Response to Reviews

Thank you to HunterHQ, Ambiguous, Kingdom Hearts Guy, Zeromk7, ZarcEternal, Noobmaster, Anonymous, Guest, Unnamed, E.T. 2000, Guest, and Guest for reviewing Chapter 56 of Obscured Truth.

Alright, everyone! This chapter is rather a special chapter for a very special reason. It celebrates the two-year anniversary of Obscured Truth! So to thank you all for following and reviewing this story through its ups and downs, I'll be holding a very special contest, with details on it being shared at the end of the chapter.

Anyhow, let's get to answering some reviews:

HunterHQ: Akira doesn't like the idea of playing dirty at all, but will do it if he's either pushed enough or someone threatens his loved ones. Apologies for forgetting about Linky. Don't worry, he, along with Progleo and Balelynx, will have some fun in the sun, that's for sure. There's actually a reason why Yuhiro and the others didn't look into the Project: VII data. Well, Azrael did tell Wraith to turn the security system when the Hanoi were in the maximum prison. How did Arashi evade detection from Windy? Simple. He kept his location anonymous at all times and made it bounce from one location to the next, where in actuality, he's in one location. Once again, I'm aware that Blood Shepherd remembers Takeru's name, though him finding where Takeru is will take a lot longer than intended. No, Numera wasn't involved in the Beta Branch. Athaliah was responsible for her pain and suffering. The Guzik Family are the strongest in the Gamma Branch, and Muziano would have suffered a humiliating loss had Slipstream not sent El Rocco flying back into the electrical generator (don't worry. El Rocco's fine, though he'll be incapacitated for the time being). The term 'What If' definitely applies to the multiverse, as basically, ANYTHING can happen.

Ambiguous: Tokyo got an extension to LINK VRAINS as a result of its partnership with SOL Technologies. I doubt that Arashi will let anyone shut his idea down, so expect him to make a little surprise for Flame later on (and maybe for Herald too). How did Arashi find Raguel's location? Simple. It's called lots and lots of research, and for someone like Arashi, he can find it. For the time being, El Rocco's incapacitated, though I have a feeling Roxy's crew may show up. Remember to expect the unexpected. Believe it or not, inspiration for Arashi came from Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6. The monkey is similar to that of Dexter the Monkey from Night of the Museum. I'll figure out a backstory for Yusaku. As for Akira and Aoi's parents, I definitely have something planned for that. It'll give you a big shock, that's for sure. While Zeta Branch's leaderless, Omega Branch has a new leader.

Kingdom Hearts Guy: Inspiration for Arashi came from Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6. Other than that, glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Zeromk7: Let me know your thoughts after this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!

ZarcEternal: I can't believe I threw you for a loop. I'm just as surprised as you are. The Speedroid deck ultimately suits Arashi, as it relies on fast Synchro Summons and luck, with lockdown strategies.

Noobmaster: Ace was fascinated with the Cyberse due to its endless possibilities, whereas Athaliah lied about her interest in the Cyberse. Her focus was on Project: Apotheosis. Playmaker will still acquire Firewall Exceed Dragon, I'm not changing that. And let's be honest here: Neo Storm Access's second ability was just broken, and the second ability will never be shown in Obscured Truth. Think of the Turf War as escalations between the branches, which can blow up into a huge problem if it can't be controlled. Remember: Delta is in the midst of negotiations, Omega and Epsilon are fighting back, and Zeta is out of commission thanks to Raguel and the girls. There's a reason why the Black Market's operations are virtual only, and that will be revealed later on. Inspiration for Arashi came from Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6. It just... fit in a way. All students at the Tokyo Horizon Institute are required to build a failsafe in their projects in case someone tried to hack them.

Anonymous: If Herald were to do casino games, he'd be annoyed by losing nearly every time. Wraith, on the other hand, would just shrug his shoulders. Inspiration for Slipstream and El Rocco's duel actually came from Yuya vs Jack Atlas from Arc V. Arashi wanted the crowd to think he was losing, only to pull the rug out of El Rocco and practically defeat him to surprise everyone. No, Yuhiro specifically instructed Arashi to put in Miyu's name. I'll take care of Kitamura at a later time. As for how Kengo Dojun's mother was incapacitated, it was simply the malfunction of an AI that happened. Why did I put Teddy in the story? It was just for laughs, and for Kiku to call Takeru that meant she saw him as more than a friend. Again, I have something planned for Akira and Aoi's parents, and it'll surprise you once it comes up.

Guest: I used Reject Reborn's effect from the OCG, as it was easier to use. What sets Omni apart from the Ignis is his programming, as well as that he doesn't have data material. In a way, Omni's similar to that of Baymax. Yeah, Arashi pretty much left home. I'm sure his grandpa found a way to explain to his family on why Arashi did it. Arashi got the data from the car, which it turns out was operated by an AI (aka Windy). If he finds the one who owns the data, he can find the culprit.

Unnamed: Revolver's investigating on whether Arashi's a victim of the Lost Incident. Greg has a file on every Lost Incident victim. How many episodes will the Turf War be? I expect it to be 5-7 chapters before Earth's appearance. Somewhere in that range. Besides, the Turf War's escalated to the point it has to be dealt with. Even though Ai's an idiot, he's still an Ignis who's smart at times. It'll all connect in the end, that I promise.

E.T. 2000: Glad you like the chapter, and I'll reiterate what I said to earlier reviewers. Inspiration for Arashi came from Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6. It just... fit in a way. All students at the Tokyo Horizon Institute are required to build a failsafe in their projects in case someone tried to hack them. Oh, the contest was the handshaking one with Blue Angel. Glad you understand why I chose the Speedroid archetype for Slipstream. To conclude, I am planning for the Myutant archetype to appear in my Arc-V story, but luckily, I settled on two Fusion archetypes for two of the Guzik family members.

Guest: The branches are unaware of Ace murdering the Overseer. Anyone who assists him will be safe, and Malf will eat up the rebelling ones.

Guest: Brion's ultimate fate will be addressed in Season 2.

With reviews answered, it's time for the second-year anniversary chapter to begin. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 57: Seeing Scarlet

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 Cyreath Hercules/Alpha Mode. His eyes glowing red, Hercules/Alpha Mode 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 Girl 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/Alpha Mode, 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.

In LINK VRAINS, at the Overseer Tower...

Ace was at his desk, looking at a digital screen that showed various areas of the Black Market. Now that he was Overseer, he managed to acquire more power compared to the power he once wielded as leader of the Alpha Branch. To ensure that his authority was established, Ace partnered with the leaders of the Beta, Gamma, and Alpha Branch's. It was obviously easy to get Alpha to work with him, as he put Speckles in charge of the place. Ace was also able to build alliances with the Beta and Gamma branches because they had a major thing in common: The enemies they were facing. More specifically, SOL Technologies and Raguel's merry little crew of allies. As long as they kept getting involved, Ace would never be able to fully establish his authority over the entire Black Market. In addition, Omega and Epsilon were against his rule, which he responded by sending troops to those branches and making them submit by sheer force.

If Ace succeeded in fully seizing control over the Black Market, he'd have an empire that no one can stop. Well, almost no one. While Ace did this out of a desire to gain a sense of control, he also did it under the Light Ignis's orders to buy time for Bohman's recovery, and Azrael was there to ensure those orders were fulfilled to the letter. That was why he installed the skyhooks in Beta, Gamma, and Alpha. So that no one can attack him without attacking them first.

Ace would have put up a skyhook in the Zeta Branch, but said branch was no longer in operations after Raguel and his allies practically blew up the main factory. At the moment, he was in the midst of negotiations with Delta, and if that succeeded, he can make up for the loss.

Despite everything that was going on, Ace ultimately was in control of the situation. Everything was going according to plan.

"That position of power suits you."

Ace turned around, surprised that Azrael was behind him in the darkness. For a second time too.

"Please stop that," he told him. "It actually spooks me out."

"It should." Azrael replied before pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to Ace.

"What's this?"

"Consider it a little reward for heeding the Light Ignis's orders." Azrael told him. "On that flash drive contains eight million dollars." Ace's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this information. "This money's something you're not allowed to spend recklessly. Rather, I have a task for you regarding the money."

"And what would that be?" Ace inquired, knowing that rewards always have a price tag attached to them. Azrael walked forward to the desk and typed on the digital keyboard, causing a digital screen showing Uchida Industries to pop up.

"I want you to buy Uchida Industries and seize ownership of it." Ace was silent, which prompted Azrael to continue. "The Knights of Hanoi acquired their resources from Uchida Industries, which was once lead and owned by Emon Uchida, who you know as Infearno. While SOL Technologies almost succeeded in seizing the company, the Hanoi had their ally become the new CEO of the company. So long as the Knights of Hanoi have Uchida Industries, they'll have resources at their beck and call."

"Interesting." Ace thought this over for a moment. That actually made sense! Snatching ownership of Uchida Industries from the Knights of Hanoi would deprive them of any resources they can utilize whenever it's required. If he had a company like that under his control, his reach can expand out of the network and into the real world. "Alright. I will do this right away." Azrael was about to leave the main room when he suddenly stopped at the doorway.

"Make sure you buy the company from various fronts and businesses under your control," he instructed. "If you buy stocks on the global market, it'll get you exposed."

Ace nodded, understanding the instructions. However, there was something on his mind. "How were you able to get this money? Did you work on the Black Market or something a long time ago?"

"Let's just say we accumulated it over the years." Wraith answered, appearing from Azrael's duel disk. "You could say this reward is motivation to get in our good graces, and more specifically, the Light Ignis's."

"Pass this information onto Athaliah." Azrael ordered Ace. "Should she succeed in completing the Light Ignis's project, she'll be rewarded as well. Oh, and one more thing." Azrael turned his head to face Ace. "For your sake, don't fail us." He then exited the main room and proceeded to leave the Overseer Tower, making Ace breathe a sigh of relief.

"At least I'm safe... for now." Ace commented, placing a hand on his chest. He had to succeed, lest he die from the Another Virus implanted in him by Wraith. Pushing that thought aside, Ace put the flash drive on his computer, which inputted the eight million dollars in his bank account. He then began spreading it over various dummy accounts that will be used to purchase Uchida Industries piece by piece. A screen then came up, which showed Seamus.

"Yes?"

"The footage is done." Seamus informed him. "Shall we release it?"

"Let's wait a bit." Ace smirked. "I have a feeling Raguel and his friends will make an attack on another branch. Once that happens, then release the footage."

"Right away." Seamus then hung up, leaving Ace all alone in the Overseer Tower. This was going to be good, that's for sure.

At the Den City Shopping District...

Yuhiro arrived at the Den City Shopping District, walking towards a place known as the Yamato Café. It was a simple coffee shop that contained coffees, Frappuccino's, teas, and small meals and deserts. After Yuhiro and Roxy left Café Nagi and went home, Tsubaki contacted him, requesting a meeting for the following day. More specifically, in the mid-morning. While he didn't know why, he knew that it was important.

Eventually, Yuhiro reached the Yamato Café, where he found Tsubaki at one of the tables.

"Thanks for coming, Yuhiro." Tsubaki said, as Yuhiro sat down in the chair in front of her.

"It's no problem." Yuhiro replied. "How have you been these past few days?"

"Fine, actually." Tsubaki smiled. "I found a therapist to help me reconcile with my past, as well as find ways to move forward from what happened. And... my therapist is working with me to find ways to keep my emotions and stress in check, that's for sure."

"I'm glad you did that. We all need someone to talk to, that's for sure." Yuhiro got serious for a moment. "So what is it you want to talk about with me?"

"This." Tsubaki handed Yuhiro a flash drive, which he looked at. "It's all the information I have from my career as a former Black Market agent. I heard of what's going on regarding the Turf War, and if you intend on trying to end it, you'll need all the help you can get."

"I see..." was all Yuhiro responded with. "Do you think you'll help with ending the Turf War? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"The thing is, I want to." Tsubaki grimly frowned, as if recalling a bad memory from her past. "I don't want anyone to choose the path I was once on, especially with where my career started."

"Started? What do you mean?" Yuhiro asked. "Weren't you trained by Ace?"

"Not exactly." Yuhiro raised an eyebrow at that comment. "To ensure I was ready for his missions, Ace sent me to the Beta Branch for training."

"The Beta Branch..." Yuhiro repeated, something clicking in his mind. "Oh no..."

"So you figured it out just now, huh?" Tsubaki gave him a sad smile. "In the Beta Branch where I was trained, they have a graduation ceremony. They sterilize you. It's efficient." She sighed sadly. "One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. Makes everything easier. Even killing." Tsubaki started to tear up. "Guess you're not the only monster around here."

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." Yuhiro said. "Did you tell your therapist? Your dad?"

"My therapist, yes. My father, no." Tsubaki answered. "I'm worried about his reaction. If he knew..."

"Your father loves you." Yuhiro assured her. "He risked everything just so he can reconcile with you. So he can have his daughter back. If that's not what love is, then I have a ton of other examples I can add as well."

Tsubaki wiped her tears using her forearm. "Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that."

"That's what friends are for." Yuhiro sighed. "It's ultimately your decision on whether or not you want to tell your dad. It's also up to you on whether you want to help end the Turf War. If you do decide you want to help, perhaps taking down the Beta Branch may be a good place to start. So you can save others who went through the same training you did."

Tsubaki nodded, a determined expression on her face. "I have all the information on the Beta Branch. Taking down Clarice will help me confront my past and finally move on from it."

"Let me know once you drafted your plan, and I'll inform the other girls. Like Aoi, Emma, and Gekiryushi. You could have a girls day out or something." Tsubaki giggled at his comment. Yuhiro's phone then vibrated, a text appearing on it. After reading it over, he said, "I have to go. Roxy needs my help in manning the front." Yuhiro got up, and was about to leave when Tsubaki spoke up.

"I know that look on your face. You've been through something awful recently, and it's affected you on a personal level." she told him, narrowing her eyes to get the point across. "For your sake, don't push away the people you know. Otherwise, you'll suffer a fate worse than death."

"Noted." He then walked away from her, the meeting having been done.

Ten minutes later...

After a long walk, Yuhiro reached his destination. Café Matsuo. With everything that's happened so far, he was glad to do something that was normal, that's for sure.

