. "Fusion Trench! Now only Fusion monsters can attack while this card is on the field."

"Like that card will stop us." Aso calmly responded. "I activate the Spell card, Remove Trap. This card lets me destroy one face-up Trap card on the field. I choose Fusion Trench." Remove Trap fired a blast of energy at Fusion Trench, destroying it, much to Security Guard 1 and 2's horror.

"How... How were you-?" Security Guard 1 muttered.

"Our duel disks are programmed to record all our duels." Kyoko explained. "It also lets us send information to one another in order to prepare for future duels. As you guards use the same deck, we'll be able to exploit its weaknesses over and over again."

"Allow me to show you further why your decks are inadequate to ours." Aso said. "I activate the Continuous-Spell card, Wormhole Defense. When this card is activated, I'm allowed to Special Summon one 'Motor Worm' token to our field in defense position." A mechanical worm-like insect with phosphorescent blue, yellow, and a purple head appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field in defense position.

Motor Worm token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Motor Worm Bait. Since I control an Insect monster, I can Special Summon two 'Motor Worm' tokens to my field. In exchange, I cannot Normal or Special Summon Level 3 or 4 monsters the turn this card is activated." Soon, two more Motor Worm tokens appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field.

Motor Worm token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Motor Worm token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I'll now infest my circuit!" Aso declared, as a Link Portal appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more Insect monsters. I'll set my three 'Motor Worm' tokens into the Link Markers!" The first Motor Worm token went into the left arrowhead, the second Motor Worm token went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and the third Motor Worm token went into the bottom arrowhead, turning all three of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Motor Worm Spreader Queen!" A massive insect with medium-sized wings and six legs appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field in the Main Monster Zone Surgical Forceps pointed to. Her abdomen glowed a pink color, while its back glowed phosphorescent blue, yellow, and purple. She also had brown skin all over her body, along with red eyes.

Motor Worm Spreader Queen ATK: 1000 LINK-3 ⬅️↙️⬇️

"Spreader Queen's effect!" Aso continued. "Once per turn, if she doesn't point to any monsters, I can Special Summon one 'Motor Worm' token to a Main Monster Zone she points to. Furthermore, you cannot target 'Motor Worm' tokens for attacks." A fourth Motor Worm token appeared on Kyoko and Aso's field, only in the Main Monster Zone Spreader Queen pointed to.

Motor Worm token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Spreader Queen's second effect!" Aso added. "For each Insect monster on the field, she gains 700 attack points!" Spreader Queen screeched as she powered up.

Motor Worm Spreader Queen ATK: 1000 + 700 + 700 = 2400

"Battle!" Aso pointed to both Security Guards. "Motor Worm Spreader Queen attacks the both of you directly! Swarming Storm Assault!" The back of Spreader Queen opened as hornet-like missiles launched towards both Security Guards before breaking their shells and firing stinging blasts at them. As a result, they fell off the ground and landed on their backs, where the impact caused the sprinklers to turn on.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 1600 – 2400 = 0

"It's a good thing we haven't lost our touch." Aso commented, wiping the water off his forehead.

"Indeed, but I would have liked to finish them off myself!" Kyoko pouted at Aso. "Regardless, we should focus on getting to the back entrance!" The two of them ran out of the kitchen and headed for the back entrance.

Elsewhere, at another area of the prison, Takeya and Youta were running through a hallway, guards obviously pursuing them. Luckily, the duo was able to evade them by going up and down the levels of the prison. Takeya even through a smoke bomb behind them to prevent the guards from chasing the duo.

"Okay, there's no end to these guards." Takuya said.

"We just need to reach the back entrance, and then our mission will be complete." Youta replied. "I thought you enjoyed the thrill of these missions."

"Not for this one." Takeya admitted. Suddenly, two duel anchors shot out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around Takeya and Youta's wrists.

"These duel anchors prevent you from leaving unless you beat us in a duel," the guard explained, as his ally arrived beside him. "Although you're strong, there's more of us than you."

"Perhaps, but you're nothing more than annoying flies." Youta told the guards, activating his duel disk.

"Nice one, Youta!" Takeya stated, giggling before putting out a three using his fingers. "We'll swat these flies in three turns tops!"

"Don't get cocky, Knight of Hanoi!" Security Guard 1 warned.

"Under the jurisdiction of Den City, we place you under arrest!" Security Guard 2 declared.

"Duel!" all four duelists said in unison.

Youta Itsuki and Takeya Naegi: 4000 LP

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 LP

"As this is a Tag Duel, we'll be sharing fields, life points, and Graveyards, while alternating every turn." Security Guard 1 explained.