"Oh good, you're here!" Roxy said, greeting him as he approached the counter. "Get inside, grab an apron and help me out!"

"On it." After Yuhiro entered Café Matsuo, he grabbed an apron and began helping Roxy by bringing ingredients to the kitchen on the first floor, where the steward bot cooked customers' orders.

"So how did you talk with Tsubaki go?" Roxy asked him.

"It was alright." Yuhiro answered. "She gave me a flash drive containing all the info she had on the Black Market. And..."

"And?"

Yuhiro approached Roxy after carrying a tray of food to the kitchen. "Tsubaki told me of where she trained at the Black Market. Where Rosetta officially began after signing on with Ace."

"Trained? What do you...?" It then clicked in Roxy's mind. "Oh god. Don't tell me..."

"She trained there. In the Beta Branch." Yuhiro finished. "Don't tell anyone I told you. Otherwise, she'd pummel me to the ground."

"Yes, of course. Her secret's safe with me." Roxy assured him before sighing. "Why does everyone we know have to go through a horrible experience?"

"I don't know, Roxy." Yuhiro admitted. "I honestly don't-."

"On the boats and on the planes! They're coming to America!" Arashi and Herald sang loudly upstairs in the living room, interrupting their conversation. "Never looking back again! They're coming to America!"

Yuhiro turned to Roxy, who sheepishly chuckled. "Don't tell me you bought that Karaoke game..." he seethed. Before he can say more, his phone rung. When he looked at it, he was surprised. "I have to take this." He went over to the backroom before answering it. "So you called after all this time, huh Watchman? Do you have an update or something?"

"I called to check in on you, actually." Watchman answered, surprising Yuhiro. "You've been through a lot of stuff lately, and I thought I'd give a check-up call."

"A check-up call?" Yuhiro repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's nice and all, but I'm sure there's more to it than meets the eye. Do you have an update on Demeter's progress with Miyu? What about Percival? Was he able to find the culprit who destroyed the Cyberse World?"

"Sadly, no on both questions." Watchman replied, making Yuhiro curse through his teeth. "Although there is something I want to tell you. Something I've found out recently."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"In my quest to find the Black Ignis, I got a lead on the Earth Ignis." Yuhiro's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this. "While I'm not sure where he is, he does leave a trail, that's for sure."

"That is good news..." he muttered. "What about the azure-overcoated man? Were you able to-?"

"Whoever he is, he's able to cover his tracks even better than Playmaker." Yuhiro sighed upon hearing Watchman's response. "What about on your end? Anything to report?"

"We found Arashi Hada, the Wind Ignis's Origin." Yuhiro reported, before suddenly hearing a noise. "Sorry, I have to go. It may be important." He hung up on Watchman before he can say another word. Yuhiro went upstairs, knowing specifically where the sound came from. When he arrived at the living room, he found Arashi and Herald still singing.

"They're coming to America! They're coming to America!" Arashi and Herald continued singing loudly. "Today!" A moment passed. "Today!" Another moment passed. "Today!" A third moment passed. "Today!"

"Okay, that's enough." Yuhiro said, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV, much to Arashi and Herald's dismay.

"Aw come on." Arashi complained. "We almost finished the song!"

"Yeah?" Yuhiro raised an eyebrow. "Well, the Neil Diamond song We're Coming to America is kind of causing a ruckus."

"We're just having some fun." Herald pointed out. "And as an Ignis, I get a lot of free time."

"If I recall, we have homework to get done." Yuhiro told Arashi. "And I also believe Roxy needs the both of us to help her man the front."

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Arashi sighed before crossing his arms. "I'd rather go to LINK VRAINS and help stop the Turf War than do lousy homework."

"So do I." Yuhiro agreed. "But don't worry. I got a friend who'll help us take down one of the branches."

"Alright." Arashi conceded. "I'll meet you downstairs." He left the living room and went downstairs, knowing that he had to do his part at Café Matsuo.

Herald laughed. "Ha Ha. You guys have to do lousy homework and man the front. Me on the other hand..." He proceeded to grab his game controller, only for Yuhiro to grab his duel disk and force him to let go of the game controller.

"I have a job for you to do." Yuhiro stated. "You can create new cards for my deck and check for my anomalies while we're manning the front."

"Please have mercy, Yuhiro." Herald begged, which went on deaf ears as Yuhiro went downstairs and brought him to the backroom before leaving him there. "Well. At least I enjoy one of my jobs." He turned on the screen in front of him, which showed a blank card. "Alright. What should I make first?"

At LINK VRAINS, in the Beta Branch...

"This is the place, right?" Blue Girl asked Rosetta.

"Yup." Rosetta confirmed, looking at the Beta Branch through a pair of binoculars. "The place where they turn girls into assassins and steal their innocence." Blue Girl gasped at that comment. The four of them were on a rooftop that was near the Beta Branch, looking over the main area, which was filled with deathstalker guards. Just as Rosetta said,

"Goes to show that 99% of the Black Market is filled with despicable people." SengokuQueen commented, looking at the Beta Branch as well through a pair of binoculars.

"Hey, at least the deathstalkers don't seduce people." Ghost Girl pointed out, turning to SengokuQueen.

"Actually, that's one of their ways in completing missions." Rosetta replied, making SengokuQueen smirk in victory while Ghost Girl narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"Hah. So I was right after all in saying that you're no better than a deathstalker." SengokuQueen reminded Ghost Girl, making her furious.

"Why, you-!" Ghost Girl would have attacked SengokuQueen had Blue Girl not stepped in between them.

"Sheesh, the both of you are nuts," she commented. "You can have a cat fight after the mission, okay?"

"Blue Girl's right." Yuhiro said, making all four women nearly gasp out of surprise as a screen showing him appeared on Blue Girl's duel disk.

"You scared us!" Blue Girl admonished Yuhiro. "And how are you able to communicate with us like that?"

"It's a communication hologram. Just something we're trying right now." Yuhiro answered. "Putting that aside, the four of you will have to work together to take down Beta. So any quarrels you have must be set aside for the mission to work."

"Hang on a minute." Ghost Girl said. "You know the Black Market just as much as Rosetta, SengokuQueen, and myself. Why won't you help us out?"

"For three reasons." Yuhiro answered. "One: The Beta Branch is fully composed of women. It'll enable you to blend in with the general populace. Two: Rosetta's actually been to the Beta Branch, so she can guide you through the main fortress and shut it down along with the Skyhook. Three..." Yuhiro hesitated.

"What's the third reason?" Blue Girl asked him, now concerned.

"Three... I don't want to dress up like a girl again!" Yuhiro pouted. "I'll be busy, so Rachel and Greg will help you guys in the real world as well in navigating through the Beta Branch. Oh, and Blue Girl. Ghost Girl dressed up as you when we went to Gamma one and a half months ago!" Blue Girl gasped as Yuhiro signed off before turning to Ghost Girl, an expression of fury on her face.

"How dare you dress up like me!" Blue Girl seethed in fury.

"It was a playful joke." Ghost Girl told her.

"I want to see that." Rachel said, nearly surprising the girls for a second time as a screen showing her appeared on Blue Girl's duel disk. "Didn't mean to scare you there."

"Hello girls. My name's Greg Ebihara, the FBI Commissioner." Greg added. "We'll be your eyes and ears as you go through the Beta Branch. Let us know if you need anything." The two of them signed off afterwards.

"Follow me." Rosetta told the others, as they dropped down from the rooftop and landed on the ground before moving slowly. "See that large tower up ahead? That's the skyhook. And in front of it is the Beta Branch's main headquarters, which is known as the Scarlet Room." The four girls immediately hid in an alleyway before a deathstalker noticed them. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked past them.

"Okay, that was close." Blue Girl whispered.

"It's only going to get harder from here." SengokuQueen told her, as the four girls left the alleyway and quickly jogged down the street towards the Scarlet Room. They then crouched down behind a wall nearby the main headquarters.

"The entrance up ahead is one of two ways to get in the Scarlet Room." Rosetta informed the other girls.

"And what are the other ways to get in?" Ghost Girl questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, let's see." Rosetta thought about it for a quick moment. "The only other option I know of is the sewer path."

"Okay, there's no way I'm travelling through a sewer." Ghost Girl commented, crossing her arms.

"Aw. Are you scared of getting dirty?" Rachel playfully taunted Ghost Girl through a hologram on her duel disk.

"It's just not my idea of traveling, alright." Ghost Girl whispered back in a manner that ended the conversation.

"To get through the front door, you need key cards. One for each of you. Don't worry. We'll get two of them for you." Greg assured her. A few moments later, the deathstalkers at the front put their left hands on their earpieces, as if they got a message. They then paned out in the area in front of them, moving away from the front door cautiously. Upon seeing this, Ghost Girl threw a rose out of her pocket in front of the two deathstalkers, which electrocuted them before they both fell down on the ground. SengokuQueen and Blue Girl quickly grabbed one deathstalker's legs each and dragged them to the nearby alleyway before grabbing their key cards. Two down, two to go.

Once that was done, the four girls moved closer to the Scarlet Room and hid behind a nearby wall. Noticing two deathstalkers patrolling near the entrance, Ghost Girl pressed a few buttons on her duel disk and released fireflies at the deathstalkers, getting their attention as they tried to shoot them down. In the midst of the chaos, Blue Girl pulled out her energy whip and snared one deathstalker while Ghost Girl snared the other using her grappling hook. The four girls then knocked both deathstalkers out before dragging them to an empty area, where they wouldn't be noticed for a while.

"Nice thinking." Rosetta praised Blue Girl and Ghost Girl, getting the last two key cards from the knocked out deathstalkers. All cards were now obtained. The quartet then quietly crouched as they approached the front entrance. After confirming there were no more deathstalkers guarding the front entrance, each of the girls inserted the key cards in the scanner, granting them entrance into the Scarlet Room. They went inside afterwards.

"Be careful here. This place has an ever-changing structure."

"Ever-changing structure?" Blue Girl whispered back to Rosetta as they quickly ran through the hallway quietly. "What's that mean?"

"It means the place will shift in different positions." SengokuQueen answered quietly. "In other words, the rooms move."

"Move? That's ridiculous." Ghost Girl commented.

"Get down!" Rosetta quietly told the group, as they quickly hid on the wall on a separate hallway that connected to the one they were already in. A deathstalker passed them, and to ensure their safety, SengokuQueen threw a small device that released a puff of gas, knocking her out. By coincidence, there was a janitor's closet nearby, which the girls dragged the knocked out deathstalker to before closing the door.

"Cameras are on a temporary loop." Rachel informed the quartet. "Although Greg and I are not sure how long they'll be occupied for."

"Then we move as fast as we can." Blue Girl replied, as all four of them turned right and continued moving down the hallway. They then turned left before making another right.

"Rosetta," SengokuQueen said, getting her attention, "if we don't make it from this mission alive, I want to say I'm really sorry for what I did to you months ago. I don't have an excuse for my actions, and am willing to make it up to you however way I can."

"I forgive you." Rosetta simply replied quietly, surprising SengokuQueen. "Let's make it back alive, buddy." SengokuQueen was touched, but before she could say anything else, the entire structure started shaking.

"Get out of that hallway!" Greg said. "If you don't move, you'll be separated!" As if on cue, all four girls ran down the hallway in the opposite direction, only for that part of the hallway to detach itself and trap them in.

"We have to separate, or we'll be squished in with no escape!" Rosetta exclaimed, as she and Blue Girl headed forwards. "Find a way to shut down this place! Blue Girl and I will go ahead to deal with Clarice!" Rosetta and Blue Girl jumped on the moving platform in front of them, while Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen ran the other way and turned left before jumping on another moving platform that went sideways.

After the structure finished changing and setting itself in a new position, Rosetta and Blue Girl turned right at the end of the hallway they were in. They then went upstairs to the next floor before turning left.

"No wonder this place is called the Scarlet Room." Blue Girl said. "There's literally streams of painted scarlet all over the walls."

"That's not painted scarlet, Blue Girl." Rosetta told her, both girls gagging upon putting two and two together. "It's the blood of the weak and defeated deathstalkers."

"Seriously? This is one sadistic place then." As they walked further through the hallway, both girls noticed there were no deathstalkers on patrol. Why was that? Did they luck out? Was the cameras still on a loop, just as Rachel said? "Greg. Rachel. Is the camera loop still on?"

"Loop's surprisingly still on." Greg answered. "Something's not-." Suddenly, the feed cut out, surprising both girls. Knowing something was up, they carefully treaded down the hallway before making a left.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Rosetta muttered. As if on cue, several television screens turned on through the hallway, revealing the face of a young woman who had golden-blonde hair that was tied in twin tails arranged into ringlets, which fell to her waist. The woman had sharp shoulder pads that were on her black blazer, which was on her pink shirt. She also had grey leggings, along with black shorts. In her right hand was a red-clawed staff.

"Welcome home, Rosetta," the woman greeted her. "I never thought you'd come back. Not after you betrayed the Black Market or anything. And you brought a friend, or should I say, friends too."

"Clarice..." Rosetta replied back, venom in her voice. Never did she think she'd see the one who damaged her life, just as Ace did.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again in person." Clarice smirked. "If you want to destroy the Skyhook, you and your friend will have to confront me upstairs." The television screens then turned off as lights on the hallway lit up, as if to show a direction to another area. Rosetta and Blue Girl followed that direction, which eventually led to an elevator. Once they went inside, it immediately began bringing them up to the top floor.

"Judging from that recent conversation, you must really hate Clarice's guts." Blue Girl stated.

"Every deathstalker hates her guts, yet they can't because of the chips inside their brains." Rosetta replied. "After all, she sterilized both them and myself. Makes everything easier." Blue Girl gasped upon hearing this. What kind of monster would do this to people? More specifically, girls? That is a crime that can never be redeemed.

"Is there a way to get those chips out of the other deathstalkers?" Blue Girl asked.

"There is, and I'm hoping Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen can find it in time. Otherwise, they'll have to deal with them." Eventually, the elevator stopped, allowing both girls to exit and enter a hallway that led to an office. Upon entry, they spotted Clarice sitting in an office chair. Beside her was a woman, who wore a long, white overcoat with golden buttons all over it. She wore a white and golden mask resembling that of a skull, along with sharp blades at the back of her head. Small, golden blades were also attached to her shoes and the sleeves on her coat.

"My, god. Look at you." Clarice stood up from her chair and walked over to where the girls were. "You've grown up so much, Rosetta."

"And you've grown into more of an ass than I last saw you." Rosetta defiantly countered back, causing Clarice to frown before laughing.

"I never thought you'd grow a backbone." Clarice delightedly stated, covering her mouth for a brief moment. "I'm guessing you're here to kill me?"

"No. We're here to stop you." Blue Girl answered, making Clarice laugh harder.

"Really? Stop me? I find that highly amusing." Clarice wickedly smiled.

"Why are you working with that bastard?" Rosetta demanded, only for the woman to walk over to them. She would have done something had Clarice not stopped her.

"Now, now. Sandalphon. That's no way to treat a former sister." Clarice put a finger on her chin, as if thinking for a brief moment. "As for your question, that's something I won't answer, considering how you betrayed everyone after all and broke the three golden rules in the Black Market. Still, bringing the both of you to Ace will definitely please him. Makes everything easier, don't you agree?" The door behind Rosetta and Blue Girl closed immediately. "Don't worry about your little friends. My deathstalkers will take care of them. And in the meanwhile..." Clarice readied her duel disk, while Sandalphon walked behind Rosetta and Blue Girl before readying her duel disk, with the duo in the middle.

"You ready Blue Girl?" Rosetta asked her, opposing Clarice before both women walked over to one side of the room, while Blue Girl opposed Sandalphon and walked over to the other side of the room.

"I am." Blue Girl confirmed. "Just be careful, alright?" Rosetta nodded before all four duelists got ready to throw down.

"Duel!" Blue Girl and Sandalphon said in unison.

Sandalphon: 4000 LP

Blue Girl: 4000 LP

"I'm going first." Blue Girl said, with Sandalphon saying nothing in response. "I activate the Field Spell card, Trickstar Light Arena. Next, I summon Trickstar Lilybell!" A young woman wearing a short-pink dress and carrying a massive bell in her hand appeared on Blue Girl's field. She also had long pink hair combed in two ponytails as well.

Trickstar Lilybell ATK: 800 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

"Next, I activate the effect of Trickstar Lycoris from my hand. By revealing her from my hand, I can return any 'Trickstar' monster to my hand to Special Summon her to the field! I choose to return Lilybell to my hand and Special Summon Lycoris in her place." Lilybell vanished in particles and was replaced by a young woman wearing a red and black dress while holding a golden sword in her hand.

Trickstar Lycoris ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"Lilybell's effect!" Blue Girl continued. "Since she was added to my hand except by drawing her, I can Special Summon her to my field." For a second time, Lilybell appeared on Blue Girl's field.

Trickstar Lilybell ATK: 800 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

"Appear! The circuit of dreams and hope!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above her. "The summoning conditions are one Level 2 or lower 'Trickstar' monster! I'll set Trickstar Lilybell in the Link Markers!" Lilybell entered the bottom arrowhead, turning it red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Trickstar Bloom!" A fair-skinned young woman, wearing a green and yellow dress, a little brown witch-hat, two fairy wings, and holding a broom decorated with a flower on top appeared on Blue Girl's field.

Trickstar Bloom ATK: 100 LINK-1 ⬇️

"Bloom's effect lets you draw a card." Blue Girl added, as Sandalphon drew a card from the top of her deck. "Lycoris's second effect! Each time you add a card to your hand, you take 200 points of damage!" Lycoris pointed her sword at Sandalphon and fired a golden beam at her, causing her to take one step back.

Sandalphon: 4000 – 200 = 3800 LP

"Light Arena's effect! Since I Link Summoned a 'Trickstar' Link monster, I can target one 'Trickstar' monster in my Graveyard that was used as Link Material and Special Summon her to my field in defense position. Return to the field, Lilybell!" For a third time, Lilybell appeared on Blue Girl's field, only in defense position.

Trickstar Lilybell ATK: 800 DEF: 2000 LV: 2

"Appear! The circuit of dreams and hope!" Blue Girl declared, as a second Link Portal appeared in the sky above her. "The summoning conditions are two 'Trickstar' monsters. I'll set Trickstar Bloom, which is a Link 1 monster, and Lilybell into the Link Markers!" Bloom went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Lilybell went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel!" A woman with pale blonde hair and blue eyes appeared on Blue Girl's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore an elaborate blue, white, and purple dress and carried a flail.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"I Set one card face-down and end my turn." Blue Girl concluded. "Let's see what the right-hand woman of the Beta Branch can do."

"If you want to see what I can do, it'll be rude for me not to oblige." Sandalphon complied. "My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck.

"Lycoris's effect inflicts 200 points of damage every time you add a card to your hand." Blue Girl reminded Sandalphon, as Lycoris pointed her sword at her and fired a golden beam once again, only for Sandalphon to remain unfazed by the effect.

Sandalphon: 3800 – 200 = 3600 LP

"In addition, I activate Holly Angel's effect. Since you took effect damage by a 'Trickstar' monsters effect, she gains attack points equal to the damage you took. You took 200 points of damage, meaning Holly Angel gains 200 attack points. Holly Blessing!" Holly Angel was surrounded in a golden aura as she powered up.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK: 2000 + 200 = 2200

"Trap card, activate! Trickstar Reincarnation!" Blue Girl continued. "This card lets me banish your entire hand, and by doing do, you get to draw the same amount of cards from the top of your deck." A blast of energy fired out of Trickstar Reincarnation, which hit the cards in Sandalphon's hand before they turned into particles. She then drew seven new cards from the top of her deck.

"And just like before, Lycoris inflicts 200 points of damage every time you add a card to your hand." Lycoris fired a massive golden beam at Sandalphon, making her take two steps back.

Sandalphon: 3600 – (200 X 7) = 2200 LP

"Holly Angel's effect activates once again." Blue Girl added. "Holly Blessing!" Holly Angel was once again surrounded in a golden aura as she powered up.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK: 2200 + (200 X 7) = 3600

"If you think your little bee stings will stop me, you're seriously wrong." Sandalphon told her. "For your attempt to damage me will cost you dearly! I activate the Spell card, Burial from the Different Dimension. This card lets me target up to three banished monsters and return them to my Graveyard. I return Orcust Harp Horror, Orcust Cymbal Skeleton, and Orcust Knightmare from my banished zone back to my Graveyard. Next, I activate the Field Spell card, Orcustrated Babel. While this card is on my field, I can activate the effects of 'Orcust' monsters in my Graveyard and 'Orcust' Link monsters on my field as Quick Effects!" Blue Girl narrowed her eyes. A card that let her activate monster effects as Quick Effects? That was not good at all. "From there, I activate Orcust Harp Horror's effect from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon an 'Orcust' monster from my deck. However, the turn I activate this effect, I can only Special Summon Dark monsters. I Special Summon Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight from my deck!" A knight covered in gold and black armor appeared on Sandalphon's field. He had two unique covers for shoulder pads, which extended just below to his head. His helmet had a large visor, which was black at the top and blue at the bottom, with silver lines at the middle. Snared around his left bicep was an orange ribbon that he held onto, and in his right hand was a golden lance.

Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Girsu's effect! Since he was Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' card from my deck to my Graveyard. I send World Legacy – World Wand from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of her deck, which Sandalphon took and sent to her Graveyard. "As there's no other monsters on my field, I can also Special Summon a 'World Legacy' token to both of our fields in defense position."

"Both our fields?" Blue Girl repeated, confused. Why would Sandalphon do that?

"That's right." Sandalphon confirmed, as a small, purple-haired female fairy appeared on both Blue Girl's and Sandalphon's fields in defense position.

World Legacy Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

World Legacy Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"World Legacy – World Wand's effect now activates! Since it was sent to they Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'World Legacy' monster from my hand. Emerge, World Legacy – World Key!" A sword with a golden hilt and a long blade appeared on Sandalphon's field.

World Legacy – World Key ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear, my orcustrated circuit!" Sandalphon declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two effect monsters, one of which must be an 'Orcust' monster. I'll set World Legacy – World Key and Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight into the Link Markers!" Girsu went into the bottom-left arrowhead, while Key went into the top-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Galatea, the Orcust Automation!" A purple-haired female puppet-like girl in black and gold armor appeared on Sandalphon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. In her hands was a large scythe, which she twirled.

Galatea, the Orcust Automation ATK: 1800 LINK-2 ↙️↗️

Blue Girl frowned. Those were strange Link Markers, as now she can Link Summon her 'Trickstar' Link monsters in that open Main Monster Zone.

"I know what you're thinking. You think I made a blunder. I'll have you know that I don't make such foolish mistakes." Sandalphon stated. "Galatea's effect! Once per turn, I can shuffle a banished Machine monster into my deck to Set one 'Orcust' Spell or Trap card from my deck directly to my field."

"What?!" Blue Girl exclaimed out of surprise.

"I bet you didn't see that coming." Sandalphon deduced. "I shuffle Harp Horror from my banished zone back into my deck!" After taking Harp Horror from her banished zone and shuffling it back into her deck, a card popped out of her deck, which she took and Set to her field. "I activate the effect of Orcust Cymbal Skeleton from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Orcust' monster from my Graveyard. However, the turn I activate this effect, I can only Special Summon Dark monsters. Return, Girsu!" For a second time, Girsu reappeared on Sandalphon's field.

Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"I summon Orcust Brass Bombard from my hand." A black and gold machine made of brass instruments appeared on Sandalphon's field.

Orcust Brass Bombard ATK: 500 DEF: 1900 LV: 1

"I also activate the Spell card, Orcust Assembly!" Sandalphon added. The card showed Longirsu and Galatea looking on as a factory assembled several Orcust Harp Horrors, Cymbal Skeletons, and Brass Bombards. "By sending one 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' monster from my field to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' monster from my deck or Graveyard with a different name to my field. I send the World Legacy token on my field to my Graveyard to Special Summon Orcust Cymbal Skeleton from my deck to my field!" The World Legacy token then turned into yellow particles as a mechanical skeleton-like creature with treadmills for legs appeared on Sandalphon's field. Cymbals and trumpets were attached to its body, and its ribs consisted of organ pipes.

Orcust Cymbal Skeleton ATK: 1200 DEF: 1500 LV: 3

"Appear for a second time, my orcustrated circuit!" A second Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two effect monsters, including an 'Orcust' monster. I'll set Orcust Brass Bombard, Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight, and Cymbal Skeleton into the Link Markers!" Brass Bombard went into the top-left arrowhead, Girsu went into the top arrowhead, and Cymbal Skeleton went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning all of them red.

"Link Summon! Man filled with grief and sorrow, decimate the earth in the name of your precious sister! Link 3! Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator!" A violet-haired man with black, gold, and purple armor appeared on Sandalphon's field in the Main Monster Zone Galatea pointed to. He wielded an elaborate purple lance in his right hand and a large shield in his left hand.

Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬆️↘️

As Blue Girl looked at Longirsu, she felt sadness for him. His grief motivated his actions, no matter the cost, she realized. The fact that he'd destroy the world just for his precious sister was something unimaginable for someone to do.

"I activate the effect of Orcust Knightmare from my Graveyard." Sandalphon continued. "By banishing her from my Graveyard, I can target one monster on my field and send one Dark Machine monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and if I do, that monster gains attack points equal to the Level of the sent monster times 100 until the end of the turn. I target Galatea and send a second copy of Knightmare to my Graveyard, which means she gains 700 attack points!" Galatea glowed as her strength increased.

Galatea, the Orcust Automation ATK: 1800 + (100 X 7) = 2500

"Longirsu's effect! By shuffling two Machine monsters from my banished zone into my deck, I can send one Linked monster you control straight to your Graveyard. However, he can't attack the turn I activate his effect."

"Seriously?!" Blue Girl exclaimed, knowing which monster Sandalphon will send to the Graveyard with Longirsu's effect.

"I shuffle Cymbal Skeleton and Knightmare from my banished zone back into my deck and send your Holly Angel to your Graveyard." Sandalphon decided, as Longirsu raised his lance and shot a bolt of purple lightning at Holly Angel, making her scream before turning into particles. "Be grateful Longirsu can't attack this turn, as otherwise, you'd be finished." She thrust out her right hand. "Battle! Galatea, the Orcust Automation attacks Trickstar Lycoris! Scythe of Sorrow!" Galatea spun around and swung her scythe in front of her, releasing a giant slash of energy that hit Lycoris, bisecting her in two before she turned into particles. This made Blue Girl shield her eyes with her right arm.

Blue Girl: 4000 – 900 = 3100 LP

"I end my turn, which means Galatea's attack points return to normal." Galatea's strength back down to her original amount afterwards.

Galatea, the Orcust Automation ATK: 2500 – 700 = 1800

Behind her mask, Sandalphon smirked. "So tell me, Blue Girl. Do you understand the gap between my power and yours? Because compared to me little Charisma Duelist, you're nothing."

"Even if you have a decent board, I'm still in the lead." Blue Girl replied. "And I can still keep it in this duel! My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck.

"I activate the second copy of Knightmare's effect in my Graveyard." Sandalphon interrupted. "Just like before, I can banish her from my Graveyard and target one monster on my field before sending one Dark Machine monster from my deck to my Graveyard. By doing this, the targeted monster gains attack points equal to the Level of the sent monster times 100 until the end of the turn. I target Galatea and send a third copy of Knightmare to my Graveyard, which means she gains 700 attack points!" Galatea glowed as her strength increased.

Galatea, the Orcust Automation ATK: 1800 + (100 X 7) = 2500

"Galatea's effect! Just like before, I can shuffle a banished Machine monster into my deck to Set one 'Orcust' Spell or Trap card from my deck directly to my field. I shuffle a second copy of Knightmare back into my deck!" She took Knightmare from her banished zone and shuffled it into her deck. Afterwards, a card popped out of Sandalphon's deck, which she took and Set to her field.