"There's no trouble with those rules." Youta replied, with Takeya smirking in response.

"My turn!" Takeya said, looking at his cards. "I activate the Spell card, Ancient Rules. This card lets me Special Summon one Level 5 or higher Normal monster from my hand. Emerge, Dark Magician!" A spellcaster in dark blue armor with shiny, curved plates that had sharp edges and covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on Takeya and Youta's 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

"That's the ace monster of the legendary duelist Yugi Muto!" Security Guard 2 exclaimed. "How did you get your hands on that monster?"

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" Takeya responded back mockingly. "I now tribute Dark Magician to Special Summon Dark Eradicator Warlock!" As Dark Magician turned into yellow particles, he was replaced by an older magician with shiny, curved plated plates on his shoulders and head, who appeared on Takeya and Youta's field. He had brown, ornate armor all over his body, as well as a long purple cape. In his right hand, he carried a long, magical staff.

Dark Eradicator Warlock ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100

"From there, I activate the Ritual Spell card, Chaos Form! This card lets me Ritual Summon any 'Chaos' or 'Black Luster Soldier' Ritual monster by tributing monsters from my hand or field whose levels equal or exceed whose combined levels equal or exceed that of the stated Ritual monster, and then summon it from my hand. In addition, I'm also allowed to banish 'Dark Magician' or 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from my Graveyard to Ritual Summon as well!"

"Say what?" Security Guard 1 said in shock.

"If you don't believe me, I'll prove it!" Takeya responded. "I banish the Level 7 Dark Magician from my Graveyard."

A dark blue magic circle with seven flames appeared on their field, along with Dark Magician. Five cobalt spikes then appeared before he disintegrated into light and entered the center of the circle, which emitted a pillar of dark blue light.

"The contract's been made!" Takeya responded. "Through the integration of Chaos, the magician shall unlock new heights of magical knowledge and strength! Ritual Summon! Arise, Magician of Chaos!" A spellcaster in dark blue armor with violet lines all over his body and sharp edges that covered the torso and shoulder areas appeared on Takeya and Youta's field. He had dark-blond hair and light-blue skin, and in front of him was a scepter that had a blue magical circle emitting from it.

Magician of Chaos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LV: 7

"Magician of Chaos's name becomes Dark Magician while he's on our field or in the Graveyard." Takeya smirked before playing another card. "I activate the Spell card, Magical Blast. For every Spellcaster on our field, you take 200 points of damage. Since there are two Spellcaster monsters, you take 400 points of damage." A blast of magical energy erupted from Magical Blast and hit Security Guards 1 and 2.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

"Is that the best you got?" Security Guard 2 taunted.

"Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Youta commented.

"My ally's right, you know. Because something worse is coming!" Takeya promised. "Like Dark Eradicator Warlock's effect! Every time a Normal Spell card is activated, you take 1000 points of damage!" Dark Eradicator Warlock fired a blast of dark energy from his staff, which hit Security Guards 1 and 2, forcing them to take a step back in pain.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 3600 – 1000 = 2600 LP

"With that, I end my turn." Takeya bowed mockingly bowed. "So what will you do now? Will you try to summon your large hounds? Or just try to stall for time?"

"My turn! I draw!" Security Guard 1 said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I'll start by summoning Armor Canine – Cannonboxer from my hand." A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"When Cannonboxer's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon an 'Armor Canine' monster with a lower Level from my hand. Emerge, Armor Canine – Bullcopter!" A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides also appeared on their field in attack position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK: 600 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Bulldog's effect!" Security Guard 1 continued. "When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand. "Now I activate the Spell card, Polymerization! This card lets me-!"

"I activate the effect of Magician of Chaos!" Takeya suddenly interrupted. "When a Spell or Trap card is activated, I can target one card on your field and destroy it. I target and destroy Cannonboxer!" The staff in front of Magician of Chaos then fired a blue magical circle, restraining Cannonboxer before destroying it. "Since you don't have the required Fusion materials, you can't Fusion Summon at all."

"...!" Security Guard 1 gritted his teeth in silence, annoyed with what happened.

"But that's not the only thing that happens!" Takeya continued. "As you activated a Normal Spell card, Dark Eradicator Warlock inflicts 1000 points of damage to the both of you once again!" Dark Eradicator Warlock fired a second blast of dark energy from his staff, which hit Security Guards 1 and 2, forcing them to take a step back in pain.

Security Guards 1 and 2: 2600 – 1000 = 1600 LP

"You'll regret that!" Security Guard 1 snarled. "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Youta said, drawing the top card of his deck. "I summon Sunseed Genius Loci from my hand." A golden statue with a green base holding a brown seed appeared on Takeya and Youta's field.

Sunseed Genius Loci ATK: 0 DEF: 600 LV: 1

"I also summon Sunseed Shadow from my hand as well." A statue with a green base and orange claws surrounding a shriveled plant with an eye also appeared on Takeya and Youta's field.

Sunseed Shadow ATK: 0 DEF: 400 LV: 2

"I can Special Summon Sunseed Shadow if I control a Plant Normal monster." Youta explained. "And now, I shall manifest my circuit!" A Link Portal appeared on the ground behind Youta. "The summoning conditions are one Plant Normal monster! I'll set Sunseed Genius Loci into the Link Markers!" Genius Loci turned into an orange whirlwind as it went into the bottom Link Marker behind Youta, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sunavalon Dryas!" Soon, the ground broke apart, before something rose out of it. The monster that emerged in the right Extra Monster Zone of Takeya and Youta's field was a giant tree with a few bulbs hanging from the branches and what appeared to be a face in the center.

Sunavalon Dryas ATK: 0 LINK-1 ⬇️

"I also activate the Spell card, Sunvine Sowing." Youta continued. "This card lets me Special Summon one 'Sunseed' monster from my deck, but in exchange, we take 1000 points of damage. Furthermore, if I don't control a 'Sunavalon' Link monster, I can only Special Summon Sunseed Genius Loci from my deck. But since Dryas is on my field, that restriction is lifted. Therefore, I Special Summon a second copy of Genius Loci from my deck!" A second copy of Genius Loci appeared on Takeya and Youta's field.

Sunseed Genius Loci ATK: 0 DEF: 600 LV: 1

Then a red aura surrounded both Takeya and Youta, indicating that they were taking damage.

Takeya and Youta: 4000 – 1000 = 3000 LP

"Dryas' effect! Once during each of our turns, when I take damage, I get to Special Summon a 'Sunvine' Link monster from my Extra Deck to a zone a 'Sunavalon' Link Monster points to. Come, Sunvine Healer!" One of the pods hanging from Dryas glowed and burst as purple fluid came out of it. The fluid solidified into a teenage elven girl with orange hair that went down to her neck as she was summoned to the Main Monster Zone Dryas was pointing to on Takeya and Youta's field. She wore a red dress, with a botanical design that went upwards, causing it to look like a rose. She also had vines wrapped around her feet, and wore ruby red shoes.

Sunvine Healer ATK: 600 LINK-1 ⬆️

"That's not all." Youta added. "We regain life points equal to the damage we just took!" Pink vines emerged from Dryas and wrapped around Takeya and Youta. They breathed in relief as their life points went right back to 4000.

Takeya and Youta: 3000 + 1000 = 4000 LP

"I then activate Sunvine Healer's effect! As she was Special Summoned, I can target one 'Sunavalon' Link Monster that is pointing to this card, and then we gain life points equal to its Link Rating times 300! I target Sunavalon Dryas!" Healer then turned around and gave Takeya and Youta some of her energy, further increasing their life points.

Takeya and Youta: 4000 + 300 = 4300 LP

"There's one more thing you forgot, Youta." Takeya said, gesturing to their field. "Since you activated a Normal Spell card, Dark Eradicator Warlock's effect inflicts 1000 points of damage to our opponents once again!" Dark Eradicator Warlock fired a second blast of dark energy from his staff, which hit Security Guards 1 and 2, forcing them to take a step back in pain.

Security Guards 1 and 2: 1600 – 1000 = 600 LP

"Damn it, is there any end to this guy's combo?" Security Guard 2 asked his ally.

"It's about to get much worse." Security Guard 1 answered.

"Indeed, it shall." Youta confirmed. "I'll manifest my circuit once again." A second Link Portal appeared behind Youta. "The summoning conditions are two or more Plant monsters, including a Link monster! I'll set Sunvine Healer, which is a Link 1 monster, Sunseed Shadow, and my other Genius Loci into the Link Markers!" Healer went into the left arrowhead, Shadow went into the right arrowhead, and the other Genius Loci went into the top arrowhead, turning all of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Sunavalon Melias!" A brown root with a large stump and hardened branch arms appeared on Takeya and Youta's field in the Main Monster Zone Dryas pointed to, resulting in both monsters being co-linked with one another. She had thin, branch-like hair, along with a leaf-like necklace around her neck.

Sunavalon Melias ATK: 0 LINK-3 ⬅️⬆️➡️

"When Melias is Link Summoned, I can target one Plant monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to a Main Monster Zone she points to. Appear, for a third time! Genius Loci!" Genius Loci appeared for a third time on Takeya and Youta's field in defense position at one of the Main Monster Zones Melias pointed to.