As long as Orcustrated Babel's in Sandalphon's Field Spell card zone, she can activate the effects of 'Orcust' monsters in her Graveyard and 'Orcust' Link monsters on her field as Quick Effects, Blue Girl recalled, gritting her teeth. If I'm to win this duel, I need to get rid her defenses! "I activate Light Arena's second effect! Once per turn, I can-."

"Counter-Trap, activate! Orcust Crescendo!" Sandalphon suddenly said. "When a Spell, Trap, or monster effect is activated while I control an 'Orcust' Link monster, that effect is negated, and the card itself is banished!" Blue Girl's eyes widened in shock as a giant spear launched out of Crescendo and pierced Light Arena, turning it into particles. "I also activate the Continuous-Trap card, Orcustrated Core. Once per turn, I can banish a monster from my field or Graveyard to target an 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' card on my field and prevent it from being targeted by card effects for the rest of the turn. I banish Girsu and target Orcustrated Babel!" After Sandalphon banished Girsu from her Graveyard, a light surrounded Orcustrated Babel, preventing it from being targeted by card effects.

Well, things just went from bad to worse, Blue Girl thought, gritting her teeth. At least I know what her facedown cards are, which means I can make a counterattack! "I summon Trickstar Candina from my hand." A young woman in a yellow dress and carrying a megaphone appeared on Blue Girl's field.

Trickstar Candina ATK: 1800 DEF: 400 LV: 4

"When Candina is Normal Summoned, I can add any 'Trickstar' card from my deck to my hand!" A card popped out of her deck, which she took and added to her hand. "I activate the Spell card, Trickstar Encore!" The card showed a crowd cheering for Trickstar Divaridis, Sweet Guitar, and Candina, wanting an encore of their performance. "This card lets me target one 'Trickstar' Link monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. Return, Holly Angel!" For a second time, Holly Angel reappeared on Blue Girl's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Trickstar Holly Angel ATK: 2000 LINK-2 ↙️↘️

"Encore's second effect then let's me draw cards equal to the Special Summoned 'Trickstar' Link monster's Link rating! Since Holly Angel is a Link 2 monster, I can draw two cards from my deck!" Blue Girl drew the top two cards of her deck, and upon looking at them, she smiled. Longirsu's effect lets Sandalphon shuffle two machine monsters to target and send one Linked monster I control to my Graveyard, she recalled in her mind before looking at the Main Monster Zone Galatea pointed to. Luckily, there's another option available for me to use. "I activate the Spell card, Trickstar Fusion! This card lets me Fusion Summon one 'Trickstar' Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Materials. I use Trickstar Holly Angel and Candina on my field as Fusion Materials!" Holly Angel turned into red particles while Candina turned into blue particles, before both of them swirled together into a vortex. Two tornadoes of energy then shot upward and combined to form a magenta whirlwind.

"The band's guitarist shall amplify the music with her rock and roll!" Blue Girl chanted. "Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar!" A woman wearing a black, violet, and dark blue dress appeared on Blue Girl's field in the Main Monster Zone Galatea pointed to. She had short, light-green hair, with a headdress on her head that had purple, light-green, and blue spikes. On her back, she had a total of six wings, while each of her sides had a long, red ribbon. In her hands, she carried light-purple guitar that had blades on it.

Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar ATK: 2200 DEF: 1200 LV: 7

"So you can Fusion Summon now..." Sandalphon muttered.

"It's not the only thing I can do now." Blue Girl responded, checking the duel field through her duel disk. From what she saw, Galatea can't be destroyed by battle while she's linked, while Longirsu can't be destroyed by card effects while he's linked. If Blue Girl attacked Galatea using Sweet Guitar, Sandalphon would take massive damage, but Galatea would still be on her field. But if she attacked Longirsu, then she can get rid of a long-term threat and deal massive damage. After thinking for a moment, Blue Girl made her decision. "Battle! Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar attacks Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator!"

"I guessing you're not planning on destroying your new monster?" Sandalphon immediately figured out. After all, why else would Blue Girl attack Longirsu with Sweet Guitar, who was clearly weaker?

"Obviously!" Blue Girl answered. "I activate the second effect of Trickstar Corobane from my hand. Since a 'Trickstar' monster I control is battling your monster, I can discard this card from my hand to have it gain attack points equal to its original attack points until the end of this turn." After Blue Girl sent Corobane from her hand to her Graveyard, Sweet Guitar was surrounded in a red aura as she powered up.

Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar ATK: 2200 + 2200 = 4400

"Power Chord!" Sweet Guitar strummed her guitar several times, releasing waves of musical energy at Longirsu, who tried to block them using his shield. Unfortunately, he couldn't push them back any longer, knocking him off his feet before he turned to particles. As a result, Sandalphon was pushed back several feet by the attack.

Sandalphon: 2200 – 1900 = 300 LP

"I activate Sweet Guitar's second effect." Blue Girl added. "As she attacked this turn, I can add one 'Trickstar' monster from my Graveyard to my hand." A card popped out of Blue Girl's Graveyard, which she took and added to her hand. "I Set one card face-down and end my turn, which means Corobane's effect ends, and Sweet Guitar's attack points return to normal."

"As it's the end of your turn, the effects of Core and Knightmare also end, and Galatea's attack points return to normal." Sandalphon pointed out, as Galatea's attack points returned to normal for a second time.

Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar ATK: 4400 – 2200 = 2200

Galatea, the Orcust Automation ATK: 2500 – 700 = 1800

"Never have I dueled someone who was able to actually put up a fight. Your strength is something the Beta Branch will greatly appreciate. Why don't you join us? It's something you shouldn't reject likely, considering the benefits you can gain if you accept my offer."

"And have a chip installed in me? No thanks." Blue Girl immediately decided, rebuking her offer.

"I only give this offer to strong duelists like myself." Sandalphon told Blue Girl. "Besides, if you join, you can be my new sister."

"New sister?" Blue Girl repeated, shocked at what she just heard. "What happened to your sister?"

"Simple. The both of us joined our mother's branch, wanting to make her proud. Unfortunately, my twin sister proved to be the weakest between us, and was eventually executed by mother for her failures." Sandalphon shrugged her shoulders. "My sister pleaded for me to help her, and all I did was watch the execution."

Blue Girl gasped. How could someone allow such a fate to happen to someone, let alone their own sister? No human in their right mind would do that. Something was up with Sandalphon, as either she was always like this or... actually not well, as if the chip suppressed her personality more than the other deathstalkers. "There's no way I'll ally with someone who's not in their right mind," she said. "As such, I'll give you a personal wakeup call myself."

"We shall see." Sandalphon replied.

At Rosetta and Clarice's duel...

"Duel!" Rosetta and Clarice said in unison.

Rosetta: 4000 LP

Clarice Hutton: 4000 LP

"As your former mentor, I'll go first." Clarice announced. "I activate Amazoness Spy's effect from my hand. By revealing one other 'Amazoness' monster in my hand, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. I reveal Amazoness Baby Tiger from my hand and Special Summon Spy to my field!" A green-eyed woman with dark skin and a handkerchief wrapped around her mouth appeared on Clarice's field. She wore a long blue cape, kneepads, and a skull on her left shoulder. In her right hand, she carried a dagger.

Amazoness Spy ATK: 800 DEF: 2100 LV: 3

"Baby Tiger's effect! As an 'Amazoness' monster was Special Summoned while she's in my hand or Graveyard, I can Special Summon her to my field!" A red-skinned tiger with light-blue eyes and black stripes all over her body appeared on her filed. Around her neck was a collar.

Amazoness Baby Tiger ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2

"Amazoness Baby Tiger's name becomes 'Amazoness Tiger' while she's on my field or in my Graveyard." Clarice explained. "I also summon Amazoness Princess from my hand." A dark-skinned white-haired girl wearing red tribal clothes and carrying a short spear appeared on Clarice's field.

Amazoness Princess ATK: 1200 DEF: 900 LV: 3

"Amazoness Princess's name becomes 'Amazoness Queen' while she's on my field or in my Graveyard. When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Amazoness' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Clarice's deck, which she took and added to her hand. "I activate the Field Spell card, Amazoness Village. While this card's on my field, all 'Amazoness' monsters on my field gain 200 attack points." Spy, Baby Tiger, and Princess were each surrounded in a red aura as their attack points increased, much to Rosetta's dismay.

Amazoness Spy ATK: 800 + 200 = 1000

Amazoness Baby Tiger ATK: 500 + 200 = 700

Amazoness Princess ATK: 1200 + 200 = 1400

"Appear, the circuit of Amazoness might!" Clarice declared, as a Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two 'Amazoness' monsters. I'll set Amazoness Princess and Spy into the Link Markers!" Princess went into the left arrowhead, while Spy went into the right arrowhead.

"Link Summon! Appear! Amazoness Ambassador!" A dark-skinned warrior wearing armor on her chest and her back, along with a red spandex, appeared on Clarice's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had black hair that was braided into a long ponytail, along with a tiara on her head. In her right hand, she carried a rope, while her sword and shield were strapped to her back.

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1600 + 200 = 1800

"When Ambassador is Special Summoned, I can add one 'Amazoness' card from my deck to my hand." Clarice continued, as a card popped out of her deck, which she added to her hand. "Baby Tiger's second effect! She gains 100 attack points for every 'Amazoness' card in my Graveyard. There's two 'Amazoness' cards, meaning she gains 200 attack points!" Baby Tiger roared cutely as her strength increased.

Amazoness Baby Tiger ATK: 700 + 200 = 900

"I now activate the Spell card, Polymerization. This card lets me Fusion Summon one Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Materials. I use Amazoness Ambassador and Baby Tiger on my field as Fusion Materials!" Ambassador turned into red particles while Baby Tiger turned into blue particles that went upwards, swirling into a vortex in the process. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Wild beast of the jungle with vicious fangs! Embrace your savagery and attack this prey before me!" Clarice chanted. "Fusion Summon! Emerge, Level 7! Amazoness Pet Liger!" A pale-skinned liger with blue armor on her shoulders and forehead, and bracelets on her legs appeared on Clarice's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She roared at Rosetta upon seeing her, hungry for battle.

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2500 DEF: 2400 LV: 7

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2500 + 200 = 2700

Great, Rosetta annoyingly thought. Clarice already brought out one of her stronger monsters, and it had to be Pet Liger of all monsters.

"Ambassador's second effect! Since she was used as Fusion Material for the Fusion Summon of an 'Amazoness' Fusion monster, I can Special Summon her back to my field!" Ambassador then reappeared on Clarice's field, only in the Main Monster Zone.

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1600 LINK-2 ⬅️➡️

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1600 + 200 = 1800

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Clarice concluded. "Now then, Rosetta. You've grown strong under both mine and Ace's tutelage in your time on the Black Market. Yet you left it all for what? Justice? Redemption? In the Black Market, those thing's don't matter."

"Maybe not here, but they do matter in the real world." Rosetta replied. "I'll fight to repent for my mistakes, no matter what you say."

"Mistakes?" Clarice repeated. "You poor, naive delusional girl. Just make your move already. I'm bored by your words."

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

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Gozen Match!" Clarice suddenly interrupted. "While this card's on my field, the both of us can only control one attribute of a monster!"

"What?!" Rosetta exclaimed, having been caught off guard by what she just heard.

"Do you really think I wouldn't be prepared to duel against you in the event of your betrayal?" Clarice asked Rosetta mockingly. "I know your strategies. How you intend to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon to wipe everything out, along with your various Plant monsters to keep your opponent in place until the duel's over."

Rosetta grit her teeth. This... was something she did not expect at all. I can work around this, she thought, looking at the cards in her hand. While she may not be able to summon Black Rose Dragon, Rosetta can at least try something else. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Rose Princess from my hand." A pink-skinned girl wearing a red dress with rose petals from her hand appeared on Rosetta's field.

Rose Princess ATK: 1200 DEF: 800 LV: 3

"As Rose Princess was Special Summoned using her effect, she's treated as a Tuner monster. I also summon Puppet Plant from my hand." A plant in a black pot with signs all over it appeared on Rosetta's field. It carried various items, from a jar of water to a small container of plant food and mustard for some weird reason. There were some roses on Puppet Plant as well.

Puppet Plant ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LV: 3

"I now tune the Level 3 Rose Princess with the Level 3 Puppet Plant!" A bolt of green lightning struck Rosetta as the world greyed out, causing her two monsters to disappear. Two rings, one pink and one green, appeared before turning blue and merging. Six blue rings stacked in a tower then appeared, a screen displaying "3 + 3" in front of them. The screen changed to a "6" as light surged through the rings.

"Queen of the hidden castle, let the forces of mother nature course through you!" Rosetta chanted. "Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! Queen of Thorns!" A woman in a green and red dress covered in leaves and vines appeared on Rosetta's field in the right Extra Monster Zone.

Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 DEF: 1800 LV: 6

"As long as Queen of Thorns is on the field, we must pay 1000 life points to Normal or Special Summon a monster from our hands, except if it's a Plant monster." Rosetta explained, causing Clarice to narrow her eyes.

"If you're intending on attacking, know that Pet Liger's effect prevents you from attacking any other 'Amazoness' monsters on my field except for her." Clarice informed Rosetta.

"That's fine, because I activate the Equip Spell card, Thorn of Malice, and equip it onto Queen of Thorns." Rosetta replied, as the leaves and vines on Queen of Thorns' dress became sharper before she was surrounded in a purple aura. "This card increases the attack points of either Black Rose Dragon or a Plant monster by 600." Queen of Thorns' attack points increased afterwards.

Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 + 600 = 2800

"Battle! Queen of Thorns attacks Amazoness Pet Liger!" Queen of Thorns launched the vines on her dress at Pet Liger, piercing her in the process as she remained on the field.

"Continuous-Trap, activate!" Clarice interjected. "Amazoness Curse Mirror! Once per turn, any battle damage I take is reduced to zero!"

"Tch...!" Rosetta narrowed her eyes as the vines pierced Pet Liger, who was somehow still on Clarice's field.

"If that's all you're doing, you'll never defeat me." Clarice taunted.

"Then how about this? Any monster that battles with the equipped monster can't be destroyed by battle. But in exchange, the attacked monster loses 600 attack and defense points after damage calculation." Rosetta responded, as the vines wrapped themselves around Pet Liger, making her groan in pain.