Sunseed Genius Loci ATK: 0 DEF: 600 LV: 1

"Now I shall manifest my circuit for a third and final time!" A fourth Link portal appeared, only it was above Youta. "The summoning conditions are one Plant Normal monster. I'll set Sunseed Genius Loci into the Link Markers!" Genius Loci went into the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sunvine Thrasher!" A blue-skinned warrior wearing a green coat and cloak appeared in one of the Main Monster Zones Melias pointed to on Takeya and Youta's field. It swung the large sword in its hand, ready for battle.

Sunvine Thrasher ATK: 800 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Thrasher's effect!" Youta said. "As its in a Main Monster Zone a 'Sunavalon' monster is pointing to, it gains 800 attack points equal to that 'Sunavalon' Link monster's Link rating! Melias is a Link 3 monster, which means Thrasher gains 2400 attack points!" Thrasher held a hand to its chest as a wind surrounded it, powering the warrior up.

Sunvine Thrasher ATK: 800 + (800 X 3) = 3200

"Last but not least is Melias' other effect! I can target one 'Sunvine' Link monster she points to, and when it attacks this turn, it can attack up to the number of 'Sunavalon' Link monster's on the field. There are two 'Sunavalon' Link monsters on our field, which means Thrasher can attack up to two times!" Both Security Guard 1 and 2's faces paled upon hearing this.

"IT'S OVERKILL TIME!" Takeya cried out with glee.

"Battle!" Youta declared. "Sunvine Thrasher attacks Armor Canine – Bulldog! Make sure nothing remains!" Thrasher charged forward at Bulldog and slashed it in two horizontally, destroying it and causing a massive explosion. As a result, both Security Guard 1 and 2 were sent flying off the ground before landing on their backs.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 600 – 2600 = 0

"Man, that wasn't even a challenge." Youta commented.

"Still, it was good to stretch our muscles, even if it was a bit." Takeya said. "Regardless, we need to meet at the rendezvous point." Knowing what to do, the duo then headed for the back entrance.

Meanwhile, at another area of the prison, Ryoken and Emon were trying to escape get through the security guards that were chasing them from both sides. Ryoken used Krav Maga to easily evade the attacks of the guards and throw them over to the side, while Emon summoned his demons to distract the guards behind them. To assist Ryoken, he also used Bajiquan against the guards in the front.

"I told you my demons would be of assistance." Emon reminded Ryoken as they ran through the hallway of the prison.

"At the time, I thought they weren't needed." Ryoken replied. "It was a stealth mission, and we couldn't risk getting exposed." Suddenly, a duel anchor shot out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Ryoken, while another one wrapped itself around Emon.

"These duel anchors prevent you from leaving unless you beat us in a duel," the guard explained, as his ally arrived beside him. "You may be strong, but you'll be outnumbered pretty soon."

"I highly doubt that." Ryoken replied, readying his duel disk. "Let's show these fools how inferior they are to us."

"That will obviously be fun." Emon agreed, also readying his own duel disk.

"Duel!" all four duelists shouted in unison.

Emon Uchida and Ryoken Kogami: 4000 LP

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 LP

"As this is a Tag Duel, we'll be sharing fields, life points, and Graveyards, while alternating every turn." Security Guard 1 explained.

"We accept these conditions." Emon complied, with Ryoken nodding as well.

"My turn!" Ryoken said, looking at his hand. "I activate the Field Spell card, Boot Sector Launch! With this card, all 'Rokket' monsters on my field gain 300 attack and defense points!" The ground shook as a massive red gun barrel with green lines appeared on Ryoken's right side. It had a red and black frame that ran from the top to the bottom that covered two of the six holes. "Boot Sector Launch's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon up to two 'Rokket' monsters from my hand in defense position. Come on out, Shelrokket Dragon and Magnarokket Dragon!" Two of the holes in Boot Sector Launch glowed as it turned two times, releasing one dragon each before stopping and appearing on Ryoken and Emon's field.

The first was a gold and black metal dragon with green lines running over it, green holographic wings, and a green tube on its head.

The second was a blue and red metal dragon with green holographic wings and a small cannon on its head.

Shelrokket Dragon ATK: 1100 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

Magnarokket Dragon ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LV: 4

Shelrokket Dragon ATK: 1100 + 300 = 1400 DEF: 2000 + 300 = 2300

Magnarokket Dragon ATK: 1800 + 300 = 2100 DEF: 1200 + 300 = 1500

"I summon Sniffer Dragon from my hand as well." A red humanoid dragon with black metal attachments also appeared on Ryoken and Emon's field.

Sniffer Dragon ATK: 800 DEF: 400 LV: 2

"Sniffer Dragon's effect lets me add another copy of it from my deck to my hand." Ryoken continued, as a card popped out of his deck, which he added to his hand. "Manifest, my circuit!" A Link Portal soon appeared above him. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters. I'll set Shelrokket Dragon, Magnarokket Dragon, and Sniffer Dragon into the Link Markers!" Shelrokket Dragon went into the top arrowhead, Magnarokket Dragon went into the bottom-left arrowhead, and Sniffer Dragon went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Topologic Trisbaena!" A four limbed black and white mechanical dragon with several splashes of red over it appeared on Ryoken and Emon's field field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had a single green eye in the center of its head, and two loops on its back that looked like wings.

Topologic Trisbaena ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↙️⬆️↘️

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Ryoken smirked. "All right, you low-class duelists. Let's see how you fare against the Knights of Hanoi!"

"Why, you-!" Security Guard 1 snarled. "My turn! I draw!" He drew the top card of his deck. "I'll start by summoning Armor Canine – Cannonboxer from my hand." A mechanical brown dog with a black and red cannon appeared on Security Guard 1 and 2's field.

Armor Canine – Cannonboxer ATK: 1400 DEF: 0 LV: 3

"When Cannonboxer's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon an 'Armor Canine' monster with a lower Level from my hand. Emerge, Armor Canine – Bullcopter!" A black and yellow mechanical bulldog with rotors on its back and sides also appeared on their field in attack position.

Armor Canine – Bullcopter ATK: 600 DEF: 0 LV: 2

"Bulldog's effect!" Security Guard 1 continued. "When it's Special Summoned, I can add Polymerization from my deck to my hand." A card popped out his deck, which he added to his hand.

"Continuous-Trap card, activate!" Ryoken interrupted. "Anti-Spell Fragrance! Now all of us must Set Spell cards before activating them. What's more, we cannot activate them until the next turn after Setting them."

Security Guard 1 gritted his teeth. Damn that Knight of Hanoi, he cursed in his mind. "Fine," he spat out. "I Set four cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! I draw!" Emon said, drawing the top card of his deck.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Fusion Trench!" Security Guard 1 interjected. "Now only Fusion monsters can attack while this card is on the field."

"How predictable." Emon commented sarcastically. "I summon Tour Guide of the Underworld from my hand." A red-haired woman wearing a blue-suit and carrying a black purse with a skull-and-crossbones on it appeared on Ryoken and Emon's field.

Tour Guide from the Underworld ATK: 1000 DEF: 600 LV: 3

"When Tour Guide is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend monster from my hand or deck with its effects negated. From my deck, I Special Summon Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to our field." A winged demon with no arms and long white hair also appeared in Ryoken and Emon's field, only in the Main Monster Zone Trisbaena pointed to.

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

"And that triggers Trisbaena's effect!" Ryoken continued for Emon. "When a monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone it points to, I can banish it along with all Spell and Trap cards on the field. Then you take 500 points of damage for each of your cards banished by this effect!"

"What?!" both Security Guard 1 and 2 said at the same time. "Something like that exists?"

"That's correct." Ryoken confirmed. "Since four of your cards will be banished, the both of you take a total of 2000 points of damage! Exile's Retribution!" A helmet sealed over Trisbaena's head as green holographic claws extended from its hands. It slashed Farfa, Boot Sector Launch, and Anti-Spell Fragrance to pieces before slashing through Security Guard 1's Spell and Trap cards, destroying all of them and causing a massive explosion that caused both guards to shield their eyes.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 4000 – 2000 = 2000 LP

"End this, Emon." Ryoken told Emon.

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

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

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

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

"You're finished!" Malacoda told both guards as he brandished his swords.

"Graff's effect now activates!" Emon continued. "Since he was sent to the Graveyard, I get to Special Summon a 'Burning Abyss' monster from my deck. Serve me, Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!" A demon with long wings, a white visor covering his eyes, and shoulder-length white hair flew onto Ryoken and Emon's field. A piece of demonic breastplate armor with teeth and eyes covered his upper chest. Chains were wrapped around his forearms, and pieces of white fur were on his shoulders and legs.

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

Emon pointed at Bullcopter. "Battle! Malacoda, Netherlord of the Burning Abyss attacks Armor Canine - Bullcopter! Abysmal Destruction!"

"I'm going to enjoy this!" Malacoda said, as his swords lit up on fire. The demon then charged at Bullcopter before slashing it twice, sending both guards off the ground and landing on their backs.