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2700 – 600 = 2100

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." One of my Set face-down cards is Plant Food Chain, Rosetta thought. Upon activation, I can target one Plant monster on my field and equip it with this card, which will increase its attack points by 500. If it's destroyed by a card effect while equipped, I can target one Plant monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it to my field. My other face-down card is Wall of Thorns, which will destroy all attack position monsters Clarice controls should she attack a Plant monster I control. She smirked. I'm all set and ready to go for anything Clarice has for me.

"My turn! I draw!" Clarice said, who drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Aurora Draw. Since I have no other cards in my hand, I can draw two cards from the top of my deck." She drew the top two cards from the top of her deck. "I also activate the Spell card, Giant Trunade. This card returns all Spell and Trap cards on the field to their owner's hands."

"What?!" Rosetta replied in surprise, as a giant tornado emerged out of Giant Trunade and swept all Spell and Trap cards on the field before returning them to their owner's hands. "Since Thorn of Malice is no longer on the field, Queen of Thorns' attack points return to normal. Your Amazoness Village is no longer on the field as well, which means both Ambassador and Pet Liger lose 200 attack points." All three monsters groaned as their attack points decreased.

Queen of Thorns ATK: 2800 – 600 = 2200

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2100 – 200 = 1900

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1800 – 200 = 1600

"That's only for now." Clarice smirked. "Once again, I activate the Field Spell card, Amazoness Village. While this card's on my field, all 'Amazoness' monsters on my field gain 200 attack points." Pet Liger and Ambassador were each surrounded in a red aura as their attack points increased, much to Rosetta's annoyance.

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 1900 + 200 = 2100

Amazoness Ambassador ATK: 1600 + 200 = 1800

"Battle!" Clarice declared. "Amazoness Pet Liger attacks Queen of Thorns! At this point, Pet Liger's effect now activates. When she attacks, she gains 500 attack points during the Damage Step only." Pet Liger was surrounded once again by a red aura as her speed increased.

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2100 + 500 = 2600

"Savage Pounce!" Pet Liger landed on Queen of Thorns before sinking her teeth into the opposing monster, making Queen of Thorns scream before turning into particles.

Rosetta: 4000 – 400 = 3600 LP

Amazoness Pet Liger ATK: 2600 – 500 = 2100

"Your turn, Ambassador! Attack Rosetta directly!" Ambassador looped Rosetta using her rope before pulling on it quickly and kicking Rosetta in the stomach, sending her flying off the ground before she landed on her back.

Rosetta: 3800 – 1600 = 2200 LP

"I Set two cards face-down and end my turn." Clarice concluded, a smirk on her face. "Only by being ruthless can you succeed in winning a duel. After all, my training played a part in helping you become the duelist you are today."

"Perhaps." Rosetta allowed, getting back on her feet. "But there's no way I'm going back to the way I was. A cold duelist who unleashed their pain on others and enjoyed it."

"But that's what made you strong." Clarice told her. "And you give it up for what? Ethics? Like I said, ethical values don't exist in the Black Market. My deathstalkers are removed of silly things like morals throughout their training, and are removed of any distractions that may get in the way of their missions. You could say it takes away their ability to make a choice as well." She evilly smiled upon saying that.

Rosetta grit her teeth. "It's thanks to you that I got sterilized, along with the other deathstalkers! You robbed me of something I held dear, and for that, I'll pummel you to the ground! My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck.

"Continuous-Trap, activate! Gozen Match!" Clarice suddenly interrupted. "While this card's on my field, the both of us can only control one attribute of a monster! I'll also activate my other Continuous-Trap, Amazoness Curse Mirror. Once per turn, any battle damage I take this turn is reduced to zero!"

"Great, not those cards again..." Rosetta muttered. Still, I can work with these cards, she thought. "I activate the Spell card, Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my deck." She drew the top two cards of her deck. "I summon Ruddy Rose Witch from my hand."

Ruddy Rose Witch ATK: 800 DEF: 1700 LV: 1

"Next, I activate the Spell card, Monster Reborn. This card lets me Special Summon one monster from either of our Graveyards. Come back, Queen of Thorns!" For a second time, Queen of Thorns reappeared on Rosetta's field.

Queen of Thorns ATK: 2200 DEF: 1800 LV: 6

I could use Ruddy Rose Witch and Queen of Thorns to Synchro Summon Black Rose Dragon and destroy all her cards, Rosetta thought. But that would only be a short-term solution, as I'll lose a lot of life points if I do so. There's one other option, however... "I tune the Level 1 Ruddy Rose Witch with the Level 6 Queen of Thorns!" A bolt of green lightning struck Rosetta as the world greyed out, causing her two monsters to disappear. Two rings, one light-red and one red and green. Seven blue rings stacked in a tower then appeared, a screen displaying "1 + 6" in front of them. The screen changed to a "7" as light surged through the rings.

"Lofty rose that buds in a garden of integrity! Bloom here, watered by blue moonlight!" Rosetta chanted. "Synchro Summon! Arise, Level 7! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!" A massive, black-skinned dragon with orange eyes, whose entire body was covered in light-red roses appeared on Rosetta's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She had a long, slender neck that was covered in roses at the back, and three mandibles that were made of roses on her head. Her feet were draconic as well. In addition, the dragon had a long, thorned tail, along with thinner thorned tails. Black Rose Moonlight Dragon spread her wings out and unleashed a shrivelling roar at Clarice after appearing on the duel field.

Black Rose Moonlight Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LV: 7

"A different Black Rose Synchro monster..." Clarice muttered in surprise. "I thought you only had the destructive Black Rose Dragon!"

"Let's just say Black Rose found a better path to take." Rosetta told her. "I activate Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect. If she's Special Summoned, or a Level 5 or higher monster is Special Summoned to your field, I can target one Special Summoned monster you control and return it to your hand. I target Pet Liger! Rose Ballad!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon let out a shrivelling roar at Pet Liger, turning her into particles as she returned to Clarice's Extra Deck.

"Since Pet Liger was originally from the Extra Deck, she returns there instead of my hand." Clarice explained.

"That won't change much." Rosetta replied. "Battle! Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attacks Amazoness Ambassador! Rose Requiem!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon charged up energy in her maw before firing it at Ambassador, turning her into particles in the process.

"Curse Mirror reduces any battle damage I would have taken to zero once per turn." Clarice reminded Rosetta. And since an 'Amazoness' Link monster was destroyed by the attack, I can't use Village's second effect, she cursed in her mind.

"I can still prepare for what's next." Rosetta responded. "I Set three cards face-down and end my turn."

Elsewhere, in another part of the Scarlet Room...

Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen continued to run down the hallway before making a left and a right. As a result of the ever-changing structure, they were separated from Rosetta and Blue Girl. Therefore, they had to continue the mission of shutting down the Beta Branch and destroying the Skyhook.

"Do you know where the Beta Branch's computer infrastructure room is?" Ghost Girl asked SengokuQueen.

"Obviously not." SengokuQueen responded back. "That's why we're looking for it." Both women then kept running, streams of scarlet painted on the walls. In mere seconds, both of them gagged. "Okay. That's not paint."

"It's definitely blood." Ghost Girl immediately figured out. The two of them had to run faster as a result, lest they vomit and stop running. "Greg. Rachel. Can you point us to the computer infrastructure room?"

"Can't... hear... you..." Both Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen got nothing but static on their ends.

"Okay, that's not a good sign." SengokuQueen said, before noticing something up ahead. "This way." The two women kept running straight down the hallway before making a left.

"So long as the cameras are still on a loop, we're home free." Ghost Girl assured her.

BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm rang throughout the entire room, making Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen freeze for a few moments.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you?" SengokuQueen furiously whispered. As if on cue, a whole squad of deathstalkers exited the room nearby and started chasing them, weapons equipped all over their bodies.

"RUN!" Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen started running the opposite way, the deathstalkers giving chase. One of them fired hornet missiles at them, which they narrowly avoided. A few of them fired a large claw-like anchor, which caught Ghost Girl and made her trip. In response, SengokuQueen pulled out a blade that emitted energy and cut the rope, allowing Ghost Girl to get back up on her feet before the two of them continued to run.

"Seriously, what is up with these deathstalkers?" SengokuQueen stated out of annoyance, as Ghost Girl threw a rose at the deathstalkers, succeeding in electrocuting and knocking some of them out.

"Not sure, but we have to find a way to snap them out of this frenzy." Ghost Girl told her. "Through here." Both women took a right to a nearby room, causing most of the deathstalkers to split up into two groups. One group chased after Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen, while the other group planned on cornering them.

"You do realize they're planning to corner us, right?" SengokuQueen reminded Ghost Girl, as she threw two energy daggers at the deathstalkers, with a few of them activating energy shields in response. "This is just great."

"No kidding, sherlock." Ghost Girl replied, the two of them exiting the room before making a left, knowing their time was slowly about to be up soon.

At Blue Girl and Sandalphon's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Sandalphon drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Orcustrated Return. By sending an 'Orcust' monster on my field or hand to my Graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck. From my hand, I send a second copy of Cymbal Skeleton to my Graveyard!" After sending Cymbal Skeleton to her Graveyard, Sandalphon drew the top two cards of her deck. "I activate the second copy of Cymbal Skeleton's effect from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Orcust' monster from my Graveyard. However, the turn I activate this effect, I can only Special Summon Dark monsters. Return, Longirsu!" For a second time, Longirsu appeared on Sandalphon's field in the Main Monster Zone underneath the right Extra Monster Zone.

Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator ATK: 2500 LINK-3 ↖️⬆️↘️

"I activate the second effect of Orcust Crescendo in my Graveyard." Sandalphon continued. "By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can add a Dark Machine monster either from my banished zone or deck to my hand. From my deck, I add a second copy of Harp Horror to my hand." A card popped out of Sandalphon's deck, which she took and added to her hand. "I also activate the effect of Orcust Brass Bombard from my Graveyard. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Orcust' monster from my hand. However, the turn I activate this effect, I can only Special Summon Dark monsters. Emerge, Harp Horror!" A black and gold machine-like creature with the head and neck of a dragon appeared on Sandalphon's field. Its body consisted of two harps, a tail and two claws, and a small saucer that Harp Horror was on.

Orcust Harp Horror ATK: 1700 DEF: 1400 LV: 4

"Galatea's effect! Just like before, I can shuffle a banished Machine monster into my deck to Set one 'Orcust' Spell or Trap card from my deck directly to my field. I shuffle Brass Bombard back into my deck!" She took Brass Bombard from her banished zone and shuffled it into her deck. Afterwards, a card popped out of Sandalphon's deck, which she took and Set to her field.

It's likely that Sandalphon Set a second copy of Orcust Crescendo from her deck to her Spell & Trap card zone, Blue Girl deduced. It's a good thing that she can only use one effect of that card per turn, because otherwise, I would have been screwed.

"I summon a second copy of Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight from my hand." Sandalphon said, as a second copy of Girsu appeared on her field.

Girsu, the Orcust Mekk-Knight ATK: 1800 DEF: 0 LV: 4

"Girsu's effect! Since he was Normal or Special Summoned, I can send one 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' card from my deck to my Graveyard. I send a copy of Knightmare from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Sandalphon's deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard. "Appear, my orcustrated circuit!" A Link Portal appeared above her. "The summoning conditions are two or more effect monsters, including one 'Orcust' monster. I'll set Galatea, the Orcust Automation, which is a Link 2 monster, Harp Horror, and Girsu into the Link Markers!" Galatea went into the top and bottom arrowheads, while Harp Horror went into the bottom-left arrowhead and Girsu went into the top-right arrowhead, all of them turning red.

"Link Summon! Emerge, the mechanical instrument of despair! Link 4! Orcustrion!" A massive, mechanical-like creature whose body was composed of numerous organs connected to each other by arches, platforms, and pipes appeared on Sandalphon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone, resulting in both it and Longirsu being co-linked with one another. Horns blasted sound from the creature, releasing a shockwave in the process.

Orcustrion ATK: 3000 LINK-4 ↙️⬆️⬇️↗️

"Okay, that's something I didn't expect..." Blue Girl muttered, looking at Orcustrion with her own eyes. It was an enormous mechanical-like creature, that's for sure.

"Core's effect!" Sandalphon added. "Once per turn, I can banish a monster from my field or Graveyard to target an 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' card on my field and prevent it from being targeted by card effects for the rest of the turn. I banish Harp Horror from my Graveyard and target Orcustrion!" After Sandalphon banished Harp Horror from her Graveyard, a light surrounded Orcustrion, preventing it from being targeted by card effects. "I also activate the effect of Knightmare from my Graveyard. By banishing her from my Graveyard, I can target one monster on my field and send one Dark Machine monster from my deck to my Graveyard, and if I do, that monster gains attack points equal to the Level of the sent monster times 100 until the end of the turn. I target Orcustrion and send a third copy of Knightmare to my Graveyard, which means it gains 700 attack points!" Orcustrion glowed as its strength increased.

Orcustrion ATK: 3000 + (100 X 7) = 3700

"Orcustrion's effect! Once per turn, I can shuffle three of my banished Machine monsters into my deck to-!"

"Counter-Trap activate! Trickstar Dazzle!" Blue Girl interjected. "Since you activated a card effect, I can negate that effect and destroy it!"

"Orcustrion can't be destroyed by card effects or battle while it's linked." Sandalphon reminded Blue Girl, as Dazzle fired a blast of energy at Orcustrion, causing its entire body to grey out, even though it was still on the field. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Limiter Removal. This card doubles the attack points of all Machine monsters on my field until the end of my turn, and in exchange, those Machine monsters are destroyed during the End Phase of this turn."

"What?!" Blue Girl exclaimed, her eyes widened with surprise upon hearing this information. This... was definitely not good for her. Not good at all. Longirsu and Orcustrion were then surrounded in a red aura that doubled their attack points.

Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator ATK: 2500 X 2 = 5000

Orcustrion ATK: 3700 X 2 = 7400

"Time to battle! Orcustrion attacks Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar! Melody of Mayhem!" Orcustrion played more notes and sent sound waves at Sweet Guitar, who responded by strumming her guitar several times, releasing waves of musical energy to combat the sound waves.