Security Guard 1 and 2: 2000 – 2100 = 0

"That was practically a waste of precious time." Emon stated.

"Regardless, we haven't dueled in three months, so it's better to duel someone weak than no one at all." Ryoken pointed out. The two of them kept running to the back entrance. Until Ryoken saw something nearby. "Distract the guards while I get a few things."

"I'll buy you some time. Just hurry." Emon summoned more demons while Ryoken grabbed some things from the nearby room. He returned with a thermal detonator and several bombs. "Takeya's going to be really happy about this, isn't he?"

"What better way to announce we're back than a few explosions." Ryoken explained. "Have some demons place them in places that won't kill the people here." Summoning more demons, Emon handed them the bombs and instructed them to place them around the prison. After doing so, Ryoken and Emon made it to the back entrance.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Several jail cells suddenly opened at once, releasing the many prisoners there. Upon seeing what happened, a massive revolt happened, where the guards were now focused on detaining the prison riot that occurred.

"There you guys are!"

Ryoken and Emon looked to their left, only to see Youta and Takeya run to them.

"That was your doing?" Emon asked them.

"More like Takeya's idea, to be honest." Youta answered. "Have the others arrived?" As if to answer Youta's question, Aso and Kyoko, along with Eizaburo and Zandaka arrived at the back entrance as well.

"This is everyone, right?" Kyoko asked. Ryoken quickly did a headcount to ensure everyone was present.

"The guards will be distracted, but I'm not sure for how long." Eizaburo said.

"Then we have to get out of here fast." Ryoken deduced, before gesturing to the door. "Zandaka, if you may."

"With pleasure!" Zandaka charged forward and punched the door with enough chi to break it wide open. "Let's go!" The Knights of Hanoi ran out of the back entrance and were able to head towards the courtyard. Unfortunately, they had one more obstacle to overcome.

"Freeze!" Several guards were in front of the Knights of Hanoi. "You're under arrest for breaking out Kyoko Taki, instigating a prison riot, unleashing the Tower of Hanoi and almost crippling the network, and hacking into security! Surrender now!"

"Damn it! We were so close!" Takeya complained.

"We can still make it!" Zandaka told everyone else. "Seek cover! Now!" The Knights of Hanoi ran over to the tables nearby and sought cover.

"This is your last warning!" one of the guards told them. "Surrender now!" In response, Zandaka raised his fists up and took a martial arts stance before closing his eyes. "OPEN FIRE!" The guards fired from their guns, with Zandaka easily evading each of the bullets at lightning speed. Jumping into the air, he bicycle kicked one of the guards before landing him and using the same person as a human shield. Pushing the body to the guards, Zandaka ran forward and roundhouse kicked another guard several times before uppercutting an approaching guard who had a taser. Giving a signal to the other Knights of Hanoi, they rammed the other guards with the tables before also entering the fight. As for Zandaka, he elbow striked another guard and punched him multiple times to knock him out. He also repelled more approaching guards with a roundhouse kick each, knocking both of them out.

As for the other Knights of Hanoi, they were facing off against guards with riot batons. Seizing the opportunity, they were able to take advantage of their attacks and use their attacks against their allies, knocking them unconscious as well. As more guards arrived, all the Knights of Hanoi were able to knock out each one, clearing out the area for them to escape.

"Okay. Remind me to never annoy you again." Eizaburo stated.

"I second that." Takeya agreed.

"Let's go!" Ryoken told the other Knights of Hanoi, where they exited the courtyard and headed for the dock. Upon entering their boat, they embarked on it before speeding away far from the offshore maximum security prison.

"I got a present for you, Takeya." Ryoken said, handing the thermal detonator to him, who gasped.

"Seriously? I get to blow it up? The whole stinking thing?" Takeya asked, with Ryoken responding by handing the thermal detonator. "This... is the happiest day of my life."

"It's time to remind the world that the Knights of Hanoi are not ever to be forgotten!" Ryoken smirked as he and his allies shifted to their LINK VRAINS avatars, with Lord Kazuma pushing the button on top of the thermal detonator.

KABOOM!

As the offshore maximum security prison blew up, the Knights of Hanoi sped away, having successfully completed their mission. They were together again, and stronger than ever.

Elsewhere, at the Light Ignis's palace...

Azrael and Wraith watched as the Knights of Hanoi made their 'explosive' escape, freeing Kyoko Taki, also known as Baira, in the process. On one hand, he was disappointed they weren't caught. It goes to show that there were some fools who couldn't defeat those that were more powerful than them.