"I activate Corobane's second effect from my hand." Blue Girl responded. "Since a 'Trickstar' monster I control is battling your monster, I can discard this card from my hand to have it gain attack points equal to its original attack points until the end of this turn." After Blue Girl sent Corobane from her hand to her Graveyard, Sweet Guitar was surrounded in a red aura for a second time as she powered up.

Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar ATK: 2200 + 2200 = 4400

"You'll still lose your monster." Sandalphon reminded Blue Girl, as the sound waves overpowered the musical energy, which hit Sweet Guitar and made her scream as a massive explosion occurred. As a result, Blue Girl was knocked off her feet and sent flying into the air before she struck the ground with her back, which made her wince.

Blue Girl: 3100 – 3000 = 100 LP

"Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator attacks the World Legacy token! Lance of Loss!" Longirsu leapt into the air and spun his lance before bringing it down on the World Legacy token, destroying her before he retreated back to Sandalphon's field. "It's time for you to witness something you've never seen before! Normally, to Xyz Summon this monster, I need two Level 8 monsters. However, I can also Xyz Summon this monster by using one 'Orcust' Link monster I control as the Xyz Material."

"A Link monster can be used as Xyz Material?!" Blue Girl exclaimed as she got back up on her feet, having never heard of this before. No Link monster can be used for an Xyz Summon, so the fact that Sandalphon has a monster that can be Xyz Summoned using Link monsters was something unusual, that's for sure.

"That's right!" Sandalphon confirmed. "I use Orcustrion to build the Overlay Network! Go, Xyz Change!" Soon, Orcustrion turned into a gold and black stream of energy that went into a galaxy portal that appeared above Sandalphon. Upon doing so, the portal exploded into energy.

"Legendary hero broken from grief! Let your pitch black sorrow turn into the beating metal heart of your strongest weapon! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 8! Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star!" A mechanical-like knight wearing black and gold armor with four legs similar to that of a horse appeared on Sandalphon's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. His helmet consisted of a single blue visor, and unique covers were on his shoulders. In his right hand, he carried a long spear, while in his left hand, he carried a shield that was in the shape of a long instrument. Behind him was an orbiting light.

Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 RNK: 8 OU: 1

"When Dingirsu is Special Summoned, I can activate one of two effects!" Sandalphon stated. "I choose the second effect, which lets me attach a banished monster to him as an Overlay Unit. I attach Knightmare to him!" A bright light went out of Sandalphon's Graveyard and orbited around Dingirsu in mere moments.

Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star OU: 1 + 1 = 2

"I Set one card and end my turn, which means the effects of Knightmare, Core, and Limiter Removal ends." Longirsu's attack points then returned to normal afterwards.

Longirsu, the Orcust Orchestrator ATK: 5000 / 2 = 2500

"Hang on a minute!" Blue Girl said, realizing something was amiss. "Limiter Removal destroys all Machine monsters who were affected by it. So why isn't Longirsu destroyed?"

"Because while Longirsu's linked, he can't be destroyed by card effects." Sandalphon calmly explained, surprising Blue Girl. "You can make your move if you want, Blue Girl. Just know that I'll be able to counter every move you make."

"We'll see, Sandalphon." Blue Girl replied. This turn was her last chance to turn things around, and if she screwed it up, it would be all over for her.

At Rosetta and Clarice's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Clarice said, drawing the top card of her deck. The face-down cards Rosetta has are useless, and one of them is Thorn of Malice. She obviously can't equip it onto Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, as that's a different monster than Black Rose Dragon. So why would she Set three face-down cards, she wondered. Nevertheless, I can strike hard and fast now that she's vulnerable. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell card, Amazoness Call. This card lets me either add one 'Amazoness' card from my deck to my hand or send it to my Graveyard. I send Amazoness Paladin from my deck to my Graveyard." A card popped out of Clarice's deck, which she took and sent to her Graveyard. "I now activate the Spell card, Pot of Avarice. This card lets me target five monsters in my Graveyard, shuffle them into my deck, and then draw two cards. I target Amazoness Spy, Baby Tiger, Princess, Ambassador, and Paladin to shuffle them into my deck and Extra Deck respectively." Five cards came out of her Graveyard, which she took and shuffled into her deck and Extra Deck before drawing two cards from the top of her deck.

"I now activate the Spell card, Amazoness War Cry!" The card showed Amazoness Empress shouting out a war cry as she, Pet Liger, and several Fighters, Archers, Chain Masters, and Sages charged toward battle against various squads of Goblin Attack Force. "When this card is activated, I can target one monster you control and Special Summon 'Amazoness' monsters from my deck whose combined attack points are equal to or less than the targeted monster's attack points. I target Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, who has 2400 attack points. As such, I Special Summon Amazoness Princess and two copies of Amazoness Scouts from my deck to my field!" Princess then reappeared on Clarice's field, along with two copies of a duo of young, female warriors. One female warrior wore yellow garments and wooden straps with wires around their shins and arms. The second female warrior wore blue and grey garments with bandages on her shins and arms. The former female warrior carried a sword, while the latter female warrior carried a bow and arrow.

Amazoness Princess ATK: 1200 DEF: 900 LV: 3

Amazoness Scouts ATK: 500 DEF: 1100 LV: 2

Amazoness Scouts ATK: 500 DEF: 1100 LV: 2

Amazoness Princess ATK: 1200 + 200 = 1400

Amazoness Scouts ATK: 500 + 200 = 700

Amazoness Scouts ATK: 500 + 200 = 700

"Amazoness Princess's name becomes 'Amazoness Queen' while she's on my field or in my Graveyard." Clarice reminded Rosetta. "When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add one 'Amazoness' Spell or Trap card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of Clarice's deck, which she took and added to her hand. "I now activate the Spell card, Polymerization. This card lets me Fusion Summon one Fusion monster from my Extra Deck by using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Materials. I use Amazoness Princess and one copy of Scouts as Fusion Materials!" Princess turned into red particles while one copy of Scouts turned into blue particles that went upwards, swirling into a vortex in the process. Two tornadoes of energy shot upwards and merged to form a white and yellow whirlwind.

"Princess of the jungle. Obtain the power and knowledge of your predecessors, and build an empire that rules over everything!" Clarice chanted. "Fusion Summon! Emerge, Level 8! Amazoness Empress!" A white-haired and brown-skinned woman wearing a cape and a skull crown appeared on Clarice's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She swung a massive sword that was in her hands, ready for battle.

Amazoness Empress ATK: 2800 DEF: 2400 LV: 8

Amazoness Empress ATK: 2800 + 200 = 3000

"Because you Special Summoned a Level 5 or higher monster on your turn, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect now activates. I can target one Special Summoned monster you control and return it to your hand. I target Empress and return it to your hand! Rose Ballad!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon let out a shrivelling roar at Empress, causing Claire to smirk.

"You really thought I didn't think ahead?" Clarice told Rosetta. "I activate Scouts' effect. During either player's turn, I can tribute them to prevent all 'Amazoness' monsters on my field from being targeted or destroyed by card effects." Scouts turned into particles, which went into Empress as she braced herself against Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's roar, surviving the effect in the process. "Last but not least, I activate the Equip Spell card, Amazoness Lasso and equip it onto Empress!" The card showed a golden lasso that was surrounded in an emanating aura. Empress grabbed the lasso and strapped it to her left thigh. "Battle! Amazoness Empress attacks Black Rose Moonlight Dragon! At this point, I activate the effect of Amazoness Lasso! When the equipped monster battles a monster you control, that monster's attack points are halved until the End Phase!"

"What?!" Rosetta exclaimed out of surprise, as Empress swung her lasso and looped it around Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, making her roar in pain as it drained her strength.

Black Rose Moonlight Dragon ATK: 2400 / 2 = 1200

"Amazoness Might!" Empress charged forward and swung her massive sword at Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, destroying her and forcing Rosetta back several feet. After that, she was forced on one knee to the ground.

Rosetta: 2200 – 1800 = 400 LP

"That ends my turn." Clarice concluded. "Do you see, Rosetta? Only with ruthlessness can you defeat your opponents. You once demonstrated that strength and blew away anyone who got in your way. The truth is, you'll always be the 'Graceful Assassin', no matter how many times you try to deny it."

"Who said I'm trying to deny it?" Rosetta questioned, standing up on her feet. "The thing is, I wish all the sins I committed as the 'Graceful Assassin' never happened. However, I know that such a wish is impossible. All I can do instead is atone for my wrongs, even if I have to do it for the rest of my life. Better to do that than continue going down the wrong path, that's for sure."

Clarice, upon hearing this, laughed. "You're truly delusional, you know that? But hey, whatever move you make on your turn is useless."

"You know that pride leads to a downfall, right?" Rosetta responded. "And I'll prove that right now!

Meanwhile...

While Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen continued to escape that room and continue running, their ground was slowly running out, as eventually, they'd be overwhelmed.

"Okay, I just did some quick research." SengokuQueen said. "All the deathstalkers have nano bombs in their brains, so if they try to rebel against Clarice, they practically have their heads blown up."

"That's so a cool way to die." Ghost Girl sarcastically commented, the two of them evading a cannon blast. "Seriously?! Who fires a damn cannon in a hallway?!" She sent a massive swarm of fireflies at the deathstalkers, distracting them in the process. "This'll keep them off our tail."

Both women kept running until by mere coincidence, they found the computer infrastructure room.

"Jackpot!" the two of them said at the same time, entering the room. After entering inside, a few deathstalkers on guard tried to attack Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen, but the two of them charged forward and knocked each one out before either one could pull out their weapons. Once that was done, Ghost Girl sealed the door using a gel-like substance to prevent the other deathstalkers from entering the computer infrastructure room temporarily. Afterwards, she and SengokuQueen ran over to the nearby desks and sat down on the chairs, with each desk having a computer on it.

"We need to get started immediately!" SengokuQueen stated, both women beginning to type on the laptop. "And of course there's a password."

"Every system has a password. That's what makes it tricky to hack into." Ghost Girl replied. "Besides, it's not like the password's 'Open Sesame' or 'Abracadabra. Alakazam.'" By mere luck, the computers granted access to both of them. "Okay, that was easy."

"There's still the hard part." SengokuQueen reminded Ghost Girl, the two of them continuing to type. "Let's hack through the entire structure and find out how to dismantle it from the inside out."

"We also have to destroy the Beta Branch's skyhook." Ghost Girl pointed out. "Raguel wants us to do that after all."

"Obviously." The two women continued to type, trying to pinpoint anything that can give them an advantage. After a few minutes, Ghost Girl gasped.

"I found something..."

"What is it?"

"A way to free the deathstalkers..." Ghost Girl realized, SengokuQueen getting up from her chair and looking at the screen. "Something called Project: Red Release." At that moment, the door started banging as it resisted the deathstalkers attempting to get in.

"What are you waiting for? Activate the project!" SengokuQueen told Ghost Girl, who immediately typing. While she was doing that, SengokuQueen ran over to the door, trying to hold the door in place. "Great! They're starting to break through!"

"I need two minutes." Ghost Girl responded, typing as fast as she can. SengokuQueen added more gel-like substance to the door, enabling it to stick and resist the deathstalker's weaponry further. To keep it in place, she pressed her body onto it as well.

"The deathstalkers don't think you need two minutes." SengokuQueen putted more gel-like substance on the door, along with a bushido-like medal that created a force field around it. Once that was done, she ran over to the other desk and sat at the chair to help Ghost Girl out. "Type for your life!" The two of them continued to type until all the parameters were unlocked. While it took a few minutes, it eventually revealed a screen that said, "Activate Red: Release?"

Upon seeing those words, Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen pressed a button that caused an alarm to blaze through the hallways as a red mist began to spread out of the air vents that the deathstalkers smelled. The moment they did, something changed in each of them, as if waking up from a deep slumber.

"Huh..." one deathstalker said.

"What just happened?" another deathstalker asked. Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen then opened the door, seeing the other deathstalkers.

"Is everyone okay?" Ghost Girl inquired.

"I think so..." one of the deathstalkers replied. "If this red mist is here..."

"It must be spreading to other parts of the building as well!" another deathstalker realized. "I think we're finally free!"

"We need to find the other deathstalkers." SengokuQueen stated, getting their attention. "Do either of you know how to remove the jamming waves? The deathstalker rotations? The Skyhook?" One deathstalker stepped up, who had brown hair tied in a bun, along with a small assortment of weaponry equipped to her. Ghost Girl recognized her as the one who lead the attack on them.

"My name's Antiope," she said. "I know the rotations in and out of the Scarlet Room. We'll shut down the jamming waves and find the skyhook's location. Take this, and find your friends." Antiope handed SengokuQueen a USB drive. "To me, sisters." The deathstalkers and Antiope then ran down the hallway in one direction, while Ghost Girl and SengokuQueen went back inside the computer infrastructure room.

"Let's shut this place down." Ghost Girl said, as she and SengokuQueen went over to the computers and sat down before getting back to work.

At Rosetta and Clarice's duel...

"My turn! I draw!" Rosetta drew the top card of her deck. "I activate the Spell card, Card of Sanctity. Now each of us gets to draw until we have six cards in our hands." Both duelists drew the top six cards of their respective decks. "I now activate the effects of two Rose Fairy's from my hand. Since they were both added to my hand by a card effect, I get to Special Summon them to my field!" Soon, two small fairies with rosy-red eyes, pink skin and wings appeared onto Rosetta's field. Each one's hands and feet were decorated with rosy gloves and shoes. The both of them also had a rose petal as hair.

Rose Fairy ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

Rose Fairy ATK: 600 DEF: 1200 LV: 3

"I summon Copy Plant from my hand." A creature with green eyes that was wrapped up in roots appeared on Rosetta's field.

Copy Plant ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"I now activate Copy Plant's effect." Rosetta continued. "Once per turn, I can target one face-up Plant monster on my field and have this card's level become the targeted monster's level until the End Phase. I target one copy of Rose Fairy on my field, whose Level is 3. That means Copy Plant's now a Level 3 monster until the End Phase." An aura surrounded Copy Plant, which increased its level.

Copy Plant LV: 1 + 2 = 3

"I overlay my Level 3 Copy Plant with both copies of the Level 3 Rose Fairy!" Rosetta raised her duel disk and shot out a bolt of pink energy behind her, creating the Xyz cross. "With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" All three monsters turned into green streams of energy as they entered the glowing bolts, which created a galaxy before exploding with energy.

"Blooming flower in the garden, emerge as a mighty battleship, and bring down my enemies!" Rosetta chanted. "Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 3! Battleship Dianthus!" A plant-like battleship with a thin, mechanical turnip-like body and tail appeared on Rosetta's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. It had five evenly spaced pink petals, with lines coming out of them. At the front were six small holes, while at the back, there were three boosters.

Battleship Dianthus ATK: 2100 DEF: 1800 RNK: 3 OU: 3

"An Xyz Summon... That's new..." Clarice muttered. She grinned to herself. That obviously won't be enough to defeat me, she thought. Thanks to Curse Mirror, I can reduce battle damage to zero once per turn.

"I activate Dianthus's effect." Rosetta stated. "Once per turn, by detaching one Overlay Unit, I can inflict 300 points of damage for every card in your hand."

"What did you say?!" Clarice exclaimed out of surprise.

"You have six cards in your hand, which means you take 1800 points of damage." Dianthus fired pellet-like missiles at Clarice, forcing her to shield herself using her arms.

Battleship Dianthus OU: 3 – 1 = 2

Clarice: 4000 – (300 X 6) = 2200 LP

"I'm not done yet." Rosetta told Clarice. "I now activate the Spell card, Rank-Up Magic Barian's Force. This card lets me target one Xyz monster I control and Special Summon one Chaos Xyz monster that's one Rank higher than the targeted monster by using it as Xyz Material. I overlay Battleship Dianthus into the Overlay Network! Go, Chaos Xyz Evolution!" Soon, Dianthus turned into a gold and black stream of energy that went into a galaxy portal that appeared above Rosetta. Upon doing so, the portal exploded into energy.

"Blooming flower in the garden, immerse yourself with the power of Chaos and rain deadly petals down onto my enemies! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 4! Chaos Xyz Battleship Cherry Blossom!" A robotic flying saucer resembling a flower that had ten boosters attached to its body appeared on Rosetta's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. At the inside of the saucer, there were ten small turret-like holes, with the outer rim and the center glowing with red energy. The ring that the boosters were attached to also glowed with red energy, as well as its tail at the back. Three red diamond shaped crystals then appeared in front of Battleship Cherry Blossom, representing its Overlay Units.

CXyz Battleship Cherry Blossom ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 RNK: 4 COU: 4

At that moment, Rosetta screamed in pain as a blue fleur-de-lis emblem with a cross section enclosing a red diamond at the center appeared on her forehead. She was then surrounded in a glowing red aura before screaming in pain even further. Upon seeing this, Clarice laughed.

"You're a fool if you think you can wield one of the Deadly Seven!" Clarice exclaimed. "That monster will corrupt you with the darkness of your heart, and turn you back into the 'Graceful Assassin'. Human nature will always return to evil, no matter how much good you do to move on from it!"

Is Evil supposed to be the true nature of humans, Rosetta wondered, recalling her ruthless actions as the 'Graceful Assassin'. She then remembered the words Lord Kazuma told her prior to winning the duel.

"Human beings may claim they're on a path of righteousness, but they all have one thing in common. They'll do something evil and/or questionable in order to make themselves happy, whether it's a crime or not. In the end, what they do to make themselves happy turns them into a fucked up human being. Now and forever."

Rosetta closed her eyes. No, that's not it. They're nothing more than constructs that define our actions. And if that's the case... She then let out a shout before regaining control of herself completely. While the red aura surrounded Rosetta, her left eye turned red, and the emblem on her forehead broke in two before falling onto the ground.

"WHAT?!" Clarice exclaimed out of shock. "How... How are you able to not succumb to one of the Deadly Seven's dark influence?!"

"Evil is the true nature of humans, you say?" Rosetta questioned. "That's just complete bull if you ask me. Humans, not nature, are the ones who decide their next step. We may stumble. We may fall off our desired path. But we always move forward. That is the power of mankind!" Clarice's eyes widened further out of shock.

"That still doesn't answer my question!" Clarice pointed out.

"You want an answer? Very well." Rosetta smirked. "It's something that Ace taught me a long time ago."

Flashback: Six years ago, at the Alpha Branch, in a building...

Ace took Rosetta downstairs to the lower floor of a building they entered. From what Rosetta learned, this building contained a secret. One that can aid duelists in winning duels, but at a cost.

"So what is this secret you want to show me?" Rosetta asked Ace out of curiosity.

"I'm glad you asked." Ace replied. "Are you familiar with the Deadly Seven?" Rosetta shook her head. "Well, my friend. The Deadly Seven are a group of cards that no one can wield. My agents looked into it and informed me that the cards are corrupted, filled with rather unique energy that came from outer space. They called it Chaos, a form of energy that's chaotic and uncontrollable. I have a theory that they can be wielded by someone who went through pain."

"Pain, you say." Rosetta repeated. She recalled how her family abandoned her, how no one wanted to help her move past her grief because they were afraid. Afraid of her reaction towards their offer of help. In a way, Rosetta did go through pain. And all of that started when her mom died of cancer. Of cancer of all things.

Rosetta's thoughts, however, were interrupted when the two of them entered a chamber. Inside were scientists, who were studying two cards in the container. One was a Rank 4 monster, while the other was a Rank 3 monster.

"Behold, Rosetta! Chaos Xyz Battleship Cherry Blossom!" Ace announced. "The Alpha Branch was able to get their hands on it before anyone else. Considering how you're my favorite agent, I figured you may have a shot in wielding this powerful monster. If you succeed, you'll be stronger than the average duelist."

"Stronger, you say?" Rosetta repeated. She then walked forward to the container, as if the card was calling to her.

"Rosetta's eager to get started!" Ace told the scientists. "Open the container!" The container opened, allowing Rosetta to grab the card. When she did, she screamed in pain as a blue fleur-de-lis emblem with a cross section enclosing a red diamond at the center appeared on her forehead. She was then surrounded in a glowing red aura before screaming in pain even further. After a full minute, Rosetta took a deep breath and regained control of herself before turning to Ace, the emblem disappearing off her forehead moments later.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Ace clapped his hands. "You've done amazingly well! Now you have the power of Chaos on your side, nothing will impede your quest for revenge!" Rosetta looked at the card and smirked. With Chaos Xyz Battleship Cherry Blossom, along with Black Rose Dragon, nothing will stop her now.

Flashback End: Present Day...

"Ace told me that only someone who went through pain can wield one of the Deadly Seven." Rosetta explained. "But what he didn't tell me was that there was a loophole, which I managed to figure out recently. It's all about someone's pure of heart, which can be filled with good or evil. The purity of someone's heart is what enables them to control one of these monsters, not human nature!"

"This is... impossible..." Clarice muttered with widened eyes.

"While I can't activate Barian Force's second effect, I can still do this! I activate Battleship Cherry Blossom's effect! By detaching one Chaos Overlay Unit, I can inflict 400 points of damage for every card on the field!" One of the red diamond shaped crystals went into Battleship Cherry Blossom, powering it up.

CXyz Battleship Cherry Blossom COU: 3 – 1 = 2

"For every card...?!" Clarice exclaimed.

"That's correct." Rosetta confirmed. "I have a total of four cards on my side of the field, and you have five cards on your field. This means you take a total of 3600 points of damage!"

"This is not how I envisioned this duel to go!" Clarice seethed furiously.

"Reality never is what you want it to be. You have to forge it yourself." Rosetta thrusted out her right hand. "End this duel, Battleship Cherry Blossom! Blossom Burst!" The small turret-like holes charged up energy before firing a laser-like blast at Clarice, making her scream as she was launched off the ground before hitting the wall behind her, creating a dust cloud. When the dust settled, Clarice was lying on her stomach, defeated.

Clarice: 2200 – (400 X 9) = 0

"Clarice is down." Rosetta announced to Blue Girl, who smiled in response while Sandalphon grit her teeth behind her mask. "Finish Sandalphon off, Blue Girl!"

"With pleasure!" Blue Girl replied, while Rosetta went over to Clarice's desk and started typing on her computer. "My turn! I draw!" She drew the top card of her deck. Orcust Crescendo is face-down on Sandalphon's field, so if I activate the wrong card first, it'll not be good for me, Blue Girl thought. Therefore, I need to bait her. "I activate the second effect of Trickstar Fusion in my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can-!"

"Counter-Trap activate! Orcust Crescendo!" Sandalphon suddenly said. "When a Spell, Trap, or monster effect is activated while I control an 'Orcust' Link monster, that effect is negated, and the card itself is banished!" A giant spear launched out of Crescendo and pierced Trickstar Fusion in Blue Girl's Graveyard, banishing it. "I'm not letting you repeat what you did with Corobane for a third time."

"You may have negated one effect, but let's see how you handle this." Blue Girl told Sandalphon. "I activate the Spell card, Trickstar Festival. This card lets me Special Summon two 'Trickstar' tokens to my field. However, the turn I activate this card, I can't Normal or Special Summon monsters except 'Trickstar' monsters." Soon, two hearts with wings and a tail appeared on Blue Girl's field in defense position.

Trickstar Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

Trickstar Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1

"Appear! The circuit of dreams and hope!" A Link Portal appeared in the sky above her. "The summoning conditions are two 'Trickstar' monsters. I'll set both 'Trickstar' tokens into the Link Markers!" One Trickstar token went into the bottom arrowhead, while the other Trickstar token went into the bottom-right arrowhead, turning both of them red.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Band Manager!" A woman with brown hair in the shape of a bob cut appeared on Blue Girl's field in the right Extra Monster Zone. She wore a black business dress that had heart-styled buttons on it, along with medium-sized angel wings at the back. In her right hand, she carried a pen, while in her left hand, she carried a clipboard with a piece of paper attached to it.

Trickstar Band Manager ATK: 1000 LINK-2 ⬇️↘️

"I now activate the second effect of Trickstar Reincarnation from my Graveyard." Blue Girl continued. "By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one 'Trickstar' monster from my Graveyard. Return to the field, Sweet Guitar!" For a second time, Sweet Guitar reappeared on Blue Girl's field, only in one of the Main Monster Zones Band Manager pointed to.

Trickstar Band Sweet Guitar ATK: 2200 DEF: 1200 LV: 7

"Band Manager's effect now activates! Once per turn, when a 'Trickstar' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster zone she points to, I can add one 'Trickstar' Ritual Spell card and one 'Trickstar' Ritual monster from my deck to my hand." Two cards popped out of Blue Girl's deck, which she took and added to her hand.

"A Ritual monster..." Sandalphon muttered, now curious on what Blue Girl will do next.

"I now activate the Ritual Spell card, Trickstar Grand Performance!" The card showed Trickstar Bella Madonna sitting elegantly on a rising throne being elevated from underneath a stage, which had two flaming lamps on its sides. Lilybell, Narkissus, Lycoris, Nightshade, Rhodode, and Mandrake cheered loudly as Bella Madonna stood up from the throne, ready to sing for her fans. "This card lets me tribute 'Trickstar' monsters from my hand or field whose total levels equal or exceed the Level of the 'Trickstar' Ritual monster I'm summoning from my hand. I tribute the Level 7 Sweet Guitar on my field!" Soon, a light-blue circle with seven flames appeared on Blue Girl's field. Sweet Guitar broke into magenta particles, which went into the circle and produced a beam of light.

"The contract's been made!" Blue Girl chanted. "Idol filled with a soul of peace, play the tune of victory! Ritual Summon! Rise, Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist!" A woman with long, vivid reddish pink hair tied in two ponytails appeared on Blue Girl's field in one of the Main Monster Zones Band Manager pointed to. She wore a white and magenta dress with vivid reddish pink hearts all over it, along with vivid reddish pink high-heeled boots. On her head was a small, vivid reddish pink tiara with a light-blue jewel at the center. Her light-blue eyes gleamed as her four wings flapped. Cerise Ocarinist played a peaceful tune from the ocarina in her hand afterwards.

Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist ATK: 2200 DEF: 2000 LV: 7

"Band Manager's second effect! Since a 'Trickstar' Ritual monster was Ritual Summoned to a Main Monster Zone she points to, I can target one 'Trickstar' Spell or Trap card in my deck or Graveyard and replace this effect with the targeted card's effects until the end of my turn! I target Trickstar Bouquet from my deck, which means Band Manager's effect is now Bouquet's until the end of my turn!"

"What?!" Sandalphon exclaimed in surprise.

"I activate Trickstar Bouquet's effect." Blue Girl announced. "I can target one 'Trickstar' monster I control and one other face-up monster on my field. By returning the targeted 'Trickstar' monster to my hand, the other targeted monster gains attack points equal to the returned monster's original attack points until the end of my turn! I target Band Manager and Cerise Ocarinist. The former returns to my hand, which goes back to my Extra Deck as it's a monster from the Extra Deck, and the latter gains her 1000 attack points!" Band Manger then turned into yellow particles, which went into Cerise Ocarinist as her attack points went up.

Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist ATK: 2200 + 1000 = 3200

"Battle! Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist attacks Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star!" Cerise Ocarinist began playing a tune on her ocarina.

"I won't let you!" Sandalphon replied. "Trap card, activate! Wall of Disruption! This card will-!"

"Not do anything!" Blue Girl interrupted. "When Cerise Ocarinist battles, she's unaffected by your card effects until the end of the turn! Fortissimo's Barrier!" Sandalphon's eyes widened behind her mask, as a translucent barrier surrounded Cerise Ocarinist, protecting her from the blast that erupted from Wall of Disruption.

"I activate Dingirsu's effect!" Sandalphon responded. "If a card I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can detach one Overlay Unit from Dingirsu instead!" One of the orbiting lights behind Dingirsu went into his shield.

Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star OU: 2 – 1 = 1

"That changes nothing!" Blue Girl reminded Sandalphon. "End this duel, Cerise Ocarinist! Faure's Requiem!" Cerise Ocarinist fired a musical wave of energy from the tune she played from her ocarina at Dingirsu, who raised his shield in front of him in response. The musical wave of energy pushed Dingirsu back, who hit Sandalphon and sent her flying back to the wall, her mask breaking in the process.