On the other, Azrael was glad the Knights of Hanoi didn't get rusty. Despite being delayed by three months, they were able to pull off a successful plan.

"Okay. I'm not sure about this, but do you think those events remind you of the movie Escape Plan?" Wraith questioned curiously.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Azrael responded. Although Revolver was a criminal, he was still loyal to those who served him and won't abandon them. Heck, his allies would willingly allow themselves to be erased if it meant helping their leader succeed. That being said, he could have easily eliminated them all three months ago, when he and Wraith were in the Tower of Hanoi. After passing by the coffins and marking them on their way to the databanks, they placed a tracer so they could hear everything the Knights of Hanoi would say if they ever regrouped. In the event Raguel and Playmaker failed, Azrael was powerful enough to defeat both Infearno and Revolver. He could have even threatened to reveal their identities to the world and ensure their allies were permanently defeated had they not complied with his demands.

"I'll admit that Revolver is noble." Azrael got Wraith's attention, who turned to him. "But in the end, it won't matter, as they'll be defeated."

"If you wanted them to be defeated, we could have do so already. Yet we didn't. Why?" Wraith asked.

"It would be too easy." Azrael simply answered. "Everyone has their uses, whether they are ally or enemy. You could say that people are like chess pieces in a chess game."

"A good comparison, that's for sure." Wraith thought it over before realizing something. "And the more enemies that appear, the Light Ignis's attention will be drawn off of us."

"Which is when we'll strike." Azrael finished. His duel disk then beeped. "The Light Ignis wishes to see us." They then headed over to the throne room, where the Light Ignis waited for them.

"Glad that you were able to make it," the Light Ignis said, welcoming the both of them. "For I have bad news. The Knights of Hanoi have resurfaced after three months."

"They are accounted for." Azrael assured him. "With the humans that Malf's consuming in the Black Market, he'll eventually become strong enough to take them all down. Though I have an idea that, if implemented, will ensure the Knights of Hanoi never bother us again."

The Light Ignis raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. "Oh? What idea is that?"

"The Knights of Hanoi are similar to that of a group with a leader and many followers. If you defeat the leader permanently, the others will be demoralized by their personal loss to stop fighting."

"And how will you execute this idea?"

"We'll send Malf in to do the task." Wraith said. "Since Malf almost defeated Raguel, we're sure that he'll defeat Revolver after completing his current task."

The Light Ignis thought it over, then said, "Very well, I'll grant your request. Dismissed." Azrael and Wraith then walked out of the Light Ignis's throne room.

I'll admit. Having Revolver eliminated quickly will speed up my machinations, he thought. After all, less enemies means more time for Bohman to recover and fulfil his purpose. It will also guarantee humanity's destruction. Still... The Light Ignis narrowed his eyes. I have to be careful of Azrael, Wraith, and Malf. Because if I don't, everything that I worked on will be destroyed from within.

A light shines and the letters spelling out VRAINS light up the screen before a network is formed and several cards are drawn in towards a pillar of light. Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner are shown with their respective Ignis and stats, along with real-life forms that across the backgrounds that match their Ignis' colors. The screen then shows each of them being shocked while wearing VR sets as kids, along with Arashi.

The screen gets swallowed with darkness at it reveals a young Yukage huddled up and crying, his shadow shrinking behind him before taking the form of Wraith and comforting him. Yukage looks up with a menacing and soul piercing glare before the darkness consumes him and he's replaced with an older version of himself. Azrael and Wraith are then shown in NEW LINK VRAINS, as they look out into the digital sky. The scene then shifts to Bohman standing tall above NEW LINK VRAINS and holding the earth in his hands with Haru by his side. Malf grins in the shadows behind them, his red eyes shining bright in the process.

A drop of light falls down, and as it explodes, it reveals Playmaker, Raguel, and Soulburner, standing on buildings watching over the network, along with Slipstream as well. Blood Shepherd is shown commanding a trio of Battledrone Sergeants before the screen shifts to Drachen, who is shown commanding Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The screen then shifts a third time to Electrolyzer, where above him was PSY-Frame Driver, with PSY-Framegears Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Zeta. The screen then shows Go Onizuka, Kenmochi, and Yoroizaka with Dinowrestler King T Wrextle, Gouki the Blade Ogre, and Gouki the Solid Ogre behind them ready for battle.

Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, Numera and SengokuQueen are then featured together riding their duel boards across the night sky with shooting stars flying across them. Trickstar Holly Angel was with Blue Angel, while Numera was with Geomathmech Final Sigma. Ghost Girl was with Altergeist Dragvirion, while SengokuQueen was with a male shinobi wearing grey robes and armor pads with neon-yellow lines running over them. The man had a red scarf around his neck, along with a face-mask and face visor on his head. He also had spiked-brown hair and a ponytail as well. In his right hand, he carried a Sai, while the brass knuckle on his left hand emitted four translucent blades.