Sandalphon: 300 – 600 = 0

At that moment, red mist went into the room through the vents, filling it in the process. Clarice, upon seeing this, widened her eyes.

"No, this can't be..." Clarice said in shock, slowly standing up. The red mist then went into Sandalphon through her nose, waking her up.

"What the..." Sandalphon muttered, putting a hand on her head as she got up. "What happened? Wait. I remember!" She grit her teeth as walked over to Clarice, who started backing up in response. "You... did it to me. Planted that chip in me... Controlled me..."

"I didn't control you, Evelyn." Clarice responded, still taking steps back as Sandalphon continued approaching her. "I freed you. We both know you wanted to do something great in your life. You should be thanking me."

"Let me show you just how grateful I am!" Sandalphon infuriatingly shouted, before charging at Clarice and slamming her to a wall before unleashing a barrage of punches, much to Rosetta and Blue Girl's shock.

"Sandalphon, stop!" Blue Girl begged Sandalphon, who ignored her as she threw Clarice to the ground and continued punching her in the face. She then grabbed Clarice's throat with both hands and started choking her.

"Sandalphon, ease up...!" Rosetta told her before trying to put a hand on her shoulder, who shrugged it off before continuing to choke Clarice.

"No! My mother needs to pay for killing Avery!" Sandalphon responded, refusing to release Clarice from her chokehold.

"Don't make this another thing you'll regret." A few moments after hearing those words, Sandalphon released Clarice, causing her to breathe heavily. She then got up, tears falling out of her eyes.

"I watched Avery die in front of me, and didn't do anything about it." Sandalphon started crying heavily, Blue Girl and Rosetta placing their hands on her shoulders in the process. The Scarlet Room then shook for a few moments before stopping.

"Can either of you hear me?" Greg asked over the comms.

"We hear you." Blue Girl answered, Rosetta going over and preventing Clarice from getting away. "Send a squad to the Beta Branch. Clarice is restrained and ready to be arrested."

"I'll do it in a minute. Signing off."

"Hey, ladies." Ghost Girl said. "Antiope said they found the other deathstalkers, and they're back to normal as well! In addition, we found the Skyhook!"

"That's great news." Rosetta replied.

"My sisters are freed as well?" Sandalphon realized, with Rosetta and Blue Girl nodding in confirmation. "That is good news. I'll take you to the Skyhook and destroy it. It's the least I can do for freeing me and my sisters."

A few minutes later, at the Skyhook...

"Dingirsu, the Orcust of the Evening Star! Destroy the Skyhook!" Sandalphon commanded Dingirsu, who slashed the Skyhook in two with his long spear before it fell to the ground, everyone cheering at its destruction. The FBI brought Clarice outside of the Scarlet Room, having successfully arrested her.

"You will regret this, Rosetta." Clarice snarled. "Ace will know, and he-." Sandalphon slapped her in the face. Hard.

"Let him come. He won't be able to stop us." Rosetta declared, the deathstalkers cheering as Clarice was logged out of the network with the other FBI agents.

"The deathstalkers and I will forever be in your debt, Rosetta." Sandalphon said, going over to shake Rosetta's hand, who accepted the handshake. "We must find and free the others that are still out there. But if you ever need our assistance, you let us know."

"I will." Rosetta promised. Sandalphon, along with Antiope and the other deathstalkers ran out into the distance, intent on carrying out their mission of freeing the others.

"Well, that was exhilarating." SengokuQueen commented, crossing her arms.

"It's great that we freed them." Ghost Girl added. "No girl deserves to be turned into something they're not."

"They can now live out their own lives." Blue Girl smiled, happy she could help make a difference. "Rosetta?"

"I'm happy," she replied, wiping a tear from her eye. "Happy that we finally ended something that exploited girls to this life. Happy that they're finally free." Rosetta turned to the others. "Let's get out of here. We could all use a rest." The quartet then walked away from the Scarlet Room, planning to log out of the network and just chill.

"Or..." Rachel suddenly said over the comms, getting their attention as they listened to what she said next.

At the Den City Karaoke Bar...

Rachel surprised the girls by saying they should go to the Den City Karaoke Bar to celebrate a successful mission. Since none of them had better plans, they ended up agreeing with the idea. After getting drinks, Emma and Aoi went over to the stage and started singing Neil Diamond's song 'Cherry, Cherry'.

"Hey, she got the way to move me, Cherry." Emma sung.

"She got the way to groove me." Aoi sung back, both of them having fun as they continued singing.

"I didn't know that Aoi can sing until now." Rachel said, taking a drink from her milkshake.

"And I didn't know Greg would let you come here." Tsubaki replied back, making Rachel giggle.

"Karaoke's fun. It's something I always wanted to try."

"This is something we all needed." Gekiryushi commented, taking a drink from her pomegranate juice. "I'm glad we're friends, Tsubaki."

"So am I." Tsubaki responded before raising her glass, getting Gekiryushi's attention. "To friendship."

"To friendship." Both Tsubaki and Gekiryushi clinked their glasses before drinking their respective drinks, glad to bury the hatchet between them. To Tsubaki, this was nice. Hanging out with friends and having fun. Something she always wanted. In her mind, Tsubaki swore to keep on fighting. So she can repent for her mistakes. But more importantly, Tsubaki wanted to fight so she can have more of these fun moments with her friends. And keep them safe. That was a promise Tsubaki intended to keep.

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 Girl, 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/Alpha Mode, 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

Sandalphon:

Orcust Assembly (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Send 1 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' monster from your field to your GY; Special Summon 1 'Orcust' or 'World Legacy' monster with a different name from your deck to your field. You can only use this effect of 'Orcust Assembly' once per turn.

Blue Girl:

Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist (LV: 7/Fairy/Ritual/Light/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2000)

Effect: You can Ritual Summon this card using 'Trickstar Grand Performance'. If this card battles a monster your opponent controls, it's unaffected by your opponents card effects until the End Phase. During either players turn, when a 'Trickstar' monster you control inflicts damage: You can target that monster; inflict damage to your opponent equal to half its ATK, and if you do, that monster's unaffected by your opponents card effects until the End Phase. You can only use this effect of 'Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist' once per turn.

Trickstar Band Manager (LR: 2/Fairy/Light/ATK: 1000/⬇️↘️)️

Effect: When a 'Trickstar' monster is Special Summoned to a Main Monster Zone this card points to: You can add 1 'Trickstar' Ritual Spell card and 1 'Trickstar' Ritual Monster from your deck to your hand. If a 'Trickstar' Ritual Monster is Ritual Summoned to a Main Monster Zone this card points to: You can target 1 'Trickstar' Spell or Trap card in your deck; replace this effect with the targeted card's original effects until the End Phase. You can only use each effect of 'Trickstar Band Manager' once per turn.

Trickstar Encore (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Target 1 'Trickstar' Link Monster in your GY; Special Summon it, then draw cards from the top of your deck equal to the Special Summoned 'Trickstar' Link Monster's Link Rating. You can only activate 1 'Trickstar Encore' per turn.

Trickstar Grand Performance (Ritual Spell card)

Effect: This card can be used to Ritual Summon any 'Trickstar' Ritual Monster. You must also tribute 'Trickstar' monsters from your field or hand whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster you Ritual Summon. If this card is in your GY, except the turn it was sent there: You can banish this card from your GY; Special Summon 1 'Trickstar' monster from your GY.

Clarice:

Amazoness Ambassador (LR: 2/Warrior/Earth/ATK: 1600/⬅️➡️)️

Effect: If this card is Special Summoned: You can add 1 'Amazoness' card from your deck to your hand. If this card is used as Fusion Material for the Fusion Summon of an 'Amazoness' Fusion Monster: You can Special Summon this card from your GY. You can only use each effect of 'Amazoness Ambassador' per turn.

Amazoness War Cry (Normal Spell card)

Effect: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; Special Summon 'Amazoness' monsters from your deck whose combined ATK is less than or equal to the targeted monster's ATK. You can only activate 1 'Amazoness War Cry' per turn.

Amazoness Lasso (Equip Spell card)

Effect: Equip only to an 'Amazoness' monster. When the equipped monster battles a monster your opponent controls, its ATK is halved until the End Phase.

QOTC

What are your thoughts on Rosetta now that you know more of her past? Also, of the two second-anniversary duels, which one did you like the most?

Chapter Preview

Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS: Obscured Truth. Chapter 58: Honor Among Duelists. Having been charged by Queen to end the Turf War, Akira logs into LINK VRAINS to secure an alliance with Epsilon, knowing about their honor compared to the other branches. In the midst of negotiations, however, forces from Delta attack them, forcing both Akira and Epsilon to work together lest they get defeated by the surprise attack...

Chapter 59: Return to Gamma. One Skyhook has been destroyed. However, two more remain. Raguel, Playmaker, Soulburner, and Slipstream log into the network to destroy the Skyhook at Gamma. However, the Guzik family splits the group apart in the midst of their mission, wanting to prove they're the strongest of all duelists by defeating them one by one...

Author's Notes

Okay. The second-anniversary chapter took longer than I anticipated. That being said, thanks everyone for waiting. It really means a lot to me. Anyhow, let's recap what happened:

The first thing that happened was Yuhiro's talk with Tsubaki. It's revealed that she was sterilized after completing her training at the Beta Branch. Yup. I said it. Sterilized. At first, I thought Tsubaki wasn't similar to Black Widow. However, after seeing the Black Widow movie, I found a way to differentiate Tsubaki from Akiza by having her go through an additional horrific experience that took something away from her. Credit goes to KingOtakuOverYou for giving me this idea a long while back. Before Yuhiro leaves, Tsubaki warns him not to push away the people in his life, or else he'll suffer a fate worse than death.

Next is Yuhiro's phone call with Watchman, who updates him in saying that he got a lead on the Earth Ignis. While he doesn't know where the Earth Ignis is, he is able to follow his trail, and hopefully find him before the bad guys do. They would have talked further had Arashi and Herald's singing not interrupted there. I actually said singing, as I wanted to bring in a funny moment.

Third is the girls mission to take down the Beta Branch. Inspiration for this came from the Black Widow movie, where Black Widow, Yelena Botova, Red Guardian, and Melina Vostokoff infiltrating and taking down the Red Room. I know some of you expected it to be like a nightclub, but I decided to show something else. Why? Because the Beta Branch focuses on slavery and poaching, with Clarice enslaving the girls to her will by planting chips in their heads.

Fourth is the duels between Blue Girl vs Sandalphon and Rosetta vs Clarice. Let's talk about Blue Girl vs Sandalphon first. It was basically a meta deck vs a deck that was eventually set aside for the Marincess deck. Although Sandalphon nearly defeated Blue Girl with her Orcust monsters, she managed to win the duel by using her ritual monster Trickstar Band Cerise Ocarinist. Part of her design, believe it or not, was based off of Zelda from The Legend of Zelda series, with my own touches of course. Let's keep something in mind here. The fact that Blue Girl defeated a duelist who used a meta deck is proof that she gets the character development she deserves, as well as a win against a strong duelist that can give Playmaker or the others a run for their money. Besides, Blue Girl only managed to duel once before becoming Blue Maiden, so giving her this win helps solidify her as a character that can hold out on her own without anyone's help.

The next duel is between Rosetta vs Clarice. This was one of Rosetta's toughest duels, as she wasn't able to inflict one point of battle damage to her. However, she was able to win the duel by inflicting effect damage using her new Xyz monster: Chaos Xyz Battleship Cherry Blossom. That's right. I said Chaos Xyz monster. According to Ace, Battleship Cherry Blossom is one of the members of the Deadly Seven, a group of Xyz monsters that can't be wielded by normal duelists. However, they can be wielded by wielded by someone who went through pain. He also mentioned that the cards are corrupted, filled with rather unique energy that came from outer space, which as we know from Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal, came from the Barian World. That's not what's happening in Obscured Truth. Rather, the Deadly Seven came from outer space, with its chaotic energy that Ace dubbed as Chaos being looked into. What secrets does Chaos have? How does it fit into the story? Oh, and as for the Barian emblem, I put that in as an easter egg just to surprise people. Don't worry. Rosetta's not under control of the Barians, as that would not be good. In the duel, Rosetta revealed something else. The purity of someone's heart is what enables duelists to control one of these monsters, not human nature itself. So if someone's heart is filled purely with either good or evil, or went through pain, they can control one of the Deadly Seven. Who here was surprised with a Chaos Xyz monster appearing? Which ones do you want to see next?

The last scene is basically Tsubaki, Emma, Gekiryushi, Aoi, and Rachel going to a karaoke bar and having fun, celebrating in destroying the Skyhook and freeing the deathstalkers from their servitude. In my opinion, putting this scene in was a nice way to end the chapter, the girls having fun as friends. What do you think?

Alright, onto the good stuff, as it's contest time! For this contest, I want you to answer this question: What is it you want to see in Obscured Truth? You put down your ideas in the reviews, and I'll put them down in a poll, where you get to vote on it. There will be three winners, with the first winner having a one hundred percent chance of being implemented in the story, the second winner having a fifty percent chance of being implemented in the story, and the third winner having a twenty five percent chance of being implemented in the story. In other words, you get to decide what appears in the story by voting! I'm implementing this contest to say thank you for reading the story through its ups and downs. As such, I want to hear from you on what you want to see next.

Last but not least, I just want to give you an update on what will happen next. Starting in this chapter, each chapter will focus on a specific branch. Chapter 58 will focus on Epsilon, and Chapter 59 will focus on Gamma. This will happen until all the branches (except Zeta, which was already covered) are shown, in which we'll go back to the anime with Earth's appearance.

Therefore, I want to thank every one of you for reading the second anniversary chapter 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? Arashi and Herald singing to Neil Diamond? The Karaoke Bar ending scene? Rosetta, Blue Girl, Ghost Girl, and SengokuQueen's mission in the Beta Branch? The duels? Or something else?

That's all for now folks. Before I sign off, I'm going to tell you a goal I have for the third year anniversary chapter. I will do my very best to reach the Mirror LINK VRAINS arc by October 2022. I bid you adieu, as next time, the chapter will be focused on Akira getting Epsilon's allegiance!