The screen then changes to Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner riding on their duel boards with Cyreath Medusa and Cyreath Hercules in his new form, Cyberse Magician, Cyberse Witch, and Salamangreat Heatleo behind them. Following the trio is Slipstream and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. The four of them join together with a fist bump and smile in the real world as the wind blows, with Kusanagi, Roxy, and Greg watching them from Kusanagi's truck. Rachel then runs toward the quartet, and more specifically, Yuhiro, a look of joy clearly on her face. Unbeknownst to everyone, they're watched from the shadows by a cloaked person who glares at them, biding his time.

Card Gallery

Zandaka Ikiagi/Dancho:

Tenyi Rising (Normal Spell card)

Effect: If you control a 'Tenyi' monster: You can Special Summon a 'Tenyi' monster from your hand with a different name to your field, ignoring its Summoning Conditions. You can only activate 1 'Tenyi Rising' per turn.

QOTC

Compared to the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS anime, how well did I do regarding the Knights of Hanoi breaking Baira out of prison? Also, of the four tag-team duels, which one did you like the most?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 52: Escalation. The next day, Slipstream meets up with Yuhiro, Yusaku, and Takeru at Den Academy, introducing himself as a transfer student named Arashi Hada. Bringing Arashi along with them, the trio meet up, wanting to discuss what happened last night and how the Knights of Hanoi's reappearance, along with SOL Technologies' repeated interference, will affect their mission. Later in the day, a golden opportunity to redirect Blue Girl and Ghost Girl's attention from the others appears when Yuhiro receives a phone call from someone he didn't expect...

Author's Notes

Okay, that was an intense chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it, and are looking forward to the Turf War arc, which begins next chapter.

The first part is obviously from the anime, where the Knights of Hanoi discuss recent events and how that will affect them moving forward.

The second part, on the other hand, is where things get interesting. The Knights of Hanoi had a simple goal: Rescue Baira from the offshore maximum security prison. Although they rerouted the guards routes, put the cameras on an infinite look, and stole the data from the computer infrastructure system, they still had to deal with the human element. What does that mean, you may ask? It means figuring out how to extract the prisoner since there's obviously other humans in the prison. The Hanoi had to figure out which route out of three to choose from, where each one had its pros and cons. There were also reactions for each route, especially from Lord Kazuma, who was grossed out by Option 2.

After deciding on a route, they were able to get in and rescue Baira, and would have succeeded had Azrael and Wraith not provided them with a challenge. This resulted in the Knights of Hanoi escaping to the back entrance in different pairs and directions to throw off the guards. Each pair dueled against a pair of guards. I originally planned for each Knight of Hanoi to duel a pair of guards, but that would have taken too long to complete. So I chose to do four tag-team duels instead, enabling the Knights of Hanoi to practically maul the guards and show the world that they're back. It was quite explosive too, as Ryoken stole the thermal detonator and some bombs before giving it to Lord Kazuma so he can blow it up. Honestly, the anime should have provided an entire episode of the Knights of Hanoi breaking Baira out, as well as providing challenges for them to overcome. This is why I wrote this chapter. That being said, I hope you all appreciated the great escape the Knights of Hanoi pulled off.

The last part is Azrael and Wraith's reactions to the Knights of Hanoi pulling off a successful mission after three months. They're also summoned by the Light Ignis, where Azrael proposes the idea for Malf to eliminate Revolver once he's finished with his current task. Seeing the benefits of this idea, the Light Ignis agrees, but is still wary around Azrael and Wraith. After all, if you don't prepare for an unknown, it'll eventually bite you in the butt when you least expect it too.

Before I wrap this up, I want to make a quick announcement. Before Chapter 52, I intend to do an update for Roxy's Reports, as it's been a while since it was updated. It'll cover the duelists that Raguel, Playmaker, and Soulburner encountered, and that's practically a lot. I ask that you be patient during this time. This way, I'll be able to complete it and start on the Turf War arc. If you're wondering where it's placed, it's prior to the fake gate scenario, where Blood Shepherd traps Soulburner. You'll see what I mean once Chapter 52 is released.

So without further ado, I want to thank everyone for reading Chapter 51 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.

What did you enjoy the most about this chapter? The Great Escape? The Tag-Duels? Or something else?

That's all for now. See you next time, as the Turf War arc begins in Chapter 52!